The Midwife's Christmas Miracle (Lakeside Mountain Rescue 5)

‘Why not?’

‘Because people might notice and talk. And that would be embarrassing.’

She’d been awake for most of the night, thinking about what he’d said. He hadn’t wanted to let her go. Even while most of her was backing off, deafened by alarm bells, a small part of her was shiny with happiness.

‘Coming from a woman who rides a heap of rust in public, I find it hard to believe that you care about what people think.’ There was laughter in his eyes and she looked away, wishing that his smile wasn’t so compelling.

He smiled at everyone, she reminded herself firmly. It was just the kind of man he was. You felt as though the smile was only for you, but it wasn’t.

She had to be careful. Very careful. It would be foolish and dangerous to allow herself to dream.

‘That’s entirely different.’ She put her empty mug into the dishwasher and then turned to face him. ‘I’m pregnant, Jake. People will make the same assumptions about me that you did, and I don’t want that. I don’t want people thinking that I’m dishonest or unfaithful or any of the other things people assume when they see a pregnant woman with a man who isn’t her husband.’

He gave a shrug, his expression unconcerned. ‘As you told me on Christmas Day, what people see on the outside rarely resembles the inside so what does it matter? Let them gossip.’ Evidently indifferent to the views of others, he strolled towards the door and held it open for her. ‘Come on or we’ll be late.’

She stared at him with mounting frustration. She was so used to taking charge of her own life that she wasn’t sure how to deal with Jake.

But she decided that this wasn’t worth an argument so she slid into the warmth and comfort of his car and squashed down the uncomfortable feelings bubbling up inside her. This was all wrong, she knew it was. What exactly did he want from her? And what exactly did she want from him?

Nothing, was the short answer to that. There was no way she’d ever consider entering into a serious relationship and a fling wasn’t her style.

She had no opportunity to ponder the question further because once they arrived on the labour ward they were so busy that they had no time to discuss anything except the professional.

She felt as though she was on her feet all day and she was more than a little relieved to find Jake lounging by the doorway at the end of her shift, waiting to take her home.

Deciding that this was definitely not the time to argue with him, she slid gratefully into his car, pushing aside the horrible suspicion that people were watching them.

He was right. What did it matter? And why did she care? She, of all people, who knew only too well that outward appearances were entirely deceptive.

He drove her to her old flat and stood while she cleared out the rest of her things. She carried them to his car and then hunted in her pocket for the keys.

‘I just need to deliver these back to the landlord.’

‘Tell me which flat he lives in. I’ll do it.’

‘I can—’

‘You’re tired. Why waste energy walking up the stairs again when all you have to do is point me in the right direction and I’ll do it for you?’

‘He lives in the flat directly beneath mine, but I need to give him notice and explain to him that—’

‘I’ll explain,’ Jake said, prising the keys from her fingers and heading back towards the building.

She ought to have argued with him, she knew that. It wasn’t good to let people do things for you when you could perfectly well do it yourself. But he was right when he said that she was tired.

It was only when he slid back into the car and dropped an envelope into her lap that she realised that she’d actually dozed off for a few minutes.

‘What’s that?’ Muzzy-headed from lack of sleep, she picked up the envelope and gasped as she saw the amount of money inside. ‘Where did this come from?’

‘Your landlord.’ Jake started the engine and glanced over his shoulder before pul

ling away from the kerb. ‘I explained that you were living with me now and he apologised profusely for the state of the property that he’s renting to you and immediately returned your deposit and last month’s rent as a goodwill gesture.’

‘You spoke to the landlord?’

‘That’s right.’ His eyes were fixed on the road. ‘Very reasonable chap.’

There was something about the grim set of his mouth that made her wonder and then her gaze dropped and she saw the red mark across his knuckles. ‘You hit him! Oh, my God, Jake…’