And she just went? Casey exclaimed. But she doesnt even know you!

You could have beenanybody!

Such as? Those dark brows rose a second time. A mass murderer? Or a kidnapper, perhaps?

He gave a humourless smile. Wellactually, yes, Casey said with a fro wn, feeling she had every right to be annoyed with

Hannahs irresponsible behaviour. Although Xander Fraser hardly looked the part of either, she acknowledged privately to

herself,dressed in those designer label denims and navy blue silk shirt, and possessed of the kind of confidence that only the very rich

or very goodlooking seemed to acquire. Xander Fraser scowled. Believe me, the complications that go along with the one child I haveare

more than enough for me to cope with right now! His daughter Lauren was six years old the same age as Caseys son Josh. But there the

similarities ended. Lauren Fraser was the daughter of multimillionaire film producer Xander Fraser, whereas Josh was the son of a single mother

juggling two jobs to try and keep a roof over their heads.She sighed as she put her handbag down on the coffee table, too tired to be able to make much

sense out of this mans unexpected presen ce here, let alone his enigmatic conversation.

It had been a long day for her. Shed got up at seven -thirty, to get her young son ready and at school for nine oclock, then hurried off to

the caf she worked in until after the lunchtime rush.Once that was over, shed collected Josh and spent a couple of hours at home with him, before

leaving for her evening job at the restaurant of the local hotel.Yes, it had been a very long and very tiring day, and she was in no mood to play verbal

fencinggames with Xander Fraser, of all people. Whether he was sinfully handsome or not!As he was sitting in the only chair in her sparsely furnished

sitting room, Casey remainedstanding, still very unhappy with Hannah but that, she promised herself, was something

shewould take up with the girl tomorrow. So, what can I do for you, Mr Fraser? she challenged tersely. With her painfully thin frame clothed

in a figurehugging black tee shirt and faded blue denims,and at only a couple of inches over five feet tall, Casey Bridges had all the appearance of

a bantam hen aligning itself against a hawk, Xander decided ruefully. Her soft blonde hair wasstyled wispily about her temples and nape,

and her beautiful heart-shaped face was dominated bydark green eyes that did absolutely nothing to dispel that illusion of fragility.

And she looked exhausted Even as he thought it, she swa yed slightly on her feet. Abruptly, Xander stood up. Sit

down, he commanded, before you collapse. She obviously bridled at the order, but then did as hed said.

Perhaps she realised he was fully capable of picking her up and sitting her in the chair hi mself, if she refused

The chair, the coffee table and the lamp were the only furniture in the room. He had noted that with a frown when hed arrived earlier. There was

no television in the room, either, and when he had taken a quick look around the rest of the house he had found that to be no better. Casey

Bridges seemed to have taken the minimalist effect to a barren degree. Or else as his daughter Lauren had already hinted

 there was another explanation altogether for such austerity Xanders eyes narro

wed as he registered just how fragilely thin the woman before him was. Henoted the shadows beneath those dark green eyes, the hollows beneath

her cheekbones, and theskin on her hands and wrists that was almost translucent. Exactly whats been going on here, Casey? he asked, his blue

gaze uncomfortably penetratingnow. Where were you this evening? He had thought she must be out with friends

possiblyeven a boyfriend, as her husband had left her a year ago but she hardly had the look of awoman returning

from a pleasant evening out. She gave a firm shake of her head as she seemed to regain some of her composure. That reallyisnt any of your

business, Mr Fraser. She stood up. I should go up and check on Josh. I stillcant believe Has he woken up? Is

he aware that Hannah has left? she asked anxiously. Josh is fine, Xander assured her. He did wake up once, but

when I told him I was Laurensdaddy he wasnt concerned. He and Lauren have become friendsdid you know that?

Yes, she did know that. Ironically, Josh and Lauren had become friends during the eight monthswhen Sam and Chloe had lived together,

their visits to their individual parents often coinciding. Casey also knew that Josh had missed seeing the little girl since Chloe and Sams deaths fou

r months ago. Yes, I believe they havedid, she corrected. If you would just like to wait here while I go and check on Josh, we can

continue this conversation when I come back down. Her gaze didnt quite meet his before she turned and left the room, to

run up the stairs to Joshs small bedroom above with a vague feeling of relief. She had to admit to finding Xander Frasers powerful

presence and fiercely intelligent blue eyes slightly overwhelming in the small confines of the threebedroomed house that she had lived

infirst with her parents, then with Sam and Josh, and now just with Josh. The house she wasdetermined to hold on to if humanly possible.

Quite what sort of conversation she and Xander Fraser were going to have she had no idea, buthe obviously considered it important enough for him to have

gone to the trouble of finding outwhere she lived. She very much doubted Xanders ex -

wife would have told him. Casey and Xanders previoustwo meetings had been when theyd happened to call at the same time to collect Josh and

Laurenafter one of their weekend visits to the house Sam and Chloe had so briefly shared. Thedazzlingly beautiful Chloe had had no choice

but to introduce the two of them, but her hypnotic blue eyes had been narrowed on them watchfully as shed done so.

Casey hadnt liked the sophisticated but brittle Chloe Fraser; she knew she wouldnt have likedher even if she hadnt been the other woman

in Caseys marriage break -up. The two of themhad absolutely nothing in common except Sam, of course.

Only Chloe Frasers beauty had been such that her more negative traits obviously hadnt repulsed the golden and handsome

Sam, or the darkly brooding and immensely rich Xander Fraser.But the fact that Chloe and Sam were now both dead

killed four months ago when the private jet theyd been travelling in had crashedmeant that Josh and Laurens visits to them had

obviously stopped, too. And it should have meant that Casey would never have reason to seeXander Fraser again, either.So why on earth was he downstairs in

her sitting room, obviously waiting to talk to her?CHAPTER TWOXANDER became aware of Caseys presence behind him as he stood in the

kitchen. Youlooked like you could do with a cup, he explained, as he turned and saw her brows raised at the

two steaming mugs of coffee he had just made. How was Josh? he prompted, when he noted the pallor of those hollow cheeks.The

shadows remained in her deep green eyes but she smiled. Deep grooves appeared beside thefullness of her lips, as if humour was something

that hadnt come easily to her recently. And Xander doubted that it had. To Chloe, he knew, the seduction of the man who had

come totheir home as a landscape gardener had all been a game. A game she had played more times than even Xander was aware of. Or cared

about. Although in Sam Bridges case Chloe had very quickly decided that she wanted to take their relationship to the next level

so the two of themhad left their partners and set up home together.The fact that at the same time she had robbed this woman of her

husband, and sixyear-old Josh of his father, wouldnt have been of interest to the spoilt and wilful Chloe. She had seen

something she wanted, and taken it without hesitation.