His Emergency Fiancée by Kate Hardy Read Free Book Online Page B

bed—her little boy, looking exactly like his father in sleep, though without the beginnings of stubble shadowing his face.
    Then she shook herself. What on earth was she thinking? She wasn’t going to get married and have children. Certainly not Ben’s children. Cross with herself, she tiptoed out of the room and headed for the kitchen.
    Morag was already there, tapping away at a laptop.
    ‘Good morning, Kirsty,’ she said with a smile, tapping a few more keys to save the file and switch off the laptop.
    ‘Your web design stuff, I take it?’ Kirsty asked.
    ‘Indeed. Ben’s bound to say I’m an old fool.’ She grinned.
    Kirsty shook her head. ‘He’s immensely proud of you, even though he probably doesn’t say it. You’re the most important person in his life.’
    ‘No, love, that’s you. Which is how it should be.’
    She and Ben really had to tell Morag the truth. Today, Kirsty decided. She couldn’t go on deceiving Ben’s grandmother like this. It wasn’t fair.
    But she wasn’t going to do it without Ben being right there at her side. His lies, his mess—so he should fix it.
    ‘Can I make you a cup of tea?’ she asked.
    ‘If you’ll let me make you some porage. Proper Scots porage,’ Morag emphasised.
    ‘The way Ben makes it, with a tiny bit of salt?’
    Morag chuckled. ‘None of your brown sugar, honey or syrup in this country!’
    ‘Not even heather honey?’ Kirsty teased, then sobered. There was something she needed to know. And now, while Ben was asleep, was the perfect time. ‘Morag…before Ben wakes. There was something I wanted to ask you.’
    ‘Oh?’ Morag turned enquiringly as she stirred a pot of porage.
    ‘He worries about you.’ Kirsty took a deep breath. ‘He thinks you’re not telling the truth about your angina—that there’s something more seriously wrong.’
    ‘My dear,’ Morag began—and then they heard Ben’s footsteps on the stairs. ‘Later,’ she said in an undertone.
    Later. Kirsty took in the word, shaken. So Ben’s instincts were right. There was something more seriously wrong—and Morag clearly didn’t want her grandson to know. If all had been well, Morag would surely have said as much in front of him? But she wanted to talk to Kirsty later…Which meant that things were very far from fine.
    Well, if Morag Robertson wanted to see her grandson happy and settled, that was exactly what she’d get, Kirsty determined. Whatever the problem was, however much time Morag had left, they’d make sure she was happy.
    Ben walked into the kitchen, his hair still wet from the shower and his skin completely smooth again. Kirsty walked over to him, slipped her arms round his waist and dropped a light kiss on his mouth. ‘I wondered if the smell of porage would wake you, Mr Sleepyhead.’
    Ben’s eyes widened. Kirsty had just kissed him! But…she’d been asleep when he’d woken in the night to find himself touching her. Surely he hadn’t—she hadn’t—they hadn’t…?
    Help!
    Since when would a kiss from his best friend scramble his brain like this?
    Since the middle of last night, a little voice in his head informed him. Since you woke up with her all warm and soft and very, very female in your arms. Since you discovered that sex is definitely a word you associate with Kirsty Brown.
    She was looking expectantly at him, obviously waiting for an answer. ‘Sorry.’ He shook his head to clear it. ‘What?’
    ‘I said, you obviously aren’t completely awake yet.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Lucky there’s one sensible person in this engagement.’
    Then he realised. That kiss had been for Morag’s benefit, not his. She was trying to tell him something in code. But what? He looked at his grandmother, and then his pretend fiancée. Was Kirsty trying to tell him she knew what was wrong with Morag? He had to get her alone—and fast! But how?
    ‘Sit,’ Kirsty directed, nodding to the table. She finished making tea for the three of them, and Morag ladled