There’s safety in solitude...isn’t there?

Single dad and best-selling thriller writer Ethan James has no problem being Templeton Cove’s most famous recluse...until a surprise visit from the past plunges him into a real-life crime drama just as feisty nurse Leah Dixon barges her way into his world.

Ethan’s first priority is to protect his daughter. His second priority is to keep Leah out of this dark web—and that means out of his bed. Except Leah isn’t going anywhere; she’s afraid little Daisy is in danger. Ethan couldn’t live with himself if anything happened to Leah...but pushing her away may be even harder!

Ethan glanced at Leah as they drove along the main street.

Her jaw was set and her grip on the steering wheel looked tight enough to break the damn thing.

He stared ahead and cleared his throat. “You know, my hand feels fine if you want to postpone looking at it until tomorrow. I’ve no idea how long I’ll be talking to my agent, and I don’t want to keep you waiting. Plus, I need to get Daisy showered and into bed. She has school in the morning.”

“It’s for the best that I look at it tonight. I’ve already seen the dried blood.” She glanced at him. “Your hand is clearly not fine. I’ll be out of your hair as soon as possible.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I just…” He just what? Wanted her far away from him so there was no risk of acting on the crazy need to kiss her?

Dear Reader,

So happy to welcome you back to Templeton Cove! Ethan’s Daughter is book seven in the series, but all the stories can be read as stand-alone books. This is a romantic suspense story centering around Leah Dixon, who briefly appeared in books three, four and six. By book seven, it was clear she had a lot more to tell me! Her hero is a newcomer to the series, Ethan James, a single father and reclusive thriller writer.

The book opens with Leah finding Ethan’s young daughter playing alone on the beach. Having seen far too much neglect and harm come to children through her job as an ER nurse, Leah is ready to do battle as she returns little Daisy safely home. Leah’s shock that Daisy’s father is none other than sexy, mysterious and extremely successful novelist Ethan James is short-lived. Her surprise is soon cut short by his bleeding hand and her quick, experienced eye drawing the correct conclusion that the wound is a defensive one.

When Ethan refuses to go to the hospital, Leah is alerted to possible trouble and danger for little Daisy. Unable to ignore her professional care, duty and growing attraction to Ethan, Leah is soon drawn into Ethan’s criminal trouble and the people threatening him.

All that matters to both Leah and Ethan is his daughter’s safety and they will do everything they have to in order to make sure of it.

Ethan’s Daughter is romantic, tense and was so much fun to write. I really hope it will keep you gripped in its pages and tempt you to return to Templeton Cove again soon!

Visit me on Facebook at Rachel Brimble, and Twitter, @rachelbrimble.

Happy reading,

Rachel

Ethan’s Daughter

Rachel Brimble

www.millsandboon.co.uk

RACHEL BRIMBLE lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. Since 2013, she has had eight books contracted with Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories). She also has four Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical Press.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Harlequin Superromance finalist of the So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book, knitting or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in southwest England.

She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!

Books by Rachel Brimble

HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE

Templeton Cove Stories

Finding Justice

A Man Like Him

What Belongs to Her

Christmas at the Cove

Her Hometown Redemption

Saved by the Firefighter

Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com.

Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!

Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010002

For my amazing friends who have believed in me from the start—but a special thank-you to the lovely Joanna Hall. I could not have written Leah & Ethan’s story without your professional help and advice (all errors are mine). You are a star!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

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

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

THE RISING WIND blew off the ocean onto Templeton Cove’s promenade and Leah Dixon pulled her jacket closer around her body. Even though it was only September, the weather was already turning typically British. If she hadn’t stopped for a friendly chat with a few of the locals, she would have been home from her shift at the hospital an hour ago.

She looked to the beach and shivered as the first drop of rain spattered her glasses.

No one needed to get caught in one of Templeton’s rainstorms. The Cove and its coastal location meant it was prone to flooding, and when Mother Nature decided to scream her wrath there was little chance of escape for anyone.

Ducking her head, Leah glanced back and forth across the deserted beach as she hurried toward her small cottage just off the main street.

She suddenly drew to an abrupt halt.

Squinting, she walked to the railing. Was that a child out there on her own? It couldn’t be. “Oh, my God.”

Leah sprinted across the beach as the heavens opened, sending down an icy-cold deluge. The little girl, who couldn’t have been any older than six or seven, was throwing rocks into the incoming tide, relaxed and seemingly happy, as though it were a midsummer evening. Her track pants, denim jacket and open sandals would do little to stop her from getting soaked in five minutes flat.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Leah slowed as she came closer, not wanting to frighten her. “What are you doing out here on your own?”

The little girl turned, her dark, curly hair loose about her shoulders, her blue eyes sad. “Hello.”

Was that all this little one had to say to her? Leah swallowed and forced a smile as she surreptitiously looked about them, in search of an adult to whom this gorgeous creature belonged. “Hi, sweetie. Where’s your mum?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you lost?”

“No. I live here.”

“Here?” Leah frowned, fighting the urge to take the little girl’s hand and warm it between her own. “In the Cove?”

“Uh-huh.”

“But you don’t know where your mum is?”

“No, she left me and Daddy a long time ago.”

Deeper sadness seeped into the girl’s eyes and Leah’s self-control buckled. She offered her hand. “I see. Well, why don’t you come with me and I’ll help you find your daddy. Or is someone else looking after you?”

“Daddy’s working.” The little girl slipped her hand far too easily, far too trustingly, into Leah’s. “He’s always working. My name’s Daisy James. What’s yours?”

“Leah. Leah Dixon.” She firmly clasped Daisy’s hand and started to lead her back to the promenade steps. “So are you here with someone else while Daddy’s working?”

“No. I came out on my own. I was looking for some friends to play with.”

Leah briefly closed her eyes as ugly images reared in her mind. She knew them far too well, from working in Templeton’s ER for the last eight years. Anything could’ve happened to this sweet baby. Anything. “Well, I tell you what, Daisy. Why don’t you tell me where you live and I’ll get you home before we’re both soaked through. How will that be?”

Daisy smiled for the first time, her eyes bright even as the rain plastered her curls flat to her head. “That will be good. Thank you.”

Leah smiled back, itching to give Daisy a hug. “You’re welcome. Do you know your address?”

“Sure. I live on Clover Point. Our cabin is called King’s Korner. With a K.”

“Huh.” Leah nodded, already forming a picture of the little girl’s father. “Did your daddy name the cabin? Fancies himself a king, does he?”

“No.” Daisy giggled. “I think it’s because of a writer he likes.”

“Hmm...why don’t we get you home and I can ask him myself.”

Hand in hand, she led Daisy along the promenade toward Clover Point, situated at the far end of the Cove. Although they walked as fast as possible, it took them a good twenty minutes. Leah’s blood was boiling. How long had Daisy been gone from home for her father to not notice her missing? Worse, what if she was lying for her father and he’d actually sent her out alone so he could get some precious work done?

A hundred and one parents had come up with the same sorry words as she’d stitched and bandaged up their bored kids, who’d sought out their own unsupervised fun.

Night was falling quickly and, with only the old-fashioned streetlights to aid their ascent, Leah’s temper steadily grew with each trudging step. The only people they saw on this wet and windy night were a man cycling past them on his way farther up the point and a woman running in the opposite direction.

With the increasing ferocity of both wind and rain, Leah would normally be running herself as she made her way home.

“This is our house.” Daisy pulled her hand from Leah’s and hurried up the gravel driveway toward the log cabin. “Come on.”

The cabin was about halfway up Clover Point, which meant it was one of the most affluent properties in the Cove. Which also meant Daddy Dearest wasn’t short of a penny or two. Her irritation rising, Leah hurried after Daisy, who stood waiting on the front step.

Lamps flickered through the living room window; the curtains were open, showcasing the beamed ceiling and what looked to be lots of brown leather furniture. Overflowing bookshelves were visible in the background, some sort of wooden elephant ornament stood on the windowsill, and beige drapes curled at the window’s edges.

At least Daisy’s father seemed to be home, even if his taste in decor held the colorless appeal of the Dickensian.

To the right of the front door, the kitchen/dining room stretched all the way to the back of the house. Even in the semidarkness, Leah could see straight through to some French doors at the rear, the only illumination coming from the overhead light of the stove as it glinted on steel toward the center of the room.

Snapping her gaze to Daisy, Leah found her opinions on personal tastes flying to the wayside. The little girl’s eyes were wide as she chewed her bottom lip. Leah frowned. “Are you all right, sweetheart? Do you want me to knock?”

Daisy nodded and raised her arms toward Leah as though asking to be picked up. “Yes, please. Daddy might be mad.”

“Oh, Daddy won’t be mad.” Leah bent and picked her up, hitching her onto her hip as Daisy’s arms wound around her shoulders. “If Daddy’s mad, I’ll show him how to calm himself down real quick. Don’t you worry about that.” She lifted the brass knocker and let it fall a little harder than necessary.

No answer.

Narrowing her eyes, she knocked again.

She was readying to knock a third time when the door swung open.

“I told you to get the hell out of here and not come back.” The man’s dark hair sprouted from every angle, his raging eyes bulged and his right hand was swathed in a blue-and-white—and bloodied—dish towel. His gaze held Leah’s for a split second before he snapped his attention to Daisy.

“My God, Daisy. What are you...?” He cupped her under her armpits, wincing slightly as he pulled her from Leah’s arms to hold her close. He pressed a lingering kiss to her temple.

Leah stared, completely stunned by this flannel-shirted, blue-jeaned, incredibly good-looking man...despite the bulging eyes. She coughed in a bid to find her voice. “Mr. James?” She planted her hands on her hips. “You’re Daisy’s father, I presume?”

Apparently, when his eyes had softened and were filled with regret rather than rage, they looked good. Really good. Leah stepped back.

Oh, good Lord. She’d be damned if those weren’t the eyes of Templeton’s reclusive novelist, Ethan James.

* * *

ETHAN INHALED AGAINST the slam dunk of shame versus relief that had hit him in the chest when he’d seen Daisy in a stranger’s arms. Albeit a beautiful stranger. “Yes. Yes, I am. Ethan James. It’s nice to meet you.” He stuck out his left hand, balancing Daisy on his right hip and forearm. “Thank you so much for bringing her back. Where was she?”

The stranger ignored his offered hand, her hazel eyes flashing dangerously even as rain dripped from her blond bangs and slipped behind her glasses. “Why would you not know where your child is at all times?”

“I thought...” He stepped back into the hallway. “Look, why don’t you come in? I’ll put some coffee on. You’re soaked.”

She snatched a look behind him. “Thank you, but no. I just want to know why your little girl was wandering alone on the beach—”

“The beach?” He turned to his daughter. “Why were you on the beach? Why would you leave the house?”

Daisy sniffed and burrowed her face into his neck. Ethan’s heart hitched at the depth of his neglect. Nausea rose bitter in his throat and he looked to the woman who’d brought his precious baby home. “I was caught up with something. I really can’t thank you—”

“Caught up with something?” Her eyes narrowed. “As in work?”

Whether rightly or wrongly, he suddenly felt defensive. “Hey, I’m trying my best, okay?”

“No, not okay.”

Her glare was mean, yet justified. He slumped his shoulders and shifted Daisy onto his other hip, his right hand throbbing as warm blood trickled over his wrist. The woman’s gaze snapped to his injured hand and he held it behind his back. “Look, I need to... Why don’t you come in? I really appreciate you bringing Daisy home. The least I can do is offer you coffee and a towel.”

She frowned. “What have you done to your hand?”

Damn it. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” She raised her eyebrows. “That dishcloth is doing a pretty bad job of soaking up nothing.” Sighing, she waved him back and stepped into the hallway. “Let’s go into the kitchen and I’ll take a look.”

“You really don’t have to do—”

“No, I know I don’t.” She brushed a hand over Daisy’s head. “Same as I didn’t have to bring your sweetheart home, either, but I did.” She nodded toward the kitchen. “This way, right?”

Ethan held Daisy closer as his gaze followed the denim-clad ass of the blonde bombshell that had just detonated her way into his house. Fine, she’d brought his daughter home. Fine, he was an asshole for not realizing Daisy wasn’t still upstairs watching her iPad, her ever-present earphones stuffed into her ears. Fine, he was the one who let his daughter watch her iPad while he worked hour after hour...

He shut the front door before he looked at Daisy. “Why did you leave the house? You know you should never go anywhere without telling me.”

“I went to the beach.” She lowered her gaze to the buttons on his shirt and twisted them one at a time. “Are you mad at me?”

He opened his mouth to respond, but the blonde woman called from the kitchen. “It will be a shame if you’ve dripped blood all over your fancy wood flooring, you know.”

Ethan shot a glare to the kitchen doorway before pressing a quick kiss to Daisy’s head. “We’ll talk about this later, when the lady’s gone, okay?”

“Her name’s Leah.”

Ethan walked toward the kitchen. “Leah, huh?”

“Yep.”

As he entered the kitchen, she stood with her back to him, wetting another of his dish towels under the running tap. “Take a seat and remove the dishcloth. I’ll use this one to see what we’re dealing with. What happened?”

He needed to get her out of his house. He needed to stop her questions. Lowering Daisy onto one of the six chairs around his dining table, Ethan sucked in a breath through clenched teeth as the wound on his hand screamed in indignation. “I cut it with a kitchen knife. Damn stupid.”

“Where’s the knife?”

“What?” Ethan straightened and met her gaze as she strolled toward him, brandishing the dishcloth, her cheeks ever so slightly flushed with clear anger.

“I don’t see any knife. Where is it?” She defiantly held his gaze despite him standing over her by nearly a foot. “Well?”

“I threw it into the back garden.” He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “I’ve got a bit of a temper.”

Her big hazel eyes narrowed and he struggled not to squirm. Shaking her head, she nodded toward the table. “Sit.”

He sat, uneasy that he was mildly turned on by her assertiveness. He snapped his gaze to Daisy and closed his eyes in shame.

“Do you feel sick?” Leah’s voice cut through his inappropriately fogged brain. “Dizzy?”

He opened his eyes. “No. I’m good.”

“Well, for the record, you don’t look good. Here.” She gestured toward his wrapped hand. “Let’s have a look, shall we?”

Blowing out a breath, he reluctantly held it out.

With a gentle care he hadn’t expected, she unwrapped his hand, flinching slightly as she looked at his slashed palm. Ethan stared at her bowed head. Her hair was blond, but had every shade from almost cream to shots of shimmering gold. It looked silky soft, falling forward as she gently probed around his wound, her glasses edging down her perfect nose.

She abruptly looked up and he snapped his gaze to hers. “What’s the verdict?”

“The verdict...” She glanced at Daisy before facing him. “...is that this is far too deep to have been done by the accidental slip of a kitchen knife.”

Ethan scrambled for a response. Her intelligent, knowing gaze held his as seconds passed. He opened his mouth to say something—anything—but she got there first.

“So, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to bandage this up the best I can and then we’re going to the hospital. I don’t have my car and you can’t drive, but we should be able to get there by cab easily enough.” She looked to Daisy. “Why don’t you go get some warm clothes and shoes on, honeybunch?”

Panic pushed Ethan’s pulse into overdrive. “We can’t do that.”

Leah faced him, suspicion and maybe even a hint of triumph darkening her gaze. “Why not?”

“Because...” He clenched his jaw. Shit, shit, shit. “Because it’s late. Daisy should be in bed.”

“I don’t mind, Daddy.” Daisy clambered down from her seat and walked to the door. “I’ll be really fast.”

Irritation replaced his anxiety as Daisy sped from the room, her feet stomping quickly up the stairs. He faced Leah as she wrapped the dishcloth expertly—and tightly—around his wound. He lowered his voice. “We can’t go to the hospital.”

Slowly, she raised her head. “Why not? Keep that hand up in the air. Put your elbow on the table.”

He glared. “You know why.”

“Tell me.”

Goddamn it. “Because there was no kitchen knife. There was a knife, but it didn’t come from my kitchen.”

“I know, because this is a defensive wound. This is the wound of someone who has wrapped their hand around a blade to stop someone from attacking them with it.” She glanced toward the open kitchen door before looking into his eyes with such concern that he was in danger of weakening, of telling her just what had been going on in his kitchen minutes before she’d appeared at his door holding Daisy.

She sighed and tied the bandage, cupping his hand gently in both of hers. “I’m a nurse, Mr. James. I can help you, but you need to tell me what happened here.”

He shook his head and stood, fighting every instinct in his body that this woman, this stranger, could be trusted. “Look, I can’t thank you enough for bringing Daisy home, but you need to leave and pretend you didn’t see me this way. Can you do that?”

“Yes, I can do that. I shouldn’t, but I can.”

“That’s all I ask.”

Her gaze lingered on his before she gave a curt shake of her head. “Sorry, no can do.”

Her defiance lost its previous sexiness and all he felt now was annoyance. “Look—”

“That cut needs stitches. I can’t leave you this way. Clearly, neither you nor I are happy about the situation, but there it is. Now...” She stood. “Where’s your first aid supplies and sewing kit?”

He stilled. “Sewing kit? Do you mean you’re going to—”

“Yes, Mr. Hotshot Novelist, I’m going to fix you up myself.”

“You know who I am?”

A faint blush stained her cheeks and she cleared her throat. “Of course. I might have even read some of your books.”

He smiled in shameful satisfaction. “Is that so?”

She glared. “Anyway... I’m going to get your darling daughter sitting in front of the TV with some milk and cookies. Then I’m going to come back in here and stitch your hand the best I can. After that, you’re going to put Daisy to bed and then tell me what happened. Agreed?”

He cursed and squeezed his eyes shut, wishing her out of his kitchen, out of his home. Slowly, he opened his eyes and dropped his shoulders in defeat. “The first aid kit’s over there, second cupboard on the right. As for the sewing kit, that will be still in its cellophane in the cupboard to the left of the couch in the living room.”

Her lips twitched as though she fought a smile. “Great. I’ll be right back. Keep that hand elevated.”

Once again, his focus slid straight to her butt as she headed out the door. Holy Mother of God, his messed-up life had just gotten ten times worse.

CHAPTER TWO

LEAH TOOK A deep breath as she smoothed her hand over Daisy’s curls, before leaving her in front of the TV looking as cute as heaven in her panda pajamas and bunny slippers. As she left the living room, Ethan James’s sewing kit in her hand, Leah hesitated. How had she managed to walk into a circumstance so incomprehensible she would undoubtedly read it in one of his novels next year?

It didn’t matter how much her logic told her to sprint for the front door. No part of her could leave the man hurt and bleeding.

She might want to right the wrongs of the world, be the best possible nurse she could, but considering the amount of violence and abuse she’d seen in her job, trusting a situation—a human being—at face value was a huge boulder she wasn’t likely to overcome anytime soon.

Handsome novelist or no handsome novelist.

For better or worse, she was knee-deep in a situation that her stubborn ass would see through to the end. Her work would always come first, and sooner rather than later, Ethan James would realize she owed him no favors, only her duty.

If he didn’t like that? Too bad.

He wouldn’t be the first man she’d annoyed through her commitment to the job. It was all that mattered to her. She strode purposefully into the kitchen. “Okay, then. Let’s get started.”

The weight of his gaze rested on her back as she walked to the kettle on the counter. Running water broke the silence as she filled the kettle before setting it to boil. Her mind raced. What would she say to him once he was stitched up and physically comfortable? She needed to know what had happened. She refused to leave Daisy in a potentially dangerous situation. He seemed far too calm to have disturbed an attempted burglary, far too calm to have undergone an assault by a complete stranger. Which meant he must have known his attacker.

There could be no other explanation. He didn’t want to go to the hospital. Either because his presence there would cause police attention to be directed on him or the person he could be protecting. Then again, he was a recluse. A famous novelist. Maybe he didn’t welcome unwanted attention of any sort...including Leah’s.

She turned and approached him. His gaze didn’t leave hers even as she sat beside him and pulled the chair close. Leah quickly pulled the first aid box and sewing kit toward her. He was a truly handsome man, but how could she trust he was an innocent party in whatever had caused the cut to his hand? She wouldn’t. At least, not yet.

“Okay.” She opened the boxes and scanned their contents. “There’s enough here for me to be able to stitch and bandage the wound. Before I do that, though, I’ll clean it and then numb the area. I’m going to need to wrap some ice in a cloth.”

He stood. “I’ll get it.”

She straightened and tipped her head back. The guy was tall. Nicely tall. “Sit. You’re not going to be able to wrap ice in a towel, not that I don’t appreciate you offering to help.”

He smiled softly. “This is kind of crazy, isn’t it?”

“That’s definitely one way to put it.” She inhaled a long breath and turned her detective skills on full blast. “But telling me what happened might help level out the crazy.”

His eyes shadowed and he shifted his focus to his hand. “Doesn’t that part come after I put Daisy to bed?”

She stared at his profile. He sounded on edge, but not snappishly so. Did he want to tell her? Did he need to tell her? “You can tell me what happened, you know. It doesn’t mean I’m going to freak out. I’ve seen all there is to see working in the ER.”

He raised his head. “It would be better all round if you stitched me up and forgot about me and Daisy.”

“I don’t think I can do that.”

His jaw tightened, but his gaze seemed to plead with her. “You have to. It’s for the best.”

“For who? You? Me? Daisy? Whatever you’re hiding is clearly dangerous, a threat to both you and her. I’m not prying. I care, okay? You look so...”

“What?” His eyes darkened with challenge. “Angry? Pissed? Afraid?”

She swallowed against the dryness in her throat. “Alone. You look alone.”

The silence stretched and Leah’s heart beat hard as his study darted over her face, lingered a moment at her mouth. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on so I can decide what the hell I’m going to do about it.

When it was clear no revelation would be forthcoming anytime soon, she forced her concentration to his hand. There was something about this man and his daughter that had caught her. When she looked into their eyes, something unfathomable lingered. Almost as though she was meant to walk along that beach, meant to meet them...which was insane.

But she was still here. Still tending, nurturing, caring. And she would continue to do that until her duty was done. Walking away wasn’t an option.

She gently lowered his hand and eased back the dishcloth. “This is one nasty gash, but I’m going to do the best I can. I need you to walk with me to the sink. Okay?”

Supporting his injured hand, Leah cupped his elbow with her other hand, and together they progressed slowly to the sink. She turned on the tap. “This might sting a little.”

Carefully, she eased his hand forward, and the lukewarm water washed away the congealing blood to reveal the cut beneath. She leaned closer. “Good, the wound isn’t as deep as I thought. I can stitch you up, but the dressings are going to need changing every day until I can remove the stitching. I don’t want to risk infection, so I’ll pop back here after work tomorrow, if you like.”

“Here?”

The panic in his voice jolted her gaze to his. She sighed. “Yes, here, Mr. James. You’re my patient now and I’m willing to treat you at home...if I decide your reasons for not going to the hospital are reasonable and there’s no danger to your daughter.”

His jaw tightened. “There’s no danger to Daisy.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m her father and I won’t let anything happen to her.”

“I found her on the beach, Mr. James. I’m going to need more than that.”

“Ethan.”

Leah frowned. “What?”

His gaze bored into hers. “I think we’re past surnames, don’t you?”

Leah softly smiled. “I guess we are. Leah.”

His focus lingered on her face so intensely, she looked again to the wound, steadfastly fighting the sudden warmth in her stomach. He wasn’t to be trusted or liked...at least not until she knew the full story and was convinced he had no part in causing the violence that had clearly occurred before she arrived. He was a patient. A father to a young child, no less.

She guided his hand back under the water, tightening her grip slightly when he sucked in a breath. She gently traced the area around the wound with her finger. “Nice and steady. That’s it. Right, that should do it.” She turned off the tap and pulled some kitchen paper from the roll by the sink. She patted his hand dry. “Okay, back to the table while I sterilize a needle and some thread.”

She helped him sit down, inching up his elbow to keep the wound elevated, then opened the sewing kit and extracted a sharp needle and some thread. She studied both before glancing at Ethan.

He raised his eyebrows. “Will that work all right?”

Always fill the patient with confidence and ease. She plastered on a smile. “Absolutely. This will be no problem at all.”

She carried the needle and thread to the counter and poured boiling water into a saucer before submerging her makeshift suture equipment. Pretending not to feel his gaze on her, she took a clean dish towel from the pile beside the kettle and filled it with ice from the freezer.

“Here, press this firmly to the wound. If you can, make a fist. It’ll be freezing, but the number the area, the better. I’m going to check on Daisy.”

“Leah...”

“Yes?”

His eyes searched hers before he shook his head. “Nothing.”

Leah relaxed her tense shoulders. He wanted to talk to her; wanted to trust her. She was certain of it. That alone gave her reason to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. He was clearly nervous about something, and if she could, she’d help him. “I’ll be right back.”

As she walked into the hallway, she released her held breath. So the man was in trouble. The question was, did he have the courage and confidence to let her help him?

* * *

BY THE TIME Leah had stitched and bandaged his hand, it neared nine before Ethan managed to get Daisy into bed. He left her bedroom door slightly ajar and slowly walked to the top of the stairs. The smooth jazz he’d put on the stereo filtered toward him, along with the smells of the Chinese food he’d felt compelled to order. The chink of glasses and then the pop of a cork meant Leah had found the wine rack and opened the bottle he’d asked her to pour.

The truth was he needed her gone, but how was he supposed to do that without further rousing her suspicions? Her professional interest was obvious every time she looked at him. The woman was a nurse, for crying out loud. What were the chances? Would she be duty-bound to call the police?

It was bad enough that Daisy had walked out of the house without him noticing, but for a nurse to find her? He wouldn’t be surprised if the authorities came knocking. He glanced toward Daisy’s room. She refused to tell him why she’d wandered off the way she did, but at least it had been before Anna, his ex-wife, had turned up on his doorstep after a five-year absence. The woman had lost it the moment he’d refused to give her the money she demanded from him.

If he threw Leah out without at least the offer of food and drink after everything she’d done tonight, he was pretty sure she’d be calling the cops the minute she was out the door.

Not that he’d entirely blame her.

He had no choice other than to play nice if he had any chance of keeping silent about what had happened before Leah brought Daisy home.

He descended the stairs and walked into the living room. He lived in luxury. His earnings were good from his writing, his notoriety under control. The last thing he wanted was his name in the press for all the wrong reasons. He’d come to the Cove with Daisy after Anna left them, and it was the best move he’d ever made—for both himself and his daughter.

Sure, he was a recluse. Not many people knew, or cared, that a bestselling novelist lived in this small coastal town. Whenever he decided to venture into the town center, the residents never bothered him. Daisy had friends. What more did they need than each other? He liked their life and had every intention of keeping it to just the two of them so Daisy never again suffered the pain she’d felt when her mother walked away.

But now Anna was back...and in a hell of a lot of trouble.

Leah stood by the window, staring out into the darkness.

He studied the back of her from head to heel. Her height and petite frame were deceiving. The woman was a force to be reckoned with. Her capability, her care and passion for her work, showed in the astute way she studied him, Daisy, his home and every damn word he said. Leah was not going to let this situation go, plus she’d already said she’d be back every day until his wound was healed.

And how was he supposed to stop that from happening?

“The rain’s stopped.” She turned and walked to the coffee table, picking up a second glass of wine. “Here. Not that wine is a particularly good idea after the painkillers you’ve taken.”

“I’ll live.” He walked toward her and took the glass with his good hand. “Thanks.”

“I’ve left the takeout on the kitchen counter. I’m usually a tray-on-the-lap kind of girl...” She glanced around the room and sighed. “But my living room doesn’t look like this. My house is kind of more open, friendly.”

“Whereas mine is closed and unfriendly?”

She shrugged unapologetically. “Maybe.”

He laughed and the sound filled the room with alien warmth. He gestured with a nod toward the couch. “Have a seat and I’ll get the food. I’ll even get some trays. I’m feeling kind of crazy.”

She raised her eyebrows. “What about your hand?”

“I’ll manage.”

As she walked to the couch, Ethan went into the kitchen and grabbed two trays, pushing them under his arm, then took some cutlery from the drawer and the bag of takeout from the counter. Easy. He smiled. His sudden, unrehearsed burst of laughter had taken him by surprise. Leah had taken him by surprise. He wasn’t dumb enough to think her attentiveness was anything more than professional caring, but still, it was nice that the nurse amused—and attracted—him.

Besides, she was a beautiful woman. Interesting.

But there was no way he was going down that complicated road. His priorities were Daisy and his work. That was more than enough.

“Do you need a hand?” Leah called from the living room, then laughed. “Sorry.”

He smiled as he joined her. “I’m fine. And dinner is served.”

“Great, I’m starving. Is Daisy asleep?”

“Out like a light. Her adventure tonight wore her out.” He placed the trays and food on the coffee table. “Thanks again for—”

“Hey. No more gratitude. You’ve thanked me enough.” Leah unpacked the food. “What would you like? I’ll dish up while you figure out how you’re going to explain to me what happened here tonight.”

He narrowed his eyes at her back. Clearly, the woman was going nowhere until she had some answers. He reached for his wineglass and took a sip. “There’s not much to tell.”

She passed him a loaded plate and a fork, her gaze steady. “Nice try, but you failed the return abysmally. Try again.”

Turning, she began filling the second plate. Ethan appreciated her glossy hair, the exposed nape of her neck. She was someone he hadn’t expected or asked to turn up in his life, but she was here and deserved some honesty. He cleared his throat. “My ex-wife was here. She left just before you arrived.”

Leah stilled for a moment, before sliding onto the couch next to him, pulling her tray onto her lap and sipping at her wine. “I see. That must’ve been the woman who ran past me and Daisy on the hill. I’m surprised Daisy didn’t recognize her.”

Immediate nausea rose in Ethan’s throat. “Daisy saw her?”

“I assume so.”

Ethan closed his eyes. “Then it’s just as well she hardly remembers her.” He opened his eyes, his anger at Anna resurfacing. “Daisy was only two when her mother left.”

“I see.”

“Anyway, she freaked when I started bleeding. Until that point, she was quite happy to wave a knife in my face.”

Leah’s brow furrowed before she turned to her food and speared some chicken. “You said she left when Daisy was two. Hasn’t she seen Daisy at all in between?”

“No.”

“Never?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Ethan frowned. “Excuse me?”

Her cheeks flushed. “Sorry.” She briefly closed her eyes, before opening them again. “I just mean it’s unusual for a mother not to have contact with her child. Unless...” She pushed her glasses farther onto her nose. “Is she dangerous? Your ex-wife?”

“No.” Ethan slumped his shoulders and pushed his tray onto the table, his appetite vanishing. “At least, not until tonight. As far as I know.”

“I see.” She waved her fork toward his plate. “Eat something. You need food in your stomach.”

He dutifully picked up the tray and scooped up some rice and chicken. As he chewed, he watched her do the same and wondered what was going through her mind. He could assume, from her posture, that she was calm, but the faint blush on her cheeks could indicate unease. He swallowed and pushed on with what he’d decided to tell her. Nothing more, nothing less.

“I haven’t seen or heard from Anna in five years. I have her address and send her pictures of Daisy from time to time, copies of her report cards, that sort of thing. Anna never replies.” He clenched his jaw. “So, when she turned up here tonight, I knew she had to be in some sort of trouble. But she’s gone now and she won’t be back.”

“Because you refused to give her what she wanted?”

“Yes. I don’t want her near Daisy in that state. I don’t want her here, period.”

“You must’ve liked her at some time. You married her, after all.”

Ethan shrugged as better memories, good memories, surfaced. Of the days when he and Anna had been dating; of their wedding day, with Daisy already safely cocooned in her mother’s womb. He sighed. “Sure. I loved her more than any man should ever love a woman. Unfortunately, my life at the keyboard and my following success, along with Anna’s role change from model to mother, meant she and I saw our future together differently.” He sighed. “She didn’t exactly take to motherhood. Even if she hadn’t walked out, our divorce was inevitable.” He returned his tray to the table, picked up his wine. “I just wish Daisy would’ve featured somewhere in Anna’s plans.”

Leah’s hazel eyes bored into his before she blinked and took a sip of wine. “But she’s Daisy’s mum. If, eventually, she wants back in her life—”

“She’ll have to earn her way back. It wasn’t Daisy who brought Anna here tonight, and I want no part of whatever she’s gotten herself into. She chose to walk away from us. Her mess is her own.”

“I see. Eat.”

Leah turned back to her food and they ate in silence, each bite like sandpaper in Ethan’s mouth. He refused to tell her any more. She knew enough to accept that he had the situation under control. She could eat her food, drink her wine and leave.

As much as he hated treating her that way, it would be better for both of them in the end. The next problem was convincing her he could change his own bandages and snip out a few stitches when the time came.

She cleared her throat. “Don’t you think you should at least let the police know what happened here? In case she comes back?”

Ethan clenched his jaw. “No, absolutely not.”

“I’m reading between the lines, but how can you be so sure she won’t knock on your door again? Won’t want to see Daisy?”

He put down his fork and slid his tray onto the table. “The woman has no care for her daughter. No care for anything but herself.”

“But—”

“No, Leah.” Now he was annoyed. “I’ll call you a cab.” He walked into the kitchen, the heat of her stare burning into his back.

He squeezed his eyes shut and pushed his thumb and forefinger into his brow. Goddamn it. She didn’t deserve to be spoken to that way. It was Anna. This was what she did, what she made him.

Cursing, he punched in the number of the local taxi company. “King’s Korner, Clover Point. Great. Thanks.” He ended the call and tossed his phone onto the counter, his hand throbbing.

“I’ll wait outside.” Leah stood at the doorway in her jacket, her purse on her shoulder and her arms crossed.

“Leah, you don’t understand. I can’t tell you—”

“It’s fine. Forget it.” She nodded. “I’ll be back tomorrow to change that dressing. Make sure you keep a check on that daughter of yours. She’s a beauty.”

Ethan stood stock-still as the front door slammed. He couldn’t just leave her to wait outside.

“Shit.” He hurried into the hallway and yanked open the front door. “Leah, wait...”

But she was gone.

CHAPTER THREE

LEAH FILLED HER thermos with coffee and then stared through the window. The sun shone bright and inviting across her flower-filled garden. The clouds were few, which would have made a walk to the hospital tempting if it weren’t for the trepidation that had kept her awake half the night. A full ten-hour shift loomed ahead, before she “dropped in” on Ethan James at the end of it. Fighting with how best to help him and his gorgeous daughter had resulted in fitful tossing and turning until dawn. Yet she still hadn’t picked up the phone to call the police.

If something happened to Ethan—or God forbid, Daisy—who was to say the hospital wouldn’t be legally in their rights to haul Leah’s ass to the police? Not to mention the added weight of failure that would be loaded onto her conscience.

Picking up her coffee, she walked to the table and rechecked her purse for everything she’d need that day. Phone. Check. Wallet. Check. Her thoughts wandered once more. She knew several members of Templeton’s police force through their dealings at the hospital, but calling them might bring a whole new load of trouble to Ethan.

He struck her as a man who knew his own mind, yet there was an underlying vulnerability to him. As if he, like her, worried that one wrong move would bring his whole world crashing down. Leah frowned. She could only surmise the aura surrounding him came from the recent reappearance of his ex-wife.

Sighing, she shrugged into her jacket. Maybe she could have a quiet word with Cat Garrett, the town’s detective inspector. Kind, savvy and exceptionally discreet, Cat would advise her. Leah had spoken to Cat numerous times throughout her time in Templeton and the inspector had proved to be someone Leah could rely on should she need police involvement at the hospital.

She liked to think that Cat would help if Leah called or visited the station.

She could make her questions purely hypothetical. Then surely nothing worse could happen for Ethan and Daisy?

Leah left the kitchen and walked into the hallway. Her instincts were usually good and trustworthy, but the flash of pleading she’d seen in Ethan’s eyes continued to make her doubt her next move.

Lifting her keys from the hook by the door, Leah walked outside and glanced at her watch. Seven thirty. Maybe she should swing by the station now, and instead of involving Cat at this stage, speak with the desk sergeant instead? That would ease her conscience. At least a little.

The possibility of walking tossed to the wayside, Leah got into her car and headed across town.

Fifteen minutes later, she pulled open the door to the police station and entered the lobby. Relieved that it was empty of anyone but the desk sergeant, Leah lowered her shoulders and smiled. “Good morning.”

The sergeant looked up from his paperwork. “Good morning.” He returned her smile and laid down his pen. “How can I help you?”

Leah put her purse on the counter that separated them and cleared her throat, trying her best to look impassive. “I would like some advice, actually.”

His gaze turned somber. “Oh?”

“Yes. I have a...” She cleared her throat. “...hypothetical situation that I’d like to run by you, if that’s okay?”

“Hypothetical?”

She smiled. “Absolutely.”

Skepticism burned in his gray eyes. “I see. Go ahead.”

Leah took a breath. “Okay, so I’m a nurse.”

“Yes.”

“Say I knew someone who’d had a run-in with someone else that resulted in an assault with a knife. Nothing serious, but the person who suffered the injury doesn’t want to involve you guys, doesn’t want to press charges...”

Why was she hesitating over this? She was the type of woman who made snap decisions all the time. Who looked at a situation and immediately sensed what came next. With Ethan James, everything felt different. Unexplained. Dangerous. Not him, but everything she’d seen in his eyes. The pleading, anger, apology and gratitude. The list went on.

The sergeant coughed. “Miss...”

She blinked. “Dixon. Leah Dixon.”

“If this hypothetical person doesn’t want to press charges, there’s not a lot we can do unless you can persuade him or her to speak with us. Is there more to this situation? Something that worried you enough that you came in here?” His gaze softened. “We’re here to help. You should know that better than most.”

She leaned closer. “What if it wasn’t an isolated incident? Is there anything the police could do to ensure this person’s safety?”

“Without him or her speaking to us? No. Even if you told me this person’s name, we don’t have the resources to protect against a what-if or maybe. My advice to you is to persuade this person to come to the station as soon as you can before anything else happens. Until then, there’s nothing we can do.” He frowned. “I get the impression you’re genuinely worried, Miss Dixon. Do what you can to help, but until a person wants that help, it can be a difficult job.”

She swallowed. “And if this person has a child living with them?”

Concern darkened his gaze. “Then they most definitely need to come and see us.”

She sighed and briefly closed her eyes. “Okay.” She stepped back from the counter. “Thank you, Sergeant.”

“Miss Dixon?”

Leah turned back to the counter. “Yes?”

“If you think a child could be in genuine danger, I recommend you call social services, but before you do that you need to be certain you’ve got the situation correctly assessed.”

Leah held the sergeant’s gaze as her mind replayed the sincerity in Ethan’s gaze, the doubt and loneliness that emanated from him. Not to mention the deep care he had for Daisy. She exhaled. “This hypothetical person is a good person, Sergeant. Someone who might have been thrown into a bizarre state of affairs through no fault of their own.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Then I’ll leave my advice with you, but I can’t say this conversation hasn’t raised my concerns.”

She nodded. “I’m sure everything will be fine, but if I need your help again, I’ll come straight back here. Okay?”

“As you wish.”

Turning, Leah left the station, walked across the parking lot and got into her car. She breathed deep and started the engine. Come what may, she’d see Ethan tonight, and hopefully, what to say or do next would become clear. Then she could go back to her life pre–handsome author...and his little girl.

* * *

ETHAN PRESSED HARD on the delete key of his laptop and watched the pathetic paragraph he’d written disappear. The morning’s work had been painful, both physically and mentally. One-handed typing and a head full of nothing but real life, rather than fiction, meant nothing good would be written anytime soon.

He got up from his chair, grabbed his phone and wandered downstairs into the kitchen.

Filling a glass with water, he drank deep. The possibility of getting any worthwhile work done was zilch until he spoke with Anna. He couldn’t leave the situation as it was, no matter how much he might want to.

He couldn’t turn away from Anna as she had him. What if something happened to her? Did he really want to have to explain to Daisy how her mother had asked for his help and he’d refused?

Refilling his glass, he picked up his phone and headed outside into his back garden. Although the sun shone, a cool breeze whispered its first scent of autumn, and as Ethan sat at his outside table, the prospect of another long winter continually working indoors pressed down on him.

As much as he maintained his self-inflicted solitude, his past mistakes were not Daisy’s. They were his...as was his seemingly endless anger and resentment. Having Leah Dixon sweep through his house like a tornado made him realize that he had to change the reclusiveness he’d created, for Daisy’s sake, if not his own. How long did he think she would accept his word on everything? Forever? Of course she wouldn’t. He might be nudging toward his midthirties, but he still remembered teenage rebellion well enough.

Sliding his phone onto the table, Ethan leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

Over breakfast that morning, he’d raised Daisy’s disappearance the night before with his daughter. Her explanation hadn’t been one he’d expected. What a fool he was. She’d gone looking for some friends to play with, saying the only ones she had she saw at school or the occasional birthday party. To his shame, felt more acutely since yesterday, he hadn’t allowed her to have friends over, no matter how many times she’d asked. Their home was their haven. He didn’t need friends, but now he saw that Daisy did.

He’d brought that loneliness to her.

His phone rang and Ethan sat bolt upright, as though whoever was on the line knew of his complete lack of good parenting and had called to pass sentence. Caller ID unknown.

He pressed Talk. “Ethan James speaking.”

“Ethan, it’s me.”

He closed his eyes. “Anna.”

“You have to help me. I don’t have anyone else to go to with this. You know that.”

“How do I know that?” He gripped the phone. “I don’t know anything about you. Not anymore.”

“So? You could still help me.”

He snapped his eyes open. “No. I’m not getting involved in whatever this is. Call the police if you’re scared. I don’t want you around Daisy.”

“Daisy, Daisy, Daisy. Life isn’t always about her, you know. If I call the police everything will be worse.”

“For who?”

“All of us.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“I’m just saying—”

“That you thought the best course of action would be to come to my home, your daughter’s home, brandishing a knife. Was that the safer option?” Anger simmered deep inside. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I didn’t have a choice. If Harry finds me—”

“Your boss, right? The man you are so scared of you saw fit to attempt stabbing me to illustrate your point.”

“I didn’t stab you. You grabbed the damn knife.”

Ethan tightened his grip on the phone. “Why do you want this money? To get away from this guy and his cronies?”

“Yes. He’ll kill me if I don’t, Ethan. I’m serious.”

Thoughts of what Anna’s death could mean to Daisy in the future, what it would mean to his guilt, slithered through his conscience. “Run everything by me again. I might be more receptive to what you have to say without you holding a knife while our daughter is upstairs.” He grimaced. Or more like when Daisy was alone at the beach or with Leah Dixon.

“Okay. Well, Harry isn’t only my boss. He’s my boyfriend and the head of a gang here in Bristol.”

“What sort of a gang? I assume the guy’s at least past his twenties?”

“Of course he is. What do you take me for?”

Not trusting himself to answer, Ethan held up his hand to check the bandage. Dots of blood showed through the material and he forced himself to relax. “Go on.”

“He’s the head of a group of heavies. I knew he was involved in paid protection, some extortion, that sort of thing...”

Her tone was unbelievably blasé. “Oh, that’s all right, then. Just petty stuff, huh? Jesus, Anna.”

“But then I witnessed him dealing drugs. He told me he had nothing to do with them, and now I’m doubting anything he tells me.”

“You don’t say?”

“Ethan, please. I’m in serious trouble here. I told him I’d go to the police with what I knew unless he set me free and gave me some cash to start over. He refused, telling me to keep my mouth shut or he’d shut it for me.”

Everything had grown incredibly dark inside Ethan. He leaned forward and put his elbow on the table, pressing the phone hard to his ear. “So, what, you’re this guy’s property? Is that what he’s saying?”

“It wasn’t always like this between us. At least, not in the beginning. Harry gave me everything I dreamed of. A place to dance, some small acting jobs. I thought he could get me to where I want to be, but now everything’s gone wrong. I don’t want to die, Ethan. No matter what you might think of me, surely you don’t want that, either. I’m Daisy’s mother, after all.”

Her whimpering tone was like a spark off a flint, and Ethan shoved himself to his feet, the chair teetering to the floor behind him. “Don’t. Don’t you dare go there, Anna. I thought it was bad enough you didn’t mention Daisy last night, but now that I hear you say her name, it makes me angrier than ever. You’re no mother to her. What if this guy would’ve had you followed? Or came here himself?”

“Ethan, I’m sorry.” She sniffed as though holding back tears. “I don’t know what else to do to make you listen to me. You have to help me.”

“Why? Wasn’t it you who said there was nothing to me? No backbone? No personality? No guts? Wasn’t that why you walked away from Daisy and me five years ago, and haven’t bothered with as much as a birthday card for her since?” He paced back and forth. “You’re not playing us this way, Anna. You’re clearly hedging your bets between me and this asshole, Harry. Whoever pays up first is fine by you, right? Are you still with him?”

“Yes, but—”

“And you’ll stay there until you’re certain which way the wind’s going to blow, right?”

“Ethan, please—”

“No. I’m not listening to any more of this. Don’t call or come near Daisy or me again. Ever.”

He shut the phone off and tossed it onto the table, concentrating on keeping his head together. When he looked at his injured hand, the dots of the blood had spread across his palm.

CHAPTER FOUR

LEAH PULLED HER car to a stop in the Coast Inn’s parking lot and killed the engine. Her shift at the hospital had been manic and stressful, and now she needed to buy a certain something to use as armor when she stepped into Ethan’s house for the second time in two nights.

There was nothing like a glass or two of crisp pinot grigio to protect a person’s emotional instability. Okay, so many people, including her sensible self, might argue the plausibility of that sentiment, but still, wine was her chosen chain mail for tonight.

She pushed open the bar door.

The place was as busy as she’d expected at nine o’clock on a Friday night.

That afternoon—somewhere between suturing a guy’s knee and extracting a splinter the size of a small missile from a teenager’s hand—she’d decided that affecting a breezy attitude with Ethan was the name of the game. She might have a whole lot of uncertainty with regards to how to deal with him, but the important thing was to gain his trust so he’d see the right thing—the only thing—to do was to at least take the police into his confidence in case anything else should happen. Even if he wouldn’t press charges against his ex after her attack, the police being aware of any potential danger made absolute sense.

Propping herself against the bar, she lifted her hand to Vanessa, one half of the husband-and-wife team who owned the Coast, as she finished serving a group of raucous young men. Leah smiled softly. Vanessa could be a force to be reckoned with.

“You boys just behave yourselves, you hear?” Shaking her head, Vanessa smiled as she walked toward Leah. “Hey, you. Not very often you’re in here at this time. Do you have tomorrow off?” She peered over Leah’s shoulders. “And you’re alone?” Vanessa frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Leah laughed. “Nothing’s wrong. I just came in hoping to buy a bottle of wine to take away.”

Vanessa’s eyes lit with interest as she wiggled her eyebrows. “To a man waiting for you at your house dressed in nothing but a loincloth, by any chance?”

“No-o-o, but there is a man waiting in his own home...and I’m guessing fully dressed.”

“Guessing? Or hoping?”

“Does it matter?”

“Of course it matters. Who’s the mystery man?”

Leah tapped the side of her nose. “Uh-uh. A bottle of your finest pinot grigio, please.”

Vanessa scowled. “Spoilsport.” She turned to the fridges behind her and pulled out a bottle of white wine, placed it on the bar. “Ten pounds, please...” She raised her eyebrows again, still clasping the bottle. “But I’ll make it eight if you spill his name.”

Smiling, Leah took a ten-pound note from her purse and held it out. “Ten pounds exactly.” She pulled the bottle from Vanessa’s scarily firm grip. “Thank you.”

Vanessa narrowed her eyes.

Smiling, Leah turned from the bar with the wine and walked toward the exit.

“Hey, Leah. How are you?”

She’d stopped to speak with Tanya Todd, her best friend’s sister, when she caught sight of Ethan sitting at one of the high tables by the window. Surprise lodged any further words in her throat. What was he doing here? She’d been pretty clear when she’d told him she would come to the cabin to see to his hand, tonight and every night until it was healed. Was the thought of seeing her again enough to make him hide out in a bar? Leah frowned. Wait a minute... Was Daisy here, as well?

“Leah?”

She blinked and faced Tanya, forcing a strained smile. “Sorry, Tanya. I’m good. How are you?” She flitted her gaze to Ethan.

“I’m fine, but you, on the other hand, look suspiciously distracted.” Tanya turned and glanced in Ethan’s direction before facing Leah once more. “See something you like?”

Leah scowled. “Not at all. Just a certain someone I need to speak with. We’ll catch up soon, okay?”

Without giving Tanya a chance to respond, Leah headed toward Ethan. She placed the bottle on the table next to his open laptop.

He slowly raised his eyes from the screen. His gaze was glazed, as though he didn’t see her at all, before he blinked and his eyes widened. “Leah.”

She planted her hand on her hip, the other still around the wine bottle. “Weren’t we supposed to be meeting at your place?”

“What time is it?”

Had his ex-wife beaten him about the head, too? “It’s just past nine.”

“What? Damn it.” He hastily shut the lid of his laptop and stood. “Could we take a rain check? I promised my agent a Skype call at nine thirty.”

“And where’s Daisy when you’re sitting here...” She glanced at his empty pint glass, the froth from his beer still clinging to the inside. “...drinking beer and playing video games.”

“Playing vid... I’m working.” He glared, his bright blue eyes flashing dangerously. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Hi, Leah.”

Leah turned at the tug on the bottom of her shirt, to be met with eyes amazingly similar to Ethan’s, and delightfully more friendly. “Daisy.” Relief pushed the air from Leah’s lungs. “Where did you appear from?”

“Over there.” She pointed to the kids’ soft play area through an arch toward the back of the bar. “I’m making friends.”

“Oh, I see.” Happiness and a whole lot of forgiveness toward Ethan’s forgetfulness squeezed Leah’s heart. She faced him and lifted her eyebrow. “That was nice of Daddy to bring you out this evening.”

“Uh-huh.” Daisy tugged on her shirt again. “Are you coming home with us? Daddy promised me ice cream when we get home. He said it’s way overpriced in here.”

Biting back a laugh, Leah smiled. “Did he, now?” She leaned closer to Daisy’s ear. “You’d better ask your daddy if I can join you. I don’t think he’s very keen on my interrupting your evening’s plans.”

Daisy faced Ethan. “Please, Daddy. I’ve made new friends and Leah can be your new friend. Please...”

Leah lifted her chin and fought the guilt that Ethan was quite possibly being beaten into an extremely uncomfortable corner by two very forceful females. He held her gaze for a moment, his eyes annoyed and cold. Then he looked to Daisy and back to Leah, before his shoulders slumped. “Are you sure you still want to come over? It will mean waiting for me to finish speaking with my agent.”

“That’s no problem.” She lifted the wine. “It’s important I check your hand. I’ll follow you back in the car. We can always save this wine if I need to come over to check your hand again tomorrow.”

He stilled. “Tomorrow?”

Maybe she was bothering him more than she realized. She couldn’t imagine for one minute he wanted her coming back and forth to his place. “I’m sorry if I sound pushy, Ethan. I really don’t mean to be, but on top of everything else that’s going on with you, I don’t want to be responsible for letting your wound get infected. Can’t I at least hold up that part of my job?”

He met her gaze before glancing at Daisy, who looked at her father with a soft pleading in her eyes.

“Fine.” He raised his good hand in surrender. “You can check on my hand.”

“Thank you.” She looked from the reluctant defeat in his eyes to Daisy’s happy ones and held out her hand. “Want to walk me to my car?”

The little girl grinned and slipped her hand into Leah’s. “Sure. Come on, Daddy.”

Without looking at Ethan again, Leah walked with Daisy out into the falling dusk. Her heart hammered and her body was tense, but she battled to keep her face impassive. Now that she’d seen him again, her heart told her she hadn’t just been going to Ethan’s tonight to make sure his stitches were okay. She’d also been looking forward to seeing him again. Him and Daisy.

And that realization was terrifying. Time and again, she’d avoided just this type of personal involvement with a man, when her work and obligations took priority. She still suffered from having personal decisions made for her that had resulted in a lifelong guilt over not doing enough, never being enough.

How could any romantic relationship work when she had so much work to do on herself, let alone anyone else? Plus Ethan had a child. That was most definitely an emotional commitment too far.

She’d always been the bubbly one, the funny one, the one who was serious at work and fun to be with the rest of the time. The pretense had gone on for as long as she could remember. She’d skillfully used her humor and smile to keep the walls she’d built around her heart firmly cemented in place. Dating was easy. Simple and untethered. The trouble with meeting someone who set her heart racing, who made her care enough for him and his child, was those feelings could all too easily cause the carefully tended bricks to wiggle loose.

She could not allow that to happen.

If she did, the chances were pretty high that one or all of the parties involved would get a demolition ball smacked straight into the center of their chest. For the most part, life was a bitch. Her job never let her forget that and, in a weird kind of way, she was grateful.

Her cases kept her view of life grounded in reality.

Slipping her hand from Leah’s, the little girl touched her father’s arm. “Are we going home in Leah’s car?”

Leah froze. How could she have been so stupid? He couldn’t possibly drive with his injured hand and now she’d have to endure sitting side by side with the man all the way to Clover Point. Which, strictly speaking, was a ten-minute drive, tops...but still.

She forced a smile. “Of course you are. I’ll grab a booster seat from the trunk.”

Surprise widened his eyes. “You’ve got kids? I didn’t realize...”

“No.” She huffed a laugh. “But I am a little anal about being prepared for anything and everything.”

“Right.” His gaze softened with something that looked far too much like acceptance...as though he should have guessed as much. “Got it.”

Leah quickly looked away and walked to the back of her car. Shoving her first aid kit, car jack and mini toolbox to the side, she pulled out one of the two booster seats. After closing the trunk, she opened the back door and pushed the seat inside. She waved toward the open door. “All yours.”

She stood back as Ethan helped buckle Daisy safely inside, her gaze roaming over his strong back and perfectly edible ass encased in cargo pants. Ignoring the twitch deep in her abdomen, she walked around to the driver’s side...but was too slow opening the door. Ethan’s steady gaze met hers over the car’s roof, and for the first time in a while, her automatic smile was far too long in coming.

She stood frozen to the spot.

Until she broke the moment and found blessed escape by sliding into the driver’s seat.

* * *

SOMETHING VERY, VERY bad had just happened.

Ethan blew out a slow breath before opening the passenger door of Leah’s car. Once seated, he stared straight ahead, willing his racing heart to slow. Her hazel eyes had burned straight into his and he’d seen the attraction, the realization, and finally, the panic that rolled inside him reflected in her gaze. His pull toward her had to be quashed. He couldn’t get someone as lovely and caring as Leah involved in his messy life right now.

She started the car and he reached for his seat belt.

Yet he’d agreed to her coming to the house against all the warnings screaming in his head. But how could he refuse? Her care and attention to his injury was genuine—as was her clear concern that Anna might come back. Leah was obviously a good person who took her job seriously. Whereas he was little more than a control freak about his work, his life and Daisy’s life.

After the way he’d failed Anna and his daughter in those early years, it was no surprise he’d evolved into the man he was today. He refused to apologize or make excuses for doing all he could to keep Daisy safe.

It had just been him and her for the last five years. Sure, he’d dated and some of those dates had even stretched into an overnight stay when his mum had been able to have Daisy.

Yet no woman’s allure had smacked him upside the head like Leah’s.

And now they sat side by side, with only a shift stick and hand brake between them.

He had to push Leah away for her own protection—not to mention Daisy’s.

She was first and foremost in his every thought and action, and he’d been careful not to invite a woman into his life who could up and leave them at a moment’s notice. It had taken him months and months after Anna’s leaving to convince Daisy he was here to stay. Having her get attached to someone else who might one day let her down was something he couldn’t allow to happen. At least, not until Daisy was older and understood adults could let people down—could let children down.

His daughter’s happy humming filled the car and he glanced at Leah as they drove along the main street. Her jaw was set and her grip on the steering wheel looked tight enough to break the damn thing.

He stared ahead and cleared his throat. “You know, my hand feels fine, if you want to postpone looking at it until tomorrow. I’ve no idea how long I’ll be talking to my agent, and I don’t want to keep you waiting. Plus, I need to get Daisy showered and into bed. She has school in the morning.”

“It’s for the best that I look at it tonight. I’ve already seen the dried blood.” She glanced at him. “Your hand is clearly not fine. I’ll be out of your hair as soon as possible.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I just...” He just what? Wanted her far away from him so there was no risk acting on the sudden and crazy need to kiss her? She showed him so much more care than anyone else had in a very long time. That had to be the reason behind such irrational yearning, right?

She smiled. “You’re just scared I’ll hurt you. I’ll be gentle, I promise.”

Ethan swallowed. She had no idea how close to the mark her words had struck. Wasn’t the real reason she scared the hell out of him because there was every chance he could come to care about her, too? That maybe she could end up being someone special? Someone who would make his and Daisy’s lives a whole lot better?

But the last time he’d felt anything near what he felt now was when he’d first met Anna...and look how that had turned out.

He screwed his good hand into a fist. Well, there wasn’t a whole lot he could do about preventing Leah coming to the house tonight, but tomorrow, he’d figure out a way to stop her that night and every night after.

They rode the rest of the way to Clover Point in relative silence, punctured every now and then by Daisy’s stream of chatter, blended with bursts of humming and, her latest discovery, whistling.

Ethan looked out the side window. Leah’s stubbornness ranked pretty high on a scale of one to a million. Well, whether she realized it or not, he could match her tenacity. All he wanted was to be a good father to Daisy and a successful author. To prove to his daughter, his readers and himself that he had something worth sharing with the world, after Anna’s demeaning verbal shots during the final months of their tumultuous marriage took their toll on his courage and self-belief.

In the past, he’d run from confrontation—not anymore. Not when he had learned what hiding from reality could do. A man losing his wife and a child losing her mother.

Anna was unlikely to disappear from his life again anytime soon. And neither Leah nor Daisy deserved even the slightest slash of his ex-wife’s poisoned tongue.

If Leah wanted to play nurse outside working hours... Thoughts not entirely suitable for his current dilemma filtered into his imagination.

“Something funny?”

He coughed and sat a little straighter in his seat. “No.”

“You were smiling.”

He faced her. God, she was beautiful. Beautiful and kind and caring...and sexy and pretty spectacular in every other way, as far as he could tell. Finding out more about her was something he might have wanted, but had to ignore if he had any hope of keeping her away from Anna.

He shrugged. “I was just thinking about something I saw on TV.”

“Hmm. Sure you were.”

She shook her head and the soft sway of her cropped, glossy blond hair about her face took a little of his breath away. He shifted in his seat and glanced at Daisy in the back. She stared at him mischievously, her mouth stretched into a grin.

His smile dissolved as unease rippled through him. Was his attraction to Leah so obvious a seven-year-old could see it?

He might not want to be alone forever, but now was the worst possible time for him to contemplate getting into anything...if Leah ever came to consider him romantically, of course.

Even if he took Daisy’s emotional stability out of the equation, Anna’s impulsiveness, her unpredictability and spiteful temper had caused a cold, hard spot to linger like death in his heart. His marriage had marred him, made him into a man prone to bouts of selfishness, unnecessary protectiveness and moods that had no place around a woman or child. Sometimes it took all he had to keep Daisy safe from his weaknesses. Month by month, year by year, his daughter had given him the ray of light he needed to strengthen his hold on his internal ugliness.

It was his baby who made him fight to get out of the box that still sometimes proved to be so firmly closed since Anna left.

He wasn’t sure he could keep his internal battle hidden from another adult—another woman in particular—as well as he did from Daisy.

The crunch of gravel beneath the tires told him they were home, and Ethan buried his thoughts. Yanking on the door handle, he got out of the car and headed to the back to help Daisy.

The driver’s door clunked shut and Leah spoke behind him. “I have an idea. If you’re okay with it, of course.”

Ethan frowned as he helped Daisy from the car and onto the gravel. “What?”

“I’m happy to help Daisy get showered and into her pajamas while you’re speaking with your agent.” She shrugged. “It will save time and it is getting kind of late.”

Ethan stared. Let her see to Daisy? Let her spend time alone with his little girl? He looked at Daisy. She vehemently nodded. “Please, Daddy. I can shower myself and show Leah my new pajamas.”

He looked to Leah. “Are you sure?”

She smiled. “Absolutely.”

He blew out a defeated breath. “Okay, then. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll just grab my first aid kit from the trunk.” She walked to the back of the car and was hidden from his view for a moment before she slammed the trunk shut. Coming toward Daisy, she held out her hand. “We’ll have fun while Daddy’s talking to his agent, won’t we?”

Ethan stepped back as his baby took Leah’s hand and they walked toward the house, Daisy screeching with laughter at something Leah said.

He closed his eyes.

He was in all sorts of trouble...and not just with Anna.

CHAPTER FIVE

LEAH LAID THE last piece of tape around Ethan’s bandaged hand and sat back in his kitchen chair. “There you go. Good as new. Those stitches will need to stay in another few days, but I think—if you keep it clean and dry—I won’t need to come back tomorrow. But I can swing by Saturday morning if you like?”

He gently probed the bandage. “Um, why not leave it for a few days, and if there’s a problem, I’ll call you.” He lifted his bright blue eyes to hers. “You said yourself it’s healing well.”

It was clear the man was no closer to trusting her than she was him. “Look, I know you want me to butt out of your problems, but all I’m doing is trying to help.”

“And you are. With my hand, at least. Everything else, you need to leave to me.”

Their gazes locked and frustration hummed through her. Sooner or later, she was going to have to make a choice to either call the police or leave Ethan to his own devices. But how could she do that without ignoring her professional obligations? She inhaled a long breath, then exhaled. “How about we exchange numbers? If there’s a problem with your hand, you can call me. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll come by in a few days to remove the stitches. Agreed?”

A muscle in his jaw flexed. He shrugged, his gaze returning once more to his injured hand. “Okay, fine.” He met her eyes, gave a tight smile. “That would be good. Thanks.” He stood and walked to the counter to grab his phone. “What’s your number?”

She told him before typing his number into her phone. So she liked him. So caring about his hand had been partly a ruse to get his number, but now she would stop being friendly for a while and be her usual pain in Ethan’s butt instead.

“So...” She inhaled again. “As much as I don’t want to harangue you about what happened with your ex, and as much as you want me to stay out of it, in order to do that I have a few questions I need answered.”

His tentative smile dissolved and irritation simmered in his gaze. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

She stared at his bowed head, her impatience rising. “Ethan, your ex attacked you. What would’ve happened if Daisy had been in the house? You need to ensure your ex-wife doesn’t come back and end up physically hurting you again. Or worse, hurting Daisy.”

His jaw tightened. “I won’t allow Anna anywhere near Daisy.”

“So you’ve said before, but she’s the child’s mother. You might have full custody, but sooner or later Daisy will start asking about her mum. She might even want to see her. Then what?”

“I’ll face that problem when I have to.” He glanced toward the kitchen door. “Look, it’s getting late. Maybe you should go.”

Leah crossed her arms. “Will you please just talk to me? Whether you like it or not, I’m involved and starting to kind of like you and Daisy. So until I know she’s safe...”

He shot her an impressive glare of his own before he rubbed his hand over his jaw and sat. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to make it any clearer. I don’t want you mixed up in this. I know Anna—you don’t. Believe me, you’re better off out of it.”

“Maybe I am, but unfortunately for you, I’m not the sort of woman to walk away from someone in trouble. I’m a nurse, Ethan. I take care of people, and I can’t abandon you and Daisy until I know any danger has passed. I’m sorry.”

“Abandon us? We’re not your responsibility.”

Her cheeks heated. “Intellectually I know that, but morally you are my responsibility.”

“I’m trying my best to be nice here.” His gaze burned with determination. “You getting any more involved than you are already isn’t up for debate.”

“You know something? By rights, I should’ve reported what happened to the police last night, but so far I haven’t. For your sake. For Daisy’s sake. Having said that, if I suspect Daisy could be exposed to further danger, then I’ll have no choice but to go to the police. So you need to convince me that little girl asleep upstairs is safe.”

Leah squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again. “I’m a professional who loves her job and the people who live in this town. I’m duty-bound to help them to the best of my ability. By sending me away, telling me to mind my own business, you’re making it hard for me to do my job. Just tell me how things were left with your ex. Is she likely to come back?”

“Honestly?” His stare turned hard and his cheeks darkened. “I don’t know and that scares the crap out of me.”

Chills tiptoed up her spine. “Then call the police. Get a restraining order. Whatever. You need to do something to ensure Daisy is kept out of harm’s way. Why don’t I take you to the station tomorrow?”

“No.” He shook his head. “If I decide to go to the police, I’m perfectly capable of going there alone.”

She couldn’t just leave. Somehow, after such a short time, Ethan and Daisy had gotten under her skin. She pulled back her shoulders. “I told you... I’m a nurse.”

“And you’re duty-bound, right?”

She swallowed against the coldness in his gaze and looked toward the darkened back garden. “Right.”

Professionally and personally, she wished she’d walked any other route home than past the beach last night.

That’s right. Keep telling yourself you wish you hadn’t come face-to-face with this lonely author and his daughter. That you aren’t thankful it was you who found Daisy instead of some sicko.

Purposely softening her tone, she faced Ethan. “What are you going to do? I really don’t want us to fight about this.”

He tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling. Leah gazed at his jaw and exposed throat. Everything about him attracted her...and the fact he was a published author gave her a thrill that should’ve been deemed juvenile. But the things she’d like to do with the man were far from juvenile.

“You’re worrying about nothing.” He dropped his chin. “Anna lives in Bristol. That’s almost eighty-five miles away. She can’t just pop by.”

Leah stood, needing some distance. The man was so damn stubborn. “Yet that’s exactly what she did.”

“Yes, but I can’t see it happening again anytime soon. She wanted money from either me or her current lover in order to make a new start. Sooner or later, she’ll find a way to get that money, but she knows it won’t be from me, so why come back here?”

Leah frowned. “So she’s in some sort of financial trouble?”

“Yes. Well, no. Not really.”

“What does that mean?”

“Leah, please. Just leave it.”

“She’s Daisy’s mum, Ethan. If she’s in some sort of physical danger, what will you do if something happens to her? Could you live with that? Could Daisy?” Looking at his good hand where it lay on the table, she hesitated before reaching forward and covering it with her own. “You have to do something. You know you do.”

His jaw tightened before he gently slipped his hand from hers and looked away.

“Do you know why I became a nurse?”

His chest rose as he inhaled and turned. He blew out a breath. “Why?”

She barely knew the man. But what choice did she have but to share something about herself if she wanted him to see sense? “When I was about fifteen my grandmother disappeared. I was closer to her than any other member of my family, including my parents.”

His gaze was steady and intense on hers.

“Unbeknownst to me, she was diagnosed with cancer and my parents put her in a hospice as soon as they possibly could. Any place they didn’t have to look after her themselves. That’s the sort of people my parents are. I had no idea where she’d gone.” Tears burned behind her eyes. “They took it upon themselves to decide I was too young to watch my grandmother becoming more and more sick. She died without me having the chance to spend her last days with her, or even to say goodbye. I swore there and then that I would do all I could to help others who are sick. Help their families to care for them, be with them until the end.” She shook her head, fighting the urge to take his hand again. “Life is precious, Ethan. It can change in a heartbeat through no fault of your own. If Daisy’s your priority—”

“She’s my only priority.”

She pulled back her shoulders, praying he heard her. “Then prove it. Go to the police. Talk to Cat Garrett. She’ll help you ensure Daisy is safe. This has to be about your daughter. Not your anger toward your ex-wife.”

“I sent Anna away because of Daisy. If this was about me, I could handle Anna whether she was here or a million miles away. I don’t want her near Daisy because my ex-wife would have no more qualms about using a seven-year-old to her own ends than she would an adult.”

The sincerity in his eyes was undeniable. “So what are you going to do? I still think not involving the police is a bad decision. You can’t guarantee Anna won’t reappear any more than I can.” Leah frowned. “Do you have some sort of problem with the police? Don’t trust them?” Frustration merged with suspicion and chipped away at her thinning patience. She crossed her arms. “Or are you just too bullheaded to accept the fact that nobody can be there all the time for somebody they love?”

He slowly pushed himself to his feet, his voice dangerously low. “There are more people in this than Anna. She witnessed some sort of drug deal, and when she said she was going to tell the police, her thug of a boyfriend threatened her. She says she wants the money to get away from him, but it could be she just wants money from me and has no intention of leaving the guy at all.”

Leah felt sick to her stomach. “Drugs? Her boyfriend is dealing drugs. Then that’s more reason than ever to go to the police. Do you have any idea how many overdoses I’ve had to deal with? Kids cutting themselves on syringes while playing God knows where?”

He closed his eyes. “I can imagine.”

She took his hand, tightening her grip on his fingers until he looked at her. “Then we need to do something about it.”

He stared at her before turning to the kitchen door. “You should go.”

Trembling with suppressed anger, Leah glared. “I just shared something personal with you to try to make you understand that things can change without warning. People’s lives are turned upside down every day. Did you think for one minute your ex would turn up here brandishing a knife?”

He stared at her, a muscle ticking in his jaw. She raised her hands in surrender. “Do you know something? Do what you want. I’m leaving. But I’ll tell you this—if your little girl ends up in the ER on my shift... God help you.”

She snatched up her purse and first aid kit before marching from the kitchen. Of all the stubborn assholes...

She gritted her teeth and opened the front door before slamming it shut behind her. Two nights she’d been to Ethan James’s home and twice she’d left thoroughly irritated.

He could deal with his own problems from now on, but if anything happened to Daisy... Leah got into her car and slammed the door. She looked in the rearview mirror toward the house. Goddamn it.

How could she leave him alone to stave off whatever danger lurked around the corner? What if knives, guns or drugs suddenly became a part of Daisy’s world?

Leah started the engine. I’m in this, mister, whether you like it or not.

* * *

SUNLIGHT CAME THROUGH the blinds in Ethan’s bedroom as his eyes flickered open. He stared at the ceiling as his conversation with Leah last night replayed in his mind. The woman seemed hell-bent on helping others, her professional obligations overriding anything he had tried to explain to her. He clenched his jaw. And along with her protests, she’d made sure he realized that there was a chance he could let Daisy down, as he had when she’d been born.

He and Leah were opposites. Their life choices and sense of purpose were so far apart he couldn’t see how they’d ever agree on anything, let alone what to do about Anna.

Taking a deep breath, he reached for his phone to scan his overnight email. That done, he checked his Twitter and Facebook, searching again for Leah as though she might have suddenly decided to join the chaos of social media overnight.

As he shut off his phone, Leah and her parting words zoomed into his mind once more. Memories of her had disturbed his sleep throughout the last two nights. He lifted his injured hand. He’d been sufficiently careful to avoid any further bleeding, so at least Leah’s fiery temper wouldn’t be aimed at him for neglecting to look after her handiwork.

Shoving back the covers, he got out of bed and padded into his en suite bathroom.

Once showered and dressed, he grabbed his phone from his bed and went to check on Daisy. He quietly pushed open her bedroom door.

“Hey, sweetheart. How long have you been awake?” He approached her bed, to find the quilt covered in shredded toilet paper and three of her Barbies wrapped in three-ply bondage. He smiled. “Are they Egyptian mummies or sick?”

She scowled, a line darting between her perfect eyebrows. “They’re sick. I’m making them better, like Leah did you.”

“Right.” He stared at her dark curls as she bent over one of the dolls, her tongue poking from between her lips as she wound some toilet paper around one of the Barbies’ legs. “What happened there?”

“She fell over the edge of Clover Point and broke her leg.”

“Ah, nasty.”

“Yep, but Leah operated and sewed her back up. I’m her helper.”

“Uh-huh.” Ethan bit back his smile. “Do you want some breakfast, Nurse Daisy?”

“Yep. Pancakes and strawberries.”

“Coming right up. I’ll call you when it’s on the table.”

“Okay, Daddy. I mean, Mr. James.”

With love for his daughter squeezing his chest, Ethan resisted the urge to kiss her, knowing from Daisy’s expression it wouldn’t be welcomed in the middle of such a delicate operation. Leaving her room, he walked downstairs into the kitchen.

Just as he put his phone on the counter, it beeped with an incoming text.

Good morning. As it’s such a nice day and we parted on pretty bad terms, I was wondering if you and Daisy would like to meet me for a picnic on the beach. I promise not to beat up on you again...well, not too much anyway. Leah x

Slowly, he put the phone on the counter as though it was a ticking bomb. He’d vowed to find a way to keep distance between them. All night he’d battled to find a solution for his hand healing without infection, but not involving Leah, a doctor or any other damn medic. How could he be certain any of them wouldn’t call the police as Leah wanted to?

Now she held out an olive branch.

No matter how tempted he was to accept her invitation, he had to refuse—had to maintain his determination to enforce some distance for all their sakes. He couldn’t be around someone as caring and attentive as Leah. She reminded him too acutely of his own ineptitude.

He walked to the kettle and flicked it on.

Yet hadn’t he finally found a woman who intrigued and interested him, as much as she infuriated him? Maybe, but the timing sucked.

The knock on his door jolted him upright.

Leah?

He strode from the kitchen into the hallway, pushing some fallen hair from his brow. His apprehension made his heart rate hitch as he unlocked the door and pulled it open.

His postman stared back at him, wide-eyed. “Everything all right, Ethan?”

The air eased from his lungs and he forced a smile. “Hey, Norman, how you doing this morning?”

“I’m fine. You, on the other hand...”

Ethan huffed a laugh. “Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. What can I do for you?”

“Got a package here. Too big to stick through your letter box.”

“Thanks.” Ethan took the padded envelope. “See you soon.”

“That you will. Take care.”

Ethan stared at the typed address label before turning the envelope over to see if the sender’s address was marked. Nothing. Frowning, he closed the door and wandered back into the kitchen. He sat at the table, ripped open the envelope and pulled out a blank sheet of paper. And another.

“What the hell...” He tipped the envelope, giving it a hard shake. More papers fluttered onto the table, followed by a couple of snapshots. He picked one up and his heart leaped into his throat.

Daisy smiled at the camera, holding her ten-meter swimming certificate and pin in her hands. Another picture showed her astride her first bike at age four, wheels glistening. Ethan turned over the copied certificates, report cards and health updates, and the words jumped and blurred in his vision.

What the hell was Anna playing at? He’d sent her all this stuff because it was the right thing to do. Now that he’d refused her money, was she telling him she didn’t want anything else about Daisy sent to her? That she was washing her hands of her child in every possible way?

He pushed himself to his feet, the chair teetering behind him. He gathered up the papers and photographs and slipped them back into the envelope before snatching up his phone. Walking into the hallway, he struggled to keep his voice calm as he called up the stairs. “Daisy?”

“Yes, Daddy... Mr. James.”

He closed his eyes, his anger immediately fading to a low hum. “I’m just in the living room making a phone call. Your breakfast won’t be long, okay?”

“Okay.”

Gripping the phone, he walked into the living room and quietly closed the door. He moved to the window and stared into his driveway, trying to think of what to say to Anna. How the hell did he talk to her about this?

Tossing the envelope onto the armchair, he quickly dialed Anna’s number before he could change his mind. The words would come, because one way or another, Anna would bloody well explain this new level of callousness.

She picked up. “Ethan?”

“The one and only.”

“I can’t talk right now.”

He closed his eyes and huffed a laugh. “You can’t talk right now... God, why didn’t I think to say that to you when you turned up on my doorstep the other night?”

“I mean it. I’m...” There was a rustling, and the faint sound of a door closing echoed in his ear. “I’m at the club. Harry is in the other room. If he knows I’m talking—”

“I couldn’t care less what he knows. What did you think you would achieve by sending all Daisy’s pictures and certificates back to me? You think that will go some way to persuading me I was wrong in refusing to give you money?”

“What are you talking about?”

Ethan opened his eyes. “The pictures, Anna. The pictures of our daughter that arrived in an envelope at my house this morning.”

“I didn’t send you any pictures.”

“No? Then who else would? I can’t imagine for one minute you share the stuff I send you with anyone else.”

“I don’t know. Ethan, you have to believe that I’d never get rid of them. I might not be the best mother in the world, but I do care about Daisy.”

“Really? Well, you’ll have to forgive me if I find that very hard to believe.”

“That’s not fair. I tried to be a mother to her. You know I did.”

“You tried? For crying out loud, Anna. Trying is what real mothers do every day. They try their damn best and then get up the next day and do it all again. What real mothers don’t do is walk away.”

“This again? You’re going to do this again? Now?”

His pulse beat at his temple, and his knuckles ached from clutching the phone. “The pictures, Anna. Why did you send them back to me?”

“I didn’t. If you don’t believe it, that’s too bad.” She paused, her voice quieting. “What if they were meant as some kind of message? What if Harry knows I came to you for help and he’s threatening you with the potential to hurt Daisy?”

Ethan paced the room, uneasy. “We’re not starring in some TV show, Anna. This is real life. Real life that involves Daisy. Now you either go to the police with the crap you’ve found yourself mixed up in or I will. I won’t let this affect Daisy. Do you understand?”

“Ethan—”

“No, I mean it.”

“Harry is not the sort of man to ignore. Now there’s a possibility he’s made contact with you, we’re in this together.”

Ethan clenched his jaw. “The hell we are.”

“What if he comes after Daisy, huh? What then?”

“Fine. You want to try the emotional blackmail route, I’ll go to the police. Today.”

“No. Don’t. Ethan, please. I’m sorry, okay? Just leave everything to me. I’ll sort this out. Promise. Harry doesn’t work alone. Those pictures could’ve been sent by any of the guys who work for him, or even someone he deals with.”

“So we could be looking at any number of people? We have to involve the police, Anna. This is ridiculous.” There was a rumbling of voices in the background. “Anna?”

“I can’t talk now,” she hurriedly whispered. “I’ll call you later.”

The line went dead.

“Damn it.” Ethan clicked off his phone, his body rigid. What the hell was wrong with the woman? She’d always enjoyed sneering at him, saying how he was a dreamer, that his writing mattered to him more than anything else. She couldn’t have been more wrong, but her selfishness and disregard for Daisy had chipped away at his previous love for his ex-wife until there was nothing left but cold, hard resentment.

Once upon a time, he’d adored her. Thought her the moon, the stars and then some. Slowly, all that was good and lovely about Anna had changed. Just weeks after Daisy was born, Anna’s thin patience was revealed. The smile that had once come so easily morphed into a permanent grimace; her once softly whispered words of love for him became angry shouts of hate.

And now Anna had stepped way over the line.

He moved to the window and pressed his hand to the wall beside it as he stared blindly across his driveway. What if Anna was right and the pictures and certificates were a message from Harry? That someone was threatening Daisy’s safety because of his ex-wife’s actions?

Whirling away from the window, he called up a search engine on his phone to look for the number of Templeton’s police station.

Enough was enough.

He found the number and his finger hovered over the call button. Anna was adamant she did not want the police involved, but Daisy was his priority.

Fear of his own weaknesses, of doing wrong by his daughter and all the other people he cared for, burned hot inside him. Would the police take Daisy away from him? Put her in protective custody? No matter how irrational those possibilities might be, his blood turned cold.

He slid the phone into his pocket and closed his eyes. Damn Anna for putting him in this position.

Their divorce had been inevitable. He just wished she’d told him she no longer loved him, so he could share the fallout calmly and with as much gentleness as possible with Daisy. Instead, Anna had walked away without warning, leaving their daughter to believe her mother had abandoned her. Which was exactly what Anna had done.

He could have—should have—done more to protect Daisy against heartbreak five years ago, but he wasn’t that miserable and uncertain man anymore. Nor was he stuck in a seemingly endless emotional revolving door. Being a single parent, a father, had made him stronger. Made him stand up for what was right for himself and Daisy.

If he didn’t hear from Anna by tomorrow morning, or the outcome of their conversation wasn’t to his satisfaction, he would speak to DI Garrett.

He reread Leah’s text.

The notion of spending time with her today suddenly felt like the only balm to his frustration. Yet wouldn’t she just get on his case again for not calling the police?

The living room door opened and Daisy entered, her sick Barbies laid out on a kitchen tray. He smiled. “Uh-oh, they don’t look too good.”

“They’re resting, Daddy. I didn’t want to stay upstairs anymore, so I thought the living room could be the new hospital.”

“No problem.”

“I wish we could go out somewhere today. It’s sunny.”

He looked to the window. The sky was clear blue, the sun bright and inviting. Leah’s text taunted him until he slowly exhaled. He turned to Daisy with a strained smile. “How about we take your patients to the beach?”

Her eyes lit up. “Really?”

Ethan nodded. “Yes.”

Her gaze dimmed and she frowned. “But they might get sand in their cuts.”

“Maybe...but Leah will know what to do if that happens.”

Her sudden grin was wider than the sun. “Leah’s coming, too?”

He shrugged. “If you don’t mind?”

“Yay! Quick, hold my Barbies. I’m going to find my swimsuit.”

She shoved the tray at him and fled from the room.

Smiling for real now, Ethan laid the tray on the coffee table and turned to his phone. Whether it was more for Daisy or himself, he wasn’t sure, but spending the day with Leah was bound to mean, at best, a nice few hours at the beach...or worst, Leah manhandling him into Templeton’s police station. Either way, it would turn out to be a different kind of day than he and Daisy had been expecting when they woke that morning.

He typed Leah a returning text before doubt could set in.

The beach sounds great. You might want to bring your first aid kit. Nurse Daisy has some critically ill Barbies. Ethan.

CHAPTER SIX

LEAH HAULED HER loaded picnic basket onto her arm and carefully navigated the steps that led onto Cowden beach. It was a beautifully sunny day, so very different than the rainy evening she’d met Ethan and Daisy for the first time. She shielded her eyes against the sun and scanned the beach as she debated whether to head toward the tumble of rocks at the far end, where Daisy might want to try to catch some of the tiny crabs that lingered in the pools. Or should they sit somewhere closer to the center of the beach, where it was a lot freer of potential hazards?

Deciding on a safe spot, she dropped her basket and flicked out the blanket, hoping that once Ethan and Daisy arrived, the tension between her and Ethan wouldn’t mar the tranquility of the day. Leah sat and pulled her purse toward her to check her phone. Ethan had said he’d text her when he and Daisy got to the beach.

She frowned. No incoming text.

Turning, she glanced toward the promenade, and before further disappointment could surface, she recognized the heights and gaits that could belong to only one father-and-daughter combination.

She studied Ethan avidly as he scanned the beach from the steps, his hand wrapped protectively around his daughter’s.

Good Lord, it’s cruel to womankind that a man who looks like that is holed up in that house of his day in, day out.

Squinting, she peered a little harder and her eyes widened at the sight of what looked to be a bright pink car in his other hand. She quickly turned away. The guy was all kinds of sexy and clearly completely unaware what the sight of a man loving his child so openly could do to a woman’s ovaries.

Dressed in knee-length, white linen shorts and a pale blue shirt that she feared would only serve to accentuate the depth of his gorgeous eyes, he looked the epitome of unruffled, incredibly cool beach candy...pink car or no pink car. How was she supposed to convince the guy how serious she was about him contacting the police when all she wanted to do was knock him over onto the sand and lie on top of him?

Get a grip, woman. She briefly closed her eyes before pushing herself to her feet.

She dialed his number.

Frowning, he pulled his phone from his pocket and answered her call. “Hello?”

Leah smiled as Daisy jumped up and down beside him, her plastic bucket and spade rhythmically knocking her legs. “Hello, yourself. Can you see me? I’m more or less in the center of the beach. I’m waving at you.”

He stared along the sand, and when he saw her, Leah could’ve sworn he flinched. Immediate self-consciousness flooded her. Had the shorts and cropped tank top she was wearing been a mistake? Too much flesh on show? Ethan had seen her only in her uniform. Maybe the sight of her in casual dress pushed their connection a little too quickly into a personal one?

He gave a half wave before leaning down to Daisy and pointing toward Leah. The girl gave a considerably more enthusiastic greeting than her father, then practically dragged him toward the steps.

Pushing away her lingering insecurity, Leah laughed. “I guess you’ll be right with me.”

“I guess we will.”

She ended the call and sat down again, pulling the picnic basket toward her. Taking out wrapped sandwiches, sealed tubs of cold chicken, coleslaw, potato salad, green salad, breadsticks and hummus, she laid everything out on the blanket and surveyed her bounty. Okay, so it was a mini feast, but she had no idea what Ethan and Daisy liked to eat, so had covered all bases.

Once a feeder, always a feeder. Wasn’t that what her best friend, Sasha, liked to accuse her of being, much to her embarrassment? Maybe Leah felt her place in life was to nurture and take care of people, but it wasn’t entirely selfless. Caring fulfilled her, secured her place in society and life...made her hope that maybe someday she’d have a family of her own and that her feelings and opinions would be valued by those who loved her.

Nerves rippled through her as she lifted out a big bottle of water and a couple of cartons of juice, just as the scents of sun cream and man enveloped her.

She briefly closed her eyes before tipping her head back. Ethan stood over her like a boulder, his gaze focusing on hers through his sunglasses. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

She turned to Daisy. “Hey, beautiful. Don’t you look a picture?”

Daisy grinned and pulled the material of her suit out from her belly. “This is my new swimsuit. Daddy bought it for me.”

“It’s very pretty.”

“Thank you.” Her smile vanished and she looked up at Ethan. “Let Leah see the patients, Daddy.” The little girl turned to Leah, her brow furrowed and her eyes somber. “They need checking over. I think they might have headaches.”

With her heart fit to burst, Leah swallowed her laugh and solemnly nodded. “Right, let’s take a look, then, shall we?”

Daisy took the pink car from her father and held it out to Leah.

She took the toy and looked at the two bandaged passengers and the driver, who had her arm in a rubber band sling. “Hmm, this lady really shouldn’t be driving with only one functioning arm.”

“It was an emergency, and luckily, we didn’t see a policeman on the way here.”

“Ah, okay. Well, we’ll let it go this time, then.”

Trying and failing not to glance at Ethan as he sat down beside her, Leah quickly turned back to the job at hand. He’d removed his sunglasses and his gaze was fully on her rather than his daughter’s Barbie crisis. A delicious frisson washed through Leah. Could she maybe hope he might find her half as appealing as she found him?

She cleared her throat and ran her hand carefully over the dolls’ brows before laying her finger gently on each of their chests. “Well, I think the driver is the least of our concerns. She needs to lie down and rest for the afternoon. As for the other two, I think they might have a bit of a temperature and slight concussion.”

Daisy’s eyes widened with alarm. “What’s that?”

“Did they maybe hit their heads?”

“That one, Mrs. Harper, fell off Clover Point.”

Leah grimaced. “Ohh, and what about this lady?”

“She caught her.”

“Ah.” Leah bit her lips together to trap her smile. “I see. Well, in that case, I think we’ll let them all rest in the shade and check on them again in an hour or so. What do you say?”

“Okay. Can I build a sand castle while we wait?”

“Of course.”

Smiling, Daisy grabbed her bucket and spade and moved a little away from them to a soft stretch of sand. Sighing, Leah turned to Ethan. “She’s gorgeous. Completely and utterly gorgeous.”

His gaze lingered on hers before he looked to his daughter. “Thanks.”

Unwelcome tension filled the silence. “I’m glad you came. I wasn’t sure you would,” Leah finally said.

“I needed to see you.”

The clipped tone of his voice alerted her to further trouble. “Is everything okay?”

“You were right.”

“About?”

“Anna.”

“She came back?”

He faced her. “No, but I received a package with photos of Daisy, her school certificates, that sort of thing. Anna denies sending it, but I’m not sure she’s telling the truth.”

“Why would she lie?”

“I don’t know.”

He glanced at Daisy once more, his jaw tight and his fingers drawn into a fist atop his lifted knee.

Leah’s concern deepened. “If Anna didn’t send them, who did?”

“She insinuated they could’ve been sent as some kind of warning.”

“From whom?”

He faced her. “Her boyfriend, no doubt. The man she’s supposedly trying and failing to get away from.”

Leah stared toward Daisy. Surely he now knew he had to go to the police? That Anna, or someone even more dangerous, was certain to turn up in the Cove sooner or later?

Ethan coughed, and when she looked at him, his eyes were softer. “Look, forget about it for now. I want to enjoy today. I want Daisy to enjoy it.”

“Ethan, you really need—”

“I will. Tomorrow.”

Relief lowered her tense shoulders. “You’ll speak to the police?”

“I’ll decide once I’ve spoken again to Anna.”

“But—”

“Leah, please.” His eyes shadowed with irritation. “I can’t promise you anything else right now.”

Frustration threatened, but she relented with a sigh. “Okay, okay. I’ll leave you be, but...”

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