Not that she particularly wanted to get Gideon a Christmas present, unless it was a bottle of arsenic, but it would certainly look odd if she bought something for everyone else and deliberately excluded him.
There was no help for it; she would have to buy him a present, too. Something completely impersonal, she had finally decided—like a one-way ticket to the North Pole. He would certainly feel at home there, amongst all that ice and snow.
‘I’m driving into town myself this morning.’ Gideon was the one to answer her. ‘So you may as well come in with me.’
Molly’s eyes widened in horror at the thought of spending any more time alone with this man while she felt so tired and vulnerable. And she made no effort to hide the emotion when he looked at her mockingly.
‘What a wonderful idea!’ Thankfully Crys had turned to look at Gideon and didn’t see Molly’s response to the suggestion. ‘Perhaps you wouldn’t mind picking up a newspaper and my order from the butcher’s while you’re there?’
‘Glad to,’ Gideon assured her smoothly.
‘Great.’ Crys grinned as she stood up. ‘I’ll just go and get the list.’ She hurried from the room.
Oh, yes, just great, Molly echoed heavily in her thoughts, knowing it had been taken for granted that she would accept Gideon’s offer to drive her into town.
And why not? Ordinarily it would be the normal thing to do. It was just that there was nothing in the least ‘ordinary’ about the emotions that passed like electric volts between Gideon and herself.
‘You look tired this morning.’
It was a statement, not a question, and a totally unwelcome one as far as Molly was concerned. Once again she looked up to glare at Gideon. ‘And whose fault is that, do you think?’ she challenged tartly.
He grimaced. ‘From the accusation in your tone, I gather that it’s mine…?’
Her eyes flashed deeply brown. ‘You gather correctly. You—’
‘Here we are.’ Crys bustled back into the room with the appropriate list. ‘It’s the shop in the square—not the one down the street,’ she added lightly, not seeming in the least aware of the tension in the kitchen between Molly and Gideon.
And why should she be? Molly reasoned ruefully. As Gideon had already pointed out, as far as any of the family were concerned the two of them had only met for the first time at the christening.
‘I’m sure that between the two of us we’ll manage to find it,’ Gideon assured her as he stood up. ‘Hmm, Molly?’ he prompted pointedly.
Molly felt a small shock run through her body as he called her by her first name, sure that it was the first time he had done so in the last two days. Not that it had sounded in the least warm or familiar—just slightly alien coming from this particular man.
‘I’m sure we will,’ she confirmed flatly. ‘I’ll just go and get my coat and meet you at the car.’ She turned to leave without waiting for any response to this remark, just needing to get away for a few minutes on her own.
To regroup.
Also to make sure she removed all sharp instruments from her handbag—just in case she was goaded into sticking any of them into Gideon as he drove. After all, it was him she felt like doing harm to, not herself.
The green Jaguar saloon was comfortable, she would give him that, Molly allowed grudgingly a few minutes later when she sat beside Gideon as he drove the car down the long driveway out onto the public road. Warm and comfortable. But that was only the car. The owner was anything but those things.
Perhaps it was too warm and comfortable, she decided a few minutes later as her eyes began to close and her head to nod tiredly.
‘You really are tired, aren’t you?’ Gideon said slowly as Molly made a concerted effort to stay awake.
‘Why would I say I was if I wasn’t?’ she snapped back testily.
There was complete silence in the car for several long seconds, and then Gideon gave a sigh. ‘Perhaps I was a little hard on you last night,’ he said grudgingly.
Molly turned to give him a sharply suspicious look. Surely he couldn’t be apologising for the things he had accused her of yesterday evening?
He glanced at her, dark blond brows rising as she warily returned his brief gaze before it returned to the road ahead. ‘I was referring to my omission to dispose of the spider,’ he drawled derisively.
No, she had been right the first time; he wasn’t apologising for the accusations he had made.
‘Did you spend all night keeping a wary eye on it?’ he added with some amusement—completely nullifying the previous apology.
‘Don’t give it another thought,’ Molly dismissed hardly, determined not to give him the satisfaction of knowing she had done just that.
‘I wouldn’t have done—’ he shrugged ‘—if it weren’t for the fact that you look so exhausted this morning.’
‘By “exhausted” I presume you mean awful?’ she bit out resentfully; so much for the washed hair and make-up.
He gave another shrug of those broad shoulders. ‘Well…’
Molly felt the angry colour warm her cheeks as she glared at him. ‘Do you ever say anything nice?’ she snapped caustically.
‘Frequently.’ He nodded, completely unabashed. ‘For instance, in contrast to what you were wearing on Sunday, the blouse you’re wearing this morning suits your colouring perfectly.’
The compliment was so unexpected that it left Molly speechless. And slightly tearful, she realised with dismay.
Overtired.
Overwrought.
Just over-everything…
Gideon gave her another glance, frowning slightly. ‘Wasn’t that a nice thing to say?’
Molly gave a deep sigh, aware even as she did so of just how tensely she had been sitting as she relaxed back against the seat. The problem was, even ‘nice’ sounded suspect coming from this man.
‘Thank you,’ she accepted huskily.
‘You’re welcome.’ He nodded. ‘I’ll go and hunt down the spider when we get back, if you like,’ he added huskily.
She shook her head wearily. ‘There’s no need for that.’
His eyes widened. ‘You managed to deal with it yourself?’
‘No,’ she acknowledged ruefully. ‘I meant that to my certain knowledge it hasn’t moved an inch from its balancing act above the bed—so there will be no need to hunt it down.’
A frown appeared between those dark blue eyes. ‘I’m not usually a deliberately vindictive man,’ he rasped.
Molly grimaced. ‘You’re just happy to make me the exception, hmm?’
The frown deepened. ‘Not happy, exactly…’
‘Oh, just go for it, Gideon.’ Molly gave a tiredly rueful laugh.
The frown remained. ‘You really spent all night watching that spider?’
‘I really did.’ She nodded self-derisively. ‘After all, I could hardly go along and ask Sam for help after you had assured him so emphatically that you had already dealt with it.’
Gideon’s mouth thinned. ‘I feel really bad now,’ he rasped self-disgustedly.
Molly eyed him questioningly. ‘How bad?’
‘Bad,’