Caroline Anderson, Anne Fraser, Kate Hardy, Margaret McDonagh

by Brides of Penhally Bay Vol. 04 (lit)

  ‘Maybe.’ Charlotte gave her a wry smile. ‘I really ought to be going.’

  ‘Come back and see the puppies.’

  ‘I will.’

  ‘And maybe bring your man with you. How he is with children and animals…that’s a good way to tell someone’s character.’

  ‘He’s brilliant with kids, actually—he charms them, but doesn’t talk down to them.’

  ‘Then I’d say half your battle’s won. Does he like animals?’

  Charlotte spread her hands. ‘I have no idea.’

  ‘There’s only one way to find out,’ Melinda said sagely.

  On Saturday evening, when the boys were still playing in the garden, Rob curled up with Kate on the sofa. ‘I was thinking,’ Rob said. ‘I’d like you to come and stay with us when you’re out of hospital. It means you can rest whenever you need to and not worry about Jem, because he’ll be with me and Matt, and I’ll be happier because I’ll know you’re not overdoing it.’

  Kate shivered. If only Nick had responded to her like this. If only Nick had been the kind of man she could lean on. She’d loved him for so many years, and yet he’d let her down time and time again. Whereas Rob was a man with a big heart, a man who cared about her and about Jem, in a way Nick never could.

  She knew she was lucky to have him. He was good for her, and she intended to be good for him, too. Unable to speak, she just held him tightly.

  Rob stroked her hair. ‘Of course you’re worried. You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t. But you know what the doctor said. I was with you. The chances are, they’ve caught it early enough.’

  ‘I know.’ She swallowed hard. ‘And it’s a hell of a choice to make, Rob. Lose my breast and know there wasn’t any tissue left for the cancer to get into, but also not be able to use my arm properly for months and months; or have the lumpectomy so it’ll be less of a problem, but I’ll need radiotherapy every day for five weeks, which is going to make me knackered.’

  ‘Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.’ He brushed a kiss against her mouth. ‘Whatever happens, Kate, I’ll be there for you. And, just for the record, if you do have a mastectomy, you won’t be any less of a woman to me.’

  The backs of Kate’s eyelids pricked with tears. It had been one of the things running through her head. How she’d feel less of a woman. How she wouldn’t be able to wear pretty, low-cut tops any more—and even after reconstructive surgery she’d be wary of anyone seeing her body again.

  ‘I love you, Kate Althorp. And you’ll always be beautiful to me,’ Rob said softly.

  Kate couldn’t speak for the tears clogging her throat.

  ‘And if you need radiotherapy, remember it’s the school holidays, so I’ve got time off. I can drive you to St Piran’s for the treatment, and the boys and I will have some serious competitions on their games consoles while w’re Ewaiting for you. And then you can rest when we get home, while I take them out to burn off some steam.’

  ‘Oh, Rob. I can’t ask you to do that much for me.’

  ‘You’re not asking,’ he said simply. ‘I’m offering.’

  An offer that Jem’s father hadn’t made. An offer that Jem’s father hadn’t even considered making. Total support.

  ‘I like Jem,’ Rob continued. ‘He’s a good kid, he’s a good friend to my Matthew, and Matt and I both like having him around.’

  A tear leaked out before she could blink it back. Rob wiped it away tenderly with the pad of his thumb. ‘You’re not alone, Kate. You’ve got Jem, you’ve got me and you’ve got Matt. And we’ll get through this.’

  ‘What if…?’ she whispered.

  ‘It won’t come to that,’ Rob said firmly. ‘But, if it does, Jem will always have a home with me. And I’ll tell him every day what a wonderful woman his mother is.’

  She swallowed hard. ‘I don’t deserve you.’

  ‘Yes, you do.’

  ‘And, Rob…it’s lovely of you to offer me somewhere to stay, but—I feel terrible saying this, when you’ve been so good to me. It’s just…I’d rather go back to my own home, have my own things around me.’

  ‘Of course you would. I wasn’t thinking.’ He smiled at her. ‘Then how about Matt and I come and stay with you? Same deal, just your place instead of mine.’

  Rob was prepared to move in with her? ‘The cottage only has two bedrooms.’

  He stroked her face. ‘Matt can use a sleeping bag and camp out in Jem’s room, or if the weather’s good they can have a tent in the back garden—they’ll love it. And I’m not going to push myself on you, love. I’ll sleep on the sofa or use a sleeping bag myself.’

  She rested against him. ‘Sorry, Rob, I’m making a fuss over nothing. Of course you don’t have to sleep on the sofa. My bed’s big enough.’

  ‘I know I’m being pushy, but I want to be there for you, Kate. Because I love you.’

  ‘I love you, too,’ Kate said, and hated herself for the insidious thought that she didn’t love him with the same grand passion she’d once had for Nick.

  But she was older now.

  Wiser.

  With Rob, she’d have a love that would last. The kind of love she’d never be able to have with Nick, because he just wasn’t capable of it.

  To say yes to him now would be the best thing she could do—for all of them. ‘Thank you, Rob.’

  ‘So that’s a yes?’

  She nodded. ‘That’s a yes.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ON MONDAY, Charlotte agreed to sit in on Ellis’s operation. And it was a real revelation to her: she was impressed by the way James worked—his organisation and the deftness of his hands. She couldn’t help thinking of those hands holding hers. Touching her. Coaxing a response from her. Turning her to flame.

  He would be gentle with her, she knew; he couldn’t do such intricate work if he wasn’t gentle. And the way he’d touched her, kissed her so far, he’d been gentle. He wouldn’t push her too far, too fast.

  She couldn’t resist teasing him a tiny bit afterwards. ‘So you dress like everyone else, then? I’m surprised you haven’t had some designer scrubs made.’

  ‘What, with pictures of Mars all over it, to match my ego?’ he shot back.

  She grinned. ‘Or should we make that Jupiter after all?’

  ‘Very funny.’ He frowned. ‘I’m not that flashy.’

  ‘Yes, you are. Do you possess any clothes that aren’t designer?’

  When he didn’t answer, she said, ‘QED. That proves my case, I think.’

  He sighed. ‘Look, it’s how I was brought up. With a mum who was a supermodel and a dad who owns an international leisure business, what do you expect?’

  She winced. ‘Sorry, James.’ And it was a genuine apology. ‘I really didn’t mean to stamp on a sore spot.’

  ‘It’s not that sore—but if you feel guilty, that’s good. You can always buy me a coffee to make up for it, after we’ve seen Judy and told her the good news.’

  ‘Black, no sugar, right?’

  James was pleased that she remembered. And even more pleased when, after they’d seen Judy, she suggested they make it lunch rather than coffee.

  ‘So how’s the cat—Pandora, yes?’

  ‘She’s fine.’ To James’s pleasure, Charlotte actually opened up to him. ‘Pandora used to belong to an old lady in the outskirts of Penhally. The neighbours were worried one day when they saw milk bottles on the doorstep and couldn’t get an answer from her. They thought she might have been taken ill, and they couldn’t get hold of her daughter to get the spare key, so they broke the door down. It terrified Pandora; when she ran outside, they chased her and shouted because they were scared that she’d run into the road and be hit by a car, but all the noise frightened her even more and she ran away.’

  ‘Poor cat,’ James said.

  ‘Eventually, she came back and the neighbours took her to Melinda, the vet in Penhally, knowing she’d find the cat a temporary home.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Melinda looked after Pandora herself,
as she thought it would only be couple of days until Mrs Parker came out of hospital. But sadly Mrs Parker died. I was on duty at the time and had to get in touch with her GP, Dragan Lovak. I didn’t realise it, but he was seeing Melinda and obviously he put her in the picture. It must’ve come up at practice meeting, too, because Nick knew I used to have a Burmese blue when I was little. He rang me and asked if I would take her on.’

  ‘And you did.’

  She nodded. ‘Pandora’s still a bit nervous of men, especially if they have a loud voice, but she’s settled in pretty well with me.’ She looked at him. ‘How about you? Did you ever have a cat?’

  ‘I’ve never really had that much to do with animals,’ he said. ‘I always wanted a dog when I was a kid, but because Mum was always jetting off on photo-shoots and Dad was busy with his hotel chain, I went to boarding school. I used to talk my housemaster into letting me walk his dog and pretended she was mine.’ He was surprised to find himself telling her things he’d never told anyone, even Sophia. But, then, there was something about Charlotte that made him feel it was safe to talk—that she wouldn’t laugh at him if he told her something important to him, and she wouldn’t tell anyone else either.

  ‘Every Christmas I used to write my letter to Santa and ask for a black puppy with a shiny nose called Dylan, who’d sleep on my bed and be my best friend,’ he said wistfully. ‘Of course, it never happened. But maybe one day. When I’m settled.’ And the way things were going, he was beginning to think that Jack Tremayne had made the right choice. This little corner of Cornwall was the perfect place to settle.

  At the end of lunch, he said softly, ‘Thank you.’

  Charlotte looked surprised. ‘What for?’

  ‘Giving me a chance.’

  ‘I enjoyed it, too,’ she said.

  ‘Maybe we can do this again some time.’

  ‘I’d like that.’

  He knew he was probably pushing it, but he asked anyway. ‘How about tomorrow?’

  She paused, as if weighing it up, and then she nodded. ‘Tomorrow.’

  ‘Great.’ He scanned the corridor quickly. Deserted. Perfect. He leaned forward, cupped her face with one hand and kissed her lightly. He half expected her to take a step back, and then she really surprised him, by resting her fingers against his cheek and kissing him back.

  A tiny kiss.

  Nothing that would warrant catcalls from a passing colleague.

  But it made James wanted to punch the air and yell in triumph.

  He didn’t, not wanting to lose the ground he’d already gained. Instead, he made a huge effort to sound calm and serene. ‘Tomorrow. I’ll look forward to it.’

  Kate opened her eyes, feeling as if she’d just gone ten rounds with a boxer. Dr Bower was sitting next to her, checking a chart. ‘Hello,’ she said with a smile. ‘Good to see you’re back with us.’

  ‘How did it go?’ Kate croaked.

  ‘I’ve done a wide excision. I’m pretty sure we’ve got it all and the radiotherapy will sort out anything that’s thinking about lurking. Obviously I’ll know more in a few days, but in the meantime try not to worry.’

  Kate lay back against the bed and closed her eyes. Her overwhelming thought was that she still had a long way to go, but she was on the right road now. She would be there to see Jem grow up. She could feel hot tears of relief leaking out. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

  ‘I’m going to stay here with you for a few more minutes until you’re properly awake, and then your family can see you. They’ve been waiting outside, looking pretty anxious. I’ll go and tell them you’re awake.’ Dr Bower smiled at her again. ‘And I’ll let you tell them the good news.’

  Over the next couple of days, Kate had plenty of visitors. Polly dropped in every day, and Rob brought Jem and Matt to see her.

  ‘Rob took us out on the bikes and to the beach—Mum, wait till you’re better and we’ll take you,’ Jem said excitedly.

  Kate summoned a smile despite her tiredness. ‘I’d like that, love.’

  ‘And you’ll be home in a couple of days. I can’t wait! Rob’s going to put up a tent in our back garden so me and Matt can camp out. He’s going to teach us how to make a proper camp fire and everything. It’s going to be so cool—just w’re Enot going to eat bugs like the celebrities do in the jungle, w’re Egoing to cook sausages and burgers,’ Jem informed her.

  Kate couldn’t help laughing.

  But then suddenly everyone went quiet and she looked up to see Nick at the foot of her bed, with a huge bunch of flowers.

  And there was a distinctly territorial glance between the two men.

  ‘Uncle Nick.’ Jem regarded him warily.

  ‘Hello, Jem.’ Nick gave him a tight smile, and nodded to the others. ‘Rob. Matthew.’

  Rob looked at Kate, clearly wanting to know if she’d prefer him to stay or go. She gave him the tiniest nod, to let him know that she was fine and she could deal with this.

  ‘Come on, guys. Let’s go and get a drink and give Kate a bit of a break,’ Rob said, standing up ready to shepherd the boys out of Kate’s cubicle.

  ‘No, it’s all right. I won’t stay long,’ Nick said. ‘I just brought you these from the practice, Kate.’

  Oh. So the flowers weren’t just from him, then. Kate’s breathing stilled for a moment. Surely Nick, knowing that Polly was visiting every day, would’ve sent them in with her to save himself the trip to St Piran?

  But it was stupid of her to think he’d do anything different.

  And he’d made no move towards Jem. Just that tight little smile. Unlike Rob, who’d given Jem plenty of hugs and was looking after the boy as if he were his own.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said.

  ‘How are you feeling?’

  How do you think I’m feeling? she wanted to yell. But she mustered up a smile. ‘I’m doing OK. Rob’s been brilliant.’

  That one definitely hit home. To the outside world, Nick Tremayne looked the way he always did. But Kate knew him well enough to be able to read his eyes. A flash of guilt, there, that he’d left someone else to do his job. Supporting Jem.

  ‘Good, good.’ Nick shuffled awkwardly. ‘Well, it was just a fleeting visit. I know you’ll be tired and I don’t want to…intrude.’

  Kate knew she ought to be nice. Tell him it was fine. But after the way he’d let Jem down—and her—repeatedly, she didn’t think he deserved to be let off the hook. ‘Thanks for coming in. Give my love to everyone at the practice.’ She refrained from adding that Polly had probably already done so.

  ‘When are you coming out?’

  ‘Tomorrow morning,’ she said.

  ‘I, um, might call in and see how you’re doing, then.’

  What did he expect? That she’d be overflowing with gratitude? ‘If you have time,’ she said. ‘I know how busy things are.’

  ‘Right. Well, look after yourself.’ He stood there, holding the flowers. ‘I’d better find a vase, or something.’

  ‘I’ll do that,’ Rob said quietly, and held out his hand.

  Kate noticed the look between them. And she also noticed that Nick was the first to look away, and simply gave the flowers to Rob.

  James and Charlotte grew closer over the next few days. To his pleasure, she actually had lunch with him twice more. They talked mainly about work, but at least she was spending time with him. And James knew he wouldn’t have traded a bacon roll and a mug of tea in the hospital canteen for the kind of fivecourse dinner and vintage Chateau Lafite in a Michelin-starred restaurant he’d shared with Sophia.

  If anyone asked her, he was pretty sure she’d deny that they were dating. And technically they weren’t: they were having a case conference during lunch.

  But—and it was a big but—she didn’t pull away when his foot rested against hers under the table, or when his fingers brushed against hers. Or when he kissed her goodbye in the corridor. Little by little, she was letting him closer.

  It was enough to give him the confidence to
try the next stage in his plan to show her that life could be fun.

  ‘What do you think of the tie?’ he asked in the middle of their next case conference.

  ‘A teddy bear with a stethoscope?’ She considered it. ‘You’ll have all the littlies smiling.’

  It wasn’t the littlies he wanted to make smile. It was her. ‘Good. Something else I wanted to try out…Oh, what’s that behind your ear, Dr Walker?’

  ‘My ear?’ She put her hand up to her head. ‘There isn’t anything.’

  ‘Yes, there is. Say the magic word.’ When she looked at him in puzzlement, he prompted, ‘Abraca…?’

  ‘Dabra,’ she finished, rolling her eyes.

  He grinned, held both palms up to prove his hands were empty, then reached behind her ear and produced a small gold box.

  ‘How did you do that?’ she asked.

  ‘Magic.’

  ‘Magic doesn’t exist.’

  Oh, yes, it did. ‘Sleight of hand,’ he said.

  ‘Do that to your patients, and they’ll adore you.’

  He wanted her to adore him. ‘Don’t you want to know what’s in the box?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Don’t tell fibs.’ He dabbed his finger on the tip of her nose. ‘You know what happened to Pinocchio.’

  ‘You’re saying I have a big nose?’

  ‘No.’ She had a beautiful nose. ‘C’mon, Charlotte, you know you’re itching to know what’s in the box.’

  ‘More like, you’re itching to tell me,’ she said dryly. But at least she was smiling. ‘All right. I’ll play. What’s in the box, James?’

  ‘Close your eyes.’

  She looked wary. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I asked you to. And you trust me, don’t you?’

  ‘Ye-es.’

  ‘Close your eyes,’ he said softly.

  She did.

  ‘Open your mouth.’

  She opened her eyes instead. ‘James, I’m not comfortable with this.’

  ‘Trust me.’ He looked intently at her. ‘If you’re worrying that I’m going to leap on you and kiss you, rest assured that I’m not.’