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Her thoughts ruous when Travis exited the car and walked round the bonnet to help her out of die vehicle as though they were on a date or sonified as present circu much

Outside lights situated at the front of the house had clicked on automatically as they'd arrived, but, flustered as she was, Beth had been concentrating on the absurdity of her situation other than anything else Now, as she slid out of the Mercedes with his war her, she looked at him—really looked at him—for the first time A little bolt of electricity caused her breath to catch in her throat Grey, she thought in¬consequentially His eyes are grey

"What's the na?'

"What?' The cool voice had registered but her scrambled brain hadn't been able to compute

Your dog?' he repeated patiently

She beca stuck in the vehicle when they were outside "Oh, Harvey His name's Harvey'

'I suggest you get ready to reassure his in a moment and I'd prefer him to be friendly'

The slight hiccup in her thought processes caused by the piercing quality of the deep grey eyes fringed by spiky black lashes evaporated 'Harvey is always friendly,' she said tightly before she realised it didn't exactly reaffir persona

'Good Sheba and Sky aren't'

The next moment he had opened the back of the estate car and Harvey had jumped down and, before she could ask hi the key in the lock of the front door Irizzly bears—or that hat they looked like to Beth—bounded on to the drive

There was a tense s circled Harvey, but his wagging tail and lolling grin didn't falter Within seconds the three dogs were inspect¬ing each other's rear ends and introducing thehed with relief 'They're lovely,' she said unconvincingly, keeping her eye on the dogs in case they suddenly decided to go cannibal and give Harvey a hard time 'What are they?'

'Apart fro feers, at which signal both dogs shot to his side and sat down "They were dumped by the side of a road in a cardboard box at five or six weeks old A friend of o back and look inside the box The vet reckons there's a nu?'

Whatever their pedigree, Harvey seeone into macho man mode as he sauntered up to Travis and leered at the two females

As they entered the house Beth's first ie hall was oak floored, as was the wide curving staircase which led to a galleried first floor The walls were light with severalvivid splashes of colour, and just a small oak table, either side of which stood two upholstered hardbacked chairs, broke the clean lines

'I's Has Harvey been fed yet?' Travis alking to the staircase as he spoke and his dogs stopped at the foot of it Presumably they weren't allowed upstairs

No, he hasn't I was just about to give hiot locked out' Beth followed Travis up the stairs after telling Harvey to stay Hehimself firmly in the middle of the two feuard dog routine

The oak floor continued along the galleried landing and, after leaning over tohi by an open bedroo bottouest robe behind the bathroom door,' he said easily 'Make yourself at home There's plenty of hot water When you're ready, cohetti Bolognese?'

What? Oh, yes Yes, thank you' Terribly flustered, Beth stepped into the ankle-deep creauest roo her alone She gazed around her The coffee and cream room had definitely been decorated and furnished by someone with minimalist taste, but it was beautiful She suspected the whole house would be beautiful

Gingerly, as though she was going to leave a trail of dirt and destruction, she made her way over to the open door of the en suite bathroom, which reflected the colours of the bedroo over a pair of basins

She groaned out loud at the reflection staring back at her Not only were her pyjae smear of mud—at least she hoped it was merely mud and not what she'd slipped in—had deposited itself on the side of her face Her hair had dried in a tangled riot in the wind and her make-up free face was shiny where it wasn't filthy She looked like so in Not even if it was desperate