Read Online Her Man with Iceberg Eyes by Kris Pearson - Free Book Online Page A

cautiously.
    “It’ll be fairly hot,” Diana said,
interpreting her hesitation correctly. “Lottie’s mother is
Indonesian Dutch, so the spices are authentic. You can cool it down
with the yoghurt.”
    “Or a cold beer?” Matthew suggested.
    Kate shook her head. “Not after the wine,
thanks.”
    “Anyone else?” he asked, glancing around the
table. Heads were shaken. “More wine all round then,” he said,
striding out to the kitchen and returning with four fresh glasses
and a different bottle.
    Kate glimpsed the distinctive McLeod Brothers
label again. “Do you always drink your own wine?” she asked.
    “Someone has to,” Hamish said with a wry
smirk.
    Diana smiled. “He keeps a keen eye on the
competition—by sampling their fine products of course.”
    “But we trot out the good stuff when it’s
family,” he confirmed, taking a closer look at the label as Matthew
positioned the glasses. “I thought you’d finished this
vintage?”
    “I kept a few bottles aside for special
occasions.”
    “And it is an important birthday,”
Diana inserted.
    Matthew poured, and handed the wine around.
“Absent friends,” he said, lifting his glass in a toast. “Shame
Lottie’s not here. All the family together.”
    Everyone sipped and set their glasses
down.
    “Do you have brothers or sisters, Kate?”
Diana asked.
    Kate shook her head. “Only child. I would
have liked a sister at least, but my mother...had problems in that
department. I have a younger female cousin I’m fond of. Alfie.”
    “Alfie? For a girl?”
    “Poor thing—she’s named after her
grandfather. He’s Alfred. She’s Alfrieda. I don’t see her often
because she lives way out on a farm.”
    Diana sent her a soft smile. “Two boys for
us.”
    “I bet they’re good company for each
other.”
    “Most of the time,” Hamish agreed. “Until one
of them pinches something belonging to the other. Then all hell
tends to break loose.”
    Matthew laughed. “Sounds like you and me when
we were younger.” He turned to Kate. “You’ll meet them on Saturday,
if not before.”
    “If I’m still here.”
    “You’ll be here,” he confirmed with arrogant
off-handedness. “I’ve already re-booked your ticket. Sunday evening
to Auckland. Okay?”
    Kate held his gaze without flinching. “So
you’re sending me home. No job?”
    He shrugged. “We’ll see. Everything’s been
turned on its head now Lottie’s injured. You’d have to go home
eventually to collect the rest of your clothes anyway.”
    So just like that, she’d be dismissed? It
stung.
    “Oh yes, clothes,” Diana exclaimed. “How did
the shopping go?”
    Kate forked up some more curry and swallowed
it before answering, wondering if Matthew would comment first. “It
was fine,” she eventually replied. “I don’t think I needed
everything we bought, but I was ganged up on. So I have jeans,
leggings, a couple of jerseys, a leather jacket I certainly
wouldn’t have chosen...”
    “It looked good on you,” Matthew interrupted.
“You can borrow the padded one again if you want.”
    “...and a cardigan and some shirts and a
lovely warm robe.”
    She noticed neither of them mentioned the
lingerie.
    “Good work,” Diana said. “And you’ve met
Lottie now?”
    “Finally awake,” Matthew confirmed. They must
have given her horse tranquiliser.”
    “I don’t blame them,” Hamish muttered. “She
can be a hell of a drama queen.”
    “Yep, she was having a moan about the food
when we arrived,” Matthew agreed, apparently not the least put out
to have Lottie referred to so unkindly.
    Hamish and Diana laughed.
    “Nothing wrong with this food,” Kate
said, spooning out a little more curry.
    Diana nodded. “True. I wonder if Lottie could
make me a nice big pot of it for the party? Maybe a little
milder?”
    “Consider it done,” Matthew said. “Although
she’ll probably achieve it by barking orders at Kate or me while we
skivvy for her.”
     
    He turned to watch Kate.