The Boss Who Stole Her Heart

by Jennifer Taylor

  Daniel rolled his eyes. ‘Your education has been sorely lacking! We’ll have to do something about it. How’s your coffee? Not too strong, I hope?’

  ‘No. It’s fine,’ Ellie assured him, although normally she would have chosen something less potent. When he picked up the plate and offered her the croissant, she shook her head. ‘No. That’s yours.’

  ‘We’ll share then.’ Daniel tore the flaky pastry apart, placing his half on a paper napkin before setting the plate in front of her. ‘Come along, eat up. Carbs are very good for shock.’

  ‘Not so good for the figure,’ Ellie countered ruefully, biting into the buttery rich pastry.

  ‘Not something you need to worry about,’ Daniel declared, taking an appreciative bite out of his half.

  Ellie concentrated on the pastry, refusing to let the compliment affect her. Daniel thought she had a good figure—so what? However, no matter how hard she tried to dismiss the remark, it refused to go quietly. It settled into a tiny corner of her mind and stayed there. By the time they had finished their coffee, several more people had come into the café. Daniel smiled and nodded as everyone wished him good morning. He grimaced as he looked over at Ellie.

  ‘The downside of being the local GP is that everyone knows you. There’s no chance of being anonymous!’

  ‘It’s rather nice, though, isn’t it?’ Ellie said slowly. She shrugged when he looked at her in surprise. ‘It must make you feel...well, a sort of connection to the people who live here.’

  ‘That’s true.’ He glanced around the café then turned back to her. ‘Being part of people’s lives is a privilege, I always think. It also makes it easier when they have a problem. They already know me so there isn’t that need to gain their trust—it’s already there.’

  ‘It’s very different from where I worked before,’ Ellie admitted. ‘The population changed very rapidly as people moved in and out of the town. It was rare that we got to know our patients.’

  ‘It makes it harder for the doctors as well as the patients, don’t you think? People are reluctant to open up when they don’t know you and it makes it all the more difficult to get to the root of their problems.’

  ‘It does.’ Ellie was surprised that he understood the drawbacks. ‘I didn’t think you’d understand that with working here.’

  ‘I worked at an inner city practice before I moved here,’ he explained. ‘Even then, the population tended to fluctuate, and it must be much worse now when people travel about to find work.’

  ‘Is that why you came to the Dales?’ she asked curiously, even though she shouldn’t ask questions like that. She shouldn’t be delving into Daniel’s life, getting to know more about him. Even if she did decide not to cut herself off as she had planned to do, she mustn’t allow herself to grow attached to him.

  ‘Partly. Camille grew up in a very rural area of France and she never really settled in the city. I thought it would be easier for her if we moved somewhere similar. As luck would have it, a job came up here and I applied for it. It turned out to be the right thing to do. Camille loved living here. We were very happy.’

  CHAPTER TEN

  DANIEL HEARD THE catch in his voice and fought to control it. If he was honest, he was stunned that he felt so emotional. He had long since passed the stage of breaking down whenever Camille was mentioned so what was going on? Why was it that Eleanor seemed to possess the power to unleash his emotions this way? He had no idea but he knew that if he didn’t change the subject he would regret it. Pushing back his chair, he made a determined effort to get a grip.

  ‘Right, time to show you the delights of the market before it gets too busy,’ he said with false heartiness. ‘It will be bedlam here in an hour’s time—we won’t be able to see what’s on the stalls.’

  ‘If you’re sure?’ she said quietly.

  Daniel felt the back of his neck prickle. Had Eleanor realised he was upset? he wondered with a sinking heart. He shot a glance at her but she was bending over to pick up her bag and he couldn’t see her face... He drove the thought from his mind, determined not to make matters worse by letting it run away with him. Of course she hadn’t noticed. Why should she when she didn’t really know him?

  ‘Of course I’m sure. If you don’t get a guided tour then the odds are that you’ll miss something.’ He drummed up a smile, trying to quash the equally unsettling thought that he wished she was interested enough to want to get to know him. ‘Let’s start at the cheese stall. I guarantee that you won’t be able to resist.’

  Eleanor laughed as she followed him out of the café. ‘You aren’t on commission by any chance? Free cheese whenever you bring them a new customer?’

  ‘What a good idea!’ he exclaimed, feeling easier now that the conversation had moved on. He would steer clear of anything personal in future, he told himself as he led the way across the road. Stick to topics that wouldn’t cause problems for him as well as for her. He had come to terms with Camille’s death and he didn’t want to start thinking about the hole it had left in his life. He should be grateful for what he’d had and not start wishing that he could experience that kind of closeness again. That would be plain greedy. One love, one lifetime. That was enough for anyone.

  Wasn’t it?

  * * *

  Ellie did her best but it was impossible to shake off the feeling of sadness. She’d heard the catch in Daniel’s voice and the thought that he was still suffering was hard to bear. He must have loved his wife very much to feel this way after so much time had elapsed. Once again, she found herself thinking about Michael. She had been so sure that it had been the real thing, the kind of love that lasted for ever. However, the more she thought about it, the more doubtful she became. Could she really imagine herself still feeling so unhappy in a few years’ time? It was a relief to put the thought out of her mind as they reached the cheese stall. As Daniel had promised there was a huge range of cheeses on offer. He pointed to a creamy blue cheese in the middle of the display.

  ‘That’s my favourite. It’s made on a farm just a couple of miles from here and it’s delicious. A chunk of that, a glass of red wine, and you’re in seventh heaven.’

  ‘High praise indeed,’ Ellie declared, smiling at the young woman behind the counter. ‘Have you got Dr Saunders on commission? Because I have to say that he’s a wonderful advocate for your produce.’

  ‘Not yet, but it sounds like a good idea,’ the woman replied, laughing. She cut a sliver of cheese off the round and passed it to Ellie. ‘See what you think.’

  Ellie popped the cheese into her mouth, savouring its rich and creamy flavour. ‘Mmm, it’s delicious.’ She glanced at Daniel, determined to keep things on an even footing. There must be no more comparing her relationship with Michael to Daniel’s relationship with his late wife. It was pointless and needlessly upsetting to know that she always came off worse. ‘You definitely know your cheeses, Dr Saunders.’

  ‘What can I say?’ Daniel hammed it up for all he was worth, assuming an expression of modesty. ‘It’s just a natural inborn talent. I can’t claim any credit for it.’

  ‘Put like that then, no, you can’t.’ Ellie laughed as his face fell. ‘It’s your own fault. You shouldn’t go fishing for compliments.’

  ‘Hm. Probably not.’ He smiled ruefully at the young woman behind the counter. ‘That’s me put in my place, isn’t it? Anyway, I’ll have some of the Outhwaite Farm Wensleydale as well as that blue. I shall cheer myself up by having a cheese fest!’

  They made their way round the market, stopping at the various stalls. By the time they had done a full circuit, Ellie was weighted down with bags. She shook her head in dismay. ‘I only came to have a look round so I’m not sure how I ended up with all this. I only hope I can eat it all.’

  ‘Me too. I bought far more than I intended, especially as Nathan’s away this weekend.�
� He shook his head. ‘You’re a bad influence, Eleanor. You’re going to have to make amends.’

  ‘How?’ Ellie asked in surprise.

  ‘By coming home and having lunch with me, that’s how.’ He laughed softly, causing a tiny frisson of awareness to ripple through her. ‘That way at least some of this stuff won’t go to waste. To my mind it’s the least you can do for encouraging me to be so greedy!’

  * * *

  Daniel unlocked the front door, still not quite able to believe that Eleanor had agreed to have lunch with him. Even as he had issued the invitation, he had expected her to refuse, yet she hadn’t. Had it been guilt at the thought of wasting the food that had spurred her on? Or because she wanted to spend more time with him?

  He clamped down on that thought as he made his way inside. Eleanor was parking her car so he left the front door open and headed to the kitchen. Dumping the bags on the table, he turned to watch as she came down the hall. It was obvious that she was taking stock and all of a sudden he was conscious of how little he had done to the place recently. It was years since the house had been decorated and everywhere was starting to look decidedly shabby. He would have to do something about it, although it was odd that it should have taken Eleanor’s visit to make him see the place through fresh eyes.

  ‘It’s a lovely house,’ she said as she came into the kitchen. ‘Very warm and welcoming.’

  ‘Thank you. I’ve always liked it, although it needs a bit of a spruce up,’ Daniel replied, pleased that she liked his home even if it wasn’t looking its best.

  ‘It’s hard to fit everything in when you’re working,’ she said quietly, but he heard the undercurrent in her voice and knew that she was wondering if he had failed to make any changes because of Camille. Was she right? Had he held off redecorating because he’d wanted everything to remain as it had been in happier times?

  He suspected it was true and it was uncomfortable to face up to how he had placed his life on hold. How many times had he counselled a bereaved patient about the importance of looking towards the future and yet he was guilty of ignoring his own advice. He knew that he would have to address the situation and soon. After all, there were going to be a lot of changes when Nathan went to university; he would be here on his own after that.

  ‘Right, first things first—let’s get that soup heated up,’ he declared, not wanting to dwell on the thought of how lonely he was going to be. ‘We can have it with some of that fresh bread and cheese we bought.’

  ‘Let’s use some of my cheese,’ Eleanor suggested immediately. She grimaced as she slipped off her jacket and hung it on the peg behind the back door. ‘I’ve bought far too much—I’ll never manage to eat it all by myself.’

  ‘Fine. There’s plates on the dresser and cutlery in the drawer... Oh, and the cheese board’s in that cupboard,’ Daniel told her as he set about opening the carton of soup.

  ‘Right.’ Eleanor started to gather together what they needed, laying out plates and cutlery and even finding the butter dish in the fridge. ‘Napkins?’ she asked, glancing round, and he grimaced.

  ‘Not sure where they are, to be honest. I do have some but, as I never entertain, I don’t use them.’

  ‘Not to worry. This will do.’ She tore off a couple of sheets of kitchen roll and folded them neatly into triangles before setting them on the table.

  Daniel laughed. ‘I’m glad you aren’t too fussy.’

  ‘I’m more practical than fussy,’ she said, smiling back. Her eyes met his and Daniel felt his heart give a little bounce, as though it had suddenly discovered it had a spring in it. He turned back to the soup, concentrating on stirring it so that it didn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. It was just a smile, nothing to get het up about, and certainly nothing to make him think how much he would love her to smile at him again if he kissed her...

  A blob of hot soup spat out of the pan and landed on his hand and he jumped but at least it helped to clear his head. By the time the soup was ready and the bread was sliced, he felt back on an even keel. Ladling the soup into a couple of earthenware bowls, he placed them on the table. ‘Spiced carrot and coriander. I’ve not had it before so I hope it tastes good.’

  ‘It’s lovely,’ Eleanor declared, taking an appreciative sip. She helped herself to a slice of onion bread and buttered it liberally. ‘Hmm, this is delicious too.’

  ‘Better than the supermarket’s best white sliced?’ Daniel asked, his tongue firmly in his cheek.

  ‘Ye3’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Not all of us have been lucky enough to be able to buy such fresh produce. Where I lived before it was the supermarket or nothing.’

  ‘So you aren’t sorry you moved here?’

  ‘Not at all.’ Ellie hesitated, not sure it was wise to admit how glad she was that she had made the move. It wasn’t just the food; her whole outlook on life seemed so much more positive since she had come to the Dales. However, the reason why it felt so much brighter stopped her elaborating. Telling Daniel that meeting him had been a major factor was out of the question.

  ‘Good. It must have been a big decision and I’m glad you don’t regret it.’

  ‘I don’t.’ Eleanor busied herself with her lunch, not wanting to be drawn into saying too much. The problem was that Daniel was so easy to talk to that she found it hard to hold back as she normally would do. She had never been someone who wore her heart on her sleeve: just the opposite. Yet, when she was with Daniel it was as though she wanted to tell him everything—every tiny concern she had, every emotion she was feeling. She had never felt this way before and it was hard to understand how he had this effect on her. What was it about him that breached all her defences?

  It was a relief when Daniel changed the subject by telling her about Nathan’s trip. That he was extremely proud of his son was obvious and she found it incredibly moving. Although she knew that her parents were proud of what she had achieved, she had never felt that they gained such pleasure from her success as Daniel seemed to derive from Nathan’s.

  ‘You’re very proud of him, aren’t you?’

  ‘Is it that obvious?’ Daniel sighed. ‘Sorry! I didn’t mean to bore you to death by playing the doting parent.’

  ‘You aren’t boring me. I think it’s great that you two have such a close relationship. Not many parents are as close to their children as you are.’

  ‘It’s probably because of what happened,’ Daniel said quietly. ‘Camille’s illness was a testing time for us. After she died, Nathan went completely off the rails. I honestly thought that he’d never get back on track, but in the end he came through. I’m incredibly proud of what he’s achieved because it wasn’t easy for him.’

  ‘It mustn’t have been easy for you either,’ Ellie suggested, her heart aching at the thought of what he had been through. She glanced around the kitchen, taking note of the photographs pinned to the cork board above the fridge. There were several family photos, proof that Camille was still very much in his thoughts. ‘Dealing with your grief as well as trying to help Nathan must have been very difficult.’

  ‘It was a dark period, but we got through it.’ He smiled, obviously wanting to dispel the sombre mood. ‘Now it’s time to look to the future, me as well as Nathan.’

  ‘That sounds as though you’re planning on making some changes,’ Ellie observed.

  ‘I am.’ He glanced around the room and shrugged. ‘I never realised until today that I’ve slipped into a bit of a rut. The house desperately needs redecorating and I shall have to do something about it, or even think about moving.’

  ‘Really?’ Ellie couldn’t hide her surprise. ‘It’s a beautiful house, though. Maybe it does need updating but that’s all, surely?’

  ‘With Nathan about to move out I have to ask myself if I need all this space. We bought this house as our family home but when there’s just me rattling around in it,
it seems a waste. Moving somewhere smaller might be a good idea.’

  ‘A fresh start,’ she suggested, her heart surging at the thought that Daniel was making a positive move toward putting the past behind him.

  ‘Yes.’ He looked at her and her breath caught when she saw the expression in his eyes. ‘I think it’s time to move on, Eleanor. I don’t want to live in the past any more. I want a future to look forward to.’

  Eleanor didn’t know what to say. Did he mean that he wanted her to feature in that future? Just for a moment her mind whirled as she pictured the life they could have. There was no doubt that she found Daniel very attractive. She also found him wonderfully easy to talk to, but was that enough? Surely it needed more than sexual attraction and compatibility to guarantee a life-long relationship? There had to be love as well, a deep abiding love that would withstand everything that life could throw at them. He’d had that with Camille but was it possible to find that kind of closeness with anyone else, or would the other person always be second-best?

  Ellie felt a searing pain clutch her chest. She knew how that felt, how dispiriting it was to know that you weren’t enough, not number one. Gemma had held the key position in their parents’ hearts and Ellie had been aware of that when she had been growing up. That’s why meeting Michael had been so wonderful; for the first time ever she had felt she was the most important person in someone’s life, but it hadn’t lasted. How could she risk that happening again? Why would she choose to put herself through that heartache a second time?

  She took a deep breath. Maybe she was attracted to Daniel, as he was to her, but it wasn’t enough. Not when he would never love her as he had loved his late wife.

  * * *

  Daniel could feel shock waves reverberating throughout his body. Where on earth had that idea sprung from? he wondered as he got up to make some coffee. One minute he’d been wondering if he should embark on a spot of decorating and the next he’d been thinking about selling up!

  As he filled the cafetière he let the idea roam around his head, hoping to find an explanation and preferably one that didn’t involve Eleanor. Letting himself think that they might have a future together was crazy. She was only just recovering from a painful experience with her ex and she was in no state to embark on another relationship. Even if she had been it certainly wasn’t the right time for him! He knew all that, so all he could do was put it down to some sort of mental aberration, an overload of crazy ideas that had addled his brain.