The stranger who stole her heart!

When paramedic Jack Halliday is saved from a flood by red-haired beauty Cassandra Clarke, the chemistry between them explodes. And while he’ll always put his daughter, Ellie, first, Jack can’t help longing to save Cass in return...

Meeting single dad Jack awakens too many cravings in firefighter Cass, who’s accepted that she’ll never have a baby of her own. But when this man—and his adorable daughter—invite her to share their house, Cass begins to feel she’s found her home!

Stranded in His Arms

Falling in love in the face of danger!

As the water level rises in a Somerset village, ambulance partners Mimi Sawyer and Jack Halliday race toward a pregnant woman fast approaching her due date. But when a river bursts its banks, this fearless team is separated, and Mimi and Jack find themselves facing the strongest challenge yet to the walls around their hearts!

Don’t miss this exciting new duet by

Annie Claydon

Mimi and Rafe’s story,

Rescued by Dr. Rafe,

and

Jack and Cass’s story,

Saved by the Single Dad,

Available now!

Dear Reader,

When I started to write Saved by the Single Dad I knew that my heroine was going to be a bit special—so she needed a special name. And when I settled on one it meant a phone call to one of my friends—did she mind if I appropriated her name for my heroine? The real Cassandra rather liked the idea that the fictional Cassandra would be six feet tall, flame-haired and able to lift the hero off his feet, and so my heroine was born. She’s very different from my friend, but in my eyes they have one thing in common. They’re both true heroines.

Of course a heroine like this needs a special hero. Many men would be challenged by Cass’s do-anything attitude but Jack loves it—which is precisely what I like about him.

Thank you for reading Jack and Cass’s story. I always enjoy hearing from readers, and you can contact me via my website at annieclaydon.com.

Annie x

Saved by the Single Dad

Annie Claydon

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For the real Cassandra

Praise for Annie Claydon

‘A compelling, emotional and highly poignant read that I couldn’t bear to put down. Rich in pathos, humour and dramatic intensity, it’s a spellbinding tale about healing old wounds, having the courage to listen to your heart and the power of love that kept me enthralled from beginning to end.’

—Goodreads on Once Upon a Christmas Night...

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

Dedication

Praise

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

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

EPILOGUE

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

JACK PUT HIS head down, trying to shield his face from the stinging rain. Behind him, his ambulance was parked on the road, unable to make it across the narrow bridge that was now the only way into the small village of Holme. Ahead of him, a heavily pregnant woman who should be transported to hospital before the late summer floods in this area of Somerset got any worse.

He and Mimi had been in worse situations before. They’d crewed an ambulance together for the last seven years, Mimi in the driver’s seat and Jack taking the lead in treating their patients. They were a good team.

But, however good they were, they couldn’t stop it from raining. The main road to the hilltop village was under three feet of water and this back road led across a narrow bridge that was slick with mud. Rather than risk the ambulance getting stuck halfway across, they’d decided to make the rest of the journey on foot.

There were still plenty of options. The patient wasn’t in labour yet, and maybe a four-by-four could bring her down the hill to the waiting ambulance. Maybe the storm would clear and the HEMS team could airlift her out. Maybe the support doctor Jack had requested would arrive soon, and maybe not. If all else failed, he and Mimi had delivered babies together before now.

His feet slid on a patch of mud and he gripped the heavy medical bag slung over his shoulder, lurching wildly for a moment before he regained his balance. ‘Careful...’ He muttered the word as an instruction to himself. Slipping and breaking his leg wasn’t one of the options he had been considering.

‘One, two, three...’ In a grim version of the stepping game he played with Ellie, his four-year-old daughter, he traversed the bridge, trying to ignore the grumbling roar of thunder in the hills. He’d wait for Mimi on the far bank of the river. She’d walked back up the road a little to get reception on her phone and check in with the Disaster Control Team, but they shouldn’t lose sight of each other.

He thought he heard someone scream his name but it was probably just the screech of the wind. Then, as the roar got louder, he realised that it wasn’t thunder.

Jack turned. A wall of water, tumbling down from the hills, was travelling along the path of the riverbed straight towards him.

His first instinct was to trust the power and speed of his body and run, but in a moment of sudden clarity he knew he wouldn’t make it up the steep muddy path in front of him in time. A sturdy-looking tree stood just yards away, its four twisting trunks offering some hope of protection, and Jack dropped his bag and ran towards it.

He barely had a chance to lock his hands around one of the trunks and suck in one desperate breath before the water slammed against his back, expelling all of the precious oxygen from his lungs in one gasp as it flattened him against the bark. A great roar deafened him and he kept his eyes tight shut against the water and grit hitting his face. Hang on. The one and only thing he could do was hang on.

Then it stopped. Not daring to let go of the tree trunk, Jack opened his eyes, trying to blink away the sting of the dirty water. Another sickening roar was coming from upstream.

The next wave was bigger, tearing at his body. He tried to hold on but his fingers slipped apart and he was thrown against the other three trunks, one of them catching the side of his head with a dizzying blow. There was no point in trying to hold his breath and a harsh bellow escaped his lips as his arms flailed desperately, finding something to hold on to and clinging tight.

Then, suddenly, it stopped again. Too dazed to move, Jack lay twisted in the shelter of the branches, his limbs trembling with shock and effort. He was so cold...

Mimi... He tried to call for her, hoping against all hope that she hadn’t been on the bridge when the water had hit, but all he could do was cough and retch, dirty water streaming out of his nose and mouth.

He gasped in a lungful of air. ‘Mimi...’

‘Stay down. Just for a moment.’

A woman’s voice, husky and sweet. Someone was wiping his face, clearing his eyes and mouth.

‘Mimi... My partner.’

‘She’s okay. I can see her on the other side of the river.’ That voice again. He reached out towards it and felt a warm hand grip his.

He opened his eyes, blinking against the light, and saw her face. Pale skin, with strands of short red hair escaping from the hood of her jacket. Strong cheekbones, a sweet mouth and the most extraordinary pale blue eyes. It was the kind of face you’d expect to find on some warrior goddess...

He shook his head. He must be in shock. Jack knew better than most the kind of nonsense that people babbled in situations like this. Unless she had a golden sword tucked away under her dark blue waterproof jacket, she was just an ordinary mortal, her face rendered ethereal because it was the first thing he’d seen when he opened his eyes.

‘Are you sure? Mimi’s okay?’

The woman glanced up only briefly, her gaze returning to him. ‘She’s wearing an ambulance service jacket. Blonde hair, I think...’

‘Yes, that’s her.’ Jack tried to move and found that his limbs had some strength in them now.

‘Are you hurt?’

‘No...’ No one part of him hurt any more than the rest and Jack decided that was a good sign. ‘Thanks...um...’

‘I’m Cass... Cassandra Clarke.’

‘Jack Halliday.’

She gave a small nod in acknowledgement. ‘We’d better not hang around here for too long. Can you stand?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Okay, take it slowly.’ She reached over, disentangling his foot from a branch, and then scrambled around next to him, squeezing her body in between him and one of the tree trunks. With almost no effort on his part at all, he found himself sitting up as she levered her weight against his, her arms supporting him. Then she helped him carefully to his feet.

He turned, looking back over the bridge to find Mimi. Only the bridge wasn’t there any more. A couple of chunks of masonry were all that was left of it, rolling downstream under the pressure of the boiling water. He could see Mimi standing on the other side, staring fixedly at him, and beside her stood a man who he thought he recognised. Behind them, the lights still on and the driver’s door open, was a black SUV.

‘All right?’ Now that he was on his feet, he could see that Cass was tall, just a couple of inches shorter than him.

‘Yeah. Thanks.’ Jack felt for his phone and found that he had nothing in his pocket apart from a couple of stones and a handful of sludge. ‘I need to get to a phone...’

‘Okay. The village is only ten minutes away; we’ll get you up there first.’ She spoke with a quiet, irresistible authority.

Jack waved to Mimi, feeling a sharp ache in his shoulder as he raised his arm. She waved back, both hands reaching out towards him as if she was trying to retrieve him. Moving his hand in a circular motion as a sign that he’d call her, he saw the man bend to pick something up. Mimi snatched her phone from him and looked at it for a moment and then turned her attention back on to Jack, sending him a thumbs-up sign.

‘Did you mean to park the ambulance like that?’ There was a note of dry humour in Cass’s husky tones.

Jack looked over the water and saw that the ambulance had been washed off the road and was leaning at a precarious angle against a tree. He muttered a curse under his breath.

‘I’ll take that as a no.’

Jack chuckled, despite the pain in his ribs. ‘What are you?’

She flushed red as if this was the one question she didn’t know how to answer. In someone so capable, the delicate shade of pink on her cheeks stirred his shaking limbs into sudden warmth.

‘What do you mean?’

‘None of this fazes you very much, does it? And you’ve been trained in how to lift...’ Jack recognised the techniques she’d used as very similar to his own. A little more leverage and a little less strength, maybe. And, although Cass didn’t give any orders, the men around her seemed to recognise her as their leader.

‘I’m a firefighter. I work at the fire station in town, but I’m off duty at the moment. On duty as a concerned family member, though—my sister Lynette’s the patient you’re coming to see.’

‘Then we’d better get going.’ Jack looked around for his bag and saw that one of the men was holding it, and that water was dripping out of it. He really was on his own here—no Mimi and no medical bag. He turned, accepting a supportive arm from one of the men, and began to walk slowly up the steep path with the group.

* * *

This wasn’t what Cass had planned. She’d hoped to be able to get Lynette safely to hospital well in advance but, stubborn as ever, her sister had pointed out that it was another two weeks before her due date and flatly refused to go.

The hospital was now out of reach, but a paramedic was the next best thing. And the floods had finally given her a break and quite literally washed Jack up, on to her doorstep.

Despite the layers of clothing, she’d still felt the strength of his body when she’d helped him up. Hard muscle, still pumped and quivering with the effort of holding on. It had taken nerve to stay put and hang on instead of trying to run from the water, but that decision had probably saved his life.

He was tall as well, a couple of inches taller than her own six feet. And despite, or maybe because of, all that raw power he had the gentlest eyes. The kind of deep brown that a girl could just fall into.

Enough. He might be easy on the eye, but that was nothing to do with her primary objective. Jack was walking ahead of her and Cass lengthened her stride to catch up with him.

‘Lynette’s actually been having mild contractions. She’s not due for another two weeks, but it seems as if the baby might come sooner.’ It was better to think of him as an asset, someone who could help her accomplish the task ahead. Bravery had got him here in one piece and those tender eyes might yet come in useful, for comforting Lynette.

‘Her first child?’

‘Yes.’ And one that Cass would protect at all costs.

‘Hopefully it’ll decide not to get its feet wet just yet. The weather’s too bad for the HEMS team to be able to operate safely tonight, but we may be able to airlift her out in the morning.’

‘Thanks. You’ll contact them?’

‘Yeah. Can I borrow your phone? I need to get hold of Mimi as well.’

‘Of course, but we’ll get you inside first. Who’s the guy with her?’

‘If it’s who I think it is, that’s her ex.’ A brief grin. Brief but very nice. ‘Mimi’s not going to like him turning up out of the blue.’

‘Complicated?’

‘Isn’t it always?’

He had a point. In any given situation, the complications always seemed to far outweigh the things that went right. Which meant that someone as gorgeous as Jack was probably dizzyingly complicated.

‘She’ll be okay, though? Your partner.’

‘Oh, yeah. No problems with Rafe; he won’t leave her stranded. He might have to tie her to a tree to stop her from killing him, but she’ll be okay.’ Despite the fact that Jack was visibly shivering, the warmth in his eyes was palpable.

Maybe Cass should have done that with her ex, Paul. Tied him to a tree and killed him when she’d had the chance. But he was a father now, and probably a half decent one at that. He had a new wife, and a child who depended on him.

‘I don’t suppose there’s any way we can get some more medical supplies over here?’ Jack’s voice broke her reverie. ‘Rafe’s a doctor and, knowing him, he’ll have come prepared for anything. I could do with a few things, just in case.’

Cass nodded. ‘Leave it with me; I’ll work something out. You need to get cleaned up and into some dry clothes before you do anything else.’

‘Yeah.’ The tremble of his limbs was making it through into Jack’s voice now. ‘I could do with a hot shower.’

‘That’s exactly where we’re headed. Church hall.’

‘That’s where we’re staying tonight?’ He looked towards the spire, which reached up into the sky ahead of them like a beacon at the top of the hill.

‘Afraid so. The water’s already pretty deep all around the village. In this storm, and with the flash floods, there’s no safe place to cross.’

She could count on the water keeping him here for the next twenty-four hours at least, perhaps more if she was lucky. He might not want to stay, but there was no choice.

‘I’m not thinking of trying to get across. Not while I have a patient to tend to.’

‘Thank you. I really appreciate that.’ Cass felt suddenly ashamed of herself. This guy wasn’t an asset, a cog in a piece of machinery. He was a living, breathing man and his dedication to his job wasn’t taken out of a rule book.

She reminded herself, yet again, that this kind of thinking would only get her into trouble. Paul had left her because she’d been unable to get pregnant. Then told her that the problem was all hers, proving his point by becoming a father seven months later. In the agony of knowing that she might never have the baby she so wanted, the indignity of the timing was almost an afterthought.

That was all behind her. The tearing disappointment each month. The wedding, which Paul had postponed time and time again and had ended up cancelled. Lynette’s baby was the one she had to concentrate on now, and she was going to fight tooth and nail to get everything that her sister needed.

* * *

Jack was taking one thing at a time. He fixed his eyes on the church steeple, telling himself that this was the goal for the time being and that he just had to cajole his aching limbs into getting there.

Slowly it rose on the horizon, towering dizzily above his head as they got closer. The church had evidently been here for many hundreds of years but, when Cass led him around the perimeter of the grey, weatherworn stones, the building behind it was relatively new. She walked through a pair of swing doors into a large lobby filled with racks of coats. At the far end, shadows passed to and fro behind a pair of obscure glass doors, which obviously led to the main hall.

‘The showers are through here.’ Cass indicated a door at the side of the lobby.

‘Wait.’ There was one thing he needed to do, and then he’d leave the rest to Cass and hope that the water was hot. ‘Give me your phone.’

She hesitated. ‘The medical bags can wait. You need to get warm.’

‘Won’t take a minute.’ He held out his hand, trying not to wince as pain shot through his shoulders and Cass nodded, producing her phone from her pocket.

‘Thank you. Tell her that we’re going back down to fetch the medical supplies. I think I know how we can get them across.’

It didn’t come as any particular surprise that she had a plan. Jack imagined that Cass was the kind of person who always had a plan. She was tall and strong, and moved with the controlled grace of someone who knew how to focus on the task in hand. Now that she’d pulled her hood back her thick red hair, cut in a layered style that was both practical and feminine, made her seem even more gorgeously formidable.

His text to Mimi was answered immediately and confirmed that it was Rafe that he’d seen. Jack texted again, asking Mimi to pack whatever spare medical supplies they had into a bag.

‘Here.’ He passed the phone back to Cass. ‘She’s waiting for your call.’

‘Thanks.’ She slipped the phone into her pocket. ‘Now you get warm.’

She led the way through to a large kitchen, bustling with activity, which suddenly quieted as they tramped through in their muddy boots and wet clothes. Beyond that, a corridor led to a bathroom, with a sign saying ‘Women Only’ hung on the door. Cass popped her head inside and then flipped the sign over, to display the words ‘Men Only’.

It looked as if he had the place to himself. There was a long row of handbasins, neat and shining, with toilet cubicles lined up opposite and bath and shower cubicles at the far end. The place smelled of bleach and air freshener.

‘Put your clothes there.’ She indicated a well-scrubbed plastic chair next to the handbasins. ‘I’ll send someone to collect them and leave some fresh towels and we’ll find some dry clothes. What size are you...?’

The question was accompanied by a quick up and down glance that made Jack shiver, and a slight flush spread over Cass’s cheeks. ‘Large will have to do, I think.’ She made the words sound like a compliment.

‘Thanks. That would be great.’

‘Do you need any help?’ She looked at him steadily. ‘I’m relying on you, as a medical professional, to tell me if there’s anything the matter with you.’

If he’d thought for one moment that Cass would stay and help him off with his clothes, instead of sending someone else in to do it, Jack might just have said yes. ‘No. I’ll be fine.’

‘Good.’ She turned quickly, but Jack caught sight of a half-smile on her lips. Maybe she would have stayed. Working in an environment that was still predominantly male, Jack doubted that she was much fazed by the sight of a man’s body.

He waited for the door to close behind her before he painfully took off his jacket and sweater. Unbuttoning his shirt, he stood in front of the mirror to inspect some of the damage. It was impossible to tell what was what at the moment. A little blood, mixed with a great deal of mud from the dirty water. He’d shower first and then worry about any bumps and scratches.

A knock at the door and a woman’s voice, asking if she could come in, disturbed the best shower Jack could remember taking in a long time. Hurried footsteps outside the cubicle and then he was alone again, luxuriating in the hot water.

After soaping his body twice, he felt almost clean again. Opening the cubicle door a crack, he peered out and found the bathroom empty; two fluffy towels hung over one of the handbasins. One was large enough to wind around his waist and he rubbed the other one over his head to dry his hair.

He looked a mess. He could feel a bump forming on the side of his head and, although his jacket had largely protected the rest of him, he had friction burns on his arms, which stung like crazy, and a graze on his chest from where the zip on his jacket had been driven against the skin.

‘Coming in...’ A rap on the door and a man’s voice. A slim, sandy-haired man of about forty entered, carrying a pile of clothes and a pair of canvas shoes. ‘Hi, Jack. I’m Martin.’

He was wearing a light windcheater, white letters on a dark blue background on the right hand side, in the same place that Jack’s paramedic insignia appeared on his uniform. When he turned, the word was repeated in larger letters across his back.

‘You’re the vicar, then.’ Jack grinned.

‘Yeah. My wife seems to think this is a good idea, just in case anyone mistakes me for someone useful.’

‘I’d always be glad to see you coming.’ Hope and comfort were often just as important as medical treatment.

‘Likewise. We’re grateful for all you did to get here.’ Martin propped the clothes on the ledge behind the washbasins. ‘They look nasty.’ His gaze was on the friction burns on Jack’s arms.

‘Superficial. They’ll be okay.’ Jack riffled through the clothes. A T-shirt, a grey hooded sweatshirt and a pair of jeans that looked about his size. He picked the T-shirt up and pulled it over his head so that he didn’t have to think about the marks on his arms and chest any more. ‘How’s my patient?’

‘Lynette’s fine. She’s over at the vicarage, drinking tea with my wife and complaining about all the fuss. She seems to have got it into her head that she’s got some say about when the baby arrives.’

‘You were right to call. At the very least she needs to be checked over.’

Martin nodded. ‘Thanks. Cass has gone to get your medical supplies. Goodness only knows how she’s going to manage it, but knowing Cass...’

Even the mention of her name made Jack’s heart beat a little faster. ‘She seems very resourceful.’

Martin nodded. ‘Yeah. Bit too resourceful sometimes. Now, important question. Tea or coffee? I don’t think I can keep the Monday Club under control for much longer.’

Jack chuckled. ‘Tea. Milk, no sugar, thanks.’

‘Good. And I hope you like flapjacks or I’m going to have a riot on my hands.’

‘You seem very organised here.’

Martin nodded. ‘This church has been taking people in for the last eight hundred years. Wars, famine, fires... Now floods. I’ve never seen anything like this, though, and I’ve been here fifteen years. Half the village is flooded out.’

‘How many people do you have here?’

‘Just a couple of families staying overnight. We’ve found everyone else billets in people’s homes. But everyone eats here, and we have an action committee...’ Martin shrugged, grinning. ‘That’s Cass’s baby. I confine myself to tea and sympathy.’

Jack reckoned that Martin was downplaying his own considerable role. ‘And hospitality.’

‘We’ve never turned anyone away before, and that’s not going to start on my watch.’ A trace of determination broke through Martin’s affable smile and was quickly hidden. ‘Anything else you need?’

‘A phone? I’d like to call home.’

‘Yes, of course. The landline at the vicarage is still working; you can use that.’ Martin turned, making for the door. ‘Come to the kitchen when you’re ready and I’ll take you over there.’

CHAPTER TWO

MARTIN OPENED A side door that led out of the kitchen and they walked along a paved path, sheltered by makeshift awnings that boasted a few scraps of soggy coloured bunting hanging from the corners. Then through a gate and into the vicarage kitchen, which oozed warmth and boasted a table large enough to seat a dozen people.

Lynette was red-haired like her sister, her features prettier and yet somehow far less attractive. She was heavily pregnant and Jack’s first impressions were that she was in the best of health. Although she’d been having minor contractions, she seemed stubbornly positive that the baby wasn’t coming yet. Jack begged to differ, but kept that thought to himself.

He left Lynette on the sofa by the kitchen range and sat down at the table, where a cup of tea was waiting for him. ‘I’ll be able to examine you a little more thoroughly when your sister gets back with my medical bag.’

‘Thanks. But there’s really no need to worry. First babies are always late, aren’t they?’

Sue, the vicar’s wife, frowned. ‘Not necessarily. My Josh was early.’ She pushed a large plate of flapjacks across the table towards Jack. ‘If I eat another one of those I’ll be sorry when I get on the scales. I wish the Monday Club would stop cooking...’

Lynette laughed. ‘Not much chance of that. Mrs Hawes doesn’t like to see anyone going hungry.’

Sue sighed, looking up as someone rapped on the glass pane of the back door. ‘It’s open...’

The door swung inwards and two bags were placed inside. Then Cass appeared, her hair wet and slicked back from her face, holding her muddy boots in one hand and her wet jacket and overtrousers in the other. Sue relieved her of them and disappeared to put them in the front porch.

‘You got two across?’ Jack bent to inspect the contents of the bags.

‘Yeah, we got a line over about quarter of a mile down from the bridge. Mimi’s okay and she’s going back to the hospital with what’s-his-name.’ The corners of her mouth quirked into an expression that would have been unfathomable if Jack hadn’t been able to guess the situation. ‘She sends you her love.’

Jack nodded, drawing a stethoscope and blood pressure monitor from the bag. ‘Right, ladies. If you’re comfortable here, Lynette, I’ll get on and do a more thorough examination.’

* * *

He’d given Lynette one last flash of those tender eyes and smiled at her, pronouncing that everything was fine. Lynette hadn’t even noticed what he hadn’t said, but Cass had.

‘She’s in the early stages of labour, isn’t she?’ Cass had shown him through to the small room behind the church hall, which had been earmarked as his sleeping quarters and already boasted a hastily erected camp bed in the corner, with sheets and blankets folded on top of it.

‘Yes. Although this could be a false alarm...’

Another thing he wasn’t saying. ‘And it might not be.’

‘Yes.’ He scrubbed his hand back across his scalp, his short dark hair spiking untidily. ‘I have everything I need, and I’ve delivered babies plenty of times before.’

‘Really?’ Jack was saying everything she wanted to hear, and Cass wondered how much of it was just reassurance.

‘It’s not ideal, but we’ll get her to the hospital as soon as the weather lifts. In the meantime, you’ve done your job and you can rely on me to do mine.’

A small curl of warmth quieted some of the fear. ‘Thanks. This baby is...’ Important. All babies were important, but this one was important to her.

‘I know. And he’s going to be fine.’ His eyes made her believe it. ‘Is the father on the scene?’

‘Very much so. He’s not here, though; Lynette’s husband is in the Royal Navy and he’s away at the moment. My father works abroad too; Mum was going to come home next week to help out.’

‘So it’s just you and me then.’ He contrived to make that sound like a good thing. ‘You’re her birth partner?’

‘Yep.’ Cass pressed her lips together. Going to classes with Lynette had seemed like the most natural thing in the world. The most beautiful form of sharing between sisters. Now it was all terrifying.

‘Good.’ His gaze chipped away at yet another piece of the fear that had been laying heavy on her chest for days, and suddenly Cass wondered if she might not make a half decent job of it after all.

‘I’d rather be...’ Anything. ‘I’d rather be doing something practical.’

He laughed. ‘This is the most practical thing in the world, Cass. The one thing that never changes, and hopefully never will. You’ll both be fine.’

She knew that he was trying to reassure her, and that his You’ll both be fine wasn’t a certainty, but somehow it seemed to be working. She walked over to the coil of ropes and pulleys that had been dumped here while she’d taken the bags through to the vicarage.

‘I’ll get these out of your way.’

‘Let me help you.’ Before she could stop him, he’d picked up the rope, leaving Cass to collect the remaining pulleys and carabiners up and put them into a rucksack. ‘You used this to get the bags across?’

‘Yeah.’ Hopefully he was too busy thinking about childbirth to take much notice of what he was carrying. The cut end was clearly visible, hanging from the coil of rope. ‘I borrowed the gear from one of the guys in the village who goes mountaineering.’ She slung the rucksack over her shoulder and led the way through to the storeroom, indicating an empty patch of floor, but Jack shook his head.

‘Not there; it’s too close to the radiator and rope degrades if it dries out too fast. Help me move these boxes and we’ll lay it flat over here.’

Cass dumped the rucksack and started to lift the boxes out of the way. ‘You know something about rope?’

‘Enough to know that this one’s been cut recently, while it was under stress. Mountaineering ropes don’t just break.’ He bent to finger the cut end and then turned his gaze on to her.

The security services had missed a trick in not recruiting Jack and putting him to work as an interrogator. Those quiet eyes made it impossible not to admit to her greatest follies. ‘I...cut the rope.’

Somehow that wasn’t enough. He didn’t even need to ask; Cass found herself needing to tell him the rest.

‘Mimi shouted across, asking if we had a harness. They both seemed determined to try and get across, and medical bags are one thing...’

‘But lives are another?’ he prompted her gently.

‘Yeah. I was worried that they’d just go ahead and do it, and as soon as one of them put their weight on the ropes I wouldn’t be able to stop them. So, when we got hold of the second bag, I cut the rope.’

He grinned. ‘I couldn’t see Mimi letting you haul a bag over and staying put herself on the other side. Nice job.’

Cass supposed she might as well tell him everything; he’d hear it soon enough. ‘Not such a nice job. I miscalculated and the rope snapped back in their direction. Another few feet and it would have taken Mimi’s head off.’

‘It was...what, thirty feet across the river?’

‘About that.’

‘Weight of the bags...’ He was obviously doing some kind of calculation in his head. ‘Wouldn’t have taken her head off. Maybe given her a bit of a sting.’

‘Well, it frightened the life out of me. And what’s-his-name...’

‘Rafe...’

‘Yeah, Rafe tackled her to the ground.’

Jack snorted with laughter. ‘Oh, I’ll bet she just loved that. Rafe always was a bit on the protective side where Mimi’s concerned.’

‘She didn’t seem too pleased about it. What is it with those two? Light the blue touchpaper?’

‘Yeah and stand a long way back.’ Jack was still chuckling. ‘Shame, really. They’re both good people, but put them within fifty feet of each other and they’re a disaster. Always will be.’

‘I know the feeling...’ All too well. Only Cass would be a disaster with any man. She’d never quite been able to move on from what Paul had said and done, never been able to shake the belief that he was right. She’d felt her heart close, retreating wounded from a world that had been too painful to bear.

He didn’t reply. As Jack bent to finish arranging the ropes so they’d dry out properly, Cass couldn’t help noticing the strong lines of his body, the ripple of muscle. That didn’t just happen; it must have taken some hard work and training.

‘So you’re a mountaineer?’

He shook his head, not looking at her. ‘No. My father. It’s not something I’d ever consider doing.’

That sounded far too definite not to be a thought-out decision. ‘Too risky?’ Somehow Cass doubted that; Jack had just braved a flood to get here.

‘There’s risk and risk. My father died when I was twelve, free climbing. Anyone with an ounce of sanity would have used ropes for that particular climb, but he went for the adrenaline high. He always did.’ The sudden bitter anger in Jack’s voice left Cass in no doubt about his feelings for his father.

‘I’m really sorry...’

He straightened up. ‘Long time ago. It was one of the things that made me want to go into frontline medicine. Going out on a limb to save a life has always seemed to me to be a much finer thing than doing it for kicks.’

‘And of course we both calculate the risks we take pretty carefully.’ Cass wondered whether Jack knew that the current calculation was all about him. She wanted to know more about the man who was responsible for Lynette’s safety, to gauge his weaknesses.

He nodded. ‘Yeah. Needs a cool head, not a hot one.’

Good answer. Cass turned to the door. ‘Shall we go and see whether there’s any more tea going?’

* * *

They collected their tea from an apparently unending supply in the kitchen, and Jack followed Cass as she dodged the few steps into the back of the church building. She led him along a maze of silent corridors and through a doorway, so small that they both had to duck to get through it.

They were in a closed porch. Arched wooden doors led through to the church on one side and on the other a second door was secured by heavy metal bolts. Tall, stone-framed windows, glazed in a diamond pattern of small pieces of glass, so old that they were almost opaque. A gargoyle, perched up in a corner, grinned down at them.

‘I reckoned you might like to drink your tea in peace.’ She reached up to switch on a battery-operated lantern, which hung from one of the stone scrolls which flanked the doorway. ‘Martin’s lent me this place for the duration. I come here to think.’

It looked more like somewhere to hide than think. Jack wondered why she should need such a place when she was clearly surrounded by family and friends here. She seemed so involved with her community, so trusted, and yet somehow she held herself apart from it.

All the same, for some reason she’d let him in and it felt like too much of a privilege to question it. Jack took his jacket off and sat down on one of the stone benches that ran the length of the porch. She proffered a cushion, from a pile hidden away in an alcove in the corner, and he took it gratefully.

‘You’ve made yourself at home here. It’s warm as well. And oddly peaceful.’ Jack looked around. Listening to the storm outside, rather than struggling against it, made the old walls seem like a safe cocoon.

‘I like it. These stones are so thick it’s always the same temperature, winter or summer.’ She laid her coat out on the bench and smoothed her half-dried hair behind her ears.

‘Makes a good refuge.’ He smiled, in an indication that she could either take the observation seriously or pass it off as a joke if she chose.

‘Yeah. You should ask Martin about that; he’s a bit of a history buff. Apparently there was an incident during the English Civil War when Cavaliers claimed refuge here. They camped out in this porch for weeks.’

Fair enough. So she didn’t want to talk about it.

‘I’d like you to stay with Lynette tonight, at the vicarage. Keep an eye on her.’

She nodded. ‘I don’t have much choice. My house is a little way downriver from the bridge. It was partially flooded even before this afternoon.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’

Cass leaned back, stretching her legs out in front of her. ‘I’ve been expecting it for days and at least I had a chance to get everything upstairs, which is a lot more than some people have had. It’s my own stupid fault, anyway.’

‘So you’re the one, are you? That’s been making it rain.’

She really was stunningly beautiful when she smiled. Warm and beautiful, actually, with a touch of vulnerability that belied her matter-of-fact attitude and her capable do-anything frame. But she seemed far too ready to blame herself when things went wrong.

‘I wish. Then I could make it stop. The house has been in my family for generations and it’s always been safe from flooding.’

‘But not on your watch?’ Jack realised he’d hit a nerve from the slight downward quirk of her lips.

‘There used to be a drystone wall, banked up on the inside, which acted as a barrier between the house and the river. My grandparents levelled a stretch of it to give easy access to build an extension at the back. When they died they left the house to Lynette and me and, as she and Steven already had a place up in the village, I bought her out. I was pretty stretched for cash and thought I couldn’t afford to reinstate the wall for a few years. Turns out I couldn’t afford not to.’

‘You’re being a bit hard on yourself, aren’t you? I’d be devastated if my place were flooded.’

Cass shrugged. ‘I’m concentrating on Lynette and the baby. Bricks and mortar can wait.’

Jack nodded, sipping his tea.

‘So how about you?’ She seemed intent on changing the subject now. ‘You have children?’

‘A little girl. Ellie’s four.’

She smiled. ‘That’s nice. I’m sorry we’re keeping you away from her.’

If he was honest, he was sorry about that too. Jack knew exactly what it was like to have to come to terms with the idea that his father was never coming back, and he’d promised Ellie that he would always come back for her. Right now the storm and the floods made that impossible, and the feeling that he was letting Ellie down was eating at him.

Cass didn’t need to know that. ‘I’m concentrating on Lynette and the baby too.’ He received a bright grin in acknowledgement of the sentiment. ‘I’d really like to call my daughter to say goodnight, though. Would you mind if I borrowed your phone?’

‘Yes, of course.’ She stood up, handing her phone over. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’

‘That’s okay. Say hello to her.’

She hesitated and then sat back down with a bump. Awkwardly, she pointed to one of the icons on the small screen.

‘You could try a video call. She might like to see you.’

‘Yeah, she would. Thanks.’

Jack couldn’t remember his sister’s mobile number so he called the landline, repeating Cass’s mobile number over to Sarah. ‘My sister’s going to get back to us.’

‘Your wife works too?’

‘I’m a single father. Sarah has a boy of Ellie’s age and she looks after her when I’m working.’

‘Sounds like a good arrangement.’ She seemed to be getting more uncomfortable by the minute. If he hadn’t already come to the conclusion that Cass could deal with almost anything, he would have said she was flustered.

He didn’t have time to question why because the phone rang. Cass leaned over, jabbing an icon on the screen to switch on the camera and answer the call.

* * *

He was so in love with Ellie. Cass had reckoned that a wife and family would put Jack firmly out of bounds, which was the best place for him as far as she was concerned. But he was handsome, caring, funny...and single. She was going to have to work a little harder now, because allowing herself to be tempted by Jack was just an exercise in loss.

‘Daddeee!’ An excited squeal came from the phone and Cass averted her gaze. Jack held the phone out in front of him, his features softening into a grin that made her want to run away screaming.

‘Ellie! What are you up to, darling?’

‘We’re having tea. Then Ethan and me are going to watch our film.’

‘Again, sweetie? Doesn’t Auntie Sarah want to watch something else on TV?’ He chuckled as a woman’s voice sounded, saying that if it kept the kids quiet, she was happy.

‘Listen, Ellie...’ He waited until the commotion on the other end of the line subsided. ‘Ellie, Daddy’s got to work, so you’ll be staying with Auntie Sarah for tonight.’

Silence. Then a little voice sounded. ‘I know. Miss you, Daddy.’

Cass almost choked with emotion. When she looked at Jack, he seemed to have something in his eye. ‘I miss you too, sweetie. You know you’re always my number one girl. And I’ll be back soon to give you big hugs.’

‘How big?’

‘As big as a bear. No, bigger than that. As big as our house.’

A little squeal of delight from Ellie. Cass imagined that Jack’s hugs were something to look forward to.

‘As big as our house...’

‘Yeah.’ Jack was grinning broadly now. ‘Be good for Auntie Sarah, won’t you.’

‘I’m always good.’ Ellie’s voice carried a note of reproof.

‘Sure you are. Would you like to meet my new friend?’ He winked at Cass and her heart jolted so hard she almost fainted. ‘She’s a firefighter.’

‘She has a fire engine?’ Ellie was obviously quite taken with the idea.

‘Why don’t you ask her?’ Jack chuckled and handed the phone over to Cass.

A little girl was staring at her. Light brown curls and luminous brown eyes. She was the image of Jack.

‘Hi, Ellie. I’m Cassandra.’ She wondered whether Ellie was a bit young to get her tongue around the name. Child development wasn’t her forte. ‘All my friends call me Cass.’

‘You’re a fire lady? With a fire engine?’ Ellie was wriggling excitedly.

‘Yes, that’s right.’

‘Do you have a ladder?’

‘Yes, more than one. And we have a hose, for putting out all the fires.’

‘Auntie Sarah...!’ Ellie clearly wanted to share this exciting news.

‘Yes, I heard. Tell Cassandra that you’ve seen a fire engine.’ The woman’s voice again, laughing.

‘I’ve seen a fire engine.’ Ellie turned the edges of her mouth down theatrically. ‘It was a long, long, long way away...’

Suddenly Cass knew exactly what to say to Ellie. ‘Tell you what. We’re having an Open Day at our fire station soon. We’re showing all the children around...’ She was about to add that Ellie would have to ask her father if she might come, but that seemed to be a foregone conclusion.

‘Yesss! Daddeee!’

Jack shot Cass a wry smile. ‘Do I get to come along too, Ellie?’

Cass thought she could almost see the little girl roll her eyes.

‘You have to take me, Daddy. I can’t drive...’

‘Ah, yes, of course. Looks like it’s the two of us, then. Say thank you to Cassandra.’

Jack leaned in, speaking over her shoulder, and Cass swallowed a gasp, suddenly aware that his body was very close.

‘Thank you, Cassandra.’

Ellie managed the name without even blinking, and Jack chuckled.

‘Time to say bye-bye now, sweetheart.’ Ellie responded by waving and blowing a kiss, then Jack took the phone from her to say his own goodnight to his daughter.

Cass stood up, her limbs suddenly trembling. It was impossible to fall in love in so short a time and over the phone. And, if she was honest with herself, she hadn’t fallen in love with Ellie’s brown eyes but with Jack’s. But he was a grown man. It was much easier to admit that his child was all she could see.

‘She’s gorgeous.’ Cass had let him finish the call, looking away when he blew kisses to Ellie.

‘Yeah.’ His fingers lingered lovingly over the blank screen for a moment, as if he couldn’t quite let go of the memory of his daughter’s face, and then he handed the phone back. ‘I didn’t think she’d manage to pronounce Cassandra.’

The second time he said her name was just as disturbing as the first. Awakening thoughts of what it might feel like to have him whisper it.

‘She must be growing up fast.’

‘Seems too fast, sometimes.’ He shrugged. ‘She loves fire engines...’

‘Yeah, me too. You didn’t mind me asking her to the Open Day?’

‘Mind...?’ He laughed. ‘Sounds like fun. Do I get to sit in the driver’s seat?’

‘No. Children only. Dads get to watch.’

CHAPTER THREE

THEY’D EATEN IN the church hall, the dreaded Monday Club turning out to be a group of perfectly nice women who cooked good food in large quantities and didn’t mind a laugh. The evening was spent at the vicarage with Lynette and Cass, who persuaded Martin to make up a fourth for board games. Then Jack made his apologies and retired to his sleeping quarters, shutting the door and lying down fully dressed on the camp bed.

Suddenly he felt very alone. Ellie would be tucked up in bed by now and although he knew that Sarah would have given her bedtime kisses on his behalf, he hadn’t been there to give them himself. Mimi was probably exhausted and looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Cass was...

He wasn’t going to think about where Cass was. He had a child, and he had to protect her. Jack had made up his mind a long time ago that the best thing for Ellie was that he remained single.

He must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing he knew was a tingle behind his ear, and his eyes shot open involuntarily as he realised that someone was rubbing their finger gently on his skin. He blinked in the light that was flooding in through the doorway and saw Cass.

For one moment all he could think was that this was a delicious way to wake up, coaxed out of unconsciousness by a red-haired goddess. Then the urgency on her face snapped him back to reality.

‘Her waters have broken. Jack...’

‘Okay. I hear you.’ Jack swung his legs from the bed and shook his head to bring himself to. He’d been hoping that this wouldn’t happen. He had the training and the experience for it, and this certainly wasn’t the most outlandish place that he and Mimi had delivered a baby before now. But without the possibility of any backup, and only the medical supplies that Rafe had sent, it was a heavy responsibility, which he had to bear alone.

This was no time to panic. Contrary to all his expectations, Cass was panicking enough for both of them at the moment.

Keeping his pace brisk but unhurried in an effort to slow Cass down a bit, he picked up his medical bags and made for the vicarage. As they reached the back door they passed Martin, who was hurrying in the other direction, a sleeping child in his arms.

‘Go through, Jack. Just getting the kids out of the way.’

Jack nodded. Following Cass through the kitchen and up the stairs, he found Sue and another woman on either side of Lynette, supporting her as she paced slowly up and down.

‘We’ll take her into my bedroom.’ Sue looked up at him. ‘There’s an en suite bathroom, and the mattress in here is wet.’

‘Thanks.’ First things first. Jack smiled at Lynette, wiping a tear from her face. ‘How are you doing?’

‘Um... Okay. I think.’

‘Good. You want to walk a bit more?’

Lynette nodded.

‘All right. I’m going to get the other room ready for you, and then we’ll take it from there. Tonight’s your night, eh?’

‘Yes... Thanks.’

Cass took Sue’s place at Lynette’s side, and Sue led him through to her own bedroom. Jack pulled the plastic under-sheet from his bag, silently thanking Rafe for thinking to pack it, and Sue set about stripping the bed.

* * *

When Cass supported Lynette through to the main bedroom, it seemed that everything was ready. She helped her sister sit down on the bed. ‘Do you want your scented candles?’

‘No!’ Lynette’s flailing hand found Jack’s sweatshirt and held on tight. ‘I want to keep a close eye on the guy with the pain relief...’

‘I’m here.’ Jack was calm and smiling. ‘I’m going to wash my hands and I’ll be right back, okay.’

‘Yeah. Whatever.’ Lynette frowned and closed her eyes.

Get the candles anyway... Jack mouthed the words to Cass and she hurried through to the other room to fetch Lynette’s hospital bag.

When she got back, Sue waved her towards the bathroom door and Cass tapped on it tentatively. Jack was standing in front of the basin, his T-shirt and sweatshirt hung over the side of the bath, soaping his hands and arms. ‘There’s a clean T-shirt and some dressings in my medical bag. Will you get them, please?’

‘Dressings? What’s the matter?’

‘Nothing. They’re for me.’ He grinned, turning round, and she saw the new bruises on his chest, the bright red gashes that ran across his sternum and upper arms.

Her sister was in labour. Now was a fine time to notice that his muscle definition was superb. Or to feel a tingle at the warmth of his smile. Cass swallowed hard.

‘How did you do that...?’ She pointed to the spot on her own arm to indicate the patch of red, broken skin on his. That had to hurt.

‘It’s just a friction burn. It’s bleeding a little so best I cover it up.’

She nodded and went to fetch what he’d asked for. The dressings, along with a roll of tape and some scissors, were right at the top of the bag. Jack must have been thinking ahead.

‘Okay, will you tape these on for me, please? Right around the edge so that there are no openings anywhere.’

Couldn’t Sue do it? The temptation to run away and hide from his body almost made her ask. But her sister was out there having a baby, and Cass had already decided she’d do whatever it took.

He held the gauze in place and she taped around it for him. Trying not to notice the fresh smell of soap on skin. Trying not to think about how close he was, or how perfect.

‘Thanks. That’s great.’ He nodded his approval and Cass stepped back, almost colliding with the linen basket. Then, thankfully, he pulled the T-shirt over his head.

‘Ready?’ His smile held all of the warmth that she could want for Lynette. Which happened to be a great deal more than Cass could deal with.

‘Yes. I’m ready.’ Cass had told herself that this was going to be the best night of her life. Being with Lynette all the way, seeing her nephew being born. Now, all she could feel was fear, for everything that could go wrong.

* * *

He was calm and quiet, soothing Lynette when the contractions eased and helping her concentrate and breathe when they came again. When Lynette became frightened and overwhelmed, he was there with reassurance and encouragement. When she wanted to change position, he let her lean on him. When she needed pain relief, he was there with the Entonox.

Lynette seemed almost serene when she wasn’t crying in pain, switching from one to the other with astonishing rapidity.

‘Is this right?’ Cass mouthed the words to Jack.

Jack’s gaze flipped to the portable monitors at Lynette’s side. ‘Yeah, we’re okay.’

‘It’s so fast...’ Cass had been preparing for a long haul, but it had barely been an hour since she’d woken him up and already he was telling Lynette that they were nearly there.

‘That’s a good thing. Lynette’s fine and so is the baby.’

Ten minutes later, her nephew was born. Jack cleared his mouth, rubbing his chest gently. Everyone held their breath and then the little man began to cry. Lynette squeezed Cass’s hand so tight that she thought she was going to break her fingers.

‘Say hello to your mum...’ Jack laid the baby on Lynette’s chest and covered him over with a towel. The two women lay on the bed together, cradling the baby, in a daze of happiness.

* * *

Suddenly, it was all perfect. Martin had welcomed the newest member of the village to the world, and Sue went to make tea and toast. Jack managed everything perfectly, melting into the background, clearing up and making the medical checks that were needed, without intruding into their bubble.

Then the call came from Lynette’s husband, saying he’d received the photo that Cass had sent and was ready and waiting for a video call. Lynette was left alone for a few minutes to talk to him and show him their new son.

Cass waited outside the door, a sudden heaviness settling on her. However close she and Lynette were, however much her sister had needed her, it wasn’t her baby. It was Lynette and Steven’s. Their joy. One that she would only ever feel second-hand.

This wasn’t the time. There were too many special moments ahead for her to spoil with her own selfishness. And they came soon enough. The moment when Jack helped Lynette to encourage her son to feed, and he finally got the hang of what he was supposed to do. The moment when his eyelids flickered open and Cass stared for the first time into his pale blue eyes.

‘Do you have a name for him yet?’ Jack was busy repacking his medical bag.

‘We did have. But we’ve decided on something different.’ Lynette smiled. ‘We reckon Noah.’

‘Very appropriate.’ Jack chuckled.

‘Is Jack a nickname for John?’ She was beginning to tire now, and had lost the thread of what she was saying a couple of times already.

‘Yep. Named after my grandfather. They used to call him Jack as well.’

‘Noah John has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?’

Jack turned. ‘What does your husband think?’

‘Steven suggested it. What you did tonight meant everything, to both of us, and we’d really like to have your name as his middle name. If you don’t mind, that is.’

A broad grin spread over Jack’s face. ‘I’d be very honoured. Thank you.’ He walked over to the bed, bending down to stroke the side of little Noah’s face with his finger. The tiny baby opened his eyes, seeming to focus on Jack, although Cass knew that he couldn’t really focus on anything just yet.

‘Hey there, Noah.’ Jack’s voice was little more than a whisper. ‘We guys have to stick together, you know. Especially since we share a name now. What do you say we let your mum get a bit of rest?’

‘Will you and Cass look after him for me? I just want to close my eyes; I don’t think I can sleep.’

‘Of course.’ Sue had prepared the Moses basket that she’d used for her children and Jack took Noah, setting him down in the cradle. But he immediately began to fret and Jack picked him up again, soothing him.

‘Now what do we do?’ Cass whispered the words at Jack. Sue and Martin had quietly left at the first suggestion of sleep, and Lynette’s eyes had already drooped closed. It seemed that they were quite literally left holding the baby.

Jack chuckled quietly, nodding towards the easy chair in the corner of the room. ‘Sit down. Over there.’

‘Me?’ She was suddenly gripped with panic. ‘You want me to hold him?’

‘I’ve got things to do. And it’s about time he got acquainted with his aunt.’

It was almost a bitter thought. Holding her sister’s baby and not her own. But in the peace and quiet of the room, candles guttering in their holders and a bedside lamp casting a soft glow, it was easy to forget that. Cass plumped herself down in the chair, wondering what Jack was going to do next.

‘Suppose I drop him?’

‘You won’t.’ Jack seemed to be able to manage the baby in one arm while he picked up a pillow from the bed in the other hand, dropping it on to her lap. ‘Here you are. That’s right.’

The sudden closeness felt so good she wanted to cry out. Jack’s scent, mingling with that of a baby. Instinctively her arms curled around Noah and she rocked him gently, holding him against her chest. He fretted for a moment and then fell into a deep sleep.

‘I just want to wake him up. See his eyes again...’ She looked up at Jack and, when he smiled, Cass realised that all the wonder she felt must be written clearly on her face.

‘Yeah, I know. Let him sleep for a while; being born is a tiring business.’

Jack fetched a straight-backed chair from the kitchen and sat in the pool of light from the lamp, writing notes and keeping an eye on everyone. When Cass could tear her gaze from Noah, she watched Jack. Relaxed, smiling and unbearably handsome. She envied the shadows, which seemed to caress his face in recognition of a job well done.

When Noah woke and began to fuss a little, Lynette was immediately alert, reaching for her child. Jack delivered him to her and this time there were fewer grimaces and less messing around to get him to feed. Cass watched from the other side of the bed and, when he’d had enough and fallen back into sleep, she curled up with her sister on the bed, holding her hand until they both followed Noah’s example and slept.

* * *

The morning dawned bright and clear. Jack had managed to sleep a little, in the chair in the corner of the room, and now he had heard from the HEMS team. They were flying, and would take advantage of the break in the weather to take Lynette and Noah to hospital.

Despite the early hour, a few people had gathered around the village green. An excited chatter accompanied the landing of the helicopter and a ragged cheer went up when its crew followed Jack towards the vicarage.

He said his goodbyes to Lynette and Noah inside, keeping his distance as the HEMS team took them outside with Cass. Jack wondered if this would be the last he ever saw of her and, despite all his resolutions, he found himself staring at her, as if to burn her image into his mind. But she waited for Lynette and the baby to be safely installed in the helicopter and then jogged back to stand at his side.

‘There goes your last chance of getting out of the village today. The roads are still blocked.’ Cass’s eyes seemed to be fixed on the disappearing speck in the sky.

Jack nodded. ‘Yours too.’

‘What does that make us?’ She turned her querying gaze on to his face.

Jack shrugged. ‘It makes us people who know our families are safe, and that the village might still need us.’

‘It’s not easy...’

‘I don’t think it’s meant to be.’ Jack’s decision to stay had been made in the small hours of last night and it had torn him in two. Doing his job and being a good dad was a complex and sometimes heartbreaking juggling act.

‘Well, it’s done now. The only thing I can do to justify it is to make today count.’ She smiled suddenly. ‘Hungry?’

‘Famished.’ He looked at his watch. ‘What time’s breakfast?’

‘Not for a couple of hours. We’ll raid the kitchen.’

The kitchen was empty and she made toast while Jack made the tea. She rummaged in the cupboard, finding a couple of jars, and picked up two bananas from a crate in the corner. Then she led the way through to her private hidey-hole in the church porch.

‘What is that?’ It appeared that instead of choosing what she wanted on her toast, Cass was going for everything.

‘Chocolate spread, then peanut butter and mashed banana. Try it; it’s really nice.’

‘Maybe another time. When I’m planning on not eating for the next two days.’

‘A good breakfast sets you up for the day. You should know that; you’re a medic.’

‘Yeah. Perhaps I’d better not mention the sugar in that.’

She shrugged. ‘I’ll work it off.’

They ate in silence. His first slice of toast with peanut butter and his second with chocolate spread. Jack supposed that since he was going to eat the banana afterwards, he couldn’t really poke too much fun at Cass’s choice of breakfast.

It was still early and the glow of a new day, diffusing gently through the thick ancient glass, seemed to impose a relaxed camaraderie. Grabbing meals at odd hours after working most of the night. Talking, saying whatever came to mind without the usual filter of good manners and expediency. It felt as if anything could be asked, and answered.

‘Is there someone waiting for you when we get out of here?’

She shrugged. ‘Lots of people, I imagine.’

‘I meant a partner...’ It was becoming important to Jack to find out about all the subjects that Cass seemed to skirt around.

‘Oh, that.’ Jack wondered whether she really hadn’t known what he was talking about. ‘Big red truck. Makes a noise...’

‘You’re married to your job, then?’

She nodded, taking a bite from her toast. ‘You?’

‘I never married. And I don’t get much time for socialising any more; when Ellie came along I had to make quite a few changes.’

She turned her querying eyes on to him and Jack wondered whether she wanted to know about him as much as he wanted to know about her. It was strangely gratifying.

‘Then you have a past? How exciting.’ The curve of her lip promoted an answering throb in his chest which made it hard to deny how much he liked it when Cass teased him.

‘It’s not that exciting.’ Looking back, it seemed more desperate than anything. Desperate to find the warmth that was missing from his broken home, and yet afraid to commit to anyone in case they let him down, the way his father had let his mother down.

She gave him that cool once-over with her gaze which always left his nerve endings tingling. ‘Bet you were good at it, though.’

That was undeniably a compliment, and Jack chuckled. ‘I kept my head above water.’

Her eyes were full of questions, and suddenly Jack wanted to answer them all. ‘Ellie’s mother was the daughter of one of my dad’s climbing partners; we practically grew up together. I went off to university and when I got back Sal was away climbing. It wasn’t until years later that we found ourselves in the same place at the same time, for the weekend...’

‘Okay. I’ve got your drift.’ Cass held up her hand, clearly happy to forgo those particular details. ‘So what about Ellie?’

‘Fifteen months later, Sal turned up on my doorstep with her.’

‘And you didn’t know...?’

‘Sal never said a word. She only got in touch then because she needed someone to take Ellie while she went climbing in Nepal.’

Cass choked on her toast. ‘That must... I can’t imagine what that must have been like.’

‘It was love at first sight. And a wake-up call.’

‘I can imagine. Bachelor about town one minute, in charge of a baby the next. However did you cope?’

‘Badly at first. Sarah took me in hand, though; she got me organised and offered to take Ellie while I was at work.’ Despite all of the sleepless nights, the worry, it had felt so right, as if he’d been looking for something in all the wrong places and finally found it on his own doorstep. He’d had no choice but to change his lifestyle, but Jack had done so gladly.

‘And Ellie’s mother?’

‘She never came back. Sal died.’

Cass’s shoulders shook as she was seized with another choking fit. Maybe he should wait with the story until she’d finished eating.

She put the toast down on to her plate and left it there. ‘Jack...I’m so sorry. She was killed climbing?’

‘No, she was trying to get in with an expedition to Everest. Of course no one would take her; there’s a waiting list to get on to most of the peaks around there and you can’t just turn up and climb. She wouldn’t give up, though, and ended up sleeping rough. She was killed in a mugging that went wrong.’

‘Poor Ellie...’

Her immediate concern for his child touched Jack. ‘She’s too young for it to really register yet. I just have to hope that I can be there for her when it does.’

Cass took a sip of her tea. ‘I have a feeling you’ll do a great job of helping Ellie to understand about her mother, when the time comes.’

‘What makes you say that?’

She flushed pink. ‘Because you’re very reassuring. You were great with Lynette last night. In between all the grimaces, that was her I’m very reassured face.’

‘Well, that’s good to know. And what was yours?’ He pulled a face, parodying wide-eyed panic.

Cass giggled. ‘That was my I hope no one notices I’m completely terrified face.’

‘Thought so.’ He leaned towards her. ‘I don’t think anyone did.’

‘That’s okay, then.’ The sudden glimpse behind the barriers that Cass put up between her and the world was electrifying. Her smiles, her laughter were bewitching. If things had been different...

But things weren’t different. Ellie had already lost her mother. No one should feel that loss twice, and if it meant that Jack remained steadfastly single it was a small price to pay for knowing that no one would ever have the chance to leave Ellie again.

He took a gulp of tea. Maybe it was better to just stop thinking about any of this and focus on the here and now. ‘So what are your plans for the day?’

* * *

Crisis bonding. That was what it was. Jack wouldn’t seem half as handsome or a quarter as desirable if it hadn’t been for the floods and a long night, filled with every kind of emotion imaginable. A little sleep and a lot of coffee would fix everything.

Somehow Cass doubted that. But she had to tell herself something before she started to fall for Jack. Because, when it came down to it, his expectations were most probably the same as any other man’s.

And she would never really know what his expectations were until she was in too deep. When Paul had first proposed to her he’d never mentioned children, but the pressure had started to grow as soon as it became apparent to both of them that there might be a problem. She couldn’t risk the pain of trying again and being rejected when she failed. No man, not even Jack, could guarantee that he wouldn’t leave her if she couldn’t give him children.

It was better to accept being alone. And to concentrate on today.

‘Martin and I were going to go and visit Miss Palmer. She’s eighty-two and won’t leave her house. She’s pretty feisty.’

He chuckled. ‘What is it about this village? It’s like a nineteen-fifties horror film—some poor hapless paramedic washed up to find himself in a remote place where all the women are terrifying...’

He wasn’t terrified at all; he was man enough to enjoy it. Cass grinned. ‘We are all terrifying. There’s something in the water.’

Jack leaned back, his shoulders shaking with laughter. ‘I’ll stick to bottled, then. And I don’t much like the sound of an eighty-two-year-old on her own in these conditions. Want me to come along?’

‘Yes. Thanks. Maybe we can grab a couple of hours sleep first, though. And some coffee.’

CHAPTER FOUR

‘I WONDER IF she’s got any cake.’ Sleep seemed to have made Cass hungry again.

‘Almost certainly.’ Martin opened the front gate of one of a small, neat row of houses. ‘I gather that the Monday Club came round here yesterday, after your visit.’

‘That’s all right then. What we can’t eat, we can use to shore up the flood defences.’ Cass stopped at the end of the path and Jack decided to wait with her, leaving Martin to approach the cottage alone.

The door was opened by a small, neatly dressed woman who might or might not be Miss Palmer. She didn’t look eighty-two.

‘Vicar. Lovely to see you.’ She craned around to look at Cass and Jack. ‘You’ve brought reinforcements, I see.’

Martin’s shoulders drooped. Clearly, reinforcements were exactly what he needed.

‘That her?’ Jack murmured the words to Cass and she nodded, turning her back on the front door.

‘Yep. She’s...’

‘Cassandra!’ Cass jumped and swivelled back to face Miss Palmer. ‘Do turn around, dear; you know I can’t hear you.’

‘Sorry. I forgot...’

Miss Palmer pursed her lips in disbelief. ‘Well, come in and have a cup of tea. And you can tell me all about last night.’

‘News travels fast.’ Cass strode up the front path. ‘They’re calling him Noah. Eight pounds, give or take.’

‘Good.’ Miss Palmer beamed her approval, leaning round to examine Jack. ‘Is this your captive paramedic, dear?’

Jack was beginning to feel as if he was. Captivated by Cass’s smile, longing to hear her laugh. Wanting to touch her.

‘Yes. We found him washed up by the side of the river and we’ve decided to keep him. We’ve had him locked in the church hall.’

Miss Palmer nodded, enigmatic humour in her face. ‘Leave your boots in the porch.’

The sitting room was bright and frighteningly clean, with the kind of orderliness that Jack remembered from before he’d had a child. One wall was entirely given over to glass-fronted bookcases and another was filled with framed photographs.

‘My travels.’ Miss Palmer caught Jack looking at them and came to stand by his side. ‘Papua New Guinea... South Africa...’

Jack studied the black and white photographs. Some were the kind a tourist might take, posed with landmarks and things of interest, and others told a different story. Groups of children, ramshackle schools, a young woman whose air of determination couldn’t be disguised by time and who had to be Miss Palmer.