Love Story Next Door!: Cinderella on His Doorstep / Mr Right, Next Door! / Soldier on Her Doorstep

Unable to sit there any longer, she jumped up and started clearing the table.

“Leave it, Dana.”

Ignoring his edict, she took everything over to the sink. “I want to make myself useful before I go upstairs.”

“You’re tired then?”

“Yes.” She seized on the opening he’d given her. “You must be, too, considering how early you get up and the exhausting labor you do every day.” She found detergent to wash their plates and glasses.

Her heart skipped a beat when he joined her with a towel to dry them. Soon she had the table wiped off and the kitchen cleaned up. They were both standing at the counter.

“Since one of your jobs is to provide your father with his daily lunch, feel free to fix it here.”

Surprised by the offer, she lifted her head to look at him. “I would never presume on your generosity like that. I’ve already made arrangements with the Hermitage to bring them here. When everyone else breaks for lunch, he likes to stay put and eat alone. I always bring him hotel food when we’re on location.”

He stared at her through veiled eyes. “When I have a perfectly functional kitchen, that’s a lot of needless going back and forth.”

Dana’s attraction to him was eating her alive. “I couldn’t.”

“Not even if I asked you to make lunch for me at the same time?”

Her heart skidded all over the place. “You mean, and bring it out to you while you’re working?”

Something flickered in the dark recesses of his eyes. “It would save me a lot of time and trouble.”

Yes, she could see how a cook would make his life easier so he could get on with his business. In that regard he wasn’t any different from her father.

“I have to admit doing something for you would make me feel a little better about staying on the premises.”

“Good,” he said in a voice of satisfaction. “I’m anxious to clear out the debris from the rest of the orchard as soon as possible.”

“That’s right,” she murmured, trying to disguise her dismay. “You’re in a hurry to leave for Louisiana.” The thought of him not being on his property one day was anathema to her.

She rubbed her palms against her hips in a self-conscious gesture he took in with those dark, all-seeing eyes. “W-what do you like for lunch?” Her voice faltered.

He studied her for a moment. “I’m certain anything you make will be delicious.”

His charm caused her breath to catch. “In the morning I’ll do some grocery shopping when I go into Angers to get the tire repaired.”

“As long as you’re doing that, would you mind buying enough food to cover breakfast and dinner for a week, too? In the end it will save our energy for more important matters.”

Except that her job of making sure her father had his lunch wasn’t on the same scale of doing it for Alex. The thought was preposterous. “You trust me?”

“Let’s just say I’m willing to go on faith.”

Her lips curved upward. “That’s very courageous of you.”

Alex’s eyes glimmered. “Just as long as you don’t simmer pickled pigs feet in wine sauce and tell me it’s chicken, we’ll get along fine.”

Her chuckle turned into laughter. She would love to freeze this moment with him. To be with a man like this, to be the recipient of his attention and enjoy his company in all the little private ways brought joy to her life she’d never experienced.

Early in the morning she’d take stock of his kitchen to find out what staples were on hand. While her mind was ticking off her plans, he pulled out his wallet and laid several large denominations of Eurodollars on the counter. Dana was too bemused by events to argue over who would pay.

“Merci, monsieur.” After gathering them, she walked over to the bench where she’d been sitting and stashed them in her purse.

“De rien, mademoiselle.” When he spoke French his whole demeanor changed, making her wholly aware of the sensual side of his nature. “Let me get some more candles and my flashlight from the pantry and I’ll accompany you upstairs. You look sleepy.”

As he walked off, she reflected on his words. A woman wanted to hear certain things from the man she found desirable, but sleepy relegated her to daddy’s little girl status.

Since meeting him she had to concede he’d been protective of her. However, that didn’t translate into a grande passion on his part. Though he’d brushed his lips against hers earlier, not by any stretch of the imagination would she have called it hunger unbridled or anything close.

Afraid she was already giving off needy vibes, she left the kitchen ahead of him and walked through the château to the foyer. Eyeing her suitcase, she grabbed it and started up the stairs. He caught up to her at the top where there was no more light and guided her down the corridor to her room.

It wasn’t really her room, but it’s the way she thought of it. When the flashlight illuminated the interior, she felt she’d come home. The sensation stayed with her while he lighted fresh candles in the floor candelabra.

Avoiding his eyes, she put her suitcase down. “You didn’t have to do that. My flashlight is right here next to the bed.”

“I wanted to,” came the deep velvet voice that was starting to haunt her. “Candlelight brings out the pink and cream porcelain of your skin. I’ve never met a woman with a complexion like yours.”

What was she supposed to say to that? “Lots of people have told me I look like a cherub and pat me on the head.”

His gaze narrowed on her mouth. “Don’t you know any flesh and blood man seeing you doesn’t dare do anything else for fear a bolt of lightning will strike him? Get a good sleep.”

After he disappeared, she stood there shaking like the ground under her feet during a California earthquake.

On her return from Angers the next day, Dana parked around the end of the château and carried the groceries and other purchases into the kitchen through the side entrance. She’d purposely unlocked it before leaving.

Her father liked to eat at twelve-thirty sharp. She checked her watch. It was almost that time now. She hurriedly put things away, then made both lunches and packed them in the two baskets with a thermos of hot coffee each.

As soon as everything was ready she went in search of her father. He was in the grand salon opposite Alex’s office talking with the two leads. In no time at all the staff had brought down furniture and everything was starting to take shape. Under Paul’s watchful eye the place had become a beehive of organized commotion.

Knowing better than to disturb her dad, she stepped inside the room and put the basket next to the door. He didn’t even glance at her before she darted back to the kitchen. Now she was free to deliver the second basket to the unforgettable male responsible for last night’s insomnia.

Once she entered the orchard, the sound of sawing reached her ears. Alex had put the ladder against a different tree this time. Slowly but surely he was making progress. She admired him so much for doing everything single-handedly, she wanted to shout to the world how remarkable he was.

It seemed a shame he had to come down out of the tree for his lunch. Adrenaline gushed through her veins at the idea of taking it up to him. Why not? There was so much foliage, he could find a spot to secure the basket while he ate.

Without hesitation she started up the rungs, excited to repay him any way she could for his generosity. Almost to the top she called to him. “Alex?”

The sawing stopped. “Dana?” He sounded shocked. Evidently he hadn’t seen her. “Where are you?”

Two more steps and she poked her head through the leaves. “Right here. The mountain decided to come to Mohammed,” she quipped, but she didn’t get the reaction she’d hoped for. His eyes pierced hers in fury.

In an instant his expression had grown fierce. Lines deepened around his hard mouth, giving him a forbidding expression. “Whatever possessed you to climb all the way up here? If you fell from this height, you could break a great deal more than your lovely neck.”

She’d been prepared for a lot of things, but not his anger. “You’re right. It was foolish of me. I didn’t stop to think how guilty you would feel if anything happened to me and you’d be forced to report it to my father. My mistake. Here’s your lunch.” She formed a nest of leaves and propped it as securely as she could in front of him. “Bon appetit.”

“Dana—” he ground out, but she ignored him. Without any encumbrance she was able to go back down the ladder in record time. He called to her again, this time in frustration.