Snowbound With The Single Dad. Laura Iding

Her eyes looked down, as if she was hesitant to say any more. ‘Life hasn’t turned out the way she expected. Jess should be married with a family to love and I’m hoping that’s what she’ll get. Just give her a little time.’

      She pointed to the next set of doors. ‘She’s down there. Go and say hello.’

      Was this better or worse?

      His curiosity had just scaled up about ten notches.

      He wanted to give Jess time to tell him—he really did. There was just that little edge of wariness. That lingering feeling left by a previous experience.

      Jess was nothing like Kirsten, Drew’s mother. They weren’t even in the same ballpark. But it didn’t stop his slightest sense of unease as he walked down the corridor.

      He pushed the feelings to one side. He’d already made up his mind about what he wanted to do next. He wanted to see how Jess would react. And he wouldn’t know unless he tried.

      Finally he caught sight of Jess’s caramel-coloured hair. She was sitting talking to a little girl with curly hair with her leg in a bright pink fibreglass cast. It was Rosie, from the minibus accident.

      He stuck his head around the door. ‘Knock, knock.’

      Jess looked surprised to see him. ‘Callum, what are you doing here?’

      ‘I phoned and left you a message. Didn’t you get it?’

      She shook her head then turned to the woman sitting next to her. ‘Carol, this is Callum Ferguson. He’s one of the fire rescue crew who were at the accident. He helped get Rosie out of the bus.’

      ‘It’s him, Mummy! It’s him!’ Having a cast on hadn’t seemed to limit Rosie’s movements. She wiggled over to the edge of the bed. ‘The one I told you about.’

      Rosie’s mum stood up and held out her hand. ‘Callum, my daughter has been talking about you non-stop. She seems to think you’re a superhero. She saw you abseil down the side of the riverbank.’

      Callum felt a little rush of blood to his cheeks. This was the last thing he had been expecting. He shook his head and knelt down beside the bed. ‘You’re much braver than me, Rosie. You tumbled down the bank in the minibus. That must have been really scary. The way I got down wasn’t scary at all.’

      Rosie held out her hands and reached round Callum’s neck, giving him a big hug.

      Jessica was watching. Watching—and trying to keep the smile from her face at his appearance. Callum seemed totally at ease, not in the least fazed by the little girl’s action. Thank goodness. She had him on some sort of pedestal.

      But it was kind of nice. Almost as if he was used to being in contact with kids.

      Callum leaned back and tapped the pink cast. ‘How is your leg? I love the colour of your cast.’

      Rosie smiled. ‘Thank you. Dr Rae and I have the same favourite colour. That’s why I picked pink.’

      ‘Well, I think it looks great. Your leg will be all better soon.’

      Jess stood up and gave Carol and Rosie a smile. ‘I’ll leave you two. You can give me a call if you need me.’ She nodded her head towards the door. ‘Callum?’

      She could smell his aftershave. It wasn’t familiar. It was different from the one he’d used the day they’d abseiled back up the slope. It was more spicy, with richer tones. She liked it.

      They walked along the corridor. Callum waved his hand, in which he had a big brown envelope. ‘I’ve typed up the statement from the other day. I need you to read over it and sign it.’

      She felt a flutter of disappointment. Business. Purely business. That’s why Callum was here. Not for any other reason. A strange lump was forming in her throat. Once she’d signed the statement she would have no reason to ever see Callum again.

      Her heart had leapt when he’d appeared. She hated it when it did that. She kept telling herself over and over again that this was nothing. This meant nothing. Just some wild, crazy coincidence that their paths had crossed again. This was work-related.

      He turned to face her and she tried hard not to stare at his chest, which was instantly in her view.

      She raised her eyes to meet his bright green ones. It was one of the first things she’d ever noticed about Callum, his startling green eyes.

      ‘I can read the statement now, it will only take a couple of minutes.’ There was no point turning this into something it wasn’t. She saw him glancing at his watch, it was nearly six o’clock in the evening. He would be finished for the day—just the way she should be. Was he worried about being late? Did he have a date? Maybe that blonde from the fire station?

      She hated the way that thought made her stomach curl.

      ‘Have you finished for the day?’

      ‘What?’

      He’d moved a little closer and was towering over her, an impatient edge to his voice.

      ‘I mean have you finished? You can’t be on call again. I want you to come somewhere with me.’

      She pulled back a little. There was something a little weird about him. Was he nervous?

      She looked around her. The ward had quietened down. All patients had been seen, all prescriptions and instructions written. ‘Yes, yes, I’m finished.’ She was feeling a bit bewildered. A few seconds ago she had been sure everything was business as usual. He needed a signature to get the job finished so he could be on his way. And that had made her sad.

      Now what?

      A smile broke across Callum’s face. ‘Then get your coat.’ She was turning towards her office when she heard him mutter something under his breath. ‘You’ve pulled.’

      She let out a burst of laughter and spun back around. ‘Did you just say what I think you did?’

      It had been a joke between them. A daft teenage saying that both had used years before. But it came totally out of the blue and instantly took her back thirteen years.

      Callum’s shoulders were shaking. ‘Sorry, I couldn’t resist it.’

      Jessica stuck her hand around the office door and pulled out her woollen coat. There was a flash of bright pink. ‘Think you can cope?’ she asked as she wound her purple scarf around her neck and fastened the buttons on the bright coat.

      He just nodded. ‘You did warn me about the bright pink coat, and knowing you I wouldn’t have expected anything less. Do you have gloves?’

      She stuck her hands in the coat pocket and pulled out a pair of purple leather gloves. ‘Sure. Why?’

      ‘It’s a nice night out there. Just a little dusting of snow. I’d like to walk instead of drive. Are you okay with that?’

      She pulled out a woolly hat and stuck it on her head. ‘I’m game if you are. But you’ve got me curious now. Where are we going?’

      He gestured towards the door. ‘Let’s find out.’

      They walked quickly through the lightly falling snow. It was pitch dark already—darkness fell quickly in winter in Scotland. The streetlights cast a bright orange glow across the wet pavements.

      ‘So where are you taking me?’

      Callum drew in a breath. He was still getting over the fact he’d asked her. It had been totally instinctive. He’d only made the decision once he’d set foot on the ward—particularly after what Pauline had said to him. The words had come out before he’d even had a chance to think about them. A signature would have meant he’d have no excuse to see Jesssica again. And he wasn’t quite ready for that.

      Drew was at mini-kicker football tonight. He went every week with Julie and Blair’s son. One week Callum gave them dinner and took them, the next week Julie and Blair