Free A Child in Need by Marion Lennox Page A

but he doesn’t want a woman. He needs a man to attach to. Everyone says that.’
    â€˜This is ridiculous. It’s not your job to worry about it.’
    â€˜Of course it’s not my job. It’s no one’s job, but at least I try. At least I care. Not like some people who say they live on stupid mountains!’
    â€˜I might as well do,’ he snapped, stung. He rose to face her, fire meeting fire. Her anger was palpable—and so was his. How dared she throw this at him!
    â€˜Meaning?’
    â€˜Meaning, no, of course I don’t want to get involved,’ he threw back at her. ‘Because what good would it do? You think I should try to form an attachment and then move away? You know as well as I do that it’d make everything worse.’
    â€˜Nick, you could do a lot of good in two years,’ she said, softening as if there really was a chance she could persuade him.
    â€˜You’re kidding.’
    â€˜No, you could,’ she said urgently. ‘Mary says you’re bored with work already. The orphanage system runs a big-brother scheme. Just picking a child up from individual homes, taking him out, doing this sort of thing. Mucking around in the sun. Being a friend.’
    â€˜I wouldn’t know the first thing about being a friend to a three-year-old.’
    â€˜I’ll teach you,’ she said. ‘Wendy and I both think he’s desperate for male contact. He and his dad were so close, and any female contact he had was appalling. He needs to bond with a male.’
    â€˜You have to be kidding!’ He was facing her square on, and he couldn’t believe this was happening. She was almost pleading—but not quite. Her eyes defied him to do this thing. They told him that this was his duty as another human—or the sort of human with any decency at all.
    The sort with any love…
    But any love had been kicked out of Nick Daniels a long time ago. He stared down into her blazing eyes and the feeling that grew in his heart was leaden and grey. What she was asking was impossible.
    â€˜No,’ he said flatly, and took a step back. ‘You don’t know what you’re asking.’
    She opened her mouth to retort—and then shut it again. Once again there was that look—the look that said she saw further than words. And something changed. In that instant, anger moved to concern.
    â€˜What’s happened to you, Nick?’ she said softly, almost whispering into the soft wind. ‘What’s put you on top of that mountain?’
    â€˜I don’t…’
    â€˜You don’t want to talk about it. I can see that.’ She smiled suddenly, tension dissolving as if it had never been. She even managed a wavering smile. ‘Hmm. The plot thickens.’
    â€˜The plot…’
    â€˜Why you won’t take your stupid tie off and you keepcombing your hair so you look like a city lawyer—even when it’s totally inappropriate. What harm’s a bit of ruffled hair? You might look like a sleek city lawyer in the city, but here your image just makes you look like Mafioso. And you don’t know One, Two, Three, Jump…’
    â€˜Shanni…’
    â€˜Yes?’ Amazingly there was a twinkle dancing back into her eyes.
    â€˜Butt out.’
    â€˜Nope.’ She grinned. ‘It’s not my style. I’ll back off, though,’ she said equably. ‘I can see a bit clearer what I’m fighting now. So I’ll back off. But butt out? Never!’
    There was still time left before three. Nick’s idea of backing off was to retire quietly to his chambers. Shanni’s idea of backing off was to head to the playground.
    It was two against one and the outcome was never in doubt.
    â€˜I would like to go on the roundabout,’ Harry said wistfully, looking at a platform mounted on springs, with four seats made to look like bucking horses. The idea was to sit on a horse and sway as you