A Christmas Family Wish (5 page)

Rachel sat facing them, her chest so tight she could hardly
draw breath. Cold sweat broke out under her arms. She clenched her hands
together in her lap to stop their shaking.

"As was stated in the letter inviting you to this
disciplinary meeting, we've had a further complaint from Captain Barrett about
your behavior. He claims you've been harassing him, repeatedly calling him
about personal matters while he's at work." The man whose name Rachel had
forgotten leafed through some papers in front of him and frowned. "This
has been an ongoing issue, hasn't it?"

"I've never harassed him." Rachel swallowed and
steeled herself. "He's making it up."

Her two inquisitors stared at her in stark disbelief, then
looked back at their notes. "You've already received two warnings for
similar offenses," the woman said.

"In error," Rachel replied firmly. "All I've
done is contact Captain Barrett to discuss his visitation rights to our son,
Toby."

"You shouldn't be doing that on company time," the
man said. He reeled off her mobile phone number. "Can you confirm this is
your number?"

"Yes."

"Captain Barrett has a log going back six weeks listing
all the calls from that number to his own mobile phone. On some days you called
him in excess of twenty times."

"Yes, because he kept hanging up on me. He's supposed
to have Toby every fourth weekend but he never shows up. What the hell am I
supposed to do, contact him telepathically?"

Rachel's face grew hot with anger. She'd had enough of the
way they closed ranks around their precious pilots. Greg Barrett was a jerk.
She couldn't believe he'd really gone to the trouble of listing every call she
made to him for six weeks. He'd probably hung up on her on purpose to ramp up
the number. How sad was that?

She had been so careful, avoided Greg at work, yet he went
out of his way to make life difficult for her. He'd turned as many people as he
could against her, telling them his sob story about how she left him and took
his son away from him. The truth was he couldn't care less about her or Toby.
He simply didn't like the fact she was the one who had walked out on him.

Personnel was supposed to deal impartially with all staff,
not side with Greg. Something inside her snapped and she jumped to her feet.
"I've had enough of being intimidated by Captain Barrett and your unfair
system. I will be filing a claim for unfair dismissal."

She expected that to shake them up. It didn't. They stared
at her blankly as if they couldn't care less.

To hell with them and Greg. Rachel grabbed her handbag and
stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She would find another
job, one where she was treated fairly.

Chapter Five

At the sound of an engine, Ian rolled his office chair back
to see out the window. Rachel's small red car pulled up outside. She stepped
out of the vehicle, one slender nylon-clad leg after the other like an actress
in a car advertisement.

He blew out a breath, heat streaking along his nerves. He'd
never fantasized about women in uniform, but the tight pencil skirt and fitted
blue jacket hugged every one of her sexy curves, filling his head with thoughts
he'd been trying to ignore all morning. When she came into the kitchen at
breakfast time, he'd nearly choked on his toast. Even the cute little pillbox
hat perched on top of her head turned him on.

He watched her sashay towards the back door, taking small
steps in her high-heeled shoes, until she was out of sight. Only then, when his
brain started processing again, did it occur to him she shouldn't be home yet.
Hadn't she mentioned her shift lasted eight hours? She'd only been gone three
hours, max.

Concern wiped away his lustful thoughts as he wondered why
she was back early. He tried to continue typing the estimate he was preparing
for a local farmer, but he couldn't concentrate until he knew Rachel was all
right.

Toby sat on a mat on the floor along with Paula's son, Ryan,
Lego bricks scattered around them. Ian crouched at Toby's side and ran a hand
over the boy's silky dark hair. "That looks interesting. What're you
making?"

Toby held up something made of green bricks. "A dragon,
silly. Can't you tell?"

"Oh, yes. I see it better now. Very good, Toby."
Ian glanced at Paula, where she sat at another desk, doing accounts. "All
right if I run out for a moment," he mouthed softly.

She nodded.

"I'll be back soon, Toby. You stay here with Ryan and
Paula for a few minutes. All right?"

The boy nodded absently, his gaze glued to the creation in
his hands.

Ian strode out of the office, around the corner, and in
through his back door. Rachel sat at the kitchen table, her handbag slung on a
chair, a newspaper spread out in front of her. She held Toby's red crayon and
had circled a couple of job advertisements.

She glanced up as he entered. Her skin was pale, bright pink
patches on her cheeks, her eyes almost glassy. Ian's initial sense of unease
grew.

"You're home early. What's wrong, love?"

"I lost my job."

"Oh, Rach, I'm sorry." Ian cursed silently and
rested a comforting arm over her shoulders. After all she'd been through, she
could do without more hassle. He had no patience with big companies that
treated their employees like dirt. Didn't they realize their staff was their
most important resource? Jeff Carne had taught him early on that if you treated
your employees well, they were loyal and worked hard for you. "Don't tell
me the airline fired you because you took the last couple of days off?"

"No. Greg Barrett's to blame."

At Ian's blank look, she elaborated. "He's Toby's
father."

Ian's protective instincts flared. He shouldn't interfere.
Her personal life was none of his business, and he had enough hassle to deal
with in his own private life. But he wanted to know exactly what was going on
with Rachel.

"How did he manage to lose you your job?"

"The lying, cheating, unscrupulous jerk keeps
complaining I'm harassing him."

An unexpected laugh burst from Ian. A grown man complaining
about something like that was ridiculous. The guy was obviously a wimp.
Unfortunately, he seemed to be a wimp who got his way.

Ian moved to the range, filled the kettle, and put it on the
heat. "So, what are you supposed to have done?"

Rachel closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her
temples. "I just want him to be a father to Toby. He told me he'd see him
every four weeks but he never turns up. I know Greg's playing games to upset
me. He's so charming to everyone else, making them think I'm the evil witch who
won't let him see his son. Greg Barrett is a selfish user. I don't know what I
ever saw in him."

A muddle of conflicting emotions raged through Ian. On one
hand, he hated the way Greg Barrett was letting Toby down. He couldn't
understand the mentality of a man who didn't want to see his own child. He'd
love to see Ella every four weeks rather than once in a blue moon. But a small
part of Ian was pleased Rachel hated her ex—a selfish part of him he wasn't
especially proud of.

He swallowed hard as Rachel turned her stunning blue eyes on
him. She was so beautiful, a woman any man would want, a woman who had once
told him she loved him. If there were any way he could earn a second chance,
Ian would grab it with both hands.

Crushing down the urge to pull Rachel into his arms and make
sure she forgot Greg for good, Ian poured the tea and set a mug in front of her
before he sat down at her side.

He would have to earn her trust,
earn
his second
chance. She was unlikely to fall into his arms after all these years,
especially when they had parted on such a sour note. "Is there anything I
can do to help?"

Rachel flapped an impatient hand. "Not unless you can
find me a new job."

"Yep. No problem. You can assist Paula in the office.
I've been planning to take on another person."

Rachel turned wide, incredulous eyes on him.
"Really?"

"Yes. I'm serious. If you can answer the phone and take
inquiries, use a spreadsheet and a word processor, and put up with the muddle I
make, you'll fit in fine."

"You're not just creating a job for me, are you?"

He would have done exactly that if that had been the only
way to help her, but he really did need another person in the office.

"Ask Paula. She's been complaining for months she has
too much to do."

"I don't know how to thank you, Ian." She rested a
hand on his arm, leaned close, and kissed his cheek.

Ian's eyelids fell at the warm brush of her lips against his
skin. He'd been too noble for his own good when he was younger, warning her off
because he thought he was too old for her.

He lifted her hand off the table and held it between his
own. "Tell me about Greg Barrett."

"He's a pilot. We met because Dad played golf with his
father. We were together for five years."

"Did he treat you well?" Ian suspected the answer
was no. Already anger was building inside him.

"Things were okay at first, but as soon as I moved in
with him he started behaving differently. He made me quit art college. He said
he didn't like the people there. Then he stopped me from seeing my friends. He
even wanted me to give up work. That's when I walked out."

For Greg Barrett's sake, Ian hoped he never met the
controlling jerk.

"I admire you for standing up for yourself." Ian
rubbed Rachel's hand gently.

What Rachel said was sickeningly familiar. Ian's problems
with seeing his daughter were all because Jane's new husband was so possessive and
jealous that he didn't want Ian in her life.

"You won't mention anything about this to Dad, will
you?" Rachel said. "I don't want him to worry. You know about his
heart attack, don't you?"

"I won't tell your dad." Jeff would certainly be
upset. This Greg character sounded like a professional with prospects, exactly
the sort of man Jeff had wanted Rachel to hook up with. One of the reasons Ian
had turned Rachel down and hurt her feelings was because he respected Jeff too
much to go against what his boss wanted.

He'd tried to do the right thing and it hadn't worked out
for either of them. What was that proverb? The road to hell is paved with good
intentions.

He would have to make it up to her.

***

Rachel hit
print
and then gathered up the five pages of the construction estimate she had typed
and laid them on the desk. She read through to check for errors, smiling as
Toby held a toy plane aloft and scooted around the office, making airplane
noises in his throat.

She had only been working for Harper Construction for a
week, but already she felt she knew the ropes and had settled in. Paula was a
lovely person, so easy to get along with, and Ian was kind and patient when she
made mistakes.

Paula had Friday afternoon off to take her son to the dentist
and to buy Christmas presents, so Rachel was in charge of the office. The phone
rang and she answered, taking down details of a possible job so Ian could call
the people back to arrange a site visit.

As she placed the estimate she'd typed on Ian's desk for his
signature, the office door opened and he came in. He wiped his dirty boots on
the heavy-duty mat inside the door and unbuttoned his coat.

"Chilly out there today." He pulled off his wool
hat and stuffed it in his coat pocket. "I wouldn't be surprised if we
don't get some snow soon."

Rachel had always moaned about snow in the past; it played
havoc with the flight schedule and the airline staff didn't know if they were
coming or going. But now she didn't have to drive anywhere to get to work, and
Toby was out of school for the holiday, so a few inches of snow to build a
snowman would be fun.

Ian placed a bag on the desk in front of her with a smile.
"An early Christmas present for you."

"For me?" It was a bag from a stationery shop.
Rachel put a hand inside, expecting it to be something she needed to use in the
office. She pulled out a large hardback book covered in photos of horses and a
packet of drawing pens. She flipped open the cover and realized it was a sketch
pad.

"Like it?"

"Oh, Ian. It's lovely. Thank you." Rachel pressed
a hand over her heart as it swooped and fluttered. All she seemed to do these
days was thank him. She'd have suspected he had feelings for her if he hadn't
already made it clear he wasn't interested. His kindness was only because she
was Jeff's daughter. Ian had always idolized her dad.

Toby skipped over and ran his hand across the shiny cover.
"It's got horses on it, Mummy."

Ian pulled another bag from behind his back and handed it to
Toby. "I thought our budding artist would like one as well."

Toby squealed with excitement as he upended the bag over the
desk. A sketch pad with cartoon characters on the cover fell out, along with a
pack of coloring pens. He hugged his presents to his chest and leaned against
Ian's legs, suddenly coy.

Ian stroked a hand over Toby's head. "You like it,
pal?"

Toby nodded. "I wish you were my daddy."

An awkward silence filled the room. Oblivious to the
bombshell he'd dropped, Toby ran to the play mat in front of the desk and sat
down to open his new pack of colored pens.

Rachel gave an embarrassed laugh, wondering if Ian were also
remembering the time she'd thrown herself at him. If he hadn't been such a
gentleman back then, Toby might have been his son.

"That's a wonderful compliment," Ian said softly,
his wistful gaze on Toby. He glanced at Rachel. Obviously noticing her
discomfort, he changed the subject. "I think we can pack up here for the
day. Let's take a walk and cut ourselves a Christmas tree."

Toby jumped up with a whoop. They locked the office, went
next door to the house, and all dressed up in warm coats, hats, and scarves.

Toby skipped ahead, singing Christmas songs at the top of
his voice as they crossed the yard. Ian stopped at a shed to collect a bag,
some rope, and a saw. He led them to a five-bar gate in the fence and pointed
across a grassy field full of sheep. "We're heading to that bunch of trees
in the corner over there."

Toby ran on with Max loping along at his side. The dog
paused when he got ahead to wait for the boy, as if he were watching out for
him.

Ian fastened the gate behind them, then held out his elbow
for Rachel to slip her hand through. She did, hugging up to his side with a
smile, remembering walks they'd taken years ago with her parents, when she was
a teen with a huge crush on him. He'd seemed so much older than her then, so
grown-up and sensible while she had still been a kid. No wonder he'd given her
the brush-off.

He'd told her she was too young for him, that it wasn't right
for him to date her when he worked for her father. At the time she'd thought he
was just making excuses, but those reasons made far more sense now she was
older.

Yet those reasons were no longer valid. Was there a chance
he might reconsider? The feelings she'd had for Ian had faded over the years,
but after only a few weeks in his company the spark had flared again. Each day
she spent with him, the glow of affection inside grew stronger. She was already
halfway in love with him again. He was strong, rugged, and as gorgeous as he'd
always been. He was also everything Greg hadn't been, a man who would be a kind
and understanding husband and father.

Sorrow twisted her heart, bringing tears to her eyes when
she thought of how Greg disregarded Toby's feelings. Her poor little boy
deserved a father who would love him and take an interest in him. She had not
chosen well when she hooked up with Greg. Toby was suffering because of her bad
choice.

But it wasn't too late to start again and find a good man, a
man like Ian.

"Max, no," Ian shouted, startling her back to the
present. The old dog had started munching on sheep's poop. Toby giggled and
Rachel covered her mouth to hide her amusement. Ian looked so stern and
exasperated as he chased Max away from the temptation. But he was fighting a
losing battle; the field was covered with the stuff.

Once they resumed their walk, Ian turned to her. "Are
you enjoying working in the office? It can't be as exciting as a job at the
airport."

"It's a lot less stressful, believe me. One of the best
things is that I can keep Toby with me while he's out of school. I hated that
he had to spend his Christmas vacation in day care."