by Sarah Morgan
Zach had made it clear that he didn't want her near Phoebe so she'd been avoiding the little girl as much as possible, but if Barbara needed to leave to get home to her own family then surely Zach wouldn't mind if she helped out?
She opened the front door and stopped dead as she saw a stunning blonde woman standing in the hallway.
'Hello?' Keely frowned in confusion and closed the front door behind her. 'I don't think we've met...'
'No.' The woman held out her hand and gave a formal smile. 'I'm Maggie Hillyard. The new nanny.'
The new nanny?
Zach had employed a new nanny?
The man certainly didn't hang around.
'Are you... ?' Keely cleared her throat and started again. 'Will you be living in?'
'Oh, yes.' Maggie nodded. 'Zach was quite insistent. He's given me the room at the back until you move out. When you've gone I'll have your room because the view's better. I gather you're looking for somewhere at the moment.'
Keely's lips were so stiff she could barely form the words to reply. 'That's right. So when did you get the job?'
When exactly had Zach decided to employ a new nanny? And what had happened to dear Barbara?
'Mr Jordan interviewed me a few days ago,' the nanny said crisply. 'The poor man was obviously desperate for me to start as soon as possible. He told me that you had to leave in a hurry and that he was looking for a replacement.'
Keely tried not to mind that the description made her sound like an employee. She wasn't an employee. She hadn't cared for Phoebe because it had been part of a job description. Or because she'd been paid. She'd cared for Phoebe because she loved her. With all her heart and soul.
'You're right.' She smiled at the other woman, although the smile felt so unnatural that she thought her skin might crack. 'I do have to leave.'
The hope—the little that she'd managed to hold onto— had drained out of her as the new nanny spoke, and she knew she did have to leave. She no longer had a choice. If Zach was prepared to go to these lengths to keep her away from his daughter then it was time she faced facts. And the facts were that Zach Jordan had been so badly hurt that nothing could heal the wounds inside him—no amount of love or devotion would solve his problems. He was never going to change his mind and ask her to stay.
'In fact, I was leaving tonight.' Her decision made, she gave the woman another false smile and took the stairs two at a time, walking briskly to her bedroom, careful not to look in on Phoebe who was asleep. She was going to miss the little girl as much as she'd miss Zach.
In her room, she grabbed her clothes out of the wardrobe and stuffed them untidily into a suitcase, biting back the sobs that threatened to choke her. Not now. She couldn't break down now. Zach could be home at any minute and she just couldn't face him. She really couldn't.
Once the suitcase was full she delved into her bag for her mobile phone and called Nicky to check that her offer of accommodation still stood. Then she walked quickly downstairs and wished the nanny every happiness in her new job.
How long would it take the new nanny to fall for Zach? She walked briskly to her car and unlocked it. How long before Zach had to let her go as he had all the other nannies?
Keely slammed the car door shut and turned the key in the ignition with shaking fingers;. Damn the man! Damn the man for making her love him, and for having such a lovely daughter.
Hot tears started to burn her eyes and she angrily dashed them away and reversed the car out of the drive. She held the tears back and drove until she was safely out of sight of Zach's house before pulling into a lay-by and sobbing until she thought her heart would break.
She awoke in Nicky's spare bedroom cuddled under a warm, snug duvet covered in tiny flowers.
Her head throbbed and her eyes felt gritty from crying and lack of sleep.
There was a tap on the door and she struggled into a sitting position as the door opened and Nicky popped her head round the door.
'Are you decent? I've made you a cup of tea. It's six o'clock. You need to get a move on if you're going to work.'
Was she going to work? Going to work meant meeting Zach...
'I don't think I can face him, Nicky,' she croaked, and the other girl sighed and walked into the room.
'Yes, you can,' she said firmly. 'You could have a day in bed, but what good would that do? You'd just cry your eyes out all day and that won't make you feel any better.'
It would feel better than bumping into Zach every other minute.
'I'm going to make a fool of myself—'
'No.' Nicky's voice was quiet. 'It's not you that's the fool in all this, Keely. It's Zach. If he's letting a girl like you go then, believe me, he's the fool. You're the best thing that's ever happened to him and the best thing that's happened to Phoebe, but he's too pig-headed to see it.'
'He's just been very badly hurt,' Keely whispered, reaching for her tea and taking a mouthful. 'And there's nothing I can do about that. I don't think he'll ever get over his wife. And how can I begin to compete with someone who isn't even around any more?'
'Don't think about that now. Have a shower,' Nicky advised. 'A long, hot shower. Wash your face and put some make-up on.'
'Oh, no!' Keely clapped her hand over her mouth in dismay. 'My make-up!! I forgot to clear my things out of his bathroom. I was in such a state when I saw the nanny that I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. How am I going to cover the blotches on my face?'
'With some of mine.' Nicky picked up the empty mug and walked towards the door. 'My make-up box is on the bathroom shelf. Help yourself to anything you fancy. And there's a new toothbrush in the cupboard above the bath.'
Keely gave her a grateful look. 'What can I say?'
'Say that you're going to go to work.' Nicky's chin lifted slightly. 'And say that you're going to tell Zach how you feel about him.'
'No way.' Keely shook her head. 'I'm not throwing myself at him again. It's time I learned to take no for an answer.'
By the time she arrived at work she was relatively confident that she'd successfully removed all traces of her distress. She certainly looked pale and tired but, then, so did half of the doctors who worked in A and E. It was a stressful environment.
For the first few hours of the day she only saw Zach from a distance and then, just when she was beginning to relax, she walked into him in the corridor. Literally.
'Careful.' His strong hands gripped her shoulders and steadied her, and she stepped back as if she'd been burned.
'I'm sorry.' Dear God, she needed to get away from him. Fast.
Without saying anything further, she turned on her heel but he was too quick for her, his long fingers biting into her arm and holding her still.
'Wait a minute.' His voice was quiet and he was frowning slightly. 'Maggie tells me that you moved out last night. I didn't think you'd found anywhere yet. You didn't mention that you were leaving. Where did you go, Keely?'
'It really doesn't matter.' She'd rather keep it to herself for now. 'I'm fine, Zach.'
'Keely...'
He looked tortured and suddenly she realised that it didn't matter how she felt. She just wanted him to be all right. She didn't want to cause him more pain. The man had had enough of that to last him a lifetime. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't love her the way he'd loved his wife.
'Really, truly I'm fine.' On impulse she stood on tiptoe and gave him a kiss on the cheek. 'You take care of yourself and Phoebe. Now, I've got to dash.' She lifted her chin and gave him a bright smile. 'I promised to help Nicky.'
Without waiting for his reply, she turned on her heel, hurrying down the corridor and back into the department before he could stop her.
CHAPTER TEN
Somehow Keely stumbled through the next two weeks, working on autopilot and keeping her emotions firmly in check. By a stroke of luck Sean scheduled her to work nights, so the only contact she had with Zach was the occasional glimpse of his broad shoulders in the distance.
/> And then suddenly she was back on days again and avoiding him became harder.
'Zach was looking for you earlier—did he find you?' Nicky caught Keely in the corridor as she walked towards the common room late one morning.
'No. Thank goodness.' Keely pulled a face. 'I really can't face any more conversations with him at the moment.'
'Well, in that case come up to the canteen with me for something revolting to eat,' Nicky joked, obviously trying to cheer her up. 'It's just about lunchtime and we're not usually this quiet so we should make the most of it while we can.'
Keely pulled a face. The mere thought of food made her stomach churn. She hadn't eaten properly for days and a seed of worry was starting to grow at the back of her mind.
'No, thanks.' She certainly wasn't going to voice her suspicion to Nicky. 'Sean's given me permission to take a long lunch-break and I'm going to Zach's to pick up the things I left in his bathroom. He's working late tonight so I know there's no chance of running into him. I want to get it over with. I need a clear head for my interview so the sooner I'm out of his life the better.'
'OK.' Nicky gave her a worried smile. 'Well, for goodness' sake, be careful on the roads. They're icy.'
Despite the warning, Keely wasn't careful.
She drove too fast, as if her sudden burst of speed might help her outrun her problems.
She was only yards from Zach's house when she saw the smoke.
'Oh, my God, no!'
She slammed on her brakes and left the car at a run, sprinting the last few yards to Zach's house, her problems forgotten.
Zach's house was on fire!
Flames licked out of the upper windows and smoke billowed in huge clouds into the cold blue sky. A crowd of people had gathered at the end of Zach's path and Keely elbowed her way through, her heart lifting with relief when she saw Barbara standing at the end of the garden.
'Barbara—thank goodness you're safe. Were you inside?'
Barbara shook her head, her face pale with shock and anxiety. 'No. The new nanny was in charge.'
The new nanny?
Keely looked round frantically. Where was she?
'Barbara, have you seen her? The nanny? And where's Phoebe?'
Her heart was pounding and she felt the panic rise and threaten to swamp her.
Where was Zach's daughter?
'They're over there, under the tree.'
Keely glanced across and saw the nanny in conversation with a woman from the village. There was no sign of Phoebe.
Scanning the front garden frantically, Keely tried to stay calm. The child was bound to be here somewhere...
.'The fire brigade are on their way,' Barbara told her. 'With any luck they'll be able to save Zach's house.'
But Keely wasn't thinking about Zach's house. She was thinking of Zach's daughter.
Where was Phoebe?
Her heart in her mouth, she sprinted over to the nanny, stumbling on the hard, frozen earth. It was so cold that everyone's breath was clouding the wintry air. 'Where's Phoebe?'
The nanny looked startled. 'She's playing under that tree...'
She turned to point her out to Keely and her face blanched. 'Oh, no, she's gone...'
Keely looked round frantically, yelling at the others to find the child.
'She's always wandering off,' the nanny grumbled. 'She'll be here somewhere.'
'It was your job to watch her,' Keely snapped. 'She's not even three years old. They all wander off at that age.'
Fergus, the four-year-old son of the farmer who was Zach's nearest neighbour, stuck his finger out and pointed to the house.
'Feefee in house,' he said firmly, and cold fingers of panic squeezed Keely's heart as she dropped to her knees and looked him straight in the eye.
'Phoebe's gone into the house? Are you sure?' Her voice was hoarse, and Fergus nodded.
'She wanted her teddy. She lost her teddy.'
Oh, dear God, if Phoebe was looking for her teddy then she knew exactly where the child would be.
In the playroom—right at the back of the house.
'I'm sure she isn't in the house,' Maggie said nervously, but Keely shot her a look of pure disdain.
'She's gone back to the house. She must have. Don't you know never to take your eye off a toddler?' Worry made her uncharacteristically rude. 'What sort of a nanny are you?'
Without waiting for a reply, she turned to look at Zach's house, which was rapidly becoming an inferno. And little Phoebe was in there, looking for her teddy...
Briefly her eyes closed and then she thrust Fergus into the arms of his mother with curt instructions not to let him go. Without stopping to think about the sense or safety of what she was doing, she sped towards the house, ignoring the shouts from behind her.
In the distance she thought she heard sirens but she knew she had to act immediately. Even a few minutes might be too late to save Phoebe.
Trying to remember what she knew about fires, she took a few big gulps of clean air before dropping to her hands and knees in the smoke-filled hallway. Thank goodness the flames hadn't yet spread to that part of the house.
Stay low, she reminded herself firmly. Smoke rises.
Disorientated by the smoke in the hall, she tried to remember the way to the playroom, feeling her way along the wall, turning into the lounge and crawling rapidly into the extension at the back of the house. All around her bits of furniture crackled as the fire took hold and the smoke was so thick it choked her. Forcing down her fear, she paused and peered through the smoky gloom.
'Phoebe!' Her voice sounded odd above the crackle of the flames and she looked round frantically, feeling as though her lungs were going to burst. Where was she? There was no sign of her. Maybe Fergus had been wrong and she was outside, playing a game of hide and seek...
Overwhelmed by fear for Phoebe, she started to panic, her ability to think dulled by the smothering smoke and the pain in her chest.
And then she saw her.
Lying on the floor in a little ball. Unconscious.
Unconscious or dead?
No. Please, not dead.
Forcing herself not to think about that possibility, Keely battled to keep her rising panic in check. This was no time for even the most basic first aid. The best thing she could do for Phoebe now was get her out. If she didn't get her out, she'd die for sure—in fact, both of them would die...
Choking and coughing, she wriggled up to the body of the child and grabbed a handful of her jumper, dragging her along the floor towards the door. But this time her journey was impeded by the extra weight and the ever-building volume of smoke. She cried out and sobbed as a piece of burning wood fell onto her hand and she collapsed face down on the floor ready to give up.
She was going to die. They were both going to die. And Zach would lose his precious daughter.
First his wife and then his daughter.
No!
The thought of what such a loss would do to the man gave a final boost to her will-power and she drove herself forward, teeth gritted, barely breathing as the smoke grew denser. It felt as though her lungs were on fire and she started to cough and choke as she crawled nearer to the door.
Oh, God, please, let Phoebe live.
She didn't even care if she died any more. Her lungs and her hand hurt so much that she was ready to give up and let the smoke get her, but she wanted the little girl to live so badly she pushed herself through the pain barrier.
Keep going, just keep going, she told herself, and then finally, through the flames that were starting to lick their way into the hall, she saw the front door. Nearly there. So nearly there. But she couldn't make it. Her lungs were burning and she no longer had enough oxygen to continue, but she pushed Phoebe as hard as she could towards the door, dimly aware of a fireman in breathing apparatus grabbing the child and carrying her to safety.
And then her breath scorched in her lungs and the world went black.
'Burns coming in, Zach,' Nicky said brisk
ly, hanging up the hotline phone and scurrying towards Resus.
'Adult and child.'
Zach nodded, his eyes gritty from lack of sleep. Phoebe had been up all the previous night, fractious and unsettled because of the new nanny. She was missing Keely's gentle warmth and, if he was honest, so was he. He forced the thought aside and tried to concentrate on the job in hand. 'Any details?'
'None.'
The hotline rang again and Nicky frowned. 'Not another one. Don't do this to me,' she muttered, picking the phone up and tucking it under her ear. 'Hello?'
Zach watched idly, waiting to hear whether yet another incident was about to descend on them.
'Oh, Lord, are you sure? Read me the address.' Nicky's voice was little more than a whisper and her face visibly paled as she swivelled to look at him.
And he knew.
Just by looking at the expression in her eyes, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the fire was in his house.
Which meant that the child was—
'Phoebe!'
The ambulance siren shrieked outside the department and Zach was in the ambulance bay and dragging open the doors before they'd turned the engine off.
'Calm down, Zach.' Pete, one of the paramedics, gave his shoulder a quick squeeze. 'She seems OK. Maybe some minor smoke inhalation, but her resps have been fine and she's got no obvious burns.'
'Thank God.'
'It isn't God you should be thanking,' Pete said roughly. 'It's Keely. She ran into your house after the child and saved her life. If it hadn't been for Keely, Phoebe would definitely be dead, Zach. The girl's a bloody heroine.'
Keely?
Zach felt shell-shocked, his gaze shifting from the still form of his daughter to the other body on the stretcher in the ambulance. He hadn't even see that there was another person in the ambulance, he'd been so worried about his daughter.
'She had signs of laryngeal oedema so we've intubated her,' Pete told him. 'And she had morphine at the scene.'
Keely or Phoebe?
For a moment he couldn't take in what was being said. He couldn't think straight and he felt an unfamiliar panic grip him. Dragging a deep breath into his lungs, he forced himself to ignore the fact that it was Keely lying there, and that his precious daughter was injured, too. They needed his skills and he couldn't be objective unless he could switch off.