The smile became a little more natural, as Pete continued. ‘Mum just adores you two. All she needs now is for you to move out here and she’d be happy as a clam I think.’
‘I would too,’ Juliet said, her tone telling them that she was only half joking.
Hero pushed her hair back and smiled, not looking her sister in the face. That situation most certainly wasn’t going to happen. She loved it out here but there was no way she could see herself living somewhere like this. After years of living in London, with everything just a phone call or message away, coming here was an absolute contrast. And what about all the people she knew?
Why hadn’t she said friends?
Hero pushed it all out of her mind and concentrated on what her sister was saying.
‘So, what was all that fuss on the front of a magazine I saw a couple of weeks ago?’
Hero grinned. ‘You’re probably going to have to be more specific.’
‘You and Rupert.’
‘Again. More specific.’
‘Really?’
‘Oh yes. The media seem to be incapable of accepting that a man and a woman can be just friends. According to them, there are always benefits.’ Hero rolled her eyes and then broke into a huge smile as Biscuit came hurrying through the door and scooted around the table to where she sat, his tail whizzing round in circles as she bent and fussed with him, laughing as he tried to climb closer for his cuddles.
‘You were coming out of Tiffany’s though. Is there something we should know? Has he really bought you an engagement ring?’
Hero sat up from where she’d been bent over in her chair, playing with the dog, turning back towards her sister.
‘Of course …’ Her words faded as she saw Nick stood in the doorway, his eyes locked on hers.
She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. ‘Hello.’
He nodded, the faintest of smiles flashing at her.
‘How did it go?’ Pete asked.
‘Yeah. Fine,’ Nick replied as he turned his back to the table and began washing his hands.
‘Nick’s been helping out one of the other stations. One of their hands had a fall off a horse and he’s been out of action for a while. They’ve got someone coming in but had the vet coming over today and Nick offered to help them out.’ Her sister filled Hero in as she stood and dished up a bowl of the delicious casserole she’d kept warm on the stove from earlier.
‘Here you go.’
‘Thanks, Jules.’ Nick picked up the cutlery and began tucking in as Juliet cut a piece of homemade bread and put it down on a side plate next to him. ‘So, sounds like I missed something. Should I be offering congratulations?’ His gaze flicked to Hero very briefly before going back to his food.
‘Congratulations?’
Her brow creased and Nick smiled to himself. Good to see not all city women were going for botox. That was something. Women were hard enough to figure out sometimes without chemicals taking away any tell-tale clues!
‘On your engagement?’ He forced himself to keep his tone light.
‘I’m not engaged.’
‘So what were you doing in Tiffany’s with Rupert?’ Juliet sat back down next to Nick. He hoped she hadn’t seen him lessen his grip on the fork as Hero had replied in the negative to their questioning. Why should it matter to him whether she was engaged to that richer than God guy? They certainly seemed incredibly close, according to the magazines he’d seen on the newsstand. Just in passing of course.
‘It was his parents’ silver wedding anniversary. He wanted a second opinion on their gift.’
‘Ohhh.’ Juliet nodded. ‘That makes sense. Did they like it?’
Hero smiled. ‘They did. Very much so.’
‘You always did have good taste.’
‘Must be a family trait.’ Pete grinned, straightening his shirt, and sporting a smug expression.
‘Everyone has off days, mate,’ Nick said, looking up and giving Jules a quick wink.
‘Yeah, yeah,’ his brother replied, stealing the last bit of bread off his brother’s plate, laughter in both their eyes.
***
‘You scrub up all right, don’t you?’ Juliet grinned as she held a baby in one arm and gave her brother-in-law a quick hug with the other. ‘Thanks for doing this.’
He let out a breath in laughter. ‘Don’t be daft. I’m honoured to be asked. Although the fact that you’re willing to trust me in a legal document to look after your children does make me question whether all those lost hours of sleep have affected your thinking.’
‘That’s what I told her,’ Pete said, coming up to them, his daughter gurgling happily in his arms as she surveyed her surroundings.
‘Oh shush. You know you said their godfather had to be Nick, and that no one else would do, you big softie,’ Juliet teased him.
‘Well, only because we’d got Hero on board already. At least we know one of their godparents has some sense.’
Nick cast a glance at Hero and rolled his eyes. She smiled and wondered again why they would trust her with something so precious and monumental as their children’s lives when she had no idea what she planned to do with her own. Thankfully, she had little time to begin musing over this once more as Gill came hurrying up the steps, her arms spread wide to hug Hero.
‘Oh, my darling! You’re here!’ She wrapped her up as Pete had done, and Hero’s chest tightened at the thought that this was how her sons had grown up. Feeling wanted and loved. She envied them.
‘Charming.’ Hero saw Nick nudge his brother, an expression of mock affrontery on his face. ‘I haven’t seen them for ages either.’
Pete gave a shrug. ‘Yeah. But truth is, they like her more than you. Tough, I know, but just the way it is.’
‘Oh, don’t be so mean.’ Gill laughed, pulling Nick into her hug, but not yet releasing Hero. His hip bumped against hers as his arm moved behind her back to accommodate them all. His mum stepped back and took a hand of each of them. ‘I love you both, and don’t you ever forget that.’
Hero dropped her gaze, suddenly unsure of what she should do.
‘We know,’ Nick said, softly, leaning in to give his mum a kiss on the cheek, taking Hero’s free hand within his own. ‘Don’t we?’ He turned to Hero, his eyes giving her the prompt.
‘Yes.’ Her voice was soft as she replied.
Gill let her gaze linger for a moment before giving both their hands a squeeze. ‘Good. And like I say, don’t you forget it.’
Hero shook her head. Whatever happened, she knew she would never forget this moment.
‘So! What have you been up to? Juliet said something about you being in New York with a man friend? Is there something we should know?’
‘Mum.’ Nick’s tone had a friendly warning.
‘Oh pfft.’ She batted him away. ‘Hero doesn’t mind, do you, love?’
Hero smiled, shaking her head. For once, she didn’t mind at all.
‘There. See?’ His mum nodded at him. ‘Don’t you have something to do anyway? This is girls’ talk.’
Nick rolled his eyes and went off in search of male back-up as Gill linked Hero’s arm within her own and repeated her question about Hero’s love life.
***
Hero’s smile blossomed as the pudgy little hand wrapped its fingers around one of her own and stared up at her with curious, deep brown eyes. She’d never really had the occasion to be in contact with children or babies and the first time Juliet had held one of the twins out for her to hold, she’d panicked, sure she would do something wrong. But Juliet and Pete had reassured her and helped nudge her in the right direction and now she could hardly wait each day to hold and cuddle one of these two perfect little people.
As baby Marcus closed his eyes, his fingers still clamped tightly on to hers, she swept her gaze to the man beside her. Nick was currently trying to corral one very wiggly little Bridie. She smiled as he adjusted his hold and began gently rocking her. Bridie’s bright green eyes, so like her mother’s, focus
ed on him as her hands reached out for his finger which she then began trying to chew on with her mostly gummy jaws. Juliet had said that the babies had both just started teething, and Hero saw Nick flinch and adjust his hand a little as the vicar continued with the baptism.
Marcus having been done, Nick stepped forward with the now snoozing Bridie. As the water dribbled onto the little girl’s forehead, her face immediately crumpled and a piercing scream filled the church. Her uncle deftly moved the now unhappily awake child and held her against him, bouncing her gently as he made soothing sounds whilst the vicar carried on rather bravely, lifting his voice occasionally to be heard above Bridie’s cries. As the service drew to a close, her eyes slowly fluttered closed again, and beside her, Hero felt Nick let out a slow breath of relief.
Chapter 8
‘Think you got the easier deal there.’ He motioned towards Marcus, still happily sleeping.
‘You seem to have the knack of calming her though,’ Hero replied, smiling.
‘Yeah. Case of practice makes perfect.’ He turned away as someone called his name, stopping as Juliet relieved him of the child, rubbing his arm with her free hand and laughing. Hero couldn’t hear the conversation over the noise of the general chatter now going on, but his words echoed in her head. She looked down at the baby in her arms. Nick had already had months getting to know these new additions to the Webster family, months of what he’d called practice. She should have been there for Juliet. She should have come over and helped – in whatever way she could. But the thought of seeing Nick again had stopped her. Yes, she had been busy with work and travelling but she should have put her sister first. Juliet had told her she was fine, but it couldn’t have been easy for her with one new baby, let alone two, even if she had had a little more practice than her sister. When Hero was, most inconveniently according to their mother, born, it was Juliet who had given her cuddles and played with her. Juliet, who had helped the nanny they’d brought in. None of the nannies ever lasted all that long. As soon as their mother saw anything like affection towards this new charge, they were out. Hero looked down into the peaceful face of Marcus who was now waking, his eyes searching out this new environment. She smiled down at him and spoke softly, drawing a smile from his happy little face.
‘He reminds me so much of you.’ Juliet smiled, as she rocked Bridie gently. ‘Apart from the eye colour. That’s all Pete’s side. But his curiosity. His calmness. You were just like that.’
Hero turned and saw the tears shining in her sister’s eyes.
‘Jules, please don’t cry. What’s wrong?’
Juliet smiled through her tears. ‘Nothing. I mean, I just wish …’
Hero frowned. ‘You wish what?’
‘This …’ Her sister moved, her hand under the baby spreading to indicate the family and friends that now surrounded them, laughing, talking, and fussing over the children. ‘This is how it should have been. This is the love that you should have been given.’
‘Oh, Jules.’ Hero leant her head against her sister’s. ‘I had you, and that is more than enough for me.’
‘I don’t know why they treated you the way they did.’
Hero shrugged, turning her face away. ‘It doesn’t matter now.’
Across the room, Nick watched Hero drop her gaze from her sister, an expression of pain on her face as she did so. She’d moved so that Juliet wouldn’t see. But he saw. He knew the secret she still kept from her sister. How cruel her mother had been to a child who had never asked to be born. Nick could only empathise with her, and knew he and Pete had been so lucky to be born into this family. A family that extended their love to anyone who needed and deserved it. His eyes fell on Joe, who saw and waved, his surrogate brother’s happy smile releasing his own.
As he turned his head, his glance caught Hero’s. The pain no one was supposed to see left her face. Within a moment, her expression became unreadable. A flesh and blood mannequin. Nick felt the fire in his soul burn with frustration at this woman. He thought he’d be over it by now, but when he caught the glimpses of what she kept hidden, it seared into him once more. Nick turned away, angry with himself for letting her get to him. If that was how she wanted to live her life, then so be it. He didn’t want to get involved. He’d tried that once before, and for a few wonderful hours he’d seen the softness within. She had surprised him that night, allowing him into her thoughts as she had, sharing secrets she’d kept for so long. It was though the world had shifted around him. Stupidly, he’d thought it actually meant something, but Hero had disavowed him of that belief completely the next morning as she’d sat at the kitchen table, eyes on her phone, luggage packed and ready to go with barely a look in his direction. He shouldn’t be surprised. It wasn’t the first time he’d been played by a woman, but he wasn’t a fool. He had no plans to repeat the same mistake with this particular one again.
Pete hadn’t said anything after Hero left, but he wasn’t stupid and he knew his brother. Which was probably why he asked the one question he did.
‘Did you sleep with her?’
Nick had shaken his head, doing his best to not let his thoughts go down that particular ‘what if’ trail. The last thing he’d needed at that particular moment was an overactive imagination. Hero Scott had made it clear that her use of him was over. He’d entertained her at the reception but now she was heading back to the real world. Or at least the world that was real to her – however fake it seemed to others.
***
As the babies grew, Hero returned to the station for more visits. Her guilt at staying away so long prior to their birth still nagged at her and she was determined to make up for it. Although her sister and brother-in-law seemed happy to see her more, Nick Webster certainly didn’t seem to share their feelings. He’d been polite at the twins’ christening, almost friendly, but they had never reconnected like they had at the wedding. Hero knew it was her fault. She knew she’d hurt him that day when she’d left with barely a backwards glance. She’d seen it in his face, but opening up to him had been an accident. An accident brought on by joy and fear, love and champagne. She’d felt so out of place at the wedding, despite everyone being so kind and welcoming. Well, apart from that one waitress who’d been throwing dirty looks her way the whole evening. Nick had come to her at the right moment and suddenly she’d felt … safe. Like she was home. Hero knew that was ridiculous. This life wasn’t for her. And Nick Webster definitely wasn’t for her. Most of the time they just rubbed each other the wrong way. So why was it him she’d opened up to? Why did he know the secret scar that she had never told anyone, not even her own sister?
Juliet worried about him. As she did about everyone, but Nick had taken a special place in her heart. He was as much a brother to Juliet as she was a sister.
‘I do worry about him,’ Juliet said as they cleared the last bits of wrapping paper from the floor and put it into a pile.
‘He’s a big boy, Jules. He can look after himself, I’m sure.’
‘Hmm. I know it was a while ago now, but finding his fiancée cheating on him cut him deeper than he likes to admit. I don’t think he’s as tough as he likes to make out.’
‘For goodness’ sake, don’t let him hear you say that. I’ll probably get blamed for being a bad influence on you.’
Juliet shook her head. ‘What is it with you two?’
Hero fished out another piece of rogue wrapping paper from under the sofa and squashed it down into the bag.
‘What?’ she asked, not looking up.
‘You two. You’re just … I don’t know. You seemed like you were getting on well at the wedding but ever since then … you’re just so spiky with each other.’
‘We’re just different, Jules. You can’t expect everyone to be as lovely as you.’
Juliet put her hand on her hip. ‘Stop trying to sweet talk me.’
Hero laughed. ‘I’m not. I promise. It’s true though.’
Juliet smiled. Her sister had a soft, pretty laugh but it
was a sound she heard all too rarely. She knew her sister found it difficult to relax with people. She was better here, even more so when Nick was out of the room. Juliet had noticed them dancing at the wedding and asked her about him, teasing, but Hero had just shaken her head and told her she was imagining things. Eventually Juliet let it drop. There was no point in pushing it for the few times a year that she got over to visit. Juliet knew from experience that the more she pushed, the more Hero would clam up.
‘How on earth did they get paper right back here?’ Juliet laughed, throwing two balls of wadded up wrapping paper out before backing out from behind the Christmas tree.
‘I think they were just excited.’ Hero smiled, adding them to the rubbish bag she held in one hand.
‘That’s hardly surprising.’ She gave her younger sister a look.
‘What?’
‘You know perfectly well what I mean. You spoiled us all rotten. Again.’
Hero shrugged. ‘It’s Christmas.’
‘Yes. This time. But you do this every time. You know you don’t need to. We love you just being here. The kids have been getting excited for weeks.’
Hero looked up, her face radiant at the mention of the children. They didn’t have expectations of her and they didn’t judge. Her friendship with young Joe was the same. She could be herself completely with them.
‘I’m their godmother. I’m allowed to spoil them.’
‘So, what’s your excuse for the rest of us?’
Hero sat back on her knees. ‘It makes me happy. Besides, what else would I spend it on?’ Hero took the hand her sister offered her and stood. ‘Please, Jules. You’re all I have. Just let me do this.’
Nick and Pete approaching the living room caught the last of the conversation. Exchanging a glance, Pete shook his head at Nick. Nick held his brother’s gaze for a moment before entering the room after him.
‘Two little monsters sound asleep as requested.’
‘I’ll take this out.’ Hero picked up the rubbish bag and headed out to the shed closest to the house, where several plastic crates lined one of the shelves, neatly labelled in block letters. She began unloading the wrapping into the appropriate box.
Second Chance At the Ranch Page 11