Second Chance with Lord Branscombe

by Joanna Neil

  She gave a small broken laugh. ‘You make me sound like a robot!’

  ‘No! Never.’ He stood up and laid his arm around her shoulders. ‘It’s all right to admit that you worry sometimes. I’m here for you, Sophie. I need you to know that.’

  She reached up and touched his hand, and his fingers closed around hers. The warmth and gentle strength of that grasp encouraged her and somehow gave her a renewed burst of energy. With him around she could cope with anything. ‘Thanks. I’m glad you’re here.’

  ‘Me too.’ He released her and seemed to brace himself as though he was cautious about holding her for too long. Reading her thoughts, he said, ‘Just being near you drives me wild. You can’t imagine how difficult it is for me.’

  ‘It isn’t easy for me either...but, no matter what you say, I can’t help feeling I need to keep my guard up. I don’t want to fall for you, Nate. It’s way too risky for my peace of mind.’

  He looked at her, his dark eyes brooding. ‘We need to work on that.’ He started to walk away. ‘I’d better go and get the cot—it’s in the back of the Range Rover. There’s a nursing chair as well—it rocks gently, so Jessica will be comfy when she feeds the baby.’

  She went with him, following him out along the path to where he was parked at the front of the cottage. She didn’t know quite what she was expecting—perhaps a very old, serviceable child’s cot—but what she saw made her gasp with delight.

  ‘Oh, it’s lovely! I didn’t realise it would be a crib that swings from side to side.’ The white cradle had beautifully carved spindle sides and was supported on a sturdy white wooden frame. The rocking chair was a perfect match, white-painted with spindle legs.

  Nate carried them into the house and put them down in the guest room she had prepared. ‘There, the cot looks good next to the bed, doesn’t it?’ He studied it, looking pleased.

  ‘Oh, it’s just perfect. I never imagined you’d bring anything as lovely as this.’

  ‘It was mine, apparently. I remember my mother talking about rocking me in a cradle at the side of the bed. She said it sent me off to sleep every time.’

  ‘Thank you. I’m so grateful to you.’ Forgetting everything, without thinking, she turned towards him and hugged him tightly. He was there for her when she needed him without her even having to ask. That meant a lot to her.

  His arms closed around her, folding her to him in a warm embrace. ‘You’re very welcome. Any time.’

  She looked up at him, his handsome face just inches away from her own. She felt safe in his arms. He only had to bend his head a fraction more towards her and their lips would be touching. A surge of longing swept over her, filling her body with aching desire.

  His green eyes shimmered with answering passion and he slowly lowered his head. He breathed in raggedly. ‘Sophie,’ he said softly, ‘you need to think about what you’re doing, about what you want...because I’m just a man and I’m finding it really hard to resist you. I don’t want you to blame me afterwards for anything that might happen between us.’

  His gentle words brought her back swiftly to reality. What was she doing? She pulled in a shaky breath. ‘Ah... I wasn’t thinking. You’re right. I’m sorry.’ Her hands were trembling as she dragged herself away from him. ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I haven’t been able to think straight ever since you came back. It’s like I’m eighteen again, as though the intervening years count for nothing.’

  His hand lifted, his fingers tangling in the soft mass of her silky curls. ‘I wish we could go back too... I want to turn the clock back and start again, and this time no bad things would happen to tear us apart. If I could write my own story, I’d make it one where you and I could be together and nothing would come between us.’

  She gave him a tremulous smile. ‘That would be good, wouldn’t it? But this is real life, Nate. It never seems to go smoothly for either of us, does it?’

  He shook his head and slowly took a step back from her. ‘No, it doesn’t.’ He straightened and said quietly, ‘I should go and pick up your sister.’

  ‘Yes...thanks.’ She nodded, taking a moment to get herself together. ‘I’ll send her a message to let her know you’ll meet her instead of me.’

  After he’d gone, Sophie looked once more at the room she’d prepared for her sister and the baby. She would have to buy bedding for the cradle, and maybe a mobile to hang above it, and she would find some soft cushions for the chair. They could be her gift for the baby.

  It grew darker outside but there was no sign of Rob turning up and she busied herself with a few chores. At last the doorbell sounded and she opened the door to Jessica and Nate.

  She greeted them with relief. ‘Jessica, I’m so glad you’re here.’ She reached for her sister and put her arm around her. ‘Come and sit down in the living room and put your feet up for a bit. You look exhausted.’ Jessica’s complexion was pale against the soft gold of her fair hair. Sophie glanced at Nate, who was following them along the hallway, and mouthed silently, ‘Thank you.’

  He smiled. ‘I’ll put the kettle on, shall I? I expect Jessica could do with a cup of tea...and maybe one of those scones you mentioned. From what she tells me, she hasn’t been eating too well—too much heartburn lately.’

  ‘Oh, it happens, doesn’t it, when the baby gets bigger and presses on everything? It must be horrible.’ Sophie helped her sister into a cosy armchair and pulled up a footstool for her. ‘Perhaps you need to snack little and often. I have some of your favourite strawberry jam to go with those scones.’

  Jessica smiled, her pretty face lighting up. ‘Oh, it’s good to be here with you, Sophie. I’m feeling better already.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it. We’ll get you sorted out with a midwife and so on tomorrow. For now, you just need to rest.’

  Nate pulled up a small side table and set down a cup of tea beside her chair. ‘Why don’t you girls try to relax for a bit and enjoy being with one another? I’ll leave you to it. I’m sure you have a lot of catching up to do.’

  Sophie followed him along the hallway to the front door. ‘Thank you for everything.’

  ‘You’re welcome.’ He leaned forward and dropped a light kiss on her forehead before opening the door and walking swiftly down the path to his car. She watched him go, hoping that nothing would cause their new closeness to fall apart. It meant a lot to her that he was around.

  But how was she going to square that with her father’s feelings towards the Branscombes? He, of all people, had reason to be hostile towards them and he would worry in case she was hurt again.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  A SHARP RAPPING sound startled Sophie just a few minutes later. She finished stacking plates in the dishwasher and went to see who was knocking at the door.

  She hurried along the hallway. Jessica had gone to her room, exhausted, and she didn’t want her to be disturbed by the noise. She opened the front door.

  ‘Hey, Sophie.’ Seventeen-year-old Rob stood on the doorstep looking tired, sheepish and dishevelled, his fair hair spiky. ‘Can I stay with you for a bit—just till I clear out the box room at Dad’s house? I didn’t want to tell him I was coming over. I wanted to surprise him.’

  ‘Of course you can. Oh, come here—let me hug you.’ She wrapped her arms around him and held him close for a minute or two. ‘How did you get here?’

  ‘I thumbed a lift with a couple of lorry drivers. But the last one dropped me off a few miles from here and I had to walk the rest of the way. Then Nate Branscombe saw me and offered me a lift.’

  ‘Nate saw you?’ she echoed. ‘But he— Where is he?’ He wasn’t here with Rob and she couldn’t see beyond the tall hedge that obscured the road.

  Rob carefully extricated himself from her arms and tilted his head towards the front gate. ‘He’s cleaning the headlamps on the car—we went through a
bit of muddy water.’

  ‘Oh, I see.’ Gathering her thoughts, she ushered her brother into the house. ‘Go and make yourself a hot drink, Rob. There’s food in the kitchen. I’ll just go out and talk to Nate for a minute.’ She frowned, a sudden thought occurring to her. ‘Did you and he get on all right?’

  ‘Yeah, I guess. I wasn’t sure how to react to him but he told me you knew I wanted to be with Dad.’ He winced. ‘I know Mum doesn’t want us to have anything to do with him—she still cares about Dad even though they’re not together any more. She’s always saying how Nate’s father caused Dad to break his back, but I don’t think Nate had anything to do with that. He always seemed okay to me—a bit of an ‘us and them’ divide, sort of, but okay. But I suppose you never know. He comes from a different world to us and things are passed down in families, aren’t they? It’s all in the genes—character traits, some kinds of illnesses and so on?’

  ‘Sometimes. Go in and get warm. I’ll be back in a minute.’ She suspected Nate was cleaning the headlamps to give her and Rob some time to themselves but she wanted to thank him for finding her brother.

  She went out to greet him. ‘Hi there.’

  ‘Hi.’ Nate smiled in the darkness. A streetlamp lit up his features and she had to resist the impulse to put her arms around him and hold him close. She was so glad to see him, and so grateful that he’d taken the trouble to bring Rob home.

  ‘Thanks for bringing my brother back to me,’ she said. ‘I’m overwhelmed, the way things are turning out. You must be tired by now. It’s very late and we had a busy day at the hospital.’

  ‘Yes, it is, but I’m okay.’ He studied her, seeing that she was still dressed in jeans and a sweater. ‘You’re still up.’

  ‘Yes, I wanted to make sure that Jess was comfortable. Do you want to come in for a coffee or tea or something?’

  ‘Hmm...’ He seemed to be thinking about that and his mouth curved. ‘The “or something” sounds very tempting.’

  Her cheeks flushed with warm colour. ‘You know what I mean.’

  ‘Yes...’ He gave a soft, amused sigh. ‘Unfortunately, I do.’ He studied her, his eyes glinting, his gaze running over the tousled mass of her honey-blonde hair and the hot flare of her cheeks. ‘I think, in order to avoid temptation, I’d better pass on the offer of a drink tonight. And, as you say, it’s late.’ He braced himself and came back to the matter in hand. ‘Are you going to find space for Rob to bed down here?’

  ‘He’ll have to use the sofa.’

  ‘I thought so. I offered to find him a room at the Manor House but he very politely refused. He said he didn’t think it would be a good idea, given the way your parents feel about the Branscombes.’

  ‘I’m sorry about that.’ She pulled a face. ‘He’s probably right, though. If my dad found out, he would be very annoyed. I’d sooner not upset him right now or it could set his progress right back.’

  He nodded. ‘It’s okay. I see your point. Actually, I think Rob will do better staying with you—he seems a bit down at the moment and I get the feeling he needs family around him. Too much going on in his life, perhaps...worries about college.’

  She frowned. ‘I know he wasn’t enjoying the course he was on. I think he feels he chose the wrong subject. Or it may be something else altogether.’

  ‘I’m sure you and Jessica will manage to help him get through it.’ Nate smiled. ‘I’ll say goodnight, then, and leave you to go and look after your brother. I take it Jessica’s okay? I told Rob she was here with you.’

  ‘She’s fine, thank you...and she absolutely loves the cot and the chair. She was amazed when she walked into the guest room and saw them there. She wants to thank you personally for giving them to her but she asked me to tell you if I saw you in the meantime. I think she’s probably fast asleep right now.’

  ‘I’m glad she’s all right.’ He slid behind the wheel of the Range Rover and started the engine. ‘Shall I see you back at the hospital in the morning?’

  ‘Yes, I’ll be there. See you.’

  She watched him drive away and turned to go back into the house. She was pleased Rob was home, and even more glad to know that Nate had been the one to find him.

  What she had to do now was send her parents messages to say that Rob and Jessica were both safe and sound with her. With any luck, they would read them first thing in the morning so she wouldn’t have woken them.

  She went back into the house and found pillows and a duvet for Rob. Like Sophie, he was exhausted, and after he’d had a meal of a hot Cornish pasty and soup, along with a hot drink, she helped him to settle in the living room.

  ‘You can bed down on the sofa for now,’ she said. ‘It’s quite comfortable, so all being well, you should be able to get some rest. We’ll talk in the morning before I leave for work, and then maybe we’ll be able to have a proper chat later on. Nate said you were feeling a bit low.’

  Rob sat down on the sofa and pulled a face. ‘I’m always up and down lately. Sometimes life seems black and empty and yet other times I’m on top of the world. I don’t understand it.’ He sent her an anxious look. ‘Sometimes I worry that I might be bipolar, like Mum.’

  She knelt down beside him. ‘I don’t think you need worry about that, Rob. We would have noticed signs before this if you suffered from the illness she has. I think what you’re feeling is just part and parcel of being a teenager. Maybe we need to find a better way of supporting you.’

  He nodded absently, absorbing that. ‘I hope that’s all it is.’

  ‘Well, Jessica’s here, so you’ll be company for each other—and it will make me feel better knowing you’re here to keep an eye on her. You can let me know if she shows any sign of going into labour.’

  His brows shot up and he said in a faintly alarmed tone, ‘Is that likely to happen? She’s not due yet, is she?’

  ‘No...she still has a few days, possibly, but the baby seems quite big and there’s not a lot of room for him in the womb, according to her last session with the midwife. Things could start happening any time.’

  Rob looked worried and she laughed. ‘It’ll be fine, Rob. A first baby always takes a few hours, so there’ll be no need to panic. Just ring me if anything seems to be starting.’

  He nodded vigorously. ‘I will—definitely.’

  ‘Okay.’ She smiled. ‘Try to get some sleep.’

  * * *

  Despite having a disturbed night, Sophie was up early in the morning, preparing breakfast and getting ready for work. Rob appeared in the kitchen, bleary-eyed, as she was scrambling eggs at the hob, and he pulled out a chair by the table and sat down. ‘Dad rang, didn’t he?’ He yawned and stretched his limbs. ‘I heard him on the phone to you. You seemed to be trying to calm him down.’

  ‘He wasn’t happy because it was Nate who found you and brought Jessica here—he thinks I shouldn’t have anything to do with him outside of work. I tried to explain but he wasn’t really listening to anything I had to say.’ She made a wry face. ‘I suppose I’ll still be in his bad books when I go round there to help out with Charlie. It’ll give him another chance to have a go... But there was one good thing—he’s really pleased that you’re safe and sound.’

  Rob gave a quick smile at that. Sophie guessed he missed living with his father. He went to see him as often as possible but that wasn’t the same. ‘I can give Dad a hand this morning if you want,’ he offered. ‘I know you normally have breakfast with him. It’ll give me a chance to talk to him and I can take Charlie out for a walk, if you like.’

  ‘Oh, that would be great, thanks. It will give me time to phone the midwife and sort things out before work. I’ll let him know you’re coming.’ She was pleased he wanted to do that. It would do him good to talk to his father.

  ‘Did I hear you say you were going to take Charlie for a walk? How about I come wit
h you?’ Jessica came into the kitchen, blonde hair gleaming, her expression showing her delight at being with her family.

  ‘Yeah, why not?’ Rob smiled a greeting and they all sat round the table, tucking into toast and perfectly cooked eggs. They talked about things that had been going on in their lives, but most of all it seemed that Rob and Jessica were relieved to be back home in the village where they were born.

  ‘I’ve set up an appointment for you with the local midwife for tomorrow morning,’ Sophie told her sister as she was getting ready to leave for work a short time later. ‘She lives in the village, so she knows our family well. She’s going to arrange things with the maternity unit at the hospital.’

  ‘Thanks, Sophie.’ Jessica patted her abdomen. ‘I wish baby would hurry up—it can’t be much longer, surely?’

  Rob’s eyes widened in momentary panic. ‘Just don’t have him yet, okay? Just leave it till the weekend when Sophie’s around...yeah?’

  ‘Of course, bro—whatever you say!’ Jessica laughed and ruffled his hair. Smiling, Sophie said goodbye and left for the hospital.

  She did the rounds of the Neonatal Unit and then went on to see patients who’d been admitted to the Children’s Unit. Josh’s condition was less critical now as his head injury healed, and Sophie and Nate had decided it was time to gradually reduce his level of sedation. They had to wait and see what the outcome might be as he slowly recovered consciousness, but Nate had said he wanted to check on him later today when they brought the boy fully out of his induced coma.

  She and Nate had both been busy all day and hadn’t had time to stop and talk, but she met up with him by the nurses’ station late in the afternoon. He was holding out a newspaper.

  ‘Have you seen this in the daily paper?’ He looked harassed and on edge, not at all his usual calm self.

  ‘What is it?’ She took the paper from him and scanned the article he’d been reading.