Chapter 30

‘DID YOU FIND a home for all the pups yet, Mom?’ Ellen said, coming in the kitchen door and going to the cluttered sink to wash her hands.

‘Yeah, just about all of them,’ her mother answered, letting her glasses slide down her nose as she looked up from the accounts books she had spread out over the table. ‘Except the black one. Don’t know how he got in there, but he sure gave us a surprise, I can tell you.’

Ellen laughed. ‘He’s so cute,’ she said, gazing out to where her father and a couple of workers were checking on the ripening rows of soybeans.

‘Why, you thinking of taking him back to LA?’ her mother asked, returning to her paperwork.

‘I wish,’ Ellen replied wistfully. ‘But I’m going to be so busy over the next few months that I won’t be able to give him any time.’

Nina Shelby nodded absently and began prodding her calculator, while Ellen filled the sink with hot water to start washing up.

‘Bessie Jane’s coming over later,’ Nina said, referring to the housekeeper who had looked after them since Ellen was a child, until she’d retired a few years ago. ‘That was her on the phone just now.’

‘Is she still driving, at her age?’ Ellen asked, soaping up the water.

‘No. I’ll go pick her up. She’ll be staying the night, so I guess I’d better get the room ready, soon as I finish up here.’

‘I don’t mind doing it,’ Ellen said. ‘And why you pay an accountant when you do all that work yourself sure beats me.’

‘Got to keep an eye on the old rascal,’ Nina winked.

Ellen chuckled, for old Sammy Katz who’d taken care of the farm’s taxes for close on thirty years was so honest he’d once turned himself in for late payment of a parking violation. It was a bit mean of Sargeant Brazier to lock him up the way he did, but everyone including Sam, once he was released, had enjoyed the joke.

‘My, it sure is getting warm out there,’ Frank Shelby commented, coming in through the door and stomping his dusty boots on the rush mat. ‘Fergus wants to know what you’re going to be cooking up for the fair next month, Nina. His wife’s getting on to him for an answer.’

‘Oh, sure, I’ll go talk to him,’ she answered, sitting back and sliding her fingers under her glasses to rub her eyes. ‘Bessie Jane’s coming over later,’ she told him.

Frank grunted, then, shifting his eyes half-way towards Ellen he walked on through the kitchen and started to climb the stairs.

Ellen’s heart twisted, for there was nothing she’d wanted more these past couple of weeks than to feel the comfort of her father’s arms and to know that at last they were putting this silly feud behind them. The maddening part of it was that she was certain he wanted it too, but his pride was just too stubborn to back down and right now she was simply too vulnerable to try any harder.

‘It’s done him good, you being here,’ her mother told her, as though sensing her despair and wanting to ease it. ‘That bout of flu really took it out of him, thought he was never going to get over it. He couldn’t walk for days, just lay there in his bed too weak most of the time even to speak, never mind eat. Well, you’ve seen for yourself how much weight he lost, still hasn’t put a lot of it back on. To tell the truth, he was frightened half to death that he wasn’t going to make it, not that he’d ever admit it, of course, but it was plain to me.

‘Now, where did I put the list I made for Fergus’s wife? Shame you’re not going to be here for the fair, honey, it’s been a long time since you took part in our annual madness. Do you remember the year you won first prize for your chocolate spongecake?’ She chuckled nostalgically. ‘Never tasted anything so bad in my life,’ she commented, ‘but it sure looked good and Mitzi Frankham was mad as hell, ’cos her custard pie didn’t even get a look in, as I recall.’ She chuckled again and began tidying up her books. ‘Ivy Perry’s talking about raising the price of her donkey rides to a dollar,’ she went on. ‘Don’t know that the kids can afford it, but I guess she’ll drop if they can’t. Oh, Dad tells me Bob Gilbert’s bringing out his old coconut shy. It’ll be the first time we’ve seen that old thing since Fremont Fulbright was mayor and that’s going back some. Boy, did Fremont love that old shy, turned into a great big kid every time he got near it. They say his son’s organizing for a real carnival ride to come over from Utah this year, though why Utah no one seems to know, ’cos I’m sure we’ve got some mighty fine rides right here in Nebraska if anyone cared to look.’

Stacking everything in a disorderly pile, she turned to look at Ellen and found her staring down at the bowl full of water with her hands resting gently on the edge of the sink. She watched her for a while and wished with all her heart that there were something she could do to take the pain away, but there was nothing except be there for her and try to help her through it.

Hearing Frank come back into the kitchen, she glanced over at him and saw that he was watching Ellen too and her heart weighted with sadness as she saw the helplessness in his eyes. Ellen was only going to be here a couple more days and Nina was praying with all her might that her husband would overcome that obstinate pride of his before she went, because it certainly was high time he did. In fact, if he didn’t she was going to step right in there and make him, because this had gone on far too long now and it was time someone brought the old fool to his senses.

In truth, he appeared on the brink of giving way now, but to her dismay he merely ended up treating her to a punishing scowl before walking on out the door.

Turning back to Ellen she said, ‘Are you OK, honey?’

Ellen nodded and lifting her head she forced a smile. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘it just steals up on me sometimes and it’s like I can’t get it under control.’ She took a breath, as though the small rush of air could ease the burn of the pain. Then, picking up a plate she began to wash it. She wanted to tell her mother how it seemed to hurt all over, not just in her heart, but in her eyes, her face, her hands – it was as though her entire body were being taken over by the longing and despair. The most difficult part of it was that it seemed to be getting worse instead of better, for she had only to picture his face, or remember some little thing he had said and the need would sear through her with an intensity she could hardly bear. She said nothing, though, for it troubled her mother deeply to know how much she was suffering and there had to come a time when she stopped discussing it, for going over and over it, the way she and her mother had these past couple of weeks, was never going to change it.

‘I’ll go get the room ready for Bessie Jane,’ she offered, leaving the dishes and starting to dry her hands.

Nina smiled, for it was typical of her lately to leave a task half finished without even realizing it. ‘You know, it’s going to be all right, honey,’ she said softly. ‘In my heart, I know it.’

Ellen nodded and stroked her mother’s cheek as she passed. ‘Of course it will,’ she said. ‘And being here with you has helped more than you know.’

An hour or so later Ellen was swinging gently back and forth on the porch swing, with the coffee and cookies her mother had brought out lying untouched on the table. She knew her mother wouldn’t mind about the cookies, but she’d want her to make a special effort for Bessie Jane at dinner tonight, which she would, for the last thing she needed was Bessie Jane fussing and fretting over how much weight she had lost. At least her mother understood it was normal to lose your appetite at a time like this, even though she did all she could to encourage her to eat anyway. But it wasn’t like she was starving herself, it was simply hard to get the food down, for every time she thought of Michael her mouth turned dry and her throat just closed up. And she’d been doing a lot of strenuous work about the farm since she got there, keeping herself busy, trying hard not to give herself too much time to think, so she was sure to have lost weight that way too.

In fact, it was only now, today, that she had run out of things to do and people to visit. Or maybe it was just that she needed a little time to take stock, work out exactly where she was going to begin when she returned to LA. She felt so unfocused right now that it would probably do her good to get back, even though, in her heart, she was dreading it. But of course, once she was there she’d be so busy, so bogged down with commitments and plans and meetings and strategies to get her new career underway she wasn’t going to have time to be afraid.

Suddenly the phone started to ring inside the house and her heart felt as though it was trying to leap from her chest, even though she already knew it wouldn’t be him. Then, with a horrible, sinking sensation she found herself wondering if she would ever see or hear from him again. The idea that they were now on totally separate paths was so heart-wrenching that she couldn’t bring herself to face it, but she would, soon, she just needed more time. And at least here, in the sanctuary of her home, she didn’t have to deal with the press and the fear that she was going to pick up a paper, or turn on the TV, and discover that he and Michelle were getting married, or having another baby, or something else equally as devastating.

‘That was Bessie Jane,’ her mother said, slipping a cardigan on as she came out on to the porch. ‘She’s ready for me to go pick her up now. I’ll be gone about an hour, unless you feel like taking a ride with me.’

Still struggling with the disappointment that it hadn’t been him, Ellen smiled and shook her head. ‘I need to call Matty,’ she said. ‘She’s been filming in Phoenix, so I haven’t spoken to her for a couple of days and I want to find out if she’s heard from Matt Granger; you know, the director who’s thinking of giving her the lead in his new movie.’

Nina nodded, kissed the top of her head and went off to get the car. Ellen watched her go and knew that she’d seen straight through the excuse, for what she really wanted to ask Matty was if she had heard any news about Michael. Except she knew that once she got Matty on the line she wouldn’t ask, though whether it was pride and anger at the way he had just abandoned her that would stop her, or simply the fact that she wasn’t up to any more blows, she couldn’t really be sure.

Sighing wearily to herself, she watched her father standing over the car talking to her mother, then, as her mother drove off she let her head drop back and pushed the swing a little harder. She could feel the tears rising, the grief, the despair, the hopelessness and pain. In reality she’d hardly cried at all, but inside it was as though she never stopped. What frightened her the most was the way she held on to her pain, as though it was all that connected her to him now. In its way it was like a support, though in truth it was tearing her apart. She was angry at him for making her afraid to return to LA, even though she knew the courage had to be hers – and it was there, right deep down inside her, all she had to do was find it. But even if she did, would it bring back her drive, her sparkle and zest, all of which had been dulled by the hurt, as though the loss of her dreams had turned out a light inside her, leaving her spirits in a cold and darkened world? Maybe if she could stop torturing herself with wondering if he truly loved Michelle, or had gone back to her because of Robbie, she would find it easier to get on with her life. For what did his reasons matter when his choice had been made and whether he had ever really loved her was a question she would probably never know the answer to now.

Her eyes closed as the slow, cruel burn of loss embraced her heart again and the strength she normally found to break it failed her. It was as though there was nothing in her now but the need to see him, to hear him and feel him. She wondered if she really could find the courage to call him, even though she knew she wouldn’t for she was too angry and too proud to want him to know how much he’d hurt her. She doubted she would ever be able to forgive him for leaving her the way he had, for not even caring enough to make a phone call, or bothering to say goodbye. She hated him for making her feel so unimportant when he meant so much to her and had allowed her to believe she had meant the same to him.

Her breath was starting to quicken and as she struggled to keep control she heard someone walk up the steps to the porch and come to stand beside her. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see her father, and as he sat down beside her and took her hand in his there was nothing she could do to stop the tears falling. She started to sob, and putting his arms around her he rocked her back and forth, the way he always had when she was a child, right here on this swing.

‘Can you forgive an old fool?’ he said gruffly.

‘Oh, Dad,’ she choked, lifting her head from his shoulder and looking into his awkward but gentle grey eyes. ‘Of course I can forgive you. Can you forgive me?’

His lean, weathered cheeks were wet with his own tears, as he said, ‘Nothing to forgive. It’s your life, I just had other ideas what you should do with it.’

Ellen’s smile was shaky. ‘Looking at me now, I wonder if you weren’t right,’ she told him.

He shook his head. ‘Not right,’ he said, ‘just scared. I wanted to stop anything bad ever happening to you and I got mad because you wouldn’t let me. You wanted to go out there and make your own mistakes, and I wanted to make them for you. I’ve learned now that you can’t do that for a person, no matter how much you love them.’

Resting her head back on his shoulder Ellen gazed down at their joined hands and allowed the safe, familiar scent of him to wash over her. Just like her mother, she’d prayed during the past two weeks that this would happen, for in an irrational, almost childish kind of way she still believed that her father could make everything all right. But as special as this moment was and as happy as it was making her to know that at last they were friends, there was still an emptiness inside her that was refusing to be filled. As though to reassure him that he was giving her all she needed she squeezed his hand tighter and wondered how much her mother had told him about Michael, and Clay and Ted Forgon, for she had confessed all the night after she arrived. She guessed her father probably knew more than he would want to talk about, but she didn’t blame him for that, some things between father and daughter were best left unsaid. And all that mattered now was that they were sitting here together, gazing out at the endless rows of soybeans to a far and promising horizon that was as enticing and ephemeral as it was unpredictable.

They were still there, holding hands and idly chatting and laughing about the farm, their neighbours, the past when, over an hour later, her mother’s station wagon came chugging into the distance. Ellen smiled as she thought of how happy her mother was going to be to find them together like this and for a fleeting moment she even dared to hope that maybe, one of these days, they might persuade her father to visit LA. But it wouldn’t be wise to rush him and besides, she was wondering if now the silence was over she shouldn’t stay on at the farm for a few more days. She needed to be sure first that she wasn’t doing it just to put off returning to LA, but even if that were her reason it would still give her and her father some more time.

‘Should get her a new car,’ her father remarked, as her mother drove into the yard, ‘that old jalopy’s falling apart.’

‘Mmm,’ Ellen responded, gazing curiously at the windshield. Her head went to one side, as though to see past the reflecting sunlight and shadow, but though she could see her mother all right, she still couldn’t get a clear look at the person beside her. Whoever it was though, it sure wasn’t Bessie Jane.

Even before he got out of the car Ellen’s heart was starting to thud – but she had to be dreaming, this couldn’t be happening, grief and longing had obviously turned her mind to the point where she was beginning to see things. Yet he was standing there, looking across the yard to where she was, and even through all the confusion inside her she somehow knew this was real.

She started to laugh and sob. ‘I don’t believe it,’ she said, getting to her feet. Then, clasping her hands to her cheeks she whispered, ‘Tell me I’m not dreaming.’

‘If you are, then so am I,’ her father responded.

‘Did you know?’ she asked, still looking at Michael.

‘Yes,’ Frank answered. ‘But your mother said I wasn’t to tell you.’

Ellen stood where she was, watching as Michael opened a rear door of the car, then moved aside for a little boy to get out. ‘Oh my God,’ Ellen murmured, tears stinging her eyes. ‘This can’t be happening. How can this be happening without anyone telling me?’ Not waiting for an answer, she began walking along the porch to the steps, her fingers pressed to her mouth, as hand in hand Michael and Robbie came towards her. She ran down the steps quickly, then took the last few paces more slowly, until she was standing in front of them and seeing so much love and irony in Michael’s eyes that she longed just to throw herself into his arms.

‘Ellen,’ he said, holding her gaze, ‘I’d like you to meet Robbie. Robbie,’ he said, looking down at his son, ‘this is Ellen.’

‘Hello,’ Robbie said, looking up at her with his father’s devastatingly blue eyes and holding out a hand for her to shake. He glanced at his father, as though seeking reassurance and as she took his hand Ellen was dimly aware of her parents joining them too.

‘Hello Robbie,’ she said, smiling down at him. ‘I’m glad to meet you.’

Robbie’s eyes suddenly became big with importance. ‘Daddy said I have to be a good boy,’ he told her.

‘Is that so?’ she said, matching his earnestness. ‘Well I’m sure you’re always a good boy, aren’t you?’

‘Yes, I am. Well usually I am. But I have to be especially good today, because Daddy wants you to come and live with us and if I’m a good boy and he’s a good boy too, you might want to. And when we go to live in America-land he wants you to be married to him, but he thinks it might …’ he took a breath, ‘be too soon to ask. And he said when we get to America-land that Batman and Superman live there and you might take me to see them.’

Ellen and her parents were laughing, as rolling his eyes Michael said, ‘Robbie, you just stole all my lines and gave away all my secrets.’

Robbie’s eyes were still on Ellen. ‘I forgot,’ he told her. ‘Well, that’s OK,’ she said. ‘We all forget things sometimes, and I always think it’s good sharing secrets, don’t you?’

Robbie nodded. ‘Me and Daddy share all our secrets, don’t we Daddy?’

‘Not any more, we don’t,’ Michael corrected.

‘Shall I tell you something?’ Robbie said to Ellen, as though his father were no longer there.

‘Oh, yes please,’ she said, her eyes dancing with laughter.

‘Robbie,’ Michael cautioned.

But Robbie was already underway. ‘My Daddy saved me,’ he said proudly. ‘I was with all these really bad men who had guns and masks and there was this one man who Daddy hit and then he got the man like this … Shall I show you how he got the man?’

‘No, thank you,’ Michael interrupted. ‘Why don’t you show us all how good you are at introducing yourself instead, because Ellen’s father is there and you haven’t said hello to him yet.’

Robbie looked up at Frank. ‘Shall I show you how Daddy got the man?’ he said.

Frank chuckled with delight.

‘Introduce yourself,’ Michael said firmly. ‘This is Mr Shelby and you are …’

‘I am Robbie,’ he said, pronouncing each word very deliberately as he held out his hand.

‘Hello, Robbie,’ Frank said, taking the hand. ‘Didn’t your daddy tell you you’ve already arrived in America-land?’

Robbie’s eyes started to shine with wonder. ‘Do you mean Batman is here?’ he said, almost in a whisper.

Frank grimaced. ‘Not Batman,’ he said, ‘but I do have something to show you, over there in the barn, and I think you’re going to like them. Do you want to come see?’

‘Yes, please,’ Robbie said and without a backward glance he started to follow Frank across the yard.

Michael, Ellen and her mother watched them go and heard Robbie say, ‘Mr Shelby, what’s your name?’

‘Well,’ they heard Frank answer, ‘my name’s Frank, but I guess, if your daddy is going to marry my daughter then you can call me grandpa.’

‘I haven’t got a grandpa,’ Robbie told him.

‘Well, looks like you got one now,’ Frank replied and they disappeared around the corner.

Ellen turned back to Michael and caught her lip between her teeth as a sob of pure joy tried to erupt from her throat. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?’ she said. ‘Mom, you must have known, how come you never said anything?’

Nina shrugged. ‘He asked me not to,’ she said.

‘I thought you might refuse to see me,’ Michael confessed, ‘so I decided not to give you a choice. And I brought Robbie along, because I figured if I didn’t win you over, he might.’

‘Are you kidding?’ Ellen laughed. ‘He’s adorable.’

‘He’s a lousy keeper of secrets, is what he is,’ Michael reminded her, reaching out to take her hand.

‘Well, I got a dinner to be putting on the stove,’ Nina said tactfully. ‘Frank’ll see to your luggage in a while, Michael. Welcome to the farm, by the way. We got a room all fixed up for you. Ellen did it, but she didn’t realize she was doing it for you. Will Robbie be OK sleeping with you?’

‘That’ll work just fine,’ Michael assured her and as she turned away he slipped an arm around Ellen’s shoulders. ‘Is there somewhere around here I can kiss you?’ he whispered, ‘because I’m feeling the urge pretty bad.’

Laughing, Ellen took hold of his hand and started to run, leading him around the house to a quiet, shady backyard where she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him for all she was worth. ‘You’re crazy out of your mind coming here like this and I love you for it,’ she told him breathlessly as he let her go for a moment.

‘And I’ve got to share a bed with Robbie when I don’t think I’ve ever wanted you as much as I want you right now,’ Michael complained.

‘They’re God-fearing Catholics,’ Ellen reminded him.

‘And I’m a desparate man.’

‘No more desperate than me,’ she grinned. ‘But wait until after dinner, then I’ll borrow Mom’s car and take you on a little tour of the area. There’s a spot I know, not too far from here, where the pioneers hauled their wagons along the Oregon trail and no one goes there now except the ghosts of them old wayfaring cowboys. But first things first: you’ve got some explaining to do, Michael McCann, and I hardly know where to start asking the questions. I guess I should start with Michelle. Where is she? What happened?’

Pulling her closer to him he said, ‘What happened is I love you and she sensed it. I don’t know how long we might have carried on if she hadn’t found the courage to bring it up, because I felt I owed Robbie and well…’ he shrugged, ‘for a while there he was all that mattered.’

Ellen smiled. ‘I can understand that,’ she said. ‘I just wish you’d told me about him before, that’s all.’

‘I know, but I had it all screwed up in my head and I just couldn’t talk about it to anyone. It was like I was trying to deny he existed, which was crazy, I know, but I did it to hurt Michelle and ended up hurting us all.’

‘So where is she now?’ Ellen asked.

‘In London, at my apartment. She’s going to stay on there for a while, until we’re sure Robbie is settled and she gets a new posting.’

‘So she’s going back to her charity work?’

He nodded. ‘Probably. Cavan’ll go with her. It’s a passion with them both and they’re kind of in love. I say kind of because Michelle’s all mixed up right now and Cavan’s still pretty young.’ His eyes suddenly softened as he gazed down into her face. ‘God, you’re so beautiful, do you know that?’ he murmured, stroking her hair.

As his mouth touched hers her lips parted and they didn’t speak again for several minutes.

‘So what’s all this about America-land?’ she said, as finally he lifted his head to look at her.

Immediately his eyes started to simmer with laughter. ‘America-land is where Batman and Superman live,’ he answered. ‘Robbie and I are going there to try to make our fortunes, and we’d like you to come and live with us when we get there.’

‘Oh God, I don’t believe this,’ Ellen laughed, resting her forehead on his chest. ‘You’re going to LA?’ she said, looking up at him again.

He nodded. ‘I was about to tell you that when we were in Barbados, but then the phone rang and my whole life suddenly went crazy. Anyway, things have changed a lot since then, because I’ve got even more reason to ship out to LA now than I had before – as if you weren’t enough of a reason.’

Pursing her lips with laughter she said, ‘I could flatter myself and believe that was true.’

‘Then flatter yourself,’ he told her.

‘So what happened to change your mind? I thought you hated the place.’

‘I do, but I figured I could get to like it if you were around and now, with the way things have turned out, I’ve more or less got to be there.’

Ellen frowned her confusion, then laughed as her mother’s voice shouted discreetly round the corner, ‘Iced lemonade coming up.’

‘It’s OK, Mom, we’re decent,’ Ellen called back.

As Nina Shelby came round the corner she was trying very hard not to laugh, for that kind of risqué comment appealed to a humour she generally kept hidden. ‘I’ll set it down here,’ she said, putting the tray in the shade of a dense old oak.

‘Is Robbie OK?’ Michael asked.

‘He’s still in the barn with Frank, looking at the pups,’ Nina told him.

‘Oh,’ Michael laughed, ‘we probably won’t see him for days then.’

‘Doesn’t he miss Michelle?’ Ellen asked, as her mother disappeared back inside.

‘Maybe it’s too soon for him to miss her yet,’ he answered, drawing her down on to the grass and settling her between his legs as he leaned back against the trunk of the tree. ‘Though there were plenty of tears when he said goodbye and I suspect there are a lot more to come. But for the moment he’s enjoying the newness of everything and though it’s obviously breaking Michelle’s heart, I guess you could say this is her way of dealing with her own guilt for going off when she was pregnant, the way she did. Not that I want it to be that way, but it’s time Robbie was in a proper school and living the kind of life other boys like him live. And Michelle agrees, because subjecting him to hardship and danger is going to do nothing to improve the lives of the children she wants to help; all it does is subject him to hardship and danger. He doesn’t need that at his age and Michelle’s not arguing the point. But she loves him, obviously, she’s his mother and I’m never going to do anything to keep them apart. I want you to know that now, because if at some time in the future you decide to accept Robbie’s proposal, you’re going to be every bit as much involved in this as the rest of us.’

Ellen smiled at ‘Robbie’s proposal’ and felt a quiet sweep of happiness steal through her. Then, turning to sit cross-legged facing him she said, ‘Tell me more about LA. Why do you say you’ve got to be there?’

Michael’s eyebrows went up as he started to laugh. ‘You mean you haven’t heard?’ he said.

‘Heard what?’

‘About World Wide and Ted Forgon. Did you leave ATI, by the way?’

‘Yes, I did. And now you come to mention it, Forgon gave me a kind of feeling the day I left that something was going down where you were concerned. In fact, he gave me the rest of the photographs and negatives he had of me, telling me some bullshit story that it was a lesson I needed to learn that someone would always be out there ready to pull another trick like that if I didn’t take more care. Which reminds me, you told me once that you had something on him, if I ever needed it. I don’t, but I wouldn’t mind knowing what it is.’

Michael grinned. ‘A man like Forgon has always got something to hide,’ he told her, ‘it’s why he takes such pleasure in getting the goods on other people. He sees it as getting in first, I suppose. And frankly, all you have to do with him is tell him you’ve got something on him and he’ll be eating out of your hand.’

Ellen was looking at him incredulously. ‘You mean you were bluffing?’ she said.

He laughed. ‘I easily could have been and take my word for it, it would have worked, because they don’t come much more paranoid than Forgon. But no, what I’ve got on the man could send him to prison for a good long while.’

‘You’re kidding,’ Ellen gasped.

Michael shook his head, then, pulling his brows together he said, ‘Do you remember the secretary he had once, Carleena? It was a few years ago, maybe before your time.’

Ellen nodded. ‘I remember the name. I never knew her, though. Wasn’t there something about her bringing some kind of law-suit for wrongful dismissal or something?’

‘I think there was,’ Michael said. ‘I’d forgotten about that. All I remember is that he fired her and tried to get her out of LA with some cock-and-bull story about her missing her folks and wanting to go back home to Nashville. Whereas the truth is she was seventeen years old and he’d been screwing her regularly for close on a year. And in California that makes him guilty of rape. Statutory rape, to be more precise, but rape nevertheless. And the six-year statute of limitations has yet to expire.’

‘My God,’ Ellen murmured, ‘the man suddenly becomes putty.’

‘Thank God,’ Michael said, ‘because he’s just bought a controlling share of World Wide and made Sandy Paull the chief operating officer in London.’

Ellen stared at him, dumbfounded. ‘Sandy Paull?’ she said. ‘The girl you fired …’

‘… who, thanks to indiscretions she managed to find out about other people I was employing, has been systematically dismantling the agency ever since,’ he finished for her. ‘The same,’ he confirmed. ‘Nasty business this, isn’t it? Maybe we should get out while the going’s good.’

She laughed, then was serious again. ‘So how did Sandy Paull and Ted Forgon get in on World Wide? Jesus Christ, Michael, practically everything you’ve got is invested in that company and they’re running it?’

He nodded. ‘Certainly Sandy is in London,’ he said, ‘but only because I didn’t want to leave any unpleasantness behind when I went and because she’s turning into a damned good businesswoman actually. Not always ethical, it’s true, but she’s got her good points and frankly, I’d rather have her with me than against me – which is why I’ve invited her to become my partner and more or less run McCann’s in London, as well as head up World Wide over there.’

Ellen stared at him, totally dumbfounded.

Michael picked up a glass of lemonade and passed it to her.

She took it, but didn’t drink. ‘You have left her to take care of your business in London,’ she said. ‘Are you totally out of your mind?’

‘I don’t think so,’ he responded. ‘In fact, from everything I hear about her she’s a pretty good boss. Always ready to listen, willing to learn, never assumes her way is the right way, but isn’t afraid to act on her instincts – all good qualities. And if Harry and Craig are speaking highly of her, then to be honest, I don’t have too much of a problem with her either. And Zelda’s still one of the major shareholders, so’s Dan, and with Paul Patton on board now, plus the other agents she’s going to have working with her, she can’t really go wrong. Besides, I’m going to be keeping a pretty close eye on it all and don’t forget, she’s getting what she wanted, which is a partnership in McCann Walsh.’

‘Michael, are you blind?’ Ellen demanded. ‘What she wanted was you. She doesn’t care about the agency, nor about World Wide, all she cares about is getting you.’

‘Wrong,’ Michael responded. ‘She’s doing too well now to want to see either company do anything but succeed and believe me, she’s not going to let her personal feelings get in the way. That’s not to say they aren’t still there, because I’m pretty sure they are, but in her own peculiar and unscrupulous way she’s as ambitious as the rest of us, so she’s not going to do anything to jeopardize her future now.’

‘But she’s got no experience where a company like World Wide is concerned,’ Ellen pointed out.

‘True, but we’re bringing someone in who does to advise her and don’t forget, I’ve seen what a fast learner she is. So you watch, she’ll hone up her talents quicker than you can say shoeshine and the next thing we know we’ll all be making a fortune from the London end of World Wide, as well as from the McCann Paull Agency.’

‘McCann Paull?’ Ellen repeated.

Michael shrugged. ‘It was what she wanted and Dan didn’t object,’ he said.

‘So what’s going to happen in LA?’ she asked.

‘What’s going to happen,’ he said, ‘is we’re going to find a house that’ll give us enough room for a decent-sized study which we can use to get World Wide off the ground and to oversee the initial development of your projects. It could be that World Wide LA will be one of your first investors.’

‘My God, this is amazing,’ Ellen murmured. ‘Is Chris Ruskin still involved?’

‘Yes. He’s going to be keeping his eyes open for new books or plays in New York and searching out investors from Wall Street or 47th Street, or wherever. Mark Bergin’s about to poach someone from an Australian film distributor to start things rolling that end; Sandy’s pretty well underway in London, so that only leaves Hollywood. Of course, we’ve got Ted Forgon at the moment, but I’ll just whisper the name Carleena in his ear and I think he’ll be happy to hand the reins over.

Ellen laughed. ‘But what about all the directors you represent? Are you still going to be their agent?’

He grinned, then, looking kind of sheepish he said, ‘I used them as a second carrot for Sandy. She gets to handle them personally, which considering what calibre of director most of them are is a huge step up for her in terms of prestige, and I get to go to Hollywood.’

Ellen watched him, waiting for the sting.

‘I have to confess,’ he said, ‘when I put it to her I thought she was going to back out of the entire shebang, because it was at that point that I think she was expecting me to start getting more personal. I’m even willing to admit that I might have led her down that path a bit, knowing it would soften her up, but with Forgon taking over World Wide in LA there was no way I could stay in London while he called the tune; nor could I leave Sandy rolling about the decks like a loose cannon. So I’ve anchored her down with as fair and generous an offer as she’ll probably ever get in her life, and into the bargain I’ve managed to get back two damned good agents in Craig and Harry.’

Ellen was laughing. ‘My, you have been busy,’ she remarked. ‘And there was me thinking that all you had time for was getting it back together with Michelle and creating a new life for Robbie.’

‘I did a lot of it from home,’ he admitted, ‘and I’m not going to lie to you, at first we were trying to make it work.’

‘Meaning you slept with her?’

He nodded.

Ellen smiled past her jealousy and dropped her eyes for a moment. ‘I knew you would,’ she said quietly, ‘I just wish you hadn’t told me.’

Putting his fingers under her chin, he lifted her head up so he could look into her eyes. ‘It was because we made love that she knew things weren’t right between us,’ he told her frankly. Then, running his fingers down over her neck he pushed a hand inside her blouse and caressed her shoulder. ‘I love you,’ he whispered, gazing into her beautiful, sunlit face.

‘I love you too,’ she said and covering his hand with hers she drew it down to her breast.

Through the fabric of her blouse and bra he could feel her nipple hardening, and pulling her back into his arms he laid her against his shoulder and kissed her deeply. Their passion was aroused so quickly that his hand was already between her legs and pressing hard into her groin before he suddenly remembered where they were.

Smiling as he lifted his head to look at her he said, ‘I know I’ve taken a lot for granted where you’re concerned, but do you think you’d be interested in moving in with us when we get to LA? I know it’s probably come as a bit of a shock, having to take on a four-year-old as well, and if you’d rather have some time to think about it, believe me, I’ll understand, because instant parenthood definitely takes some getting used to.’

As he finished, Ellen was laughing at the expression on his face as they could hear Robbie calling out for him.

‘Daddy! Daddy! Look what I’ve got,’ he cried, half running and half walking around the corner of the house. ‘It’s a puppy.’

‘No kidding,’ Michael said, as he carried the tiny little black bundle over to the tree.

‘Grandpa said I could keep him, but I have to ask you first.’

Michael looked at the dog, then at Ellen.

‘Please,’ Robbie implored. ‘He doesn’t have a home to go to because he’s black and he should have been white, but I like him because he’s black.’

‘So do I,’ Ellen agreed, sitting up and stroking the puppy. ‘In fact, he’s my favourite.’

‘Mine too,’ Robbie told her eagerly. ‘Please, Dad,’ he added.

‘Looks like I’m outnumbered here,’ Michael replied, secretly considering it a great idea. ‘So what are you going to call him?’

Robbie looked down at the dog, whose huge brown eyes were gazing up at him in sublime adoration. Its fur was long and silky, and entirely black. ‘I know,’ Robbie suddenly declared. ‘I’ll call him Spot.’

Michael’s head went round to Ellen.

‘Great name,’ Ellen said, trying very hard not to laugh as she pictured Michael in an LA dog park calling out Spot to a dog that had not a single patch of colour on its entire body.

‘I’ll go and tell Grandpa,’ Robbie said, and putting the pup on the grass he started to run on ahead. ‘Come on Spot,’ he called and to his delight the six-week-old puppy started chasing after him.

‘Looks like we’re about to become a regular family,’ Ellen remarked, ‘what with the dog as well.’

Michael smiled. ‘All a bit different from the way I thought we might get started in LA, but like I said, I don’t want to rush you. You can have ten minutes.’ He shrugged. ‘Hell, I’m feeling generous, take fifteen.’

Laughing, she leaned forward to kiss him. ‘I made up my mind about you a long time ago, Michael McCann,’ she told him, ‘and right now I’m so excited about the future I can hardly wait to get started.’

‘Really?’ Michael said, feigning surprise. ‘Personally, I can’t wait to get dinner.’

Ellen frowned. ‘Why? Are you hungry?’

‘Not a bit,’ he said, rolling her on to her back in the grass and lying over her. ‘It’s what’s coming after that’s interesting me.’

As he kissed her Ellen circled her arms tightly around his neck and refused to think any more about Sandy Paull – or how blind men could be when it came to women who loved them. There was going to be plenty of time for that in the months to come, in fact, if Ellen’s instincts were right there was a very good chance it was going to become as big an issue in their personal lives as it undoubtedly would in their professional lives. But they would deal with that when they had to, for all that mattered now was that they were together again and as deeply in love as it was possible to be. She just hoped to God it stayed that way, because during that very brief meeting they’d had in LA she had sensed something about Sandy Paull that had made her extremely uneasy.

Standing behind what had once been Michael McCann’s desk, Sandy took the glass of wine Nesta was passing her and gazed thoughtfully out at the activity in the well. Craig and Bertie were explaining something to Jodi, while Harry and Diana shouted into their phones and called up information on their computers. Zelda was over at the National, so Janey had slipped into her office to make a personal call. Frances and Janine, the bookers, whom she hadn’t fired because she thought it might be worse for them having to work for her, were busy making their end-of-day checks, while the other assistants badgered them for dates and deadlines. Paul Patton, the new guy, had moved into Dan’s office, as Dan never came in more than once a week and both were happy to share for that time.

‘It’s amazing,’ she remarked as she sipped her wine and tried not to wish herself back to a time when Michael had been in this office, ‘in fact I can hardly believe it, can you?’

‘What?’ Nesta asked, ‘that you’re here and this is your little empire now, or that Michael’s just taken over as controlling officer of World Wide?’

Sandy laughed drily. ‘Both, I suppose,’ she answered. ‘But I was thinking about World Wide,’ and looking down to where the newspaper was lying open at a shot of Ted Forgon and Michael McCann shaking hands at the ATI offices in LA she said, ‘That’s got to be sticking right in Ted Forgon’s throat, so what I want to know is how did Michael do it? I mean, all Forgon ever wanted was to destroy Michael and no sooner does he get the means to do it than he gives it all away.’ Her eyes came up to Nesta’s. ‘Why?’ she demanded.

‘Does it matter why?’ Nesta responded. ‘Michael’s going to be every bit as good running World Wide as Forgon, probably better, in fact.’

‘I’m not disputing that,’ Sandy replied, ‘but it makes him my boss again. And if she’s his partner, then that makes her my boss too.’

‘Oh come on, Sandy,’ Nesta protested. ‘Look at all you’ve got going for you here. So what does it matter if technically he’s your boss? He’s over in LA and as far as London’s concerned, you’re the one in charge.’

‘But I’ll have to answer to him and maybe to her too,’ Sandy said tightly. Her eyes went down as though to conceal their expression. ‘This is the second time she’s stolen him from me…’

‘Sandy!’

‘You don’t understand,’ Sandy told her. ‘It’s a point of principle now.’ She raised her eyes again and looking at Nesta she suddenly started to smile. ‘Remember the lunch?’ she said.

Nesta frowned. ‘Do you mean the one you had with Ellen Shelby in LA?’ she asked.

Sandy nodded. ‘That’s the one,’ she confirmed. ‘I thought at the time it might turn out to be a clever move and guess what, I was right, because as soon as I’m ready Ellen Shelby is going to find out exactly what that lunch was all about.’ And brightening considerably, she closed the newspaper and raised her glass. ‘Drink up, Nesta,’ she said, ‘because this isn’t over yet. In fact it’s so far from being over, it could be just the beginning.’