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‘Of course I did. I knew they were grieving, that they missed them. But by the time I arrived here and took over, on the day of the funeral, they were both already so cold. Distant. I just assumed...’
First he’d assumed that they knew he couldn’t give them what they needed. That he was no good at this family stuff and had no idea how to be a guardian. Then, later, he’d assumed they felt the same way about Ross and Janey as he had about his own parents’ deaths.
But he had a feeling Heather wouldn’t understand any of that.
‘My first priority was to get the estate management and its finances under control,’ he said instead. ‘Ross... It turned out things weren’t in as great a shape as I’d been led to believe. This is the kids’ future security and livelihood. I was looking out for their futures.’
‘They need security now, Cal. And not the financial type. They need love.’
Then they were out of luck. Because love was one thing Cal had no experience or knowledge of.
‘Then love them,’ he said, turning on his heel to head back to his cold, lonely bedroom.
Heather would have to learn to love them as their half-sibling’s mother.
Because he knew that he couldn’t.
* * *
Heather’s eyes were gritty with sleep when she awoke late the next morning. After the pre-dawn antics with Daisy, and that disturbing conversation with Cal, it had taken her an age to get back to sleep again. And when she finally had her dreams had been restless—filled with a strange sense of longing, desperation and the remembrance of a body against hers. She’d assumed it to be Ross—until her eyes had flashed open and she’d realised it was Cal.
Added to her general pregnancy tiredness, the disturbed night meant that she was totally exhausted. And she still had to go into battle today—with and for Daisy and Ryan.
She showered quickly in the chilly bathroom down the corridor, then dressed in the same sundress and cardigan she’d worn for dinner. Until Cal came good on his clothes-shopping promise her wardrobe was severely limited. Thank goodness she always packed extra underwear in case of emergency.
Being properly prepared was important. Which was why she practised all her arguments and approaches towards Cal as she got ready to face the day.
The periodic nausea that had plagued her for weeks seemed to be abating at last, which was something. In every other way she felt totally unprepared for the day ahead.
She was missing something about Cal, she decided as she brushed her teeth, grateful that the toothpaste didn’t make her gag for the first time in weeks. He seemed like a good guy, genuinely trying to help his niece and nephew—but in all the wrong ways. Could she show him the right ones in the next six weeks?
She hoped so.
‘Ah, Miss Reid. So good of you to join us.’
Mrs Peterson nodded pointedly to the table, already laid with breakfast, as Heather entered the dining room. Daisy and Ryan were in their seats, and Cal was reading a newspaper on his tablet at the head of the table. A slight heat rose to Heather’s cheeks as she remembered him as she’d seen him last—half-naked in the dark, his arms around her waist.
Damn her pregnancy hormones. They’d had her body in a spin just at the closeness of him—at least as soon as her initial terror had worn off and she’d realised who it was that held her.
Not that the ‘who’ made it any better. Next to Ross Bryce, the second most inappropriate person for her to be fantasising about had to be his brother.
With an apologetic smile Heather slipped into her seat as the others started to help themselves to toast, eggs, fruit and pastries.
First order of business, Heather decided as she poured herself a cup of tea, was to figure out the rules and traditions of Lengroth Castle. If she wanted to achieve anything here it would be a hundred times easier with Mrs Peterson on her side, and Mrs Peterson seemed to value things being done the right way.
Heather dreaded to think what Mrs Peterson would say when she discovered the real reason she’d come to Lengroth...
Secondly, she needed to remind Cal about the laptops, and money for school supplies. And clothes—much as she hated to rely on him for those. It felt too much like being paid off after sleeping with Ross.
