Christmas Kiss (2 page)

***

Sarah rose at six the next morning. Her hair was looking so much better. She’d gone for a much shorter than usual look and it gave her the confidence to face the ordeal ahead. Lesley had done a great job. Her now short, blond hair would be much easier to look after for the next week or two. A sluice under the shower and a quick brush through would suffice. Much easier than the usual shoulder length bob that needed so much care to keep it looking sleek and in good condition. Mind you, the plastic bag she used to cover her plaster was making even showering tricky.

She had spent time with Major the previous afternoon and had decided to stable him as it looked like being a cold night. All she needed to do this morning was to let him out and feed him his favourite treat of apples. The little tree in her garden was loaded with fruit this year, so it was all very easy. Supplies were on hand. She walked down to the paddock and saw Major was sheltering in his open stable. The beautiful stallion whinnied his pleasure at seeing her and she gave him the apples. She watched as he charged across the grass, enjoying the open air. She smiled and went back to the house. She changed out of her scruffy clothes, quickly made some instant coffee and munched her muesli. It was already past eight o’clock and her taxi would be arriving soon. How much longer everything took one handed.

***

Everyone in the front office welcomed her arrival. There were sympathetic comments along with questions about her work load and queries as to when would she be back.

‘What’s all this about?’ she demanded.

‘Changes afoot, we understand. Nobody seems to know much,’ Poppy told her. ‘Love the hair, by the way. Suits you.’

‘Thanks. So, where are we meeting?’ Sarah asked.

‘Board room, of course. I’ve been told to organise coffee in there. You can go in and have a cup if you like. I’m not sure if anyone else is in there. Place seems to have been deathly quiet since I got here. We’re starting at nine. Everyone to meet in there to begin with. Phones in answering mode. Then the office staff move out and the rest of you continue till whenever.’

‘All sounds very mysterious. Nobody’s died have they?’

‘Not that I know. Anyway, you go and grab yourself a coffee and somewhere decent to sit. We’ll be in soon, once we’ve received the grand summons.’

‘Okay. Thanks.’ She pushed the door open with her good hand and went through the narrow corridor to the board room. It was exactly what one expect from an old fashioned solicitor’s company. Oak panels. Vast table, polished within an inch of its life and large leather seats that were so heavy she could barely move them. She poured a coffee from the heated jug and stood by the window. She would sit to one side, near the opposite end of the table to where the senior partner would be. The door opened and Charles Talbot came in. He was a younger member of the team, about the same level as she was but generally thought of as a bit of a pain. He was also what the secretaries described as
something
of
an
octopus
. He always put his arm on a shoulder or rested his hand somewhere unwelcome. He thought of himself as an irresistible ladies’ man. His aftershave was intense and cloying and Sarah tried to edge away from him.

‘Sarah, my Darling. You’ve been sorely missed. No sunny smiles around the place and your in-tray reaching sky scraper proportions. We should get together one evening very soon. We need to discuss the implications of this shambles today.’

‘What do you know? What’s going on?’

‘New man in the team, I gather. All I know. Senior management just got bigger.’

‘But ... who...’ She got no further as the door opened and the rest of the staff trooped in. She nodded at the familiar faces and stared at the one unfamiliar face. Everyone helped themselves to coffee and she went to sit down near to Poppy and the other girls, partly to avoid being too near Charles and his aftershave. The side door opened and the senior staff came in. The meeting was ready to start.

Chapter Two

Ken Milligan, the senior partner in the firm of Milligan, Jones and Partners, led the party into the board room. There was a stranger among the group, a youngish, tall, extremely good looking man, with dark hair and silvery grey eyes. His broad chin had a look of strength and he had a generous, ready smile. Though now impeccably dressed in a dark suit and elegant silk tie, he looked slightly familiar to Sarah. But she was not the only female staring at him with interest. He certainly made a most attractive addition to the dark suited group of men.

‘Good morning everyone,’ Ken said in his beautifully modulated voice. He was always immaculate and had distinguished silvery grey hair that always impressed in the court rooms of the county. ‘Firstly, let me thank you all for being present so promptly and a special thank you to Sarah for interrupting her sick leave to be here.’ Sarah blushed slightly and nodded her acknowledgement. The new man looked at her and she saw a flicker of recognition slip across his face. This was her rescuer of yesterday, she realised. They nodded at each other as they both reached the same conclusion. Whatever must he think of her? She had been somewhat brusque when she turned down of his kind offer to look after Major. ‘May I introduce Alex Weston? He is to join us as one of our senior partners from today. As you must all realise, I am rapidly aging and looking forward to retiring. Some of you may also know that my dear wife is unwell and is to undergo surgery very soon. So, partly because of this and also because of my own wish to ease the work load, I am going to work part time only, from now on. Very much part time.’

There was a murmur around the table. Ken was a popular boss and would be sorely missed. Sarah wondered how the other seniors would feel about this newcomer’s arrival in the higher ranks. It was clear that he would most probably be taking over as head of the firm, in due course. Still, if he was a keen rider, in Sarah’s estimation, he couldn’t be all bad. Ken coughed for attention and continued.

‘I’ll leave Alex to introduce himself and tell you a bit about his background. He is extremely accomplished and has an excellent track record. Alex Weston, ladies and gentlemen.’ There was a small ripple of nervous applause, as Alex rose to his feet. Even without the added height of a riding helmet, Sarah could see that he was tall. Around six feet at least, she estimated. His height was possibly exaggerated by his slender build. She had the vision of him leaping from his saddle the previous morning, clearly athletic and obviously very fit. She almost missed his opening words and came to as he was speaking of his move to this Cornish town as the fulfilment of a long held ambition.

‘Inevitably, there will have to be some changes in the structure of the firm to take account of the current difficulties in the financial world, but with a bit of reorganisation, everyone’s jobs should be safe.’ He continued to speak of his experience in other solicitor’s firms. There were a number of reactions to his words and Sarah noticed some discomfort amongst the older members of the group. This newcomer was clearly a high flyer and very ambitious.

‘Finally,’ he continued, ‘let me say how much I look forward to getting to know you all and working with you.’ There was another ripple of applause and Poppy leaned over and muttered,

‘He can get to know me any time he likes.’

‘You’re dreadful Poppy,’ Sarah hissed. ‘What about that gorgeous fiancée of yours?’

‘I was only thinking of my usually boring work days, that you very much.’

Ken rose to his feet again.

‘Ladies and gentlemen. I’ll now ask the administrative staff to leave us while we discuss other policy matters. Again, my thanks to you all for coming. Perhaps the rest of us can move to be a bit closer together. We’re rather too well distributed round the table for sensible discussion.’

‘Good luck,’ Poppy whispered as she gathered her notes together. ‘Let me know what’s going on won’t you?’ Sarah smiled and nodded. Good old Poppy. Liked to be in on everything. She would certainly pass on any bits of information she didn’t consider to be confidential. That would include any juicy gossip she might glean about the new man.

The meeting dragged on with various ideas being tossed around. Sarah was feeling uncomfortable. Her arm was hurting and there was nowhere to rest it comfortably. Somehow, her concentration was affected and she was missing out large chunks of information. Her mind wandered round shopping lists and clients she must remember to call later. Finally, she did manage to hear that each of the more junior staff would be interviewed personally by Alex and that he would be setting fresh targets for each of the fee earners.
Fee
earners
, she grimaced. The hourly rates charged by the fee earning solicitors were so high because all the practice expenses came out of the fees. The cost of secretaries, the offices, rates and everything else came out of what the fee earners generated. The trouble was, most of the clients seemed to think the solicitors actually earned that much per hour and grumbled about it, compared with their own hourly rates. Now it seemed, they would be expected to charge even more. Sarah was not the only member of the group to raise eyebrows and feel some trepidation about what she was hearing. Targets were a nightmare. It was a buzz word that was creeping in everywhere. Health service. Schools. Police. Maybe it was necessary in some ways but targets took no notice of individuals. Made no allowance for the real human problems they all had to face each day.

She was leaving the room, intent on checking her mail in her own office when Alex caught her arm.

‘It was you yesterday, wasn’t it? Large stallion and an unmoveable bale of hay?’

‘Yes. Thanks again for your timely help. I’m surprised you recognised me. I was certainly looking at my very worst.’

‘Oh, I wouldn’t say that. A little tousled maybe but still attractively vulnerable.’ Sarah gasped. Attractively vulnerable? What on earth did that mean? He must feel pity for her. That would never do. ‘Look, I meant what I said. Why don’t you bring Major over to my place. I have several loose boxes and a decent paddock. Plenty of room for two. And Moonlight would enjoy the company.’

‘Moonlight’s your mare, I take it?’

‘Certainly is. She’s a gorgeous girl. I’m so thrilled to have decent accommodation for her at last. My previous place had nothing and she had livery at a place several miles from me.’

‘You can’t be too far from me, if you were riding there yesterday.’

‘I’ve bought the old Darnley place.’

‘What the Manor House? Wow.’

‘It is rather gorgeous. Needs endless work and will undoubtedly be a huge drain on my resources but I’m delighted with it.’ Sarah couldn’t help but be impressed. It was a huge old house and must have cost him a fortune. Solicitors were rarely short of money but at his age, certainly no more than mid thirties, how on earth could he afford it? ‘I had a favourite uncle leave me a considerable amount of money so I decided to put it into a decent piece of real estate,’ he told her, as if reading her mind.

‘Very nice too. We could all do with a favourite uncle like that. Sorry, that sounded rude.’

He laughed. ‘So, do you want to stable your horse with me? You can come and see him every day. It’s a bit of a long walk but you’ll be able to drive again before too long.’

‘It’s very kind of you. But why would you offer to do this for a complete stranger?’

‘You may have been a stranger yesterday but we’re working colleagues today. Besides, I don’t like to see someone struggling, especially a pretty woman. Plus there’s the horse to think of.’

‘I don’t know what to say. It may be some time before I’m really back to my normal self.’ She was actually beginning to feel a little patronised. All that stuff about her being a pretty woman. And vulnerable. How could he think she was vulnerable? Well, perhaps as far as her horse was concerned, she might be a bit the worse for wear at present. But vulnerable, she was certainly not.

‘Then say yes. If you have the worry of your horse all the time, it could slow down your progress. Besides, it will be nice to get to know someone properly. I’m a complete newcomer to the area. Apart from a beach holiday when I was six, I’ve never been to Cornwall. I’ve always wanted to live near the sea and now I can. You can show me round. Show me the best places to ride around here. See, it’s a two way thing.’

‘It’s very kind of you...’

‘Please stop saying that. I’ve told you, I shall be delighted to have company for Moonlight and someone with whom I can share a few outings. I can come round with my trailer after work if you like. It may be a bit too far for you to lead him.’

‘Well, if you’re sure. Thanks.’

‘Good. I’ll see you before you leave and fix times etcetera.’

Feeling slightly bemused at the speed of everything, Sarah went into the front office. Poppy pounced on her.

‘I saw you talking to Mr Handsome. What’s he like? Is he married? Children? Where does he live?’

‘Dunno. Dunno. Dunno. Darnley Manor House.’

‘What, that old place near you? Very handy. So, why didn’t you probe a bit? We need to know what we’re up against. I mean, if there’s a gorgeous Mrs Weston and a string of Junior Westons, we don’t want to waste any time, do we? Darnley Manor House eh? That sounds like money in the family.’

‘Oh an uncle left him some money and he decided to invest it in property.’

‘Ah, so you did do a bit of probing.’

‘Poppy, you are incorrigible. Now, I’m going to see if there’s anything I can do to lower what Charles terms my sky-scraper in-tray.’ She went into her office and saw the mountain of mail on her desk. She couldn’t even open the envelopes one-handed. She flicked through them and picked out a few that might be urgent. She went back into reception.

‘Is anyone free for a little while? I need some help opening stuff. Hasn’t anyone even looked at my mail?’

‘We’ve been really busy,’ Poppy told her. ‘Chloe’s been off as well and so we’re a secretary down.’

‘Not really good enough. There may be clients waiting for a reply and getting upset because they haven’t heard from us.’

‘I’m sorry but it’s been pretty chaotic. But you’re right. There have been quite a few phone calls.’

‘Looks as if my sick leave is over. I’ll be able to fend off the phone calls at least. I’ll have to organise a taxi.’

‘I could always pick you up,’ said a voice from the doorway.

‘Oh, Mr Weston, that’s kind of you.’

‘It’s Alex and I shall be passing your place anyway. Can’t always guarantee a lift home but half the battle’s over if I bring you in. Besides, it also ensures you’re on time for work.’

‘I’m always...’ she began and noticed a smile twitching the corners of his mouth. ‘Once more, many thanks. It’s very good of you. Now, if there’s someone available to help me Poppy, I’ll go and make a start on my sky-scraper.’

‘You’re definitely in there,’ Poppy hissed as she passed. ‘Lucky old you, eh!’

‘Poppy,’ Sarah said with a warning glare.

She returned to her office and pushed the stack of envelopes to one side. Luckily, the secretaries had phoned her clients so the appointment diary was comfortingly empty. She booted her computer and waited. She typed in the password and saw over two hundred messages waiting for her. ‘Oh no,’ she groaned. The trouble was, people expected a quick answer to their emails and never seemed to realise that it took as long time to read them and be able to make the appropriate response. It was rarely, if ever, a one sentence answer to what sounded like a simple enquiry. She glanced down the list and saw there were a large number from the same person. He was clearly impatient, despite her message saying that she was off sick and that he would be contacted as soon as possible after her return. It was a rather messy divorce case with his wife refusing to grant him access to his children. She had heard only one-sided details from him and was concerned to discover the real reasons behind the problem. There were often many problems she didn’t really want to know about but her job demanded it. Poppy came in.

‘I’ve got five minutes if you’d like me to open your mail. I can take the heap to my desk after opening the urgent ones and slit the rest ready for you to look at later.’

‘Thanks. I’d never realised how many simple tasks demand two hands.’

‘Yes, I can see that even pulling your pants on must be tricky.’

‘Thank you Poppy. Why do you have to go for the baser things in life?’

‘Oh I could do much better than that,’ she laughed as she slit open the stack of envelopes. ‘You look tired,’ she added sympathetically.

’I am. I haven’t been sleeping well and as you suggested, everything takes so long. Even pulling my pants on. Six more weeks of it. How will I ever get through it without going potty?’

‘Well, now, you have the gorgeous Mr Alex Weston to console you.’

‘Did I hear my name?’ said the man himself as he looked in at the open door. Poppy had the grace to blush.

‘I was just saying that your offer to look after Sarah’s horse must be a great consolation to her,’ she replied with a sheepish grin. He smiled and slightly raised one eyebrow.

‘I shall look forward to being both a consolation, and whatever else, to Sarah.’ He turned to Sarah.’ When you are finished with whatever you’re doing, can you come into my office? I’d like to discuss things with you and might as well see you first. I’m assuming you will be taking a few more days off?’