She finished fastening her bra, wincing as the elastic pressed down on her bruises, then slipped the bathrobe back on, realising she had left her jeans and top in the bedroom.
She checked her face and hair in the mirror and sighed in mild desperation. She looked like she’d been pulled through a hedge backwards, as her mother would say, and she didn’t even have a hairbrush with her. She ran her fingers through her hair and vainly attempted to flatten it into some semblance of order. It defied all her efforts, and eventually she gave up and went back into the bedroom.
Sam had got dressed and was sitting cross-legged on the bed, trying to get the TV to tune in.
Kate picked up her jeans, turned her back on him, and wriggled into them under the bathrobe. As she pulled them up, she realised just how much skinny jeans and badly bruised legs didn’t go together, and she couldn’t help a sharp intake of breath.
“Katy? Are you okay?” Sam’s voice was concerned.
“Yeah. Had forgotten how uncomfortable my jeans would be on these bruises. Wish I’d been wearing a skirt, now.”
“That might have caused problems of its own.” Sam was watching her as she writhed in an attempt to pull the jeans up painlessly. “Then everyone would have been able to see your bruises. Even Rudolf.”
“Richard.” Kate wasn’t in the mood. “But you do have a good point. I would rather avoid any awkward questions.”
“Good job your wedding dress is long.” Sam’s voice was neutral. “At least I assume it is.”
“Yes.” Kate picked up her top and disappeared back into the bathroom. He was impossible. He just kept saying things to wind her up. What did he want her to say? That she wasn’t going to marry Richard after all? If he wanted that, why didn’t he just say so? Why did he have to be so cryptic? She pulled her top over her head and checked herself in the mirror again. But that kiss had really been something, and she was fairly sure he meant it. She turned to leave the room and paused with her hand on the door handle; she was also fairly sure that she had meant it too.
Sam looked up as she re-entered the room. “Okay? Dad will be here any minute. Are you ready to go?”
Kate nodded and slipped her phone into her pocket. “Yeah, I think so. I didn’t actually have anything with me, did I?”
Sam frowned. “I think you’d better wear my jacket.” He held it out to her. “Have you seen your arm?”
Kate glanced down at her left arm, and put her right hand up to touch it. “Shit. I hadn’t even noticed those.” Both her shoulder and elbow were turning almost as purple as Sam’s eye, and she winced as she pressed her fingers against the bruises. She looked up at him, with a wry grin. “We look like we’ve been in a fight.”
He placed the jacket gently round her and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Those may be more difficult to cover up. Will you be okay?”
“I’ll cope.” She looked up over her shoulder at him. “I guess I’ll have to.”
“Your decision.” He lightly ran his fingers over her tousled hair and smiled down at her. “You look like you slept in a haystack. Now come on, let’s get downstairs to wait for my dad. Probably better he doesn’t find us in the bedroom together.” He took her hand, and together they left the room and headed back downstairs.
Barbara met them at the bottom and smiled. “Ah, there you are. Are you having breakfast before you go?”
Sam shook his head. “We’ll need to get off as soon as my father arrives,” he said with a smile. “Thanks for the room. It was very comfortable.”
“And thank you so much for washing our clothes,” Kate added. “That was very kind of you.”
“No problem. Glad you managed to get some rest.” She smiled at them and carried on into the dining room.
“Shall we wait outside?” Sam glanced down at Kate. “It looks like a nice day.”
“Yeah, let’s.” Kate nodded. “Does your father know I’m with you?”
“No.” Sam pushed open the large glass door, and they walked out into the morning sunshine. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he doesn’t tell anyone. He’s a pretty cool dad.”
“Maybe I should find another way home?” Kate suggested tentatively.
“Don’t be daft. Remember where we are. The middle of nowhere.” He smiled down at her. “Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.”
They wandered down to the end of the drive and perched on the stone wall to wait, Kate becoming more and more disturbed as she realised the possible repercussions of her night away. She took a deep breath and clenched her hands in her lap. She was going to have a lot of explaining to do.
“It’ll all be all right.” Sam’s voice was quiet. “Don’t worry. Everything will work out.” He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “Trust me.”
Feeling all control over her life was slipping away, Kate gave in and rested her head on his shoulder, revelling in the feeling of safety it brought. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to think of something calming. This time even buttered toast didn’t work, and she bit her lip to stop herself from crying. It was two days until her wedding, and she was the most confused she had ever been. And she had no one she could talk to. Not even Jen.
“Here’s Dad.” Sam pushed her upright and got to his feet. “Are you ready?”
Kate nodded and stood up, slipping the jacket on properly to hide her bruises. She stood nervously a few yards behind Sam while he greeted his father. She watched as the two men exchanged a few words, and then Colin Somerville walked over to her.
“Hello, Kate. I hear you and my son have had a bit of an adventure. I hope you’re okay?”
Kate nodded. “Yes, thank you, Mr. Somerville, just a bit bruised. I do think Sam should see a doctor, though. Please, will you make him?”
Colin smiled. “Please call me Colin. Don’t worry about Sam. He’s pretty tough, but I rather feel his mother will share your view about the doctor. Now where did you abandon that vehicle of yours? Let’s get you two home.”
****
“Drop Katy here, Dad.” Sam pointed to a lay-by a few hundred yards from where she lived. He glanced down at her, squashed next to him on the front seat of his father’s van. “Will you be all right, Katy? Safer here than in the middle of the village.”
Kate nodded silently. Her mood had become more and more agitated the closer they got to home, and she was now on the verge of a panic attack. She held Sam’s gaze for a moment, and something in his eyes made her heart flutter. God, she was in a mess.
“Thanks for bringing me home.” She mustered a smile for Sam’s father, suddenly very aware of Sam’s leg pressed against hers. It was actually her bruised leg, but she hadn’t said anything in case he moved it.
“It’s a pleasure, Kate.” Colin pulled the van into the side of the road. “It’s the least I could do, since my son managed to get you stranded in the middle of Dartmoor.” He smiled at her. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. It’ll be our secret. And before you ask again, I will do my best to get Sam to see a doctor.”
Sam opened the door and slid out, holding out his hand to help Kate. She landed on the road beside him, still holding his hand, and looked solemnly up at him. “What do I do now?”
“Go home. Have a bath, tend to your bruises, and go to bed.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” He looked down at her. “You know your temporary job?” She nodded, puzzled. “How long have you been doing that? Five years, is it? Well, just remember that sometimes things that you intend to be temporary might turn out to be more permanent, and the longer you stay there, the harder it is to leave.”
Kate stared at him, her mind befuddled with his words. She frowned. “What?”
“Don’t worry. It’ll make sense later. Just go home and have a think about it. It might help your decision. Now go before someone sees you.” He gave her a gentle push in the direction of her road, and she turned.
“When will I see you again?”
“I’ll be around.” He winke
d at her with his good eye, then climbed back into the van, and they drove off towards the village centre.
Kate stood staring after them, her heart suddenly heavy. Slowly she crossed the road, her weary brain still trying to make sense of his speech about her job. Why did he care about her job? What on earth was he talking about? God, she was tired, and hungry. She turned into the cul-de-sac and made her way towards her house. She could see that both her parents’ cars were in the drive, and her heart sank. No chance of sneaking in unnoticed, then. Now the questions would start, and she was going to have to come up with a believable story as to where she’d been all night, and why she was covered in bruises. Although hopefully she could keep those concealed. She could just imagine the fuss her mother was going to make.
As she lifted her hand to open the front door, she realised she was still wearing Sam’s jacket. She started to shrug it off, then paused. Which was worse, to explain a strange jacket, or to explain a badly bruised arm? She pulled the jacket back on and sighed as she opened the front door. She’d think of something to say.
“Kate! You’re home!” Helen appeared in the hall. “Where on earth were you last night? It’s all very well calling your father, but you didn’t really tell him anything. I’ve been so worried. You’re getting married in two days. You can’t just disappear like that. It’s very irresponsible.”
Kate stood in the middle of the hall and felt tears welling up behind her eyes. She swallowed and looked down at her feet. She had no idea what to say.
“There you are, Kate.” Her father came down the stairs and smiled at her. “Glad you’re back. I bet you’re hungry.”
Grateful, Kate nodded and managed a small smile. “Yes. I am, actually.” She took a deep breath and looked at her mother. “I’ll tell you everything later, Mum, but could I just go and get changed and then have something to eat?”
Helen looked closely at her, then nodded and gave her a gentle push towards the stairs. “Go on, then. I’ll get some food on for you. Cheese on toast okay?” She paused. “That’s not your jacket, is it? Where did you get that?”
“I borrowed it from the friend I was with.” Kate started up the stairs. “It was raining.”
“It looks like a man’s jacket.” Helen frowned. “I thought you were with a girl from work.”
“I was. It’s her boyfriend’s. It was just in the car.” Kate carried on up the stairs without looking back and let herself into her bedroom. She quietly closed the door behind her, leant against it, and slid down until she was sitting on the floor, her knees raised. She let her arms dangle down at her sides, rested her head on her knees, and just gave in to the tears, her brain turning somersaults as she tried to make sense of the last two days and work out her feelings.
After a couple of minutes, she raised her head and wiped her hand angrily across her face. She needed to sort herself out. She had to function normally, or her parents would be suspicious. With a wince of pain, she got to her feet and gently peeled her jeans off her bruised legs. They didn’t look any better, and one or two of the larger bruises were actually slightly swollen. Maybe a good long soak in the bath later would help them.
She reluctantly took off Sam’s jacket, holding it close to her face for a moment before stowing it safely in her cupboard, then peeled off her strappy top. The bruises on her arm and shoulder were very visible, and turning a darker purple with every minute, and she pulled a long-sleeved shirt out of her drawer. She could wear that open over a T-shirt. That would sort the arm problem.
The legs were a different matter. Jeans were obviously out, as was a skirt, so the only option she could come up with was sweatpants. She pulled them on, then attempted to do something with her hair. Her brush wouldn’t even come close to helping, so she tied it up in a loose knot and clipped it up out of the way. She would sort that later, too. Finally she splashed her face with cold water to try and get rid of the red-rimmed eyes.
Taking a deep breath, she made her way back downstairs for lunch. Her parents were in the living room, and she walked through to join them.
“There you are.” Helen got to her feet. “Here you go. I thought you’d be more comfy eating in here.” She handed her a plate of cheese on toast, and a steaming cup of tea. “And I just felt that maybe today you’d like a cup of tea. I’m sorry I was stressed when you got home. I was just worried about you.”
Kate threw a thankful glance at her father, seeing his hand in her mother’s transformation, and sat down on the sofa. “Thanks, Mum. This looks lovely, and yes, you’re right, I’d love a cup of tea.” She picked up her mug and took a sip. “We got soaked in the rain yesterday, and I had a hard job getting warm again. Still feeling a bit shivery even now.”
“I hope you haven’t caught a chill.” Helen fussed around her and put a hand on her forehead. “You don’t feel like you’re running a fever.”
“So what happened exactly, Kate?” Peter raised his eyebrows. “If you feel like talking about it.”
Kate took a bite of toast and nodded. “I’ll tell you. It’s nothing awful. I went out for a walk yesterday morning—sorry, Mum, I just needed to get away for a bit, with the wedding stuff getting to me—and I bumped into a girl from work in the village. She was just off for a day out and asked if I’d like to go with her. On the spur of the moment I said yes, which looking back was probably a bit reckless, since all I had with me was my phone.” She smiled at her mother. “But you know me, never think before I act.”
Helen smiled back. “Silly girl. Never mind, no harm done. So what happened, some trouble with the car, did you say?”
“Yeah. The car broke down, and we couldn’t get a signal on the phone, and it was thundering and horrible, and we ended up walking miles until we came to a hotel in the middle of the moor.”
“The moor? Where were you, then?”
“Dartmoor. It had been nice earlier. A lovely day, and we had lunch at a pub and went for a walk. Then the rain started, and we broke down.” She took another sip of tea. “We were so wet by the time we got to the hotel that we decided to stay the night and get the car picked up in the morning. The hotel very kindly dried our clothes, and in the morning she called the AA and we came back.”
“Sounds like a bit of an adventure.” Peter smiled at her. “You look very tired. Didn’t you get much sleep?”
Kate shrugged, the vision of her and Sam cuddled up together in the bed flashing unbidden into her mind. “Some. We had to walk a long way, though. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll just take it easy this afternoon and have an early night.” She frowned suddenly. “Why aren’t you at work, Dad? I just realised it’s Thursday.”
“Your mother insisted I stay home until you got back.” Peter grinned at her. “Can’t say I minded. Could do with a day off.”
“Oh, god, I’m so sorry!” Kate was contrite. “I never thought you’d be worried about me. I did call you to say I was staying out.”
“I wasn’t worried, pet.” Peter smiled. “But your mother is a bit het up over the wedding, and I think she just needed a bit of moral support.”
“Well, I was worried,” Helen bridled a little. “Not because you stayed away the night, you had told us that, but because you ran out on me earlier in the day. Is the wedding really getting to you, darling? You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
“Of course not.” Kate kept her head down and carefully cut up her cheese on toast. “Bit late for that.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” Helen sighed with relief and fanned herself with her hand. “Would you like more tea?”
Kate nodded and held out her mug, then popped another piece of toast into her mouth as her mother left the room. She glanced up to find her father watching her.
“What?” She was horrified to feel her face begin to flush.
“Katy, if you want to talk about anything, I’m here for you. Anything at all.”
Hearing him call her Katy nearly set her off again, and she felt tears pressing behind her eyes. She man
aged a small smile and nodded to him.
“Thanks, Dad. I’m okay.”
“Well, I’m not convinced of that, but if you want to tell me, I’m here.”
Helen reappeared with another mug of tea and sat down again.
“You really don’t look well, Kate. Maybe it would be best if you had an early night. Tomorrow will be a busy day, so best rest today.”
Kate looked at her in dismay. “Tomorrow will be busy? Why will tomorrow be busy? The wedding’s not till Saturday.”
“It’s the rehearsal tomorrow, darling. Had you forgotten? And in the morning we have to go over to the hotel to make sure everything is in place there.” Helen looked severely at her. “Vicky will be here in the afternoon. I really want you two to get on. Can you?”
Kate sighed. “I guess so. If she has to come. Can Jen come over too?”
“Well, she’ll need to be at the rehearsal, of course, and I don’t see why she shouldn’t come back here afterwards. It might be nice to have another girly evening. We can all do our nails and things like that. Yes, of course she can come.”
Kate smiled her thanks and finished off her lunch. She had forgotten all about the wedding rehearsal. That meant she would see Richard tomorrow. She sighed. Maybe that was for the best. She was beginning to completely lose track of why she liked him. Hopefully seeing him tomorrow would sort that out. She put down her plate and sat back.
“Thanks, Mum. That was nice. I’ll call Jen in a bit and invite her over to stay tomorrow night. It would be nice if both bridesmaids were here.”
“Okay, darling. Oh, and Granny will be here too, of course. She’s coming in the morning.”
“Oh. Okay. She’s staying the night too? Where are we putting everyone?”
“Well, Jenny can go in with you, Vicky can have her old room, and I shall probably put Granny in with her.”
Kate couldn’t help grinning. “She’ll love that.”
“We all have to compromise, Kate. Planning a wedding is a big job. Now you just relax for the rest of the day, so you’re full of beans for tomorrow.” Helen smiled at her and patted her on the shoulder. “I’ll make you pizza for tea, if you like.”
Breaking All the Rules Page 20
