Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jack took one look at the room and dropped Tiggy’s bed on the floor. This place was horrible. Beyond horrible.
He sank onto the bed and put his head in his hands.
This had been a terrible idea. He’d thought he’d be able to come, be a good friend, cheer her up and tell her his plans.
Instead it had just muddied the waters and he had to admit that the real reason wasn’t for Bets or for Tiggy.
It was for him; he’d wanted to see Bets.
Why was he torturing himself like this? Especially now, when there couldn’t be anything between them. It just wouldn’t be fair.
Unfortunately, being fair and listening to his heart were two very different things.
Who knew that missing her was like a physical ache, a hole where his heart should be?
He’d stupidly fallen back in love with her and damn it, she’d been so pleased to see him.
If she’d been standing up, he would have swept her into his arms and kissed the life out of her.
But that wouldn’t be fair because he was going to leave.
Forcing himself to his feet, taking another look around the dreary room, he took a quick peep at the huge bathroom with its pre-war décor and the rusty enamel bath and the shower at one end. He couldn’t let her stay here.
Without hesitation, he scooped Tiggy’s bed up again and marched down the stairs and out into the garden, where Tiggy had already wolfed down her tea and was looking disconsolately at the bowl as if more food might magically materialise.
‘Tiggy can’t stay here,’ he announced, dumping the bed on the table, almost knocking over the empty glasses.
Bets blinked at him in surprise.
‘It’s a dump.’
‘I did tell you that.’
‘Tonight, you can stay somewhere nicer,’ said Jack folding his arms. There was no way he was letting Bets stay here when there was a very luxurious Airbnb available.
It had been the only one he could find in the area that was available and he’d had to pay for the minimum of three nights to secure the booking.
‘Come on, grab some things and we’ll go there and then find somewhere for dinner. ’
‘I need to be on set for eight-thirty tomorrow morning.’
‘No problem, I need to be back in Wilsgrave by two, tomorrow afternoon. We’ve got a complex operation and I’m supporting Devon.’
‘Why aren’t Sandra or Diane doing it?’ asked Bets.
Jacks grinned at her. ‘Because I’m chief nurse.’
‘What?’ Bets began. Jack acting as a nurse? That didn’t make sense.
He shrugged and his gaze slid away to study the horizon, which immediately made her suspicious. ‘I’m just doing a little nursing cover in your absence.’
‘How much nursing cover?’ she asked with scepticism. ‘And for whom… Oh.’ She grabbed his chin and made him look at her.
‘What?’ His airy tone didn’t fool her.
‘You’re covering for me.’
He shrugged. ‘Don’t know what you mean.’
‘Did you offer to cover so I could take this role?’
‘Well, it was the logical thing to do. Jane was coming back and there weren’t enough vet hours for me, so it was a win-win for all concerned.’
‘Oh Jack.’ Her voice cracked and she grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight.
‘Thank you. I can’t believe you did that and that you’ve driven all this way for one night.
’ She looked at him with luminous, soft eyes making him feel like he’d done something truly special.
He immediately felt guilty; Bets shouldn’t ever feel beholden to him in any way.
He shrugged again. ‘It was important. That’s what good friends do.’ If he reiterated it enough, he might get the message himself.
‘Jack, you idiot,’ she said and punched his arm, a faint flush on her cheeks.
‘You’re worth it,’ he said curtly. ‘And I’m a hero. So let’s go.’
* * *
‘Wow,’ said Bets as they pulled up outside the solitary house perched on the side of the moorland. ‘There’s not another house in sight.’
Remote didn’t begin to describe it. They’d just driven up the single track, punctuated by occasional cattle grids, for over a mile.
Wild scrubland, with gorse, bracken and heather, extended on either side of them as far as the eye could see.
Occasionally, a sheep would appear, ambling along the road oblivious to the car.
Tiggy, with her nose pressed against the window, was intrigued by them and clearly would have liked to make friends if she’d got the chance.
Jack opened the front door and led them in, Tiggy sniffing at the floor like an over-enthusiastic vacuum cleaner.
The stone-flagged floor led into a huge atrium, open to exposed roof trusses, with a staircase hugging the lefthand wall and a glass walkway crossing above them, joining the upper floors on left and right.
‘Wow, again,’ said Bets, dumping her bags on the floor doing a quick three-sixty. ‘Holy Moly. How much did you pay for this place?’
Jack ignored her. ‘There are two bedrooms upstairs. A master suite with an en suite and a guest room.’ And this had been a terrible idea. Now the proximity and the thought of being alone here were playing havoc with his emotions. He wanted her but he couldn’t have her.
‘Jack,’ she insisted. ‘How much did you pay?’
‘What does it matter? We’re here now.’ He didn’t want her making more of it than necessary, or for her to guess how he really felt about her. It was too late. And if she did guess, he didn’t want her to feel sorry for him.
He crossed the hallway to the right into a large open-plan kitchen. Bets followed him and immediately homed in on the big wicker basket welcome pack on the wooden-topped breakfast bar.
‘Lots of goodies here,’ she said. He joined her as she unpacked a loaf of bread, butter, half a dozen eggs, two packs of cheese, a punnet of strawberries and a bottle of wine as well as packets of local biscuits, crisps and a sticky toffee pudding.
He dropped Tiggy’s bed in one corner of the kitchen.
‘This is so nice, Jack. You must have paid a fortune. Are you going to tell me how much?’ Bets gave him a hard stare.
He smiled at her. ‘Let’s get unpacked and then we could have a drink in the garden.
’ She’d be horrified when she heard how much he’d spent and he didn’t want her reading more into it than it really was.
It had been the only place he could get and coming here in her hour of need was the sort of thing a good friend did, didn’t they?
At least that’s what he kept telling himself.
He walked out and carried his bag up the staircase.
‘You’re having the master suite then,’ yelled Bets seconds later as she followed him up the steps with Tiggy at her heels. ‘As you must have bankrupted yourself for this place.’
Jack swallowed. ‘Sure, if that’s what you want.’ Damn, he’d never intended to bring her here, so the idea of sharing a room hadn’t even entered his head until now. Now he felt a bit slimy and as if he were leading her on. He needed to tell her, so that she didn’t get the wrong idea.
‘Look, Bets. I never thought you’d visit here. So there’s no hidden agenda or ulterior motive. I’d hate you to think that—’
‘Jack, if you were trying to get me into bed, you’d never have been this subtle or thoughtful about it.
’ She walked up to him, dropped her bag at his feet, right in the middle of the glass walkway, caught his face in her hands and kissed him smack on the mouth.
He was too surprised to move at first, but luckily Bets knew what she wanted and angled her lips over his and coaxed the kiss from him.
Her arms went around his neck, her fingers stroking the nape and sending a little shiver down his spine.
She pressed her body into his, her soft breasts against his chest. For a moment he stiffened.
He shouldn’t do this but his body was shouting louder than his brain and the temptation to give in was just too strong.
With an involuntary groan, he wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss, revelling in the feel of her body held against his.
Familiar and yet exciting. His hands skimmed her waist, remembering the softness of her skin.
Sensation crept down his body, vertebra by vertebra, and blood flooded to his groin.
Desire, fierce and possessive, made him kiss her with more passion, even though he knew he should be pulling back.
This was wrong. But Bets responded, her body melting beneath his hands and her lips ravaging his with the same desperation.
He had to pull back. Had to stop this. Before it went any further. He loved her but he couldn’t hurt her again.
He forced himself to pull back, straightening his limbs to put her at arm’s length.
‘Bets. We can’t do this.’ The words were wrenched from him because he knew he had to be honest.
Her eyes went wary.
‘I’m sorry. This isn’t right.’
‘Oh,’ she said and immediately chagrin took over her face. ‘Sorry.’ She tried to pull away sharply but he caught her arms. This wasn’t her fault and she had nothing to be ashamed of.
‘Don’t be sorry.’ He couldn’t help himself; he laid a hand on her cheek.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t want to lead you on.
’ He saw the flash of bleak sorrow in her eyes and regret kicked him hard in the stomach.
She was absolutely the last person he wanted to hurt.
Sometimes there was no easy way, you just had to rip the plaster off.
‘Bets, I’m going to Australia.’