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And then a thought occurred to her.
What was stopping her having a shower at Logan’s? She had a change of clothes in her bag ready for the afternoon, and Kirsty would be perfectly happy to play in the bathroom for five minutes while she washed her hair and scrubbed off all the dust and dirt that seemed to have stuck itself to her du
ring the bathroom renovation.
She walked through the door that connected the surgery to Logan’s house and smiled at Meg. ‘My shift.’
‘I don’t know how you manage her,’ Meg said wearily, handing over a wriggling Kirsty. ‘All I do is spend the morning pulling her away from danger. I had all sorts of plans for cleaning and ironing and I’ve done nothing except wrestle with her. And as for feeding her—I’d swear that girl doesn’t know where her mouth is. I had to change her twice during breakfast. There was porridge on the walls and the ceilings.’
‘Have you been a handful?’ Evanna kissed Kirsty’s cheek and popped her down on the floor. ‘Don’t worry about the house, Meg. She’ll probably have a nap in a minute. I’ll try and catch up on a few things while she sleeps.’
‘Don’t you go doing Logan’s cleaning.’ Meg frowned her disapproval as she gathered her things together. ‘It’s good of you to look after Kirsty, without sorting out his mess.’
‘I’m happy to help, Meg,’ Evanna said softly, smiling at Kirsty who giggled and clapped her hands. ‘I know it isn’t very fashionable to admit it, but I love cleaning and keeping house.’ Only she didn’t have anyone to do it for, except herself.
‘Well, if Kirsty lets you so much as lift a teatowel, it will be a miracle. I need to dash because apparently the café is heaving with tourists.’ Meg leaned towards Kirsty and waved a finger. ‘Now, you be a good girl!’
Kirsty beamed and waved. ‘Byee-ee.’
‘Oh!’ Evanna gasped with delight. ‘I didn’t know she’d learned that!’
‘Now, don’t you go being soppy about her—she’s a cheeky monkey. And she knows exactly how to get round you.’ Meg slipped her bag onto her shoulder and made for the door. ‘Have a good afternoon. Pop in for an ice cream if you feel like it. I’ll make her one of my specials.’
Evanna waited for the door to close behind her and then settled down on the floor next to Kirsty, who was rubbing her eyes. ‘You’ve had a busy morning. Are you tired, pickle? Where’s your blanket?’ She looked around for the little pink blanket that Kirsty always slept with and spotted it lying over the back of a chair. ‘Let’s take you up to bed and see if you feel like a nap.’
She changed Kirsty’s nappy, gave her a drink of milk and then settled her in the cot with her blanket. Immediately Kirsty’s eyes drifted shut.
‘Creating trouble for Meg obviously wore you out,’ Evanna murmured with amusement, creeping out of the room and leaving the door open a crack.
She glanced longingly at the bathroom but then decided she may as well tidy the house before she finally had the wash she’d been fantasising about for hours.
For the next hour she worked like a demon. She neatly stacked all Logan’s medical journals, she scooped clothes from the floor and put them in the washing machine, she tidied and scrubbed the kitchen until all the surfaces were gleaming, she mopped the floor, ran the dishwasher and emptied all the bins.
Then she threw open all the doors and windows to air the place. Logan’s house was lovely, she reflected as she plumped the cushions on his soft, comfortable sofa. So airy and light. It was a little further from the beach than hers, but she loved the space and all the windows and she adored his garden. As well as the weeping willow there were four huge apple trees that provided plenty of dappled shade. A large white hammock was strung between two of the trees and a children’s book and several toys were lying abandoned on the grass. Logan had obviously been out there with Kirsty. Evanna looked at the hammock longingly. Later, she promised herself. Maybe she and Kirsty would curl up in the hammock to read books.
She chopped vegetables ready to add to the casserole that she planned to make later and then looked at the clock. Kirsty had been asleep for an hour and a half.
Feeling horribly hot and sticky after her efforts on the house, Evanna dragged her forearm over her forehead and decided to check on the child.
She crept upstairs and peeped around the door but the little girl was still fast asleep, the tip of her thumb in her mouth.
Evanna closed the door again and decided that she just about had time for a quick shower before the toddler woke up. Then she’d make the casserole for supper. She could give it to Kirsty for tea and Logan would be able to eat the remains when he finished work.
She walked into the bathroom that she’d cleaned earlier. Oh, the bliss of not having to pick her way through rubble! Swiftly she stripped off her clothes and stepped under Logan’s state-of-the-art power shower. Five minutes. That was all it would take. And, by then, Kirsty should be ready to wake up.
Logan opened the front door and walked into his house. Bracing himself for the usual noise and activity, he was surprised to find the house silent. Then he remembered Evanna mentioning that she might take Kirsty to the beach.
The morning post was neatly stacked on the hall table and he could see at a glance that both the kitchen and the living room were immaculate. Meg had already called him to apologise for the fact that she hadn’t managed to touch any of the housework, thanks to the demands of his daughter, so he knew that only one person could be responsible for the sudden transformation of his house.
Evanna.
She must have cleaned for him. She was a born nurturer, he thought as he noticed the polished kitchen floor and the vegetables chopped ready for a casserole. Always caring for people whether she was on or off duty. Feeling a twist of guilt, he ignored the post and walked upstairs towards his bedroom. He’d just find the textbook he needed, make himself a cup of tea and then get back to the surgery and tackle the mountain of paperwork that awaited him.
As he reached the top of the stairs, the bathroom door opened and Evanna walked out.
Naked.
And dripping wet.
