Saving Nathaniel by Jillian Brookes-Ward Read Free Book Online

arrived at work to find a CD case on the kitchen table with a note attached that said simply,
    'Enjoy. N.'
    She opened the case, and halfway down the playlist, a song title had been highlighted in bright yellow. She smiled, delighted with her gift. He had clearly made the effort to go out and find this for her simply because he thought she would like it.
    'That was a very generous thing you did,' she said when he came in for coffee.
    He took his seat at the table. 'It's a scurrilous rumour, I deny everything,' he said. 'What did I do?'
    She placed his coffee in front of him. 'The CD, silly. How did you know which one it was?' She took a new box of biscuits from the cupboard, tugged off the lid and placed the box on the table.
    'Deduction my dear Watson,' he said, tapping the side of his nose with his forefinger. He peered into the box.
    'You didn't have to go to all that trouble.'
    'It was nae bother,' he said. He picked out one biscuit, changed his mind, opted for another, and then for good measure, took two more. Megan snatched up the lid and put it back on the box, curbing his greediness. 'Why?' she asked.
    'Because you liked it, it meant a lot to you,' he said. 'And to be honest, Meg, I've never seen anything like that before; it gave me the willies. It must be one hell of a special thing to affect you like it did, and you should be able to enjoy it whenever you want to.'
    She smiled as she realised, for the first time, he had called her Meg, not Megan or even the comical Just Megan. She found she liked it. She liked it very much. 'I'm really touched,' she said. 'You're very thoughtful. Thank you.'
    'Thoughtful, moi? Hmm.' He dipped his biscuit into his coffee. 'Not my usual epithet, so don't spread it around. Somebo dy might think I've gone soft.'
     
     

Chapter 6
     
    Nat drove out of the gates of Struan Lodge and took the road leading directly to Aberdeen city centre. It was a good twenty-five mile drive, but on that clear, frosty morning, in a warm, comfortable car, the journey was not unpleasant. The countryside droned by mostly unnoticed. Driving almost on autopilot, he had his mind on other things.
    He was running through his head the details of how he would best pitch his proposal to a new client he had arranged to meet at his rented office in Albyn Place. He anticipated a quick meeting. For the rest of the day he had planned a pub lunch, a short walk onto Union Street for a new pair of shoes – and home again.
    As he thought of home, his attention immediately dwelled on Megan. The charismatic woman, who had only been in his employ for a few weeks, had begun to change things and only, as far as he could see, for the better.
    Her presence in the house had had an influence on him. Every morning, without fail, she greeted him with a smile and enquired, 'How are you today?'
    She listened good-naturedly to his moans and grumbles, of which there were plenty, doing her best to cheer him up if she could and intuitively leaving him alone if his mood warranted it. He smiled as he thought of her.
    Sensitive and thoughtful she might be, but she took no nonsense from him, no matter how difficult he could be and she wasn't afraid to put him in his place when she thought he needed it, which, he had to admit, was fairly often.
    She had intriguing blue eyes; bright and intelligent. They fascinated him. They gave the impression of being able to see right into him and read him like an open book. She always seemed to know exactly how he was feeling and adjusted her behaviour accordingly.
    He imagined he could smell her perfume, subtle and familiar. He couldn't quite place it exactly, but it was definitely something floral and it reminded him of the old-fashioned roses in his garden…
    He snapped out of his daydream and back into the real world as his reflexes took over. Both his feet were stamping the brake pedal right down to the floor.
    'Jeeessuuus!'
    There came a dull thud from outside and the car screamed to a halt, coming to