Heart of the Hunter by BJ James

Author:BJ James
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1995-11-27T05:00:00+00:00

* * *

“Perfect.” Annabelle backed to her desk and her chair, to gain a better perspective of the miniatures she’d been arranging, and to rest her feet. As her shoes hit the floor she groaned and wiggled her bare toes. After a critical study she still agreed with her first assessment. Matted, framed and placed against an especially prepared wall, the paintings were startling.

“Yes!” She crowed with a triumphant pump of her hand. A gesture worthy of the most volatile tennis pro. “It was a stroke of genius for you to take Ashley to the zoo,” she said, sharing with largesse the credit for the display. “He must have painted like a demon this week to do four. He does animals as well as birds and ships. A little water, a little color, a squiggle or two on canvas, and voilà! A masterpiece.”

Nicole didn’t agree or disagree, she was too engrossed in draping a length of rough woven cloth over a table, weaving it around small bronze sculptures.

“It was a stroke of genius, as well, to group Hunter Slade’s newest work with Ashley’s paintings.” Another stroke was Beth Slade persuading her husband to allow the animals he carved for their son to be cast.

Nicole positioned a small tiger beneath Ashley’s painting of the same animal, a majesty captured as flawlessly on canvas as bronze. Absently she dragged her attention from her chore. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

“Ha!” Annabelle jangled a bank of silver bangles stretching from her wrist to the middle of her arm. “You haven’t listened to a fraction of what I’ve said for the past week.”

“I’m listening now.”

“You haven’t listened since the escapade with Ashley and your fella.” Nicole’s interruption went unnoticed, now that the smaller woman had an opening to make known her observations. Again. “He hasn’t been around lately, has he?”

“You know he hasn’t.”

“Hmm, I wonder why.”

“It could be because he’s busy.” Nicole would never in this lifetime let Annabelle suspect that she’d spent more hours than she wanted to admit asking the same question.

“He’s retired, remember.” An innocent lift of eyebrows fooled no one, still Annabelle played the part.

“Only from a nine-to-five position.” Nicole moved a length of cloth, gathering it about a moss-covered stone she’d fetched from a creek near the island. “Considering his life-style, and because he has retired, I imagine he has financial matters to attend to. And he isn’t my fella, as you call him.” The rebuke was given mildly and without a prayer of halting the discussion that was inevitable.

“But you like him,” Annabelle persisted.

“Liking Jeb doesn’t make him more than a friend.”

“But you’d like him even more as more than a friend.” This gibberish was delivered with a sage and knowing look.

“We’ve been through this before, almost word for word, Annabelle.” There was a somber disquiet in Nicole’s expression conflicting with her reserved manner. “It doesn’t matter what I feel, or don’t feel. Jeb’s a friend. Period. End of story, and it’s for the best exactly that way.”

She moved the cloth again, sighed and shook her head.

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