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A Baby to Bind Them
Susanne Hampton
The greatest bond of all…Neonatal nurse Jade Grant’s former wild-child existence ended the day she became sole guardian to her newborn niece. Three years on and she’s ‘Miss Sensible’ – she’d wrap Amber in cotton wool if she could! And she definitely doesn’t have time for men…Especially not Amber’s devil-may-care uncle, Mitchell Forrester – no matter how gorgeous he is! But as Mitchell reminds Jade how to live a little, and she sees the way he lights up Amber’s eyes, she begins to wonder… Perhaps her perfect family was right there all along!



Praise for Susanne Hampton (#ulink_2f90b5de-8299-50bc-b422-82b4b79161ed)
‘From the first turbulent beginning until the final climactic ending, an entire range of emotions has been used to write a story of two people travelling the rocky road to love … an excellent story. I would recommend this story to all romance readers.’
—Contemporary Romance Reviews on Unlocking the Doctor’s Heart
‘I recommend this read for all fans of medical romance. It’s the perfect balance: spunky, emotional, heartfelt, a very sweet and tender romance with a great message!’
—Contemporary Romance Reviews on Unlocking the Doctor’s Heart
‘Oh, I know who Jade is,’ Mitchell replied, and put out a hand to help her up. ‘Pleased to finally meet you.’
Jade slowly stood to her feet and came face to face with the man she had heard so much about—the wanderer who never stayed anywhere long, the brother David had loved and admired, and the man she now knew enjoyed teasing his mother.
And the man who immediately took her breath away.
He was not scruffy—not even close. His long blond hair, once wild and dirty, was very short and well groomed, his long beard replaced by a fine covering of dark stubble, and his eyes—always hidden behind sunglasses in the photos—were the brightest shade of blue. As clear and brilliant as the sky she had seen when she’d arrived a few hours ago.
It couldn’t be the same man. This man was gorgeous. And as he gently pulled her to him to kiss her cheek softly she smelt the fresh overtones of his cologne. Her senses were suddenly overloaded.
‘Aunty Jade—catch!’
Jade turned her attention back to her niece to see a soapy plastic duck heading towards her. Instinctively she moved to catch the airborne object, but caught her sandal on the bathmat, losing her footing. Suddenly Mitchell’s firm hands reached out and caught her. She fell into his arms and his mouth hovered only inches from hers. His touch was warm on her bare shoulders, and his strength kept her upright until she gathered her composure and could do it for herself. Her stomach began to churn nervously. Her reaction and feelings surprised her. No man had affected her that quickly for a very long time. Then she mentally corrected herself.
No man had ever affected her that quickly.
Dear Reader (#ulink_176d0a4c-2976-55f0-9cd7-67bac309ccb5),
When planning this book, set in the neonatal intensive care unit of a large teaching hospital in Adelaide, I drew on the experience of my youngest daughter’s premature arrival into this world almost thirty years ago. While neonatal medicine has changed so much over the years since Tina entered the world, the rollercoaster of emotions experienced by parents has not changed at all.
The joy of holding our baby, prevented by the sea of wires needed to monitor her fragile life, the worry, the prayers for her survival and the elation at each tiny milestone during those first few days and weeks is what I hoped to capture in this book.
And just as the range of emotions for new parents has not changed over the years nor has the empathy and love shown by the dedicated doctors and nurses of the NICU. I wanted my hero and heroine’s love story to unfold in this setting, where emotions run high and the greatest gift is finally to cradle your tiny newborn in your arms.
My hero, Mitchell Forrester, is the ridiculously handsome neonatology consultant at the Eastern Memorial Hospital. He has spent his life avoiding commitment by never staying in one place for too long—and then he meets Jade Grant. Jade has seen tragedy in her life, and has lost those she loved dearest, but still she finds a way through, driven by her love for the little girl who needs her most.
Although Mitchell and Jade share a bond—their niece Amber, who was orphaned at birth—they have never met until Jade and Amber visit Adelaide from Los Angeles to meet Amber’s grandparents and celebrate her third birthday. Their visit, and the baby that binds them, opens their eyes to a different way to see life … and finally find love.
I hope you enjoy Mitchell and Jade’s story.
Susanne Hampton
Married to the man she met at eighteen, SUSANNE HAMPTON is the mother of two adult daughters—one a musician and the other an artist. The family also extends to a slightly irritable Maltese shih-tzu, a neurotic poodle, three elderly ducks, and four hens that only very occasionally bother to lay eggs. Susanne loves everything romantic and pretty, so her home is brimming with romance novels, movies and shoes. With an interest in all things medical, her career has been in the dental field and the medical world in different roles, and now Susanne has taken that love into writing Mills & Boon® Medical Romance™.

A Baby to Bind Them
Susanne Hampton


www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Dedication (#ulink_1c4e1828-3958-542c-b0a9-8481c3ac00e4)
Thank you to Orianthi and Tina for being the most wonderful daughters in the world. You are amazing young women who appreciate your God-given gifts and every day bring joy to those around you. I am so proud of all that you have accomplished and all that still lies ahead.
And once again thank you to Charlotte … who always brings out the best in my writing … and ensures I finish on time!

Table of Contents
Cover (#uf94ea042-7f83-5b00-a308-9b2ec3a4d166)
Praise for Susanne Hampton (#ud7daa39f-c94d-59b5-9c0e-ef9222c88501)
Excerpt (#ufd586e60-ff09-591c-9de6-00101b9dab77)
Dear Reader (#u0f1526ad-f6a2-542c-8eea-d2f4f19af752)
About the Author (#u9b55615d-c702-5e57-bb0a-ed7ef0f911e2)
Title Page (#ufade41be-0b46-5ba6-bb5d-64a67874c0be)
Dedication (#u6e9c1011-7f67-54f9-9086-bdfc91f29553)
PROLOGUE (#u5bb2378e-7193-52bd-b0ac-9d3b53b1e84d)
CHAPTER ONE (#u6d490f10-c70a-5960-90b7-1a89b157f067)
CHAPTER TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

PROLOGUE (#ulink_333cda61-d8ee-5a0d-9468-96d997342a73)
JADE GRANT HUMMED along to the radio as she prepared dinner for one. The music was loud, just the way she liked it when there was no one around to complain about the volume. Occasionally she sang a few words, but remembering words to songs was not her strength, and neither, according to her sister, was her pitch, so mostly she stuck to humming.
Her bare feet danced a few steps on the way to the refrigerator. Her slim hips, dressed in faded denim shorts, swayed, and she managed a spontaneous spin in time to the music. While her voice left more than a little to be desired, dancing was something she was good at.
Opening the door on the beat, she bent down to peer inside then pulled some fresh broccoli and carrots from the crisper before she closed the door on the next beat and headed to the chopping board. Her new favourite song was blaring from the portable radio on the windowsill. A smile dressed her face and she felt good about life. It hadn’t always been that way but finally she was in a happy place. Her career as a neonatal nurse was on track, she loved working at Los Angeles District Hospital and, although she wasn’t dating anyone, there were more than a few residents paying her attention.
She wiped some tiny specks of broccoli from her cotton tank top before she glanced up at the clock on the wall and smiled. Her sister and brother-in-law would have arrived in Palm Springs and be in their happy place for the long weekend.
The hotel looked so luxurious online and the reviews were all good. Jade hoped that it would live up to the hype and Ruby and David would have a wonderful few days relaxing before their baby arrived. Ruby was just over six months pregnant and Jade wanted to give the pair a second honeymoon as she knew that once they were new parents their focus would be their baby. The way Ruby struggled with her pregnancy, and morning sickness that still hadn’t abated, Jade wasn’t sure how much of a honeymoon it would be, but it would at least be a getaway.
Ruby and David had taken Jade into their home after her ground-floor apartment had been flooded by a burst water main the previous month, and this was her small way to show appreciation. She planned on moving back in to her beach-side home as soon as repairs were completed but the insurance company was still arguing with the landlords so no date had been confirmed. Jade hadn’t lost any personal belongings to the murky water, as she leased the apartment furnished, so it wasn’t devastating, just inconvenient.
She finished chopping the vegetables and put them on to steam before she turned off the radio and went into the sitting room. While it was only temporary, it was still wonderful having a big house to herself for a few days, she thought as she sat down on the sofa. Her place in Santa Monica was quite small and the paper-thin walls allowed her to know far too much about her neighbours. Some mornings she found it difficult to look them in the eye in the car park. There were some things she just didn’t want to know and some she found hard to forget. So Jade was enjoying everything about being in her big sister’s house.
Collapsing back into the huge armchair, she threw her legs over the padded arms and reached for the remote control. It had been a long day on her feet at the hospital and she decided that after watching the six o’clock news and eating her dinner she would soak in the tub, read a book and turn in early.
Switching on the television, her mood abruptly fell as she saw the horrific footage of an eight-car pile-up on the Pacific Coast Highway that afternoon. Her stomach turned and heart fell with the sight of wreckage. Jade was carefree about a lot in life but not when it came to tragedies like the one playing out on the screen. It wasn’t only the victims she thought about. Her prayers went out to the families whose lives would never be the same.
She and her sister had been one of those families. They had been left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives when their mother and father had died in a road accident when Jade and Ruby had been in their late teens. It had been a turning point for both of them. Ruby, being the elder sister and feeling the need to take control, had changed almost overnight. She had become more cautious and wanted stability, while Jade had steered her life in the opposite direction. She had decided to make the most of every moment with the mantra that life was short.
The television showed the lights of the LAPD patrol cars flashing and ambulances parked randomly across the freeway near the mangled metal that trapped the victims against the cement pylons. Traffic was built up for miles in both directions. Every detail of the horror was being captured by the news helicopters hovering in the air above. Watching with a heavy heart, Jade assumed with dread that there would have been fatalities. With no dance in her step now, she returned to the stove and turned off the heat under the saucepan, just as she heard her telephone ringing inside her bag. There was no caller ID, she noticed, before she answered.
‘Jade Grant?’ the sombre female voice asked.
‘Yes, speaking.’
‘I’m Sergeant Meg Dunbar from the LAPD. I’m afraid there’s been an accident on the Pacific Coast Highway. Your sister’s been taken to Los Angeles District Hospital.’
Jade felt her head spin and her heart race with panic. ‘No, it can’t be. There’s been a mistake. She’s in Palm Springs with her husband.’
‘I’m afraid she and her husband were involved in an accident on the PCH just over two hours ago. They finally cut your sister from the wreckage and she was transported here. She is still unconscious but I was able to get your details from her cell phone. Please come immediately, she’s heading for the operating theatre. Her injuries are critical.’
‘What about the baby?’
‘Miss Grant, I’m sorry, I can’t give you any further information about your sister’s condition. I’ve told you everything I know. The doctors will tell you more when you get here.’
‘And David, her husband, is he there with her?’
There was a moment’s silence. ‘I’m afraid, Miss Grant, your sister’s husband didn’t survive the accident.’
The phone crashed to the floor. Jade froze with her hands limp by her sides, her body trembling before she cried out loud and fell against the cold wall. The officer’s words were ringing in her head, not unlike a siren. She could still see the footage of the accident on the screen and she realised David was lying there in the carnage. He had never reached Palm Springs. She couldn’t speak or even find a logical thought at that moment. A numb feeling engulfed almost all of her body. Only her heart could feel anything, and that was unrelenting stabs of pain that threatened her breathing.
Eight years disappeared and suddenly Jade was the eighteen-year-old girl who had been told by the social worker that her parents had been killed. A heavily laden lorry had run a red light on the corner of Fairfax and Wilshire and they’d both died on impact. Jade remembered the distressed expression on the woman’s face as she’d delivered the devastating news. She felt certain the policewoman on the other end of the phone had the same poignant expression. She didn’t think that life could be so cruel and deliver her family the same overwhelming sadness twice. It was too much for one lifetime.
For a moment, she stared blankly at the wall, seeing nothing through the blur of her tears. But Jade couldn’t fall to pieces the way she had all those years ago. Back then she’d had Ruby to tell her that everything would be all right and that they would always have each other. Reassuring Jade that she would always have someone to lean on through the hard times. Now Jade needed to hold herself together enough to stand strong beside her sister when she found out she had lost David. She had to be Ruby’s pillar of strength this time.
Jade reached for her bag and keys as she brought herself back to reality, and to what remained of her shattered senses. She needed to get to the hospital. Ruby had just lost the love of her life and the father of her unborn child.
With tears running down her face, Jade ran for the door, and taking deep breaths she focused on the task of getting safely to the hospital. Their home was barely ten minutes from the Los Angeles District Hospital but it felt more like a lifetime away as she was stalled by the heavy evening traffic on Wilshire Boulevard. Every minute she sat there her heart was pounding in her chest and her stomach was churning with the reality of the crash that had claimed David’s life.
Only a few hours before they had been in the kitchen together, talking about the wonderful few days ahead and thanking Jade for arranging their short holiday. David had planned on painting the nursery when they returned and Ruby was already filling the cupboards with baby clothes in preparation for the birth of their first child. They had been overjoyed when they’d been told it would be a little girl, just as they would have been overjoyed if they’d been told they were having a son. They had been so thrilled to be starting their family. She would be the first of four children, David had lovingly teased his wife as he’d patted her already rotund belly.
Finally Jade pulled into the hospital car park. Her tears had dried and she was steeling herself to be strong for Ruby as she stepped from the car. She had no idea that that was the same moment Ruby’s heart stopped. Her sister had died on the operating table only minutes after having an emergency Caesarean to save the baby daughter she and David had already named Amber.
Jade wept openly and uncontrollably when she was told. Nothing the nurses or police could say would stop her tears. There was no amount of compassion or understanding that could stop her sobbing. She doubted the tears would ever cease and she knew her heart would never be whole again. This time she had no one to lean on.
‘Will she live?’ Jade asked, scared of the answer but still needing to know. She had kept vigil beside her tiny niece for every waking hour of the two days since her birth. She had dozed sitting upright.
‘Jade,’ the neonatologist said with an equal mix of warmth and authority tempering her voice, ‘you know that Amber’s having the very best care with the finest facilities.’
Jade sat in silence for a moment, gathering her thoughts before the shaky response slipped from her lips. ‘I know, Dr Greaves, and I don’t mean to be abrupt, but I don’t want you to sugar-coat anything. I’ve been working here in the neonatal ICU for over two years now, so please just be honest with me about her prognosis.’
Jade watched the neonatologist as she cast her eyes down and her lips formed a hard line in her somewhat tired face. She knew that the paediatric specialist had been attending Amber all night and the toll of her dedication showed in the morning light. Her naturally thin features were further drawn. But Jade was as tired as the attending physician and that brought her close to becoming a victim of her emotions. She would rather appear forthright and detached at that moment than risk her arm reaching around her in a comforting way and reducing her to a useless, snivelling heap of guilt. Melissa Greaves was that type of doctor. Professional but also motherly. Jade made a space between them to make it difficult for Melissa to reach for her. She had to do this alone.
The doctor’s hesitation in answering confirmed Jade’s fears, and her stomach tensed with a hollow cramp. Her composed veneer of bravado was close to shattering.
Melissa turned to her with a look that signalled she was about to deliver the harsh reality. ‘If complete honesty is to be the call then I have grave concerns for your niece. She’s dropped below her very low birth weight of two pounds, only marginally, but every ounce is critical, as you know, Jade, with VLBW patients.’ She paused for a moment as she slipped her pen inside her coat pocket.
‘Amber’s a little fighter but since you don’t want me to lie to you, if, and that’s a big if, she makes it through the day, I’d still only give her a fifty percent chance of survival. Her gestational age was twenty-nine weeks, so it was always going to be a struggle, but with the compromised maternal metabolic and cardiovascular factors brought about by the accident there are additional complications. With her mother trapped in the vehicle for almost two hours, there was decreased uterine blood flow and abnormal placental conditions prior to the emergency Caesarean, and she is a tiny baby, so Amber has a fight ahead if she is to survive.’
Anxiously, Jade turned to the tiny figure lying behind sterile glass walls. A sea of wires, all linked to monitors, supported her fragile life. Jade gently reached her hand through the porthole door of the incubator and gently stroked Amber’s warm, wrinkled skin. She was like a tiny china doll. Despairingly, Jade looked at her tiny niece’s beautiful face through the transparent head box that was supplying a constant stream of oxygen to make her breathing less difficult. All the while a drip was feeding nutrients through the sole of her swollen foot as the veins in her spindly arms had collapsed and had ceased being of any use for intravenous nourishment. The innocent child was fighting to survive, unaware that her parents’ lives had been taken by the cruel hand of fate.
‘You know, if there’s a glimmer of light in all of this,’ Melissa added, and crossed to Jade and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, ‘Amber isn’t suffering respiratory distress and her tiny lungs appear to be coping so she didn’t need a ventilator. I am amazed and a little bewildered by this and it does give me reason to give you the fifty-fifty chance ratio. Without that, her survival would be much lower than fifty per cent. At birth, I placed her survival at less than twenty per cent.’
Jade took another deep breath. The odds were improving. However, the slight degree of optimism the doctor had imparted didn’t bring her peace of mind. Jade wanted the one hundred per cent guarantee that she knew in reality no one could provide.
This environment was second nature to her, yet now being in neonatal ICU made her fearful. Every day, as a neonatal nurse, she cared for premature infants, yet seeing Amber needing the same level of intense assistance made her feel vulnerable. She had to pull herself together. Not for her sake but for Amber’s. She had to be able to process what was happening and, if called upon, make the right and informed decisions regarding her niece’s care.
‘And you moved her from the open radiant warmer last night?’ Jade asked, appreciating and finding a level of comfort in the compassion she had tried to deflect.
‘Yes. When you fell asleep for a few minutes in the early hours I decided that the increased stimulation from light and noise and the associated risk of decreased growth and weight gain was greater than the disadvantages of the incubator. She is just too tiny to lose any further body mass. The next twenty-four hours will be critical.’
‘Then it looks like we’re here together for another long day, Amber, but you will get through this,’ Jade promised aloud to the sleeping infant, before adding silently, And I will never leave your side. Never. Trying unsuccessfully to quash her unshed tears, she turned away before Melissa witnessed her breakdown. Through a watery blur, she watched the shaky breathing of her niece’s tiny body and felt so helpless it was overwhelming.
She had never felt so totally powerless before in her life. She wished she had saved every forgotten wish from each birthday cake over the past twenty-six years and could tie them together to wish for the one thing she wanted with all her heart. If only she could gently lift the spindly bundle from her tiny glass crib and softly whisper that everything would be all right. But she couldn’t. There was no guarantee that everything would be all right. There were no promises of a future for this little girl clinging tenaciously to life. And if she did have a future it would be one without her mother and father.
The days passed slowly, but each hour that Amber lived gave Jade hope. The hospital granted her compassionate leave to focus on Amber. The baby’s weight was stabilizing and the doctors looked less worried, as did the neonatal nurses, who were all friends as well as colleagues. None of them provided false hope but neither did they talk about the possibility that Amber might not survive.
Her heart ached for the baby she had been with for four days. A baby as wanted and loved as any child could be. She was the daughter that Ruby and David had dreamed of and planned for so many years. It made the bleakness of the prognosis so much harder to handle. She worried that not having her mother’s love and natural bonding could add to the complications of Amber’s early entry into the world. Although Jade wasn’t her mother, she swore to herself she would be the next best thing and do everything in her power for the little girl at that moment and for the rest of her life. Amber had lost the mother she had never known but she would never lose Jade.
She would spend her life making it up to her niece for sending her parents on the holiday that had claimed their lives. And she would spend her life being the woman that Ruby and David would want raising their little girl.
But Jade was also struggling with her own grief. Grief the little girl knew nothing about. Over those first few days it was almost too much to bear. Not only was she close to crippled with worry about her niece, but she had also lost her sister. A sister she’d loved with all of her heart.
Ruby and Jade had been close all their lives and even more so after the loss of their parents. Ruby had been, in Jade’s mind, the most wonderful sister in the world. She had been kind, and funny and nurturing. It was as if half of Jade was gone. Ripped from her life without warning. No chance to say goodbye. No opportunity to thank her sister for everything she had done. All the big sister advice she had given over the years. The advice that Jade had always appreciated but mostly ignored. The tears they had shed over boys who hadn’t been worth it. The late-night calls to chat about nothing much but which had somehow lasted for hours.
It was all gone. She would never laugh with her sister again. She would never watch David look lovingly at his wife and hear them make plans and talk about their daughter’s education. How Ruby would tell him that the little girl would be brighter than anyone else in the class because he was the father, and how he would say she would be without doubt the prettiest because she would look like her mother.
At times, Jade would tell them they sounded like a bad midday movie but their love for each other had been undeniable and real.
With that in mind, Jade held herself together. She owed it to Ruby and David to be there for their daughter and surround her with the love they would have lavished on her.
And then there was the added burden of guilt that sat heavily on her shoulders. No matter which way Jade looked at the situation, she felt responsible for Amber’s early entry into this world. She had played the scene over and over in her mind since the accident. Why had she booked the holiday for them? If only she hadn’t given them the present of a few days away in Palm Springs, they wouldn’t have been a part of that terrible accident. And Amber would still be safely inside her mother with another ten weeks until her much-anticipated birth.
But instead, Jade was arranging the funeral of Amber’s parents and staying strong for the tiny daughter they would never be able to love. She knew they both had a battle ahead but they would face it together. All they had now in the world was each other.

CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_44b0a4d6-d54c-51e9-bc87-a3b15602661c)
‘WE ARE NOW commencing our descent into Adelaide. Please ensure your tray table is secured and your seat is in the upright position. We will be landing in fifteen minutes and you will be disembarking at gate twenty-three. Current time in Adelaide is eleven-thirty. Your luggage will be available for collection on Carousel Five. On behalf of the cabin crew, we hope you enjoyed your flight and will fly again with us in the future.’
Jade wound up the cord of her headset before she tucked it away after the flight attendant’s announcement, then, smiling, she looked over at her niece, still sleeping soundly. She looked like a tiny angel. Her little round face was resting in the pillow, her tight, strawberry-blonde curls a little messy, her arm tightly holding her rag doll and her bright blue eyes still hidden from the world. It was the second leg of their travel. The fifteen-hour-long haul from Los Angeles to Sydney had been followed by a shorter flight to Adelaide.
The trip to Australia was not a journey that Jade had wanted to make initially and one that she had been delaying, but she had known it was the right thing to do. David’s mother, Maureen, and stepfather, Arthur, had wanted so much for their granddaughter to spend some time in the town where their son, Amber’s father, had grown up. So here they both were, about to touch down in a city that she remembered from David’s conversations but a place she knew nothing about. Her stomach was churning nervously.
The last time she had seen Maureen and Arthur had been at the funeral almost three years before. It had been a time that Jade would never forget. Despite the overwhelming grief that no one had tried to mask, they’d shown great kindness in allowing David to be buried in Los Angeles with his wife. Jade knew that it would have been reasonable for them to want their son to be buried near them in his home town, but they had all known that David would want to be laid to rest with the woman he’d loved.
And so it was that they’d left their son for ever in a city eight thousand miles from them. It displayed a generosity of spirit, and Jade knew in her heart why David had been such a loving and considerate man. He had been his parents’ son.
They had not visited Los Angeles again after the funeral, but Jade had accepted it would have been too sad to return to the place where their son had died. They had kept in contact with calls and emails and gifts for Amber’s birthday and Christmas. Amber’s birthdays were a bitter-sweet time for everyone as she had been born on the day her parents had both died. An unspoken agreement made them all try to celebrate the beautiful gift they had been given on that fateful day.
Jade felt an empty ache inside for what everyone had lost. Some nights she lay awake with her memories and overwhelming sadness. A trigger such as Amber’s first step, first word, first anything reminded Jade of how Ruby and David should be there to witness their daughter’s milestones. And they weren’t.
Amber never cried; she was too young to know what she was missing, and Jade was determined to devote her life to filling any gaps. Amber would never want for anything in her life. She would never be alone in the world.
As they walked across the air bridge, Jade spied David’s mother and stepfather. Maureen was beaming with excitement, her smile so wide that Jade could see it before she entered the arrival lounge. Arthur’s expression was more stoic, almost stern, but she knew he was a good man and a generous one. Maureen was dressed in a pastel floral summer dress and wore flat gold sandals, her blonde hair cut in a short, modern style. Arthur wore long beige trousers with a navy and cream checked shirt, his hair silver grey. They were a stylishly conservative couple, sharing David’s dress sense, Jade thought.
Holding Amber’s tiny hand in hers, Jade walked up the carpeted incline to where the couple were waiting. Still a little drowsy, Amber was struggling to hold on to her ragdoll, and the soft legs dragged behind them into the terminal.
‘Hello, Maureen,’ Jade said, and kissed the woman’s cheek lightly. Then she greeted Arthur with a kiss to his sun-wrinkled cheek. Jade wondered if it was tennis or golf that had weathered his happy face. Now retired, he had spent his working life as a surgeon so she knew it wasn’t from toiling in the midday sun.
‘Amber, sweetheart, this is Grandma and Grandpa.’
‘Hello, Amber, I hope you both had a good trip,’ Maureen said, directing her comment to Jade as she wrapped her arms around Amber and kissed her ruddy, warm cheek.
‘Hello,’ came Amber’s shy, almost muttered reply. Jade noticed her niece flinch and wriggle before she leant back, wanting to be in her arms. Understanding the little girl’s reticence at being embraced by a woman she didn’t know, Jade gently reached for her.
‘She’s a bit tired,’ she said apologetically, and she lifted the child, who was now looking quite worried, almost teary, into her arms ‘It was a long flight, but I certainly couldn’t complain. It was very generous of you to fly us here first class.’
‘Nonsense, we wouldn’t have it any other way,’ Maureen announced, still stroking the little girl’s arm, and to Jade’s relief not offended by the child’s reaction. ‘Nothing is too good for either of you. You are family and our home is your home for as long as you can stay. I’m hoping you love Adelaide so much you won’t ever leave. We have such a big house all to ourselves.’
Smiling, Arthur rolled his eyes at the complete lack of subtlety in his wife’s announcement, took hold of Jade’s carry-on luggage, and together, the four of them made their way to collect the checked-in luggage.
Jade smiled at the warmth and genuine sentiment in Maureen’s words. But it would never happen. Their lives were in Los Angeles and they were in Adelaide for one month. It was all the leave she could take from Cedars Sinai, where she still worked but now part time. Jade had thought about leaving when Amber had been discharged to her care. She had wondered how she would pull into the car park of the hospital where her sister had passed away. But over time it gave her comfort to know she was where Ruby had spent her last moments of life. And where Amber had taken her first breath.
But now they were in Adelaide and, despite being a little weary, Jade was happy she had made the trip. Maureen and Arthur had lost their son and they deserved to spend time with their granddaughter. It would be Amber’s third birthday while they were together and the third anniversary of Ruby and David’s death. They could both console each other and celebrate together.
As they all headed down the escalators, Arthur insisted on collecting their bags from the luggage carousel so Jade and Amber could enjoy the sun outside.
‘Go on, head outside and stretch your legs,’ he told Jade.
‘Amber’s case is bright pink with yellow polka dots,’ Jade replied as she scooped up the rag doll, now a little grubby from being dragged through the airport, and put it in her oversized handbag. ‘Mine’s a little less embarrassing for you. It’s a silver hard-shell suitcase with a red luggage tag.’
Arthur smiled, handed Maureen Jade’s carry-on and headed over to wait with the other passengers and families for the luggage to arrive.
Slipping on her sunglasses, Jade stepped out under the brilliant blue sky with Amber stuck by her side like a magnet. The sun felt good on her face. Perhaps a break like this was just what they both needed.
‘We can’t tell you how excited we both are to have you and Amber here, Jade.’
Jade turned and smiled at Amber’s grandmother. The joy in Maureen’s face made the long flight worthwhile to Jade. ‘We’re very happy to be here.’
It wasn’t long before Arthur reappeared with the two large suitcases and they were on their way to the high-rise airport car park.
‘Uncle Mitchell might be there when we get home,’ Maureen said to Amber, who in turn showed little reaction to the words of the nice older lady she didn’t know.
Jade was momentarily confused. Uncle Mitchell? Then quickly the fog of the long flight lifted and she remembered David’s brother. Although last she’d heard he was still living in some remote part of the world. He was the older but immature brother who never settled down but instead travelled widely and lived his life as one great big adventure. Like a nomad who pitched a tent wherever the mood took him.
‘Isn’t Mitchell living overseas?’
Maureen ran her fingers gently through Amber’s mess of curls that Jade realised badly needed a brush. This time Amber didn’t flinch, and Jade surmised that her niece had worked out that Maureen posed no threat. Jade hoped the two would grow close quite quickly, as their time together would be limited and precious.
‘No, Mitchell’s here in Adelaide at the moment. He’s been in Africa for over four years but he came home a few months ago. Not long after he heard you were planning on visiting. Quite a coincidence really.’ She raised her gaze to meet Jade’s and with a knowing look added, ‘I think he knew we needed him. Although he’ll never admit it. He’s quite the independent type but I think he was worried about all of us. Not sure how long he’ll stay, though, as he’s not one to lay down any roots. But still, he’s here and he has the opportunity to meet you and celebrate his niece’s birthday and that is all that matters.’
Jade didn’t give it much thought. Her focus was to repay Arthur and Maureen for their kindness in the only way she could—by allowing them to spend time with Amber. Uncle Mitchell could waltz in and out as he pleased, which, from everything she had heard, was his style. No fixed address for any extended period appeared to be his way of life and it didn’t look as if it had changed.
Mitchell’s devil-may-care way of life was not her concern. She had met men like him before and had dated a few of them but that was in her past. And she had no intention of treading in that territory again. When it came to men Jade was numb. She didn’t hate men, but she certainly didn’t need a man in her life any more. Her priorities had changed the night of the accident. She didn’t have time to think about men or relationships. They no longer factored into her life.
Now her focus was Amber, her work at the hospital and building a happy, secure life for the two of them. Men were a distraction and she didn’t have room in her life for any distractions. She owed her sister and David her undivided attention to their daughter. She had promised them both that in her prayers the night Amber had been born.
‘So how is little Amber doing?’ Arthur asked matter-of-factly, as he inserted his validated parking ticket into the machine and waited for the arm to rise and release them. ‘I know she’s had a number of medical issues but she’s a far cry from the infant we saw in ICU. She looks the picture of health now.’ As he spoke, the automated arm lifted, and they left the car park and headed in the direction of the main road that would lead to their beachside residence.
Jade looked down at Amber, who was still drowsy and now sucking her thumb. The last time she’d seen Maureen and David had been at the funeral and when they’d visited Amber in hospital. She had been less than a week old and a little over two pounds by then. The little girl had been through so much over the years and there were still potential medical hurdles ahead, but Jade tried not to dwell on them. She was also aware that Arthur was a retired orthopaedic surgeon so he had the understanding and ability to process the medical details.
‘As I said in my emails, Amber was diagnosed with dysplasia in her right kidney.’
‘What’s kidney dysplasia and is it serious?’ Maureen interrupted.
‘It means, darling,’ Arthur began to explain as he watched the lights change at the intersection, ‘that one of little Amber’s kidneys didn’t develop properly before she was born and she has fluid-filled sacs instead of healthy tissue in one kidney, but the other one is perfectly fine and doing the work of both.’
‘Can that go on indefinitely or will the good kidney be overworked?’ Maureen’s question was directed at both Jade and Arthur.
Arthur looked over at his wife with a knowing expression. She had no medical knowledge but she was an intelligent and inquisitive woman and they were two of the many reasons he had married her. He knew she would have excelled in any field she had chosen so he did not need to over-simplify his medical terminology around her.
‘A baby or, in Amber’s case, a young child with one working kidney can grow normally without too many health problems. Babies with kidney dysplasia affecting both kidneys generally do not survive pregnancy, and those who do survive need dialysis and a kidney transplant very early in life.’
‘How dreadful for the child and the parents.’
Jade stroked Amber’s forehead gently and watched her precious niece holding on tightly to the favourite rag doll she had pulled from Jade’s bag.
‘We are fortunate, but Amber is still being closely monitored back in LA,’ Jade added.
‘How did it happen?’ Maureen asked as they left the highway.
‘Kidney dysplasia can have genetic causes,’ Jade replied, imparting the information as if she were back at the hospital, rather than talking about the little girl dozing by her side. It was easier that way. ‘It appears to be a dominant trait, which means one parent may pass the trait to a child. Normally, when this is discovered, the child’s parents undergo an ultrasound to confirm if either have the condition but this wasn’t possible for Amber so we will never know if it was Ruby or David. And really it’s a moot point,’ she said as the car headed over a small bridge. Jade could see the shimmering ocean ahead and she looked forward to spending a few weeks by the beach, not overthinking what might lie ahead. She knew what she might face in the future with Amber’s condition and, as always, it was upsetting just to think about it.
‘But the important thing is our granddaughter is healthy and that makes me happy.’
‘Amber is healthy now,’ Jade confirmed, then paused for a moment to gather her thoughts and not become emotional. She was tired from the flight and she tried not the think about the potentially life-threatening condition that Amber could face if her functioning kidney were to fail. ‘She’s monitored closely and I suppose that’s why it took so long for us to get here. I wanted to make sure she was well enough to fly and not compromise or exacerbate her condition.’
‘So she got the all-clear to be here from her paediatric nephrologist in LA?’ Arthur asked as he indicated and turned into their street.
‘Yes, Dr Mulligan said it would be fine but he gave me the details for the renal unit at the Eastern Memorial Hospital should there be any issues.’
‘That’s my old stomping ground. I only retired last year,’ Arthur responded with a touch of melancholy colouring his voice.
‘Yes, I remember that from one of your emails, so it’s comforting that you know the hospital well,’ she returned. ‘But let’s hope we won’t need to visit there as she had an examination with Dr Mulligan only two days before we left and he said that she is progressing well and may travel through life with no other issues. That’s the best-case scenario, but if we aren’t that fortunate, I hope treatment is many years away and she is old enough to understand it. Although she will need genetic counselling when, and if, she wants children of her own one day.’
‘Goodness, children of her own. That’s such a very long time away. Let’s not rush the poor child.’ Maureen turned around and once again looked proudly at her only grandchild. Her happiness was contagious and lifted Jade’s spirits again.
‘So there’s no need to think she’ll be anything other than fine and she can look forward to spending four lovely weeks with us,’ Arthur retorted, purposely lifting the tone of his voice.
‘And her Uncle Mitchell,’ Maureen added, happiness evident in her voice.
Uncle Mitchell. Jade was taken aback yet again at hearing his name. Although she was far from curious about the elusive Mitchell, apparently she was finally going to meet him and so was Amber. The seemingly irresponsible brother with wanderlust. Ruby and David had eloped so there had never been a wedding to allow the families to meet. Although it wouldn’t have been a huge gathering as there had not been much of a family on Ruby’s side. There had only been Jade and Ruby.
Jade suspected that was why David had suggested eloping. The idea of David’s family filling one side of the church and their side empty but for their friends would have made the day bitter-sweet and that was why she assumed he’d arranged an impromptu sunset wedding in Maui. He had been a considerate and devoted man. And from what she had heard completely at odds with his brother.
Mitchell hadn’t travelled over for the funeral but Jade had been dealing with her own insurmountable sadness so she hadn’t been too aware of anyone else and their presence or lack thereof then. It had been a sad time that she wanted to both forget and remember. Remember because it had been her last connection to the sister she’d loved completely, and forget because she hadn’t thought she would survive the sense of loss that had threatened her sanity during those weeks and months that had followed the accident.
But apart from his lack of interest in his brother’s funeral, Jade knew little about Mitchell. Over the years postcards and photographs from far-away places had arrived, somewhat battered, and the very occasional email when Mitchell had been somewhere with an internet connection. Jade had seen them pinned to the corkboard in her sister’s kitchen when she’d visited. It had been difficult to see what he looked like behind the wraparound sunglasses he’d worn in all the shots. But scruffy and rough around the edges was the lasting impression. His hair was long and wild, almost in dreadlocks, and so, too, was his beard. David, on the other hand, had been clean cut and well mannered. And Mitchell appeared to have a new girlfriend in each photo.
For some reason, David’s face would light up when he’d looked at the photographs and the reverence he’d felt for his brother had been clear. He would say proudly that Mitchell was the most selfless person in the world and the best brother, but neither Ruby nor Jade had been able to see any evidence of it.
The brothers had had a bond that had stretched across the continents and oceans that had separated them, and Ruby would often say that she never understood what was so admirable about his carefree, and from the content of the photographs, playboy lifestyle. The bungee jumping, abseiling and mountain climbing all pointed to an adrenalin-driven way of life. He was a nomad and spent a great deal of time in countries on the African continent. Nothing like the life that David had chosen. Ruby and David had been so perfectly suited and Jade had been happy for her sister.
Jade was not like her sister, though. She had never found the man perfectly suited to her. Although she wasn’t actively searching, either. Her mantra drove her to live a full life and not rush to settle down. She had dated a few men, including an up-and-coming musician who had left town to make it on the East Coast, then a pro-football player while she’d been at college and a bull rider during her first nursing placement. Jade had liked the idea that she’d been with a man involved in what was called the most dangerous eight seconds in sport but the fascination had quickly faded and Jade had lost interest, just like she had with the others. There had been something missing. They’d had fun times but there had been no real connection. She hadn’t been looking for the one but even if she had been she hadn’t found him.
Ruby had not liked any of Jade’s boyfriends. She’d thought her taste had been deteriorating, not improving, and hadn’t hidden her aversion to what had appeared to be Jade’s less-than-desirable type. She’d worried that the way her sister had dressed might have had something to do with the men she’d attracted and she oftentimes would suggest a more demure style, like her own, but Jade had loved her shorts and T-shirts. Ruby had complained that the men Jade had liked had been too wild and a man who couldn’t be tamed would never be for keeps. Jade hadn’t been looking for for ever, like her sister; she’d been happy to just enjoy a life without ties. She’d lived for the moment. A serious relationship had held little or no appeal.
She’d just been too busy enjoying life and having fun because life was short.
Looking back now, Jade reluctantly admitted to herself that Mitchell’s ongoing carefree life was not too far from her former life. Her life before she’d become Amber’s guardian. A life that she had almost forgotten. She had been skydiving more than once and had loved it. The rush that had engulfed her mind and her body as she’d been freefalling towards the ground just before the chute had opened had been thrilling. Her heart had raced, and she’d felt alive and exhilarated, but now her feet would be firmly placed on the ground. Now she wouldn’t even contemplate a roller-coaster ride at Six Flags, her once favourite theme park and the destination of her former regular weekend trek with friends.
Now there was nothing in the world more important than taking care of her niece and making sure they were both safe at all times. The old free spirited Jade Grant was now very tame and very conservative in every possible way. Her once long blonde hair was now a short pixie cut, her clothes were more in keeping with someone at least ten years older and her make-up nonexistent save for some tinted sunscreen and lip gloss. She was doing her best in every way to be exactly the person Amber needed and that Ruby and David would have wanted to be her daughter’s guardian. The old Jade had been packed away. She wanted Amber to feel safe and the best way she knew how to do that was to be more like Ruby. Sensible was now her middle name.
‘Here we are,’ Arthur announced as he pulled the SUV into the driveway of the luxurious three-storey home. The architecture was modern, with a large glass balcony on both upper floors overlooking the beach.
Jade lowered her glasses. The home was palatial and the view as she stepped out of the car and looked around was spectacular.
‘It’s beautiful. What part of Adelaide is this?’
‘Glenelg … North Glenelg, to be exact,’ Arthur said with pride as he lifted the cases from the back of the vehicle. ‘Just love it here, like an all-year-round holiday but still so close to the city. And you can go surfing if you’d like. Mitchell’s renting a condo just down the road, walking distance actually, but it has on-road parking, with no storage space so he leaves his surfboard in our garage. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you borrowed it. I remember David telling us you were quite a surfer girl.’
Jade froze. Surfer girl? That had been a lifetime ago. And it was a pastime that she would never contemplate again. Now that love of riding a wave was tainted by the reality that she could easily be knocked unconscious by her own board and drown at the bottom of the ocean. Surfing was right up there with the all the other activities from her past. Something she’d once done during summer break with her friends at Malibu but something that she would never consider now. With every day she found a greater understanding of how Ruby had seen life. And how that was needed, for Amber’s well-being.
‘I’m not a surfer any more, or even much of a swimmer, to be honest, but I’m sure Amber will love building sandcastles.’
‘I’m sure she will. And the shops are close by, too,’ Maureen added, hoping to bond with Jade over a shared love of shopping. Struggling to bring up two sons on her own, before she’d met Arthur much later in life, hadn’t allowed her to share too much but now with Jade and Amber she thought they could enjoy some time together and buy lots of pretty things for her granddaughter.
Jade walked around to open the door and reach in for Amber.
‘May I?’ Maureen asked as she moved towards the car.
Jade wasn’t sure how Amber would react but she politely stepped back and was pleasantly surprised when the little girl allowed her grandmother to lift her from the car. Jade stayed close at hand so Amber would stay relaxed. A smile overtook Maureen’s pretty face and she carried Amber, and the grubby rag doll, up the steps to the front door.
‘Perhaps you and your doll might like a nice bubble bath before lunch,’ Maureen said softly, and waited for Arthur to unlock the door to the home that they would all share for the next four weeks.
Jade smiled as she entered the second guest bathroom half an hour later. She knelt down next to Maureen and watched her fuss over Amber as she played in the large white porcelain tub of warm bubbles. Jade had enjoyed a relaxing shower in another marble-tiled bathroom before she’d towel-dried her short hair and changed into an ankle-length cotton sundress. Long showers were a rarity as she didn’t like to leave Amber alone for too long, but safe in the knowledge that Maureen had the little girl, and that she seemed content to spend time with her grandmother, Jade had taken her time and let the hot water and steam massage her tired body.
It had been almost three years of being the sole provider and now she knew that Amber was happy spending time with her grandparents Jade was looking forward to a few luxuries, like the occasional long, hot shower, over the next few weeks. But she still wouldn’t be too far away.
She had heard laughter as she had approached the bathroom. Amber had a bright pink-and-white floral bath cap perched on her head but more than a few curls had slipped out and were now decorated with bubbles. The bathtub was filled with colourful plastic bath toys that Jade suspected had been purchased just for Amber. There were no other grandchildren and the toys looked far too new to have once belonged to David or Mitchell.
The next four weeks no doubt would be a time for spoiling Amber, and Jade was not about to tell Arthur or Maureen otherwise. Amber had been through so much and she deserved every bit of happiness and love that could be given to her. And equally Arthur and Maureen had suffered a terrible loss and she was happy that they could finally spend time with their only link to their son, their gorgeous granddaughter.
‘What about we all head over to the beach to build a sandcastle after you’re all clean?’
‘Well, that makes no sense at all!’ came a deep male voice from behind them.
Jade jumped a little with surprise. It wasn’t Arthur’s voice and she had not heard any steps, but looking around she immediately knew why. She saw two very tanned bare feet that would have made no noise on the tile corridor leading to the bathroom. Slowly, her gaze rose to equally tanned legs and then low-slung board shorts. When her eyes met the perfectly sculpted abs and chest, she felt her heart race a little underneath her thin cotton dress. It was a feeling she had not experienced in a very long time.
It was a feeling she didn’t want or need. And it rattled her usual calm demeanour.
‘You wash a child and then take her to roll in the sand. She’ll look like a piece of crumbed chicken.’
‘Mitchell, don’t be awful,’ Maureen scolded him lightheartedly without turning around. Her attention didn’t waver from her granddaughter in the water. ‘Amber has flown for almost twenty hours so she needed to clean up. I’ll dry her before we head to the sand and she is much too beautiful to ever look like crumbed poultry.’
Jade started to climb to her feet as the banter continued. Her long dress was caught around her knees and ankles and made it difficult to get up quickly.
‘I thought I heard you up here,’ Arthur cut in, and patted Mitchell on the shoulder. ‘You’re in time to meet Jade, Amber’s aunt …’
‘Oh, I know who Jade is,’ Mitchell replied, and put out a hand to help Jade up. ‘Pleased to finally meet you.’
Jade felt obliged to accept his hand, but she was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t grubby and in keeping with his jungle appearance in the photos. It was clean and warm and strong. Immediately, she almost wished she had refused. Slowly, she stood to her feet and came face to face with the man she had heard so much about—the wanderer who never stayed anywhere long, the brother whom David had loved and admired, and the man who she now knew enjoyed teasing his mother.
And the man who immediately took her breath away.
He was not scruffy, not even close. His long blond hair, once wild and dirty, was very short and well groomed, his long beard replaced by a fine covering of dark stubble and his eyes, always hidden behind sunglasses in the photos, were the brightest shade of blue. As clear and brilliant as the sky she had seen when she’d arrived a few hours ago.
It couldn’t be the same man. This man was gorgeous. And as he gently pulled her to him to softly kiss her cheek, she smelt the fresh overtones of his cologne. Her senses were suddenly overloaded.
‘Aunty Jade, catch!’
Jade turned her attention back to her niece to see a soapy plastic duck heading towards her. Instinctively, she moved to catch the airborne object but caught her sandal on the bathmat, losing her footing. She tried to steady herself but was swaying precariously. Suddenly, Mitchell’s firm hands reached out and caught her. She fell into his arms and his mouth hovered only inches from hers. His touch was warm on her bare shoulders and his strength kept her upright until she gathered her composure and could do it for herself. Her stomach began to churn nervously. Her reaction and feelings surprised her. No man had affected her that quickly for a very long time. Then she mentally corrected herself. No man had ever affected her that quickly.
‘Are you all right?’ His voice matched his appearance. It was as deep as the tan of his skin and very masculine.
She stepped back and smoothed down her dress. Words had completely escaped her and his nearness made her conscious of his sensuality. Astoundingly, he had managed to remind her of her own. It was ridiculous, she knew it. She had no interest in men. Any men. They were off limits to her. She had signed a deal with herself to forget dating, to forget men in general until Amber was married or at least enrolled in college. And by that time she surmised she would probably have no appeal for them, or them for her. It hadn’t been a hard deal to keep. The men she had dated previously, her type, no longer appealed. In fact, no man had been appealing since the accident. But somehow Mitchell’s touch had left her dizzy.
His expression was serious and his concern seemed genuine but she knew his type, a very handsome drifter with no ties. What she didn’t know was why she was reacting this way. There was something about the man, other than his looks, that was attracting her to him. Then she realised that looking into his eyes was like looking into Amber’s. The stunning blue eyes staring back at her were the same colour as those of the little girl she had kissed goodnight for almost three years. He was a part of the little girl as much as she was. They both shared a special bond with their beautiful niece.
But looks alone was where his bond ended. The bond of family was one he had chosen not to act on. He had never tried to see Amber. Mitchell had apparently been too busy enjoying life to bother checking in on his niece. He’d left that role to Jade and although she was more than happy to be the sole caregiver, the occasional call might have been nice. It might have shown that he actually had a heart and cared.
Mitchell hadn’t displayed any interest in the little girl up to now so she wasn’t about to just let him step into Amber’s life without any scrutiny. And without a damned good explanation.
He had returned home to spend time with his parents for reasons known only to him and at a strangely coincidental time, but Jade supposed the shine would wear off the situation and he would be riding back into the sunset very soon. His type was nothing new to her.
‘I’m fine,’ she finally mouthed, still confused by the way he was affecting her, given the situation. Bringing her niece to Australia was not about to change the way she looked at men, or didn’t look, as the case had been.
The idea that she could in any way be attracted to Amber’s uncle was ludicrous. She snapped her wandering thoughts back to reality. She was beyond angry with him for not investing some time in his niece over the past three years, although she wasn’t about to take him to task over it on meeting him. Maureen and Arthur deserved better than that. They were gracious and generous to a fault and she would not show any animosity to their son in front of them. And she also didn’t want Amber to feel anything but love when she thought of her family so she wouldn’t let on how she really felt about Mitchell when anyone else was around. That was between the two of them.
Jade was aware that Amber might ask questions about Mitchell as she grew up, but she had already planned on being diplomatic about the absent uncle purely out of respect for David. She owed nothing to Mitchell so it was not out of respect for him.
Jade planned on asking the hard questions when they were alone. She deserved to know why he had never bothered to reach out and get to know the little girl who was a living bond to the brother who had adored him. Jade did not understand how he could move on with his life and not want the child to be a part of it. It made no sense at all to her.
Neither had her feelings when he’d touched her. Suddenly, nothing made sense. How could she be attracted to a man she resented? It was ridiculous.
‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ Mitchell gave her a wary look as he studied her. She was pretty, very pretty, he thought, but she appeared quite uptight. Almost like a governess. Her dress was plain, not unlike something a farmer’s wife or librarian might have in their closet. It was safe, almost virginal. Then the word came to him. Prim. Jade’s appearance was the epitome of primness. Proper and nice and completely disguising any sign of her womanly curves. The hem of her sundress was just above her ankles so even her legs were almost hidden from view. Her arms were bare but he suspected she would have a cardigan or shawl close by. Her hair was practical and he saw there was no sign of make-up, although she truly did not need it anyway. She was naturally pretty.
Yet this woman before him did not match the one described by David as Ruby’s wild-child sister. The one who lived life like one long party. Mitchell had arrived at his parents’ home expecting a fun-loving Daisy Duke and was sadly disappointed. There was no reality he knew in which wild-child and Jade would sit comfortably side by side. They were poles apart—in fact, Mitchell thought there was close to a universe dividing them. He had imagined from his brother’s reports that they would have much in common and would enjoy spending time together while she was in town. But as he had no interest in spending time at the local library, it wasn’t going to happen. Life was short and he wasn’t about to waste any of it.
It was a not a coincidence that he had returned while Jade and Amber were in town. He had wanted to meet her and extend his condolences. Something he hadn’t been able to do after the accident. He had been working in a remote village with Doctors Without Borders and he hadn’t managed to secure passage home in time for the funeral. There had been no internet or phone coverage and he’d only found out about the accident the day before the service. After that he’d seen no point in going. He hadn’t wanted to fly to the US and have expectations and responsibility put upon him the moment he landed. He was not father material and suspected that, however wild, Jade would be a better guardian for Amber. Better by far.
Coming to Australia meant he could meet Jade and Amber and then disappear again back to his own life and leave them to theirs. He’d wanted to meet his niece more than anything and it had torn at him not to have done so before, but he’d been afraid about the damage he might cause by raising expectations he couldn’t meet. He hadn’t wanted to step into their lives when he had no intention of staying.
But this visit was different. It was a holiday and that in his mind equated to no residual scars for any of them. It was neutral territory for the meeting. Jade and Amber would have Maureen and Arthur to depend on in the future if the need arose. It was a better option all round.
He had, however, imagined he might enjoy his time with Jade. With everyone in holiday mode it might be fun, but looking at her now he felt sure that the word fun was not in her dictionary. He wondered how his older brother’s idea of wild could be that different from his own.
Or had Jade changed?
Something just didn’t add up.
‘I’m absolutely fine,’ she responded politely, and turned away from what she found to be a scrutinising gaze from an absurdly handsome man whom she wanted to scold for his apathy where his niece was concerned.
‘Are you ready to build some sandcastles?’ Jade asked Amber to steer her mind and mouth from telling him what she was really thinking.
‘Yeth, pleath,’ came the lisped reply.
Maureen laughed and reached into the warm water and pulled the bathplug free. ‘Grandma will lift you out then, sweetheart,’ Maureen began as she pulled the little girl from her watery surroundings and wrapped her in the fluffy white towel.
‘Amber, this is your uncle Mitchell.’
Mitchell dropped to his knees and put out his hand. Amber met it with a handshake.
‘Very pleased to meet you, Amber,’ Mitchell said softly. Then, looking from side to side, he added, ‘If you want some fun away from the fuddy-duddies you call me and we’ll go pony riding or maybe up to the Monarto Zoo, where they have lions and tigers and bears … Oh, my …’
Amber giggled at him. The Wizard of Oz was one of her favourite movies.
‘I think that Amber will be just fine building sandcastles,’ Jade cut in firmly with an expression of horror. Lions and horseback riding? Was he completely mad? Not a word or sight of the man in almost three years and now he wanted to whisk his niece off on a wildlife adventure and call it a fun day out. Hell would freeze over before she would let him take Amber anywhere.
‘Then I guess I’ll leave you ladies to it,’ Mitchell said, climbing back to his feet and stepping back. He tried to mask his confusion and disappointment. He had been looking forward to spending time with the fun-loving Jade he had heard about but this very tame version was definitely giving him the cold shoulder. He got the message loud and clear. They had nothing in common, except their fondness of the little girl now walking like an Egyptian mummy in her oversized towel towards the door.
‘There’s a great breeze up now so I’m going to spend the afternoon windsurfing.’ With that, he disappeared from the doorway.
‘Don’t forget the sunblock.’ His mother’s words echoed down the hallway after him.
‘I’m thirty-six years of age and I’ve spent four years in Africa and two in Saudi Arabia so I think I’ll be just fine.’ He shook his head and waved goodbye but didn’t turn around.
Jade watched his mother’s lips curve into a smile. There was clearly something in Mitchell that made his mother happy, but Jade wasn’t buying it. To her, he was selfish and self-serving. Extremely handsome, she conceded, but that was not the point, she reminded herself. He was everything she didn’t want or need to influence Amber’s choices in life.
‘Really, Maureen, do you want to scare your son away again?’ Arthur asked with a grin as he scratched his shaking head. ‘He’s an adult, so just do your helicopter mothering with little Amber … And be careful, Jade, she’ll have her sights on doing the same to you if you let her.’
Jade knew she had to mask the animosity she felt for Mitchell. She would be happy if he windsurfed for the entire four weeks and left them alone. Or, better yet, a huge gust took him safely back to Africa.
She was unnerved by the man. She didn’t like the feeling at all. Although she didn’t like simmering anger either, it was preferable to what he was stirring inside her.
Her pulse had slowed after he’d left and that was how it needed to stay, she thought as she followed Amber and Maureen back to the guest room. It was a pretty room, decorated in soft peach hues with two double beds and a view of the beach. The balcony doors were closed, and Jade intended on keeping them that way, even though she knew the high glass-and-chrome balustrade would more than protect Amber. Better safe than sorry was her new mantra. Life is short had been replaced the day she had held Amber in her arms for the first time.
‘There’s another guest room but I thought Amber would want you to sleep in the same room as it’s a strange house to her.’
‘She would, thank you.’
‘I bought a few bits and pieces for Amber to wear here and then take back home to America with you,’ Maureen announced, and slid open one of the built-in wardrobe doors to reveal clothing fit for a little princess or three. ‘I wasn’t sure what Amber’s favourite colour was—’

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