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‘You’re lost in thought’ Max’s voice interrupted the circles her e flames of the fire and into his handsome face as he sat at the other end of the sofa It wasn’t that big, but he felt far away, isolating his stretched out before hi her attention, and he looked relaxed and at ease, but frouessed this was not the case as he pulled at the berry-red tie he’d opted for with his almost black suit

‘I still can’t believe how lovely it has been today The ifts’ She wanted to ask hiht about the diamonds, ask him what he really hoped to achieve with them, but the day had al out of nowhere that ain

He put down his after-dinner coffee cup and ap between thehts been so blatantly emblazoned on her face?

She sucked in a deep breath against the tangy aroma of his aftershave, the uniqueaway, suddenly very self-conscious Only Max had ever er on a first date How, after all they’d been through, all they’d learnt about one another, could he still have that effect on her?

His voice was low, deep and very sexy ‘You areChristmas I wanted tore trouble and upset within your family Hoas never what others seemed to experience’

She looked at his and the way hearing that made her feel She wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t quite shake off the idea that he was just trying to disar ‘Well, this is a pretty special place’

She looked around the hotel lounge, with the sroups of coathered, relaxing after Christmas dinner The fire are, but after last night and then this ’s discussion, which had felt at the ti of hearts, she ary

‘This is my first taste of a British Christmas’ He smiled at her and her heart flipped over How could he melt her so easily?

Because you still love him

‘Where do you nor that once again she was te open the box he had clearly marked do not disturb

‘In Spain withnow Christ day in Spain’

‘A walk after Christhed and relaxed a little She’d probably been reading too , as usual ‘It would be nice to do that now Is it too far to walk back to the cottage?’

The idea of being out in the crisp cold air of the afternoon was suddenly very appealing She’d been inside for too long and needed the sense of freedoht also shake off so to have that maybe Max did care, that he just wasn’t able to put it into words

‘Are those boots up to the walk?’ He looked down at the long boots she’d put on with her deep burgundy dress, the only ones she’d packed, not being aware they were going anywhere else after Raul and Lydia’s wedding

‘Of course they are, unless you aren’t?’ she teased, feeling the tension slip frohed at him

‘A walk home it is’ He took her hand and for a moment sat and looked at her, his dark eyes unreadable She wanted to ask what he was thinking or, even , but before she could forain ‘Shall we?’

Max could hardly fatho a country lane with Lisa As they’d walked down the hotel driveway, enjoying the views, he’d taken her gloved hand, s to himself when she hadn’t resisted but had moved closer to him He’d kept his pace slow as they’d continued the short distance to the cottage, despite the nearness of dusk, worried that anything faster would be too arduous for her in her present condition

‘I’hed at hiate of the cottage but her words took hiht back to the day his stepfather had broken the news that his mother had been told her cancer had returned and this time it was untreatable