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wrong impression. ‘I wasn’t looking for you, if that’s what you think.’ He nodded towards the dinghy. ‘I intended to take my boat out, that was all.’
‘Oh.’
Matt expelled a harsh breath. ‘In any case, you should have told someone where you were going.’
‘Why?’ Joanna’s violet eyes widened. ‘Are you saying I can’t do anything here without you knowing about it?’
Matt blinked. ‘Forgive me, but you seemed glad to see me last night,’ he retorted, irritation causing his temper to spike. ‘Or would you have preferred to have got rid of the creature yourself?’
Joanna lifted her arms, the shirt slipping sensuously off one shoulder. ‘That’s different,’ she said defensively, but it was difficult for Matt to focus on her words.
As she’d lifted her arms, Matt had been treated to a glimpse of the dusky hollow visible below the lapels. He didn’t want to notice, but once again he couldn’t help himself. And another part of his body noticed, too.
He was pathetic, he told himself, as his shaft stirred instinctively at the glimpse of her breasts. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen them before. The way they’d looked that night in Miami was all too easy to remember.
Rocking back on the heels of his loafers, he managed a cynical smile. ‘Do I take it you’ll cope with any emergency from now on?’
Joanna wrapped her arms across her midriff and turned to stare out over the water. ‘Can we not do this?’ she asked, suddenly sounding weary. ‘I just don’t like being checked up on, that’s all. I had enough of that when—when—’
‘When Daddy was alive?’ suggested Matt drily.
‘No,’ declared Joanna at once, although her father had wanted to know where she was every minute they’d been together. ‘I don’t know what I was going to say. It’s not important. Like you said, it is very hot, and I’m going back to the villa right now.’
Matt hesitated. ‘Do you want me to come with you?’
Joanna cast a brief glance in his direction, her eyes wary. ‘I can manage on my own,’ she said stiffly. ‘Please, take your boat out. If indeed that was what you originally intended.’
She waited half apprehensively for his response, but if Matt was angry at her defiance, he didn’t reply.
A couple of weeks later, Joanna had got used to living on Cable Cay.
The cottage had become her home and she was reasonably happy there. Henry—not Matt—had taken her into town a few days after her arrival to see a Dr Rodrigues, and he’d pronounced that all was well. Indeed, he’d complimented her on her good health, saying that if all pregnancies were like hers, he’d be out of a job.
Despite a certain tension between them, Matt had taken to calling round to see her every couple of days. He’d said it was to assure himself that she had everything she needed, but she couldn’t deny she looked forward to his visits.
In spite of their differences, they had been married for over four years before they’d split up and they knew one another well. Certain words, certain locations, inspired a similar reaction, and, although Matt would never have believed it, they spent a lot of time reminiscing about things that had made them both laugh.
The days when she didn’t see him became dull days indeed.
Although she kept in touch with David Bellamy and her mother via email—and worked on the website when David sent her details of some new exhibition he was putting on—what she enjoyed most was sitting on the veranda, sharing coffee and some of Rowena’s delicious muffins with Matt. Occasionally, he discussed his work, usually some article or other he was researching, and she offered him ideas of other articles he could write.
She doubted he found her appearance particularly appealing. She hated looking in mirrors these days, especially after she’d had a bath. It was so unfair, she thought gloomily, when it was impossible to avoid her naked body. Men got women pregnant, without any of the consequences, and then stood back and let nature take its course.
To her relief, there’d been no sign of her erstwhile mother-in-law. Matt didn’t mention his parents at all, except when she asked about his father. She had thought that Adrienne might arrive to check up on her, but she supposed it was just possible that Matt hadn’t told his mother she was here. Though that was hardly believable, in the circumstances. There was always the chance that they might arrive here unannounced.
Matt had also put a car at her disposal and she’d actually taken a couple of trips into the small town of Cable Cay on her own. The roads were fairly good, and she’d enjoyed the feeling of independence it had given her. Although she had to admit, she’d usually chosen a morning when Matt was unlikely to appear.
Although the town wasn’t very big, it was amazingly well equipped, catering to visitors and locals alike. There were small supermarkets and clothes shops, as well as the inevitable duty-free liquor stores. Joanna had spent a whole morning wandering around the open-air market.
An agency advertising deep-sea fishing and water sports had briefly attracted her attention on her second visit, mostly because the name over the door had read M.O. Novak. Matt had told her about the companies he had invested in, and she couldn’t deny a certain feeling of pride that he’d confided in her.
It was a far cry from the Novak Corporation, which, as Matt had told her, Sophie was running now. He seemed to have settled down to life in the Bahamas, and she had to admit it was a good life in many ways.
Joanna had also made friends with the two women Matt had employed to cook and clean for her. The older of the two, Rowena, lived in Cable Cay. The younger, Callie, was Henry and Teresa’s granddaughter, and she lived in the annexe that adjoined the villa with them.
Joanna hadn’t ventured down to the beach again in the early morning. Now that she knew Matt took his boat out most days, she hadn’t wanted to intrude again. Instead, she’d taken to having a stroll along the sands in the early evening. It was cooler then, and she didn’t mind being on her own.
She occasionally heard the SUV leave the villa after breakfast. Callie had told her that her grandfather did most of the shopping and that it was probably him going into town. Matt had converted one of the bedrooms at the villa into his office and that was where he spent much of the day, if he had articles to write; articles Joanna found herself looking for regularly in the local gazette.
One morning, about three weeks after she’d moved into the cottage, Joanna heard the SUV leave soon after eight o’clock. Which was earlier than usual. If Henry was going shopping, he usually left between nine and ten. Was it possible it was Matt who’d gone into town?
There was no way of finding out without going down to the jetty. If the dinghy wasn’t there, she’d know he was still around. He rarely took his boat out for longer than a couple of hours; not long enough for what she had in mind.
It was already hot, but Joanna was getting used to the climate. She’d acquired a golden tan and she was sure her hair was lighter now than when she’d arrived. As she spent most of her days outside, soaking up the sunshine, it wasn’t surprising. She rarely stayed indoors, even when she was doing her job.
Afternoons were when she used her father’s laptop. Sitting on the veranda, she sometimes marvelled at how easily she’d settled in. There were usually messages from David and her mother, asking how she was feeling. But these days she seldom wished that she were back in England.
Now, hearing the car depart, she decided to take the chance that it was Matt who had gone into town. The fact was, she’d wanted to go swimming ever since she’d arrived on the island, but she hadn’t wanted Matt to see her in her swimsuit. The island attracted slim blondes and brunettes in skimpy bikinis, and Joanna was aware that the comparison couldn’t have been more acute.