An Enigmatic Man. Carole Mortimer

was awful! Worse than anything she could ever have imagined!

      This man was the older brother Molly so adored!

      Crys had agreed, very reluctantly, after Molly’s constant badgering of her, to spend a few days with her at the Yorkshire home of her older brother. But Molly was warm and bubbly, extremely caring—was probably the best friend Crys had ever had—whereas this man—Molly’s brother, Sam!—on their short acquaintance, appeared to have none of those attributes!

      ‘No, Molly.’ Sam was talking dryly to his sister now. ‘I will not frighten your friend away by doing my Heathcliff impression. Yes, I’ll tell her how sorry you are not to be here when she arrives. Yes, I’ll make her welcome.’ Impatience entered his voice now. “‘Be kind to her”…?’ he repeated slowly, green gaze openly taunting at the colour that had entered Crys’s heated cheeks. ‘What do you think, Molly?’ he derided.

      Crys inwardly panicked. It wasn’t a question of what her friend thought; she already knew for herself that kindness was not necessarily a natural part of this man’s nature.

      ‘I’ll do my best.’ Sam suddenly chuckled, a pleasantly husky sound.

      Although not particularly so to Crys. This man had terrified the life out of her the first time she saw him, had been alternately caustic and mocking since that time; there was no way she could agree to stay here alone with him for a couple of days while she waited for Molly’s belated arrival!

      She stepped forward. ‘Could I—?’

      ‘Yes, Molly, I will remember to tell Chris how sorry you are. Talk to you later,’ Sam firmly finished, before replacing the receiver, his gaze challenging as he turned back to Crys.

      Crys stared back at him with widely apprehensive eyes. Knowing he was Molly’s brother, after all, had done nothing to alleviate her apprehension…!

      CHAPTER THREE

      CRYS mentally shook herself. ‘That was Molly on the telephone, wasn’t it?’ she said heavily.

      His mouth twisted derisively. ‘Very astute of you—considering I called her by her name several times!’

      Crys decided to ignore Sam Barton’s obvious sarcasm—it simply wouldn’t help the situation if she lost her temper with him. Although…she wasn’t sure anything could improve the immediate situation!

      ‘And you’re her brother, Sam,’ she said evenly.

      Although two people more unalike Crys couldn’t imagine! Molly was small and red-haired, with warm brown eyes, a gamine and beautiful face, and one of the friendliest natures Crys had ever known. Sam Barton was none of those things!

      ‘A regular Einstein, in fact,’ he drawled.

      Despite her earlier resolve, Crys felt her anger towards this man rising, her cheeks hot with the emotion. This situation was already bad enough, without his unwarranted sarcasm!

      ‘Mr Barton—’

      ‘Sam will do,’ he cut in. ‘I take it you’re Chris? Short for?’ he prompted at her nod of confirmation.

      ‘Crystal,’ she supplied reluctantly, considering the question quite inappropriate in the circumstances.

      That hard green gaze raked over her mercilessly, from her tiny feet, her obvious slenderness, to the tip of her silver-blonde head.

      ‘It figures,’ he finally drawled insultingly.

      ‘Why does it?’ she came back sharply.

      He shrugged broad shoulders. ‘You look as if the slightest thing might snap you in half.’

      ‘Looks can be deceptive,’ she returned, with pointed reference to his remark earlier concerning Merlin’s docility.

      ‘Touché.’ His mouth twisted into a humourless smile, that hard gaze once again raking over her with complete disregard for the fact that he was being extremely rude.

      Crys was well aware of the fact that she had lost a considerable amount of weight due to the strain of the last year. Her small frame, along with her diminutive height—only a little over five feet—gave her an air of fragility that might otherwise not have been there. Her face was thin, cheekbones prominent beneath haunted grey eyes, jawline finely visible. Only the fullness of her mouth remained the same.

      She had hoped that this few days in Yorkshire with Molly might help to alleviate some of that strain—but only a few minutes’ acquaintance with Molly’s older brother had shown Crys that wasn’t going to happen!

      ‘Well, Crys, it looks as if you don’t have somewhere else to go, after all,’ Sam taunted.

      That was what he thought! ‘I take it, from what was said, that Molly isn’t going to be here for a couple more days?’

      Even that humourless smile disappeared now. ‘You take it correctly,’ he confirmed grimly. ‘The rehearsals for the film she starts shooting next month have run over schedule,’ he explained briefly, before picking up his empty mug and moving to pour a refill. ‘Want one?’ he offered belatedly.

      ‘No, thank you,’ she returned primly, aware that his lack of manners in not offering her more coffee before was probably due to the fact that he spent most of his time here alone—that he wasn’t used to catering to the needs of a guest. It wasn’t a feeling she, personally, intended altering for him, either! She was also aware that, as an actress, Molly had a schedule often disturbed in this way. It was one of the reasons they had decided to drive up separately to Yorkshire. ‘As Molly can’t make it for a while, I think it would be better—’ for all of them! ‘—if I—’

      ‘I hope you aren’t going to suggest booking into a hotel,’ Sam rasped, shaking his head. ‘Molly would never forgive me if I allowed you to do that.’

      Now it was Crys’s turn to give a humourless smile. ‘And I’m sure that would bother you!’

      ‘As a matter of fact—yes, it would,’ he replied firmly. ‘Molly is very dear to me.’ His voice was husky now. ‘She’s—special. And any friend of hers is welcome here,’ he added with finality.

      Crys silently agreed with him about Molly being special. The two girls had met at boarding-school ten years ago, when Molly had joined the lower sixth in preparation for taking her ‘A’ Levels. For anyone else, a change of school at such a delicate time might have resulted in feeling lost and out of place, but Molly’s nature was such that she quickly made herself at home wherever she was. The two girls had quickly become fast friends, spending most of their time together during school term.

      Curiously enough, though, they had never visited each other at home during the holidays… If they had, Crys would already have known that she felt most uncomfortable in the presence of Molly’s brother who was twelve years older!

      ‘Unless I’m mistaken, you were under the impression that Molly’s friend Crys was a man?’ she asked.

      ‘Molly was most insistent that I be nice to this particular friend. It was important to her that this Chris should feel welcome. It was a natural assumption to have made, in the circumstances.’

      Crys felt a glow of warmth at her friend’s obvious care for her comfort. Although that didn’t change the fact that Sam Barton had now been presented with a female friend rather than the male he had been expecting, or that Molly’s arrival had been delayed for a couple of days…

      ‘That was kind of Molly,’ she accepted. ‘Although her unexpected absence does change things rather—’

      ‘Because you’re a woman and not the man I was expecting?’ He frowned darkly. ‘Why does that change anything?’

      Surely that was more than obvious, even to a man who chose to live as out of touch with the world as this one did? Oh, not that Crys felt in the least prudish about the fact that they would be a man and woman