“I am not on the market for some brief, meaningless relationship.”

Caleb returned her gaze. “Cat,” he murmured softly. “First, no matter what opinion you may have formed of me, I am not in the market for some brief, meaningless relationship, either! Secondly, I have a three-year-old son asleep upstairs, so if you think I can be seduced into bed later, forget it!”

Her mouth opened. And then closed. And then opened again. “I wasn’t going to ask!” Cat finally found her voice.

Caleb grinned at her outraged expression. “Seduction isn’t asking, Cat, it’s exactly what it sounds like—gentle persuasion!”

“Gentle persuasion” with this man would be like using a cap gun against a tank! “I’m not into ‘persuasion,’ either,” she told him sharply. “Gentle or otherwise!”

CAROLE MORTIMER says: “I was born in England, the youngest of three children—I have two older brothers. I started writing in 1978, and have now written one hundred books for Harlequin®.

“I have four sons, Matthew, Joshua, Timothy and Peter, and a bearded collie dog called Merlyn. I’m married to Peter senior. We’re best friends as well as lovers, which is probably the best recipe for a successful relationship. We live on the Isle of Man.”

A Man to Marry
Carole Mortimer

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For Peter

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

EPILOGUE

PROLOGUE

‘FOR goodness’ sake, Gemma, get out of bed, get dressed, and leave! She’ll be here any minute!’

‘She’ had already arrived…

Cat had stopped outside the door of the apartment, and knocked, only for that door to open slightly because it hadn’t been closed properly. Very remiss of Graham, Cat had thought as she’d quietly entered. But now she knew it wasn’t absent-mindedness that had caused the omission; it had been another impulse completely!

Cat didn’t move, couldn’t move, held motionless by the sound of Graham—the man she had believed loved her and wanted to marry her—asking some female—Gemma—to get out of his bed…!

‘I hope this creeping about won’t go on much longer, Graham,’ the woman, Gemma, told him in a bored voice. ‘Why don’t you just ask her what you want to know? And while you’re at it—’ there was a rustle of movement in the bedroom as Gemma obviously got out of bed ‘—ask her for my engagement ring back; the girls in the office are starting to ask questions about why I’m not wearing it any more!’

Cat looked down at the ring on her left hand, a diamond solitaire that Graham had given her when he’d asked her to marry him a week ago! A diamond solitaire, it transpired, that really belonged to—Gemma!

‘It won’t be for much longer, Gem,’ Graham assured his companion soothingly. ‘We’re supposed to be discussing wedding plans this evening—’

‘That’s something I would like to discuss too—our wedding plans,’ Gemma told him sharply.

‘As soon as I have this story in the bag,’ Graham promised eagerly. ‘I’ll be able to get thousands of pounds for it. I may even consider taking it abroad; the appeal is going to be international, after all!’

Story? What story? But did Cat really need to ask? There was only one story in her life that was worth all the trouble Graham had taken to get close to her: first a whirlwind courtship, then an engagement—albeit forged with Gemma’s ring!

Tears blurred Cat’s vision now. She had believed Graham when he told her he was a wealthy businessman, that he travelled a lot, which was why they couldn’t meet as often as she would have liked. She had believed him too when he’d told her he had fallen in love with her, that he wanted to marry her, that he wanted to settle down with her. They had even discussed having children together!

But now it turned out he was nothing but a liar and a cheat, just another reporter trying to get a story, one that would make him rich and famous—and ultimately destroy the life of the person he wanted to write that story about!

‘I still don’t see—’

‘You keep missing the point, Gemma, that’s why.’ Graham sounded impatient. ‘Wedding plans means meeting her family and friends. And once that happens I have my story!’

That was what he thought! Cat might have been duped, but now that she knew what Graham really wanted he was the one in for a nasty surprise. She slipped the diamond ring off her finger and placed it conspicuously on the coffee-table, so that he would realise exactly what had happened. And the reason why he wasn’t going to get his story, or make his fortune.

She left the apartment as quietly as she had entered it.

She didn’t look back.

She knew she never would.

But she would never trust a man again, either…

CHAPTER ONE

‘REALLY, Toby, do try a more original approach!’ Cat laughed up at him as she lay full-length on the swinging garden seat. Her jean-clad legs were stretched comfortably over Toby’s thighs as he sat at the other end of the seat. ‘Offering to sleep with me to stop speculation in the village that Kate and I are having a “relationship”!’ she added derisively, green eyes still laughing at him. ‘You’ve been reading too many cheap and nasty newspapers!’

He shook his head, handsome in a roguish, unkempt sort of way, hair overlong, jeans faded, his shirt frayed at the collar and cuffs. But his casual appearance belied the true state of his finances, Cat was sure. Toby was a highly successful artist; he just liked to look the part of struggling in a garret!

‘It just isn’t natural for two beautiful, unattached women to live with the grandmother of one of them in this big old house,’ Toby protested. ‘And with not a man in sight between the three of you!’

‘You’re in sight,’ Cat replied mockingly. ‘At least, you seem to be here sharing a lot of meals with us!’ The four of them had finished eating Sunday lunch together half an hour ago; Kate’s grandmother had gone for a lie-down, Kate was still in the house somewhere, and Cat and Toby had opted for sitting in the garden. ‘I wouldn’t worry about Kate and me too much, if I were you,’ Cat continued derisively as he looked about to protest once again. ‘The village probably think the three of us are involved in a ménage à trois!’ she dismissed airily, not taking his earlier suggestion in the least seriously.

Toby suggested going to bed with either Kate or herself at least once a week, and had done so since they’d all become friends several months ago. In fact, it would probably be disappointing if he stopped now! But, by the same token, he would probably run a mile if either of them took him up on his offer. However, he was amusing company, fun to have around, and so Cat and Kate didn’t mind too much playing along with the game.

His gaze sharpened with interest at her comment. ‘Do you really think they do?’ He obviously liked the idea.

Cat laughed once more at his boyishly pleased expression. ‘I’m sure of it,’ she confirmed teasingly, feeling as if she were the elder, although at thirty-five Toby was ten years her senior. To her he was like a mischievous younger brother—and just as harmless. ‘Now if—’

‘Cat? Cat, for goodness’ sake, where are you?’ Kate could be heard calling as she left the house to come into the high-walled garden to look for them.

Toby had hunkered down in the garden seat at the first sound of Kate’s voice, grimacing across at Cat. ‘The dragon lady cometh,’ he muttered conspiratorially. ‘Let’s keep quiet, and maybe she’ll go away,’ he added hopefully.

His hope would be in vain; they both knew that. When Kate had that determined note in her voice, nothing stopped her!

‘That was unkind.’ Cat smacked Toby playfully on the arm as she moved her weight up onto her elbows, the movement setting the seat swinging as she looked over the top of the floral back cushions.

Kate stood on the paved patio, a frown marring her brow as she looked for Cat and Toby, but it was a facial expression that did nothing to detract from the beautiful perfection of her face, her hair shining golden in the warm summer sunlight, her body tall and shapely in the businesslike skirt and blouse she had changed into since lunch.

‘Over here, Kate,’ Cat called to her friend, giving her a friendly wave.

‘What on earth did you do that for?’ Toby mumbled accusingly at her side.

Cat gave him an affectionate grin. ‘We’ll take, “Don’t you want children of your own rather than looking after other people’s all day?” as read, Toby,’ she responded drily. ‘And my usual refusal to let you father my baby!’

He scowled at her levity. ‘Why is it that neither of you take me seriously?’ he grumbled. ‘The village girls seem to think I’m bohemian and interesting, whereas you and Kate treat me like a naughty little boy who has to be kept in my place!’

There was no doubting Toby’s rakish good looks, or the fact that, despite his untidy appearance, he was a very wealthy man, his last three exhibitions in a prestigious London gallery, complete sell-outs. But it was also a sad fact of life, despite his arrival several times a week for a meal, and the occasional evenings he took the two younger women out for the evening, that neither of them took him seriously.

Cat swung her legs to the floor, sitting up on the seat as she heard Kate walking over to where they sat beneath the apple tree. ‘Being only children ourselves, it’s quite nice to have a naughty “younger” brother,’ she assured Toby lightly before turning to smile at Kate as she stood in front of them. ‘Everything okay?’ she prompted lightly.

‘Fine,’ Kate nodded. ‘You two look comfortable,’ she sighed as she dropped down onto the middle cushion of the padded seat. ‘It’s a shame to disturb you, Cat.’ She grimaced. ‘But we have a father arriving in half an hour,’ she reminded her.

Cat had completely forgotten! ‘Time to go and change into my other life.’ She stood up, stretching like the feline after which she was called, her curling hair a deep, vibrant red, green eyes twinkling brightly in an impishly attractive face, skin tanned a deep honey-brown from the amount of time she had spent in the warm summer sunshine.

‘You have one of the parents coming here on a Sunday?’ Toby sounded disgusted at the idea. ‘Don’t they realise you need some time to yourselves?’

‘A parent is a parent all the time, Toby,’ Kate rebuked him.

As joint proprietors of the only playschool in the area, Kate and Cat were permanently on call for the parents of the children put in their care through the week.

‘Besides,’ Kate went on, ‘this is a prospective new parent, so we have to make a good impression if we want to stay in business. And being unavailable simply because it’s a Sunday isn’t going to do that!’

‘It’s the reason we live in this “big old house”, Toby,’ Cat told him wryly. ‘We needed somewhere big enough for us all to live as well as provide space for the facilities we wanted to open the playschool.’

The years since they’d opened had been successful, much more so than they could ever have hoped for. Although, as Kate had pointed out, they were answerable to the parents of the pre-school children they cared for, and a new parent was someone they wouldn’t turn away, despite the inconvenience of a Sunday appointment. Besides, it was because the parents were working in the week that they needed their children to come to a playschool in the first place!

Anyway, Caleb Reynolds had been most insistent that a Sunday afternoon appointment was suitable for him…!

‘Pour Kate some lemonade while I go and change,’ she told Toby briskly. ‘I’ll be with you in ten minutes, Kate,’ she promised, hurrying towards the house as Toby moved obediently to pour the lemonade.

Cat shook her head ruefully. Good-looking, successful, charming, more than available—and yet there was something missing from Toby’s make-up as far as she was concerned. Excitement. That was it! Toby wasn’t in the least exciting, had no edge of danger, emitted no challenge to an interested female.

Whereas the man who arrived promptly at three o’clock for his appointment definitely exuded all of those things!

In fact, Cat decided as she looked across the room at him, Kate having opened the door to him and brought him through to their private sitting-room, where they had decided to carry out the interview, he probably exuded too much of them!

Over six feet tall, with dark hair cut short and sprinkled with grey at the temples, cool grey eyes in a sharply hewn face, those cold grey eyes looking down the length of his arrogant nose as he returned her gaze unblinkingly.

Although probably only three or four years Toby’s senior, this man had an air of sophistication, of experience, that Toby, for all his bohemian affectations, could never hope to acquire!

Caleb Reynolds’ shoulders were wide and powerful, his waist tapered in the charcoal-grey suit he wore, his white shirt pristine, his unpatterned blue tie looking as if it was made of silk. Yes, he looked strong and deeply masculine, and yet it was power of another kind that he radiated as he looked at them both so confidently.

Cat was so stunned by Caleb Reynolds’ effect on her that for a few moments she completely overlooked the little boy peeping out at her from behind his legs. Parents were often undecided about bringing their children along with them for this initial meeting, preferring to view the playschool themselves before introducing it to their kids. Caleb Reynolds had obviously felt no such qualms where his son was concerned. But then, he wasn’t a three-and-a-half-year-old being confronted by the unknown! As Cat looked at the little boy she could see, by the way he hung back, just how apprehensive he was, brown eyes huge in the paleness of his face.

Cat’s heart immediately went out to him. She loved children, and with his shy, obviously nervous manner Caleb Reynolds’ son looked more in need of that love than the majority of young children who came here. Most of the girls and boys they cared for on a day-to-day basis were usually more in need of recreation and stimulation while their parents were at work than they were of actual love. But Caleb Reynolds, with his expensive tailored suit and silk tie, and those handmade black shoes, didn’t look anything like those parents!

‘My associate, Caitlin Rourke,’ Kate introduced, making Cat aware that her assessment of Caleb Reynolds and his small son could only have lasted a few moments at the most. ‘Cat, this is Mr Reynolds, and this is…?’ She gave the little boy an encouraging smile.

‘Adam,’ his father put in abruptly, reaching down to gently prise the little boy’s fingers from the leg of his trousers before gently pulling him round to stand in front of him, his hands resting lightly but firmly on the child’s narrow shoulders. ‘Adam Reynolds. My son,’ the man added, slightly defensively, Cat thought, almost as if he expected someone to challenge him on this last statement.

Cat felt sure not too many people challenged this particular man about anything! Although it was easy, looking at father and son, to see why he felt defensive: the two were nothing alike, as she’d already noted. Caleb was tall and dark, with those arctic grey eyes, but his son was small—small for his age!—with honey-blond hair and huge dark brown eyes.

‘I’m very pleased to meet you, Adam.’ Cat moved forward, going down on her haunches to shake the little boy’s hand, her own gaze warm as she looked into those shy brown eyes. Adam’s hand, as it slowly shook hers, was tiny and light to the touch, almost like the wings of a little bird. Cat frowned her inner concern; Adam Reynolds seemed very delicate for a boy of three and a half…

‘Adam hasn’t been well.’ His father spoke sharply when Cat looked at him frowningly as she straightened. ‘But he’s better now,’ he amended harshly.

Cat continued to look at Caleb Reynolds. It wasn’t unusual for a father to want to view the playschool his child would attend, but it was usually in accompaniment with his wife. Where was Adam’s mother, Caleb Reynolds’ wife?

‘I’ll go and get us all some tea,’ Kate offered efficiently. ‘Would you like to come with me and get some juice, Adam?’ she asked gently, the impatience she felt with the majority of adults never in evidence when she spoke to or was with children.

If anything Kate loved children even more than Cat did, and they instinctively loved her in return, seeming to sense the kindness that dwelt beneath her slightly austere manner. So it came as no surprise to Cat when Adam walked shyly across the room to accompany Kate out to the kitchen, the little boy pausing only once, as he reached the door, the reassuring nod he received from his father enough for him to continue on his way with Kate.

‘Amazing!’ Caleb Reynolds breathed softly, staring at the doorway through which his son had just left the room. ‘Adam has refused to leave my side, even for a minute, for the last six months,’ he rasped by way of explanation of his surprise as Cat looked at him questioningly.

‘What happened six months ago?’ she prompted huskily.

‘His mother died,’ Caleb Reynolds told her bluntly, his gaze once again seeming to challenge Cat.

It was a starkly made statement, and all the more telling because of the way it was phrased. He hadn’t said his wife had died, but that Adam’s mother had. Although, as Adam’s father, the child’s mother must have meant something to him too…?

‘They were involved in a car accident,’ Caleb Reynolds continued economically. ‘Alicia was killed, Adam was thrown out of the car on impact and broke his arm. I wasn’t with them at the time.’ The words were bitten out, as if he expected some sort of criticism for his explanation.

It wasn’t Cat’s place to question or criticise what he chose to tell her. Besides, she had a feeling this man had punished himself enough for the last six months!

‘Adam is a beautiful child,’ she returned diplomatically.

What else could she say? She didn’t know this man. Or his son. Or Adam’s mother. She merely needed to know something of Adam’s background if he were to come to the playschool, and realised that Caleb Reynolds was aware of that too; she had the feeling that under normal circumstances he would have to be placed on the rack to divulge much of his family history! But, to his credit, it was evidence of how much he loved Adam that he was telling her those things now…

Caleb Reynolds looked troubled, his expression coldly forbidding. ‘Adam hasn’t spoken for six months.’ The words seemed forced out of him.

Cat gave a pained frown, thinking of that beautiful child, a prisoner in a world of silence. ‘Since the accident,’ she confirmed softly.

‘Shock,’ Caleb Reynolds explained tersely. ‘Do you mind if we sit down?’ he asked. ‘At the moment I feel like a little boy myself, brought to the headmaster’s study for a reprimand for some misdemeanour!’

She very much doubted his feelings particularly bothered him; he was far too self-assured and arrogant for that. But maybe he wouldn’t seem so damned patronising if he were sitting in an armchair instead of towering over her!

‘Please—take a seat,’ she invited curtly. ‘You were telling me about Adam,’ she reminded him once they were both seated, Caleb in one of the armchairs, Cat on the sofa that faced him.

Caleb sighed heavily. ‘He hasn’t spoken since they found him after the accident. He understands what is being said to him, responds to anything asked of him—sometimes too readily! He just never—’ Caleb broke off, shaking his head, breathing deeply in his agitation.

‘What was Adam like before the accident?’ Cat enquired softly, wondering if Adam would be able to come here. If he didn’t readily leave his father… She certainly couldn’t see Caleb Reynolds spending his days with fifteen mischievous children!

The harshly hewn face opposite hers relaxed into a brief smile, giving Cat a glimpse of a man who was relaxed and humorous. If anything he was even more devastatingly attractive like that!

‘Until six months ago Adam was like any other mischievous three-year-old,’ Caleb Reynolds revealed huskily. ‘He laughed all the time.’ He was no longer looking at Cat, his thoughts all inwards as he remembered. ‘He knew no danger. Accepted no limits. But it’s his laughter I miss the most,’ he admitted gruffly. ‘To come home and hear the sound of his laughter after a frustrating day at work…’ He shook his head. ‘Adam was a warm and loving child, full of fun,’ he finished abruptly, once again looking at Cat, his eyes bleak now.

Cat swallowed hard. This man had not only lost his wife six months ago, but the son he had known and loved had been replaced with a little boy who seemed nervous of his own shadow. He—

‘Here we are,’ Kate announced brightly as she came in with a laden tea-tray. ‘I hope you don’t mind, Mr Reynolds, but I took Adam on a tour of the playschool while the kettle was boiling. He was most impressed with the slides and swings we have outside in the garden, weren’t you, Adam?’ she said as she handed him his juice and placed a cake on a plate on the table in front of him where he now sat on the sofa beside Cat.

The little boy grinned and nodded his head before picking up the chocolate cake and biting into it hungrily.

‘Nothing wrong with your appetite,’ Kate murmured with satisfaction before turning to the two other adults in the room. ‘Tea?’ she prompted Caleb Reynolds.

‘No sugar, thank you,’ he nodded, watching his son with anxious eyes.

As Cat watched the two of them over the rim of her own teacup she realised how much love was contained in Caleb Reynolds for his son. For all that the man looked austere and unapproachable, slightly disdainful when he looked down that arrogant nose of his, Caleb Reynolds loved his son very much. So he had one redeeming feature, after all!

‘This is a wonderful old house,’ Caleb remarked casually, drinking his tea but ignoring the plate of cake and biscuits Kate had brought in to accompany it.

‘Thank you,’ Kate accepted warmly, Cat leaving her friend to take charge of the conversation now; the last ten minutes alone with Caleb Reynolds hadn’t exactly been relaxing! ‘We’re both very fond of it,’ Kate continued pleasantly. ‘And, of course, it’s ideal for our purposes,’ she stated practically.

Caleb Reynolds nodded. ‘And is there a Mr Rourke and a Mr Brady?’

‘No.’ Cat was the one to answer him drily, looking across at him with mocking green eyes, wondering if he was yet another person who had come to the completely wrong conclusion concerning the relationship between herself and Kate!

He gave her a narrow-eyed look, but added nothing to his earlier remark. Not because he didn’t want to, Cat felt sure, but because he could see the defiance in her expression, and was determined not to give her the satisfaction of meeting it!

‘I’m renting a cottage in the village,’ he bit out abruptly. ‘Rose Cottage. I don’t know if you know it?’

‘We do,’ Kate answered with a smile; considering how small the village was, they would be particularly insular if they didn’t! ‘You don’t intend staying in the area long, then, Mr Reynolds?’

‘That all depends,’ he said noncommittally.

‘Don’t look so worried, Mr Reynolds.’ Cat laughed softly at his suddenly cagey expression. ‘The length of your stay won’t affect whether or not Adam is accepted here.’

He returned her gaze with those cool grey eyes for several long seconds before replying. ‘I wasn’t worried,’ he finally drawled.

She doubted very much ever worried this man, certainly not being accepted. For one thing, she was sure his obvious wealth usually assured him a smooth—and comfortable!—passage wherever he chose to go. And, for another, it didn’t look as if it would bother him too much if it didn’t!

‘Do you have work in the area?’ Kate asked politely, much more the capable of the two of them when it came to dealing with the parents, which was why Cat usually left the lead to her in interviews like this.

‘Not exactly.’ Once again his answer was designed to tell them as little about himself as possible.

As Cat had guessed all too easily a short time ago, Caleb Reynolds was not a man who liked, or wanted, to talk about himself. She was sure he had only told her what he had earlier because in the circumstances he’d felt he had to.

But he obviously didn’t have too much of an idea about village life, because what Lilley Stewart, at the post office and general store, didn’t know about any of the local residents usually wasn’t worth anything! And, as the newest inhabitant, Caleb Reynolds was sure to be the favourite topic of conversation for several weeks. Whether they were interested or not, anyone who went into the post office for so much as a stamp in the next few weeks would be told what little Lilley already knew about him, and pumped for any information they might have that she didn’t!

With Caleb’s young son in their care five mornings a week, Kate and Cat would definitely be in the line of fire. Village life certainly had its disadvantages as well as its advantages!

‘I’m really of very little interest,’ Caleb drawled as he seemed to half guess her thoughts. ‘Although I believe you’ve had your share of public figures living in the village.’ He smartly turned the conversation away from himself.

A fact that didn’t go unnoticed by Cat. He really didn’t want to talk about himself, did he? Although she couldn’t say she was exactly happy with the direction the conversation had taken now…

‘At least, you did,’ Caleb added drily, when neither she nor Kate made any response to his initial comment.

‘Oh, you must mean Toby Westward,’ Cat dismissed lightly. ‘Our colourful—literally!—local artist. He was just here for lunch, actually.’ She was starting to be defensive now, had been feeling that way since Caleb Reynolds had asked if either of them was married. What was wrong with society today if two women couldn’t live and work together without creating gossip and speculation?

‘Was he?’ Caleb Reynolds acknowledged without interest. ‘Actually, I was referring to Katherine Maitland. In fact, I believe she actually lived in this house at one time.’

If he had tossed a bomb amongst them he couldn’t have sent stronger shock waves through the room, both Kate and Cat staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

‘Where on earth did you hear that?’ Kate was finally the one to gasp, Cat still staring at Caleb as the prey must stare at the snake—just before it strikes the fatal blow.

He shrugged. ‘The woman at the post office mentioned it to me yesterday when I went in to pick up supplies,’ he responded, his mouth twisting into a wry smile. ‘A bit of local colour! I believe she did mention Toby Westward, too,’ he finished.

Obviously Toby held no interest for him whatsoever! But Katherine Maitland did…

‘No doubt you’re on her list of ‘local colour’ too now,’ Cat put in hardly. ‘And I believe you may be right about Katherine Maitland once having owned this house; I seem to recall it being mentioned when we first looked at the place with a view to buying.’ She deliberately didn’t look at Kate as she spoke.

‘Although she can’t have lived here for years. Way before our time.’ She silently congratulated herself on having dealt with the situation so calmly.

‘Very much so,’ Caleb Reynolds accepted. ‘Although you will obviously have heard of her?’ He raised dark brows.

‘Of course.’ Kate was the one to take over their side of the conversation this time. ‘She was one of the most famous opera singers of her day. But surely she must be dead by now?’ she queried flippantly. ‘She must be ancient!’

His mouth twisted again. ‘Early seventies at a guess,’ he said. ‘Hardly ancient. I actually saw her perform once, shortly before she retired,’ he continued huskily. ‘It’s something I’ve never forgotten. She didn’t only have the most amazing voice, she had something else, a charisma that was electric!’

‘But—’ Cat broke off, breathing deeply. ‘You must have been very young?’ She kept her voice light.

‘Not so young,’ he returned. ‘Although it must be about twenty-five years since she retired after a family tragedy. You—’

‘Oh, look,’ Kate cut in softly. ‘We’ve bored poor Adam into falling asleep!’ she said warmly, standing up to cross the room to where the little boy lay back against the cushion behind him, his lashes long and thick as they rested against his cheeks in repose, Kate reaching out to gently smooth the silky hair from his brow.

‘He still takes the occasional nap in the afternoon,’ his father excused, abruptly standing up. ‘I’m quite happy for Adam to start here in the morning, if you are,’ he stated arrogantly. ‘Unless the two of you would like time to discuss it first?’ he questioned, that defensive wall back in place.

Cat glanced across at Kate, knowing they didn’t need to talk about it. The father could be a problem, but she knew they both thought Adam was adorable! ‘If you think Adam will stay with us?’ She looked at him enquiringly.

‘He seems quite comfortable with you.’ He still sounded surprised by this fact. ‘Although we won’t know whether or not he will stay with you until we try it,’ he added harshly.

Cat had a feeling that it would be good for both father and son to have a break from each other for a few hours. Adam would benefit from being with other children, and it couldn’t have been easy for his father to be constantly in demand over the last six months.

‘As you say,’ she nodded. ‘We won’t know until we try.’

Caleb looked at her from beneath dark brows for several long seconds, but said nothing more before gently lifting Adam and carrying him out to his car.

‘Phew!’ Cat muttered once they were back inside the house, collapsing back into one of the armchairs.

‘Ditto!’ Kate dropped down into the chair opposite, absently stroking their cat as it jumped up onto her knee.

‘Adam is adorable,’ Cat acknowledged, head back, eyes closed. ‘But the father!’ She shook her head. ‘Arrogant. Cold. So—’

‘He loves Adam,’ Kate pointed out wearily, obviously having felt the strain of their meeting as much as Cat had.

‘He’s trouble, Kate; I can feel it!’ She grimaced. ‘But Adam…’ She thought back to that tousle-haired little boy, to the trauma he had suffered that had rendered him speechless. They could help him, she felt sure of it, sensed they had already made a breakthrough when Adam had gone off with Kate, something his father had admitted he hadn’t done for the last six months. She relayed to Kate what Caleb had told her in Kate’s absence earlier. ‘I’m willing to overlook the father if we can be of help to Adam,’ she pronounced finally.

‘We can try,’ Kate said slowly. ‘Ignoring the father, I mean. I have a feeling not too many people manage to ignore Caleb Reynolds!’

So did Cat.

Which could, ultimately, be a problem for them. For all of them.

Only time would tell.

Cat stood up decisively. ‘Let’s go and make another pot of tea and take it through to Kitty.’ She was determined to dispel the mood of gloom that had fallen over them since meeting Mr Reynolds. After all, they only thought Caleb Reynolds might be more trouble than looking after his son was worth. He might never mention a particular subject again…

And, if he did, they would deal with the problem when—and if—it became necessary…

CHAPTER TWO

‘WHO on earth can that be?’ Kate sighed impatiently as the doorbell could be heard ringing as they were about to go outside into the garden. ‘Not Toby again!’

Cat smiled at her sympathetically. At the end of a long day, the children all safely returned to their parents, their own leisurely evening meal over and the clearing away completed, they liked nothing better than to relax in the privacy of their garden, making the most of the lighter nights, this evening being a particularly warm one.

The walled garden had offered two positive things when they’d first come to view the house: a safe place for the children to come outside and play in the daytime and complete privacy for themselves in the evenings and at weekends. This evening Kate had obviously been looking forward to a couple of hours’ relaxation, either with a good book, or just in gentle, meaningless conversation.

‘It’s all right,’ Cat assured her brightly. ‘You go ahead and I’ll join you in a few minutes. When I’ve got rid of Toby!’ she amended ruefully, as convinced as Kate that he had to be their unexpected visitor.

They both liked Toby, found him amusing company, but just lately he had taken to calling in on them uninvited, and too much of a good thing was just that—too much!

‘It’s you he’s come to see, anyway,’ Kate teased. ‘I’m far too bossy for him!’

Cat pushed back her tousled red curls, shaking her head. ‘Then he obviously hasn’t taken note of my fiery Irish temper! I’ll be five minutes behind you—max!’ she promised determinedly. It had been a long day for her too, and the last thing she felt like doing was fending off Toby’s obvious advances—especially as she was sure it was just a game to him.

Kate laughed softly, glowingly lovely, her hair loose about her shoulders. ‘I admire your optimism!’

Cat returned her smile before going in answer to the second ringing of the doorbell. The only positive thing about Toby’s impromptu visit this evening was that he had arrived after dinner; usually he contrived to arrive right at a mealtime, and expected to be fed!

‘The answer is no, Toby, so I’ll save you…’ Cat’s voice trailed off in embarrassed surprise as she opened the door fully and found not Toby standing on the doorstep but Caleb Reynolds!

A completely different Caleb Reynolds from yesterday, she noted, the short-sleeved open-necked blue shirt much more informal than the suit he had worn then, as were the faded denims. Somehow the casualness of his appearance made him seem younger, much less forbidding…

‘Mr Reynolds,’ she greeted awkwardly, wearing a striped sleeveless tee shirt and faded denims herself. Well, they hadn’t been expecting company…

‘And not Toby,’ he conceded drily, grey gaze lightly mocking. ‘Although, as you were saying a very firm no to him, perhaps it’s as well!’ He quirked dark, mocking brows.

Cat felt the warmth in her cheeks as she looked up at him; at only just five feet in height herself, this man towered over her. ‘Sorry about that.’ She grimaced. ‘Toby is very nice—’

‘But?’ Caleb Reynolds prompted.

‘But’ nothing she was about to regale this man with! Toby could be a pest at times, but he was also a friend, and she had no intention of discussing him behind his back with a virtual stranger. ‘What can I do for you, Mr Reynolds?’ she said briskly; he had seemed more than happy when he’d arrived to pick Adam up at twelve-thirty and found his young son sitting quietly in a corner with Kate doing a jigsaw puzzle. ‘There’s been no adverse reaction from Adam this evening concerning his morning at playschool, has there?’ She frowned concernedly.

‘Not so far, no,’ he said thankfully. ‘Hopefully there won’t be one. The thing that bothered me the most about it was getting him to stay in the first place.’

But that had been achieved quite effectively when Kate had taken Adam by the hand and offered to show him again the swings and slides he had been so interested in yesterday…

‘I was actually going to telephone you this evening,’ Caleb Reynolds continued, looking a little grim. ‘But the daughter of the woman I’ve rented the cottage from offered to babysit Adam this evening, and as he’s fast asleep— She seems quite reliable,’ he added distractedly. ‘And Adam doesn’t usually wake up once he’s asleep, so I—’

‘Jane is very reliable,’ Cat assured him, taking pity on him; it must be as difficult for him to leave Adam after what had happened as it was for Adam to leave him! ‘She helps out at the playschool part-time during the school holidays. She’s taking her A levels.’ And now, Cat realised self-disgustedly, she was the one babbling.

It was just that Caleb Reynolds was the last person she had expected to see when she’d opened the door. Although she had a feeling Kate would have handled the situation better than she was; tact and diplomacy were not her fortes!

‘Would you mind if I came in for a few minutes?’ Caleb enquired. ‘I won’t take up too much of your time,’ he said bluntly as Cat looked at him blankly. ‘I’m sure, like myself, you have other things to do this evening.’

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to invite him in, she just wasn’t sure it was convenient at the moment. They had all been going out into the garden, and— ‘Please, do come in,’ Cat invited stiltedly, thinking fast. ‘I—I believe Kate is taking a bath,’ she added hurriedly, believing no such thing! ‘I’ll just go and war—tell her that you’re here—’

‘That won’t be necessary.’ He had followed her through into the same room as yesterday. ‘Unless you feel in need of the moral support?’ he commented derisively, his presence in this utterly feminine room with its chintz curtains and covers once again malely dominating.

Cat bristled indignantly at his mocking tone. Arrogant, patronising—! Her sympathy for him of a few minutes ago completely evaporated. ‘Not in the least,’ she dismissed scathingly.

Besides, she could imagine Kate right this minute, in the most secluded part of the garden, relaxing on a lounger, Kitty at her side. No, she wasn’t about to disturb either of them; she could deal with Caleb Reynolds quite well on her own!

‘Please sit down,’ she invited tersely, waiting for him to do so but maintaining her own standing position beside the unlit fireplace. ‘And if it isn’t a problem with Adam that brought you here, then what can we do to help you, Mr Reynolds?’ she asked warily. Because this man, with his arrogant disdain, didn’t give her the impression he was in the habit of paying social calls just for the sake of it!

He looked at her consideringly for several long seconds, the silence stretching awkwardly between them. ‘Miss Rourke—or perhaps I can call you Cat?’ he drawled, seeming amused by her continued formality.

And no doubt he was amused, Cat inwardly acknowledged, but she would bet that if she stepped even one inch over what he considered the line to intrusion into his private life, rather than the polite interest she had shown so far, he would step on it—and her!—very quickly.

‘Please do,’ she accepted distantly.

‘And I’m Caleb.’

How cosy! And yet she knew that it wasn’t. She would take a guess on this man squashing her like a bug if she got in his way! But what way did he want to go…?

‘That still doesn’t tell me what I can do to help you,’ she reminded him. ‘If there is no problem with Adam—’

‘I’ve already told you there isn’t—Cat,’ he returned evenly, that arctic gaze easily capturing and holding hers. ‘Adam—for all that I spent the best part of the morning pacing up and down worrying in case he needed me!—seems to have enjoyed his morning here. In fact, I think, if anything, he found the afternoon with just the two of us quite boring. It’s always the way with children, isn’t it?’ He grimaced. ‘We get the grey hairs, and they just grow bigger and stronger!’

Cat relaxed slightly at the paternal image of this man pacing up and down in worry over his son. It brought back to her the fact that no matter how arrogant and patronising she found him he did love his son. It was there in his intonation when he spoke of Adam.

‘I had never really thought of it in quite that way,’ she smiled. ‘But yes, I suppose they do. But you really have no need to worry any further about Adam while he’s here; the other children didn’t seem to mind at all that he didn’t actually speak to them. In fact, they seem to have a sort of telepathy with each other at this age!’ Considering the trauma Adam had suffered just six months ago, although he had stayed quite close to Cat and Kate during the morning, he had also, to their delight, played with the other children.

‘So I’ve noticed,’ Caleb agreed. ‘My sister has a little girl of two, and she and Adam have no trouble communicating with each other at all.’

Slowly Cat was learning more about this man, though it was like getting blood from a stone! But she still had a feeling that was more than most people could get out of him. She knew he had been married, that his wife had died, that he had a sister, and a niece. It was probably more than he knew about her, Cat conceded. And that was the way it was going to stay!

Although she couldn’t help wondering why, with family obviously living somewhere close—Adam was able to play with his cousin—Caleb Reynolds had chosen to move to this area at all…? Unless his sister lived around here too? But if that was the case why rent a cottage? Why not just stay with his sister? There was still a lot about Caleb Reynolds they didn’t know!

‘I actually came here this evening,’ he said softly, ‘to ask you and Kate if I could look around your house.’

He had lulled her into a false sense of security by talking about Adam, and then—pow!—he’d hit her with what he was really here for!

Cat stared at him, green eyes wide. ‘I thought you were happy with our facilities when I showed you round this morning?’ She frowned. ‘I can assure you that we are inspected on a regular basis, and—’

‘I don’t want to look around the playschool again, Cat,’ Caleb cut in mildly. ‘As you say, I’ve already seen it, and I have no doubt that it passes inspection. It’s actually the rest of the house I’m interested in seeing.’

‘Why?’ Cat blurted out rudely, too startled for politeness.

‘Because it’s one of the oldest houses in the area and I have an interest in old houses?’ he suggested drily, dark brows raised at her bluntness.

She met his gaze unblinkingly. ‘And?’

He shrugged. ‘Does there have to be an and?’

She nodded abruptly. ‘I think so, yes!’

Why on earth did he want to look around this particular house? Admittedly it was almost one hundred and fifty years old, had originally been the manor house of the area, surrounded by farmland that was worked by the tenants of the cottages in the village. But the squire’s family had moved out of the area years ago, the farmland bought up by neighbouring farmers, and the village itself had expanded and grown, so that the nearest dwelling was now only a quarter of a mile away. In fact, it was the cottage this man was currently renting!

Again Caleb gave her that steady, steely-eyed look. But if he thought he was going to unnerve her he was mistaken; as a parent she would treat him with the same politeness she did all their other clients, but as someone wanting to invade the privacy of their home—! The same rules didn’t apply in that situation. So Cat met that level gaze with an intensity of her own.

‘Okay,’ Caleb Reynolds finally murmured, shrugging his shoulders, ‘you’ve guessed my secret.’ A charming smile accompanied this statement.

A smile that Cat had no intention of responding to, that put her even more on her guard instead. Charm was not something she particularly associated with this man, so it had to be there now for a reason…

‘There is more than just a mild curiosity on my part,’ he conceded grudgingly. ‘You see—’

‘Cat, what on earth is keeping you this long?’ Kate called impatiently as she could be heard walking down the hallway. ‘Really, Toby, it’s been a hard day, and—’ Kate was as surprised to see Caleb Reynolds sitting in the room with Cat as Cat had been earlier when she’d opened the door to him. ‘Mr Reynolds…?’ she greeted in a puzzled voice.

‘Miss Brady,’ he returned formally, having stood up at her entrance. ‘Although your friend and I have decided to dispense with formality and stick to first names,’ he added, once again with that charming smile.

If one were in the mood to be charmed—which Cat certainly wasn’t! Besides, that smile didn’t quite reach the hardness of those icy grey eyes…

‘Really?’ Kate gave Cat a sideways glance, obviously as confused as Cat had been by his presence here.

Although Cat was no longer as confused as she had been initially. If he thought she had forgotten his ‘secret’, he was mistaken!

‘Did you enjoy your bath, Kate?’ he enquired solicitously, his gaze mocking now.

Cat could easily guess the reason for his mockery, on two counts. Firstly, the pieces of grass that were both on the back of Kate’s top and entangled in her hair clearly showed she hadn’t been anywhere near the bath in the last few minutes. And, secondly, Kate’s blankly uncomprehending expression said she didn’t have a clue what he was talking about!

Cat had originally used the excuse of Kate being in the bath because she hadn’t wanted Caleb to suggest joining them in the garden. But Kate’s slightly dishevelled, obviously post-garden appearance simply made a liar out of her.

‘My mistake, I’m afraid,’ Cat put in sweetly, her expression deliberately bland. ‘I thought you had gone to have a bath, but obviously you haven’t finished in the garden yet,’ she said pointedly.

Kate gave her a frowning look before turning to Caleb. ‘Gardens take up such a lot of one’s time, don’t they?’ she said conversationally, her words neither confirming nor belying Cat’s statement. ‘As you’re going to find out while you’re at Rose Cottage. Unless you have someone coming in to take care of it for you?’

Cat knew that Jane’s mother always did the cleaning at the cottage, and with Adam taken care of as well five mornings a week she couldn’t help wondering what Caleb was going to find to do with his time if he passed the gardening on to someone else too. Besides coming here when he felt like it and making a nuisance of himself, that was! One male dropping in unannounced was bad enough; two was intolerable!

‘Actually, no,’ Caleb answered Kate lightly. ‘It was the fact that the cottage had such a large garden that appealed to me. We live in an apartment in London, and the doctors seemed to think that a complete change of scenery might be of benefit to Adam.’

‘So he’s going to do the gardening?’ Cat put in, with only a light veil over her sarcasm.

It was a veil that didn’t fool Caleb for a moment, and he looked at her consideringly for several seconds. ‘You don’t like me very much, do you, Cat?’ he finally murmured thoughtfully.

Like him—she didn’t even know him! But the habit he had of speaking his mind was a little unnerving, yes. Kept between the two of them, it wasn’t a problem, but with Kate present—Kate who now looked very uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken—it was a completely different matter.

‘Kate’s the diplomat in this partnership, Caleb,’ Cat returned ruefully. ‘I have better success dealing with children.’

‘As opposed to men?’ he returned softly.

‘As opposed to anyone!’ Cat snapped back, eyes flashing deeply green.

Give me a break, Kate, her expression silently pleaded with her friend; this man gave as good as he got—if not better!

‘You were about to explain your interest in seeing around this house?’ she prompted their visitor, deliberately not looking at Kate now as she heard her friend’s indrawn breath, but hoping that her friend now understood her own defensive attitude towards this man.

Caleb looked perfectly relaxed, seemingly unaware of the underlying tension in the room. ‘It’s quite simple, really,’ he replied. ‘I’m interested in this house because my great-great-grandfather was its architect.’

The two women couldn’t have felt—or looked!—more stunned if he had told them his ancestor had been Jack the Ripper!

Cat didn’t know what explanation she had been expecting, but it certainly hadn’t been the one Caleb Reynolds had just given. And poor Kate seemed to be having trouble keeping up with the conversation at all.

‘Clive Reynolds,’ he explained as their shocked silence continued. ‘The house was actually named after him. His name is carved into the stonework on the front of the house,’ he added as he still received no response from either of the two women.

Clive Reynolds… He was right, it was. But time and familiarity had dulled for them the awareness of that name and a date, 1850, etched into the stone directly above the front door. Clive Reynolds. This man’s great-great-grandfather…

The surname was obviously the same, and yet…

‘What a coincidence.’ Once again Cat’s barely veiled scepticism could be heard, and the sudden hardness of his grey eyes said Caleb Reynolds was well aware of it!

‘Not at all,’ he bit out crisply. ‘I’m in the area because I have some research to do at the museum in York, but I chose this village for my stay deliberately once I realised about the house. I’m curious to know whether or not my ancestor built any other houses in the area.’

‘Doubtful,’ Cat couldn’t resist snapping. ‘It’s hardly the sort of area that could have supported two such grand houses,’ she elaborated as he looked at her icily.

‘I’m a historian, Cat,’ Caleb Reynolds told her evenly, deliberately seeming to keep all emotion from his voice. Although his eyes were a different matter: hard, glacial, narrowed to icy slits as he looked steadily at Cat. ‘But I specialise in architecture. Perhaps only naturally with an architect as an ancestor,’ he added almost confrontationally.

Cat didn’t see what was ‘natural’ about it at all; her own father trained and bred horses, but she had always been—to her father’s dismay—terrified of them. They were beautiful and powerful to look at and admire from a distance, but completely unpredictable in close proximity, she had found. Exactly like Caleb Reynolds…

She brought her thoughts up short. Really! Caleb Reynolds might be powerful and attractive, but he certainly wasn’t beautiful! What on earth was she thinking of? Or maybe she just wasn’t thinking at all… And, around this man, that could be dangerous!

He certainly didn’t look like any historian she had ever seen, on television or in the newspapers, most of them old and fusty-looking, as if they belonged in the past with their textbooks!

‘In the circumstances, I quite understand your interest in this house.’ Kate had recovered enough to be able to take over their half of the conversation.

Which was perhaps as well; Cat, with her usual forthright manner, only seemed to be antagonising Caleb Reynolds! His knowledge of at least one past owner of the house was now more easily explained, although why he couldn’t have told them all of this yesterday was still a mystery…

‘And I’m sure, at some convenient time to all of us, that it could be arranged for you to look round the house,’ Kate continued politely. ‘Although, as I’m sure you appreciate, the house has been completely modernised over the years!’

‘We even have mains sewage nowadays!’ Cat put in sharply, ignoring Kate’s pained wince. Damn it, the man was the one asking them a favour, and a damned inconvenient one at that.

She wished now that it had been Toby at the front door earlier; she wouldn’t have had any trouble saying no to any ‘secrets’ he might have wanted to share!

‘I’m sure you do,’ Caleb drawled drily, one dark brow raised questioningly at her continued aggression. ‘And don’t worry, I wasn’t asking if I could look round right this minute,’ he turned to tell Kate charmingly. ‘I more than appreciate the fact that I’ve rather sprung this on you. I also realise that you have other considerations to take into account.’

Cat looked at him sharply, not fooled for a moment by that charm which he seemed to be able to turn on and off at will—it was usually off when he was talking to her! ‘What “other considerations”?’ she enquired warily.

‘The playschool, of course,’ he returned easily. ‘I appreciate I couldn’t just stroll about during the day when you have all the children in your care.’

She had news for him; he couldn’t ‘just stroll about’ their home when the children weren’t here, either! He really was the most—

‘There’s also Kate’s grandmother to consider,’ he continued evenly.

Stunned didn’t even begin to describe their silence this time—more like electric. This man, completely unknown to them until roughly thirty-six hours ago, knew far too much about their home and them; Cat was absolutely positive that neither she nor Kate had mentioned her grandmother to this man yesterday! But Cat’s earlier summing-up of this man still stood; getting information out of him that he didn’t want to give was like getting blood out of a stone. Though he had just spoken readily enough about his reason for being in the area, about his great-great-grandfather being the architect of this house, which was the reason he wanted to look round it, all that information had been volunteered—making Cat wonder exactly what it was he wasn’t saying!

Cat glanced across at Kate now, seeing all too easily how the colour had faded from her friend’s cheeks, the way she looked at Caleb Reynolds in fascinated horror. Once again like the snake and its victim!

‘Don’t tell me,’ Cat put in scornfully. ‘Lilley at the post office, again!’ She gave a derisive shake of her head. ‘Really, Caleb,’ she taunted. ‘I would never have taken you for the gossiping kind!’

He looked nonplussed. ‘I wasn’t aware that you had ‘taken’ me at all, Cat,’ he returned mockingly, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes at the way her cheeks suddenly burned. ‘But you’re right about the gossip,’ he continued before she could make any reply to his innuendo. ‘When I made my initial enquiries about Clive House I was told that a Miss Brady and a Miss Rourke lived here with Miss Brady’s grandmother.’

Innocent enough. It certainly wasn’t a secret that Kate’s grandmother lived here with them. It was just thoroughly disconcerting that this man should know so much about them! And not just from Lilley at the post office, either… So where had he got his information? And why? So far he had been very cagey about his reason for being in the area. And if he should turn out to be a reporter…! Cat had allowed one reporter too close to her once, no matter how unwittingly, and she wouldn’t let it happen again!

He looked at them both with assessing eyes. ‘I wasn’t aware I was saying something out of turn…?’

‘You didn’t,’ Kate answered him with a return of confidence. ‘Kitty—my grandmother—does live here with us. But she isn’t in the best of health, has few visitors, and goes out even less, and I would rather talk to her before you look round the house. I think you’ll be quite impressed when you see all of it,’ she assured him. ‘It’s really been very well looked after, with a lot of the original features kept in place—’

‘He doesn’t want to buy the house, Kate,’ Cat snapped. ‘Just look at it!’

‘I can see I’ve taken up enough of your time for one evening,’ Caleb put in sardonically, moving to the door. ‘So I’ll leave you all in peace.’

Peace? The man didn’t know the meaning of the word!

‘I’ll see you out.’ Kate followed him.

‘Cat.’ He paused at the door to nod abruptly in parting.

‘Mr Reynolds,’ she returned tersely.

She hadn’t moved when Kate returned to the sitting-room a few minutes later, looking up at her friend with bright green eyes. ‘He’s right,’ Cat told Kate fiercely, ‘I don’t like him!’ Her eyes flashed angrily.

‘He’s—unsettling,’ Kate acknowledged more cautiously.

‘Kate, the man is arrogant and condescending—and I don’t trust him one little bit!’

‘Let’s not get all of this out of proportion,’ Kate warned. ‘Admittedly I was a bit surprised when he said he would like to look round the house, but as his great-great-grandfather designed it—’

‘So he says!’ Cat snapped, scowling darkly. ‘Reynolds isn’t exactly an uncommon name, Kate,’ she pointed out scornfully as her friend looked at her questioningly. ‘And he mentioned nothing yesterday about his ancestor having designed this house, only came up with that idea today—when the name is engraved on the front of the house for all to see!’

Kate looked bewildered. ‘You don’t think Clive Reynolds was his great-great-grandfather…?’

‘I think it’s all just a little too much of a coincidence,’ Cat said firmly. ‘But I’m going to find out the truth,’ she added determinedly. ‘There are bound to be records, some way I can actually find out if he’s related to Clive Reynolds. In the meantime, I suggest we say nothing to Kitty about this. There’s no point in bothering her with it until we know for certain.’

‘I agree,’ Kate said slowly, momentarily closing her eyes. ‘Will it ever stop, do you think, Cat?’ she added wearily as the two of them strolled back out to the garden.

Cat squeezed her arm reassuringly. ‘Of course it will. We’ve all lived here in relative peace for the last few years; there’s no reason why that shouldn’t continue.’ Caleb Reynolds would be dealt with very firmly if he should turn out to be any other than what he claimed to be. She would see to that. And enjoy doing it, she realised.

‘Hello, darlings.’ Kitty beamed at them both; Kate’s grandmother, who supposedly wasn’t in the best of health, at this moment was down on her hands and knees as she weeded a flower bed!

In her early seventies, Kitty nevertheless looked years younger than that, shoulder-length blonde hair swept back from her face, her face relatively unlined by the years, her figure still youthfully slim as she stood up.

Despite the fact that she hadn’t performed in public for twenty-five years, she was still, to anyone who had admired and known her—as Caleb Reynolds obviously had!—instantly recognisable as the opera singer, Katherine Maitland!

CHAPTER THREE

‘HIS great-great-grandfather was Clive Reynolds,’ Cat announced crossly as she dropped down into one of the chairs placed around the kitchen table.

She had waited until the playschool closed for the day on Tuesday afternoon before going off in the car to the local library. What she had found there hadn’t cheered her up one little bit. She had been so sure there was something about Caleb Reynolds that didn’t ring true… But she was unable to refute his claim when it had been printed there in black and white!

‘That’s wonderful.’ Kate sighed her relief at the news. ‘You managed to find a book on Clive Reynolds, then?’

‘Er—not exactly.’ Cat grimaced. ‘I found a book on Caleb Reynolds,’ she admitted reluctantly. ‘Actually, it was a book he’s written on the history of English architecture, but it had some blurb about the author inside the cover.’ It had been accompanied by a picture of the author, a photograph obviously several years old, no grey visible at the temples in Caleb’s dark hair as there was now, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses making him look studious. As photographs went, Cat had decided, it was pretty uninspiring—and nothing of the man’s intensity in the flesh came through. ‘He apparently became interested in the subject of architecture because of his great-great-grandfather, the architect Clive Reynolds.’ She grudgingly made a direct quote from the personal information given about the author of the book.

Kate grinned her relief, that smile starting to slip as she saw Cat was still scowling. ‘But that’s good news, isn’t it?’

‘I still don’t trust him.’ Cat shook her head stubbornly.

‘You don’t like him,’ Kate corrected. ‘Don’t confuse dislike with distrust.’

‘Why would someone like him move—even temporarily—to a small village like this?’ Cat muttered thoughtfully. Because that information about him inside his book had also listed his qualifications and the achievements he had made in his field; the list of letters behind his name was staggering. Caleb wasn’t only intelligent, but obviously deeply respected in his chosen field…

‘He already explained all that,’ her friend protested at her continued belligerence. ‘He has some research to do at the museum in York, and he’s interested in seeing round this house,’ she reminded her. ‘Heavens, Cat, I don’t remember this reaction from you towards Toby when he moved into one of the cottages in the village almost a year ago!’ She gave Cat an impatient look.

It was true. But then, apart from suggesting that one of them went to bed with him every time they saw him, Toby was harmless enough. And that was one accusation, she was sure, that could never be levelled at Caleb Reynolds!

‘Talking about Toby—’ Kate grimaced ‘—he called round earlier. I told him to come back later and have dinner with us. Kitty will enjoy that,’ she added before Cat could make any comment about Toby being here for a meal yet again.

Kate had used the right argument to silence Cat; Kitty would enjoy having Toby here this evening. Kitty found Toby amusing, enjoyed his company very much, and as he had no idea who she was—or had been!—it meant that Cat and Kate could relax when he was around.

It hadn’t been an easy decision to make when it came to buying this particular house to open their playschool. Kitty had lived in it many years ago, and some of the locals still remembered that—including Lilley at the post office, although she, like the other villagers, never told ‘outsiders’ that Kitty, Kate’s grandmother, and Katherine Maitland were one and the same person.

But Clive House had been on the market at the time they were looking for premises for their playschool, and Kitty had been delighted at the idea of returning to the house where she had lived during her married life, where she had brought up her children. To give the villagers their due, once the initial interest had worn off, they had rallied round Kitty in a protective way that didn’t allow outsiders into the fact that they had a celebrity—albeit a retired one—living amongst them! For twenty-five years Kitty had stayed out of the public eye, deliberately so; the family tragedy that Caleb had referred to yesterday had given her every reason never to open herself up to that sort of interest ever again.

When Kitty had first made her decision never to sing in public again, she had been hounded for months by newspapers anxious to buy her story. Over the years that intense interest had faded, but the media was always conscious that it could as quickly be revived. But Kitty didn’t need that; she enjoyed the calm and tranquillity she had been able to find in the village amongst old friends.

So the buying of Clive House had proved a good decision for all of them, the playschool a great success, and, best of all, Kitty was happy.

But Cat couldn’t help her nagging feeling that Caleb’s presence here was somehow going to change all that…

‘Okay.’ She stood up decisively, doing her best to shake off those feelings of gloom; Kate was right, she shouldn’t confuse dislike with distrust. Besides, she didn’t exactly dislike Caleb… ‘What can I do to help prepare this evening’s culinary delight?’ she offered, determined not to even think of Caleb again tonight.

Kate raised blonde brows. ‘But it’s my turn to get the meal tonight. And I thought you hated cooking?’ she added teasingly as she got vegetables from the rack.

‘I do,’ Cat acknowledged just as lightly, taking over the peeling of the carrots. ‘If it weren’t for you and Kitty, I would just live out of tins!’

Kate nodded smilingly. ‘As Kitty is fond of saying, pity the poor man you marry!’

It was a standing joke between the three of them that if Cat ever married it would have to be to someone who knew how to cook himself—or else he would starve!

‘And break up this happy trio?’ Cat grinned without ran-cour. ‘No way!’

The two of them worked together in companionable silence, this the time of day when Kitty, if she wasn’t helping with the preparation, usually took her rest. But she would be bright and sparkling this evening for dinner, had lost none of her charm, or the ‘electricity’, as Caleb had called it, that had endeared her to audiences all over the world at the height of her career.

Damn, Cat had just thought of Caleb again! Why did she keep doing that? What—?

‘Good evening, ladies—we were just driving past, and Adam insisted we stop to say hello,’ Caleb announced apologetically as Cat had dropped the knife noisily into the sink at the first sound of his voice.

Cat was amazed at his familiarity; he and his son had just walked around to the side door and into the kitchen! Although, to give Caleb his due, he did look a little uncomfortable at the obvious intrusion; it was Adam, silently chuckling as he stood at his father’s side, who looked pleased with himself.

‘I did ring the front doorbell,’ Caleb pleaded as their surprised silence continued. ‘But it doesn’t seem to be working…’

‘Toby mentioned something about it earlier.’ Kate grimaced in apology, drying her hands on the towel. ‘It must be broken again,’ she told Cat.

Cat was still staring at Caleb, so tall and dark and dominating, broodingly attractive in a black shirt and black denims. So much for not even thinking of him again this evening—she didn’t need to; he was becoming as regular a visitor as Toby. Albeit this time at Adam’s bidding…

‘I could take a look at it for you, if you like,’ Caleb offered.

‘Er—Cat usually sees to those sort of things,’ Kate excused, giving Cat a slightly wary glance.

But she needn’t have worried about Cat being offended by the offer. If the doorbell had broken yet again, Cat accepted that obviously she wasn’t any better at maintaining the electrical appliances in this house than she was at cooking! Besides, this man, with all those letters he had after his name, should be able to fix a doorbell.

‘Be my guest,’ she invited. ‘I’ll get you the appropriate screwdriver and leave you to it. Then I’ll be free to take Adam outside to the swings,’ she added gleefully to the little boy, the widening of his grin enough to tell her he found this plan to his satisfaction. ‘There you go.’ She barely glanced at Caleb as she handed him the earthed screwdriver, reaching out for Adam’s hand. ‘To the swings!’ she told the child excitedly, and they ran out of the house together and round to where the swings and slides were situated.

‘Hello there, you two.’ Kitty looked up from where she sat reading her book, her hair glowing golden in the early evening sunlight, blue eyes glowing with pleasure as she looked at Adam. ‘A friend of yours, Cat?’ she asked gently as he instantly hid behind Cat’s legs.

‘He certainly is.’ Cat went down on her haunches beside the suddenly shy little boy, reminded of the nervous child she had met that first day. She hadn’t realised that Kitty was outside in the garden—would have been even more annoyed at Caleb’s familiarity if she had!—but as Kitty loved young children, and they usually took to her too, she was sure it wasn’t going to be a problem. Besides, she and Kate had talked to Kitty about Adam, had known that she would understand…

‘This is my new friend, Adam,’ Cat introduced softly. ‘Adam, this is another friend of mine. Her name is Kitty.’

‘Have you met our cat yet, Adam?’ Kitty enquired as their ginger tabby rubbed against her ankles. ‘Her name is Madam Butterfly, but we call her Maddie for short.’ She smiled encouragingly at the little boy as she leant down and carefully picked up the cat and cradled her in her arms. ‘Maddie is going to have some baby kittens of her own very soon,’ she added fondly.

This would be Maddie’s second set of kittens in a year, but as they had had no trouble finding homes for her last litter they didn’t envisage a problem with the next either. ‘You’ll have to come back and see them once they’re born,’ Cat told Adam, aware that time was passing. The last thing she wanted was for Caleb to come out into the garden in search of them. Toby might be completely ignorant when it came to opera, and particularly so when it came to Kitty’s past fame, but Caleb had already shown that he wasn’t…

Adam’s face lit up at the thought of the kittens, making it easier for Cat to gently direct him away to the swings. He really was the most adorable child, she decided as she pushed him on the swing; his eyes were alight with pleasure and there were dimples in his thin cheeks as he smiled widely.

How sad that he had already known such unhappiness in his young life. He and Kitty had so much in common, she realised. Two kindred spirits…

‘Penny for them?’ Caleb murmured softly.

Cat gave a start, turning to him with annoyance; she had been so concentrated on Adam, so deep in thought, she hadn’t even been aware of Caleb’s approach across the garden.

She glanced quickly across to the rose garden where Kitty had been sitting. Kitty had, as was usual when there were people around that she didn’t know, quietly disappeared back into her own suite of rooms inside the house.

Cat turned back to Caleb, smiling brightly now—probably more than was warranted if the way Caleb’s eyes had narrowed was anything to go by! ‘Sometimes it’s nice to put your brain in neutral and just coast along for a while,’ she said breezily.

He nodded. ‘Your doorbell is working again,’ he informed her, taking over pushing Adam on the swing.

‘Thank you.’ She now felt a little shamefaced at the way she had just left him to it.

Caleb shrugged. ‘I’m glad I was able to be of help. I was wondering…’

‘Yes?’ she prompted abruptly, instantly on the defensive, wondering if he could have seen Kitty after all.

He looked at her steadily. ‘I was wondering if you would have dinner with me this evening.’

Cat couldn’t have been more taken aback if he had suggested she take off all her clothes and dance naked around the lawn!

‘Me?’ she squeaked, at once realising how ridiculous the question sounded. And unsophisticated. As if men didn’t very often invite her out to dinner. But then, that was true…

To make matters worse, Caleb laughed at her obvious surprise! Admittedly that laugh greatly improved his looks, dispelling the arctic chill from his eyes, and his teeth very white and even, dimples very similar to Adam’s now visible beside his mouth. Although on a man in his late thirties they were probably called laughter lines, Cat conceded wryly.

‘Sorry.’ He sobered slowly, lips still quirked with humour. ‘It just wasn’t the usual reaction I get to a dinner invitation!’

She could well imagine that it wasn’t! But, considering he had been a married man until six months ago, how many of these sort of invitations had he made lately?

‘I’m just surprised I’m the person you’re asking out to dinner,’ she told him with her usual blunt honesty.

He raised one dark brow, lifting Adam down from the swing, the three of them walking back to the house now. ‘As opposed to…?’

‘Anyone!’ She grimaced; they had seemed to antagonise each other from the word go!

Caleb chuckled softly. ‘I like your honesty, Cat. One thing I can’t stand in a woman is pretence,’ he explained, a touch of bitterness in his voice now.

She gave him a searching look, but there was nothing to be read from his expression. Not that she had thought there would be. In his field of architectural history, Caleb was—quite literally!—an open book, as she had discovered at the library earlier this evening. As a father he was obviously caring and loving. But as a man—! Caleb Reynolds, the man, was an enigma. And not least because of his invitation to her!

She drew in a deep breath. ‘In that case—’

‘I saw the library books on the table in the hallway,’ he put in quickly. ‘Kate tells me they’re yours?’

He knew damn well that she, with her ‘honesty’, had been about to turn down his dinner invitation! But by mentioning those books in the hallway he had put her in a defensive position. Architecture, especially the history of it, held no interest for her whatsoever, but she hadn’t been able to resist borrowing two books by Caleb that she had found on the library shelves, intending to flick through them later this evening, curious in spite of herself. But she hadn’t expected their author to see them and pass comment!

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