Harlequin Romance March 2021 Box Set Cara Colter (the mitten read aloud TXT) 📖

to know. She just wanted to get away from this hotel. It was starting to give her the heebie-jeebies.

‘The thieves took everything?’ he asked.

‘Right down to my toothbrush.’

‘Was anything of value taken?’ He raised his hands. ‘And, before you take offence, I’m not implying that your clothes or suitcases aren’t valuable.’

‘But they can be easily replaced,’ she agreed. ‘As can my toiletries. Can you believe they didn’t leave me a single lipstick? They even took my shampoo.’ The sheer thoroughness of the robbery astounded her. ‘The room was picked clean. I didn’t want to carry too much cash, or keep all my cards on me—or my passport—so I put them in the room safe.’

‘And, let me guess, the safe is gone?’

‘Bingo. I’ve cancelled the cards and contacted the embassy.’ She glared across at the reception desk. ‘I asked the hotel if there was some way they could give me some cash against my card. I mean, they have my credit card details and they have charged me for my stay, but that’s too hard, apparently, and God forbid they should actually put themselves out to help a guest.’

‘They charged you?’

That had irked her too. ‘Technically, I did stay the night.’

‘Excuse me for a moment.’

He strode across to the reception desk without waiting for her reply. She watched, wondering if he’d have any more luck than she’d had. Words were exchanged and, while she couldn’t make them out, the tone Owen used had her biting back a smile. The manager was summoned and before she’d realised what had happened she was being offered an apology and her bill was being refunded—in cash—along with a series of vouchers to an array of New York tourist attractions thrust into her hands.

‘How did you manage that?’

He didn’t answer, just ushered her out of the hotel. ‘Let’s get you settled at your grandmother’s.’

Ten minutes later she found herself standing in the small entrance foyer of an unprepossessing apartment building. He pointed to the stairs. ‘We’re heading to the top.’

They trudged up to the fifth floor. ‘These stairs must’ve become difficult for Frances as she got older.’ Callie was breathing hard herself. ‘How did she manage them?’

‘She didn’t.’

‘There’s a lift?’

His lips pressed into a tight line. ‘She didn’t go out.’

Something he’d said back in the lawyer’s office clicked into place. ‘She was a recluse?’

‘Of sorts.’

That wasn’t going to help her breadcrumb trail. She opened her mouth, but instinct warned her that questioning him further would be fruitless, so she snapped it shut again.

Unlocking the door, he ushered her in, but didn’t follow. His grey eyes had darkened and she sensed a storm building in their depths.

‘You’re not coming in?’ she asked.

Dear God, did she have to sound so needy? She wasn’t some distressed damsel.

Chin up. Shoulders back.

‘How thoughtless of me. You must be busy…probably need to get back to work. I’m sorry to—’

‘There’s nowhere I need to be. I’m not working today.’

Uh-huh… Right, then…

She gestured behind her at the apartment. ‘Then would you like to come in?’

He let out a long breath, coloured with something she couldn’t put her finger on. What she did know was that it wasn’t enthusiasm.

‘Fine.’ He marched in. ‘I’ll put the kettle on.’

For a moment she wanted to tell him to forget about it and go home, where he could be a grump on his own time rather than hers. But she bit the words back. The man had come to her aid without a murmur of complaint. He’d prevented a bad situation from getting worse. He didn’t deserve her rudeness.

The apartment wasn’t cavernous. Callie had figured anyone with as much money as Frances would live in something wildly opulent, but while it was comfortable, the apartment was by no means luxurious. It was also painted a dull brown that certainly didn’t show it off to its best advantage.

The front door opened onto a large room with one corner given over to a kitchen and dining area. To the left of that two three-seater sofas stood at right angles to each other on an enormous Persian rug. An entertainment unit with a TV and top-of-the-line stereo system rested against the far wall. Various dressers, side tables and bookcases were scattered around the room. It was unsophisticated, but comfortable, and not what she’d been expecting.

Owen pointed at the two doors that stood either side of the entertainment unit. ‘They’re the bedrooms.’

She peeked inside the nearest, which had a view over the street. It had evidently been Frances’s and she closed the door hastily, feeling like an intruder. The other, exactly the same size, was a guest room. She’d sleep there. It had a balcony, which was a bonus, even if it did only look out onto the backs of other apartment buildings.

‘And the bathroom is on the other side of the kitchen wall.’

Just for completeness, she stuck her nose inside there as well. It was clean, and more generous than the bathroom she’d had at the hotel. It even had a bathtub. She made a mental note to grab some bath salts.

When she emerged back into the main living area, Owen handed her a steaming mug. ‘It’s black, I’m afraid. There’s no milk. I’ll organise a few staples to be delivered.’

She opened her mouth automatically to refuse, but closed it again. Who knew how long it would be before she had access to her own money again? ‘Please keep a record of all that I owe you. I’ll settle with you as soon as I can.’

He gestured at the room. ‘What do you think?’

The question was freighted with far more meaning than she could decipher. It made her hesitate, but eventually she shrugged. ‘It’s comfortable. I like it.’

‘You hate it.’

‘Not true.’

It was just… The apartment might be generous by New York standards, but it was far too small for someone to have remained cooped up there as a recluse.

‘Did my grandmother die here?’

He sipped his coffee, those grey eyes cool and reserved once more. ‘Would it bother you if she had?’

It wasn’t