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A ping fro a hand down his face, he turned back to the desk and forced himself into the chair

A e From Russ Of course It was always Russ Just for a moment he rested his head in his hands

Hey Bro, don’t forget Jo arrives today

He swore He didn’t need a housekeeper He needed peace and quiet so he could finish this damn cookbook

If the rotten woman hadn’t saved his brother’s life he’d send her off with a flea in her ear

Scrubbing a hand through his hair, he shook that thought off He understood the need to retreat froe that to someone else He and this housekeeper—they wouldn’t have to spend any time in each other’s company In fact they wouldn’t even need to come face to face He’d left her a set of written instructions on the kitchen table As for the rest she could please herself

He planted himself more solidly in his chair, switched off his internet connection, and shut the siren call of sunshine, fresh air and living from his mind He stared at the screen

Add the chilli purée and clam broth and reduce by a half Then add

What the hell came next?

Jo pushed out of her car and tried to decide what to look at first—the view or the house She’d had to negotiate for two rather hairy rateful that her car was a four-wheel drive, equipped to deal with rough terrain, rather than the sports car her soul secretly hungered for After five hours on the road she was glad to have reached her destination Still, five hours in a sports car would have been more fun

She shook out her ar-boned’ Her great-aunt’s voice sounded through her hed True, she’d probably look ridiculous in a sport car Besides, ere the odds that she wouldn’t even fit into one? As ever, though, her grandmother’s voice piped up ‘I think she looks pretty and I don’t care what anyone else thinks’

With a shake of her head, Jo shut out the duelling voices She’d work out a plan of attack for Grandma and Great-Aunt Edith later Instead, she moved out further onto the bluff to stare at the view In front of her the land descended sharply to a grassy field that levelled out before co to a halt at low, flower-covered sand dunes Beyond that stretched a long crescent of deserted beach, glittering white-gold in the ht

A sigh eased out of her There must be at least six or seven kiloht—and not a soul to be seen All the way along it perfect blue-green breakers rolled up to the shore in a froth of white