Webb was there, too, gossiping away about the latest episode of her favourite soap. But he doubted Felix had heard a word of it. He was too busy absorbing what he’d found in the Daily Globe.
‘Oh, Luke!’ Mrs Webb gazed at him in surprise, and even Felix put the newspaper aside with an apologetic grin. ‘You’re an early riser. It’s barely half past six. Is something wrong?’
‘What could be wrong, Mrs Webb?’ Luke walked across to the cooker and helped himself to a mug of coffee. ‘I couldn’t sleep, that’s all. I thought I’d get an early start.’
‘An early start?’
It was Felix who echoed his words, and Luke nodded. ‘Yes. I’m driving down to Ashford this morning. And I’m sure the roads will be busy with holiday traffic, so the sooner I start, the better.’
Felix slid off his stool. ‘I’ll get the car.’
‘No, there’s no need, Felix. I’m going to drive myself.’
Felix frowned. ‘You sure?’
‘I’m sure.’ Luke gave him a wry look. ‘You can have the day off. Go and visit that daughter of yours.’
Felix had had a brief liaison before he’d gone into the army and his daughter was the result. And despite the fact that he’d never married her mother, he and his daughter were surprisingly close.
‘She’s away,’ said Felix glumly. ‘She and her boyfriend are in Majorca, enjoying the sun.’
‘Oh.’ Luke considered. ‘Well—do something else then.
‘I tell you what: try and find out what a guy called Harry Laurence is doing these days.’
* * *
Abby had had her first trip to see her doctor that morning.
She’d decided to close the café for the day, as Lori couldn’t cope with the morning rush and attend to the bookstore at the same time.
Still, as she walked back to South Road she was feeling pretty good, and she was wondering whether she should open up that afternoon. It would mean contacting Lori, but, as it was a pretty miserable day, she didn’t think her friend would mind.
Everything changed when she saw the car, parked illegally, across the road from the café.
She didn’t recognise it, but it was an expensive vehicle.
An Aston Martin, if she wasn’t mistaken. The type of car Luke had driven years ago. And although she wanted to remain calm and collected, her pulse started racing madly.
If it was Luke, what was he doing here? Had he come to give her and the other shopkeepers their notices to quit? If so, she might have less than six months to find another home and another job. And not just for her, she acknowledged anxiously. In less than seven months, she would need a home for her baby, as well.
Almost instinctively, she ran a hand over her stomach.
Was it only her imagination, or could she feel a slight mound beneath her shirt?
She was over eight weeks now and the doctor had said that in another two weeks, she should have her first ultrasound scan. The idea of being able to see the baby inside her was tantalising. To have living proof her son or daughter was real.
Ought she to ask Luke if he wanted to go with her to the hospital? She didn’t want to, but it was his baby, too. He was just as responsible for its existence as she was. And she had the feeling that he wouldn’t refuse such an invitation if he could fit it into his busy life.
As she neared the car a door was thrust open and, as on that other occasion, a long jean-clad leg emerged. It was Luke, lean and dark, and endlessly appealing, in a black button-down shirt, and deck shoes.
To her surprise, he looked relieved to see her. And she guessed he’d already read the notice on the café door. Where did he think she’d been? she wondered. She was tempted to say she’d been looking for a new place to live. But she didn’t want to start lying to him now.
He came across the road as she neared the café. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, regarding her closely. ‘When I saw the café was closed, I thought you must be ill.’
‘Did you try the side door?’ she asked, without answering his question. She could imagine the uproar Harley would have caused if he’d heard someone hammering on the door.
‘I knocked,’ agreed Luke, ‘but when Harley started barking, I guessed you couldn’t be there.’
‘Or I’d have come rushing down to greet you?’ suggested Abby drily, and Luke pulled a face.
‘Uh, no,’ he said defensively. ‘But he wouldn’t have continued barking if you’d been there to shut him up.’
Abby inclined her head, conceding the point. Then, glancing across at his car, she said, ‘You’ll get a parking ticket. The wardens are pretty active around here.’
‘So I’ll pay the fine,’ said Luke indifferently. ‘Or rather, Felix will. He handles all that sort of thing for me.’
Abby shook her head. ‘So why are you here? Have you come to tell us when we have to leave? If so, I’ll ask the other tenants—’
‘I’m not here to ask anyone to leave,’ retorted Luke between his teeth. He paused. ‘I wanted to see you.’
‘Why?’
‘Do I have to have a reason?’ He sighed. ‘Let’s go inside and we can talk.’
Abby looked up at him, despising herself for the way her stomach clenched at the sight of him. Why was he really here? It could only be about the baby. She tensed at the thought that he might be considering trying to take over the child’s life as soon as it was born.
Surely even Luke would not be that cruel. Though his careless comments about parking his car proved that abiding by the rules meant little to him.
But she had to find out, one way or the other, and, with a shrug, she walked past him into the alley beside the café.
She was conscious of him following her, of his powerful body behind hers as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. But, before she could even close the door, he backed her up against the wall in the hall and gripped the back of her neck, tipping her face up to his.
His mouth was hot and demanding, and she was incapable of resisting him. Desire shivered through her, and, although he was supporting himself with his free hand so he wouldn’t crush her, Abby felt the unmistakeable thrust of his powerful arousal against her abdomen.
‘I’ve been worried sick about you,’ he muttered, cupping her face with his hands, his thumbs brushing her parted lips. ‘Where the hell have you been?’
Abby was breathless. ‘Why do you care?’
‘Because I do, all right?’ He kissed her again, this time giving in to the urge to push himself against her. ‘I’ve been waiting for the better part of an hour. I’ve even had to pacify a few of your
