Prossers Bay Series

by Cheryl Phipps

  Saving Stephanie is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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  Saving Stephanie published by Cheryl Phipps

  Copyright © 2015 Cheryl Phipps

  Saving Stephanie

  The prodigal son has returned to Prossers Bay

  His past makes returning to Prossers Bay a double edged sword for Dr Jamie Morris. Determined to care for his sick father, he knows that the small town will not have forgotten the events that plagued his childhood, nor the woman who broke his heart. The woman he will eventually have to face.

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  With the dream of opening her own café crushed, Stephanie Green is astounded by Jamie’s offer of help, but taking money from her ex-lover isn’t an option. Except, it’s the only one she has, and like everything he does, Jamie makes it too tempting to refuse.

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  Is it possible to trust that one person you truly loved not to hurt you again?

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  5* Review

  Wow....wow...wow. ... The cat and mouse game of love is well and truly alive in this book. For a third book in a series, nice references to the first two books. Again, gripping from start to finish. Absolutely loving Cheryl Phipps' style.... Romantic, funny and keeps your interest.

  M Jones

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my father’s family, ‘The Prossers’, for whom the series is named after. My parents immigrated to New Zealand, so my siblings and I had no relatives apart from each other who we could speak to or visit although my mother kept in touch with my fathers eight siblings and her own brother.

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  In later years, I managed to meet a couple of Aunties and a cousin which was very special as I learned more of our history.

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  Thanks especially to my late Aunty Alice, and her son Steve Dagger. My siblings and I have appreciated your time and interest in our lives, and making us feel like we are truly part of your family.

  * * *

  Cheryl

  Chapter 1

  Jamie picked up the pace as he ran down the country lane. Worry for his father, who’d had a heart attack, weighed him down and the run was his way of clearing his head. It didn’t hurt that springtime in Prossers Bay was a beautiful thing. The trees were full of new growth and lambs frolicked in the fields to his right.

  The vista made it easier for thoughts of Stephanie to surface, no matter how much he fought them. She had always loved spring, just like his mother had. Memories of the two of them sitting in the backyard, bundled up against the evening chill while dad barbequed were his favorite. Unfortunately, there were also the darker memories of his mother’s alcoholism—his main reason for wanting to get the hell out of Prossers Bay and never return.

  Despite his plans to move to Seattle, there was no question about coming home. He loved his father, who’d tried to shield him from the worst of his mother’s problems, and he wanted to be here to help him. Jamie just wished here was somewhere else. Anywhere else.

  Shaking his head at the ridiculous notion, his thoughts drifted back to Stephanie, his ex-fiancé. Coming back to town meant facing her at some stage. It was unavoidable in a small town. It had been two years since she’d packed up and left him in Sydney, time enough to accept what had happened and be mature about the bad breakup. Hopefully.

  Another mile passed by and he hadn’t seen a single person. The only vehicle had been the school bus, which was the reason he’d chosen to run here.

  He could have done circuits around the green in the middle of town, right opposite his father’s house, but he would have had to contend with Prossers Bay’s finest citizens, all intent on finding out every damn thing about his life, and feeling entitled to offer suggestions on what his next course of action should be. As if he was going to change the direction of his life to move back here. Not even if hell froze over.

  By the time he could see the beach in the distance, he was puffing hard. A week without exercise was too long.

  “Help me!”

  His sneakers slipped on the gravel border as Jamie came to a sudden halt. It sounded like a child’s voice. Looking around him, he could only see the fields with the town just beyond that.

  “Is anybody there?”

  The voice was pitiful and came from his left. He jumped over a small ditch and then he saw that the ground sloped away. A small boy lay tangled up in a bike, in a larger ditch almost covered by grass. His tear-stained face was frightened, a dented helmet askew on his head.

  “Are you okay, son?” he asked as he made his way down the few feet of slope.

  “No, sir. I think something’s broken. My leg hurts really badly, and my arm is bleeding.”

  Jamie knelt beside him, took off the helmet and checked the cuts, which were superficial. Next, he felt his leg. There was a large amount of swelling around the boy’s ankle, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t broken.

  “Looks like this is your lucky day, buddy. I happen to be a doctor, and I think you’ll be right as rain as soon as we get you cleaned up.”

  “Really?”

  He was a cute kid, with wide blue eyes, and as much as Jamie should have been used to the trusting look, it always gave him a thrill. Especially from kids.

  “We’ll get an x-ray to make sure but it’s probably a bad sprain. What’s your name?”

  “Liam Forth.”

  That was a name he knew. “Are you Abby’s boy?”

  “And Max. They ‘dopted me. That means they’re my mom and dad.”

  Jamie carefully lifted the mangled bike off Liam. “I heard all about it from my dad. You probably know him. Doctor Morris?”

  Liam’s face lit up. “I sure do. He’s the best doctor in the world and he looked after me when my mom got killed.” The smile evaporated.

  Jamie coughed. “That must have been really rough. I guess my dad’s still your doctor?”

  “Yep. He looks after everyone in town. How come you don’t live with your dad?”

  “I live in America. Or I will when I leave here.”

  “Why would you leave Prossers Bay? It’s the best place in the world.”

  Jamie coughed again. If an adult had asked the same questions he would have been furious but this small boy, with his innocence mostly intact, was merely curious.

  “Because I want to be the best doctor I can and that means working in other places and learning from the very best teachers.”

  “Couldn’t your dad show you what to do and then you could stay here?”

  “My dad’s a great doctor. He’s already taught me a lot of things, but other doctors will teach me different things. Now, I’m going to tie my t-shirt around your sore ankle and your good ankle and that will help keep the swelling down and stop you from moving it too much. It may hurt a little.”

  “Okay.”

  Liam’s mouth quivered, but he didn’t cry as Jamie removed his t-shirt and set about immobilizing the ankle.

  “Well done, Liam. I’m going to pick you up and I want you to hold on. We’ve got a bit of a walk and I don’t have my phone with me.”

  “What about my bike?”

  “I’m sure Max will pick it up later, or I will.”

  Holding the small, warm body next to him, Jamie felt a rush of affection. This kid had suffered a lot and yet he had great manners and was a tough little guy if everything his father had told him was true.

  They walked along in silence for a while, watching the bay get closer and with it the town. Then Liam’s arms tightened around his neck.

  “My mom’s going to be very angry with me.”

  “Because you were out in the main road?”

  The boy turned his face into Jamie's chest, so that his words were muffled.

  “I’m not allowed to ride on it at all. Some of the kids at school dared me to. I had to ride to the camping ground and steal a container of milk from the crates and bring it
to school to show them.”

  “I see.”

  “I couldn’t do it. Steal. It’s not right, and Jeanne and Allan are cool people.”

  “Good for you. I bet Abby and Max would be proud of you for that, and I bet they’ll be happy that you’re not too hurt. You could have been hit by a car or a truck.”

  “That’s why I sneaked out early. There wasn’t any traffic.”

  Smart boy.

  Jamie was about to head down the driveway of the nearest house when an SUV began to slow as it approached. Abby jumped out of the nearly stationary car and was followed a few seconds later by Max.

  “Liam? Oh, thank goodness. When I couldn’t find you I thought … never mind,” Abby said in a rush. “What’s happened, Jamie?”

  “I’ll let Liam tell you the story on the way back but he fell off his bike and he’s got what I suspect is a bad sprain and a few contusions.”

  “I don’t understand. What were you doing out here by yourself?”

  Max lifted Liam out of Jamie’s hands and walked back to the SUV. “Leave it for now, sweetheart. We’ll sort it out later. Would you like a ride back, Jamie?” he asked over his shoulder.

  “I would, if that’s okay? I need to get to the hospital to see dad.”

  Abby sat in the back with Liam, while Max pulled out a windbreaker from the trunk.

  “Do you want to put this on?”

  Jamie took the jacket gratefully. “I was starting to get a little cold.”

  As they drove the short distance, Max’s hands gripped the steering wheel and Jamie recognized that he must have been very scared when they couldn’t find Liam. Knowing the boy’s past, it wasn’t surprising that he might have thought of abduction or even murder. Jamie shuddered and Max turned to him.

  “Thanks for looking after Liam. I’ll get your shirt back to you soon.”

  “There’s no rush and I was glad I was around to help. You could get him some dry clothes. I don’t know how long he was stuck in that damp ditch, but leave the ankle strapped until you get to the Accident and Emergency center. He’ll need an x-ray and to get the gravel cleaned out of his arms. Also, just as a precaution, I’d get his head looked at. He was wearing his helmet but it was badly dented.”

  Max leaned across to him and spoke earnestly in a whisper, ensuring that Liam wouldn’t hear. “This is the first time he’s caused a seconds worry since he came to live with us. Do you think something's wrong? Something from his past resurfacing, maybe?”

  “I wouldn’t make a big deal of this. It sounds like peer pressure and he does regret it.”

  Max gave him a questioning look.

  “I only know part of the story, so I’m only guessing. Let Liam tell you about it in his own words. You might also check his school and see who he’s hanging out with. A new kid is always wanting to fit in, and he sounds like a pretty level-headed boy, especially in light of his history.”

  “He is, usually. Could you do me another favor and ring Sergeant Beadle down at the station, and let him know what happened.”

  “Of course. When I’m out later I’ll pick up his bike and helmet if you like.”

  “We’d appreciate that.”

  When they arrived outside his home, Jamie got out and opened the back door. He took off the jacket and placed it over Liam. “Good luck, buddy. Don’t be scared and no more riding on main roads.”

  “Yes, sir. Thanks.”

  “Yes, thanks, Jamie. We appreciate you taking care of him and we haven’t even welcomed you home or asked after your dad.”

  “Dad’s doing well and should be home soon.”

  They said goodbye and Jamie smiled as he watched them go. If they’d met under any other circumstance, Abby might have treated him differently. For today, she was grateful. Tomorrow, as Stephanie’s good friend, she might have a bit more to say.

  He went inside and called the station, speaking to Shannon, the deputy, who was surprised to hear who was calling but promised to alert everyone that might be out looking for Liam that the boy was safe with his parents.

  Feeling good for the first time since he’d found out about his father and facing the trip home, Jamie took off his sneakers before going upstairs, looking forward to a shower and some clean clothes.

  The bedroom that Stephanie had just finished vacuuming was very masculine, with heavy furniture and thick drapes intended to block out any light. Pushing the heavy brocade back further to see the delightful view of Prossers Bay green while she worked, she began to make the bed.

  “Sorry, I meant to do that.”

  A deep voice from behind her made her jump. Hand on her heart, she turned to find a tall, dark-haired man standing in the doorway, looking a little grubby and yet very appealing. A piercing bolt of recognition hit her hard. About the same time as it hit him, by the looks of it.

  “Stephanie? What the hell are you doing here?”

  He came towards her as if he was going to hug her but changed his mind, which could have been in direct correlation to the look of horror she was unable to mask.

  “Jamie.” Her mouth was suddenly dry, her palms damp as she clasped them together.

  This couldn’t be happening. The look of delight, which momentarily confused her, slipped from his handsome face to be replaced with a coolness that did nothing to stop the tremors coursing through her body.

  He leaned against the door frame, sweatpants hanging low on his lean hips and his muscular chest bare, as he calmly looked her up and down.

  “You look fantastic.”

  Was he being sarcastic? Stephanie’s hand went automatically to her messy ponytail as she looked down at her ‘Pink’—as in the singer— t-shirt, and her navy cargo pants. Perfect for cleaning houses for a living—not so good when the man of your dreams steps out of the blue and back into your life. Correction—James Morris had been the man of her dreams.

  “You, too.” It was no lie. He really did look good. Too damn good. “What brings you home?”

  “I got a call from the hospital as soon as dad was admitted. That was the first I knew that he wasn’t doing as well as he’d been telling me all this time.”

  He sounded matter-of-fact, but Stephanie could see the worry behind his eyes.

  “You know what he’s like. He hates to be a bother and he’s got a lot of good friends keeping an eye on him.”

  “I’m his son.”

  And there it was. The answer that implied everything, yet said nothing. Typical of Jamie, whose self-defense button was always on high alert.

  Still, it wasn’t right to make him feel bad right now, and it wasn’t her business any more how often he saw his dad. The truth was they both loved the Doc. Even after all this time and having nearly become his daughter-in-law, she couldn’t call him Cliff, and she knew that the Doc wanted nothing more than to have Jamie home. The fact that it would only be short term wasn’t something she’d have control over. Not that she’d had any control when it came to her relationship with Jamie.

  “Look, I’m just here to clean and had I known you’d be here today, I would have asked Abby to switch houses. I’ll finish up and then I’ll go.”

  Jamie frowned. “Is that really what you’re doing with your life? Cleaning?”

  An old niggle that she’d been refusing to pay heed to surfaced, and now it was her turn to feel defensive. “It’s good, honest work.”

  “Of course it is, but what happened to your dream of owning your own café? I thought you’d be at least working in a restaurant. Isn’t that why you came home?”

  He was right, which was infuriating. She’d come home to Prossers Bay thinking that’s exactly what she would do, and then she’d taken the job with Abby, cleaning, just to give herself time. At least, that was how she’d justified it at the start. Maybe if the resort had been up and running, things might have been different and she wouldn’t have spent so long feeling sorry for herself.

  “Like a lot of dreams I once had, they’ve been replaced by reality. Now, if you
’ll excuse me, I have to get on.” The words came out harsher than she’d intended.

  He looked like he wanted to say more, but merely nodded.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I need to get a shower. Let me grab some clean clothes and I’ll get out of your way.”

  Jamie standing there, half-undressed, registered once more. Interestingly so.

  “Have you been out running? You stopped that when we moved to Sydney.” Why on earth had she brought that up? And, why wasn’t she the one running as fast as she could away from him? Again.

  He gave her a rueful smile. “Yes, I love it. Which I know sounds odd after all these years. I don’t know how I turned into such a nerd, but you forget I ran track at high school.”

  “I remember,” she said breathily, as she pictured him racing around the track while she watched from the stands, cheering him on, and so proud that he was her boyfriend.

  “I guess I always had something more important than exercising to do. I’d forgotten how good it could make me feel and I needed to do something different after you left.”

  He coughed, probably realizing where that little confession was going, since they’d both been in a dark place back then.

  “It clears my head and I need a bit of that, especially at the moment,” he sighed. “Looks like I might have to stay a bit longer than I thought.”

  Oh, no. Having Jamie around might be great for the Doc, but it wasn’t going to be good for her health or peace of mind. “How long is ‘a while’?”

  The words came out in a rush and Jamie raised an eyebrow.

  “It depends on Dad. I really don’t have a time frame right now.”

  “Hey, it’s none of my business.”

  She couldn’t help the impatience in her voice and was surprised when he gave a short laugh.