Sue MacKay - A Family This Christmas

‘I see.’ Tap, tap, tap went her finger on the crutch. ‘What about your wife? Or did you bully her into this as well?’

Now who was playing dirty? ‘I’m divorced.’ Was he a slow learner, or what? Jenny was gorgeous, but she might not be any more trustworthy than his ex had been. So what? This was going to be a brief stay, not a lifelong one.

She sucked in air. ‘I’m sorry, but I needed to know. Not about your divorce but that I wasn’t treading on anyone’s toes.’

‘You’re not treading on anything at the moment,’ Cam quipped, in an effort to dispel his unease, but then thoughtlessly asked, ‘You heard the boys saying they’d seen their mother yesterday?’

‘Yes.’

‘They hadn’t. She lives in Auckland, last I heard.’ That’s all she needed to know. Probably out-of-date news anyway.

‘That must be hard for all of you. Do they make a habit of seeing their mum in places she’s not?’

‘Unfortunately, yes. Margaret—my ex—left rather abruptly two years ago.’ That’s definitely all he was saying. Jenny had cleverly sidetracked him from his mission. ‘Jenny, you are in a bind, partly due to my sons’ antics. I don’t know why you don’t want to go home, wherever that is, but I’m more than happy to help you out until you’re up and running again. That’s all I’m offering. Though be warned, life in our house is hectic and noisy, but during the day you’ll have peace and quiet while the boys are at school. Take it or leave it.’

He studied her small case. She travelled light, if this and what was in her car was anything to go by. His sisters would think Jenny needed lessons on what to take away on a trip, but then she’d need a truck, not a sports car.

She swung the crutches, took two wonky steps. Her eyes locked with his as she tipped her head to one side. Sizing him up?

He went for broke, lifted the case and headed for the door. ‘Coming?’

The silence was deafening. He kept walking, slowly so that if she decided to join him she wouldn’t feel compelled to hurry. Why so little luggage? Those medical journals in her boot were hardly scintillating reading for a trip.

Clump, thump. She was moving, hopping on those sticks. Clump, thump.

Cam relaxed and kept walking, slowing even more.

Clump, thump.

Warmth spread through him. Jenny was coming home with him. He hadn’t realised how much he wanted this until faced with the real possibility she’d turn him down. Being pushy had worked.

‘I guess Havelock is as good a place to be as Blenheim.’

‘Better, as far as I’m concerned. More community spirited.’ Something he’d come to appreciate. It had taken time for him to get used to living in such a small place after spending ten years in Wellington. Nowadays he doubted he’d cope with the stress of city living with two young boys to keep a firm hand on.

‘Only until I’ve got the hang of these damned things.’ Bang, bang, the crutches slammed down on the floor. ‘A couple of days at the most.’

‘Sure.’ The warmth spread. He’d asked out of guilt and yet now he was feeling good about the whole situation. Steady, boy, steady. You might’ve leapt into the deepest part of the pond and have no way of surviving.

‘There she is.’

‘Hello, Jenny. Are you coming to our house?’ The twins mobbed her, threatening her precarious balance.

But before Cam got a word out Jenny was laughing with them and saying, ‘How can I refuse that welcome?’

He hadn’t got a laugh, or even a thank you. Did he need to take lessons from his sons on how to get onside with a pretty woman?

‘Boys, wait here with Jenny while I bring the car to the door. Mind those crutches, will you?’

As he stepped out into the sunshine he heard Marcus asking, ‘Can we have a go on the crutches later? They’re cool.’

Unfortunately the doors slid shut before he heard Jenny’s reply, but something told him she’d have agreed. She got on with the boys so easily. As long as she didn’t get too close and they got hurt when she left. He’d knew too well the devastation their mother had caused them when she’d walked away. But what were the odds Jenny would stay more than a night, two at the most? How attached could Marcus and Andrew get in that short time?

How attached would he get? He so wasn’t ready to trust his heart again. Doubted he ever would be.

No getting away from the fact this had definitely been the dumbest idea he’d ever come up with. Not once had he factored the boys’ hearts into the equation, let alone his own. Blast you, Margaret, for doing this to us. How long did it take for youngsters to truly understand what being abandoned by their mother meant? Or did they already get it and this searching for her was just part of the acceptance process?

Note to self: go see a shrink and get my head space tidied up so I understand my boys and don’t make stupid mistakes about a woman with beautiful eyes that I could drown in.

‘I’VE NEVER BEEN treated like royalty before.’ Jenny smiled at the twins as a glass of chilled water slid onto the top of the small table beside the chair she’d been banished to. At least the lounge, dining area and kitchen all ran together so she didn’t feel isolated from what everyone was up to. ‘I could get used to this.’

‘Dad said we had to make you—’

‘Comfortable and get anything you need.’

Cam spoke from behind the kitchen counter. ‘That also means not bothering Jenny all the time.’

Jenny spoke up before an argument ensued. ‘Guys, maybe we could play a game on the computer or something later?’

The boys high-fived each other and shouted ‘Yes’ at the tops of their voices.

Cam nodded at them. ‘That means you can go outside to play now.’

She watched them scrambling over each other in their haste to go out into the yard, then asked Cam, ‘Do they ever slow down?’

‘Exhausting to watch, aren’t they?’ That half smile appeared as his gaze followed his sons. ‘You look sleepy. Do you want to go to bed for a while?’

That had to be the most uninviting invitation to bed she’d ever had. How would that deep, gravelly voice sound if he was really asking her to take a romp in bed? And why did she even want to know? Shaking her head abruptly, she looked up into the steadiest brown gaze she’d seen in a long time. A hint of amusement shone out at her. Had he picked up on her reaction to his question? Probably. Ouch.

‘Jenny? You’re space tripping.’ His gaze was still locked with hers. Odd, really. Usually people who knew her and what had happened tended to look away. But, then, Cam hadn’t a clue about her life up until yesterday.

‘If it’s all the same to you I’ll stay right where I am. If I do nod off, don’t insist on the boys being quiet. That’d make me feel bad.’ She’d caused enough trouble for this family already.