A Spanish Inheritance. Susan Stephens

on each window ledge.

      He made a sound of approval as he turned full circle. ‘Congratulations. I’m impressed.’

      Praise indeed! She relaxed a little. ‘What would you like to drink?’

      ‘Chilled water.’

      While she was busy at the dresser, fetching tumblers, she watched him out of the corner of her eye—roaming about while he waited, running his hands along the walls and stopping occasionally to give them a sharp rap with his closed fist. Her thoughts were in turmoil because…because he was acting like a prospective purchaser, she decided hotly.

      As his gaze tracked across the ceiling she heard him murmur thoughtfully, ‘Structural improvements will have to be made before next winter.’

      ‘I have already come to that conclusion myself, Señor Perez,’ Annalisa heard herself snap as she held out the glass of water.

      The ghost of a smile was the only sign that he had registered her ruffled tone of voice. ‘I am sure you have,’ he agreed pleasantly. ‘Why don’t you call me Ramon, Annalisa? Señor Perez sounds so formal.’

      Common sense screamed at her to keep the relationship on a formal footing, but pride insisted they were equals. Why not call him by his first name? He had no difficulty using hers. But as she poured herself a glass of water Annalisa realised her hands were still trembling. Ramon’s invasion of this, her private space, was far more unnerving than she could ever have anticipated.

      Avoiding eye contact as she shucked some ice into the glass, she drank deeply, relishing the cool sensation as it tracked through a body that was perilously overheated.

      Waiting until she had come out of hiding from behind the glass, Ramon issued a reminder. ‘It was you who called a meeting between us.’

      ‘Yes,’ Annalisa protested, ‘but I don’t propose to hold it here…now.’

      The look he gave her suggested that Ramon Perez was a man who had never learned the meaning of the word no.

      ‘OK,’ he said without missing a beat. ‘Let’s make it dinner.’