Sara's Child (25 page)

Nodding, the other woman smiles radiantly. “And I’ve had a chance to talk to Ryan Tempest in person.” Spinning her head from left to right and craning her neck for a better view, Gail plops back on her heels with a huff. “I hope he hasn’t gone - he’s soooo handsome - his voice was enough to make my knees go weak but his eyes…”

A deep gravelly voice sounds from behind them. “Ladies, have you had a chance to look around?”

Shenna turns to see Ryan Tempest giving Gail a charming smile. “Is Terry with you Gail?” she asks pointedly, not taking her eyes off of Ryan Tempest.

Her friend gives a nervous laugh. “Well of course he is,” Gail frowns curiously at Shenna then aims another gushing smile at Ryan Tempest, “Terry is just getting us some tea from the refreshment stand - which you very thoughtfully provided.”

“It’s a cold night, a hot cup of tea warms the cockles,” he returns her smile then turns to Shenna. “May I get you a cup, Mrs Williams?”

Gail falters. “You’ve met?” she asks.

“Briefly,” Ryan nods. “Now, about that tea, may I get you a cup?”

“No, thank you,” she tells him curtly, though she would dearly love a cup of hot tea.

“Then I’ll leave you to wander round,” he tells her, his smile taking on a hard edge. “The question and answer session will start in half an hour,” and giving a brief nod of his head he walks away into the crowd.

“You don’t like him…?” Gail asks surprise in her voice.

No I don’t like him…but I don’t know why, damn it!

“I don’t know him,” Shenna hedges and moves away to look at the info-stands. “I remember reading about some of this - this one in particular.” Pointing to a photo of a dig site in Africa she reads the blurb supplied to remind her of the details. “Yes…quite a haul and Tempest had been in charge of that dig too.”
I bet all of the digs on display here were headed up by the big-I-am Tempest!

“Wow,” Gail looks at Shenna’s snarling lips and takes a step back in mock fear, “you should see your face - if looks could kill, and that photo were the man himself, I swear he would have just keeled over and died.”

“Who just died…?” Terry finally arrives back at Gail’s side with two cups of steaming tea.

Gail takes her tea and swats his arm. “No one died - we were just talking.”

“Where’s Tommy,” Shenna asks looking around at the same time, “I thought you were bringing him with you?”

“We did,” Gail looks at her husband with a questioning frown, “what did you do with him?”

“The dig people are doing a special talk, over in the corner there, aimed at the kids.” Terry points over with his chin.

Shenna watches the children’s reactions and is pleased with what she sees. “Smart - getting the kids on-board, and to be fair they’re doing an excellent teaching session.”

“High praise indeed,” Ryan Tempest tells her having found out that she herself is a teacher, “perhaps you will lend the dig your support now that you’ve seen we’re not about to destroy the forest and everything living in it?”

Turning to him more fully, Shenna’s eyes are cold as ice. “You don’t need my support - you’ve got these people eating out of your hand.”

Looking deep into her green eyes, Ryan wonders what is behind her open hostility. “Need…no, you’re right, we don’t need it - the dig will go ahead no matter what, it’s too important not too,” he tells her bluntly. “But you live right on top of the dig site, if you give it your blessing how could anyone else object?”

So…maybe that’s what you were doing in my forest the other day, trying to find me to sell me the idea and head off the worst of the protests, should there be any. Clever…and conniving!

“Clever, but you overestimate my influence in the community,” she tells him with a lift of her chin. “I home tutor some of the children in these parts, but that’s the extent of my ‘influence’.”

A waving hand near the makeshift stage gets Ryan’s attention. “I hope you’ll all be staying for the talk, I’d be interested to hear what you think after.” He addresses them all, but it’s clear that it is Shenna’s opinion he is courting.

They all three nod their heads but Shenna determines to leave the minute the talk is over. She isn’t normally a coward and frowns at the idea of running away from another encounter with Tempest.

I am not running away - it’s just a good opportunity to get some marking done while Neirin is on a sleepover with the twins. So there!

An hour later Shenna settles down in the cottage with a large mug of strong tea and a pile of marking. It isn’t late, but she is already in her pyjamas and feeling ready to relax over her work.

She enjoys teaching, she doesn’t need the money to enable her to live well, Cade had seen to her financial security before he’d died, but it gave her a lot of pleasure.

Shenna thought of Tommy Edmunds, Gail and Terry’s almost six year old son and one of Neirin’s best friends. He had been struggling at school and Gail had sought her out after getting a good report from Jaden’s mum about her home tutoring. That was how they’d met, and now she was one of Shenna’s very small circle of friends.

Tommy has benefitted greatly from their one to one sessions over the Skype connection she regularly uses. His self-confidence has gone from non-existent to moderately confident, and it pleases her greatly - especially now that Gail has enrolled him in the home tutoring scheme that knowing Shenna has introduced her to.

A solid knock on her front door makes Shenna jump and slop her tea over one of the papers she is marking.

“Bloody hell!” Getting up quickly she begins shaking the paper to get rid of the tea and walks distractedly across the lounge to open the door.

Startled, Shenna looks up into the amused face of Ryan Tempest and feels her temper rise. “Look what you made me do,” and thrusts the tea stained paper under his nose, “I was busy marking papers when you decided to try knocking my door down.” Taking a breath and a moment to actually look at him properly, Shenna feels an uncomfortable knot tightening in her stomach.
Damn it…you shouldn’t be here…you shouldn’t…

“My apologies for disturbing you,” his amusement has vanished along with his smile. “I’ll leave you to your work.”

“What!” she half shouts the word at him. “The damage is done - what the hell do you want?” Shenna has never been so ungracious in her life and has no idea what possessed her.

His own temper flaring, Ryan watches her push her long mane of red hair back over her narrow shoulders then realises she is actually wearing her pyjamas.

“I really do apologies for disturbing you,” he tells Shenna, his deep quiet voice rumbling up her spine. “I merely wanted some feedback - I looked for you, and your friends, after the talk but they told me you’d had to leave.”

Feeling an idiot, standing at her front door in her pyjamas, not to mention freezing half to death, Shenna moves back and waves an arm to invite Tempest in.

“I’ll just be a minute,” she tells him and waves a hand towards an armchair to offer him a seat.

“If you’re going to change, you needn’t do so on my account,” Ryan tells her and feels his lips tilt up at the corner.

Blushing, Shenna continues to her bedroom where she quickly pulls on a fleece lined tracksuit - one she would normally wear to go for a run in just this sort of weather.

“Tea…?” she asks when Ryan looks up on her return to the sitting-room. “Or I do have coffee…I just don’t drink it as much.”
And I’m rambling. Just slow down and hope he says no to the tea then get him out of here…fast!

“I’d love one, thanks,” and actually smiles so that his blue eyes twinkle at her.

Damn!

“How do you take it?”

“Black no sugar, thanks.” Ryan watches her turn to enter the kitchen and finds himself focusing on her neat bottom.
She’s taken care of herself. Trim and toned despite having a child…a son…Neirin, an unusual name for a boy. Perhaps he’s named for his dead father? No, no…his name was Cade…

“Here we go,” Shenna breaks into his thoughts by handing him a mug of tea.

Young to be a widow…I wonder what happened.

Retaking her seat on the settee where her papers were now gathered up, Shenna tucks her legs up under her and watches him over her mug, only to find herself being studied in return.

“What do you want to ask me?” she asks when the silence lengthens uncomfortably and he still hasn’t stopped studying her. “Surely you got enough feedback from the people who were still there.”

Shaking his head, Ryan sits forward in his seat and a different expression, that she has a hard time defining, comes over his handsome features.

“Not as informed,” he tells her, causing Shenna to sit up straighter, “they meant well, most of them, but it was mostly superficial hand shaking and polite smiles - you were mingling, you know most of these people; what were they really thinking? Did they voice any actionable concerns - anything that we can do something to allay?”

He actually sounds concerned - maybe I haven’t given him enough credit.

“There were a few hardliners, you won’t change their minds no matter what - they just don’t like the idea of being invaded on mass by a bunch of strangers.”

“Six,” Ryan interrupts her, “that’s how many of us there will be - no more than six.”

“Ok,” she nods thoughtfully, “I suppose I could let that snippet of information circulate when I next go in to the library.”

He nods but stays silent.

“Mostly it was parents who use the forest with their children who had the greatest concerns,” she informs him, and again gives that thought some consideration. “You halfway won them over with your teaching session that you already know I approved of.” Again he nods but to her annoyance continues to remain silent and a frown darkens her brow. “I suppose you could build on that by setting aside a visitors area - perhaps something structured so that you don’t get people dropping by at all times of the day,” she suggests, and this time she determines to stay quiet and sips her tea.

Reading her perfectly, Ryan is pleased that his ploy of forcing her to speak has gleaned some useful information.

“By structured, do you mean a time-table for visitors or an actual structure to house a display in?”

“Both, if possible,” she suggests and finds herself getting interested in the teaching possibilities. “If you could set something up one day a week I could organise a couple of teaching sessions grouping them by age - I already take groups into the forest, that would expand the children’s interest nicely and tie in some local history into the bargain.”

Ryan is fascinated by the glow of enthusiasm he can see growing and watches her mind tick over with a dozen different thoughts.
Not the stern widow woman now are you. It’s like you’ve just come alive after a long sleep…or maybe I’m just being stupidly fanciful. Get a grip, Tempest!

Getting to his feet Ryan looks down at Shenna, her feet drawn up under her on the settee. “If you wouldn’t mind putting your idea down on paper - and anything else you might think of,” he urges as he watches her uncurl herself like a contented cat, “I’d be very grateful and will give your idea of a visitors centre some serious thought.”

He watches her move barefoot towards him, no doubt to show him out but he doesn’t move.

You even walk like a cat, all grace and beauty with a mane of red hair any cat would enjoy having stroked…

“Mr Tempest…?” Shenna tilts her head to look up at him with questioning eyes.

Cats eyes…green and slightly tilted up at the corners…

“Mr Tempest…are you alright?” she asks her growing concern in her voice as well as her eyes.

Giving his head a shake, Ryan manages to break free of her spell. “Sorry…sorry…just getting carried away with the visitors centre idea.” Moving to the door he allows Shenna to open it and steps out into the cold evening air. “Thank you again, Mrs Williams, you’ve been most helpful.”

Chapter Three

Having slept fitfully again, Shenna moves around the kitchen, getting breakfast for herself and Neirin, in less than her usually efficient manner.

“Is that daddy’s shirt?” Neirin sits himself down at the breakfast table and watches his mother go from cupboard to fridge and back to the table.

Looking down at herself, Shenna realises she has forgotten that she got out of bed in the middle of the night again and pulled on one of Cade’s shirts she still kept.

“Yes, I sometimes use them as a nightie,” she explains, but gives herself a rap on the knuckles for not changing as she usually did before Neirin could see her in it.

Watching his mother pour his favourite cereal into a bowl, Neirin appears untroubled and quite content with her answer.

Am I feeling guilty because my carelessness could have upset my son, or because I felt the need to wear one of Cade’s shirts in the first place? The latter - I think. But it worked…again…I didn’t have any more inappropriate dreams about Ryan Tempest!

And where are they coming from anyway - I don’t even like the man! Why would I even dream about letting him put his hands all over me that way!

“Mum?” Neirin had clearly been trying to get her attention for a while as his voice was full of annoyance.