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‘Do I have to go to school tomorrow? I haven’t done my homework’

‘Oh, I think Miss Porter will understand I’ll take you in and explain the situation myself, so there’s no need for you to worry on that score’ She began clearing away his dishes, stacking them in the dishwasher

‘Will ?’

‘Of course he will!’ Just the thought of Leo closing the gap between the her out in a cold sweat She had been careful to avoid being around on the occasions he had visited Yes, avoidance was always the coward’s way of dealing with a proble about the man had sent her nerves into crazy free fall, then how bad would it have been to actually see him? Worse, to have to talk to him and feel those fabulous eyes of his rake over her with pity and scorn? Because she kneithout a shadow of a doubt that he would not have understood a word of what she had told hi fro into bed with anyone just because she happened to fancy them He had looked at her as if she had taken leave of her senses, and she had been left feeling like Miss Haversham on a bad day

‘He’s your dad, Daniel,’ Heather asserted withto be here when you need him’

‘He can’t be here He works in London He showed me around his office the last time ent down He says he’s away a lot What if he’s away and Gran’s still in hospital? What then?’

‘He runs his own cooes away or not, and if he’s needed here then he’ll choose to stay put’

That closed that particular line of enquiry, and Heather didn’t sho anxious she was that Daniel’s predictions did not materialise Katherine had been thrilled hat she had described as her son ‘ effort’, but as far as Heather was concerned Leo’s ‘big effort’ was only really big in comparison to how extremely small it had been before With Katherine in hospital, Leo would have toeffort’ He would have to put great sections of his life on hold

The little boy fell into sleep withinlist of questions, Heather had ti arrival

She felt crumpled and unprepared Three hours previously, Katherine had called and calmly explained that she had taken a tumble from a step ladder and was in a little bit of pain In fact, Heather had rushed over to find the older woround, unable to move and white as a sheet There had only been time to phone for an ambulance, to try to comfort a wideeyed, terrified Daniel, and then theand X-rays and doctors Any question of having a bath had been out of the question, and so here she was, dishevelled and unable to leave the house, because Daniel was upstairs sleeping and couldn’t be left on his own

She cal phoned the hospital and spoken to Katherine, as sorted out in a private room, and thankfully in considerably less pain, but anxious about Daniel and about having to go under the knife

Sheof the doorbellherself no tiet herself into a tizzy

She had ed to convince herself that he couldn’t be as i as she remembered, that his impact had really only been so powerful because initially she had not expected hi; that she had had valuable ti into perspective and so would be prepared to face hiiven the situation

She rong on all counts

She pulled open the door and ht and she had a ly beautiful lines of his lean, chiselled face; she was as much affected by his masculine beauty now as she had been the first tiainst her lacy bra, she could feel her nipples tingle and harden and respond to that unbidden memory that this was the man who had wanted to make love to her

‘Are you going to stand there gaping for er?’ Leo asked He placed the palave it a little push, which was Heather’s cue to step back ihts

He had noticed her gaping at hier with a crush! She could have died of embarrassment

‘Youher throat

‘No traffic at this tiht’ Leo strode into the house and then turned around to look at her ‘Tell me what happened In detail’

‘Of course Would you like so to drink?’ She watched in fascination as he i up the sleeves of his white shirt He had ditched the tie at so the journey, and her eyes were drawn to that slither of bronzed skin where the top two buttons of his shirt had been undone

‘Just tell ht to the hospital’