‘She’s even put a ladder in.’ Cass indicated the miniature ladder that the giant figure was brandishing.
‘Yep. She’s got an eye for detail, even if she’s a bit wobbly on scale still.’ He regarded the picture thoughtfully. ‘And your hair...’
‘Yeah. Rub it in.’ Sometimes Cass wondered whether her hair was all people saw about her. The phrase ‘flame-haired firefighter’ had worn thin a while ago.
He gave her a reproachful look. ‘I was going to say that Ellie did her best with the colours she had. It would be a bit much to ask for her to do it justice.’
The look in his eye told Cass that this was a compliment. The thought that Jack liked her hair suddenly made all the jokes about it worthwhile.
‘Would you mind if we stopped off at my place? I want to get a change of clothes...’
Cass caught her breath. Maybe the change of clothes was just for today. Maybe he wasn’t thinking about staying. She didn’t dare ask.
‘Yes, if you want.’
‘That’s if I still have a bed for tonight, in the church hall.’
‘Of course you do. Thanks.’
‘And if we could stop at the phone shop as well—it’s on our way, and hopefully I’ll have a replacement phone waiting for me.’ He grinned. ‘I called them this morning and asked, told them it was an emergency and that I’m a paramedic. The woman on the other end was really helpful.’
The grey, clouded sky suddenly seemed warmer, less forbidding. Cass started the engine, craning around to see over the boxes stacked in the back of the SUV, and reversed out of Sarah’s drive.
Jack’s house was only ten minutes away. He motioned for her to follow him inside and left her in the sitting room while he disappeared upstairs.
The room had a nice feel to it. A little battered in places, which was clearly the result of a four-year-old’s exuberance, and the toys in the corner were stacked anyhow, as if they’d been hurriedly cleared away before Jack left for a day’s work. But it was comfortable. The way a home should be. A sudden vision of her own ruined home floated in front of her eyes and Cass blinked it away.
The open fireplace was obviously used, coal heaped in a scuttle beside it. The dark leather sofa was squashy and comfortable, piled with cushions, a couple of throws across the back rest. Bookshelves, on either side of the chimney piece, were stacked full, the bottom shelf clearly reserved for Ellie, as it contained children’s picture books. The very top shelf boasted a set of leather-bound books and Cass squinted up at the gold leaf titles on their spines. She couldn’t read all of them, the words that were faded and cracked were a bit too much for her, but it was obviously a set of Victorian classics.
Some framed photographs obscured the backs of the books on the lower shelves. Pictures of Ellie, growing up. Jack, with Ellie on his shoulders. A woman, sitting on an elephant, her bright blonde hair obviously owing more to a bottle of peroxide than nature. It was impossible to tell whether Ellie’s mother was like her at all; her face was twisted into an open-mouthed expression of exhilaration.
Another shot, obviously taken at a beach bar, and next to that one taken on the top of a snow-covered peak.
‘The Matterhorn.’ Jack came into the room.
‘Looks fantastic.’
‘Yeah. It’s a popular peak.’ When she turned, Jack’s eyes were fixed on the photograph and she felt a stab of jealousy for Sal. Not because of all the places she’d been, the things she’d done, but because she was the woman who’d made love with Jack and borne his child. And that was wrong, on so many levels, not least because Cass had decided that she was not going to feel anything for Jack.
‘You must miss her.’
Jack shrugged. ‘These photos are here for Ellie, not me. I cared about Sal as a friend, but there’s a part of me that can’t forgive her.’
Cass could think of a number of unforgivable things that Sal had done, but tact got the better of her. ‘What for?’
‘I’d hoped that when Sal got back from Nepal, we might be able to come to some arrangement so that Ellie would have a proper family. I was prepared to do anything to make that happen.’
‘But...surely that wasn’t her fault. She died...’
‘Yeah. She never told me that she was going to Everest without the proper permits or a place on an expedition. It was just plain crazy and I would have stopped her if I’d known.’
Jack took a last look at the photograph. ‘I didn’t have the time with my father that I wanted, but at least I knew him. Ellie doesn’t even have that; she doesn’t remember Sal at all.’
‘Ellie seems...’ Cass tried to concentrate on something else ‘...very happy. Very secure.’ She remembered seeing Jack hug Ellie when he’d left, and then, in a moment of stillness between the two, he’d put his hand on his heart. Ellie had mimicked him and then let him go without any tears.
‘She knows I’ll always come back for her.’ He shrugged. ‘But sometimes I wish...’ He shook his head, as if wishes couldn’t possibly come true.
Cass hardly dared ask. But she did, anyway. ‘What do you wish?’
A sudden heat in his eyes, which turned from fierce intensity to something warmer. ‘I miss being able to ask a woman out to dinner.’ The tips of his fingers were almost touching her arm. Almost reaching for her, but not quite.
‘And you can’t do that?’ There were plenty of single fathers that did.
‘I reckon that the one thing that’s worse for Ellie than not having a mother is having a succession of temporary ones. I can’t let her lose any more than she already has. I wish it were different, but...’
‘Yeah. I miss...’ The warmth of having someone. The tingling sense of excitement every time Jack walked into a room had made her realise just how much she missed that.
‘But aren’t you married to your work?’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re not thinking of getting a divorce, are you?’
‘No. That relationship’s doing just fine, thank you.’
‘Shame.’
The thought that maybe, just maybe, there was another option left her breathless. If they both knew that nothing could come of it, if no one ever knew, then there couldn’t be any hurt. If neither of them expected anything, then surely neither of them could be disappointed.
Maybe it wasn’t quite that simple. Jack had just the kind of body, just the kind of touch, which made sex for the sake of it seem like the best idea she’d had in years. But there was more to him than that, and his tenderness could make things very complicated.
She turned away from him, breaking the spell. ‘We should get going if we want to get back to the village and then make another round trip this afternoon.’
Maybe her disappointment sounded in her voice. He smiled then caught up the bag that lay in the doorway, ushering her outside and then slinging his coat across his shoulders to run to the car.
CHAPTER EIGHT
AS SOON AS they got back to the village they started on the round of visits that Jack had promised to make, Cass acting as his guide. The first on the list was Mr Hughes. He had refused to allow his wife to stay and watch while Jack checked on his pacemaker, and Mrs Hughes had refused to stay in the kitchen, so Cass waited outside the sitting room door with her.
‘I really don’t know why he didn’t go to the hospital sooner. He missed his last appointment, and they said that he had to go in three months. He hasn’t got much left on the battery...’
Cass nodded sympathetically, wondering when Mrs Hughes was going to stop with the barrage of complaints about her husband.
‘Then, all of a sudden, it gets to be urgent and we can’t go because of the floods.’ Mrs Hughes gave a derisive sniff. ‘Silly man. I wish he’d look after himself a bit better. I do my best.’
‘I’m sure it’ll all be okay.’ Cass ventured some reassurance
, based rather more on Jack’s expertise than what she knew about Mr Hughes’ lifestyle.
‘He doesn’t listen to me. I’ve told him more times...’ Mrs Hughes broke off as Jack emerged from the sitting room. Behind him, Mr Hughes looked suitably chastened.
‘I’m taking your husband’s results to the hospital this afternoon.’ He gave Mrs Hughes a smile and she brightened immediately.
‘And...?’
‘His consultant will review them and give you a call. There’s nothing to worry about; his pacemaker is doing its job and there are no problems there, but I think that Mr Hughes may well benefit from taking a few measures to improve his general health.’
‘Thank you, Doctor.’ Mrs Hughes shot a look of triumph at her husband.
‘I’m a paramedic.’
Mrs Hughes leaned towards Jack confidingly. ‘I don’t care who you are. Just as long as you told him...’
Jack nodded, clearly unwilling to commit himself about what he had or hadn’t told Mr Hughes, and Mrs Hughes saw them to the front door. Cass followed him down the front path and fell in step with him.
‘More exercise. Give up smoking and change his diet...’
Jack grinned. ‘Very good. You want to take the next visit?’
Cass shook her head. ‘Everyone in the village knows. I imagine the only person who doesn’t know is the consultant at the hospital. When I asked Mrs Hughes if she’d spoken to him, she said she didn’t like to.’
‘Why not?’
Cass shrugged. ‘Because he’s far too important. And clearly far too busy to be worrying about his patients’ health.’
Jack gave a resigned groan. ‘Okay. He’s actually a good man, and very approachable. I’ll be making the situation clear in my notes and he’ll follow up.’
‘Thanks.’ Cass swerved off the road and climbed over a stile, jumping down on the other side. ‘Short cut.’
Jack had almost completely lost his bearings. Here, on the other side of the village from the river, the land sloped more gently and houses were scattered between fields and copses of trees. The ring of water that surrounded the area spread out into the distance, encroaching wherever it could through gullies and streams and into homes. But Cass seemed to know every inch of the place, and so far they hadn’t even got their feet wet.
‘Any other bits of interesting gossip I should know about?’ It sounded as if the villagers knew who needed medical help long before anyone else did.
‘Don’t think so. Joe Gardener pulled a muscle yesterday, carrying my kitchen door.’
‘He mentioned that last night when I saw him. The tube of vapour rub from the chemist is for him. What about you?’
‘Me? Nothing wrong with me.’
Jack had expected her to say that. But he’d heard a little village gossip too, last night. ‘It’s just that if there was someone who’d been up all night on more than one occasion in the past few weeks, who’d been holding down a physically demanding job, digging ditches and looking after a pregnant sister...’
She shot him a warning glare, compressing her lips into a hard line. Jack ignored it.
‘...rescuing kids, and then going through the trauma of having her own house flooded, I’d be a bit concerned.’
‘Would you, now?’
‘Do you want to talk about it?’
She stopped short, almost tripping over a tree root when she turned to face him. ‘What’s all this about, Jack? I’m fine. I told you.’
‘Okay. Just asking.’ If she wasn’t going to talk about it, then he couldn’t make her. ‘But if you do need anything.’
‘So I’m needy now, am I?’ She frowned at him.
‘No. You might be human, though. And if it turns out that you are, and you need a friend...’ He shrugged. Why should she turn to him? She was surrounded by friends here and she never seemed to want to take any help from anyone.
Suddenly she seemed to soften. ‘Jack, I...’ She shook her head and the moment was lost. ‘Will you do something for me? As a friend.’
‘Of course.’
‘Will you just shut up?’
* * *
He’d obviously gone too far and Cass was withdrawn and quiet as they circled the low-lying areas of the village, dropping off prescriptions and visiting anyone who might need medical support. But, whatever sadness she concealed, and Jack was sure by now that she was hiding something, she never hung on to it for long. Cass was nothing if not resilient, and by the time they’d walked back up the hill to Miss Palmer’s cottage, she was smiling again.
‘I can’t wait to see what Bathsheba’s going to get up to next.’ Cass grinned at Miss Palmer. While Jack had been checking her over and doing the INR test, Cass had produced an MP3 player from her pocket and plugged it into a laptop which lay on a side table.
‘Oh, I think you’ll be surprised.’ Miss Palmer smiled enigmatically.
‘Miss Palmer’s reading Thomas Hardy. I can read it myself, but it’s easier when she does it for me.’
‘You can concentrate on what’s happening, you mean?’ Jack liked the idea, and it obviously gave both Cass and Miss Palmer a lot of pleasure.
‘Yes. I get to enjoy the story.’
‘It’s our little secret.’ Miss Palmer was looking at him speculatively, and Jack was learning never to ignore any of Miss Palmer’s looks. ‘Just between the two of us. Or the three of us, I suppose.’
Cass’s cheeks flushed a little, but she didn’t seem to mind. And Jack had the sudden feeling that the brick wall that Cass had built around herself had just crumbled a little. Not so much as to allow him to see over the top, but if he put his shoulder to it a few more times who knew what might happen?
* * *
They’d retraced their route back along the flooded motorway and to Cass’s car. She’d waited in the hospital car park for him, plugging the MP3 player into the car’s sound system while Jack returned the borrowed equipment and made sure that the results of the tests he’d taken would reach the right people.
‘What time does Ellie go to bed?’ When he climbed back into the SUV, she looked at her watch.
‘In about half an hour. But if we go now, we’ll get back across the water while it’s still light.’ Jack knew what she was thinking. He’d been thinking the same himself, but it was too late now.
She started the engine. ‘Won’t take long to kiss her goodnight, will it? And I’ve got a flashlight in the back of the car.’
‘Anything you don’t have in the back of your car?’
She chuckled. ‘I like to come prepared.’
They were in time for Jack to put Ellie to bed. He walked back downstairs to find Cass alone in the sitting room, still listening to her MP3 player.
‘Ready?’
‘Yeah. Thanks.’ He said a quick goodbye to Sarah, resisting the temptation to go and wake Ellie up, just to say goodnight to her again, and followed Cass to her car.
When they arrived at the motorway, she pulled a large flashlight from the car boot, switching it on. It illuminated the water in front of them as she swung it slowly.
‘They must not be here yet.’ There was no answering flash of light from the gloom on the other side. ‘They won’t be long.’
Suddenly, the men coming to fetch them could be as long as they liked. It could rain as much as it liked. Jack reached for her, wondering whether she would back away.
She didn’t. Cass took a step towards him, the beam of the flashlight swaying suddenly upwards. They were touching now. Sweaters and coats between them, but still nothing to protect him from the intoxicating magic that she exuded.
‘Switch it off.’ His own voice sounded hoarse, almost abrupt.
An answering snap, and they were standing in semi-darkness. She pulled down her hood, rain splashing on to her face as
she tipped it up towards him.
‘Cassandra...’ Jack had already lost sight of all the reasons why he shouldn’t do this. All the things that stood between them seemed to have melted away.
‘Jack...?’ There were so many questions in the dark shadows of her eyes and he couldn’t answer any of them.
‘Yes?’
‘... Nothing.’ She whispered the word, her lips curving into a tantalising smile.
He was confused, torn apart by two equal forces pulling in opposite directions. Cass was the only thing that seemed real, the only thing he could take hold of and hang on to. He pulled her close, hearing the soft thud as the flashlight hit the grass at their feet.
CHAPTER NINE
HIS BODY WAS as strong, as delicious as she’d imagined it. When he held her there was no possibility of escape, unless he decided to free her. But Cass didn’t want to be free of him.
Still he seemed to hesitate. Going slow, waiting for her to stop him. That wasn’t going to happen. She pulled his hood back, laying her hands on either side of his face.
She could feel him breathe. Then he said her name again.
‘Cassandra.’
‘I’m right here, Jack.’
He touched his lips against hers, soft and gentle. That wasn’t what she wanted and he knew it. When he came back for more, the sudden intensity made her legs wobble. Pinpricks of cool water on her face and the raging heat of his kiss. It was almost too much, but at the same time she didn’t want it to end.
Layers of heavy-duty, high-performance waterproofing scraped together as he lifted her off her feet. Cass wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders, looking down into his eyes now. His hand on the back of her head brought her lips to his, their kiss annihilating her.
He could lay her on the grass... Suddenly the rain and layers of clothing meant nothing. The possibility that they might be discovered meant nothing. Nothing meant anything as long as he could find a way to touch her, in all the places that she wanted him to.
‘Jack...’ She moved against him so desperately that he almost lost his footing.
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