The Firebrand Who Unlocked His Heart

by Anne Fraser

  ‘Hear her in my head,’ Harry said. Although the words were slurred, it was the first complete sentence Daniel had heard his son say. The tightness in his chest eased. He was beginning to see a future—not just for his son, but for them together.

  * * *

  When he’d finished helping Harry with his breakfast Daniel slipped a DVD into the player. ‘I thought we could watch the match we didn’t see the end of the other day. Would you like that?’

  ‘Work?’ Harry said.

  ‘Not today, Harry. I plan to spend the whole day with you.’ A small smile crossed his son’s lips.

  They had been watching the match in companionable silence when Colleen came into the room.

  ‘Well, look at the pair of you,’ she said, pretending to be cross, ‘Watching TV before breakfast.’

  ‘We’ve already had it.’ Daniel nodded his head towards the empty bowl. He’d flushed most of the porridge down the toilet. Not that he would tell Colleen that. ‘We’re looking forward to when we can have a burger.’

  Harry’s face lit up. Then he said ‘Yes. Burger.’ As before, although it was indistinct the meaning was clear.

  ‘I think it’s time we asked the speech therapist to come, guys,’ Colleen said, looking delighted. ‘With her help we’ll have you chatting away in no time.’

  She picked up the tray. ‘I’ll leave you two to it,’ she said, ‘while I have my breakfast. But as the sun’s shining, what do you say about going out to get some fresh air this morning?’

  ‘Sounds good to me.’ Daniel winked at Harry. ‘Take your time with breakfast, Colleen, so we can see the end of the match, eh?’

  * * *

  By the time Colleen returned, however, the sunshine had turned to heavy rain and a trip outside was out of the question. But now that Harry was making progress she wanted to establish a more normal routine. Keeping him in his room all day had never been part of the plan. Dora was sitting in the chair by the window, knitting as she and Daniel chatted.

  ‘Time to get dressed, Harry,’ Colleen said.

  Harry looked at his father. ‘Not Dad. You and Dora.’

  Colleen was delighted. Harry’s speech was coming on so quickly now that she suspected it was only a matter of time before he was speaking more or less normally.

  ‘Why don’t we let Dad go and check his emails while Dora and I get you dressed?’ she suggested. Harry was at that age where he’d feel uncomfortable having his father dress him.

  Luckily, Daniel seemed to catch on and excused himself. ‘I’ll be back in twenty minutes. Maybe the rain will have gone by then.’

  When Daniel left. Harry scrabbled at his bedclothes. It looked as if he was trying to get out of bed.

  ‘What is it, Harry? What do you want?’ Colleen asked.

  ‘Walk.’

  Dora and Colleen shared a glance.

  ‘You want to try walking?’

  Harry nodded.

  ‘Tell you what, why don’t we have you sitting at the side of the bed while we get you dressed? Then we can see how you manage to stand. Your muscles are going to be weak at first, so you might only manage a minute or two at first, but that and the swimming is a good way of getting some strength back in your legs. What do you say?’

  They got him dressed in his jeans and a T-shirt, Colleen and Dora taking turns to thread his arms through the sleeves.

  ‘Why don’t we stand you up while we pull your jeans up?’

  They took Harry’s weight between them while Colleen pulled up his jeans and fastened them.

  ‘Okay. Try to take as much of your own weight as you can. Dora and I will be here to catch you if you think you’re going to fall.’

  Very slowly they decreased their support until Harry was standing. It only lasted a few seconds before he swayed and had to be helped back into his position at the edge of the bed.

  ‘That was fantastic, Harry! Well done. We’ll keep trying. But you’ll see, soon we’ll have you back on your feet and maybe then you can try a few steps. How does that sound?’

  Harry grinned up at them. ‘Good.’ Then he shook his head. ‘Don’t…Dad.’

  ‘You don’t want me to tell your dad, Harry. Is that what you’re trying to say?’

  Harry nodded.

  ‘But he’ll be thrilled. He’s been so worried about you.’

  Harry’s expression settled into one Colleen knew very well. It was the same one she’d seen on his father’s face several times before. It seemed the son was as stubborn as the father. But in terms of Harry’s progress that was good. Harry would need all his stubbornness and determination in the weeks and months to come.

  ‘Fair enough, sweetie. If you don’t want me to tell your father, I won’t. From now on it’s up to you to keep him up to date with your progress. Unless, of course, something happens and I have to tell him. Deal?’

  Harry’s smile was back.

  ‘Deal,’ he said.

  * * *

  Daniel had quickly dealt with his emails before returning to Harry’s room.

  ‘The sun’s shining again so I thought the three of us could go out somewhere. Does anyone have any preferences? Of course you’re welcome to come too, Dora.’

  ‘Funny, Harry and I were thinking just the same thing. Harry would like to go to Hyde Park, if that would be okay?’ Colleen said.

  It was uncanny how Colleen seemed able to communicate with Harry even with Harry’s speech being so limited. Daniel had seen it happen too often not to know that it was genuine. She would ask a question and, depending on Harry’s yes or no, ask another until she had established what Harry wanted. Over the time she’d been here, their unique form of shorthand was developing to a point where she seemed to know what Harry wanted with very little difficulty.

  ‘I’ll stay here if that’s all the same to you,’ Dora said. ‘My legs aren’t what they used to be.’

  As they were about to leave the doorbell rang. Daniel opened it to find a man with longish dark hair and a cheerful smile.

  ‘Hello,’ the stranger said in an Irish accent. ‘Is Colleen about, by any chance?’

  ‘Ciaran! What on earth are you doing here?’ Colleen said, from behind Daniel. ‘Not that it isn’t good to see you,’ she added hastily.

  Was it his imagination or did Colleen seem less than enthralled to see her fiancé? The thought cheered Daniel immensely.

  He watched Colleen lift her face for Ciaran’s kiss. So this was the man she loved? This unremarkable individual with his bad haircut and washed-out jeans was the man Colleen was intending to marry? He simply couldn’t see it.

  ‘I thought, if you couldn’t come to see me, I would come to see you, Col,’ Ciaran said.

  Col? What kind of name was that? It didn’t suit her.

  Ciaran pulled Colleen into his arms and hugged her.

  Colleen returned the hug half-heartedly. She glanced at Daniel and flushed, before wriggling out of Ciaran’s embrace. She turned to Harry, who had been watching them with interest.

  ‘Harry, this is my fiancé, Ciaran. Remember I told you about him?’

  Harry nodded and with a huge effort lifted his hand from his lap and held it out towards Ciaran.

  Ciaran took it and shook it. ‘Col’s told me a lot about you, Harry. It’s grand to meet you at last. She tells me you’re a rugby fan. Well, so am I.’

  Colleen looked at Daniel, delight written all over her face, and he grinned back. Harry’s movements were becoming more and more purposeful.

  Then she frowned. ‘I’m sorry, Ciaran, but now’s not a good time. We’re about to go out to the park. Where are you staying? Perhaps we can meet up later?’ She looked at Daniel for confirmation.

  He nodded reluctantly. After all, Colleen was entitled to time off. He had no right to stop her seeing her fiancé. Even if the thought made him feel…resentful was the word that came to mind.

  ‘I came straight here,’ Ciaran said. ‘I thought there might be a B&B nearby.’

  ‘You are welcome
to stay at Carrington Hall,’ Daniel found himself saying. He didn’t want Ciaran staying here. In fact, he wanted him a thousand miles away. But he couldn’t not ask him. There were seven empty bedrooms in the house. The very least he owed Colleen was to make her fiancé welcome. Even if it was the last thing he wanted.

  ‘Oh, Ciaran will be happy with a B & B,’ Colleen said, quickly. ‘Isn’t there one nearby?’

  Of course—Colleen and her fiancé would want to have somewhere they could meet in private. Daniel ignored the knot in his stomach

  ‘If that’s what you’d prefer, of course,’ he said, ‘I’ll ask Burton to arrange it.’ He signalled to Burton, who nodded and picked up the telephone.

  ‘There is a decent establishment a couple of streets away, sir. I’ll give them a call now.’

  ‘And of course you should have the day off. Harry and I will manage on our own,’ Daniel said.

  But as he glanced at his son he saw a stricken look cross his face. Obviously, despite the improvement in their relationship, Harry wasn’t ready to be alone with him. The buoyant feeling he’d had when he’d woken up was fast disappearing.

  Colleen must have seen Harry’s reaction too, as she quickly crouched beside Harry and took his hand. ‘What? And miss Harry’s first trip out? No way. Ciaran won’t mind waiting until we get back, will you?’

  ‘Or I could come with you,’ the idiot said, cheerfully. ‘It’s not as if I’ve got anything else to do—’

  ‘I’m not sure Harry should be introduced to new people at this stage,’ Daniel interrupted. ‘It’s perfectly all right if you just want it to be the three of us, Harry. I’m sure Ciaran will be happy staying behind. He’s probably tired.’

  ‘Oh, I think if Harry’s fine with Ciaran coming, then that’s okay. Harry would tell me if he didn’t want him along. Wouldn’t you, sweetie?’

  Harry smiled and nodded.

  ‘The Duchess Hotel has a room available, sir,’ Burton said. He turned to Ciaran. ‘It’s just a short walk from here, sir, but I could ask Mike to take you.’

  ‘Why don’t I walk with you as far as my hotel?’ Ciaran said. ‘Col, we could meet there when you’ve had your walk.’

  Could that be relief on Colleen’s face? No, that was wishful thinking on his part. No doubt she preferred to see Ciaran alone away from prying eyes.

  With the decision made that Ciaran would accompany them as far as his hotel, the four of them set off. Colleen insisted on pushing Harry. As the pavement was too narrow for the three of them to walk side by side, Daniel found himself alongside Ciaran.

  ‘Did you fly?’ he asked.

  ‘Just jumped on a plane at Dublin this morning. Luckily there was space. If there hadn’t have been, I would have taken the ferry.’

  ‘You should have said. I would have sent my plane for you.’

  ‘I wanted to surprise Col. She’s looking grand, isn’t she?’

  Daniel followed Ciaran’s gaze. Colleen’s ponytail was swinging as she walked and her bottom undulated deliciously with every step she took. Daniel bit back the groan that rose to his lips.

  What exactly did Ciaran expect him to say? Yes, she’s looking good. She looked even better in her bikini. In fact, I think she’s quite beautiful. She has a smile that lights up a room.

  ‘Yes. She has a great deal of energy.’ Good God, couldn’t he have thought of something else to say?

  Ciaran laughed. ‘You can say that again. Col’s never happy unless she’s bustling around and has plenty to do. The only time I see her sitting still is when she has her nose in a book. She’s been like that as long as I can remember.’

  ‘How long have you known her?’ Daniel asked, his curiosity piqued.

  ‘Since she was about ten. I was—am—pals with her older brothers. She was always a bit of a tomboy.’ Ciaran frowned. ‘Is she okay? I mean, she sounded a bit strange the last time I spoke to her on the phone.’

  ‘She seems all right to me,’ Daniel replied.

  * * *

  Daniel was pleased when Ciaran peeled off at his hotel. Thankfully there was no repeat of the earlier hug. Colleen simply gave Ciaran a wave and, as Daniel took over chair-pushing duty, she fell into step beside them.

  It felt odd to be out like this, almost as if the three of them were a family. Which was ridiculous. Harry was all the family he wanted or needed.

  The park was mobbed with people, riding bikes, picnicking and generally relaxing in the first real sunshine of the month. Daniel caught a badly aimed frisbee as it came his way and returned it, and was pleased to see it went in the general direction he’d planned.

  ‘Is there anything you’d like to do in particular, Harry?’ he asked. But to his dismay his son’s expression had darkened and he turned his face away from him.

  Quickly Colleen crouched by the side of Harry’s chair. ‘I know it’s tough, Harry, seeing all these people doing stuff you used to do. But you’ve got to believe me when I tell you that I really believe that in time you’ll be able to do more—a lot more. There’s no reason why you might not be able to throw a frisbee yourself. Do anything you put your mind to, in fact.’

  Perhaps this hadn’t been such a good idea after all. All it was doing was reminding Harry of what he could no longer do. Harry pointed over Colleen’s shoulder. Daniel had been so intent on keeping an eye on the frisbee throwers that he hadn’t noticed another group playing cricket. Suddenly he saw something fly towards the air directly towards Harry. Before he was even aware of what he was doing he had thrown himself forwards just in time to catch the missile in his right hand. However, his impetus threw him on to the ground where he landed in an untidy heap.

  Feeling an idiot, he was about to jump back up when suddenly Colleen was there, leaning over him, anxiety flooding her grey eyes.

  ‘Are you okay? Speak to me, Daniel.’

  He no longer felt the need to move. It was kind of nice to have Colleen bending over him. She bent lower to peer in his eyes and as she did so her ponytail fell forwards, enveloping him in the smell of strawberries and vanilla. He groaned.

  ‘What have you hurt? Can you sit up?’

  He considered laying it on a bit thicker, but decided against it. They had Harry to think about. He grinned at her and jumped to his feet. He looked down at his hand. He was still holding the missile, which turned out to be a cricket ball. If that had hit Harry, God only knew what damage it would have done. He turned towards his son. Harry was smiling.

  ‘Good catch, Dad,’ he said.

  * * *

  Colleen looked at Ciaran across the table and took a deep breath. ‘I have something to tell you, Ciaran,’ she said. She hadn’t expected Ciaran to jump on a plane and come and see her. But now he was here, she had to tell him.

  For once Ciaran looked serious. ‘I think I know what it is.’

  ‘You do?’

  ‘Come on, Col, we’ve known each other for ever. You’ve never been any good at keeping things hidden from me. You’ve decided not to marry me. Am I right?’

  ‘I am so sorry, Ciaran.’ She reached a hand across the table and Ciaran took it. ‘How did you guess?’

  Ciaran smiled sadly. ‘It’s been this way for a while, hasn’t it? I’ve known for months you were having your doubts, but I thought if I said nothing, things would just get better. Anyway, it’s not just you whose been having doubts. I love you, Col, you know I do, but I’ve met someone recently and she looks at me the way someone who’s in love with you is supposed to look at you. The way you and Daniel look at each other—as if you have stars in your eyes.’

  What on earth did he mean? If only Ciaran knew how often she and Daniel argued.

  ‘That’s nonsense, Ciaran. I sometimes think Daniel would like nothing more than to give me a good shake and as for the way I feel about him…’

  ‘You’re in love with him. Anyone with a pair of eyes in his head can see that.’

  ‘In love with Daniel?’ Had Ciaran completely lost the plot? ‘No way.’
>
  ‘And he’s in love with you. I knew it the moment I saw the way he looks at you.’

  ‘You’re got it completely wrong, Ciaran. Daniel and I can barely be in the room together for two minutes before sparks start to fly.’

  Ciaran leaned back in his chair. ‘Exactly,’ he said.

  Colleen’s head was spinning. Was Ciaran right? Could this crazy feeling in the pit of her stomach, this urge to be around Daniel, this feeling as if every nerve ending was tingling whenever he was around, be love? If so, it didn’t make her feel good. It made her feel awful.

  No, of course she wasn’t in love with Daniel. It was just that she’d never met anyone like him—someone who made her feel more alive than she ever had before. But that wasn’t love. That was lust. And as for him being in love with her? Hah! Nothing was less likely.

  ‘You’ve got it all wrong, Ciaran. But I’m glad you’re okay about us not getting married.’ She smiled back at him. The relief of breaking off her engagement and knowing Ciaran wasn’t upset, made her feel lighter than she had in days.

  She twisted the ring from her finger and handed it to him.

  ‘I hope we can still be friends.’

  ‘Hey, we’re breaking off our engagement, not falling out. Of course we’ll always be friends, Col. And I will always love you—and your crazy family. You know that, don’t you?’

  She returned his grin. ‘So tell me about this woman who looks at you with stars in her eyes, Ciaran. I want to know everything.’

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  DANIEL let Burton take his jacket. It had been another tough day in court, but he was confident they would get the verdict they were seeking. In a day or two the trial would be over and he could take time off to be with Harry. He had cleared his diary, refusing to take any more cases for at least four weeks. Harry would have his undivided attention during that time.

  ‘The doctor is here to see you, sir,’ Burton said.

  Daniel’s heart thudded. Had Harry relapsed? Handing his briefcase to Burton, he hurried into his son’s room. The doctor was leaning over Harry, listening to his chest.

  ‘Hello, Dad,’ Harry said.

  Daniel’s chest felt tight. ‘Hello, son.’