Free A Lyon's Share by Janet Dailey Page B

apartment door slammed on the floor above.
    Joan stiffened, tossing her head back. "I don't expect any special favors, Mr. Lyon, simply because I had the misfortune of being stranded at work for most of the weekend," she asserted coldly. "I'll be in the office at eight tomorrow as usual."
    An eyebrow arched into a brown peak of unconcern. "As you wish, Miss Somers. Good day."
    As the outside door closed behind him, too late Joan realized that she had offered not one word of thanks for the ride home. In spite of everything, Brandt was entitled to a measure of courtesy.
    "Lord! Ice nearly dripped from your voice!" Kay's excitedly astonished voice sounded from the stairs. "And after the way he carried you to the door, too!" At Joan's surprised glance at the berobed figure on the steps, Kay answered the questioning gleam in her room-mate's eyes. "I was watching from the window. He was so masterful about it."
    "He did it simply because I didn't have any boots," Joan said tersely, "and the pavements weren't shoveled."
    Her assertion didn't erase the impish smile from Kay's mouth as Joan hurried past her up the steps. There was about to be a deluge of questions and she needed the diversion of movement to collect her wits after those shattering moments in Brandt's arms.
    "Is the coffee on, Kay?" she asked as she pushed the door ajar and entered their apartment. "I haven't had a cup since before the electricity went off Friday night."
    "The electricity went off!" Kay echoed, dashing towards the kitchenette section of the room while Joan pulled off her coat and stepped out of her shoes. "I didn't know the electricity was off! At least, I heard it was off in some sections of the city, but I never guessed you were without it at the office. Heavens! The nights must have been awfully long!"
    In the act of pouring Joan a cup of coffee, Kay spun around, her sparkling brown eyes widening and her mouth opening in surprised excitement.
    "How did you ever keep warm? The furnace can't work without electricity to operate the thermostat. Did you and Mr. Lyon have to huddle together to keep warm? Oh! Wouldn't that be something!" Kay rushed quickly to the couch with the coffee cup. "Is that why you were so cold to him? Did he make a pass at you?"
    Joan rushed involuntarily. "Oh, Kay, really! In the first place, we both had our winter coats to keep us warm," not exactly denying her room-mate's assertion nor explaining that they had jointly wed the coats together, "and secondly … Mr Lyon," she had nearly called him Brandt, "found a space heater in the equipment shed."
    Kay pulled a wry face. "It's resourceful, but hardly romantic," she sighed. "I should have thought you would at least be calling each other by your first names after an entire weekend together."
    Joan's fingers curled around the cup before she quickly sat it on the table in front of the sofa. "I feel absolutely grubby after wearing these clothes for nearly three days. I'm going to take a bath and clean up."
    She rose quickly to her feet, not wanting to confide in her friend and room-mate, nor to have Kay's interrogation go any farther.
    Monday morning brought a return of the strictly business atmosphere between Joan and Brandt. His gaze didn't cut her with freezing contempt, nor was he ill-tempered with anger. He treated her the same indifferently friendly way he always had, which made it easier for Joan to fall into the same pattern, at least, for the most part.
    The main topic of conversation through the entire company was the weekend storm, with everyone trading stories on where and how they had been trapped by the blizzard and the difficulties they had gone through before reaching their homes. Joan was grateful for the insulation of her private office, segregated from the rest of the employees. It saved her from relating her own tale without lying. Kay had mercifully agreed to keep silent about it, knowing full well how viciously the story would be twisted into some lurid account by