The Reckless Engineer by Jac Wright Read Free Book Online Page A

her.
    Caitlin had looked for Gavin everywhere and, unable to find any trace of him, had retreated into a shell of endless pain. She had found out that she was pregnant by him two months after he was gone. Gavin’s daughter had been a big baby like her dad and, unable to turn around or come out through Caitlin’s narrow delicate hips, Gillian had been cut out of Caitlin through a Caesarean section.
    There, Caitlin had remained within her shell of pain, untouchable, unreachable, until Jack had come along.
    The day after Jack left the Rox Hotel suite, having spent his first nights together with Caitlin, she had followed him south and checked into her favourite south seafront hotel, The Clarence, in Portsmouth. It was time that she completed the purchase of the planned McAllen residence in the South, she had told her parents. She had set up her junior accountant to do the routine accounts tasks in Aberdeen and to work remotely with her.
    Jack himself had delegated the routine engineering tasks to Grant and Ian, the senior engineers, for he had been invited to assist Caitlin with the purchase. They would show up every morning at the offices at McAllen BlackGold, supervise and set the day’s tasks, and then start on the viewings. It had been a tough property market and they had taken their time, spending many of he afternoons together at The Clarence, with Jack falling more deeply for Caitlin with each passing day.
    After a month and a half they had narrowed down the choices to three properties and Caitlin had left for Aberdeen to seek the senior McAllens’ approval for one of them. Douglas and Leana had rubber-stamped Caitlin’s favourite, sensing that the pain their daughter had carried watching Gillian grow up alone had finally lifted, hoping it had lifted. Douglas McAllen had wanted atonement for his part in his daughter’s pain and he would do anything to earn her forgiveness.
    The events in their lives that had followed had been unstoppable. Six months later Jack had asked Marianne for a divorce and had moved out of the Connor family home into The Clarence. Everything to do with the divorce had, from then on, been handled by the McAllen lawyers. A further four months later Jack and Caitlin had moved in together into their home, the mansion in Guildford . . .
    ‘But there is a part of her that I could never touch reserved for Gavin,’ Jack said, pulling up The Ancient Mariner ’s anchor. ‘She was innocent of the etiquettes of dating and she actually told me details of their intense relationship over the years. It feels as if she has made a conscious decision to love me and make a life with me because her parents approve, rather than wanting me deep down. I don’t think she loves me the same way she loved Gavin, or maybe still loves him, with all of herself. I think she still cries for him.’
    ‘Jeremy, I thought I might find you in here.’ Caitlin had appeared at the door, disturbing Jeremy’s memories.
    He sat up and looked down. She had washed and dressed in tight grey plaid breeches, a coral top, boots, and a black quilted gilet lined in deep coral to keep off the cold air. This so suited her. There was no denying her class and good taste.
    ‘Breakfast is ready. Shall I send some out for you on a tray?’
    ‘No, I shall have it in with you please, thank you, Caitlin,’ Jeremy said kindly. ‘And I think I shall sort out this mess they have made in here afterwards, if you don’t mind. It’s a mammoth task only an engineer should attempt.’

CHAPTER 7
    Saturday, October 16 — One Day Later
    ‘Edwards has agreed to come here for the questioning with WPC Hansen.’ Harry broke a little bit of good news as he took his seat in the armchair in which Jeremy had sat the night before.
    It was about forty minutes past midday. Harry had driven in through the right entrance of the long U-shaped driveway leading up to the house, in his Mercedes Benz this time, no doubt to fit in better with the surroundings of his