How long did he plan on staying and how on earth was she going to keep him at arm’s length when all she wanted to do was bury her head against his chest? She was tired and she was scared and she hadn’t been able to keep her family safe without him.
Then the next problem would be when he did leave. She was frightened by how much she was going to miss him now that she’d admitted she’d fallen in love with him. And seeing him every day and at work and here in the evenings for the last week. Despite their concern over Bella he’d always seemed to organise that hour before he went home with just the two of them in her study, and that hour had been an oasis in an emotionally turbulent time.
She’d seen the effort he’d made to adapt to being part of their household. The way he’d even managed to stay in Sophie’s good graces, which was no mean feat for a man. He’d been kind to the girls and excellent with the babies. She sighed. Maybe his time with them would stand him in good stead one day but it was going to break her heart when he left.
CHAPTER NINE
ROHAN pulled the blankets and pillow from the chest and threw them on the lounge. He’d left the door to the hallway open so he could hear any suspicious noises. It was quiet and he stood for a moment and looked at the short bed and the curved end. It was a great lounge for snuggling up to Abbey but would be hopeless to sleep on. He dragged the blankets onto the floor. He just hoped Clive hadn’t left any fleas behind.
The floor was hard but he had more on his mind than comfort. He could still see the disappointment on Abbey’s face when she’d asked why he was staying and wished he could have given Abbey what she’d hoped to hear. But he didn’t have it in him. As soon as he could guarantee she was safe, he would leave. He wasn’t good enough for her and never would be, and he was doing neither of them any good by prolonging the agony.
With Scott home to take back his workload, he himself would have more time to work on finding out who was stalking Abbey’s family. The danger to Abbey was too close for comfort. Rohan hated to admit it but Abbey might have been right in not waiting for the police. He lay awake for a long time.
* * *
When Abbey finished her shift the next day, she decided to walk home. The police had come to the hospital and questioned her about the injury to Aunt Sophie and the damage to her car. They’d matched Trevor’s footprints and had remanded him in custody, so she felt safe to step out for the exercise. She didn’t notice the van parked across the road or the man who watched her from behind his newspaper.
Rohan had suggested he’d run her home when she rang him but Abbey knew he was busy and she needed the exertion to clear her head. At least she’d slept last night, something she hadn’t thought achievable with Rohan under her roof.
Aunt Sophie had ended up with a purple eye, a red cheek and a huge black bruise on her bottom, and Abbey felt horribly responsible. If she’d let Rohan stay the first time he’d offered, maybe none of that would have happened.
If anything good had come out of last night’s attack, it was that Bella had turned the corner for the better. She’d spoken to Abbey that morning about her plans to get over the experience and they’d shared a weepy ten minutes before Abbey had gone to work.
Bella had decided it was her responsibility to look after her aunt. With surprising meekness, Sophie had accepted her younger niece’s ministrations and Abbey wasn’t sure if Sophie was sore and sorry or just smart enough to keep Bella busy. Either way, it was another worry off Abbey’s mind to see glimpses of her sister’s previous calm spirits returning.
Abbey walked down into the town, past the medical centre where Rohan was, and she resisted the impulse to drop in and see what he was doing. Then she passed the spot where she’d first met Kayla. Such a lot had happened in the last two weeks and she knew she’d changed. That change was because of Rohan and she’d have to get used to her new self when he’d gone, but she’d never regret meeting him. How could she?
She’d lived through the last ten years not believing that somewhere there was a man who could make her heart beat faster, her cheeks flush and make the whole world brighter and fresher just because he was in it. Someone who could make her see that she was all woman so she could hold up her head and be proud of her femininity.
She couldn’t regret that new knowledge and would always be grateful to Rohan for restoring her faith in men. The heartbreaking thing was that she didn’t have the power to give him faith in himself, to show him how much he had to offer and heal him the way he’d healed her.
But maybe that was defeatist. He cared enough to stay on after his time to make sure she and her family were safe. Maybe he was changing, too. He’d said he wasn’t cut out for commitment and family but maybe he was more frightened of failing than of the concept. It was a new thought and one that gave her more hope than she’d had before.
As she climbed the hill to her house, she realised that if she didn’t have the power to heal Rohan then at least she should try. Because she loved him—she did have a gift to offer. All she had to do was convince him to take it. Maybe, by some miracle, it would help him see how much she thought he was worthy of her love. Maybe she could convince him that she was right for him.
When she unlocked the front door, all was quiet. Abbey poked her head around Aunt Sophie’s door but her aunt was asleep in the lounge chair and the TV was off.
She crept up the stairs and no sounds came from the girls’ rooms except for the faint drone of a radio.
Bella was asleep, too, and Abbey smiled at the opportunity to have a little more time to herself. Which made her think for a minute—she really couldn’t remember when she’d last worried how much personal time she’d had. She had changed.
Her mobile phone rang as she sat on the bed, and she answered it before anyone else could hear it.
‘Abbey?’ It was Rohan, and she dropped her bag with a little thud.
The relief in his voice was easy to hear. ‘Is everything all right?’
She kicked off her shoes. ‘Of course it is. I’ve just walked in. Everyone is asleep here and I’ve even got time to myself. In fact, I was about to ring you.’
Rohan’s voice was dry. ‘To tell me that you walked home when I asked you to ring me?’
Abbey pulled the band from her hair and massaged her head one-handed. She couldn’t help the smile in her voice. ‘No, actually. I was going to ring you to ask you to bring me something home when you come.’
‘I should be there about six. We’re backed up a bit here. What would you like me to bring?’
Abbey lay back on the bed and her smile broadened. She needed to keep him off balance. ‘Champagne and strawberries.’ There was silence on the other end of the phone and she tried to picture the expression on his face.
She didn’t expect his answer. ‘I have the front door key. I may be home earlier than I thought.’ Then he hung up.
Abbey put her hand on her stomach because suddenly it was churning with nerves. She rolled over and put her hand to her mouth and wondered if she’d started something she would regret. But her smile was still there and she pushed herself off the bed and grabbed some fresh underwear. A shower suddenly seemed a good idea and she had no idea how much time she had.
Less than ten minutes later Rohan knocked quietly on Abbey’s bedroom door. When she didn’t answer, he pushed it open and peered into the room. He could hear her in the adjoining bathroom. She had a terrible singing voice that made him grin with delight.
He couldn’t stay, but for the moment he placed the unopened champagne and strawberries on her dressing-table and settled himself in the chair to wait.
He had no idea what had come over her but, more than anything, he desperately needed to see her happy. And she’d sounded that way on the phone—so much so that he’d invented a house call and promised to return to work in half an hour. He just hoped she didn’t take too long in the shower because he was going crazy, imagining her routine.
The door opened and Abbey stepped out in a cloud of ste
am. Her voluptuous breasts were only just contained in an apricot underwired bra and the high-cut matching bikini briefs made her glorious legs stretch for ever. He couldn’t think of anything more beautiful to leave work for. But she was going to kill him. He cupped his hands over his eyes to semi-block the vision and coughed.
She shrieked and dashed back into the bathroom and he bit his lip to stop from laughing out loud. Time to leave while the going was good.
‘I just dropped in your order, madam, but I have to go back to work now. See you at six.’
When the door shut behind him, Abbey slunk out. That hadn’t gone quite to plan. Round one to Rohan. So much for keeping him off balance, but she wasn’t giving up.
The house returned to normal not much later. She could hear Sophia Abigail roar with displeasure at the tardiness of her next meal and the sound of Aunt Sophie’s next race drifted up the stairs. She sighed and then smiled. Life was pretty good, really. Rohan would be back at six.
Bella even smiled as Abbey passed her on the way to the kitchen. ‘Aunt Sophie says she feels much improved this afternoon,’ Bella said. Abbey bit her lip. Obviously Sophie had taken as much tender loving care from Bella as she could handle.
‘Thank you, Bella. How are you?’
Her younger sister grimaced and then shook her head. ‘I’m OK, Abbey. I look at Vivie and I know I couldn’t be that strong. So I’ll learn from the experience. But I’ll be glad when they catch him.’
Abbey hugged her sister and blinked the tears from her eyes before Bella could see them. ‘Me, too. The sooner the better. I should start dinner because Rohan will be here in an hour or so.’
‘You like him, don’t you?’ Bella was thinking about someone other than herself and Abbey knew she was on the mend.
‘Too much. But that’s OK. I’d rather feel it than be numb.’ Afraid she’d given too much away, Abbey hurried off to the kitchen before her sister could say anything.
Dinner turned out to be almost as much fun as the night before Bella’s tragic arrival. They all laughed and there was a special shine to Abbey and Rohan that rubbed off on the rest of the party.
When they left to go to the study, Sophie winked at Vivie and Kayla, and Bella huddled in to catch up on the gossip she’d been missing out on.
Oblivious, Rohan and Abbey carried the champagne and strawberries into the study and shut the door. Even Clive was left on the outside and the pop of the champagne cork made those in the kitchen smile.
‘So, why did you feel like champagne?’
Abbey shrugged over the top of her glass and Rohan resisted the urge to kiss the answer out of her because he really didn’t think he’d be able to stop at a kiss.
He tried again. ‘What happened today to turn you into a party animal?’
Her lips twitched and then she gave him the full Abbey Wilson smile and he felt the breath catch in his chest. He almost missed her answer he was that blown away.
‘You said that when the man comes along, the one who can promise me the stars, I should be ready for him.’
She sidled across the lounge until her hip was firmly and warmly up against his and then she threw one long brown limb over his in an embrace he’d fantasised about. His mouth froze on the rim of the glass and when he could breathe again he sucked in a breath and accidentally inhaled his wine. To his disgust, Rohan spent the next five minutes fighting for air.
When he’d recovered from the aspiration of champagne Abbey had lost momentum and he could tell she was mortified. He’d been like a clumsy teenager. She’d slid back away from him and her hands were clenched in her lap.
‘I’m not very good at this,’ she said, and he shook his head ruefully. He hated the thought that she was embarrassed by trying to seduce him.
‘Abbey Wilson, you have no idea just how good you are at it. Don’t you dare apologise for one of two memories I will take to my deathbed.’ He grinned at her and pushed himself up against where she huddled at the end of the chaise longue until they were sitting hip to hip again and her warmth seeped into him.
‘The other memory I have is in Technicolor. Glorious apricot. I am never going to forget the vision in the bathroom mist.’ He slid his arm around her and gathered her close. ‘Your offer is so typically generous, Abbey. Thank you, but I don’t deserve it and I won’t take advantage of you.’ But he had to kiss her. She kissed him back and all the love and gratitude and sorrow and heartache of loving for the time they’d had together and the time that he’d just refused was in that kiss.
When they drew apart, Abbey wiped the tears from her eyes because, in effect, he’d said, no, thank you and goodbye.
‘I’d better go to bed, then.’
He stood up and reached down to help her. ‘I think so.’
* * *
Rohan lay awake for a long time after Abbey went upstairs. The others in the kitchen had trooped off a short while later and the house was silent. His bed was more comfortable tonight because Abbey had arranged for a single mattress to be made up for him on the floor, but he knew he wouldn’t sleep.
He’d never met anyone like Abbey and he couldn’t believe he’d knocked back her offer. If he wasn’t so sure that one day she’d regret tying herself to him, he’d be tempted to pretend that he was good enough for her.
Clive barked once outside and it gave him a good excuse to get up and walk around. He found the torch that Abbey had left for him and unlocked the front door. It was a mild night and a few stars were up. The moon was new and cast little light to compete with the darkness.
There was a van he didn’t recognise across the road, and he expected Clive to come and see what he was doing but the dog was nowhere to be seen. Probably still not talking to me, Rohan thought. Clive had lost his spot in Abbey’s study.
Rohan shone the torch around the yard and towards the garage but it all seemed peaceful. He peered around the side of the house just as a strange noise from one of the spikier bushes drew his attention. He crept closer and his hand tightened on his torch and he berated himself for not bringing at least a poker.
His torchlight swept the grass and then Rohan noticed a lighter patch of grey and caramel fur and a trickle of red. Clive.
At first, he thought the dog was dead, but the strange noise had come from Clive as he’d opened his eyes and tried unsuccessfully to rise. Blood dripped from a cut above his eye and the way he wobbled as he attempted to stand made Rohan think of a head injury. ‘OK, mate. We need to get back to Abbey.’
Rohan gathered up the dog in his arms and sprinted for the house. Cold fingers of dread raised the hairs on the back of his neck in case whoever had bludgeoned Clive had made for the front door he’d foolishly left unlocked.
* * *
The man climbed the stairs swiftly and headed straight for Abbey’s room. His teeth glinted in the darkness.
The handle turned slowly under his fingers but the door swung open before he’d completed a full turn and he pushed it wider to slip into the room. A glow from the direction of the bathroom illuminated the empty bed and made him smile, and he stepped across to wait against the wall. He stood there for several moments but it was very quiet and he frowned before he pushed open the door. The bathroom was empty and he spun around to search the rest of Abbey’s room. She was gone.
Abbey was outside and hadn’t even thrown her dressing-gown over her short pyjamas. Clive’s one bark had sent her down to find Rohan’s bed empty and she’d gone into the kitchen to locate another torch before she’d headed out the front door.
As she made it to the bottom step, Rohan sprinted towards her from the side of the house with a dark bundle in his arms. He pulled up in a spray of gravel, bumped her arm and hustled her up the steps.
‘Ring the police. Someone’s hit Clive and they’re either around here somewhere…’ he glanced past Abbey and then met her eyes ‘…or already in the house.’
Abbey twisted her head as she hurried up the stairs. ‘Is Clive all right?’
�
�You can check him in a minute. Move.’
They came through the door and skidded to a stop. A man was standing at the bottom of the stairs with a small handgun pointing right at Abbey’s chest.
Nausea rose in her throat from revulsion. She should have thought of her ex-fiancé earlier. No wonder he’d seemed familiar. Perhaps, because of the memories, it wasn’t so strange that Abbey’s brain had hesitated to recognise him. ‘Clayton Harrows. It was you at the hotel!’
Clayton leaned against the bottom banister rail and the smug look on his face made Abbey seethe with frustration. ‘You didn’t know it was me at the pub, did you?’ he sneered. ‘I’ve waited a long time to pay you back for sending me away, and tonight’s my night.’
Beside her, Rohan moved slowly to lay Clive on the floor, but Clayton’s gun swung over to point at Rohan.
‘Keep him up there and don’t move. Must be pretty heavy, that dog. Shame you’re stuck with him. Can’t really throw Abbey’s precious dog at me, can you?’ He grinned evilly.
Abbey felt the fear rise—fear for Rohan, fear for Clive who was lying limply in Rohan’s arms and fear for anyone else in the house who might come out to see what was happening. Funnily enough, she didn’t have any fear for herself. She was too angry. Livid. That Clayton had abused her sister was so monstrous she had trouble thinking of anything else. The man was evilly insane.
She glared at him. ‘You’ve already done enough damage. Leave before you do something that will have you rot in gaol for the rest of your life.’
‘Grown up a bit, haven’t you, young Abbey? So’s your sister. Both not bad-looking women.’ He smiled again at Abbey’s obvious disgust. ‘Can’t leave now that you’ve seen who I am. Wouldn’t be sensible.’ He gestured with the gun towards the door. ‘Let’s go outside and talk about this.’ He chuckled at Rohan’s predicament with the heavy dog in his arms. ‘Bring your friend.’
Outside was further away from her family and that was a bonus for Abbey. The last thing they needed was a hostage situation inside the house with her whole family. But outside would be more dangerous for herself and Rohan unless they managed to get away.
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