Sandra came in just as Heather was wiping Grace’s hands. She dropped a kiss on her granddaughter’s curls then smiled at Heather. ‘You two are early birds this morning. You make me feel quite guilty.’
‘Rubbish! It’s about time you had a lie-in, Mum,’ Heather declared, lifting Grace out of her chair. She glanced at the kitchen clock and grinned. ‘Although not many folk would consider getting up at half past seven as having had a lie-in, especially at a weekend!’
Sandra laughed as she poured herself a cup of tea from the pot. ‘I suppose not. Anyway, what have you got planned for today? I managed to do the grocery shopping yesterday so you don’t have to worry about that.’
‘Catch up with some washing then take Grace to the park if the weather stays fine.’ She glanced at the little girl and smiled. ‘Do you want to go and play on the swings, darling?’
‘Yes!’ Grace clapped her hands in delight.
Heather laughed. ‘That’s my day sorted out. How about you? What are you planning on doing, Mum?’
‘Oh, I thought I might pop into town if you don’t need me.’ Sandra shrugged, feigning nonchalance. ‘I’m going out with David tonight and thought I’d treat myself to something new to wear. Silly really because I’ve got heaps of clothes.’
‘Of course it isn’t silly!’ Heather replied firmly. ‘You want to look your best, don’t you?’
‘Well, yes…But it’s just a drink, Heather. Nothing more than that,’ Sandra said quickly.
‘A drink or a meal, what’s the difference? You deserve a night out, and if this David is anywhere near as nice as I imagine he is then you’ll have a great time. Now, I’d better get this little madam dressed.’
With a last encouraging smile at Sandra, Heather left the room. She was really glad that her mother had decided to accept David Harper’s invitation. It was about time Sandra went out and enjoyed herself instead of staying at home all the time. Just for a second the memory of Ross Tanner’s invitation came flooding back before she quickly dismissed it. She had turned him down and she’d been right to do so. She didn’t need that kind of a complication in her life.
Ross arrived at his sister’s house at eleven and by ten minutes past the hour he was on his way to the park with his nephews. According to his sister, the twins had been watching for his car since they’d finished their breakfast and he didn’t have the heart to make them wait any longer.
His sister was seven months pregnant and suffering from high blood pressure. She’d been ordered to rest by her GP, no easy feat with two lively five-year-olds to look after. Mike, his brother-in-law, was working in the Arab Emirates for one of the oil companies. Although he was due to fly home for the birth of the new baby, his absence hadn’t helped the situation.
Ross did what he could and Kate’s friends rallied round as well—doing the school run and fetching the weekly grocery shopping for her—but trips to the playground had had to be curtailed. Consequently, Josh and Luke could hardly wait to get there.
Ross helped the boys clamber onto adjacent swings and started pushing them. The playground was busy with it being the weekend and there were children running about everywhere. He gave Luke a push and turned to do the same for Josh then felt his heart sink when he saw a small child racing towards them. The toddler obviously had no idea of the danger as she ran straight in front of the swings.
Ross heard a woman shout but he didn’t pause as he darted forward and lifted the child out of the way. He could feel his heart thudding as he carried the toddler to safety because it had been such a close call. Setting the little girl on the ground, he bent down to look at her, smiling reassuringly when he saw her lower lip wobble.
‘You’re OK, poppet,’ he began, but got no further when a woman suddenly appeared and swept the child into her arms. He felt his heart thud all the harder when he realised in surprise that it was none other than Heather Cooper.
‘Grace! Are you all right, darling?’ she demanded frantically. ‘Tell Mummy where you’re hurt.’
Ross felt a wave of compassion wash over him when he saw how terrified Heather looked. He hurried to reassure her. ‘The swing didn’t hit her, Heather. She might be a bit scared because I grabbed hold of her but she isn’t hurt.’
‘Are you sure?’
Heather raised fear-darkened eyes to his and Ross could see that she was trembling. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it, feeling the delicacy of her bones beneath the thick red fleece jacket she was wearing.
‘Quite sure. She’s just had a bit of a fright.’
Heather took a deep breath but Ross could hear the shrill edge of hysteria in her voice. ‘It’s all my fault. I should have kept tighter hold of her hand. If anything had happened to her…!’
‘But it didn’t.’ Once again he squeezed her shoulder but her reaction alarmed him. It was natural that Heather should be upset by the thought of what could have happened to her daughter, but her response seemed to be way beyond what he would have considered as normal.
He glanced round when Luke shouted out that he and Josh wanted to go on the slide next. Maybe it had nothing to do with him but Ross knew that he couldn’t just walk away and leave Heather when she was so upset. He came to a swift decision, hoping that he wouldn’t ruin his chances of getting to know her better by appearing too pushy.
‘Grace isn’t the only one who’s had a fright from the look of you. What you need is a cup of tea, Heather. I was going to take my nephews to the café for a drink, so why don’t you join us?’
‘Oh, no, I couldn’t—’ Heather began, but Ross simply wasn’t prepared to leave her there on her own. She was still trembling and looked so pale that he was afraid she might pass out.
‘Yes, you can.’ He put his hand under her elbow and helped her to her feet, keeping firm hold of her as she settled the little girl in her arms. ‘You won’t do yourself or your daughter any good if you faint, will you?’
‘I suppose not.’
Heather bit her lip and he could tell that she was trying to decide what to do. The fact that it was such an effort filled him with tenderness. Heather had struck him as someone who was very much in control when they’d first met and to see her having such difficulty making up her mind simply proved how shaken she was. Unconsciously, Ross’s tone softened and became persuasive.
‘As a doctor I imagine you must have told dozens of people the same thing over the years, that a cup of tea would do them the power of good. Now it’s your turn to see if it works. I’ll just get the boys off the swings then we can go and test out the theory.’
‘All right,’ she agreed with a tentative smile.
Ross turned away before she could see how elated it had made him feel to know that he’d managed to bring a smile to her face. He lifted Josh and Luke off the swings and explained that they would have a drink first and go on the slide later. And the whole time he was doing so it felt as though his heart was going to burst right out of his chest with delight. He had made Heather smile!
Maybe it wasn’t an earth-shattering event by other people’s standards but it was by his and a definite step in the right direction, too. While they were having tea, he would try to make a bit more progress towards getting to know her better….
His spirits plummeted when it struck him that he had overlooked one major point: if Heather Cooper had a child then she probably had a husband as well. Why hadn’t he considered that possibility before?
By the time they’d found an empty table in the park’s crowded café, Heather was beginning to wish she hadn’t agreed to Ross’s suggestion. The shock of knowing that Grace could have been badly hurt if the swing had hit her had played havoc with Heather’s self-control. All she really wanted was to be on her own while she calmed down but, short of causing a scene, she had no choice except to go through with this now.
‘Tea, Heather?’
She jumped when Ross spoke to her, feeling her pulse race when she saw the concern on his face. She didn’t want to be
on the receiving end of his concern when her emotions were so near to the surface.
‘Um…yes, please. Tea will be fine,’ she replied as coolly as she could.
‘And what will your little girl have? Juice or milk?’ he continued, placing his hand lightly on Grace’s head and ruffling her curls.
‘Milk, please.’ Heather managed to maintain her poise but it disturbed her to see how her daughter was smiling up at Ross. Grace was normally such a reserved child and rarely responded to people she didn’t know. However, the little girl wasn’t shy with Ross, oddly enough.
Heather frowned as she watched him turn to the two boys. Ross had told her they were his nephews and it was obvious he was very fond of them and that they adored him, too. She could tell from the easy way he behaved with the twins that he spent a lot of time with them. Maybe Grace had sensed that he was used to children and had reacted accordingly?
It was a relief to have found such a simple explanation. Heather allowed herself to relax for the first time since she’d sat down, but maybe she’d been a bit premature about lowering her guard. She felt her breath catch when she heard Ross laugh at something one of the boys had said.
She looked away as Ross went to fetch their drinks, afraid that her expression might be too revealing. Why should she feel all warm inside just because she’d heard him laughing? Why should she feel anything at all when Ross was, essentially, a stranger to her?
‘I think I’ve just about got everything.’
Ross came back with a tray full of drinks. He doled out glasses and straws to the children then dropped a handful of paper napkins in the centre of the table and sat down. Picking up a packet of sugar, he tipped the contents into a cup of tea and stirred it briskly then placed it in front of Heather with a teasing grin.
‘Hot, sweet tea. Just what the doctor ordered!’
‘Thank you.’ Heather picked up a spoon and stirred the tea again even though it wasn’t necessary to do so. However, the laughter in Ross’s eyes had once again played havoc with her equilibrium. She could feel her heart thumping and it shocked her to realise that she was so susceptible to him. She searched for something to say to defuse the situation and her eyes alighted on the heap of paper napkins.
‘Why do you need all those napkins?’
‘One thing I’ve learned through bitter experience is to be prepared like any good Scout should be.’
His smiled widened and Heather felt her heart kick in another half-dozen extra beats. There was no ignoring the fact that Ross was looking at her like a man looked at a woman he found extremely attractive.
‘The day you don’t have a wad of paper napkins to hand is the day that one of the little horrors ends up spilling orange juice all over the place!’
‘Sounds as though you spend a lot of time with your nephews,’ Heather replied lightly, although it was hard to behave as though nothing had happened.
‘As much as I can, especially at the moment.’ He leant back in his chair and sighed. ‘My sister is expecting another baby and she’s had problems with her blood pressure. She needs to rest but it isn’t easy with two lively five-year-olds to take care of and a husband who’s working abroad. I do what I can whenever I have any time off.’
‘She’s lucky to have you to help her,’ Heather said as evenly as she could. She picked up her cup and took refuge in sipping some of the hot tea. She never usually had any difficulty keeping a rein on her emotions but she’d had such a fright that day when she’d seen Grace running towards the swings. Maybe that explained why she was behaving so oddly.
‘That’s what families are for, isn’t it?’ He shrugged but she could see the curiosity in his hazel eyes as he looked at her across the table. ‘I imagine it’s difficult to balance the demands of your job with your daughter’s needs. Does your husband help?’
Heather put the cup carefully back on its saucer because her hands had started shaking and she didn’t want to spill the drink. She knew that Ross was trying to find out more about her, but how much should she tell him? Did she really want to explain about Stewart’s death? Yet for some reason telling Ross the version she’d told everyone else didn’t seem enough.
‘I’m not married.’ She cleared her throat, shocked that she should feel the need to debate the issue. What difference did it make what she told Ross? She barely knew him and she certainly wasn’t under any obligation to pour out her life story to him!
‘Grace’s father and I were engaged but he died before she was born.’
Her tone was devoid of emotion, almost as though she was talking about someone else rather than herself. She’d learned from experience that most people didn’t pry any further if she stated the facts in that indifferent way.
‘How awful for you! It must have been a terrible shock.’ Ross leant forward and laid his hand on top of hers. ‘I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for you to cope on your own, Heather.’
The compassion in his voice was so genuine that Heather felt a lump come to her throat. ‘It was awful,’ she admitted huskily.
‘Can you tell me what happened? It might help to talk about it. I may be wrong, of course, but I have an idea that you’ve been bottling up your feelings for far too long.’
He ran his thumb over the back of her hand in a gentle caress that was meant to soothe, but it had the opposite effect. Heather felt a burning heat flow through her body and start to melt away the layers of ice with which she had surrounded herself for the past few years.
She snatched her hand away, terrified by the thought of what might happen then. She didn’t want to feel the way she’d felt during those terrible months after Stewart had died. She couldn’t bear it! She simply couldn’t cope with the heartache again. Ross might mean well but he had no idea what he was doing.
She stood up abruptly and pushed back her chair, ignoring the startled look he gave her. ‘I’m sorry, but I have to go. I hadn’t realised how late it is.’
Moving swiftly around the table, she lifted Grace out of the high chair, shaking her head when the little girl reached for the beaker of milk. ‘I’m sorry, darling, but we have to go now. Granny is waiting for us. You can have another drink when we get home.’
Grace was obviously less than pleased about leaving her milk and broke into noisy sobs. Heather cuddled her close, wishing with all her heart that she’d never let herself be drawn into this situation in the first place. What on earth had she been thinking of? All she’d done was upset Grace and upset herself as well.
‘I’m sorry, Heather.’
She glanced round when Ross rose to his feet, feeling her heart turn over when she saw the regret on his face. He was several inches taller than she was and she had to tilt back her head to look at him. It made her feel incredibly vulnerable to stand there staring up at him without being able to mask her own feelings properly.
‘There’s nothing to apologise for. It’s my fault for not checking the time,’ she replied, deliberately pretending to misunderstand him.
‘I’m sorry for having raked up the past when it’s obvious that you can’t bear to talk about it.’ His voice was low but it was clear that he didn’t intend to go along with the pretence for politeness’s sake.
‘I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,’ she snapped. ‘Thank you for the tea, Mr Tanner. Now, if you’ll excuse me…’
She went to brush past him, feeling her breath catch when he put his hand on her arm and stopped her. Even through the thickness of her fleece jacket she could feel the heat from his fingers burning her skin.
‘If you ever need to talk, Heather—’ he began, but she didn’t let him finish, couldn’t when she knew that she just might be tempted to pour out the whole dreadful story to him. The thought of how she would feel afterwards was more than she could cope with.
‘I won’t!’
She shrugged off his hand and he didn’t try to detain her again as she hurried to the door. There were a lot of people milling around outside the café but He
ather didn’t stop as she made for the path that would take her home. Grace was still sobbing but she quietened after a few minutes and soon fell asleep on Heather’s shoulder.
Heather slowed down, realising it was unlikely that Ross would follow her. She must have made it perfectly clear that she’d wanted to get away from him. She sighed because it wasn’t like her to overreact like that. It had never happened before so what was it about Ross Tanner that made it so difficult for her to remain in control?
She tried to work it out but it was impossible. The only thing she could do was ensure that she never placed herself in such a difficult position again. The last thing she needed was her life being turned upside down when she’d finally achieved a degree of calm after all the turmoil. She would make it clear to Ross that she wasn’t interested in him playing any part in her life….
Her heart lurched when it struck her that she’d already accepted she would see him again. He wasn’t the type of man who would be put off by what had happened that day when he was obviously determined to get to know her better. Melanie had been right—Ross was attracted to her.
Heather took a deep breath but there was no way that she could pretend the idea didn’t make her feel all warm and tingly inside. She might not want Ross prying into her past, might not want him in her future either, but she couldn’t claim to be indifferent to him.
Ross took the twins home after they had tired themselves out. He was bitterly aware that he’d made a complete mess of things with Heather. He shouldn’t have tried to press her into telling him about her past. He should have waited until she’d been ready to tell him of her own accord.
He sighed as he let the boys into the house. The chances of Heather ever being ready to tell him her deepest secrets were non-existent. Why should he imagine that she would want to bare her soul to him? Just because he felt this…connection to her didn’t mean that she reciprocated.
The thought made Ross feel even more dejected and Kate—with all the astuteness of a sibling—quickly picked up on his mood. Shooing the twins into the playroom to watch a cartoon, she sat down to grill him.
Saving Dr. Cooper Page 4