the cheque, plus the directions how to get to Evangeline. I wouldn’t take too long to decide about your trip. He could be quite desperately ill and you could arrive in a couple of months and be too late to meet him, and that would haunt you the rest of your life. Or you may get bowled over in the street and he would never get to meet you. He doesn’t deserve that.’
With sudden awareness Katriona said angrily, ‘You’re just trying to make me feel guilty and ashamed. You’re just trying to make me rush into a decision which I would regret. If my father was really seriously ill you would have said so immediately. That’s emotional blackmail, and it won’t work, and I think you’re despicable to stoop to such methods. Even if I wanted to I couldn’t leave my office at this particular time. I’ve given my word to Mr Drummond that I’ll stay until he retires, and that may be in two months or six months or a year.’
‘Come when you’re ready ...'
‘I’ll never be ready. I don’t want any complications in my life. You go back to New Zealand and forget you ever met me, and I’ll do my best to forget I’ve ever met you.’
Morgan stopped at the door and in one stride reached for her, his hands hard on her shoulders, 'You’ll never forget me, Katriona Carmichael, that’s a promise! And you’ll never forget why I came; that out there in New Zealand you have a living, breathing father who needs someone to love more than most. Out there on Evangeline you’ll have room to breathe, miles and miles of the most beautiful country in the world.’ He shook her roughly. ‘Don’t be too stubborn, little Red. I’ll go back and tell your father that he’s got a daughter so like him it’s ridiculous ... an attractive, utterly feminine version of a proud, stubborn, bad-tempered old man.’
He laughed suddenly at her indignant expression and his hands dropped to his sides. ‘I’ll tell him I tried everything in the book. If I thought it would work I’d make wild passionate love to you and promise to marry you when you got back to New Zealand.’
‘Don’t you dare try!’ Katriona backed away, her eyes smouldering with rage.
Morgan laughed again. 'No, thanks. When Ross sent me he didn’t order me to make this a suicide mission. See you at Evangeline.’
And he was gone.
Katriona stood in the same spot as he had left her, almost beside herself with temper, still feeling the pressure of his powerful hands on her shoulders. How conceited and arrogant he was! Did he think he only needed to make love to a girl, any girl, and she would chase him to the ends of the earth? Oh, Katriona wanted to shriek with rage, to have a tantrum, to somehow rid herself of all the unfamiliar emotions that Morgan Grant had triggered off in her neat and well planned existence. No man had the right to disturb her the way he had done.
No man had the right to literally take her breath away as Morgan Grant had done.
Gradually her fury lessened and her breathing became normal. She wandered over to her settee and sat down where he had been sitting and picked up the envelope he had left there. There was no doubt that this was his own handwriting, strong, bold and very masculine. Oh, yes, he was a man all right, from the tips of his well polished shoes to the thick dark curling hair on his very handsome head, and her tiny cramped apartment would never be the same now that he had been there. And she would never be the same ... she held the letter close to her, keeping it, holding it, treasuring it. Something of his.
She felt her cheeks bum as she realised where her thoughts were leading her. What if he had made love to her? Pain shot through her as she forced herself to be honest and admit she would have been wild with delight. Morgan Grant had some magic quality which drew people to him, and it was powerful magic. Look at the way Jeannie and Donald had been charmed by him, and Elspeth from the Lodge, and Shona and Morag, and silly,
With sudden awareness Katriona said angrily, ‘You’re just trying to make me feel guilty and ashamed. You’re just trying to make me rush into a decision which I would regret. If my father was really seriously ill you would have said so immediately. That’s emotional blackmail, and it won’t work, and I think you’re despicable to stoop to such methods. Even if I wanted to I couldn’t leave my office at this particular time. I’ve given my word to Mr Drummond that I’ll stay until he retires, and that may be in two months or six months or a year.’
‘Come when you’re ready ...'
‘I’ll never be ready. I don’t want any complications in my life. You go back to New Zealand and forget you ever met me, and I’ll do my best to forget I’ve ever met you.’
Morgan stopped at the door and in one stride reached for her, his hands hard on her shoulders, 'You’ll never forget me, Katriona Carmichael, that’s a promise! And you’ll never forget why I came; that out there in New Zealand you have a living, breathing father who needs someone to love more than most. Out there on Evangeline you’ll have room to breathe, miles and miles of the most beautiful country in the world.’ He shook her roughly. ‘Don’t be too stubborn, little Red. I’ll go back and tell your father that he’s got a daughter so like him it’s ridiculous ... an attractive, utterly feminine version of a proud, stubborn, bad-tempered old man.’
He laughed suddenly at her indignant expression and his hands dropped to his sides. ‘I’ll tell him I tried everything in the book. If I thought it would work I’d make wild passionate love to you and promise to marry you when you got back to New Zealand.’
‘Don’t you dare try!’ Katriona backed away, her eyes smouldering with rage.
Morgan laughed again. 'No, thanks. When Ross sent me he didn’t order me to make this a suicide mission. See you at Evangeline.’
And he was gone.
Katriona stood in the same spot as he had left her, almost beside herself with temper, still feeling the pressure of his powerful hands on her shoulders. How conceited and arrogant he was! Did he think he only needed to make love to a girl, any girl, and she would chase him to the ends of the earth? Oh, Katriona wanted to shriek with rage, to have a tantrum, to somehow rid herself of all the unfamiliar emotions that Morgan Grant had triggered off in her neat and well planned existence. No man had the right to disturb her the way he had done.
No man had the right to literally take her breath away as Morgan Grant had done.
Gradually her fury lessened and her breathing became normal. She wandered over to her settee and sat down where he had been sitting and picked up the envelope he had left there. There was no doubt that this was his own handwriting, strong, bold and very masculine. Oh, yes, he was a man all right, from the tips of his well polished shoes to the thick dark curling hair on his very handsome head, and her tiny cramped apartment would never be the same now that he had been there. And she would never be the same ... she held the letter close to her, keeping it, holding it, treasuring it. Something of his.
She felt her cheeks bum as she realised where her thoughts were leading her. What if he had made love to her? Pain shot through her as she forced herself to be honest and admit she would have been wild with delight. Morgan Grant had some magic quality which drew people to him, and it was powerful magic. Look at the way Jeannie and Donald had been charmed by him, and Elspeth from the Lodge, and Shona and Morag, and silly,
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