Page 34 of Wedding Bells By the Creek

‘I don’t think so.’ She spoke very quietly.

For a moment Helen thought he was going to say something. Try to make her change her mind. And while she wasn’t going to do that, deep inside some part of her hoped he would at least try. He didn’t. He turned and walked off to join the workers.

Helen was still trying to regain her equilibrium, when she heard footsteps approaching.

‘You stay away from him. You hear.’

She recognised the voice instantly. Her hands were shaking slightly as she turned to face Stephanie.

‘I don’t know what you’re—’

‘Yes, you do.’ Stephanie brutally cut her off. ‘Let me make this very plain. Ed is my husband. I’m back now and I’m staying. This one horse town isn’t much, but I’ve got nowhere else to go. So don’t even think you’ve got a chance. Because you don’t.’

Somewhere deep inside, Helen felt a spark of anger. ‘Ed is a good man. You had an affair. You left him. He deserves better than you.’

‘And you think that’s you? Have you looked in a mirror lately? You don’t stand a chance against me. And don’t forget, we have a son. Ed believes in family. You can’t fight that.’

With a triumphant toss of her head, Stephanie turned and walked away. Helen took some small satisfaction in noting that her inappropriate high heeled sandals made walking in the rough ground difficult.

‘Bitch.’ She breathed.

‘I think you’ve got that right.’ Ellen appeared at her side. ‘Don’t let her get to you.’

‘But she’s right. She is Ed’s wife.’

‘She hasn’t been his wife for years. She’s got no claim on him. I do hope you’re going to fight for him. He’s worth it.’

Those words echoed in Helen’s head during the next couple of hours, as she served sandwiches and cold drinks to the workers, and watched the new sports building take shape.

She watched Ed too. He was so obviously skilled with all kinds of tools. At times, he took the lead during a difficult bit of the construction. He was comfortable working with the other men, sharing the occasional joke. But what impressed Helen most of all was the way Ed was treated by the men around him. These were all good people. They had to be to give up their time for a project like this. And they treated Ed with friendship and respect. She thought back to Tia’s father. And to the man who had driven her daughter away. Neither had been worthy of respect. Or love.

But Ed was different. He deserved it. And he was worth fighting for.

Stephanie had been hanging around all day, not helping. She’d just been getting in the way and trying to draw attention to herself. At last she vanished in the direction of the school toilet block, still stepping delicately on feet that Helen guessed would be starting to get very sore.

This was her chance. Helen didn’t give herself time for second thoughts. She picked up some water bottles and walked over to the building to distribute them to the workers. When she handed one to Ed, she was pleased to see her hand wasn’t shaking.

‘I was thinking,’ she said before her nerve could fail her, ‘that I would like to come with you to collect Bentley. If the invitation is still open.’

She was rewarded by a sudden smile on Ed’s face. ‘Of course. That would be great. How about I pick you up about seven?’

‘I’ll look forward to it.’

As she returned to her duties at the food table, Helen spied Stephanie walking painfully back from the toilet. Helen bit back a grin, then she tossed her head in what she hoped was her own triumphant manner.

Chapter Sixteen

Ed wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. He parked in front of the pub and checked his watch. He was a few minutes early to pick Helen up and he didn’t want to go inside. Partly because he didn’t want to seem like an over-eager schoolboy. And partly because he didn’t want to bump into Steph.

His mind raced back to that moment, standing just here, in front of the pub, when Steph had kissed him. Not a peck on the check. She’d kissed him on the lips. And a part of him was eager to kiss her back. It had been too long since he’d held a woman in his arms or tasted her on his lips. He was not teenager anymore, but he was a long way from dead, and he wanted a woman in his life.

But did he want Steph back?

And if he did, what was he doing sitting in his car watching the numbers on his watch slowly climb, waiting for the right time to go inside and meet Helen?

He shook his head. He wasn’t going to find an answer sitting here. He reached for the door handle. Just as he was getting out of the car, Helen appeared in the pub doorway. She raised her hand in greeting and ran lightly down the stairs towards him. Ed stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder as he gently kissed her cheek. He jumped back, a little startled at his own actions, but Helen was smiling. So it must be all right. It certainly felt all right. Better than all right, in fact.

Struggling to hide his thoughts, he opened the car door for Helen. When she smiled her thanks, his heart did some kind of tap dance. By the time he was back behind the wheel, he’d convinced himself he had his errant thoughts back under control … almost.

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