Secrets (Hope Bay)

by Angela Verdenius

  “Em,” he chided. “You need to stop worrying so much.”

  “I know. I know.” She sighed. “I can’t let her continue to cast dark clouds on my sunshine days.”

  Shane smiled a little. “That’s Granny May talking, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. She has some great advice.”

  “Tell me about it.” He rubbed his cheek against her hair. “Emma, you need to plan for the future and live for today. You can’t let the past cloud your happiness.”

  “I know.”

  “I could settle this by facing up this vulture once and for-”

  “Cripes, no!”

  “Because you don’t want to risk it being raked up if she plans nothing.”

  “Yes.” Emma glanced up. “Don’t see her, don’t contact her. Please.”

  “I won’t.” He bent down to rest his forehead against hers. “If you promise to try and push this out of your mind. I know it’s there, I know it hovers in the back of your mind, but you need to live, sweet Em. We’re making a future together. Whatever comes, whatever happens, we’re in this together. And we’re not alone.”

  She practically melted into him. “You always know the right things to say.”

  “Then trust me.”

  “I do.”

  “Trust me to protect you no matter what.”

  “I do. But-”

  “There is no but.” His gaze was steady. “You and me, Em, facing our future. If the past does happen to rear up, we’ll deal with it together. But I don’t intend to let it spoil our future. I don’t intend to let it upset you. Just trust me in this.”

  She regarded him seriously. “Okay.”

  “Okay.” He kissed her softly, deeply.

  When they were once again settled on the swing chair, the rocking of it soothingly comfortable, Shane leaned his cheek on the top of her head once more, looking down at their linked fingers resting on his thigh.

  Emma didn’t know it, but he’d set something in motion. He wasn’t going to tell her, not yet, not when it would only freak her out and make her worry more.

  It would take time, but he had faith the answer would be revealed.

  Knowing the man involved, he had absolute faith.

  Shane would do everything within his power to protect Emma from anyone or anything threatening her future. Because she was his whole world.

  ~*~

  “What do you mean Shane has gone out?” Emma frowned. “He’s got a patient coming in for a removal of a BCC.”

  “I mean,” Harriet replied, “Shane has gone out. He had something he had to do.”

  Puzzled, Emma scratched her head with the tip of the pen. “Did you cancel the appointment?”

  “It’s been rescheduled for the day after tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Well…” She shrugged. “He’s the boss.”

  “Yep.” Harriet pushed her glasses back up her nose. “He and Doc pay our wages, so their wish is my command.” She disappeared back up the hallway to the reception area.

  Having a rare fifteen minutes free before she had her next patient coming in for removal of sutures, Emma decided to have a quick cuppa. Going into the kitchen, she felt the kettle, the heat against her palm a sure indication that Doc or Harriet had come in not long before her for a drink.

  Flicking the kettle back on, she opened the cupboard for a mug and had to smile as she took hers down.

  Next to Doc’s mug with ‘Doc’s Mug, Touch on Pain of Death’ printed on it, was Shane’s mug with ‘World’s Greatest Doctor’ printed on it. Doc had scrubbed out ‘Greatest’ with a permanent marker and written above it ‘Stupidest’. When Shane had found it and gone to him demanding answers, Doc had simply smirked. Shane thought he’d gotten him back by telling him the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, to which Doc had replied there was always the odd rotten one.

  Unfortunately - or perhaps fortunately - the arrival of patients had stopped their bickering, and Doc had gone to his room smiling happily, while Shane had slouched off muttering about retribution.

  Harriet and Emma had waited eagerly for the retribution. That had happened a week later when Shane strutted in with a badge on his pocket proclaiming ‘World’s Greatest Doctor’. Doc had taken one look and declared his son sad, very sad.

  Shane had simply smirked and gone into his room.

  Doc had chortled behind his hand and disappeared into the OT with Emma.

  Pouring the tea, she added a dash of sugar and milk and took it out onto the back veranda, following it around to stand on the corner of the front veranda, partially hidden by a large gardenia bush as she admired the garden in the front yard. That’s what she liked, the clinic looked so much like a home. Old, elegant, and family-orientated.

  Cradling the mug, she glanced across the road and paused. Shane was standing with his back to her talking to a tall, broad shouldered man dressed in faded blue jeans, a black jacket over a white button-up shirt with no tie, and lace-up boots. The man was leaning back against a black SUV, his handsome face calm, the sun picking out golden tints in his dark blonde hair. His very essence seemed calm, composed, yet he stood with a poise that gave the vibe that he could shift to dangerous in a heartbeat.

  Emma wondered what on earth Shane could possibly be discussing with this rather formidable man.

  She sipped at her tea, watching, wishing she could hear. Still, she was confident that Shane would tell her in his own good time. Couldn’t help but be curious though.

  She was just thinking of going back inside when the man straightened, he and Shane shook hands, and Shane walked back to the clinic.

  Neither of them had seen her. Or she thought that until the man looked directly across to her, seeming to see her between the flowers and leaves of the gardenia, though how he possibly could Emma couldn’t image. Wait, was that a small smile that quirked his lips? She felt suddenly uncomfortable, and quickly hurried around to the back.

  Shane came into the kitchen just as she finished rinsing out her mug.

  Coming up to her, he kissed the top of her head before turning to lean back against the kitchen bench, bracing his hands on the sink. “Hey, Em.”

  “Shane.” She smiled at him. “Everything all right?”

  “Sure. Why?”

  “Oh, no real reason. I saw that you’d cancelled an appointment, that’s all.”

  “Ah.” He studied her without explaining.

  Hmmm, interesting. Emma replaced the mug in the cupboard. Okay, he didn’t want to give a reason. She trusted him, however, and geez, what could it possibly be? Nothing bad enough for her to poke and pry, that was for sure.

  But man, she was curious, no doubting that.

  “Emma,” Shane began.

  Ohhh good, he was going to tell her! She looked around expectantly. “Yes?”

  “Someone’s coming over after work to see us.”

  “Really?” Not quite what she’d expected. “Who?”

  “Bloke by the name of Aaron. Aaron Wells.” He waited, as if she might somehow know the name.

  “Aaron,” she repeated. “Who’s he?”

  “The bloke coming around tonight.”

  “Okay. Should I know him? Is he a friend of yours?”

  “Well, kind of. Maybe.” Shane shrugged. “Hard to say, really.”

  That was weird. “You don’t know?”

  Shane shrugged again.

  “But you know him?”

  “Yeah. I was the doctor on duty in the emergency room when one of his employees came in with a…” Shane hesitated.

  “With a…?”

  “I’ll tell you after.” Abruptly, he pushed away from the bench. “He’s coming over tonight to talk to us.”

  Shane’s expression was so serious that alarm rippled through her. “Is something wrong?”

  “Cripes, Em, I’m sorry.” He gave her a quick, reassuring hug. “Everything’s fine. There’s just something he wants to tell us.” At her dubious expression, he smiled reassuringly. “Something you’l
l be very interested to know, trust me.”

  She did trust him, but she couldn’t help but find herself wondering just what the heck was going on. Even the afternoon busyness couldn’t push the curiosity away for long, and by knock-off time she wasn’t entirely sure if she was looking forward to knowing or feeling just a touch of trepidation.

  The man, Aaron Wells, hadn’t looked like your run-of-the-mill bloke. Then again, he didn’t look scary, either, and could be just any good-looking bloke on the street, but then there was this whole thing about him and… “Argh!” Exasperated, she lightly smacked the heel of her hand against her forehead. “You’ll find out, you duffer, so stop stressing!”

  Shane had left earlier to check on a patient at the hospital, so she drove home to shower and start the evening meal. That in turn made her wonder if their visitor was coming to dinner. Not wanting to ring Shane when he was busy, she decided to just cook extra in case.

  CK met her at the door, yelling that she’d been alone all day and why wasn’t anyone there to meet her every need? Plus she wanted to talk, she informed Emma as she followed her through into the bedroom. Perching her furry bum on the end of the bed, she meowed at Emma, grabbing her shirt as she passed in a ‘wait-a-minute’ gesture.

  Laughing, Emma unhooked her claws and rubbed her back, making CK go all dreamy eyed while arching her back in bliss. “You little faker. You’ve been snoozing all day and snacking on biccies, you didn’t have a care in the world.”

  CK was too busy in bliss to bother answering.

  After several minutes of fussing over CK and assuring her that she was the most beautiful kitty in the whole wide world, Emma escaped to the bathroom to shower and change into a light summer dress. About to go bare-footed as she liked to do in the evenings, she remembered the visitor and instead slipped into a low-heeled pair of sandals.

  No sooner had she started peeling potatoes in the kitchen than Shane walked through the front door, hollering, “Love of my life, I’m home!”

  Grinning, she looked up as he entered the kitchen. “Ah, the hero of my heart.”

  Shane preened. “That I am.”

  “How’s the patient?”

  “Looking good. He can go home tomorrow.” Slipping the backpack from his shoulders, he bent down to pat CK, who was winding around his legs. “Hey, girl.”

  “So, is this Wells bloke coming for dinner?” Emma asked.

  “Oh, crap, sorry Em.” His expression turned contrite. “No, he’s not. I asked him but he said he had other things to take care of. I should have told you.”

  “It’s okay.” She continued peeling. “So, you said you’d tell me where you met him. In the emergency room, right?”

  “Yep. So one of his employees came in with a gunshot wound and I was the rostered doctor on that night…” His voice trailed off at her expression.

  “His employee was shot?” Emma’s eyes were wide. “You mean he got held up or something?”

  “Not exactly. Aaron runs a security firm and there was some kind of bigwig thing going down, that’s about all I know. One of his men got hurt and I happened to patch him up enough to get him upstairs.” Shane picked CK up and cuddled her in the curve of his arm.

  CK lolled happily on her back while getting her belly rubbed.

  “You mean,” Emma guessed shrewdly, “you saved the man’s life and kept him alive long enough to go to surgery.”

  “Yeah, well, that was my job, right?” Shane shrugged.

  “He lived.”

  “He had a good surgeon.”

  The man could be so modest when he chose. Emma knew the only reason he told her was because as another health professional, she would keep her mouth shut and never repeat it to anyone. Because he trusted her to keep it between them, and she would, both because she respected him and because as a nurse confidentiality was part of her life and work.

  “Okay.” She rinsed the potatoes under the tap. “So you met Aaron and he was grateful to you for saving his employee’s life. So why is he here?”

  Obviously deciding how to tell her, Shane musingly gazed down at CK.

  Cutting up the potatoes up, she dropped the pieces into a pot. “Time to ‘fess up, honey,” she joked.

  Placing CK onto the floor, Shane straightened to look Emma in the eyes. “He always said if I ever needed help to call him. So I called him.”

  “You need help? From a security bloke?” She stopped cutting to stare at him in growing concern. “Shane, what one earth happened? Why didn’t you tell me? Is someone threatening you? Is someone-”

  “Not me, Em.” His serious gaze didn’t waver.

  As realisation hit her, she lowered the knife. “Oh shit, Shane, what have you done?” Her heart started to hammer. “Shane, you didn’t-”

  “I did what I had to do to protect you.” Coming around the bench, he took her by the upper arms, holding her close against him as he gazed down at her. “I’m not only your fiancée, your future husband, your friend and lover, I’m also your protector.”

  “I don’t need-”

  “Your safety is my concern,” Shane stated quietly, unaccustomed steel underlying his tone.

  For the first time, Emma saw something in him that she hadn’t previously.

  Shane was deadly serious. The set of his jaw was firm, his expression ungiving. In that second she knew he meant what he said - he’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.

  That scared her on one hand. Thrilled her a little on the other. Made her fear for him in turn. “Oh, Shane, you can’t-”

  “Can and did.” A knock on the front door had him stepping back. “Aaron’s here. Go through into the lounge, Em. He’s come to tell us something.” His expression softened when she hesitated nervously. “I promise you, it’ll be fine. Trust me, Em. Please.”

  Taking a deep breath, she placed everything on the sink, put the lid on the pot and washed her hands, wiping them on a tea towel while listening to Shane greet Aaron, the low male voices coming down the hallway.

  Gathering her courage, she walked to the lounge room.

  Standing in front of an armchair, Aaron smiled pleasantly at her.

  “Emma.” Shane placed a hand at the back of her waist to guide her across to the man. “This is Aaron Wells, of Wells Security. Aaron, this is my fiancée, Emma.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you.” A big hand engulfed hers, the grip firm.

  “It’s a surprise to meet you, I confess,” Emma replied.

  His eyes crinkled at the corners in quiet humour. “I have that effect on some people.”

  She just bet he did. The pale blue of his irises seemed to reflect everything back at her. It was weird, but she had the strangest feeling this man could either stand out in a crowd or blend to nothingness. Though how that thought could even cross her mind, she had no idea.

  “Let’s sit,” Shane suggested, “and you can fill us in.”

  They all sat, Aaron on the armchair, Emma with Shane beside her on the sofa.

  Aaron’s direct gaze slid back and forth between them. “How much do you know, Emma?”

  “Nothing, actually.” She glanced at Shane. “To be honest, I’m a little afraid of what is going on.”

  Taking her hand, Shane gave it a reassuring squeeze as he steadily held her gaze. “Emma, did you honestly think I wouldn’t do whatever was in my power to ensure this woman had no hold over you?”

  She sighed. “I know you mean well, Shane, but I didn’t want this raked up.”

  “And I didn’t want you waiting for that other boot to drop. Remember what you said? There’s no way I’m going to let you live wondering if one day something bad is going to occur. That’s not going to happen on my watch, Em.”

  Half dreading what she might hear, Emma whispered, “I don’t want any repercussions to hurt you or your family, Shane. You know what they say - where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

  “Bugger what they say,” he replied bluntly. “You are my concern.” He looked at Aaron. “You
found out something?”

  “I did.” Aaron sat forward easily, forearms leaning lightly on partially spread thighs. On the ring finger of his left hand was a plain gold wedding band. “Emma, Shane contacted me to look into the issue you had at the hospital, the stealing charges, the trouble you went through, the withdrawing of the charges and the subsequent threats from this woman, Karen Barlow.”

  Even though she’d done nothing wrong, Emma couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Did Aaron think she was guilty?

  It was as if both men could read her mind. Shane gave her hand an encouraging squeeze while Aaron smiled reassuringly.

  Jumping up onto the armrest of the sofa, CK sat and studied Aaron.

  He gave her a mild look before returning his attention to Emma and Shane. “I don’t need to go into a lot of detail, Emma, just suffice it to say we did background checking and investigating, and it turns out that Karen Barlow had the brooch in her possession the whole time.”

  The floor seemed to pitch beneath her. “She what?”

  “The brooch was never lost.”

  “I don’t understand. Her mother withdrew the accusations because she didn’t want me charged, she felt sorry for me, I guess. But Karen told me it had never been found.” Bewildered, Emma turned to Shane. “She told me.”

  Shane’s jaw was hard, but his expression softened. “I know, baby.”

  “Mrs Standwick produced proof to the police in the shape of the brooch, all right,” Aaron continued, ‘but it was a very clever fake. A remake of the original.”

  “I never even thought to ask how she convinced the police,” Emma murmured, still not quite believing what she was hearing.

  “It would pass as the original but top jewellery makers can tell the difference.”

  “How did you get hold of it?”

  Aaron’s expression was bland and he didn’t reply.

  Okay, that was a little odd. Emma shifted closer to Shane, just the slightest of movements that seemed to amuse Aaron. It was hard to even ascertain if it really amused him or only seemed to, because the slight arch of his eyebrow was so swift she wasn’t even sure she saw it move.

  Just like she wasn’t sure if his eyes were brown or blue, because they seemed to change according to the angle of his head and the shadows that flitted across his face. But then he looked directly at her again and no, they were definitely pale blue.