‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘Do you have a ladder?’
‘Yes, more than one. And we have a hose, for putting out all the fires.’
‘Auntie Sarah...!’ Ellie clearly wanted to share this exciting news.
‘Yes, I heard. Tell Cassandra that you’ve seen a fire engine.’ The woman’s voice again, laughing.
‘I’ve seen a fire engine.’ Ellie turned the edges of her mouth down theatrically. ‘It was a long, long, long way away...’
Suddenly Cass knew exactly what to say to Ellie. ‘Tell you what. We’re having an Open Day at our fire station soon. We’re showing all the children around...’ She was about to add that Ellie would have to ask her father if she might come, but that seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
‘Yesss! Daddeee!’
Jack shot Cass a wry smile. ‘Do I get to come along too, Ellie?’
Cass thought she could almost see the little girl roll her eyes.
‘You have to take me, Daddy. I can’t drive...’
‘Ah, yes, of course. Looks like it’s the two of us, then. Say thank you to Cassandra.’
Jack leaned in, speaking over her shoulder, and Cass swallowed a gasp, suddenly aware that his body was very close.
‘Thank you, Cassandra.’
Ellie managed the name without even blinking, and Jack chuckled.
‘Time to say bye-bye now, sweetheart.’ Ellie responded by waving and blowing a kiss, then Jack took the phone from her to say his own goodnight to his daughter.
Cass stood up, her limbs suddenly trembling. It was impossible to fall in love in so short a time and over the phone. And, if she was honest with herself, she hadn’t fallen in love with Ellie’s brown eyes but with Jack’s. But he was a grown man. It was much easier to admit that his child was all she could see.
‘She’s gorgeous.’ Cass had let him finish the call, looking away when he blew kisses to Ellie.
‘Yeah.’ His fingers lingered lovingly over the blank screen for a moment, as if he couldn’t quite let go of the memory of his daughter’s face, and then he handed the phone back. ‘I didn’t think she’d manage to pronounce Cassandra.’
The second time he said her name was just as disturbing as the first. Awakening thoughts of what it might feel like to have him whisper it.
‘She must be growing up fast.’
‘Seems too fast, sometimes.’ He shrugged. ‘She loves fire engines...’
‘Yeah, me too. You didn’t mind me asking her to the Open Day?’
‘Mind...?’ He laughed. ‘Sounds like fun. Do I get to sit in the driver’s seat?’
‘No. Children only. Dads get to watch.’
THEY’D EATEN IN the church hall, the dreaded Monday Club turning out to be a group of perfectly nice women who cooked good food in large quantities and didn’t mind a laugh. The evening was spent at the vicarage with Lynette and Cass, who persuaded Martin to make up a fourth for board games. Then Jack made his apologies and retired to his sleeping quarters, shutting the door and lying down fully dressed on the camp bed.
Suddenly he felt very alone. Ellie would be tucked up in bed by now and although he knew that Sarah would have given her bedtime kisses on his behalf, he hadn’t been there to give them himself. Mimi was probably exhausted and looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Cass was...
He wasn’t going to think about where Cass was. He had a child, and he had to protect her. Jack had made up his mind a long time ago that the best thing for Ellie was that he remained single.
He must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing he knew was a tingle behind his ear, and his eyes shot open involuntarily as he realised that someone was rubbing their finger gently on his skin. He blinked in the light that was flooding in through the doorway and saw Cass.
For one moment all he could think was that this was a delicious way to wake up, coaxed out of unconsciousness by a red-haired goddess. Then the urgency on her face snapped him back to reality.
‘Her waters have broken. Jack...’
‘Okay. I hear you.’ Jack swung his legs from the bed and shook his head to bring himself to. He’d been hoping that this wouldn’t happen. He had the training and the experience for it, and this certainly wasn’t the most outlandish place that he and Mimi had delivered a baby before now. But without the possibility of any backup, and only the medical supplies that Rafe had sent, it was a heavy responsibility, which he had to bear alone.
This was no time to panic. Contrary to all his expectations, Cass was panicking enough for both of them at the moment.
Keeping his pace brisk but unhurried in an effort to slow Cass down a bit, he picked up his medical bags and made for the vicarage. As they reached the back door they passed Martin, who was hurrying in the other direction, a sleeping child in his arms.
‘Go through, Jack. Just getting the kids out of the way.’
Jack nodded. Following Cass through the kitchen and up the stairs, he found Sue and another woman on either side of Lynette, supporting her as she paced slowly up and down.
‘We’ll take her into my bedroom.’ Sue looked up at him. ‘There’s an en suite bathroom, and the mattress in here is wet.’
‘Thanks.’ First things first. Jack smiled at Lynette, wiping a tear from her face. ‘How are you doing?’
‘Um... Okay. I think.’
‘Good. You want to walk a bit more?’
Lynette nodded.
‘All right. I’m going to get the other room ready for you, and then we’ll take it from there. Tonight’s your night, eh?’
‘Yes... Thanks.’
Cass took Sue’s place at Lynette’s side, and Sue led him through to her own bedroom. Jack pulled the plastic under-sheet from his bag, silently thanking Rafe for thinking to pack it, and Sue set about stripping the bed.
* * *
When Cass supported Lynette through to the main bedroom, it seemed that everything was ready. She helped her sister sit down on the bed. ‘Do you want your scented candles?’
‘No!’ Lynette’s flailing hand found Jack’s sweatshirt and held on tight. ‘I want to keep a close eye on the guy with the pain relief...’
‘I’m here.’ Jack was calm and smiling. ‘I’m going to wash my hands and I’ll be right back, okay.’
‘Yeah. Whatever.’ Lynette frowned and closed her eyes.
Get the candles anyway... Jack mouthed the words to Cass and she hurried through to the other room to fetch Lynette’s hospital bag.
When she got back, Sue waved her towards the bathroom door and Cass tapped on it tentatively. Jack was standing in front of the basin, his T-shirt and sweatshirt hung over the side of the bath, soaping his hands and arms. ‘There’s a clean T-shirt and some dressings in my medical bag. Will you get them, please?’
‘Dressings? What’s the matter?’
‘Nothing. They’re for me.’ He grinned, turning round, and she saw the new bruises on his chest, the bright red gashes that ran across his sternum and upper arms.
Her sister was in labour. Now was a fine time to notice that his muscle definition was superb. Or to feel a tingle at the