herself in time. She pressed her lips firmly together. She didn’t want to be part of his downtime. Best not to give him any encouragement.
‘Fingers crossed, we won’t.’ Beth stood. ‘Was there anything else, Dr Fallon?’ she asked primly.
Gabe contemplated saying something shocking just to rattle her. Beth was one single-minded woman. ‘No, Sister Rogers.’ He stood also. ‘I’ll consider myself dismissed.’
Beth watched him go wishing it was just as easy to dismiss him from her thoughts.
* * *
The sun was setting as Beth pulled up at the Bullimba house she’d called home since she’d been fifteen. Her gaze took in its rambling whitewashed exterior. It had been a palace compared to some of the dives she’d lived in on the streets and she’d loved it the second she’d clapped eyes on it.
She was running a little late. She’d done battle with the roster for another hour and then given it up as a bad joke. Gabe’s scent, sweet like shortbread, had invaded every corner of her office, making a mockery of her concentration. She’d stopped at the nearby shopping centre and picked up a bunch of flowers for Penny.
Beth walked up the path and was raising her hand to insert her key in the lock when she heard a car door slam behind her and a sexy voice say, ‘Wait…’
Beth’s heart crashed against her ribs as she turned towards the voice. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ she demanded.
Gabe laughed. ‘That’s no way to speak to a dinner guest.’
He was wearing the clothes he’d worn to work this morning. Chocolate-brown trousers and a purple pinstriped shirt. The tie had been removed, the top buttons undone.
‘I hope your family are drinkers,’ Gabe said as he drew level with her, holding up a bottle of wine.
His crinkly caramel hair was still a little flat from his theatre cap and despite her absolute horror when she realised she would be sharing the table with him, she suppressed the urge to ruffle it. ‘You’re having dinner with us?’ Great. She’d drink the entire bottle all by herself!
Gabe nodded. ‘I ran into your father on my way out of the hospital.’
Damn John. ‘No,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘You can’t have dinner with us.’
Gabe chuckled. ‘Yes, I can. John asked. I accepted.’
‘But…Dr Fallon—’
‘Beth,’ Gabe said sternly, ‘I swear to God, if you call me Dr Fallon all evening…’
‘Sorry Dr…er…Gabe.’ Beth tried not to stumble over the word but she did anyway. ‘Look, you don’t understand. It would make me feel very uncomfortable.’
Gabe frowned. ‘Why?’
She stared at him for a few moments, wondering whether he’d lost his mind. ‘Because we slept together,’ she said, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper. ‘Or have you forgotten that already?’
He grinned at her, remembering in vivid detail. ‘So?’
So? So! So she couldn’t exchange polite pleasantries with him in front of her family and not give herself away. ‘Rilla and Hailey are very shrewd. They’ll guess. And I don’t need them on my case. They’ll try to matchmake and it was a one-off G-Gabe. A one-off. Not to mention that my father is your boss. You want to be sitting across the table from him when he realises just how well you know me?’
Gabe could see the pink in her cheeks as her straight blonde hair brushed her shoulders. He sighed. ‘How old are you Beth?’
Beth glared at him. ‘Older than you. Old enough to know better than to jump into bed with a complete stranger.’ How could she have been so stupid?
‘I don’t care who knows that we slept together, Beth.’
‘Well, I do,’ she snarled. ‘What happened with us is not the way I act. I’m embarrassed by it. I’d like to keep it to myself, if that’s all right. I’m worried we might slip up and let the cat out of the bag, especially if we’re together socially with my family. They know me too well.’
‘Beth, what happened between us wasn’t exactly normal for me either. We were both acting out of character. There was something obviously weighing on you that night. Don’t forget, I held you while you cried your heart out. It meant something to me that you could let go. Whatever you think, it was more than just a one-night stand.’
Beth shut her eyes. She could hear the sincere note in his voice and wished he hadn’t reminded her of how she had broken down. The fact that it apparently meant something to him she couldn’t even begin to process.
‘Please…’ She opened her eyes and fixed him with pleading eyes. ‘If it really meant something then I’m asking you to just turn around and leave. I need to be more prepared than this.’
Gabe saw the desperation in her eyes and a hint of the sadness that had afflicted her that fateful night. He handed her the wine and opened his mouth to agree.
The door opened abruptly. ‘There you are. Both of you,’ John boomed. ‘Well, don’t just stand there, come on in. Penny is so looking forward to meeting you.’
Gabe shot Beth an apologetic look as he allowed John to usher him into the house.
Beth stood staring after them, wine bottle in one hand, flowers in the other.
Damn it!
CHAPTER THREE
TO MAKE matters worse, Penny sat Gabe and Beth together. She was super-aware of him as they took their places at the table. His body heat radiated towards her, stroking hot fingers across her skin. The occasional brush of his arm against hers caused unwanted flashbacks.
Rilla and Hailey sat opposite, grinning at her. She frowned at them. John and Penny sat at each end of the table, oblivious to any odd vibes.
‘So, where in the UK are you from?’ Penny asked.
‘I grew up in Reading. My mother still lives there. I studied in London. But I live in Oxford at the moment.’
‘Oh, Beth worked at the Radcliffe in Oxford for years, didn’t you, darling?’ Penny supplied.
‘It was a long time ago,’ Beth said evasively.
‘How long have you been back for?’ Gabe asked.
Beth concentrated on Penny’s divine roast lamb. ‘Eight years.’
‘Beth’s been all over,’ Rilla boasted.
It was true. Beth had left on her travels as soon as her training had been complete. Being welcomed into the loving arms of the Winters clan had been her saving grace but memories of her baby boy had haunted her and she’d been desperate to escape them. A decade of wandering the world had helped put them into some perspective.
‘How long have you been theatre NUM?’
