Worth the Risk (13 page)

‘It’s fabulous.’ Ally climbed inside and fingered the upholstery with awe. ‘You lucky thing.’

‘Surely you could afford a decent car if you wanted one?’ Sean frowned across at her as he fastened his seat belt. ‘I can’t understand why you struggle so much financially. You must earn a reasonable salary.’

Ally’s jaw set as she stared out of the window. She did. A very reasonable salary. But she also had debts. Debts she didn’t want to explain to him.

‘We’re going to be late, Sean,’ she said pointedly, and he stared at her for a moment and then gave a little shrug.

‘None of my business. Fine.’

He released the handbrake and they drove to the park where the fireworks were being held.

There was a huge crowd there already and Charlie gasped when she saw the size of the bonfire.

‘Oh, Mum, look! Can I go closer—please?’

Ally hesitated, naturally protective. ‘Well, I don’t know. You have to be careful, sweetheart—’

‘I’ll take her,’ Sean said easily, swinging the little girl onto his shoulders and pacing across the field. Ally watched them go, trying to work out why she felt so anxious. Was it really because of the fire or was it because Sean was striking up such a good relationship with Charlie? Was this just another of his ploys to get close to her? Shaking off her worries, she made her way to the refreshment tent, smiling at people she knew and queuing up for some coffee. There was a slight commotion in the crowd of people just outside the tent and, peering out, she recognised Mary Thompson’s husband, laughing loudly—too loudly. His wife was hovering anxiously at his elbow. Was he drunk?

Forgetting about the coffee, she pushed her way back outside. At first there were no signs of the Thompsons and then she heard raised voices and saw them on the edge of the field under some trees, obviously arguing. Geoff Thompson was shouting at his wife aggressively, and as she watched he raised his arm and hit Mary so hard that she staggered.

With a cry of outrage Ally sprinted across to them, giving no thought to what would happen when she got there. She just knew she had to stop him. As she ran up she saw that Mr Thompson was indeed very, very drunk.

‘Just leave me alone and stop nagging, you stupid woman!’ He rocked slightly on his feet and turned his head, bleary-eyed, as he noticed Ally for the first time. ‘Wha’ do you want?’

‘Oh, Dr McGuire!’ Mary covered her mouth with a hand to keep back the sobs which were shaking her body. Blood was pouring from a nasty cut on her head. ‘Go away, please.’

‘He hit you, Mary.’ Ally’s voice was controlled but her blood was boiling.

‘And I’ll hit you if you don’t keep your nose out of it.’ Mr Thompson stepped towards her, grabbing Ally by the jacket and giving her a rough push. She kept her balance—just—but now she was really angry.

‘I don’t advise it, Mr Thompson,’ she said coldly, turning her attention back to Mary. ‘I need to have a look at that cut, Mary.’

‘I said keep your nose out of it! Come any closer and you’ll have more than a cut to worry about,’ Mr Thompson growled, and stepped towards her again, his fists raised.

‘Lay one finger on her and you won’t be walking for a month.’ The icy words came from behind her and Ally felt a surge of relief as she heard Sean’s voice. ‘Ally, get Mrs Thompson to the first-aid tent. I’ll see you there in a minute.’

Without arguing, Ally slipped an arm round the woman’s shoulders and glanced at Sean. There was something menacing about the hard set of his jaw and the glint in his eyes. Mr Thompson obviously thought so, too, because he started to bluster about it all being a big mistake.

‘Sean, where’s Charlie?’

He didn’t turn. ‘With Jack.’

Of course. She should have known he wouldn’t bring her daughter into danger. She hurried Mary towards the tent and settled her in a chair. One of the St John’s Ambulance crew came across and offered sympathy while Ally assessed the damage. Fortunately the cut was fairly superficial.

‘This looks much worse than it is, Mary. Scalps always bleed a lot, but it doesn’t need stitches. I’ll just put some paper strips across it but you’re going to have a glorious black eye.’

She delved into the first-aid kit proffered by her uniformed helper just as Sean strode into the tent. His face was grim.

‘How is she?’

Ally shrugged. ‘The physical damage is fairly superficial but as for the rest…’

Sean gave a brief nod. ‘In that case, I want a quick word outside.’

Ally looked surprised but finished dressing the cut and rose to her feet, giving Mary a quick pat on the hand. ‘Mary, do you have somewhere to stay tonight? I think you’d better leave Geoff to sober up and then we can work out what we’re going to do about him.’

‘I have a friend who will let me stay with her,’ said Mary quietly, ‘but the only one who can do anything about Geoff is himself. I’ve tried my best…’

‘Then hopefully, this night spent without you will make him see what he is in danger of losing,’ Ally squeezed her hand. ‘Stay here for a while, and someone will contact your friend for you. There will be a solution, Mary, believe me.’

Mary gave a small shake of her head and accepted the tea that the St John’s Ambulance woman was offering her.

Outside the tent Ally turned to look at the bonfire, anxious about Charlie, but Sean planted a hand on her shoulder and dragged her round to face him.

‘What the hell were you playing at?’

She stared into the naked fury in his dark eyes and frowned as his strong fingers bit into her shoulders. ‘What do you mean?’

‘What do I mean?’ He stared at her incredulously and gave her a little shake. ‘For goodness’ sake, woman, do I have to spell it out? A drunken man has a go at his wife and you intervene.’

‘And?’

His mouth tightened. ‘And it could have been you next.’

She frowned. ‘Well, I was glad to see you, that’s for sure—thanks for that, Sean.’

He released her with a sigh of frustration and dragged both hands through his hair. ‘You just don’t get it, do you? You could have been seriously hurt, but if there’s something you want to do then you just do it, don’t you, no matter how many people might be worrying about you?’

‘Hold on.’ She stared at him, her irritation mounting. ‘You’re saying I should have stood back and let him wallop her?’

‘If necessary.’ Sean gritted his teeth. ‘You could have called for me or Jack or the police—anything rather than just wading in yourself. It was just luck that I saw what was going on.’

‘Well, I didn’t have time for that—he was hitting her, for goodness’ sake!’ Her eyes blazed angrily and he gave a short, humourless laugh.

‘I noticed—and you were going to be next! You’re going to get yourself in serious trouble one day. You just don’t seem to think about your personal safety—you wade in and intervene with a drunk man three times your size, you walk in the fells on your own—’

Ally made an impatient sound. ‘Oh, not that again!’

‘You have a five-year-old daughter relying on you—it’s totally irresponsible!’

She gasped and curled her fingers into her palms. ‘How dare you, you—you—hypocrite? How dare you lecture me about responsibility when you won’t take any yourself. You flit through life just having a good time, giving no thought to anyone else and moving on when it suits you, and you dare talk to me about responsibility.’

How could she ever have found this man so attractive? Did she have no common sense at all? She ought to tell him to take a running jump. ‘I’m very aware of my responsibilities to Charlie. It’s one of the reasons I’m not jumping into bed with you—
remember?!’

With that she spun on her heel and stormed off across the grass, tears burning behind her eyes. She wasn’t going to cry. No way. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he was capable of hurting her. How dared he criticise her when she’d only been trying to help? He was totally insufferable and high-handed, thinking that only a man can handle certain situations, implying that she hadn’t spared a thought for Charlie.

In the distance she saw Jack and walked towards him with relief—someone to take her mind off Sean. Fortunately most of the crowd were near the bonfire so they wouldn’t have heard the angry exchange of words.

Will and his wife, Molly, were chatting to Jack when she arrived, and Charlie was leaping up and down like a grasshopper.

‘Mum, Mum!’ She was dancing on the spot, pink-cheeked from cold and excitement. ‘Uncle Will’s given me this huge chocolate lolly. Can I eat it now?’

Ally noticed Will looking at her through narrowed eyes and managed a wan smile. ‘Yes, sweetheart. Of course you can.’

‘Display starting in ten minutes,’ Jack said, glancing at his watch and then the crowd gathering around the bonfire.

‘Good turnout, Jack.’ Molly wrapped her scarf more securely round her throat and smiled at Ally. ‘How are you getting on with Sean, dear? I gather he’s living with you now.’

‘They work very well together,’ Will interjected swiftly, taking Ally’s arm and guiding her slightly to one side. ‘OK, young lady, what’s happened?’

Ally gave him a mulish look. This was all his fault. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

‘Ally…?’ Will gave her a gentle smile and she sagged slightly, her eyes bleak as she stared at the blaze of the bonfire.

‘We just don’t seem to see eye to eye on anything.’

Will raised an eyebrow in disbelief. ‘That isn’t how it seems from where I’m standing.’

‘Then maybe you’re standing in the wrong place.’ Ally huddled deeper inside her jacket. ‘Stop matchmaking, Will. It just causes trouble. I irritate Sean and he drives me totally nuts! Hardly the basis for a harmonious relationship.’

Will gave her a thoughtful look. ‘I disagree. Just now, when he was driving you nuts, wasn’t he protecting you?’

Ally swallowed and stared across the field at the bonfire surrounded by bobbing figures. ‘I suppose so…’

‘And when you were walking in the fells on your own—wasn’t he protecting you then, too?’

‘I don’t know.’ Ally shrugged and frowned. ‘Well, yes, I suppose so, but I don’t—’

‘You can’t blame a man for wanting to protect his woman.’

Oh, for goodness’ sake, first her mother and now Will! ‘I’m not his woman and I never will be! I’m not the sort of person who can have a quick fling and then wave goodbye while they ride off into the sunset.’

Will gazed at her thoughtfully. ‘And you think Sean would do that?’

She gave him an impatient look. ‘Of course he would! Sean has never stayed in one place for more than five minutes, has he?’

‘That’s the legacy of his childhood, I’m afraid. He takes what he can get, never trusts anyone. And, quite frankly, I can’t blame him.’ Will rubbed his chin slowly and Ally snuggled deeper into her scarf to escape from the biting wind.

‘Well, he won’t change now.’

Will glanced at her. ‘I disagree. What he needs is to fall in love so completely that he has no choice but to change.’

‘You’ve been reading fairy tales, Will.’

For a long moment Ally stared at the crackling bonfire, seeing Sean’s face as clearly as if it were in front of her. The arrogant tilt of his jaw, those incredible dark eyes—was there a woman he could fall in love with?

‘He’s so controlled, Will. I can’t see him ever letting go of his emotions.’

Will gave a wry smile. ‘Oh, I can. What I can’t see is getting him to admit it.’

Ally glanced up and caught the intense look in his eyes. ‘Don’t look at me, Will. I’m not the right person for Sean.’

Will gave a snort. ‘Well, I think you probably are. I can feel the tension between the two of you a mile away.’

Ally shook her head, blushing slightly. ‘I admit he probably fancies me, but that’s all. Sean wants a compliant woman who’ll stay at home and take care of him, not someone who works and goes off walking in the fells on her own. He thinks I’m impulsive and that I take risks. I’m just not his type.’

Will gave a short laugh. ‘Oh, don’t kid yourself. You’re exactly his type.’

Ally swallowed, her voice barely a whisper. ‘He’d really hurt me…’

Will gave a small shrug. ‘Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it’s worth the risk.’

Worth the risk. That was what Sean had said. But it wasn’t a risk she fancied taking. She frowned suddenly. But why not? She took other risks, as Sean was always quick to point out. Why not this one? Casting a glance over her shoulder, her eyes fastened on Sean who was at the farthest end of the field, laughing with one of the mountain rescue team. Even at this distance he looked powerful and male. And very, very attractive.

The sound of her name being shouted made her turn, and she smiled as she saw Jenny Monroe, complete with husband and twins, walking towards her.

‘Oh, Dr McGuire, I’m so glad we bumped into you. I just wanted to say thanks for arranging that babysitting for Thursday.’

Ally dragged her blonde hair over one shoulder. ‘No problem at all. Were you able to have a good chat with the consultant?’

Jenny exchanged looks with her husband, who nodded. ‘He reckons Jen won’t need any more surgery because the mole wasn’t that deep. He said she’d done well to spot it so early.’

Ally smiled at them both. ‘That’s really good. I’m so pleased.’

‘I need to have regular check-ups.’ Jenny bit her lip and shifted one of the twins onto her other hip, ‘But he said I shouldn’t need any chemotherapy or anything. Can I come and talk to you about it some time? I didn’t really understand.’

‘Of course. Make an appointment any time that suits you.’

Ally chatted with them for a few more minutes and then they decided the twins were tired and should be in bed so she said goodbye and returned to Will and his group.

Jack was checking that everyone was standing in the right place, ready for the fireworks. Massive bangs and whistles filled the air and the sky lit up to cries of ‘Ooh’ and ‘Ahh’.

Everyone was staring up at the sky when the screams started, loud and terrified, piercing the cold air.

‘What the—?’ Jack looked round and gasped as he saw a teenage boy running across the field, flames licking around his body. ‘Oh, my God—’

For a split second Ally froze in horror, as did the rest of the spectators, and then she was sprinting towards him.