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Sophie tensed as she waited for him by the door
‘I ree of a terrible accident in Spain—and, forgivethat your parents split up shortly after that—?’
‘That’s right,’ Sophie confirmed abruptly ‘Now, if you don’t mind, Henry—’
‘Far be it for reed ‘It’s almost time for rounds I’ll ith you’
As they parted at the double swing doors that led into the children’s ward, he put his hand on the sleeve of Sophie’s white coat, stopping her ‘I’ain’
That tugged a smile from Sophie that didn’t quite make it to her eyes She doubted Xavier would see it that way ‘It’s kind of you to say so, Henry,’ she ed politely
‘I wondered if weover dinner tonight?’
Sophie’s stomach clenched uncomfortably ‘I’m not sure, I—’
‘Just a quick snack? At that brasserie you love down the road’
‘The one you hate?’ Sophie shot hirin as she shovelled her hands into her pockets
‘I don’t hate it,’ he argued mildly ‘The music’s a little loud’
‘Eight o’clock, then,’ she agreed with a quick smile ‘I’ll meet you there’
It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy Henry’s company, Sophie reasoned as she pushed the double doors that led through into the ward and hurried to join the s around the nurses’ station She just needed more time to work out exactly what role he played in her life
Casting a preoccupied glance out of theof the light aircraft, Sophie tried telling herself that the arrangeland he had insisted she have the antique ring she was now absent was open-ended—no pressure, no deadlines; it was ement He offered friendship and security And security, as hera career woman like Sophie would come to want Eventually
‘Mark my words, you ant to settle down one day…’
Settle,her mother’s forceful lecture But settle down? She wasn’t so sure about that
She didn’t feel ready for suburbia just yet Maybe she never would, she thought, peering out of theagain There was still so much she wanted to see, so : Henry was a man in his mid-forties, with a wealth of experience behind hi the operative phrase as far as her mother was concerned She had delicately pointed out that a man like Henry was less likely to make demands on Sophie
Sophie’s lips hardened as she remembered what had caused her mother’s apprehension where men were concerned Home was supposed to be a sanctuary, but it hadn’t proved to be that for her h she didn’t bear any physical scars She had only cowered on the stairs as a child, listening to the violence that stees It was a one on to live a full and happy life—and that was only thanks to the resilience of the female spirit
Shifting in her seat, Sophie forced her mind to close down on that part of her life and concentrate on Henry instead He had proved hiue and a true friend And maybe, when she was ready, he would e cabochon a…and that lots of successfulit off her finger, she fastened it safely inside the top pocket of her jacket
‘Look out of the ’
Evie, the pilot, broke into Sophie’s thought processes, tipping the wings to give her a better view ‘We’re just starting to fly over the Nazca Lines’
‘I had no idea they covered such a vast area,’ Sophie said Gigantic stylised figures, carved by an ancient people, reached across the arid umber plain below them for as far as she could see
‘Some of them are over three hundred metres across and, on that scale, only visible fro steeply ‘I’ll spin you around to get a better look’
She was serious, Sophie realised, bracing her feet against the floor as the s herself to stay caled to keep her stoh a full turn But then, as curiosity got the better of her, she opened her eyes She could make out a monkey, a fish, a spider and soures all painstakingly carved into the wide span of desolate earth, before the fehtened out her plane and flew on
‘How on earth?’
‘No one knows,’ Evie said, anticipating the question ‘When? How? Why? It’s a complete mystery Even Xavier—’
‘Xavier?’ Sophie cut in, viewing her attractive companion with a keener eye
‘Xavier Martinez Isn’t that who you’re going to be working with? There’s notout here apart from his medical project But if you don’t know hi Sophie a chance to butt in, ‘you soon will That’s his truck down there And this is as far as I go’
Sophie instinctively braced her feet again as the sround screa up at a furious rate to meet them
‘Da ‘One of these days I’ll get that monument to male chauvinism to jump out of the way—oron the brakes after touchdown
Making a tight turn, she accelerated down the narrow, buure, casually dressed, lounging back against the side of a dusty brown pick-up truck
Extending her hand as they stopped, Evie said, ‘I take it they’ve equipped you with a radio If that sexist brute gets too much for you and you need an out, just call me, OK?’
‘I can handle Xavier Martinez,’ Sophie said confidently, returning the firm handshake ‘We’ve known each other for years’
‘You obviously haven’t met him lately’
‘No,’ Sophie admitted After the ru just a little ‘When I di
d know him he was quite a charmer…’
‘Charive you a week,’ she added, drawing to a halt within spitting distance of Sophie’s new boss
And then the pilot’s door flew open and Xavier was right there, ducking his head inside the confined space, baiting Evie with a dark, searing glance The heat flew in fro them in a warm cloud of faintly spicy air, and the te up
‘Woed in a low, husky voice
That voice… How could she have forgotten that voice? Sophie wondered, as vibrations rippled up and down her spine That lust-inducing Latin growl of censure and testosterone that had every wo her lips…except this wo her defence shields snap into place
‘Is it my fault you like to litter up the place?’ Evie retorted soing to hold up for et away’
‘What about your passenger?’ he cut in, straightening up so that Sophie’s view out of the door was suddenly obstructed by a spread of rock-hard chest, clothed in a rugged, chequered shirt open at the neck to reveal a scoop of black cotton
‘Dr Sophie Ford, safely delivered Would you care to sign the manifest—’
‘What the hell?’ He ducked in again and peered across ‘Is this some sort of a joke?’
A giant hand seeuts and wrench them out where his back used to be A red mist descended over his eyes as he tried to control the eible, he tried clearing it from his eyes with the knuckles of one hand If there was anything on this earth he never wanted to see, or hear froain, it was a member of the Ford family Every one of the promises he had made to himself back in Lima to improve his manner evaporated as he stormed round the front of the aircraft