The Deserving Mistress

‘Okay will do for just now,’ Jude cut in derisively. ‘Eat,’ he added curtly, sitting down at the place opposite her.

She couldn’t remember the last time someone had ordered her about in this way. Probably not since her father had died a year ago, she recognised frowningly. But anyone less like her father—or, indeed, a father-figure—than Jude Marshall, she was less likely to meet!

For one thing she was completely aware of him as the two of them helped themselves to the food, of the slender strength of his ringless hands, the dark hairs that began at his wrist and probably covered his arms and chest, of the way his dark hair fell endearingly across his forehead unless pushed back by an impatient hand, of the piercing intelligence of those silver-grey eyes, of the dark shadow at his jaw that implied he probably had to shave twice a day, but had omitted to spend time on that second shave today.

Because he had chosen to drive out here and bring her dinner instead? Probably, she acknowledged slightly dazedly. In fact, she found it difficult to believe at all that she was sitting here eating a Chinese take-away with Jude Marshall, of all people!

‘This is very good, thank you,’ she told him huskily, the hot, tasty food more welcome than she had even imagined. And it had been supplied by Jude Marshall, a man she considered to be her enemy…

He looked across at her, eyes gleaming silver with amusement. ‘How hard was that to say?’ he mused dryly.

‘Very,’ she confirmed with a rueful grimace. ‘I hope I’m not keeping you from something? Or someone?’ she added frowningly.

‘Nothing that can’t wait.’ He shrugged dismissively.

May gave him a quizzical look. Did that mean there wasn’t someone waiting for him back at his hotel? Or that the person that was waiting for him wasn’t important enough for him to bother rushing back to?

Jude frowned as he saw her looking at him. ‘What did I say now?’ he prompted impatiently.

‘Nothing,’ she dismissed abruptly, deliberately turning her attention back to her food.

Although she was completely aware of the fact that he was still looking at her. If she was honest—and she usually was—she had to admit she had never been so aware of another person in her life before.

Just as she felt sorry for whoever—possibly?—might be waiting for him back at his hotel; it would be awful to be so unimportant to this man that his having dinner with a scruffy female farmer took priority. Even with the buying of this farm as the incentive.

‘I spoke to Max earlier this evening.’

May looked up at him sharply, but his bland expression was completely unenlightening. She moistened her lips before speaking, choosing her words carefully, deliberately infusing a lightness into her tone. ‘Did you tell him the two of us have met—finally?’ she couldn’t resist adding dryly.

Jude sat back, regarding her derisively. ‘Should I have done?’ he drawled.

He was doing it again—answering a question with a question.

Because he knew damn well that she would much rather Max, and consequently January, didn’t know of his presence in the area, or that he had already introduced himself to her—but especially that she was managing alone here on the farm.

January had had a pretty awful time of things at the beginning of the year, had been caught up in the sick workings of a stalker’s mind, May much relieved when her sister had become engaged to Max, even more pleased when he’d suggested taking her away for a few weeks’ holiday to get over the experience.

But she had no doubts that, were January to learn of Jude Marshall’s presence here, of the fact that May was alone on the farm, her sister would insist on coming back on the next available flight!

‘Well?’ she prompted impatiently.

Jude gave a rueful shake of his head as she neatly turned the tables back on him. ‘You’re right—we could go on like this all night, returning a question with a question!’

‘Not all night, no,’ May assured him scathingly. ‘Tonight I intend going to bed early, very early—and alone,’ she added so that there should be no more mistakes concerning that particular subject! ‘In fact—’ She broke off frowningly as a knock sounded on the door, shooting Jude Marshall an accusing look.

‘January would hardly knock to come into her own home,’ he easily read the accusation in that look—and the reason for it.

Which still didn’t tell her whether or not he had mentioned to Max that he had decided to come here himself as he and Will had failed to acquire the Calendar farm for him. But, then, even on this short an acquaintance, May already knew that Jude Marshall was decidedly economical in providing any sort of information about anything.

May stood up as a second knock sounded on the door. ‘We’ll talk on this subject more once I’ve dealt with my visitor,’ she warned before moving hurriedly to the door, intending to make it very clear to this man before he left this evening that January was not to be worried by the situation here.

And ‘situation’ it certainly was rapidly becoming, she decided dazedly as she opened the door to find David Melton standing on her doorstep.

Keen on amateur dramatics, May had joined the local society a couple of years ago, only to be spotted by David Melton, a renowned film director, when he’d come to visit his sister’s family for Christmas and spotted May as she’d performed in the local pantomime.

To her surprise he had offered her a part in the film he was to shoot in the summer, if the screen test he offered proved to be successful. It had. But, for very personal reasons of her own, May had decided to turn down his offer…

Which was why she had no idea what he was doing standing on her doorstep now.

Jude watched May’s face as she obviously recognised her visitor—but obviously wished that she didn’t, her expression a puzzling mixture of surprise and dismay.

He turned his narrowed gaze on the other man; probably aged forty or so, tall and slender, with short blond hair and a boyishly handsome face. Which told him precisely nothing, Jude acknowledged ruefully. The man could just be a salesman or something equally innocuous—although, from May’s reaction to seeing him, somehow Jude doubted it…

‘David,’ he heard May greet huskily.

‘I was in the area—I had to come, May,’ the man returned determinedly.

May shook her head. ‘I haven’t changed my mind,’ she told him firmly.

‘But—’

‘You’ll find someone else,’ she assured him, an uncomfortable glance in Jude’s direction letting the other man know that she wasn’t alone.

David shot Jude an impatient glance of his own before his attention returned determinedly to May. ‘I don’t want anyone else, May,’ he told her forcefully. ‘It has to be you. You’re perfect—’

‘I really don’t want to talk about this just now,’ May cut in firmly, obviously completely conscious of the listening Jude, even if the other man seemed unconcerned by his presence.

Curiouser and curiouser, Jude acknowledged consideringly. Was this David a spurned lover who simply refused to go away? Or something else? Although quite what that ‘something else’ could be Jude had no idea. Which brought him back to the spurned lover theory…Although, in the other man’s shoes, Jude would have been more than a little concerned at another man’s presence here alone with May. Unless the other man considered him to be insignificant in what was going on between him and May? A thought that Jude, who had never thought of himself as in the least ‘insignificant’ in any situation, found intensely irritating.

He stood up, moving to stand at May’s side, deliberately resting his hand on the door behind her. ‘Is there a problem, May?’ he prompted haughtily.

She shot him a frowning glance. ‘Nothing that I can’t handle. Thank you,’ she added belatedly.

Jude turned his attention on the other man, deliberately looking down the long length of his nose, topping the other man by at least three inches. ‘I’m afraid you’ve caught us right in the middle of eating our dinner…’ he said pointedly.

The other man looked displeased at this interruption. ‘I just wanted to have a few words with May—’

‘And, as I’ve just told you, we’re eating our evening meal,’ Jude bit out with hard dismissal, his gaze challenging on the other man now.

May looked up at him frowningly, seeming to sense that the situation was fast moving out of her control, turning back to David smilingly. ‘I appreciate your—continued interest,’ she told him warmly. ‘But, as I told you before, I’m really not interested.’

David shook his head. ‘I’m not giving up.’

May looked completely baffled as to what to do or say next to this man, shaking her head dazedly.

‘I don’t understand what went wrong,’ David continued forcefully. ‘One minute you were fine with everything that we had talked about, the plans we had made, and the next—’

‘How many times does she have to tell you she’s not interested?’ Jude cut in coldly, stepping forward slightly to drape a proprietorial arm about May’s narrow shoulders. Too narrow, he realised frowningly. She really was too thin, too delicate, to live the hard-working life that she so obviously did.