Free Holiday with a Stranger by Christy McKellen

himself. He was a red-blooded male who hadn’t been near a woman for the past nine months. Surely it was to be expected?
    He sighed, low and long, exhausted from the walk back with Josie in his arms and the monumental battle to keep his libido under control. He was desperate for a nap, but he knew he needed to get fluids into her before she slept. Dehydration was a dangerous beast.
    It had been a shock to find her in such a state. When he’d first seen her for one awful minute he’d thought he was too late. She’d been lying in a heap, as if passed out, her sundress splayed around her, a splash of white in the surrounding lavender fields. The relief at finding her still conscious had been acute, and the adrenaline rush had stayed with him for most of the walk back.
    Just now, when her face had fallen and she’d looked close to tears, he’d had to make a sharp exit. If he’d moved towards her instead of out through the door who knew what would have happened?
    Tossing the spoon into the sink, he took another couple of seconds to compose himself. He was so unused to actively battling his reactions it had him freaked, and he didn’t want Josie picking up on it. They were already walking a very fine line between friendly acquaintance and something dangerously intense. Just one tiny push from her would have him in free fall, and this was not the time for him to lose his fragile grip on control.
    He carried the glass of liquid carefully upstairs and knocked on the bathroom door. He didn’t wait for her response and walked straight in, keeping his eyes down to protect her modesty as well as his state of mind.
    ‘Don’t worry, I’m not staying.’
    ‘I’m not worried,’ she said, her voice strained.
    He felt her take the glass from his outstretched hand and turned back towards the door. He was twitchy, and desperate to get out of there, but he wanted to check she was over the worst.
    ‘So how are you feeling now? Any dizziness? Irregular breathing?’ He heard the swish and splash of water as she stood and stepped out of the bath.
    ‘No,’ she said.
    Her voice was softer than before. Was that shame he could sense in her tone? He felt suddenly protective of her. She must have been terrified out there on her own. People misjudged the danger of being out in the heat all the time, thinking they were okay right up until it was too late.
    ‘Good. It sounds like you’re recovering okay. You’ll need to rest up and sleep it off. You’ve put your body through quite an ordeal.’
    There was a pause.
    ‘Connor?’
    ‘Yeah?’ He turned round to face her. She’d wrapped a thick towelling robe around herself and it swamped her slender frame. She looked younger and oddly vulnerable. An uncomfortable pressure squeezed his abdomen and there was a strange buzzing in his head.
    ‘Thank you.’
    He shook his head, trying to clear it. ‘It’s okay, really. It could have happened to anyone.’ He smiled, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.
    ‘I’m not thinking straight at the moment.’
    ‘Because of the thing at work?’
    He didn’t know what had made him ask that right then, but he found he really wanted to hear the answer. All this over-reactive behaviour had to be linked to something. She was clearly a clever woman who was having a hard time dealing with whatever had brought her here to the farmhouse.
    She laughed quietly. ‘You’re determined to get a straight answer out of me, aren’t you?’
    He shrugged. ‘I’m a nosy bastard.’
    She sat carefully on the edge of the bath and stared down at the floor, her hair falling across her face. ‘It’s a tough marketplace and we’re fighting every day to keep and win new business.’ Her voice was steady, but emotionless. ‘There aren’t a lot of contracts up for grabs in this climate. It’s harsh out there. Eat or be eaten.’
    An image of his sister as a young, determined girl flashed into his mind. He could see why she’d chosen Josie as a business partner. He