Playboy Doctor to Doting Dad

‘It’s thirsty work, being out in the sun all day,’ Kieran acknowledged as he lifted the beer to his lips.

‘I reckon this is the best part of the day, with family and friends together for a drink and a meal.’

‘Is your family as close as the Brown clan?’ Kieran asked.

‘Not quite. We don’t have an Abby to keep us all together.’

‘She’s certainly been a tower of strength for everyone since Max’s accident.’ She’d amazed Kieran with her practical approach to the problems facing her once she’d got over her initial shock of finding there were no workers.

He hadn’t forgotten her tears for her father either, her fear for his life. And how distressed she’d been on finding out how badly situated financially this place had become. Another problem Max had kept from her. The past days had taken it out of Abby more than any of them. She constantly yawned. Occasionally she’d even been grumpy.

‘From what I’ve seen and heard, Abby’s always been a strong one,’ Andrew added.

‘The twins would’ve managed without her. People do when there’s no choice.’ He didn’t want to think of Abby having to be strong for everyone again. Not on her own, anyway. He wanted to be there for her, to stand by her, support her, look out for her. From a distance? How would that work, boyo?

Abby pushed the accounts aside and stretched out in her father’s office chair. Another day nearly done, nothing else needing urgent attention. Everything was working out a lot better than she’d have believed possible on the day of the accident.

Unless he had a setback, her father would be coming home in two days’ time. On the orchard front Andrew had been a surprise. He thrived on all the physical work, had even hinted that he’d like to give up his job as an accountant and get into the orchard business. It would certainly solve a lot of problems for her father if he did.

She could hear him out on the deck chatting with Kieran. The twins were in the kitchen, creating dinner. Scary thought. But it gave her the warm fuzzies the way they’d pulled together with her during this crisis.

Through the window she studied the rows of fruit trees. The afternoon offshore breeze had died away. The air was still and hot. Her favourite time of the day. She should join the others. She would. In a minute. First she wanted a moment to herself.

To think about Kieran.

Now, there was another surprise. Not once had he put his hands up and said no to anything asked of him over the last few days. And he’d been outside his comfort zone many times. That hadn’t been the surprise, but more the fact that he’d jumped in to do anything he’d seen that had needing to be done. From cooking meals to changing Seamus’s diapers to mowing the orchard.

Her fingers curled tightly. Acting like someone who cared what happened to her family. Like a man who cared what happened to her. She gasped. Did he care for her? Maybe even love her? He hadn’t said as much, but hadn’t he spent the last few weeks showing her? Kieran had been there for her from the moment Dad had had his accident. Easing her through the horror of seeing Dad smashed up, cooking endless meals for her and her family? If that wasn’t showing her, then what was? But did Kieran know that? Did he understand his feelings?

He hadn’t shown any characteristics of the playboy he was reputed to be. Sure, he’d been friendly to everyone aged from naught to ninety, not just the females.

She’d wanted to believe the playboy image. It saved her from having to face the truth. Phillip had needed the constant gratification of different women to lift his self-confidence. Another part of Phillip’s insecurities meant that he continuously put her down, told her she was unattractive, and that she should’ve been grateful he’d wanted to marry her. He’d shouted at her that no one else would as she’d tossed her bags into her car the day she’d left him.

Kieran had proved him wrong. He’d been loyal to her, helped her out when no one else had even thought to offer a hand. The reputation her brother had warned her about years ago seemed to be a thing of the past. Kieran had probably dated a lot of different women because of his aversion to settling down. And that, she knew, came from his belief that he wouldn’t be a good husband or father. He mightn’t have had a good role model for either of those roles but somewhere in his life he’d learned anyway. Or was it just an intrinsic part of his make-up to be caring and loving and loyal?

Olivia bounced into the office, Seamus toddling along behind. ‘Abby, come and see what I’ve done for you.’

‘You’ve done something for me?’ Abby leaned forward and hugged Olivia to her. The kids. Where would she be without them? She loved them so much.

She loved Kieran so much. And she’d have to learn to live without him being around.

Olivia squirmed in her arms. ‘You were sad so I drawed some flowers.’

‘Flowers? For me? Sweetheart, that’s lovely. Where is this picture?’

‘Seamus scribbled on one flower. Bad boy.’ Olivia grabbed her hand and tugged her out to the hall, where she stopped and pointed proudly. ‘See? Aren’t they pretty?’

Abby gaped. At the wall. The bottom half was covered in vividly coloured shapes. Every colour under the rainbow. Every colour out of Olivia’s indelible pen set. ‘Oh, my goodness.’

‘You like the flowers, Abby?’

Abby sank back against the opposite wall, slid down onto her haunches. ‘They’re beautiful but.’ What was Dad going to say? He’d finished painting the interior of the house only a couple of months ago. There wouldn’t be time to repaint before he got home. ‘Olivia, darling, why didn’t you ask me for some paper to draw on?’

‘You were busy.’

She couldn’t argue with that.

Seamus toddled up with a marker pen in his hand, ready to add further to the artistic display. Abby grabbed his hand, gently removed the pen. ‘No, Seamus.’

She blinked back sudden tears. Another problem. More work to be done. It seemed never-ending.

‘Hey, what’s going on?’ Kieran stopped in the middle of the hall, his mouth dropping open as he took in the newly redecorated wall. ‘Oh, blimey.’

‘I drawed flowers to make Abby happy.’

‘So I see.’ Kieran turned to peer down at Abby, his lips twitching.

‘Don’t you dare laugh.’ Two big tears rolled over her cheekbones.

He sank down to sit beside her, his shoulder touching hers. ‘Hard not to, to be sure.’ His mouth began stretching into a grin, and laughter threatened. ‘This is the ultimate in gifts. A permanent drawing to cheer you up whenever you feel down.’

“‘Permanent” being t

he operative word.’ She batted his thigh with the back of her hand. ‘It’s not funny.’ But her tears stopped.

‘Olivia, go and find Abby a box of tissues, please.’ Kieran twisted round to look at Abby, her face so woebegone he wanted to hug her to him and make everything right for her. Instead, he kissed each salty cheek before asking, ‘How do we find out what paint Max used in here?’

‘There’s probably a tin in the shed. He never throws them out.’ She was shaking her head. ‘I don’t believe this.’

‘If you’re right and there’s still paint around, we’ll have the problem fixed in no time. Maybe not today, but soon.’

‘You’re not here for much longer.’ Her bottom lip quivered.

‘It won’t take long to fix this. I’ll do it after work one night. Maybe tomorrow before Max comes home. I think that would be best.’ Max might not see the funny side of Olivia’s home-improvement idea. There again, the man was fairly relaxed about his grandchildren so he might.

‘You can paint?’ Those delectable lips twitched. ‘As in with a roller and wide brush?’

‘Can’t be too hard. I learned to drive that ride-on mower, didn’t I?’ He winked.

Now she did an eye-roll. ‘Soon you’ll be telling people you’re a handyman.’

Olivia pressed a tissue box onto Abby’s lap. ‘A tissue, a tissue, I fall down.’ Which she promptly did, giggling as she rolled all over the floor.

‘Okay, Olivia, Seamus. Pens, please.’ Kieran began to collect the numerous colouring pens.

Olivia began helping. Seamus picked one up and brought it to Abby.

‘Give it to Daddy.’ Abby blew her nose and wiped her eyes.

‘Daddy.’ Seamus handed Kieran the pen.

The pen dropped through Kieran’s lifeless fingers. ‘What?’ He stared at Seamus. His throat ached, his ears hurt, his eyes watered. ‘What?’ he croaked again.

‘Daddy.’ Seamus picked the pen up and stood looking from Kieran to Abby and back. Almost as though he wasn’t sure which one of them was Daddy.