Free The Engagement Deal by Kim Lawrence

followed his grim words. ‘You’ve no idea…’
    ‘No, I haven’t, but if everyone else there this weekend does, isn’t there a strong possibility I might put my foot in it?’ Her ignorance could well be the downfall of his little scheme.
    A shaft of amusement lightened his expression momentarily. ‘From what I’ve seen of you it’s highly likely you’ll put both feet in it, but,’ he conceded reluctantly, ‘I can see your point. History lesson: Tara comes from a big family—ten kids; she was the eldest. They were poor, absent father, her mother retreated from the grim reality of her life with the assistance of anti-depressants which, at that time, doctors like yourself handed out like sweets.’
    Holly saw the inference in his eyes that she was somehow responsible for the inadequacies of the medical profession twenty years ago. She didn’t interrupt, though; he was warming to his theme and she was fascinated by the picture his bleak words were drawing.
    ‘When she should have been playing with her dolls, Tara was bringing up her brothers and sisters, something she did until her big break came. Tara has already done the parent thing,’ he explained. ‘She tried with Tom, but she was deeply unhappy; she felt trapped. Perhaps it would have been easier if she’d still been in love with me—but she wasn’t. You know almost as much as my family now—if not more,’ he added drily. ‘Satisfied?’
    The most obvious thing that emerged from his words was Niall’s strong sense of protectiveness towards his ex-wife.
    ‘Did you have Thomas in an effort to patch up your marriage?’ Holly knew as soon as the words passed her lips that she shouldn’t have voiced her thoughts out loud. Despite this, there was no need for him to look at her as though she’d suggested he was a mass murderer! It was a perfectly legitimate suspicion, considering he’d already said their marriage had been over and she personally knew a couple who had used a baby as a sort of marital band-aid.
    ‘That’s an angle that even the tabloids didn’t latch on to. It would seem that medicine’s gain is gutter journalism’s loss.’
    Holly winced. She knew this was a major insult, coming as it did from someone who had been savaged by the press. First they’d labelled him as an unpatriotic quitter for leaving the race circuit when he had the driver’s number one place in the bag—‘Has The Blue-Eyed Boy Lost His Nerve?’ the headlines had screamed. Today’s villain was tomorrow’s hero; later, he’d been the loyal husband and father left holding the baby by his flighty heartless spouse, such was the fickleness and casual cruelty of the media.
    ‘As you’re so curious about the circumstances surrounding Tom’s conception, I’ll tell you.’ Without a word, he pulled the car off the quiet country road they’d just joined and turned off the engine,
    ‘There’s really no need,’ she blustered anxiously.
    Niall ignored her words completely and, showing no consideration for her discomfiture, placed his hand on her chin to jerk her around to face him.
    Curiosity might be a natural human reaction, but Niall wasn’t feeling in an understanding mood. Her words, whether malicious or just plain clumsily misjudged, had managed to revive a host of memories that he would have preferred to forget. The worry resurfaced that somehow these old stories would one day rear their ugly heads and hurt Tom. He looked at the flustered face of his passenger without compassion. People who blundered in places they had no right to be should expect to hear a few things they might not like.
    ‘Tom was conceived with no forward planning, and much pleasure.’ He paused to let that sink in and watched the embarrassed colour flare in her cheeks. ‘This occurred during our last attempt to make a go of things, and yes , he is mine, and no , I haven’t demanded DNA testing! Does that satisfy your prurient interest?’ His blue eyes raked her face