Saving Katy Gray (When Paths Meet Book 3) Page 16

  “I don’t know,” she told him truthfully. “We’ll just have to wait and see, but if I explain about the weekend and get her to help me make up beds for everyone, she’ll have time to get used to it.”

  “I suppose so,” he was doubtful. “And what about us? Having you within kissing distance again but not able to touch you is going to be agonizing.”

  “I know, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable behaving that way with your family around.”

  His growl of frustration made her shiver in anticipation of what might happen once he was freed from the responsibilities that had been part of his life for so long. Her reply was calm and professional though, as she made him promise that he wouldn’t do or say anything to embarrass anyone.

  He sighed for a second time. “Have it your own way Katy Gray. I’ll be good while Alice is there and I won’t compromise you with Paul either, even though he’s already guessed how I feel about you.”

  Then, before she could protest further, he told her exactly what he was going to do when his family had gone and they were on their own again. When she didn’t reply his tone sobered. “I’m sorry sweetheart, I won’t tease you like that again. I’ll behave myself, I promise.”

  * * *

  Emlyn didn’t cut the call until he was sure that Katy was okay but when he did he buried his head in his hands. How could he have been so stupid? She wasn’t like the other girls he’d spent so many hours flirting with on the phone, girls who gave as good as they got and enjoyed the frisson of anticipation. Her lack of guile was one of the many things he loved about her, so why was he doing everything he could to spoil it. Was it because he was back in the city and had spent the past few days talking to old colleagues as he tried to get his career back on track? Had a return to his previous life done that to him, because if it had, then he’d better forget about picking up the threads of his old life and stay in Corley.

  He was in the bar with an untouched glass of beer at his elbow when Paul came searching for him. His brother raised his eyebrows.

  “You look miserable.”

  “That’s because I am miserable.”

  Paul gave an exasperated sigh. “Look I know things are a mess right now Emlyn but they’ll get better, I promise you. Alice and I had a long chat on the phone yesterday and, much as it pains me to admit it, our sister seems to have more common sense in her little finger than the pair of us do between us.”

  Emlyn gave him a morose look. “That’s not what I’m miserable about.”

  “What is it then? I thought they said they’d be glad to have you back at Chambers. I thought you’d even begun to make some plans for the future now you’ve got it into that thick head of yours that Mum and Dad’s problem is one for all the family, not just for you.”

  “It’s not that either. It’s Katy.”

  “Katy? Is she leaving or something, because if she is we need to find someone else pretty damn quick.”

  Emlyn’s expression darkened into a scowl. “She’s not, and even if she was we couldn’t find someone else like her. She’s been a lifesaver and we can’t cope without her.”

  Sliding onto the bar stool next to him and signaling for a beer, his brother gave him a sideways glance. “You mean you can’t cope without her. My you really have got it bad haven’t you? You’re in love with her. I never thought the day would come when my big brother would be tamed by a snippet of a girl.”

  “That’s just the problem,” Emlyn told him. “If she was older and more worldly wise it would be easier, but she isn’t and I keep forgetting.”

  “If you mean that you’re treating her like all those other girls who’ve climbed in and out of your bed over the years, then shame on you. Any fool can see that she’s different…nicer too, although maybe nice is not what you’re after.”

  Wearily Emlyn shook his head. “Stop trying to be clever, and don’t say anything to Alice either, or to anyone else. Right now whatever is between Katy and me is not a priority.”

  “I suppose she told you that and you were stupid enough to agree with her.”

  “Right on both counts. Now can we please change the subject?”

  Paul shrugged. “Okay, if that’s the way you want it. You’re both wrong though. Now is exactly the time you need one another, not on some sunny day in the future when all is fine and dandy, because that day might never come.”

  Staring into his beer, Emlyn ignored him. His brother might think he was right but he wasn’t. Katy needed more than that. She needed to know that Emlyn wanted her for more than her nursing skills and her very obvious physical attributes. She needed to know that he wanted her for herself, and if he carried on teasing her like he just had on the phone, then he was going to blow the chance of a serious relationship with her before they really got started.

  * * *

  Katy, still blushing at the effect Emlyn’s words had had on her, tried to counteract the feelings of longing that kept sweeping over her by searching out bed linen and dusters and attacking the spare bedrooms. Penny Brooks, after one or two false starts, joined her, and was soon polishing the mirrors with enthusiasm.

  “It’ll be just like old times,” she told Katy as she watched her plump pillows and fasten duvet covers.

  Hoping that she would still feel the same way the following morning, Katy suggested an early supper and bed. “You need to be up and dressed early tomorrow because Alice will be here in time for breakfast as long as her flight arrives on time.”

  “But surely John is collecting her, just like he always does at the end of term,” Penny Brooks suddenly looked confused. Realizing that she was exhausted by a morning spent arranging flowers at The Corley Arms and an afternoon and evening preparing for visitors, Katy didn’t correct her. Instead she ran her a bath and then tucked her up in bed with a mug of cocoa and turned on the TV in the corner of the bedroom, knowing that watching it would soon send her to sleep. She was just about to leave the room Penny Brooks stopped her.

  “I got confused again didn’t I? Why do I keep muddling things up Katy?”

  “Because you’re tired, and because your brain doesn’t work in the same way that it used to,” Katy told her, wishing that she could lie but knowing she had to be honest.

  “I’ll be alright when John comes home though, won’t I? He’ll stop me from feeling muzzy.”

  Lowering herself onto the bed, Katy shook her head. “I’m afraid not. He’ll help of course because he’ll be able to remember things you’ve forgotten and remind you about them, but you’ll still get muddled sometimes.”

  “Like when I forget I’ve already eaten and make myself another sandwich. Will I still do that? Will I forget how to look after him properly?” The anguish in her eyes was heartbreaking.

  Taking a deep breath, Katy voiced the one thing that so far Emlyn and Paul had been afraid to do. “Maybe, but it won’t be the end of the world, not if you decide it would be more sensible to live somewhere else, somewhere where other people can look after both of you.”

  “Like a nursing home you mean?”

  “Or an apartment in a building specially designed for people who are getting older.”

  Suddenly Penny Brooks gave an enormous yawn and, handing her mug to Katy, snuggled down on her pillows. “You can turn the TV off now,” she said, the conversation forgotten as she slipped into a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Twenty

  When the phone rang before breakfast the following morning, Katy expected the caller to be Alice. Instead it was Izzie.

  "Sorry to call so early but I need to know if anything unusual happened when Luke came over to help you move the bed yesterday because he’s been really odd ever since he came home?”

  “Nothing that I’m aware of, although I did notice he wasn’t his usual self. For some reason he kept staring at me without saying anything; it was a bit freaky actually.”

  “I’m not surprised you were freaked out if he was anything like he is today. All he’s done since breakfast is scroll through
the photos on his phone muttering to himself. Oh well, it’s my problem not yours, so don’t worry about it. Jodie will be down soon anyway and she’ll probably know what’s bugging him straight away. She usually does.”

  “She’s coming down for the festival and the concert isn’t she? Bob was telling me about it yesterday.”

  “Yes, the whole family is coming, which means life will be even more chaotic than it is at the moment. William is loving every minute of it because Tommy has bought him a builder’s helmet and a plastic tool kit, so he thinks he’s one of the team when he sees the workmen erecting the marquee and all the seating.”

  Laughing at the picture she painted, Katy remembered to tell her that Emlyn and his brother were arriving later that day, and their sister too.

  “In that case I’ll make sure the organizers put some more tickets aside, and don’t forget that you’re coming too. If Mr. Brooks is too poorly to be left then let me know and we’ll arrange for someone to sit with him, because you can’t miss the concert Katy. As a newcomer to Corley you have to experience it at least once.”

  Promising that she’d be there, Katy returned to the kitchen and carried on preparing breakfast, and by the time Alice arrived and parked her hire car in the driveway, food waiting on the table.

  Although she had the same hazel eyes as Emlyn, she was nothing like him. Instead, she was small and tan, and her long hair was streaked blonde. Wondering whether it was the result of the hot Australian sunshine or the ministrations of a clever hairdresser, Katy greeted her with a smile.

  “Paul has been telling me great things about you Katy, and I guess Emlyn will too, when he eventually decides to talk to me.” Alice’s voice had the slightest trace of an Australian accent.

  Declining an opportunity to join in with family squabbles, Katy just smiled and offered her a choice of tea or coffee with her breakfast.

  “Coffee please, lots of it, and strong too because I need to stay awake at least until Dad gets home.”

  “Coffee it is,” Katy said, then she nodded towards the window. “Your mother is in the garden. You’ll probably find her in the greenhouse.”

  “Nothing changes,” Alice grinned at her as she made her way to the door.

  Katy watched her walk across the grass, calling out to her mother as she did so. For a moment nothing happened but then Penny Brooks came running out of the greenhouse as if her life depended on it and flung her arms around her daughter’s neck with a cry of such joy that it brought a lump to Katy’s throat. Turning away from what was, after all, a very private moment, she concentrated on the coffee machine that was hissing, and spitting as it filled the whole house with the delectable smell of fresh coffee beans.

  * * *

  The rest of the morning passed in a blur as first Paul and then Emlyn arrived, followed very swiftly by a private ambulance. The man who was wheeled up the path by a green-coated medic looked frail and gaunt but there was nothing frail about the fierce gaze he bestowed on her when Emlyn introduced them.

  “I understand I need to thank you for taking good care of my wife while I’ve been ah…indisposed. Emlyn says that without you we would all be in a much worse place than we are now.”

  Flushing with embarrassment, Katy shook her head. “I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration. He was doing fine on his own before I came along.”

  “That’s not what I heard,” he snorted. “Now where’s my girl. Why isn’t she waiting for me?”

  Thinking he meant Alice, Katy started to tell him that she was upstairs unpacking her suitcase, but before she got the words out Penny Brooks arrived in a rush and threw herself into the arms he opened for her. Meeting Emlyn’s gaze, she smiled. Everything was going to be all right.

  * * *

  “So what do you think?” Emlyn asked as he poured drinks. His question was directed at the room in general but Katy knew he was asking for her opinion.

  “I think they’re coping very well all things considered,” Alice said, her antennae not attuned to her big brother in the way that Katy’s were.

  “Me too,” said Paul. “But it’s difficult to decide anything after two days. What do you think we should do Katy? Should we ask Mum to stay at home to help to look after Dad, or should we encourage her to continue with her flower arranging?”

  “Flower arranging?” Alice was mystified.

  He grinned at her. “Didn’t we tell you that Katy has organized for Mum to help out with the flowers at Corley Hall, and at the pub? She’s been putting flowers in Emlyn’s office too, although I don’t think he’s as impressed by that as she intended.”

  “Well I am,” Alice nodding approvingly at Katy. “And whenever I think of Mum she’s always surrounded by flowers, so I’m glad you’ve found a way of keeping her involved.”

  “So you think we should let her carry on?” Emlyn asked, handing her a drink.

  “I think we should let her do what she wants,” his sister said, smiling so as to take the sting out of her words. “But if she does want to carry on working then we must make sure she knows it’s okay to do so, and that nobody expects her to stay at home all day looking after Dad.”

  “I think your father would second that,” Katy told them when there was a lull in the conversation. “There’s only so much hands-on nursing anyone can take and although he’s been very patient with her so far, I doubt if he’ll be able to keep it up for much longer.”

  “You mean the sooner she gets back to her flowers the better,” Paul said as they all laughed.

  “In that case I’ll look after him for the time being, while Katy and Mum carry on as usual. I’ve managed to organize enough childcare to spend a month over here. Hopefully that will be long enough for us all to see the way forward for both of them.”

  “Are you sure,” Emlyn couldn’t hide the worry in his voice. “What about Ted? Is he okay with that.”

  “If he wasn’t, then I wouldn’t be here, would I?” His sister’s voice was sharp. “Stop worrying about me Emlyn and start worrying about yourself and that stupid decision you made to resign from Chambers when you moved back to Corley.”

  “Thanks for passing that on,” Emlyn scowled at Paul, who merely raised his glass and took a long drink.

  Katy listened in fascination as the three of them continued to bicker. With no brothers or sisters of her own, she had no experience of the sort of relationship that was unfolding in front of her, and at first she was shocked by their plain speaking. Now though, as she heard the affection lacing each word, she was pierced by an envy that was so strong that she stopped listening as she wondered what it felt like to be part of an extended family. Emlyn’s voice broke into her thoughts, bringing her back to the here and now.

  “I’m sorry, were you talking to me?”

  He smiled at her. “I was asking if you want to join Paul and me for a drink at The Corley Arms while Alice holds the fort here.”

  “Yes, go on,” Alice urged her. “You’ve been working non-stop all weekend so it’s time you had a break.”

  “Thank you but no,” Katy shook her head decisively. “It’s very kind of you to want to include me but this is all about family. I’m happy to help out where I can but you need to make your decisions without me.”

  She didn’t look at Emlyn as she spoke, nor when he followed her into the kitchen with his hands full of empty cans. With an inward sigh he tipped them into the recycling bin and left her to it because he had no intention of doing anything to upset her ever again.

  * * *

  “So how are things?” Izzie had waited until Penny Brooks set off for the greenhouses before she asked the question but now she wanted to know what was happening at Oak Lodge.

  “Everything’s fine,” Katy told her. “She’s coping far better than I thought she would. She seems to feel more secure with everyone at home. I guess it reminds her of what her life used to be like years ago, when her mind was clear and she was the centre of her family.”

  “What’s going to happen
when they leave though? How will she cope then, especially if Emlyn goes too? Jack says he’s talking about it. Apparently his ex-colleagues have pleaded with him to come back.”

  “Yes, I know,” she remembered the conversation she had overheard between Emlyn and Paul late at night, while she was tidying the kitchen, and wished she could forget it. She wished she could forget Emlyn too, but she couldn’t. Although he had been as good as his promise and done nothing to compromise her, his eyes still gave him away. Worried that hers might do the same, she had spent the days since he’d come home refusing to meet his gaze.

  Izzie glanced at her. There it was again, that feeling that something was wrong in Katy’s life. She wished she felt brave enough to ask what it was but there was something so private about her that she didn’t dare. Instead she changed the subject.

  “I wish I could say all was fine with Luke but he’s still not himself. I’ll be glad when Jodie arrives because I’m at a loss, and I know Marcus will be too.”

  “Marcus, is that your brother-in-law?”

  “Yes, he’s due later on today. Marcus is Luke’s father and he loves him dearly but he doesn’t have Jodie’s insight. She’s the only one who can get to the bottom of things when Luke’s upset.”

  “Is he upset then?”

  “Who knows? He’s certainly behaving as if he is but none of us can think of a reason.”

  “Perhaps he’s poorly.”

  Izzie shook her head. “He’s strong as an ox and twice as stubborn. He’s definitely not ill, it’s something else entirely.”

  “Would you like me to go down and see him? I promised to help him with the birds today because he wants everything spick and span for the concert.”

  Laughing at her, Izzie nodded. “Go if you want to. It might cheer him up although there won’t be anything for you to do because spick and span is Luke’s default mode. I doubt if you’ll find a speck of dirt anywhere. I’ll come down a bit later on with cold drinks for both of you.”