Read Online Mad About You by Joan Kilby - Free Book Online

of that action, but he would never accept money from me. I offered him a loan two years ago when he was still in the development stage. He turned me down flat.” Ian paused and tipped his head thoughtfully. “Although if he didn’t know he was meeting me, I might be able to convince him.” He removed a business card from his wallet. “Call my PA and set up a meeting. Tell Scott there’s an angel who wishes to remain anonymous.”
    …
    A log fire crackled in the Salish Lodge dining room, shedding warmth over the damask-draped dining table and adding a golden glow to the crystal wine goblets. Heavy wood furniture and dark-paneled walls contributed to the cozy atmosphere. Scott’s gaze strayed again and again to Cassy, who was demurely sipping chardonnay while Lorraine entertained them with stories of life in the outback of Western Australia. Tod, at Lorraine’s right hand, politely spooned his soup. No doubt he’d heard it all before.
    The Australian mining magnate held up her purse, a black croc-skin clutch. “I shot this brute last winter. Twenty feet long he was. Charged at me on the riverbank. All I had with me was a .308 but I emptied five bullets into him as fast as I could work the bolt. I had this purse, a pair of boots, and a belt made out of his sorry hide.”
    Scott worked his way methodically through his wild salmon and asparagus. Lorraine’s stories were interesting even if he wasn’t sure they were 100 percent true. But he was having trouble focusing on anything but Cassy. On the shadows between her breasts and the liquid warmth in her amber eyes when her glance happened to meet his.
    They’d just had time to drop their suitcases in their suite and quickly change for dinner, taking turns in the bathroom. Luckily they had two bedrooms, not that much different from the setup at his penthouse. And yet it felt different. Cozier. Both rooms had huge beds and open fireplaces, soft lighting and warm furnishings. The whole lodge screamed romantic getaway. Two bedrooms, though. He needed to remember that. When they returned to the suite after dinner Cassy would say good-night and shut her door—bolt it, if she was smart—and they wouldn’t see each other till morning.
    “Well, Scott?” Lorraine’s bouffant hair sported a huge diamond pin in the shape of a butterfly, giving the effect of a very large five-year-old playing dress-up. But the businesslike gleam in her shrewd eyes belied her childlike appearance.
    “Er, sorry. My attention wandered.” He’d noted when she’d switched topics from the outback to her current business trip but had missed the last few minutes. He took a stab in the dark. “What did you want to know about the Dreamcatcher? If it’s technical I can answer, but for the business side, Cassy’s the one you want.” Lorraine frowned at him. Okay, maybe she’d been asking him about mountain biking. “Or was it the trails we’ll be going on tomorrow morning?”
    “I asked how you and Cassy knew when you fell in love.”
    Crap! What kind of a question was that for a business weekend? Scott carried the forkful he was holding to his mouth, giving him time to think. Across the table, Cassy shot him a nervous smile.
    Lorraine turned to Tod in an aside, “Go, call her.”
    Tod, who’d been silent through the meal, surreptitiously checking his BlackBerry under the table while the rest of them talked, made his apologies and left the table.
    “He’s not usually so preoccupied. His wife in Australia is expecting a baby any day now,” Lorraine explained. “So, at what moment did you realize you wanted to spend the rest of your life with this woman?”
    “Not to be rude, but why are you interested?” Scott asked. “Our engagement has nothing to do with nanotechnology or mountain biking.”
    “Definitely not with mountain biking,” Cassy said with a wry smile.
    “I’m getting married again,” Lorraine said. “I’ve made three mistakes in the matrimonial department. Three