Free Harlequin Heartwarming May 2016 Box Set by Rula Sinara Page A

about Anna. Around here, her orphaned elephant rescue camp is becoming legendary. Mac should take you two to visit Busara. I’m sure she and her wonderful husband and adorable children would love to meet one of Mac’s relatives.”
    Tessa had no rights over Mac—neither did she want any—but she couldn’t help but feel a little relieved that Anna was married. Nonetheless, a part of her wished Mac could see her as “not just any woman,” too. Then another part of her wondered if any of those baby elephants had been orphaned because of Brice. If they had been, then she was living off his blood money. Markets were all about supply and demand. That made her part of the pain and injustice Mac devoted his time to fighting. She rearranged the food on her plate, suddenly losing her appetite and unable to meet his eyes.
    She needed to find evidence and stop what was happening...or she was as good as an accomplice to murder. Murder of the very lives Mac was so intent on helping to save.
    * * *
    T ESSA SCRUBBED A dish in the soapy water, rinsed it and passed it to Kesi to dry and put away. She’d insisted on helping clean up while the guys went outside to do some maintenance on one of the guest tents. Kesi explained that they did whatever they could to conserve water. Although they had a well, they also used a cistern to catch rainwater. The couple also had some solar panels in place to take advantage of the plentiful sunlight. Tessa admired the gorgeous mosaic backsplash behind the sink and the unique strands of wooden beads that hung to the sides of the kitchen window instead of curtains.
    â€œYour kitchen is beautiful and so...” She fumbled for the right word, realizing belatedly that anything she said might be taken the wrong way.
    â€œUnexpected?” Kesi offered.
    â€œWell, yes, but I don’t mean it in a bad way. You have incredible taste in design and decorating. It’s just that I expected anything out this far to be more basic, only because I’d imagine getting some building items and finishing touches out here would be difficult.” She hoped Kesi understood. She never intended to sound rude or snotty. After all, she’d grown up in a house no bigger than this cottage. Maybe that’s why she liked the atmosphere here. “Your home has so much character. There’s a welcoming comfort about it.”
    Tessa meant it. There was a spirit to the place that, despite all the luxuries that had become hers when she’d married Brice, she’d never felt in her own home. Mac was right. Their place was a little on the sterile side. Like her and Brice’s modern, minimalist style, there was no clutter here, yet the wood and stone, with splashes of color from woven pillows and practical accents like the herbs Kesi had hung to dry along one of the kitchen walls, gave the cottage an earthy warmth. She pointed to a stunning painting on the far wall. She’d seen a couple of others in the living room that looked like they’d been done by the same artist. The lighting in the kitchen made it easier to see Kesi’s name at the bottom. “You painted that?”
    â€œYes. I like to dabble in water colors. It’s relaxing,” she said.
    â€œYou have a gift. It’s beautiful. I should have known you had an artist’s eye from how nicely you designed the entire place.”
    â€œThank you,” Kesi said. “Some of the touches were indeed special ordered, and some we brought out here ourselves. Most of the wooden furniture was handmade and carved locally, but a few pieces were from before we lived here. I’m a retired architect. In fact, when Mac’s friends, Anna and Jack, decided to upgrade from the tent Anna had raised their first child in on her own at Busara, I helped them out.”
    A dish slipped from Tessa’s grip but she saved it from breaking.
    â€œYou’re an architect?” She needed to work harder at