Brought Together by Baby (17 page)

‘He’s learned two new things today,’ she continued, pride mixing with the false jollity in her voice.

‘That’s great.’

Max had made a full and swift recovery from the wasp sting, and after their return from the hospital had slept through the night, appearing none the worse for his adventures come morning. Gus smiled ruefully…he and Holly had been the unsettled ones. He felt as if he’d aged ten years.

Gus gave Max a kiss and set him back on the mat to play. ‘Are you going to show Papa your new moves?’

‘He’s been doing mini-press-ups. And he’s discovered how to work the buzzer,’ Holly told him, her smile more natural as Max chose that moment to demonstrate his new skill and happily smacked the button to ring the buzzer.

Laughing, Gus rose to his feet. ‘Nice one, half-pint!’

He loved these moments, coming home from work full of eager anticipation at seeing Max. And Holly. Since Max had been stung he and Holly had shared a new closeness, brought together by their shared fear, giving each other strength and comfort. The underlying tension and awareness simmering beneath the surface was also increasing all the time. It was becoming harder and harder to hide his feelings from Holly…and to remember that unresolved issues lay between them. At times he was convinced Holly felt the attraction, too, but she’d rejected him once before and he was wary of making another mistake and being hurt again.

‘Who’s your friend?’ Holly asked, breaking into his reverie. ‘He’s gorgeous.’

‘It’s not meant for children under three, but I couldn’t resist when I discovered the bear was called Max,’ he confided, closing the distance between them and handing her the super-soft, hand-made teddy.

‘I can cuddle him until Max takes over.’

If ever anyone looked in need of a cuddle it was Holly. As she hugged the bear tightly Gus struggled to resist the temptation to step around the ironing board and wrap her in his arms. First he needed to uncover the cause of her discomfort. But he knew from past experience that coming right out and asking wouldn’t work.

‘I’m going upstairs to change,’ he told her, noting her cheeks were so pale that her cute smattering of freckles stood out in stark relief. ‘Shall I take the laundry up with me?’

‘That would be great, thanks.’

Her hands shook as she sat the teddy bear on the table before picking up the neatly ironed pile of bedlinens and towels. Their fingers brushed as she transferred the bundle to him, and he was surprised to see a bloom of colour return to her cheeks. Surprised and intrigued. Flustered, she stepped
back, lowering the ironing board and hiding behind it as if it were a shield.

He was almost at the door when a thought nagged him and he half turned to address her. ‘I didn’t get a chance to tell you this morning, but I found a photo album before I went to work. Did you see it?’

‘Yes.’ Sooty lashes hid her expression. ‘Thank you.’

The falsely cheery tone of her voice didn’t fool him for a minute. ‘Holly, what’s wrong?’

‘Nothing.’ Her smile frayed at the edges. ‘I’m just tired.’

It was a lie and they both knew it. As she disappeared into the kitchen Gus went upstairs, considering how to get her to talk to him. He put the laundry in the airing cupboard, then continued down the corridor. As he passed Holly’s room he automatically glanced inside the open door, his footsteps slowing as he noticed the photo album lying on the floor.

Rather than falling accidentally, it had clearly been roughly pushed aside. Holly had been anxious to get the pictures back, so why had she discarded it? Was this what had upset her? Had he given her the wrong thing? In his haste that morning he hadn’t looked at the contents.

Concern for her overriding his caution, he crossed the threshold of her room and picked up the book. As he began to scan the pages the cause of Holly’s distress was obvious. Gus swore under his breath, his throat tightening as anger welled within him. In each photograph Holly’s face, and that of her mother, had either been cut out or mutilated and defaced with nasty words or scribbling. There was no doubt that Julia had been the guilty party, but why had she been so vindictive? He had no answers, only more questions.

Uppermost in his mind was Holly, and how she must have felt when she’d seen the pictures. She’d longed for them—only to discover them in this state. He felt horribly guilty for
not checking to ensure there was nothing to upset her. Not that he could ever have foreseen
this
.

Holly was back in the dining room, sorting a pile of Max’s Babygros and she looked surprised when she saw him. ‘I thought you were going to get changed.’

‘I was. But…’

He put the album on the table, hearing her soft exclamation of distress. Breaking his rule not to touch her, he cupped her face in his hands and tilted her head up so he could see the pain and shimmer of tears in her beautiful blue eyes.

‘I’m so sorry, Holly. I would
never
have let you see this if I’d known.’

Tears pooled before spilling past her lashes and trailing down her cheeks. ‘Gus…’

As a ragged sob shuddered through her, tearing at his heart, he drew her into his arms. She felt so right. A perfect fit. And as he breathed in he noticed how good she smelled. Uniquely Holly…feminine, subtle but sultry and sexy, like a wildflower meadow on a warm summer day. As her arms stole around his waist and she leaned into him, crying out the hurt, he held her tight, uncaring that her tears soaked through his shirt to his skin.

‘I understand how awful it must have been for Julia to lose her mother at such a young age, and then to see her father remarry and have me—but even after everything else she’s done I wasn’t prepared for the photos,’ she sobbed brokenly, and a knot formed in his chest in response to her pain. ‘Mum and Dad tried so hard with her, but instead of mellowing as she grew older her resentment increased.’

Gus slid a hand under the silken strands of her hair, his fingers stroking the whisper-soft skin of her neck. A shaky sigh escaped her and she leaned against him, some of the tension draining from her as her tears slowed.

‘What else did she do?’ he asked, keeping his voice low as he encouraged her to talk, unable to doubt her sincerity or the reality of Julia’s actions.

She was silent for several moments and he held his breath, giving her time, hoping she would confide in him and explain some of the many things he didn’t understand. Haltingly, Holly outlined examples of the unkind acts and petty jealousies Julia had been responsible for when they were growing up, and he was amazed and impressed that Holly remained so compassionate and forgiving.

But learning about Julia’s more recent actions shocked him even more.

‘Julia was seventeen when our father died, and she went into a rage when she discovered she was unable to challenge his will,’ Holly explained. ‘Dad loved her so much, but he wasn’t blind to her faults, and he made sure my mother was provided for and our house was protected while Mum was alive.’

‘I should hope so,’ he murmured, his fingers continuing their caress of her skin. How could Julia have been so unreasonable?

‘Julia didn’t agree. She left Strathlochan—went working as a beauty therapist on cruise ships. She boasted about the lifestyle, the status, the money. When Mum became ill with Motor Neurone Disease Julia wasn’t interested. I’d originally wanted to be a doctor,’ she confided, surprising him anew, ‘but looking after Mum was my priority, so I stayed home and trained to be a nurse instead, because I could do that here in Strathlochan.’

His heart ached for her. ‘I’m sorry, darling, that’s such a cruel disease,’ he sympathised, the endearment slipping out as he imagined all she and her mother must have been through together.

‘Yes.’ She paused a moment, sucking in a steadying breath before continuing. ‘After Mum died Julia returned to claim her share of the estate. I really didn’t want to lose the only home I’d ever known, so I took out a mortgage, which enabled me to pay Julia her half, but she was never satisfied with that. She saw herself as Dad’s
proper
daughter and entitled to everything.’

‘That’s ridiculous.’

‘It’s how she felt.’ She glanced up at him with a sad smile, and the expression in her blue eyes made him feel as if he’d been punched in the gut. ‘Other things happened then…’

Gus felt a flicker of unease as he recalled one of the things Julia had told him about Holly’s past. He wanted to know the truth, yet part of him feared what he might learn. ‘You and Euan were going to be married?’ he finally asked, noting the flash of disquiet in her eyes before sooty lashes lowered to mask them.

‘What did Julia tell you?’ she countered, a wary reserve evident.

‘Not much.’ He remembered all too well the fateful night when Holly had stood him up and Julia, amongst other things, had told him that Holly had a track record in breaking hearts. ‘No real details—just that you’d called things off at the last minute.’

Gus frowned as he thought back to the conversation with Julia. At the time he’d been so wounded and disillusioned at the way Holly had rejected
him
that Julia’s revelations about Euan had hurt, sketchy though they had been, although the image of Holly being cold and thoughtless didn’t fit with the woman he knew.

‘We
were
supposed to be married,’ she confirmed, a new tension in her voice.

He experienced an irrational curl of jealousy. ‘What happened?’

‘I called off the wedding a month before it was due to take place.’ She paused, and he felt the quiver that rippled through her. ‘After I came home and found Euan in bed with someone else. But I don’t want to talk about it,’ she added with a quiet dignity that tightened his chest. ‘Raking over the details serves no purpose.’

He believed her, understanding why she’d acted as she had. And why she shied away from talking about it now, much as he would have liked to know more. The man had been crazy to risk losing Holly by doing something so unforgivable, and it was obvious the betrayal had hurt her and broken her trust. ‘I’m sorry. He was an idiot to throw away what he had with you.’

As his fingers stroked her skin and she leaned into him he reflected on how Holly’s version cast a very different light on the story than the one Julia had wanted him to believe. He was frustrated; he still didn’t understand
why
.

‘I didn’t see Julia again until she came home—supposedly sorry for the way she had treated Mum and me. She claimed to be in terrible trouble,’ Holly continued with a shake of her head. She sighed deeply. ‘It was a shock to learn she’d become addicted to gambling on the cruise ships she’d worked on, and was heavily in debt to the wrong kind of people. She said she’d been threatened and she feared what would happen if she didn’t find the money. She begged me to help her.’

Gus swore softly under his breath. ‘And you did.’ He knew at once that Holly would have gone above and beyond, no matter what had happened in the past.

‘I was stupid to believe her.’

‘You weren’t stupid,’ he chided gently. ‘You care about
family. And Julia took advantage of your kind and forgiving nature.’

Holly sighed, resting her head on his chest. ‘She had me hook, line and sinker. James Russell, the solicitor, cautioned me against the loan but I was ridiculously naïve…and I wanted to believe her.’ She gave a humourless laugh. ‘I was
so
wrong. The house was sold and I “loaned” Julia the money. Once it was too late she came clean and told me I’d never see a penny of it again.’

‘You should have sued her.’ Even as he said the words he knew she never would have done it and he suspected Julia had known it, too. Anger burned inside him at the injustice and hurt Holly had endured.

‘Probably—but I couldn’t have faced airing the family’s dirty deeds in public. For the sake of my parents’ memories as much as for my embarrassment,’ she explained, confirming his thoughts. ‘Julia saw the money as rightfully hers. As there’s nothing left for Max, I guess she used it to fund the lavish lifestyle she’d become accustomed to.’

Which was what James Russell had been referring to when they’d met him to discuss Julia’s affairs, Gus realised. ‘So you moved into George’s house?’

‘Yes. I had nothing left,’ she said, with stark simplicity but none of the bitterness most people would have justly displayed. ‘George and I had been friends since childhood and she stepped in to help me.’

Gus felt ashamed to have been so taken in by Julia, ignoring his own instincts about Holly. He looked at his son, dozing contentedly on his play mat. He could never regret Max, but he regretted many other things.

‘For a while I clung to the dream of buying the house back, but I’ve resigned myself to the fact that it will never happen,’ she confided wistfully.

In that moment, although he had no idea how or when, he vowed to do all he could to make Holly’s dream come true. And to make real a bigger dream of his own—that one day he, Holly and Max would live in that house together, be their own family. If that were ever to be more than a fantasy he needed to win Holly round, to find out what had gone wrong and why she had rejected him. He was no longer sure he could believe anything Julia had told him.

As Holly drew back, Gus reluctantly loosened his hold. She looked up at him, an endearingly puzzled expression on her face, and he tucked a stray wisp of wavy blonde hair back behind her ear. Disobedient fingers lingered, relishing the feel of her baby-soft skin as they trailed their way along her jawline. Sky-blue eyes darkened and he felt a tremor run through her as he traced the plumpness of her lower lip with the pad of his thumb.

He heard the hitch in her breath. The rapid beat of her pulse matched his own, and as she swayed towards him temptation won and he forgot all the reasons why this was a bad idea. He couldn’t wait another second to kiss her. Anticipation and excitement coursed through his veins as the distance between them closed. Finally, after waiting what felt like for ever, his lips met hers.

Savouring the moment, he began a leisurely journey of discovery, learning the shape of her, the feel of her, the taste of her. She whimpered as he teased the seam of her lips with his tongue.