‘Well, there are the presents to get, the tree to buy and put up, the food for Christmas to—’
‘Hold it.’ He held up a silencing hand. ‘Robert told me where to collect the presents from his house, but as for the rest of it—I don’t usually bother with a tree and things.’ He frowned again.
Bethany nodded. ‘The children explained that you’re usually away at Christmas—’
‘I’ve always thought it better for the children to spend Christmas in a family atmosphere, not to be torn between—’
‘Now you’ve misunderstood, Nick; I wasn’t criticising either.’ It was the first time she had used his first name, and it sounded huskily intimate. Perhaps she should stick to Mr Rafferty, after all. But that wasn’t how she thought of him. She didn’t want to delve too deeply into how she was starting to think of him! ‘But this year is different. And children expect a tree—and things,’ she added dismissively.
‘Do they?’ He looked troubled.
She smiled. ‘Didn’t you have a Christmas tree when you were a child?’
‘I suppose I did.’ He sighed. ‘I just didn’t think… And food, you say?’
‘A turkey and the trimmings.’ She nodded. ‘And a cake. All the usual Christmas fayre.’ Although she had a feeling that this man hadn’t been involved with ‘the usual Christmas fayre’ for some time now. Perhaps that was another one of her tasks—to help him see that Christmas wasn’t about being on a ski-slope in some fashionable part of the world but about being with the people you loved, in this case his children. All three of them.
Nick still looked perturbed. ‘Will you be able to get all those things at such short notice? Don’t you have to order the turkey? And the trimmings?’ He grimaced.
‘We can get them,’ Bethany assured him; somewhere in the depths of his memory he obviously remembered that his wife had dealt with these things. It was a start, at least. ‘No doubt the children will enjoy being involved in the choosing of them,’ she added—before he could suggest ordering Christmas just to be delivered from some exclusive store.
No doubt a man of his obvious means could afford to do that; she would just rather he didn’t. It was too impersonal that way—rather like the way this man ran the rest of his life! ‘And it will be great fun tomorrow evening, when we all decorate the tree together.’ She almost laughed at the look of consternation on his face now. It must be years since Nick had been involved in such a mundane task—if he ever had.
‘If you think so,’ he finally conceded, with obvious reluctance. ‘It’s the kids’ happiness we have to think about, I suppose.’
‘Exactly,’ Bethany agreed brightly. ‘Now, if you would like to sit down—’ she indicated the small table she had laid at one end of the large kitchen ‘—our dinner is ready now.’
He hesitated momentarily on his way to the table, looking across at her. ‘I thought you had eaten earlier with the children…?’
She smiled. ‘Fish fingers may be their favourite, but they aren’t mine!’
His stern features relaxed into a smile—his first as far as Bethany could remember. And what a difference it made. His face came alive with humour, laughter lines appeared beside his eyes and mouth. ‘Mine either,’ he agreed ruefully, sitting down at one of the two places Bethany had laid at the table. ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’
‘No, I—Hello, you two,’ she greeted Jamie and Josh as they came into the room dressed in their pyjamas. ‘All ready?’
Jamie nodded. ‘I checked on Lucy when we went through to get changed; she’s fast asleep.’
‘Good.’ Bethany smiled her satisfaction. ‘Would you like to take the boys through, or shall I?’ She looked enquiringly at Nick.
‘I’ll take them.’ He stood up abruptly. ‘While you continue to deal with the meal.’
Bethany watched him leave with the boys, two carbon copies of himself. His relationship with Jamie and Josh, although a little awkward on occasion on Nick’s part, she had noticed, seemed quite strong. It was only with Lucy that Nick’s barriers came up. Of course, Lucy hadn’t even been born when her parents had separated, and therefore the bond between father and daughter couldn’t have been formed as strongly as it already had been between Nick and the boys. Although Lucy didn’t seem to feel the same constraint where her father was concerned…
There was still so many questions about this family that remained unanswered. Hopefully, she would be here long enough to answer some of them…
‘This is good,’ Nick told her after several mouthfuls of the meal.
Bethany smiled her pleasure at his praise. ‘I’m glad you like it.’
He relaxed back in his chair. ‘God, this is peaceful!’ He drew in a thankful breath. ‘Would you join me in a glass of wine?’
‘That would be nice,’ Bethany accepted, sitting back to watch as he deftly opened the bottle of red wine before pouring a glass for each of them.
‘Cheers!’ Nick smiled at her warmly.
He was obviously a lot happier than he had been when she’d arrived here this afternoon, and as far as Bethany was concerned that could only be a good thing.
‘Salut!’ she returned. ‘Mmm, lovely wine.’ She could feel the heat in her veins after her initial sips of the wine.
‘I’m glad you like it,’ he said with genuine pleasure. ‘It goes very well with this excellent meal you’ve prepared for us.’
Bethany laughed softly, her cheeks glowing. ‘We sound like a mutual admiration society!’
Nick looked startled for a moment, and then he relaxed, grinning. ‘So we do.’ He leant his elbows on the table, sipping his wine. ‘I was supposed to be out for dinner this evening,’ he mused.
‘I know.’ She nodded.
‘And then I would have missed this excellent—What do you mean, you know?’ He looked at her sharply.
She shrugged. ‘It wasn’t too difficult to guess; it was rather late for you to be working at the office.’
‘It has been known,’ he put in drily.
Bethany was sure it had—had a feeling that this man used work to fill a lot of his life. Besides, he was very successful, and he couldn’t have become that way without putting a lot of effort into it.
‘Not so close to Christmas,’ she dismissed lightly.
‘Straight through Christmas one year—but that’s another story!’ He frowned. ‘I’ve forgotten what the initial question was now. I don’t… I know!’ His brow cleared. ‘We were discussing—’
‘Where I’m to sleep tonight,’ Bethany put in easily, changing the subject from his interest in how she had known he would be home for dinner this evening, after all.
It had the desired effect; Nick looked totally stunned by the question. Obviously it hadn’t even occurred to him, until this moment, to wonder where she was to spend the night.
CHAPTER EIGHT
NICK hadn’t given a thought as to where Beth would be sleeping! He had been so relieved to have someone here to help him with the children that he just hadn’t thought beyond that. He supposed if he had thought about it at all he had assumed Beth would be staying on here, with the children. But then that begged the question of where she was going to sleep; there were only three bedrooms. Of course, he had a big double bed in his room…
‘I did think I could sleep in the second single bed in Lucy’s room.’ Beth questioningly interrupted his wandering thoughts.
It was an infinitely better idea than the one that had started to go through his own mind! From a practical point of view. Privately, he didn’t think he would have any objection at all to this beautiful young woman sharing his bed. But it was probably a complication he didn’t really need at the moment…
‘If that suits you.’ Nick nodded abruptly. ‘Obviously I would prefer it if you could sleep here, and so be on hand for the children in the morning.’ Breakfast this morning had been absolute chaos—which was probably the reason he had chosen to forget about lunch! ‘That way you can make an early start on the othe
r things you say need to be done.’ The thought of all that shopping, and on Christmas Eve of all days, sent shivers down his spine! Luckily Beth seemed to have no such qualms…
‘You don’t have to convince me of the sensibility of my staying on here,’ Beth assured him lightly. ‘I’m quite happy to do so.’
He nodded abruptly, topping up their wine glasses. ‘I’ll collect the childrens’ presents from the house.’
‘And I’ll do all the other shopping,’ she agreed. ‘We have to give the children Christmas, despite the circumstances.’
Nick agreed with her, although he admitted that it was going to be easier if he had someone—Beth!—to help him get through it. ‘I’ve been giving some thought to taking the children to see Sam tomorrow,’ he said slowly.
Beth looked at him interestedly. ‘Yes?’
He grimaced. ‘Sam and I—We haven’t been very good friends in recent years—’
‘Near tragedy has a way of nullifying things like that,’ Beth cut in, touching his hand sympathetically. ‘I’m sure it’s the very last thing on Mrs Fairfax’s mind,’ she added ruefully.
‘Exactly,’ he agreed thankfully. ‘And seeing me at the moment is only likely to bring back unhappy memories. Everyone agrees Sam is making a wonderful recovery.’ God, it was years since he had called her Sam; he had lapsed into the more formal Samantha after their separation. ‘I don’t want to do anything—like turning up with the kids!—to upset that.’ He looked at Beth searchingly. ‘I wondered if you would take the children to see their mother?’
She returned his gaze unwaveringly. ‘If you think that would be the thing to do,’ she finally said slowly.
Nick felt irritated—and he knew it was because he suspected this young lady wasn’t altogether convinced that his reason for not visiting Sam was a valid one. But Beth would only have to see himself and Sam in the same room together to realise that their antagonism towards each other was only too real! He and Sam hadn’t exchanged more than half a dozen polite words with each other in the last five years!
Beth was still watching him with those calm green eyes of hers. She really didn’t believe that his suggestion would be the best thing all round!
He stood up abruptly, picking up his wine glass in preparation for leaving. ‘Believe me, Beth,’ he rasped, ‘I’m the last person Sam would want to see just now.’ It was too much like last time—Sam pregnant, with a baby she desperately wanted to keep.
‘Nick…?’
Beth’s soft query halted him at the kitchen doorway, and he turned slowly to look at her, his expression grim. ‘Yes?’ he bit out harshly.
A delicate frown marred her creamy forehead. ‘Would you like to talk about the antagonism between yourself and Mrs Fairfax?’ she prompted gently.
His mouth twisted. ‘Only if you have a couple of hours to spare!’
Beth shrugged. ‘I don’t have anything else to do.’
That wasn’t what he’d wanted to hear. The friction between himself and Sam had been going on for so long now—But hadn’t he decided, when Sam’s life had been in danger, that all that had to stop? Maybe Beth could give him a female point of view on exactly how he could approach doing that?
‘I’ll help you clear away first.’ He finally nodded. ‘Then you can sit and be bored for a while!’ He grimaced.
‘I won’t be bored,’ Beth assured him as she stood up to start clearing the table.
Nick looked at her wordlessly for several seconds. No, he had a feeling that this young woman, with her candid green eyes and gentle smile, wouldn’t be bored at all. But he knew he wasn’t going to find it an easy subject to talk about. It was something he had avoided doing for the last five years—a subject, he realised with bewildered surprise, that still caused him pain.
‘A brandy?’ he offered once they had gone through to the sitting-room. The rest of the apartment was quiet, all the children asleep now, Beth had assured him after checking on them. He wasn’t quite sure how she had created calm out of chaos—he just hoped that it continued!
‘I’ll join you if you would like one,’ Beth accepted, obviously realising that he was in need of one!
It wasn’t easy finding the words to talk of that time five years ago, to tell of the pain of betrayal he had felt when Sam had told him she was in love with Robert, his best friend, and, even worse, that Robert loved her in return, and that they wanted to be together. And yet as he told Beth of that time he had a feeling she already knew about that, that she knew there was more. And there was. The last final blow that he had never quite recovered from. The final act of betrayal. And there was only one way to say that!
‘Lucy isn’t mine!’ he finally blurted out.
Instead of the shocked sympathy he had been expecting, Beth continued to look at him with those calm green eyes.
‘Did you hear what I said?’ he rasped with bitterness, his jaw clenched, his hand gripping his brandy glass so tightly it was in danger of shattering.
‘Yes,’ she replied softly, her own brandy remaining untouched in the glass. ‘But you’re wrong. Of course Lucy is your daughter—’
‘And what the hell do you know about it?’ Nick cut in harshly. ‘And don’t give me that “angel” rubbish again; the kids may be intrigued by it, but I’m not! You don’t know anything about what happened five years ago. You weren’t there, so how could you?’ he added accusingly.
‘Nick—’
‘Lucy isn’t mine, Beth,’ he repeated gratingly.
She shook her head. ‘I realise she has a different colouring from the boys, but—’
‘She has a different colouring because she has a different father!’ Nick exploded. ‘Oh, Sam tried to tell me otherwise, but it doesn’t take too much intelligence to realise that Lucy is Robert’s child!’ He threw his brandy to the back of his throat, slamming the glass down on the coffee-table. This time it did break, the glass shattering all over the table and the carpeted floor.
‘Leave it!’ he instructed harshly as Beth made a move to pick up the ragged pieces. ‘I said, leave it!’ he repeated furiously as she stood up. ‘Perhaps it’s time we tested this “angel” theory,’ he muttered coldly, even as he pulled her purposefully into his arms. ‘Are angels allowed to kiss human beings?’ he challenged scornfully.
Beth looked up at him unflinchingly. ‘I’ve kissed Lucy,’ she pointed out softly.
It was hardly the thing to say to appease his rapidly rising temper, and without further prevarication his mouth came down crushingly on hers.
CHAPTER NINE
BETHANY had had no idea, until that moment, whether angels were allowed to kiss human beings of Nick Rafferty’s kind or whether she would disappear in a puff of smoke, never to see this man or his children again.
But nothing like that happened. Nick’s mouth was savage against hers as he demanded a response from her, and she was unable to deny that there was one, melting into the hardness of his body, returning his kiss with a passion that matched his own, his mouth not crushing hers now, but sipping and tasting, drawing every last ounce of pleasure from the caress.
He finally raised his head to gasp, ‘God almighty, Beth!’ His eyes were dark with pain, his hair as dishevelled as the first time Bethany had seen him—but this time it was from her own restlessly caressing fingers! ‘Who the hell are you?’ he groaned, his arms like steel bands as he held the slim length of her against his hardness.
She couldn’t think straight, was dazed by the power of the desire that had exploded so suddenly between the two of them.
Nick shook his head to clear his own desire-filled brain. ‘I don’t think you’re an angel at all, more like a dev—’ He broke off abruptly as the doorbell rang, frowning darkly. ‘What the hell—!’ He re-leased Bethany abruptly. ‘It’s ten-thirty at night!’ He scowled.
She knew what time of night it was—it was about the only thing she did know! She had never before been kissed in the way Nick Rafferty had just kissed her—at least, she didn’t think
she had…
It had been the most amazing feeling being in his arms, as if, having been in the wrong place at the wrong time all of her life, she had suddenly found where she did belong—in Nick Rafferty’s arms. Which was ridiculous. She didn’t belong anywhere any more, was merely here to unravel a complicated situation. She had a feeling she might just have made things worse. As usual. Only this time she really had made things worse. There was going to be no forgiving or second chances on this one!
‘I should answer that, if I were you,’ she advised Nick shakily as the doorbell rang a second time. ‘It may be Mr Fairfax with news—’ He didn’t need any more telling, hurrying to answer the door.
The glamorous blonde standing on the doorstep definitely wasn’t Robert Fairfax!
‘Lisa!’ Nick greeted her, stepping back slightly in surprise.
Definitely not Robert Fairfax!
However, it was the woman of the telephone call earlier today. The woman Nick should have had dinner with this evening. The woman currently in his life. The woman he should have been kissing just now instead of her…!
And Bethany being here wasn’t going to help whatever friction seemed to have arisen between Nick and the lovely Lisa!
Bethany took the opportunity of Nick’s back be-ing towards her, and so effectively blocking her from the view of the other woman, to escape from the room and go to the bedroom she was to share with Lucy.
But long after she lay down in the bed her eyes remained open, staring up at the ceiling. Could angels fall in love? Because she was very much afraid she had really done it this time; she had fallen in love with the very man she had been sent here to help! Was this what was meant by a fallen angel? If it was, she was very much fallen—had fallen deeply in love with Nick Rafferty.
She couldn’t stay here, of course, would have to leave—
‘Beth?’
She turned to look at the little girl in the bed a short distance from her own; she had left a light on so that Lucy wouldn’t be troubled by the darkness. ‘Yes, darling?’ she returned softly.
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