since his outburst of temper. If only he could find the words to reassure her, to tell her that he would never willingly cause her any more pain in a million years. But right thenâwith the voices of excited young children ringing out in the chilly spring dayâReeceâs ability to think with any real clarity just got wrapped up in the innocent yet hurtful sounds, and he bent down, picked up a pebble and threw it into the water so that it skimmed across the dull, slightly green surface and made three distinct splashes as it progressed out into the centre of the lake.
âWhat âthingsâ do you need to concentrate on?â he asked.
âI want to get back to work myself. Not modelling,â she added quickly as she registered Reeceâs swift frown of disapproval. âIâve been working on some fashion designs, and Nina Bryant thinks that theyâre really quite good. I know a lot of people in the business still, and I think I could make a go of something if I give it my all.â
Reece hated to burst her bubble, he really did, but in his opinion no way was Sorrel ready to throw herself into another careerâlet alone âgive it her all.â She hadnât given herself proper time either to grieve or heal, and if this fashion designing didnât work out the disappointment could set her back even further. Much more pressing was the need for them both to try and repair the damage that had been done to their marriage, so that they could weather this new storm together with some strength.
âI donât think now is the time to be thinking about starting out in something else, Sorrel.â His frown deepened, furrowing the lightly tanned skin on his forehead. âI think we should go away somewhere, like I suggested before. We could go to the house in the Algarve. At this time of year it wonât be too hot, and we can just spend time together and relax.â
âI donât want any more time to relax or think or brood! Canât you see that? I need to keep myself occupied. I really donât want to go away on holiday, Reece. Donât you think I would go out to Australia if I wanted to, and stay with my parents if I needed a break? My mum and dad have already asked me.â But Sorrel hadnât felt able to face her beloved parentsâ distress about the loss of her baby and deal with her own as wellâ or capitulate to her sister Melodyâs insistence that she return to Suffolk and stay with her. Best to steer clear of other people expressing their emotions right now, when she wasnât exactly feeling strong or prepared.
âAnd what about us?â
Reece turned to face her head-on and Sorrel caught the merest glimpse of a muscle flexing slightly in the plane of his beautiful angled cheekbone. She sensed the undoubted tension building inexorably inside him,as though he was on a very short fuse that was going to ignite any second now.
âUs?â
âDonât you think it would do us both good to get away together? To have time to rest and relax and make some decisions about our future?â
Her heart jumped. Hadnât he already told her he was in this âfor better or worseâ? Was he now changing his mind?
âIâll still agree to a divorce, if thatâs what you want.â
Inside, Sorrel was so frozen she felt as if sheâd been buried beneath an icy avalanche that she would never escape from.
âThereâs not going to be any divorce. I told you that already! Instead Iâm going to be right beside you while you heal, and weâre going to work things out togetherâas we should have done right from the beginning, when everything started to fall apart. Do you hear me?â
She flinched at his uncompromisingly irritated tone, and at the perfectly delineated features that were so compelling. All she ever seemed to do these days was make him furious with her. But there were no manuals