The Thawing of Mara Read Free Page A

dollars?" She was stunned.
    "I thought that would get your attention." A smug smile curved his mouth.
    "But why?" As far as Mara was concerned, the price they had been going to charge would have allowed her an ample profit for the repairs.
    "He sounded as if he could afford it," Harve shrugged. "If he squawked at it, I could always say I'd read it wrong. As it is, you stand to make a handsome profit."
    His reasoning was logical even if Mara found his ethics questionable. She lifted the coffee mug to her mouth, refusing to be stampeded into something because of some dollar signs. She sipped at the coffee and set the mug down.
    "Still, Harve, I'm not going to rent it to just anybody, regardless of how much money is involved."
    "Don't worry, Mara. If, after he's seen the pictures of the cottage, he wants to sign a lease, I'm entitled to ask him for personal and credit references. I'll check Mr. Sinclair Buchanan out thoroughly," he promised.
    "See that you do, because I'll want to see the results." Mara informed him, the tone of her voice carrying an underlying warning.
    "We have to take first things first." Harve wasn't concerned by her lack of total confidence in him; he had an extraordinary amount of confidence in himself. "And the first thing I have to do is take those pictures I have to send to him. To do that, I need the key to the cottage."
    "I'll get it for you." Mara rose from her chair.
    Harve was instantly on his feet. His hand was on her arm when she started to walk past him. "Better yet, why don't you come with me while I take those photos?" He was standing slightly behind her, his low, coaxing voice coming from the general vicinity near her ear.
    "I'm busy. Maybe another time." She coolly brushed aside his invitation and would have walked out of his light hold, but he tightened it at the last minute.
    "You're always telling me 'another time,'" he protested.
    Mara felt the warmth of his breath against the bare skin of her neck, exposed by the short, smooth style of her sable black hair. There was a fleeting irritation that if Harve was aware of the number of times she'd put him off, why hadn't he got the message?  
    "It simply isn't possible today." Her response was firm and unmoved by his veiled criticism.
    There was an instant of silence, and Mara sensed that Harve was debating whether this was the moment to press the issue. Finally his grip on her arm loosened and he stepped away, chuckling softly.
    "I don't know what there is about you, Mara," he commented. "With most girls, after the second refusal, I'd stop asking. But with you, I keep leaving myself open for rejection."
    "I'll get the key to the cottage," she said.
    "Is that all you have to say?" His exasperation was tinged with amusement. "Doesn't anything ruffle that cool composure of yours?"
    Her lips curved in a semblance of a smile, but she didn't respond to his question. She doubted that Harve had really expected a reply. Leaving the kitchen, she walked to the study where she kept the key to the cottage in the desk drawer.
    "Are you going to the cottage?" her father asked when she removed the key.
    "I'm not. Harve has to go over to take some pictures for an out-of-town party who's interested in it." She took secret delight in relating the news to her father, considering his skepticism about the project.
    "I thought it wasn't finished yet."
    "All the repairs are done. It just isn't all furnished yet, but this person doesn't seem to mind," Mara explained. But she didn't mention the possibly higher rental income from the cottage. That was something she would keep to herself until a lease agreement was actually signed.
    "Just make sure you know what type of person you're renting to," her father cautioned. "There's more to being a landlord than just collecting rent. There are those who tend to be destructive or careless with other people's property."
    "I really don't need your advice, Adam," she retorted stiffly. "I've been handling my own affairs all by