‘I’ll walk to the door with you.’ His tone brooked no argument to this suggestion.
Helen moved to the door, her movements disjointed, just wanting to escape now from what had become a very embarrassing situation.
‘Goodnight, Miss Foster,’ Daniel called softly from behind her.
She turned sharply at the mockery in his voice, her eyes flashing her dislike. ‘Goodnight, Mr Scott,’ she bit out tautly.
He nodded. ‘I have no doubt we will meet again,’ he said pleasantly enough, although Helen could clearly see the challenge in his eyes.
‘No doubt,’ she echoed sharply.
Cal closed the lounge door behind them, following closely behind Helen as she all but marched to the front door in her need to escape.
She turned as she reached the door. ‘Thank you for dinner. It was—’
‘Why so formal, Helen?’ Cal looked puzzled. ‘I realise it was a little embarrassing just now, but even so, I think we’re past the stage where we have to be so distantly polite to each other.’
His gentle teasing did nothing to relax her; she just wanted to get away from here!
‘I suppose so,’ she acknowledged distractedly. ‘But I really do have to go now.’
‘Helen?’ The soft query of her name made her look up at him with vague eyes. He looked at her searchingly for several seconds before giving a resigned sigh. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow, OK?’ His gaze compelled her to answer in the affirmative.
A telephone call couldn’t do any harm. Besides, she had a feeling that if she didn’t let him call her he would come round to the house, and she could refuse him all the more easily over the telephone. Because she had no intention of going out with him again. It had been bad enough before she knew of Daniel’s presence in Cal’s house, but now it was impossible!
‘All right,’ she nodded abruptly. ‘Tomorrow,’ she accepted.
His hand under her chin gently raised her face to his. ‘Drive carefully,’ he murmured against her mouth before his lips softly touched hers.
She didn’t feel like driving at all once she had got behind the wheel of her car, reaction beginning to set in in earnest now.
Daniel of all people, here.
He was the last person she would ever have imagined moving to the country. And now that he had she wished it could have been anywhere but near her home.
The less she saw of him, the better!
* * *
‘That was Cal again.’ Her father looked at her reprovingly. ‘I can’t keep telling him you’re out,’ he added irritably.
It was the third time Cal had telephoned today, she knew, and yet she just didn’t want to talk to him.
Shocked reaction had set in after seeing Daniel again after all this time, and she needed to be left in peace to sort out her confused thoughts. Most of all she needed to stay away from anything that reminded her Daniel was in the neighbourhood at all, and Cal could do that all too easily. After all, if it weren’t for him Daniel wouldn’t be in the area.
Worst of all, she felt conscience-bound to warn Cal about Daniel, and yet how to do it, that was her worry now. She certainly couldn’t pretend she didn’t know anything about his background; it might not be exactly black, but it was certainly shaded in grey! And she had a feeling Cal wouldn’t want a man like that working for him.
Or would he? The man she had thought him to be two weeks ago wouldn’t have been in the least concerned by an employee’s shady past, as long as it was now working in his favour; had she really changed her mind about him so much that she no longer believed that to be true? As far as Daniel and his working for Cal went, she knew the answer to that was yes, but she still thought he had been underhand about his dealings with her father over Cherry Trees.
But none of that solved her problem here and now of Cal’s third telephone call today.
She came to a decision. ‘Well, if he calls again you won’t be telling a lie,’ she said firmly. ‘Because I am going out!’
‘Helen—’
‘Not now, Daddy,’ she warned tautly, her emotions fraught with tension.
‘But, darling—’
‘I’ll talk to you later.’ Her voice gentled slightly. ‘I promise.’
She couldn’t tell even him all of what had taken place last night; although after Cal’s telephone calls today he must already have a pretty good idea!
She would have to tell her father of Daniel’s presence at Cal’s house; knowing, as her father did, of her involvement with the other man in the past, it would be awful if her father should meet him by chance and realise exactly who he was. Especially if she hadn’t yet told Cal!
‘All right,’ her father sighed. ‘But I must say you’re acting very oddly.’
She knew he meant out of character, her usual cool calm completely absent today. But she had been so completely shaken by what had happened last night, and of the abrupt ending to the evening.
She still couldn’t quite believe the cruelty of fate that had thrown Daniel into her life once again. Her avoidance of him these last few years, while it hadn’t been exactly deliberate, hadn’t been unplanned either. It had been all too easy not to frequent the places she knew he would choose to spend his evenings, and on a professional level she hadn’t cared whether their paths had crossed or not, knowing, as she did, that her personal integrity far outweighed any success he might appear to have made. By some lucky quirk Helen had managed not to see him for the last six years. Now, with his proximity, it was going to take all of her ingenuity not to see him!
Her favourite cove was out of the question for her worried wanderings today, as she remembered all too well how Cal had so easily found her there last time. Remembering that, he might try to locate her there again today.
But she needed to be near the sea, its deliberate inevitability a balm to her frayed nerves.
Nothing about her own life these last few weeks had seemed inevitable; she had been sure that without too much effort on her part she need never see Daniel Scott again, had been even more sure that a man like Caleb Jones had appeared to be could never affect her deepest emotions in any way.
She had been wrong on both counts.
Oh, this unexpected meeting with Daniel again after all this time was disquieting enough, but to acknowledge, even to herself, the growing attraction she felt towards Cal was totally devastating. She had at least thought she liked Daniel before believing herself in love with him; she still wasn’t sure she actually liked Cal, only that he affected her more than any other man she had ever known.
The cove she finally found was even more private than her usual refuge, and as she clambered down among the rocks she felt a sense of peace washing over her, the complications of her life unimportant for the couple of hours she spent there just enjoying the gentle uprush and ebb of the grey-blue water.
Nothing had really changed about her purpose here, she realised; she still had to persuade her father that Cherry Trees was their family home, and should remain that way. Oh, Daniel’s presence here was a complication she hadn’t expected, but she had no reason to suppose he was any more eager to see her again than she was him. As for this attraction that seemed to have sprung up between Cal and herself… She was a grown woman, wasn’t she, quite capable of dealing with that complication? She and Cal were completely unsuited as a couple, and a purely physical relationship had never appealed to her. Those decisions made, she returned home with a determined resolve.
She was quite unprepared for Cal’s presence in the garden with her father, Sam playing happily at their feet as they enjoyed an early evening drink together!
Dark blue eyes studied her guardedly as she strode purposefully across the lawn towards them, only a slight, but brief, hesitancy in her step showing she was in the least disconcerted by his presence here, before she continued her progress across the garden bathed in early evening sunshine.
Sam looked up from his digging of the flowerbed as he sensed her presence, his face instantly lighting up with pleasure.
‘Lennie!’ he cried gleefully, raising his arms towards her to be picked up.
Only the hardest of hearts could remain unmoved by such spontaneity, and, although Helen knew she shielded her emotions from hurt, she couldn’t remain immune to the happiness in those baby-blue eyes, bending down to pick the little boy up, giving a tearful smile as he planted a shy kiss on her cheek.
‘Nothing but seeing you again would do.’ Cal had stood up to move to her side, talking softly as Sam buried his face shyly against her neck. ‘He’s talked of nothing else but you since Saturday.’
She felt sure that had pleased the little boy’s grandparents, at least his grandmother! They couldn’t possibly realise from that what little real significance she had in Sam’s life.
‘Only because I took him to see the animals at the zoo.’ She tickled the little boy in her arms until he squirmed amid giggles of laughter. ‘Sam’s as mercenary as the next child, aren’t you, baby?’ she teased him. ‘He’s hoping I’ll take him there again.’
‘Maybe,’ Cal acknowledged a little sheepishly. ‘Although he has genuinely taken a liking to you,’ he added seriously.
‘And I like you too, little man.’ She held the baby close against her, fighting off the pain of familiarity as memories washed over her. The smile she bestowed on the child was a little more strained now. ‘Has anyone thought to offer you a drink, I wonder?’ she drily rebuked the two men, with their long, cooling glasses of whisky and water.
‘He’s already drunk all of his lemonade.’ Her father held up the empty feeding cup with knowing satisfaction. ‘But if you’re hinting you would like a drink I’ll go into the house and get you some fresh orange.’ He stood up.
The last thing Helen wanted was to be left alone with Cal, but a refusal of the offered drink would show that all too obviously. And she was supposed to be a mature woman of twenty-six, and surely past the stage of resisting being alone with any man!
‘Lovely,’ she accepted with a tight smile in her father’s direction, all the more annoyed because he knew exactly what he was doing.
Cal took a step closer to her as her father entered the house. ‘You wouldn’t take my calls.’ It was a statement rather than an accusation.
She didn’t look up at him. ‘I’ve been out,’ she returned softly, all the time smiling at Sam.
‘Not all day,’ he rebuked gently.
Helen’s eyes flashed deeply green as she glared up at him. ‘Part of it,’ she defended.
‘After my calls became impossible to ignore,’ he said drily.
‘I don’t have to explain myself to you,’ she flared.
He looked at her consideringly for several seconds, before nodding slowly. ‘No, you don’t,’ he acknowledged softly. ‘But you did say I could call you,’ he reminded her.
Her cheeks became flushed. She had accepted the possibility of his telephoning her before she had spent a night telling herself how impossible the situation was. Daniel’s presence here was merely a complication to a situation she already knew was fast hurtling out of control. Daniel was just a very timely reminder of how becoming emotionally involved with people became a very painful experience. And falling for a man like Cal could be even more devastating than believing herself in love with Daniel had proved to be all those years ago; Cal had the added complication of Sam for her to deal with.
She shrugged dismissively. ‘So I changed my mind,’ she challenged.
Cal looked as if he would like to lean forward and shake her, but he instantly resisted the temptation, his gaze resting on Sam as he sat so confidently in her arms.
‘So you did,’ Cal said heavily. ‘Running away from our emotions is never the answer, you know, Helen,’ he added softly.
Her mouth set angrily, two vivid spots of colour in her cheeks now. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she snapped. He couldn’t know about Daniel, he just couldn’t! Unless her father—? But no, he didn’t know yet that Daniel was working for the other man. At least, she hadn’t told him… ‘Has my father said something to you?’ she demanded sharply, her eyes narrowed.
Cal shrugged. ‘Some things don’t need to be said. I’m sorry that you had to go through something like that, but you can’t let it colour your whole life.’
He didn’t know about Daniel specifically, but he knew enough to realise someone had hurt her very badly in the past!
‘How I deal with the pain in my life is my business,’ she bit out tautly.
‘Not if it affects what’s between us.’ He shook his head.
Helen looked at him scathingly, her guard well back in place now. ‘There’s nothing between us,’ she snapped. ‘Physical attraction—’
‘There’s more to it than that and you know it,’ Cal cut in determinedly.
‘I don’t know any—Oh, look, Sam, here comes Uncle David with my orange juice.’ She quickly changed her angry denial as her father came out of the house, dampening down the emotion with effort. ‘Thanks.’ She accepted the glass of juice, deftly avoiding meeting her father’s searching gaze. He had already played too big a part in involving her in this situation, and it had to stop. Now. ‘I have to go in and wash my hair,’ she excused herself firmly, handing Sam back to Cal, deftly avoiding too much contact with him as she did so, although she could see by the knowing look in those dark blue eyes that he was completely aware of what she had done. But that didn’t matter; the sooner he accepted the situation, the better, as far as she was concerned.
‘Couldn’t that wait until later?’ her father prompted hardly, a reproving look on his face.
Helen ignored that look; Cal was his guest, not hers! ‘You know how long it takes for me to dry my hair,’ she insisted lightly.
‘Sam.’ The little boy held out his arms towards her.
‘I think he wants to come and watch,’ Cal explained drily.
‘I don’t—I—’ She became flustered in the warmth of Cal’s gaze as he told her without words that he clearly remembered last night when her hair had been loose about her shoulders, his hands buried in its thickness as he kissed her. It was scraped back today in the severe plait down her spine that her father so hated, and she could see Cal felt the same way about it as his gaze lingered on the blonde tresses.
‘Sam,’ the little boy said again, more firmly this time.
‘By coincidence I was reading him the story of Rapunzel last night when I put him to bed,’ Cal murmured softly. ‘He doesn’t really take in the stories, but he’s obviously remembered enough of this one to be interested in the letting down of your hair.’
‘It isn’t long enough for anyone to climb up,’ she returned tautly, taking Sam into her arms.
Only long enough for him to bury his face in its scented thickness, Cal’s warm gaze seemed to say.
She turned away abruptly, knowing she was once again becoming seduced by those deep blue eyes. It just wasn’t fair after all the arguments she had given herself today for not becoming involved with him!
‘Excuse us.’ She spoke to neither man in particular, talking softly to Sam as they went into the house.
The telephone was ringing as she walked through the hallway, and she picked up the receiver with an apologetic smile at Sam as she put him down on the floor. At least she knew it couldn’t be Cal calling once again to disturb her calm existence.
She recited the telephone number automatically, keeping a close eye on Sam as he wandered off into the lounge.
‘Hello, Helen,’ greeted an all too familiar voice. ‘I think we should meet, don’t you?’
Daniel, she realised instantly.
Here was someone else who had the power to shake up her ordered world!
CHAPTER EIGHT
HELEN’S hand tightly gripped the receiver, her fingernails digging into her palm where she held it so firmly.
How dared he call her here? was her instant reaction. Discounting the fact that he had acquired her telephone number at all, he had no right to call her at her father’s home. No
matter what he felt the urgency to be.
Although he didn’t sound as if he had been at all disturbed by her presence here. But remembering his cool self-confidence of the past she thought that was probably true.
All the more reason to give the impression it was of no importance to her either. ‘I can’t imagine why you should think that,’ she returned coolly, ‘when I’ve had nothing to say to you for almost six years.’
‘I’m flattered you should remember how long ago it is since we last met,’ he murmured softly.
He wasn’t flattered at all, knew she had good reason never to forget his part in her life! ‘I thought you would have gone much further up the professional ladder during that time than you actually have,’ she said challengingly.
‘I wouldn’t have thought PA to a man like Caleb Jones was backsliding,’ Daniel bit back tautly, obviously stung by the taunt.
‘It’s a good job,’ she granted dismissively. ‘But I would have thought you would have your own accountancy firm by now.’
‘Maybe I don’t care for the responsibility,’ he rasped.
And maybe things weren’t going quite so well for him now as they had been all those years ago. She hadn’t particularly been aware of any talk of him among her colleagues, but it soon became known in that tight circle which of them it might be best to avoid employing. It would also go a long way to explaining his presence here in the countryside, when he had always professed to hate it so much.
‘I have nothing to say to you, Daniel.’ She sighed at the waste he had made of his un-doubted talents.
‘I believe it might be in the best interests of both of us if we did meet,’ he said insistently.
Helen frowned; what could he possibly mean by that remark?
‘Let’s meet and discuss it,’ he told her when she voiced her concern.
‘Discuss what?’ she prompted irritably.
‘Not over the telephone, Helen,’ he returned briskly. ‘Perhaps I could meet you for dinner tomorrow evening? Or will you be seeing Cal then?’ he added mockingly.
‘None of your damned business!’ she snapped. ‘I—’ She broke off as a crash sounded in the lounge. Oh, lord, Sam! She had forgotten all about the wandering baby in her agitation, and she had had the nerve to rebuke Cal for his negligence of the little boy the first time they had met; she was no better when the provocation was deep enough. ‘I have to go,’ she told Daniel abruptly.
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