Dangerous Love

by Ashby, Teresa

  “She’s so pretty, Mummy,” she’d said.

  Georgie’s room was lovely. It had been painted palest pink and Bram – or Sue -had stuck fairies and princesses around the walls.

  He was the most masculine of men. Imagining him carefully sticking delicate little fairies around the room was a bit far-fetched. It had to have been Sue.

  The curtains and bedcovers were girlie and feminine and he’d even got a fluffy princess rug.

  It fell just short of being completely over the top. There were bookshelves already stocked with books and a little white wardrobe and chest of drawers. Various cuddly toys were lined up on the bed.

  She picked one up and holding it, went to look out of the window that overlooked the back garden. It had stopped snowing and the sun was making the snow glisten. The dogs were bounding about having a wonderful time while Bram and Georgie worked on their snowman.

  She turned to look back at the room. It was like something out of a magazine. Beautifully done, but with a woman’s hand.

  She got into the bed, pulled the covers tightly around herself and fell asleep.

  “Matching noses,” Bram laughed as he lifted Georgie up to look in the hall mirror when they came in.

  It was like having a little miniature version of himself. Two red noses, two pairs of bright blue eyes. Then he pulled off her hat and as her dark hair fell down over her shoulders, she transformed into a mini-Regan.

  He flinched. This was how it would always be. She was a constant reminder of her mother and she must have been a constant reminder to Regan of him over the past few years. It was wonderful and painful all at the same time.

  He helped her off with her coat, hung all their wet things up in the cloakroom, then popped into the surgery to make sure everything was running smoothly.

  Back upstairs, he gave each of the dogs a good rub down with a towel before peeking in at Regan. Bonnie rushed in and launched herself onto the bed before he could stop her.

  He picked up her clothes and closed the door quietly. The bedcovers would need changing since Bonnie was still quite damp, but no matter, he’d bought extras.

  He couldn’t have done it without Sue’s help. He had no idea what sort of thing little girls liked and she’d brought in a magazine to work. The picture of a child’s bedroom inside was just how he imagined a little girl’s room should look.

  Sue had gone shopping with him and helped him choose the right things.

  He’d put it together on his own, painstakingly sticking up stickers and arranging things on the shelves. He wanted it to be right for his little girl. He wanted it to be perfect.

  And he must have got it right because Georgie loved it.

  He made hot milky cocoa and he and Georgie sat on the sofa together to watch television. She was educating him in all the latest things to watch and he was trying to remember it all.

  Everything he’d ever done in his life up until now paled into insignificance beside being a father. This was one thing he had to get absolutely right. You didn’t get second chances when it came to being a parent. You either got it right, or you didn’t.

  Lally sat down, her cold hands cupped around a mug of tea. The cats were sprawled round the sitting room. They hadn’t ventured out in the snow at all, although occasionally one of them would go and have a look outside to see if it had cleared up yet.

  “I suppose I should be making a move,” Len said reluctantly. “I want to get home before dark.”

  “You could stay,” Lally said with a grin. “I have a spare bed.”

  He grinned back at her.

  “Probably best I don’t, love,” he said with a wink. “It’d get your neighbours gossiping.”

  “I don’t care about gossip,” Lally said with a mischievous laugh. She put her mug down and got to her feet to see Len out.

  And suddenly she was standing right in front of him, so close she could feel the warmth of his breath on her forehead. He reached out for her and she stepped into his embrace.

  She hadn’t so much as looked at another man since her husband had died. Never wanted to. But Len had awakened something within her that she’d thought long gone.

  He tiled her chin with his finger and was about to kiss her when her phone rang.

  “Oh,” she laughed nervously as she stepped away. “Saved by the bell.”

  “Who wants to be saved?” Len quipped.

  She answered the phone and frowned.

  “Katie?” she said. “Hello, love. What? No! No, don’t do anything silly.” She looked at Len, panic stricken. “I know how you’re feeling, I really do, but this isn’t the answer.”

  “What is it?” Len said and Lally shook her head at him.

  “I’m coming up,” she said. “Right now. Promise you won’t do anything until I get there. Please, Katie. Keep talking to me. Will you do that, love?”

  She covered the phone and looked at Len.

  “She’s on the cliff. She says she’s going to throw herself off. I’m going to try and talk her down.”

  “We should call the police?”

  “How? My landline isn’t working and you don’t have your phone with you, do you? I thought not. I can’t hang up on her, Len. We’ll call for help when we get there and see what the situation is. I don’t want people charging up there and scaring her.”

  She spoke into the phone again. “Are you still there, Katie? Listen, love, I’m going to keep talking to you, okay?”

  She nodded at Len and he helped her into her coat. At least it wasn’t snowing now, although the sky was full of clouds.

  Len’s chest felt sore as they trudged up the hill towards the cliffs. Lally was hanging onto his arm, talking to Katie all the time, trying to keep her calm.

  That poor girl. Her grief was so raw. So painful.

  Lally’s voice was soft and comforting, yet firm. She sounded like someone who knew what she was talking about – and she was stopping Katie from jumping.

  When they got to the cliff, he could see Katie standing at the edge, her coat billowing out behind her, caught by the breeze. She wasn’t wearing gloves and the hand clutching the phone against her ear was red. She turned as they approached and slipped the phone into her pocket.

  “Don’t come any closer,” she said.

  “Katie, love,” Lally said gently. “Come away from the edge. Please.”

  She passed her phone back to Len. He was about to call for help when it bleeped at him and the screen went dark. Oh, hell. Dead battery.

  “I can’t, Lally,” Katie said and she looked over her shoulder and seemed to stumble a little. Len took a step forward and Lally clutched his sleeve.

  “I know you’re hurting,” she said.

  “I just want him back, Lally,” Katie said and her sadness wrenched at Len’s heart.

  “I know you do,” Lally said. “But it’s not your time, sweetheart. Come away from the edge now, please.”

  “I can’t.”

  “I don’t think you really want to jump,” Lally said. “That’s why you called me.”

  Almost without Len noticing, Lally was edging closer and closer to Katie. The girl looked ready to collapse. She was shivering. She hadn’t dressed properly for the cold. She’d dressed like someone who didn’t give a damn.

  “What about David?” Lally said. “Have you seen him since… I mean…?”

  Katie shook her head from side to side and stumbled again.

  “Maybe we should call him, love,” Lally went on. “He’s still very fond of you, you know. I know he wanted to get back together before…”

  Katie let out a shriek of anger.

  “Yes, he did and I said no. I couldn’t forgive him. Okay, he said it was just one night, but he betrayed me, Lally. I didn’t know that Jay had heard us talking. He must have been so upset when he heard me tell David there was no chance.”

  Her foot slipped and she almost went over. Lally gasped. Len sprang forward again.

  He checked out her footprints in the sn
ow. No one else had been up on the cliffs today. It looked as if Katie had been staggering about all over the place, pacing up and down. It was a miracle she hadn’t already fallen over the edge.

  But she had started out further up and now she wasn’t at the worst part. What was he thinking? There was no good place to fall over the edge!

  “You still love him, don’t you?” Lally said.

  “Of course I do,” Katie cried. “I never stopped.”

  “Let me call him,” Lally said. “Please.”

  “No.”

  “Take my hand, love,” Lally said, reaching out. Len held his breath, then let it out when Katie reached out. What happened next was so fast, it hardly registered.

  One minute Lally was holding Katie’s hand and the next Katie was sliding backwards and both women disappeared from view.

  He ran to the edge, screaming Lally’s name and he almost collapsed with relief when he heard her call out.

  “I’m all right! Soft landing!”

  “Is Katie okay?”

  “Yes,” Lally called. “But she’s out cold. I don’t think she hit her head – I think she fainted.”

  They must have gone all the way to the bottom!

  “How about you? Are you hurt, Lally?”

  “No. It’s not very steep here. We landed on the sand. I’m a bit sore,” she broke off for a second. “But I haven’t broken anything.”

  “I’ll get help,” he yelled. “Hold on! Don’t move!”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Lally shouted back and she tried to laugh, but he heard her choke on a sob.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Regan picked up her uniform and it smelled clean and fresh. And it had been ironed. She could hear laughter coming from the living room. She’d woken with Bonnie nuzzling at her face and it had taken her a few seconds to remember where she was and realise she wasn’t in her own bed.

  Bram had left a dressing gown hanging on the door for her too. She pulled it on and went into the living room.

  “We’ve made some cakes, Mummy,” Georgie said. “Would you like one?”

  They’d made dozens of cupcakes with swirly lurid coloured icing and sprinkles on the top.

  “We made rather a lot,” Bram said sheepishly. “They taste a lot better than they look. You could take some into work with you.”

  “I’d like that,” she said. “Is it okay if I have a quick shower?”

  “Have a long one if you like,” Bram said. “Dinner won’t be ready for another hour.”

  “Dinner?”

  “You didn’t think I’d send you to work on an empty stomach did you?”

  “Bram’s making toad in the hole,” Georgie said. “With roast potatoes and gravy.”

  You could almost think they were a proper family Regan thought as she showered. Almost. But Bram was pleasant to her only for Georgie’s benefit.

  And he wasn’t kidding about learning to cook properly.

  The television was on in the living room when she came back dressed and ready for work and the weather was the main topic on the news. It had caught everyone on the hop and most of the country was unprepared for the severity of it.

  “I haven’t seen snow like this here for years,” Regan said. “It’s very unusual. I don’t want you driving me to work tonight, Bram. I’ll walk in from here. It’s not far.”

  “You’ll never make it on foot,” he said.

  “I’m not sure you’ll be able to drive either,” she replied. “They said not to go out unless your journey is really necessary.”

  “And it’s necessary to get you to work don’t you think?” he said. “You’ll be needed at the hospital.”

  She stared at him. He was wearing a thick cream Arran sweater and jeans and his hair was slightly tousled.

  “Something wrong?”

  “No,” she said quickly. “I was miles away.”

  Remembering how good it felt to be in his arms and realising that it was never going to happen again, that’s where she was.

  “Sit with Georgie,” he said. “Dinner won’t be long.”

  “Are you sure you’ll be okay to have Georgie again tonight?” she said. “I could get in touch with Lally…”

  “Of course I’m sure. Doug will be here and if I do have to help out in the surgery, Sue will keep an eye on Georgie. They get on really well.”

  “So I gather,” she said. Damn! She hadn’t meant to sound so snippy.

  But she didn’t want to think too much about Sue. Sue with the pretty face and long black eyelashes – that’s how Georgie described her.

  She could see through into the kitchen and watched him as he worked. How he’d changed from the guy that used to buy ready meals to put in the microwave. She’d changed too. Five years was a long time.

  “Do you have to go to work, Mummy?”

  “Yes, darling, but it won’t be for much longer. I’m changing my shifts so I’ll be home more and working when you’re at school. You’ll be able to go back to school once your cast is off. Are you looking forward to it?”

  “Yes, I miss my friends. I miss…” Her eyes filled with tears.

  The doctor had advised keeping her at home until her arm was out of the cast. They wanted her to have time to come to the terms with Jay’s death too. The school had been very helpful, sending work home so that she wouldn’t fall behind. It had helped so much too with Georgie’s bonding with Bram. Not that they needed help in that department.

  Regan put her arm round her and pulled her close. “Hey,” she said. “It’s all right. Everything will be okay.”

  Bram had just put their food on the table when his phone rang. Regan watched his face go pale. He looked at her, then away.

  “I understand,” he said. “Hold tight. I’m on my way.”

  Regan was already rising to her feet. “What’s happened?”

  He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the kitchen.

  “It’s Lally,” he whispered. “There’s been an accident. I have to go.”

  “I’m coming too.”

  “No, you stay here with Georgie.”

  “But if Lally’s hurt, I can be of more use than you,” she said. “You stay here with Georgie.”

  He looked at her for a split second, then picked up the phone and spoke to Sue. It seemed like only seconds later that footsteps pounded up the stairs from the surgery then a middle-aged woman burst in. She had big eyes and enormous long black eyelashes and she was pretty, but she was probably old enough to be Bram’s mother.

  “You sure about this, Sue?” he said.

  “Of course I am!”

  “Let’s go,” Bram said, gathering up his gloves and hat.

  “Go,” Sue said kindly when Regan hesitated. “I’ll look after Georgie. We’ve spent a bit of time together and she’ll be fine with me. I’ll stay here while she eats her dinner and then she can come downstairs. I’ll bring her back up to the flat when we close and I’ll stay with her until you get back.”

  Georgie was perfectly happy with Sue and Regan looked questioningly at Bram as she pulled on a pair of his track suit trousers that he’d insisted she wear. They drowned her, but at least she’d be warm.

  “A couple of times when Georgie’s been here, I’ve been called in to help out downstairs,” Bram said with an impatient huff. “She’s been fine with Sue.”

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “You didn’t have to, Regan. Your face says it all.”

  “As it happens, my face says nothing! Georgie’s mentioned Sue to me several times. She’s very fond of her.”

  “So am I,” he said. “She’s been great. She even helped me choose the stuff for Georgie’s room.”

  “I guessed you hadn’t done it on your own.”

  “Thanks a bunch,” Bram pretended to look hurt and he came close to smiling, then he turned and ran down the stairs.

  The snow was deeper than ever. Bram flung open the door of his 4x4.

  “You’re not driving in this?” s
he said.

  “Have you got a better idea?” he said. She hadn’t. “Then get in. We’re wasting time.”

  “What happened, do you know?” she said as they set off.

  “It was Len who phoned,” Bram said. “He was hardly making any sense. I don’t know where he was calling from – he said something about not having his mobile with him and the landlines being down. Knowing Len he was knocking on doors as soon as he came to houses and asking to use their mobiles.”

  He drove out carefully. The car struggled a little at first, but he eased it over the snowy roads. Every time the wheels snatched or they slid a little, Regan gripped her seat, gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut.

  “So what did he say?” It was like getting blood out of a stone.

  “It seems Lally and Katie went over the cliff.”

  “What?”

  “Now don’t overreact,” he said calmly. “It wasn’t at the very high part, but further down where the fall isn’t great…”

  “You can’t dress up something like that, Bram! What the hell were they doing on the cliff in this weather?”

  “Len said something about Katie intending to throw herself off.”

  “Oh, no.”

  “It’s a long shot, but you haven’t got Katie’s husband’s number have you?”

  “I do as it happens,” she said. “He called me after… after…” She couldn’t say it. “I kept his number anyway. It’s in my phone. Do you think I should ring him?”

  “Yes. If it was… someone I cared about and he clearly still cares about her, I’d want to know.”

  The back end of the car slid and he righted it again with no fuss and carried on as if nothing had happened. Regan gripped her seat even tighter.

  “What if we’re killed?” she thought. “Who will take care of Georgie?”

  They were going to the rescue of the one other person in the world she would trust to take care of her daughter.

  “Don’t worry,” Bram said as if he’d read her mind. “We’re all going to get through this. I wouldn’t have let you come along if I thought it was dangerous.”