up, Tom!' she called. 'We're nearly there.'
Anna's arm was nearly dead from hauling him up the hill. She ignored it and concentrated on the scene ahead.
The visiting car came hurtling backwards out of the driveway. Anna stopped and held tight on to the children's hands.
'Wow!' Lisa gasped, clearly impressed.
Tom's head jerked up.
The shuddering noise of wheels spinning on loose gravel was hard to ignore. Anna did her best.
But the woman called to her through the open window. 'Are you the person who lives next door?'
'Yes.'
'Well, he's all yours. And the very best of luck – you're going to need it!'
With that, she floored the accelerator and took off, her rear wheels showering them all with gravel. Anna could only stare, aghast.
When she looked round again, she saw Daniel coming down the steps at the front of his house. She gave Lisa the front door key. 'You and Tom go on, Lisa. I just want to have a quick word with Daniel.'
He took forever to reach the front gate. She wasn't sure. She knew she wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. So she stood still and waited.
'Are you all right?' Daniel called as he approached.
She nodded. 'And you?'
'Crazy woman!' he muttered, shaking his head. 'Driving like that. She's going to kill someone.'
'You, perhaps?'
He shrugged. 'Probably.'
'I would guess she's in a bad mood.'
'That's about right.'
He seemed distracted. It wasn't surprising. Things had obviously been said.
'Have you got a minute?' he asked. 'To come in?'
'Is Elizabeth there?'
'No. She's gone. I fight my own battles. They've both gone now.'
She gave him a rueful smile and let him lead her into the house, and into the kitchen.'
'That was my ex-fiancée,' he said bluntly.
'Elizabeth told me.'
'I daresay she did. The interfering so- and-so! Probably a lot of other things, too. Elizabeth means well but she should be more careful with other people's private business.'
They were both stood up. Daniel turned to look out of the window, and then back to look at Anna again. He smiled suddenly.
'I was in a poor state when I came here,' he said quietly. 'You know that. Some of it was due to Shona, there, who has just departed in such a great hurry. She took one look at me in hospital and announced that she couldn't marry me. She was brave, too. She told me to my face – what was left of it!'
While you were no doubt covered in bandages and strapped to a bed, Anna thought. Very brave.
'That was good of her.'
He shrugged. 'Turned out it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Can you imagine how it might have been in five years' time had I married her? In ten years' time – twenty?'
'Not easily,' Anna admitted with a reluctant smile of her own.
'Hell on earth, probably!'
Daniel grinned and seemed to relax at last.
'She changed her mind when she heard I was getting well again. And this,' he added, fingering his scarred face, 'wasn't as bad as it might have been.'
'Oh, Daniel! It's so sad.'
'She announced that she was coming. I couldn't stop her. Mistakenly, I confided in Elizabeth. Told her the problem. Elizabeth decided she would come, too. Women!' he added, shaking his head.
'We're not all a nuisance, you know.'
'No, of course you're not.' He smiled and touched her hand. 'Anyway, I've sent her packing, with a few home truths of my own. She wasn't best pleased.'
'So I gathered.'
'Cup of coffee? Tea?'
She shook her head. 'I must get back to the children.'
'Something else I wanted to tell you, Anna, is that one of the best things to have happened to me was ….'
'Apart from Shona telling you she no longer wanted to marry you?'
'Apart from that.' He paused, and gave a little shrug. 'Was meeting you, Anna. You saved my life. I truly believe that.'
It was a shock, hearing that bald statement. She blinked hard.
'I care for you very much, Anna. And for the children. I told Shona that, as well.'
She stood still.
'It's not easy for me to talk about such things,' he added.
'You
Anna's arm was nearly dead from hauling him up the hill. She ignored it and concentrated on the scene ahead.
The visiting car came hurtling backwards out of the driveway. Anna stopped and held tight on to the children's hands.
'Wow!' Lisa gasped, clearly impressed.
Tom's head jerked up.
The shuddering noise of wheels spinning on loose gravel was hard to ignore. Anna did her best.
But the woman called to her through the open window. 'Are you the person who lives next door?'
'Yes.'
'Well, he's all yours. And the very best of luck – you're going to need it!'
With that, she floored the accelerator and took off, her rear wheels showering them all with gravel. Anna could only stare, aghast.
When she looked round again, she saw Daniel coming down the steps at the front of his house. She gave Lisa the front door key. 'You and Tom go on, Lisa. I just want to have a quick word with Daniel.'
He took forever to reach the front gate. She wasn't sure. She knew she wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. So she stood still and waited.
'Are you all right?' Daniel called as he approached.
She nodded. 'And you?'
'Crazy woman!' he muttered, shaking his head. 'Driving like that. She's going to kill someone.'
'You, perhaps?'
He shrugged. 'Probably.'
'I would guess she's in a bad mood.'
'That's about right.'
He seemed distracted. It wasn't surprising. Things had obviously been said.
'Have you got a minute?' he asked. 'To come in?'
'Is Elizabeth there?'
'No. She's gone. I fight my own battles. They've both gone now.'
She gave him a rueful smile and let him lead her into the house, and into the kitchen.'
'That was my ex-fiancée,' he said bluntly.
'Elizabeth told me.'
'I daresay she did. The interfering so- and-so! Probably a lot of other things, too. Elizabeth means well but she should be more careful with other people's private business.'
They were both stood up. Daniel turned to look out of the window, and then back to look at Anna again. He smiled suddenly.
'I was in a poor state when I came here,' he said quietly. 'You know that. Some of it was due to Shona, there, who has just departed in such a great hurry. She took one look at me in hospital and announced that she couldn't marry me. She was brave, too. She told me to my face – what was left of it!'
While you were no doubt covered in bandages and strapped to a bed, Anna thought. Very brave.
'That was good of her.'
He shrugged. 'Turned out it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Can you imagine how it might have been in five years' time had I married her? In ten years' time – twenty?'
'Not easily,' Anna admitted with a reluctant smile of her own.
'Hell on earth, probably!'
Daniel grinned and seemed to relax at last.
'She changed her mind when she heard I was getting well again. And this,' he added, fingering his scarred face, 'wasn't as bad as it might have been.'
'Oh, Daniel! It's so sad.'
'She announced that she was coming. I couldn't stop her. Mistakenly, I confided in Elizabeth. Told her the problem. Elizabeth decided she would come, too. Women!' he added, shaking his head.
'We're not all a nuisance, you know.'
'No, of course you're not.' He smiled and touched her hand. 'Anyway, I've sent her packing, with a few home truths of my own. She wasn't best pleased.'
'So I gathered.'
'Cup of coffee? Tea?'
She shook her head. 'I must get back to the children.'
'Something else I wanted to tell you, Anna, is that one of the best things to have happened to me was ….'
'Apart from Shona telling you she no longer wanted to marry you?'
'Apart from that.' He paused, and gave a little shrug. 'Was meeting you, Anna. You saved my life. I truly believe that.'
It was a shock, hearing that bald statement. She blinked hard.
'I care for you very much, Anna. And for the children. I told Shona that, as well.'
She stood still.
'It's not easy for me to talk about such things,' he added.
'You
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