Sandra came in just as Heather was wiping Grace’s hands. She dropped a kiss on her granddaughter’s curls then smiled at Heather. ‘You two are early birds this morning. You make me feel quite guilty.’
‘Rubbish! It’s about time you had a lie-in, Mum,’ Heather declared, lifting Grace out of her chair. She glanced at the kitchen clock and grinned. ‘Although not many folk would consider getting up at half past seven as having had a lie-in, especially at a weekend!’
Sandra laughed as she poured herself a cup of tea from the pot. ‘I suppose not. Anyway, what have you got planned for today? I managed to do the grocery shopping yesterday so you don’t have to worry about that.’
‘Catch up with some washing then take Grace to the park if the weather stays fine.’ She glanced at the little girl and smiled. ‘Do you want to go and play on the swings, darling?’
‘Yes!’ Grace clapped her hands in delight.
Heather laughed. ‘That’s my day sorted out. How about you? What are you planning on doing, Mum?’
‘Oh, I thought I might pop into town if you don’t need me.’ Sandra shrugged, feigning nonchalance. ‘I’m going out with David tonight and thought I’d treat myself to something new to wear. Silly really because I’ve got heaps of clothes.’
‘Of course it isn’t silly!’ Heather replied firmly. ‘You want to look your best, don’t you?’
‘Well, yes…But it’s just a drink, Heather. Nothing more than that,’ Sandra said quickly.
‘A drink or a meal, what’s the difference? You deserve a night out, and if this David is anywhere near as nice as I imagine he is then you’ll have a great time. Now, I’d better get this little madam dressed.’
With a last encouraging smile at Sandra, Heather left the room. She was really glad that her mother had decided to accept David Harper’s invitation. It was about time Sandra went out and enjoyed herself instead of staying at home all the time. Just for a second the memory of Ross Tanner’s invitation came flooding back before she quickly dismissed it. She had turned him down and she’d been right to do so. She didn’t need that kind of a complication in her life.
Ross arrived at his sister’s house at eleven and by ten minutes past the hour he was on his way to the park with his nephews. According to his sister, the twins had been watching for his car since they’d finished their breakfast and he didn’t have the heart to make them wait any longer.
His sister was seven months pregnant and suffering from high blood pressure. She’d been ordered to rest by her GP, no easy feat with two lively five-year-olds to look after. Mike, his brother-in-law, was working in the 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