Captivated By The Single Dad. Barbara Hannay

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ through it. It evaporated quickly, however, when Gray’s mother turned her attention to her grandchildren.

      ‘Sweethearts,’ she cried, opening her arms to Anna and Josh. ‘You remember your Australian granny, don’t you?’

      Fortunately, the children obliged her with warm smiles, and they submitted to hugs and kisses without complaint.

      ‘Your granny’s missed you so much.’

      Brightly wrapped packages were produced from a voluminous designer handbag, and Holly was pleased to see that Anna and Josh looked quite thrilled and remembered to say thank you.

      Gray placed a hand on Holly’s shoulder, almost making her jump out of her skin. ‘You might not remember my mother, Sasha Carlisle.’

      With her shoulder still tingling from the warmth of his touch, Holly held out her hand. ‘I do remember you, Mrs Carlisle. How do you do?’

      Gray’s mother shook hands super-carefully, as if she were afraid Holly might be grubby.

      ‘Holly was one of Chelsea’s bridesmaids,’ Gray reminded her.

      ‘Ah, yes, and now she’s the nanny.’

      ‘Holly’s going to help us with School of the Air,’ Josh explained importantly.

      ‘Is she now?’ Sasha’s eyebrows lifted high and she shot a chilling but meaningful glance to Gray. ‘Is she properly trained?’

      Bristling at being discussed as if she wasn’t even there, Holly decided to speak up for herself. ‘I’m a fully qualified English teacher.’

      The older woman smiled faintly. ‘Thank heavens for small mercies.’

      What was going on here?

      The chilling tension was broken by Anna, who urgently wanted to find a bathroom. Grateful to escape, Holly accompanied her and, by the time they returned, Sasha had left.

      ‘My mother had a function she needed to attend,’ Gray said smoothly. The expression in his eyes lightened and he smiled at Holly. ‘Come on, let’s find a taxi.’

      Their evening in Sydney was fun. The four of them dined out at a fabulous Thai restaurant and then they walked back to their hotel, enjoying the mild winter night and the brightly lit streets. The children were drooping by this stage, however, and Gray had to carry Anna for the last block. She and Josh were so tired they fell straight into bed and were asleep before anyone could think of finding a story to read.

      Gray stayed behind to share a nightcap with Holly in the cosy sitting room that was part of the luxurious suite he’d booked for her and the children.

      They found ice and glasses and little bottles in the minibar and then they sat in deep comfy armchairs. Holly wasn’t sure how relaxed she’d be, or what she and Gray would talk about, so she was totally thrown when he steered the conversation to her break-up with Brandon.

      ‘What went wrong?’ he asked, watching her through slightly narrowed eyes.

      ‘Oh, the usual.’ Holly had only talked about her break-up with her mom and one or two girlfriends, and it felt weird to try to explain it to a man she hardly knew. ‘He was more interested in another woman.’

      ‘So he was a fool,’ Gray said sympathetically.

      ‘Yes, he was a total idiot.’ She forced a smile. ‘But it was partly my fault, I guess. I moved away to New York and, in this case, absence did not make his heart grow fonder.’

      Gray nodded and took a thoughtful sip of his drink. ‘Don’t know if it helps…but after Chelsea took off with the kids…I thought I’d never get over it, and yet, after a time, the worst feelings began to fade.’

      Holly wanted to ask him what had gone wrong in his marriage, but it felt too intrusive to ask Gray when Chelsea had been so close-lipped about it.

      Instead, she said, ‘I guess Chelsea must have loved it here in Sydney.’

      Gray’s smile vanished as if someone had flicked a switch. ‘I’m sure Chelsea must have told you how she felt about Sydney.’

      ‘No.’ Holly blinked. ‘If she did, I don’t remember. She would never say much at all about her time in Australia.’

      He downed a hefty slug of Scotch and scowled into his glass, and Holly felt compelled to explain her comment. ‘It’s just that I was surprised to see how busy and cosmopolitan it is here. Bright lights. Masses of skyscrapers. Lots of people. So many theatres and restaurants. It’s everything Chelsea loved.’

      She watched Gray’s mouth thin into a downward curve.

      He sighed. ‘Yeah, Chelsea loved Sydney all right. She used to fly down here for two or three days and stay for two or three weeks.’

      ‘Oh.’ Sensing that she’d awoken bad memories, Holly tried to make amends. ‘I suppose she dropped in to chat to the dance companies here and—’

      Suddenly, she wasn’t sure how to finish what she’d started. She was trying to defend her cousin when she had no idea really…

      ‘This place had everything Chelsea needed,’ Gray said bleakly.

      Holly wondered if this had been the heart of the problem with their marriage. ‘Did you ever—’ she began hesitantly. ‘I mean, I don’t suppose you…um…considered moving here? Or…or living closer…’

      ‘No.’

      There was quiet vehemence in that single syllable. Gray’s face was a grim stony mask as he stared down at his almost empty glass.

      ‘I guess it would have been difficult to move.’

      She was trying to be diplomatic, but she knew she was on shaky ground. Just the same, she couldn’t help thinking that if Gray had really loved Chelsea he might have been prepared to make sacrifices. Couldn’t he have given up cattle farming and tried something more suited to his wife’s temperament and talents?

      If he’d wanted to save his marriage…

      ‘Moving was out of the question,’ he said with a marked air of finality.

      Right.

      It was time to drop this line of conversation. Holly wondered if stubborn inflexibility was Gray Kidman’s Achilles heel.

      Or was that a bit harsh? After all, her cousin had been adamant when she married him that she was happy to give up her career to live with him in his Outback.

      Whatever. It’s none of my business.

      To change the subject, Holly said, ‘I’m looking forward to tomorrow and finally getting to see your place.’

      She saw Gray’s shoulders relax then, and he looked directly into her eyes and smiled slowly in a way that started her tummy fluttering. ‘So am I,’ he said. ‘I’m always glad to get home.’

      The warmth in his eyes suggested that he wasn’t just voicing a cliché. He really СКАЧАТЬ