ST PIRAN’S HOSPITAL Where every drama has a dreamy doctor… and a happy ending. In December we gave you the first two St Piran’s stories in one month!

Nick Tremayne and Kate Althorp finally got their happy-ever-after in: ST PIRAN’S: THE WEDDING OF THE YEAR by Caroline Anderson

Dr Izzy Bailey was swept off her feet by sexy Spaniard Diego Ramirez ST PIRAN’S: RESCUING PREGNANT CINDERELLA by Carol Marinelli

In January the arrival of sizzlingly hot Italian neurosurgeon Giovanni Corezzi was enough to make any woman forget the cold! ST PIRAN’S: ITALIAN SURGEON, FORBIDDEN BRIDE by Margaret McDonagh

In February daredevil doc William MacNeil unexpectedly discovered he was a father in: ST PIRAN’S: DAREDEVIL, DOCTOR…DAD! by Anne Fraser

March saw a new heart surgeon who had everyone’s pulses racing in: ST PIRAN’S: THE BROODING HEART SURGEON by Alison Roberts

This month fireman Tom Nicholson steals Flora Loveday’s heart in: ST PIRAN’S: THE FIREMAN AND NURSE LOVEDAY by Kate Hardy

Newborn twins could just bring a May marriage miracle for Brianna and Connor ST PIRAN’S: TINY MIRACLE TWINS by Maggie Kingsley

And playboy Prince Alessandro Cavalieri honours St Piran’s with a visit in June ST PIRAN’S: PRINCE ON THE CHILDREN’S WARD by Sarah Morgan

Welcome to the world of St Piran’s Hospital—

Next to the rugged shores of Penhally Bay

lies the picturesque Cornish town of St Piran,

where you’ll find a bustling hospital famed

for the dedication, talent and passion

of its staff—on and off the wards!

Under the warmth of the Cornish sun,

Italian doctors, heart surgeons and

playboy princes discover that romance blossoms

in the most unlikely of places…

You’ll also meet the devilishly handsome

Dr Josh O’Hara and the beautiful,

fragile Megan Phillips…and discover the secret

that tore these star-crossed lovers apart.

Turn the page to step into St Piran’s— where every drama has a dreamy doctor… and a happy ending.

Praise for Kate Hardy, who writes for both Mills & Boon® Medical™ Romance and Riva:

‘THE CHILDREN’S DOCTOR’S SPECIAL PROPOSAL is just as the title promises. Kate Hardy delivers a superb romance that resonates beautifully with the reader. Bravo, Ms Hardy!’

—bookilluminations.com

‘THE GREEK DOCTOR’S NEW-YEAR BABY is romantic storytelling at its best! Poignant, enjoyable and absolutely terrific, with THE GREEK DOCTOR’S NEW-YEAR BABY Kate Hardy proves once again that when it comes to romantic fiction she’s up there with the very best!’

—cataromance.com

‘SURRENDER TO THE PLAYBOY SHEIKH: I spent a lovely morning with this book, and I’d advise you to do likewise. Get it. You’ll love it. An unrestrained… Grade A.’

—goodbadandunread.com

‘PLAYBOY BOSS, PREGNANCY OF PASSION: this story features a strong heroine who gains strength from her family, and a hero who realises the importance of love and family before it’s too late. Add in their captivating romance and it makes for one great read. ‘

—RT Book Reviews

Dear Reader

I was so pleased to be asked to be part of the St Piran’s Hospital series, as I really enjoyed taking part in the last two series set in Penhally Bay. Between us, we authors developed such a lovely warm community—the kind of place where we all said we’d really like to live—that it was great to come back to both Penhally and its major hospital, further along the Cornish coast. I always enjoy revisiting old characters, so you might recognise a couple here, and I had a lot of fun getting the pin-up local firefighter together with the very shy, very sweet school nurse. Not to mention having a great excuse to chat to my Medical™ Romance author friends—all in the name of research and discussing the series, of course…

It’s a story of finding love in unexpected places, and learning how to make a family. And I thoroughly enjoyed joining Tom on his rescues, and getting him to show Flora who she really is. Not to mention reliving bits of my children’s early childhood; some of our favourite trips inspired the family outings that Flora, Tom and Joey have! You’ll need a few tissues, in places, but I hope you’ll find bits that make you smile, too.

I’m always delighted to hear from readers, so do come and visit me at www.katehardy.com

With love

Kate Hardy

ST PIRAN’S: THE FIREMAN AND NURSE LOVEDAY

KATE HARDY

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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CHAPTER ONE

THE familiar warble flooded through the fire station and the Tannoy gave a high-pitched whine.

Was it a drill, Tom wondered, at 2: 00 p. m. on a Friday afternoon?

And then he heard the words, ‘Turnout, vehicles 54 and 55. Fire at Penhally Bay Primary School. Query trapped children.’

Joey’s school.

Fear lanced through him. Please, God, let this be a drill.

Except he knew it wasn’t. Their drill was always a fire at 3 King Street, St Piran—which just so happened to be the address of the main fire station in the area. Which meant that this was real.

He headed straight for engine 54, where the rest of the crew were already stepping into their protective trousers, jackets and boots. Steve, the station manager, was in the front seat, tapping into the computer and checking the details.

‘What have we got, Guv?’ Tom asked as he swung into the seat next to Steve, the doors went up and the engine sped down the road towards Penhally Bay.

Steve checked the computer screen. ‘Explosion and fire at Penhally Bay Primary.’ He gave the driver, Gary, the map reference, even though everyone knew exactly where the school was, on the hill overlooking the bay. ‘Called in by Rosemary Bailey, the headmistress. The fire’s in a corridor by a storeroom and it’s blocked off three rooms. Two of the classes were out, so that leaves the quiet room and the toilets. They’re still checking off the kids’ names, so they’re not sure right now if anyone’s in there or not.’ He paused. ‘The storeroom contains all the art stuff, so we’re talking about flammable hazards and possible chemical inhalation from glue and what have you. Tom, you’re lead. Roy, you’re BAECO.’ The breathing apparatus entry co-ordinator kept the control board with the firefighters’ tallies in place so he knew who was in the building, how long they’d been in there, and when he needed to call them out because their oxygen supplies would be starting to run low.

‘The rest of you, follow Tom’s lead. We’ll start with the tanks in the appliances, then we’ll set the hydrant and check the supply.’

‘Right, Guv,’ the crew chorused.

‘Who’s our back-up?’ Tom asked. Two engines were always sent out for an initial call, and then more would be called as needed, staggering their arrival.

‘King Street’s on standby,’ Steve said. ‘And the paramedics are on their way. ‘

All standard stuff, Tom knew.

‘Nick Tremayne is going to be there, too,’ Steve added.

Tom had attended fires with Nick in attendance before, and knew that the GP was unflappable and worked well in a crisis. ‘That’s good.’ And Tom was really relieved that his crew was taking the call, so he could see for himself that his nephew was fine.

And Joey would be fine.

He had to be.

Joey was all Tom had left of his big sister since the car accident that had claimed her life and her husband’s just over a month ago, at New Year. Losing her had ripped Tom’s heart to shreds; the idea of anything happening to his precious nephew, the little boy his sister had entrusted to his care…

His mind closed, refusing to even consider the idea. Joey couldn’t be one of the trapped children. He just couldn’t.

But, all the way there, Tom was horribly aware of the extra problems that small children brought to a fire. Physically, their bodies couldn’t cope as well as an adult’s with the heat of a raging fire. And then there was the fear factor. Everyone was scared in a fire—you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, thanks to the choking thick smoke, and the heat and noise were incredible. Children found it even harder to cope with the way their senses were overwhelmed, and sometimes got to the point where they simply couldn’t follow directions because they were too frightened to listen.

Please, God, let Joey be safe, he prayed silently.

Please.

‘Hello, Tommy,’ Flora said as Trish Atkins, the teacher of the three-year-olds, brought the next of her charges through to the quiet room where Flora was giving the routine vaccinations. She smiled at the little boy. ‘I know Mummy told you why I’ve come to see your class today—not with my magic measuring tape to see how tall you all are, but to give you two injections to stop you catching a bug and getting sick. ‘

Tommy nodded. ‘Will they hurt?’

‘You’ll feel a bit of a scratch,’ she said, ‘and it’s OK to say a big “Ow” and hold Trish’s hand really tightly, but it’ll be over really quickly and I’ll need you to stay still for me. Can you do that?’

‘Yes,’ he lisped.

‘Good boy.’ She gave him the choice of which arm and where he wanted to sit; he opted to sit on Trish’s lap.

‘Mummy told me you’re getting a kitten.’ Distraction was a brilliant technique; if she could get him chatting about the new addition to their family, he wouldn’t focus on the vaccination syringe and he’d feel it as the scratch she’d promised, rather than as a terrifying pain. ‘What’s he like?’

‘He’s black.’

‘What are you going to call him?’

‘Ow!’ Tommy’s lower lip wobbled when the needle went in, but then he said, ‘Smudge. ‘Cause he’s got a big white smudge on his back.’

‘That’s a great name.’ She smiled at him. ‘What sort of toys are you going to get him?’

‘A squeaky red mouse,’ Tommy said. ‘Ow!’

‘All done—and you were so brave that I’m going to give you a sticker. Do you want to choose one?’

The distraction of a shiny rocket sticker made Tommy forget about crying, just as Flora had hoped it would. She updated his notes, and was about to put her head round the door of the quiet room to tell Trish that she was ready for the next child when she heard a huge bang and then fire alarms going off.

She left her papers where they were and headed out to the main rooms of the nursery. The children were all filing out into the garden, some of the younger ones crying and holding the hands of the class assistants. Flora could see through the large windows that Christine Galloway, the head of the nursery, was taking a roll-call of all the staff and children.

‘I think everyone’s out, but I’m checking nobody’s been left behind,’ Trish said from the far end of the room.

‘Do you want me to check the toilets?’ Flora asked.

‘Yes, please.’ Trish gave her a grateful smile.

Once they were both satisfied that everyone was out, Flora grabbed her medical kit and they joined Christine and the other teachers. Two fire engines roared up, sirens blaring and blue lights flashing, and they could see smoke coming over the fence from the primary school next door.

‘I’d better get next door in case anyone’s hurt and they need medical help,’ Flora said, biting her lip. She knew all the children in the school, from her work as the school liaison nurse, and the idea of any of them being hurt or, even worse… No. It was unthinkable.

‘Let us know if there’s anything we can do,’ Christine said. ‘I’ll put your notes in my office when we can go back into the building.’

‘Thanks.’ Flora gave her a quick smile, then hurried next door to the primary school.

The first person she saw was her boss, Nick Tremayne, the head of the surgery in the village. ‘Nick, what’s happened? I was next door doing the vaccinations when I heard a bang and the fire alarms went off.’

‘We don’t know what caused it—only that there’s a fire.’ Nick gestured to the firemen pumping water onto the building.

‘Is anyone hurt?’

‘Right now, we’re not sure. The head’s getting everyone out and ticking off names. ‘

Flora glanced at the building and saw where the flames were coming out. ‘That’s the corridor by the art storeroom—it’s full of stuff that could go up.’ And she really, really hoped that everyone was out of the block. The corridor led to the storeroom and three prefab rooms. Two of the rooms were used as Year Five classrooms and the third was used as the quiet room, where teachers took children for extra reading practice or tests.

The firefighters were already working to quell the blaze. Some had breathing apparatus on, and others were putting water on the blaze. She could hear one of the fire crew yelling instructions about a hydrant.

Before she could ask Nick anything else, two ambulances screamed up. The paramedic crew and two doctors headed towards them. Flora recognised one of them as Megan Phillips, who lived in the village, though she didn’t know Megan’s colleague.

‘I’m Josh O’Hara, A and E consultant,’ the unknown doctor introduced himself. ‘And this is Megan Phillips, paediatrician. ‘

Josh was simply gorgeous, with black tousled hair that flopped in his indigo-blue eyes. Right now he wasn’t smiling; but no doubt when he did, any woman under the age of ninety would feel her heart turning over. And that Irish brogue would definitely melt hearts.

Although Flora knew who Megan was, she didn’t know the doctor well at all; Megan kept herself very much to herself in the village. So Flora was relieved when Nick stepped in and spoke for both of them. ‘Nick Tremayne, head of Penhally Bay Surgery—and this is Flora, my practice nurse and school liaison. Luckily she was doing the MMR vaccinations next door and she’s brilliant with kids. Flora, you know Megan, don’t you? Can you work with her and I’ll work with Josh?’

‘Yes, of course,’ Flora said.

Though she also noticed that Megan and Josh didn’t glance at each other, the way that colleagues usually did. The tension between them was obvious, so either they hadn’t worked together before and weren’t sure of each other’s skills, or they knew each other and really didn’t get on. Well, whatever it was, she hoped they’d manage to put it aside and work together until everyone was safe. In this situation, the children really had to come first.

Megan gave her a slightly nervous smile. ‘Shall we go and see what’s going on?’

Flora nodded. ‘The fire drill point’s at the far end of the playground, on the other side of the building.’

‘We’ll start there, then, and see if anyone needs treating,’ Megan said. ‘As you’re school liaison, you must know everyone here?’

Flora felt colour flooding into her cheeks, and sighed inwardly. If only she didn’t blush so easily. She knew it made her look like a bumbling fool, and she wasn’t. She was a good nurse and she was fine with the children—and the teachers, now she’d got to know them. She just found herself shy and tongue-tied with adults she didn’t know very well. Stupid, at her age, she knew, but she couldn’t help it. Pulling herself together, she said, ‘I know all the staff and most of the children—I’ve either worked with their class or seen them for the usual check-ups.’

‘That’s good—you’ll be a familiar face and that will help them feel less scared,’ Megan said.

As they rounded the corner, they could see a woman leaning against the wall, her face white, nursing her arm.

‘Patience, this is Megan, one of the doctors from St Piran’s. Megan, this is Patience Harcourt. She teaches Year Three,’ Flora introduced them swiftly. ‘Patience, what’s happened to your arm?’

‘I’d gone to the storeroom to get some supplies. I’d just switched on the light when it went bang—I went straight for the fire extinguisher, but before I could do anything the whole thing went up. I got out of there and closed the fire door to contain it.’ She grimaced. ‘Thank goodness one of the Year Five classes was doing PE and the other was in the ICT suite.’

‘Was anyone in the quiet room?’ Flora asked.

Patience shook her head, looking white. ‘I hope not, but I don’t know.’

‘Let’s have a look at your arm,’ Megan said, and sucked in a breath. ‘That’s a nasty burn.’

Patience made a dismissive gesture with her other arm. ‘I can wait. Check the children over first.’

‘Your burn needs dressing—the sooner, the better,’ Megan said gently. ‘Will you let Flora do it while I check the children?’

The children were shivering because it was cold outside and the teachers had taken them straight outside away from the fire, not stopping to pick up coats; some were still wearing their PE kit. Some were crying, and all were clearly frightened.

‘We need to get them huddled together to conserve warmth,’ Megan said. ‘Under that shelter would be good. And then I can see if anyone needs treating. Flora, when you’ve dressed Patience’s burn, do you want to come and help me?’

‘Will do.’ Again, Flora could feel the hated colour flood her cheeks. She was glad of the excuse to turn her face away while she delved in her medical kit; then brought out what she needed to dress the burn and make Patience more comfortable.

Tom was training one of the hoses on the flames. He didn’t have a clue whether Joey was safely in the playground with the other children because he couldn’t see. Although he was frantic to know that Joey was all right, he had a job to do and his colleagues were relying on him not to let them down. He had to keep doing his job and trust his colleagues to do theirs.

I swear if he’s safe then I’ll do better by him, he promised silently to his sister. I’ll change my job, give up firefighting and concentrate on him.

And then the headmistress hurried over towards them.

‘Is everyone safe?’ Steve asked.

Rosemary Bailey looked grim. ‘There’s still part of one class missing. Some of the Reception children. ‘

Tom, overhearing her, went cold. Joey was in the Reception year. ‘Is Joey all right?’ he asked urgently.

Rosemary bit her lip. ‘He’s not with the others. There’s a group of children who’d gone to the quiet room at the end for extra help with reading. He must be with them. ‘

Tom swallowed hard. ‘The quiet room. Is that the room at the end of the corridor?’ The room that was cut off, right now, by flames.

‘Yes.’

‘It’s near the storeroom where the fire started. Right now, it’s structurally unstable,’ Steve said. ‘How many children are there?’

‘Five, plus Matty Roper, the teaching assistant in R2.’

R2. Definitely Joey’s class, Tom knew. And he knew Matty—he’d had twice-weekly meetings with her about Joey since he’d become Joey’s guardian. Joey had been struggling at school for the last month, just shutting off, so Tom and Matty had been trying to work out how they could help him settle back in.

Ice slid through his veins. The children were stranded.

Including Joey.

CHAPTER TWO

‘RIGHT, I’m going in,’ Tom said. ‘Gary, can you take this hose from me?’

Steve grabbed Tom’s shoulder to stop him. ‘You’re not going anywhere.’

‘My nephew’s trapped in that room. No way in hell am I leaving him there!’ Tom snarled back.

‘Nobody’s saying that you have to leave him, Tom. But nobody’s going into that corridor until we’ve stabilised the area—otherwise the whole lot could come down. And we can’t afford to let the flames reach the really flammable stuff.’

Steve was making absolute sense. As an experienced fireman and the station manager, he knew exactly what he was doing. Tom was well aware of that. And yet every nerve in his body rebelled against his boss’s orders. How could he just wait outside when his nephew was trapped inside that room?

‘Tom, I know you think Joey might be in there, but you can’t afford to let emotion get in the way.’

Ordinarily, Tom didn’t. He was able to distance himself from things and stay focused, carrying others through a crisis situation with his calm strength. But this was different. This was Joey. The last link to his elder sister. No way could he let the little boy down.

‘You either keep doing your job as lead fireman and getting the flames under control,’ Steve said softly, ‘or you’re off duty as of now, which means you go back to the station. ‘

And then it would be even longer before he could find out if Joey was safe. Waiting would drive him crazy. Tom dragged in a breath. ‘Right, Guv. I’m sticking to my post.’

The fire crew that had arrived as back-up started to get the supports up; Tom forced himself to concentrate on damping down the blaze. Abandoning his job wouldn’t help Joey. Focus, he told himself. Just focus.

It felt like a lifetime, but at last the area was stabilised and they were in a position to rescue the trapped children and their teacher. Steve had already vetoed the door as the access point; although the flames were out, the corridor was still thick with smoke, and until the fire had been damped down properly it could reignite at any time. The window was the safest option, now the area was stabilised.

But there was no way Tom’s muscular frame would fit through the window. His colleagues, too, were brawny and would find it an equally tight fit.

‘Um, excuse me?’

Tom looked down at the woman standing next to him. She was a foot shorter than him, and her face was bright red—whether through embarrassment or the heat from the fire, he had no idea.

‘I’m the school nurse,’ she said. ‘Look, I know I’m a bit, um, round…’ her colour deepened and she looked at the floor ‘… and I’m not as strong as you, but the children are only little. Matty and I can lift them up between us and pass them through to you. And I can check them over while I’m in there and make sure they’re all right.’

‘I see where you’re coming from,’ he said, ‘but you’re a civilian. I can’t let you take that risk.’

‘But I know the children,’ she said, her voice earnest—though she still wasn’t looking at him, Tom noticed. ‘It’ll be less frightening for them if I go in to help.’ She bit her lip. ‘I know it’s dangerous, but I won’t do anything reckless. And we need to get the children out quickly. ‘

True. And, the faster they did that, the sooner he’d see Joey. That was the clincher for him. ‘All right. Thank you.’

She nodded. ‘I’m sorry I’m, um, a bit heavy.’

He looked at her properly then. Yes, she was curvy. Plump, if he was brutally honest. But there was a sweetness and kindness in her face, a genuine desire to help—something that he knew had been missing from the other women he’d dated. Sure, they might have been tall and leggy and jaw-droppingly gorgeous, but they would’ve fussed about chipping a nail. And he knew who he’d rather have beside him in this crisis. Definitely the school nurse.

And she had the sweetest, softest mouth. A mouth that made him want to…

Whatever was the matter with him? His nephew was missing, he had a job to do, and he was thinking about what it would be like to kiss a complete stranger? For pity’s sake—he needed to concentrate!

‘You’re fine,’ he said, and proved it by lifting her up to the window as if she weighed no more than a feather.

She scrambled through, and Tom almost forgot to breathe while he waited. Were the children all right? Was Joey safe?

And then Matty Roper and the school nurse came to the window and started lifting the children through, and there just wasn’t time to ask about Joey as he took the children one by one and passed them over to the team of medics lining up behind him ready to check over the children.

Three.

Four.

He swallowed hard. The next one would be Joey.

Except the next person to come to the window was Matty Roper.

‘Where’s Joey?’ he asked urgently. ‘The head said there were five children missing—that they were in the quiet room with you.’

‘Only four,’ Matty said. ‘And Joey wasn’t one of them.’

‘But he has to be. There were five children missing. He was one of them.’

‘I’m sorry, Tom. I only took four children to the quiet room with me and they’re all accounted for.’

Panic flowed through him, making every muscle feel like lead. How could Joey be missing? How?

‘Please, Matty. Check again. Just in case he came in and you didn’t see him.’

‘Tom, I know he didn’t,’ Matty said gently. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Then where the hell is he?‘ Tom burst out in desperation.

‘I don’t know.’ She looked nervously at the supports against the wall. ‘Is this going to hold?’

This was his job. He had to get Matty and the school nurse out. And then he could start to look for Joey.

Please, God, let it not be too late.

Grim-faced, he helped Matty through the window, and then the nurse.

Once they were both standing on safe ground, he leaned through the window. ‘Joey! Joey, where are you?’

No answer.

Was he trapped in one of the other classrooms? ‘Joey!’ he bellowed.

‘Do you mean Joey Barber?’ the nurse asked.

‘Yes.’ She’d seen the other children, Tom thought, so maybe she’d seen his nephew. ‘Have you seen him?’

She shook her head. ‘Not today.’ Again, she didn’t meet his eyes. ‘He’s the little boy who lost his parents just after New Year, isn’t he?’

‘My sister and her husband,’ Tom confirmed. And it was beginning to look as if Joey might be joining his parents. No, no, no. It couldn’t happen. He couldn’t bear it. ‘The head said there were five children missing. Now it’s just Joey. Oh, hell, can’t he hear me? Why isn’t he answering?’ He yelled Joey’s name again.

The nurse squeezed his hand. ‘The noise of the explosion will have scared him and probably brought back memories of the car crash. Right now, even if he can hear you, he’s probably too scared to answer. ‘

He thought about it and realised that she was right. ‘Not that he speaks much anyway, since the accident,’ Tom said wryly. ‘He barely strings two words together now. It’s been so hard to reach him since Susie and Kevin died.’ He dragged in a breath. ‘If anything’s happened to him, I’ll never forgive myself.’ He’d never be able to live with the guilt: his sister had asked him to look after her precious child, and he’d failed. Big time.

‘This isn’t your fault,’ she said softly. ‘You can’t blame yourself.’

‘I need to find him.’ He handed over his damping-down duties to one of his colleagues and went in search of the station manager. ‘Guv, Joey’s still missing. I need to find him. Please.’

‘All right.’ Steve looked at him, grim-faced. ‘But you don’t take any risks, you hear me?’

‘I won’t,’ Tom promised. He wouldn’t put anyone in danger. But he’d take the buildings apart with his bare hands if he had to, to find his nephew.

‘I, um, could help you look for him, if you like.’ The nurse was by his side again. ‘He knows me, and a familiar face might help.’

‘Thank you.’ Tom looked at her. ‘I don’t even know your name,’ he blurted out.

‘Flora. Flora Loveday.’ Her face reddened again. ‘And I know it’s a stupid name. I’m not a delicate little flower.’

‘No.’ He was beginning to realise now that she was shy, like the proverbial violet—that was why she blushed and couldn’t quite get her words out and found it hard to look him in the eye—but he had a feeling that there was much more to Flora Loveday than that. She’d put herself in a dangerous situation to help the children. ‘No, you’re like a…a peony,’ Tom said, thinking of the flowers his mother had always grown in summer. ‘Brave and bright and strong.’

Her blush deepened to the point where she seriously resembled the flower.

‘I’m Tom. Tom Nicholson.’

She nodded but said nothing and looked away.

With Flora by his side, he checked with Rosemary Bailey and the rest of the fire crew. All the areas had been cleared, and nobody had seen Joey.

He eyed the wreckage. Fear tightened round his chest, to the point where he could barely breathe. Where was Joey? ‘Maybe he’s in the toilets,’ he said.

Flora shook her head. ‘They’ve been checked.’

‘He has to be here. He has to be.’ Desperately, he yelled Joey’s name again.

‘If he’s scared already, shouting is only going to make him panic more,’ she said quietly. She paused. ‘When I was Joey’s age, I hated going to school. I used to hide in the cloakrooms. ‘

Tom hardly dared hope that Joey would’ve done the same. But it was the best option he had right now. ‘Let’s have another look. I know they’ve been checked, but…’ He glanced over to the huddled children at the far end of the playground. ‘Joey’s tiny. If he was sitting among the coats and didn’t reply, whoever checked might have missed him. ‘

Together, they went over to the Reception cloakrooms.

‘I’ll start this end—can you start that end, Flora?’ Tom asked.

‘Sure.’

He’d checked under every coat at his end when he heard Flora call out, ‘He’s here.’

Huddled up at the far end of the cloakroom, beneath piles of coats, his nephew was white-faced. And Tom had never been so glad to see him in all his life. He dropped to his knees and hugged the little boy tightly, uncaring that he was covered in smoke and smuts and he would make Joey’s clothes filthy.

Joey squirmed. ‘You’re hurting me,’ he whispered.

The soft sound pierced Tom’s heart. Of course. The little boy didn’t like being touched, not since his parents had died. As a toddler, he’d adored riding on his uncle’s shoulders and playing football and going down the huge slide in the playground on Tom’s or his father’s lap, but since the accident he’d put huge barriers round himself.

Tom let his nephew go. ‘Sorry, Jojo. I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just I was very scared when I couldn’t find you. I’m so glad you’re all right.’

Joey stared at him and said nothing.

‘I know this afternoon’s been scary, but it’s all going to be just fine,’ Tom said softly. ‘I promise. I’m going to have to stay here until the fire’s completely out and everything’s safe, but maybe Mrs Bailey will let you sit in her office and do some drawing until I can get in touch with the childminder and see if she can take you home. ‘

Joey said nothing, and Tom had absolutely no idea what the little boy was thinking. Did he feel abandoned, or could he understand that other people relied on Tom to do his job and keep them safe and he had to share Tom’s time?

Flora was sitting on the low bench by the coat rack. ‘Or,’ she said, ‘maybe you could come home with me until your uncle’s finished here. I live on a farm, and I’ve got the nicest dog in the world. ‘

Tom looked at her. ‘But I’ve only just met you.’ Did she really think he’d let his precious nephew go off with a complete stranger—even if she had been brilliant and helped to rescue him?

She bit her lip. ‘I know, but Joey knows me. And my boss is here—I take it you know Nick Tremayne?’ At Tom’s curt nod, she said, ‘He’ll vouch for me. And it’s no trouble. I just need to pick up my paperwork from the nursery next door—the children will all have gone home by now, so I’ll have to finish the clinic next week anyway. ‘

So she did think he’d let Joey go home with someone he didn’t know.

Then again, Tom was usually a good judge of character and he liked what he’d seen of Flora. She was kind, she was brave, and she’d thought of the children before herself.

‘Is that all right with you, Joey?’ Tom asked.

Joey looked wary, and Tom was about to refuse the offer when Flora said, ‘You can meet my dog and see around the farm.’

‘Dog,’ Joey said.

And, for the first time in a long, long time, he gave a smile. A smile that vanished the second after it started, but it was a proper smile. And it made Tom’s decision suddenly easy.

‘Do you want to go with Flora and see her dog, Jojo?’ Tom asked.

This time, Joey nodded.

‘I can borrow a car seat from the nursery—they have spares,’ Flora said. She took a notepad from her pocket and scribbled quickly on it. ‘That’s my address, my home phone and my mobile phone.’

‘Thank you.’ Tom dragged in a breath. ‘This is going to sound really ungrateful. My instincts tell me to trust you, but—’

‘I’m a stranger,’ she finished. ‘You can never take risks with children. They’re too precious.’ She bit her lip and looked away, and Tom felt like an utter heel. She was trying to help and he’d practically thrown the offer back in her face.

‘Talk to Nick,’ she said. ‘And then, if you’re happy for Joey to come with me, I’ll be next door at the nursery.’

Somehow, she’d understood that this wasn’t personal—that he’d be the same even if the offer had come from a teaching assistant he didn’t know. ‘Thank you,’ Tom said and, making sure Joey was right by his side, went to find Nick Tremayne.

At half past seven that evening, Flora heard the car tyres on the gravel and glanced across at Banjo, who was standing guard over the child asleep on the beanbag. ‘All right, boy. I heard him. Shh, now. Let Joey sleep. ‘

She’d opened the kitchen door before Tom could ring the doorbell. ‘Joey’s asleep in front of the fire,’ she whispered. ‘Come in. ‘

He’d showered and changed; out of his uniform, and with his face no longer covered by a mask and soot, Tom Nicholson was breathtakingly handsome. When he smiled at her, her heart actually skipped a beat.

Which was ridiculous, because he was way, way out of her league. He probably had a girlfriend already; though, even if he didn’t, Flora knew he wouldn’t look twice at her. Looking the way he did, and doing the job he did, Tom was probably used to scores of much more attractive women falling in a heap at his feet. He wouldn’t be interested in a shy, plump nurse who spent most of her time looking like a beetroot.

‘He’s absolutely sound asleep,’ Tom whispered, looking down at his nephew, who was lying on the beanbag with a fleecy blanket tucked round him.

‘It’s been a long day for him—and a scary one.’ She glanced at Tom. ‘Um, I’ve already fed him. I hope that’s OK.’

‘That’s great. Thanks for being so kind,’ Tom said.

‘I could hardly let him starve.’ Flora shrugged it off. ‘Poor little lad. He’s had a lot to cope with, losing both his parents. I know what that’s like.’ She’d had to face losing both her parents, the previous year, so she had an idea what he was going through—though, being twenty years older than Joey, at least she’d had an adult’s perspective to help her cope. She looked more closely at Tom and saw the lines of strain around his eyes. ‘You look exhausted.’

‘Once the immediate danger’s passed, the real work starts—making sure we keep the site damped down so the fire doesn’t flare up again.’ Tom grimaced. ‘Sorry I’ve been so long. And I took time out for a shower, because if I turned up covered in smuts and stinking of smoke it might scare Joey. ‘

He’d put his nephew first; and no doubt the shower had been at the expense of taking time to grab a meal. It was good that he could put Joey first, but the poor man must be starving as well as tired. And if she made him something to eat, she could keep herself busy doing something practical—which was a lot easier than sitting down and having a conversation where she’d end up blushing and stumbling over her words and getting flustered. She’d learned the hard way that being practical and doing something was the best way of dealing with her hated shyness. ‘He’s perfectly safe and comfortable where he is, so why don’t you sit down and I’ll make you a hot drink and something to eat?’ Flora asked.

‘I can’t impose on you like that.’

‘You’re not imposing. I made a big batch of spaghetti sauce this afternoon. It won’t take long to heat it through and cook some pasta—that’s what Joey and I had.’

‘Thank you.’

The next thing Tom knew, he was sitting at the table with a mug of coffee in front of him and Flora was pottering round the kitchen.

The kindness of a stranger. Tom was used to women offering to cook him things—it was a standing joke at the fire station that, almost every day, someone dropped by with a tin of home-made cookies or cakes or muffins for Tom. Old ladies whose cats he’d rescued, young mums whose toddlers he’d got out of a locked bathroom—and even the hard-nosed local reporter had seen him in action, rescuing someone from a burning building, and had joined what his crew-mates teasingly called the Tom Nicholson Fan Club, turning up with a batch of cookies for him on more than one occasion.

Even though he’d explained gently that he was simply doing his job, he could hardly be rude enough to turn away things that people had spent time making personally for him. So he accepted them with a smile on behalf of the fire crew, wrote thank-you notes—again on behalf of the entire fire crew—and secretly rather enjoyed them making a fuss over him.

But Flora Loveday was different.

There was something about her—a kind of inner peace and strength that drew him. Here, on her home ground, she glowed. He’d been too frantic with worry about Joey to notice properly earlier, but she was beautiful. Soft, gentle brown eyes; her hair, too, was soft, all ruffled and curly and cute. And the warmth she exuded made him want to hold her close, feel some of that warmth seeping into him and taking the chill of the fear away…

And then he realised what he was thinking and slammed the brakes on. Yes, he found her attractive—dangerously so—but he couldn’t act on it. In his job, it wasn’t fair to have a serious relationship with someone. He worked crazy hours and did dangerous things; he’d seen too many friends die and leave families behind. And there was Joey to consider, too. He’d had too many changes in his young life, just recently. The last thing he needed was his uncle being distracted by a new girlfriend.

But Tom also knew that he could do with a friend. Flora was the first person who’d seemed to understand or who had managed to start to reach Joey. And he really, really needed help reaching his nephew.

‘So what have you and Joey been up to?’ he asked.

‘I took him to see the chickens.’

‘Chickens?’ He hadn’t expected that.

She went pink again. ‘My dad started Loveday Eggs.’

He’d seen their boxes in the shops. ‘So you have chickens here?’

She nodded. ‘The hens are free range, so we went and collected some eggs. And then we made some brownies.’ She smiled. ‘There are some left. But not that many.’ She placed a bowl of pasta in front of him.

‘This smells amazing. Thank you.’ He took a mouthful. ‘Wow. And it tastes even better than it smells.’

‘It’s only boring old spaghetti and sauce.’ She looked away.

‘It’s wonderful.’ He ate the lot and accepted a second bowl. And then he grimaced. ‘Sorry. I’ve just been horribly greedy.’

‘You’ve just spent hours sorting out a fire. You must’ve been starving.’

‘I was,’ he admitted. And then he accepted her offer of helping himself to the brownies. ‘Wow. These are seriously good. And you made them with Joey?’

She fished her mobile phone out of her handbag, fiddled with it and then handed it to him. There was a picture of Joey, wearing a tea-towel as a makeshift apron, stirring the chocolatey mixture in a big bowl—and there was almost as much chocolate round his face.

And he looked happy.

Tom couldn’t speak for a moment. Then he gulped in a breath. ‘I didn’t know Joey liked cooking.’

‘Most kids love messy stuff,’ she explained, her colour deepening. ‘And cooking’s better still because they get to eat what they make.’

In one afternoon, she seemed to have got far closer to his nephew than he’d managed in a month. And he knew he needed help. Flora might be the one to help him reach Joey—and there was just something about her that made Tom sure that she wouldn’t judge him harshly. ‘It never even occurred to me to try doing something like that with Joey.’ He raked a hand through his hair. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I like kids. I’m always the one sent on school visits, but I just don’t seem to be able to connect with Joey—and I’m his uncle. Everything I suggest us doing, he just stares at me and says nothing. I can’t reach him any more. I feel…’ He shook his head, grimacing. ‘Hopeless. Helpless. I don’t even know where to start.’

‘Give it time,’ she said. ‘It’s only been a month since the accident—and he was one of the quieter ones in the school even before then.’

Tom blinked in surprise. ‘So you work at the school? I thought you said Nick Tremayne was your boss?’

‘He is, but I’m the school liaison,’ she explained.

‘So you visit the local schools?’

She nodded. ‘I spend half my time at the local nursery and schools, and half my time at the practice. I do a health visitor clinic at the primary school for mums one morning a week, a clinic at the high school, and I do the vaccinations and preschool health checks in the nursery. Plus I take the personal development classes—I get the little ones thinking about healthy eating and exercise and how they can get five a day, and how they can look after their teeth properly.’

It was the most he’d heard her say in one go, and she looked animated; clearly she loved her job and felt comfortable talking about it. ‘So I take it you like your job? ‘

She smiled. ‘I love it.’

Just as he loved his: something else they had in common. Tom paused, remembering what she’d said when he’d first walked in. ‘I’m sorry about your parents.’

‘And I’m sorry about your sister.’ She bit her lip, looking awkward. ‘I didn’t know her very well, but she seemed nice.’

‘She was. My big sister.’ Tom sighed. ‘And I feel worse because I was meant to go to France with her, Kevin and Joey to see our parents for New Year and I bailed out. Maybe if I’d been driving the crash wouldn’t have happened.’

‘You don’t know that,’ Flora said. ‘And think of it another way—if you had been in the crash, Joey might’ve been left without anyone at all.’

‘Mum and Dad would’ve stepped in to help, but they’re nearly seventy now, and it’s not fair to drag them back to England and make them run around after a little one. Dad’s arthritis really gives him gyp.’ He rubbed his hand across his forehead, but the tight band of tension refused to shift. ‘I loved spending time with Joey when Susie was alive—I used to see them most weekends. I’ve always tried to be a good uncle and we used to have fun—but since the accident he’s just put all these barriers up and I don’t know how to get them down again.’

‘Give it time,’ she said again, her voice kind.

‘Did he talk to you this afternoon?’

‘A bit. He was a little shy.’ She shrugged and looked away. ‘But so am I, so that’s OK.’

And that was one of the reasons why Flora seemed to understand Joey better than he did: she knew what it was like to be shy, and Tom never had. And he couldn’t help wondering what Flora was like when she wasn’t shy. He knew she was practical and kind—but what did she look like when she laughed?

Or when she’d just been thoroughly kissed?

Oh, for pity’s sake, he really needed to keep his libido under control.

Luckily his thoughts weren’t showing on his face, because Flora continued, ‘I read him some stories after we’d eaten—he chose them from the box I take to clinic—and then he fell asleep on the beanbag.’

‘Bless him.’ Tom bit his lip. ‘I think he’s had a better time with you than he would’ve done at the childminder’s.’ He sighed. ‘I feel bad taking him to the childminder’s for breakfast and then not picking him up until after dinner for half the week, but I work shifts—it’s the only thing I can do. I was trying to avoid any more change in his life, but she told me the other week I’m going to have to find someone else because she’s moving.’

‘Would your childminder be Carol?’ she asked.

Yet again, she’d surprised him. ‘How did you know?’

‘I know all the local childminders, through work,’ Flora explained. ‘Carol loves it here in Cornwall, but her husband’s been promoted to his company’s head office in London so that’s why she has to move.’

‘So if you know all the local childminders…’ Tom brightened. ‘Do you happen to know anyone with spare places who’d be good with Joey and could take him from half past six in the morning until school, and then after school until a quarter past seven or so? I can hardly take him with me to the station, in case we have a shout.’

‘Nobody’s got any spare places right now,’ Flora said. ‘The ones who did have are already booked up from taking on Carol’s clients. But I can ask around again, if you like.’

Yet another example of his failure at being a stand-in parent. ‘Susie would’ve had that sorted out on day one,’ Tom said grimly. ‘When Carol told me she was leaving and I’d have to find someone else to look after Joey, I was still trying to get my head around what had happened and learning to fit my life round my nephew. I didn’t have room in my head for anything else. And now I wish I’d made more of an effort.’ He blew out a breath. ‘Sorry. I shouldn’t be dumping on you like this.’

‘Not a problem. It’s not going any further than me.’

‘Trust you, you’re a nurse?’

‘Something like that.’ Flora smiled at him, and Tom realised that she had dimples. Seriously cute dimples. Dimples he wanted to touch. Dimples he wanted to kiss.

Though now wasn’t the time or the place. ‘Thank you. You’ve been really kind. Can I impose on you and ask you what’s your secret? You’ve got through to Joey when nobody else can, not even his teachers.’

She shrugged. ‘I think he likes Banjo.’

The dog wagged his tail at hearing his name. The sound of Banjo’s tail thumping the floor woke Joey, and he sat up, rubbing his eyes. For a moment, he stared wildly round him, as if not knowing where he was.

‘Hey, Jojo, we’re at Flora’s. At the farm,’ Tom said, going over to him and squatting down so that he was at his nephew’s level. ‘You fell asleep, sweetheart. I hear you’ve been running about with Banjo here and seeing the chickens and making brownies.’

Joey nodded.

‘Did you have fun?’

Joey nodded again.

‘That’s good.’ Tom smiled at him. ‘The fire’s out now so your school’s all safe again, ready for Monday morning. And we ought to let Flora get on. Shall we go home to Uncle Tom’s upstairs house?’

Joey just looked at him.

Home.

Clearly Joey didn’t think of Tom’s flat as home. Maybe he should’ve moved into his sister’s house instead of taking Joey back to his place, but he simply couldn’t handle it. Every second he’d been in the house, he’d expected Susie to walk into the room at any time, and it had to be even harder for Joey. Right now, Tom was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, and he hated himself for not being able to make Joey’s world right again. For being a coward and escaping to work whenever he could, losing himself in the adrenalin rush of his job.

‘Shall we say goodbye to Flora and Banjo?’

Joey yawned, then made a fuss of the dog, who licked him.

‘You can come back any time you like and play with him,’ Flora said. ‘He liked playing ball with you this afternoon.’

Joey said nothing, but there was the ghost of a smile on his face.

‘Thank you for having us,’ Tom said, knowing that his nephew wasn’t going to say it.

‘My pleasure. Come back soon, Joey,’ Flora said with a smile.

Tom tried slipping his hand into Joey’s as they walked to the front door, but Joey twisted his hand away. Tom was careful not to let his feelings show on his face. ‘Bye, Flora. Thanks again.’

He opened the car door, and Joey climbed onto his car seat. The little boy allowed Tom to fix the seatbelt, but Tom could see by the look on his nephew’s face that Joey had retreated back into his shell again. He didn’t even wave to Flora. If only he could find a way of getting through to Joey. He was just going to have to try harder.

CHAPTER THREE

DESPITE the fact that he’d lain awake half the night, worrying about Joey, Tom’s body-clock was relentless. He didn’t even need to look at his alarm to know that it was six o’clock. For pity’s sake, it wasn’t even light. And it was the weekend. Why couldn’t he just turn over, stick the pillow over his head and go back to sleep?

Ha. He knew the answer to that. Because Joey woke early, too, and Tom needed to keep the little boy safe. His life had changed completely. Nowadays, he couldn’t stay up until stupid o’clock watching films or playing online with his friends on a game console, or sleep in until midday on his day off. He had responsibilities.

Coffee, first. Tom dragged himself out of bed, then pulled on his dressing gown and headed for the kitchen. He blinked in surprise when he switched on the light and saw Joey sitting at the table in the dark, all dressed and ready to go out. Joey’s long-sleeved T-shirt was on back to front and he was wearing odd socks; Tom couldn’t help smiling. Cute beyond words. Part of him was tempted to ruffle his nephew’s hair, but he knew that the little boy would only flinch away, so there was no point.

And that hurt.

‘Why were you sitting in the dark, Jojo?’ he asked gently.

Joey said nothing, but glanced over to the doorway.

Of course. He couldn’t quite reach the light switch. Tom’s flat wasn’t designed for a four-year-old.

‘I’ll get a light put in here you can reach,’ Tom promised. An uplighter would be the safest. Or maybe one on a timer switch. ‘You look all ready to go out.’

Joey nodded.

‘Where do you want to go?’ And please don’t let him say ‘home’, Tom begged silently.

‘I want to play with Banjo.’

Flora’s dog had clearly made the breakthrough that none of the adults had been able to make, because this was the longest sentence that Joey had strung together since the accident.

It would be an imposition on Flora, Tom knew, but this was the most animated he’d seen Joey since the little boy had come to live with him. He couldn’t afford to let the opportunity slip away. Though going to visit Flora at this time of the morning would be a little too much to ask; he needed some delaying tactics.

‘OK, sweetheart, we’ll go and see Banjo.’ And Flora. Awareness prickled all the way down Tom’s spine, and he squashed it ruthlessly. This wasn’t about his attraction to the sweet, gentle school nurse who had the most kissable mouth he’d ever seen. This was about his nephew. ‘But it’s a bit early to go and visit anyone just yet; it’s still dark outside. I’m not even dressed—and I don’t know about you, but I really could do with some breakfast first. How about we make something to eat, then go and buy some flowers to say thank you to Flora for looking after you yesterday, and a…’ What did you buy dogs? Tom’s parents had always had cats rather than dogs, and he hadn’t had the space in his life to look after an animal properly so he had no pets. ‘A ball or something for Banjo?’ he finished.

Joey nodded.

Tom put water in the kettle and switched it on. ‘What do you want for breakfast?’

Joey shrugged.

‘Juice? Cereals?’ Flora had got through to him yesterday by baking. Tom didn’t bake. He did the bare minimum when it came to cooking: stir-fries, pasta and baked potatoes were pretty much his limit. Anyway, suggesting cake for breakfast wasn’t exactly healthy.

But there had to be something they could do.

‘How about a bacon sandwich?’ he asked. ‘We can make it as a team. How about you’re the chef, in charge of buttering the bread and squirting on the tomato ketchup, and I’ll grill the bacon?’

Joey gave him a tiny smile, and went to the drawer where Tom kept the tea-towels. Without a word, he tucked a tea-towel round himself like an apron, the way he had in the photo Flora had shown Tom the previous evening, then fetched the butter and tomato ketchup from the fridge.

This was good, Tom thought. A positive step.

Joey buttered the bread while Tom grilled the bacon. Tom carefully laid the cooked bacon on the bread, then looked at Joey. ‘Over to you, Chef.’

Joey squeezed tomato ketchup over the bacon—a bit too much for Tom’s taste, but he’d wash it down with coffee and a smile because no way was he going to reject his nephew’s efforts. ‘Excellent teamwork. High five, Chef.’ He lifted his palm, hoping that Joey would respond.

For a moment, he didn’t think Joey was going to react—and then Joey smiled and touched his palm to Tom’s. Only momentarily, but in Tom’s view it was huge progress from the way things had been. And it gave him hope for the future.

‘Can we see Banjo now?’ Joey asked when they’d finished, his face eager.

‘Once you’ve washed your face and changed your shirt— because they’re both covered in ketchup—and cleaned your teeth,’ Tom said. ‘And I need to wash up the breakfast things. Then we’ll go to the shop on the way.’

‘My singing isn’t that bad, you horrible dog,’ Flora said, laughing as Banjo started barking.

But then he went over to the kitchen door and barked again.

‘Visitors?’ Odd. She wasn’t expecting anyone, and it was too early for the postman. But there was no other reason why her dog would be barking by the front door. She switched off the vacuum cleaner and went to answer the door.

‘Oh—Tom and Joey! Hello.’ She hadn’t expected to see them today, despite telling them the previous evening that they could come round at any time. And it was incredibly early. Barely after breakfast.

‘We wanted to bring you something—didn’t we, Jojo?’ Tom said.

Joey nodded, all wide-eyed.

‘These are for you.’ Tom handed her the biggest bunch of flowers she’d ever seen. ‘We weren’t sure what colour you like, but Joey thinks all girls like pink.’

And there was every shade of pink. Bold cerise gerberas, tiny pale pink spray carnations, even some blush-pink roses.

Flora couldn’t remember anyone ever buying her flowers before—except her parents, on her birthday and when she’d qualified as a nurse—and it flustered her. ‘I, um…’ She felt the betraying tide of colour sweep into her cheeks. ‘Um, they’re lovely. I, um…’ Oh, help. ‘Do you want to come in?’

‘This is for Banjo.’ Joey was carrying what Flora recognised as a squeaky toy bone.

‘Thank you. He loves those.’

Just to prove it, when Joey squeaked the bone, Banjo bounced into the middle of the room, bowing down and wagging his tail to signal that he was ready to play.

Be practical, Flora told herself. Don’t make an idiot of yourself. ‘I’ll put these lovely flowers in water,’ she said. ‘Would you like a coffee?’

‘I’d love one.’ Tom smiled at her, and she felt her toes curl. Which was crazy. She didn’t react to people like that. Anyway, he wasn’t here to see her…was he?

To cover her confusion, she turned to the little boy. ‘Joey, would you like some milk or some juice? ‘

Joey shook his head and continued playing with the dog.

Tom glanced at the vacuum cleaner. ‘Sorry, you were busy.’

‘It’s OK. I was only vacuuming. And you brought me those gorgeous flowers.’

‘It was the least we could do. You were a total star yesterday. We wanted to say thank you.’

He’d brought her flowers to say thanks for helping with Joey. No other reason. She squished the ridiculous hope that he’d bought them for the usual reason a man bought a woman flowers. Of course not. She already knew she wasn’t the kind of woman who could make men look twice; she was way too short, thirty pounds too heavy, and on the rare occasion she wore a skirt it was usually six inches below the knee rather than six inches above. Plus she spent most of her time with a red face, tongue-tied. No way would someone like Tom be interested in her.

As always when faced with a social situation involving adults, she took refuge in practicalities, gesturing to Tom to sit at the scrubbed pine table in the centre of the kitchen, then busying herself arranging the flowers in a vase. Once she’d put them on the table, she made two mugs of coffee, took the remaining brownies from the tin and put them on a plate, then sat down with Tom and slid the plate across to him. ‘Help yourself.’

‘Thanks…’ he smiled at her ‘… but, lovely as those brownies are, I’d better pass. We’ve just had breakfast. Chef Joey there makes a mean bacon sandwich.’

She raised an eyebrow. ‘I assume you grilled the bacon.’

‘But he did the important bit—he buttered the bread and added the tomato sauce.’

Joey clearly wasn’t paying attention to anyone else except Banjo, but then Tom lowered his voice. ‘I’m sorry we turned up unannounced. He told me this morning that he wanted to come and play with Banjo—and it’s the longest sentence he’s said in a month. I feel bad about taking up your spare time, but this was a chance to get through to him. I just couldn’t turn it down.’

‘It’s not a problem,’ Flora said, keeping her voice equally low. ‘I wasn’t doing anything in particular, just the usual Saturday chores.’

‘I don’t want to make things awkward with your boyfriend.’

She felt the betraying colour heat her cheeks again. ‘I don’t have a boyfriend.’ The boys at school had never looked twice at her, she’d never been the partying type as a student nurse, and she knew that she wouldn’t even be on the radar of a gorgeous firefighter like Tom Nicholson. Then a really nasty thought hit her. ‘Is it going to be a problem for your girlfriend, Joey coming here to play with Banjo?’

‘There’s nobody serious in my life—just Joey.’ He smiled wryly. ‘Let’s just say my last girlfriend found it a bit hard to share my time. The way she saw it, I should’ve made my parents come back to England to look after him.’

‘How selfish of h—’ Flora clapped a hand to her mouth. ‘Sorry, it’s not my place to judge.’

‘No, you got it right first time. And she told me that the day after the accident.’ For a moment, he looked grim. ‘Apart from the fact that we hadn’t been dating for very long, it wasn’t a hard choice to make. Joey comes first.’

‘Well, of course he does.’

Tom gave her an approving smile that made her feel as if she were glowing from the inside.

‘I’ve been thinking about your childminder issue. I could help out, if you like.’ The words tumbled out before Flora could stop them. ‘I finish at five, the same time as the after-school club—so I could meet him from there if you like. There’s only me and Banjo to please ourselves, and it’s as easy to cook for two as it is for one, so if you’re out on a shout or something he can have his tea here with me—if you think he’d like that,’ she added swiftly.

Tom looked surprised at her offer. ‘That’s really kind of you,’ he said carefully.

Oh, no. He’d obviously taken it the wrong way. She’d better explain. ‘Look, I just know what it’s like to lose both parents,’ she said. ‘And that wasn’t me trying to—well, you know.’ She blushed again.

Trying to come on to him? From another woman, Tom wouldn’t have been so sure. But with Flora, he knew she was genuine; he hadn’t known her long, but it was obvious that she was the type to wear her heart on her sleeve. She was offering to help because she was kind, because she cared, because she’d lost her own parents and she could understand exactly how Joey felt—and she wasn’t emotionally hopeless with the boy, the way he was.

‘I know it was a genuine offer,’ he said softly, ‘and I’m not trying to come on to you, either.’ Though he knew that wasn’t strictly true. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about Flora Loveday drew him. And it was completely unexpected because she was nothing like the women he usually dated. She wasn’t sophisticated, fashionable or glamorous. But there really was something about her that made him—well, just want her.

Though, right now, he knew he couldn’t think about dating anyone. His life was too complicated. He pulled himself together. ‘It’s always good to make a new friend. Especially one as kind as you.’

She blushed even more, and Tom couldn’t help smiling. Flora was so sweet. And there was a vulnerability about her that made him feel protective. Strong.

‘And it’s really all right for you to help me with Joey?’

‘I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it.’

Tom closed his eyes for a moment. It seemed as if his prayers had all been answered. ‘Flora, thank you. I have no idea what I would’ve done if you hadn’t offered to help.’

Looking embarrassed, she glanced away. ‘It’s not a big deal. Joey’s a nice little boy. But he might not want to come here.’

Tom smiled. ‘Considering that he was up before I was, this morning—and I always wake at six—and he’d got himself dressed, with odd socks and his shirt on back to front, ready to come and see you and play with Banjo… I think he’s going to say yes. But you’re right—we do need to ask him first.’ He looked over to where his nephew was busy making a fuss of Banjo, rubbing the dog’s tummy while the spaniel had his eyes closed in bliss.

‘Joey—can you come here a moment, sweetheart, please?’

Joey eyed the dog, clearly torn between making a fuss of him and doing what his uncle had asked, but eventually trotted over.

‘How would you feel about Flora picking you up from after-school club in future?’ Tom asked.

Joey frowned. ‘Carol picks me up from school.’

‘I know, but Carol has to go to live in London very soon,’ Tom said gently. ‘It’s a big change for you, I know, but I’ve been trying to find someone you’d like to stay with while I’m at work.’

Joey’s hazel eyes turned thoughtful. ‘Would Banjo come, too?’

‘Banjo’s normally here during the day,’ Flora said. ‘But he’d be here to meet you when we got back from school. You could help me take him for a walk. Would you like that?’

Joey considered it, then nodded shyly.

‘And then I’ll come and fetch you as soon as I’ve finished work,’ Tom said.

‘Can I play with Banjo again now?’

Tom smiled. ‘Sure.’

Joey raced back to the dog and found the squeaky bone.

‘When do you want me to start picking him up?’ Flora asked.

Tom thought about it. ‘Carol’s right in the middle of packing everything now. It’s pretty disruptive for Joey, and I’m trying to keep things as calm as I can.’ Calm and relaxed, like it was here at the farmhouse, Tom thought. Everything was neat and tidy, though it wasn’t the kind of house where you’d be scared to move a cushion out of place. It was more that everything felt right just where it was, warm and welcoming and organised and comfortable. Just what Joey needed.

As for what Tom himself needed…he wasn’t going to examine that too closely.

‘I’ve got a day off on Monday. I don’t have anything planned, so I could start then, if you like?’ Flora suggested.

‘Actually, I’m off myself on Monday and Tuesday—I work four days on and then four days off,’ he said. ‘But if you can do Wednesday to Friday this week, that’d be brilliant.’

‘What time does your shift start?’

‘I work seven until seven.’

‘So what happens in the mornings,’ she asked, ‘if you have to be at work at seven and school doesn’t start until a quarter to nine?’

‘I’m still working on that,’ Tom admitted. ‘I’ve been dropping him at Carol’s at half past six.’

She shrugged. ‘Well—I don’t start work until nine, so you can do that with me, too. I’ll have plenty of time to take him to school on the days you’re at work.’

Tom stared at her. ‘Really?’ Usually, if something was too good to be true, it usually was. It couldn’t be possible to sort out his hours and Joey’s so easily—could it? ‘Half past six is really OK with you? ‘

She smiled. ‘I’m used to being up with the chickens, even though I don’t have to feed them myself any more. And it’ll be nice to have breakfast with someone in the mornings.’

She was so calm about it, so serene. Did she know what an angel she was? Tom wanted to hug her, but he had a feeling that she’d find it as awkward as Joey did. Something told him that Flora wasn’t used to people hugging her. Except maybe some of her younger patients—he’d already noticed that she had children’s drawings stuck to the door of her fridge with magnets.

‘I’ll need your contact numbers. And you’ll also need to tell the school,’ Flora added.

‘Sure. If you have a piece of paper and a pen, I’ll write my numbers down for you.’

Flora handed him her mobile phone. ‘Better still, you could put them straight in there.’

Her fingers brushed against his and a wave of awareness swept down his spine. Not that he’d dare act on that awareness. Apart from the fact that she was shy—with him, not with Joey—if he messed this up, he’d lose a friend as well as help that he badly needed right now. He needed to keep a lid on this. Trying not to think about how soft her skin was and wondering how it would feel against his mouth, he keyed in his home number, his mobile and the number of the fire station. ‘I’ve already got your numbers. I assume if I need to get you at work I should ring the surgery?’

‘Yes, or try my mobile—I don’t answer if I’m driving, though, so it’ll go through to voicemail,’ she warned.

‘Good—that’s sensible. I’ve had to cut too many people out of cars when they’ve been trying to talk on the phone and drive at the same time. Why they couldn’t just pull over and make the call safely, or use a headset…’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Sorry. Preaching to the converted. And, as a medic, you know all that already.’

Flora smiled. ‘Yes.’

She went quiet and shy on him again once they’d finished with the practicalities, but Tom was aware that he was eking out his coffee, putting off the moment when he’d have to leave here. Scared of being on his own with his nephew and failing to connect with him yet again? Or something else? He didn’t want to analyse that too closely. And this really wasn’t fair to Flora, taking up her day. ‘Come on, Joey. Remember we said we’d go and play football in the park?’

‘Can Banjo come?’ Joey asked.

‘No, Flora has things to do,’ Tom said, before Joey could suggest taking up even more of Flora’s time.

‘Can we come back tomorrow?’

Tom was searching for an excuse when Flora said, ‘I don’t mind. I don’t have anything much planned.’

‘Tell you what, maybe Joey and I can take you out to lunch.’ The words were out before he could stop them and he could see the surprise on her face—and the wariness. Help. He needed to take this down a notch. Make it clear that he was inviting her out with both of them, not on a proper date.

Though he was horribly aware that he’d like to have lunch with Flora on her own and get to know her better—a lot better.

‘I mean, you fed us on Friday so it’s our turn to feed you—right, Jojo?’

Joey nodded.

‘And I know a place that does a really good Sunday roast, just down the road from here.’ Tom smiled at her. ‘So, can we take you to lunch tomorrow?’

‘That’d be lovely. Thank you.’

‘Great. We’ll pick you up at half past eleven.’

It wasn’t a proper date, Flora told herself as she stood in the doorway, waving as Tom’s car headed down the driveway. They were just acquaintances who were on their way to becoming friends. Nothing more than that.

And she’d better not let herself forget it.

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