Twins For Christmas. Alison Roberts

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СКАЧАТЬ just that I saw a man playing the bagpipes in the village yesterday and he was wearing a kilt. I know that the colours and patterns vary according to clan and I just wondered … Oh, help. Now she was prattling on. ‘If, you know, you had one for your family.’

      ‘Of course we do.’

      ‘Oh …’ Emma waited but that seemed to be the end to the conversation. ‘That’s nice.’ She poured milk into the bowl of eggs and started whisking them. The silence stretched on.

      ‘We’re a branch of Clan Donald,’ Adam said, with an air of having realised he might have been rude in giving such a terse response. ‘The tartan’s red and green with white stripes and a little bit of royal blue.’

      ‘Sounds lovely.’ Emma pressed her lips together but the question refused to stay unspoken. ‘Do you ever wear a kilt?’

      ‘Only for weddings.’ She could feel Adam glaring at her back. ‘And funerals.’

      Oh …man. She took a deep breath. This was going to be a long weekend. ‘Would you like some scrambled eggs? I’m making them for Poppy and Ollie.’

      ‘No.’ Adam’s chair scraped as he pushed it back. ‘I’m due at the medical centre. We have a Saturday morning clinic until eleven and then I’ve got my house calls to make.’ Reaching for the crust of toast he’d left on his plate, Adam divided it and gave a piece to each of the dogs, who were flanking his chair. The action was as automatic as picking up his napkin to wipe his mouth and it made Emma feel better.

      There was kindness lurking under that gruff exterior, wasn’t there?

      She almost changed her mind as he went to the kitchen door and raised his voice.

      ‘Poppy—are you out of those pyjamas yet? Oliver—hurry up and find your chanter and don’t forget your music book this time.’

      He turned back to pick up the coat draped over the arm of the old couch near the fire. ‘Do you know where you’re taking them?’

      ‘Yes.’ Emma’s nod was confident. ‘I drop Ollie at Mr McTavish’s house at nine o’clock, take Poppy to her dance class at the hall for nine-thirty, go back to get Ollie at ten and we pick up Poppy at ten-thirty.’

      Adam gave a single nod. ‘Good.’

      ‘I thought we’d go into the village after that. We can see if they’ve finished decorating the big tree and get some fresh bread to go with our soup for lunch. Will you be back by then?’

      ‘I don’t know.’ In his coat now, Adam reached for the leather doctor’s bag that had probably been his father’s before him. ‘If I am, you can have the afternoon off. And tomorrow, of course, being Sunday.’

      ‘But what would you do with the children if you got a call?’

      ‘They come in the car with me. They’re used to it.’

      ‘I don’t need a day off,’ Emma told him. ‘I’m loving being with the children.’

      Adam paused en route to the door and the look Emma received was one of surprise. Had she sounded too enthusiastic perhaps?

      Needy even?

      Or maybe he thought it was some sort of rebuke directed at how little time he seemed to spend with his children.

      Whatever was going on behind that dark, unreadable gaze, the eye contact made Emma’s heart skip a beat. How could just a look feel like a physical touch?

      It went on for long enough to make her start feeling a little peculiar and maybe he would have held her gaze even longer because Emma found herself unable to look away, but then the children burst into the room. Ollie had an instrument that looked like a recorder in one hand and a very dog-eared book in the other.

      ‘I found them, Dad. They were under my bed.’

      Poppy was right behind him. ‘And I’m all dressed now. I just need Emma to do my hair.’ Her face fell when she saw the bag in her father’s hand. ‘Are you going out now?’

      ‘You know I have to work on Saturday mornings, love.’

      Emma’s gaze had been drawn straight back to Adam’s face so she could see the softening as he looked down at his children. There was even a curl to his mouth that most would probably label as a smile but it wasn’t a real smile. Had his children ever seen his eyes crinkle with happiness or basked in the joy of hearing him laugh aloud?

      ‘I’ll be back this afternoon,’ he said. ‘We can take the dogs for a walk if it stops raining and see if there’s enough ice on the pond to go skating.’

      His son’s hair got ruffled and Poppy got a kiss on the top of her head and then he was gone. The children—and the dogs—were left staring forlornly after him.

      ‘Who wants eggs?’ Emma asked brightly.

      ‘Me. I love eggs.’ Poppy climbed up onto a chair.

      ‘I don’t.’ Oliver kicked his chair leg before sitting down. ‘I think they’re icky.’

      ‘Icky eggs.’ Poppy giggled but then cast a doubtful look towards the pan Emma was stirring.

      ‘That’s only because you haven’t tried my special scrambled eggs,’ Emma said firmly. ‘They’re from your very own hens and they look yummy. I’m going to have some too and then we’re going to get our skates on and get you to your classes on time.’

      Poppy frowned. ‘I don’t think I can dance with my skates on.’

      Emma laughed. ‘It means that we need to be quick.’ She put a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Poppy. ‘To go fast, like we’re pretending to be on skates.’

      ‘I love skating.’ Poppy picked up her fork. ‘I hope the pond is all freezed up. Will you come and have a look on our walk, too, Emma?’

      The wide-eyed, hopeful look that accompanied the invitation was irresistible but Emma rapidly replayed Adam’s words in her head. He’d offered to take the children for a walk. He’d told her she could have the afternoon off. That added up to him wanting time alone with his children, didn’t it?

      ‘I might have some things I need to do,’ she told Poppy. ‘But you can tell me all about it later.’

      Adam wasn’t home by the time the soup was hot and the crusty loaf of bread had been sliced and buttered.

      ‘I don’t think we’ll wait,’ Emma decided. ‘I can leave some soup on the stove to stay hot for Daddy and we’ll save him lots of bread.’

      ‘And a chocolate?’

      ‘Does Daddy like chocolate?’

      ‘Mmm.’ Poppy nodded her head enthusiastically but then frowned. ‘Not as much as me.’

      Emma eyed the small bowl on the table. ‘You didn’t open too many doors on your calendar, did you?’

      Poppy shook СКАЧАТЬ