Abigail Gordon - [Willowmere Village 01] - Christmas at Willowmere

Christmas At Willowmere


(A book in the Willowmere Village Stories series)
(2008)
A novel by


Abigail Gordon


‘That was fantastic,’ Glenn said laughingly as he took her in his arms and danced her along
the main street of the village, past the fairy lights in the windows of the cottages, past the giant
Christmas tree in the square where the surgery was, and up the path of the place she called
home.

As they faced each other breathlessly at her door Anna wanted to stay in his arms for ever, with
everything open and truthful between them. But it was still there—the fear that he would want to
marry her out of concern rather than desire if she ever told him what had happened to her.

Sensing that she was retreating behind the wariness that never seemed to go away, he kissed her just
once—with a tenderness and passion that made her bones melt.

Taking the door key out of her hand, he unlocked the door of the annexe. As she stepped inside he
said, ‘Thanks for a wonderful experience,’ and went striding off to where Bracken House stood in
the darkness of the midnight hour.


Dear Reader

Having been brought up happily enough in a Lancashire mill town, where fields and trees were
sparse on the landscape, I now live in the countryside and find much pleasure in the privilege of
doing so. It gives me the opportunity to write about village life with its caring communities and
beautiful surroundings.

So, dear reader, welcome to the first of my four stories about Willowmere, a picturesque village
tucked away in the Cheshire countryside. During the changing seasons you will meet the folk who
live and work there, and share in their lives and loves.

In this first book, Willowmere is beneath the mantle of winter, and over their first Christmas
together in years practice nurse Anna is reunited with her long-lost love Glenn, a handsome doctor.
Will the gift of happiness be theirs at this special time? Read on to find out!

Abigail Gordon

CHAPTER ONE


THE first snow of winter had fallen during the night and as Anna and the children walked the short
dis

When Pollyanna and Jolyon had awakened to find a white blanket on cottage roofs and gardens
there had been cries of delight and breakfast had been a rushed affair, so eager were they to be out
of doors and in the snow…and now the three of them were making slow progress. With faces rosy
from the cold, the children were stopping every few yards to slide on the slippery surface of the
pavement or pausing to scoop up the snow in their woolly mittens.

But at last wellies had been exchanged for trainers, mittens put on a radiator to dry in the school
cloakroom, and hats and warm jackets hung on pegs, leaving Anna free to make her way to the
village’s health care centre where she was a part-time practice nurse.

It was snowing again, swirling flakes resting briefly wherever they fell before turning to wetness.
She smiled. It was the beginning of December, early for the first snow of winter to be transforming
the village into a wonderland of white.

Not all people saw it as something enchanting. There would be no smiles from those who lived high
up on the fringe of the moors, beside the proud peaks that today were snow-capped. Sheep farmers
and other remote dwellers would be watching the weather forecasts uneasily and hoping that this
was just a fleeting reminder that winter had arrived.

Most of the parents who had dropped their children off at the school had gone. Just a single car was
still parked outside, and as she walked past the window on the driver’s side it was lowered and a
man’s voice said questioningly, ‘Anna?’

She stopped, hoping that it wasn’t a patient wanting a kerbside consultation instead of going to the
surgery, and waited as a pair of long legs swung out of the car.

‘Glenn!’ she breathed, taking a step backwards. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I was passing the school and saw you going in with the children,’ he said. ‘So I stayed around until
you came out.’

Anna swallowed hard with legs wobbling beneath her. It was five years since she’d seen the man
standing in front of her, and it had felt like an eternity. The last time she’d seen him she’d told him
they had no future. That she wasn’t going to work in Africa with him because she was needed here
in Willowmere. It was where she belonged.

It had been a half-truth. There’d been another reason why she had ended their relationship, a reason
that she had not wanted to burden him with as it would have meant him sacrificing a cherished
dream on her account.

She’d belonged where he was, but life, with its twists and turns, had shattered all her hopes and
dreams on a day such as this, and instead of her future being the happy and fulfilling thing she’d
wanted it to be, it had turned onto a narrow restricting path.

After what she’d said to Glenn Hamilton the last time she’d seen him, she’d thought never to see
him again. Yet here he was, as large as life, and she couldn’t believe it.

They’d met at a disco organised by h organiy their respective colleges when she’d been taking a
nursing degree and Glenn had been studying to be a doctor. The attraction between them had been
instant. They’d spent every spare moment together from that night and as graduation day had drawn
near in their last year, they’d begun to make plans for a future they intended to spend together,
blissfully confident that nothing was ever going to separate them.

As they faced each other Anna’s heartbeat was like a marching army thudding in her breast. On a
cold and snowy morning Glenn had appeared in Willowmere again.



He was close enough for her to see that he’d changed since she’d last seen him. He was thinner, his
face almost gaunt beneath the dark thatch that lay upon his head, but as their glances held she saw
that his eyes, the same deep blue as violets, were the thing about him that had changed most.

There had been enthusiasm and purpose in them once, now there was uncertainty there. The look of
someone who wasn’t sure of his welcome.

As for the rest of him, he was still tall and straight-backed, and was sporting a tan which looked out
of place in the snow of an English winter.

‘I just thought I’d look you up,’ he said evenly, reminding her of the question she’d gasped out at
the sight of him…

‘You were that sure I would be here after such a long time?’ she said quietly.

‘I was pretty sure, yes, after you informing me the last time we met that you’d had second thoughts
about us and wanted to call it off. That we’d been apart too long, and you needed to help your
brother with the children after they lost their mother in an accident.’

Please, don’t remind me of that dreadful day, she thought. He would never know what it had cost
her to tell him she wanted to finish with him.

‘So what has brought you back home?’ she asked, without commenting on what he’d just said.

‘I’m taking some leave from the job and thought I’d look up my old friends and acquaintances. I
left London in the early hours and arrived here just before eight o’clock. Saw what looked like the
local hostelry, a place called The Pheasant, and booked in there for a short stay before I did
anything else just to be on the safe side, as it’s hardly the weather to have to sleep in the car.’

So she’d been delegated to his list of friends and acquaintances, Anna thought, and could she blame
him after what she’d done to him? She was drowning in the joy of seeing him in the flesh again
instead of in her dreams, but at the same time was hoping she would be able to disguise her delight
so that Glenn wouldn’t guess that she still cared.

As if reading her thoughts, he said, ‘I haven’t come to butt into your life, Anna. I expect you’ll have
settled down with someone else by now, though the young ones you were with would be your
brother’s children, I imagine, as they looked the right age.’

‘Yes,’ she told him steadily, ‘Pollyanna and Jolyon started school in September and, no, I’m not
with anyone else.’ Before he could comment on that she went on quickly, ‘I call them Polly and
Jolly. They live with theie sve withr father in the house where he and I grew up next to the surgery.
My home is the annexe on the other side of the building. It’s a convenient arrangement. I’m near
when needed and yet it gives James and I our own space.

‘He manages very well under the circumstances, with a busy practice to run and the children to take
care of. Obviously they come first in his life and in mine too because they are so young and
vulnerable.’

Glenn was staggered to hear her matter-of-fact description of what her life had become, and even
more so when he asked about her father and was told, ‘Dad died not long ago. He never got over
losing my mum. James is in charge of the practice now. I’m employed there from nine o’clock until
three now the children are at school, and it is where I should be now. I must ask you to excuse me
as we are always busier than usual in this kind of weather.’

‘Hop in, then,’ he said, turning back to the car. ‘I’ll take you.’

‘It’s only a short distance. I’ll be there in minutes,’ she protested.

‘Nevertheless, I’ll take you. For one thing, it’s bad underfoot and you’ll be no use to anyone if you
fall and hurt yourself.’

‘All right,’ she agreed, and slid into the passenger seat, so aware of his nearness she had to look



away. She felt her manner had been too abrupt and as she pointed the way to the surgery said, ‘I’m
sorry I’m in such a rush. I wish you’d let me know you were coming.’

He raised a quizzical eyebrow. ‘Would you really have wanted me to?’

She didn’t answer. Anna was content with her life up to a point as long as she didn’t dwell on the
fact that she wasn’t going anywhere fast, because if she did it made her think wistfully of the full
and exciting life that Glenn must be leading in Africa, yet when she looked at Pollyanna and Jolyon
secure in happy childhood, there was comfort to be had.

But now she’d just discovered that Glenn wasn’t in Africa. He was here in Willowmere, near
enough to touch, and it felt unreal.

As she was debating whether to invite him to call when he was passing to make up for her lack of
cordiality, he forestalled her by saying, ‘Would you feel like joining me for a drink at The Pheasant
this evening? It would be nice to have a chat. I’ve been wondering how things were with you.’

‘Er…yes…I suppose I could,’ she said slowly, ‘and everything is fine.’

It wasn’t, of course. The secret she’d kept from him would make sure of that, but Glenn was never
going to know about the thing that lay so heavily upon her heart…

‘On weekdays the four of us have our evening meal together at Bracken House,’ she explained. ‘It
will be eightish before I’ve cleared away and done a few chores.’

‘Whatever time suits you will suit me,’ he said easily.

This polite chit-chat was weird, Anheras weirna was thinking as he stopped the car in front of the
surgery. Did Glenn remember how they used to be when they were at university?

When his lectures were over he would cross London to where she was based and come knocking on
her study door. Once inside he would coax her away from her books and they’d go to a cafe or the
students’ union and would be so engrossed in each other they wouldn’t notice what they were
eating.

He had been the idealist, eager to use his medical knowledge to put the world to rights. Unlike her,
he hadn’t had any family to consider. He’d been an only child. His parents had divorced when he’d
been quite young and he’d spent his childhood being passed from one to the other. He’d lost touch
with them once he’d turned eighteen and had become quite self-sufficient as a result.

They’d planned that if they got the degrees they wanted they would go to Africa to join one of the
aid programmes. At some time in the future they would get married, either out there or back home,
and then have children, something that Glenn saw as very important, having had no proper family
life of his own.

That had been before her mother had died unexpectedly from a major heart attack, leaving her
father, who had been senior partner at the surgery for many years, frail and inconsolable.

At the same time her sister-in-law, Julie, who had been expecting twins, had been having a difficult
pregnancy with dangerously high blood pressure. She had been in hospital, confined to bed, and
monitored all the time to check for signs of pre-eclampsia and Anna had known that she couldn’t
leave the country with all that happening.

Unlike Glenn’s childhood, hers had been magical. She’d been surrounded by love and whenever
she’d mentioned it he’d said, ‘That is how it’s going to be for our children. They won’t have to
listen to endless rows and feel lost and bewildered all the time like I did when I was a kid.’

She’d nodded her agreement, happy and secure in their love for each other and having no idea that
the fates had some ideas of their own regarding that, and now she felt like pinching herself to see if
she was awake. She was meeting Glenn at The Pheasant in a few hours’ time, something that she
would have thought as likely as the sun falling out of the sky.



‘You may not find the pub very exciting,’ she warned as she opened the car door. ‘It’s usually
village affairs being discussed on a winter night. On a summer evening it’s a different matter. The
place is full of walkers and tourists and the regulars don’t get a look-in.’

‘Whatever it is like, I shall enjoy it,’ he told her, ready to depart. ‘I’ll say goodbye until this
evening, then.’

As Glenn drove towards The Pheasant to unload his belongings he was wondering if that was the
worst over.

He’d spent five years in various African countries, doing what he’d set out to do, and now he was
ready for a spell of normal life back home, and every time he thought of normal life he thought of
Anna.

There had been no one for him since she’d told him their relationship was over. He hadn’t had the
time or the inclination, though he knew deep down that he needed to move o ased to mn. But before
he did so he’d felt he had to see Anna one more time to make sure that there was nothing left of
what they’d once had.

So now here he was in the Cheshire village that was so dear to her heart, grateful that he’d found
her still there. If what she’d said was correct, just as he had never replaced her, so she had never put
anyone in his place, though that didn’t have to mean anything. But it had been an uneasy moment
when he’d seen her walking along in the snow with a couple of kids. His spirits had sunk to the
soles of his feet but common sense had reminded him that her brother’s children would be that age.

As he’d driven up from London he’d wondered, as he had many times before, how she would greet
him if he found her still there. The memory of their last meeting was still cuttingly clear, and now
he had his answer. There’d been no happy reunion. Just the exchange of a few stilted sentences had
told him he’d been a fool to expect anything else after the way she’d dumped him all that time ago.

When they’d got their degrees he’d ended up going to Africa without her. It had been at Anna’s
suggestion because her life had been taken over by family commitments, as she’d always thought it
might be.

‘As soon as Dad is on the mend and Julie has had the babies, I’ll join you,’ she’d promised, and
he’d reluctantly agreed to leave her behind.

They’d kept in contact all the time and on each occasion when they’d spoken Anna had told him
how much she was missing him and longing to be there beside him. When she’d phoned to say that
the babies had arrived safely and her father was no worse, he’d hoped that soon they would be
together.

At that time, along with other members of his team, he’d been about to do a month-long trip to
remote areas where the people rarely had the chance to receive health care, and he’d hoped that by
the time he returned Anna would be ready with the date of her arrival.

But there had been no messages waiting for him when he got back and every time he’d rung her
there was no answer. He’d felt a sense of foreboding and after two weeks of no contact he’d taken
leave and flown home, going straight to Willowmere with all speed.

When Anna had opened the door of Bracken House to him he’d thought she looked ghastly and his
anxiety had increased. As she’d stepped back to let him in he’d asked, ‘What’s wrong, Anna? Why
haven’t you answered my calls?’

‘I’ve been too busy,’ she said, and he observed her in disbelief.

‘Too busy to let me know when you’re coming to join me? We’ve already been apart too long. I’ve
been living for the day.’

‘Glenn, look, I’m sorry but I’m not coming,’ had been the next stab to the heart. ‘Julie and I were in
an accident. Mercifully the babies were unharmed and I was…hurt but survived. But Julie…she was



killed. So I can’t leave the little ones now.’ She sighed and put up a hand to stop him saying
anything. ‘I’m sorry to do this to you, but even before it happened I’d been giving a lot of thought
to us. I was going to call it off, yet didn’t want to do it over the phone, but now that you’re here, I
can at least tell you to your face.’

‘What?’ He stared at her aghast. She said it like a well-rehearsed speech. ‘The last time we spoke
you said you would be joining me soon. I understand why you can’t go to Africa, but we can
change our plans. I can come back to work in Britain. We can live here where your family are, so
that they have you near, but it doesn’t have to affect our relationship surely. What has made you
have doubts about us?’

Anna shook her head. ‘It’s no good, Glenn. I’ve fallen out of love with you. I’ve had time to step
back and take a look at where I was heading and have changed my mind.’

‘Are you telling me in a roundabout way that there’s someone else?’ he asked harshly.

‘No. I’m just telling you that I want out. I’ve changed my mind.’

‘Because Julie has died?’

‘Partly, but not just because of that.’

‘So what else, then?’

‘I’ve told you, I’ve just had time to think about things.

About us. It’s not going to work. Will you please go?’

‘Yes. I will,’ he said coldly, and followed it with, ‘I’m so sorry about what has happened. Give your
brother my condolences. I’ll see myself out.’

He went back to Africa the day after she’d demoralised him with her change of heart, and there had
been no communication of any kind from her since the day she’d dumped him without the slightest
warning. He’d thrown himself into his difficult and often dangerous work in an attempt to forget her
and forced himself to move on.

So why had he come back now? Gazing through the mullioned window of a pleasant chintzy
bedroom beneath the eaves of The Pheasant later that morning, he knew it was need that had
brought him here.

For a long time he’d been bound by the needs of others. Now it was his own need that was driving
him. He was drained mentally and physically after what he’d had to do and what he’d had to
observe, and ached for Anna’s presence in his life once more, but when he recalled the way she had
wiped out what they’d had together in just a few abrupt sentences he hadn’t any high hopes
regarding that.

He’d been lost for words when she’d told him of the passing of her father. What kind of a life had
she been living during the years they’d been apart? he wondered. He could have helped make it
easier if she’d given him the chance.

Maybe the coming evening would bring a better understanding between them, but he wasn’t too
hopeful. Getting to know Anna again was not going to be easy.

Physically she hadn’t changed as much as he had. The red-gold of her hair was the same, although
instead of hanging long on her shoulders, as it used to, it was now in a short, smooth bob framing a
face that had no special claim to beauty other than big hazel eyes with long lashes and a kind
mouth.

Personality-wise it seemed a different thing, and he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. Trying to
fill the gap that hithe gap their mother had left for those two children and being there for her father
and brother must have left little time for her to pursue her own life.



He had never experienced family closeness such as hers. His home life had been a poor thing by
comparison and it was why he longed for children of his own, so that he could give them the love
that he’d never had.


After years of mayhem in war-torn lands, it had felt as if this beautiful village, which had always
meant so much to Anna, had been beckoning him, and he’d decided to have one last sighting of her
before he closed the pages of a book that was only half-written.


So far he’d accomplished two things. He’d found her out there on the snow-covered street and she’d


agreed to meet up with him later. With regard to anything else, he was prepared to wait and see.
James was in Reception, talking to Elaine Ferguson, the practice manager, when Anna came
through the main doors of the surgery, and he saw immediately that something was amiss.


When he’d finished speaking to Elaine he followed her into the smaller of the two rooms where the
nurses performed their functions and asked, ‘What’s wrong? You look like you’re in shock. You
didn’t have problems getting the children to school, did you?’


She managed a smile. ‘I encountered some reluctance to leave the snow behind, but once they were
inside and settled they were fine.’
‘So what is it, then?’
‘I’ve just met someone I haven’t seen in years.’
‘Who?’
‘Glenn Hamilton.’
‘The guy you met at university?’
‘Yes. He’s back home for a while and looking up old friends.’


‘So what’s wrong with that?’
‘Nothing, I suppose. It was just a shock, seeing him here in Willowmere,’ she said, thinking how
that was putting it mildly!


At the time she’d broken up with Glenn the only things that had been registering with James had
been his wife’s death, the needs of his children and his sister’s recovery from her injuries. What had
been going on in her private life had been a blur, and in any case he’d never met Anna’s boyfriend.


‘So where has he been all this time?’


‘He’s a doctor and has been working with one of the aid organisations in Africa. ‘It’s what I’ve
always wanted to do but the accident put paid to that.’
‘I’ve never heard you say that before!’ he exclaimed.
‘Why would I mention it?’ she said gently. ‘It belongs to the past. Though it is something I might


do in years to come.’ And the thought was there that it wouldn’t be the same without Glenn beside
her.


Aem" widem" align="justify">‘And he wants to see you again for old times’ sake, is that it?’
She shrugged. ‘So it appears. Glenn has booked into The Pheasant for a few days and because I
didn’t have time when we met to talk to him properly, I’ve agreed to meet him there tonight for a
drink. You haven’t got anything planned, have you?’


‘No,’ he said immediately, ‘and if I had I would cancel it. Why don’t you ask him round for a meal?
I’d like to meet him. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine, though I don’t recall you ever
mentioning him much in the past.’


‘There was nothing to tell. He went working abroad and we kept in touch for a while and that was
it. The Glenn I knew in those days was clever and caring in his approach to medicine. That was why




he was so eager to help the world’s suffering.’

‘You weren’t in love with him then?’

Her reply was evasive. ‘We were close at one time but it didn’t work out.’ She glanced around her.
‘And I’m here to work, aren’t I? Though surprisingly there doesn’t seem to be anyone needing to
see a nurse at this moment.’

‘There soon will be,’ James promised, and putting to one side for the moment the discussion they’d
just had he went to call in his next patient.

But as the morning progressed and those who had come to consult him came and went, it kept
coming back, and he thought, as he’d done a thousand times, that he owed his children’s wellbeing
and his sanity to his sister.

It had been she who had been there for him during days and months of despair after he’d lost Julie,
and at the same time she’d helped look after the babies that had been left without a mother, while
making a slow recovery from her own injuries.

It concerned him constantly that she’d had to put her plans on hold for their father’s sake and his,
yet every time he brought up the subject Anna always told him gently that she was fine and he
would be the first to know when she wasn’t.

He’d been able to tell from what she’d said that the Hamilton fellow had been a close friend. He
remembered Anna saying that someone from university had called some weeks after the accident,
but he’d been at the practice at the time and with so much on his mind it had barely registered.

During Anna’s last year at university and when she’d come home at the end of it, he’d been so
concerned over Julie’s difficult pregnancy and his father’s failing health that what had been going
on in his sister’s life had passed him by.

For instance, he hadn’t known until today that she’d wanted to work abroad when she’d qualified
and had given up that idea because she’d been needed back home. They’d always been a close and
loving family but Anna’s devotion had gone way beyond the call of duty.

He supposed he should have married again, giving her back the freedom she’d so willingly
forfeited. But the thought of replacing Julie was more than he could bear, and if he ever did meet
someone who came near to her in his affections, would she want a widower with two young
children for a husband? Anna adored Polly and Jolly just as mucwit just ah as he did, but his was
the responsibility.

There had been blood tests to do during the morning, along with injections, dressings to change and
other duties that went with the job for Anna and Beth Jackson, the other practice nurse, and as
always the time flew past. There was no opportunity to think about the evening ahead but when
three o’clock came and it was time to pick up the children, seeing Glenn again was the thought
uppermost in her mind…

He is here in Willowmere, she thought incredulously as she waited for them to come out of school.
I can see The Pheasant from my bedroom window just five minutes’ walk away and I may as well
enjoy the thought while it lasts, as nothing will have changed by the time he is ready to leave. I just
can’t blight his life. He deserves better than I can give him.

When they arrived home Pollyanna and Jolyon played in the garden in the snow until the light faded
and then she brought them in for a change of clothes and a warm drink, and all the time she was
wishing that the hands of the clock would move faster.

She dressed with care for the evening ahead in the colours that suited her best. Dark green trousers
and a short cream jacket with a long scarf to match showed off the red-gold of her hair and the
beautiful hazel eyes that once had been clear and cloudless.

She’d changed a lot over recent years but tonight she wanted Glenn to see that she was still the



same woman as before. There was no need for him to ever know what she’d given up for him, or
feel sorry for the life she was leading now.

It had been an act of love and if she sometimes felt she should have given him a choice, she put the
thought firmly from her mind. He was the idealist and might have said it didn’t matter, which would
have left her in a limbo state of always wondering if he regretted his decision. No, she had done the
right thing.

Anyway, he was here now, and maybe he didn’t hate her as much as she’d thought he would. He’d
seemed friendly enough towards her, and she’d even sensed compassion in him when she’d told
him about her father, but whatever his life was like now, she knew there would still be bitterness in
him for the way she’d treated him, and she couldn’t blame him.

But, she decided firmly, he had come to Willowmere of his own accord, so why not make the most
of it for the short time he was there? Picking up her bag and keys she went out into the snowy night.



CHAPTER TWO


THE accident had happened just as Anna had been ready to let Glenn know she was flying out to
join him. The babies were a month old and it had seemed as if she might be no longer needed at
Bracken House with Julie back to her normal self, the problem of the high blood pressure having
disappeared once she’d given birth. And with James around to keep an eye on their father, the time
had seemed right.

Glenn had still been out of contact but was due back soon on the day that she’d driven Julie and the
children to the hospital to have their feet checked by a paediatric consultant while James had held
the fort at the surgery.

Both babies had been born with feet slightly inward turning, due to being in a cramped position in
the womb, and had immediately been put into tiny boots that would correct the problem. And on an
icy winter morning she and Julie had taken them for a progress check.

The report had been good. They’d told the anxious mother that it was a common enough thing and
as it was being treated promptly it should soon right itself. They’d set off for home in good spirits
and all had been fine until a car coming fast out of a minor road had skidded into them on the icy
surface and hit the side where Julie had been sitting.

By some miracle, the babies hadn’t been hurt, but their mother had taken the full impact of a car
much heavier car than theirs and by the time the emergency services had arrived she had died from
severe head and spinal injuries.

Anna had been found injured in the driver’s seat, not too seriously at first glance, but in great pain
in the pelvic area.

As a paramedic had bent over her she’d heard the babies crying and gasped through the pain and
shock, ‘The babies!’

‘They seem all right,’ the paramedic told her. ‘They’re being lifted out of the car now.’

‘And their mother?’

‘We’re doing all we can,’ he said gently. ‘And now, before we move you, tell me where the pain is.’

‘Everywhere,’ she moaned weakly, ‘but worse around my pelvis.’ She’d drifted off into
nothingness for a few moments and the next thing she knew she was being lifted carefully onto a
stretcher before being put into an ambulance.

She knew she’d lost Julie as soon as she saw James’s face in A and E. On the point of being taken
to X-Ray she’d told him to go back to the babies, that she would be all right, though she wasn’t as
confident as she sounded.

Her life changed for ever when a gynaecologist stood by her bedside and said apologetically, ‘I’m
afraid that the news isn’t good, Anna.’

She’d had severe bruising of the chest and broken ribs, but the most attention was being given to the
injuries to her pelvis and uterus, and his next words explained why.

‘I’m going to have to do a hysterectomy. Your uterus is too badly damaged for me not to do so.’

‘Oh, no!’ she groaned. ‘Not that. We wanted children!’ And as the tears had slid down her cheeks
she could hear Glenn’s voice in her mind saying, Our children will be born into a loving family,
Anna. What would he say when he knew there wasn’t going to be any?

She cried and cried for what she and Glenn would never have and longed for him to be there to
comfort her, but he was far away out of reach somewhere in Africa, and by the time he was due
back she’d made her decision.

Glenn wasn’t going to be pute cng to b in the position of having to choose between her and a life



with children, she’d decided. He would be spared that because she wasn’t going to tell him about
the surgery she’d had to undergo. She loved him too much for that. When next they spoke she was
going to finish it.

When Anna appeared in the doorway of The Pheasant Glenn got to his feet immediately and came
towards her, smiling his welcome, and she wondered if he’d forgiven her for what she’d done and
the cold, abrupt manner with which she’d done it.

It had been the only way she could make the break at the time because she’d been hurting so much.
Losing Julie and knowing that the tender trap with James and the babies was opening up before her
had been painful enough, but most of all she’d been hurting because when it came to children of her
own, there wouldn’t be any.

She’d often questioned if she’d been fair in not telling him what had happened to her. Glenn had
been denied the opportunity to make his own decision, but it was all in the past and she’d done what
she’d thought right at the time. Whatever the reason for his return, at least they could be friends,
and she returned his smile with a beam of her own that made his eyes widen.

‘So tell me about it,’ she said when they were seated with drinks in front of them beside a glowing
log fire.

‘What?’

‘Africa, of course.’

‘It was a fulfilling experience and one day I will go back,’ he said quietly, ‘but not yet. It was also
dangerous, demoralising and exhausting, but I never had any regrets, except maybe one.’

Anna didn’t ask what that was. She had a feeling that she knew, but it seemed that he was going to
tell her anyway. ‘You weren’t with me.’

‘I would have been no use to you if I had been,’ she retorted quickly. ‘My mind would have been
back here all the time, with James struggling with the children without Julie and myself, his family
all dead or absent.’

Glenn wasn’t smiling now, his jaw taut. ‘If you remember, I told you at the time we could have got
round it. You wouldn’t have called it off for just that. There had to be another reason.’

‘I don’t want us to spend our time harking back to the past while you’re here,’ she said, shying
away from the moment. ‘Can’t we be like you said, old friends renewing their acquaintance after a
long time? Though I’m sur prised that you haven’t found someone else by now.’

‘Why? Have you?’

‘Er…no.’

He shrugged. ‘So there you are.’ He decided a change of subject was called for. Anna had been lit
up a moment ago and he wanted her to stay that way, though he didn’t flatter himself it was
anything to do with him, unless she was out to show him that she wasn’t the Cinderella figure he
might be seeing her as.

After that they chatted generally. Glenn asked in detail about the surgery, said he’d never had any
experience of a country practice, so she suggested he pop in and she would give him the guided
tomilhe guidur. The evening moved along pleasantly enough until the landlord announced time.

‘I’ll walk you home,’ he said.

She shook her head. ‘No need. I can see my place from here.’ And because she was anxious to
know, she asked, ‘How long are you intending staying in Willowmere?’

‘Just a few days. Why?’

‘Would you like to have dinner with us tomorrow?’



She saw his face stretch and thought surely he didn’t think she wouldn’t offer him some hospitality.

‘I’d love to, if you are sure,’ he replied. ‘I’d like to meet your brother and Pollyanna and Jolyon.’

‘Shall we say six o’clock? I always prepare the evening meal for the four of us and James comes up
as soon as the late surgery is over. The children go to bed at half past seven, which gives time for
their meal to settle.’

‘Six o’clock it is,’ he said trying to conceal the pleasure it was giving him in saying it.

* * *

There was a light on at Bracken House when she got back and she stopped off before going to her
own place. She found James still up and told him, ‘I’ve done as you said and invited Glenn to eat
with us tomorrow night.’

‘Good,’ he said, looking up from the paperwork in front of him. ‘I look forward to meeting him.’

Now that she’d extended the invitation, Anna wasn’t sure that she’d done the right thing. Was it a
good idea to get so chummy when he would be leaving so soon? Yet why not make the most of
every moment? The time they spent together would be something to hold onto when he’d gone.

The next morning at the surgery Beth said, ‘The bush telegraph has been buzzing. Who was the
handsome guy you were with in The Pheasant last night?’

Anna smiled. It was a fact that not much went unnoticed in Willowmere. It was a close-knit
community. Some of the people had lived there all their lives, as their fathers had before them.

‘It was just a friend from my university days,’ she explained as they called in the first of those
waiting to be seen.

Sam Gibson had been passed on to them to have blood taken to assess sugar levels by Georgina
Adams, the other full-time doctor in the practice, and he was not happy when he saw the needle.

‘It won’t take a second, Sam,’ Anna told him. ‘Look the other way.’

He was a farmer from the outskirts of the village, a big burly fellow afraid of nothing except the
needle, so it seemed.

‘Don’t tell my Dorothy that I was scared of the needle, will you?’ he said sheepishly as he rolled his
sleeve back down. ‘I kid her about being afraid of spiders, so sht?piders,he’ll never let it drop if she
finds out.’

Smiling, she showed him out then ushered in her next patient, a young girl with a urine infection
who James wanted a sample from. And so the morning progressed, though Anna was still gripped
by the feeling of unreality that had been there ever since she’d seen Glenn outside the school.

In a spare moment between patients she wondered wryly what people would think if they knew that
she’d once been going to marry the man she’d been seen with in The Pheasant. That she’d been
crazy not to?

As Anna prepared the meal that evening she was acutely aware that Glenn was going to be seated
across the table from her, with James and the children looking on curiously at the stranger in their
midst.

She was tempted to get out the best china and then decided not to as she didn’t want him to read
anything into the invitation that wasn’t there. It was a Wednesday and they always had chicken
casserole for first course and sticky toffee pudding for dessert, and knowing that the children would
be disappointed if those things weren’t on offer, she stayed with the usual menu and hoped that it
would appeal to their guest.

When they’d met outside the school yesterday Glenn had been wearing a thick jacket over a black
sweater and jeans, and she surmised that he might be feeling the cold after being in warmer climates



for so long.

But when he rang the doorbell at six o’clock and she opened the door to him with the children, one
on either side of her, Anna saw that he’d changed into lighter clothing in the form of a smart suit
with shirt and tie.

At once she wished that she had got out the best china, that her face wasn’t flushed from the heat of
the oven, and that she’d found time to dress in something that didn’t detract from her appearance of
the night before. Yet did it matter? Glenn was going to be just a ship that passed in the night. It was
amazing that he’d actually taken the trouble to seek her out.

‘Hello again,’ he said, and with a smile for the children as she stepped back to let him in, he added,
‘I hope I’m not too early.’

‘No, of course not,’ she told him. ‘James isn’t here yet, so can I offer you a drink before we eat?”
He wasn’t looking so drawn, she thought as she showed him into the sitting room. Maybe he’d
spent the day relaxing. She wasn’t to know that his less drawn expression was due more to the relief
of having crossed the first hurdle in getting to know her again.

While the children played with their toys and the two adults drank a pre-dinner sherry, Glenn said,
with his gaze on Pollyanna and Jolyon, ‘We’ve both moved on since we last saw each other,
haven’t we, Anna?’

‘I would describe my life more as moving sideways rather than on,’ she commented whimsically.
To avoid getting into deep water again, she went on, ‘What are you going to do if you don’t go back
to Africa straight away?’

‘I haven’t made up my mind yet,’ he told her, and was prevented from saying more by the
appearance of James.

Whenldrustify" they’d been introduced Anna left the two men chatting while she went into the
kitchen to serve the meal. The children followed and, remembering how she’d told them that the
visitor was a friend of hers from when she was learning to be a nurse, Polly, who was usually the
spokeswoman for the two of them, asked, ‘Is that why Dr. Hamilton has come to see us?’

‘Yes. He’s visiting people he used to know and I was one of them.’ Remembering their brief
reunion outside the school the day before, when he hadn’t shown any reaction to her comment
about the way they’d parted, she was wondering why he’d included her on his list.

‘Has he been where there are crocodiles?’ Jolyon wanted to know.

He was the quieter of the two, and a solemn child, considering her pet name for him, but he usually
came up with something imaginative when he made the effort.

‘I don’t know,’ she replied. ‘Why don’t you ask him?’

‘Yes. I will,’ he promised.

‘You have two captivating children,’ Glenn told James as they seated themselves around the table.
Jolyon had just asked his question and his eyes had widened as Glenn had explained that there had
been crocodiles in some of the places where he’d worked, but as they spent a lot of time in the
water he hadn’t seen much of them.

‘We think so, don’t we, Anna?’ James said with an affectionate glance at his sister. ‘When my wife
died, leaving me with two young babies, Anna was a huge help, but it concerns me that she gets so
little time to herself. And I’m sure that other people who know her feel the same.’

‘Don’t do this to me, James,’ Anna was begging silently. Don’t describe me as someone to be sorry
for. Not in front of Glenn. He will soon be going back to where he came from and that is how it has
to be.

Silence had fallen over the room and after a moment she said, ‘How many times do I have to tell



you that I don’t mind, James? The children are everything to me.’

And if that isn’t telling me straight to go back to where I’ve come from, I don’t know what is,
Glenn thought grimly.

But James had been observing Anna and Glenn. He sensed an awareness of each other that they
were trying to conceal, and he asked casually, ‘So what are you planning to do in the near future,
Glenn? Have a rest until you go back? Or look for a position over here for a while?’

‘I want to work in the UK for a change,’ he told him, ‘to recharge my batteries. I’ve no immediate
plans to go back at the moment. I wouldn’t mind some general practice work. The sort of thing you
do. I have been working in surgeries of a kind for the last few years. They were ill-equipped places,
but surgeries nevertheless.’

James nodded but made no comment, and once the meal was over and the children were yawning he
said, ‘If you’ll excuse me, I’ll take the children up to bed and leave you and Anna to continue
getting reacquainted.’

Pollyanna and Jolyon said goodnight and silence returned once they’d gone, hanging over Anna and
Glen like a cloud of uncertainifyof uncety until he said, ‘James seems concerned about you.’

‘Yes, I know, but he doesn’t need to be. I’m fine,’ she said breezily. ‘I’d rather we talked about you
than me. You must have lots to tell about what you’ve been doing.’

He wanted to talk about them, not Africa, and said, ‘Some other time maybe?’

‘What other time?’ she questioned. ‘You’ll be leaving soon.’

‘That is, or was, my intention,’ he said, and she wondered what that was supposed to mean. The
answer was in what he said next. ‘It is a joy to come to somewhere like this, where it’s cold, crisp
and clean.’

‘You mean to say that you’re thinking of extending your visit?’ she asked, not sure where this was
leading. ‘The snow will be gone in a couple of days, you know, it’s very early. January to March is
when we get the really heavy falls, and how will you occupy yourself in the countryside in
wintertime?’

She couldn’t believe she was trying to dissuade him from staying longer when she hadn’t seen him
in years. But she had something to hide and the longer Glenn was around the more likely it was that
he might find out. Although the only people who knew about it were James and herself, and he
would never discuss her private affairs with anyone.

‘Are you by any chance hinting that you would like to see me gone?’ he asked dryly, and she felt
the colour rise in her cheeks.

‘No, of course not,’ she told him hurriedly. ‘You must do what is best for yourself.’

Was she out of her mind, she thought, trying to persuade him to leave when he was inclined to
linger? She might never see him again after this, but nothing had changed, had it? If he’d come back
hoping she might have changed her mind about their relationship, she still couldn’t give him a child
and nothing was going to alter that.

Yet she had found a degree of contentment in her life and needed to hang onto it. Would she be able
to do that with Glenn in Willowmere?

At that moment James appeared to say that the children were asleep and would Glenn like to see the
surgery? He was on his feet in an instant, commenting that he would be most interested to see how a
country practice functioned.

‘It functions very well,’ she told him coolly. ‘You will be amazed.’

When they came back Glenn was smiling. ‘Very impressive,’ he said with a gleam in his eye that



told her he’d got the message. ‘Especially the computer centre in the basement, where the practice
manager keeps her finger on the pulse. And now, if you will excuse me, I’ll head off back to The
Pheasant. I know you both lead very busy lives, and I don’t think entertaining would normally be on
the agenda on a weekday evening, so I’ll say goodnight.’ He turned to James and shook his hand.
‘It’s been a pleasure to meet you and your children, James.’

It was the same as the night before. Anna didn’t want them to have to separate and on the spur of
the moment she said, ‘James has given you the guided tour of the surgery that I promised, but if you
like I’ll show you

‘I’d like that,’ he said, taken aback, and when she’d grabbed a coat and put boots on they went
outside. ‘Are you trying to confuse me, Anna?’ he asked as they walked down the path. ‘One
moment you are hastening me on my way and the next you are dangling your beautiful village in
front of me like a carrot, and considering that it’s called Willowmere, I can’t see any willow trees at
a glance.’

‘You won’t,’ she told him. ‘Not here anyway, but on the edge of the village at the foot of the peaks
there is a lake and they are there in profusion. From Willow Lake came Willowmere many years
ago when people began to move into the area around it, and once you’ve seen the lake you will
know why they came. The trees may be short of a few leaves at this time of year, but they’re never
bare, and it’s a beautiful place no matter what the season.’

‘Hmm, it sounds like it. Why don’t you and the children show it to me tomorrow after school is
over? If it isn’t too far, we might get there before the light goes and then we could go for afternoon
tea somewhere. I’ll call for you.’

‘Oh…yes, all right,’ she agreed, taken unawares by the suggestion, yet it did have its appeal. It
would give her the opportunity to show Glenn some of the reasons why she loved this place and
Willow Lake was high on the list. Though she would rather have taken him there on a spring day, or
in summer when the weeping willows hung over the water in an abundance of fresh greenery.

But Glenn wouldn’t be around then and she didn’t want to think about that, even though his arrival
was like having a wound that had healed open up again.

As they strolled along the main street with its quaint shops and onto the bridge that spanned the
river he asked, ‘Are there any eating places around here that would be open and suitable to take the
children to at this time of the year?’

She nodded. ‘Yes. There’s the very place, over there. The Hollyhocks Tea Rooms, a couple of
doors away from the post office. They’re open all year round and the food is always good. The
owners of the place are friends of mine.’

‘So the Hollyhocks Tea Rooms it shall be,’ he said, ‘where Cheshire cheese and Lancashire hotpot
will, no doubt, be on the menu as we aren’t far from where the two counties meet.’

‘And what’s wrong with that?’ she asked, sending him a look as the moon scudded behind a cloud
and they were left in cold, velvet darkness.

‘I didn’t say there was anything wrong,’ he replied hastily, hiding a smile. Then he saw the teasing
sparkle in her eyes.

‘You know we still have the stocks in the village for those who misbehave,’ she joked, ‘and we pelt
them with rotten eggs. So beware!’

‘What?’ he exclaimed in assumed horror. ‘I would have thought a place as perfect as this would
only be able to lay its hands on fresh free-range chuckies.’

As they laughed together it was like the old days for a moment. They’d been happy and carefree
when they’d firalwthey’st met. In a moment of weakness Anna wished they could go back to those
early days.



‘What are you thinking?’ he asked, observing the change in her expression.

‘Nothing,’ she said flatly. ‘I was just remembering, that’s all.’

‘So you’ve not forgotten how it used to be?’

‘No. Of course I haven’t! Have you?’

‘No. I haven’t forgotten either,’ he told her, and could have gone on to remind her that during their
last year at university all his hopes and dreams had been formed and she had demolished them with
just a few words. But what was the point? It had all been long ago…

‘We’ve both missed out on many things since then,’ he said gravely, ‘and I still don’t know why.’

At that moment the moon appeared again and he saw her expression in its light. ‘What?’ he asked.
‘What’s wrong, Anna?’

‘Nothing,’ she said quickly. Desperate to lighten the moment, she pointed to an ancient stone
building beside the river. ‘That’s an old water mill. It isn’t used now, of course, but it’s a favourite
with local artists.’

‘I can imagine it would be,’ he said absently, still concerned about how she’d looked a moment ago.
But it was clear that she wasn’t going to tell him what was wrong so he said easily, ‘I seem to have
seen quite a few things tonight, but one thing you haven’t shown me is where you live. When do I
get to see that? I’d like to be able to picture you there when I’ve gone.’

‘Another time maybe,” she promised. ‘I’ll show you round some time, but I think maybe we should
call it a day now.’

She was feeling too emotional to take him into her smart little dwelling. Outside in the cold it
wasn’t hard to keep at a distance but in a more confined space she couldn’t guarantee anything.

* * *

When she arrived home James was on the point of putting the ironing board away and on the
kitchen table was a neat pile of newly ironed laundry.

‘You didn’t have to do that,’ she protested.

‘I know,’ he replied. ‘Just the same as you don’t have to look after me and mine, but you do.’ He
observed her keenly. ‘I liked Glenn. It takes some guts to do what he’s been doing.’

‘Yes, it does,’ she agreed, and wondered what was coming next.

‘How would you feel if I offered him a temporary locum position in the practice until he’s decided
what he wants to do permanently?’ he asked, choosing his words carefully. ‘I feel he could be just
what we need if he agrees. I will have to consult Georgina, of course, though I can’t see her
objecting to more help around the place. It’s what you think of the idea that I’m most concerned
about. Would you want him living in thei livinghe village, working in the practice, back in your life
to some degree?’

Anna was gazing at him open-mouthed. ‘I know you’ve been thinking of employing a locum for
some time,’ she croaked, ‘but Glenn! You hardly know him.’

‘That may be true,’ James pointed out equably, ‘but you know him so it will depend on what you
say whether I offer him the position.’

She took a deep breath. Was this the moment to tell James just how close she and Glenn had once
been? That he had once been the love of her life, but because she couldn’t give him children she had
sent him away?

Or was it the time to burden herself with another secret, this time kept from James, and let him go
on thinking she and Glenn were just casual friends? Otherwise he would be devastated to know just
how much the operation had ruined her life and it might show through when he was in Glenn’s



company. It didn’t seem as if there was much of a choice.

She took a deep breath. ‘You are putting me on the spot, asking me to give my opinion. Glenn and I
were close once but we drifted apart, like students do, and as you know I haven’t seen him in a long
time. But I can tell you one thing with regard to how good a doctor he will be. I have a very clear
picture of that. I’m confident that you would find him extremely capable and caring. He would be
an asset to the practice. Glenn sailed through every exam and was top of his year at university.

‘We would be fortunate to have him on board and I would say go for it if that is what you want. But
don’t expect anything to change as far as I’m concerned. My life is mapped out and I don’t
anticipate taking any side turnings. Just so you know, he’s offered to take the children and me to the
Hollyhocks Tea Rooms tomorrow afternoon after I’ve shown him the lake. But before you get any
crazy ideas, we’ve no plans to socialise after that.’

‘And if I offer him the job?’

‘It will be between the two of you. Just make sure he realises that I had nothing to do with it, and
give some thought to where he is going to stay if he accepts.’

‘Well, the spare bedroom here has an en suite, as you know, so I can accommodate him temporarily
if he accepts my offer. I don’t think having the kids around would bother him. It’s easy to see he’s
good with children, and you are only next door.’

‘I can see that your mind is made up,’ she said, still bemused by this latest turn of events.

‘Only if you are in favour of the arrangement, and don’t forget he has yet to be asked.’

‘Yes, I know, and if he agrees it probably won’t be for long. He’ll soon be off on his travels again.
So, yes, it’s all right by me, and now I’m going home or I’ll never be up on time in the morning.’

‘Promise me you won’t stay awake, worrying,’ he begged, ‘as nothing may come of it.’

‘I’ll do my best,’ she said, and went to have a peep at Polly and Jolly before going to the annexe
next door. As she looked dghtshe looown at them, beautiful and innocent in sleep, Anna felt peace
descend on her.

She might have just done the wrong thing, but wasn’t it better to keep up the charade of Glenn
being just an acquaintance rather than never to see him again? That was what would have happened
if she’d told James not to offer him the position.



CHAPTER THREE


SLEEP evaded her, as she’d known it would after the events of the day. She heard the church clock
strike one, and was still wide awake.

James had been right to consider asking Glenn to join the practice, she thought. What had been
between them was long gone, even though he had appeared out of the blue and taken her breath
away.

Unlike herself, Glenn had no family to share his life with. It was possible he might appreciate the
chance to sample living in the countryside. He’d been prepared to do that when Julie had died and
must still wonder why she’d rejected the suggestion and ended their relationship, especially as he’d
discovered on his return that there was no one else in her life.

She’d agreed to James’s suggestion for both their sakes, and Glenn would have nothing to lose if he
accepted, but for the sake of keeping him near she was making a difficult situation even more
complicated.

Yet why worry about something that might never happen? she told herself. The odds were that the
thought of actually living in Willowmere, as compared to a short visit, would make Glenn refuse
James’s offer.

* * *

Anna hadn’t been the only one finding sleep hard to come by. In his room at The Pheasant, Glenn
was reliving every moment from his first sight of her on the snow-covered pavement, taking the
children to school.

He’d remembered where she lived, had been to Bracken House on the day she’d called it off. Yet
when he’d driven past that morning there had been no signs of life. But as he’d cruised along the
main street of the village, luck had been with him. He’d seen Anna walking along the pavement
with two small chidren.

If she’d been pleased to see him, Anna had concealed it well, he thought. Yet she’d gone to have a
drink with him, invited him for a meal, and had agreed to see him again tomorrow. She seemed
friendly enough but he sensed that she was on her guard for some reason and wondered if she
thought it tasteless that he had resurfaced after all this time and was here in Willowmere.

Yet what did any of it matter? Unless she gave a sign that she still had feelings for him, he would
accept that there really was nothing left of what they’d had before and go on his way.

‘You’re looking very glamorous,’ Georgina said when Anna arrived at the surgery the following
morning. ‘What’s the occasion?’

‘Just afternoon tea with a friend I haven’t seen for some time,’ she replied.

Georgina Adams was an attractive thirty-five-year-old divorcee, who lived alone in a stone cottage
at the end of one of the leafy lanes leading off the main street of the village. She kept herself to
herself, but could be relied on for a cheery word and a smile whenever they stopped to chat.

The women patients usually chose to consult her, especially if they had something embarrassing to
discuss, and she and James had a good working relationship.

Time was always of the essence on weekday mornings. Making sure the children had a good
breakfast and seeing them safely to school before she put in an appearance at the surgery left little
time for make-up and smart clothes. And in any case the practice nurses wore a neat blue uniform.
But today she was wearing a fashionable cashmere top and skirt, and her hair hung straight and
shining.

She’d decided that if Glenn didn’t choose to join the practice it might be the last time she saw him,
and whenever he thought of her in time to come, if he ever did, she wouldn’t want him to remember



her as drab.

All the practice staff, with the exception of herself, started at half past eight, so James and Georgina
had already been seeing patients when she arrived, and Anna wondered when he was going to speak
to Glenn.

She hoped it wouldn’t be before they met up that afternoon. Calm and controlled was how she
wanted to be while they walked by the lake and chatted over tea. The children were very good at the
table, but Polly and Jolly were only five years old and sometimes they did need some assistance,
which could prove to be a diverting exercise if a diversion was needed.

‘I’m going to call at The Pheasant to see Glenn this evening when I’ve finished here,’ James told
her when he had a moment to spare. ‘So I might be late for dinner. Is that all right?’

‘Yes, of course,’ she told him. ‘I’ll give the children theirs at the usual time, though.’

He nodded. ‘And you’re not going to say anything to Glenn about him joining the practice when
you’re with him this afternoon, are you?’ he questioned.

‘Absolutely not!’ she exclaimed. ‘I said last night that I don’t want to be involved in what you are
considering, James. I would be mortified if he received the impression that I had anything to do
with it.’

‘Don’t be,’ he said affectionately. ‘You know I would never do anything to upset you. There’s still
time for you to say you would prefer me not to approach him.’

She shook her head. ‘No. Go ahead. I think Glenn has been feeling rather out on a limb since he
came back home. Your suggestion could be just what he needs.’

It was along the lines of what she’d been thinking during the sleepless hours of the previous night
and as she went to change the dressing on what had been a badly infected finger of a teenage boy
she still wasn’t sure if it was what she needed.

The lad was the son of Bryan Timmins, who owned one of the biggest farmiv biggests in the area,
and until recently Anna had thought him to be spoilt and surly. When young Josh had pierced his
finger on a rusty nail and it had become infected, James had put him on antibiotics and sent him to
the nurses’room for a tetanus injection. Today she was hoping to see some improvement when she
changed the dressing.

She’d seen a new side to Josh when he’d called at Bracken House one afternoon with some eggs
that his father had forgotten to deliver and had stopped and played with the children.

They’d had lots of fun and Polly and Jolly hadn’t wanted him to go, but his mother had phoned,
concerned about where he’d got to, and he’d had to leave.

‘How are the twins?’ he asked as the finger was revealed and appeared to be healing satisfactorily.

‘They’re fine, Josh,’ she replied. ‘You’re good with children, aren’t you? I can see you having a
house full of your own when you get married.’

‘I don’t know about that, but I won’t have just one, that’s for sure,’ he said, and Anna saw the light.
Josh had been a different person that day. He was obviously a lad who missed not having brothers
and sisters.

‘Come round any afternoon when you’re not with your mates,’ she said as he was leaving, and his
expression brightened.

Georgina popped into the nurses’room shortly afterwards and said, ‘I’ve just seen Josh Timmins
leaving. That young man is in for a surprise and so are you, Anna.’

‘Why me?’ she asked.

‘His mother came to see me yesterday afternoon and she will be attending our antenatal clinic in the



morning.’ ‘Maggie Timmins is pregnant!’ she exclaimed. ‘That is amazing!’

‘What do you mean? She’s not exactly in her dotage,’ Georgina protested mildly. ‘Maggie was
forty last month, which isn’t exactly the first flush of youth but not too old to conceive.’

‘That isn’t what I meant. Another child in the family could make a big difference to Josh’s life.’

‘I know what you mean. Lots of teenagers don’t take kindly to finding out what their parents have
been up to and the prospect of perhaps having their nose pushed out of joint.’

‘That won’t apply to Josh,’ Anna informed her. ‘From what I know of him, he’ll be delighted. He
loves children. You should see him with Polly and Jolly.’

‘Anyone would love those two,’ Georgina said wistfully, and aware that the dark-haired doctor was
hurting for some reason, Anna let the subject drop.

‘What is it to be first?’ Glenn asked when she opened the door to him just minutes after she and the
children had arrived home from school. ‘Willow Lake or the Hollyhocks Tea Rooms?’

He’d exchanged the suit of the night before for the warm sweater and jacket, and instead of feeling
tense at the sight of him Anna felt suddenly as if the sun had come out fm" d come rom behind a
cloud.

He was smiling and she wondered if the smile would still be there when James put forward his
proposition. But that was not on the menu at the moment and knowing that the children would be
hungry she said, ‘Let’s eat first, shall we? It’s the kind of day when one feels the need for
something warm inside. It could be chilly by the water with the snow still around.’

‘Did you say that the Hollyhocks place is near the post office?’ he questioned as the three of them
came trooping out to join him.

‘Yes, we’ll be there in minutes.’ And with Pollyanna and Jolyon skipping along in front, they set
off in that direction.

Anyone who didn’t know them would think they were a family, she thought, but they would be very
much mistaken. It was a scenario she couldn’t visualise in the near future, or the far distance for that
matter, but Glenn was strolling along beside her contentedly enough and the old familiar ache was
there.

After a delicious meal, Glenn sat back contentedly in his chair. ‘That was fantastic food!’ he said to
Emma, the pleasant, middle-aged woman who came to clear the table. ‘I can’t remember when I last
tasted anything so good, and the children have cleaned their plates too.’

Anna nodded, and smiled. ‘Emma’s husband, Simon, is the cook, and Emma rules the roost in here,
don’t you?’

‘Yes, I suppose I do,’ she agreed, ‘but it’s Simon’s baking that brings the customers in.’ She
glanced at Glenn. ‘We haven’t seen you in these parts before. I take it you’re a friend of Anna’s.’

‘We studied medicine in London at the same time some years ago,’ he said. ‘I was passing this way
and called to see her.’

‘Oh, yes, Simon and I saw you both in The Pheasant last night,’ Emma said, and Anna guessed they
would be thinking that she’d found herself a man. It was what she’d thought herself once but had
discovered that the fates had had other plans and in spite of Glenn coming to seek her out she had
no expectations of anything changing with regard to that.

As the four of them got up to go, the children hesitated with their bright blue gazes on Emma
behind the counter. She smiled and, pushing a tray of freshly baked gingerbread men towards them,
said, ‘I haven’t forgotten. Help yourselves, my dears.’ As they promptly obeyed, she told Glenn,
‘When Pollyanna and Jolyon come here they always get a gingerbread man to take home.’



‘Nice people,’ he said as they walked towards their destination. ‘I couldn’t see that happening in the
cities. Getting to know one’s neighbour is a rare happening.’

‘So there are some nice things you will remember about Willowmere when you leave us?’

‘Oh, yes, definitely, but I’m not all that sure my turning up on your patch has given you much
pleasure. You seem to have a keen interest in my departure.’

‘Not at all,’ she protested, her colour rising, ‘but when you go, don’t forget that James will want to
say goodbye.’

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that James had something to say that might make
goodbyes fly out of the window, but she’d promised not to say anything, and in any case she
wanted this time together to be free of tension.

‘Wow!’ he exclaimed as the lake suddenly appeared before them, cold and crystal clear beneath the
slender drooping branches of the trees that had given it its name. ‘What a heavenly place! Do you
come here often?’

‘As often as I can. James and I bring the children here for picnics in summer and sometimes if I
have a spare moment I come to enjoy the silence on a summer evening. The willows are much
greener then, but as you can see they retain some of their leaves in winter and are still very
beautiful.’

‘You love this place, don’t you?’ he said gravely. ‘And I can understand why.’

She was smiling, hazel eyes bright with pleasure because he understood how she felt about the lake,
and she told him, ‘When I want to be invigorated I walk by the river as it bustles along, but if I want
peace I come here.’

‘On your own? It sounds rather solitary.’

‘It may be hard to understand but I’ve become a very solitary person, Glenn, even though I lead
such a busy life.’

‘Maybe it’s because you put all your energies into the lives of others and need to shut down
occasionally. That was how I used to feel sometimes when I was out there with a never-ending
queue of people needing my help, and now I’ve come back it’s just the opposite. Nobody needs
me,’ he said with a dry smile.

Anna was silent for a moment before she said levelly, ‘I don’t think any doctor can truthfully say
that.’

‘No. I suppose not,’ he agreed, as a flock of Canada geese arose out of reeds by the lakeside and
flew overhead in formation, silhouetted against a winter sunset. ‘It’s just that I’m not in the habit of
lazing around, I suppose.’

The winter afternoon was closing in on them and, ready to change the subject, she said, ‘We ought
to be making tracks. It will be dark soon and it’s getting colder.’

When they arrived back at Bracken House Glenn shook her hand. ‘Goodbye, Anna,’ he said. ‘It’s
been great seeing you again. I’ve enjoyed meeting your brother and his beautiful children and
seeing this place where you seem so content.’

I thought I was, a voice in her head suddenly whispered. She ignored it and told him, ‘Yes,
Willowmere is a lovely place. I’m surprised you don’t want to see more of it. You’ll call to say
goodbye before you go, I hope.’

‘Of course,’ he said steadily.

It was half past six and he was a solitary figure in the dining room of The Pheasant when James
appeared in the doorway. He rose to his feet but the other man waved him back down. ‘Don’t let me



interrupt your meal,’ he said. ‘I’ll ask the landlord to bring me a glass of wine.’

When that had been done James said, ‘I wanted a word with you before you leade fore yove,
Glenn.’

‘Sure. What can I do for you?’ he said easily.

‘Would you be interested in a locum position at the practice?’ James asked. ‘We need another
doctor now that Dad has passed on. It could be for as long as you wanted. If you decided to go back
abroad or developed other plans, it would be fine by us. I’ve spoken to Georgina Adams, who is the
other full time GP, and it’s all right with her if you would consider joining us.’

Glenn had put his knife and fork down slowly. ‘Yes, but what does Anna have to say?’

‘The same as Georgina, that she has no objections.’

‘She said that!’

‘Yes, she did.’

‘Then I’d like to take you up on your offer. A locum position was one of the things I’d been
considering when I decided I was going to come back to the UK. You’ve solved that problem for
me. It will be a pleasure to work with you, just as long as you’re sure that Anna won’t mind having
me in the practice. Sometimes it’s easier to work with strangers.’

‘I discussed it with her before I approached you,’ James assured him, ‘and she said you would be an
asset to the practice.’

‘That’s fine, then,’ he said in disbelief. ‘When do you want me to start?’

When James arrived home Anna and the children had just finished their meal and when she looked
up from the table the question she was eager to ask was in the eyes meeting his.

‘The answer is yes,’ he told her. ‘Glenn will be delighted to come into the practice. He’s been
thinking of doing something along those lines and when he’d satisfied himself that you would have
no objections, he accepted my offer.’

‘I see,’ she said slowly, ‘and you made it clear that it wasn’t my idea.’

‘Yes. He knows the suggestion is wholly mine. He’s driving back to London early in the morning to
tie up any loose ends there and will be back late Sunday night.

‘When he mentioned accommodation I told him I have a spare room and he said that would be fine.
It is fortunate he doesn’t have a property to sell or anything. That sort of thing can drag on, and it’s
also fortunate that he likes us enough in Willowmere to stay for a while. I don’t think we’ll regret
having him as part of the practice.’

After he’d eaten and gone upstairs to spend time with the children, Anna sat deep in thought.
Everything was going to change and she had only herself to blame. If she’d said no when James had
suggested asking Glenn to join them, she wouldn’t be sitting around like a jelly with her confidence
draining away like water down a drain.

When James had gone Glenn finished his meal and then went up to his room. He was smiling. The
opportunity to stay in Willowmere was a gift from the gods. He hadn’t wanted to return to London,
but as a change of heart on Anna’s part was not forthcoming there had seemed nothing else to do,
short of outstaying his welcome.

>

But in the last hour everything had changed. He was filled with a renewed sense of purpose. If Anna
didn’t love him any more, and there was no reason why she should, at least they might become
good friends.

She’d told him that she’d become a solitary person when she’d taken him to see the lake and he



thought he understood. Her life was full of many things but they were the affairs of others, and
there must be times when she was aware of that and felt alone.

She was surrounded by love, the giving and receiving of it, and unselfish and caring, would never
accept that she was paying a price by putting to one side her own dreams and desires. Now he was
back in her life, wondering if they could ever take up where they’d left off, longing to love and
cherish her, but would she let him? He didn’t think so and until Anna explained why she had sent
him away on that dreadful day, nothing was ever going to make sense.

He arrived back from London late on Sunday evening and when he stopped the car in front of
Bracken House its lights were shining out across what was left of the snow. As he sat looking
around him for a moment he had the strangest feeling. It was like coming home, a sensation that he
was not accustomed to.

In his young days ‘home’had been anywhere his separated parents had been living at the time, and
even now there was no reason for him to feel he belonged, but it was there nevertheless.

Anna’s place next door was in darkness so it seemed that she wasn’t around, but that didn’t spoil
the moment as he knew that she soon would be. They were going to be seeing each other all the
time, at the surgery, here at Bracken House, and around the village.

Life was good and it became even better when she opened the door in answer to his ring on the bell.
‘Hello, again,’ she said coolly. ‘I’ve been checking that all is in order for you, like clean towels in
the en suite and fresh sheets on the bed.’

As she led the way into the kitchen she was aware that Glenn hadn’t spoken so far, and the feeling
of unreality that she’d had all day increased. She wasn’t to know that the pleasure he’d felt out there
in the car was still there and he was wallowing in it.

‘How was the traffic?’ she asked, and he eyed her blankly for a moment.

‘Oh, all right,’ he replied. In truth it had barely registered, so eager had he been to be where she
was, but the cool greeting and the polite enquiry about the journey indicated that Anna hadn’t
exactly been glowing with anticipation, but he could cope with that. The main thing was that he was
here in Willowmere to live. It was more than he had ever dreamed of and the fact that she had been
in favour of it had given him new determination not to be sidetracked any more.

Unaware of the thoughts going around in his mind Anna was leading the way upstairs. Looking
around him, he said, ‘Is James not here?’

‘No,’ she replied. ‘He’s gone round to have a quick word with Elaine, the practice manager. He’s so
busy during the week there’s no time for discussing administration matters and they often
communicate over the weekend. He said to tell you he won’t be long and to make yourself at
home.’

They were on the landing now and when she opened the door nearest to them he followed her
inside.

‘I hope you’ll be comfortable in here,’ she said, ‘and feel free to call the rest of the house your
home for however long you are here. James is looking forward to you staying here.’

No mention of her feelings on the matter, he noticed and his glance went to the double bed. Did
Anna remember the times they’d slept together in blissful contentment after they’d made love? he
wondered. He turned to face her and knew she was reading his mind.

He took a step towards her and she backed away. ‘Don’t!’ she begged.

‘Don’t what?’ he questioned in a low voice.

‘Don’t bring it all back. It’s gone, Glenn,’ she choked.

‘I don’t intend to,’ he said in the same quiet tone, and looked around him. ‘This is a charming room.



Thanks for making it so. I shall look forward to enjoying the view from the window when daylight


comes.’
Anna was already at the door and bringing the moment down to basics was asking, ‘Have you
eaten?’


‘Yes, thanks, though I wouldn’t mind a cup of tea.’
‘Of course. I’ll switch the kettle on.’
At that moment James returned. The two men were chatting when Anna appeared with two mugs of


tea and when her brother asked why she wasn’t joining them she made the excuse that she was


leaving them to discuss Glenn’s arrival at the practice and was going to have an early night.
‘Sleep well,’ she said to Glenn from the doorway, still in the role of the polite hostess, ‘and don’t
bother to set an alarm. The cockerel at the farm down the road will waken you at an early hour, and
if he doesn’t the children will.’


‘Magical! I’ll remember that,’ he said dryly, and James, seated beside him, laughed at his wry
expression. ‘I’ll be off, then,’ she told them, and as Glenn fixed her with his dark blue gaze she
knew she hadn’t been wrong about the way they’d been ready to gravitate towards each other in the
bedroom. Thank goodness she’d had the sense not to weaken.


She wasn’t going to get away so easily, though. He was on his feet and saying, ‘I’ll see you to your
door,’
‘It’s only a few feet away!’


‘Nevertheless.’ He turned to James. ‘I’ll only be a matter of minutes.’
Her brother was smiling. The undercurrents he’d sensed on the night that Glenn had dined with
them were still there. If not on Anna’s part, they were certainly there on Glenn’s.


‘This is crazy!’ she protested as they walked the few feet to her door.
‘Yes, may in>‘Yesbe,’ he parried. ‘As crazy as what happened up in the bedroom, do you think?’
‘Nothing happened in the bedroom,’ she protested flatly.
‘Exactly, but it could have done.’
She was putting her key in the lock. ‘It was over a long time ago, Glenn. Don’t try and rake up the


ashes.’
‘Is that how you really feel?’
‘Yes. I’m afraid so.’
He took a step back. ‘Fair enough. Maybe one day you’ll tell me what it’s all about.’
‘There’s nothing to tell,’ she said, pushing the door wide. ‘Goodnight, Glenn.’
Anna’s arrangement with James for weekday mornings ever since she’d moved into the annexe had


been that he would get the children up and give them their breakfast, and once that was over she
would come in to oversee Pollyanna and Jolyon getting washed and dressed and ready for school
while he prepared to be at the surgery for half past eight.


The following morning would be the same, except that Glenn would be there, making his own
preparations to accompany James. When she appeared he flashed a smile in her direction and she
was relieved to see that it held no reminders of the night before. The same didn’t apply to his
thoughts, but she wasn’t to know that.


In the midst of the hustle and bustle he said, ‘To work with just the sounds of the countryside in my
ears will be pure joy. And, Anna, I don’t believe I thanked you last night for getting my room ready.
It was remiss of me and my only excuse is that I had other things on my mind.’




She paused in the middle of supervising Jolyon tying the laces in his school shoes and looked up at
him from a crouching position.

If Glenn thought she was going to take him up on that, he had another think coming. It was
daunting enough having him around at this time of day without playing mind games, and she went
to check that the children had everything they needed for school.

She’d woken up with the same kind of dread as when she had a dental appointment. The feeling that
pain, or at least discomfort, lay ahead. But there was no time to dwell on what Glenn’s first day in
the practice was going to be like, she would know soon enough.

He was already settled in the room next to Georgina, when she arrived after taking Pollyanna and
Jolyon to school, and was saying goodbye to his first patient of the day, Esther Whittaker, the oldest
inhabitant of the village.

‘I’ve seen some doctors come and go at this place in my time,’ she was telling him with a wizened
smile. ‘I like to see a new face now and then so you’ll be seeing a lot of me as I’m an old crock who
is a regular visitor to this place.’

‘I will bear that in mind, Mrs Whittaker,’ he told her gravely as he saw her safely off the premises.

Bemused by the sight of crusty old Esther Whittaker eating out of his hand, and unable to resist
commenting on it when eig on it he came back inside, Anna said, ‘It hasn’t taken you long to settle
in.’

‘Maybe it’s because settling-in time was not on the agenda where I’ve been,’ he said quizzically.
‘The moment we stepped out of a helicopter, or put a foot on dry land if we’d used a boat to get to
some far-away place, people were there, begging to be treated.’

She nodded sombrely. ‘I would like to hear about it some time. It will be in the far distant future
before I get the chance to do anything like that, but maybe one day. In the meantime, I make the
most of my nurse’s training by helping to look after the people here in Willowmere.’ She glanced
over at some new arrivals. ‘I see a couple of them heading for the chairs in the passage outside the
nurses’ rooms, so I’ll leave you, Glenn. I take it that you’ve been introduced to everyone.’

‘Yes. James did the honours as soon as we arrived.’

‘Where is he now?’ she asked.

‘He’s with Elaine, sorting out final details of my function here with regard to the primary care trust.
He seems to think that they won’t need to be involved as I’m not here on a permanent basis.’

‘No, of course not,’ she said, and thought that now Glenn was actually here she didn’t want to be
reminded that it might not be for long.

‘You’ve kept your friend Dr Hamilton to yourself, haven’t you?’ Beth teased as they prepared the
bigger of their rooms for the heart clinic. ‘I’ve only spoken to him briefly, but he’s certainly going
to brighten up our days while he’s here.’

‘We’ve only just renewed our acquaintance,’ she told Beth. ‘It’s five years since I last saw Glenn
and he is only a friend. He came to look me up and James saw the opportunity for some experienced
help in the surgery.’

‘Why? Where was he before?’

‘Abroad, working with teams bringing health care to deprived areas.’

‘That makes him more impressive than ever,’ Beth said. ‘A friend of my husband volunteered for
that kind of thing and he said it takes a special kind of dedication for a person to do that.’

‘Yes, I do know that,’ Anna told her quietly, ‘and I’m quite sure that Glenn will go back when he’s
had the chance to unwind.’ She didn’t really want to discuss him with Beth. Didn’t want to be



reminded of his zeal and idealism.

Compared to that she’d had just a single-minded determination to be there for those she loved and
in the midst of it she’d lost the precious privilege of having children.

She didn’t see Glenn much during the day. The two nurses were kept busy with those suffering
from coronary problems who attended the heart clinic, checking blood pressures, sounding
heartbeats, monitoring breathing and passing on details of any alarm signals to the doctors.

Only Georgina was around when Anna was on the point of going to collect the children in the
afternoon and she said, ‘James has taken Glenn with him on his house calls and he is about to find
that in a country practice like ours the problem is not so much the number of patients as where they
live. The distance between each call once away from the village can be very time-consuming. He
seems a nice guy. I took him a coffee when I had mine in the middle of the morning.’

A wintry sun had been out and turned what was left of the snow to slush, and as she walked along
Anna was thinking that if Glenn was going to be such a hit with the women on the staff, the low
profile she intended to keep would be easier to achieve than she’d expected.



CHAPTER FOUR

WHEN James came in at the end of the day he was smiling, and Anna asked, ‘How did it go?’

‘Very well indeed.’ he replied. ‘Glenn took to the surgery routine like a duck to water, and with
regard to ducks and water he seems to have been impressed with his visit to Willow Lake. What
prompted you to take him there in the middle of winter?’

‘I suppose I was showing off. Keen for him to realise what a beautiful place this is.’

‘Because now that he is here you want him to stay?’

‘No. If you remember, I wasn’t over the moon when you suggested bringing Glenn into the
practice. My life is sorted, James. I don’t want any complications in it and at the risk of Glenn
becoming our main topic of conversation, what was he planning to do for his evening meal?’

‘He’s gone to the Hollyhocks for their last serving of the day.’

She smiled. ‘That figures. He really enjoyed the food there when we went for afternoon tea.’

‘If it’s all right with you, I thought I’d invite him to eat with us each evening,’ James suggested.
‘He seems on top of the world to be here and, you never know, he might find himself a wife and
become a permanent fixture.’

‘Yes, he might,’ she said with a sudden loss of appetite.

James received a phone call the next morning just as the two doctors were about to go to the
surgery, and as he listened to what was being said at the other end Anna and Glenn watched his
expression change.

‘I’ll go on ahead,’ Glenn said.

She nodded as she heard James say, ‘I’ll be there as soon as I can, but first I will have to make some
arrangements at this end.

‘That was the nursing-home in Sussex where Julie’s Aunt Alice has stayed for the past few years,’
he explained when he’d finished the call. ‘They rang to tell me that she died last night and as her
executor I’m going to have to go to sort out funeral arrangements and deal with any other urgent
matters that need attention.

‘I hate to leave you to cope with the children, Anna, and am not happy about Glenn being thrown in
at the deep end when he’s only just joined us, but poor Alice had no living relatives, so I will have
to go. Hopefully I’ll find a hotel to stay the night and will be back late tomorrow. I’ll go and speak
to Georgina and then have a word with Glenn. It’s going to mean you staying here tonight, so it’s
fortunate that he’s going to be around. I’ll be easier in my mind, knowing that you’re not on your
own with the children.’

‘James!’ she protested. ‘I’m quite able to take care of myself and Polly and Jolly, so don’t even
think of asking Glenn to keep an eye on us. Right?’

‘Right,’ he agreed mildly, and went to find Georgina.

‘No problem there,’ he said when he came back. ‘Both she and Glenn said not to worry so I’ll go
and pack an overnight bag and be off after I’ve said goodbye to the children.’

‘Watch out for ice on the roads. There’s still a lot of snow about too in some parts of the country,’
she warned.

‘Who’s fussing now?’ he wanted to know.

‘Do I have to remind you that your children have already lost one parent in a car accident?’

‘No, you don’t,’ he said sombrely. ‘I will be careful.’ He glanced at Polly and Jolly, who were
dawdling around getting dressed. ‘Thanks for this, Anna, especially at such short notice. I hate



leaving you guys.’

‘Yes, I know, but we’ll be here when you get back,’ she said gently. ‘Have no worries about that.’

James had left, the children were dressed in their school uniforms and Anna had just come out of
the shower when Glenn came back at just gone half past eight, bringing a gust of cold air in with
him.

As she looked down at him from the upstairs landing, with a towel draped around her head and a
warm robe loosely covering the rest of her, he said, ‘Just a quick call to ask if there is anything I can
do before I present myself to the waiting public.’

When she shook her head the towel fell off, and as she tried to retrieve it the robe nearly fell open.

He quickly turned away saying, ‘Obviously the wrong time to call. I’m delaying you. Sorry about
that.’

With the towel hanging loosely from one hand and holding onto her dignity with the other, she said
lightly, ‘Thanks for the offer but everything is fine, Glenn. I’ll catch up with you later.’

‘Right. I’ll be off, then,’ he said, and went back to where he’d come from. As he closed the door
behind him Anna thought that at one time they would have rolled about laughing at what had just
happened with the towel.

But the clock was ticking on. It was time to dry her hair, put some clothes on and take the children
to school, before presenting herself at the surgery.

‘I’ve come for my B12 injection,’ Melanie Bowers, a stressed-out mother of teenage ="1 of teesons,
said when she presented herself at the nurses’room midmorning. ‘I made an appointment
yesterday.’

Beth was busy in the adjoining room, doing a spirometry test for someone with breathing problems,
and Anna said, ‘Come in and tell me what those boys of yours have been up to since I last saw you.’

‘How much time have you got?’ Melissa said, raising her eyes heavenwards. ‘I thought it was hard
work with three under five when they were little, but those days were a piece of cake compared to
now!’

‘You love them to bits, though, don’t you?’ Anna said as Melanie held out her arm for the injection.

She laughed. ‘Yes, of course I do, but bear in mind what I say. Enjoy every moment with those two
little darlings of yours. These are the easy years, Anna!’

Smiling, Anna put a plaster over the injection site, then said goodbye to Melanie. She went to the
kitchen to make a coffee for Beth and herself, and as she passed the open door of Georgina’s room
she saw that the two doctors had had the same idea.

Glenn was perched on the corner of Georgina’s desk with a mug in his hand and seated behind it the
other permanent doctor in the practice was smiling across at him.

There was nothing wrong in what she was seeing, she told herself as she filled the kettle. The
doctors always tried to manage a quick coffee some time during the morning, and if the two of them
were enjoying getting to know each other, what was wrong with that?

Georgina would be a lovely woman to have for a friend if she had the time, but Glenn had all the
time in the world and must see her as a pleasant diversion from an ex-girlfriend who was friendly
one moment and unapproachable the next.

He’d seen her go by and on her return journey to the nurses’ room was waiting for her in the
passage.

‘Need any help?’ he asked as she stood before him with two mugs of coffee, adding, before she
could reply, ‘But I’m repeating myself. I’ve already asked that question once today and got



nowhere. So I’d better let you pass before your coffee gets cold.’

‘Yes, you had,’ she said quietly, and went into her own domain.