CHAPTER SEVEN

BETHANY moved quickly about the kitchen; the vegetables were slowly cooking, the meat was ready for serving, the table was already laid. All she needed now was Nick Rafferty to come and eat.

She had spent a wonderful couple of hours playing with the children in the snow; their faces had been glowing by the time they had all returned home, and the good news about their mother had added to their happiness. All in all it had been a successful day. She hoped it continued that way.

‘The boys appear to be clearing away in preparation for going to bed.’ A puzzled Nick entered the kitchen.

She had been instantly aware of him when he’d returned to the apartment, had heard him talking to the boys before he’d joined her in Lucy’s room on his way to change. But, even so, she hadn’t been quite prepared for how handsome he now looked.

So far she had only seen him in business clothes, but he had changed into close-fitting black trousers and a pale blue shirt, the latter giving his eyes the appearance of being the same colour. He looked very attractive, totally male. And Bethany wasn’t supposed to think of him as such!

‘They need an early night.’ She nodded abruptly, turning back to the food she was cooking. ‘Apparently they were rather late last night—probably due to the unusual circumstances,’ she excused lightly. ‘And they’ve had an exciting afternoon too. Besides, tomorrow is going to be a busy day—’

‘I wasn’t criticising, Beth,’ Nick cut in softly. ‘Merely congratulating you on your ability to get them to go to bed without the usual arguments. I—What’s happening tomorrow?’ He frowned as he suddenly realised what she had said.

‘Well, there are the presents to get, the tree to buy and put up, the food for Christmas to—’

‘Hold it.’ He held up a silencing hand. ‘Robert told me where to collect the presents from his house, but as for the rest of it—I don’t usually bother with a tree and things.’ He frowned again.

Bethany nodded. ‘The children explained that you’re usually away at Christmas—’

‘I’ve always thought it better for the children to spend Christmas in a family atmosphere, not to be torn between—’

‘Now you’ve misunderstood, Nick; I wasn’t criticising either.’ It was the first time she had used his first name, and it sounded huskily intimate. Perhaps she should stick to Mr Rafferty, after all. But that wasn’t how she thought of him. She didn’t want to delve too deeply into how she was starting to think of him! ‘But this year is different. And children expect a tree—and things,’ she added dismissively.

‘Do they?’ He looked troubled.

She smiled. ‘Didn’t you have a Christmas tree when you were a child?’

‘I suppose I did.’ He sighed. ‘I just didn’t think… And food, you say?’

‘A turkey and the trimmings.’ She nodded. ‘And a cake. All the usual Christmas fayre.’ Although she had a feeling that this man hadn’t been involved with ‘the usual Christmas fayre’ for some time now. Perhaps that was another one of her tasks—to help him see that Christmas wasn’t about being on a ski-slope in some fashionable part of the world but about being with the people you loved, in this case his children. All three of them.

Nick still looked perturbed. ‘Will you be able to get all those things at such short notice? Don’t you have to order the turkey? And the trimmings?’ He grimaced.

‘We can get them,’ Bethany assured him; somewhere in the depths of his memory he obviously remembered that his wife had dealt with these things. It was a start, at least. ‘No doubt the children will enjoy being involved in the choosing of them,’ she added—before he could suggest ordering Christmas just to be delivered from some exclusive store.

No doubt a man of his obvious means could afford to do that; she would just rather he didn’t. It was too impersonal that way—rather like the way this man ran the rest of his life! ‘And it will be great fun tomorrow evening, when we all decorate the tree together.’ She almost laughed at the look of consternation on his face now. It must be years since Nick had been involved in such a mundane task—if he ever had.

‘If you think so,’ he finally conceded, with obvious reluctance. ‘It’s the kids’ happiness we have to think about, I suppose.’

‘Exactly,’ Bethany agreed brightly. ‘Now, if you would like to sit down—’ she indicated the small table she had laid at one end of the large kitchen ‘—our dinner is ready now.’

He hesitated momentarily on his way to the table, looking across at her. ‘I thought you had eaten earlier with the children…?’

She smiled. ‘Fish fingers may be their favourite, but they aren’t mine!’

His stern features relaxed into a smile—his first as far as Bethany could remember. And what a difference it made. His face came alive with humour, laughter lines appeared beside his eyes and mouth. ‘Mine either,’ he agreed ruefully, sitting down at one of the two places Bethany had laid at the table. ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’

‘No, I—Hello, you two,’ she greeted Jamie and Josh as they came into the room dressed in their pyjamas. ‘All ready?’

Jamie nodded. ‘I checked on Lucy when we went through to get changed; she’s fast asleep.’

‘Good.’ Bethany smiled her satisfaction. ‘Would you like to take the boys through, or shall I?’ She looked enquiringly at Nick.

‘I’ll take them.’ He stood up abruptly. ‘While you continue to deal with the meal.’

Bethany watched him leave with the boys, two carbon copies of himself. His relationship with Jamie and Josh, although a little awkward on occasion on Nick’s part, she had noticed, seemed quite strong. It was only with Lucy that Nick’s barriers came up. Of course, Lucy hadn’t even been born when her parents had separated, and therefore the bond between father and daughter couldn’t have been formed as strongly as it already had been between Nick and the boys. Although Lucy didn’t seem to feel the same constraint where her father was concerned…

There was still so many questions about this family that remained unanswered. Hopefully, she would be here long enough to answer some of them…

‘This is good,’ Nick told her after several mouthfuls of the meal.

Bethany smiled her pleasure at his praise. ‘I’m glad you like it.’

He relaxed back in his chair. ‘God, this is peaceful!’ He drew in a thankful breath. ‘Would you join me in a glass of wine?’

‘That would be nice,’ Bethany accepted, sitting back to watch as he deftly opened the bottle of red wine before pouring a glass for each of them.

‘Cheers!’ Nick smiled at her warmly.

He was obviously a lot happier than he had been when she’d arrived here this afternoon, and as far as Bethany was concerned that could only be a good thing.

‘Salut!’ she returned. ‘Mmm, lovely wine.’ She could feel the heat in her veins after her initial sips of the wine.

‘I’m glad you like it,’ he said with genuine pleasure. ‘It goes very well with this excellent meal you’ve prepared for us.’

Bethany laughed softly, her cheeks glowing. ‘We sound like a mutual admiration society!’

Nick looked startled for a moment, and then he relaxed, grinning. ‘So we do.’ He leant his elbows on the table, sipping his wine. ‘I was supposed to be out for dinner this evening,’ he mused.

‘I know.’ She nodded.

‘And then I would have missed this excellent—What do you mean, you know?’ He looked at her sharply.

She shrugged. ‘It wasn’t too difficult to guess; it was rather late for you to be working at the office.’

‘It has been known,’ he put in drily.

Bethany was sure it had—had a feeling that this man used work to fill a lot of his life. Besides, he was very successful, and he couldn’t have become that way without putting a lot of effort into it.

‘Not so close to Christmas,’ she dismissed lightly.

‘Straight through Christmas one year—but that’s another story!’ He frowned. ‘I’ve forgotten what the initial question was now. I don’t… I know!’ His brow cleared. ‘We were discussing—’

‘Where I’m to sleep tonight,’ Bethany put in easily, changing the subject from his interest in how she had known he would be home for dinner this evening, after all.

It had the desired effect; Nick looked totally stunned by the question. Obviously it hadn’t even occurred to him, until this moment, to wonder where she was to spend the night.