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And so, with Harvey's help, she had battled on until a feeeks ago when the corief over the loss of her parents, Keith's betrayal and the breakdown of hertoo hard since the divorce had finally caught up with her According to the doctor, she had suffered some kind of mini breakdown and needed a complete rest

She had flatly refused to take the ed an extended holiday would be no bad thing Somewhere totally quiet and isolated, she'd decided A step out of tiain her appetite, where she didn't have to see a soul if she didn't want to She'd put her requiree had come to her attention she had known she'd found her little piece of English heaven

English heaven! Beth snorted out loud, swinging her feet out of bed and walking into the en suite bathroolass of water It hadn't see in the wind and cold Once she was back in the cottage toet an extra key cut in the nearest town and hide it in the garden so there was never a repeat performance of this travesty She still couldn't believe she'd been so stupid

She drank the water and cli the bedside lalanced about her before sliding back under the duvet and deterether Did Travis Black often bring his girlfriends here for a romantic weekend? No doubt he had plenty of women to choose fro up in their droves

In the shadowed darkness her lip curled She bet he knew all the right things to say, like Keith had Men always knehat to say to get what they wanted but they weren't to be trusted They said one thing and meant another At least a certain type ofthat was hard to define but which was very real

She turned over in bed, bringing the pillow over her head as though she could shut out her thoughts that way And it was like that, virtually buried in the downy softness, that she finally went to sleep, but not before the first rays ofto streak across a charcoal sky

Beth oken the nextat the bedrooht, her heart pounding and momentarily disorientated until in the next moment she remembered She'd been locked out; this was Travis Black's house Her heart pounded even harder

When the knock ca sure the duvet was up round her chin—in spite of having slept in the jogging bottoms and T-shirt—as she called, 'Come in'

"Hi' As the door opened she was conscious of Travis but it was Harvey ju dog plonked his massive paws on her shoulders and proceeded to lick her face anxiously in spite of her protests When she finally ed to push him away it was to see Travis at the side of the bed with a tray His voice a the kitchen for the last hour I think he thought you'd run off and left him'

Great After cheerfully waving her off to goodness knehere the night before, Harvey had finally reations at a time when her hair looked like a bird's nest and her face hadn't woken up Of course it wouldn't haveher but he'd had to go and bring Travis Black too! Talk about adding insult to injury

Beth nerved herself to glance at Travis He earing jeans and an open-necked cream shirt He was freshly shaved and the black hair was still damp from the shower Narroaisted and lean-hipped with shoulders broad enough for even theShe felt at such a disadvantage that speech see she was a natural wit

Travis didn't seeht she was always this har to say and failed miserably

'I wasn't sure if you took tea or coffee first thing' Travis nodded to the contents of the tray There was a ar, milk and a small plate of plain biscuits 'Breakfast will be ready in half an hour, OK?'

'Oh, please, don't go to any trouble I'll just phone the agent guy if you give et out of your hair I've i, Beth ca started, now she couldn't stop Hewhat he'd taken on

Deep grey eyes surveyed her unblinkingly 'I've already talked to John and he's e at eleven Hash browns or saute potatoes with your cooked breakfast?'