by Sarah Morgan
‘I’ll see if I can get someone to cover,’ Christian promised, and he looked at Lara again. ‘That offer you made—is it still open?’
‘The wild, crazy one?’ She grinned at him. ‘Yes, of course. Why? Are you changing your mind?’
‘What’s wild and crazy?’ Chloe looked at him and then looked at Lara. ‘And what is Daddy changing his mind about?’
Christian held out his hand to Chloe. ‘We’re going to manage without a nanny until Christmas is over.’
‘But how?’ Chloe sidled over to him and took his hand. ‘You can’t stop working.’
‘Lara has agreed to come and stay for a while. We’ll adjust our shifts so that one of us can pick you up from school—’
‘Stay for a while—you mean live here?’ Aggie’s eyes were huge and Christian nodded.
‘She’ll pick you up from school if I’m working and she’ll be here if I’m late home from work.’
‘But what about the holidays?’ Chloe looked up at him. ‘You both work in the same place, don’t you?’
‘Yes, but not always at the same time. One of us will be here with you.’
‘Really?’ Chloe’s face brightened. ‘That’s cool.’
‘Amazingly cool,’ Aggie breathed, scrambling to her feet and sliding her hand into Lara’s. ‘It’s way beyond awesome.’
Christian blinked. ‘Sorry?’
‘Way beyond awesome. I heard it on television.’ Lara covered her mouth with her hand to stop the laughter. She still couldn’t quite believe that she was going to move in with this wonderful family. It was so much better than spending a lonely Christmas on her own in her flat.
‘What about your own family?’ Chloe was looking at her. ‘Everyone spends Christmas with their family. Won’t they miss you?’
‘My family have all gone away for Christmas,’ Lara explained, trying to sound cheerful. ‘My parents are in their cottage in France and my brother moved to Australia six months ago. I only have two days off at Christmas and it isn’t enough for me to go anywhere. So I was going to spend Christmas on my own, but now I’m going to spend it with you.’
‘Our mummy lives far away, too,’ Aggie said. ‘She went away with a suitcase.’
Out of the corner of her eye, Lara sensed Christian’s sudden tension and she sat back down again and pulled the little girl onto her lap. ‘Why don’t you tell me what you’d most like to do this Christmas, Aggie.’
She wanted to make sure that they had a fantastic time.
Aggie snuggled closer. ‘Play with my toys. And have a big tree.’
‘We can play. And we’ll find the best tree in the forest.’
‘Who will you sleep with?’ Aggie looked up at her. ‘If I get lonely I sleep in Chloe’s bed. She doesn’t mind as long as I don’t wet it. You could sleep there, too, if you get lonely. Or you could sleep with Daddy. He’s got more room in his bed.’
‘She can’t sleep with Daddy!’Her tone appalled, Chloe glanced towards her father. ‘Dad—’
‘You’re talking too much, young lady,’ Christian drawled, but there was laughter in his eyes as he scooped his daughter into his arms and gave her a look that was supposed to subdue her. ‘Lara will have her own room.’
Aggie shuddered. ‘No one to share with? But that’s lonely, Dad.’
‘I’d love to have my own room,’ Lara assured her hastily, trying not to think about sharing Christian’s bed. Trying not to think about Christian naked. ‘I won’t be lonely at all. It’s only for sleeping and we can all have such a lot of fun when we’re awake. That’s what counts.’
‘Really? You’re going to come and live here? She’s the miracle, Daddy,’Aggie breathed. ‘Lara is our miracle.’
* * *
Three days later Christian was wondering how one person, especially one as delicately built as Lara, could make such an impact on a house.
Her clothes were strewn over chairs, her shoes were left lying in the hall as a deadly trap for the unwary, and the whole house suddenly seemed filled with her enthusiastic, noisy chatter and endless jokes.
In a matter of days his entire house was transformed from an empty, imposing building into a chaotic family home. For the first time since he’d collected the keys from the estate agent, it actually felt as though someone lived there.
And she worked incredibly hard.
The pile of unpacked boxes diminished and books appeared in the previously empty bookcases. Lamps were placed on tables and paintings hung on walls.
But the biggest transformation was the noise level.
For months, the only real noise in the place had been Aggie’s chatter, but suddenly the whole place seemed to have come alive. The rooms and the spacious hallway reverberated with earsplitting shrieks and laughter. Even Chloe was talking more. And then there was the music. Classical, jazz, pop, it didn’t seem to matter as long as something was playing day and night.
And Lara sang all the time. She sang when she cooked, she sang in the shower and she sang as she put the children to bed.
She was the sunniest, noisiest, most positive person he’d ever met.
She was also the only woman who hadn’t made a pass at him.
But the tension between them was mounting to almost unbearable levels.
He’d given her a room on the top floor of the house, well away from his, but that hadn’t stopped her prancing unselfconsciously into the kitchen at breakfast-time in a skimpy strap top and a pair of little shorts which she obviously wore to bed.
She seemed totally unaware of her body.
Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t similarly immune.
In fact, there were moments when Lara’s body seemed to be the only thing he could think about.
Gritting his teeth, Christian tried to concentrate on the blood results that he was holding in his hand.
‘You look distracted.’ As if to torture him still further, Lara appeared at his side, a smile on her face. ‘I just came to tell you that I’m leaving in five minutes. Jane says I can go a bit early so I’ll pick up a few things for dinner on my way home.’
Wondering why she had such a volcanic effect on his libido, Christian wrestled against the temptation to power her back against the door. He should kiss her. Kill or cure. Except that he knew that in his case that approach wouldn’t work. ‘You don’t have to cook dinner.’ As far as he was concerned, the less contact the better.
She could have a sandwich in her room. And lock her door.
‘I like cooking. Are those Mrs Neel’s blood results?’ Apparently oblivious to his struggle for control, she peered over his shoulder at the results. ‘Oh, dear, that haemoglobin is very low. Are you referring her?’
‘To the gastroenterologists.’ He put the results down on the trolley and looked at her. ‘Is everything working out all right for you? You seem to be spending your entire free time unpacking boxes at the moment. Perhaps this wasn’t such a great idea. Maybe you should just move back to your flat.’ Did he want her to move back to her flat? He no longer knew the answer to that question.
All he knew was that his body was simmering with frustration.
He was thinking things that he shouldn’t be thinking.
‘Why would I want to move back to my flat?’ Lara gave him a curious look. ‘But I do want to ask you about Chloe. She’s very quiet, isn’t she? She seems a bit…insecure.’
Christian tensed. If there was one thing guaranteed to dampen his libido it was the enormity of his responsibility towards his daughters. ‘Both of them are insecure, but they show it in different ways. Chloe is quiet. Aggie is clingy.’
‘Yes, I’d noticed that she never lets go of your hand.’
‘She’s stopped wetting the bed now and she’s sleeping again, so that’s progress.’ He paused for a moment, wondering why on earth he was revealing the intimate details of his family when he never talked about personal matters. ‘I think we’re doing all right. I worried about moving house but I think it was the right thing to do.
’
‘Poor things.’ Lara’s voice was soft. ‘It must have been very hard for them. For all of you.’
‘Chloe still worries me. She’s always been the serious, studious one but she’s been even more so since Fiona left.’
‘She worries about you.’
‘And I worry about her.’ He ran a hand over his face. ‘She’s growing up so fast. Too fast. There are probably all sorts of conversations that I’m supposed to be having with her, but I have no idea how to start any of them.’
Would he have felt more confident if he’d had sons?
‘I think you should just relax a bit and do and say what feels right at the time. She’s a very sensitive girl. If you’re tense, she’ll pick it up.’
‘How do you know so much about my daughter in such a short time?’
Lara smiled up at him. ‘I’ve been watching the interaction between you. She’s very intuitive and old enough to know that you have feelings, too.’
Christian frowned. ‘It’s her feelings I’m worried about. She doesn’t understand why her mother left and now she spends her time nurturing the rest of the family.’
Lara nodded. ‘She’s probably not telling you how she feels because she doesn’t want to worry you. She’s sort of put herself into the role of mother, hasn’t she? What she needs is to see you happy and enjoying your life. I suspect that, when that happens, she’ll relax and think about herself a bit more. You should be proud that you have a child who cares about other people so much.’
‘It makes her vulnerable. She cares too much.’
‘You can’t care too much, Christian,’ she said softly, ‘not within a family. Love is the glue that holds a family together. It’s love that turns flaws into endearing traits. Love is the oil that prevents friction.’
Deciding that love wasn’t a topic that he wanted to pursue with Lara, Christian swiftly changed the subject. ‘I promised Aggie I’d try and be home in time to read her a bedtime story but if I’m not…’
‘Then I’ll read it,’ Lara said cheerfully. ‘What would you like for supper? Any special requests?’
She made it sound cosy and intimate, and Christian inhaled sharply. ‘I’ll make myself something.’ He wasn’t at all sure that he wanted to put his self-control to the test by spending the evening lingering over a meal with Lara.
Lara tilted her head to one side and studied him. ‘Not very good at accepting help, are you, Dr Blake? If you’re going to argue with my every suggestion, this whole experience is going to be exhausting.’
Christian was about to answer when Jane hurried up to them ‘Thirty-year-old man with chest pains on his way in. Why is everyone having chest pains at the moment?’
‘It’s the stress of Christmas,’ Lara murmured, turning to walk towards the staffroom. ‘Peace on earth, chest pains to all men.’
Christian watched her go, his gaze sliding from her shiny blonde hair to the tempting curve of her hips.
Putting his daughters’ feelings before his own needs suddenly didn’t seem as easy as it had before she’d moved in.
* * *
Lara slipped the casserole into the oven next to the baked potatoes.
Aggie appeared at her shoulder. ‘I’m hungry.’
‘That’s because you didn’t eat your tea,’ Lara said mildly, closing the oven door securely and straightening up. ‘It’s still on the table if you want to finish it.’
Aggie eyed her plate. ‘I’m allergic to broccoli.’
‘What happens when you eat broccoli?’
‘My stomach sort of heaves.’
Lara hid a smile. ‘We’ll compromise. Eat half. And finish the nuggets.’
‘They tasted funny.’
‘They were home-made,’ Chloe said as she put down her knife and fork. ‘And they were delicious. Much better than the frozen muck the last two nannies have given us. Aggie, sit down and eat your broccoli. Don’t be difficult.’
Aggie pouted. ‘Mummy never cared if I ate broccoli.’
‘That’s because she was never here to see what you ate,’ Chloe said. ‘She was always working. Just eat, Aggie.’
Aggie opened her mouth to argue then closed it again and sat down at the table. ‘Just half, then.’She ate quickly, watching Lara all the while. ‘That thing in the oven smells nice. Is it for Daddy’s tea?’
‘If he wants it. I suppose he might eat at the hospital.’
‘I hope not because then he’ll be late and he promised to read me a story,’Aggie said, but Lara wasn’t listening to her. She was watching Chloe.
She’d seen the dark shadows flicker in the depths of her eyes at the mention of Christian eating at the hospital.
He was all they had.
It must be difficult for them when he worked late.
‘Was there something in particular you wanted to talk to him about?’ she asked gently, and Chloe gave a quick shake of her head.
‘No. Nothing. It doesn’t matter if he’s late. I know he’s busy.’
‘He has to read my story,’ Aggie announced again, and Chloe gave a bright smile as she poured herself some water.
‘Of course he’ll read your story if he can. You know he always does.’
Lara peeled a couple of satsumas and put them on a plate in the middle of the table. ‘Have you told him you’d like him to be home?’
Chloe dropped her eyes. ‘He doesn’t have any choice how late he stays at the hospital.’
‘The absolute worstest thing is when he works on Saturday,’ Aggie said glumly, ‘because then I miss my swimming.’
‘Oh, I have amazing plans for Saturday,’ Lara said cheerfully as she chopped up an apple. ‘We’re going to make our own Christmas decorations.’
Aggie stared. ‘We are?’
‘Definitely. But first we’re going to sort through the last of those boxes and finish unpacking. When we’ve done that, we’re going to go into the garden and cut some of that beautiful holly and decorate the house. And then we’re going to make our own decorations and then on Sunday perhaps we’ll buy the tree.’
Aggie carefully balanced her knife and fork over the remains of the broccoli. ‘Already? Last year Daddy forgot and we didn’t get one until Christmas Eve and there was only one in the shop and it had hardly any needles left.’
He forgot? Was that when his wife had walked out?
Seeing the drawn expression on Chloe’s face, Lara assumed that it must have been.
‘Well, this year your tree is going to have plenty of needles. If you’ve finished that, you can eat some fruit.’ Deciding to diplomatically ignore the broccoli, Lara cleared Aggie’s plate. ‘And then you can try on your new angel costume.’
‘You’ve made me an angel costume?’
‘Not exactly. I paid a quick trip to the shops,’ Lara confessed, reaching for the bag. ‘Try it on. Chloe? I picked up some paint cards when I was in the shops. I thought you might like to choose a colour for your bedroom. Have a look at them.’
Chloe stared at her. ‘My bedroom?’ She shook her head. ‘My bedroom is fine. It can wait.’
‘I have an idea, but if you hate it, you must tell me.’ Lara reached for Aggie’s crayons, which were strewn over the table, and started to colour in broad strokes. ‘Look at this. How about we paint three wide stripes around two of the walls? Different colours. Purple, orange and blue. Not bright ones. Pastel. Disgusting or amazing?’
Chloe looked at the sketch and then at the paint colours that Lara pushed in front of her. ‘A-amazing,’ she stammered. ‘But that would take ages and be really hard.’
‘No. It would just take patience, a sense of humour and lots of masking tape,’ Lara said blithely, turning to look at Aggie who had wriggled into the costume. ‘Now, that is what I call an angel costume! Do you like it?’
Aggie stared down at herself. ‘It’s way beyond awesome,’she breathed, and Lara grinned at Chloe.
‘Does that mean she likes it?’
Chloe laughed. ‘It means she lik
es it.’
CHAPTER SIX
CHRISTIAN opened the front door and then paused on the threshold, wondering for a moment whether he’d walked into the wrong house.
Lively Christmas music blared through the tall, elegant building, punctuated by the steady thumping of feet and shrieks of female laughter. The thumps and bangs were so loud that he glanced upwards, wondering how many more thumps it would take to bring the ceiling down.
Were they having a party?
Christian gave a faint smile. Whatever Lara was doing with his children, they were clearly enjoying it and that was all he cared about. If necessary, he’d pay someone to fix the ceiling.
He closed the door behind him, shutting out the bitterly cold December evening, and the delicious smell of garlic and herbs wafting from the kitchen made him realise how hungry he was. Suddenly he was glad that he hadn’t succeeded in stopping Lara from cooking,
He hung up his coat and then followed the sound of laughter. Pushing open the drawing-room door, he stopped in amazement.
Chloe, Aggie and Lara were all wearing toy antlers and gyrating furiously to a rock and roll song about Rudolph. Christian watched his children for a moment and then he looked at Lara.
And continued to look.
She was wearing a tartan miniskirt with a black jumper and thick black tights, and she moved her whole body in perfect time to the music, somehow managing to combine both grace and energy as she executed a deceptively simple dance that Chloe and Aggie were both trying to emulate. Her legs went on for ever and her blonde hair and blue eyes provided a splash of colour against the unrelieved black of her jumper. With the brown, furry antlers on her head, she looked young, uninhibited and—gorgeous?
Captivated by the sudden injection of life into his home, Christian could have watched her for ever but Aggie noticed him and gave a shriek.
‘Daddy’s home!’ She raced towards him and leapt, forcing Christian to catch her in mid-air. ‘We’re playing discos. Lara calls it the Rudolph Jive. She says it’s great for warming you up on a cold day.’
Lara stopped dancing and pushed strands of blonde hair away from her pink face. Her eyes sparkled with humour as she smiled at him. ‘Hi, there! I couldn’t find the controls to turn up your central heating. It was dance or freeze. This is a big house. I’m used to living in a tiny flat. If I just turn on the hairdryer, the place heats up so fast I have to open the window.’