Summer of Love

by Marie Ferrarella

  Daniel took a deep breath. He had no idea how Emma was going to react to what he had told her and the strain made him feel as though every nerve had been stretched to breaking point. He literally jumped when she finally spoke.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me all this, about your parents and everything, five years ago?’

  He looked up but it was impossible to guess what she was thinking and his nerves seemed to tighten that bit more. ‘Because I was afraid that you would persuade me that none of it mattered, that what had happened to my parents would never happen to us,’ he told her simply.

  ‘Maybe it wouldn’t have done. Maybe we could have worked things out somehow. The trouble is that you weren’t prepared to give us a chance, were you?’

  ‘I wasn’t prepared to take any risks,’ he corrected, his heart sinking when he heard the bitterness in her voice.

  ‘But it wasn’t just your decision, Daniel. It was mine too, only I wasn’t allowed to decide what I wanted. You took things out of my hands and that was it.’ She stood up abruptly. ‘Maybe I can’t say for certain that our relationship would have lasted, but I would have liked the chance to try and make it work. You denied me that opportunity and no matter how well intentioned your motives were, you didn’t have the right to do that. You didn’t trust me, Daniel. That’s what it all boils down to. And that hurts more than anything else.’

  She left the room and Daniel heard her footsteps walking along the hall. He wanted to go after her and beg her to believe that he had done it for her benefit but he knew how pointless it would be. She needed time to come to terms with what he had told her, time to work out how she felt about him now that she knew the truth.

  He put his head in his hands as a wave of despair washed over him. He had to face the fact that Emma might not be able to forgive him for what he had done. He might lose her again for telling her the truth, just as he had lost her before for trying to protect her.

  It was a busy morning. As well as having to deal with an exceptionally long list, Emma was summoned to the police station at lunchtime to make a statement about what had happened the previous evening.

  She stuck determinedly to the facts. How she had felt when she’d realised that Daniel was missing wasn’t the issue and the police didn’t need to know about that. However, when she left the station an hour later she felt both physically and emotionally drained. Recalling the moments when she’d thought Daniel had been hurt had brought back all the horror.

  She made her way to the nearest coffee shop and sat down at a table, wondering what she was going to do. She loved Daniel so much, but discovering that he hadn’t trusted her to know her own mind five years ago hurt unbearably. The fact that he had chosen to end their relationship rather than try to make it work made her wonder if he really understood what love meant. Maybe he’d thought he’d loved her then as he thought he loved her now, but did he? Really? Was he even capable of the depth of love she felt for him?

  By the time she left the coffee shop, her head was throbbing from trying to work it all out. It had started to rain heavily and the traffic was moving at a snail’s pace as she drove through the town. Emma grimaced as she glanced at the dashboard clock. She was going to be late for evening surgery if she didn’t get a move on.

  She managed to pick up speed once she left the town. There were a lot of cars on the road, probably visitors to the area who were driving around to avoid getting soaked. She overtook a car and caravan combination then had to slow down again when she found herself stuck behind a tractor. The road was too narrow to overtake and she had to wait until it turned off before she could put her foot down. She crested the bridge over the river and breathed a sigh of relief. Just another couple of miles and she’d be home.

  The thought had barely crossed her mind when she felt the car suddenly skid when the tyres hit a patch of mud lying on the road. Turning the wheel, she tried to correct the sideways movement but to no avail. There was a horrible scrunch of metal as the car hit the side of the bridge, followed by a loud bang as the driver’s airbag exploded. The noise was deafening so that it was several minutes before Emma realised that someone was knocking on the side window. The man gestured for her to unlock the door, which she did.

  ‘Are you all right?’ he demanded, bending so he could peer into the car.

  ‘I think so.’ She tentatively tried moving her arms and legs. ‘Yes. Everything seems to be working OK.’

  ‘What about your neck?’ he said quickly when she went to unbuckle her seat belt. ‘You can’t be too careful when it comes to neck injuries. That’s what they say on the television, how you should always make sure a person’s neck is properly supported. Maybe you should sit there until the ambulance arrives in case you do yourself any damage.’

  ‘Oh, but I don’t need an ambulance,’ she protested. ‘I’m fine, really.’

  ‘Best to make sure,’ the man insisted. ‘Anyhow, I’ve phoned them now so it would be silly not to let them check you over.’

  Emma sighed. She could hardly refuse to let the paramedics treat her, seeing as they’d been summoned. She dug her phone out of her pocket and called the surgery, briefly explaining to Ruth what had happened and that she would be back as soon as possible. She had just finished when the ambulance arrived so she turned off her phone while she answered the crew’s questions.

  They examined her thoroughly, checking how her pupils responded to light and making sure that she hadn’t been unconscious at any point before finally agreeing to let her get out of the car. The driver’s door was jammed against the wall so she had to slide over to the passenger seat to get out and was surprised to find how shaky she felt when she stood up. The accident had caused quite a long tailback of traffic on both sides of the bridge, too. Emma grimaced as she turned to one of the paramedics.

  ‘I seem to have created havoc,’ she began, then stopped when she spotted a figure running towards them. Her eyes widened in shock when she realised it was Daniel.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ she began, but he didn’t let her finish. Sweeping her into his arms, he stared down into her face and she was stunned to see the fear in his eyes.

  ‘Are you all right, Emma?’

  ‘I’m fine,’ she told him shakily.

  ‘Are you sure?’ He glanced at her car and she saw the colour leach from his face when he saw the state it was in.

  ‘Quite sure. Aren’t I, guys?’ She glanced at the paramedics, who added their endorsement to her claim. Daniel took a deep breath and she felt him shudder.

  ‘Thank heavens for that. When Ruth told me you’d been in an accident …’

  He couldn’t go on but she understood. He’d been as terrified about her as she’d been about him the night before. All of a sudden the doubts she’d had melted away. Daniel loved her, he really and truly did. It was the most glorious feeling to know it for certain once more.

  Reaching up, she kissed him lightly on the lips. It was no more than a token but she could tell he understood what it meant when she saw his eyes blaze with joy. Emma could feel the same sense of happiness and wonderment bubbling inside her as they thanked the ambulance crew. A couple of the other drivers helped Daniel push her car off the road so that the traffic could start moving again. Once that was done, Daniel phoned the local garage and arranged for the car to be collected.

  ‘That’s it, then. Let’s get you home.’ He put his arm around her waist as he led her back to where he had left his car part way up the lane. Emma slid into the passenger seat, smiling as he bent and dropped a kiss on her lips.

  ‘Mmm, what have I done to deserve that?’ she teased.

  ‘Nothing. Everything.’ He kissed her again then closed the door and walked round to the driver’s side. He started the engine then turned to look at her. ‘I love you, Emma. I know you were hurt this morning when I told you why I had ended our relationship. I did what I thought was right, although now I can see that I shouldn’t have made the decision all by myself. I just hope that one day
you can find it in your heart to forgive me.’

  ‘There’s nothing to forgive. You were trying to protect me, Daniel, because you loved me.’

  ‘Yes, I was. Maybe I went about it the wrong way but it was the only way I could think of at the time.’ He took her hand and raised it to his lips. ‘You meant the world to me then, Emma, just as you mean everything to me now.’

  ‘And you mean the world to me, too, so let’s not waste any more time.’ She leant over and kissed him softly on the cheek. ‘From now on any decisions about our future shall be made together. Agreed?’

  ‘Agreed!’

  He gave a whoop of laughter as he planted a kiss on her mouth then put the car into gear. They headed back to the surgery and it felt to Emma as though they were floating on a cloud of happiness rather than doing anything as mundane as driving. Daniel refused to let her help him take evening surgery and dispatched her straight to the house with orders to put her feet up until he got back. Emma didn’t protest because she wasn’t sure she was in a fit state to be seeing patients while she was functioning at this level of euphoria.

  She let herself into the house and waited for Daniel to return, knowing what would happen when he did, and it was just as she had expected. They made love to each other with a joy and intensity that brought tears to both their eyes.

  ‘I love you, my sweet Emma,’ Daniel told her as he held her against his heart. ‘I want to be with you for ever, if you’ll let me.’

  ‘It’s what I want too,’ she told him honestly. ‘Although I’m not sure about the logistics of it, with you working in London and me in Scotland.’

  ‘Trivialities,’ he assured her airily. ‘We have far more important things to worry about, like when we’re getting married.’

  ‘Married?’ She sat up straight and stared at him.

  ‘Married!’

  ‘Uh-huh.’ He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her slowly, grinning wickedly when he heard her moan. ‘That’s what couples do when they’re in love. They get married and live happily ever after.’

  ‘So this is a proposal, is it?’ she said when she could summon enough breath to speak.

  ‘I suppose it is.’ He suddenly rolled to his feet and knelt by the side of the bed, smiling up at her as he took her hand. ‘I’d better do it properly so there’s no mistake. Will you, Emma Roberts, do me the honour of becoming my wife?’

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered then repeated it much louder so there would be no mistake about her answer either. ‘Yes, I will!’

  EPILOGUE

  Three months later …

  EMMA stepped in front of the mirror and studied her reflection. It was her wedding day and she wanted everything to be perfect, even though it had been a rush to get things organised in such a short space of time. Now she smiled as she took stock of the dress she had chosen.

  Made from pure silk in the palest shade of cream, it fell in soft folds to the floor. The cream rosebuds that the hairdresser had pinned into her hair that morning exactly matched the colour of the fabric. More rosebuds had been hand-tied to form a posy which she would carry up the aisle. She knew she looked her best and hoped that Daniel would think so too. They had waited so long for this day to come and she wanted it to be special, a celebration of their love for each other.

  A knock on the bedroom door heralded the arrival of her aunt. Both her aunt and her uncle had been thrilled when she and Daniel had announced that they were getting married. It appeared that they had known all along how she had felt about Daniel five years ago. Although he would never admit it, Emma suspected that her uncle had been doing a bit of matchmaking when he had asked Daniel to cover for him.

  It had been Uncle Jim who had suggested that Daniel should think about becoming a partner in the practice, an offer which Daniel had eagerly accepted, much to Emma’s delight. It had solved the problem of where they should live as once they returned from honeymoon, she would be taking up a new surgical post at the local hospital. She and Daniel would start their married life in Avondale, where they had first met and fallen in love.

  ‘Your uncle sent me upstairs to check if you were ready,’ her aunt informed her, taking a tissue out of her bag. ‘You look beautiful, Emma, really beautiful.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Emma gave her aunt a hug then smiled at her. ‘Shall we go? I don’t want to keep Daniel waiting.’

  There was quite a crowd gathered outside the local church when they drew up a short time later. Emma smiled when she spotted Alistair Grant, who was acting as one of the ushers. The source of his problems had been traced to the old chemical drums Harold Dawson had used to block access to the wind farm. Environmental services had visited Niths Farm and removed a number of other drums containing hazardous liquids. It was good to know that the community she was going to be a part of once more was no longer at risk.

  The organist struck up ‘The Wedding March’ as they stepped inside the porch and her uncle gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. ‘All set, my dear?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Emma took a deep breath as they set off down the aisle but the moment she saw Daniel waiting in front of the altar her nerves disappeared. Here was the man she loved, the man she wanted to spend her life with. From this moment on they would be together for ever.

  Daniel felt his heart turn over as he watched Emma walking towards him. It was as though every hope and dream he’d ever had had crystallised into this one moment. She stopped beside him and he saw the love in her eyes when she turned to look at him and knew she could see the same emotion in his. They loved each other. They trusted each other. They were meant to be together.

  Taking her hand, he made himself a promise that no matter what happened in the future nothing would spoil what they had. Maybe he had been afraid in the past but he wasn’t afraid any longer. He loved Emma and she loved him. They had everything they needed to guarantee a wonderful life together.

  The Soldier She Could Never Forget

  Tina Beckett

  To my children.

  You bring me joy, every single day.

  PROLOGUE

  Twenty-two years earlier

  “JESS. DON’T CRY.”

  The low words came from behind her, the slight rasp to his tone giving away his identity immediately.

  Jessi stiffened, but she didn’t turn around. Oh, God. He’d followed her. She hadn’t realized anyone had even seen her tearful flight out of the auditorium, much less come after her. But they had. And those low gravely tones didn’t belong to Larry Riley, who’d had a crush on her for ages, or her father—thank God!—but Clinton Marks, the last person she would have expected to care about what she thought or felt.

  “I—I’m not.”

  One scuffed motorcycle boot appeared on the other side of the log where she was seated, the footwear in stark contrast to the flowing green graduation gowns they both wore—and probably topping the school’s list of banned attire for tonight’s ceremony.

  The gown made her smile. Clint, in what amounted to a dress. She hoped someone had gotten a picture of that.

  He sat beside her as she hurried to scrub away the evidence of her anguish. Not soon enough, though, because cool fingers touched her chin, turning her head toward him. “You’re a terrible liar, Jessi May.”

  Somehow hearing the pet name spoken in something other than his normal mocking tones caused hot tears to wash back into her eyes and spill over, trailing down her cheeks until one of them reached his thumb. He brushed it away, his touch light.

  She’d never seen him like this. Maybe the reality of the night had struck him, as well. In a few short hours, her group of friends would all be flying off to start new lives. Larry and Clint would be headed for boot camp. And her best friend would be spending the next year in Spain on a college exchange program.

  They were all leaving.

  All except Jessi.

  She was stuck here in Richmond—with an overly strict father who’d come down hard when he’d heard Larry was gearing
up for a career in the army. The papers weren’t signed yet, but they would be in a matter of days. She’d done her best to hide the news, but her dad had been bound to find out sooner or later. He didn’t want her involved with a military man. Kind of unreasonable in a place where those kinds of men were a dime a dozen.

  Maybe she should have picked an out-of-state college, rather than choosing to commute from home. But as an only child, she hadn’t quite been able to bring herself to leave her mom alone in that huge house.

  “What’s going on, Jess?” Clint’s voice came back to her, pulling her from her pity party.

  She shrugged. “My dad, he … He just …” It sounded so stupid to complain about her father to someone who flouted authority every chance he got. If only she could be like that. But she’d always been a people pleaser. The trait had gotten worse once she’d been old enough to realize her mom’s “vitamins” were actually antidepressants.

  Instead of the flip attitude she’d expected from Clint, though, his eyes turned this cold shade of gunmetal gray that made her shiver. His fingers tightened slightly on her chin. “Your father what, Jess? What did he do?”

  Her teeth came down on her lip when she realized what he was saying. There’d been rumors about Clint’s family, that his father was the reason he was the way he was.

  Her dad was nothing like that.

  “He didn’t do anything. He’s just … unreasonable. He’s against me being with people like you or Larry.”

  His head tilted. “Me … and Larry.” His mouth turned up at the corners. “I see your dad’s point. Larry and I are definitely cut from the same cloth.”

  They weren’t. Not at all. Larry was like her. He was all about good grades and toeing the line. Clint, however, lived on the edge of trouble—his skull tattoo and pierced ear making teachers shake their heads, while all the girls swooned.