Saved by the Single Dad

by Annie Claydon

  ‘Antiseptic, then.’

  She applied a generous measure, making sure that the wound was disinfected. ‘Are your tetanus shots up to date?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Then we’re nearly done.’ Cass leaned forward, stripping off his T-shirt, and Jack chuckled.

  ‘What now? Is this all part of the technique too?’

  ‘Just making sure there’s nothing else you haven’t told me about.’

  She would have preferred to touch instead of just looking, but that would be a step too far. Cass found herself ignoring the scrapes and bruises and concentrating on the smooth contours of his shoulders and chest. Very nice. And, what was nicer still, he had the confidence to just sit there and meet her gaze without sucking in his stomach or trying to flex his shoulders. He was perfect, just as he was.

  ‘Finished?’ He raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Yeah. I think you’ll do. Do you want me to dress your arm?’

  ‘We’ll clean up first.’ He gave her a bone-melting grin and stood up, picking his T-shirt up and throwing it over one shoulder. ‘Stay there.’

  He picked up the bag and disappeared around the corner, towards the showers. Then the sound of gushing water came from the only cubicle that contained a bath. He wouldn’t. Would he? If he did, then she just might. Even thinking about it was sending shivers through her tired limbs.

  ‘Come on.’ He was back again, catching up two of the largest towels in one hand, and Cass followed him. When he opened the door of the cubicle a gorgeous smell hit her. Bath oil foamed in the steaming tub and there were candles propped on the window ledge and the vanity unit.

  ‘You’re not going to fall asleep in here, are you?’

  She wondered what he’d say if she asked him to stick around and make sure. But he’d put one of the towels down on the rack and now he was halfway out of the door. It seemed he had no intention of staying.

  ‘No. Just keep talking.’

  ‘Right you are.’ He closed the door behind him and Cass heard the sound of the shower in the next door enclosure.

  She turned her back on the partition wall between her and Jack before pulling her sweater off and unbuttoning her shirt. As she slipped off her jeans, she caught herself instinctively glancing behind her as if his gaze, or perhaps her own fantasies, had the power to dissolve the partition while she wasn’t looking.

  When she stepped into the steaming water, sinking beneath the bubbles, she felt the warmth seep into her bones. Cass lay back, rubbing the ache out of her shoulders. Bliss. This was pure bliss.

  * * *

  Okay, so he’d been tempted. Jack would admit to that. But it was worth needing to apply a little self-control to have seen her face when she’d walked into the cubicle. When he’d found her slumped at the kitchen table, he’d known this was exactly what she needed.

  ‘Still awake?’ he called to her as the hot water drummed on to his shoulders, making the various scrapes he’d picked up over the last couple of days smart a little.

  ‘Yes. You?’ Cass’s voice was clear, drifting through the gap between the top of the partition and the ceiling.

  ‘Yeah, I’m awake.’ Wide awake and trying not to think thoughts that he shouldn’t. ‘I’m sorry about your house.’ He’d been meaning to say it for a while now, but Jack wasn’t sure how to do it without hugging her. The partition between them rendered that now unlikely.

  The sound of her moving in the water. ‘It’s okay. There are more important things.’

  Yes, there were, and what had happened with Ben had underlined it. But that didn’t mean that the loss of her house was nothing. Jack wondered when it was going to hit Cass, and renewed his promise to himself that he’d be there when it did.

  ‘Thanks for the candles.’ Her mind seemed to have drifted somewhere else. ‘They’re a nice touch.’

  Jack couldn’t stop himself from smiling. There was so little he could do for her. ‘Wish I could have done more.’

  ‘Cherubs? Or perhaps a few perfumed clouds hovering about...?’ She laughed quietly.

  ‘Both. Every cherub needs a cloud.’

  ‘Ah. And a glass of champagne.’

  ‘Why stop at a glass?’ Jack smiled as he soaped himself, feeling the tension ebb from his shoulders. ‘Want some caviar with it?’

  ‘No. I’ll take a burger. Home-made, with extra cheese. And chips. Plenty of salt and vinegar.’

  ‘Of course you will. Anything else?’ What would he do if she said the one thing he wanted to hear? It was a nice fantasy, but in reality he’d probably pretend he’d got soap in his ears and was temporarily deaf.

  ‘Mmm. I’d normally say a mud mask, but actually I think I’ve had enough mud for one day. Someone to get the knots out of my shoulders.’

  Jack didn’t comment on that, for fear of sounding too interested in the position. ‘And...?’

  ‘A manicure. After I’ve had the burger, of course. What about you?’

  Jack chuckled. ‘Three or four handmaidens. One to hand me my towel and one to hold my champagne for me.’

  ‘That’s two spare. Send them in here, will you, I’ll be needing some help with the after-bath beauty thing. And the swirling silken robes, of course.’

  ‘Yeah. Naturally.’ He stepped out of the shower and switched off the water, dabbing at the abrasions on his chest and arms. ‘What about the musicians?’

  ‘Nah. Tell them to wait outside; it’s getting a bit crowded in here.’

  Jack pulled on the clean clothes that Martin had found for him and unlocked the cubicle door. The image of Cleopatra, rising from her bath and being dressed in silks and jewels, was doing nothing for him. Cass, wrapped in a towel, tired from the effort of saving a young boy’s life, was far more entrancing.

  When he heard her get out of the bath and pad over to the row of lockers by the showers, Jack kept his eyes, if not his mind, on the task of clearing away the shampoo and wiping the basin. A pause and then she appeared. Pink-cheeked and dressed in sweatpants and a sleeveless T-shirt, a hooded sweat top slung over her shoulder.

  ‘I...thanks. For the bath.’ It seemed that fantasy was only permissible when they weren’t actually looking each other in the eye.

  ‘My pleasure.’

  She shrugged awkwardly. ‘I might go and lie down now. Close my eyes.’

  Her hand was on the door handle before he remembered what it was he’d been meaning to say to her. ‘Hey, Cass. Wait.’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Do you think we made today count? Enough to justify staying behind?’

  She smiled suddenly. ‘Yes. We did.’

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CASS HAD BEEN opening out her camp bed when Sue intercepted her. Jack had apparently just happened to walk over to the vicarage and mention that Cass was going for a lie down and Sue had a comfortable, warm nest all prepared for her on the sofa in her kitchen. Far nicer than a rickety camp bed in one of the chilly communal rooms behind the church hall.

  Warm and relaxed from her bath, she fell asleep until Sue woke her for an evening meal. It seemed that Jack wasn’t joining them and after waiting in the vicarage kitchen for two hours, not daring to betray her interest in him by asking Sue where he was, she went back to sleep on the sofa.

  She woke early the following morning. Everyone in the house was still asleep and she donned her jacket and boots and crept out of the back door and to the kitchen in the church hall.

  ‘Sleep well?’ A voice behind her interrupted her thoughts and Cass jumped guiltily, sending a teacup rolling across the worktop. It seemed that even thinking about Jack could summon him up out of nowhere.

  ‘Yes, thanks. What are you doing up?’

  ‘One of the guys on weather watch last night... Andy, I think...he woke me up early. Apparently the wate
r levels have gone down overnight, and you’ve got a couple of escape routes already planned. He said the one down by the motorway...’

  So that was the reason for his early start, and the fact he was wearing his ambulance uniform. He couldn’t wait to get home. The only thing that was unexpected about that was the feeling of disappointment which tore at Cass.

  ‘Yeah. We reckoned that was most likely going to be the easiest. We’ve got a boat down there, and my car’s parked on the other side, so I’ll give you a lift. I need to go and get some supplies.’

  ‘Actually, I was wondering if you’d do me a favour.’

  ‘Of course.’ Anything.

  ‘Martin and I made a few visits last night. There are a couple of people running low on repeat prescriptions, and there’s a man who is overdue for a pacemaker check. And there’s the INR test for Miss Palmer. I’ll speak to the hospital; they should be able to make the testing equipment available to me for the day, so I can do it here.’

  ‘You’re...’ The only piece of information that her mind seemed to comprehend was that Jack was coming back.

  ‘It’ll take me most of the day to get across to the hospital and collect what I need, do the tests and then take everything back again. I was wondering if you might help with that, so I get a chance to see Ellie.’ His eyes were clouded. Jack obviously didn’t much like asking for favours. But he needed this one.

  ‘Of course I will. You go straight home and I’ll go to the hospital, collect what you need and get the prescriptions. I can pick you up again when I’m done.’ She held out her hand. ‘You have a list?’

  He hesitated, his hand wandering to his pocket. ‘That’s really good of you. Are you sure it’s okay?’

  ‘Stop arguing and give me the list. Go see your daughter.’

  * * *

  They’d been piloted across the stretch of water which blocked the A389 by one of the men from the village, drowsy and complaining in the early morning light. Then the dinghy turned around, leaving them standing alone.

  ‘What now?’ Jack looked around for any clues as to what he was supposed to do next.

  ‘We walk.’ Cass shouldered her backpack and set off, not waiting for his reply. ‘It’s only a little way. I have my SUV parked in the driveway of that house up ahead.’

  Jack followed her pointing finger. ‘That’s yours? The one camouflaged by mud?’

  ‘Hey! I’ll have you know that my car has the engine of a...’ she flung her hands up, searching for a suitable description ‘...a cheetah.’

  ‘A cheetah? What’s that—likely to eat you if you get too close?’ Jack teased her.

  ‘No! The bodywork’s a bit splashed, from when I drove it out of the village when the motorway started to flood.’ She grinned up at him. ‘You want to walk?’

  ‘I’ll take my chances.’ Jack upped the pace a little and she matched his stride. The day ahead of them seemed suddenly full of promise.

  * * *

  She’d delivered Jack to a large, neatly groomed house on the edge of one of the villages, close to town. He’d left her with one of his delicious smiles to think about before jogging up the front path and ringing the doorbell. Cass thought about waiting to see whether Ellie would come to the door, and decided not to. She had other things to do and her own list, along with Jack’s, would take a good few hours.

  It took less than that, but she’d promised Jack that she’d pick him up at twelve and being early would only deprive him of precious time with his daughter. Cass stopped outside a coffee shop and found a seat at one of the smaller tables to drink her coffee alone.

  At five past twelve she drew up outside the house again. Grabbing the bag on the front seat, she wondered for the fiftieth time whether this wasn’t going to make her look an idiot.

  ‘Sarah...?’ A dark-haired young woman answered the front door. ‘I’m Cass.’

  ‘Come in.’ Sarah shot her a broad smile that reminded her of Jack’s. ‘They’re through here.’

  She followed Sarah through to a large lounge. One end of it was strewn with toys and Jack was sitting at the other end in an armchair, a little girl on his lap, a child’s picture book laid aside on the arm of the chair.

  Two pairs of brown eyes. One shy and assessing, the other smiling.

  ‘You got everything?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  Ellie’s small fist was wound tight into her father’s shirt and she was hiding her face now. Cass stood her ground, wondering what to do.

  ‘Say hello to Cassandra, Ellie...’ Jack nudged his daughter’s arm, speaking quietly, and the little girl shot her a brief glance. ‘She’s a bit shy.’

  ‘That’s okay. I...er...I went for a coffee and happened to see this as I was walking back to the car. For Ellie...’

  She proffered the package awkwardly. It was a mass of brown paper and sticky tape, probably not particularly attractive to a child. And Cass wasn’t sure now whether the contents would be all that appealing either. Ellie looked like a very girly girl, in her little pink and blue dress and pink cardigan.

  Jack rose from the chair, taking Ellie with him. The little girl clung to her father, hiding her face in his shoulder. ‘Hey, Ellie. Cass has brought you something.’

  Ellie turned, looking at her solemnly. Then suddenly she smiled.

  ‘Hi, Ellie.’ Cass smiled back.

  ‘Hi, Cassandra.’ Jack chuckled as Ellie once again managed to pronounce Cass’s full name.

  ‘Maybe Cassandra likes to be called Cass?’ He raised one eyebrow and his daughter looked up at him.

  ‘I like Cassandra,’ the little girl corrected him firmly.

  ‘Well, it’s not a matter of what we like. We should call Cass whatever she likes to be called, shouldn’t we?’

  Ellie turned questioning eyes on to Cass.

  ‘I like Cassandra too. It’s just that most people call me Cass because it’s shorter. But I’d like you to call me Cassandra.’

  ‘See...’ Ellie gave Jack an I-told-you-so look.

  ‘Yeah, okay. Far be it from me to interfere...’ He shot her a delicious grin. That hard, strong body, the tender eyes. The tough, unbending resolve that was all too easy for the little girl in his arms to conquer. It was like an arrow, straight to Cass’s heart.

  Ellie was reaching now for the parcel in her hand, and Cass handed it over. Jack peered at it. ‘What d’you have there, Ellie?’

  ‘I don’t know...’

  ‘Well, say thank you to Cassandra and then you can unwrap it.’ Jack looked at the sticky tape. ‘Maybe you can ask her to help you.’

  He let Ellie down and she ran to the chair, putting the parcel on to the seat and pulling at the wrappings. Jack shrugged. ‘Or she’ll just try it herself...’ He smiled at Cass. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘You’re welcome. I just happened to see it and...’

  ‘Cassandra!’ Ellie had torn most of the brown paper off and scattered it on the floor, but the sticky tape was too much for her. Cass grinned, walking over to her and kneeling down next to her, tearing at some of the tape.

  ‘Wow! Look at that, Ellie.’ Jack’s voice behind her. Ellie gifted her with a bright smile and suddenly everything was right with the world. ‘Say thank you, and go and show Ethan and Auntie Sarah what you’ve got.’

  ‘Thank you, Cassandra...’ Ellie threw the words over her shoulder as she ran to the kitchen, where Sarah was making the tea.

  ‘Every girl needs a fire engine?’ When Jack turned, the curve of his lips was all for her. Not the indulgent smile that he had for Ellie, but something raw, male. The trace of a challenge, mixed with the promise of something heady and exciting, should she wish to take him up on it.

  ‘I think so.’ She was caught in his gaze, unable to back off.

  ‘You’re probably right.’ He re
ached forward, brushing a strand of hair from her brow. ‘Take your coat off. Sarah’s making lunch and she won’t let you go without something to eat.’

  * * *

  Sarah and Cass were a perfect foil for each other. Sarah loved to cook, and generally did so as if she were feeding an army, and Cass was perfectly capable of eating like one.

  Ellie was allowed down from the table and disappeared off into a corner, clutching her fire engine and a red colouring crayon. Cass leaned back in her chair, her plate empty.

  ‘Thank you. Your spaghetti sauce is really tasty.’

  Sarah smiled brightly. ‘Would you like the recipe?’

  ‘If you don’t mind. I’d like to have a go at this myself.’

  Somehow Jack hadn’t imagined Cass doing anything as mundane as exchanging recipes. Charging to the rescue seemed more her style. Or maybe testing her strength against his at midnight, under a starry sky. But, when he thought about it, the idea of coming home to find her cooking was equally intoxicating.

  ‘You cook?’ He smiled, as if the question were a mere pleasantry.

  ‘I like to eat.’ She grinned back. ‘That generally involves cooking first.’

  ‘I’ll email it through to you. Text me your email address.’ Sarah collected the plates and turned to the refrigerator. ‘Anyone for cheesecake?’

  Cass’s grin indicated that she was more than a match for cheesecake.

  * * *

  Ellie had presented her with a picture. A large figure, which seemed to be her, from the amount of red crayon that had been applied around the head, towering over a red box on wheels. Cass hugged the little girl, genuinely delighted, and felt Ellie plant a kiss on her cheek.

  Jack had pencilled in her name under the figure and Ellie had returned to her corner to laboriously trace out the letters, her tongue stuck out in concentration. Then it was time to leave. Cass bade Sarah and Ellie goodbye and waited in the car while Jack hugged his daughter.

  He dodged out, rain spattering his jacket, and Cass whipped Ellie’s picture off the front passenger seat before he sat on it.

  ‘Not a bad likeness.’ He smiled at her.