by Joanna Neil
‘Tomorrow, all being well. I’ll take you to the hospital to see her.’
Kayla relaxed a little and turned her attention to Rhys. ‘Are you going to come in the house with us? You can play with Samson. He likes you.’
Rhys pulled in a quick breath, glancing at the child in the car’s rear-view mirror. ‘Actually, Kayla, Samson has a poorly tummy as well, and he’s had to go to the dog hospital, so that the vet can make him better.’
Kayla frowned, and her bottom lip started to tremble, but Rhys said quickly, ‘Perhaps we can buy him a soft toy, so that when he comes home he’ll have something to cuddle up to in his bed.’
Kayla gave that some thought and then nodded. ‘And I’ll make a card for Mummy, and pick some flowers for her. She’ll like that.’
‘That’s a good idea,’ Rhys murmured. ‘You’re right…I’m sure she’ll love to have some flowers. I expect they will make her really happy.’
As soon as they reached her flat, Emma set out some biscuits and milk on the table for Kayla and provided her with paper and tissue, along with some glue, so that she could start to make a card for her mother. While the child was occupied, she rang the vet to find out how Samson was doing, and then she made coffee for herself and Rhys.
‘How is he?’ Rhys asked.
‘He’s very poorly. They’ve confirmed that it was warfarin on the meat, and they’re treating him specifically for that. It’s too early to say how he’s going to fare, but they’re doing their best to make him as comfortable as possible.’
Her heart was heavy, and her mind was churning with questions as to why the dog had been singled out this way. She handed Rhys a cup of coffee and went to gaze out of the French doors at the little courtyard.
‘I can’t think who would have wanted to poison the dog,’ she said, keeping her voice low so that Kayla wouldn’t hear. ‘I know he could be noisy, with his barking, but it never really bothered me. I know most of the people who live around here,’ she said. ‘I just can’t believe that any of them would do something like this.’
Rhys frowned. ‘Even so, you should take extra care if there’s someone unstable hanging around. Make sure that you lock all your doors, and push the bolts home.’
She turned to him, her eyes cloudy with distress. ‘Do you think all this could have been aimed at me? It’s true that I often take Samson out for walks—and whoever did this might have thought that he was my dog. Perhaps it wasn’t Samson who was the real target.’
Rhys made a grimace. ‘Are you wondering if it’s possible that someone might bear you or your family a grudge?’
She nodded, but couldn’t bring herself to put her fears into words.
‘It’s a fact that there have been all those stories in the newspaper, stirring things up, and I suppose you could be right. After all, people were hurt in the explosion at the restaurant—perhaps someone feels that your father shouldn’t be starting up in business again.’
She stared at him, the colour rapidly leaving her face. ‘Do you really think so?’
He watched her steadily. ‘I know that my own parents have put in an objection, and I doubt they can be alone in their feelings on the matter. It’s not what you want to hear, but it was always on the cards that people might not be happy to have him granted a licence to start up another restaurant. What is there to say that he will follow health and safety procedures any better this time?’
Emma was disturbed to find that she was shaking inside. ‘Surely no one would be this vengeful?’ she managed, but in her heart she knew that there might well be something in what he was saying. She said haltingly, ‘How can I prove that he wasn’t responsible? No one is prepared to listen to anything we say.’
She didn’t really expect him to answer. Even Rhys stood against her father…Rhys, whom she had known for years.
He said carefully, ‘I suppose if you want to go down that route, you would have to think about who was working in the restaurant that day, and ask yourself whether anyone would have borne him a grudge…or perhaps there was some rival who wanted to see him go out of business. Whose purpose would it have served to have him closed down?’
She looked at him afresh. Was he really offering advice, helping her to find a way to resolve this situation? A small ray of hope sprang to life inside her. Perhaps he was not so set against her family as she had believed.
She said, ‘There could have been any number of workers who didn’t make the grade, over time. My dad did what he could to make sure they had the right training and he was keen to show them how things should be done, but there were always those who fell by the wayside. As to that particular day, I must say I don’t think there was anyone there who wasn’t a solid part of the team.’
Rhys’s shoulders lifted a fraction. ‘Perhaps you should give it some more thought…but not right now. After all, you were supposed to be off duty today, but you’ve been kept very busy, with very little time to yourself, and your nerves have been stretched to the limit. It might help if you sleep on it. You might be able to come up with something if you approach the matter with a fresh mind.’
He looked at her searchingly. ‘You’re off duty tomorrow, aren’t you? Maybe you’ll have an easier day. Take the pressure off yourself and things might become clear.’
She nodded. ‘Perhaps you’re right. Is that what you’re planning to do? You’re not due to go to work either, are you?’ She was wondering what had provoked his change of heart. Up to now he had been so much on the side of his family in all this, and now he was actually considering that she might have a point.
‘I said that I would go to see my parents, and have lunch with them. My father wants some help with landscaping the garden. He planned on doing some of the work himself, rather than get people in. He thinks it will be a challenge, and good exercise for him.’
‘That sounds very much like hard work to me.’ She added thoughtfully, ‘Actually, I’ll probably have just as full a day tomorrow. After I’ve been to see Lindsey at the hospital, I might take Kayla to the park—Regents Park, probably, so that we can go and see the animals at the zoo. We could have a picnic and it might help to take her mind off things.’
‘That sounds like a good idea.’ He glanced towards the door and said, ‘I should go.’
He seemed to hesitate, but then he reached for her and lightly brushed her cheek with his hand, so that her glossy curls shifted and quivered with the movement. Her skin was warmed by his touch, and tingled in response as his fingers traced the line of her cheekbone and moved to shape her jaw.
In that moment he made her feel cherished, as though he was reluctant to take his leave of her, but she knew that she must have been imagining things. It was just a friendly gesture, wasn’t it? It meant nothing.
‘Take care,’ he said softly, ‘and remember what I said about being sure to lock up…even when you’re in the house. It’s just a precaution, but you don’t want someone sneaking in off the street.’
‘I will.’ She saw him out of the apartment and then went back inside to help Kayla with her card. She felt strangely detached, as though part of her was missing now that he was gone, and her world was in a state of turmoil.
The next day, she took Kayla to see her mother in hospital, and afterwards the little girl was subdued, much as Emma had expected. Lindsey was feeling the after-effects of surgery, and she was sore and uncomfortable, though she was relieved to see her daughter.
‘How are you?’ Emma asked.
‘I’m OK. The surgeon told me that I was lucky,’ Lindsey said with a wry smile. ‘He says my pancreas was crushed and damaged, but he should be able to save it. He put in a drainage tube, as you said he might.’
‘Are you going to come home soon?’ Kayla asked.
‘In a few days, all being well,’ Lindsey told her.
Kayla looked with curiosity at her mother’s various intravenous lines and drips. ‘Do they hurt?’
‘No. The doctors put them there so that they can give me medicin
e through them to make me feel better, and so that they can give me food and water that way. I’m not allowed to eat anything until my tummy’s better.’
The child looked at her doubtfully. ‘I’d rather eat with my mouth.’ Then she brightened up, and added, ‘We’re going to the park. Emma’s brought a picnic, and we’re going to look at the animals in the zoo and then we’re going to sit and eat the food. She’s made some jelly, and I’m going to have ice cream as well.’
Lindsey smiled. ‘It sounds as though you’re going to have a lovely time,’ she said, putting an arm around the little girl and giving her a kiss.
They left her to rest, and made their way to the zoo. It was a relief to find that Lindsey was recovering after her ordeal, and Emma had managed to hedge around the question of Samson and his welfare, still not wanting to burden Lindsey with the worry. Luckily Kayla had been distracted by the upcoming visit to the park and had made no mention of him.
A couple of hours later, after Kayla had excitedly explored the various animal compounds, Emma was more than ready for a break and something to eat.
‘Shall we find a place to sit down and go and have our picnic?’ she asked.
Kayla was happy to agree to that, and after scoffing a selection of ham, egg and cheese sandwiches, along with banana, jelly and ice cream, she was ready to go on. ‘I want to see the bird house,’ she said.
Some time later, when she had seen everything that there was to see, Emma suggested that it was time to go home. ‘We’ll walk back to the tube station at Camden Town.’
Kayla danced along beside her, thrilled with the day’s activities. ‘Can we go and see Mummy again?’ she asked. ‘I want to tell her all about it.’
‘Yes, tomorrow,’ Emma said. They were walking by Primrose Hill, heading towards the station, when she heard someone calling after them. Turning, she was startled to see Elliot walking towards her. ‘This is a surprise. What are you doing around here?’ she said.
‘I’ve just been to see Amy,’ he told her. ‘We have a place not far from here.’
‘Oh, yes, of course. I forgot.’ She recalled Rhys telling her that they had moved to a stylish duplex flat. Apparently, it was spacious and light, and had a lovely garden, but it wasn’t likely that Emma would ever be invited there as a welcome guest.
Elliot paused, looking at Kayla and giving her a smile. ‘It looks as though you’ve been having a good time.’ He glanced at the stuffed toy she was holding. ‘Did you buy that monkey at the zoo?’
Kayla nodded. ‘It’s for Samson, when he gets back from the vet.’
‘Oh, I see.’ He didn’t, but it didn’t appear to bother him. He touched Emma’s arm in an affectionate gesture. ‘My car’s not far away—are you heading for home? I can give you both a lift.’
‘Yes, we are. Thanks, that would be great.’ She glanced around. ‘Where are you parked?’
‘Just along the street a bit. I was just coming out of a shop, and I was going to get into the car and drive off, when I saw you.’ He put an arm around her shoulder and turned her in the direction of Primrose Hill. Together, they walked along the road, with Kayla talking animatedly and Elliot laughing at her descriptions of the penguins at feeding time.
‘They were really greedy,’ the little girl said, ‘and they ate the fish straight down.’
Elliot gave Emma a sideways glance. ‘It sounds as though you’ve had a full day.’
She smiled at him. ‘That’s true enough.’
The journey home didn’t take long, and he dropped them off at the flat, turning down Emma’s offer of coffee. ‘I have to go and sort out these plans for the workmen and give them a call,’ he said. ‘We were having the kitchen redesigned before we split, and I suppose we need to go ahead with it.’
‘OK.’ Emma went inside the flat. She thought of setting Kayla down to play with her toys while she got on with a few chores, but the child was yawning, and so she laid her down in the bedroom for a nap instead.
By the time the doorbell sounded a few minutes later, Kayla was fast asleep. Emma went to answer the door, guessing that Elliot might have changed his mind and returned, but it wasn’t Elliot who stood there.
‘Rhys? I thought this was your day off. Weren’t you planning on going to visit your parents?’ Seeing him standing there had thrown her completely off balance.
He inclined his head in agreement. ‘Yes, that’s true. I’ve been to see them.’ He sent her an up-and-down look, taking in the line of the denims that clung faithfully to her shape and pausing to dwell on her soft curves that were draped by the loose over shirt that she was wearing. ‘Aren’t you going to invite me in?’
‘Of course.’ She stepped back to let him into the hallway. ‘I wasn’t thinking.’
‘No.’ He looked at her oddly. ‘I did wonder about that.’
‘Come through to the living room,’ she said. ‘We’ll have to be quiet, because Kayla is asleep in bed. She’s exhausted after her busy day.’
‘I can imagine.’
She stared at him, drinking in his long-limbed frame, hardly able to take in the fact that he was actually there. He was wearing dark trousers that drew her gaze to his muscled thighs and a casual shirt that was cut from fine linen, open at the neck to reveal the lightly bronzed column of his throat.
‘Were you expecting to see Elliot again?’ she asked. ‘He was here, but he’s gone back to his own place.’
His gaze narrowed on her. ‘No, actually, I came to see you. I brought a safety chain for your door. I thought I would fit it for you if you agreed to it.’
She frowned. ‘You’re serious, aren’t you…about this threat of someone hanging around?’
‘I am. Anyone who would think of poisoning a dog has to be treated with caution. We don’t know what he’s capable of.’ He studied her, and she wasn’t sure what lay behind his intent scrutiny. ‘Shall I go ahead and fit it for you?’
‘Yes…please, go ahead, if you don’t mind doing it for me.’ She hesitated. ‘Can I get anything for you—a drink, a sandwich?’
‘Nothing, thanks. I’ve eaten.’
There was something about his manner that gave her pause for thought, but she couldn’t quite figure it out, and she reconciled herself to simply watching him work. The job didn’t take long. He had brought with him a drill and all the tools that he needed, and within a very short time the safety chain was in place.
‘That should keep things secure,’ he said after a while, putting down his tools and surveying his handiwork.
She leaned back against the doorjamb, letting her glance trail over him. ‘I didn’t realise how much I was bothered by what has been going on,’ she murmured, ‘but I feel so much safer now. I don’t know how I can thank you.’
He sent her an oblique glance, his mouth tilting in an intriguing fashion. ‘I could think of one or two ways,’ he murmured. His gaze drifted over her, gliding over her soft curves, and there was a glint in his eye that sparked off a thrill of response in her.
She wasn’t at all sure that she knew what was going on here. ‘Really?’ she said huskily. ‘Perhaps you should enlighten me.’
It seemed that he was only too ready to oblige. He moved towards her, taking his time, closing in on her until he was standing in front of her, and already she was wondering if she would come to regret her foolhardiness. By now, though, it was way too late to take back the words.
He slid his arms around her waist, his gaze settling on the fullness of her mouth. His body lightly pressured hers, and then he bent his head, swooping down to claim her lips. His kiss was gentle, but thorough, and he tantalised her, taking her breath away with his smooth expertise. She had never experienced a kiss quite like this before, but one thing was for sure…he was a man who knew exactly what he was doing.
He deepened the kiss, drawing her to him so that his thighs were against hers and her limbs became weak, boneless. Her whole being was taken up with an overwhelming need for him. Hadn’t she waited a lifetime for him to
kiss her and hold her like this?
He shaped her with his hands, arousing every nerve fibre in her body, bringing her senses to clamouring life. She was feverish, her blood turning to flame, and recklessly she moved against him, desperate for his touch, aching for the feel of his body against hers. For a breathless moment it occurred to her to wonder how she had survived for so long without losing herself in his arms and giving herself up to the thrill of this heady delight.
Perhaps she had even said it aloud, because he murmured softly against her mouth, ‘Tell me what it is that you want…Shall I touch you here…or here? Is that better?’ His hand covered her breast momentarily, and then his thumb traced the hardened nub and circled, leaving a path of fire in its wake.
‘Is that what you want?’ He kissed her again, a demanding, possessive kiss, his lips enticing a trembling response.
She didn’t answer him. She couldn’t, not right at that moment. Her mind was somewhere else, lost in a world where common sense had no existence. Something was bothering her, though, tugging at the outer reaches of her sensibilities.
‘I can give you everything you need,’ he said, his voice roughened. ‘Believe me. You only have to say the word.’ He looked into her bemused eyes and smiled. ‘You look dreamy and bewildered all at the same time. What’s troubling you?’
He was right in thinking that something was amiss, but her thoughts were too fragmented for her to be able to put them into words. She simply didn’t understand how an experience that was so heavenly could be in any way wrong.
Somehow, she managed to find her voice. ‘Just yesterday you were telling me that you shouldn’t have kissed me,’ she said on a ragged note, ‘and now everything seems to have changed. I’m not sure that I know what’s going on. Perhaps I’m not ready for any of this. I have to take time to think things through.’
‘Why do you have to do that?’ His arms closed around her, drawing her to him once more. ‘Are you really so taken up with Elliot that you can’t see how things could be between you and me?’
‘Whoa…wait a minute.’ She put the flat of her hand on his chest, pushing him away a little. ‘What do you mean? What does Elliot have to do with any of this?’