Free A Special Kind of Family by Marion Lennox Page A

platitudes…I don’t intend to jump out of any frying pan into the fire.’ Martin and Nathan were back at the door, looking hopeful. ‘Boys, can you help me up?’
    She turned her gaze away from his, she waited until the little boys gave her a hand apiece and she let them haul her to her feet.
    While Dom looked on, feeling…jealous?
    Ridiculous.
    But jealous all the same.

CHAPTER FIVE

    E VER since Tansy had told him she needed to take this time off, Dom had been dreading Easter. Normally the boys would be at school, and there’d be other kids’ mothers he could call on to help. But Easter…nearly everyone was away or busy. He had Dulcie next door but Dulcie had her brother and sister-in-law visiting. She could come in for a real emergency but otherwise he was on his own.
    Not only was he alone but the boys were bored. Their school friends were away. He didn’t have time to spend with them and these kids were high maintenance.
    But then came Erin. After he re-dressed her foot she settled into the kitchen. She downloaded hot cross bun recipes from the internet, discussed their merits with the boys, tried to figure why his might have failed—consensus was he’d warmed the dough in a too-hot oven—and then decreed she and the boys would try a recipe apiece. Luckily Tansy kept the pantry well stocked—when she saw it her face lit up.
    ‘Ingredients. Yay!’
    So they made three versions of bun, all of which worked. They decided—to Martin’s delight—that Martin’s was best, Erin’s was second and Nathan’s third—but they all ran rings round Dom’s, no question.
    He agreed, not even bothering to be offended. He and the boyswere filled to the rim with bun. They squeezed a little soup in for dinner. They checked and rechecked Marilyn. The boys chattered to Erin like an old friend. She had them entranced and he didn’t blame them.
    He was close to entranced himself.
    He should go out to Erin’s wrecked car and fetch her belongings. He’d found her a toothbrush and comb—as an emergency foster-carer he always had necessities on hand—but she needed more. A change of clothes would be good. But the house was full of the smell of cooking and the sound of laughter and it seemed such…well, such a home that he wanted to stay.
    It was an illusion, he thought, but he may as well enjoy it while it lasted.
    The boys seemed mesmerised as well. When it was finally time for bed they left Erin with reluctance, but they knew she’d still be there tomorrow.
    Tomorrow was looking great. It was so different from what he’d expected.
    He’d seen six patients during the course of the day—none needing him to go out but each needing his full attention. Erin had turned the day around. She was fantastic, he thought, returning to the kitchen after tucking the boys in. A laughing, cheerful sprite…
    He swung open the kitchen door and she looked so sad he stopped in his tracks.
    ‘What’s wrong?’ he demanded involuntarily, and she caught herself and dredged up a smile.
    ‘Nothing. Sorry. Just thinking. This is my thinking face.’
    ‘It looks like your end-of-the-world face.’
    ‘That’s a bit dramatic.’
    ‘Okay,’ he conceded. ‘Maybe it’s a just-lost-your-fiancé face.’
    ‘He’s not my fiancé,’ she snapped. ‘He never was. He just assumed he was. He never told me, though. I’ve had boyfriends. He’s had girlfriends. But of course he’s always been around, and when I was offered this new job he decided I was getting toocareer oriented. It was time I knew where I stood. How’s that for romantic?’
    ‘Not very?’ he said cautiously.
    ‘Too right, not very. Is it dumb to want violins? Nightingales? Fireworks exploding? Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen?’
    ‘I guess.’
    ‘You mean it hasn’t happened for you, either.’
    ‘I think it’s—’
    ‘You tell me it only exists in the pages of a romance novel I swear I’ll break down and sob,’ she said darkly. ‘I know this true love