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

did his best to check the elation her delight sent coursing through him. It was pointless getting all het up. It was pointless wondering what it would be like to make love with her or—

Stop it!

But it didn’t matter how often he reminded himself of what she’d said at Ellerslie about not being ready for a relationship, he couldn’t get the thought out of his mind. It didn’t matter how often he told himself he wasn’t interested in a relationship either, he couldn’t stop from wondering what if?

And that spelled trouble.

He dragged in a breath. It had only been five days since they’d returned from Ellerslie. This feeling would fade soon enough. He just had to wait it out.

‘You even have the theme music!’ She clapped her hands. ‘You’ve stitched all the sequences together so seamlessly. Owen, this must’ve taken you ages!’

‘Nah,’ he lied. ‘I just pulled it together while I was between other jobs. Doing a bit here and there.’

He’d spent a ridiculous amount of time on her video. He’d enjoyed watching her animated face on the screen and the quick, expressive movements that she made with her hands as she explained how she was unravelling the mystery of her family tree.

He’d watched a load of old episodes of the TV series—both the British and Australian versions—so he could get the opening sequence just perfect and adjust the transitions in a way that would highlight Callie’s familiarity with the programme, and therefore her suitability for the position she was applying for.

She spun to him now, her hands clasped beneath her chin. ‘Thank you so much. This is a hundred times better than I could’ve managed on my own.’

In that moment he didn’t begrudge a single second he’d spent on the project. ‘It was a pleasure.’

‘All that’s missing…’

Her sigh had his gut clenching. All that was missing was the identity of her father. He wished he could give her the answer.

‘But this—’ she gestured to his computer ‘—is fabulous.’ The corners of her mouth turned mock woeful. ‘You do know they’re going to ask me who put this together and then thank me nicely for applying and come headhunting you.’

He laughed. ‘They’re going to take one look at your video and have you signing on the dotted line before you can say Mystery Family Trees. Once you get the job, do you know where you’ll—?’

‘I’ve tracked Richard down,’ she blurted out.

He fell down into the chair beside her. ‘What?’

‘He lives in Larchmont.’

Larchmont was less than an hour’s train ride away. ‘Have you contacted him?’

‘Not yet.’

A hard stone lodged in his chest. ‘But you plan to?’

Her eyes implored him to understand. ‘It’s my last chance.’

He wanted to argue against it—wanted to order her to stay away from the man. Except, of course, he had no right to do any such thing.

‘Frances’s letters haven’t shed any light on the subject?’

Her gaze slid away and her shoulders tensed as she shook her head. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t curious about the contents of those letters, but he refused to pry or force a confidence. On the surface Callie acted bright and breezy and cheerful, not to mention maddeningly capable, but every now and again he glimpsed her bafflement, her hurt, and her worry. It had his every protective instinct roaring to life.

‘The man sounds like a real piece of work, Callie. He might not even talk to you.’

‘I know. It’s just… I feel I have to at least try to follow every possible lead…give myself every possible chance of discovering the truth. Even if it means meeting with people I’m convinced I won’t like.’

Her life had been turned on its head when she’d lost her job—and not just her job but her boyfriend too. And then being given the news of her grandmother’s death—a grandmother she hadn’t known existed…

He understood her need to regain some control, and he admired her for shifting her focus and striving to win her dream job. She was determined to come back bigger, better and stronger. And he wanted to help her.

‘He might try to extort money from you in return for information.’

Her nose curled. ‘I hadn’t considered that.’

He leaned towards her, sandwiching her hands lightly between his. ‘Don’t go alone. Let me come with you.’

Her relief was palpable. ‘I was hoping you’d say that. I’d really appreciate it. I wasn’t going to ask…you’ve done so much already—’

‘We’re friends, Callie. It’s what friends do.’

Just for a moment her gaze caught on his mouth. Her lips parted and her breath hitched and every red-blooded cell in his body fired to life.

She snapped away, slipping her hands from his. ‘Oh, is that the time? I need to pop out and grab some bits and pieces for the party.’

She wouldn’t meet his eyes as she rattled on about the chores she had to do, and he bit back a curse.

‘Is it okay if I leave Barney with you for another couple of hours?’

‘Of course. Is there anything I can help with?’

She shook her head, but finally sent him a smile. ‘It’s mostly under control. Everyone I’ve invited is coming. You will be there at seven to help me greet everyone, won’t you?’

‘You bet.’ Her party was this coming weekend. He’d even found himself kind of looking forward to it. ‘Do you want to have dinner here tonight?’ They’d fallen into the habit of her eating with him most evenings. He tried to keep his voice casual. ‘It won’t be anything fancy—just pasta.’

Her eyes dropped again. ‘Thanks, Owen, but not tonight. Barney and I are having a quiet night in. I need to wash my hair.’

It was for the best. He knew it was. But that didn’t stop him wishing otherwise or having to fight the urge to change her mind. He—

‘Owen?’

He dropped back with a thud. ‘Sorry, what were you saying?’

Her smile was gentle. ‘Just thanking you again for…that.’ She gestured to his computer.

‘No problem at all. I’ll see you later, Callie.’ He pulled his chair across to