Page 49 of A Chance to Believe

‘Tess? Hello. What are you doing here?’

Tess brought her chair alongside his mother. ‘I’m visiting Cassie. You probably don’t know, but we’re cousins.’

‘My goodness. Is that so? I didn’t realise Cassie had family locally.’ She made it sound like the best news ever.

He nodded to his mother. ‘I’ll go ahead with Cassie and show her the room while you talk with Tess. You can follow us in a few minutes.’

There was a moment when Dawn might have argued. Her mouth parted with an objection, but she looked at Tess and seemed to relax. ‘Good idea. Tess can give me news about her parents. I haven’t seen them since they arrived back from England.’

Chapter 10

Cassie followed Shayne up the stairs, half annoyed, half admiring his technique at slowing his mother down so they could talk by themselves.

He led the way to a large double door with ornate carving and gleaming knobs, the patina from decades of use rather than fancy polishing,

‘This is the master suite.’

He’d pointed it out on the tour when she first arrived but hadn’t taken her in, giving her a quick look from the door.

The room itself was enormous, easily accommodating the enormous fourposter bed and an upholstered daybed by the window and a couple of matching armchairs. It smelled a little musty from disuse, but that was easily fixed. A door was open to the left, giving a glimpse into a bathroom and another door beside would be a walk-in robe. The opposite wall had a double door opening into another room.

Shayne didn’t linger, leading her to the double door. ‘Mum is thinking of converting the sitting room with the kitchenette into the nursery.’

‘That sounds like a nice thing to do, but why here?’

‘She’s assuming that I will move into the main bedroom so the twins would be next door.’

‘Does she expect me to move in too?’

‘This would happen whatever we choose to do between ourselves. I want to clarify that this isn’t about putting pressure on you. Stay or go, it’s up to you. I’ve been clear about what I want. Either way, it’s a good idea. There isn’t really a suitable room next to mine. Mine has an ensuite, but nothing suitable on either side.’

The room was a lovely sunny room with large windows opening onto a narrow, covered balcony that stretched the length of the house, facing towards the forested hill with its large granite rocks at the back of the property and overlooking the pool area. She’d noticed it from the annex, filling the space between the wings at each end of the main building. The working part of the farm was out of sight, cut off by the jutting out structure, giving more privacy to the central section.

It was furnished like a lounge and dining room with a small kitchenette. It would make a lovely nursery. The whole setup was a temptation. She sucked in a long breath to ease the tension in her chest. Shayne wanted her to share this with him and while the rooms were lovely, it was Shayne who posed the biggest threat to her equilibrium.

‘What do you think Dawn is planning to do with it?’

‘You should talk to her. We usually try to keep the antique look to fit with the historical nature of the building, but if you want something modern, you can give her feedback.’

‘So long as it’s safe, I don’t mind. I love the period look but antique cots aren’t always to code.’

He ran a finger over the polished table, leaving a mark in the dust. ‘We could find something reproduction that fitted.’

She moved away to the window, pressing her palm to her chest. Her heart was galloping. Shayne would notice if she was anything but her normal sedate self. Not that it was easy to keep up that facade. Shayne and his family were breaking down the shields that had kept her safe for so long.

He joined her at the window. ‘I know this is tough for you, Cassie. I don’t know what I can say to reassure you that things will be okay if you take a risk on us. We both know there are no certainties in life, but that’s no reason to give up on life and love.’

The love word. He’d said it and a quick glance at his face revealed tenderness. It was such a risk, caring for people. At least if something happened to her, the children would have a family. Tess would be there for them, but Shayne and his family were a wonderful safety net. She liked them. Sometimes she wondered a little about them, but they were good people, a little scarred by the past, but it was hardly something she could quibble about, considering her own hangups.

‘I want to try, Shayne.’ She turned to face him. ‘I think you’re right. We could make something good out of the situation. Make a family of our own. Your family seems to be accepting of the situation.’

‘My parents have been wanting me to settle down for years. You’re a dream come true for Mum. With bonus grandchildren.’

‘It makes it easier. There are no real barriers from outside. I want to make it work, but it’s not only about family and the babies. It’s about us. I don’t want to depend on anyone.’ Especially not for her happiness, knowing how easily it could be taken away. It would be far too easy to let her feelings for Shayne bloom into something full-blooded. Feelings that were already too invested.

‘You’ll always have your independence. I don’t want to impinge on that. I respect a woman who doesn’t cling. Although that depends on the circumstances. I can think of certain times when clinging is desirable.’

The wicked glint in his eyes was reassuring.

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