CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER TEN

When Lynn entered the lounge she found the atmosphere charged with anxiety. Blair was pacing restlessly, the worried frown on his brow darkening as he stared at her in silence.

Sandra was also there, huddled on the settee, an occasional sniff being heard as she dabbed at tears. At the sight of Lynn she sprang to her feet. 'You!' she shrieked. 'I told them it was you. What have you done with him? Where is he?'

Lynn made an effort to remain calm. 'If you're referring to Tony, I'm afraid I haven't a clue.'

'You're lying...I know you're lying,' Sandra spat.

Maisie spoke quickly. 'Don't be too hasty, Sandra.'

'Shut up, Maisie—don't be so obtuse.' Sandra turned on the older woman in a fury. 'She's taken him somewhere—I know she has. Didn't I go searching for him at Frog Hollow? Didn't I find her conspicuous by her absence? I'm telling you, she's got him tucked away somewhere.'

Blair had been watching Lynn, and he now moved to stand before her. Gripping her shoulders he stared down into her face. 'Is this true?' he demanded, his tone crisp.

The hardness in his voice shocked her. It made her feel cold. 'Is this what you believe?' she snapped back at him while shrugging his hands away.

'I'm afraid I don't know what the hell to believe,' he admitted.

'I suppose you know your phone is out of order,' Lynn said, hoping that the mundane remark would help to make her feel less agitated within herself.

'That much I do happen to know, although I've only recently become aware of the fact.' His voice was still cool. 'I tried to phone the police to report that Tony is missing, but our line was dead. I'd better go and see them about arranging a search-party ‑'

Sandra cut in angrily. 'Take her with you. Make them question her. See that they drag it out of her.'

'That's enough, Sandra,' Blair rasped. 'You're becoming hysterical.'

Maisie appealed to Sandra. 'Please try to keep calm. When I saw Lynn arrive I hoped she might know something about ‑'

'Of course she knows plenty,'' Sandra cut in, her voice still raised. Then, swinging round to take a step nearer Lynn, she demanded rudely, 'So what do you want? Why have you come here?'

There was a sudden silence as they waited for Lynn's answer, and as she regarded each face in turn she realised that this was a most inappropriate moment to deliver such a message. Maisie's eyes held curiosity, Sandra's were filled with malice, while Blair's expression had become inscrutable. Hesitantly, she said, 'Actually I... I've come to tell you that Tony's mother is in Napier ‑'

Sandra broke in with a shriek of triumph. 'There, now—what did I say? Of course she's whipped him off to Napier. I told you so... I told you so...'

Lynn opened her mouth to say that Stan was there also, but before she could utter a word Blair's cold voice hit her ears.

'Is this the truth?' he demanded.

Lynn's chin rose as she glared at him with disdain. 'Again I ask—is this what you believe?'

He frowned. 'Can you give me an assurance that it is not the truth?'

She continued to face him defiantly. 'Do you need it? Have you so little faith in me?' A deep hurt caused her words to tumble bitterly.

There was a tense silence while he took a deep breath, then he surprised her by saying, 'Forgive me—I've been almost out of my wits with worry. Of course I have faith in you. I do not believe you've had anything to do with the boy's disappearance.'

His words sent Sandra's fury to new heights, and, tossing caution to the breeze, her raised voice stormed, 'Don't let that innocent look fool you, Blair—just let me get the truth out of her.' There was a swift movement as one of her hands grasped a fistful of Lynn's hair, while the long fingernails of her other hand clawed to draw blood from Lynn's cheek.

Lynn screamed as she tried to leap away, but the grip on her hair held fast. She heard Maisie's gasp of horror, and she knew that Blair had wrenched Sandra's hand from her head while flinging the blonde girl to the floor.

'You bitch!' he snarled, snatching a clean handkerchief from his breast pocket and holding it to Lynn's cheek.

She felt his arms tighten about her, and leaning against him she began to weep, sobbing against his shoulder.

Sandra's voice came sneeringly from where she lay on the floor. 'Watch it, Blair. You're running a risk.'

He ignored the comment as he rested his cheek against Lynn's forehead while holding her even closer.

Sandra's derisive tones came again. 'You're besotted by her red hair and green eyes. She's thrown out a net and you'll be caught—which is something you've been avoiding for years.'

Blair looked down into Lynn's face. 'I'm afraid the warning comes too late. It's possible I've already been caught,' he murmured in her ear.

She heard the words as in a dream, then warned herself against taking them seriously. Blair was merely being kind. He was just offering comfort after the attack by Sandra.

But despite the presence of the others his arms remained about her as he whispered, 'Darling—I'm truly sorry for the treatment you've received in this house.'

Lynn caught her breath as her heart leapt. Was she hearing correctly? Had he actually called her darling? Words evaded her as she looked up at him wonderingly.

And then Maisie was beside them with a Dettol-soaked cloth which Blair took and held to Lynn's cheek. He wiped the torn flesh gently, then returned the cloth to Maisie. After that his arms went about Lynn again while he pressed her head against his shoulder.

Lynn stood still, afraid to break the spell that seemed to have descended upon her. She knew that Maisie watched with an interested gleam in her eye, and that Sandra had raised herself from the floor to the settee.

The blonde girl's manner had become sulky as she demanded in derisive tones, 'Is this supposed to be a love scene? Are you forgetting there's a small boy out there waiting to be found? Shouldn't you both be out searching?'

Maisie sighed as she spoke to Blair. 'Bert and Gary have just come in. They say there's no sign of the boy or his pony.'

Sandra sneered, 'Of course there isn't. Haven't I told you where he is? He's in Napier with his mother. She took him there ‑' Her words were silenced by the sound of a vehicle approaching the homestead.

Blair went to the window, then exclaimed, 'It's Bill Jordon with his horse trailer. He's got Tony and Taffy with him.' He hurried from the room followed by Lynn and Maisie, and, reluctantly, by Sandra, who lagged in the rear.

Bill Jordon was quite unaware of the relief caused by his arrival. He stood waiting while Gary and Bert unloaded the pony from the trailer, and as they led it away to the stable he spoke to Blair. 'My wife tried to phone you, but your line appears to be out of order. It seems that this young fellow decided to take a ride on the road, and you can guess what happened. Taffy headed for his old home and the boy wasn't strong enough to control him.'

'We're more than thankful to see him,' Blair admitted. 'Will you come in?'

'No, thank you. I must go home. Incidentally, Tony has had a meal. My wife gathered the impression that he was starving.'

Blair thanked him again and they watched the car and trailer leave the yard.

Sandra spoke briskly. 'Come along, Tony, there's time for a bath before bed.'

Blair cut in. 'But first we'll have a short chat. Why did you go on the road, Tony? You know it's forbidden.'

The boy hung his head then admitted, 'I got tired of waiting for Sandra. She was a long time.'

Sandra became agitated. 'Please let me put him to bed. He's very tired after...after so much excitement.'

'All in good time,' Blair drawled. 'There's something here I don't quite understand.' He turned to Tony. 'Tell me why you were waiting for Sandra. I thought you were out riding with her.'

Tony nodded vigorously. 'Yes, but she went into Dad's house with Gary. She told me to wait outside, and I waited and waited...'

Blair sent a swift glance towards Sandra. 'Ah, light begins to dawn. So what happened?'

'After a long time I got tired of waiting so I went inside to find her. She was on the bed with Gary. They were kissing ‑'

Sandra drew a sharp breath then spat, 'You little wretch—'

Tony went on, 'So I thought I'd have a ride on the road while she wasn't looking—but when I tried to turn Taffy round he wouldn't stop. He trotted faster and faster. He went on and on until...'

'Until he reached his old familiar pastures,' Blair concluded for the boy. He paused thoughtfully before turning to Maisie. 'I think the picture is fairly clear. Perhaps it would be wiser for you to put Tony to bed this evening. I've a few words to say to Sandra.'

Tony began to protest. 'I want Lynn to put me to bed ‑'

But Lynn heard only his last words as she slipped unobserved into the hall and made her way to her car. She had no wish to hear what was about to pass between Blair and Sandra, and within a few minutes she was driving home.

'Darling', he'd called her. The memory made her heart sing until she realised it sounded like the prelude to another loving interlude between them. But like the others it would fizzle out and end in nothing—therefore it was one she'd be wise to avoid. Depression then descended to wrap her in the gloomy knowledge that the sooner she packed and left for Wellington the wiser she'd be. Tears filled her eyes, blurring the swathe of headlights cutting the darkness that had now fallen.

When she reached the cottage she examined her face beneath the bright light of the bathroom mirror. The scratches were still sore, but looked worse than they felt although Sandra's nails had left three long red lacerations. She bathed them again, then tried to shrug the blonde's action from her mind.

After dabbing her cheek with a towel, she removed the screen from the open fire, threw more wood on the glowing embers, then continued with her packing. At the same time she felt thankful that Grandy would be home later than usual because this evening also included an extra inter-club meeting to be held after the main function.

However, she was not prepared for the sound of a car within the next few minutes, and when she heard the french door open she presumed the inter-club meeting must have been cancelled. But it was not Max who had walked into the cottage and now stood regarding her from the bedroom doorway. It was Blair.

'What are you doing?' he demanded without preamble or apology for having walked in uninvited.

She swallowed as she said, 'Can't you see for yourself?'

'You appear to be packing your bags with the intention of leaving.'

She nodded, feeling too miserable to speak.

He regarded her seriously. 'May I ask why?'

She turned away before he could see the mistiness in her eyes, then, evasively, she said, 'Grandy's much better now. He no longer needs me to be around.'

His voice hardened. 'Aren't you really saying you've become bored with country life? You're now beginning to miss the bright lights and the company of your friends.'

'No—I am not,' she flared angrily.

'Max is at Rotary, I presume. Does he know you're leaving?'

'Well, no...not yet.'

'Don't tell me you intend skipping off before he gets home?'

'Of course not—but I'll leave first thing in the morning.'

He watched her take undies from a drawer and stuff them into the corners of her case, then queried lazily, 'Is it permissible to ask what has brought about this sudden decision?' ‑'

Irritation welled within her. 'How would you know it's a sudden decision? You haven't been near to know what plans I've made.' It was impossible to keep the reproach from her voice.

He looked at her closely. 'You've missed me?'

'Of course I missed you.' She almost choked with fury at having made such an admission.

'So you came searching for me this evening?' The question came softly as he took a step nearer and stared down into her eyes.

'Certainly not. The day I go searching for a man will be the day! I came with a message—if you care to remember.'

'Oh, yes—something about Delphine being in Napier.'

She took her jeans from the wardrobe, folded them carefully and placed them in her suitcase. Then, as she lifted jerseys from their hangers, she said, 'I was prevented from delivering the entire message. I was to tell you she'd be here tomorrow in a rental car.'

He shrugged. 'I'll tell Maisie.'

'Our phone is not out of order, so if you'd care to ring her you're welcome to do so.'

'I have no wish to ring Delphine, thank you.'

'But perhaps you'd like to phone Stan. He's in Napier with her.' The words were spoken casually.

'Stan? Why didn't you say so when you were at Marshlands?'

'I was about to do so when I was interrupted with some force—if you care to remember,' she repeated.

'Will I ever forget?' He moved nearer to examine the scratches on her face, his eyes kindling with anger.

His nearness caused a tremor to pass through her, and moving away she said, 'So—do you wish to speak to him?'

'No. Tomorrow will be soon enough for him to tell me how long Delphine is staying.'

'That is something I can tell you here and now. He's brought her home. They're together again.' She went on to tell him of Delphine's success in the field of writing romance. 'So, you see—it will be different this time.' Lynn sighed as a twinge of envy niggled with her feeling of happiness for her friend.

'Let's hope it'll last this time.' His tone echoed scepticism.

'You haven't much faith in people.' The accusation came from her with vehemence.

'What makes you so sure about that?'

'Personal experience, of course,' she flashed at him.

He moved swiftly to grab her shoulders, his manner changing to one of dominance as he glared down into her face. 'Now, you listen to me. Any doubts I ever had concerning your intentions towards young Tony no longer exist. Do you understand?'

She nodded then said, 'What I don't understand is why they existed in the first place.'

He stared at her for several long moments before he said, 'I think—because I was afraid of you.'

She laughed. ' You—afraid of me? That's a joke.'

'Not when you consider I feared your power to change my life.'

Her pulses began to race. 'How could I change your life?'

But instead of uttering the words she longed to hear, he said, 'When Sandra voiced suspicions concerning your intentions towards Tony, I grasped at them as being good enough reasons to keep you at arm's length.'

'But you didn't... keep me at arm's length.'

'No. You're a fairly powerful magnet. And now I'd like to have my mind cleared about this 'abrupt departure. You still haven't told me why you're leaving tomorrow morning.'

She raked in her brain for an answer. How could she admit that her love for him was making her own situation unbearable? It seemed distressingly easy for him to make her imagine she meant the world to him—and then to completely ignore her existence, but now she had reached the stage of not being able to take any more of it.

'Well?' he demanded impatiently.

'Ada told me to go home,' she admitted inanely.

'Ada? Who the devil is Ada?'

'Ada Maihi. I went to see her statue at Tapairu. She said that... feeling as I do... I'd be wise to go home...' She stopped, appalled by the admission that had slipped out. But perhaps he hadn't noticed.

He had noticed. The grip on her shoulders became firmer and his voice acquired a sudden tension. 'It's a pity Ada couldn't have put you wise to a few other facts.'

'Oh? Such as?' She looked at him wonderingly.

'Such as the fact that you mean everything in the world to me.'

Her heart leapt. Did he realise what he'd said? Then she shook her head as she said, 'I wouldn't have believed her.'

'Why not?'

'Because if that were true you yourself would have told me. You wouldn't have left it to Ada.'

His hands moved from her shoulders and his arms encircled her body. 'I'm telling you now.'

Her pulses began to race as she asked, 'Would Ada have also told me why you kept away—why you followed the tactic of kissing me and then galloping out of sight?'

'She'd have explained that I needed to be sure of myself, and of you. She would have reminded you that I had the example of Stan and Delphine constantly before me, to say nothing of the fear that you, also, could tire of country life.'

'Aren't you forgetting that most of my inspiration comes from country life?'

'At least that thought has been a comfort.' His gaze became thoughtful as it returned to the half-filled suitcases. 'But now I'm puzzled by your determination to rush away from the scene of these inspirations— especially with Delphine's return so close at hand.'

She leaned against him, revelling in the feel of his arms holding her against his body, and in the faint aroma of his aftershave. The desire to go home had vanished.

He went on, 'Won't she be disappointed to discover you've left without seeing her? Especially as she knows you're here.'

'Yes, I suppose so.'

'Then why rush away before she gets here? Why not delay your departure for a few days? It'll help Max to become used to the fact that your visit has almost ended.'

'Yes—perhaps I'd better do that.' She grasped at these excuses that enabled her to change her mind without going into further explanations of her true reason for leaving.

'Good girl,' he murmured, his finger tilting her chin upward.

She closed her eyes, waiting for his kiss, then felt his lips trail across her forehead, resting briefly upon her closed lids. Her breath quickened as they found her mouth, then the world stood still as his kiss deepened.

At last he paused to whisper huskily, 'Darling...'

Her heart sang. There it was again—darling. She waited in a state of tension, listening for the words that would say he loved her, but his mouth returned to hers while his arms held her even more closely against him.

He paused again. 'I'm glad you'll stay to welcome Delphine. I'll tell Maisie we must all do our best to make her feel wanted at Marshlands. The past must be forgotten. It must not raise its head to ruin their new beginning.'

'I'm sure Maisie will agree. Let's hope Sandra will also agree on that point.' She was becoming conscious of frustration. Had he no intention of telling her he loved her?

His eyes rested upon the scratches marring Lynn's cheek, then his words came crisply. 'Sandra will have to go. She'll no longer be necessary to care for Tony, who will return to live with his parents in the manager's house.'

'Maisie will miss her help in the house,' Lynn pointed out.

'I doubt it. I've already decided who will fill her place. Maisie has a cousin with whom she has a good relationship. I've met her several times, and as she's in need of a live-in position the job will be offered to her.'

'Maisie will be delighted.'

'I hope so. I feel sure they'll be happy running Marshlands together.'

His last words were spoken casually, yet they swamped Lynn with a devastating chill as she realised they could have only one meaning. Blair had no intention of making her his wife. Marriage was the last thought he had in mind, therefore this closeness—these kisses—meant nothing to him. They were merely a passing whim.

This seemed to be proved by the fact that while holding her in his arms his thoughts were not really with her. They were with Stan, Delphine and young Tony, and their future life together. They were with Maisie and her cousin—and the running of Marshlands. It seemed clear that his thoughts were anywhere but with herself, and as the knowledge sank in and registered more firmly it brought a feeling of desolation.

Yet, knowing these facts, she lacked the power to disengage herself from his arms, and, although she told herself she was being a weak fool, she savoured the joy of resting her head against his broad shoulder. And when he bent his head again, searching for her lips, her arms crept up to encircle his neck while she responded with more ardour than she realised.

A sudden movement of his arms swept her up to be cradled like a child, and in a daze she felt herself being laid on the bed. His length was stretched beside her in a flash, and she revelled in the feel of her breasts being crushed against his chest. Nor was she able to control the delicious sensations surging through her body, and when his hand moved beneath her jersey the feel of his thumb stroking her taut nipple drew a small gasp from her.

'Darling...darling...I want you,' he murmured huskily against her lips. 'I know you want it too..

They were not the exact words she longed to hear, yet their truth was undeniable. She knew he wanted to make love to her, and that inside her own body a smouldering fire was about to burst into flame. It was a shared need too deep to ignore.

'Let us be together—here and now,' he whispered.

'Here and now.' The words echoed in her brain to clear her confused thinking. If she consented, that was all it would ever be. Here and now. And later? Nothing— apart from desolation. Yet it would be almost worth it to have been possessed by Blair.

A low groan escaped him as he moved against her, then he froze as the cottage walls were pierced by a series of shrill, demanding blasts of a car horn. The sound sent them both springing from the bed, a muttered oath escaping Blair as he said, 'That'll be Max. I'm afraid my car's blocking his entry to the driveway.'

'And just as well too,' Lynn retorted, horrified by the thought of Grandy discovering her on the bed with Blair.

'I've no desire for a shotgun wedding.' Blair grinned as he left the room to move his car.

'Nor any other wedding!' Lynn shouted after him, her frustration bubbling over and sending her tongue out of control. Tears blurred her eyes as she straightened her clothes and snatched at a comb, but by the time the men entered the living-room she had regained her composure.

She heard Max declare he could do with a hot drink. The remark sent her to the kitchen, and as she prepared it she heard Blair telling him that Stan had brought Delphine home. How rapidly his thoughts moved from herself to other matters, .she realised sadly, then chided herself for being a fool and for allowing this fact to nag at her. Naturally, Stan and Delphine had to be on his mind.

'I shall not keep Tony home from school,' she heard him tell Max. 'Everything is to be as normal as if his mother had never been away. It'll be easier for everyone.'

He left a short time later, and as Lynn stood on the veranda watching the headlights flash along the road his words returned to haunt her mind. Everything was to be normal. And this also was normal, she thought bitterly. Blair had held her close to him. He had kissed her with a passion that told her he longed for much more. He had lifted her up into the clouds, but now she'd dropped back to earth. He had departed without a single word of love, or when they would meet again. Oh, yes— this was normal, all right.

Muttering under her breath, she told herself that her decision was obviously the correct one. It was time she went home and pushed Blair Marshall out of her system. And she'd be wise to tell Grandy at once.

Max hid his disappointment. 'I hope you'll be back soon,' was all he said, frowning slightly.

'I'll give Delphine time to settle in, and then I'll come back to see her,' Lynn promised.

'And him?'

'Him? Do you mean Stan?'

Max snorted. 'Of course I don't mean Stan. I mean him—the master of Marshlands.'

'Oh, him...well, that's as maybe. If he happens to be around no doubt I'll see him.' The words spoken lightly hid the ache in her heart, and again she felt there was only one course to take. She must return to her old lifestyle in which Blair did not exist.

At a later date—when she had rid herself of the longing to be with him—she would return to check up on Grandy and chat with Delphine. Perhaps she too could learn to write romance. She knew what it was like to long for the feel of a man's arms—and she knew how it felt to love a man who did not love her.

Lynn had been back in her father's surgery for a fortnight before she accepted the fact that life in Wellington now held a subtle difference from the one she had known before her recent period at Frog Hollow. Her friends were still there, the phone rang with invitations to join them in various activities, but somehow the parties were flat. The men in the crowd failed to interest her, each one being compared most unfavourably with Blair Marshall.

Food also failed to interest her. She grew thinner and became so listless that her parents began to regard her pale face with anxiety until the day came when her father spoke sternly. 'You're dieting,' he accused when she refused to leave the surgery and go to lunch.

'I am not, Daddy,' she defended. 'I'm just...not hungry.'

'Nor do you appear to be writing,' he pointed out.

'Oh, well... I'm really waiting to hear about the last lot I sent to the publisher,' she prevaricated.

This statement was a long way from the truth because Lynn was not in the habit of waiting to hear the fate of her work. Normally she set to work at once, planning her next stories in bed, but now they evaded her while her unruly thoughts flew to Blair Marshall.' And each night the tears trickled until she fell into a restless sleep.

Eventually the day came when she realised she must take herself firmly in hand. She must eat more, therefore this would be the last day she would go without lunch. She must begin writing again and above all—she must get Blair out of her thoughts. She must control this desperate longing to see his face.

She was alone in the surgery when she made the decision, and to force herself into work that would dominate her mind she began checking the medical supplies kept in a small room which opened behind the reception desk.

The waiting-room door opened while she was engaged in the task. A patient? she wondered. No—because surgery hours did not begin before two o'clock, therefore it must be Daddy who had returned from his routine visiting of patients.

To make sure she peeped into the waiting-room, then froze from shock. It was not her father who stood regarding her—it was Blair Marshall, suntanned, yet a little more gaunt than when she had last seen him. Confused, she wondered if the sight of him was a hallucination. She walked towards him in a daze, but got only as far as the desk, which she had to grip for support because her legs felt suddenly weak.

He stepped forward quickly. 'Are you OK? You've turned very pale...and for Pete's sake, you're as thin as a rope.'

She gave a wan smile as the sound of his voice assured her that this was no delusion. 'I'm all right. It's just that I'm a.. .a little surprised to see you here.' And that is the understatement of the year, she added silently to herself. Then, gathering her wits, she asked, 'Have you come to see Daddy—as a patient?'

'No. I've come to see you. You could say I've come with a special appeal.' The words were spoken in a low deep tone while his eyes raked her face anxiously.

Her gaze widened as she looked at him wordlessly. Her breath quickened and she felt the colour rising to her cheeks.

He went on, 'I'd have been here much sooner but for the sudden necessity to go to Taupo. My mother became ill and kept asking for me. She knew Stan had returned, therefore she begged me to stay longer than usual.'

'She's all right now?'

'Yes. Please try to understand why it took so long for me to come to you.'

'To—to come to me?' The words escaped as a whisper while her heart began to race.

'To tell you I love you. To ask you to marry me.'

Another silence fell upon her, and again she decided she must be dreaming. Of course she was dreaming. He wasn't really here at all. But it was a nice dream and she must be careful to stay dreaming, and to not wake up.

He moved round the end of the reception desk to stand beside her. His grip on her shoulders was real enough as he stared down into her face. 'Why are you looking at me in that dazed manner? Have you heard a single word I've said?'

'I—I think so,' she whispered, realising that this was no dream. 'It's just the shock of seeing you.'

'But you knew I'd come.'

She shook her head. 'How could I be sure?'

'Because you know I love you.'

'You never said so—therefore how could I possibly know?'

'Was your woman's intuition sound asleep?' he teased. 'Didn't my kisses tell you I love you?'

'Your kisses said plenty—but they were always followed by a disappearing act,' she was goaded to retort. 'It was as though you regretted them and wished to avoid me. A man who loved me would have been back at the crack of dawn.'

'Not this man. He had to think. He had-to be sure the feelings between us had depth. You see—there was the situation between Stan and Delphine hanging over my head,' he reminded her.

'It kept rearing up to leer at you in the form of a warning?'

'Exactly.'

'But you're not Stan—and I'm not Delphine. Nor would we have their former problem.'

'I couldn't be more positive of that fact.' His arms went about her, and as he held her against him he admitted, 'The moment you left Frog Hollow I knew I couldn't live without you. And now I'm waiting for you to say the words I'm longing to hear.'

'That—I love you?' she whispered.

'Again—and louder, please.'

'Blair, I love you... I love you.' She clung to him, lifting her face for his kiss. Exhilaration filled her, sweeping away her former depression, while it seemed as if uttering the words released the tension that had previously held her emotions in check. Tears began to fill her eyes, but they were tears of joy.

'My darling.' His voice held a tremor. 'I can't even begin to tell you how much I've longed for this moment. And now I'm impatient to make you my wife.'

The words sent quivers through her, causing her arms to tighten about him as she snuggled against his shoulder.

'Tell me—how soon may that be?' The question held urgency. 'There'll be no long engagement, I trust.'

She laughed happily. 'Only long enough to plan a small church wedding with close friends and people we look upon as family, like Maisie and Bert.'

'They'll be delighted.' His lips trailed across her brow. 'Tell me more about our wedding.'

'Delphine must be my matron of honour because we really found each other through her.'

'And Stan will be my best man—that's if we can drag them down from the clouds for the occasion.' He thought for a moment then asked, 'Would you like a page boy? I can give you the name of a most willing applicant.'

'Tony? I'm glad he's with his parents and that everyone seems to be so happy.' Then a thought caused her to ask, 'Is Gary still interested in Sandra?'

'I doubt that he was ever deeply interested in the way you mean. In any case she's no longer with us. Her place has been filled by Maisie's cousin, and I've heard that Sandra has found herself a job in the South Island.'

'I'm glad she's not out of work,' Lynn admitted.

'In the meantime Gary appears to be taking notice of a farmer's daughter who lives near by. If anything comes of it I'll build another house on the property. We must have accommodation for staff if we are to be free for overseas travel.'

'Overseas travel? I don't understand.'

'Well, naturally, our Australian honeymoon won't be our only overseas trip. But that's enough for the future. There's the here and now to be considered—like the fact that I haven't kissed you for at least several minutes.'

She lifted her face. 'Such lapses must not be allowed to occur,' she whispered as her arms were raised to wind about his neck.

His head bent, and for the next few moments there was silence while his arms held her closer and his lips found hers.

But suddenly the silence was broken as the waiting-room door opened and a man's voice spoke from behind them. 'Well, well—what have we here? Is this our latest method of winning new patients? He doesn't look very ill to me.'

Lynn peeped across Blair's shoulder, her face flushed, her eyes shining with the light of happiness. Then a giggle escaped her as she said, 'Daddy—this is Blair. We're to be married. Come and meet your future son-in-law...'

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