Fiona Harper - Snowkissed!

‘And if you took the logic out of it and looked at it emotionally, you might stand some chance of sustaining a relationship with a woman!’ Bryony glared at him. ‘You threw away something really special. You’re as bad as Jack!’

‘Hey!’ Jack put a hand on his chest, totally affronted. ‘I married you!’

Bryony breathed out heavily. ‘Only because I told you some home truths,’ she said bluntly. ‘If I’d left it to you, you’d still be dating half of Cumbria. You were so afraid of emotional involvement I virtually had to tie you up and beat you before you’d agree that you loved me.’

Jack gave her a sexy wink. ‘I’m not sure you should be revealing the details of our bedroom antics to your brother, darling.’

Bryony pulled a face. ‘What I’m saying, as you well know, is that both of you have spent the best part of your adult lives avoiding commitment. Of course Sally doesn’t want a conversation with you, Tom. Why would she? You lost that right when you started dating other people.’

Tom sighed. ‘You make it sound like a crime, but we weren’t together any more, Bry.’

‘That’s right.’ Bryony’s tone was chilly. ‘You weren’t. You left the rest of us to clear up the mess.’

‘I tried to see her, to check that she was all right.’

‘Well, of course she wasn’t all right! And she didn’t want your pity!’

Tom gritted his teeth and drew in a steadying breath. ‘Do you realize how contradictory you’re being?’

Jack groaned out a warning. ‘For goodness’ sake, don’t tell her that.’

‘Well, on the one hand she’s telling me I left her to comfort Sally, and on the other she’s telling me that Sally wouldn’t have wanted me around anyway.’

Bryony scowled at him. ‘You behaved badly!’

Jack yawned and reached for his beer. ‘OK, honey, give the guy a break. He’s not the first person to have ended a relationship that wasn’t working. I think we should all move on.’

‘That is precisely what I’m trying to do,’ Tom said harshly, ‘only Sally won’t give me the chance to discuss it. Perhaps I ought to tell her that she’s allowed to black my eye if it will make her feel better.’

In fact, he half hoped she would. Perhaps it would ease his conscience.

Bryony plopped down on the chair next to Jack and gave a sigh. ‘I don’t think it matters what you promise,’ she said wearily. ‘You’re not going to find it easy to get near her. She doesn’t want to talk to you.’

And why was that?

Tom’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully, his sharp brain clicking into action. Surely if Sally was as indifferent to him as she was pretending, then one conversation was hardly going to cause a problem. She could just listen and then walk away.

Unless she was afraid that the walking away would be hard.

Jack lifted his beer. ‘Never was easy to get near to Sally Jenner. She always kept people at a distance.’

Except him. Tom frowned.

He was the one person who’d been allowed to get close to her.

‘And can you blame her for that?’ Bryony defended her friend quickly. ‘She spent her childhood moving from foster-home to foster-home, with no security and no one she could trust or love.’

Tom shifted uncomfortably.

Sally had trusted him. And she’d loved him. Until he’d betrayed that trust and thrown her love back in her face.

‘This is a small community,’ he said finally, draining his beer and standing up. ‘Sally and I need to clear the air if we’re going to be able to work together. Are you going to tell me where she’s living, Bry?’

Bryony kept her eyes on the table. ‘I’m sorry, Tom. I can’t.’

Tom cast an exasperated look at Jack who shrugged helplessly.

‘Women.’ He winked at his wife. ‘Especially blonde women.’

Tom gritted his teeth, his sense of humour less in evidence. ‘You know me well enough to know that I’ll track her down sooner or later.’

Bryony looked at him. ‘But it will have been without my help.’

‘You’re making things more difficult.’

‘Difficult was what you did to her seven years ago,’ Bryony said stiffly. ‘Think about that while you’re preparing your speech, big brother.’

Tom picked up his jacket and nodded to Jack. ‘Thanks for the beer.’

‘Any time,’ Jack said mildly, ignoring his wife’s glare. ‘Any time. I have a feeling you’re going to need it.’

By the time she arrived at work the next morning, Sally was back in control.

The first meeting was always going to be difficult, she assured herself, stuffing her bag into her locker and making her way onto the labour ward.

From now on it could only get easier.

Having made that assumption, it annoyed her intensely to find that her heart missed a beat when she saw Tom walking towards her down the corridor with that loose-limbed stride that had always set her heart racing.

His eyes were tired and the roughness of his darkened jaw suggested that he’d been up for most of the night.

‘Good morning.’ He gave her a smile that made her catch her breath and she automatically shut down her feelings.

She didn’t want to respond to that smile.

Didn’t want to acknowledge the curl of awareness low in her pelvis.

‘Busy night?’

‘You could say that.’ He gave a short laugh. ‘Why don’t babies keep regular hours?’

Sally shrugged, intending to pass him, but he caught her arm and pulled her close to him, his voice low and meant only for her.

‘If Emma hadn’t interrupted us, we would have had that conversation last night. How long do you think you can keep running, Sally?’

She drew breath, forcing herself to ignore the strength of his fingers on her arm. ‘I’m not running, Tom.’ She stepped neatly away from him, forcing him to release her. ‘I’m walking. And we wouldn’t have had a conversation. I don’t want one.’

‘Why? I’m offering you the opportunity to shout at me or black my eye.’

She gave a faint smile. ‘Why would I want to do that?’

‘Because I probably deserve it.’

She stilled. Was he apologizing? Was he admitting that he’d been wrong?

‘You made the decision that was right for you, Tom.’

His jaw tightened. ‘It was right for both of us.’

So he didn’t think he’d been wrong.

He’d never regretted it.

A rush of emotion threatened to choke her but she held his gaze steadily and her voice was chilly. ‘In that case, what is there to talk about?’

He sucked in a breath and looked uncertain, obviously thrown by her response. It occurred to her that it was the first time she’d ever seen Tom anything other than supremely confident. ‘I just know I need to talk to you.’

Sally shook her head. ‘There’s nothing to be gained from rehashing the past. What happened, happened. It’s done. You made the decision for both of us. I had no choice but to go along with that.’

Without waiting for his answer, she slid past him and carried on up the corridor without looking back, trying to control her heart rate.

She had no doubt that sooner or later he would force her into the conversation that he was obviously determined to have. But she was determined to postpone the moment for as long as possible.

‘Good morning.’ She smiled at Emma who was collecting a set of notes from the desk. One glance at the whiteboard told her that she was in for a busy day. ‘Where do you want me?’

‘Can you divide yourself into four?’ Emma rolled her eyes. ‘I’ve rung down to the ward to ask for some help up here. Everyone seems to have gone into labour at once.’

‘Isn’t that always the way?’ Sally reached for the nearest set of notes. She didn’t mind being busy. All she asked was that today’s mother-to-be would have a normal delivery. She didn’t think she could face another day working side by side with Tom.