by Kathryn Ross
‘How did your mother die?’
‘Car accident.’
‘I’m sorry, Chloe; that must have been very tough for you. How old were you when that happened?’
‘Let’s see…I was six when Dad left, so I was eleven when I went to Ireland.’
‘And do you get on with your stepmother?’
Chloe nodded. ‘Yes, she’s lovely. She helped me come to terms with a lot of things. ‘
‘It sounds like you’ve been through some tough times?’
Chloe hesitated for a second. ‘Yes, but kids bounce back.’ She smiled, and didn’t tell him just how tough those times had been. Especially those years after her father had left. Sometimes when she looked back she thought those were the years that had shaped her. She had watched her mother and had learnt all about pain at first hand. Nile had accused her of being too strong…in her book there was no such thing as being too strong.
She had made up her mind long ago to be as self-reliant as possible. It was her safety net and she wouldn’t give that part of her character up, for Nile or anyone else.
‘I suppose you are right—children are resilient. Yet I worry about Beth, about the fact that she has no mother.’
‘She seems very well-adjusted.’ Chloe looked over at Steven. ‘Do you think she remembers her mother?’
Steven shook his head. ‘No. Any memories she has are the ones I’ve passed down to her. Little things like how much her mum loved her.’
‘That’s not such a little thing.’ Chloe smiled over at him.
She liked Steven more than she could say at this moment. His tenderness and his love for his daughter struck a chord with her deep inside.
‘She’s lucky to have such a good dad and she obviously adores you. Last night, for instance…she knew Gina was worried about her dad and it started her worrying about you.’
‘Did it?’
Chloe nodded. ‘Just for a little while she was distressed, thinking it was you who had been taken to the hospital. I used to feel worried like that about my mum.’
‘But you had your dad as well, even though they were divorced.’
‘He was a long way away… And at the time…I didn’t really know if he wanted to see me at all.’
Steven looked over at her. Although the words were firmly spoken, he sensed the unhappiness, the powerless feeling of a child unable to reach out to a parent.
He was going to deepen his questions but Beth came running back into the room, dressed in woolly scarf and wellington boots, and the moment was lost.
‘I think you need a coat, Beth.’ Chloe laughed. ‘But you look great. Come on upstairs and I’ll organise you.’
Happily the little girl tucked her hand in Chloe’s. ‘I’ve got a pink coat and a blue one. Will you put my hair up in a pony-tail like yours?’
‘Yes, of course I will.’ Chloe smiled. ‘We won’t be long, Steven,’ she said over her shoulder.
‘That’s OK, take your time.’ Steven watched as they went out of the room. Chloe was good around his daughter…she had a kind of easy, natural warmth. Obviously that was why Beth was responding so well to her.
All in all Chloe was quite a revelation, he thought in bemusement. And as for that kiss last night—that had totally blown his mind. He had only meant to brush her lips gently with his, but once he had kissed her he hadn’t been able to draw back. He’d wanted to kiss her again today; it was as if some sort of spell had fallen over him. But, whatever it was, something had very definitely changed between them this weekend.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE garden was shrouded with a thick blanket of virgin snow. It lay across the bare dark branches of the trees and the plants like icing sugar and it decorated the eaves of the house with a lacy canopy against a jewel-blue sky.
Although the sun was shining, it did little to relieve the glacial current in the air. Chloe stamped her feet to try and keep them warm as she stepped back and watched Beth put the finishing touches to her snowman.
‘He looks great,’ Steven called from beside her, his voice warm with encouragement. ‘Just tilt his hat a little, give him a more jaunty look.’
Beth pushed the black trilby sideways.
‘He looks drunk now,’ Chloe laughed. ‘Where did that hat come from? It’s not yours, is it, Steven?’
‘No. I don’t know whose it is. It’s been hanging in the vestibule for months.’ He grinned at her, and then noticed the way she was stamping her feet and rubbing her hands. ‘Are you cold?’
‘Only because I’m standing still. I was OK while we were working on old Mr Snowy.’
‘I should have found you some gloves to wear.’
‘I’m enough of a charity case as it is,’ Chloe laughed. ‘I’ve got your sister’s clothes on, and Gina’s wellington boots. The only thing that’s mine is this black duffel coat. I must look a sight.’
For a second Steven’s eyes drifted over her appearance in a swift appraisal, making her feel acutely awkward. ‘You look very nice, although I think I preferred the first jumper you put on this morning.’ 59
‘Did you?’ Chloe tried to sound nonchalantly indifferent to his preferences. ‘It wasn’t very suitable for being out in the cold.’
‘Do you ever wear contact lenses?’ he asked suddenly, his voice curious.
‘Sometimes. But in all honesty I prefer wearing my glasses.’ She kept her gaze firmly centred on Beth as she spoke.
‘Just like you prefer to tie your hair back?’
‘I suppose so. It’s tidy and—’
‘Practical,’ Steven supplied with a smile.
She remembered last night and how he had told her he preferred her hair loose…how he’d kissed her. She felt her heart thump with an awareness of him that seemed to swamp her.
‘Actually, you suit your glasses,’ he said suddenly.
His sudden interest in her appearance perplexed her. He was probably just making polite conversation but she wished he would look away from her. As his gaze rested on her lips the memory of his kiss struck through her with a suddenness that brought an inner central heating. She rubbed her hands together with even more ferocity, trying to stamp out the thoughts.
‘Have you heard anything from Gina?’ She moved the conversation away from herself.
‘Yes, she phoned me early this morning. Apparently her dad has been taken off the critical list at the hospital.’
‘Oh, I am pleased.’
‘Yes, it’s good news,’ Steven said. ‘The only bad bit is that she gave her notice in to me. She says she wants to be able to look after him herself.’
‘So is she leaving straight away?’
‘No, she’ll be here as usual Monday morning. Her father is going to be transferred to a nursing home for a while because he needs specialised care. She wanted to give me plenty of notice so that I could find someone else as soon as possible.’
‘She’s a nice girl.’
‘Yes, she is, and I wish she wasn’t leaving. Beth is very attached to her.’
Chloe glanced over and caught the worried look in Steven’s eyes as he watched Beth playing happily around the snowman. ‘You’ll find someone else, Steven.’
‘I know.’
‘And at least your mum lives near by.’
‘Yes, Mum is wonderful, but I don’t want to put on her too much.’ Steven raked a hand through the darkness of his hair. ‘Anyway, I’ll just have to get on to that agency we used last time…perhaps you’d give them a ring on Monday?’
‘Of course; do you want me to do the same as last time and carry out the preliminary interviews? Whittle down the list of applicants for you?’
Steven smiled. ‘Whatever would I do without you, Chloe?’ The gentleness of his tone was quite unlike any way he usually spoke to her about work.
‘I’m sure you’d manage perfectly.’ She glanced up at him and he smiled. A smile that seemed to shut out the cold of the day and start a fire inside her.
‘I’m not entirely sure ab
out that at all, Chloe,’ he said, and she wasn’t sure if he was teasing her or being serious.
Beth stumbled in the snow as she stepped backwards to look at her snowman and Chloe took the opportunity to move away from Steven and help her back up on her feet.
‘Are you OK, sweetheart?’ she asked as she brushed the snow off the little girl’s coat.
‘Yes…’ Beth giggled. ‘I wish it would snow all the time—it’s great.’
Chloe smiled, her eyes moving over the cute dimples in Beth’s cheeks as she laughed. ‘You’d get fed up if it snowed all the time.’
‘No, I wouldn’t!’ Beth shook her head. ‘You could come every weekend and help me build a snowman.’
‘Looks like you’ve got a fan,’ Steven said with a grin as he walked over to join them.
‘Yes…’ Chloe watched as Beth ran back to her snowman. ‘I’m a big fan of Beth as well.’ It was strange, but there was something about Beth that just made her want to give her a big hug. Upstairs in the bedroom as she had brushed the little girl’s hair she had listened to her chatter and wondered what it would be like to have a child like her. To live with a man like Steven…be part of their family. It had been a passing, fleeting daydream…incredibly unrealistic, but for a moment quite pleasurable. ‘She’s very sweet, Steven.’
‘Adorably gorgeous,’ Steven agreed wryly. ‘Except when she’s naughty, as Gina would probably testify.’
Chloe smiled.
The phone rang inside the house and Steven excused himself to go and answer it.
When he returned Beth and Chloe were in the middle of a snowball fight. He stood and watched for a moment, grinning at Chloe’s antics as she chased Beth, who was giggling breathlessly, around and around the snowman.
Then he joined in the fun. They were all laughing so much they didn’t hear a woman’s voice calling Steven’s name. It was only when a snowball that Chloe threw at Steven went astray, whizzing over his head and hitting Helen squarely on the chin, that they realised that she was there.
Steven glanced around, saw what had happened and laughed. His girlfriend, however, did not look one little bit amused.
‘I’m really sorry, Helen,’ Chloe said, horrified by the thunderous expression on the other woman’s face. ‘It was an accident.’
Helen didn’t reply immediately; she was too busy brushing the snow from her face and her black cashmere coat. Her dark hair swung silkily back into its long bob as she looked up again towards Chloe, dark eyes narrowing on her. But she said nothing.
Chloe found herself remembering the way she and Steven had kissed last night and guilt shot through her. It had been a moment of madness and at least they had both had the sense to realise that…and pull away from the situation. She tried to make herself feel better with the thought, but the guilt wouldn’t go away.
‘Can we play some more, Daddy?’ Beth asked plaintively.
‘Maybe later, honey,’ Steven grinned. ‘Now, remember your manners and say hello to Helen.’
‘Hello, Helen.’ Beth shuffled from foot to foot and barely glanced at Helen. Chloe noted that Helen’s response was equally lukewarm. However, her welcome to Steven was anything but half-hearted—as he walked across to her she reached up and kissed him full on the lips.
Chloe averted her eyes, feeling an awkward twist of something deep inside. It was a really odd feeling, one that she had never experienced before, and she couldn’t quite get a handle on it. It couldn’t be embarrassment because the kiss wasn’t that steamy…just tenderly possessive. Maybe what she was feeling was the sting of reality…certainly, seeing Helen with Steven like this slammed the door closed on those stupid fantasies she’d had that he was in any way interested in her…and that crazy daydream she had indulged in just for a moment of being a part of this family seemed to mock her now.
‘Shall we go inside and have a drink?’ Steven suggested lightly as he pulled back from Helen.
‘That would be nice.’ Helen smiled up at him.
‘I should be going,’ Chloe said as she walked with them back into the house. ‘Obviously the roads are cleared now.’
‘Yes, the snowploughs have been out and the roads are fine,’ Helen said. ‘We won’t detain you if you want to get off.’
‘Don’t go, Chloe,’ Beth piped up from beside her. ‘I want you to play outside with me and Daddy again.’
‘Chloe hasn’t got time for that now, honey.’ Steven ruffled the top of the child’s hair, and then glanced over at Chloe. ‘But have a coffee with us before you head back to the city,’ he said. He didn’t wait for her answer but disappeared into the kitchen to put the kettle on, Beth trailing in his wake.
Chloe kicked off her wellington boots, hung her coat up and followed Helen into the lounge. The other woman was flicking through a magazine that had been lying on the coffee table; she barely glanced up as Chloe sat down in the chair next to the fire.
‘The weather has been awful, hasn’t it?’ Chloe said politely as Helen flicked over a few more of the glossy pages. ‘You’d never think it was April.’
‘No, you wouldn’t.’ She didn’t glance up immediately, and when she did her gaze flicked derisively over Chloe’s attire.
It was no wonder she was looking at her with such disdain, Chloe thought. Next to Helen’s well-groomed, chic appearance, she probably looked a sight.
Everything about Helen was perfect, Chloe thought. Her figure was probably a size eight and her clothes were obviously designer; the smart skirt hugged her slender hips and her flat stomach and stopped just at the knee, revealing beautiful, long, shapely legs, well-shod in soft kid-leather boots.
The silence between them seemed to stretch and Chloe searched for something else to fill it. ‘I was minding Beth for Steven last night and I got stranded here because of the snow.’
‘Yes, Steven told me.’ Helen put the magazine down, glanced at her watch and stifled a yawn.
Chloe decided to give up. Helen never spoke very much to her when she popped into the office or, for that matter, when she phoned to speak to Steven. She was always cool and reserved.
Steven came back in with the tray of coffee and suddenly Helen seemed to come to animated life again. ‘Darling, we had a wonderful time last night. It’s a pity you couldn’t have stayed in town; we went clubbing to La Ruba.’
‘Well, like I said to you on the phone, I had a meeting and then Gina had to dash off. It was a bit chaotic. In fact, it would have been a disaster if Chloe hadn’t waded in to the rescue.’ He smiled across at Chloe as he handed her the mug of coffee and then sat down beside Helen on the settee.
‘I didn’t mind at all,’ Chloe said easily. Beth came into the room and went over to sit on the arm of Chloe’s chair. ‘We had good fun last night, didn’t we, Beth?’ Chloe said.
Beth nodded and slipped further down so that she was sitting on Chloe’s knee. ‘We played tiddly-winks and Chloe read me a story.’
‘Lovely.’ Helen’s smile didn’t quiet reach her eyes as she watched Beth cuddling in beside Chloe on the chair. ‘Watch you don’t knock Chloe’s coffee, darling,’ she said. ‘We don’t want coffee all over the chair, do we? Why don’t you come and sit next to me?’ She patted the space on the settee on the other side of her.
Beth shook her head. ‘I won’t knock Chloe’s coffee.’
‘So where else did you get to last night?’ Steven asked Helen.
‘We had a meal and a few drinks before the club…Henry and Jason were there. They said to tell you hi.’
Chloe was distracted from the conversation as Beth leaned her head against her arm. She glanced down at the child. Her cheeks were very flushed and her eyes looked a bit heavy. ‘Are you tired, Beth?’ Chloe asked quietly. Beth nodded.
‘Henry was such a hoot. He got us into the VIP lounge at La Ruba and we drank champagne all night…’
‘Sounds fun.’ Steven’s eyes flicked over towards Beth. He watched as Chloe pressed her palm against the child’s forehead, then put her a
rm around her and whispered something against her ear, something that made Beth smile.
‘…Henry has invited us to his lodge in Hampshire for a weekend party next Friday…there’s a clay-pigeon shoot and we can go riding…what do you think?’
‘I’m sorry, Helen, but I’ve got to go to Manchester on business on Friday.’
Helen frowned. ‘We can go Saturday morning, I suppose…’
‘Well, we’ll see. I’ve got a few complications with Gina’s dad being ill.’
Watching Helen’s face from across the room, Chloe could see that the answer did not please her.
‘Well, can’t you find someone else?’ she asked. ‘How hard can it be to find someone to look after a six-year-old for the weekend?’
Hurriedly Chloe finished her coffee, deciding it was time to go.
‘I’ll just get my belongings from upstairs, Steven,’ she said, disentangling herself carefully from Beth.
Beth followed her as she stood up. ‘I’m not six until next week,’ she told Chloe as they went out of the door.
‘I know, darling. What do you think you’ll get for your birthday?’
‘I asked Dad to buy me a magic set.’
As Chloe closed the door on the lounge she clearly heard Helen saying, ‘Chloe is such a plain girl, isn’t she? Such a shame for her.’
Steven’s reply was lost behind the closed door.
Chloe frowned to herself as she went upstairs. Who the hell did Helen Smyth-Jones think she was anyway? she thought angrily.
‘And Aunty Maddi is going to get me a water gun.’
‘Gosh, you’ll have fun with that,’ Chloe said. With a bit of luck you might fire it at Aunty Helen, she thought as they went upstairs together.
She folded her business suit. There was no point changing back into it, as she would have to wash these jeans before returning them to Steven. She lifted her handbag and then glanced at herself in the mirror.
Such a shame for her… Helen’s derisive and cutting words played over in her mind. She wondered what Steven’s reply had been.
Not that she gave a damn, Chloe thought furiously.