His Miracle Bride

And before he could respond she stepped back through the doorway. She looked up at him, half hoping he’d lunge forward and take her into his arms and kiss her senseless.

Or at least say goodbye.

Nothing. He looked blank.

‘Goodbye then,’ she said herself. She bit her lip. ‘I’ll see you briefly next week. For a couple of hours. And then that’s it.’

It nearly killed him to drive away.

She was so cute she damn near broke his heart. And when she’d hugged him…

Don’t go there.

Things were spiralling out of control.

The kids.

That was one area where he was out of control. He’d imagined that he’d take the kids to the castle, hand over their care to the professionals and get some real work done.

He was getting work done, but in ways that surprised him. Sure, Susie and her army of helpers had taken over care of the kids and the kids were gloriously happy. But they’d whoop downstairs on their way to the beach and their cheerful whooping would reach something inside he was trying to block off.

The blocking tactic didn’t work. What was happening was that he’d stare down at his plans, double or triple or quadruple his efforts, do what had to be done and then somehow find himself on the beach as well. Sitting in the shallows with Bess on his knee. Holding up small persons as they struggled with this new wonderful skill called swimming. Umpiring beach cricket, or even taking a turn at the bat himself.

They’d come home from the beach tired and happy and sleep as they’d never slept before. He’d hit the plans at night, and his work was sailing.

But all the time he was working…he was thinking about Shanni.

Hell, he couldn’t ask her.

Ask her what?

He knew what he wanted to ask her. To be more involved than she already was. To be…

No. Too soon. Far too soon.

And she’d walked away.

Of course she’d walked away, as he should have the minute Maureen had asked him for her help.

And where would the kids have been then?

He swore and concentrated on his driving for a bit. His mobile phone rang. He’d fitted it to the dash so he could take calls when driving. His work colleagues had his number and so did the staff at the castle.

‘Yes?’

‘Hello, dear.’

‘Ruby.’

‘I hope it’s not an inconvenient time to ring?’

‘No.’

‘I just want to know the children’s sizes.’

‘Sizes?’

‘For my macrame club. We’re having a working bee.’

Agh.

He was being sucked into a black hole, he thought, and there was no control at all. He couldn’t even clutch the edges as he slid down.

‘Did you see Shanni?’ Ruby asked.

‘Yes.’

‘Did you tell her the good news about her money?’

‘Yes.’

‘And is she going back to London?’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘That’s lovely,’ Ruby said, and he could hear her satisfaction down the phone.

‘Ruby?’

‘Yes, dear?’

‘Don’t.’

‘Don’t what?’

‘Do what you’re doing.’

‘Oh, I’m not doing a thing, dear,’ she said, and he could hear her beaming. ‘You know me. I never interfere. Now just tell me…what are those sizes?’

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE morning they left the castle was heartbreaking. The kids were up at dawn for a last swim. Then they wandered the castle saying their private goodbyes to everything in the place. Pumpkins and suits of armour included.

Pierce said his own goodbye to Queen Vic.

‘Okay, large families are fun,’ he admitted. ‘But they didn’t make you smile after you lost your Albert.’

Was it his imagination, or had her expression changed? She looked…somehow more pitying than disapproving.

Weird.

‘Look after the aspidistra,’ he told her, and made his way down to the breakfast room. Susie’s pancake making was well under way. They’d have to learn how to make their own pancakes back at the farm.

Shanni would have made a mean pancake.

Cut it out.

He sat and ate, and the kids chattered, and Taffy begged a piece of pancake from everyone.

‘She’s going on a diet the minute you guys leave,’ Susie said sternly. ‘Just lucky she’s stretchy and there’s lots of her to fill.’

He’d miss Taffy. She nuzzled his hand under the table.

Maybe he could get the kids a dog.

He met Susie’s eyes over the plate of pancakes, and she beamed.

‘That’s a wonderful idea.’

‘What’s a wonderful idea?’ asked Wendy.

‘What your father is thinking. Now, there’s one more treat…’

‘Treat?’ The kids’ eyes lit up. Every morning there’d been some little thing to look forward to. A sand-castle competition. A trip to the local aquarium. Kite flying. Two days ago they’d all trooped into Dolphin Bay cottage hospital to check out the new Angus. He was jaundiced, so was spending the first few days of his life under lamps. The kids had been enchanted. A new little life…

Pierce had thought of the work Bessy had been, and cringed. But a puppy was a lot less work than a new baby. Maybe.

‘You’ll cope,’ Susie said with understanding, and he blinked. She read him like Shanni did. Dratted women.

‘Your today treat is dolphin watching,’ Susie said, and he stopped thinking about Shanni. For a moment.

‘We didn’t think we’d get a treat today,’ Donald said. He was the calculator of the family. The mind. ‘It took three hours to drive here. We have to be home by dark.’

‘And it’s nine o’clock now. You’re all packed. Mr Ross who runs Dolphin Bay Charters is picking you all up in half an hour, with your luggage. Mrs Ross will look after Bessy. You guys get to see the dolphins, then Mrs Ross will give you a picnic on the beach, and you get in the car by one. You’ll be home by four. All sorted.’

‘You won’t be coming?’ Wendy asked. The kids had learned to love bouncy Susie. They loved her smiley husband and her cute tot of a daughter. They’d miss everything about this place.

‘We have to get the place ready for a new lot of kids,’ Susie explained, and Wendy’s face fell.