DANIEL heard the sound of a car stopping in the lane and frowned. Was it possible that someone had come looking for him and Alistair? He glanced at Harold Dawson but the old man seemed oblivious to what was happening outside. Dawson had grown increasingly agitated in the past hour. He had placed the shotgun by the back door and started walking around the kitchen, muttering to himself. Daniel might have been tempted to make a grab for the shotgun if it weren’t for the fact that someone could get hurt if there was a struggle. It had seemed safer to bide his time but he might not have that luxury for much longer. He turned to Alistair.
‘There’s a car stopped in the lane,’ he mouthed.
‘Do you think it’s the police?’ Alistair whispered, hopefully.
Before Daniel could answer, Harold Dawson swung round and glared at them. ‘Don’t you two start thinking you can get up to anything.’ He grabbed hold of the shotgun and pointed it at them. ‘I won’t think twice about using this, I warn you.’
‘And what will that achieve, Mr Dawson?’ Daniel said in sudden exasperation. ‘You’ll end up in prison and the wind farm will still go ahead.’
‘At least they’ll know they can’t trample all over me,’ Harold roared. He aimed the gun at the ceiling and pulled the trigger. Daniel ducked as bits of wood and plaster rained down on them. His ears were throbbing from the noise of the explosion so that it was several seconds before he could hear let alone speak.
‘Force isn’t the answer,’ he told the old man grimly. ‘The powers-that-be won’t give in because you threaten them. You need to go through the proper channels.’
If Dawson was listening he gave no sign of it. Daniel realised that he was wasting his breath trying to reason with him. He glanced towards the window, mentally crossing his fingers that it was the police outside and not some other unsuspecting visitor. His heart turned over at the thought that it might be Emma before he realised how foolish it was to imagine she cared enough to try and find him. Emma may have contacted the police when he hadn’t turned up for evening surgery but that would have been all. She certainly wouldn’t be spending her time worrying about him.
Emma’s heart seemed to stop when she heard the sound of a shotgun being discharged. Mike was speaking to the police on the radio and she saw the shock on his face as he looked up. He hastily finished his call and hung up.
‘The police will be here ASAP,’ he told her. ‘They said that we’re not to approach the house and that under no circumstances are we to try and contact either Dawson or Dr Kennedy.’
‘But we can’t just sit here,’ Emma protested. ‘Anything could be going on inside that farmhouse. We need to do something!’
‘We daren’t risk it, Emma. I know it’s hard but we could make matters a whole lot worse if we go rushing in.’ Mike patted her hand. ‘Let’s wait for the police, love. They know what they’re doing.’
Emma bit her lip. She knew Mike was right but it was sheer agony to wonder if Daniel might be hurt. It seemed to take for ever before the police arrived. She and Mike told them everything they knew, which was very little. When the police insisted that they back up the lane, she protested, but the police were adamant. They couldn’t risk there being any civilian casualties.
The time dragged after that. The police used a loud-hailer to speak to Harold Dawson, trying to persuade him to let the hostages go. He refused all their pleas, ending the negotiations by firing the shotgun out of the window. Armed police officers were deployed to surround the house and everyone looked very tense. However, by the time midnight arrived, little progress had been made.
Emma couldn’t imagine what it must be like for Daniel and the other hostage being caught up in such a drama. All she could do was hope that Harold Dawson would come to his senses and let them go. And if he did then she intended to tell Daniel the truth about how she felt. She loved him and she wasn’t going to lie about it, wasn’t going to pretend any more. She would tell him the truth—and hope that it meant something to him.
Daniel could feel his nerves humming with tension. Ever since Dawson had fired that shot at the police, he had become increasingly unstable. Daniel knew that he was within a hairsbreadth of losing control and had no idea what would happen then. Somehow he had to get the old man talking and hopefully defuse the situation.
‘Why exactly are you so against this wind farm being built?’ he asked as Harold made another circuit of the room.
‘Because it shouldn’t be there, that’s why.’ Harold glowered at him but Daniel tried not to let it deter him.
‘You think it will spoil the countryside? ‘
‘’Course it will. Who wants to look at dozens of great lumps of metal? My Mary wouldn’t. That’s for sure.’
‘Mary’s your wife?’ Daniel said quickly, wanting to keep the conversation flowing.
‘Was. She died six years ago.’ Tears suddenly welled into the old man’s eyes. ‘She loved the view over those hills, did my Mary. There’s a meadow there that’s full of wildflowers in the spring and she always said it was the most beautiful place on God’s earth. Even when she was so ill that she couldn’t get out of bed most days, she’d ask me to take her up there. And now folks like him want to dig it all up and spoil it.’
He jerked his thumb at Alistair, who blanched. Daniel realised that he had hit upon the real crux of the problem. Harold Dawson’s desire to stop the wind farm going ahead was all tied up with his late wife. He realised that he needed to tread warily.
‘No wonder you’re upset about what’s happening,’ he said quietly. ‘It must be difficult to accept that a place which meant so much to your wife is going to change. But do you think Mary would have been happy about what you’re doing?’
‘What do you mean?’ Dawson demanded querulously.
‘Keeping us here and threatening us. Shooting at the police.’ Daniel shrugged. ‘What would Mary say if she knew that was what you were up to?’
Harold Dawson stopped pacing; his expression was reflective. ‘My Mary hated guns. She wouldn’t even let me shoot rabbits when she was alive. Said it was cruel, she did.’
‘Then I doubt if she’d have approved of this, would she?’ Daniel held out his hand. ‘Why not give me the shotgun, Mr Dawson. Let’s stop this now before things get any worse.’
Harold Dawson hesitated then slowly handed over the shotgun. Daniel carefully ejected the cartridges then placed it against the wall and stood up. ‘I suggest we tell the police that we’re coming out.’
Dawson didn’t try to stop them as he and Alistair walked along the hall. Daniel cautiously opened the front door, shouting out that he and Alistair were coming out. Everything happened at great speed after that. The police came running towards them, some of the officers going straight into the house while others hurried him and Alistair away to safety. People were firing questions at him from all directions and he did his best to answer them, but he had caught sight of a figure standing just beyond the police cordon. Emma was here? She had cared enough to come and find him?
His heart sang with joy as he walked straight past the policeman who was trying to speak to him. Emma had started walking too, ducking under the tape, so that they met in the middle of the lane. When he opened his arms, she stepped into them and it was then that he knew everything was going to be all right. How could it not be when the love of his life was here in his arms, her heart beating in time with his?
He bent and kissed her, uncaring that everyone was watching them. He didn’t give a damn who knew how he felt so long as Emma knew it. Drawing back, he looked into her eyes, wanting there to be no more misunderstandings, either deliberate or accidental.
‘I love you,’ he said softly, his voice grating with emotion. He felt the tremor that ran through her, heard the sharp indrawn breath she took, and held her tighter, knowing it must be a shock for her to hear him say that. He had hurt her so much, seemingly thrown away her love, and it was a lot to ask her to believe him now, but he had to try. ‘I love you, Emma. I always have.’
‘Daniel, I …’
She stopped and swallowed. Daniel could see the uncertainty in her eyes and prayed that she would find it in her heart to give him another chance. He wanted to take her somewhere quiet and explain it all to her, but there was no hope of that right now. He sighed when the officer in charge came over and told him firmly that he needed to speak to him at the police station. It appeared that sorting things out with Emma would have to wait for now.
‘I’ll have to go,’ he told her huskily, smoothing a silky lock of her hair behind her ear. He dropped a kiss on her lips then smiled at her. ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can. Will you wait up for me?’
‘Yes.’ She gave him a wobbly smile, her eyes holding his fast for a moment before she turned away.
Daniel watched her walk over to Mike, who put a friendly arm around her shoulders as he led her to his car. He would have felt better if they could have sorted things out immediately rather than wait, but there was nothing he could do. As he allowed the officer to lead him to the waiting police car he sent up a silent prayer that everything would be all right. He just needed Emma to give him a second chance.
It was five a.m. before Emma heard a car turn into the drive. She ran to the window, feeling her heart leap when she saw Daniel getting out of a police car. Hurrying into the hall, she flung open the front door, seeing the lines that fatigue had been etched onto his handsome face.
‘I thought they were never going to let me go,’ he said as he stepped into the hall. ‘I must have gone over what happened a dozen times before they were satisfied that I’d told them everything.’
‘Come into the sitting room.’
Emma led the way, waiting until he had sunk down onto a chair before she went back to the door. She had spent the intervening time wondering what would happen when he got back. He had told her that he loved her but was it true? She longed to know yet now that the moment had arrived, she was suddenly afraid. What if Daniel hadn’t really meant it, what if it had been merely a reaction to the stress he’d been under? She wasn’t sure if she could cope with the disappointment of having her hopes dashed a second time.
‘I’ll make you a drink,’ she said hurriedly. ‘What do you prefer—tea or coffee?’
‘Neither, thank you. My stomach is awash with the foul brew that passes for tea at the police station.’ He gave her a gentle smile as he held out his hand. ‘Come and sit down, Emma. We need to talk.’
Emma bit her lip as she slowly sat down on the end of the sofa. She didn’t know how she was going to bear it if Daniel told her it had been the stress of the moment that had made him say that he loved her. People said all sorts of things they didn’t mean when they were under pressure, after all.
‘Emma, about what I said before—’ he began, but she didn’t let him finish, couldn’t bear to hear him say the words that once again would rip open her heart.
‘I understand, Daniel. Really I do.’ She gave a light laugh and saw him frown.
‘You do?’
‘Of course. You were under a huge amount of strain. It’s perfectly understandable if you … well, if you said something you didn’t really mean.’
‘So you think that I didn’t mean it when I said that I loved you?’
His tone was so devoid of expression that Emma found it impossible to guess what he was thinking. She shrugged, not wanting him to suspect how difficult this was for her. She loved him so much, had even planned to tell him that, but now she realised how foolish it would be. She simply couldn’t bear to put herself in the position of having her heart broken all over again.
‘I think it’s perfectly natural that you reacted to the stress of the moment. People say the strangest things when they’re under pressure.’
‘I see. And you’re not angry that I said what I did?’
‘Of course not! We’ve all said things we’ve regretted, Daniel. It’s part and parcel of being human, so please don’t worry about it.’
‘It’s kind of you to take that view,’ he said gruffly.
Emma frowned when she heard the roughness in his voice. He sounded upset but why should he be when she had offered him the perfect escape route? It was very strange but before she could work out what might be wrong, he stood up.
‘I think I’ll try and snatch a couple of hours’ sleep or I’ll be fit for nothing.’
He left the room before Emma could stop him. She followed him into the hall but he had already gone upstairs. She made her way to her room and lay down on the bed, fully clothed. She had done the right thing, she assured herself, given Daniel the let-out he’d needed. He didn’t love her and it would have been a mistake to let herself believe that he did. Tears trickled down her cheeks but she didn’t try to stop them. She needed to cry out all the disappointment and put it behind her if she was to get on with her life.
The sound of the door suddenly opening made her jump. Pushing herself up against the pillows, she stared at Daniel in surprise. ‘Daniel! What is it?’
‘I’m probably about to make a complete and utter fool of myself but there is no way that I can let this go.’ He came over to the bed and glared down at her. ‘I didn’t tell you that I loved you because I was under pressure, Emma—far from it. For the first time in a long while I was thinking clearly. Letting you go five years ago was the hardest thing I have ever done. Not a day has passed since then when I haven’t wished that I could have done things differently. I love you, Emma. That’s the plain and simple truth. It might not be what you want to hear but it’s what I need to tell you.’
He spun round on his heel and strode out of the door but there was no way that Emma was prepared to let him leave after making such a mind-blowing statement. She scrambled off the bed and ran after him, catching up with him on the landing. ‘Daniel, wait! You can’t come barging into my room and tell me that and then just. storm back out!’
‘Better I do that than commit another sin,’ he ground out, his eyes blazing into hers in a way that made a shaft of heat sear through her.
Emma felt her breath catch when she saw the expression in his eyes. It wasn’t anger that had driven him to such extremes of emotion, she realised, but desire, desire for her. Her hand half lifted in a gesture that could have been interpreted either way, as a rejection or as an invitation. Even she wasn’t sure what it meant, but then Daniel took a step towards her so that she could feel the heat of his body burning into hers, and her mind was suddenly crystal clear. She wanted him. Only him.
Her arms wound around his neck at the same moment as he reached out and hauled her towards him so that their bodies collided with a small thud, as though they had been struck by a mini-earthquake. Emma could feel the aftershocks rippling through her, tiny flurries of sensation that made her feel wonderfully alive. As her fingers buried themselves in the crisp dark hair at the nape of Daniel’s neck, she murmured softly—sounds, not words—because forming anything as difficult as a word was beyond her, but Daniel seemed to understand what she meant anyway.
His mouth found hers, his lips parting hers so that he could plunder her mouth, and she groaned. There was nothing gentle about the kiss, nothing tender. It was as though every scrap of raw passion had been distilled into this one kiss, so that she was breathless when it ended, her body throbbing, her mind numb, her heart awash with emotions.
‘Emma, my sweet, sweet Emma.’
His voice was hoarse as he gently laid her down on the carpet and started to undo the buttons down the front of her shirt. Emma would have loved to help him but her hands wouldn’t respond. They were locked around his neck, her fingers still buried in his cool crisp hair, and they refused to let go. She just lay there as he finished unbuttoning her shirt and parted the edges, lay there still as he reached beneath her and unclipped her bra. It was only when he lifted her right breast free of the lacy cup that the spell was broken and she was able to move but even then her hands remained locked around his neck as she drew his head down, inviting him to suckle her.
She gasped as a wave of intense pleasure rushed through her when his lips closed around her nipple. There was no slow build-up of passion, no need for caresses or time. She wanted him, right there, right now, this minute.
He lifted his head and must have seen how she felt because he shuddered. Emma could feel the tension in his body as he stripped off her clothes then shed his own. He made love to her there on the floor, his body pressing hers down into the carpet, but even though everything was heat and passion, there was tenderness, too. And it was that more than anything else that convinced her that Daniel had been telling her the truth. He did love her. Her heart soared at the thought.
Daniel could feel his heart pounding as he slowly came back down to earth. Making love with Emma had always been the most wonderful of experiences and this time they had reached new heights. Propping himself up on his elbows, he stared down into her face, feeling his love for her swamp him.
‘Wow! I’m not sure how that came about but it was definitely something else,’ he murmured, buzzing her lips with a kiss.
‘It was.’ She smiled as she cupped his cheek with her hand. ‘A definite wow in my book too.’
‘I’m glad to hear it.’ Daniel laughed throatily. ‘At least I don’t have to apologise for not finding somewhere more comfortable.’
‘Oh, it’s comfy enough.’ She wriggled a little and his breath caught when he felt her body moving beneath his. Even though it was only moments since they had made love, he could feel himself responding. ‘Although I may need to check my backside for carpet burns.’
‘If you do find any, I’ll be more than happy to administer a little first aid,’ he assured her, grinning.
‘I’ll let you know,’ she told him, laughing.
Daniel kissed her lightly on the mouth then rolled to his feet. Although he could have happily stayed there all day, they needed to talk and they couldn’t do it there. He offered her his hand, unable to resist pulling her into his arms when she stood up.
‘I didn’t plan for that to happen, Emma, but I’m glad that it did.’ He raised her chin so that he could look into her eyes. ‘I know you think that I was under a lot of pressure earlier but I’m not under any pressure now and I still feel the same. I love you and that’s why I made love to you just now. I only hope that somehow, some way, I can make you believe me.’
‘I do believe you, Daniel.’ She gave a little shrug when he gasped. ‘You couldn’t have made love to me like that and not cared.’
‘No, I couldn’t,’ he agreed, his heart overflowing with emotion. He kissed her on the lips then led her to her room and gently steered her through the door. ‘We need to talk and I won’t be able to concentrate if you’re in that state of undress. Put something on and come downstairs. We’ll talk then.’
She didn’t say anything as she went into her room and closed the door. Daniel went back to his own room and quickly dressed, hoping he hadn’t made a mistake by suggesting they waited. Would Emma start to have second thoughts while she was away from him? He hoped not but even if she did, he would convince her that he was telling her the truth. What would happen then was up to her, of course, and his stomach sank at the thought that his future was hanging in the balance. He might love Emma with his whole heart and every fibre of his being, but he had no real idea how she felt about him.