Rags To Riches Collection. Rebecca Winters

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СКАЧАТЬ and jumping, primarily due to Cade’s influence. It was beyond time that they started to quieten down and get ready for bed.

      He gave Ella yet another sweet. Nicola refused to let her gaze stray to the bowl of chocolate sultanas. ‘You’ll make her sick,’ she chided.

      ‘Nonsense! Just because you won’t relax and allow yourself a few chocolate sultanas doesn’t mean the rest of us have to abstain.’

      ‘Cade!’ his mother chided.

      Nicola shifted on her chair. How on earth did he know about her battle with those darn sultanas?

      With a giggle, Ella climbed up onto her father’s lap and requested, and was given, another sweet. She grinned in triumph at Nicola.

      Little monkey! But Nicola could hardly remonstrate with her. Besides, it wasn’t the child’s fault but Cade’s. ‘Bedtime soon,’ she said instead.

      ‘Nooooo,’ Ella wailed. ‘Daddy, Daddy, can’t we stay up a bit longer?’

      She was about to tell Ella that it was already an hour after her bedtime, but Cade merely said, ‘Sure, sweetheart. It’s Christmastime, of course you can stay up.’

      He broke into a rowdy Christmas carol. Ella promptly slid off his lap to dance with Jamie and Simon. Holly, who had started to fall asleep in Cade’s other arm, promptly woke up and squealed in excitement and demanded to join in...with two sweets—one for each hand.

      Nicola gritted her teeth and subsided into her chair. All of the children would be grumpy and out of sorts tomorrow. When Cade handed out more sweets and chocolates she had to get up and leave the room.

      One savage tug had the refrigerator door swinging open. She seized a jug of iced water and helped herself to a glass to cool off. Cade was trying to make this Christmas memorable for his children. He wasn’t flouting bedtime and mealtimes just to annoy her.

      She scowled and slouched against the counter. Not that he’d be the one to deal with the fallout. He’d leave that to the hired help.

      She snorted. Get over yourself, Nicola Ann. She used her mother’s moniker for her. You’re just grumpy because Cade has avoided you ever since that beer on the front steps.

      When what you want him to do is pursue you harder.

      She snapped upright. No, she didn’t!

      ‘I thought I’d find you sulking in here.’

      Cade.

      She turned. ‘What? Have you had enough of revving the kids up for one night and now you’re heading off to bed and leaving Dee, your mother and I to deal with four hyperactive children?’

      ‘Loosen up, Nicola, and give the kids a break. It’s Christmas. They’re allowed to have some fun and to enjoy the season.’

      ‘Within limits,’ she shot back. ‘Kids thrive on routine. Too many late nights and too many sweets will—’

      ‘You mean that you thrive on routine, that you thrive on the safe option.’

      That was when she knew they were no longer talking about the children.

      ‘Seems to me you don’t have any room in this makeover plan of yours for any spontaneity whatsoever. You stick to the plan and refuse to deviate.’

      Cade was talking about what had almost happened between them and would be happening between them right now if she’d said yes instead of no the other night.

      ‘Funny.’ Her voice had gone tight and she had to swallow. ‘I never picked you for a sore loser.’

      The laugh he gave was harsh. ‘This is about you, not me. It’s about you refusing to let go and loosen up.’

      She leaned forward and poked him in the chest. ‘No, this is about you equating my loosening up, as you call it, with whether I’ll sleep with you or not.’

      ‘I’m not that pathetic.’

      ‘Really?’ She folded her arms. ‘That night you told me you thought I needed a friend—that’s the role you were playing—but you didn’t really mean it, did you?’ Her voice wobbled and she winced at the vulnerability that stretched through it. ‘A real friend wants what’s best for their friends. They don’t want to see them do something that will hurt them.’

      His hands clenched, his muscles stiffened and all she could think of was the way he’d held her when she’d cried, the concern in his eyes when she’d emerged from his study after her phone call to Diane.

      ‘Look at me, Cade,’ she insisted. ‘I’m a mess! You’re letting your frustration and your hormones override your judgement. You know all the reasons why we shouldn’t...’ She waved a hand to indicate what it was they shouldn’t be doing. ‘But you’re still crazy angry with me. Well, let me plant one seriously scary picture in your mind.’

      He’d gone still. She had to pause to drag in a breath. ‘I might’ve come to the conclusion that Brad and I are better off apart, but it doesn’t mean I’ve reconciled myself to the loss of the life I’d planned and dreamed about or to the children I dreamed of having.’

      She closed her eyes against a rush of pain. When she opened them again she saw that Cade’s shoulders had slumped. She had to swallow before she could continue. ‘I want children so bad that some days I can’t see straight. My head is not screwed on right at the moment.’ She hitched up her chin. ‘Say we do start an affair. What if that yearning takes me over? What if we’re not as careful as we might be one time and then we’re dealing with that? Do you want to be a part of that?’ she asked hoarsely.

      ‘No.’

      ‘Me neither.’

      Neither of them moved. Neither of them said a word.

      ‘Can I put the children to bed now?’ she whispered.

      ‘Please.’ He nodded, his voice as hoarse as hers.

      She fled before she could do anything stupid like kiss him.

CHAPTER SEVEN

      CADE jerked awake from a dead sleep. What the...?

      Thump! Somebody whacked his feet. For the second time, he suspected.

      ‘Get up, Cade.’

      ‘Mum? What the hell...?’ He struggled upright and tried to blink sleep from his eyes. His room was in complete darkness.

      He clicked on the bedside light. The clock showed three a.m. He snapped into instant alertness. ‘Who’s ill?’ He shot out of bed, pulling a T-shirt on over his head. He didn’t bother with jeans over his boxers. This far from civilization, every second counted. If someone needed the Flying Doctor...

      An icy hand wrapped about his heart. ‘Ella? Holly?’ he croaked.

      Verity Hindmarsh folded her arms and glared at him. ‘It’s not serious but it’s certainly СКАЧАТЬ