Their Baby Surprise

‘Probably not.’ Rachel summoned a smile as he passed her on his way to the kitchen, but she was aware that it was an effort to behave naturally. Knowing that she wasn’t in control of herself as she usually was worried her, too. She certainly didn’t want to make a fool of herself in front of Matt.

She sighed softly as she dialled Ross’s number. She and Matt had a very good relationship, she’d always thought. They trusted each other in work and enjoyed an easy camaraderie outside the surgery. Recently they had been spending a lot more time together as they had helped their respective offspring finalise the plans for their wedding and she had found herself enjoying his company too. Was that when she had become more aware of Matt as a man and not solely as a colleague? Had those hours they had spent together altered her perception of him?

The thought troubled her. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to make any adjustments to how she saw Matt. It seemed rather dangerous to alter the status quo, unpredictable, and if there was one thing Rachel didn’t handle well it was the unpredictable. She liked her life to have structure, lots of nice tidy compartments to file away both people and events so she knew how to deal with them.

She frowned. It didn’t sound a very appealing way of living, did it? Nevertheless, it had worked all these years for her and worked well too. Maybe this wedding had thrown her off course but she mustn’t allow it to affect her too much. Once she got over the shock of it being cancelled, hopefully her life would return to normal.

Matt plugged in the kettle then took a tin of ground coffee out of the freezer. He spooned some into the cafetière then stood staring into space while he waited for the water to heat. It was almost four in the afternoon and if the day had gone as planned, he should have been enjoying the reception now. He would have been gearing himself up for his speech, not that it would have been difficult as wishing Heather and Ross every happiness for their future together was something he had been looking forward to doing. He had been so sure that Heather had found her ideal partner but had it been wishful thinking on his part? Although Heather hadn’t said so, was he guilty of pushing her and Ross into this marriage?

Matt had a horrible feeling it might be true. He had been so pleased that Heather had found someone as reliable as Ross that he had overlooked the signs that the relationship maybe wasn’t what it should have been. He had put his desire for Heather to have security above everything else and he regretted it now. Deeply.

Maybe he had sworn that he would make sure their daughter was safe after Claire, his wife, had died, but Heather needed more than security. She needed love, laughter, fun, and he wasn’t sure if Ross could have provided her with all of those things.

The truth was there had always been that vital spark missing, now that he thought about it. That extra dimension needed to take a relationship up a level. He and Claire had had it and it was one of the reasons why he had never been able to imagine falling in love with anyone else. He didn’t think any other woman could light that spark inside him again.

‘Ross is back at home. He says he’s fine, but I’m sure he’s only saying that to stop me worrying.’

Rachel came into the kitchen. She gave a gusty sigh as she stared at her phone as though it should be able to tell her if her son was telling the truth, and Matt felt himself grow tense. He couldn’t see her face clearly with her head lowered like that so maybe that was why she appeared different all of a sudden, almost like a stranger.

She looked up and his heart gave the oddest little jolt as he found himself taking stock of the familiar yet strangely unfamiliar features—the elegant little nose, the softly rounded cheeks, the lusciously full lips now gnawed clean of any trace of lipstick. She’d had her hair done for the wedding and the soft chestnut curls looked so invitingly silky as they tumbled around her face that he longed to touch them, feel their softness against the palms of his hands, the tips of his fingers, so tempting and alluring…

He took a deep breath and stamped down hard on that thought. There would be no stroking of hair going on here!

‘Did Ross say if he’d heard from Heather?’ he asked instead, picking up the kettle. He poured the hot water into the pot and pressed down the plunger, quite forgetting to let the coffee brew first.

‘No. I didn’t ask him, to be honest. Sorry.’

Rachel’s pretty face filled with remorse and that odd feeling he’d had about her being a stranger immediately receded. Once again she was Rachel Mackenzie, a woman he liked and respected, and he breathed a little easier at finding himself back on familiar territory. It had been just a blip, he told himself as he took a couple of mugs out of the cupboard, a tiny aberration caused by the stresses of the day and definitely nothing to worry about.

‘It doesn’t matter. I’m sure Ross would have said if Heather had phoned him,’ he said soothingly, filling the mugs with coffee and frowning when he saw how insipid it looked. ‘This doesn’t look too good. I’ll make another pot.’

‘It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.’

Rachel picked up one of the mugs and carried it over to the table. Matt’s heart ached when he saw how upset she looked as she sat down. What had happened today had had a big effect on Rachel too and for some reason the thought upset him even more. It wasn’t fair that someone as kind and as gentle as Rachel was should have to suffer this way.

He went to join her, trying to find the right words that, hopefully, would make the situation easier for her. ‘I know how hard this must be for Ross but he’ll get through it, Rachel, you’ll see.’

‘Do you think so?’ She looked up and he could see tears brimming in her huge brown eyes. ‘I feel so helpless, Matt. Oh, I know Ross is a grown man and more than capable of running his own life, but he’s still my son and I love him dearly.’ The tears spilled over and trickled down her cheeks. ‘I just can’t bear to think of him hurting this way.’

‘I know. And I understand how you feel, really I do.’

Matt reached across the table and squeezed her hand. Her hand was so small that his seemed to engulf it and it surprised him how it made him feel—overwhelmed with tenderness and a need to protect her. He cleared his throat but he could hear the roughness in his voice even if Rachel couldn’t.

‘It’s a difficult time for both Heather and Ross but I’m sure they will work things out in the end.’

He withdrew his hand, unsure what was happening and why he felt this way. This was Rachel, he reminded himself, someone he had worked with for a number of years, a trusted colleague as well as a friend. However, the description no longer seemed to fit as accurately as it had done in the past; there seemed to be an extra dimension to Rachel he had never noticed before.

He frowned because that wasn’t quite true. If he was honest, his view of her had been changing for a while now. They had spent a lot of time together in recent months planning for the wedding and he had found himself looking forward to it too. She wasn’t just a colleague and a friend any longer. He was very much aware that she was a woman as well and a very attractive woman too.

The thought stunned him. For the first time since his wife had died Matt realised that he was aware of another woman’s femininity and he couldn’t believe that the feelings he had believed long dead were very much alive. His whole body suffused with heat all of a sudden because he was powerless to stop what was happening. When he looked at Rachel, sitting here at his table, what he saw, first and foremost, was a woman he wanted to put his arms around. A woman he wanted to make love to.

Chapter Two

‘SORRY. I know this is just as difficult for you as it is for me, Matt.’

Rachel plucked a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was to make the situation even more stressful for Matt.

‘There’s nothing to apologise for,’ Matt said swiftly, and she looked at him in dismay when she realised how strange he sounded. It wasn’t that he sounded angry or even upset, just…odd.

‘Are you all right?’ she asked anxiously, leaning forward so she could get a better look at his face. It was early December and the nights soon drew in at this time of the year. They hadn’t switched on any lights and Matt’s face was in shadow, making it difficult for her to see his expression clearly.

‘Yes. Just a bit shaken by what’s happened, I suppose,’ he replied, and she was relieved to hear him sounding more like he usually did this time.

‘You and me both. I was stunned when Ross told me this morning the wedding had been called off.’ She gave a little sigh. ‘I still find it hard to understand why it’s happened, if I’m honest. I always thought he and Heather were a perfect match, didn’t you?’

‘Ye-es.’

Rachel frowned when Matt seemed to hesitate. ‘That sounded almost as though you had your doubts. Did you?’

‘Not before this happened, no. However, now I’m not so sure.’

He stood up and switched on the light then sat down again. Rachel could see a glimmer of some emotion in his green eyes that she found it difficult to interpret.

‘You don’t think their marriage would have worked?’ she said slowly, struggling to digest the idea.

‘The honest answer is that I don’t know any more. I thought they were ideally suited too, but I was thinking about it while I was making the coffee and I realised there was always something missing, that spark which makes a relationship truly special.’

‘Do you really think so?’ she said in surprise.

‘Yes, I do. I only wish I’d realised it sooner. I wouldn’t have pushed them into getting married then.’

‘You didn’t push them, Matt!’ she exclaimed. ‘It was their decision and it had nothing to do with you or anyone else for that matter.’

‘I wish I could believe that but I have a horrible feeling that I’m more than partly responsible for this mess.’

‘Rubbish!’ She glared at him when he looked at her in surprise. ‘I’m sorry but that’s exactly what it is—complete and utter rubbish. They’re both old enough to know their own minds. It wouldn’t have mattered a jot what you thought.’

‘Let’s hope you’re right.’ He gave her a quick smile although Rachel could tell that he wasn’t convinced. Matt obviously blamed himself for what had happened and that must make the situation even more difficult for him.

There was little she could say to persuade him otherwise, however, so she let the matter drop, talking about what had happened down by the canal instead. They had treated at least a dozen people who had been injured in the accident and it was always useful to compare notes after the event. It was only when Rachel heard the hall clock strike the hour that she realised it was time she left.

‘I’d better be off,’ she announced, standing up.

‘I’ll run you home,’ Matt offered straight away, following her into the hall. He had collected her in his car along with the rest of the team from the surgery and ferried them to the site of the accident, which was why Rachel didn’t have her own car with her. However, as she lived only a ten-minute walk away she immediately protested.

‘There’s no need, Matt. I can easily walk home from here. There’s no point dragging you out of the house.’

‘No, it’s dark outside and I don’t want you walking down that lane on your own.’ He took his coat off the hallstand before she could protest any further and she gave in. There was no point making an issue out of it, was there?