The Firebrand Who Unlocked His Heart

by Anne Fraser

  Pain flashed in Daniel’s eyes. She knew he was remembering yesterday, when Harry had demanded he leave.

  Colleen leaned forwards in her chair. ‘With regards to Harry’s room, please hear me out before you dismiss my suggestions.’ She held up her hand as Daniel looked as if he were about to speak. ‘I know you say Harry is frightened of noise, but it’s more important that he doesn’t feel separated from the rest of the household. If we move his room into the dining room, he’ll soon get used to the hubbub; in fact, he will probably find it reassuring. When the weather’s good we can open the double doors or take him out to the garden. It will be much easier than installing a lift to take him from the first floor to the basement.’

  She waited for him to challenge her again, but to her surprise, he nodded. ‘Okay, I can see it’s worth a try. If the noise does upset him, we’ll move him back to his old room.’

  Daniel’s unexpected capitulation surprised, but pleased her. She really didn’t want to spar with him over every aspect of Harry’s care.

  ‘Point two…’ she counted on her fingers. ‘No hospital bed. Bring Harry’s old bed in here or buy him a new one. Three—where are his belongings? You know, such as his computer, MP3 player—the normal things lads his age have. I didn’t notice any in his room upstairs.’

  Daniel shook his head as if he didn’t understand the question. ‘Apart from his iPod, which I have, the rest of his stuff is probably still at the house he shared with his mother in Dorset. But Harry isn’t able to move, never mind use his computer.’

  ‘Not now, no. But he needs to be surrounded by familiar things, his own things.’

  ‘Fine. I’ll arrange that.’ He stood up. ‘I take it that’s all. I’ve really got to go back into work.’

  ‘Afraid not. Not by a long chalk, so forget about work for a while.’ Colleen tapped her pen down her notes. ‘What sport does Harry like?’

  ‘Oh, for God’s sake!’ Daniel swung towards her, hands bent down on the table. ‘What kind of question is that? My son…’ His voiced cracked. He raked a hand through his hair and turned away from her. Colleen heard his intake of breath as he struggled to regain his composure. ‘We don’t know if he’ll ever walk again, never mind play sport—and I don’t want him reminded of that fact.’

  ‘You don’t know yet what Harry will be capable of,’ Colleen replied softly. ‘But you’ve got to have hope—and you’ve got to give him hope. Give him goals to aspire to.’

  Daniel thrust his hands in his pockets and walked towards the French windows. She waited patiently for him to reply.

  Finally he cleared his throat. ‘Cricket. Cricket and rugby.’

  ‘Does he follow any special team? Any heroes he admires?’

  Still with his back to her, he shook his head. ‘I don’t know. My wife Eleanor would know—would have known. I took Harry to a cricket match at Lord’s once but, well…let’s just say it wasn’t a great success.’

  Colleen stared at Daniel, puzzled. He didn’t seem to know very much about his son.

  ‘Does Harry know his mum is dead?’ Colleen asked quietly.

  This time Daniel did turn round, his startlingly handsome face expressionless. ‘He hasn’t asked where she is. I don’t even know if he’s aware of who he is or what’s happened to him. I talked it over with the staff and I decided I couldn’t tell him. Not yet. Not until he’s stronger.’

  ‘That’s okay. However, we should be prepared for him to ask at any time. With brain injuries, the loss of memory and confusion can last for weeks, maybe months. But it can also come back quite suddenly.’ Colleen kept her tone matter of fact. ‘If you could arrange to get as many of Harry’s personal belongings back here, that would be a start. You said that he was attending boarding school, and it’s the school holidays, so maybe you could encourage his friends to visit.’

  Daniel puffed out his cheeks, looking relieved that he had something practical to arrange. She had no doubt that he’d be clinically efficient in getting all her recommendations carried out to the letter—now that he’d agreed with them. The next part would be trickier.

  Colleen remained seated, signalling that she wasn’t quite finished yet. She tilted her chin up and kept her gaze steady as she looked at him. ‘I understand you’ve secured the services of a speech therapist as I requested.’

  ‘Yes. She’s ready to come whenever you say the word.’

  ‘And a night nurse to keep an eye on Harry during the night. I am happy to be woken if she needs me, of course.’

  Daniel nodded. ‘A couple of the nurses from the ward Harry’s been on have agreed to do a rotation of shifts on their days off. They’ll also cover the weekends when you’re back in Dublin.’

  ‘Good. The fewer new faces, the better.’ She sat up straighter. ‘There’s one more member of Harry’s team whose role we haven’t mentioned yet. In fact, the most important one.’

  Daniel frowned. ‘I haven’t authorised any one else on the payroll, but of course if you can think of anyone we should get to help, that’s not a problem.’

  ‘I meant you.’

  ‘Me?’ He looked startled ‘I don’t know the first thing about looking after a child with head injuries—that’s why I employed you. I’ve also got my work. There’s no way I can…’ He stopped and looked down at her. ‘What would you want me to do?’

  Colleen sighed. ‘Daniel, it’s going to be tough, I promise you that. Harry has a long road ahead of him and he’ll need you every step of the way. I don’t care about your work—that’s up to you. But I can tell you that unless you’re with Harry, reading to him, playing his favourite music, reminding him of the good times you shared, we may never break through to him.’ Colleen held his gaze. ‘Harry needs someone to fight for him. He needs you to fight for him. Make him believe that he is the centre of your universe—that he matters to you.’ She looked at him. ‘You asked me to save your son and I’ll do everything in my power to help him. But, Daniel, make no mistake—it’s you he really needs right now.’

  Daniel walked over to the window and stood there without saying anything.

  As the silence stretched between them, anxiety coiled in the pit of Colleen’s stomach. Did Daniel even understand what she was getting at?

  ‘Needs me?’ When he finally spoke, his voice was harsh. ‘I wish it were that easy.’

  ‘You love him.’ She spoke softly. ‘But you need to show him. Trust me, everything else will follow from that.’

  He turned around. With the sun at his back, she couldn’t read the expression in his eyes.

  ‘Trust you?’ he repeated with a short laugh. ‘Well, Colleen McCulloch, it seems I have no option but to do just that.’

  And before she could think of a response, he walked out of the room.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  BEFORE Daniel left to make his conference call, he passed Colleen back over to Burton to show her to her room on the first floor. Its size—four times that of her room at home—made her gasp. In the centre was a canopied four-poster, a working fire to her left and a sofa with two chairs. Through a door on her right was an en suite bathroom with claw-footed bath that was big enough for two. It felt as if she had stepped back in time to the 1920s.

  ‘Please make yourself at home, miss,’ Burton said. ‘There is a bell pull by the side of the bed; if you need anything, please ring. Do you have any preferences for dinner?’

  ‘I eat just about anything.’ Colleen said. She patted her hips. ‘As you can probably tell.’ Now why did she say that? It was just that Burton and the whole set up in this house made her nervous.

  ‘Very well, Miss. Afternoon tea is at four in the small sitting room. Dinner is at seven.’

  ‘Thank you, Mr…er…Burton, but I think I’ll skip afternoon teas. The hips, you see.’ But as the door clicked closed behind Burton, she realised she was speaking to an empty room.

  She walked over to the large sash windows and gazed out at the formal gardens below. In the centre was a statue of a Gree
k figure holding something in his hand. Could it possibly be Cupid? The thought made her smile. It was unlikely. A statue like that spoke of a whimsy this house didn’t have.

  She left her bag on the floor and made her way back downstairs. It was deserted. She went in search of Burton, opening door after door to find room after room, beautifully decorated but, like the rest of the house, totally devoid of life. Grand it might be, if slightly out of date, but this house wasn’t loved. It was a mausoleum—not a home. So it was up to her to make it welcoming for Harry.

  * * *

  Colleen arched her back and stretched out her aching muscles. The past few hours had been busy. Burton had helped as had Mike, who, finally, had given up with the madam stuff and was now calling her Colleen. Although Burton had tried to persuade her to leave organising the room to him and Mike, Colleen had insisted on staying to make sure every single instruction was carried out to the letter. Even if it meant helping to heave round the furniture so that it was placed to her exact satisfaction.

  She stood back and surveyed the once-elegant dining room with a critical eye, finally nodding with approval. Harry’s bed had been retrieved from wherever it had been removed to and had been positioned against the back wall in the centre of the room facing the French doors. The heavy brocade curtains had been replaced by neutral curtains that let in more light, making the room less oppressive. Colleen had left the childish posters and books upstairs exactly where they belonged. She’d been out to the garden and brought back masses of fragrant roses to arrange in vases later. Now all she needed was Harry’s things—his current favourite books, posters and games, for a start. They would be at the house in Dorset, no doubt. In that case, Daniel would need to fetch them. She would raise the subject over dinner. Mike had told her that Daniel had gone to visit Harry at hospital. She could have gone, too, of course, but Daniel hadn’t even let her know he was going. Any softening she had felt towards him had disappeared again.

  After thanking Burton and Mike for their help, Colleen ran up to her room. Someone—it had to be Burton—had somehow found the time to unpack her bags for her, and now her meagre possessions were hanging in the wardrobe, looking a bit lost and forlorn.

  The thought of the austere and formidable-looking Burton putting away her underwear made her cringe.

  Although it was July and the days were warm, her room had been chilly earlier and someone had thoughtfully lit a fire. She walked over and warmed her hands by the flickering flames.

  As the firelight bounced off the small diamond in her engagement ring, she wondered if she should give Ciaran a call, but then, almost instantly, decided against it. He’d be totally caught up with the rugby match; besides she didn’t really feel like talking to him.

  The realisation sent a shiver down her spine. At one time she would have been straight on the phone to him. They would have laughed over Burton’s stuffiness and she would have shared the details of her trip and this incredible house. But the truth was, until now, she’d hardly thought about Ciaran. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to force warmth into her bones. Perhaps it was because events of the last couple of days—her tussles with Daniel and her anxiety to ensure that everything was perfect for when Harry came home—were preoccupying her? But the feeling of unease wouldn’t go away. Was Trish right? Was it possible that by marrying Ciaran she was about to make the biggest mistake of her life?

  No. She loved Ciaran. Of course she did. It was just pre-wedding jitters. That was all.

  * * *

  At seven she headed back downstairs to be met by Burton.

  ‘Good evening, miss,’ Burton said. ‘As the main dining room is now out of commission, I have arranged for dinner to be served in one of the other rooms. Mr Frobisher is waiting for you in the library. If you would follow me?’

  As if she couldn’t find the way herself! However, after being led up one flight of stairs and down another past several rooms before coming to the library, Colleen had to admit that she would have never found the room herself. In fact, a map of the house wouldn’t be a bad idea.

  Daniel was sitting in a leather chair that faced out over the garden. The room, furnished simply with a couple of leather chairs, a writing desk and floor-to-ceiling shelves of books, was freezing. Daniel clearly didn’t feel the cold.

  He jumped to his feet when Burton announced her as if she were a guest at a posh wedding.

  ‘Good evening, Colleen. Have you settled in? Please let me know if there is anything we can do to make your room more comfortable.’ Now he sounded like Burton.

  ‘I’ve stayed in hotels that are significantly less comfortable than my room,’ Colleen said with a smile. Then she decided to get straight to the point. ‘What I would like to know is why you didn’t tell me you were going to the hospital to visit Harry? Didn’t it cross your mind that it might be appropriate for me to come, too?’

  ‘I didn’t tell you I was going because I wanted to remind him that you were here first—in case he’d forgotten.’

  ‘It would have been better for him to see me again. The more familiar he is with me before he comes home, the better.’

  Daniel’s lips formed a narrow line. ‘I think you should let me decide what is best for my son at this point.’

  ‘Although you have employed me as the expert?’ Colleen didn’t even attempt to keep the exasperation from her voice. ‘Didn’t we just agree that this morning?’ She bit her lip, annoyed with herself. She had to keep reminding herself that underneath the cool exterior and piles of money and trappings was a man who was trying to do the best for his son and was scared to death of doing the wrong thing. She had to tread as gently with the father as she would with Harry if she was to have any hope of doing a good job.

  However, there was something she needed Daniel to do before Harry came home.

  ‘We’ve moved Harry’s room into the dining room as we discussed,’ she said.

  ‘So Burton tells me.’

  ‘But the room is bare. Would it be possible to go to the home he shared with his mother and bring back his stuff from there? We might be able to recreate a room for him here that feels familiar. What was his room in Dorset like?’

  ‘I’m afraid I have no idea. I’ve only been there once in the last couple of years.’

  Colleen tried to hide her astonishment, but if Daniel noticed he didn’t so much as betray it by a flicker of his eyelids. ‘However,’ he continued, ‘there is nothing to stop me having Mike fetch Harry’s belongings. He could do it tomorrow.’

  ‘I would like to go myself,’ Colleen said. ‘It will give me a feel of what Harry was like before his accident. In fact, I think we should both go.’

  ‘I can’t. I’m afraid I have meetings tomorrow.’ This time there was a flicker of something in his eyes, although what it was, Colleen couldn’t say. Irritation? Embarrassment? Guilt? For sure, he should be embarrassed. So far, from what she could gather, Daniel knew very little about his son and, despite everything he’d said, didn’t seem particularly keen to get involved with him. But to be fair, there could be all sorts of reasons for him not visiting the home where his son lived. Perhaps relations between him and his ex-wife had been strained. He wouldn’t be the first parent who had to collect his child for visitation rights from neutral territory. On the other hand, perhaps he had still been in love with his wife. Maybe the thought of seeing her had been too difficult. Nonetheless, whatever the reason for his reluctance, it was important that Daniel come with her.

  ‘I really think we should both go,’ she insisted.

  Daniel stood up and took a couple of steps towards her. He looked as if he’d just stood on some chewing gum and it had stuck to his foot and he was looking for the perpetrator and, boy, when he found him, he was going to sort him out.

  ‘Good God, Colleen. Are you going to challenge me at every turn? I am Harry’s father,’ Daniel said. ‘In the end the ultimate responsibility for his well-being rests with me.’

  Colleen had to dig
her nails into her palms to stop herself from retorting that so far he didn’t seem to have a clue what was best for his son. And she was damned if she was going to let him intimidate her. She jumped to her feet, too, but immediately regretted it when Daniel took a step towards her. She had forgotten how tall he was, how unnerving his eyes were. Despite every instinct telling her to back down, she held her ground. ‘And I thought I made it clear that as long as I am to be Harry’s nurse, I will decide what is in your child’s best interests as far as his rehab is concerned.’

  For a long moment the air between them seemed to shiver. Colleen held her breath.

  Suddenly and quite unexpectedly Daniel grinned and Colleen’s heart did something very peculiar inside her chest. He really was the most astonishingly good-looking man. If only he would smile more often, perhaps people would be more likely to do as he asked.

  ‘I’m sorry. That was unforgivably rude of me. You are absolutely right. I employed you because I believe that you do know what you’re doing. I guess I’m not very good at deferring to someone else when it comes to making decisions. But give me time.’

  Once again he seemed completely different to the person who’d been glowering at her a few moments earlier. What was it with this man that made her feel constantly wrong-footed? One minute she was ready to hate him, the next, he made her feel all mushy inside. It must be because she felt sorry for him. Well, not sorry exactly. Daniel wasn’t the kind of man a person felt sorry for. Empathetic? No. Sympathetic! That was the right word. Any soft feelings she had were because she sympathised with him. Now she’d sorted that inside her head, she felt better.

  He reached out and before she knew it his hand was at the back of her head. She felt a sharp tug, then her hair was released from its ponytail and falling around her shoulders. ‘That’s better. Now you don’t look quite as fierce.’

  He was laughing at her. Colleen felt her cheeks redden, but whether it was from anger or something else, she didn’t want to think about. All she knew was that this man made her feel off balance—and she wasn’t used to feeling that way. She reached out and grabbed her scrunchie, tied her hair back into its ponytail and regarded him steadily.