Читать книгу A Man To Marry - Кэрол Мортимер, Carole Mortimer - Страница 8

‘REALLY, Toby, do try a more original approach!’ Cat laughed up at him as she lay full-length on the swinging garden seat. Her jean-clad legs were stretched comfortably over Toby’s thighs as he sat at the other end of the seat. ‘Offering to sleep with me to stop speculation in the village that Kate and I are having a “relationship”!’ she added derisively, green eyes still laughing at him. ‘You’ve been reading too many cheap and nasty newspapers!’

He shook his head, handsome in a roguish, unkempt sort of way, hair overlong, jeans faded, his shirt frayed at the collar and cuffs. But his casual appearance belied the true state of his finances, Cat was sure. Toby was a highly successful artist; he just liked to look the part of struggling in a garret!

‘It just isn’t natural for two beautiful, unattached women to live with the grandmother of one of them in this big old house,’ Toby protested. ‘And with not a man in sight between the three of you!’

‘You’re in sight,’ Cat replied mockingly. ‘At least, you seem to be here sharing a lot of meals with us!’ The four of them had finished eating Sunday lunch together half an hour ago; Kate’s grandmother had gone for a lie-down, Kate was still in the house somewhere, and Cat and Toby had opted for sitting in the garden. ‘I wouldn’t worry about Kate and me too much, if I were you,’ Cat continued derisively as he looked about to protest once again. ‘The village probably think the three of us are involved in a ménage à trois!’ she dismissed airily, not taking his earlier suggestion in the least seriously.

Toby suggested going to bed with either Kate or herself at least once a week, and had done so since they’d all become friends several months ago. In fact, it would probably be disappointing if he stopped now! But, by the same token, he would probably run a mile if either of them took him up on his offer. However, he was amusing company, fun to have around, and so Cat and Kate didn’t mind too much playing along with the game.

His gaze sharpened with interest at her comment. ‘Do you really think they do?’ He obviously liked the idea.

Cat laughed once more at his boyishly pleased expression. ‘I’m sure of it,’ she confirmed teasingly, feeling as if she were the elder, although at thirty-five Toby was ten years her senior. To her he was like a mischievous younger brother—and just as harmless. ‘Now if—’

‘Cat? Cat, for goodness’ sake, where are you?’ Kate could be heard calling as she left the house to come into the high-walled garden to look for them.

Toby had hunkered down in the garden seat at the first sound of Kate’s voice, grimacing across at Cat. ‘The dragon lady cometh,’ he muttered conspiratorially. ‘Let’s keep quiet, and maybe she’ll go away,’ he added hopefully.

His hope would be in vain; they both knew that. When Kate had that determined note in her voice, nothing stopped her!

‘That was unkind.’ Cat smacked Toby playfully on the arm as she moved her weight up onto her elbows, the movement setting the seat swinging as she looked over the top of the floral back cushions.

Kate stood on the paved patio, a frown marring her brow as she looked for Cat and Toby, but it was a facial expression that did nothing to detract from the beautiful perfection of her face, her hair shining golden in the warm summer sunlight, her body tall and shapely in the businesslike skirt and blouse she had changed into since lunch.

‘Over here, Kate,’ Cat called to her friend, giving her a friendly wave.

‘What on earth did you do that for?’ Toby mumbled accusingly at her side.

Cat gave him an affectionate grin. ‘We’ll take, “Don’t you want children of your own rather than looking after other people’s all day?” as read, Toby,’ she responded drily. ‘And my usual refusal to let you father my baby!’

He scowled at her levity. ‘Why is it that neither of you take me seriously?’ he grumbled. ‘The village girls seem to think I’m bohemian and interesting, whereas you and Kate treat me like a naughty little boy who has to be kept in my place!’

There was no doubting Toby’s rakish good looks, or the fact that, despite his untidy appearance, he was a very wealthy man, his last three exhibitions in a prestigious London gallery, complete sell-outs. But it was also a sad fact of life, despite his arrival several times a week for a meal, and the occasional evenings he took the two younger women out for the evening, that neither of them took him seriously.

Cat swung her legs to the floor, sitting up on the seat as she heard Kate walking over to where they sat beneath the apple tree. ‘Being only children ourselves, it’s quite nice to have a naughty “younger” brother,’ she assured Toby lightly before turning to smile at Kate as she stood in front of them. ‘Everything okay?’ she prompted lightly.

‘Fine,’ Kate nodded. ‘You two look comfortable,’ she sighed as she dropped down onto the middle cushion of the padded seat. ‘It’s a shame to disturb you, Cat.’ She grimaced. ‘But we have a father arriving in half an hour,’ she reminded her.

Cat had completely forgotten! ‘Time to go and change into my other life.’ She stood up, stretching like the feline after which she was called, her curling hair a deep, vibrant red, green eyes twinkling brightly in an impishly attractive face, skin tanned a deep honey-brown from the amount of time she had spent in the warm summer sunshine.

‘You have one of the parents coming here on a Sunday?’ Toby sounded disgusted at the idea. ‘Don’t they realise you need some time to yourselves?’

‘A parent is a parent all the time, Toby,’ Kate rebuked him.

As joint proprietors of the only playschool in the area, Kate and Cat were permanently on call for the parents of the children put in their care through the week.

‘Besides,’ Kate went on, ‘this is a prospective new parent, so we have to make a good impression if we want to stay in business. And being unavailable simply because it’s a Sunday isn’t going to do that!’

‘It’s the reason we live in this “big old house”, Toby,’ Cat told him wryly. ‘We needed somewhere big enough for us all to live as well as provide space for the facilities we wanted to open the playschool.’

The years since they’d opened had been successful, much more so than they could ever have hoped for. Although, as Kate had pointed out, they were answerable to the parents of the pre-school children they cared for, and a new parent was someone they wouldn’t turn away, despite the inconvenience of a Sunday appointment. Besides, it was because the parents were working in the week that they needed their children to come to a playschool in the first place!

Anyway, Caleb Reynolds had been most insistent that a Sunday afternoon appointment was suitable for him…!

‘Pour Kate some lemonade while I go and change,’ she told Toby briskly. ‘I’ll be with you in ten minutes, Kate,’ she promised, hurrying towards the house as Toby moved obediently to pour the lemonade.

Cat shook her head ruefully. Good-looking, successful, charming, more than available—and yet there was something missing from Toby’s make-up as far as she was concerned. Excitement. That was it! Toby wasn’t in the least exciting, had no edge of danger, emitted no challenge to an interested female.

Whereas the man who arrived promptly at three o’clock for his appointment definitely exuded all of those things!

In fact, Cat decided as she looked across the room at him, Kate having opened the door to him and brought him through to their private sitting-room, where they had decided to carry out the interview, he probably exuded too much of them!

Over six feet tall, with dark hair cut short and sprinkled with grey at the temples, cool grey eyes in a sharply hewn face, those cold grey eyes looking down the length of his arrogant nose as he returned her gaze unblinkingly.

Although probably only three or four years Toby’s senior, this man had an air of sophistication, of experience, that Toby, for all his bohemian affectations, could never hope to acquire!

Caleb Reynolds’ shoulders were wide and powerful, his waist tapered in the charcoal-grey suit he wore, his white shirt pristine, his unpatterned blue tie looking as if it was made of silk. Yes, he looked strong and deeply masculine, and yet it was power of another kind that he radiated as he looked at them both so confidently.

Cat was so stunned by Caleb Reynolds’ effect on her that for a few moments she completely overlooked the little boy peeping out at her from behind his legs. Parents were often undecided about bringing their children along with them for this initial meeting, preferring to view the playschool themselves before introducing it to their kids. Caleb Reynolds had obviously felt no such qualms where his son was concerned. But then, he wasn’t a three-and-a-half-year-old being confronted by the unknown! As Cat looked at the little boy she could see, by the way he hung back, just how apprehensive he was, brown eyes huge in the paleness of his face.

Cat’s heart immediately went out to him. She loved children, and with his shy, obviously nervous manner Caleb Reynolds’ son looked more in need of that love than the majority of young children who came here. Most of the girls and boys they cared for on a day-to-day basis were usually more in need of recreation and stimulation while their parents were at work than they were of actual love. But Caleb Reynolds, with his expensive tailored suit and silk tie, and those handmade black shoes, didn’t look anything like those parents!

‘My associate, Caitlin Rourke,’ Kate introduced, making Cat aware that her assessment of Caleb Reynolds and his small son could only have lasted a few moments at the most. ‘Cat, this is Mr Reynolds, and this is…?’ She gave the little boy an encouraging smile.

‘Adam,’ his father put in abruptly, reaching down to gently prise the little boy’s fingers from the leg of his trousers before gently pulling him round to stand in front of him, his hands resting lightly but firmly on the child’s narrow shoulders. ‘Adam Reynolds. My son,’ the man added, slightly defensively, Cat thought, almost as if he expected someone to challenge him on this last statement.

Cat felt sure not too many people challenged this particular man about anything! Although it was easy, looking at father and son, to see why he felt defensive: the two were nothing alike, as she’d already noted. Caleb was tall and dark, with those arctic grey eyes, but his son was small—small for his age!—with honey-blond hair and huge dark brown eyes.

‘I’m very pleased to meet you, Adam.’ Cat moved forward, going down on her haunches to shake the little boy’s hand, her own gaze warm as she looked into those shy brown eyes. Adam’s hand, as it slowly shook hers, was tiny and light to the touch, almost like the wings of a little bird. Cat frowned her inner concern; Adam Reynolds seemed very delicate for a boy of three and a half…

‘Adam hasn’t been well.’ His father spoke sharply when Cat looked at him frowningly as she straightened. ‘But he’s better now,’ he amended harshly.

Cat continued to look at Caleb Reynolds. It wasn’t unusual for a father to want to view the playschool his child would attend, but it was usually in accompaniment with his wife. Where was Adam’s mother, Caleb Reynolds’ wife?

‘I’ll go and get us all some tea,’ Kate offered efficiently. ‘Would you like to come with me and get some juice, Adam?’ she asked gently, the impatience she felt with the majority of adults never in evidence when she spoke to or was with children.

If anything Kate loved children even more than Cat did, and they instinctively loved her in return, seeming to sense the kindness that dwelt beneath her slightly austere manner. So it came as no surprise to Cat when Adam walked shyly across the room to accompany Kate out to the kitchen, the little boy pausing only once, as he reached the door, the reassuring nod he received from his father enough for him to continue on his way with Kate.

‘Amazing!’ Caleb Reynolds breathed softly, staring at the doorway through which his son had just left the room. ‘Adam has refused to leave my side, even for a minute, for the last six months,’ he rasped by way of explanation of his surprise as Cat looked at him questioningly.

‘What happened six months ago?’ she prompted huskily.

‘His mother died,’ Caleb Reynolds told her bluntly, his gaze once again seeming to challenge Cat.

It was a starkly made statement, and all the more telling because of the way it was phrased. He hadn’t said his wife had died, but that Adam’s mother had. Although, as Adam’s father, the child’s mother must have meant something to him too…?

‘They were involved in a car accident,’ Caleb Reynolds continued economically. ‘Alicia was killed, Adam was thrown out of the car on impact and broke his arm. I wasn’t with them at the time.’ The words were bitten out, as if he expected some sort of criticism for his explanation.

It wasn’t Cat’s place to question or criticise what he chose to tell her. Besides, she had a feeling this man had punished himself enough for the last six months!

‘Adam is a beautiful child,’ she returned diplomatically.

What else could she say? She didn’t know this man. Or his son. Or Adam’s mother. She merely needed to know something of Adam’s background if he were to come to the playschool, and realised that Caleb Reynolds was aware of that too; she had the feeling that under normal circumstances he would have to be placed on the rack to divulge much of his family history! But, to his credit, it was evidence of how much he loved Adam that he was telling her those things now…

Caleb Reynolds looked troubled, his expression coldly forbidding. ‘Adam hasn’t spoken for six months.’ The words seemed forced out of him.

Cat gave a pained frown, thinking of that beautiful child, a prisoner in a world of silence. ‘Since the accident,’ she confirmed softly.

‘Shock,’ Caleb Reynolds explained tersely. ‘Do you mind if we sit down?’ he asked. ‘At the moment I feel like a little boy myself, brought to the headmaster’s study for a reprimand for some misdemeanour!’

She very much doubted his feelings particularly bothered him; he was far too self-assured and arrogant for that. But maybe he wouldn’t seem so damned patronising if he were sitting in an armchair instead of towering over her!

‘Please—take a seat,’ she invited curtly. ‘You were telling me about Adam,’ she reminded him once they were both seated, Caleb in one of the armchairs, Cat on the sofa that faced him.

Caleb sighed heavily. ‘He hasn’t spoken since they found him after the accident. He understands what is being said to him, responds to anything asked of him—sometimes too readily! He just never—’ Caleb broke off, shaking his head, breathing deeply in his agitation.

‘What was Adam like before the accident?’ Cat enquired softly, wondering if Adam would be able to come here. If he didn’t readily leave his father… She certainly couldn’t see Caleb Reynolds spending his days with fifteen mischievous children!

The harshly hewn face opposite hers relaxed into a brief smile, giving Cat a glimpse of a man who was relaxed and humorous. If anything he was even more devastatingly attractive like that!

‘Until six months ago Adam was like any other mischievous three-year-old,’ Caleb Reynolds revealed huskily. ‘He laughed all the time.’ He was no longer looking at Cat, his thoughts all inwards as he remembered. ‘He knew no danger. Accepted no limits. But it’s his laughter I miss the most,’ he admitted gruffly. ‘To come home and hear the sound of his laughter after a frustrating day at work…’ He shook his head. ‘Adam was a warm and loving child, full of fun,’ he finished abruptly, once again looking at Cat, his eyes bleak now.

Cat swallowed hard. This man had not only lost his wife six months ago, but the son he had known and loved had been replaced with a little boy who seemed nervous of his own shadow. He—

‘Here we are,’ Kate announced brightly as she came in with a laden tea-tray. ‘I hope you don’t mind, Mr Reynolds, but I took Adam on a tour of the playschool while the kettle was boiling. He was most impressed with the slides and swings we have outside in the garden, weren’t you, Adam?’ she said as she handed him his juice and placed a cake on a plate on the table in front of him where he now sat on the sofa beside Cat.

The little boy grinned and nodded his head before picking up the chocolate cake and biting into it hungrily.

‘Nothing wrong with your appetite,’ Kate murmured with satisfaction before turning to the two other adults in the room. ‘Tea?’ she prompted Caleb Reynolds.

‘No sugar, thank you,’ he nodded, watching his son with anxious eyes.

As Cat watched the two of them over the rim of her own teacup she realised how much love was contained in Caleb Reynolds for his son. For all that the man looked austere and unapproachable, slightly disdainful when he looked down that arrogant nose of his, Caleb Reynolds loved his son very much. So he had one redeeming feature, after all!

‘This is a wonderful old house,’ Caleb remarked casually, drinking his tea but ignoring the plate of cake and biscuits Kate had brought in to accompany it.

‘Thank you,’ Kate accepted warmly, Cat leaving her friend to take charge of the conversation now; the last ten minutes alone with Caleb Reynolds hadn’t exactly been relaxing! ‘We’re both very fond of it,’ Kate continued pleasantly. ‘And, of course, it’s ideal for our purposes,’ she stated practically.

Caleb Reynolds nodded. ‘And is there a Mr Rourke and a Mr Brady?’

‘No.’ Cat was the one to answer him drily, looking across at him with mocking green eyes, wondering if he was yet another person who had come to the completely wrong conclusion concerning the relationship between herself and Kate!

He gave her a narrow-eyed look, but added nothing to his earlier remark. Not because he didn’t want to, Cat felt sure, but because he could see the defiance in her expression, and was determined not to give her the satisfaction of meeting it!

‘I’m renting a cottage in the village,’ he bit out abruptly. ‘Rose Cottage. I don’t know if you know it?’

‘We do,’ Kate answered with a smile; considering how small the village was, they would be particularly insular if they didn’t! ‘You don’t intend staying in the area long, then, Mr Reynolds?’

‘That all depends,’ he said noncommittally.

‘Don’t look so worried, Mr Reynolds.’ Cat laughed softly at his suddenly cagey expression. ‘The length of your stay won’t affect whether or not Adam is accepted here.’

He returned her gaze with those cool grey eyes for several long seconds before replying. ‘I wasn’t worried,’ he finally drawled.

She doubted very much ever worried this man, certainly not being accepted. For one thing, she was sure his obvious wealth usually assured him a smooth—and comfortable!—passage wherever he chose to go. And, for another, it didn’t look as if it would bother him too much if it didn’t!

‘Do you have work in the area?’ Kate asked politely, much more the capable of the two of them when it came to dealing with the parents, which was why Cat usually left the lead to her in interviews like this.

‘Not exactly.’ Once again his answer was designed to tell them as little about himself as possible.

As Cat had guessed all too easily a short time ago, Caleb Reynolds was not a man who liked, or wanted, to talk about himself. She was sure he had only told her what he had earlier because in the circumstances he’d felt he had to.

But he obviously didn’t have too much of an idea about village life, because what Lilley Stewart, at the post office and general store, didn’t know about any of the local residents usually wasn’t worth anything! And, as the newest inhabitant, Caleb Reynolds was sure to be the favourite topic of conversation for several weeks. Whether they were interested or not, anyone who went into the post office for so much as a stamp in the next few weeks would be told what little Lilley already knew about him, and pumped for any information they might have that she didn’t!

With Caleb’s young son in their care five mornings a week, Kate and Cat would definitely be in the line of fire. Village life certainly had its disadvantages as well as its advantages!

‘I’m really of very little interest,’ Caleb drawled as he seemed to half guess her thoughts. ‘Although I believe you’ve had your share of public figures living in the village.’ He smartly turned the conversation away from himself.

A fact that didn’t go unnoticed by Cat. He really didn’t want to talk about himself, did he? Although she couldn’t say she was exactly happy with the direction the conversation had taken now…

‘At least, you did,’ Caleb added drily, when neither she nor Kate made any response to his initial comment.

‘Oh, you must mean Toby Westward,’ Cat dismissed lightly. ‘Our colourful—literally!—local artist. He was just here for lunch, actually.’ She was starting to be defensive now, had been feeling that way since Caleb Reynolds had asked if either of them was married. What was wrong with society today if two women couldn’t live and work together without creating gossip and speculation?

‘Was he?’ Caleb Reynolds acknowledged without interest. ‘Actually, I was referring to Katherine Maitland. In fact, I believe she actually lived in this house at one time.’

If he had tossed a bomb amongst them he couldn’t have sent stronger shock waves through the room, both Kate and Cat staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

‘Where on earth did you hear that?’ Kate was finally the one to gasp, Cat still staring at Caleb as the prey must stare at the snake—just before it strikes the fatal blow.

He shrugged. ‘The woman at the post office mentioned it to me yesterday when I went in to pick up supplies,’ he responded, his mouth twisting into a wry smile. ‘A bit of local colour! I believe she did mention Toby Westward, too,’ he finished.

Obviously Toby held no interest for him whatsoever! But Katherine Maitland did…

‘No doubt you’re on her list of ‘local colour’ too now,’ Cat put in hardly. ‘And I believe you may be right about Katherine Maitland once having owned this house; I seem to recall it being mentioned when we first looked at the place with a view to buying.’ She deliberately didn’t look at Kate as she spoke.

‘Although she can’t have lived here for years. Way before our time.’ She silently congratulated herself on having dealt with the situation so calmly.

‘Very much so,’ Caleb Reynolds accepted. ‘Although you will obviously have heard of her?’ He raised dark brows.

‘Of course.’ Kate was the one to take over their side of the conversation this time. ‘She was one of the most famous opera singers of her day. But surely she must be dead by now?’ she queried flippantly. ‘She must be ancient!’

His mouth twisted again. ‘Early seventies at a guess,’ he said. ‘Hardly ancient. I actually saw her perform once, shortly before she retired,’ he continued huskily. ‘It’s something I’ve never forgotten. She didn’t only have the most amazing voice, she had something else, a charisma that was electric!’

‘But—’ Cat broke off, breathing deeply. ‘You must have been very young?’ She kept her voice light.

‘Not so young,’ he returned. ‘Although it must be about twenty-five years since she retired after a family tragedy. You—’

‘Oh, look,’ Kate cut in softly. ‘We’ve bored poor Adam into falling asleep!’ she said warmly, standing up to cross the room to where the little boy lay back against the cushion behind him, his lashes long and thick as they rested against his cheeks in repose, Kate reaching out to gently smooth the silky hair from his brow.

‘He still takes the occasional nap in the afternoon,’ his father excused, abruptly standing up. ‘I’m quite happy for Adam to start here in the morning, if you are,’ he stated arrogantly. ‘Unless the two of you would like time to discuss it first?’ he questioned, that defensive wall back in place.

Cat glanced across at Kate, knowing they didn’t need to talk about it. The father could be a problem, but she knew they both thought Adam was adorable! ‘If you think Adam will stay with us?’ She looked at him enquiringly.

‘He seems quite comfortable with you.’ He still sounded surprised by this fact. ‘Although we won’t know whether or not he will stay with you until we try it,’ he added harshly.

Cat had a feeling that it would be good for both father and son to have a break from each other for a few hours. Adam would benefit from being with other children, and it couldn’t have been easy for his father to be constantly in demand over the last six months.

‘As you say,’ she nodded. ‘We won’t know until we try.’

Caleb looked at her from beneath dark brows for several long seconds, but said nothing more before gently lifting Adam and carrying him out to his car.

‘Phew!’ Cat muttered once they were back inside the house, collapsing back into one of the armchairs.

‘Ditto!’ Kate dropped down into the chair opposite, absently stroking their cat as it jumped up onto her knee.

‘Adam is adorable,’ Cat acknowledged, head back, eyes closed. ‘But the father!’ She shook her head. ‘Arrogant. Cold. So—’

‘He loves Adam,’ Kate pointed out wearily, obviously having felt the strain of their meeting as much as Cat had.

‘He’s trouble, Kate; I can feel it!’ She grimaced. ‘But Adam…’ She thought back to that tousle-haired little boy, to the trauma he had suffered that had rendered him speechless. They could help him, she felt sure of it, sensed they had already made a breakthrough when Adam had gone off with Kate, something his father had admitted he hadn’t done for the last six months. She relayed to Kate what Caleb had told her in Kate’s absence earlier. ‘I’m willing to overlook the father if we can be of help to Adam,’ she pronounced finally.

‘We can try,’ Kate said slowly. ‘Ignoring the father, I mean. I have a feeling not too many people manage to ignore Caleb Reynolds!’

So did Cat.

Which could, ultimately, be a problem for them. For all of them.

Only time would tell.

Cat stood up decisively. ‘Let’s go and make another pot of tea and take it through to Kitty.’ She was determined to dispel the mood of gloom that had fallen over them since meeting Mr Reynolds. After all, they only thought Caleb Reynolds might be more trouble than looking after his son was worth. He might never mention a particular subject again…

And, if he did, they would deal with the problem when—and if—it became necessary…