Christmas Eve Marriage (HQR Classic)

by Jessica Hart

  There was a slightly awkward pause. ‘Sorry about that,’ said Rhys, running an exasperated hand through his hair and gesturing for Thea to sit down. ‘She’s going through a difficult phase at the moment.’

  ‘How old is she?’ Thea hoped she would hurry back with that cup. That coffee smell was driving her wild.

  ‘Nearly eight.’

  ‘Clara’s nine. They should get on like a house on fire.’

  He sighed. ‘I’m not sure Sophie gets on with anybody at the moment.’

  ‘Well, Clara gets on with everybody,’ said Thea cheerfully. ‘I bet you anything that they’re friends in no time.’

  Rhys looked as if he wanted to believe her, but couldn’t quite let himself. ‘Clara seems a very nice little girl,’ he said.

  ‘She is,’ said Thea with an affectionate smile. ‘It’s a bit disheartening sometimes to find that your nine-year-old niece is more sensible than you are, but apart from that she’s a star! She’s great company too. It’s easy to forget that she’s only nine sometimes.’

  ‘Is it just the two of you on holiday?’

  ‘Yes. Clara was supposed to be coming with my sister but Nell slipped off some steps at the beach three weeks ago and managed to break a foot and a wrist, which means she’s been effectively immobilised ever since. There was no question of her being able to drive or walk, so she’d have been completely stuck up here, even if she’d been able to get here in the first place.’

  ‘Unfortunate,’ said Rhys. ‘Was she insured?’

  Thea nodded. ‘Oh, yes, Nell’s always very sensible about things like that. I’m sure she would have been able to claim the cost of cancelling the holiday, but Clara would have been so disappointed. She’s been looking forward to this for ages. Her father never takes her on holiday.’

  She scowled, thinking about her sister’s ex-husband. ‘He’s got a new family now, and his new wife doesn’t like Clara very much. I think she’s probably jealous of her.’

  ‘Clara’s parents are divorced?’ Rhys looked surprised. ‘She seems so…happy.’

  ‘She’s fine,’ said Thea. ‘She was very small when Simon left, so she’s always taken the fact that her parents live separately for granted. She sees Simon regularly, and Nell’s been very careful not to expose her to any bitterness.’

  ‘Maybe she and Clara will have something in common after all.’

  Ah. Thea had been wondering about Sophie’s mother. ‘You’re divorced as well?’

  He nodded, his face set. ‘Sophie hasn’t adjusted as well as Clara, though. She wasn’t even two when Lynda left, so she’s not used to us living together either.

  ‘I was working in North Africa at the time,’ he went on. ‘My work took me to the desert a lot and Lynda said it wasn’t a suitable place to bring up a child. I suppose it was difficult for her, but…’

  His mouth twisted slightly at the memory and he made a visible effort to shrug it aside. ‘Anyway, she came home and we divorced. Nobody else was involved, and it was as free of bitterness as a divorce can be. We’re still on good terms.’

  ‘That must make it easier for Sophie, doesn’t it?’

  ‘The trouble is that I’ve seen so little of her.’ Rhys drank his coffee morosely. ‘My job kept me in Morocco for another five years. Whenever I had leave and could get back to the UK, I saw Sophie, of course, but it wasn’t that often, and I guess I am pretty much a stranger to her.’

  ‘That must be hard,’ said Thea carefully.

  His mouth turned down as he nodded. ‘The last time I came home, I realised that I didn’t know my daughter at all, and I didn’t want it to be like that. I want to be a proper father to her, not just someone who turns up with presents every now and then. So I got myself a job in London, where I could live nearby, and I’m trying to see her more regularly now, but…’

  ‘But what?’ she prompted. ‘It sounds to me as if you did exactly the right thing.’

  ‘I’m just afraid I may have left it too late,’ said Rhys reluctantly. ‘I know I only came back a few weeks ago, but it’s as if Sophie is determined not to be won over.’

  ‘It might take a little time,’ said Thea, hearing the hurt in his voice. ‘It’s probably confusing for her too, to suddenly have a full-time father.’

  ‘I suppose so.’ He sighed and raked a hand through his hair in a weary gesture. ‘I was hoping that coming away on holiday together would be a good chance for us to get to know each other properly and get used to each other, but it hasn’t been a great success so far. I imagined us going for long walks together and talking, but Sophie doesn’t like walking and half the time she won’t talk to me either. She says she’s bored.’

  ‘Aren’t there any other children here?’ ‘Yes, there are two boys staying in the other villa.’ Rhys nodded across the pool. ‘Unfortunately, they’re very well behaved. Sophie says they’re boring, too.’

  ‘I’m sure Clara will sort them all out,’ said Thea comfortably as Sophie came back out on to the terrace, looking marginally less sullen.

  She thrust a cup at Thea. ‘Here.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Thea took it with a smile. Clara would have known that her aunt was desperate for coffee, she thought gratefully, but Rhys was frowning at his daughter’s gracelessness.

  ‘What about a saucer?’ he asked, but Sophie was already on her way back to the kitchen.

  ‘Honestly, this is fine,’ said Thea quickly before he followed her. It was all she could do to contain herself as Rhys poured coffee into her cup.

  ‘That smells wonderful.’ She sighed, breathing in deeply. ‘Mmm….’ She took a sip and closed her eyes blissfully. ‘God, that tastes good!’

  Lowering the cup, she smiled at Rhys, a wide, warm smile that lit up her face and left him looking oddly startled for a moment. ‘I’ve been fantasising about this all morning!’

  He raised a brow. ‘Nice to meet a woman whose fantasies are so easily satisfied!’ he said dryly.

  His eyes were an unusual greenish-grey colour, their paleness striking in his brown face. Thea was surprised that she hadn’t noticed them before, and, distracted, it took her a moment to register what he had said.

  A faint flush stained her cheeks when she did, and she made herself look away. ‘Some of them, anyway.’

  There was a pause while Thea drank her coffee and gazed studiously at the view, wishing she could think of something to say.

  The sudden silence was interrupted, much to her relief, by Sophie and Clara, bearing breakfast. Bread and jam were laid carefully on the table, along with some ripe peaches, a pot of Greek yoghurt and some honey.

  ‘This looks wonderful, Sophie,’ said Thea, although she was fairly sure that her practical niece had taken a leading role in procuring the lavish spread. Sophie had that pale, thin look of a child with no interest in food. ‘Thank you so much.’

  Sophie hunched a shoulder in acknowledgment and resumed her slumped posture on the chair, but Thea noticed that, beneath her fringe, her eyes were alert as she watched them tucking into breakfast with relish.

  Rhys watched them too, with quiet amusement. ‘It’s a pleasure to see girls with such healthy appetites,’ he said as Thea poured honey over a bowlful of yoghurt, handing it to Clara before preparing one of her own.

  ‘We’re very hungry,’ she said a little defensively. ‘We haven’t eaten since the meal on the plane, have we, Clara?’

  Clara shook her head, her mouth full. ‘This is so good,’ she said when she could. ‘Can we have yoghurt and honey for breakfast every day?’

  ‘Sure,’ said Thea. ‘We’ll get some when we replace everything we’ve eaten now.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it,’ said Rhys, resigned. ‘I bought most of it for Sophie, anyway. I thought it would be good to have a real Greek breakfast, but she won’t touch it, will you?’ he added to his daughter.

  Sophie’s lower lip stuck out. ‘Mum doesn’t eat dairy products, so why should I have to?’

  ‘No dairy products?’ Thea sta
red at her, appalled. ‘No cheese? No milk? No butter?’

  ‘Or red meat or potatoes or bread or salt…’ Rhys said, sounding tired.

  That was Thea’s entire diet out of the window then. ‘Chocolate? Biscuits?’ She didn’t even think it was worth mentioning alcohol.

  His smile twisted. ‘You’re kidding, aren’t you? Lynda’s permanently on some faddy diet or another. She’s obsessive about every mouthful.’

  No wonder Sophie had looked so surprised when she saw them guzzling breakfast. Imagine having that kind of self-control.

  ‘She must have a lovely figure,’ said Thea, wishing she hadn’t had quite such a large bowl of yoghurt.

  Sophie nodded. ‘She does.’

  ‘I think she’s too thin,’ said Rhys.

  Thea tried to imagine anyone saying that about her. The thing about Thea is she’s just too thin. No, it just didn’t sound right. Totally unconvincing, in fact. A bit like saying, The thing about George Clooney is he’s just too ugly.

  On the other hand, it sounded as if Rhys might actually prefer his women to have a few more curves than a stick insect. That was good.

  Whoops, where had that thought come from? Thea caught herself up guiltily. She wasn’t the slightest bit interested in how he liked his women.

  ‘I wish I had that kind of self-discipline,’ she said with a sigh. ‘I’m always trying to diet, but I’m lucky if I make it to lunch without devouring a packet of Hob Nobs to make up for just a grapefruit for breakfast.’

  ‘You don’t need to diet,’ Clara leapt in loyally. ‘Mum says you’re silly to worry about your weight. She says you’ve got a sexy figure and men much prefer that to thin girls.’

  ‘Clara!’ Mortified, Thea tried to kick her under the table.

  ‘Well, she does,’ insisted Clara, and then made things a million times worse by turning to Rhys. ‘It’s true, isn’t it?’

  ‘Clara…’

  Unperturbed by the directness of the question, Rhys had turned and was studying Thea. ‘I think your mother’s right,’ he said, straight-faced, and Clara sat back, satisfied.

  ‘See?’ she said to Thea, who was blushing furiously.

  ‘If you’ve finished your breakfast, maybe you’d like to go and have a swim?’ she suggested through her teeth.

  ‘Cool!’ Clara leapt to her feet. ‘Come on, Sophie.’

  Sophie looked warily at her father. ‘Can I go?’

  ‘Of course,’ he said, and she slid off her chair and ran after Clara.

  Thea buried her burning face in her coffee cup, but when she risked a glance at him saw that the disconcerting eyes were green and light with amusement.

  ‘Is she always that direct?’

  ‘If I didn’t love her so much, I could kill her sometimes!’ Thea gave in and laughed. ‘She can be disastrously honest, and if she likes you she’ll stop at nothing to get you what you want—or what she thinks you need!’

  She shook her head ruefully. ‘Clara’s like her mother that way. They’re both so determined, it’s often easiest just to give in and do as they say!’

  A smile twitched at the corner of Rhys’s mouth. ‘What if they don’t like you? Does it work the other way?’

  ‘Unfortunately, yes.’ Thea’s own smile faded as she remembered how much Nell and Clara had disliked Harry. She had never been able to understand that. Harry was so good-looking and charming. How could anyone not like him?

  ‘I’d keep on her good side if I were you,’ she said to Rhys, and the intriguing dent at the corner of his mouth deepened in amusement.

  ‘I’ll remember that. Now, how about some fresh coffee?’ He picked up the cafetière and waved it tantalisingly.

  ‘Well…’ She didn’t want to seem too greedy.

  ‘Go on, fulfil those fantasies! You know you want it,’ he tempted her, and smiled at her, a swift and totally unexpected smile that illuminated his face and left Thea with the peculiar sensation of having missed a step as her breath stumbled.

  She swallowed. ‘That would be lovely.’

  The coffee smelt just as good as before when he came back, but this time Thea was less easily distracted by it. She found herself studying him under her lashes instead as he sat back in his chair, hands curled around his cup, watching the girls in the pool.

  He wasn’t that attractive, not really. He was compactly-built and obviously fit, and he had that air of toughness and confidence she associated with men who spent most of their life outdoors. He had mentioned working in the desert, and Thea could imagine him in a wild setting like that, unfazed by the heat and the emptiness of the elements as he narrowed his eyes at the far horizon.

  Of course, it might just be the tan that made her think that.

  Her gaze dropped to his hands, and the memory of how his palm had felt touching hers was enough to send a tiny shiver down her spine. Yes, nice hands, nice eyes.

  Nice mouth, too, now she came to think of it. Cool and firm looking, with just a hint of sensuousness about the bottom lip. It was a shame it seemed normally set in such a stern line, but the effect when he smiled was literally breathtaking.

  Hmm.

  Thea was uneasily aware that her hormones, long fixated on Harry, were definitely stirring and taking an interest. Odd. She frowned slightly. Rhys wasn’t her type at all. He couldn’t have been more different from Harry.

  She shifted in her chair, trying to shake the feeling off. Maybe it was the sleepless night catching up on her, she thought hopefully, although she was definitely feeling better after that breakfast.

  ‘Listen!’ Rhys sat forward suddenly, startling Thea out of her thoughts.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Sophie’s laughing.’

  CHAPTER TWO

  THERE was such an odd note in his voice that Thea looked to where the two little girls were running around the pool and dive-bombing with much shrieking and giggling.

  ‘They’ll be inseparable now,’ she said. ‘I’m afraid you won’t see nearly so much of her.’

  ‘I don’t mind as long as she’s happy.’

  Something about his expression made Thea’s heart twist. Underneath that tough exterior, he was clearly vulnerable about his daughter. He struck her as the kind of man who would dismiss emotions as ‘touchy feely’, but it was easy to see that he loved Sophie desperately and was bothered more than he cared to admit by his inability to bond with her.

  And Sophie obviously wasn’t making it easy for him. Remembering that sullen expression and the stubborn set to that little chin, Thea couldn’t help feeling that he had a long way to go. She felt sorry for him.

  Which was much better than feeling disturbed by him.

  Draining her coffee, she pushed back her chair. ‘Thank you so much for breakfast,’ she said gratefully. ‘I feel as if I can face that awful drive now that I’ve got some caffeine inside me. I was dreading getting back in the car again.’

  ‘If it’s any help, I’m going down myself in a bit,’ he said casually, getting to his feet at the same time. ‘We need to stock up as well, so I could give you a lift if you really don’t like the idea of driving.’

  She really didn’t, but Thea hesitated. ‘That would be wonderful,’ she said, trying not to sound too eager. ‘I feel as if I’d be exploiting you, though. So far you’ve provided breakfast and coffee, and all I’ve done is wake you up in the middle of the night and crash into your car. It’s rather a one-sided relationship, isn’t it?’ she joked a little uneasily.

  For answer, Rhys cocked his ear in the direction of the pool where the girls could be heard giggling together. ‘That’s the first time Sophie has laughed in a week,’ he said simply. ‘She actually sounds as if she’s enjoying herself. A pot of yoghurt, a cup of coffee and a lift into town when I was going anyway doesn’t seem much compared to that.’

  ‘Well, if you’re sure…’ Thea let herself be persuaded. Pride had never been her strong point anyway, and there was no point in both of them driving down that road again, was there?


  ‘That’s settled then,’ said Rhys briskly. ‘If I can persuade the girls out of the pool, will you be ready to leave in half an hour?’

  ‘Half an hour’s fine,’ she said, calculating that would give her plenty of time to change. She wasn’t sitting next to Rhys in these shorts, that was for sure.

  Oh, to have lovely long, slender thighs that you could flaunt without worrying about how they would look splayed out over the passenger seat. The only alternative was to sit with her feet braced to keep the weight off her thighs, and that drive was stressful enough as it was. The last thing she needed was the added anxiety of keeping cellulite under control.

  Not that there was any reason to suppose that Rhys would even notice what her thighs were doing.

  Or for her to care whether he did or not.

  It was just habit, Thea told herself, frantically dragging clothes out of her case. She had been in no state to unpack when they arrived in the early hours, and now everything was disastrously crumpled. She was used to constantly fretting about her appearance with Harry, who was supercritical and forever remembering how beautifully groomed Isabelle was.

  The thought of Harry and Isabelle made her wince, but it wasn’t that awful lacerating pain it had once been. The realisation made Thea pause. Perhaps Nell had been right when she said a change of scenery was what Thea needed.

  ‘There’s no point in moping around while you wait for Harry to make up his mind,’ her sister had said. ‘Go somewhere different. Think about something different.’

  Like the smile in Rhys’s eyes and the feel of his hand touching hers.

  Thea went back to pulling clothes out of her case, but more slowly. Yes, maybe Nell had a point. Coming out to Crete in Nell’s place had forced her out of her rut. It had been so long since she had been anywhere new, met anyone new, thought about anything other than Harry that her reactions were all over the place.

  That would explain her peculiar physical reaction to Rhys, wouldn’t it? She wasn’t attracted to him. No, she was simply adjusting to the unfamiliar, and obviously lack of sleep—not to mention acute caffeine deprivation—hadn’t helped her behave normally.