Christmas Gift: A Family

And the spell that had kept their hands linked was broken. Jo stepped back, leaving him with the unicorn, and Hugh looked away.

She drew a quick nervous breath. Calm down, Jo. Stay cool. You’re getting overheated about nothing. Nothing. He hasn’t come back to see you and he’ll be leaving again any moment now.

‘There’s another thing I wanted to ask you, Jo,’ he said softly.

Her head jerked up.

‘I wonder if I can possibly impose on you one more time?’

Caught by surprise, she found herself blustering. ‘How? W-what would you like me to do?’

‘I want you to come with me when I go back to Agate Downs.’

Crumbs. ‘Why me? I don’t understand.’

‘You already know Ivy—and you have so many brothers and sisters. I have no experience with young children. I can’t even remember what it’s like to be five.’

She tried to speak as casually as he had. ‘So you think I can help you somehow?’

A muscle in his throat worked. ‘Yes—if you could spare the time. I get the impression you’ve hit it off with Ivy already.’

‘I’m afraid I’m not an expert at managing small children,’ she warned him. ‘You’ve seen how naughty Tilly can be.’

‘But you’re used to them. You’re relaxed around them.’

‘Well…’ Jo’s immediate impulse was to help him, but a nagging inner warning was hard to ignore. ‘It might be helpful if I understood a little more about this situation,’ she said carefully.

He nodded and then he looked directly into her eyes again. ‘The situation’s quite straightforward really. Ivy’s my daughter.’

Right. Jo tried to swallow. So now she knew for sure. Did this mean Hugh was married? She glanced at his hands. The only ring he wore was the signet ring on the little finger of his left hand.

Sensing the direction of her gaze, he smiled wryly, lifted his hand and waggled his bare fourth finger. ‘No, I’m not married. I only dated my daughter’s mother for a while. And…her mother is dead.’

‘Oh, how sad.’ This changed everything. All at once Jo was adrift on a sea of sympathy. She said quickly, ‘Why don’t we sit down for a bit?’

He pulled out a wooden chair on the other side of the kitchen table. ‘If I’m asking you to help with Ivy I should be perfectly honest with you,’ he said. ‘I only learned of her existence a short time ago.’

Jo watched the barely perceptible squaring of his shoulders and she sensed that he was working very hard to keep his emotions under control. ‘That must have been a terrible shock.’ Her kind-hearted urges were going into overdrive now. ‘How come you only learned about Ivy recently?’

Hugh stiffened and she guessed she was delving deeper than he wanted to go. But he met her gaze. ‘Her mother wrote a letter but it never reached me and she died shortly after Ivy’s birth.’

Jo thought of the dear little bright-eyed Ivy who’d danced about their shop like a winsome fairy while her guardian had selected groceries. How sad that her mother never knew her.

How sad that Hugh still hadn’t met her. Jo blinked away the threat of tears.

‘It gets worse.’ Hugh spoke very quietly. ‘Apparently Linley suffered from severe postnatal depression and—and she committed suicide.’

‘No!’ A horrified exclamation burst from Jo. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she added quickly. Then she asked gently, ‘And you never knew?’

‘I thought she had died in a car accident,’ he said. ‘There was never any mention of a baby.’

Jo wondered if he was being so forthright to draw her into the task of helping him. Well, it was working. It would be hard to turn him down now, especially when his eyes held hers with such compelling intensity.

‘Ivy’s grandmother died recently and she left instructions in her will, demanding that I claim my daughter,’ he said. ‘Of course I wanted to do the right thing by the child, so I came dashing over here. But I’ve realised now that my timing is off. On Christmas Eve children are expecting Santa Claus, not strange men claiming to be their father.’

‘Ivy might like you better than Santa Claus,’ Jo suggested gently.

He sent her a sharp, searching look. ‘So you think I’ve done the wrong thing?’

Jo gulped. This gorgeous, confident man was acting as if he really needed her advice. She sent him an encouraging grin. ‘No, I’m sure you’ve made the right decision. I always believe it’s best to follow your instincts.’

‘So will you come with me when I collect Ivy?’

Her instincts screamed yes and Jo didn’t hesitate to take her own advice.

‘Of course I will. I’ve got a real soft spot for Ivy and, as you said, with six younger brothers and sisters I’ve got to be something of an expert with kids.’

‘Absolutely.’ Hugh glanced at the clock on the wall near the stove and jumped to his feet. ‘It’s getting late and I’ve taken up far too much of your time.’

Jo wondered if she should warn him about Ivy’s scars, but perhaps that would only make him more anxious about meeting her. Or maybe he already knew. It might be best not to make a big deal about them.

Standing, she shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and shrugged in an effort to look unconcerned. ‘So we have a date for Boxing Day?’

He nodded stiffly. ‘Thanks. I’d really appreciate your help.’

Then he turned and walked to the kitchen door. Jo followed.

‘I hope you’ll be comfortable at the pub,’ she said as they stepped into the hallway. ‘It’s not very flash.’

‘It looks perfectly adequate.’

‘A bit lonely for Christmas.’

‘I’ll be fine.’ Suddenly he looked very English, sort of stiff upper lipped and uncomfortable, as if he couldn’t stand sentimental females who made fusses about Christmas.

Her mother appeared in the hall. ‘Did I hear you say you’re staying at the pub, Mr Strickland?’

Jo wanted to cringe at her mother’s intrusion, but Hugh didn’t seem to mind.

‘Yes. It’s basic but quite adequate.’

‘You’re not having Christmas dinner there, are you?’

‘They’ve booked me in. Why? Is there a problem?’

‘Oh, not the pub for Christmas.’ Margie sounded shocked and she thumped her hands on her hips in a gesture of indignation. ‘We can’t let you do that.’

‘I’m sure the food will be fine.’ Hugh was beginning to sound defensive now. ‘I’m told they do a fine roast turkey.’