Unknown by Unknown

though I wish I had, then I wouldn’t have dropped the milk. How can you stand these things flapping round your ankles?’
    'I share your abhorrence,’ smiled Taryn, indicating her own very short nylon coat.
    He followed her gaze and seemed to forget his self-consciousness, for his eyes twinkled. ‘I see I was right.’
    ‘About what?’
    ‘Your legs,’ he nodded appreciatively.
    It was Taryn’s turn now to feel uncomfortable, but she hid her confusion by grabbing the brush and proceeding to dispose efficiently of the pieces of glass. A mop next soon cleaned up the milk.
    ‘Don’t you think you’d better do something about your hand?’ She looking at the spreading stain on his handkerchief.
    ‘Lord, I’d forgotten all about it.' He pulled the linen away and held the offending finger under the tap. Blood still flowed freely.
    ‘I’ll get the first aid box.’ Taryn filled a basin with water into which she tipped antiseptic and stood it on the table beside him.
    ‘Would you mind?’ Luke held out his hand. ‘I’m no good with my left.'
    Hesitantly Taryn dabbed at the wounded finger, stopping when he winced. ‘Glass! ’ she said after inspecting the cut more closely. ‘It should come out with plenty of water. I’ll try not to hurt.’ She hoped he would not notice her hands trembling or the fact that her colour had risen. It was difficult to understand why he had this effect on her, but he did, and there was little she could do about it, except try to ignore her emotions and act as though nothing was wrong.
    At last, satisfied that the wound was clean, Taryn dried and taped the finger, moving away from his disturbing influence as soon as she could. ‘I’ll make the drink this time,’ she said primly. ‘What would you like—tea, coffee, chocolate?’
    ‘Chocolate, please.’ He perched himself on the edge of the table and watched as she deftly arranged cups on a tray and filled a saucepan with milk.
    Aware of his interest, Taryn grew hotter and hotter and wished she had stopped to pull on trousers and sweater. Luke himself now seemed unconcerned by his own incongruous appearance. His arms were folded against his chest, one bare leg swung to and fro through the opening of the gown. He looks like a proud chieftain, she thought.
    ‘Mark’s a very lucky man,’ he remarked suddenly. Taryn eyed him warily. ‘Because he found out in time I wouldn’t make a suitable wife?’
    ‘Hardly,’ laughed Luke. ‘Trust you to get hold of the wrong end of the stick! I mean the fact that you still love him after all he’s done. It’s a special kind of woman who will love her man through thick and thin.’
    ‘I wish you wouldn’t insist that I love him. I— I’m not certain how I feel, but I’m darn sure that if he walked into the room right now I wouldn’t exactly greet him with open arms.’
    ‘Yet you kissed me, imagining I was Mark—how do you make that out?’
    ‘I didn’t,’ she retorted hotly. ‘I mean—I don’t know what came over me, but I can assure you it won’t happen again.’ Then she saw the twinkle in his eye. ‘Oh, stop it, you’re insufferable! ’ and she poured the milk unsteadily into the cups.
    ‘But you do like me?’
    She nodded reluctantly.
    ‘Enough to let me take you out tomorrow, or should I say today?’ looking at the wall clock which showed half past two.
    ‘Oh, I couldn’t—I mean, I’d like to,' she did not want to sound rude, ‘but under the circumstances it would hardly seem right.’ In point of fact the idea of spending a day with Luke was far more tempting than she cared to admit—but he was married! This made all the difference in the world so far as Taryn was concerned.
    ‘Are you worried about convention?’ she scoffed. ‘Enjoy yourself, Taryn. Forget other people. You’ve worked hard this week, you deserve a break—and I must admit I could do with one myself.’
    ‘We—ll, I suppose it will be all right.’
    ‘You don’t sound very