by Lucy Clark
* * *
The Ballarat Country Club was marvellous.
‘This place was built back in the 1860s by a man who struck it rich on the goldfields.’
‘Wow.’ Summer had been blown away by the decorated ballroom they were currently dancing in. It had high ceilings, ornately decorated with a large chandelier in the centre. There was a Christmas tree to the side and tinsel glittering brightly around the walls. Twinkle lights made the room even more festive and even though it was still quite light outside, the artificial lighting made the atmosphere inside all the more special. ‘It’s a beautiful place, even down the other end where the children are. I hope Tommy’s having a good time.’
‘I’m sure he is. You saw the way he greeted his friends.’
‘Yes. Yes, I did.’
Jason pulled her a little closer in his arms as they continued to move around the dance floor. He was glad the band had decided to play a slow song because it meant he didn’t need to work as hard to find an excuse to hold her close.
He hadn’t left her side the entire evening and again it only served to make her feel very special. She’d come to realise that that was Jason’s way. Never had a man been more attentive to her in her life, and it just went to prove that she’d chosen the right man to fall in love with. He was wonderful. He was perfect. He was hers. At least, she hoped he was hers.
Shaking her head, she knew tonight was not a night for those types of doubts. She was going to be happy, to show him how much she cared for him and how much she wanted him to feel the same way. Only happy, positive thoughts were allowed tonight. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.
‘You feel good.’ He bent his head and nibbled her earlobe. ‘So right in my arms, Summer.’
‘Mmm.’ Summer closed her eyes, loving the feelings, the sensations he was evoking. They shuffled around the dance floor with other couples and when the song ended Frank from A and E, who was their MC for the night, asked everyone to return to their seats for some more of the evening’s festivities.
‘All right. We have some door prizes to draw, we have winners to announce from the silent auction held earlier in the evening and we have presentations to make but before we get started, I’d just like to say a special thank you to the Hoyts Company, which is based in Sydney, for their sizeable donation.’
Jason felt Summer go rigid next to him, her smile still plastered perfectly in place. A few people were leaning over to ask if she’d had anything to do with it, given that her surname was Hoyts, but she politely assured them it had nothing to do with her.
‘Thanks to them,’ Frank was saying, ‘we’ve not only reached our target for the evening but doubled it.’ Frank started clapping and everyone joined in.
Summer swallowed over the lump which had instantly come into her throat. Her whole body seemed to be shaking with a mixture of fear and rage, although she knew that outwardly none of this showed. Jason’s arm was around her shoulders and he rubbed her arm, obviously picking up on her posture. It was the only thing that helped calm her but at the first non-conspicuous moment in the proceedings when she could excuse herself, she did so.
Jason wasn’t far behind her as she walked down the softly carpeted corridor, ignoring the photographs and paintings that hung on the walls as she headed directly for the verandah. As she stepped outside, Summer took a deep breath in and gripped the rail tightly.
‘It’s all right, Summer. It’s just a donation,’ Jason reasoned, knowing exactly what had made her become agitated.
She spun around to face him. ‘Just a donation? Just a donation? No, Jason. It isn’t. It’s my in-laws’ way of saying they know exactly where I am, that they know exactly what I’m doing, and that they’re going to take every opportunity to meddle in my life as much as I’ll let them.’ She shook her head. ‘I thought I was free of them and I worked so hard to get here. I made the decision to leave Sydney, to look for a fresh start for Tommy and myself, and they simply took me to court. I won that battle and moved away.’
She turned her back on him, working exceedingly hard at holding back her tears. ‘I was so happy here.’
‘You talk as though you have to leave?’
‘I…I don’t know what to do now. They know I’m here. They’ve obviously been keeping close tabs on me, otherwise how could they have possibly known about the charity ball? How could they have known to make a donation to some hospital they’ve probably never even heard of? It’s a message, Jason. That’s how these people work.’
‘The money will help the hospital.’
‘I’m not denying that. I’m pointing out that everything has a purpose, a meaning, and most times strings attached. Everything is business and this is the Hoyts way of letting me know they haven’t let Tommy go.’
Jason touched her then, putting his hands on her shoulders and rubbing gently up and down on her arms. ‘They haven’t won anything, Summer. You still have custody of Tommy and you’re doing an amazing job of raising him. You’ll continue to do an amazing job as well.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Because I know you. You’re a great mother, and while this donation to the hospital may indeed be some sort of message, why does it matter? Why are you giving them this power over you? Giving them the satisfaction of hurting you?’
Summer frowned and looked up at him. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You are a strong woman. Haven’t you realised that yet? You don’t need to worry about what sort of game your in-laws are playing. All you need to worry about is raising your son right. Tommy is a smart, intelligent boy. Qualities he gets from his mother. You said your husband treated Tommy the way he did because he didn’t know any different.’
Summer nodded, her tears disappearing as she listened to what Jason had to say.
‘Well, you’re breaking that cycle. By taking Tommy away from the control of your in-laws, you have the opportunity to make him into an incredible man by giving him the chance to make real and honest friendships. To make mistakes and to learn from them, rather than being punished for them. To find the strength to face his fears. To love with all his heart.’
She sucked in a breath and slowly let it out, her breathing back to normal, her blood pumping at a more sedate rate around her body.
Jason cupped her face in his hands and looked intently into her eyes. ‘You’re a good mother, Summer. Don’t ever doubt that.’ He brushed a kiss across her lips. ‘Let the Hoyts throw their money around like heavyweights. It doesn’t need to mean anything to you except that the hospital will be able to buy the equipment it needs. You have Tommy. You love Tommy and Tommy loves you. That’s what is important here.’
Summer closed her eyes and put her arms around him. ‘Thank you,’ she mumbled against his jacket. She took three soothing breaths then pulled back. ‘You’re so right. The money is just money. It means nothing to me and I’m not going to let them stop me from living the life I want to live.’
‘That’s my girl.’ Jason kissed the top of her head. ‘Now…as we’re outside, with a dazzling sunset before us, would you care to take a stroll with me?’
‘I’d love to.’
Jason shifted so that his arm was about her waist, holding her close. There was a soft breeze blowing, rustling the skirt of Summer’s dress with a slight swishing sound. The sky was a mix of reds, oranges and yellows.
‘As beautiful as your dress,’ Jason commented as they walked to the far end of the verandah, away from the beat of the music. ‘But not as beautiful as the woman wearing it.’
She smiled as she rested against the railing, pleased when Jason’s arms encircled her waist, drawing her near. ‘You say the sweetest things to me, Jason.’
‘You deserve them.’
‘Do I?’
He shook his head. ‘What sort of number did your husband do on you? Did he only want you for your money?’ As he said the words, he watched as Summer glanced away, the truth momentarily visible in her eyes. ‘What? But he had the Hoyts wealth behind him.’
‘It wasn’t enough. Bad mergers happen. Funds get lost. It’s always wise to make a good investment.’
‘Did you know? I mean, you didn’t have an arranged marriage, did you?’
‘No. No. It was worse than that. At least in an arranged marriage, I might not have expected my husband to remain faithful, but Cameron took great pains to court me and win me over. I was a blind fool for so long and then…’ She stopped and shrugged an elegant shoulder. ‘I caught him with another woman. I’d asked him about affairs before but he’d always denied it. Now he couldn’t. After that, he didn’t even bother to be discreet. I…’ She hung her head. ‘I thought about leaving him but I was pregnant with Tommy. So I stayed and played the part of the pretty trophy wife and mother, but from the time I caught him with that other woman until his death, he didn’t…we didn’t…’ She shook her head. ‘He didn’t want me. I wasn’t…enough.’
‘What? Oh, Summer.’ Jason pressed his lips to hers. ‘The man was a fool.’
‘No. Cameron was a highly intelligent man. He had great business sense and was brilliant at the hospital and—’
‘No. I meant he was a fool for not wanting you. Personally, I can’t think of anyone but you. I don’t want to be with anyone but you. You…you drive me insane with wanting, with needing.’ He kissed her again. It was nothing like the other times either. These were no sweet, fluttering kisses, neither were they testing and exploratory. No. This time when he kept kissing her, it was to press his mouth to hers in a way that was highly possessive as well as securely protective. ‘He was a fool,’ Jason repeated.
‘As was your wife.’ Summer slid her fingers up his chest, loving the feel of the contours beneath the white dress shirt. The warmth of his neck caused tingles to flood her body as she played with the slightly curling hair at the nape of his neck. ‘She may have thought she wanted a life with money, power and prestige, but none of those things can bring you happiness. Take it from me. I know, and honestly, Jason, even though she may have broken your heart, it’s definitely made you stronger. It makes you stop and really evaluate what’s important in your life and because of your marriage, because of the pain you’ve been through, you now know what you want from life.’
‘I felt like a failure for so long.’
‘I understand. I really do, but as you’ve helped me to realise, we—on a personal level—didn’t fail. It was simply marriage to the wrong person that caused the pain.’ Summer looked lovingly into his eyes. ‘Honestly, though, I don’t know how any woman let you go.’
‘Summer?’ Jason shifted a little so he could see her face more clearly in the slowly fading evening light. ‘Saying things like that implies that…’ He stopped, wondering if he should go on. What if he scared her away? What if he was about to make the biggest mistake of his life? He wanted her, he needed her, he loved her, but pushing her, confessing his feelings, might make her run as fast as she possibly could in the opposite direction.
‘That I’m in love with you?’ she finished.
‘Well…yeah.’
‘That’s because I am.’ Had she just blown it? Had she pushed too hard, too fast?
His jaw dropped and his eyed widened at her words. ‘You’re…you’re…?’
‘In love with you. I have been for some time.’ When he still stared at her, obviously stunned, Summer quickly continued. ‘I’m not telling you this because I expect anything from you. You’re under no obligation or anything and if I’m rushing you, if it’s too soon for you to even think about falling in love and you just want to keep dating then that’s fine. Honestly. No pressure. It’s just that…well…when you love someone, it’s always a good idea to let that person know.’ She was starting to babble. Even she could hear it but she didn’t seem able to stop it either. ‘Your sister told me something yesterday. She said that only the soul that loves is happy. Well, my soul is happy and I knew I had to tell you how I—’
Her words were cut off as Jason clamped his mouth onto hers. His arms slid around her back, making her feel secure, safe and special. And that’s exactly what she was to him. This time his mouth plundered hers, making her realise that everything she’d experienced with him was nothing compared to the emotions he was evoking right now.
Pleasure. Sweet torture. Euphoria. Excitement. That and many more sensations combined to encompass and overwhelm her as he continued to kiss her to the point where she was leaning against him, unable to support herself as her limbs turned to mush.
On and on his mouth seemed to devour her and she was more than happy for it to happen. How was she ever supposed to let him go now? How could he expect her to simply stick to the words she’d just said, that she was more than willing to keep on dating and not worry about taking things to the next level?
‘You love me?’ Jason pulled back, looked down into her face, his eyes intent on hers.
‘Yes. Yes I do.’
His mouth was back on hers but this time he kept it short.
‘I take it you don’t seem to mind all that much. About my declaration, I mean.’ Summer was still leaning against him, but slowly her mind started sending signals around her body and soon she could stand properly again.
‘Mind? Do I mind? Honey, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get you to fall in love with me so I could start convincing you that we belong together.’
‘You wanted me to fall in love with you?’
Jason smiled brightly and kissed her luscious lips once again. ‘My soul is happy, Summer. My soul is happy because of you.’
It took a second for his words to penetrate her hazy mind.
‘You love me?’ The words were spoken with such astonishment, such surprise that Jason only loved her more.
‘You bet I do. I love you so much, Summer Hoyts. I love everything about you. I love your son as though he were my own.’
‘You do? Uh…I mean, it’s not astonishing that you do because he’s such a terrific person, but you really do.’ She shook her head. ‘Wow.’
‘Summer, I hadn’t even hoped to declare my feelings tonight as I thought it was too soon, but now that I have and now that you have, too, I can’t stop myself from moving on to the next step.’
‘There you two are.’ Alyssa came rushing towards them, panting slightly. ‘We’ve been looking everywhere for you.’ There was urgency in her tone and Summer suspected that if the woman hadn’t been trained as a nurse, there would also have been a hint of panic.
‘What is it?’ Jason asked, shifting to face Alyssa, his arms still firmly around Summer.
‘It’s Tommy.’
‘Tommy!’ They both spoke in unison, passion switching to parental concern in an instant. Summer’s feet were moving, even though she didn’t know where she was going.
‘What’s happened? What is it?’ she demanded.
‘There’s been an accident.’ Alyssa opened the door which led to the other end of the country club. ‘Tommy’s fallen off a horse. He’s badly hurt.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
‘A HORSE!’ Summer’s step faltered and her breathing started to increase and it had nothing to do with what she and Jason had just been discussing. ‘A…a…horse! What was he doing…?’ She was almost starting to hyperventilate and Jason stopped walking and immediately made her sit down and put her head between her knees.
‘Breathe, Summer. Breathe.’ He snapped his head up to look at Alyssa. ‘What’s the situation? Is anyone with him?’
‘Mags and Rhonda are with him. They went out to assess him.’
‘Has an ambulance been called?’
‘I don’t know. All I was told was that he’d been thrown from a horse.’
Jason raked a hand through his hair. Was this all his fault? He tried to think back to the conversation he’d had with Tommy earlier that night. He’d told the boy that it was all right to face his fears. Had Tommy decided to do just that? Confront his fears by getting on a horse? Bile rose in Jason’s throat and he hung his own head, hoping it would he
lp to clear his thoughts.
He kept forgetting the child was only seven and most of the time seven-year-olds took everything at face value. He’d treated patients, he’d spoken to parents, he’d helped and guided them, but with all of them he’d had an objectivity which had helped him to see things more clearly. Not so in this case. He loved Tommy, loved him like a son, and therefore he was surprised when emotion seemed to cloud his logical thought processes.
‘He’s all right, then?’ Summer lifted her head, her colour improved but only a little. Adrenaline was starting to kick in and she stood, heading down the corridor to where the children’s party was being held. Jason was by her side in an instant, holding her hand, knowing that whatever had happened to Tommy, they were going to deal with it together.
She squeezed his hand. ‘I’m glad you’re here,’ she whispered, and an overwhelming sense of rightness washed over her. Having Jason here, by her side, knowing that he loved her, that she didn’t have to face things alone any more…it was a true miracle. Her Christmas miracle.
As they rushed through the room where the party was being held, the latest band playing on the stereo, the room decorated with tinsel and balloons, Summer took no notice of anything except the door being held open by Jason’s mother, pointing the way they should go.
The early evening light made everyone still visible and she could make out Rhonda and Mags leaning over Tommy, who was lying on the ground.
‘Tommy?’ Her skirts were lifted as she she raced across the grass towards the fenced area where the horses were.
‘Mum?’
At the sound of his voice, her heart started to beat again. He was all right. He was coherent and he sounded fine, if a little shaken.
‘I’m here,’ she called, heading through the gate someone opened for her, Jason still by her side.
‘JD?’ Tommy asked.
‘I’m here, too, champ.’ Mags and Rhonda stepped back as Summer and Jason knelt down beside the boy. Summer didn’t care about dirt or dust getting onto her dress or over her fancy red shoes.
