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where to start!" Steve threw back his head and laughed. His laugh was infectious and Jessica could no longer hide her enjoyment of watching and listening to him. Damn the man, anyway. He was managing to wrap her around his little finger and she didn't like it not one bit. She found it hard to resist him when he was in this mood. When the plane started its descent they both glanced out. Rolling green hills lay below. "It's really beautiful, isn't it?" Jessica murmured. "Yes." By the time they landed at the private airfield andstepped from the plane, Jessica felt that she had been whisked to a truly magical land. Giant fern palm and banyan trees skirted the open area. Vines with crimson and orange blooms hung from the towering trees and bushes. Mr. Johanson waited for them in a utility truck. "Welcome to Queensland," he remarked while Steve and Jessica climbed into the back. "It is truly beautiful," Jessica said, looking around her. Eric smiled. "I'm glad you can appreciate why I come up here whenever I get the chance." "I've never seen such a varied collection of flowers blooming in the wild." ' 'Wait until you see my formal gardens. Why, they rival the botanical gardens of any of the large cities." Steve studied the older man, noticing his relaxed and genial air. For the first time he wondered if paranoia had taken over his thinking. Although he didn't care for Johanson's strong-arm tactics when they had first arrived, he couldn't fault him for lack of courtesy and consideration since that time. Max had said Johanson was known as an eccentric. Perhaps that was all that had set Steve off. He was used to dealing with conniving people. Perhaps he looked for intrigue where there was none. He could only bide his time and wait to see what happened next. Eight The road they followed from the landing strip continued to climb into the surrounding hillside. When at long last they broke from the trees, Jessica gasped. They were on a ridge overlooking a fertile, green valley surrounded by mountain peaks. Nestled in the valley was a colonial-style home set in the midst of a profusion of color. A wide veranda encircled the house. They pulled up in front of the gate in a white picket fence that bordered the property. Jessica couldn't believe the place was real. The house looked as though it had appeared like magic on a dimensional plane that might cause it to disappear back into its own time at any moment. A large, wide hallway ran from the front of the house to the back, with rooms on both sides. A stairway led up to the second floor with a similar floor plan. Her excitement at being able to see such a beautifully well-preserved piece of history came to a sudden halt when their luggage was taken into one of the front upstairs bedrooms. Why hadn't she thought about the fact that Johanson would expect her to share a room with Steve? She looked at Steve for guidance but he was politely listening to their host's description of the area and how the house came to be built. As soon as Johanson left them Jessica turned to Steve. "I don't think this is a very good idea." He'd walked over to the window and was looking outside when she spoke. He glanced around. "What are you talking about?" "Our sharing a room." "Isn't it a little late to be thinking about that now?" "Couldn't we tell him that we need separate rooms?" "I could, but I'm not going to." "Why not?" "Because I don't know what he's up to and I don't trust him. I'll feel much better keeping you as close to me as possible." She glanced at the bed in question. It was much smaller than the one they had shared in the Blue Mountains. "Oh, I'll be close, all right." What a little wretch, Steve thought. "I'll admit that it's more difficult to sleep with you next to me, my love, but I am more than willing to forgo my rest in favor of other pastimes." Steve had the satisfaction of watching Jessica's face flame with rosy color. By the time they had finished with their evening meal, their host had shown them around the house and garden and answered their questions about its history. Jessica seemed delighted and took copious notes and made rough sketches. No doubt she would return to the States with enough information for a book, Steve thought with concealed annoyance. He stood on the steps and looked out over the garden. Johanson had told them that he had several men who worked full-time to keep the grounds looking so well. One of them was just now putting away his tools into a shed near the back fence. The wide hat he wore no doubt protected him from the tropical sun. Steve turned away. He felt restless and edgy. Jessica seemed to have forgotten Johanson's earlier treatment of them and was chatting away with him as though they were old friends. It suddenly struck Steve that he was as jealous of Eric Johanson's attention toward Jessica as he had been of her travel bureau friend. No doubt about it. He was losing his mind. Long after Jessica went upstairs to bed, Steve stayed downstairs. For a while he talked with Eric. He noticed that the older man was excellent at parrying [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |