His Christmas Eve Proposal

No, not even then, she decided stubbornly.

‘Let’s go and finish our coffee,’ Hawk suggested, softly but firmly, as they settled Donald back in his bed. The effort of coming downstairs seemed to have tired out the factotum, and he lay back exhausted against the pillows.

‘Would you like me to stay and make you some tea?’ Rosie offered gently, at the same time pointedly ignoring Hawk. ‘Or bring you a glass of cool juice?’

Donald gave a weak smile. ‘No, I—I’ll be fine. You go and talk to Hawk,’ he encouraged huskily.

Not what she wanted to do at all, Rosie reflected, as she turned and preceded Hawk from the flat and back down the stairs to the kitchen in the main house, all the time thinking of what she actually needed, had to tell, this disturbingly attractive man.

Not that much, really, she decided. The bare bones of the truth should do it. She hadn’t had a chance to tell her father everything yesterday, about her reasons for being here, and there was no need to tell Hawk either.

‘Have you finished deciding how much I need to know?’ Hawk probed wryly once they were seated back at the breakfast bar, knowing by the way her cheeks became flushed that he had scored a direct hit with his question.

She raised her pointed chin defensively. ‘My father has already told you all there is to know, Mr Hawkley—’

‘Hawk,’ he put in firmly, elbows resting on the breakfast bar as he studied her across its width. ‘Somehow I don’t think that’s true, Rosie,’ he persisted. ‘For instance, the glaringly obvious thing Donald hasn’t told me is why I didn’t know of your existence until today!’

Auburn brows rose over her cool green eyes. ‘Perhaps he didn’t consider it any of your business,’ she dismissed.

Hawk was starting to feel seriously irritated by this woman’s deliberate rudeness. She certainly hadn’t looked so cool earlier, when he had strolled out of the bathroom stark naked!

If he were honest, he hadn’t felt that cool himself when he’d first became aware of her in his bedroom—the tell-tale stirring of his body had been proof of that! He studied her closely now, noting the golden ring circling the green of her eyes, making them appear almost luminous, and the freckles that covered her nose, making him wonder if she had freckles anywhere else. And what it would feel like to kiss every one of them…

He straightened, impatient with his own wandering thoughts. He wasn’t involved in a relationship with anyone at the moment, but he had only left Los Angeles yesterday—the land of plenty when it came to beautiful available women. Finding himself attracted to Rosie Harrison, who took the phrase ‘woman of mystery’ to a whole new level, was a complication he certainly didn’t need. Now or at any other time.

‘Are you here to spend Christmas with Donald?’ he enquired tersely, the thought of Rosie sharing the flat over the garage with Donald during the holidays robbing him of some of his contentment at the contemplation of a quiet family Christmas.

‘That hasn’t been decided yet,’ she answered noncommittally.

She brought a whole new dimension to that saying about getting blood out of a stone too, Hawk acknowledged impatiently, deciding he had had enough of this verbal fencing for one morning.

‘Although the fact that he’s obviously ill does rather change things, doesn’t it?’ Rosie suddenly opined.

Hawk eyed her warily. ‘It does?’

‘Well, of course it does,’ she came back waspishly. ‘Apart from the fact that he’s ill and will need looking after, he’s obviously also unable to work. As I understand it, you’re expecting the rest of your family to descend on you in the next few days…?’

‘Yes…’ Hawk confirmed, wariness in his own tone now.

‘And Don—my father,’ she corrected awkwardly, ‘was supposed to shop for food, put up the decorations and things?’

‘Yes.’ Hawk nodded, very aware of the fact that she seemed to be having difficulty actually calling Donald her father.

Damn it, why did Donald have to get the flu now? Because Hawk was pretty sure he was going to have to wait until his assistant was better before he got any helpful answers to his questions!

No matter how much she was determined not to answer Hawk’s questions, Rosie was also aware that if he chose to tell Donald she couldn’t stay on here her father would have no choice but to ask her to leave. And the truth was, at this moment in time, she didn’t have anywhere else to go to…

In the circumstances, it wasn’t in her best interests to be completely uncooperative…

‘Well, I could do those things for you instead—if you would like me to,’ she offered lightly. ‘If you’ll just point me in the direction of the nearest supermarket and tell me where you keep the Christmas decorations…?’ she prompted, at Hawk’s lack of a response to her offer.

He raised dark brows over mocking blue eyes, a slightly derisive smile curving the sculptured mouth that was set so arrogantly in his ruggedly handsome face. Rosie’s pulse fluttered slightly as she was once again forcibly reminded of exactly who this man was.

Only a woman who was deaf, blind or totally insensitive to blatant sexiness could fail not to tremble slightly with awareness in his presence.

But she was a woman running away from her wedding day, from a man she neither loved nor wanted to marry, which should have made her totally immune to the attractions of any other member of the opposite sex.

But it didn’t…

She tried to break her gaze away from the compelling blue of Hawk’s eyes. And failed. Instead she felt as if she were drowning in their dark depths, as if she were trying to swim against the tide, and the effort to resist rendered her slightly breathless and trembling.

This wouldn’t do, she told herself firmly. Joshua Hawkley might be one of the most dangerously attractive men she had ever met, but he was also her father’s employer—her father’s over-curious employer! She would be wise to keep that in mind.

It took some effort, but she finally managed to drag her gaze away from his, staring at a point somewhere over Hawk’s left shoulder. ‘Unless you would prefer to do those things yourself—?’

‘Hell, no! You feel free to carry on, if that’s what you want to do,’ he bit out as he stood up.

Rosie sighed. ‘I merely offered because I’m sure my father would expect it,’ she explained.

‘I’ve already said it’s fine, Rosie,’ Hawk drawled. ‘I still have to shop for gifts, anyway. One more to add to the list now,’ he added pointedly.

Rosie gave him a startled glance. Surely he didn’t mean her…?

‘Please don’t bother on my account,’ she told him hastily.

She’d brought some cash with her, which she had changed into Canadian dollars at the airport, but those funds were limited, and certainly wouldn’t last very long if she had to go out and buy Christmas presents for Joshua Hawkley and his family. She’d had no choice but to use her credit card when she booked her air ticket, but was loath to use it now. Canada was a big country, but paying with her credit card would certainly give away her location to anyone unprincipled enough—determined enough—to use that method to track her down.

Her caution would probably seem a little dramatic to anyone else, but she had come to know only too well the ruthlessness of her pursuer…

In the last few minutes Hawk had watched all the different emotions as they’d flickered across the beauty of Rosie’s face. Emotions too fleeting for him to be able to fully comprehend. But he had registered her slight panic at his mention of buying Christmas presents. What was this woman hiding? Hawk wondered frowningly, as he continued to watch her anxious features.

Because he was pretty sure from the way she avoided answering his direct questions that she was hiding something…

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