CATHERINE GEORGE - Will He Ask Her to be His Bride? - The Millionaire's Convenient Bride / The Millionaire's Proposal / Texas Ranger Takes a Bride

‘I will. Goodbye.’

Hester snapped her phone shut and slid out of bed to make for the bathroom. Half an hour later she looked in on a deeply sleeping Lowri and went down to the kitchen to enjoy a peaceful—and very early—breakfast. It had been a mistake to tell Connah she was an early riser. If it hadn’t been for his phone call, she could have stayed in bed a little longer for once. And, more importantly, without the fright of thinking something was wrong at home.

After a late breakfast Lowri spent a happy hour sending texts to friends on her treasured phone, while Hester saw to the minimal duties necessary to preserve the fiction that she was a housekeeper before she took her charge off to the park for some exercise.

Lowri was all for it, provided she could wear her new combat trousers. ‘Perfect for a run,’ she announced, doing a twirl for Sam in the kitchen.

This time, rather to Hester’s surprise, Sam elected to accompany them into the park. ‘I like a run myself now and then,’ he announced.

Lowri eyed him doubtfully. ‘I run fast,’ she warned.

‘Run a bit slower today then, so Sam can keep up,’ said Hester, giving him a sly grin.

When they got back to the house later, Sam went down to his own quarters to make himself some lunch and Hester and Lowri ate alone.

‘Just one sandwich,’ said Hester. ‘We must leave room for my mother’s tea.’

‘It must be lovely having a mother,’ sighed Lowri. ‘Or even a stepmother like Alice. Owen’s so lucky.’

‘Did you see them over the weekend?’

‘Yes. Daddy took me down to the farm to get eggs, and we all had tea and fruitcake. Alice baked it. She asked Owen’s grandma for the recipe.’

Good move, Alice, approved Hester.

Lowri was ready well before time to leave in a new denim miniskirt and pink T-shirt to match her new pink and white trainers.

‘How do I look?’ she asked Sam.

‘Very grown-up!’

She smiled ecstatically. ‘I can’t wait to show Chloe my new things.’

Lowri’s excitement visibly mounted as Hester gave Sam directions on the journey. When they reached the house Robert was waiting at the gate. He opened the rear door of the car and gave the passengers his gentle, irresistible smile.

‘Hello. I’m Robert and you must be Lowri. Welcome.’ He held out his hand to help her out and Lowri smiled back at him shyly.

‘Hello. It’s very nice of you to ask me to your house.’

Well done, thought Hester, and gave her stepfather a hug. ‘Hi, Robert. You’ve met Sam, of course.’

Sam shook hands, then asked Hester what time he should return to fetch them, but Robert shook his head.

‘We insist you stay to tea, Sam. My wife has spent most of the day baking.’

Hester grinned. ‘And she’ll be mortally offended if you don’t stay to eat some of it.’

Moira waved from the open doorway as they climbed the steep path to the house. She hugged her daughter, then turned to Lowri with a warm smile and held out her arms. ‘Could I possibly have a hug from you too, darling?’

Lowri was only too happy to be hugged. Then she remembered her manners and introduced Sam, and Moira led the way through the house into the back garden, where tea was laid under a large umbrella on a table surrounded by a selection of odd garden chairs.

‘What a lovely garden,’ said Lowri rapturously. ‘We’ve just got a sort of patio in the townhouse.’

‘This must be hard work,’ commented Sam with respect, and Robert nodded.

‘But I enjoy gardening, and so, thank God, does my wife.’

‘That’s why he married me,’ said Moira, exchanging a sparkling look with her husband. ‘Now we’ll leave you men to set the world to rights while we do the tea. Will you help me carry the food out, Lowri?’

‘Yes, please !’ She went into the house with Moira, chattering about devilled eggs and the baking she was going to do with Hester.

‘That’s one very happy little girl,’ said Sam, watching, and Robert nodded, his eyes fond as they followed his wife.

‘Moira has the knack of making people happy. I’m a fortunate man.’

How fortunate was soon demonstrated by the quantity of cakes and savoury delicacies covering the table.

‘If you eat like this, how do you stay so fit, sir?’ asked Sam, awed.

‘A steep garden on several different levels takes care of that,’ Robert assured him wryly. ‘Besides, this is a special occasion, not everyday fare.’

The tea party was a great success. And since the adults took pains to include Lowri in the general conversation, her delight in the occasion was a pleasure to see.

‘And now,’ said Hester later, when they’d helped Moira clear away, ‘I’ll take you to see my own private lair, Lowri, but be careful on the steps.’

Lowri followed Hester up the open-tread iron staircase eagerly, her eyes round as they entered the flat. ‘This is so cool! Is it just this one big room?’

‘More or less. There’s a small bathroom through that door at the end.’

‘It’s perfect,’ sighed Lowri rapturously. ‘I’d love a place of my own like this one day. Could I bring Daddy to see it?’

‘Do you think he’d want to?’ said Hester doubtfully, not sure she wanted Connah’s overpoweringly male presence invading her private space.

‘I want him to see what I’d like.’

‘Time we went back to the others,’ said Hester firmly. ‘Careful on the stairs!’

It was late that evening before Lowri said her goodbyes and thanked her hosts very prettily for having her. ‘I’ve had such a lovely time.’

‘So have we. You must come again soon, darling,’ said Moira, and handed Lowri a large box. ‘I’ve put a few cakes in there for your tea tomorrow.’

‘Oh, thank you!’ Lowri reached up spontaneously and kissed Moira’s cheek, at which point Robert demanded a kiss too.

‘Right then, folks,’ said Hester. ‘I’ll give you a ring later in the week. Thank you for this.’

‘My thanks also,’ said Sam. ‘It was an unexpected treat, and much appreciated.’

When they were in the car on the way back into town, Lowri heaved a great sigh. ‘What a darling house. It must be so lovely to live there, Hester.’

‘It is, but actually I’m not there very much. In my kind of job I live in the house where I’m—employed. I don’t get home here nearly as often as I’d like.’

‘You must get very homesick.’

‘I miss my mother, certainly.’

To Hester’s dismay, tears suddenly slid down Lowri’s flushed cheeks. ‘If I had a mummy like yours I would too,’ she said, so forlornly that Hester put an arm round the child and held her close in wordless comfort all the way home.

It was so late by the time they arrived that Lowri was only too happy to go straight to bed. She fell asleep so quickly that Hester turned off the DVD player, left a night light on and went down to the kitchen. If Connah wanted to talk to his daughter tonight he was out of luck. But, as she sat down at the table with the daily paper and a mug of tea, it dawned on Hester that, unlike Lowri, a sandwich and one of her mother’s cakes had been her entire food intake for the day.

Hester toasted two slices of sourdough bread, spread them with butter and marmalade and sat down to enjoy her snack while she caught up on the day’s news. She was making a second pot of tea later when she heard footsteps on the stone stairs leading up from the basement and turned with a smile, expecting Sam. Her heart gave a deafening thump when Connah strolled into the kitchen instead, smudges of fatigue under eyes which lit with such involuntary pleasure at the sight of her that Hester sat, transfixed.

‘Hello,’ she said at last, breaking the spell.