A No Risk Affair

‘Don't worry,’ Robyn dismissed lightly, rising slowly to her feet. ‘This is a nightly ritual,’ she mocked. ‘I even know to take the glasses of water upstairs with me now to save myself a second trip.’

‘Oh, I see,’ Sin grinned.

‘One of these days they're going to realise that I've caught on to their little game,’ she drawled. ‘I shouldn't be long,’ she added before leaving the room.

'Don't hurry on my account,’ he called after her softly. ‘I'm perfectly comfortable.’

She was aware of that. In fact, he was slumped so comfortably in the chair she was beginning to wonder if he were ever going to leave. And she wanted him to. Already he had touched on subjects she would rather not discuss. If he didn't leave soon who knew what outrage he would come out with?

The twins looked adorable in their adjoining twin beds, and she pushed aside the worrying thought of what she was going to do when they became old enough to require separate bedrooms. They would work that problem out when they came to it, as they had many others the last five years, and although it might not be the ideal solution Kim could always move in with her when the time came.

She handed them each the wanted glass of water, sitting down on the edge of Kim's bed as they sat up to drink. The demand for a drink of water soon after they were in bed had started about six months ago, and although she didn't really like to encourage such tactics for attention, she knew that Kim and Andy would settle down to sleep within ten minutes of her leaving the room with the empty glasses. Maybe they really did want the water, or maybe like her, they just enjoyed the little chats they had as she waited for the glasses to empty. Whatever the reason she herself enjoyed these few minutes of quiet calm with her offspring at the end of a long day.

‘Is Sin still downstairs?’ the more forthright of her children asked eagerly.

Robyn gave him an indulgent smile. ‘Yes.’

‘He's nice,’ Kim put in shyly, her long hair secured neatly at her nape with a brown ribbon.

‘Yes, he is,’ she agreed noncommittally. ‘Now what would the two of you like to do this weekend?’ The mention of their weekend outings was sure to divert their attention from their new neighbour.

‘Maybe we could all go swimming?’ Kim suggested eagerly.

Robyn had realised her mistake in mentioning going out on Saturday the moment identical brown eyes lit up excitedly. Too late she realised it. But she had no wish to spend any more time with Sinclair Thornton than she had to; being neighbourly was one thing, anything more than that she wasn't interested in. He was a pleasant enough man, a handsome one, she couldn't deny that, but she had enough problems already without causing the unnecessary jealousy of Caroline Masters. Caroline was going to be angry enough about Sin choosing to come here this evening without that! Robyn had no doubt she would have to suffer the sharp edge of the younger woman's tongue because of it.

‘I don't think so, Kim,’ she smiled to take the disappointment out of her words. ‘Mr Thornton is here to work, not to amuse us.’

‘But he said——’

‘You asked him, Andy,’ she reprimanded her son gently. ‘The poor man had no choice but to say yes.’

The freckled face beneath her looked rebellious, and despite looking like her in every way Robyn could see Brad in her son in that moment. The wilful single-mindedness Andy occasionally displayed worried her at times, she had to admit that, and she was aware of the fact that he could become as unmanageable and unreasonable as his father when he was older if he didn't have the right handling now. But no one had ever told her that being a parent was easy, and if she occasionally wished she had someone she could rely on and ask for advice the feeling quickly passed. Brad had never given any indication that he regretted their divorce, but even if he had she knew that, not even for her children, could she go back to that life of mindless servitude being Brad's wife had been. And she didn't intend marrying any man just to give her children a father either.

Andy pouted now. ‘He said he likes to go swimming.’

‘His name is Mr Thornton,’ she rebuked. ‘Or Sin, if you prefer,’ she added ruefully, amazed at the easy way her children had taken to using the author's first name; she still had difficulty with it. ‘And liking to go swimming and taking us with him are two different things.’

‘But Sin said——’

‘He was being polite, Andy,’ she ruffled her son's hair affectionately, standing up. ‘We could always pack a picnic and go down by the river, how would that be instead?’

She could see Andy was still having difficulty handling his disappointment, although he joined in readily enough once she and Kim began to plan the outing. Poor Andy, he was already suffering from a case of hero-worship. The next few weeks could be very difficult indeed.

‘Robyn …?’

She turned sharply at the softly spoken query, having been unaware of Sin Thornton's ascent up the stairs as she laughed and joked with the children. ‘Yes?’ she frowned. Surely he wasn't the type of man to be offended by the ten minutes or so she had spent with Kim and Andy?

His hands rested on either side of the doorway as he filled the length and breadth of it. ‘There's a telephone call for you,’ he informed her softly.

Robyn instantly felt contrite for her suspicion. Of course Sin Thornton wasn't petty enough to be insulted by being left downstairs on his own for a few minutes; their laughter must have drowned out the sound of the telephone ringing.

‘I'll take over here if you would like to go down and take the call,’ Sin came further into the room, moving aside to let her exit.

‘The twins will be fine on their own now,’ she assured him.

‘Nevertheless, I'll leave you to take the call in private.’

Something about the way he said the word ‘private’ made her view him sharply, colour entering her cheeks as the identity of her caller slowly seeped into her brain. Brad! It had to be Brad. The first time he had telephoned in weeks and it had to be when Sin Thornton was here. She could also understand Sin's reluctance to reveal her caller in front of the children; the lateness of the hour made it obvious Brad hadn't called to talk to Kim and Andy, knowing they would be in bed by now.

‘I won't be long,’ she assured him, knowing from experience that Brad's calls were never of long duration.

Sin merely nodded, already taking up the position she had vacated on Kim's bed, Robyn hearing her children's giggles of enjoyment at this change in routine as she hurried down the stairs. What could Brad be calling about at this late hour? He never telephoned to speak to her personally, although they usually managed a few polite words to each other before he spoke to the twins.

‘Yes?’ she spoke warily into the receiver as she stood in the hallway to take the call.

‘Who's the man, Robyn?’ Brad's mocking voice taunted without preamble.

Her mouth tightened, and she flushed resentfully. ‘I don't think that's any of your business,’ she snapped, finding it difficult to be polite to him even after all this time—and especially when he tried to pry into her personal life, something he had made it clear four years ago he had no interest in.

‘Of course it's my business,’ he rasped, the charm gone from his voice. ‘I like to know what sort of men you're introducing to my children.’

Her breath caught in her throat. ‘Meaning?’ she bit out between clenched teeth, knowing her knuckles showed white as she clutched the receiver.

‘Meaning they haven't mentioned to me yet having any “uncles”,’ he sneered. ‘But I've been expecting it for some time.’

‘Really?’

‘Oh yes,’ Brad scorned. ‘You weren't always the cold little fish you are now.’

She blushed at the truth of that. She may have been inexperienced when they were first married but Brad had proved to be a good teacher when it came to the physical, tutoring her during the first months of their marriage in all the pleasures there could be between a man and a woman. The advent of her pregnancy had ended all that, though, Brad feeling only revulsion for the physical act with a woman fast growing big with his child. Once the twins had been born she was the one to feel the reluctance, feeling too tired to respond to him as she cared for the twins single-handed. She had known that during that time Brad turned to other women for his pleasure.

‘I can't say I've felt desperate for a man the last four years,’ she was stung into replying. ‘And the man who answered the telephone just now is only a friend.’

‘Who is he?’

‘Brad, I can't believe you made this call just to ask me about my casual acquaintances,’ she sighed her impatience, not willing to talk about Sin Thornton and involve him in something that was none of his business.

‘It's how “casual” he is that bothers me,’ her ex-husband drawled insultingly.

Robyn drew in an angry breath. ‘He's a guest of your uncle's,’ she snapped. ‘Using the cottage next door.’

‘Oh,’ he dismissed any guest of his uncle's as not being in the least interesting. ‘How is the old man?’

‘Very well.’

‘And Caroline?’

Robyn frowned. ‘She's well too,’ she answered in a preoccupied voice, wondering at the reason for this delay in the real reason Brad had telephoned; it certainly wasn't to discuss his uncle or Caroline! He usually came straight to the point, barely wasted time on pleasantries. In fact, this whole telephone call was out of character. ‘The twins are in bed——’

‘I know that,’ he bit out abruptly. ‘I deliberately called when I knew they would be asleep——’

‘They would have liked to talk to you——’

‘—because I didn't want them to be around if you should prove to be difficult,’ Brad finished as if he hadn't been interrupted.

Robyn stiffened warily. ‘Difficult about what?’ she asked slowly.

‘You've had the kids to yourself completely for the last four years, and God knows I didn't interfere in the way you were bringing them up even when we were together——’

‘Because you weren't interested!’ she snapped.

‘Maybe not,’ he admitted grudgingly. ‘But I'm not unique in that, a lot of men can't bring themselves to be interested in small babies the way women are. But Kim and Andy are older now, and——’

‘You noticed,’ she taunted nastily.

‘Don't be bitter, Robyn,’ he rasped.

‘I'm not,’ she sighed, some of her anger leaving her as she realised how badly she was behaving. ‘I'm just wondering what it is you don't want me to be difficult about.’ In fact, she was more than worried about it; she didn't like the sound of it at all.

Brad was silent for several lengthy seconds. ‘I want the children for a weekend,’ he finally told her.

His blunt statement rendered Robyn speechless. Whatever she had been expecting Brad to say it wasn't this! He had open access to the twins, she would never try and deny any of them the closeness a father should have with his children, but Brad had never even hinted before that he would like the children to go and stay with him in London, always visiting them here in the past while he stayed with the Colonel and Caroline.

She swallowed hard. ‘What weekend?’ to her chagrin her voice cracked a little, revealing how disconcerted she was by the request.

‘Whenever it will suit you, of course,’ Brad's relief at her relatively calm reaction could clearly be heard. ‘And the twins,’ he added pointedly.

That last comment had been deliberately designed to remind her that her own feelings of horror and dismay at the thought of her two children going away for the weekend had to be outweighed by the fact that Kim and Andy would be thrilled at the thought of going to stay with their father. London, and Brad's life there, held all sorts of wonders for the two five-year-olds. But Robyn couldn't help wondering, perhaps unfairly, at Brad's motives for issuing the invitation.

‘Why, Brad?’ the question came out bluntly.

‘Why not?’ he was instantly defensive. ‘I am their father!’

Only through sheer effort of will could she hold back the sharp retort she felt tempted to make at the indignant declaration. It was true what she had told Sinclair Thornton earlier, she wasn't in the least bitter about the break-up of her marriage, but when she spoke to Brad she had difficulty hiding the bitterness she felt on the twins’ behalf for his neglect of them all these years. And her suspicions about his reasons for this proposed visit had only intensified after his reaction to her question.

‘So you are,’ she acknowledged stiltedly. ‘How long would this weekend be?’

'The usual Saturday to Sunday,’ he taunted. ‘I'll drive down on the Friday evening and we'll leave early Saturday.’

She drew in a ragged breath, the thought of being without the children even for that short length of time leaving her devastated. They had been a threesome for so long now, her responsibility to them total from the moment they were born, that she knew her life would be empty without them, even for two days. But she had to be fair to Brad and them, and if he really did feel more interested in them now that they were older who was she to deny them this further closeness? After all, what could possibly go wrong in two days? She determinedly pushed aside all the things that clamoured to be heard.

‘This weekend is out,’ she told him after careful thought. ‘We've already made plans.’ And tentative as they might be she needed the excuse to give herself the extra time to adjust to this change in all their lives. ‘But if next weekend is all right with you I'm sure the twins would love to come.’

‘Even if you won't like letting them,’ Brad guessed dryly.

She sighed. ‘I'll admit I find this sudden interest in the children a little—surprising.’

‘I'll bet you do!’

She couldn't altogether blame Brad for his resentment, knew there had been too much between them in the past for them to talk on a personal level with any degree of politeness. It would always be that way between them, although she tried not to let Kim and Andy see it. ‘Perhaps you would like to come to dinner Friday evening?’ she suggested softly. ‘The twins haven't seen you for some time, and it would help break the ice.’

‘I'll accept the invitation, Robyn,’ he told her harshly. ‘Although I don't accept the fact that I need the ice broken with my own kids.’

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