And with that she melted away into Bryony’s bedroom, leaving Oliver suffering from a severe attack of lust.
Helen was woken by the delicious smell of fresh coffee and the sound of male voices in the kitchen.
Struggling to shake off the remains of a deep sleep, she glanced at the clock by the bed and realised to her surprise that it was already nine o’clock.
How could she possibly have slept so late?
For the last two weeks she hadn’t been able to sleep at all. So why, last night, had she managed to sleep right the way through? Maybe Oliver was right about Lake District air.
She lay there for a moment, warm and snug under the soft duvet, a shaft of light peeping through the curtains as she hovered between sleep and wakefulness.
Male laughter intruded on her doze and she woke fully and sat up.
Since David had called her from the airport, getting out of bed had proved to be the biggest challenge of every day, but today, for some reason that she couldn’t identify, it didn’t seem so bad.
She dressed quickly and wandered downstairs, curious as to who Oliver was talking to.
Pushing open the kitchen door, she saw him sitting with his feet on the table, chatting to his brother, Tom.
‘Good morning…’ Feeling suddenly shy and wondering if she was interrupting something, Helen started to back away but Oliver was on his feet in an instant, treating her to that easy, sexy smile that seemed to be his specialty.
‘Sit down and I’ll pour you some coffee. This is Tom.’
‘Hi, there.’ Tom gave her a friendly nod and Helen slid into a chair, feeling very self-conscious. Fortunately both brothers dived straight back into their conversation about a rescue that had obviously taken place the week before and, realising that neither of them was taking much notice of her, Helen relaxed and just listened.
Although Tom was a similar build to Oliver and had the same dark hair and blue eyes, he seemed to have a completely different personality. While Oliver was relaxed and friendly, Tom seemed reserved and cool, his handsome face giving away little as he talked.
‘We’re a dog team down until Ellie’s willing to leave the baby,’ he was saying, and Oliver nodded, his gaze flickering to Helen.
‘In bad weather a dog can search much more effectively than a human,’ he explained, leaning over and handing her a steaming mug of coffee. ‘Ellie, one of our staff nurses, is a member of SARDA—that’s the Search and Rescue Dog Association, but she had a baby a few weeks ago so she’s out of action for the time being.’
Helen listened as they chatted about other members of SARDA they’d worked with.
Finally Tom yawned and glanced at his watch. ‘I’d better make a move. I’m popping into the hospital. I’ve got a couple of ladies ready to pod that I’m not entirely sure about.’ He glanced at his brother. ‘Are you going to be at home later?’
‘I might call in,’ Oliver said casually, his eyes fixed intently on his brother’s face, as if he was trying to communicate something, ‘but of course I’m staying here for most of this month because of the work I’m having done on my, er, roof.’
There was a long silence while Tom looked at his brother and then he stirred. ‘Your roof.’
‘That’s right. My roof.’ Oliver smiled. ‘I’m just lucky Bry’s away so that I can stay here while it’s happening.’
Tom picked up his coat. ‘Amazing planning on your part.’ He smiled at Helen. ‘See you around. Walk me to the car, Oliver, I need to give you that ice axe.’
‘All right, what the hell is going on?’ Tom folded his arms across his chest and glanced back at the house. ‘You’ve moved in here?’
‘Keep your voice down.’ Oliver frowned at him and Tom gave a suggestive smile.
‘Well, that’s fast, bro, even for you. But, then, she is extremely pretty.’
The fact that his brother found Helen pretty bothered Oliver more than he could possibly have imagined, and he gritted his teeth and consoled himself with the fact that he and Tom never fell for the same type of woman.
‘You saw her at the wedding. She was a mess. I didn’t want to leave her on her own.’
‘Right. So this is, of course, a completely altruistic gesture on your part.’ Tom’s voice was loaded with irony. ‘And what’s all this rubbish about your roof?’
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sp; Oliver raked long fingers through his cropped hair. ‘I needed an excuse to not live in my house. I told her I was having my roof done.’