Female laughter reached him, snuck under his skin, thawing the cold places deep inside. Charlie’s laughter. He’d know it anywhere. It had warmed him, tickled and delighted him. Haunted him. Hungry for his first glimpse of the woman he’d flown halfway round the world to see, he scanned the veranda running across the front of the house. Movement from the side caught his eye.
A toddler, dressed all in pink, running and stumbling, shrieking with joy while waving a plastic bucket, heading straight for—for Charlie. Beautiful Charlie. There at last, right in his line of sight, was Charlie. In the flesh.
The air trickled from his lungs as he sank further down onto the front of the car without shifting his gaze. An exploding landmine couldn’t have made him look away now. Memories of holding her close bombarded him, pummelling him with the sheer joy of her. Warmth crept into his body. Had he done the right thing coming here after all?
Charlie.
She seemed to still in her movements. Hell, had he called her name out loud? Then she said something to the little girl and jerked backwards as she was rewarded with another ear-shattering shriek of delight.
Marshall began breathing again.
And continued watching Charlie, recalling how she’d race back to him after a long day in the ED and leap into his arms, kissing him senseless, before dragging him into bed. Not that he’d been reluctant, far from it. But he had enjoyed being seduced. It had been novel and exciting. She’d teased him blatantly with her body, but had always given what she’d promised. Then there had been the times she’d gone all coy on him and he’d had to woo her into bed.
He ran his hands down his face and re-crossed his arms. Was Charlie thinner now? Nah, probably not. His memory wouldn’t be that accurate. But her hair was very different. What had she done to those stunning long, honey-coloured tresses that he’d spent hours running his fingers through? Gone, replaced with a shorter, curly cut that framed her beautiful face. Different and yet equally attractive.
His heart slowed as he watched the woman of his nights reach down and lift the hyperactive bundle into her arms. Even from here he could see the love for the child all over Charlie’s features.
Her daughter?
Pain slashed at Marshall. He was too late. Too damned late. Charlie was a mother. Which meant there’d be a man somewhere in the picture. She was taken. She hadn’t changed the rules. Instead, she’d got on with life, made a family. That hollowed him out. Made him realise how much he’d been hoping she was free and available. Great. Now he knew, what did he do?
‘You could just say hi.’
Sure. Now that he had admitted he’d been fooling himself all along, it hurt big time. His heart rolled over, cranked up enough energy to pump some much-needed oxygen around his body. Disappointment flared, mixed with the pain and despair, underlining the whole stupidity of coming here on a whim.
Getting reacquainted with Charlie again was not an option.
The reality struck, blinding him. He’d wanted to get to know her properly this time, to learn what made her tick. The doctor side of her, the serious Charlie, the loving, caring woman who enjoyed having a good time. All the Charlies that made up the woman who’d caught his attention when he hadn’t been looking.
Another movement snagged his attention. Someone was walking towards the back of the house from under a big, bushy tree. Tall, thin, and, even from the back view, definitely male. Marshall’s stomach dived. His arms tightened in on each other, holding himself together.
Damn it. He’d thought about worst-case scenarios and taken a punt anyway. But Charlie was now a mother and there was a man in her life. Marshall could no longer deny the obvious.
‘You, Marshall Hunter, have to walk away. Now. Before she sees you and the trouble starts.’ It would be so unfair to knock on her door and say, ‘Hi, remember me?’
No way did he want to hurt her. And he surely would if he stayed now. Truthfully, he’d hoped for another fling, something he could walk away from. So now he’d have to suck it up and walk away sooner than he’d expected. Get on with life and put Charlie out of his head permanently.
But his boots remained stuck to the tarmac, going nowhere. He’d come too far just to walk away without a word.
‘Oh, buddy, did you really think Charlie was sitting around, waiting for the day you might step back into her life?’
An image of her standing outside the hospital, blinking back tears and saying the sun was in her eyes as she’d waved him goodbye, slapped across his brain.
A little bit, he had. Okay, make that a big bit.
He needed to get over it. He’d had an absolutely sensational fling with her. One that he’d willingly walked away from with few qualms. And then she’d emailed. A month after Rod had been killed. Two days after he’d visited Rod’s wife and kids and seen the anguish caused by Rod’s passing. He’d deleted Charlie’s message without reading it, knowing he never wanted to be responsible for causing her the same pain Karen suffered.
As Marshall watched Charlie and the little girl chasing around the lawn he thought of the hurt she’d been saved from by finding another man to share her life with. No doubt that man wouldn’t miss birthdays and Christmas, would be around to fix the car when it broke down or to dig the garden, take her out to dinner. Things no woman would ever get from him. The army regularly sent him off to some hellhole in a bleak part of the world where he had to be strong for his men, not worrying about how he might be letting down the woman in his life.
‘Time to go, buddy. You made a mistake coming here.’ He blinked. Took one last, long look at the woman who’d unconsciously drawn him to Taupo, saw the things his memories hadn’t been particularly clear on. The way she held her compact body as though ready to leap into his arms at any moment, except now it was her child she seemed ready to leap after. The gentle tilt of her head to the right as she concentrated on whatever the little girl was saying.
‘Get the hell out of here,’ he croaked around the blockage in his throat. Dropping back inside the car, he reached trembling fingers to the ignition. Blinked rapidly as the heat inside the car steamed up his eyes. Damn it to hell. He was too darned late.
CHAPTER THREE
CHARLIE HEARD A car moving slowly past the gate and glanced up. Not recognising the vehicle, she made to turn away but hesitated. Something about the driver’s profile caught at a memory. What was it about that face that stirred her? Absolutely nothing. She bit down on the temptation to go out onto the street for a better look.
Losing her grip on reality now? Wishing Marshall Hunter back into her life wasn’t actually going to bring him to her doorstep. No matter what Dad said.
Thump. Crack. The sound of metal crunching metal screeched through the air.
‘What was that?’ Charlie placed Aimee in the sandpit and raced for the gate.
‘Sounds like someone wasn’t looking where he was going.’ Her father spoke from right behind her.
The car Charlie had noticed moments earlier was now parked with its nose deep into the side of their neighbour’s SUV, the bonnet folded back on itself. ‘John’s not going to be too pleased about that. At least it doesn’t look like anyone’s been hurt.’
‘Unless the driver had a medical event,’ Dad pointed out as he strode past her. ‘I’ll go and check.’
Charlie glanced back at Aimee but she’d become engrossed in pushing a toy truck around the pit. Locking the gate latch, Charlie spun around to join her father. And froze.
The driver had climbed out of the car, cursing quietly as he surveyed the damage he’d caused. His American accent sliced into her.
‘Marshall?’ The name squeaked off her tongue as her heart slowed. ‘Marshall?’ Louder this time but just as scratchy.
He turned in her direction and took away any lingering doubt as his intense green gaze locked with hers. In that instant she saw the man she’d shared a bed with for so many wonderful hours. Her body remembered all the heat and passion, the sensual touches and her deep, bottomle
ss hunger for him. Marshall Hunter. The man she’d spent untold hours trying to find for their daughter had turned up outside her gate. Just like that? No way.
Put it out there. Yeah, right, Dad.
The ability to stand upright deserted her. Her hand flailed through the summer air as she reached for the fence to hold onto, and her heart stopped. It must have because suddenly she couldn’t breathe any more.
‘Charlie.’ Then he was there, directly in front of her, reaching for her, gripping her arms to hold her upright. ‘How’re you doing, babe?’