Second Chance With Lord Branscombe

Jake laid his hand over hers, clasping her fingers in a comforting gesture. ‘This must be really difficult for you, after what happened to your father.’

‘It is.’ She closed her eyes fleetingly. Her father had been a passenger in the single-engine plane that crashed nearly two years ago. James Branscombe had taken the controls against all advice and that decision had left her father with life-changing injuries. He’d suffered a broken back, shoulder and ankle, whereas Lord Branscombe had come out of it relatively unscathed.

Even now she had trouble coming to terms with what had happened.

Jake was concerned. ‘You must be upset at the thought of Nate coming back. You and he had something going for a while, didn’t you? Until the accident put an end to it.’

‘Maybe I had feelings for him, years ago, when I was a teenager, and then later it all came to the fore again just before my father’s accident...but we wouldn’t have made it work. I realise that, now. We were both studying in different parts of the country for a long while, so I didn’t see him very often...and, anyway, Nate could never commit to a relationship. Things went badly wrong for us after what happened to my father. I think Nate only stayed around long enough to make sure his father was okay. He’s been back a few times since then, but I’ve kept out of his way.’ She braced her shoulders. ‘Do you mind if we don’t talk about it?’

Right now she couldn’t cope with having it all dredged up again. She steeled herself to put on an appearance of calm and she and Jake talked quietly for a while.

A few minutes later, though, her outward composure was all but shattered once more. She looked up and saw a man striding confidently across the terrace, heading towards the corner table.

‘Nate?’ The word crossed her lips in a whisper of disbelief and Jake gently squeezed her hand in support. It was a shock, seeing Nate standing just a short distance away from her. When she’d seen him, soon after the crash, she’d been upset, out of her mind with worry, and they’d argued furiously over his father’s actions. But when he went away, in her mind, in her soul, she’d still yearned for him.

Nate hadn’t seen her yet as he stopped briefly to speak to one or two people along the way. Her mind skittered this way and that, trying to find some means of escape, but of course it was hopeless from the start.

He saw her and his eyes widened in recognition. For a moment or two he seemed stunned. Then he started towards her, a long, lean figure of a man, his stride rangy and confident, the muscles in his arms hinting at a body that was perfectly honed beneath the designer T-shirt and casual trousers he was wearing.

The breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t think straight any more. All she could do was drink in his image—the broad shoulders, the sculpted cheekbones and the black, slightly overlong, unruly hair that kinked in a roguish kind of way.

‘Sophie.’ His voice was deep and warm, a hint of satisfaction there, as though he was more than pleased to see her. He stopped by her table and looked at her, his brooding green gaze all-encompassing, tracing the slope of her cheekbones and the soft curve of her mouth and lingering on the golden corkscrew curls that tumbled over her shoulders. ‘It’s good to see you again. You look wonderful.’

Unsettled by that penetrating scrutiny, she lowered her gaze. She didn’t know how to react to him after all this time. She was distracted by a whole host of unfamiliar feelings that were coursing through her.

His glance trailed downwards, taking in the way Jake’s hand covered hers. Then he lifted his head, making a faint, almost imperceptible nod. ‘Jake.’ He gave him a narrowed look and Jake must have begun to feel uncomfortable because he straightened, slowly releasing Sophie’s hand.

‘Hi there, Nate. We haven’t seen you in a while,’ he said.

‘I’ve been busy, working away for the last few months.’ Nate’s gaze swept over Sophie once more, meshing with hers in a simmering, wordless exchange.

Images flashed through her mind, visions of times past when they’d walked together through the woods on the estate, when her feelings for him were growing with each day that passed. Nate had held her hand, that last day before she went away to Medical School, and led her into a sunlit copse. She’d been eighteen then, troubled about going away and perhaps not seeing him again. She recalled how the silver birch trees had lifted their branches to the clear blue sky and he’d gently eased her back against the smooth white bark. He’d lowered his head towards her and his kiss had been warm and tender, as soft as the breeze on a hot summer’s day.

Even now, thinking about it, she could feel his body next to hers, remember how it had been to be wrapped in his arms, to have her flesh turn to flame as his lips nuzzled the curve of her neck.

Jake’s voice broke the spell. ‘I’d heard something about you being in the States for a while,’ he said. ‘You’ve been doing well for yourself, or so they say.’

‘I guess so.’ Nate turned his attention to Sophie once more. ‘I was hoping we might run into one another.’

‘I suppose it was inevitable.’ Sophie pulled in a deep breath to steady herself. ‘You’re back here for your father, I imagine?’ She looked up at Nate, amazed to find that her voice worked, with barely a trace of nervousness showing through.

‘I am. He’s not been doing so well these last few weeks, though he would never admit it.’ He frowned, glancing to where his father was sitting alone at the table. ‘I should go and join him.’ There was a hint of reluctance about his mouth as he spoke. ‘But I’d like to see you again, find out how you’ve been doing. I’ve tried to keep up with how things were going for you and your father, through Charlotte, mostly.’ He looked at her intently. ‘Perhaps we could talk later?’

She gave a non-committal movement of her head. Charlotte was the housekeeper at the Manor House and she might have expected her to let Nate know what was happening in the village. As to talking with him, surely it would be best, from her viewpoint, to steer very clear of both Branscombes, but especially Nate? Already she was conscious of a knot forming in her stomach and a fluttery feeling growing in her chest. In every way he was dangerous to her peace of mind. Her alarm system was on full alert.

Nate must have taken her gesture for agreement. He nodded once more to both of them and then left, walking over to the table at the corner of the terrace. As Nate went to sit opposite his father, Sophie saw that another man had come to join them—a man she recognised as Lord Branscombe’s Estate Manager...his most recent Estate Manager. Her father had done the job for a good many years before him. She sucked in a sharp breath.

Jake’s gaze followed them. ‘I wonder what will happen to the estate if Lord Branscombe really has lost most of his money overseas. That’s what the newspaper articles are saying...that he’s gambled his son and heir’s inheritance on a doomed investment and lost.’

‘I think there’s a lot more to worry about than Nate’s inheritance. There are more than two dozen houses on the estate with tenants who will be worried about what’s going to happen to their homes.’

Jake’s expression was sombre. ‘And your father’s one of them. It’s understandable if you, of all people, feel angry about the way Lord Branscombe’s behaved.’

‘Maybe.’ She frowned. ‘But, like I said, I think I’d prefer not to talk about that right now.’

‘Of course. But at least it sounds as though Lord Branscombe’s finally getting his comeuppance.’

She didn’t answer. The waitress came and refilled Sophie’s coffee cup, glancing surreptitiously over to where Nate was sitting. Absently, she went to pour a refill for Jake.

‘None for me, thanks,’ he said, covering his cup with his hand.

‘Oh, okay.’ Still casting quick looks in Nate’s direction, the girl slowly walked away.

Jake made a wry smile. ‘He’s lost none of his charm, has he?’ he murmured, glancing at Sophie. ‘He still has that charisma that had all the girls hankering after him.’ There was a hint of envy in his voice.

‘Mm hmm.’ She was hardly immune to it herself—no matter how much she’d told herself in the intervening years that Nate didn’t have any power over her feelings, it had taken only a few seconds in his company for him to prove her profoundly wrong. ‘I suppose so.’

They chatted for a while, about Jake’s work and her job as a children’s doctor, until, reluctantly, he glanced once more at his watch. ‘I should go,’ he said. ‘Do you want me to see you back to your car?’

She shook her head. ‘No, that’s all right. I still have to finish off this coffee. You go ahead. I’ll leave in a minute or so.’

‘Okay.’ He stood up, leaning over to give her a quick, affectionate kiss on the cheek. ‘I’ll see to the bill on my way out.’

‘Thanks.’ Sophie watched him leave and then slowly sipped her coffee. It was hot, a new brew fresh from the pot, so she had to take her time. Lord Branscombe, she noticed, glancing idly towards his table, was picking at a plate of food with hardly any appetite, while his Estate Manager was tucking in to a steak and all the trimmings. Nate wasn’t eating. The three men seemed to be having an avid discussion about something—the way forward, she supposed.

A short time later she pushed her cup away and picked up her handbag, getting ready to leave.

‘You’re going already?’ Nate must have been watching her because he suddenly appeared at her side, his hand coming to support her elbow as she stood up. ‘I didn’t want you to leave without my having the chance to talk to you again. Perhaps I could walk with you?’

‘I... Yes... I mean...’ She was flustered, startled by the way he’d homed in on her, and she stayed silent as he accompanied her down the stairs. By the time they reached the lounge area of the restaurant, though, she had managed to recover her equilibrium enough to say, ‘Won’t your father be expecting you to keep him company?’

‘I’m sure he’ll be fine without me for a while. Besides, I’ve said all I need to say to him for now. He knows my opinion. I’ve no doubt he and Maurice will be battling things out for another hour or so yet.’

They walked out of the white-painted building and stood by the railings on the cliff path, looking out over the rugged crags to the beach below. ‘I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to see you with Jake,’ Nate said. ‘You were always good friends...but I saw that he kissed you. Are you and he a couple now?’ He was studying her intently. ‘Are things serious between you?’

She blinked at the suddenness of the question. She’d forgotten how direct he could be. ‘Oh, we met up again fairly recently,’ she answered cautiously. ‘I think he’s fond of me but, really, we’re just friends.’ She suspected Jake would like to take things further, but after a couple of ill-fated relationships over the last few years, she wasn’t about to step into another one in a hurry. Perhaps she was the problem. She’d seen what had happened with her parents’ marriage and she wasn’t ready to put her trust in anyone any time soon.

‘I see.’ He studied her closely as though gauging her response. He didn’t seem to believe the ‘just friends’ scenario. ‘I’ve always cared for you, Sophie. You know that, don’t you? It was hard for me to see you hurting so much after what happened to your father. I felt perhaps you blamed me in some way—perhaps you thought I should have tried to stop my father from flying—’

‘You must have known he had angina.’ She stared at him, and the pain must have been clear in her eyes. ‘Surely there was something you could have done?’

His gaze travelled over her, searing her with its intensity. ‘You know what he’s like. He never admits to weakness. And I was working at a hospital in Cornwall at the time.’ His mouth flattened. ‘Sophie, I never wanted there to be this rift between us. You didn’t seem to want me around but I always hoped—’

She stopped him before he could say any more. ‘No—let’s not go there,’ she said quickly, anxious to ward off complications. He’d gone away to work abroad, leaving her to pick up the pieces. Perhaps, like he’d said, it was hard for him to see her pain, to witness the heartache his father had caused. ‘A lot’s happened in the last few years. I’m sure we’re very different people now—leastways, I know I am. These past two years have changed me.’ She braced her shoulders. ‘So what’s happening with you? Is there someone in your life these days?’

He pulled a face and shrugged. ‘You know me,’ he said. ‘Can’t settle—too much going on all the while.’

‘Hmm. And it’s going to take time, isn’t it, to find the right woman...the one with the class and breeding to take her place at Branscombe Manor?’ She said it with a smile, with the wry knowledge that he would most likely exhaust all possibilities before making his pick.