Read Online Match Play by Merline Lovelace - Free Book Online

putting up a smokescreen is a good idea,” she informed him curtly when she returned. “You want to call your boss and arrange for leave while I change?”
    She’d have to display considerably more enthusiasm for his company, Luke thought wryly as he pulled out his cell phone.
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    With the wind still raking in off the sea, Dayna exchanged her thin cotton sweater for a pink cashmere turtleneck and a Pendleton wool jacket in soft heather tweed. Her fanny pack rested comfortably on her hip as she and Luke walked to Cockburren’s.
    It was a short walk. St. Andrews was a small university town with a population that normally hovered around eighteen thousand. Major tournaments like the British Open or the Women’s International Pro-Am Charity swelled that number greatly but took nothing away from the charm of the ancient town.
    The granite buildings lining its streets had been aged by the centuries into a patchwork of gray and black. Every second or third shop window, it seemed, displayed equipment, art or clothing for the sport the Scots claimed as their own. Sandwiched in between the shops were lively restaurants and pubs.
    The ghostly spires of St. Andrews’ once-magnificent abbey thrust into the sky at the upper end of Market Street. On the lower end of the street, the towers and turrets of the university dominated the view. Dayna and Luke threaded their way along the walkway, bumping elbows with tourists and students sporting heavy backpacks slung over their shoulders and iPod cords snaking from jacket pockets.
    Luke put a hand to the small of her back to steer her past a boisterous group of students. “I don’t know how much you know about the university,” he commented.
    She was wearing several layers of wool and cashmere, for Pete’s sake! There was no reason on earth she should feel more than the slight pressure of his hand. Disgusted by the shivers that danced down her spine, Dayna disguised her reaction to his touch with a shrug.
    â€œOnly that it’s one of the oldest in Scotland.”
    â€œ The oldest in Scotland. Best I recall, it was founded somewhere around 1400.”
    Why did he leave his palm resting just above the swell of her rear? Was he already slipping into his role in their agreed-upon act?
    â€œJohn Witherspoon, one of the signers of our Declaration of Independence, graduated from here. So did William Arthur Philip Louis Mountbatten-Windsor.”
    â€œPrince William?” she guessed.
    â€œThe one and only. I never ran into him myself, but Alan Parks stood him and some of his chums to a round at one of the pubs.”
    â€œSounds like Alan Parks. Judging by our brief encounter, I’d say your fellow pilot has never met a stranger.”
    â€œYou pegged him. Here, this is Cockburren’s.”
    Increasing the pressure, he ushered her through the door of a shop wedged between a bakery and a clothier with a colorful display of kilts in the front windows. Several of the LPGA stars were already present, chatting with fans or signing autographs.
    A quick glance showed Kim Li sitting at a table in an alcove. A number of her entourage were also present. Dayna recognized her trainer and the thin, intense individual who acted as her manager.
    â€œMiss Duncan!”
    Smiling from ear to ear, a distinguished gentleman in a black vest, ruffled shirt and tartan pants maneuvered through the crowd.
    â€œWelcome!” His accent combined a musical blend of English and Scottish brogue. “I’m Archibald Cockburren, owner of the shop. We’re so pleased you could join us.”
    â€œThank you for inviting me. This is Luke Harper, an old friend of mine.”
    â€œAh, yes. Wasn’t that your picture I saw in the paper this morning, Captain Harper?”
    â€œIt was.”
    â€œHow fortunate that you and Ms. Duncan found each other again.”
    â€œWe think so.”
    Hooking his arm around Dayna’s waist, Luke drew her