‘I can’t stay here,’ she said wildly, gesturing towards the house.

‘Why ever not?’

‘I don’t fit.’

‘You fit in fine,’ he said. ‘Our only two guests were burned out themselves. They’re here to sleep.’

‘I don’t have any clothes.’

‘Odd,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘You’d have thought I’d have noticed no clothes.’

‘You know what I mean.’

He did. His gaze met hers and she knew he understood. ‘You look great,’ he said softly. ‘Tori, you look lovely. Jeans and T-shirt are practically uniform here and no one’s going to judge you even if they weren’t. Dinner’s on the table in an hour. That gives you time to have a bath first.’

‘You’re saying I’m dirty?’

‘I’m saying there’s a heated spa bath on your balcony with a view to die for. It’s totally private. If you’re dirty to start with, there’s only you to notice. Unless you want me to come scrub your back?’

‘No!’

‘No?’ He was laughing now, and suddenly she found herself smiling back. Okay, she thought, maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as it seemed. She didn’t need to trust. She only needed to stay for a night. And tomorrow…

‘Worry about right now,’ Jake said gently and, chameleon-like, his laughter was gone again. It was replaced by a gentle concern she found disconcerting.

Insidious. Impossible to resist.

Inviting her to trust. Terrifying.

‘Okay, no back-scrubbing,’ he said, and he put out a hand to help her from the car. ‘Nothing but bath, food, sleep, and if that’s not what you need I’ll eat my medical degrees. There’s no pressure, Tori. You’re our welcome guest.’

His hand was waiting. Just waiting. All she had to do was accept.

‘I won’t bite,’ he said softly. ‘Rob’s in the house, as is our housekeeper, Mrs. Matheson. There are two elderly ladies lying on Rob’s fabulous lounges on the balcony watching the cockatoos. One’s wearing dungarees, one’s wearing tweed. Life’s safe here, Tori. It’s a refuge, if you like. You provided refuge for your battered wild creatures. Now it’s time for you to take refuge.’