The course of true love never did run smooth...

...and Dr. Sophie Trent knows that better than most! Her romance with Nate Branscombe ended in disaster years before—and now the handsome heir to the local estate is back.

Sophie has enough to think about without this charismatic aristocrat’s distraction, but as they work closely together he stirs up feelings she thought she’d left firmly behind her. Can the one that got away finally help Sophie face the past...and convince her that true love is here to stay?

Nate slipped his arm around her waist, holding her close.

She knew she ought to move away, but it felt good to have him hold her—to have him so close that she could feel his long body by her side—and she couldn’t bring herself to break that contact. Instead, Sophie wanted him to wrap his arms around her. His nearness was intoxicating.

‘You’re lovely,’ he said huskily, his gaze lingering on the pink fullness of her mouth. ‘It means so much to me to have you here with me like this. I’ve missed you all these years we’ve been away from each other. I kept thinking about you all the time we were apart.’

‘Did you? Me too...’

It was true. She’d never been able to stop thinking about him. And now she was lost in his spell, enticed by the compelling lure of his dark eyes and mesmerised by the gentle sweep of his hands as they moved over the curve of her hips, drawing her ever closer to him.

He bent his head to her and gently claimed her lips, brushing her mouth softly with his kisses. Her whole body seemed to turn to flame and she melted into his embrace, loving the way his arms went around her. Her limbs were weak with longing. She wanted his kisses...yearned to know the feel of his hands moving over her.

Dear Reader,

I’ve always loved coastal settings, and this book has one of my favourites—an English Devonshire village clustered around a sheltered bay. At the centre of this community is the manor house and its estate, overlooking all—the proud heritage of the Branscombe family through generations. What could be a better, more perfect background for an enduring love story?

But, as you know, the path of true love never runs smooth, and Nate and Sophie have more than their fair share of troubles. How can their love survive the hostility that simmers between their fathers? Or overcome the overwhelming problems that cascade down upon Nate’s head?

It takes a special kind of man to win against all the odds—and I hope you’ll agree with me that Sophie deserves the best!

Happy reading.

With love,

Joanna

Second Chance with Lord Branscombe

Joanna Neil

www.millsandboon.co.uk

JOANNA NEIL loves writing romance and has written more than sixty books for Mills & Boon. Before her writing career started she had a variety of jobs, which included being a telephonist and a clerk, as well as nursing and work in a hospital pharmacy. She was an infant teacher for a number of years before her love of writing took over. Her hobbies include dressmaking, cooking and gardening.

Books by Joanna Neil

Mills & Boon Medical Romance

Dr Right All Along

Tamed by Her Brooding Boss

His Bride in Paradise

Return of the Rebel Doctor

Sheltered by Her Top-Notch Boss

A Doctor to Remember

Daring to Date Her Boss

Temptation in Paradise

Resisting Her Rebel Doc

Her Holiday Miracle

Visit the Author Profile page at millsandboon.co.uk for more titles.

For my family, with thanks for their unfailing love and support through the years.

Praise for Joanna Neil

…‘a well-written romance set in the beautiful Caribbean.’

—Harlequin Junkie on Temptation in Paradise

‘I really enjoyed this read. Sometimes the tension between Matt and Saffi was simply crackling… If you enjoy Medicals this is a good, solid read…well worth it.’

—Harlequin Junkie on A Doctor to Remember

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Praise

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

‘IT’S BEAUTIFUL OUT HERE, isn’t it?’ Jake smiled as he looked out over the sea and watched the waves rolling on to the shore. ‘I never get tired of looking at that glorious view. I’m just glad I get the chance to come and sit here after work sometimes.’

‘Me too.’ Sophie returned the smile and then concentrated on carefully spooning golden sugar crystals into her coffee. It gave her a bit of time to think. She ought to be content, no doubt about it, but she couldn’t get rid of this nagging feeling that before too long everything in her world was going to be turned upside down.

On the surface everything was running smoothly. What could be better than to be here on a late Friday afternoon, taking in the fresh sea air with Jake, on the terrace of this restaurant in the delightful little fishing village they called home? On the North Devon coast, a small inlet in a wide bay, it was an idyllic place to live.

A faint warm breeze was blowing in off the blue water, riffling gently through her long honey-blonde curls and lightly fanning her cheeks. From here she could see the rocky crags that enclosed the peaceful cove and she could hear the happy shouts of children playing on the beach below, dipping their nets into rock pools that had been left behind by the outgoing tide. She had every reason to be happy.

The truth was, though, that she’d been on edge this last couple of weeks...and there could be only one reason for that. Ever since Nate Branscombe had returned to the Manor House her emotions had been on a roller-coaster ride. Maybe she should have expected him to come back once he’d heard about his father’s health taking a downward turn. Deep down, she’d known all along he would have to visit his father, Lord Branscombe, sooner or later, but when she’d heard he’d actually turned up she’d been swamped by a feeling akin to panic. She’d gone out of her way since then to avoid running into him.

‘This is the perfect place to relax,’ Jake said, oblivious to her subdued mood. He sipped his coffee and then glanced at his watch. ‘I can’t stay for too much longer, though...much as I’d like to—I have a meeting to go to.’

‘Ah—the joys of working in hospital management!’ She glanced at him, her mouth crinkling at the corners. It was what he was born to do, streamlining what went on in various departments of the local hospital.

Jake Holdsworth was a clever, likeable young man, good-looking, with neat dark hair and compassionate brown eyes. He was a couple of years older than her at twenty-eight, but they’d known each other for several years since he used to regularly come to the village to visit a favourite aunt. They’d become firm friends. Eventually, though, they’d gone their separate ways when they each left home to take up places at university—she went to Medical School and Jake went off to study Hospital and Health Services Management. It was one of her proudest moments when she was at last able to call herself Dr Trent.

‘Oh, yes! Budget meetings, purchasing committees, dealing with the complaints of clinicians! It’s all go!’

‘But you love it.’ Their lives had been busy, as each of them worked towards building their careers, and it was only lately they’d met up again. Jake had a keen sense of humour and she liked spending time with him. He always managed to put her at ease, to help her set aside her troubled family situation for a while, to make her forget that life could be a struggle sometimes. He was a restful kind of man and she enjoyed talking to him.

He was nothing at all like Nate Branscombe—the very opposite, in fact. She frowned. Somehow, Nate had the knack of stirring up strong passions in her—for good or bad—but, either way, they were feelings she would far sooner forget. More often than not, he left her in turmoil.

Nate had the kind of bone-melting good looks that sent her heart into overdrive the moment she saw him. Women couldn’t get enough of him but, as far as he was concerned, it was all easy come, easy go. His girlfriends each thought they would be the one to change him, but she could have told them they were wasting their time. He would never make that final commitment.

Maybe that was why Sophie had always held back from him. He wanted her, there had been no doubt about it, and she’d been so...so...tempted, but she wasn’t going to fall for him, like all the others, and end up being hurt. Nate liked women, enjoyed being with them, having fun, getting the most out of life, but she wondered if he’d ever meet the woman who was right for him. Or maybe Nate was aware that the women he’d dated simply didn’t make the grade to be the wife of a future lord.

‘Are you okay? You’re a bit quiet today.’ Jake studied her thoughtfully. ‘Have you had a tough day at the hospital?’

‘Oh—I’m sorry. I was miles away.’ Jerked out of her reverie, Sophie made an effort to pull herself together. ‘No, it was fine.’

‘Is it some problem closer to home, then? Are you worried about your family?’ Jake gave her a wry, coaxing smile before finishing off his coffee and resting his hands on the table, his fingers loosely clasped.

She shrugged her shoulders. ‘The usual, I suppose. According to my brother, Rob, my mother’s acting weird again, and Jessica’s a bit upset because Ryan has to go away to work.’

He gave a sympathetic nod. ‘It’s not the best timing, is it? How far advanced is her pregnancy?’ He hazarded a guess. ‘Third trimester?’

She nodded, smiling. ‘Thirty-seven weeks or thereabouts. The baby could decide to put in an appearance any time now.’

His mouth made a flat line. ‘Not a great time for her to be on her own, then?’

‘No.’ Sophie frowned. ‘Mum and my stepdad are fairly close by for her, though.’

She glanced around as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. ‘Your table’s over here, sir,’ the waitress was saying, showing Lord Branscombe to a table set in a quiet corner by the wrought-iron balustrade. As he followed her, Lord Branscombe was walking slowly, each step measured and cautious. He straightened, looking towards the table. A bright spray of scarlet surfinia spilled over from a tall cream-coloured planter nearby and beyond the rail there was a mass of green shrubbery, providing a modicum of privacy from some of the other diners.

James Branscombe acknowledged the waitress briefly, but came to a halt halfway across the terrace. He seemed to be struggling for breath, a hand clutched to his chest, and the waitress watched him worriedly.

‘Are you all right?’ she asked. ‘I didn’t think— The steps up to the terrace are quite steep... Perhaps I should have taken it more slowly...’

‘Please, don’t fuss,’ he said in a gruff voice. ‘Just bring me a whisky, will you?’

‘Of course. Right away.’ His command had been peremptory but, even so, the girl escorted Lord Branscombe to his table and made sure he was seated before she hurried away to get his drink.

Around them, Sophie noticed the hubbub of conversation had died down. People cast surreptitious glances towards the occupant of the table in the corner and then began to speak in hushed voices. Lord Branscombe, for his part, ignored them all, lost in a world of his own. In his early sixties, he looked older, his hair greying, his face taut and a deep furrow etched into his brow.

‘Perhaps he shouldn’t be out and about,’ Jake murmured, echoing what everyone must surely be thinking. ‘He doesn’t look well.’

‘No, he doesn’t,’ Sophie said, a touch of bitterness threading her words. ‘But when did that ever stop him?’

‘True.’ He sent her a quick worried look. ‘I’m sorry. Of course, you know that to your cost.’

‘It’s probably the reason Nate’s back at the Manor House,’ she said, ignoring his last statement. She wished she’d never said anything. After all, what was the point in raking up past history? ‘He’ll be worried about his father.’

‘Hmm...about the estate too, I imagine.’ Jake frowned. ‘You must have heard the rumours going around?’

‘About Lord Branscombe’s business venture overseas?’

He nodded.

‘Yes, I’ve heard them.’ She winced. ‘According to what I’ve read in the national papers, he’s lost an awful lot of money.’

‘Nate won’t like that—the fact that the press have got hold of the story, I mean.’

‘No, he won’t.’ Nate already hated the press after the coverage his father had received a couple of years ago when he was taken ill at the controls of a light aircraft. This new story would have stirred his dislike of them all over again. ‘What makes it worse is that he didn’t want his father to have anything to do with the so-called development out there in the first place, but Lord Branscombe wouldn’t listen.’

‘Oh?’ Jake raised a brow. ‘How do you know that?’

‘I heard Nate and his father having a heated discussion one day when I was out walking the dog. Lord Branscombe wouldn’t listen to reason...but then, he never has.’ And it was James Branscombe’s refusal to take heed of what people said that had left her father in the state he was now. Her lower lip began to quiver slightly and she caught it between her teeth to still the movement.

Jake laid his hand over hers, clasping her fingers in a comforting gesture. ‘This must be really difficult for you, after what happened to your father.’

‘It is.’ She closed her eyes fleetingly. Her father had been a passenger in the single-engine plane that crashed nearly two years ago. James Branscombe had taken the controls against all advice and that decision had left her father with life-changing injuries. He’d suffered a broken back, shoulder and ankle, whereas Lord Branscombe had come out of it relatively unscathed.

Even now she had trouble coming to terms with what had happened.

Jake was concerned. ‘You must be upset at the thought of Nate coming back. You and he had something going for a while, didn’t you? Until the accident put an end to it.’

‘Maybe I had feelings for him, years ago, when I was a teenager, and then later it all came to the fore again just before my father’s accident...but we wouldn’t have made it work. I realise that, now. We were both studying in different parts of the country for a long while, so I didn’t see him very often...and, anyway, Nate could never commit to a relationship. Things went badly wrong for us after what happened to my father. I think Nate only stayed around long enough to make sure his father was okay. He’s been back a few times since then, but I’ve kept out of his way.’ She braced her shoulders. ‘Do you mind if we don’t talk about it?’

Right now she couldn’t cope with having it all dredged up again. She steeled herself to put on an appearance of calm and she and Jake talked quietly for a while.

A few minutes later, though, her outward composure was all but shattered once more. She looked up and saw a man striding confidently across the terrace, heading towards the corner table.

‘Nate?’ The word crossed her lips in a whisper of disbelief and Jake gently squeezed her hand in support. It was a shock, seeing Nate standing just a short distance away from her. When she’d seen him, soon after the crash, she’d been upset, out of her mind with worry, and they’d argued furiously over his father’s actions. But when he went away, in her mind, in her soul, she’d still yearned for him.

Nate hadn’t seen her yet as he stopped briefly to speak to one or two people along the way. Her mind skittered this way and that, trying to find some means of escape, but of course it was hopeless from the start.

He saw her and his eyes widened in recognition. For a moment or two he seemed stunned. Then he started towards her, a long, lean figure of a man, his stride rangy and confident, the muscles in his arms hinting at a body that was perfectly honed beneath the designer T-shirt and casual trousers he was wearing.

The breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t think straight any more. All she could do was drink in his image—the broad shoulders, the sculpted cheekbones and the black, slightly overlong, unruly hair that kinked in a roguish kind of way.

‘Sophie.’ His voice was deep and warm, a hint of satisfaction there, as though he was more than pleased to see her. He stopped by her table and looked at her, his brooding green gaze all-encompassing, tracing the slope of her cheekbones and the soft curve of her mouth and lingering on the golden corkscrew curls that tumbled over her shoulders. ‘It’s good to see you again. You look wonderful.’

Unsettled by that penetrating scrutiny, she lowered her gaze. She didn’t know how to react to him after all this time. She was distracted by a whole host of unfamiliar feelings that were coursing through her.

His glance trailed downwards, taking in the way Jake’s hand covered hers. Then he lifted his head, making a faint, almost imperceptible nod. ‘Jake.’ He gave him a narrowed look and Jake must have begun to feel uncomfortable because he straightened, slowly releasing Sophie’s hand.

‘Hi there, Nate. We haven’t seen you in a while,’ he said.

‘I’ve been busy, working away for the last few months.’ Nate’s gaze swept over Sophie once more, meshing with hers in a simmering, wordless exchange.

Images flashed through her mind, visions of times past when they’d walked together through the woods on the estate, when her feelings for him were growing with each day that passed. Nate had held her hand, that last day before she went away to Medical School, and led her into a sunlit copse. She’d been eighteen then, troubled about going away and perhaps not seeing him again. She recalled how the silver birch trees had lifted their branches to the clear blue sky and he’d gently eased her back against the smooth white bark. He’d lowered his head towards her and his kiss had been warm and tender, as soft as the breeze on a hot summer’s day.

Even now, thinking about it, she could feel his body next to hers, remember how it had been to be wrapped in his arms, to have her flesh turn to flame as his lips nuzzled the curve of her neck.

Jake’s voice broke the spell. ‘I’d heard something about you being in the States for a while,’ he said. ‘You’ve been doing well for yourself, or so they say.’

‘I guess so.’ Nate turned his attention to Sophie once more. ‘I was hoping we might run into one another.’

‘I suppose it was inevitable.’ Sophie pulled in a deep breath to steady herself. ‘You’re back here for your father, I imagine?’ She looked up at Nate, amazed to find that her voice worked, with barely a trace of nervousness showing through.

‘I am. He’s not been doing so well these last few weeks, though he would never admit it.’ He frowned, glancing to where his father was sitting alone at the table. ‘I should go and join him.’ There was a hint of reluctance about his mouth as he spoke. ‘But I’d like to see you again, find out how you’ve been doing. I’ve tried to keep up with how things were going for you and your father, through Charlotte, mostly.’ He looked at her intently. ‘Perhaps we could talk later?’

She gave a non-committal movement of her head. Charlotte was the housekeeper at the Manor House and she might have expected her to let Nate know what was happening in the village. As to talking with him, surely it would be best, from her viewpoint, to steer very clear of both Branscombes, but especially Nate? Already she was conscious of a knot forming in her stomach and a fluttery feeling growing in her chest. In every way he was dangerous to her peace of mind. Her alarm system was on full alert.

Nate must have taken her gesture for agreement. He nodded once more to both of them and then left, walking over to the table at the corner of the terrace. As Nate went to sit opposite his father, Sophie saw that another man had come to join them—a man she recognised as Lord Branscombe’s Estate Manager...his most recent Estate Manager. Her father had done the job for a good many years before him. She sucked in a sharp breath.

Jake’s gaze followed them. ‘I wonder what will happen to the estate if Lord Branscombe really has lost most of his money overseas. That’s what the newspaper articles are saying...that he’s gambled his son and heir’s inheritance on a doomed investment and lost.’

‘I think there’s a lot more to worry about than Nate’s inheritance. There are more than two dozen houses on the estate with tenants who will be worried about what’s going to happen to their homes.’

Jake’s expression was sombre. ‘And your father’s one of them. It’s understandable if you, of all people, feel angry about the way Lord Branscombe’s behaved.’

‘Maybe.’ She frowned. ‘But, like I said, I think I’d prefer not to talk about that right now.’

‘Of course. But at least it sounds as though Lord Branscombe’s finally getting his comeuppance.’

She didn’t answer. The waitress came and refilled Sophie’s coffee cup, glancing surreptitiously over to where Nate was sitting. Absently, she went to pour a refill for Jake.

‘None for me, thanks,’ he said, covering his cup with his hand.

‘Oh, okay.’ Still casting quick looks in Nate’s direction, the girl slowly walked away.

Jake made a wry smile. ‘He’s lost none of his charm, has he?’ he murmured, glancing at Sophie. ‘He still has that charisma that had all the girls hankering after him.’ There was a hint of envy in his voice.

‘Mm hmm.’ She was hardly immune to it herself—no matter how much she’d told herself in the intervening years that Nate didn’t have any power over her feelings, it had taken only a few seconds in his company for him to prove her profoundly wrong. ‘I suppose so.’

They chatted for a while, about Jake’s work and her job as a children’s doctor, until, reluctantly, he glanced once more at his watch. ‘I should go,’ he said. ‘Do you want me to see you back to your car?’

She shook her head. ‘No, that’s all right. I still have to finish off this coffee. You go ahead. I’ll leave in a minute or so.’

‘Okay.’ He stood up, leaning over to give her a quick, affectionate kiss on the cheek. ‘I’ll see to the bill on my way out.’

‘Thanks.’ Sophie watched him leave and then slowly sipped her coffee. It was hot, a new brew fresh from the pot, so she had to take her time. Lord Branscombe, she noticed, glancing idly towards his table, was picking at a plate of food with hardly any appetite, while his Estate Manager was tucking in to a steak and all the trimmings. Nate wasn’t eating. The three men seemed to be having an avid discussion about something—the way forward, she supposed.

A short time later she pushed her cup away and picked up her handbag, getting ready to leave.

‘You’re going already?’ Nate must have been watching her because he suddenly appeared at her side, his hand coming to support her elbow as she stood up. ‘I didn’t want you to leave without my having the chance to talk to you again. Perhaps I could walk with you?’

‘I... Yes... I mean...’ She was flustered, startled by the way he’d homed in on her, and she stayed silent as he accompanied her down the stairs. By the time they reached the lounge area of the restaurant, though, she had managed to recover her equilibrium enough to say, ‘Won’t your father be expecting you to keep him company?’

‘I’m sure he’ll be fine without me for a while. Besides, I’ve said all I need to say to him for now. He knows my opinion. I’ve no doubt he and Maurice will be battling things out for another hour or so yet.’

They walked out of the white-painted building and stood by the railings on the cliff path, looking out over the rugged crags to the beach below. ‘I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to see you with Jake,’ Nate said. ‘You were always good friends...but I saw that he kissed you. Are you and he a couple now?’ He was studying her intently. ‘Are things serious between you?’

She blinked at the suddenness of the question. She’d forgotten how direct he could be. ‘Oh, we met up again fairly recently,’ she answered cautiously. ‘I think he’s fond of me but, really, we’re just friends.’ She suspected Jake would like to take things further, but after a couple of ill-fated relationships over the last few years, she wasn’t about to step into another one in a hurry. Perhaps she was the problem. She’d seen what had happened with her parents’ marriage and she wasn’t ready to put her trust in anyone any time soon.

‘I see.’ He studied her closely as though gauging her response. He didn’t seem to believe the ‘just friends’ scenario. ‘I’ve always cared for you, Sophie. You know that, don’t you? It was hard for me to see you hurting so much after what happened to your father. I felt perhaps you blamed me in some way—perhaps you thought I should have tried to stop my father from flying—’

‘You must have known he had angina.’ She stared at him, and the pain must have been clear in her eyes. ‘Surely there was something you could have done?’

His gaze travelled over her, searing her with its intensity. ‘You know what he’s like. He never admits to weakness. And I was working at a hospital in Cornwall at the time.’ His mouth flattened. ‘Sophie, I never wanted there to be this rift between us. You didn’t seem to want me around but I always hoped—’

She stopped him before he could say any more. ‘No—let’s not go there,’ she said quickly, anxious to ward off complications. He’d gone away to work abroad, leaving her to pick up the pieces. Perhaps, like he’d said, it was hard for him to see her pain, to witness the heartache his father had caused. ‘A lot’s happened in the last few years. I’m sure we’re very different people now—leastways, I know I am. These past two years have changed me.’ She braced her shoulders. ‘So what’s happening with you? Is there someone in your life these days?’

He pulled a face and shrugged. ‘You know me,’ he said. ‘Can’t settle—too much going on all the while.’

‘Hmm. And it’s going to take time, isn’t it, to find the right woman...the one with the class and breeding to take her place at Branscombe Manor?’ She said it with a smile, with the wry knowledge that he would most likely exhaust all possibilities before making his pick.

‘Oh, you know me so well, don’t you?’ he said with a short laugh, reading her mind. ‘Or at least you always thought you did.’ He sobered, studying her thoughtfully.

‘Oh, cryptic now, are we?’ She let that one pass and asked seriously, ‘So...have you come back to sort out the estate?’

He raised a dark brow. ‘Can you imagine my father letting me do that? He’s never listened to any ideas that don’t go along with his way of thinking, from me or anyone. That’s why we argued and it’s another reason why I left. He’s always been a stubborn man, determined to do things his own way.’

‘Yes, but you can be a bit like that sometimes,’ she said, challenging him. ‘Isn’t there a bit of like father, like son? After all, you decided on medicine as a career and went your own way, even though you knew your father was set against it.’

‘True,’ he conceded, ‘but I felt very strongly about becoming a doctor. I’m lucky, far more fortunate than a lot of people—I was able to dip into my trust-fund money to get me through university because he wouldn’t support me in my choice. He wanted me to go in a completely different direction and learn everything there was about Estate Management so that I could take over one day, but I couldn’t do what he asked. We settled the argument eventually, but it was always a sore point with him.’

‘Some people around here think you don’t care about the estate, or the village.’

‘Is that what you believe?’ He shot her a lancing green stare.

‘I think I know you better than that...but I’d like to hear your side of things.’

He made a grimace. ‘It’s not true that I don’t care. Of course I care. It’s my heritage. The Manor has been in our family for generations and I want to keep it that way. I would have been fine with taking on the estate when the time came. I would have done whatever was needed, with the help of managers and estate workers, but my father wouldn’t tolerate any of my ideas. Whenever I suggested changes that I felt would be for the better, he said things were all right as they were. He made things impossible for me. I wasn’t prepared to be just a figurehead, keeping things ticking along in the same old way.’

She nodded, acknowledging the truth of that. Her father had often hinted at how difficult it was to work with Lord Branscombe. ‘How are you getting along with him now that you’re back?’

He shrugged. ‘We still don’t see eye to eye, but we get on fine. When I heard that his angina was worsening I had to come back, to make sure he’s all right. I didn’t see that I had any choice. My father can be difficult, but he’s all I have and I’m his only son, so, despite our differences, we have a strong bond. We’ve come through a lot together over the years and we’ve learned to understand one another.’

‘And how is he, really? He hasn’t been looking too good lately.’

‘Do you care?’ His gaze narrowed on her, a muscle in his jaw flexing. ‘After what happened to your father, do you actually care what happens to him?’

She winced as his shot struck home. ‘If I’m honest, I’d like to be able to say...no, I don’t care...but I’m a human being and I’m a doctor, so it’s probably inbuilt in me to show concern for anyone who’s suffering. I still blame him for what happened to my father, but I can’t do anything to change the past, can I? Somehow, I have to try to accept it and move on.’

He sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Sophie. I’d give anything for it not to have happened.’ He reached for her, his hand lightly smoothing over the bare skin of her arm. His touch disarmed her, sending a trail of fire to course through her body and undermine all her carefully shored-up defences. Against all common sense she found herself desperately wanting more.

She couldn’t think clearly while he was touching her, holding her this way. She looked at him, absorbing his strong features, the proud way he tilted his head, and wished more than ever that things could be different between them. But it could never be. Not when his father was responsible for the accident that caused her father’s terrible injuries.

‘I know you’re sorry...but it’s too late for regrets now, isn’t it? If you’d known about his angina earlier, you might have stopped him from taking off that day. But you didn’t.’ The words came out on a breathless whisper as she gently eased herself away from him. A look of anguish briefly crossed his face and she said quietly, ‘I suppose Charlotte has been making sure you knew how your father was getting along?’

‘Yes—if it had been left to him I would never have known how serious his condition had turned out to be. He’s far too stubborn for that. But Charlotte has been keeping me up to date, especially after the newspaper stories came out about the investments failing and he took a turn for the worse. We all thought his angina was under control, but his condition has deteriorated and it’s become unstable of late.’

She nodded. ‘Charlotte’s always been more than just a housekeeper to you, hasn’t she—from when you were little?’

He smiled. ‘That’s right. She’s looked out for me ever since I was nine years old—from when my mother died. She was always there for me when I needed her. She always seemed to know what was going on in my head, the things that frustrated me or made me happy. Truthfully, she’s been like a second mother to me. I’ll always want to keep her close.’

She smiled. ‘I know. I’ve always liked Charlotte.’ She gazed up at him. From a very young age he’d had a number of pseudo-stepmothers foisted on him as his father brought home a succession of girlfriends, but Charlotte had stayed through it all, his salvation, the one fixed point in his young life that never wavered.

It had been hard for him back then. Going round and about the village with him and their friends as they grew up, Sophie had seen the effect the loss of his mother had on him. Perhaps seeing his vulnerability was what had drawn her to him in the first place. His father hadn’t known how to deal with such a young, bewildered and frustrated boy and simply lost himself in keeping up with his contacts in the business world, in the City. Gradually, Nate had built a shell around himself. No one was going to penetrate his armour...no one except Sophie. Her parents had been going through a difficult time in their marriage and she and Nate had been like kindred souls.

Nate shot her a quick glance. ‘She told me she hasn’t seen your father in a while. Usually she sees him around the village, at the post office or the grocery store at least once a week, but lately she’s missed him.’ His voice deepened with concern. ‘How is he? Is he still able to get about in the wheelchair?’

‘Yes—he’s not been out and about lately because he’s getting over a nasty chest infection but he manages very well, all things considered.’

‘I heard he was having specialist treatment?’

‘Yes, that’s right. He was in hospital for a long time, as you know, and we were afraid he might never walk again—but thankfully he’s making progress. His spinal cord wasn’t cut right through, but it has taken a long time to heal, along with the broken bones—he still has physiotherapy several times a week. It’s a struggle for him, but he’s not one to give up. He generally tries to take things one day at a time. We’re hoping that he’ll be able to walk with a frame before too long.’

‘I’m so sorry, Sophie. If there’s anything I can do—’ He tried to reach for her but she took a step backwards. It was far too unsettling to have him touch her. Frowning, he let his arms fall to his sides.

‘It’s all right; I know you would do anything you can to help.’

‘My father said he tried to make amends but your father won’t talk to him—all their communication is being carried out through lawyers.’

‘That’s right.’ She shot him a quick glance. ‘Do you blame him?’

‘I suppose not...but nothing’s ever going to be achieved by not talking to one another.’

Her back stiffened. ‘The accident changed everything. He should never have gone up in that plane with your father—Lord Branscombe seemed unwell from the first but he insisted he was perfectly fit and able to fly. We’d no idea he was suffering from a heart condition. He should have been stopped. It wasn’t even as though the journey was important. He just wanted to check out the site of a new golf course he was planning.’ She wrapped her arms around herself in a protective gesture. ‘It was totally Lord Branscombe’s fault, but afterwards he replaced my father as Estate Manager and didn’t even offer him a desk job overseeing things.’

Nate frowned. ‘My father said he and the lawyers were talking about compensation.’

She gave a short humourless laugh. ‘Compensation? What compensation? Your father had been having angina attacks for some time without telling the authorities. He knew it would affect his pilot licence if he said anything—and when the insurance company found out about that they wouldn’t pay out. My father lost everything—his job, his house. He had to sell up and go into rented property.’

‘I know—he’s in one of the houses on the estate.’ Nate’s eyes darkened. ‘It was me who made sure he had somewhere to go... As for the rest, my father said everything was being dealt with. I’m sorry if that wasn’t the case... I’ve been working away quite a bit in the States, so I couldn’t oversee things for myself. I wanted to, but...you didn’t seem to want me around and then this job came up... I thought, perhaps, you would find it easier if I wasn’t around...’

She turned her back to the sea and leaned against the railing, facing him. She wouldn’t be drawn into that conversation again, not now. It was too difficult. ‘Will you be going back there?’

‘No, this last stint was just a six-months contract in the paediatric intensive care unit in Boston. I have a job lined up here in Devon, so I’ll be able to keep an eye on things from now on. It’s what I’ve been working towards. This business with my father just moved things forward a bit.’ His gaze moved over her, gliding over her slender curves, outlined by the simple sheath dress she was wearing. ‘Better still,’ he said in a roughened voice, ‘it means I’ll be able to see more of you. Perhaps you and I could start over...?’

Her heartbeat quickened and her cheeks flushed with heat. ‘Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that,’ she countered in a low voice, her throat suddenly constricted. If Nate thought he could erase the last two years and swoop back into her life, he had another think coming.

‘Are you sure about that?’ He was looking at her in that devilish way that had her nervous system on red alert and he was moving closer, the glint in his green eyes full of promise...

It was a promise that never came to fruition. Shouts came from above them, shocking her system and acting like a dash of cold water to propel them away from one another.

‘Help, someone...come quickly—we need help here! Is Nate Branscombe still around? Is that his car in the car park?’

Startled, Sophie looked up to where the sound came from, up on the restaurant’s terrace. She saw people getting to their feet, rushing towards the corner table, barely visible from this angle.

A man came to lean over the balustrade, looking down at them, waving his arms urgently. ‘Nate, will you come up? It’s your father. He’s collapsed.’

‘Call for an ambulance,’ Nate shouted back. He was already taking the steps, racing to get to his father, but instead of following him Sophie hurried towards the car park. Her medical bag was in the boot of her car. Her instincts told her they might need it.

When she reached the corner table a few minutes later, she could see that James Branscombe was sitting propped up against the balustrade. His skin looked clammy, ashen as he groaned in pain. Sophie guessed he was having a bad angina attack, which meant his heart wasn’t receiving enough oxygen and had to work harder to get what it needed.

Nate had loosened his father’s shirt collar and was kneeling by him, talking to him quietly and trying to reassure him. ‘Is your nitro spray in your pocket?’ he asked, but James Branscombe was barely able to speak. Nate searched through his pockets until he found what he was looking for and then quickly sprayed the liquid under his father’s tongue. The medication would dilate the blood vessels, allowing blood to flow more easily and thereby lessening the heart’s workload.

Nate glanced at Sophie as she came to kneel down beside him. His expression was grim; his fear for his father was etched on his face. He seemed relieved to see that Sophie was by his side, though. ‘You have your medical bag?’ he said. ‘That’s good. Do you have aspirin in there?’

‘I do—they’re chewable ones, or he can dissolve them on his tongue.’ She opened the case and handed him the tablets. They would thin the blood and hopefully would prevent blood clots from closing up the arteries.

After a few minutes, though, it was clear that Lord Branscombe was still in a lot of pain. His features were grey, his lips taking on a bluish colour, and beads of cold sweat had broken out on his brow. Sophie guessed this was more than a bad angina attack. She was worried for Nate; this must be something he’d dreaded, the real reason he’d come home.

‘Morphine?’ Nate asked, and she nodded.

‘Yes, I have it. I’ll prepare a syringe.’

‘Thanks.’ He administered the pain medication and soon afterwards wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his father’s arm. ‘He’s becoming hypotensive,’ he said, frowning. ‘I’ll put in an intravenous line—as soon as the paramedics get here we can put him on a saline drip to stabilise his blood pressure.’

They didn’t have to wait too long. The ambulance arrived shortly, siren blaring, and the two paramedics hurried on to the terrace. They nodded to Sophie, recognising her from her work at the hospital.

Nate swiftly introduced himself and said, ‘I think my father’s having a heart attack. We need to get an ECG reading and send it to the Emergency department.’

‘Okay. We’ll make sure they’re kept informed.’

‘Thank you.’

One of the paramedics set up the portable ECG machine, whilst the other man began to give the patient oxygen through a mask. Nate helped them to lift his father on to a stretcher, and then together they carried him down to the waiting ambulance.

‘His blood pressure’s dropping.’ The paramedic sounded the alarm and Nate reacted swiftly, setting up a saline drip and giving his father drugs to support his heart’s action. Sophie stood by as the three men worked on Lord Branscombe.

‘He’s gone into V-fib. Stand clear.’ Nate called out a warning as his father’s heart rhythm went awry and the defibrillator readied itself to give a shock to the heart. He checked his father’s vital signs. ‘And again, stand clear.’

Her heart went out to him as he exhausted every effort to save his father’s life. She saw the worry etched on his face and suddenly wanted to put her arms around him and comfort him, but of course she couldn’t do anything of the sort.

‘All right,’ he said eventually. ‘He’s stable for now. I’ll go with him to the hospital.’

The paramedic nodded. ‘Okay, we’re ready to go. The emergency team’s alerted and waiting for him.’

‘That’s good.’ Nate turned to Sophie, who was waiting by the ambulance doors. ‘I want to thank you for all your help,’ he said softly. He reached out and gently cupped her arms with his long fingers. ‘I owe you. I’ll make it up to you, Sophie, I promise.’

She shook her head, making her soft curls quiver and dance. ‘There’s no need for you to do that. I was glad to help.’ No matter what bad feelings she might harbour about James Branscombe, she couldn’t have stood by and done nothing to save him. Working alongside Nate, though, had been another matter entirely. She hadn’t been prepared for that and the effect it had on her at all.

The paramedic closed the doors of the ambulance and climbed into the driver’s seat. Sophie stood by the roadside and watched the vehicle pull away and it was as though the world was sliding from under her feet. She reached out to rest a hand on a nearby drystone wall.

Nate had been back for only five minutes and already she felt as though she’d been hit by an electric storm. How on earth was she going to cope, knowing he meant to stay around and once more make his home at Branscombe Manor?

CHAPTER TWO

‘COME ON IN, then, Charlie.’ Sophie let herself into her father’s kitchen and then stood to one side to let the excited yellow Labrador follow her. He was carrying his lead in his mouth as usual—she always let him walk home the last few yards untethered. She went over to the sink and filled the dog bowl with fresh cold water. ‘Okay, I’ll swap you—you give me the lead and I’ll let you have the water.’ It was a ritual they followed every time they went out.

Charlie obligingly dropped the loop handle and she unclipped the lead from his collar and put it away. He drank thirstily and then dropped to the floor, panting heavily and watching her as she washed her hands and then filled the kettle and switched it on.

She gazed out of the window at the neat lawn and the garden with its bright flower borders. There were scarlet surfinias in tubs that reminded her of that day at the restaurant when she’d met up with Nate. It had been almost two weeks ago and she hadn’t seen anything more of him since then but she guessed he was probably spending a lot of his time visiting his father in the Coronary Care Unit.

‘He looks suitably worn out.’ Her father wheeled himself into the kitchen, breaking into her thoughts and smiling as he looked over at the dog. ‘Just as well, if the physio’s coming here later on. Charlie can be a bit too exuberant at times.’

Sophie smiled with him and pushed a cup of tea across the table towards him. ‘He’s not slowing down at all, is he? You’d have thought at eight years old there would have been a few signs of maturity by now, wouldn’t you?’

‘You would.’

Her father had bought Charlie as a pup, a couple of years after his marriage to her mother had broken down. He’d taken him with him everywhere, even to his work on the estate, and they’d roamed the woods and fields together, man and dog.

‘How’s the work going with the physio?’ she asked now, as she slid bread into the toaster. Every morning before work, she came over to the house to have breakfast with her father.

‘We’re getting there, I reckon.’ He paused, thinking about it. ‘When she came yesterday I stood for a while with the frame, and I even managed to take a couple of steps.’

‘You did?’ He looked deservedly pleased with himself and Sophie stopped what she was doing and rushed over to him. ‘Oh, that’s wonderful.’ She hugged him fiercely. ‘I’m thrilled to bits for you. That’s amazing.’

‘Yes, it’s definitely a step forward...’ He chuckled at his own joke and she laughed with him. ‘Seriously, with all the treatment I’ve been having at the hospital, and now these sessions at home with the physio, I feel as though I’m making progress. It’s been a long job, but I’m getting there at last.’

They ate cereals and toast and chatted for a while, but Sophie soon realised her father had something else on his mind. ‘I’ve been hearing rumours,’ he said, ‘about Branscombe losing all his money and the estate houses being put on the market. Do you know anything about that?’

‘Not really.’ She frowned. ‘I don’t suppose we’ll know anything more until Lord Branscombe is out of hospital. Nate’s looking after things in the meantime, but—’

‘You’ve seen him again?’ Martin Trent’s voice was sharp, his whole manner on the alert all at once.

‘No...no, not since I saw him that day at the Seafarer when his father was taken ill.’ Sophie hastily tried to calm him. It was true. She hadn’t seen him. She wasn’t going to tell him that she’d phoned the Manor House the next day to find out how Lord Branscombe was faring. After all, it had been an innocent enquiry—she’d expected to talk to Charlotte, and it had been a shock to have Nate answer the phone.

‘I haven’t seen him,’ she said again, calmly, concerned that her father was still looking tense, his fingers gripping tightly on the arms of his wheelchair, ‘so I assume he’s busy visiting his father and talking to the Estate Manager to see how they can keep things jogging along.’

‘Hmmph.’ He slumped back in his seat. ‘I don’t want either of us to have anything more to do with that family. James is an arrogant, self-centred womaniser and his son is likely no better.’

‘We don’t know that Nate is like that,’ she said in a reasonable tone. ‘He hasn’t been around here for any length of time these past few years, has he, so how can we judge him?’

‘He can’t escape heredity,’ her father said flatly. ‘It’ll be in the genes. That’s all you need to know. Besides, he upset you... I know you and he argued but you were broken-hearted when he went away.’

‘It was a bad time. You were injured and struggling to come to terms with being disabled and I was confused and lashed out.’ Sophie sighed inwardly. She understood her father’s dislike of the Branscombes and his hostility towards them. After all, he’d worked for Lord Branscombe for years and had suffered in the end because of it, but it was hard for her to share his animosity towards the son. Her mind drifted back to that last conversation she’d had with Nate.

He’d been more than pleased to talk to her that day when she’d telephoned the Manor House. Despite his troubles, his voice was warm and welcoming, sending little thrills to run along her spine. Just hearing him had made her feel that he was close by, almost as though he was in the room with her. She’d been concerned for him, though, wondering how he was bearing up, and tried to keep her mind on the business in hand.

‘They’re assessing my father in the Coronary Care Unit,’ he’d said when she asked about Lord Branscombe. ‘I think they’re planning on removing the blood clot and putting a stent in one of his arteries. It’s looking as though he’ll be in hospital for some time.’

They’d talked for a while and he said, ‘I’m sorry things turned out the way they did—both for my father and for selfish reasons... It was good seeing you again, Sophie. I’m sorry our get-together came to such an abrupt end.’

‘Yes...though I wasn’t expecting you to turn up that day or I—’ She broke off.

‘Or you’d have gone out of your way to avoid me.’ She could hear the wry inflection in his voice and she flinched, knowing what he said was the truth.

Seeing him again had stirred up all sorts of feelings inside her that she’d thought were long since forgotten...or at least pushed to one side. But she didn’t want to go there again—to start up something that would only end in distress.

Suddenly uncomfortable, she sought for a way to bring the conversation to an end. ‘I’m sure your father’s in good hands, Nate. He’ll be glad to have you by his side as he recovers.’

‘Yes, he seems calmer, knowing I’m here for him.’

‘That’s good.’ She hesitated, cautious about getting more deeply involved with him, and then said, ‘I should go. Maybe I’ll see you around.’

‘Sophie, couldn’t we—?’ Nate started to speak but she quickly cut the call before she could change her mind.

‘Bye.’ She had no idea what he must have made of her rush to get away, but he already knew she was trying to keep her distance from him.

‘Anyway,’ her father was saying, ‘it looks as though the tenancies could be at risk if what the papers say is true.’ His brow was furrowed with anxiety. ‘I’ve grown used to living here since the crash—I have wheelchair access, handrails... I don’t want to have to move...to have to go through the upheaval all over again...’

‘It probably won’t come to that,’ she said, trying to soothe him. ‘I suppose we’re all in much the same boat—my place is rented too. But, as far as I know, the press stories are just speculation. It’s too soon yet for anything to have been decided.’

‘Yes, I suppose you’re right.’ He glanced at Charlie, snoozing in the corner of the kitchen. ‘Thanks for taking him out for me every day. It’s good of you and I do appreciate what you do for me—I know how hard you work.’

She smiled at him and stood up to clear away the breakfast dishes. ‘I like to keep an eye on you. I was worried when you had that chest infection, but you look so much better now.’ She finished tidying up and then glanced at her watch. ‘I must go,’ she said. ‘I have a date first thing with those gorgeous little babies in the Neonatal Unit.’

‘Ah...that’s the bit you like best of all about your job, isn’t it? Looking after the tiny infants.’

‘It is.’ She gave him a quick kiss and a hug, patted a sleepy Charlie on the head and headed out of the door.

She drove to work, following the coast road for a while, uplifted as always by the sight of the wide, sweeping bay and the rugged landscape of cliffs and inlets. After a mile or two she turned inland, driving along a country road until gradually it gave way to suburbia and eventually the local town came into view. She parked the car at the hospital and made her way inside the building.

There was one baby in particular she was eager to see this morning. Alfie had been born prematurely at twenty-seven weeks and had been looked after in Intensive Care for the last couple of months. She’d followed his progress day by day. Now that he was a little stronger and in a better stage of development, Sophie had been able to withdraw his nasogastric feeding tube and she was keen to see how he and his mum were coping with him taking milk from a bottle. They’d had a few attempts at feeding him over the last couple of days, but so far it hadn’t been going too well.

‘Hi there, Mandy,’ Sophie greeted the young woman who was sitting by the baby’s cot, holding the infant in her arms. She looked down at the tiny baby, his little fingers clenched, his pink mouth pouting, seeking nourishment. ‘Isn’t he gorgeous?’

Mandy smiled agreement, though at the moment the baby was squirming, crying intermittently and obviously hungry. The nurse on duty brought a bottle of milk and handed it to Mandy, who gently placed the teat in her baby’s mouth.

Alfie sucked greedily, gulped, swallowed and forgot to breathe, causing him to choke on the milk, and Mandy looked anxious. ‘He keeps doing that,’ she said worriedly.

‘It’s all right, Mandy,’ Sophie said softly. ‘It’s something they have to learn, to remember to breathe while they’re feeding. Sometimes they stop breathing for a few seconds because the heart rate is a little slow—as in Alfie’s case—but we’ve added a shot of caffeine to his milk to give him a little boost. There’s supplemental iron in there too, because being born prematurely means his iron stores are a bit low.’

‘Will he always have this low heart rate?’ The young mother was full of concern for her baby.

‘No, no. Things will get better as he matures. In the meantime, the caffeine will help. You can relax. He’s doing really well.’ Sophie lightly stroked the baby’s hand. ‘Look, he’s sucking better already.’

She left the unit a few minutes later, after checking up on a couple of other babies, and then went along to the Children’s Unit. An eleven-year-old girl had been admitted a couple of days ago, suffering from septicaemia, and she wanted to see how she was doing.

‘Sophie—I was hoping I might catch up with you at some point today.’ A familiar deep male voice greeted her and stopped her in her tracks. An odd tingling sensation ran through her.

She’d been lost in thought, but now she looked up to see Nate standing by the nurses’ station, tall and incredibly good-looking, dressed in dark trousers that moulded his long legs and a pristine shirt with the sleeves folded back to the elbows.

She stared at him, her blue eyes wide with shock, her heart beginning to thump heavily. ‘Nate—what are you doing here?’ She was startled to see him standing there, and more than a little alarmed to have her sanctuary invaded. This was one place where she’d always thought she was safe.

‘I’ve started a new job here as a locum consultant,’ he explained. ‘It’s a temporary post for the next few months until they appoint a new person for the job. They tell me I’ll be in the running for that too.’

She pulled in a steadying breath. ‘I’d no idea you were looking for work over here. I suppose you must be pleased that you found something so soon...and so close to home.’ Why did it have to be here, in her department? How on earth was she going to cope, having him around?

‘I am; I’m very pleased. The opportunity came up and I decided to go for it. This will give me time to decide what I want to do—and of course it means I’ll be on hand to visit my father in the Coronary Care Unit here, which is an advantage.’

‘Yes, of course.’ She looked at him in concern. ‘I hope he’s doing all right.’

He nodded. ‘They went ahead and put a stent in the artery to prevent another blockage there. He’s a lot better than he was.’

‘That’s good.’ Her mind was reeling. It was difficult enough, knowing that Nate was back in the village...but to have him here, working alongside her...that was something she’d not contemplated. How was her father going to react to that news? But she didn’t confide any of that to Nate. Instead she did her best to keep things on an even keel. ‘I hope you enjoy your time here—I think you’ll find it’s a very friendly, supportive place to work.’

‘I’m sure I will.’ His green eyes glinted as he looked at her. ‘Knowing that you’re here too makes it even better.’ His glance moved over her, flicking appreciatively over her curves, outlined by the close-fitting lavender-coloured top and dove-grey pencil-line skirt she was wearing. ‘I’m more than glad to know that I’ll be working alongside you.’

‘I—uh...’ She cleared her throat. ‘Yes...well... I think I should make a start on seeing my patients. I was just about to do a ward round.’

He inclined his head briefly. ‘I’ll come with you and try to get acquainted with everyone. I’ve already met some of the doctors and the nursing staff...like Tracey and Hannah over there...’ His mouth made a crooked shape and he gestured towards a couple of the nurses who had been watching him from a distance but who now felt dismayed at being discovered and quickly seemed to find a reason to be going about their work.

She acknowledged their reaction with a faint grimace. Nothing had changed, had it? No doubt the nurses and female doctors had been falling over themselves to get to know him. He seemed to have that effect on women. They simply couldn’t get enough of him. And he probably liked things that way.

‘Okay. I thought I’d start by looking in on Emma.’ She began to walk towards one of the wards, a four-bed bay close to the nursing station.

He seemed to be searching his memory. ‘That would be the child with sepsis?’

She looked at him in surprise. ‘You’ve looked through the notes already?’

He nodded. ‘I like to know who and what I’m going to be dealing with, if at all possible. There isn’t always time but I was in early today, so I was able to take a quick glance at the notes on computer. They only give the bare essentials, of course.’

She had to admire his thoroughness. ‘Well, she and her friend apparently gave each other body piercings—they wanted to wear belly bars but Emma’s mother wouldn’t allow it, so they did it in secret. Emma’s wound became infected and the little girl was too worried about what her parents would say to tell them what was happening. It was only when she started to feel ill that she finally admitted what she’d done. Her parents brought her to A&E but by then the infection was in her bloodstream.’

He winced. ‘You have her on strong antibiotics?’

‘We do. We had the results of tests back from the lab—it’s an aggressive infection, so we’ve put her on a specific treatment now. Of course she needs support to compensate for failing internal organs while her body’s under attack.’

That was the reason the little girl was on a ventilator to help with her breathing and was receiving vital fluids through an intravenous line. Her parents were sitting by her bedside, taking turns to hold her hand. They were pale and distraught, and Sophie did her best to reassure them.

‘Her temperature’s down,’ she said, glancing at the monitor, ‘and her blood oxygen levels are improving, so it looks as though the antibiotics are beginning to have an effect. It will take time, but there’s a definite improvement.’

‘Thank you.’ Emma’s mother was still sick with worry. ‘I just blame myself. I should have known.’

‘I doubt anyone would know if a child made up her mind to keep something to herself,’ Nate said, his voice sympathetic. ‘It’s all the rage to get these piercings, but I expect she’ll be wanting to give them a miss for the time being, at least.’ He smiled and the woman’s mouth curved a fraction.

‘Let’s hope you’re right about that.’

Sophie went on with the ward rounds, conscious all the time of Nate by her side. He talked to the young patients, getting a smile from those who were able and bringing comfort to those who needed it. He was a dream of a children’s doctor. It was a role that could have been made especially for him.

‘Shall we go and get some lunch in the hospital restaurant?’ he suggested a couple of hours later, when she had seen all her patients and finished writing up her notes.

‘Yes, I’d like that. I’m starving.’

He grinned. ‘I thought you might be. You always burned up energy like a racing engine. From what I’ve heard, the food’s pretty good here.’

‘It’s not bad at all,’ she agreed. ‘That’s mostly down to Jake’s intervention, I think. Soon after he was appointed as a manager, he brought in new caterers and the whole place was reorganised. It’s only been up and running for a few weeks. They do hot and cold food and there are sections where you can help yourself and get served quickly.’

He pushed open the door and slipped an arm around her waist as he guided her into the large open-plan area. She felt the warmth of his palm on the curve of her back through the thin material of her top and a sensation of heat spread out along her spine. Try as she might to ignore it, she couldn’t get away from the fact that she liked the feel of his hand on her body...so much so that she was almost disappointed when he let go of her and led the way to the service counters.

There were several of them, each offering a variety of food—salads, sandwiches, cold meats, and then there were the hot food counters, serving things like jacket potatoes, chilli con carne and tomato-and-basil quiche.

Nate studied the menu board. ‘Looks like today’s specials are lasagne or shepherd’s pie,’ he said.

She pulled herself together and tried to concentrate. ‘I think I’ll have the lasagne,’ she said, and added a rhubarb crumble to her tray. Nate opted for shepherd’s pie and runner beans but didn’t bother with a dessert. He added a pot of tea and two cups to his tray.

‘No pudding... Now I see how you keep that lean and hungry look,’ she commented.

‘Oh, I prefer savoury food above all else.’ His gaze travelled over her. ‘But the puddings don’t seem to have done you any harm at all. You’re as slim as ever—with curves in all the right places.’ He smiled as a swift tide of heat swept over her cheeks. ‘It must be all the exercise you get, working here and helping your father. Charlotte mentioned to me that you walk the dog and do your father’s grocery shopping and so on.’

‘I do what I can.’ They chose a table by the window and sat down to eat.

‘I imagine your father and Jake get on pretty well,’ Nate said after a while. ‘Jake’s easy to get along with, isn’t he?’

‘I guess so. I mean, he and I get on all right. We always have done.’ She frowned. They’d always been friends, a bit like a brother and sister, really. She looked at Nate. ‘Actually, he hasn’t had all that much to do with my father, up to now. They know one another, of course, from when we were younger, but I haven’t had occasion to take him home as yet.’

‘Hmm.’ His green gaze was thoughtful.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘I expect Jake wants to move things on... He’ll want to be more than just friends.’ He studied her intently as though memorising every one of her features. ‘Any man would.’

She moistened her lower lip with her tongue. ‘I don’t know about that. I’ve been down that road before and I’ve discovered to my cost that things don’t always work out too well.’

He raised a brow. ‘Perhaps you’ve known the wrong people.’

‘Perhaps.’ The truth was, the only man she’d ever really wanted was Nate, but there had always been so many obstacles in their way that it just felt that maybe it was never meant to be. ‘You must know from your father’s experience that it isn’t easy to find the right partner in life,’ she said. ‘My own mother and father couldn’t make a go of it.’

‘I think the truth is my father never really got over losing my mother,’ he admitted. ‘He was something of a lost soul after that. But, as to your situation, it always struck me—as a child growing up—that your father did his best. He wanted the relationship to work.’

‘I’m sure he did.’ She pulled a face. ‘But, well, you know my mother... She could be...flaky, I suppose you’d call it. She was unreliable and her behaviour was odd sometimes. It made her difficult to live with, but of course we didn’t know then that she was suffering from bipolar disorder.’

He slid his fork into his shepherd’s pie. ‘It must have been difficult for you when the marriage broke up and she took you and your brother and sister away to live in Somerset.’

‘Yes, it was. It was hard leaving my father, and everything we’d ever known back here.’ She frowned, thinking about it. ‘Though it wasn’t so bad for me because I was getting ready to go to Medical School. I was more worried about leaving Rob and Jessica behind at that time. They were still very young—nine and eleven by the time Mum remarried. It broke my heart to leave them.’ Her mouth flattened. ‘I still worry about them after all this time—eight years later.’

‘But they come to stay with you quite often, don’t they? Charlotte told me a long while ago that they’re back here whenever they have the chance.’

‘That’s true. Jessica’s married now, though, so I don’t know if she’ll be over here quite as much.’

His eyes lit up with interest. ‘I heard about that—and that she’s pregnant. Is she okay? Is it all going well?’

She paused for a moment to savour her lasagne. ‘Yes, she’s fine. Money’s a bit tight—but she and Ryan managed to buy a small terraced house in an old part of town. They’re young and they were impulsive, I suppose, in a hurry to be together. Only now Ryan’s taken a job which means he has to work away for several days at a time. I’m just hoping they won’t have too much of a struggle financially, with a baby on the way.’

He shrugged lightly. ‘Young people are resilient. If the love’s there I’m sure nothing much else matters.’

She smiled. ‘I think that’s what I’ve always liked about you—your optimism. Yes, I’m sure things will turn out fine, eventually.’

He poured tea for both of them. ‘And Rob—how’s he getting along? He must be sixteen or seventeen by now...’

‘He’s just turned seventeen. Rob’s a typical teenager—full to bursting with teenage hormones right now.’ She made a start on her dessert, enjoying the brief moment of sweetness as she tasted the creamy custard on her tongue. ‘I think he worries about Dad.’

‘I’m sure he does. The relationship between a father and his son is an important one.’ He studied her closely. ‘It applies to fathers and daughters too. Your father always looked out for you, didn’t he? I had the feeling he didn’t want you getting too close to me.’

‘He was just trying to protect me. I guess he knew you weren’t one to settle. And your family heritage is something you can’t get away from—you lead a vastly different life to most ordinary people and I suppose he felt in your eyes and your father’s eyes I would always be the Estate Manager’s daughter.’

He shook his head. ‘That’s not true. I always thought you were special. I was miserable when you left to go to Medical School—I was glad for you that you were doing something you’d always wanted to do, but sad for myself. We were bound to be separated for a great amount of time, studying in different parts of the country.’

She smiled, unconvinced. As a teenager she’d longed for Nate to look at her the way he’d looked at other women, but it was only when her family was uprooted and she was desperately vulnerable that things had changed between the two of them. He’d reached out to her and offered her comfort, a shoulder to cry on.

But it had been too late. She’d made the decision to leave home to go and study medicine. Those last few times they had been together, he had held her in his arms and there had been the occasional stolen kiss, enough to make her long for more. How could she have allowed herself to get more deeply involved with him back then? He was often away, studying to be a doctor, and when he was home she was too conscious of the great divide between them to let it happen.

Perhaps it was true he had missed her for a while. But he must have known that they were miles apart in other ways. Nate’s family, unlike hers, was completely orderly, old school, following age-old traditions, their ways of going on passed down from generation to generation. She sighed inwardly. She would never fit in.

Now, he reached for the milk jug and frowned as he caught sight of a newspaper lying abandoned and open on a nearby table. Sophie followed his gaze and scanned the headlines. There was a picture of Branscombe Manor with a larger image of Lord Branscombe in the foreground.