The Loving Gift
Carole Mortimer

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

‘YO HO HO! Yo ho ho! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!’ boomed the tall, rounded figure in the unmistakable red suit as he ambled into the room, the obligatory sack of toys thrown over one broad shoulder. ‘Have you all been good boys and girls this year?'

The loud cries of ‘Yes!’ from the hundred and fifty children who filled the room, that instantly followed the teasing question, almost drowned out the gasp of stunned surprise made by the woman standing at Jade's side but, completely attuned herself to any minor or major disaster that might befall any of the pupils at what had so far been a very successful preparatory school Christmas party, Jade was instantly alerted by Penny's sudden tension.

Jade anxiously surveyed the room, seeing only the excited faces of the children as they eagerly awaited the calling of their name to go up and collect their present from Father Christmas, most of them lingering to tell him what they would like on Christmas night.

She turned back to Penny with puzzled eyes, her concern deepening when she saw how ashen-faced the other woman had become. And Penny's attention seemed to be focused on the jolly Father Christmas as he happily distributed the carefully chosen presents to each child. Which was all the more surprising, considering that the man behind the flowing white beard and artificially glowing red cheeks was, in fact, Penny's own husband!

The only reason Jade could even imagine for Penny's behaviour was if the Father Christmas disguise had come astray and revealed to the totally enrapt audience that only a mere man lay beneath it, and that man was their own headmaster. But the wig and false beard were firmly in place, the rouge unsmudged on the padded cheeks, and the pillow beneath the red coat and wide black belt hadn't slipped an inch since Simon had got himself ready half an hour earlier.

Then what was bothering Penny? Because something certainly was as she took over the task of organising each child going up to collect their gift, her dazed gaze more often than not fixed on ‘Father Christmas’ as he enthusiastically distributed the gaily wrapped parcels.

Jade didn't find an opportunity to talk to the other woman for some time. ‘Penny—–'

‘And who is this last little girl we have over here?’ boomed that overly jocular voice of ‘Father Christmas’ with lilting emphasis.

‘Penny, what—–’ The sudden silence that had fallen over the room, quickly followed by childish giggles, halted Jade in mid-flow, and she slowly turned her attention back into the spacious hall that had housed the Christmas party.

One hundred and fifty—one hundred and fifty-one, pairs of eyes were riveted on her, one hundred and fifty of them with laughing expectation, the hundred and fifty-first pair glinting with mocking blue humour.

‘What would you like me to bring you on Christmas night?’ Father Christmas/Simon prompted huskily.

‘Oh, God,’ Penny muttered weakly at Jade's side.

Oh, God, indeed. Simon had to have been at the sherry he always kept locked away in his office, for visiting parents, to be acting in this outrageous manner. Maybe Simon's role as Father Christmas was the reason Penny was looking so stricken. Jade had never seen Simon partake of more than one polite glass of sherry at one time, with no effect on him whatsoever, but Penny was obviously deeply concerned by his behaviour now—and with good reason.

‘What's your name, little girl?’ he prompted persistently, and the titters from the watching children increased.

Jade's mouth pursed disapprovingly. Penny and Simon had been very kind to her since she had begun working for them on a temporary basis at the beginning of the winter term, but Simon's drawing attention to her, and himself, in this way, was totally uncalled for. Maybe Simon was one of those worst of things, an unpleasant drunk. Although at the moment his eyes merely glittered with devilish humour.

‘Come and sit on Santa's knee and tell me your deepest desire—for Christmas,’ that teasingly provocative voice encouraged again.

Jade felt really uncomfortable now, her cheeks fiery red as she knew she was what she seemed to be: the centre of attention, the other members of staff deeply amused by this unexpected turn of events, the children fascinated by the show. And if there was one thing Jade hated it was to be the cynosure of all eyes.

She plastered a polite smile on suddenly stiff lips, green eyes flashing warningly. Not that Father Christmas—Simon—seemed to be at all deterred by her ferocity, his grin widening wickedly. Good grief, how much of the sherry had he had?

‘Come on, little girl,’ he provoked. ‘Don't you realise how busy I am at this time of year?'

Not too busy that he couldn't spare a few minutes to guzzle down what appeared to be a bottle of sherry! ‘I appreciate that—Father Christmas,’ she spoke softly, huskily, her natural tone, a voice that her young pupils listened to with eagerness, and which few other people took note of. Although at the moment that certainly wasn't the case! ‘Which is why we really mustn't keep you any longer,’ she dismissed with bright lightness.

‘Oh, I have more than enough time to listen to what you would like to be waiting for you at the foot of your bed on Christmas morning,’ he drawled mockingly.

Jade didn't know how to cope with this situation any longer, turning desperately to Penny, dismayed to see that the other woman was still completely speechless. If it wasn't for the fact that approximately one hundred and fifty children were watching the exchange, the incident would have been relatively easy to deal with—but one just didn't go around punching Father Christmas on the chin in front of so many starry eyes! Instead she had to settle for what she hoped would be a verbal dressing-down.

‘The space at the foot of my bed is already firmly occupied,’ she bit out quietly, green eyes flashing with unaccustomed irritation. She absolutely hated having this attention drawn to her! ‘So I think I'll give any gifts you might have in mind for me a miss this year, thank you.'

The Father Christmas was shaking his head even as she spoke. ‘Father Christmas has to bring you something—doesn't he, children?’ he boomingly encouraged their involvement in the conversation.

The excited cries of ‘Yes!’ filled the room once more.

His persistence was unnerving, and Jade once again turned to Penny, only to find that the other woman had now gone a ghostly white. Which wasn't surprising!

Penny's young sister Cathy had been a friend of Jade's since college, and when she had told Jade about the temporary post at this private preparatory school it had been convenient for all of them that Jade was able to fill in until the usual teacher of the reception class returned from maternity leave at Easter.

The last three months had been rewarding both professionally and personally for Jade, and until this moment she hadn't had reason to regret her move from her London home to a rented cottage in Devon. Now she was beginning to wonder if it might not have been better for all of them if Cathy had never mentioned the vacancy to her—it was a sure fact that there would be repercussions from this incident, if only personally.

Jade gave a tight smile. ‘I'll make you up a list when I have more time,’ she dismissed curtly. ‘Right now we have to prepare the children for going home,’ she added briskly. ‘We—–'

‘Oh, surely you can spare just a few minutes to whisper a little something in my ear?’ ‘Father Christmas’ moved agilely across the room to her side—much more agilely than the true bulk could possibly have allowed!—his arm moving strongly about her waist as he pulled her firmly up against him, the twinkle in the blue eyes definitely lecherous now. ‘Come on now, sweetheart.’ He bent down to her much shorter height. ‘Tell me what you would like me to bring you.'

No Father Christmas—and especially a married one!—had any right to be talking to her in this flirtatious way!

Jade gave a furious sigh as she moved closer to the wig-covered ear nearest to her. ‘I'd like to take away the key to your drinks cabinet and throw it in the village pond,’ she muttered, all the time smiling brightly for their audience, although she could see her colleagues—the braver ones, at least!—were having trouble controlling their mirth now. Ordinarily Jade would have been one of the first to laugh at herself, but not when she was being made a spectacle of.

Blue eyes gleamed wickedly as he moved back slightly to look down at her. ‘Really?’ he drawled mockingly. ‘That wouldn't do you too much good at the moment—the village pond is frozen over!'

She glared. ‘Perhaps a little icy air might do you some good just now!'

‘Oh, I doubt it,’ he taunted. ‘Father Christmas isn't too bothered about the cold.'

‘Only by too much alcohol, obviously,’ she returned tartly in a fierce whisper.

He feigned hurt surprise. ‘I haven't touched a drop since—–'

‘At the most half an hour ago,’ Jade scorned, feeling deeply for Penny during this embarrassing display. How uncomfortable the other woman must feel at the exchange. And, even allowing for ‘Christmas spirit', it was going to be difficult for them all to work together after this it had gone far beyond the realms of a practical joke.

‘Father Christmas’ shrugged. ‘I may have had a little nip of brandy to keep out the cold—–'

‘I thought you said Father Christmas wasn't affected by the cold,’ she reminded tartly.

‘I'm not,’ he grinned. ‘Not once I've had my nip of brandy!'

She frowned. ‘Simon—–'

‘My, that's quite a list you have there once you got going,’ he said loudly enough for their audience to hear, smiling jovially at them all. ‘Anything else?’ he encouraged brightly.

Considering that she was normally a non-violent person, Jade had an unaccountable urge to hit him! ‘I want you to stop this right now,’ she grated between clenched teeth.

‘Why?’ he taunted unconcernedly. ‘I'm thoroughly enjoying myself.'

‘I'm glad one of us is!’ She tried to move away from his arm about her waist and suddenly discovered he was much stronger than he looked in the loose-fitting tweed jacket and plain trousers that were his everyday garb. ‘You're going to regret this in the morning,’ she warned with impatient rebuke.

‘What's that saying?’ he grinned. ‘“Tomorrow never comes"?'

She chanced a glance at Penny's ashen face. ‘Oh, I think it might do for you,’ she muttered.

He turned to give the other woman a considering look. ‘Hm, Penny does look a little green around the edges,’ he mused. ‘Maybe I should ask her what she would like on her bed Christmas morning?'

‘A sober husband, I should think,’ Jade bit out angrily, having found it was impossible to escape that confining arm about her waist—and goodness knew, without being too obvious, she had tried!

Blue eyes gleamed wickedly once again. ‘Maybe you would be interested in listening to what I'd like in my bed on Christmas—–'

‘I don't think so,’ she interrupted quickly, unnerved by this streak of flirtation with danger that she had never guessed existed inside a man who, while full of good humour, never failed to be thoughtfully kind.

‘Perhaps not,’ he lightly accepted her rebuke. ‘We wouldn't want to be overheard.'

‘We have already made enough of a spectacle of ourselves,’ she cut in abruptly, grateful to see that Penny at least seemed to be coming out of her daze, some of the colour back in her cheeks as she began to organise the children's home-going, at the same time providing an adequate diversion from what had been proving to be very entertaining for their avid audience; some of their colleagues even looked slightly disappointed that they were obviously going to miss Simon's imminent dressing-down, Penny obviously intending to wait until they were alone before tackling him.

‘Talking of spectacles, are yours really necessary?’ he took advantage of the noisy organisation around them to whisper seductively in her ear. ‘Or are they just a deterrent against interested males?'

‘If they are, they aren't working!’ she snapped, her eyes flashing darkly, annoyed that he should have guessed that she really only needed the glasses for reading but chose to wear them constantly.

‘And your hair.’ He looked at her consideringly. ‘I bet it looks very sexy when it's left free about your shoulders.'

She drew in an impatient sigh. ‘My hair happens to be a frizzy mess when not kept in this style,’ she claimed defensively, irritated that he should find anything wrong with the neat coil she always wore about the crown of her head. She had always worn her hair like this when she was working, although she had to admit it had perhaps become a little more severe lately…

He continued to look at her questioningly. ‘I refuse to believe those silken-looking tresses could ever be a frizzy mop,’ he finally decided.

‘Believe what you want.’ Her cheeks still burnt from the lie. ‘But for goodness’ sake pull yourself together and start acting like the headmaster you are.’ She looked about them again uncomfortably, feeling guilty for not joining in the preparations for home-time, but if she should leave Simon to his own devices now, heaven knew what he would do next!

‘I am?’ He frowned vaguely. ‘Oh, yes,’ he grinned. ‘For a moment there I almost thought I was Father Christmas. I know there are several things I would like to give you that—–'

‘Oh, for goodness’ sake!’ Jade rolled her eyes heavenwards. ‘I hope Penny gives you hell for this,’ she muttered.

He turned to smile indulgently at Penny as she helped some of the younger children put on their coats. ‘She probably will,’ he acknowledged philosophically.

Jade wasn't feeling quite so hot now that they were no longer the centre of attention, although there was still the problem of how they were to face each other again after the holidays. Or how she was going to face Penny! The poor woman must feel devastated by Simon's behaviour.

‘You should be ashamed of yourself,’ Jade told the man at her side emotionally.

‘I probably will be later,’ he shrugged unconcernedly. ‘Right now I'm enjoying myself too much to feel anything else.'

Who would have believed that the gentle giant of a man whom all the children loved and respected so much could possibly behave in this outrageous fashion?

‘Well, you'll have to go on enjoying yourself without me.’ Jade felt no compunction about putting him down now that there was activity and noise about them. ‘I have work to do,’ she dismissed firmly.

‘And you think I haven't?’ he returned in a pained voice. ‘What about all those toys I have to finish by next week? The reindeer to feed and water? The—–'

‘Simon, for heaven's sake,’ she sighed her impatience. ‘Why don't you just take yourself off to your office and sober up? We can cope with anything that comes up here.'

Laughter gleamed mockingly in his eyes. ‘I'm sure you can; you, especially, seem more than capable. But don't you think I should wave goodbye to all the children as they leave?'

The children would probably love it, but would he behave long enough to complete the task without mishap?

‘I promise I will,’ he chuckled softly at her side, causing Jade to turn to him sharply.

‘If you can read my mind that well, you know what I'm thinking right now,’ she flashed.

‘I do indeed,’ he drawled. ‘But you're asking the impossible.'

Her eyes widened. ‘I am?'

‘Hm,’ he nodded. ‘A thousand miles between us couldn't possibly change the way I react to that clear green of your eyes, how I want to release your hair and run my fingers—–'

‘Please!’ Jade snapped agitatedly, moving abruptly away from him. She was well aware of the fact that an excess of alcohol was supposed to loosen the tongue, but this was ridiculous! Surely Simon hadn't always felt this way about her? It certainly hadn't been apparent from his almost fatherly concern for her to date.

‘You're right,’ he said briskly, drawing himself up to his full padded height of over six feet. ‘The children must come first. We can continue this interesting conversation once they've gone.'

If Jade had her way she would be long gone from here before Simon found her again. And, once on her own, she would have to give serious thought as to what was going to happen next term. She couldn't just walk out on her job, she refused to let people down in that way, also knowing it would be confusing for the children in her class to have yet another change of teacher. Damn Simon for indulging in his secret vice when he should have been preparing for his role as Father Christmas!

She looked on a little dazedly as, walking away from her, he fell easily into playing his seasonal role, his booming voice calling out good wishes to the children as he was surrounded by them as they went outside.

Jade's legs felt weak, and instead of joining in the revelry outside she sank weakly down into a nearby chair.

She liked working at the Kendrick Preparatory School, and after only one term of being here she was disappointed that it wasn't to be a permanent position. She even liked living in this small Devonshire village, where she was on a first-name basis with all her delivery men. And after living in town all of her life, the last four years of that in London in an apartment on her own, where she had to go out to the shops to buy all her needs, she hadn't expected to adapt so readily to country life. She willingly admitted that it had been the warm hospitality she had received from Penny and Simon that had helped ease her into this totally different way of life.

Penny, loving Simon as she undoubtedly did, couldn't be blamed for thinking Jade must have encouraged Simon's behaviour of a few minutes ago in some way. She couldn't possibly be expected to believe—as Jade herself found it difficult to!—that her mild-mannered husband could behave so recklessly without encouragement of some sort, even with the artificial confidence of alcohol.

It all had such repercussive consequences, also endangering Jade's long-standing friendship with Cathy, the other woman having no choice but to side with her sister. And she had even tentatively been looking forward to Christmas among her new friends. She had been invited to several functions at Penny and Simon's over the holiday period, their two children home for the holidays to complete the family unit. Cathy would also be trying to come down for a few days later on. Now all of that looked very precarious, although at this moment a long and lonely festive season seemed the least of her worries; her job was in jeopardy, a job that meant more to her than any of the people here could realise.

‘Would you like to start clearing up the mess?'

Jade gave a guilty start as she looked up at Penny, feeling ill at how pale and exhausted the other woman looked. ‘Penny, about what happened earlier—–’ she began awkwardly.

‘Yes. I—I'm sorry about that,’ Penny answered vaguely, not at all her usual authoritative self—and who could blame her? ‘I—could you and the others tidy up here?’ She looked uncertainly at the debris in the room from the end-of-term party. ‘I have to go and look for Simon,’ she added agitatedly.

Jade gave a pained frown. ‘I just want to try and explain—–'

‘Could we talk later?’ Penny's voice was sharp; a small, pretty, blonde woman, slightly overweight, and looking all the more attractive because of that, she possessed the sort of organising mind that more or less kept the school running on a day-to-day basis. ‘I really do need to find Simon,’ she frowned.

That shouldn't be too difficult: she just had to follow the sound of the booming ‘Yo ho hos'!

‘I quite understand.’ Jade nodded heavily. ‘But I do need to talk to you afterwards,’ she added firmly.

‘Of course.’ The other woman nodded, her mind obviously elsewhere. ‘I'll just go and find Simon,’ she repeated distantly before disappearing out of the room in search of her husband.

Jade felt even more deflated than she had before; despite her reluctance to discuss it now, Penny was obviously deeply disturbed by Simon's behaviour. But weren't they all? At least none of the children had guessed that ‘Father Christmas’ was more than a little inebriated. But it would only need one of the pupils to mention to their parents Father Christmas's more than seasonal familiarity with one of the teachers for more than Simon's relationship with Penny to be in jeopardy; most of those parents were well aware of the fact that Simon annually took the part of Father Christmas!

The Kendrick school was one of the best of its kind in the country, and Jade had instantly felt comfortable and at ease working in such a happy and contented atmosphere. It wouldn't remain that way for long if people were to learn that Simon took the occasional secret tipple. He risked so much for what appeared to be no more than a craving for something that completely changed his personality—and not for the better!

But Jade put a brave face on the incident when the others returned from outside—Penny and ‘Father Christmas’ conspicuous in their absence—as she helped to organise the clearing-up process, relieved when the only thing left to do was clear away the carol books in a cupboard. She smiled as she thought of the angelic faces of the children as they had all gathered around the piano to sing Christmas carols beside the flamboyantly decorated tree, each child having made at least one decoration to adorn it. There was something so magical about the innocence of children at this time of year, and it was virtually impossible not to feel drawn into the fantasy.

‘Dare I hope that at least part of that smile is for me?'

Jade spun around with a start, disconcerted to suddenly find herself face to face with ‘Father Christmas’ once more. And he didn't look in the least repentant!

‘Penny was looking for you,’ she told him sharply, watching him warily.

He nodded, taking up most of the doorway to the store-cupboard. ‘She found me,’ he drawled.

Her frown turned to puzzlement; if Penny had managed to locate him, what on earth was he doing wandering around loose again in his condition? ‘You haven't upset Penny again, have you?’ she asked suspiciously.

He shrugged. ‘She was crying her eyes out when I left her just now.'

Green eyes widened incredulously. ‘And you just left her?'

‘Well—not exactly. But I needed to see you again before you went home,’ he excused himself.

‘Penny—was—crying—her—eyes—out—and—you—just—–!’ Jade's incredulity turned to disgust as she stared at him in disbelief.

‘I told you, I needed to see you before you left,’ he insisted.

‘To apologise?’ Her eyes flashed warningly at his utter selfishness.

He did manage to look a little shame-faced. ‘I suppose I did go a little over the top a short while ago, but I was only—–'

‘Over the top?’ Jade repeated with soft anger. ‘You were utterly outrageous!'

He grinned. ‘I don't normally act in that impetuous way, it's just that—–'

‘I'm well aware of the way you normally act,’ she snapped, wishing she could have the usual Simon back again, instead of this virtual stranger.

‘—I was attracted to you the moment I entered the room,’ he concluded as if she hadn't interrupted so vehemently.

‘That you were—–! My God, Simon!’ Jade choked emotionally. ‘You've really gone too far now. That scene you created a little while ago I could maybe excuse because of the amount of alcohol you've apparently consumed, but to come here to me now, when Penny is obviously broken-hearted, is inexcusable.'

‘I was only—–'

‘Don't you dare touch me!’ she warned harshly as he would have reached out for her.

‘But I—–'

‘Don't say I didn't warn you!’ she choked at the same time as her hand made contact with the side of his face in a resounding slap.

Jade stared at him in horror after the uncharacteristic violence—and then she swayed dizzily as he began to laugh, a loudly triumphant laugh that convinced her he wasn't drunk, after all, but bordering on the insane! The strain of owning and running the school must have become too much for him. No one in their right mind laughed when they had been slapped the way he just had!

And then her own horror turned to a pained groan as Penny suddenly appeared in the doorway. She was terrified that the other woman would actually think she had been encouraging Simon in this madness. ‘Penny, I'm so sorry about all this, but I—–'

‘You have no reason to be sorry about anything,’ the other woman dismissed easily, gazing affectionately at the man in the Father Christmas suit as he still grinned idiotically, the only sign of her recent tears a slight puffiness about her eyes. ‘He always did have a warped sense of humour,’ she excused him indulgently.

Jade had never noticed it before! ‘I still wouldn't want you to think that I encouraged him,’ she insisted pleadingly.

Penny smiled. ‘I'm sure he didn't need encouraging.’ She shook her head.

It was wonderful that Penny could take her husband's errant behaviour in her stride—Jade wished she could come to terms with it as easily!

‘You really are incorrigible.’ Penny shook her head with rueful disapproval at the grinning ‘Father Christmas'. ‘If you have—–'

‘Darling, surely there has to be a better place for this conversation than a store-cupboard?’ Simon chided lightly as he appeared in the doorway behind his wife—wearing his usual school attire of tweed jacket and tailored trousers.

Jade froze as she stared at him, turning slowly to face the man in the Father Christmas suit. If it wasn't Simon—and she knew now without a doubt that it wasn't!—then who was he?

CHAPTER TWO

‘I'M TELLING you, Wellington, he almost met his Waterloo after that stupid stunt,’ Jade muttered as she poured the cream from the top of her milk into a saucer, giving a snort of disgust as the cat merely looked up at her with pitying eyes before turning his attention to the treat she had put down in front of him.

Jade watched the avid lapping of that delicate pink tongue for several seconds; Wellington certainly had the right idea, concentrating on his drink to the exclusion of all else certainly beat working yourself up into a temper because of the stupidity of some totally insensitive man!

Wellington had appeared on the doorstep of her rented cottage only her second day here, immediately earning his name, completely snowy white except for the four totally black feet that gave him the appearance of wearing Wellington boots.

In the beginning Jade had assumed the friendly cat had wandered over from one of the cottages close by, but after several days of returning home to find him sitting on the doorstep waiting for her she had found out from a neighbour that the cat belonged to no one, that the old lady who had once owned him had died some time ago and the cat hadn't let anyone near him since then, living wild.

Two strays together, Jade had thought ruefully. Whether he had sensed some need in her that matched his own, or whether he had just decided she looked soft-hearted enough to feed him without demanding too much in return, she didn't know. But, whatever the reason, he had made the cottage his home the last few months, and when the time came for Jade to leave she didn't know what she was going to do about him. Wellington had become her constant companion, her confidant, someone she could talk to without fear of judgement or rebuttal, and she believed that in his own feline way he had come to care for her too, curling up to sleep on the foot of her bed every night, like a sentinel on guard. But at the same time she knew she couldn't take him back to be cooped up in her rented apartment in London, and there was no way she could afford to buy a house of her own out of town.

But there could be no doubt that Wellington had attached himself to her, and she to him.

His drink finished to his satisfaction, he now strolled across to stretch himself out in front of the fire Jade had lit when she came in, proceeding to wash himself with leisurely strokes of his tongue, pausing in the task to look up at her enquiringly as he sensed her gaze upon him.

She quirked mocking brows. ‘So, you're finally ready to listen now, are you?’ she derided, putting the milk bottle away in the fridge before joining the cat in front of the fire, taking with her the cup of tea she had just poured for herself, knowing she had been right about his readiness to listen to her now as he contentedly began to wash again. ‘You're very definite about your priorities, aren't you, boy?’ she teased, absently stroking that silky fur, receiving a rasp of the pink tongue over her hand for her trouble.

She leant back against a chair, giving a pained sigh. ‘I have had the most awful afternoon, Wellington.’ She shook her head, thinking back to what had transpired after Simon had interrupted that conversation in the store-cupboard.

She had stared at ‘Father Christmas’ with wide, horrified eyes, noticing as she did so that her slap to the side of his face had knocked the flowing white beard slightly askew, some of it having parted with his cheek completely, revealing a face that, although very similar to Simon's in features, was obviously younger than the other man's, something that was unmistakable now that his face was more fully revealed.

Before she could say a word, ‘Father Christmas’ had burst into speech. ‘She slapped my face, Pen!’ he told the other woman excitedly before once again giving that triumphant laugh. And he didn't seem able to stop.

Jade looked from Penny to Simon, wondering why one of them didn't step forward and slap ‘Father Christmas's’ face again—this time for hysteria. But the couple just looked on bemusedly, and so it was left to Jade to take the initiative before the whole thing turned into more of a farce than it already was.

Because her victim was more of a moving target this time, her aim wasn't quite so good, and instead of making contact with the man's cheek she caught the side of his eye. To her horror, this only seemed to fuel his excitement!

‘My God, I'll probably have a black eye from that one,’ he cried excitedly. ‘Penny, Simon, do you realise what this means?'

Jade had more than a good idea; the man behind the Father Christmas suit was ever so slightly insane. No one in their right mind could possibly be pleased at having their face slapped, not once but twice! This man's disturbed state of mind might also explain Penny's ashen face when she had realised it wasn't her husband beneath the disguise, for it was obvious now that that was the reason Penny had looked so distressed when ‘Father Christmas’ came into the room. Simon, she could see at a glance, was as sober as he always was.

‘I was attracted to her on sight,’ ‘Father Christmas’ was rambling on. ‘But now I know I'm going to marry her!'

Marry her? The man was definitely certifiable!

Penny was the first one to recover her voice. ‘David, can't you see you're distressing her?’ she soothed. ‘Jade isn't used to—no woman is, I'm sure—–’ she added with brisk dismissal ‘—to six foot two Father Christmases proposing marriage to her at their first meeting!'

David. At least she could put a name to the man now, and from the similarity between him and Simon she would say his surname was Kendrick. David Kendrick. No wonder Simon had never spoken of having a brother; David was definitely the ‘black sheep’ of the family!

And, if anything, Penny was understating her reaction to David's claim that he was going to marry her; she was more convinced than ever that the man in the Father Christmas suit was in need of medical help!

‘But, Penny, can't you see it's like a sign?’ he was insisting now. ‘And she didn't just slap me once, but twice!'

Penny eyed Jade uncertainly, obviously alarmed by the pallor of her cheeks. ‘David, I don't think you should persist in this just now.'

Jade had had enough, couldn't take any more today. ‘I think I should be going now, Penny—–'

‘You can't go!’ David pounced, grabbing both her hands in his, holding her captive. ‘I've only just found you—do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you to come into my life?’ he prompted eagerly, continuing to talk before she could even attempt an answer to his question. ‘Do you think I'm going to let you walk away from me now, when all I know about you is that your name is Jade and you're great with kids?'

And that he intended marrying her. Incredible, absolutely incredible. And the day had progressed so normally until his advent into her life, too!

‘David, I really think it might be better to leave this just now,’ Penny intervened again, shooting Jade nervous glances.

‘But I can't,’ he insistently refused, keeping a firm grip on Jade's hands. ‘It's like a sign, Penny,’ he repeated firmly. ‘A blessing—–'

‘If I read all the signs correctly just now, Jade is getting ready to shout “escaped lunatic”!’ Penny stepped forward to pointedly release Jade from the steely grasp. ‘David, there has to be a better place and time for this,’ she told him firmly.

‘The poor girl will come to no other conclusion than that you have a few screws loose if you continue to talk in this way,’ Simon put in softly.

If he continued…? Jade was already convinced the man had a serious problem!

David looked perplexed. ‘But you both know the significance—–'

‘Yes, yes,’ Penny quickly silenced him, shooting Jade an embarrassed smile. ‘Why don't we all discuss this later over dinner? You are staying to dinner, aren't you, David?’ The normally practically assured woman looked less than certain for once.

David's expression gentled as he gazed at the other woman. ‘Longer than that, if I'm welcome?’ He looked a little shame-faced.

‘Of course you are.’ Penny blushed her pleasure. ‘The kids will be overjoyed to see you.'

‘I've missed them.’ David's voice was husky with emotion now.

Jade was a little puzzled by the hesitant pleasure in Penny's face, at Simon's emotional smile as he looked on—but she was even more concerned about the thought of dinner tonight, not least because she had completely forgotten that she was supposed to be dining at the Kendricks’ this evening! The first week she had arrived here Penny and Simon had invited her over to dinner on a Friday night, a practice that had continued, and as today was a Friday… She had no intention of meeting David Kendrick ever again, and certainly not over a cosy family dinner tonight!

‘Maybe I should give dinner a miss for tonight?’ she hastened to excuse herself. ‘You all sound as if you have quite a lot of catching up to do, and so—–'

‘My dear, most of the talk will be about you, if I read my little brother correctly,’ Simon drawled in an amused voice, blue eyes twinkling teasingly. ‘So you might as well come along as arranged and avoid all that unnecessary ear-burning!'

It was her face that burnt now. Penny and Simon really were the nicest couple—she could believe that again now she knew Simon hadn't turned into a drunken lecher!—and she had greatly appreciated those weekly dinners with them in the past, but she really would rather not spend any more time in David Kendrick's company than she had to.

He seemed to sense her impending refusal, giving a wry smile. ‘I really haven't “escaped” from anywhere—although I understand if at the moment you think perhaps I ought to have done!’ he acknowledged ruefully. ‘But if anyone opts out of dinner tonight it really should be me; I'm the unexpected guest.'

And, as he very well knew, a very welcome one!

Jade frowned her irritation at his deliberate manipulation of the circumstances; she would look very petty now if she still insisted on refusing the invitation.

‘I'll be around at eight o'clock as usual,’ she finally answered Simon, completely ignoring David Kendrick, hoping that the way that she swept from the tiny room was regal and didn't show how she really felt—like a frightened rabbit!

David Kendrick had had a very determined glint in his eye as she turned to leave, and she seemed to be the purpose he was determined on.

‘And now I have to spend the whole evening in his company,’ she wailed to Wellington as they still sat in front of the glowing fireplace, only to look down and find he had gone to sleep somewhere in the middle of her tale. ‘A lot of help you are!’ she muttered, getting up to leave the cosily warm lounge with long strides to enter her much cooler bedroom; the radiators that heated the tiny cottage were warmed by the coal fire, and as that had only been alight a short time…

It was only one of the things she had found strange to adjust to when she moved into the cottage, being what she had always considered a ‘townie', with all the modern conveniences that conveyed; central heating had been taken for granted back in her flat in London. Having coal delivered, lighting the fire each day, keeping it alight, were all alien to her. She usually found that the cottage had just reached an acceptable temperature when it was time to go to bed, but then the fire would go out during the night and she would get up to a freezing cold bedroom! Still, the cottage did have its advantages, the major one being that the cottage was so pretty that you quickly forgot about the lack of heating and the dozen or so other little quirks it had. A thatched cottage, with all of its original beams still intact, was still the sort of home ‘townies’ dreamt about.

And, despite what she had heard about villages, the neighbours were all so friendly; unobtrusive, but helpful if they should be needed.

Not that Jade ‘needed’ them very often, preferring, apart from her inevitable involvement with school mothers, to keep herself to herself. The locals seemed to accept that being from London made her prefer it that way. Although she wasn't actually from London originally, what was left of her family—and that wasn't a great deal—still lived in the Yorkshire town she had grown up in. But she rarely returned there now.

Usually she looked forward to these Friday evening dinners as her only social outing of the week, a time when the three of them had mutually agreed not to discuss work but to simply enjoy each other's company. But tonight that was marred by the presence of that man.

David Kendrick. What was he really like under all that make-up and disguise? Simon's brown hair, which was thinning a little on top, was cut more for practicality than style; would his brother's be the same? Their eyes, she knew, were the same deep blue, just as their voices were very similar, but the rest of David Kendrick was an enigma. For all she knew, there might not have been any padding under the Father Christmas costume! Even as the slightly ridiculous idea came to mind, she knew, by the slenderness of his hands and the cotton pads in his mouth to make his cheeks look fatter, that David Kendrick had probably needed more padding than his brother to play the role.

He was probably handsome as the devil, and with a charm to match—and he had claimed he intended to marry her!

Marriage wasn't something she contemplated with anyone, let alone when suggested to her by a complete stranger who had made her seriously doubt his sanity by his strange behaviour!

Maybe he wouldn't be handsome, after all; maybe he had a permanent squint, or acne? There had to be something wrong with him—besides his tendency towards insanity—for him to still be single in the early to mid-thirties he must be to be Simon's ‘younger’ brother. Insanity certainly wouldn't exclude a reasonably eligible man of that age from the marriage market, not if some of the married couples she had observed were anything to go by!

Oh, well, she didn't have the time to speculate about him any more, had to get ready if she wasn't to be late for dinner. And within a few minutes of her arrival at the Kendricks’ all her questions would be answered anyway. Hopefully David Kendrick would also have either sobered up or become sane again by then!

It was as she went to pull the curtains over her tiny bedroom window that she noticed the falling snow for the first time; no wonder Wellington had opted for a comfortable night in front of the fire instead of his usual round of girlfriends.

The snow couldn't have been falling very long, but already there was a white covering of it on her pathway, although only a light dusting of it on the garden itself. But the flakes were quite large, and if it continued to fall at this rate…

She only needed the lightest of excuses not to go to dinner tonight, and surely falling snow could be classed as a little more than that?

But, even as a sense of relief at being spared the ordeal washed over her, she saw the headlights of an approaching vehicle coming towards her driveway. Almost instantly she recognised the vehicle as the silver-coloured Range Rover Simon occasionally used to transport the children to and from school during bad weather; the Kendricks certainly weren't going to take any chances of her opting out of this evening's plans! Or maybe Simon had made the two-mile trip from his house to her cottage at his brother's request; from what she remembered of David Kendrick, she had a feeling he could just be persistent enough to do that.

‘It's all right for you,’ she muttered to Wellington as she passed him on her way to answer the knock on the door. ‘You're assured of a nice, comfortable evening.’ As she had expected, the cat just ignored her grumblings, too sleepy and warm to even twitch an ear at the sound of her voice.

Jade gave an impatient sigh, wrenching open the cottage door.

Outside, the snow falling on hair so dark it was almost black, was the most lethally attractive man she had ever seen…

The dark hair lightly brushed the collar of the black leather jacket that was zipped half-way up the powerful chest, a chest that tapered down to a narrow waist and muscular thighs beneath tailored black trousers. There could be no doubt about it, David Kendrick had needed plenty of padding beneath the Father Christmas costume, for the rounded waistline at least, although his shoulders looked wide enough to fill the suit without any help.

She knew it was him by his eyes, navy blue eyes that looked at her as if he were eating her up. And there wasn't a squint in sight!

Just as there wasn't a single mark on the devastatingly handsome face, the nose long and straight, high cheekbones, fuller lower lip that hinted at a passionate nature. As if she needed any hints after his behaviour earlier today! If Penny hadn't walked in on them in the store-cupboard when she had, she might have received conclusive proof of just how passionate he was.

But the sensuality was there in the pleased slant of his mouth, in the blue gaze that didn't leave her face for a moment, and the hard muscles of his body were full of male challenge.

His smile widened, revealing evenly white teeth; God, didn't this man have a single defect? Of course he did, she remembered with some relief, he was more than a little strange!

‘Hello, I'm—–'

‘David Kendrick,’ she finished abruptly, nodding. ‘I know.'

‘I wasn't sure you would recognise me without my disguise,’ he drawled, his voice pleasantly deep without the cotton wool pads he had had stuffed into his cheeks earlier.

Oh, she had recognised him, all right, probably would have done so even without the help of his arrival in the Range Rover; she was never likely to forget the deep blue of his eyes, the only part of him that had really been recognisable beneath the Father Christmas disguise.

‘Penny and Simon sent me over to get you in case the snow put you off coming,’ he offered by way of explanation when she made no effort to continue the conversation.

Green eyes flared with resentment. She was pretty confident that the idea to come and collect her had been mainly David Kendrick's.

‘All right,’ he murmured indulgently, that enticing half-smile on his lips. ‘I had no intention of letting you cry off dinner tonight.'

Jade had to admire his honesty—even if it was what she had already known!

There were a lot of things about this man she could have admired if things had been different. But they weren't, and so she viewed him with the same wariness she did all strangers—more so, because he was even stranger than most!

Her gaze met his coolly. ‘I would have telephoned if I hadn't intended coming,’ she dismissed.

He grinned confidently. ‘Now there's no reason for you to have to do so. And don't worry about being able to get back later tonight; the Range Rover can easily get through any English snowfall.'

Giving the impression that this man had been in places where the vehicle wouldn't have stood a chance of doing that. Jade looked at him speculatively. Yes, he looked like a well-travelled and intelligent man, someone she would normally have found fascinating to talk to. Normally. Unfortunately, the situation wasn't normal; how could it be, when the man was so outrageous?

Her mouth tightened. ‘Would you care to wait in the living-room while I go and change?’ Her tone was distinctly distant.

He smiled, unperturbed by her offhand manner. ‘I thought you would never ask,’ he murmured as he strolled past her into the tiny room behind, pausing to look around him appreciatively at the antique furniture and décor she had deliberately chosen to complement the olde worlde character of the cottage.

‘Hello, boy.’ He went down on his haunches to tickle Wellington on his silkily soft tummy. ‘At least you have the right idea,’ he continued ruefully, still hunched down beside the cat.

Jade mentally acknowledged that a quiet evening spent in front of the glowing fire certainly held more appeal for her than one spent in this man's company. As for Wellington, he was behaving like a complete traitor; usually he ran away to hide when confronted by someone he wasn't familiar with, which was virtually everyone, but with David Kendrick he looked to be in ecstasies, an uncharacteristic look of total stupidity on his face as he still lay on his back, having his tummy stroked.

‘I'll go and change,’ she repeated stiltedly, turning abruptly to leave the room.

When David Kendrick stood up to turn towards her he was holding Wellington in his arms, still tickling him under the chin—and if Jade hadn't known better she would have sworn the silly feline was actually smiling. Damn it, he was smiling!

‘Mind he doesn't scratch you,’ she warned sharply. ‘He has been known to do that without warning.'

Dark brows rose over mocking blue eyes. ‘It's always the ones that look the friendliest that do that,’ he said softly.

Jade felt the colour warm her cheeks at his obvious double meaning. ‘It's a question of watching the eyes,’ she snapped.

His mouth quirked. ‘I'll try and remember that.'

‘Do,’ she bit out, trying not to hurry from the room but knowing she hadn't really succeeded; something about David Kendrick made her very nervous. Which was ridiculous. She was a teacher, for goodness’ sake, a responsible adult in charge of seventeen pupils on a day-to-day basis—and heaven knew, children could be complex enough to deal with on occasion. And yet David Kendrick completely disconcerted her. Maybe it was the fact that he seemed to have come so close so quickly; usually she didn't allow the type of familiarity he had taken for granted from the first. Whatever the reason, and despite the dinner they would be sharing this evening in the company of Penny and Simon, she had no intention of allowing him to come any closer.

It seemed petty, not to mention childish, to choose her most unattractive outfit to wear for the evening ahead, but she really didn't have that big a selection in her wardrobe. Her only social occasions were spent at the Kendricks', and they didn't bother about ‘dressing’ for the evening. Unless tonight was going to be different because of the presence of David Kendrick… But no, while David's clothes had obviously been fashionable and of good quality, they had been casual clothes, not in the least formal. She would feel almost dowdy against him in her serviceable navy blue skirt and practical cream blouse. Men really shouldn't be allowed to be so perfect to look at that they were almost beautiful!

Remembering the remark he had made earlier about her hair, she pulled the auburn tresses back in so tight a bun that it made her eyes smart! The pressure eased as she loosened it a little, and with a rueful shrug she realised that now she was behaving childishly. She only removed her glasses briefly, so that she could apply a little blue shadow to her lids, before firmly placing the shield back on the bridge of her nose. They acted as a barrier against people like David Kendrick, and she had no intention of going anywhere without them, despite the accuracy of his mocking comment earlier today about them being unnecessary. Or in spite of it!

As she surveyed the final result of her ten-minute change of clothes she knew that she didn't look so very different from when she had started, but she felt comfortable like this, and certainly had no intention of trying to impress David Kendrick.

Her expression was one of challenge as he turned to look at her from contemplating the falling snow out of the window. ‘Is it still snowing as heavily?’ Her tone was defensively sharp as she waited for some critical comment about her relatively unchanged appearance.

‘No,’ he dismissed. ‘You look beautiful,’ he told her huskily.

Her cheeks coloured warmly at the unexpected compliment. ‘We should leave now if we don't want to be late,’ she bit out.

His mouth quirked. ‘Something else I'll have to remember; you don't like compliments,’ he explained self-derisively.

Jade pulled on her coat without asking his assistance, the expression in her eyes enough to warn him against offering.

‘You're right about the eyes,’ he murmured softly, laughter glinting in his own dark blue depths.

She shot him a reproving glare. ‘If you've quite finished amusing yourself…?’ She stood pointedly beside the front door.

David strode across the small living-room with soft footsteps, pausing just in front of Jade. ‘I'm not laughing at you, Jade,’ he murmured softly, perfectly serious now. ‘It's just been years since I felt this damned happy, and I can't seem to stop myself smiling!'

She shot him a puzzled glance as he stood at her side while she locked the cottage door behind them, reminded once again that Penny and Simon had never mentioned he had a younger brother; there was obviously some mystery there, and now she couldn't help wondering if it weren't connected with David Kendrick's past unhappiness.

But who was she to question or speculate about another person's past? Anyone probing into her own past was likely to receive a very cutting reply.

She was deep in thought as they began the drive to Penny and Simon's house, aware of the questioning looks David Kendrick kept shooting in her direction, but doing her best not to acknowledge them.

She would get through tonight because she had already accepted Penny and Simon's invitation long before David Kendrick's arrival, but after that she was determined to stay away from the Kendrick family for the duration of David's visit.

‘You remind me of someone, you know,’ he suddenly said into the darkness, startling Jade out of the hypnotic dream she had fallen into as she watched the snow gently falling against the windscreen.

It was perhaps as well that he couldn't see how pale she had become in the darkness. No one had recognised her since she had come to this quiet little village, her role as a local teacher deflecting questions about her personal life to a certain degree. And now this man, a man who had done nothing but disturb and upset her from the first, claimed to know her.

‘She gave me a black eye at our first meeting, too,’ he continued musingly.

Jade had guiltily noticed that slight discoloration about his eye on his arrival, but had been too embarrassed—and angry!—about the whole incident to bring attention to it.

She gave an irritated frown now, still disturbed by his claim of recognising her. ‘Who did?’ she asked distractedly.

She didn't want to move on from this job until she had to; she loved the school and the pupils. And yet David Kendrick could leave her with no choice.

He gave her an indulgent smile before his attention returned to the road in front of them, that brief glance not seeming to have revealed the paleness of her cheeks to him. ‘The lovely lady you remind me of,’ he answered shruggingly.

Jade's frown deepened, and then her expression cleared with some relief as the significance of his words struck her. ‘You have someone specific in mind?’ she realised slowly.

‘Oh, yes.’ He grinned his satisfaction at having her undivided attention now. ‘As I said, she slapped my face at our first meeting, too.’ He shot her a triumphant smile. ‘And a week later I married her!'

CHAPTER THREE

JADE gaped at him, couldn't do anything else in the circumstances. If he had married this other woman, then what—– God, he was deranged, and once this other woman had realised that she had obviously opted out of the situation. And who could blame her?

‘All that proves,’ she snapped waspishly, ‘is that you're a consistently annoying man!'

He chuckled softly. ‘Sara often thought so. But she always forgave me.’ He quirked his brows questioningly. ‘Are you going to do the same?'

She looked at him uncertainly.

He gave a rueful smile. ‘You were right about my behaviour earlier—it was outrageous, and I am ashamed of myself.'

Jade sighed. ‘That's something, at least,’ she said tartly.

He nodded. ‘Of course, it doesn't change the fact that I do want to marry you,’ he told her lightly.

‘Wouldn't Sara have something to say about that?’ Her sarcasm was unmistakable.

‘Sara's dead,’ he explained softly. ‘She has been for a number of years. And please don't apologise,’ he drawled. ‘It really was years ago.'

Jade's cheeks still burnt from the gaffe, burning anew at his mocking acknowledgement of it. How could she have even guessed that his wife had died, especially as she must have been relatively young? Oh, hell, she should have at least thought of the possibility. Now she really did feel as if she should apologise, which was exactly the disadvantage David Kendrick wanted to put her at, she felt sure. Not that his regret over his wife's death wasn't genuine, she felt certain it was; he was just mischievous enough to enjoy her discomfort, whatever the reason.

‘That's how I knew the slap was a sign,’ David Kendrick continued with satisfaction. ‘Especially when the second one resulted in this.’ He ran triumphant fingertips over the slight bruising at his eye.

Jade frowned, wishing the journey over so that at least Penny and Simon could act as a buffer between her and this strange man. ‘A sign?’ she repeated warily.

‘That Sara knew and approved of the instantaneous attraction I felt towards you,’ he nodded. ‘That she understood the time had come for that “other door to open” in my life, that she even accepted you.'

Understood and accepted—–? Dead women didn't give their husbands ‘signs’ like that! Besides, she didn't like the idea of possibly being instrumental in that ‘sign'—it made her feel uncomfortable, to say the least. The very least!

‘There's only one problem with that notion,’ she bit out sharply. ‘I have no wish to be in your life.'

He grimaced. ‘After the stunt I pulled earlier by not instantly correcting you over the mistaken identity, I'm not surprised, but—'

‘What were you doing playing Father Christmas instead of Simon?’ Curiosity got the better of her.

‘Surprising Penny,’ he explained ruefully.

Remembering how pale the other woman had gone when she had instantly realised the man behind the Father Christmas suit wasn't her husband but his younger brother, she would say he had succeeded very well in achieving that!

He sighed, undeterred by Jade's silence. ‘You see, we haven't seen each other for—a number of years. My fault, I'm afraid,’ he admitted heavily. ‘But when the two people you love most in the world remind you too painfully of the one person you ever loved more than them, the easiest—and probably the hardest, too!—thing to do is put them out of your life at the same time as you block out the pain of losing that special someone you loved.'

Jade felt as if she were being privileged with an insight into this man very few people were ever honoured with. And she, of all people, didn't want it, drew back from the intimacy of the confidence.

‘That's understandable,’ she dismissed stiffly, once again wishing the journey over.

David's mouth twisted. ‘Fortunately Penny and Simon feel the same way about it that you do—otherwise my surprise could have ruined more than one Christmas.'

And instead only her own plans for the festive season seemed to have been affected. The Kendricks had invited her to spend several pre-Christmas celebrations with them during the next few days, but with David Kendrick obviously now in on those invitations too… She would rather go back to her original plan of spending a quiet few weeks with Wellington than deliberately thrusting herself into this man's company.

‘We all used to spend so much time together,’ David murmured absently, obviously deeply lost in thought. ‘Penny and Simon, Sara and me.’ He gave a wistful sigh. ‘Penny and Sara were more like sisters.'

‘I was at college with Penny's younger sister,’ Jade blurted out as a change of subject, knowing she hadn't quite succeeded when David smiled his satisfaction.

‘Penny somehow seems to have a natural affinity with the women I'm going to marry,’ he said with satisfaction.

‘How many of us were there at the last count?’ she felt stung into retorting.

David gave her a reproving look. ‘Do I look like the sort of man who's had a string of wives?'

He looked like the sort of man who had never given marriage a thought, the perennial bachelor, in fact. But that could be because, by his own admission, his marriage to Sara had been so long ago.

Jade sighed. ‘You look like the sort of man who has had a string of women in his life,’ she taunted challengingly.

His expression became completely serious, those deep blue eyes looking almost black in the darkness. ‘A few,’ he admitted thoughtfully. ‘Although not necessarily in the way you mean.’ He smiled, as if he couldn't help himself. ‘Ask me to introduce you to Dizzy and Christi some time. They are the only two women who have been in my life for some time.'

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