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  least.”

  Anna grinned. “I love chili. The hotter the better.”

  “Really?” Lee asked. “Well we’ve eaten it for the better part of a week. You’d be saving us from eating the last.”

  She looked from one to the other, almost as if assessing them.

  When she finally spoke, Lee felt excitement spike in his gut. “Well, I can’t say no then, can I? Thank you.”

  Chapter Six

  Anna smoothed down her dress as she waited for either Lee or

  Jack to open the door to their farmhouse. It was a knitted number, one she’d made herself in fact. A deep ruby red, it went well with her blonde locks. At least that was what Grand had told her. Anna had knitted it in the last months of Grand’s illness. It gave her something to do as she sat next to Grand, something to keep her fingers busy.

  Maybe she would make another over the next few weeks, she mused.

  The blanket that she’d been working on was almost finished and

  ready to ship to its new owner. She didn’t have any other orders, mainly because she hadn’t wanted to take any. For Anna the next few months were not about work. She hadn’t wanted to put any pressure on herself beyond the day-to-day things. She could knit just for the pleasure of it. And Anna craved that pleasure.

  The simple things in life…

  She smiled slightly at that thought. Everything was simple now.

  Just the way she wanted it. She shifted as a light came on in the hallway. A moment later and she could see the outline of a man.

  Which one was it, she wondered. Lee or Jack?

  She was half fascinated by both of them. Anna could admit that

  to herself. After they’d left, and she’d promised to arrive for dinner by seven, she’d sat on her couch, still warm from where they’d been sitting, and tried to analyze her reactions to them. They were

  attractive. That much was a given. They were also fun to talk to, and they made her heart beat a little faster than she would have liked.

  Anna understood her own emotional state enough right now to

  know that if she hadn’t been aching with grief and pain she would have had real trouble keeping her reactions to them to herself.

  That troubled her.

  What troubled her even more was the fact that Anna liked them

  both. She’d looked from one to the other and tried to work out who was causing the spark to fire. At first she’d thought it was Lee. His green eyes were so expressive, his dark hair falling over his forehead regularly enough that he’d had to keep pushing it back. He was

  painfully gorgeous. So it had to be him, right?

  Only Anna looked across at Jack and her body reacted in exactly

  the same way to him that it did to Lee. His eyes were dark brown, like hers, and his hair was a little shorter, but his angular face and full lips combined to make him just as deadly as Lee.

  Both men appealed to her. Anna couldn’t say either one appealed

  more than the other. How was she going to deal with that? Oh, Anna didn’t expect either male to try anything with her. They were her landlords. Apparently reclusive. She suspected this dinner was simply a way to introduce themselves properly before she didn’t see them again for another two weeks, maybe even more. But she didn’t want them to realize the way her thoughts were heading. That would be embarrassing.

  The door opened. It was Lee. He’d change clothes and was now

  dressed in a pair of jeans and a thin sweater. The sweater was almost the same green as his eyes.

  “Anna,” he said, a smile creasing his face. “You’re right on

  time.”

  “It wasn’t as long a walk as I thought it would be,” Anna said and she tried to ignore the way her heart started to race as she did so.

  “Here. I brought these for you.”

  Lee looked down at the tin held in her hands. It was a vintage tin, one of the few she had brought with her from the city. “Cookies?” he asked.

  Anna nodded. “I wasn’t sure what to make.”

  “You didn’t need to make anything,” he said.

  She passed the tin across to him and then, for want of anything

  else to do, clasped her hands together in front of her. “I wanted to. I like to cook, baking especially.”

  “Baking, knitting, reading…” Lee shook his head and gestured

  for her to come inside. “You’re a strange woman, Anna.”

  “It was the way I was brought up,” Anna said her words coming

  out in a rush. “I spent all of my younger years surrounded by Grand and her friends. She had so many. They treated me like another one of their group. They taught me to knit, to bake, steered me through all the classics. Of course, some of them were a little more raucous.

  Sheila taught me poker, Manda insisted I learn to mix cocktails from scratch.” She laughed softly as those cherished memories came to mind. “It was quite a diverse upbringing.”

  “Do you still see them?”

  “Grand’s friends?”

  “Yeah.”

  Anna shucked off her raincoat and passed it across to Lee. He

  hung it on one of the hooks next to the door. “There aren’t many left,”

  she said. “Grand had my mom when she was in her late thirties. That was pretty old back in those days for a first baby. Mom then had me when she was in her late thirties too…add that all up and Grand, and her friends, were already well into their sixties when I was born. I lost them one after the other over the years. Grand outlived almost all of them.”

  Lee frowned. “You’ve seen a lot of loss.”

  “I’m not the only one,” Anna said, because when Lee had spoken

  in the cottage she’d realized that her landlords understood her pain because they too had felt it. Did that make them more appealing?

  Probably.

  “It gets better,” Lee said. “Slowly but surely it does.”

  His voice was soft, his gaze intense. There, in the hallway, Anna felt her stomach clench. Their eyes locked. She opened her mouth to say something, though in truth, Anna had no idea what she was going to say. “I—”

  “Hey, Annie.”

  Jack’s voice made her start. She swiveled, her heart pounding,

  and caught sight of the other male who was making everything so

  confused. He too had changed only unlike Lee he wore a white shirt and jeans. The sleeves were rolled up exposing muscular forearms sprinkled with dark hair. It would be a lie to say that Anna didn’t shiver slightly. “Hi.”

  “You brought dessert?” Jack asked, gesturing to the tin in Lee’s hands.

  Anna nodded. “Cookies.”

  “Haven’t had cookies in a long while,” Lee said, and for some

  reason he passed the tin back across to her. He was smiling as Anna took it and she could only think that he wanted her to give them to Jack. She stepped forward and held them out.

  “Perfect.” Jack took the tin from her, and Anna wasn’t sure

  whether she imagined it or not, but she could almost swear that his fingers lingered on her hand as they touched. Imaginary or not, the touch made her skin heat. The moment her hands were free again she clasped them back in front of her.

  “How do you like your steak?” Jack asked.

  Anna followed him into the kitchen and was surprised by what

  she saw. It was a huge room, and it smelled delicious. Numerous pans were on the range and a large, slate chopping board held three

  enormous pieces of steak. Jack had clearly been seasoning and

  tenderizing them when she arrived.

  “Not too pink,” Anna said.

  “Wine?”

  “A small glass, please.”

  He poured her one. Anna took it with trembling hands. She

  looked from Jack, stood next to his chopping board, then to Lee who was leaning against the doorframe. Did they have any idea just how handsome they were?

  “Dinn
er will be a little while longer,” Jack said. “Lee, why don’t you show Annie some of your work whilst I get this all put together?”

  Lee narrowed his eyes at Jack. Something passed between the

  two men that Anna did not understand. A moment later and it was

  gone. Lee shrugged and held out his hand. “Sure, why not, come on.”

  Anna didn’t take that hand, but she did follow Lee from the

  room. She cast Jack one last look from over her shoulder. He was grinning, the tenderizer back in his hand, the steaks about to be pounded.

  Lee took her up the wide, sweeping staircase and along the

  corridor that seemed to run the width of the house. It was a huge house, more so than Anna expected. There was no doubt that it used to be a farmhouse, but it was an extremely spacious one. Anna

  guessed maybe a dozen bedrooms, numerous bathrooms, and plenty

  of living space.

  “This is a lot of space for two people,” she said as Lee halted

  next to one of the doors branching off from the corridor.

  “We bought it for its remoteness rather than anything else,” Lee said. “The space was just a plus. Here.” He swung the door open.

  “This is my studio. It’s not much, but I work well in here.”

  Anna stepped into the room and shivered. “It’s freezing!”

  Lee laughed. “Yeah, that too. I can’t have it too hot or it makes me drowsy and I can’t concentrate.”

  “Can I look around?”

  He nodded.

  Anna wrapped her arms around herself and circled the room. Lee

  had numerous stations set up at different points. Some were little more than a large desk covered in pencils and paper. Others held easels with half finished paintings. The last that she walked to, right next to the window, held a block of some sort of rock, and the shape reminded her of something, though she couldn’t quite figure out what.

  “You paint and sculpt?”

  Lee shrugged. “I do whatever I feel inspired to do.”

  The far wall had easel after easel propped up against it. Anna

  walked over and bent down so she could get a good look at the first.

  A woman was sat on a field. Her black hair was blowing in the wind.

  The sky was dark. The grass looked like it was about to burst into flames. The woman’s face was half in shadow, but Anna understood immediately what Lee was trying to convey.

  The next painting was similar. As was the one after that.

  “Lee…” she whispered. “These are beautiful. I never imagined…

  I thought landscapes what with living here and all.”

  “No,” he said. “It’s always been people.”

  “These are from…”

  He gave a short, sharp nod. “When we were deployed.”

  Anna moved to another painting. A young girl was holding on to

  an even younger child. Her brother maybe? Behind them were the

  remains of a building. “She looks so sad.”

  “She was,” Lee said softly. “We all were on that day.” He shook

  himself. “I would love to paint you.”

  Anna straightened. “Me? I don’t think I’d be a very good

  subject.”

  “You would,” he said, and the next thing Anna knew he was

  walking towards her. He looked…purposeful…Anna would have

  liked to take a step back, only there was nowhere behind her to step to. Instead she held her ground, waiting until he halted mere inches from her. This close up Anna could smell his scent and it made her want to take a deep breath. His jaw was coated in a fine stubble, and she could see hair along his collarbones. Little details that she couldn’t help but absorb. Little details that made her entire body fizzle.

  If Anna had ever doubted that there was a spark, this moment put paid to that. Lee was so close to her. It would be nothing at all for him to reach out and take her into his arms. Despite the confusion. Despite the grief, despite it all, Anna wanted him to. Her brain raced along avenues that ended with Lee placing his lips on hers. She’d shiver, goose bumps would break out along her skin, her heart would race…

  Lee lifted his hand and placed one finger under her chin. Anna

  was so tense that she exhaled sharply. But he didn’t kiss her. Instead, he tilted her head until their eyes locked.

  “There’s something here,” he whispered. “Hidden in your eyes.”

  “What is it?”

  He smiled slightly and lifted his finger to trace the line of her jaw. Shivers raced along Anna’s skin. Her body felt both tense and relaxed all at once. “A sadness, Anna,” he said. “One I am far too familiar with.”

  “Lee…”

  He pulled his hand away. “You have very pretty lips.”

  “I—”

  “Come on. Jack’s probably ready for us.”

  Chapter Seven

  Lee regretted having Anna over to dinner the moment he saw her

  in that fucking dress, and that didn’t even make sense! The dress was perfectly decent. It was some sort of knit for God sake. But it clung to Anna’s curves in the most delicious of ways. When she’d bent over to look at his paintings it was all he could do not to groan. The knit stretched across her curvy little ass, and Lee had wanted nothing more than to walk across the room and run his hands across the entire area.

  Anna would be blonde there too. Lee was certain of it.

  He wanted to know for sure though, and that thought, combined

  with the others, was in no way helping him to keep any kind of

  control. He’d been hard from the moment she’d passed him the

  cookies. And Jack, the bastard, he knew it! Suggesting Lee show

  Anna his work was Jack’s way of helping Lee to calm down. He was never overwhelmed with emotions in his studio. In there he worked with a calm precision.

  Of course he’d never had anyone like Anna in there with him

  before.

  She did not encourage calm.

  “You’re just in time.”

  Jack smiled as they entered the kitchen and gestured to the table next to the window. They had a formal dining room, but they very rarely used it, preferring instead to eat at the counter or to use this.

  The table was many years old, an antique probably. It was circular and was big enough for only four chairs. The dining room table on the other hand sat sixteen. It was then that Lee realized what Jack was doing. He wasn’t giving Anna the opportunity to take a seat too far away from them. He wanted her close.

  Shaking his head at his friend’s machinations, Lee held out a

  chair for Anna. She took it with a thank you then reached out for the wine glass that Jack had placed next to her plate. It was the same one she’d been given when she arrived. In no time at all she finished the contents.

  Lee caught Jack’s gaze and couldn’t help but grin. Anna was

  nervous. Painfully so. And Lee was damn near certain that it had nothing to do with her recent loss. It was all about them. But was it because of the unfamiliar situation or something else? Lee pulled out his own chair and sat next to her, that thought prodding him.

  In no time at all Jack served up the food. He’d made steak with a garlic and herb sauce and fresh green beans. In the middle of the table was a tureen of potatoes with melted knobs of butter. His friend had outdone himself and Lee said as much as they settled in to eat.

  Dinner was delicious, and Jack kept the conversation flowing in

  between bites. He spoke of a new line of products in the general store, a show he’d watched recently, whether it was likely to snow soon.

  Anna smiled at him as she answered his questions and chipped in with some comments of her own. Lee could do little more than throw in a comment or two and watch her talk. Her eyes were so expressive. It was easy to read the play of emotions across her face.

  He was captivated by her. There was no other way to describ
e it.

  “That was delicious,” Anna finally said, placing her knife and

  fork on her plate.

  Jack grinned and poured everyone another glass of wine. “I

  promised you a mean steak.”

  “I’ve been living mostly on cupboard food,” she said. “It seems

  like too much effort to make a whole meal for just myself.”

  “You made the cookies.”

  She smiled. “Baking is different.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “It relaxes me, I guess. Of course, I can’t bake every day. There’s only me to eat the results. I’d be the size of a house in no time.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Well, you’re welcome to bring your efforts over to us. Our

  menu is pretty slim.”

  “Slim is being generous,” Lee said. “We have a couple of

  signature dishes each and that’s about it.”

  “Do you take it in turns to cook?”

  “In the main,” Jack said. “When Lee disappears on his bike

  though I tend to head out and find somewhere to eat.”

  She turned to him and Lee’s stomach tightened all over again.

  “Your bike?”

  “It’s nothing fancy,” he said. “It gives me a certain level of

  freedom though. When I’m feeling restless I can head out. Find

  inspiration somewhere.”

  “I find that in my walks.”

  “For me it’s in the garage, working on my cars.”

  As Jack spoke Lee realized how similar the three of them were.

  Each had seen real loss, Anna her Grand and all of her friends, for him and Jack it had been there friends too. The roadside bomb had killed almost everyone in their group, only Lee and Jack had survived, and that was only because they’d been walking behind the convoy.

  They’d volunteered for the duty, though it was one of the most

  dangerous tasks. Of course, they could never have imagined that it would save their lives.

  Lee closed his eyes, the memories, the horrible memories of his

  friends screaming as they drew their last breaths racing through his mind. That day had changed them both. It made them both realize

  how fleeting life was, and how easily it could be taken away.

  He gave himself a shake and opened his eyes just as Jack spoke.