but firmly. 'But this is my pleasure.'
Zanna sat mute and like a statue as he fitted first one shoe then the other onto her outraged feet.
'Thank you,' she said icily when he'd finished. 'If the garage business ever fails, you could always get a job as a shoe salesman.'
'Relying on you for a reference? I don't think so.' Jake sat back on his heels, contemplating his handiwork. 'I'll just stick to Plan A and marry a rich woman.'
The breath caught in Zanna's throat. 'An admirable ambition,' she said at last. 'Is there a village organization to cover that as well?'
'We have our fair share of lonely hearts.'
'Including the pretty redhead at the dance?' The question must have been there, lurking just below the surface, all the time, but she could have bitten out her tongue just the same.
'That'll be the day,' he returned cheerfully, without the barbed comment she'd been dreading. 'Sal's a party girl.'
She shrugged. 'Even party girls settle down eventually.'
'But not with me.'
'Not rich enough?'
'I'll check her bank balance and let you know.'
'Not very gallant.' She made her tone light, slightly waspish, trying to conceal the fact that he was still physically far too close for comfort. She was piercingly aware of the lean, graceful strength of his body, of the shadowing of body hair tantalisingly visible through the thin shirt, and that faint, evocative fragrance of cologne.
She hurried into speech again. 'I was sure I'd spotted the future Mrs Smith.'
'Wrong on several counts, Susie. Including the name. You're Smith, if you remember. I'm...' He paused.
'Yes?' she said. 'Exactly what are you?'
'Call me X-the unknown factor.' He glanced up at her, not smiling now, the dark gaze intent. 'So, tell me about him, Susie. Tell me about the man who's made you so uptight.'
There was a brief silence, then, 'There is no man,' she said jerkily.
Jake shook his head, holding her glance with his. 'I don't believe that. You're a beautiful, desirable girl, but you've fastened yourself into some kind of cage. And I want to know why.'
'You're being totally absurd again.' Zanna's voice rose angrily. 'You know nothing about me. And you haven't the slightest right to make these assumptions.'
'Maybe not, but that isn't going to stop me. Do you plan to spend the rest of your life with iron bars around you? And what are they for anyway? To keep you in or the rest of the world out?'
'I have a very good life,' she said raggedly. 'I'm free to go where I want and do what I wish. A freedom I intend to exercise now, incidentally.' She rose determinedly. 'I'd like that key, please. I'm going back to the Black Bull.'
Jake got lithely to his feet. He took the key from his pocket and stood for a moment, tossing it in his hand, his expression speculative.
'I'm waiting,' Zanna said icily.
'Which will do you no harm at all.' The dark eyes flashed at her. 'Or do they all jump to attention in the big wide world when you look and speak like that?'
'Until I came here I was treated with the respect I've earned,' she said stonily. Apart from this morning, came the unbidden thought, when Henry Walton looked at you as if you were dirt.
'But at what cost to yourself, Susie?'
It was the sudden gentleness in his voice which proved her undoing.
Her throat tightened uncontrollably. She said in a muffled voice, 'Oh-go to hell,' and burst into tears.
From some place of stark and desperate loneliness she felt his arms enclose her. Her hands reached for his shoulders, clutching them as if he were a rock in a stormy sea. Sobs were torn out of her from some aching depth she had not known existed. She was blinded and deafened by the force of her own emotions. Dimly she was aware of being lifted-held, rocked and soothed as if she were a child again.
Not the child she'd actually been, the bewildered thought came to her, but a child who was allowed to be hurt, to be
Zanna sat mute and like a statue as he fitted first one shoe then the other onto her outraged feet.
'Thank you,' she said icily when he'd finished. 'If the garage business ever fails, you could always get a job as a shoe salesman.'
'Relying on you for a reference? I don't think so.' Jake sat back on his heels, contemplating his handiwork. 'I'll just stick to Plan A and marry a rich woman.'
The breath caught in Zanna's throat. 'An admirable ambition,' she said at last. 'Is there a village organization to cover that as well?'
'We have our fair share of lonely hearts.'
'Including the pretty redhead at the dance?' The question must have been there, lurking just below the surface, all the time, but she could have bitten out her tongue just the same.
'That'll be the day,' he returned cheerfully, without the barbed comment she'd been dreading. 'Sal's a party girl.'
She shrugged. 'Even party girls settle down eventually.'
'But not with me.'
'Not rich enough?'
'I'll check her bank balance and let you know.'
'Not very gallant.' She made her tone light, slightly waspish, trying to conceal the fact that he was still physically far too close for comfort. She was piercingly aware of the lean, graceful strength of his body, of the shadowing of body hair tantalisingly visible through the thin shirt, and that faint, evocative fragrance of cologne.
She hurried into speech again. 'I was sure I'd spotted the future Mrs Smith.'
'Wrong on several counts, Susie. Including the name. You're Smith, if you remember. I'm...' He paused.
'Yes?' she said. 'Exactly what are you?'
'Call me X-the unknown factor.' He glanced up at her, not smiling now, the dark gaze intent. 'So, tell me about him, Susie. Tell me about the man who's made you so uptight.'
There was a brief silence, then, 'There is no man,' she said jerkily.
Jake shook his head, holding her glance with his. 'I don't believe that. You're a beautiful, desirable girl, but you've fastened yourself into some kind of cage. And I want to know why.'
'You're being totally absurd again.' Zanna's voice rose angrily. 'You know nothing about me. And you haven't the slightest right to make these assumptions.'
'Maybe not, but that isn't going to stop me. Do you plan to spend the rest of your life with iron bars around you? And what are they for anyway? To keep you in or the rest of the world out?'
'I have a very good life,' she said raggedly. 'I'm free to go where I want and do what I wish. A freedom I intend to exercise now, incidentally.' She rose determinedly. 'I'd like that key, please. I'm going back to the Black Bull.'
Jake got lithely to his feet. He took the key from his pocket and stood for a moment, tossing it in his hand, his expression speculative.
'I'm waiting,' Zanna said icily.
'Which will do you no harm at all.' The dark eyes flashed at her. 'Or do they all jump to attention in the big wide world when you look and speak like that?'
'Until I came here I was treated with the respect I've earned,' she said stonily. Apart from this morning, came the unbidden thought, when Henry Walton looked at you as if you were dirt.
'But at what cost to yourself, Susie?'
It was the sudden gentleness in his voice which proved her undoing.
Her throat tightened uncontrollably. She said in a muffled voice, 'Oh-go to hell,' and burst into tears.
From some place of stark and desperate loneliness she felt his arms enclose her. Her hands reached for his shoulders, clutching them as if he were a rock in a stormy sea. Sobs were torn out of her from some aching depth she had not known existed. She was blinded and deafened by the force of her own emotions. Dimly she was aware of being lifted-held, rocked and soothed as if she were a child again.
Not the child she'd actually been, the bewildered thought came to her, but a child who was allowed to be hurt, to be
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