Three Weeks Last Spring (31 page)

McCabe glared at the young airman, his anguish almost overcoming his control.
Was there any truth in what he was saying?
Could Walker be in with a chance?
He stared at Walker’s stricken body.
He had his
doubts.
But what did he know?

What he'd been told did sound plausible.
But how could he believe it when every summer the papers were full of articles about people who'd fallen overboard while out sailing and who
ha
d subsequently drowned?
It was a well-known fact that the water in the sound was icy cold all year round and without a survival suit, it was impossible to survive for longer than thirty minutes.
Even by McCabe's estimation Walker had been in
the water far longer than that.

"Someone mentioned a head injury—how serious?
Does it affect his chances?"

"It won't help, that's for sure.
And as for how serious it is, it's difficult to tell without a scan.
There has been some blood loss.
Whidbey has all the equipment standing by.
We'll be landing shortly.
Our medic is doing everything he can.
Your friend looks fairly fit and healthy and he's young—they're all things in his
favor
.
Provided there's no brain injury or cardiac damage, then I'd say he has a slightly less than even chance."

McCabe sat quietly in a corner of the cabin as the helicopter flew low and fast over the sea, in a race between life and death.
The flight seemed to take forever, and during that time his eyes never left Walker's face.
In his mind he repeated the mantra, ‘Don't you die on me, Walker!
Hold on, help is coming, hold on.’

Then suddenly they were on final approach to Whidbey Naval Air Station.
No sooner had the large machine touched down than the doors were thrown back and
the stretcher carrying Walker
was loaded into the waiting ambulance and whisked away at high
speed to the medical facility.

McCabe felt helpless.
Walker's life hung in the balance and would be determined by the skill of the doctors.
All he could do was await
the outcome of their efforts.

The endless night greyed into dawn and still the doctors worked on Walker.
No matter how much McCabe reproached himself, it wasn't going to bring his friend back.
He sat in the waiting area and made himself a promise
.
O
ne way or another he would nail the bastards responsible for this.
Even if it took him the rest of his life, he would follow them to hell and back if he had to, but pay for Walker's life they damn well would.

London, Five Months later.

Skye looked up from the papers on her desk, as John put his head round
the door of her office.

"Hey, Sweet Pea, do you have a few minutes?"

"Sure, I was about due for a break anyw
ay.
What can I help you with?"

John crossed the room in three strides.
He propped a hip on the corner of Skye's desk and studied her face.
She looked well, in truth she looked fantastic.
The dark circles under her eyes, and the sadness in her face, which had
been all too evident when they
first returned from Seattle, had gone.
Her cheeks were flushed pink and her eyes were bright.
In fact, she was a picture of radiant womanhood—a woman whose smile held a depth that had been missing for far too
long.

"Will yo
u have dinner with me tonight?"

Skye leaned back in her chair and laughed.
In the last two months, hardly a week had
passed
without John asking her
to dinner and even though she
felt guilty, she
ha
d always found a reason to turn him down.
And yet she knew she owed him so much—her sanity for one thing.
Without John, she woul
d have never got over the events of spring, but with his gentle encouragement, she learned to pick up the pieces of her life and start anew.
And without him, she would never have got this far in her career either.
She had a lot to thank him for.

"I'd like that. I'd like that very much."

His mood suddenly buoyant, John's expression softened to one of tenderness.
He brushed her cheek with his fingertip.
His mouth curved
with a secret smile.

"Great.
I'll book a table and pick you up about eight.
Any preference what we eat? Italian, Thai, or Chinese?"

"You choose, but please, no Sushi!
I've gone right off fish.
Just let me know whether I need to wear something casual or smart."

"I think we should go up market and push the boat out a bit, don't you?
After all, we deserve it after all the hard work we've put in of late.
And it's not often I get to take my beautiful business partner out to dinner."

Skye's rich laughter f
illed the air.
"
John Ridge, you're the biggest liar I know.
Me, beautiful?
You need to have your eyes examined!
Besides, there was that dinner last week, admittedly there were seven other people present, but I seem to remember you were there too."

"Yes, but I had to share you.
I want you all to myself for one evening, so that I can stare into your magnificent blue eyes and whisper sweet nothings into your ear.
I can't do that with an audience or when I'm sat
at the other end of the table."

"If I didn't know you better I'd say you were flirting with me!
What happened, did your
latest conquest turn you down?"

He placed his hand on his heart and adopted a forlorn expression.
"You wound me.
My intentions are strictly
hono
u
rable
.
Hono
u
rable
that is until after I take you
home and you give me coffee."

"You're incorrigible!
After I give you coffee, you leave end of story."

"You're breaking my heart,
Sweet Pea."

Skye enjoyed their gentle sparring, but that was all she regarded it as—innocent flirtation.
"Away with you!
How many women have you been out with this week, two?
Three?"

"Let me see…
you'll be the
third
.
It is only Thursday after all."
She would be the first, since
they had
arrived back in London, but he wasn't about to admit it.

"Only three?
Careful John you'
ll be losing your reputation."

"Hah, Hah very funny.
Seriously, when did we last have dinner together?"

Skye remained silent.

"Exactly!
You can't remember
anymore
than I can."

"Get out of here and let me do some work, before I change my mind."

John held up his hands in mock surrender.
"I'm going.
Just don't stay too late; I don't like to be kept waiting."
He closed the door behind him, and a heard a s
oft thud, followed by laughter.

Skye picked up her notebook from behind the door, and sat down.
She turned and stared out of the window towards Tower Bridge.
She ha
d come a long way from being the pathetic creature
that
ha
d stepped off the plane from Seattle
five months ago.

In the first few days following her desperate flight from Walker, she
ha
d
decided
that her feelings for him weren't going to ruin her life.
Instead she pushed all thoughts of him to the back of her mind and determinedly set about
building a future for herself.

While her memories of Walker were stark and raw, she hadn't
sat
around moping like a lovesick kitten.
There was no point.
He'd made it blatantly obvious he didn't trust her, even though he appeared to change his mind during the last few hours they
ha
d spent in each other's company.
No, she'd reasoned, if he
really loved her, he would have been in touch.
Instead, all she ha
d received was a che
que
in the mail in settlement of her fee.
No phone calls, not even
so much as a 'thank you' note.

The new software was an outstanding success and countries around the world queued up to buy it.
Dunbar and Ridge Computer Consultants had gained worldwide acclaim and were now financially secure.

On the strength of this, John had rushed out and purchased a new car that was able to go from nought to death in less than six seconds.
He scared the life out of her every time he roared into the car park and no doubt she would require a week of
tranquillizers
to regain her equilibrium after he'd driven her home.
Not to mention a
shoehorn
to get into it in the first place.

John hummed tunelessly as he
walke
d the short distance to his office.
Skye's transformation was amazing.
She had regained her confidence and with it her strength of character.
She'd always been beautiful to him, even at eighteen with a mouth full of braces, but over the last couple of months she'd blossomed like some exotic flower.
Not only was she stunningly attractive and highly intelligent, both qualities he admired but rarely found in a woman, she also possessed some rare inner quality that made her stan
d out from the crowd.

Whilst he hadn't approved when
she ha
d
once more thrown herself head long into her work, he'd kept quiet, later admitting to himself that it kept her mind off Walker.
And it wasn't just work that had brought about this change in her.
In the last five months, she
ha
d learned to sign for the deaf, scuba dive and fence, and they were the things he knew about.
She managed to fill every spare hour with some activity.
And then there was that special project she was working on.
The one she was so secretive about.
He had a feeling it wasn't related to
work—but what was she planning?

Things were finally going his way.
He was
very careful, not to mention Walker's name in her presence.
Why keep her mind focused on the past when the present was far more important, especially to him?
Given the chance he would have welcomed the opportunity to teach the Walker a lesson or two for his despicable
behavior
towards her.

***

Skye
e
merged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel.
She opened the doors of her wardrobe and wondered what to wear.
Moving the hangers along the rail, she selected a long skirt
and
matching blouse then discarded
them
in
favo
u
r
of a trouser suit.

Ordinarily she would have
worn
her
favo
u
rite
jade
colored
dress—the same dress she
had
worn on Debbie's last night at the cabin.
The same night that Walker had joined them for dinner.
Skye sat down on t
he bed, her legs suddenly weak.

"Damn you, Walker!
You could have called me or written after all I did for you.
You can't even do the decent thing and send me my suitcase.
I bet you've thrown it into the sea in a fit of pique.
Well, I
hope you rot in h
ell!
"

Whilst it had been darned inconvenient, clothes and personal items could be replaced—a broken heart took somewhat longer to mend.
Determined not to let thoughts of Walker spoil her evening, Skye held the suit up and stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror.
Twisting this way and that, she used her left hand to hold her hair up off her shoulders and neck.
It was too business-like for an evening with a friend
.

She riffled through the hangers, and settled on a calf length floral strapless summer dress, with a fitted bodice, in shades of yellow and gold.
A little bit frivolous perhaps, but somehow
it
suited her mood.
She pinned her hair up on the top of her head, and left some tendrils to fall in soft
curls around her face.

The doorbell rang just as she put the finishing touches to her make up.
She collected her wrap and pur
se off the bed, and went
downstairs
to open the door
.

For a moment John didn't know what to say, Skye was a vision of loveliness that qui
te simply took his breath away.

"You look stunning."
Unable to stop himself, his hand slipped around her waist, and he softly kissed her cheek.

Taken
aback
by his reaction, Skye stepped to one s
ide, smiling self-consciously.

"My, my, more compliments.
You'll
giv
e
me a big head if you're not careful.
You don’t look bad either."
She said, admiring his striking appearance in a well-tailored suit.
But wow!
Your cologne's so strong it would gas a badger
, s
he added silently.
She took a deep breath.
"I don't look any different now than when I walked into your office as a freshman all those years ago.
Only
older."

"If I recall, you were wearing jeans ripped at the knee, your hair was in a pony tail and your teeth had enough metalwork to cover Buckingham Palace.
The dress is a definite improvement."
He gave her legs a long appraising look.
"As for the rest—I'll be the one to judge how you look.
Are you ready?"

Skye stared at the gleaming, sleek, red Ferrari parked on her drivewa
y.

"You are sure you can handle that thing?
You won't drive too fast will you?
I'd rather like to arrive looking as I do now, not as if I've been pulled through a hedge back
wards at ninety miles an hour."

"I promise I won't go over the posted speed limit, even if
it makes us late for our table.
"
He held open the passenger door.
"Now, I hope you don't mind, but I thought we'd dine out of town.
I've booked a table at a place in Richmond down by the river.
It's such a lovely evening I thought you
would
enjoy the setting."

The leather of the seat
felt
cold against her skin, Skye watched in admiration as John lowered his tall frame into the impossibly low car.
Her fingers tightened imperceptibly on her small evening
purse
as the engine started with a growl and the needle on the speedometer climbed frighteningly quickly.
Twenty minutes later, when John pulled smoothly into the restaurant's car park, Skye breathed a sigh of
relief.
Tranquillizers
for a week?
Ma
ke that two and triple strength, she mentally amended as John handed
her out of the passenger seat.

The restaurant was impressive, the décor tasteful, and the lighting subdued.
As the waiter showed them to their table, John smiled secretively.
He'd chosen this restaurant especially for its quiet and sophisticated ambiance.
When a waiter appeared at their table with a rose, Skye was rendered momentarily speechless.
She accepted it graciously and breathed in its he
ady bouquet.

"If you treat all your lady friends this wa
y they must be very impressed."

"You're the exception.
The others are lucky if the
y get a McDonald's Happy Meal."

Two dimples appeared in Skye's cheek as she suppressed her giggles.

"Yeah, right, and I just stepped off the boat last week
.
So, why all this?
Are you after a pay rise, because if so, the answer's no."

"Skye
, if I wanted a pay rise I'd take one.
Does there have to be a
reason for us to have dinner?"

"No, but this is pushing the boat way out the other side of the ocean."

"So?"

"So, we could have gone somewhere, well, less
expensive."

"How do you know how expensive this is?
The
re are no prices on your menu."

"Exactl
y!
That's what's worrying me."

"Relax,
I can afford it."

"Yes, but can I?
Or is this my share o
f the profits you're spending?"

John's smile deepened into laughter.
It was good, to see the teasing laughter back in her eyes.
Not only did she look stunning, but for the first time in months, she was radiantly happy too.
The feelings of protectiveness that he'd felt for so long turned into something far deeper and sensuous.
He could barely stop himself from staring, and every time his gaze met hers, he felt a rush of something far more intense than just
friendship.

Skye sipped her wine, and agree
d
that John's choice of restaurant
was
a good one.
The food was superb and cooked to perfection, the wine heady and the company amusing.
And, lingering over desert, she admit
ted
she felt a sense of co
ntentment.

John guided her out of the restaurant towards his car.

"On
ce round the universe or home?"

"Home, please.
Whilst I have no doubt that this car is more than capab
le of gravity defying speeds, I woul
d prefer you to keep all four wheels o
n the road, if you don't mind."

John merely nodded.
Although his fingers held the wheel lightly, inside he was anything but calm.
He
man
o
euvered
the Ferrari out of the parking bay and opened the throttle.
The evening had gon
e well, but it wasn't over yet.

A short time later, he took Skye's key out of the lock
and
handed it to her, his large hand lingering in hers slightly longer than necessary.
He leaned forwar
d and gently kissed her cheek.

"Thank you for a lovely evening," said Skye.
"
Would you like to come
in for a coffee?"

John allowed Skye's question to hang on the air
for a moment before answering
.

"I'd like that, but only if you're sure it's not too late."

"I don't think I'll turn into Cinderella just yet.
Go through and take a seat in the study and help yourself to a brandy.
I'll bring the tray through in a moment."

John wandered around the room, before
standing
next to the fireplace.
He always felt comfortable in Skye's home.
The study opened out onto her garden and on warm summer evenings she would throw back the
patio
doors and allow the heady scents to fill the room.
Of the two
reception
rooms, this was his
favorite
.
Small, comfortable and filled with books, it had a co
z
y intimate feeling, which he preferred over the more formal lounge with its elegant fixtures and furniture
that she used for entertaining.

"Put a match to the fire if you're feeling a little chilly."
Skye placed the tray on
the table in front of the sofa.

"I'm not cold.
How about you?"

"I'm fine.
But I will have a brandy if you're pouring."

John crossed to the cabinet where Skye kept the decanter.
He carried it back to the table, and poured two generous measures into the snifters she
ha
d placed on the tray.
He sat next to her on the sofa.
Relaxing back into the cushions, he crossed his long legs and took a sip from his glass.
The amber liquid slid down his throat, warming the pit of his stomach.
He placed his own glass on the table and reached over and took Skye's from her hand, a strange eager look flashed into his eyes.

"
T
here’s something I want to ask to you."

"What is it?"

Uncertain of what her reaction would be, John hesitated and gathered his thoughts. He'd been rehearsing what to say for days, and now the moment had arrived, his mind was filled with a crazy mixture of hope and fear.
Aw
kwardly, he cleared his throat.

"We've known each other what, thirteen years?"

"
Fif
teen, but who's c
ounting?"

"And during
that time
, we've come to know each other really well.
We know each other's mood swings, strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes.
We rarely argue.
In fa
ct we make a darned good team."

"I suppose we do, but where are you going with this?
Do you want to break up the partne
rship?
Is that what
you’re saying
?"

"That's the very last thing on my mind."

"Then I don't un
derstand.
Is there a problem?"

He took Skye's left hand in his, and watched her face for any sign of objection.

"What I am trying to say is this
;
Skye
,
will you marry me?"
His intense brown eyes met her blue ones as he took the small
jewel
l
er’s
box from
his pocket with his free hand.

"John, I…
it's…
"
Skye's lower lip trembled.
As she tried to comprehend what she was hearing, John's stammering v
oice became a buzz in her ears.