Close Your Eyes (9 page)

As
Meg
an waited for
Matt
to open the door, the feeling of
well-
being
that had
momentarily replaced
her misery
suddenly faded
without the comforting warmth of his large body.
She
shivered again, suddenly
second-guessing
her decision to come here in the first place. Ry
an
would certainly disapprove of her hanging around the property, given the fact he
had
emphasized the need for distance. True, this part of the extensive grounds was most probably safe from any prying eyes, but she
still
should have known better.
She was tempted
to
succumb to
Matt
’s lead
. As
he walked
towards her,
his face broke into a smile.

At least
that
smile
hasn’t
changed
much,
she thought with
relief
as she looked for
the old
Matt
in this
tall
,
self-assured
stranger
. She had known him as long as she
’d
known
Ry
an,
and
some of
Matt’s
qualities
were
totally familiar
.
Matt’s
hair
still
refused to be slicked down
,
and
she recalled Ryan telling her years ago how
his
little brother’s
less groomed looks
remained a source of
their
grandfather’s
disapproval. She remembered Ry
an
complaining about it at times,
and she’d come to admire
his big
-
brother attitude.

‘All right, so this is taken care of,
Meg
.’
His blue
eyes watchful, he pushed the door open
,
and it relented without as much as a squeak
, which
wasn’t surprising
,
given
how the staff
took care of the place
. Everything
the
Harper
s owned
lived
up to the highest standards.

‘
Take
off
that
jacket while I make us
a
fire and
something to drink
,
’
he
ordered after they stepped in
side. She stopped and stared in surprise
at the
cozy
,
large interior. For a staff’s working house, the place was absolutely perfect with its large main room, adjacent kitchen
,
and a corridor leading to what she imagined were more rooms.
The room
was a bit chilly
,
though
. T
he staff
had
moved to the larger, main building near the proper stables. This
building
was more of an outpost, really, meant for the summertime when some of the horses were
kept in
the f
a
rthest pastures.

Matt
kne
lt
in front of the fireplace and start
ed
the
fire,
the
fire-ready
logs catching
light
with ease. She wanted to tell him not to bother
. S
ince they would be heading back in a moment, the warmth of the fire
was
an unnecessary luxury she was willing to forgo.
She opened her mouth to say it, only to clamp it shut as she looked at his elegant profile illuminated by the fire. His face was wet
,
and tiny glistening droplets hung from his water
-
darkened hair.
He was probably
freezing as well,
and she
was sorry to have
caused
his
detour. If it
hadn’t been
for
Megan
,
Matt
could
have just ridden back to the house.

She shook her jacket, surprised
at its cold, stiff weight
. Thankfully,
her jacket had protected
her shirt
and jeans
,
keeping it dry
.
Unable to resist the temptation of the heat from the crackling fire, s
he stepped closer
to
Matt
, admiring his nimble efforts.

‘
Here
, this is all yours
.
’
Matt
grinned up to her, his upturned features softened by the flickering light of the flames. He got up, dusting his knees
,
and gestured to the chair in front of the fire. She followed his invitation
.
T
he
fire’s
warmth radiated towards her
cold fingers
and lured her to lean closer.
She closed her eyes for a moment, listening lazily to the crackling fire. She could hear him walk
ing
around,
and
the
sound of his footsteps was
reassuringly familiar.

‘It’s bloody cold out there
.
’
Matt
’s cheerful voice sounded from the kitchen
. A half-wall that reached Matt’s hips
separated
the open kitchen
from the main area
.
He bustled
around
,
collecting
things on a silver
tray
.
A
tea kettle
whistled.
‘
So
,
how warm do you want to get?’ H
is question confused her,
then, with a mischievous grin,
he held
up a bottle of whiskey. ‘
Care
for a splash of something extra?’

She should have said no.
S
he had practically invited
herself in
, and that was bad enough
. Sitting and drinking with
Matt
somehow
made things even worse. She
could just imagine what Henry
Harper
would say if he caught them
. H
is
severe
face
rose
before her eyes.
H
e would
probably
blame her for pushing his already bad
-
boy grandson into
an
even deeper abyss of
self-destruction
.
Matt
had
managed to tarnish the family’s name in more
ways
than one
,
and
enjoying hard liquor
was
one of them. She remembered Ry
an
telling her how
Matt
would sneak
out with his friends
and
then
return
,
reeking of booze and cigarettes. It
had
happened often enough for their father to ground him, cutting off his allowance.

She was too cold to care
right now
. The promise of the warmth of the
amber-
colored liquid
easily
tempted her
, and she nodded, her wet hair hanging in dark
rattails
down her back.

‘
Just
a bit
.
’
Her
voice
was
still a bit hoarse from the cold. ‘
Go
easy on the extra part, all right?’

‘No problem.’
He flashed her a grin with his perfect
set of teeth as he brought both steaming mugs
and
some crackers.
He had shrugged off his soggy jacket
,
as well,
and
a dark
-
blue sweater
clung
to the broad planes of his chest.
‘
Be careful, it’s hot.’

His warning made her smile
. It
reminded her so much of Ry
an
. They might look quite different
, with
Ryan t
aking
the better looks and suave
ness
that eluded his younger brother, but
the
similarity in the way
s
they acted and behaved
was unmistakable
.