Arab Emirates for one of the oil companies. Although he was due to fly home for the birth of the new baby, his absence hadn’t helped the situation.
Ross did what he could and Kate’s friends rallied round as well—doing the school run and fetching the weekly grocery shopping for her—but trips to the playground had had to be curtailed. Consequently, Josh and Luke could hardly wait to get there.
Ross helped the boys clamber onto adjacent swings and started pushing them. The playground was busy with it being the weekend and there were children running about everywhere. He gave Luke a push and turned to do the same for Josh then felt his heart sink when he saw a small child racing towards them. The toddler obviously had no idea of the danger as she ran straight in front of the swings.
Ross heard a woman shout but he didn’t pause as he darted forward and lifted the child out of the way. He could feel his heart thudding as he carried the toddler to safety because it had been such a close call. Setting the little girl on the ground, he bent down to look at her, smiling reassuringly when he saw her lower lip wobble.
‘You’re OK, poppet,’ he began, but got no further when a woman suddenly appeared and swept the child into her arms. He felt his heart thud all the harder when he realised in surprise that it was none other than Heather Cooper.
‘Grace! Are you all right, darling?’ she demanded frantically. ‘Tell Mummy where you’re hurt.’
Ross felt a wave of compassion wash over him when he saw how terrified Heather looked. He hurried to reassure her. ‘The swing didn’t hit her, Heather. She might be a bit scared because I grabbed hold of her but she isn’t hurt.’
‘Are you sure?’
Heather raised fear-darkened eyes to his and Ross could see that she was trembling. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it, feeling the delicacy of her bones beneath the thick red fleece jacket she was wearing.
‘Quite sure. She’s just had a bit of a fright.’
Heather took a deep breath but Ross could hear the shrill edge of hysteria in her voice. ‘It’s all my fault. I should have kept tighter hold of her hand. If anything had happened to her…!’
‘But it didn’t.’ Once again he squeezed her shoulder but her reaction alarmed him. It was natural that Heather should be upset by the thought of what could have happened to her daughter, but her response seemed to be way beyond what he would have considered as normal.
He glanced round when Luke shouted out that he and Josh wanted to go on the slide next. Maybe it had nothing to do with him but Ross knew that he couldn’t just walk away and leave Heather when she was so upset. He came to a swift decision, hoping that he wouldn’t ruin his chances of getting to know her better by appearing too pushy.
‘Grace isn’t the only one who’s had a fright from the look of you. What you need is a cup of tea, Heather. I was going to take my nephews to the café for a drink, so why don’t you join us?’
‘Oh, no, I couldn’t—’ Heather began, but Ross simply wasn’t prepared to leave her there on her own. She was still trembling and looked so pale that he was afraid she might pass out.
‘Yes, you can.’ He put his hand under her elbow and helped her to her feet, keeping firm hold of her as she settled the little girl in her arms. ‘You won’t do yourself or your daughter any good if you faint, will you?’
‘I suppose not.’
Heather bit her lip and he could tell that she was trying to decide what to do. The fact that it was such an effort filled him with tenderness. Heather had struck him as someone who was very much in control when they’d first met and to see her having such difficulty making up her mind simply proved how shaken she was. Unconsciously, Ross’s tone softened and became persuasive.
‘As a doctor I imagine you must have told dozens of people the same thing over the years, that a cup of tea would do them the power of good. Now it’s your turn to see if it works. I’ll just get the boys off the swings then we can go and test out the theory.’
‘All right,’ she agreed with a tentative smile.
Ross turned away before she could see how elated it had made him feel to know that he’d managed to bring a smile to her face. He lifted Josh and Luke off the swings and explained that they would have a drink first and go on the slide later. And the whole time he was doing so it felt as though his heart was going to burst right out of his chest with delight. He had made Heather smile!
Maybe it wasn’t an earth-shattering event by other people’s standards but it was by his and a definite step in the right direction, too. While they were having tea, he would try to make a bit more progress towards getting to know her better….
His spirits plummeted when it struck him that he had overlooked one major point: if Heather Cooper had a child then she probably had a husband as well. Why hadn’t he considered that possibility before?
By the time they’d found an empty table in the park’s crowded café, Heather was beginning to wish she hadn’t agreed to Ross’s suggestion. The shock of knowing that Grace could have been badly hurt if the swing had hit her had played havoc with Heather’s self-control. All she really wanted was to be on her own while she calmed down but, short of causing a scene, she had no choice except to go through with this now.
‘Tea, Heather?’
She jumped when Ross spoke to her, feeling her pulse race when she saw the concern on his face. She didn’t want to be on the receiving end of his concern when her emotions were so near to the surface.
‘Um…yes, please. Tea will be fine,’ she replied as coolly as she could.
‘And what will your little girl have? Juice or milk?’ he continued, placing his hand lightly on Grace’s head and ruffling her curls.
‘Milk, please.’ Heather managed to maintain her poise but it disturbed her to see how her daughter was smiling up at Ross. Grace was normally such a reserved child and rarely responded to people she didn’t know. However, the little girl wasn’t shy with Ross, oddly enough.
Heather frowned as she watched him turn to the two boys. Ross had told her they were his nephews and it was obvious he was very fond of them and that they adored him, too. She could tell from the easy way he behaved with the twins that he spent a lot of time with them. Maybe Grace had sensed that he was used to children and had reacted accordingly?
It was a relief to have found such a simple explanation. Heather allowed herself to relax for the first time since she’d sat down, but maybe she’d been a bit premature about lowering her guard. She felt her breath catch when she heard Ross laugh at something one of the boys had said.
She looked away as Ross went to fetch their drinks, afraid that her expression might be too revealing. Why should she feel all warm inside just because she’d heard him laughing? Why should she feel anything at all when Ross was, essentially, a stranger to her?
‘I think I’ve just about got everything.’
Ross came back with a tray full of drinks. He doled out glasses and straws to the children then dropped a handful of paper napkins in the centre of the table and sat down. Picking up a packet of sugar, he tipped the contents into a cup of tea and stirred it briskly then placed it in front of Heather with a teasing grin.
‘Hot,
