wouldn’t allow her to get under his skin, wouldn’t let her hurt him any more than she had done already. She was a liar and a cheat. She had tried to dupe him into accepting her child as his own. She’d probably slept with him, in fact, for that very purpose. The thought should have been enough to stop him feeling anything but contempt for her yet it didn’t. Even now, even knowing what she was capable of, he still wanted her!
‘Right, we’re all sorted. You and I are going to check out one of the side paths.’
Tom came over to him and Ben hurriedly smoothed his features into something resembling a normal expression. ‘Bon. Do we need to take anything with us—ropes, medical equipment, things like that?’
‘Everything we need’s in here.’ Tom showed him one of the backpacks the team carried. ‘It’s just basics—torch, whistle, saline, dressings, etcetera. If we do come across the missing couple then we’ll contact the rest of the party and go from there.’
He held up a shortwave radio receiver and Ben nodded. ‘You said that our phones won’t work in this area.’
‘No. Reception is patchy throughout this part of Devon. There are plans to build a new transmitter but who knows when it will happen? We’ll have to rely on the radio or come back here to Emily’s if that’s a viable alternative,’ Tom explained. ‘It’s lucky she lives here, isn’t it?’
‘Hmm.’ Ben smiled but he could feel his insides churning again as he glanced towards the cottage. Emily was collecting up the dirty mugs. She bent down to pick up one that had been left on the ground and he felt his breath catch when he was treated to a glimpse of her shapely derrière clad in well-washed denim. He turned away, not wanting to test out his new-found determination to ignore her.
‘There isn’t a problem with you and Emily, is there?’ Tom swung the backpack over his shoulder as he led the way to the footpath.
‘A problem?’ Ben reiterated to give himself time to think. Although Tom was his closest friend, he had never confided in him about what had gone on and had no intention of doing so. Quite frankly, he wouldn’t want anyone to know what a fool he’d been.
‘Hmm. I couldn’t help noticing a certain vibe between you two just now.’ Tom glanced at him as he cleared the stile. ‘Tell me to mind my own business, but did something happen between you and Emily when you stayed here the last time?’
‘Nothing of any importance,’ Ben said lightly. He glanced along the path. ‘Is it straight ahead or do we need to turn off?’
‘Straight ahead.’
Tom took the hint and didn’t say anything else. However, it was worrying to know that his friend had picked up on the atmosphere between him and Emily. As they made their way along the path, Ben promised himself that it would be the first and the last time he made that mistake. From now on he would treat Emily as she deserved to be treated, as someone who didn’t feature in his life.
It was just gone ten when the sound of footsteps outside woke Emily. She sat up, groaning when she felt the crick in her neck. Falling asleep on the sofa definitely wasn’t a good idea but she’d been loath to go to bed in case she was needed. Now she hurried to the door and flung it open, gasping when she saw Ben helping a middle-aged woman up the path.
‘This is Louise. Can she wait here until the rest of the group catches up with us?’ he asked briefly.
‘Of course!’ Emily hurried forward and put her arm around the woman’s waist. She flinched when her hand encountered Ben’s but there was no way she could remove it when the poor woman needed her support. They helped her inside and got her settled on the sofa. Ben stepped back as soon as Louise was comfortable, his face impassive, but Emily could tell from the tightening of his jaw that he’d enjoyed the contact no more than she had done.
The thought was strangely upsetting. Emily turned away, reluctant to let him see how she felt. ‘I’ll fetch a blanket. She feels cold despite the fact it’s warm outside.’
‘Shock,’ Ben replied succinctly, crouching down in front of the woman. He gently chafed her hands. ‘Her husband fell down the bank of a stream and injured his leg. She was unable to get him out.’
‘How is he?’ Emily asked, sotto voce, and he shook his head.
‘Not too good.’
Emily didn’t ask anything else, not wanting to add to the poor woman’s distress. Ben asked if he could use the phone to call search and rescue headquarters so she showed him where it was then ran upstairs to fetch a blanket. He was still on the phone when she went back down so she took the blanket through to the sitting room and draped it over Louise then smiled at her. ‘I’m going to make you a cup of tea. It will help to warm you up.’
Louise didn’t respond. Her face was completely blank as she stared straight ahead. Emily frowned as she headed to the kitchen. Ben had finished his call and she beckoned him over, waiting until they were out of earshot before speaking. ‘Has she said anything to you?’
‘No. She’s not said a word since we found her.’ He sighed as he rested his lean frame against the worktop. ‘It was sheer luck that we came across them. Tom just happened to glance down the banking and spotted Louise’s red jumper. She was just sitting there, not shouting or anything, just cradling her husband’s head in her lap.’
‘The poor soul!’ Emily exclaimed. ‘She must have been terrified.’
‘Oui. To see the one you love in trouble and not be able to help them…!’
Once again he gave that very Gallic shrug and Emily looked away. It was one of the things she remembered most, the way he punctuated his conversation with various gestures. Although Ben’s English was faultless thanks to his having an English mother, his French heritage from his father was still very apparent and had always been a huge part of his charm. That along with so many other things, of course.
She closed her mind to that stupid thought as she made the tea. She filled a mug, adding both milk and sugar. Ben smiled faintly as he watched her.
‘Ah, the British answer to all life’s ills—hot sweet tea.’
‘It’s very reviving,’ she countered.
‘Oh, it is. I learned that for myself when I first came here. Ros would make me a cup of tea and all of a sudden everything seemed that bit brighter.’
‘Sadly it can’t cure everything. There are some problems that can’t be solved by a cup of tea.’ She hadn’t meant to say that, certainly hadn’t intended to allude to their problem, his refusal to acknowledge their child, and bit her lip. Ben’s expression darkened as he stared at her with undisguised contempt.
‘Some problems are too huge to be resolved. It needs trust and honesty to sort out important issues. When they are absent, there is never a way forward.’
He went back to the sitting room, leaving her to stew that over. Emily ground her teeth, hating the fact that he had the gall to make out that she was lacking in honesty. Picking up the mug, she hurried after him, hating him with every fibre of her being. Ben had been so afraid of facing up to his responsibilities that he had chosen to deny his own child. There couldn’t be anything more dishonest than that!
CHAPTER THREE
