he goes away or not, and if he’s needed here then he’ll choose to stay put.’
That closed that particular line of enquiry, and Heather didn’t show how anxious she was that Daniel’s predictions did not materialise. Katherine had been thrilled with what she had described as her son ‘making such a big effort’, but as far as Heather was concerned Leo’s ‘big effort’ was only really big in comparison to how extremely small it had been before. With Katherine in hospital, Leo would have to make more than just what he considered ‘a big effort’. He would have to put great sections of his life on hold.
The little boy fell into sleep within minutes and, without the distraction of his worrying list of questions, Heather had time on her hands to get really wound up over Leo’s impending arrival.
She felt crumpled and unprepared. Three hours previously, Katherine had called and calmly explained that she had taken a tumble from a step ladder and was in a little bit of pain. In fact, Heather had rushed over to find the older woman on the ground, unable to move and white as a sheet. There had only been time to phone for an ambulance, to try to comfort a wideeyed, terrified Daniel, and then the mad, panicked hospital scenario of waiting and X-rays and doctors. Any question of having a bath had been out of the question, and so here she was, dishevelled and unable to leave the house, because Daniel was upstairs sleeping and couldn’t be left on his own.
She calmed herself with a pot of tea, having phoned the hospital and spoken to Katherine, who was sorted out in a private room, and thankfully in considerably less pain, but anxious about Daniel and about having to go under the knife.
She must have fallen into a light doze because the sharp ring of the doorbell made her jump and she hurried out, giving herself no time to dwell on the prospect of seeing Leo again and thereby get herself into a tizzy.
She had managed to convince herself that he couldn’t be as impossibly overwhelming as she remembered, that his impact had really only been so powerful because initially she had not expected him to be so good-looking; that she had had valuable time to put everything into perspective and so would be prepared to face him. Besides, none of that mattered, given the situation.
She was wrong on all counts.
She pulled open the door and momentarily froze. Her skin suddenly felt hot and tight and she had a moment of sheer, blind panic as she took in the stunningly beautiful lines of his lean, chiselled face; she was as much affected by his masculine beauty now as she had been the first time she had clapped eyes on him. Against her lacy bra, she could feel her nipples tingle and harden and respond to that unbidden memory that this was the man who had wanted to make love to her.
‘Are you going to stand there gaping for much longer?’ Leo asked. He placed the palm of his hand flat against the door and gave it a little push, which was Heather’s cue to step back immediately and rein in her turbulent thoughts.
He had noticed her gaping at him like a teenager with a crush! She could have died of embarrassment.
‘You made good time,’ she said, clearing her throat.
‘No traffic at this time of night.’ Leo strode into the house and then turned around to look at her. ‘Tell me what happened. In detail.’
‘Of course. Would you like something to drink?’ She watched in fascination as he impatiently began rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt. He had ditched the tie at some point during the journey, and her eyes were drawn to that slither of bronzed skin where the top two buttons of his shirt had been undone.
‘Just tell me what happened, and then I intend to head straight to the hospital.’
‘Now?’
‘I’m not one to stand around waiting for the grass to grow under my feet.’
‘But no one’s going to be there! I mean of course, your mother will be there, but you won’t be able to find a doctor or
That closed that particular line of enquiry, and Heather didn’t show how anxious she was that Daniel’s predictions did not materialise. Katherine had been thrilled with what she had described as her son ‘making such a big effort’, but as far as Heather was concerned Leo’s ‘big effort’ was only really big in comparison to how extremely small it had been before. With Katherine in hospital, Leo would have to make more than just what he considered ‘a big effort’. He would have to put great sections of his life on hold.
The little boy fell into sleep within minutes and, without the distraction of his worrying list of questions, Heather had time on her hands to get really wound up over Leo’s impending arrival.
She felt crumpled and unprepared. Three hours previously, Katherine had called and calmly explained that she had taken a tumble from a step ladder and was in a little bit of pain. In fact, Heather had rushed over to find the older woman on the ground, unable to move and white as a sheet. There had only been time to phone for an ambulance, to try to comfort a wideeyed, terrified Daniel, and then the mad, panicked hospital scenario of waiting and X-rays and doctors. Any question of having a bath had been out of the question, and so here she was, dishevelled and unable to leave the house, because Daniel was upstairs sleeping and couldn’t be left on his own.
She calmed herself with a pot of tea, having phoned the hospital and spoken to Katherine, who was sorted out in a private room, and thankfully in considerably less pain, but anxious about Daniel and about having to go under the knife.
She must have fallen into a light doze because the sharp ring of the doorbell made her jump and she hurried out, giving herself no time to dwell on the prospect of seeing Leo again and thereby get herself into a tizzy.
She had managed to convince herself that he couldn’t be as impossibly overwhelming as she remembered, that his impact had really only been so powerful because initially she had not expected him to be so good-looking; that she had had valuable time to put everything into perspective and so would be prepared to face him. Besides, none of that mattered, given the situation.
She was wrong on all counts.
She pulled open the door and momentarily froze. Her skin suddenly felt hot and tight and she had a moment of sheer, blind panic as she took in the stunningly beautiful lines of his lean, chiselled face; she was as much affected by his masculine beauty now as she had been the first time she had clapped eyes on him. Against her lacy bra, she could feel her nipples tingle and harden and respond to that unbidden memory that this was the man who had wanted to make love to her.
‘Are you going to stand there gaping for much longer?’ Leo asked. He placed the palm of his hand flat against the door and gave it a little push, which was Heather’s cue to step back immediately and rein in her turbulent thoughts.
He had noticed her gaping at him like a teenager with a crush! She could have died of embarrassment.
‘You made good time,’ she said, clearing her throat.
‘No traffic at this time of night.’ Leo strode into the house and then turned around to look at her. ‘Tell me what happened. In detail.’
‘Of course. Would you like something to drink?’ She watched in fascination as he impatiently began rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt. He had ditched the tie at some point during the journey, and her eyes were drawn to that slither of bronzed skin where the top two buttons of his shirt had been undone.
‘Just tell me what happened, and then I intend to head straight to the hospital.’
‘Now?’
‘I’m not one to stand around waiting for the grass to grow under my feet.’
‘But no one’s going to be there! I mean of course, your mother will be there, but you won’t be able to find a doctor or
Similar Books
