Free Where the Heart Lies by Susan R. Hughes Page B

the house. Met by silence, she crept down the stairs as quietly as she could. She realized someone else was up, however, once she reached the living room and breathed in the welcoming aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
    Following the aroma to the kitchen, she found Clay seated at the table, sipping from a mug with a newspaper spread out before him.
    “Oh, good morning,” he said cheerfully when he saw her.
    “Morning,” Jordan muttered, blinking at him in surprise. Even in her bleary morning state, it would’ve been hard not to notice that he was bare-chested, wearing only his pajama bottoms. It was also quite apparent that the physical demands of Clay’s former job had resulted in an athletic physique, with muscles that were much enhanced from the ones she remembered. By the time she realized she was staring, and raised her eyes to his, it was too late to pretend she hadn’t been gawking. Feeling her face redden, she wished she could scurry back up to bed and start the morning over again.
    “Coffee?” Clay offered, an amused smile playing on his lips as he moved to stand up.
    “Thank you, I’ll get it.” Jordan nearly sprinted to the counter to grab the coffee pot. Her back to him, she took a mug from the drying rack and poured coffee into it, silently willing her colour to return to normal before she turned around.
    “What would you like for breakfast?” Clay asked. “Cereal? Toast? Eggs?”
    “Toast would be fine. I can get it.” Spotting a loaf of bread and a toaster on the counter, she quickly set to work, her uncooperative fingers struggling to get the sliding knob on the toaster to stay down.
    “Is everyone else still asleep?” she asked, finally persuading the knob to stay.
    “I think so. The kids seem to be. They were up pretty late, gabbing in their tents.”
    Jordan turned to face him, keeping her gaze firmly locked on his to keep it from drifting downward. “Molly is having a blast.”
    “Are you glad you came?” Clay asked.
    “It’s been interesting so far. Apparently you’re taking the kids kayaking and to see some prehistoric dump site.”
    “If there’s time. But this morning, they are going horseback riding, and I’m taking you to the McGovern estate sale.”
    “You don’t have to take me,” Jordan said quickly. “I can find it on my own.”
    “I know, but I’d be interested in seeing the place myself,” Clay said evenly. “Stan McGovern was almost a hundred years old when he passed on. He was a man of impeccable taste, and he had no children to take possession of his things. I’m intrigued to see what might be squirreled away in his house.”
    “All right, then,” Jordan agreed, seeing no way out of it, just as her toast popped up, slightly burned on the edges. She reached into the cupboard over the sink for a plate, but stopped short, her eye caught by three deer outside on the lawn. They were standing not far from the window, their heads bent low to the ground as they grazed silently on the long grass.
    “Oh, they’re beautiful,” she breathed, captivated by the slender, graceful animals so close by.
    “Aren’t they?” Clay’s voice intoned from right behind her shoulder, startling her. She hadn’t noticed him approaching from behind, and now he was inches from her, peering over her shoulder. She kept her gaze on the deer, though her focus was blurring. She could feel the heat from Clay’s body now, and the tiny hairs on the back of her neck bristled, making her shudder. Not daring to turn and look at him, she stayed where she was, hugging her own arms, quite astounded by her intense reaction to him.
    “Well I’m off to the shower,” he announced. “I’ll meet you outside by my car in half an hour, all right?”
    Jordan didn’t turn around. “I’ll be ready,” she said brightly, and sighed with relief when he left the kitchen to head upstairs.
    She took her coffee and plate to the table and plopped into a chair, nibbling at her toast disinterestedly as