Innocent Until Marriage

The private detective he'd hired had assured him he'd find his father's mistress there. Raul Carducci got out of the limo and scanned the pier of the Cornish fishing village. The Nature's Way - Health Food and Herbal Shop was sandwiched between an ice cream parlor and a gift shop, both closed and, judging by their abandoned appearance, wouldn't reopen until early summer. The sky was leaden and drizzling, and Raul grimaced and turned up the collar of his coat.
The sooner he could get back to Italy, where the spring sun was already warming the crystal-clear waters of Lake Bracciano, the better, but he had come to Pennmar to follow the instructions in Pietro Carducci's will, so he strode purposefully toward the only open shop on the promenade. Libby was so absorbed in studying Nature's Way's annual financial report that it took her several seconds to realize the chimes hanging above the door had rang.
As she looked up from her book, she told herself it was a sound she hadn't heard much during the winter. She'd had few customers since the vacationers had left Pennmar at the end of the summer, and now the store was on the verge of bankruptcy. Opening a health food store in a remote Cornish village had been another of her mother's crazy ideas, Libby thought sadly. She had quickly spent the small inheritance her grandmother had left her on refurbishing the shop, and her mother, with her typical blind optimism, had been sure the business would be a success."How can I help you?" she asked cheerfully, but her smile faded when the newcomer turned around and pierced her with his gaze.dark.
He wasn't the typical customer who came into the store. In fact, he wasn't typical at all. His hair was shiny and dark, and his facial features seemed sculpted. He had high cheekbones and a square chin, all softened by the sensual curve of his lips. His olive skin glowed in the bright light. He was, without a doubt, the most handsome man Libby had ever seen. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him and blushed when she saw him staring at her.
Raul glanced at the purple-patterned skirt and the bright green sweater and shuddered. Bohemian chic might be all the rage on the Parisian runways, but he preferred elegant women dressed in haute couture. The hippie look didn't appeal to him in the slightest. But he had to admit she was a very pretty woman. He studied her oval face, her high cheekbones, and her curly, reddish hair that fell to the middle of her back.
The color of her hair contrasted with her alabaster skin, and despite the distance, he noticed her nose and cheeks covered in golden freckles. Her eyes were a greenish blue, like the sea on a stormy day, and she had very long, pale eyelashes. Without knowing why, Raul felt like kissing those rosy lips. He frowned and looked down at her lime-green tights and purple boots before looking back at her face.
Her mouth was a bit too wide, but that only seemed to enhance her appeal. She would have looked gorgeous in a designer dress, Raul admitted, very annoyed by this unexpected attraction. He clenched his jaw. He'd gone to see his father's mistress, not that girl, and he suppressed the inappropriate urge to kiss her."I'm looking for Elizabeth Maynard, " he said abruptly.