Cara looked at him from under her lashes, her lips curving in a little smile. ‘You may remember that you and I had a slight cooling-off period not so long ago…’
‘So you were trying to keep well away from me, is that it?’ Jake gave a low chuckle, and slipped his arm round Cara’s shoulders. ‘What a fool I was to let that happen,’ he murmured, then he tilted her head and brushed her lips with his.
‘Not here, Jake—not in front of the whole of Ballranoch!’ said Cara, suppressing a giggle.
‘Why not? I want the world to know I’ve managed to catch the most wonderful girl in the world!’
It was a heady feeling, thought Cara, looking up at Jake’s tall figure and his blue eyes gazing down at hers. She felt her heart was ready to burst with happiness, something she’d thought she’d never feel again. She could hardly believe that her future had changed so dramatically from a bleak outlook of being alone with Dan once more to one of excitement and planning a future for the three of them!
She gazed round the hall and felt her throat constrict as she saw two figures walking hand and hand in front of her—one old and stooped, one very small and chubby. At the end of last year, she reflected, her father hadn’t even known he had a grandson, and now they had forged a loving relationship. Gordon had taken on a new lease of life, and he and Dan made little expeditions all over the area to farms, toy museums—anywhere Gordon thought the little boy would enjoy. That could be why her father had made such a marvellous recovery from his bypass operation, Cara thought. He had somebody he treasured to live for.
They were turning back towards her, and Dan suddenly broke free from his grandfather and raced towards Cara and Jake.
‘Come and see Ursula!’ he cried, hugging Cara round her knees with his arms. ‘Grandpa says she’s going to be on television—she’s going to be famous!’
Jake bent down and swung the little boy up in his arms. ‘You show me where she is, then,’ he said affectionately, ruffling Dan’s hair. ‘We’ll go and look at her pictures before they interview her.’
‘It’s remarkable,’ said Gordon, as he strolled over with them. ‘I should think Ursula’s sold nearly all her paintings, and there’s some chap from Edinburgh here who’s trying to get her to agree to put on a major exhibition during the festival. I imagine the whole thing’s raised a tidy sum for the heart unit here as well.’
Dan pointed to the corner near the stage where Ursula was, and they trooped over. It was hard to believe, reflected Cara, that this vibrant, smiling woman was the same shy, rather brusque person she’d first met. She watched Ursula’s happy face, so engrossed and interested in explaining to the people milling round her paintings what she was trying to achieve and the particular technique she used. All her reticence and self-consciousness seemed to have vanished.
‘You know,’ whispered Jake, mirroring Cara’s thoughts, ‘it’s almost as if the old Ursula I used to know before she was attacked has come back. She has so much more confidence. She’s even mentioned having some of the cheek muscle in her face built back up—not really for the look of it so much but to make it more mobile and comfortable again.’
‘That’s a major breakthrough!’ said Cara delightedly.
Jake’s strong face suddenly relaxed into the rather rare happy smile that gave him such a boyish look at times. ‘And it’s all because of you, darling,’ he said, putting Dan down and taking hold of Cara’s hand and squeezing it. ‘Ursula hasn’t had time to dwell on her loneliness—she’s been too busy bossing Peter around, telling him where she wants her paintings!’
Dan ran up to Ursula and tugged her skirt. ‘When are you going to be on television, Ursula? Is it soon? If you hurry,’ he added in a conspiratorial whisper, ‘we can have lots to eat afterwards. It’s all in another room—and I’m very, very hungry!’
A little ripple of laughter went round the knot of people by the stage as they watched his earnest little face looking up at hers.
‘Ah, Dan!’ said Ursula, holding out her hand to him and bending down to his level. ‘My little helper! Shall I tell you something? I’m hungry as well. Perhaps I could get Jake to do the television bit for me, then we can all go and get down to the important thing of eating!’ She looked up at Jake pleadingly. ‘Please, Jake, I’m not ready yet for interviews—say a few words on my behalf!’
For a moment the old, shy expression returned to her face, and Jake smiled. ‘If that’s what you want me to do, sis, I will. You’ve come a long way in a short time!’
A tall man in glasses with a clipboard and nervous manner fluttered round them.
‘And you are the artist’s brother, I believe? Could you possibly come and speak for Miss Donahue? I can’t persuade her to go in front of the camera at all! I’ll just run over a few of the questions we’d like to put to you and then we’ll go on camera.’
Jake nodded and went off with the man, and Ursula turned to Cara, her blue eyes, so like Jake’s, holding Cara’s for a moment.
‘I…I wanted to have a word with you quietly,’ she said hesitantly. ‘I just wanted to say how grateful I am to you about…all this. It’s the first time for many years that I’ve felt enthusiastic about anything.’ She gave a nervous little laugh. ‘You’ve done a lot to help me live again—but mostly I think it’s been Dan that’s pulled me back into the land of the living!’
Her voice faltered as if she found it hard to express her feelings, and her eyes followed the little boy as he watched the television crew organising the recording.
‘You see,’ she went on, ‘he reminds me so much of Jake as a little boy! It’s as if I had Jake back again. He was just as outspoken as Dan is now—said just what he thought! I’d got used to people treading on glass where I was concerned—frightened of offending me I suppose. It’s refreshing to be spoken to like a normal human being!’
‘He seems very fond of you, too, Ursula,’ said Cara, feeling a rush of affection for this woman who had had to overcome so much in her life.
Ursula laughed, a happy natural sound. ‘Yes, I really think he is!’ She put a soft hand on Cara’s arm. ‘And that’s why I’m so delighted as well that you and Jake have got together. It will be wonderful to feel that perhaps I can share in part of Dan’s life as his auntie!’
Cara grinned. ‘Jake didn’t keep quiet about that for long,’ she commented wryly.
‘He didn’t have to tell me.’ Ursula smiled. ‘I didn’t need very great powers of perception to realise that my dear brother was head over heels in love. Once I’d tackled him, he couldn’t wait to tell me the whole story!’
There was a sudden shrill whistle, and from the stage the nervous-looking man with the clipboard flapped his hands at the assembled throng. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, quiet, please!’ he shouted in a reedy voice. ‘Our presenter, Lee Howard, is going to talk to Dr Jake Donahue about his sister’s exhibition and the heart unit. Try and keep sound to a minimum while we make the recording.’
Cara grabbed Dan and held him still, and they both gazed up at Jake, dwarfing the small presenter and looking, thought Cara with pride, impossibly handsome in his dark suit and crisp white shirt.
‘I believe your sister has been painting for many years, but this is her first exhibition?’
Jake nodded, and the monitor up on the wall showed him in close-up. ‘When she was told about Sir Gordon Mackenzie’s idea of helping the cardiac department, and the exhibition was suggested, she was persuaded to show some of her pictures. We hope and believe it’s raised a lot of money for diagnostic equipment.’ Jake looked over to Gordon who was standing at the side, watching the proceedings with a happy smile. ‘I think it would be a good idea to ask Sir Gordon to say a few words himself…’
Gordon looked mildly surprised, but allowed himself to be shepherded onto the stage. Dan jumped up and down in excitement, pointing to the monitor. ‘Grandpa’s on TV!’ he shouted, as Lee Howard moved in to speak to the old man.
‘This must be a very proud moment for you, sir, managi
ng to raise a lot of money for essential equipment at a hospital you’ve long been associated with. What are your thoughts?’
Gordon smiled. ‘I’m a very happy man today. You see, a lot of nice things have happened to me recently—and today seems to be a culmination of that happiness!’
‘And why is that?’ asked the presenter courteously.
Gordon smiled even more broadly. ‘Well, today I learned that my darling daughter, who came back to these parts after five years away, is to marry my partner in the practice, Jake Donahue! It’s a very comforting thought for me to know that she and my little grandson Dan will be living around here for many years to come, and that Ursula Donahue, whose brilliant work has made today such a success, will be part of my family.’
Cara stared up at him, blinking back sudden tears of happiness. How could she ever have worried about coming back to Ballranoch? It had been the best thing she could have done!
Gordon was speaking again. ‘I would very much like Cara, Dan and Ursula to join me with Jake on this platform because I believe they have all contributed in their way to this marvellous exhibition, and ultimately in helping to make St Cuthbert’s a centre of cardiac excellence in the Highlands.’
He put his hand out towards Cara and Ursula. ‘Come on,’ he urged. ‘I want you to be with me—please.’
Cara laughed. ‘What do you think, then, Dan and Ursula? Perhaps we’d better make his day!’
Together they went onto the stage and Gordon drew them to him, Cara and Jake on one side, Dan in front of him and Ursula on the other side.
‘And now, ladies and gentlemen,’ said Gordon. ‘Please, raise your glasses to a toast. To happiness at achieving our objective!’ He looked at Cara directly for a moment, and with a slight tremor in his voice murmured, ‘And to mending broken hearts again!’
A storm of clapping arose from the crowd assembled in the hall, and a shaft of sunlight from the large window suddenly bathed the group in a warm glow of light.
Jake looked down at Cara, his eyes dark with love and tenderness. ‘I’ll drink to that, sweetheart,’ he said huskily, ‘Every time!’
ISBN: 978-1-4603-5719-4
THE BACHELOR DOCTOR
First North American Publication 2002
Copyright © 2002 by Judy Campbell
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The Bachelor Doctor Page 16