Chance-met Stranger

by Oliver, Marina

  She gasped, 'I think I'm OK, just winded.'

  He helped her sit up, and sat beside her, his arm both supporting and comforting her.

  'He's mad, that man. You were trying to help him, and he can't let go his revenge.'

  'Ought we to go back to him?'

  'No! We will stay here, and he can bleed to death! Better if he does, the ingrate!'

  'At least the fire service will be able to find us,' Janie said, looking at the blazing car. 'Are we far enough away to be safe?'

  'Yes, it's still pouring with rain and everywhere is so wet there's no chance of the trees and bushes catching fire. And I think I heard a siren a moment ago. Listen. Yes, there it is again.'

  'We really should climb back up,' Janie said, but reluctantly. She had just realised that Manuel had called her 'darling' in Spanish. Had he meant it. or had he used the word as one would to a child in a moment of stress? She wanted to think about this, but the sirens were getting louder, and they didn't want to cause more work for the firemen by letting them search for other victims.

  Half an hour of frenzied activity followed. When they had pulled themselves up to the spot where they'd left Terry they found an ambulance crew lifting him onto a stretcher. Firemen were spraying the car, which had by now died down to a smouldering heap, and a police car was drawing up behind the other vehicles, two men climbing out.

  Janie insisted she was quite all right, and did not need to go to the hospital. All she wanted were a hot bath and clean dry clothes. Manuel told a rather sceptical policeman that Terry was wanted by his colleagues in Bristol, and had to drop certain names of high-ranking officers before they agreed to put a police guard on him until the Bristol police could take over.

  'Though how he'd escape with two broken legs I don't know,' one of them said as they climbed back in the cruiser and prepared to follow the ambulance.

  'We'll get home,' Manuel said, and keeping his arm round Janie began to guide her along the lane to where they'd left his car. They had dropped the torch when Terry attacked Janie, and though Manuel had retrieved it later it was broken. Fortunately the moon had emerged from behind the clouds, and they could make out the wet surface of the road, and soon got to the Rover.

  Manuel produced a rug from the boot and tucked it round Janie, then made her drink from a small brandy flask he had in the glove compartment. He started the car, turned the heater on full, and edged his way cautiously back onto the track and then the road. Within twenty minutes they were back at his flat.

  'Have a hot bath, and after I've changed I'll make us a drink,' Manuel said, and Janie was left alone.

  Her uniform was filthy, covered in mud and dead leaves, with streaks of blood which must have come from Terry, and she stripped it off quickly and threw everything into a plastic sack. She'd wash it the next day. She was unscathed apart from a few scratches and bruises, but she ached, and the soft scented water lulled her almost to sleep.

  She came to when Manuel knocked on the door to ask if she was all right.

  'Yes, thank you. I'll be out in a few minutes,' she called, heaving herself out of the bath and wrapping a thick towel about her body.

  She dried herself, raked her fingers through her wet hair, and put on the big towelling robe, then went slowly towards the kitchen. She was feeling unaccountably shy. Had Manuel meant that endearment? She recalled the touch of his arms about her, the comfort and warmth of him, the subtle scent of his aftershave, and felt a mixture of trepidation and hope.

  He was in the kitchen, dressed in jeans and a thin white sweatshirt which clung to his muscular body. His hair was tousled, and he looked more devastating than ever, especially when he smiled at her.

  'Come and sit down, querida.'

  She glanced up at him, a question in her eyes, and he set a mug of coffee down before her.

  He grinned, rather ruefully. 'Hadn't you guessed?'

  'Guessed?'

  'That I'm crazy about you. That I'd have killed that man myself if he'd hurt you. Janie, it was no part of my plan to fall in love, I travel too much to have a stable home life. No woman would put up with it. I tried to break away from you, to tell myself it was just a temporary attraction, but it's no good. I love you and nothing else matters. How about you? Could you love me, do you think?'

  He took her hands in his, and Janie found herself being slowly pulled to her feet.

  'Yes,' she said softly. 'I feel the same, but I didn't dare hope you'd ever think of me. You must know loads of glamorous women.'

  'But none who come rushing out to me in bath robes,' he said, and chuckled, pulling her into his arms and bending his lips towards hers. 'By the way, Tim sold your carpet, and the cheque came for you this morning. It raised even more than he'd predicted. Shall I fetch it?'

  'No!' Janie exclaimed, and grabbed his hair in both hands, pulling his face closer. 'Kiss me.'

  He did as she asked, very thoroughly, and she was breathless by the time he released her.

  'Will you take me on? I shall hand over my job to my younger brother, José, and he can do the travelling. I will run the office here in England, and if you want to carry on nursing I can set it up in Bath. I'll go away just a couple of times a year to make inspections, and take you with me, for I can't be parted from you now.'

  Janie gave him her answer by reaching up and kissing him again. 'I don't want to be parted from you, ever,' she murmured.

  'An Easter wedding? That just about gives us time to tell our friends and get our families over here. Aunt Teresa will have the reception, she told me to tell you when we saw her last Sunday.'

  'Mrs – your aunt? But – she doesn't like me! And how did she know?'

  He laughed. 'She's like marshmallow inside, and I'm her favourite nephew, she has said for years now that it was time I married. When we delivered her furniture she took me to one side and recommended that I grabbed you before anyone else did.'

  Janie laughed. 'I'd never have believed it.'

  'True. But I don't like my life being run for me, so I resisted, against my instincts. So we'll go out and visit her tomorrow, she can start organising the marquee and the caterers. Unless your mother would prefer to do it?'

  'She would, I'm sure, but it would be a problem from Malta.'

  'Then your parents can come and stay with her and they can manage it between them. All I care about is spending as much time with you as I can. Janie, promise me you'll never tangle with crooks like Terry Hughes again?'

  'I didn't!'

  'I'll be making sure of it,' he promised, and they forgot all about the excitement as they began to discover more about each other.

  ###

  THE END

  Marina Oliver has written over 60 novels, and has converted most of them to ebooks. Others have been or are being published as ebooks by other publishers.

  For the latest information please see Marina's web site:

  http://www.marina-oliver.net

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  If you have enjoyed this story of a stranger met by chance, you might like:

  ONCE BITTEN

  BY

  MARINA OLIVER

  Judy Morton doesn't want a man in her life. She breaks off her engagement to two-timing Mark Simmons, and is grateful to her sister Fay who asks her to look after her dogs while she and husband Paul have a long holiday in Australia.

  She is delayed starting out, arriving after Fay and Paul have left. Letting herself into the house she tosses some luggage onto the spare room bed only to find Justin Danby occupying it. He is Paul's cousin, offered a room by Paul until he can move into his own flat, which is being rented out while Justin, an architect, was working in Oman. He tells her Fay, an interior designer, often works with him and Judy suspects he and Fay could be closer than just colleagues. Justin is also recovering from a broken engagement from Barbara, who ditches him for a rich Texan.

  Justin offers to move out, meanwhile they agree they can co-exist. Justin suspects there is something worrying Judy. Walking the dogs
Judy meets a neighbour, Ken, talkative and hospitable. Then their pasts begin to catch up with them. Late one evening Mark arrives, aggressive and attempting to resume the engagement. Barbara comes, having decided her Texan is not for her.

  Judy, meanwhile, is hoping to expand her small business designing and selling greetings cards, and Ken's wife Magda suggests she takes a stall at a local craft fair.

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