“Okay. Can I build a sand castle while we wait?”
“Of course.”
Smiling, Daisy grabbed her bucket and spade and moved a little away from them to a soft stretch of sand. Sighing, Leah turned to Ethan. “She’s gorgeous. Completely and utterly gorgeous.”
His gaze lingered on hers before he looked to his daughter. “Thanks.”
Unwelcome tension filled the silence. “I’m glad you came. I wasn’t sure you would,” Leah finally said.
“I needed to see you.”
The clipped tone of his voice alerted her to further trouble. “Is everything okay?”
“You were right.”
“About?”
“Anna.”
“She came back?”
He faced her. “No, but I received a package with photos of Daisy, her school certificates, that sort of thing. Anna denies sending it, but I’m not sure she’s telling the truth.”
“Why would she lie?”
“I don’t know.”
He glanced at Daisy once more, his jaw tight and his fingers drawn into a fist atop his lifted knee.
Leah’s concern deepened. “If Anna didn’t send them, who did?”
“She insinuated they could’ve been sent as some kind of warning.”
“From whom?”
He faced her. “Her boyfriend, no doubt. The man she’s supposedly trying and failing to get away from.”
Leah stared toward Daisy. Surely he now knew he had to go to the police? That Anna, or someone even more dangerous, was certain to turn up in the Cove sooner or later?
Ethan coughed, and when she looked at him, his eyes were softer. “Look, forget about it for now. I want to enjoy today. I want Daisy to enjoy it.”
“Ethan, you really need—”
“I will. Tomorrow.”
Relief lowered her tense shoulders. “You’ll speak to the police?”
“I’ll decide once I’ve spoken again to Anna.”
“But—”
“Leah, please.” His eyes shadowed with irritation. “I can’t promise you anything else right now.”
Frustration threatened, but she relented with a sigh. “Okay, okay. I’ll leave you be, but...”
He shook his head, a small smile softening his face. “How did I know there would be a but?”
She smiled back. “Just one thing, I promise. What if, by tomorrow, Anna or someone else turns up at your door?” She nodded toward his bandage. “You’re already one hand down, remember?”
“Anna might be mixed up with some ruffian or another, but I can’t see he’s going to turn up in Templeton when she’s back in Bristol. Stop worrying. I’ve got this, okay?”
Leah stared at him a moment longer before pulling the bottle of water and a cup into her lap. The last thing she wanted was another row, another confrontation, but the man was wrong. Wrong not to think about Daisy above all else. “You’re Daisy’s parent, not me, which means I’ll have to trust you to handle this, but...” She poured some water and handed it to him. “I’m scared for you, Ethan. I’m scared for both of you.”
He took the cup and looked deep into her eyes. “I know, and that’s why I kind of like you.”
* * *
AS ETHAN WALKED side by side with Leah along the promenade, her picnic basket in his hand and his daughter’s hand in hers, a worrisome feeling of wanting came over him. Almost as though he wished for this situation in his future. Of course, with everything that was happening with Anna, and his fear of inviting any other woman into his life should Daisy be hurt again, this new yearning was futile.
Plus it was all too clear Leah took her care of people personally—as though it was up to her to solve their problems and soothe their hesitations. Who was to say if he acted on his emerging attraction to her, and she reciprocated, that he wouldn’t disappoint her somewhere down the line?
The past had a habit of repeating itself when a person wasn’t paying enough attention. Well, these days he paid rapt attention. And right now, his attention was saying Leah was better off out of their lives.
He glanced at her as she and Daisy chatted and laughed beside him, his heart hitching with disappointment at what he couldn’t have. At least not yet. He looked into the cloudless sky, wishing the day could be a little longer. A strange and unreliable sense of peace had slowly settled on his shoulders through an afternoon of sand castle building, paddling in the ocean and devouring the mammoth amount of food Leah had provided.
Who knew? Maybe when all the mess with Anna was straightened out, he’d call Leah up, ask her out.
“Are you all right?”
Leah’s question made his gaze snap from the sky to her, to find her eyes hidden behind oversize sunglasses. “Sure. Never better.”
She smiled. “Really?”
He grinned. “Yes, really.”
She faced the path ahead, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “Only I can’t help thinking this little girl might have kind of forced you into coming to my house.”
“She did, and after your comments about the decor in my place, it’s only fair that I get the chance to check out your tastes, too.”
She laughed. “Well, I’ll hazard a guess I lead a life a little more chaotic than yours, so don’t expect order. I tend to fly in and out of my home to work, to friends, to the library, to—”
“The library? You like to read?”
“Sure. I spent my whole childhood sitting in front of a book for hours, instead of out playing with my friends.”
“Sounds like a cool kind of childhood to me.”
“Ah, a fellow geek. We were destined to meet.”
Before he could form a response, Leah lifted Daisy onto her hip, giving her a little shake, making her giggle. “How about we race Daddy the rest of the way, huh?”
“Yay!”
Leah took off along the street with Daisy bouncing in her arms, leaving Ethan no option but to sprint after them. Daisy’s shrieks filled the air and burned straight into his heart, mixing with the fear that Leah was unconsciously moving in on uncharted territory.
They soon reached her house, and the first thing Ethan noticed as she pushed open the wooden garden gate was the color. It was everywhere. Flowers poured from miniature wheelbarrows, a garden gnome fished over a bubbling fountain, enamel birds flew south on the whitewashed walls of the house and a sparkling dream catcher hung from the small porch over her front door.
This was just the garden. Lord only knew what waited for him inside.
She put Daisy down and Ethan smiled as his daughter made a beeline for the fountain. Leah followed, and Ethan stood back as she playfully flicked water at her until Daisy relaxed enough to follow suit.
When was the last time his daughter had enjoyed a day like today? When was the last time he’d heard her laugh and shout so much? He clenched his jaw. When was the last time he’d seen Daisy look at anyone with the fascination and delight she continually directed at Leah?
The problem was, the longer they spent together, the more dangerous their inevitable separation became. He needed to convince Leah his hand was healing, and she needed to step back. One way or another, he would do that by the time he and Daisy returned home tonight.
Playing done, Leah walked to the front door and opened it. “Welcome to my humble abode.” She ushered them both inside.
“Where do you want your basket?” Ethan asked.
“Let’s go through to the kitchen.” She pulled a small, red leather case from her purse and extracted a pair of glasses, quickly swapping her sunglasses. “It’s such a warm evening, we’ll have some drinks on the patio.”
Drinks...which might lead to food. He needed to get out of here sooner rather than later. He was too relaxed. Too comfortable. Too attracted. He had to pro
tect his daughter’s feelings even more than his own.
Daisy raced ahead of them along the bright and welcoming hallway into the kitchen. When Leah moved to follow her, Ethan gently gripped her elbow. “I thought we came back here so you could check my hand. We don’t want you to go to any more trouble. The picnic was more than enough.”
“It’s no trouble.” She tossed her keys into a basket on the radiator cover beside her. She faced him as his hand slipped from her elbow. She frowned. “Ah, you mean you’re having second thoughts. It’s okay—I promise I won’t keep you long. We’ll have a drink, I’ll see to your hand and then call you a taxi. Okay?” Her huge hazel eyes softened with understanding. “I like you, Ethan. I like Daisy. With everything you’ve got going on, I thought the pair of you deserved some fun. No pressure. Honestly.” She smiled. “Come on. The sooner we have that drink, the sooner you can get home.”
She walked ahead of him into the kitchen, and Ethan’s gaze slid to her butt. Nice. He silently cursed and followed her. When they entered the kitchen, Daisy was standing on her tiptoes and peering through the glass in the middle of the back door.
Leah laughed. “Do you want to go outside, sweetheart?”
Daisy turned, her face flushed and her eyes happy. “I can see birds.”
“You can.” Leah walked to the door and took a key from the hook beside it. She unlocked the door and took Daisy’s hand. “Come with me.”
Ethan inwardly groaned and followed them outside. Whatever Daisy had seen, her delighted response told him all too clearly they wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.
Putting the picnic basket on the kitchen table, he walked out into the sunlit garden. Daisy and Leah stood in front of a small wooden-framed aviary, his daughter’s fingers curled around the wire mesh, her feet shifting on the grass as though she was desperate to get inside.
Guilt twisted within him. He had zero interest in adding animals of any kind to his life. More mess. More chaos. More responsibility that his epic struggle raising Daisy wouldn’t withstand. Now Leah had shown his baby a whole new world Daisy hadn’t considered before.
He sat heavily on one of the chairs surrounding a small table.
“Do you want a beer?” Leah came to stand in front of him. “Tea?”
He met her eyes. “You keep birds.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”
“It could be.”
“How so?”
“Because Daisy seems to love everything you do.”
“And that’s not a good thing?”
He closed his eyes. How was he supposed to tell this wonderful and funny woman about his insecurities and fears? She’d think him nothing short of unreasonable. “She’ll want birds now.”
Her soft smile dissolved and she glanced toward Daisy. “And?”
“And I can’t give them to her.”
“Because?”
“Because...” He leaned his arms on the table, clasped his fingers together as he watched Daisy run from one end of the aviary to the other. “Because I’m having a hard enough time being all I can for her, let alone bringing something else into our lives for me to risk messing up.”
“We’re talking about a few birds, Ethan.” Leah sat opposite him. “You seriously think you’re doing a bad job raising her?”
“Don’t you, after finding her alone on the beach?” He drew in a long breath and faced her. “She’s all I have. I can’t mess this up again.”
“Hey, you’re doing great with her. That night at the beach was spectacularly unusual, right?”
“Of course.”
“Listen, when you’ve seen what I’ve seen at the hospital, a child going walkabout of her own free will is something that sometimes happens. It’s the abuse, the hitting, the neglect...that’s where the real problems are. You’re doing a good job with her. Truly. Daisy’s fabulous and she loves you deeply. Anyone can see that.”
“But this business with Anna...” He shook his head. “I need to speak to the police, don’t I?”
“Yes, you do. Maybe you also need to think about Anna’s situation, too.”
He frowned. “You don’t sound as sure about the police now.”
Leah sighed and glanced at Daisy, before shifting her seat closer. “Oh, I’m sure about that. It’s your ex-wife I’m not so sure about. This boyfriend of hers clearly has a hold on her. Why?”
“I have no idea, and...” He tightened his jaw against the lie he was about to tell. “...I don’t care how she’s ended up the way she has.”
Leah frowned. “You don’t mean that.”
He held her gaze. “Don’t I?”
“No. You’re too nice of a guy to feel that way about anyone. Ex or no ex.” She inhaled. “Look, I have a friend who has been mixed up with the likes of your ex’s new man in the past. I want to call her. Ask her advice. She might be able to help.”
Ethan shook his head. “No. I don’t want anyone else dragged into this.”
“Sasha’s my best friend. She won’t mind. I could call her and—”
“No. This isn’t your problem. It’s mine.” How did this woman keep drawing him in? Why did he find it so easy to talk to her? “Can we just deal with my hand? I’ll call Anna tomorrow and tell her she needs to get away from this guy right now. Not next week or next month. If she says she can’t, I’ll tell her I’ll help her by calling the police. If she refuses, I’ll know this is more about her wanting money than it is getting away from this boyfriend of hers.”
Leah frowned. “She must be scared, Ethan. Why else would she resort to coming at you with a knife? When drugs and addiction are involved...” She sighed. “Everything is more out of control, more dangerous and unpredictable. Could maybe Anna be taking drugs, too? You said yourself that she has never been violent toward you before she came here.”
“No, I don’t think it’s that. She wants money, but her disgust about seeing drugs changing hands was genuine. At least, I damn well hope it was.”
“Okay. If you believe her, that’s enough for me. Speak with her tomorrow and then call the police if you’re still not one hundred percent sure she, or anyone else, is going to be a threat to Daisy. Or you. Deal?”
He stared into Leah’s beautiful hazel eyes and nodded. “Deal.”
She smiled. “Good. Now I’ll get that beer and my first aid kit. You sit there and I’ll be right back.”
As she passed him, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back. First thing in the morning, he’d call Anna and tell her he was calling the police. Hopefully, then his and Daisy’s lives could go back to the way he liked them.
Daisy’s laugh rang out across the garden and he opened his eyes. “Daddy, come and see the birds.”
His baby’s eyes sparkled and her cheeks were flushed with excitement. He felt guilty that all he wanted was for them to go back to normal. But what if their life together wasn’t the “normal” Daisy wanted or needed? What then?
CHAPTER SEVEN
LATER THAT NIGHT, Leah stared at the picture of nightclub dancer Anna Holt, once also known as Anna James, on the computer screen. She was stunning. Long black hair tumbled past her ample bosom to float around her tiny waist, as her bright blue eyes and scarlet-painted lips turned provocatively toward the camera. Leah couldn’t have looked or acted more different than the dancer and aspiring actress, who had once been married to Ethan.
Leah waited for a spark of envy, but all that emerged was deeper curiosity and concern. What had been going on with Ethan’s ex-wife five years ago when she’d walked out on her husband and child without, seemingly, a second glance?
Surely it had to be more than the usual shock of new motherhood? Had Ethan not questioned whether his ex-wife might have suffered from postpartum depression? Or a sudden, guilty yearning for the lifestyle Anna h
ad known before Daisy’s birth?
Having come across both scenarios numerous times at the hospital, Leah frowned. Either could explain Anna’s behavior.
Leah sighed, fighting her unease over doing this internet search. But how could she butt out of this situation, having seen all too often the devastating results when adults made rash, and sometimes dangerous, decisions over what was best for their children? Ethan had said he would call the police tomorrow, but the fact he still hadn’t done that in the time that had already passed stopped her from relying on his say-so.
Maybe she was overly caring, overly inquisitive, but either way, she wasn’t able to leave a potentially dangerous or threatening situation to a parent and a parent alone. It was in her heart, as well as her professional duty, to do best by her patients, and as much as Ethan clearly hated that he was her patient, he was exactly that.
She looked again at the screen. At twenty-eight, Anna Holt was definitely a good five or six years younger than Ethan, which meant she would have been barely into her twenties when Daisy was born. Leah chewed her bottom lip as empathy bloomed inside her. She’d lost count of how many young, stressed-out mums had come into the emergency room, their kids bearing cuts, bruises and broken arms. Not always from abuse, but from a mother trying her best, yet failing to be everywhere for her child, all the time.
But the majority would never think about, or even consider, walking away and not looking back.
Leah scrolled her mouse to a couple of Bristol news bulletins bearing Anna’s name.
Local dancer causes a stir with her raunchy new routine...
Local dancer is a hit at Bristol’s latest hot spot...
Local dancer rumored to be in the running for an upcoming reality show...
Leah shook her head. All superficial nonsense...much as Ethan had implied about the entirety of his ex-wife’s existence.
Leah shut down the computer. The one thing nursing had taught her above all else was that it was imperative to keep an open mind, not to judge or pass sentence too quickly or too harshly. But wasn’t that exactly what she had been doing as far as Anna was concerned?
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