Read Online Exposed: Misbehaving with the Magnate by Kelly Hunter - Free Book Online Page B

part. He’d encouraged Rafe’s friendship with Luc. He’d made a creditable attempt at training Rafe in the business of winemaking once Rafe had shown an interest. He’d shown Rafe kindness, at times, but the kindness of a father? No.
    Rafe didn’t resemble the Duvaliers in looks. There was nothing of Josien’s looks about him either, exceptperhaps in the perfection of facial features, albeit a more strongly hewn version. Rafe had Harrison’s colouring. Fair hair and blue eyes. Bluer than Harrison’s. Bluer and deeper.
    Who if not Phillipe Duvalier?
    Who if not Harrison?
    ‘Doesn’t matter,’ Gabrielle told herself fiercely. ‘Don’t care.’ And following swiftly on the heels of that declaration, ‘ How I hate her ’
    Such an unbridled, uncivilised emotion, hate, but this time, this time, she refused to push it away. With another heartfelt curse, she reached for the phone.
    Rafe had a habit of barking out his name into the phone and following up with a brusque hello. This time was no exception.
    ‘Is now a good time to call?’ she asked him.
    ‘Gabrielle?’ Warmth crept into his voice like sunshine seeping through clouds on a stormy day. ‘It’s about time you called. I’ve just been speaking to Luc.’
    Ah. ‘So you know about his offer?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘And?’
    ‘You know my feelings on getting involved with the Duvaliers, Gabrielle. On any level—no matter how small.’
    ‘I thought I did,’ she countered tartly. ‘That was before Luc informed me that you and he had stayed in contact. What was that all about?’
    ‘You,’ said Rafael curtly. ‘The first time he called you were still on the plane to Australia. He wanted to check that I was meeting you. One thing Luc doesn’t lack is a sense of responsibility. He wanted me to callhim once you’d arrived safely. He wanted to know how you were every now and then. I saw no harm in telling him.’
    ‘You told him I was a weeping, self-pitying wreck?’ Gabrielle closed her eyes in mortification. ‘Gee, thanks.’
    ‘I told him you were fine,’ said Rafe dryly. ‘You know I’d never betray you.’
    Gabrielle closed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead. Not game to speak for fear of the words on her tongue.
    ‘How’s Josien?’ asked Rafe. ‘Did she want to see you?’
    ‘She’ll live.’ This she could talk about, never mind that there was no keeping the bitterness from her voice. ‘And, no, she did not.’
    Rafe didn’t say I told you so. He didn’t need to. ‘You okay with that?’ he asked gently.
    ‘Which bit?’ she said savagely, and let loose a black humoured chuckle of her own when Rafe laughed. ‘Truly, Rafe, I’m fine.’
    ‘Fine as in you’re a weeping, self-pitying wreck, or fine as in fine?’
    ‘Fine as in I’ve finally learned my lesson and I’m moving on,’ Gabrielle told him vehemently. ‘Josien can’t hurt me any more. I won’t let her.’
    ‘I like it,’ said Rafe. ‘There’s something in your voice that makes me believe it.’ His voice wrapped around her, familiar and comforting. ‘Sometimes you’ve just got to let people go, Gabrielle. For your own sake.’
    ‘I know.’ Gabrielle took a deep and shudderingbreath. Don’t go there , a little voice whispered. Don’t even visit that place where fathers aren’t fathers and Rafe is only half yours. Don’t dwell there . ‘I’ve been looking at distribution options hereabouts,’ she said in a stronger voice. ‘Looking hard. It’s not easy, Rafe. It’s a closed system and I don’t have the family name, the contacts or the leverage to open any doors. Luc’s offer to let us hold a wine tasting for distributors at Caverness is a generous one and will open those doors. It could make a big difference to our entry point into the market. If there was no personal element to consider I’d be jumping all over his offer. It’s exactly the kind of upmarket opportunity we need to start this ball rolling.’
    Rafe said nothing.
    ‘I haven’t said