Sweet Christmas Kisses (23 page)

"I'm probably just an overprotective dad."

"I'd say you're a normal caring dad. Children of their age often suffer from separation anxiety when left with strangers. It's sensible to be cautious."

Sean picked up Zoe while Kelly held Annabelle's hand as they walked down the hall to the large family bathroom at the end of the corridor. A huge tub sat in the center of the modern room with twin sinks on one wall and a bidet and toilet on another.

As the bath filled with warm water, they undressed the babies, then lifted them in. Kelly and Sean kneeled side by side, playing with the children while they washed them.

The girls squealed with excitement, chattering and splashing. Kelly brushed Annabelle's teeth and soaped her down with a sponge, enjoying the games, as Sean did the same for Zoe.

His T-shirt sleeve stretched tightly on his clenched biceps as he gripped a plastic duck and bobbed it through the water, quacking. Even though her attention was fixed on Annabelle, every cell in her body seemed to realign towards Sean.

He leaned over to kiss Zoe and she pushed his face away.

"Don't you want Daddy to kiss you?" He laughed when Zoe patted his cheeks, babbling so seriously she obviously had something important to say.

"You don't like Daddy's prickly face, do you, angel?"

She shook her head.

He ran a hand around his jaw, a wry smile on his lips. The rasping sound of stubble against his palm sent a tingle through Kelly. She tore her gaze away from his face. She had kissed this man only a few days ago. If she closed her eyes she could remember the sensation, the slight roughness of a day's growth of beard against her skin.

He reached across her to grab a washcloth, the corded muscles in his forearm brushing her hand. The steamy heat clung to her face. For a moment she couldn't catch her breath. She wanted to kiss Sean again, wanted to kiss him properly.

"Time to get out." He lifted Zoe into a big fluffy towel and set her before Kelly. "I'm sure Kelly would like to dry you, angel."

"Oh, yes. I'd love that." The little girl looked over her shoulder at her daddy, but didn't complain as Kelly rubbed her down. "Progress, I believe," Kelly said to Sean.

"Looks like it."

Once both children were dry and dressed, they took them downstairs and sat them in their high chairs for breakfast. Kelly dished out fruit and baby cereal while Sean rushed upstairs for a quick shower.

Fifteen minutes later, he reappeared, shaved, wearing faded jeans and a thick check shirt. "You're all doing fine without me. I don't think you need Daddy."

"Oh, I think we need Daddy," Kelly said.

He eyed her speculatively for a moment before pouring himself a cup of coffee and dropping bread in the toaster.

Later they all wrapped up in coats, scarves, and hats. Sean pushed the twins along the path beside the river in a double stroller, Kelly at his side.

She sucked in a breath of cold air, staring up at the pale blue winter sky through bare tree branches. The river gurgled past, the children chattered, and she and Sean talked about her most recent deployment in Africa, where she'd worked in a field hospital with Cameron.

This was what it must be like to be married with a family—to walk with her husband and children on a Sunday afternoon, an easy, relaxed companionship. A pang of loneliness stole through her. She paused, pretending to examine something on the water while she regained her composure.

She was looking forward to her new job nursing for the children's charity. Helping those poor kids would give her huge satisfaction. But this was her dream, having a husband and children of her own.

Something she could never have.

She thought she'd come to terms with the situation a long time ago, but being here with Sean and his girls stripped away her defenses, leaving those bare nerves exposed again.

Maybe she had made a mistake taking this job. Or maybe she should live this dream to the max while she had the chance.

Would it be such a terrible thing to have a fling with Sean? It had been so long since she'd taken any time to enjoy herself. It could never come to anything, of course. His heart obviously still belonged to his beautiful wife and Kelly would be gone in a few weeks. But she had an inkling he might enjoy some female company if there were no strings attached.

****

Kelly crouched just inside the open front door with a protective arm around each of the two little girls. They blinked sleepily, still in their pajamas, but Kelly had wanted them to see their daddy off to work. It was important they say good-bye to him and understand he would be back at the end of the day.

"You be good girls for Kelly. Daddy will see you at bedtime, okay?" He stooped and kissed each girl on her forehead then straightened, his briefcase in his hand. "Feel free to use the SUV whenever you like," he said. "I've insured it for you to drive."

"That's great, thanks."

He pressed his lips together, obviously reluctant to leave. "You're sure you'll be all right?"

"Certain."

"If you need me, you have my mobile number. I'm not scheduled to operate today, but it's always possible an emergency might come in. If you can't get me, leave a message with my secretary."

"No problem. I know the drill."

"Yes, of course. You're ex-army nursing corps." He tapped his hat against his thigh and breathed out a steamy breath in the cold air. A wood pigeon cooed nearby as the early morning sun streaked fingers of gold across the sky and glinted off Sean's hair.

"Okay, well, see you later then."

He strode towards the sports car, popped the locks, and tossed his briefcase and hat onto the passenger seat, then slid inside.

Kelly was so used to seeing men in uniform, she hardly noticed these days, but she had to admit Sean's broad shoulders and narrow hips filled out his tailored jacket and trousers well. Mind you, he'd probably look good in anything.

The car window lowered and he smiled as he started the engine.

"I thought I might take the twins to see Alice and her son today, if that's okay with you." Kelly raised her voice to be heard over the noise.

"Of course. Give her my regards."

"See you later." She waved as he drove away. "Wave to Daddy," she encouraged the girls. Annabelle did but Zoe hugged Kelly's side and put a thumb in her mouth, her cheek hot and red.

The poor little thing was teething. That probably accounted for how much quieter than Annabelle she was at the moment.

Kelly led them back inside, anticipation bubbling through her as she took them upstairs to have their bath. She was finally alone with the babies, solely responsible for looking after them until Sean came home. Today she'd have a taste of what it was like to be a mum.

Bathed, dressed, and fed, she strapped the girls in their car seats and stopped at the grocery store for a few things, enjoying wandering around with the twins in the double seats on the front of the shopping cart.

Stocked up, she loaded everything in the SUV before heading for Alice and Cameron's house.

The Edwardian farmhouse lay down a half-mile dirt road amid farmland. Scaffolding covered one wall and a patch of roof was draped with a tarpaulin. Construction workers' vehicles were parked nearby and two men in hard hats carried planks of wood inside.

Alice and Cameron had a lot on their hands with a new home to remodel and a baby on the way. Rain spattered against the windshield as Kelly stopped outside the front. She knocked on the door before she took the girls out of the car, then dashed inside with them one by one, making sure they didn't get wet.

"Hello, Alice. How are you feeling?" They exchanged a brief kiss on the cheek.

"Like a tank." Alice stepped back to let them inside and knocked the hall table. She caught the vase on top before it tumbled off. "I'm so clumsy. I can't move without breaking something." She linked her fingers over her huge belly with a sigh.

"You look beautiful, and you'll only be pregnant for another couple of weeks."

"I don't feel beautiful. I feel fat and ugly."

"I bet Cameron doesn't agree."

"Cameron says what he thinks I want to hear."

Kelly was certain Cameron would never think Alice was ugly. Kelly had been there when he first met Alice in Africa. She was admitted to the field hospital with black eyes, a swollen nose, and a broken arm, waiflike and battered. Even then Cameron had been attracted to her.

Kelly had tried very hard not to be jealous and done her best to help Alice.

"Come to the kitchen and have a cup of tea. That's the family room at the moment. Everywhere else is a mess."

Banging sounded somewhere close by and an electric drill droned intermittently.

"The work on the house was supposed to be finished by now, but they're nowhere near done."

Annabelle toddled in front of them. Kelly held Zoe's hand as she followed Alice down the hall towards the kitchen. They sat at a stripped pine table while the kettle boiled. With a restored flagstone floor and pine kitchen units topped with a granite counter, this room had obviously been finished.

Alice and Cameron's adopted son, Sami, lay on a rug on the floor, pushing a small car around, creating an engine noise in his throat that only little boys could make.

Kelly crouched and stroked a hand over his hair. "Hello, Sami, love. How are you?"

He grinned up at her. He'd been a poor orphaned baby when she first saw him. It was wonderful to see the happy, healthy eighteen-month-old boy he'd grown into.

Alice grunted as she lowered herself into a chair. "It felt like the contractions had started the night of Sean's birthday, but no such luck." Alice gave Kelly a curious look. "Speaking of Sean, what happened between you two? I thought that kiss might lead to something, and here you are with his children."

"He's employing me for three weeks while his au pair's away."

Alice raised her eyebrows, her blue eyes twinkling. "So you're living with him."

"Not in
that
way."

"Cam and I hoped you two would hit it off. You know Sean's the hospital heartthrob, don't you? Cam says all the nurses are in love with him but he never dates."

Zoe toddled over and tried to climb on Kelly's lap. The baby had well and truly accepted her now. She lifted the little girl and cuddled her close, stroking her hair away from her forehead before laying the back of her hand on Zoe's hot cheek. "She might need something to take down her temperature. It's just a tooth, but it's giving her trouble."

"I can give you some baby pain-relief syrup. It's up there." Alice pointed at a cupboard.

Kelly grabbed the bottle off the shelf and put a teaspoonful in Zoe's mouth.

"So, any chance you and Sean will become more than friends?" Alice asked.

"Anything's possible. Although I think he's still hung up on his wife. That's probably why he won't date. He got very upset the other night when he showed me her studio."

Kelly cuddled Zoe closer, rubbing the baby's back in soothing circles. She shouldn't probe into Sean's personal life, but she was curious. "Do you know anything about his wife?"

"I never met her. Olivia and Radley didn't like her much, though. Radley thought she was selfish. The whole world revolved around her and what she wanted. Sean's career had to take second place."

"Interesting." And not at all what Kelly had expected to hear. "One thing's for sure, she was a beauty."

"Are you surprised?"

Kelly pictured Sean. "I guess not." With Sean's looks, he could have his pick of the most beautiful women. So why didn't he?

The kettle boiled. Kelly made a pot of tea and they chatted about babies and ate cookies, breaking off small pieces to give the children.

"I'd better take these two little darlings back home for some lunch," Kelly said. "If you need me for anything, don't hesitate to call. You have my mobile number."

"Thanks. I might do that. Cam got paged yesterday evening to fly out to pick up some casualties. I'm not sure when he'll be home. I have Radley and Olivia not far away, but it doesn't hurt to have another person to call just in case. I really don't want to give birth in the back of a taxi."

Alice struggled to stand and Kelly rounded the table, offering her an arm. She and Alice embraced and she held her for a few moments. "I'm sure everything will work out fine with the baby. I
am
here if you need me. I'm not a midwife, but I know a lot about pediatrics."

She wanted to reassure Alice. She had always liked her, yet her feelings for Cameron had made her hold back from letting them become good friends. It was long past time she got to know Alice better.

Sean stripped off his clothes and hung his uniform on a hanger, then pulled on the pants and top of his green scrubs. He pushed his feet into the white plastic clogs he wore in the OR and checked the time. Normally he'd be heading home now. Today he would miss putting his daughters to bed, and having dinner with Kelly.

He enjoyed his quiet evenings alone with Kelly, chatting about army life. From her he'd learned what it was like working as a trauma nurse in a field hospital, giving front line care to battlefield casualties. Plastic surgeons weren't utilized that early in the treatment process. His expertise came in later, so he would never experience overseas deployment. But it sounded like a challenge she'd enjoyed.

His phone rang and his secretary informed him the army Aeromed aircraft under Cameron's command had just landed at Brize Norton. The flight had brought in the seriously injured soldier Sean was preparing for. An ambulance was bringing the man straight to the hospital. That gave Sean about fifteen minutes before he was needed in the OR.

He dialed his home number. Kelly picked up almost immediately and he explained he would be late.

"No problem. Hope the procedure is a success. I'll see you later."

"Don't bother to wait up for me."

"Okay."

With a strange reluctance, Sean cut the connection. He stared at his phone, imagining Kelly in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the girls. Blowing out a breath, he dropped his phone in his locker along with his wallet and other valuables. It was time to clear his mind and focus on the operation ahead.