To Keep Them Safe

Lyn Bradley

Description

PJ Grayson, a trainee doctor in his last year of med school, falls in love with a nurse. She is a young, widowed mother of one, hiding a secret about the way in which her husband and brother-in-law died; a nurse struggling to juggle a demanding job, a baby and a life with few friends. After her apartment floods, she is left homeless - until PJ convinces her to move into his luxurious apartment in an exclusive part of town. However, when he discovers a key that threatens to destroy this new found happiness he is determined to protect those he loves. Fuelled by a strong sense of what is right and being in love, PJ Grayson takes elaborate measures to protect his new family.

Sujets

• Romance

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 24 février 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781782345725
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Title Page
To Keep Them Safe
It will take several twists before
they can all finally feel safe
Lyn Bradley




Publisher Information
To Keep Them Safe published in 2013 by Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
The characters and situations in this book are entirely imaginary
and bear no relation to any real person or actual happening.
Copyright © Lyn Bradley 2013
The right of Lyn Bradley to be identified as author of this book has been asserted in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyrights Designs and Patents Act 1988.



Chapter 1
Looking across the limo at Teri, perhaps he should have called his mother. She would be angry with him. No. Not angry, annoyed.
Maybe.
Probably not. She loved him. His gentle nature and his hate of injustice. Just like she loved his siblings and his dad.
Dad. Dad will be angry. He’ll yell and spit. Won’t he? Perhaps. Maybe. Probably not. His dad would admire him. He inherited his hatred of injustice from both his parents. So his dad will admire him. At least I hope he will . He sighed.
“Are you okay?” Teri asked. Her sparkling blue eyes, smiling at him.
“I’m fine.” He smiled at her. “Just tired. It’s been a long trip.”
“How much further?”
“About another ten minutes. We’ve been on ranch land for the last five.”
“Really?” she was genuinely surprised.
He nodded.
Georgia stirred in his strong embrace. She stretched, yawned and looked up into his face. “Are we there yet, Daddy?” she said in a sleepy tone.
“Almost.”
“Then can I meet Granma and Granddad?”
“Yeah. Then you can meet them.”
She sat up. “What if they don’t like me?” she twisted her little face in confusion and worry.
“They’re gonna love you, honey.”
“Uncle Saul didn’t like me. Or Mommy. His friend put me in the closet, in the dark and scared me.”
“Hush. That’s all over and it won’t ever happen again.” He tightened his arms around her four year old frame. “You’re safe sweetheart. No-one will ever hurt you again.”
Teri swallowed hard. He looked at her. She shook her head.
The bruises on her pretty face were turning from green to yellow. She had hidden them with heavy makeup, but he could see them. The scar over her left eye would take a few more weeks to heal properly. He’d called in a favour from the plastics guy. It would be a feint line that would be hardly noticeable. Her hand would take much longer to heal. Every bone had been broken. Her fingers dislocated, one at a time, systematically. He stopped the thoughts. He couldn’t imagine the pain she had gone through. Still, she hadn’t told them anything. Mainly because she didn’t know what they were talking about.
“Oh my word!” she said, awestruck. “You live here?”
He looked at the house. “Yep! Home sweet home!”
“We’re here!!” Georgia said, excited and jumped from his lap to kneel on the seat and look through the windshield.
The car stopped and he got out. Bending back into the car, he helped his two girls from inside. “Mom’s bound to be in the kitchen. Come this way.” He smiled and took a hand from each of them.
Leading them into the house, he turned left.
Liz looked up to see her six feet six son fill the doorway. “PJ!! I didn’t know you were coming!” she crossed the room to be scooped up and hugged.
“Hi mom!” he beamed a smile and set her down.
“Daddy. I can’t get passed.” Georgia said, impatiently.
Liz stared at the little girl, then up at PJ.
“It’s a long story.” He shrugged. Standing aside he beckoned to Teri. “Mom. This is Teri and Georgia.”
Liz knelt on the floor. “Well hello, Georgia!” she held out a hand.
The little girl looked at her curiously. “You talk funny.”
“That’s because I come from England.” Liz grinned.
“Is that in Utah?”
Liz couldn’t help but laugh. “No. It’s a long way away, across the ocean.”
“Georgia, don’t be rude.” Teri scolded.
“She’s fine.” Liz said. “Hello Teri. Nice to meet you.” She looked at PJ, expectantly.
He rolled his eyes and held out his hands to help his mother up from the floor.
“Not a word! And don’t tell the Bear! My back is playing up.”
“So it wasn’t a good idea to get down on the floor then, was it?” Paul’s deep voice said from behind Teri.
“Hey Dad!” PJ grinned and hugged his father. “This is Teri and Georgia.”
Paul shook Teri’s uninjured hand and kissed her cheek. Then he looked at Georgia and smiled. He reached down and picked her up. “Well aren’t you just the cutest little thing?”
“Hello Granddad! I’m four! I’m supposed to be cute!” she gave a dazzling smile.
Paul roared with laughter. “I bet you could use some cookies and milk?”
“Oooh, yes please!”
“Cherry cookies and chocolate milk?”
She nodded.
Paul chuckled and set her on a stool. He brought the cookies and got the milk from the fridge, pouring some into a cup for her. “Would you like a straw or can you manage?”
“I’ll be fine, thanks Granddad!” she picked up a cookie and started chewing.
“I just made a pot of tea.” Liz said.
“PJ said you would have.” Teri smiled.
“If you’d said you were coming, I would have picked you up at the airport.” Paul said to PJ.
“I’ll explain later.” PJ looked at his father.
“So. You two have been together how long?” Liz asked brightly.
Teri looked at PJ. “About eighteen months. But we’ve known each other longer.”
Liz didn’t miss her son’s subtle nod. “Where did you meet?”
“Mommy works in the hospital with daddy.” Georgia said, spitting crumbs everywhere.
“Georgia! Manners!” Teri scolded.
The little girl suddenly looked tearful.
“It’s not good to talk when you’re eating, Georgia.” Liz said, quickly. “Because you may swallow a crumb the wrong way and it may make you cough.”
The child took a drink of milk. “Sorry.”
Liz smiled at her. “There’s no harm done.”
“I’m tired. I think I need to go to bed.” She looked at Liz. “Do you have somewhere I can sleep?”
“Come on honey. I’ll show you your room.” PJ said. Picking Georgia up, he walked to the door. Teri followed him.
Paul looked at Liz.
She held up her hands. “I know as much as you do.”
PJ showed Teri and Georgia up to his room. He opened the adjoining door and showed Georgia where to sleep. While Teri undressed her and put her in a nightgown, PJ made up the bed. He told her they were right next door and all she needed to do was call for them. They both tucked the little girl into her bed and kissed her. She was asleep half a minute later. The two adults went back into PJ’s room. He got clean sheets from the cupboard and Teri helped him make the bed.
“Bathroom through that door. Closet there.” He pointed to the other two doors along that wall.
“Your room is bigger than my whole apartment.” Teri smiled.
“I’ll show you the rest of the house tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” She sat on the end of the bed. She rubbed her forehead.
“Teri honey, you’re safe here. No-one gets onto this ranch unknown. It’s more secure than Fort Knox.”
“Are you sure your mom and dad won’t mind?”
“Positive. When Mom first came here, she was escaping from an abusive ex-husband. Trust me, they won’t find you here. Especially not after the elaborate journey we just made.” He wrapped his arms round her. “You look exhausted. Why don’t you have a shower and go to bed. I’ll go talk to Mom and Dad.”
She nodded.
He kissed the top of her head, then left. He stopped at the kitchen door, took a deep breath and walked into the room. “I need to talk to you.”
“We figured as much Son.” Paul said. “Study?”
PJ nodded and walked along the hall.
His parents sat on the sofa and he stood in front of the fireplace. He took a deep breath. “Teri is my wife and I adopted Georgia.”
“Oh.” Liz said.
Paul looked at him thoughtfully, then grinned. “You deprived your mom of a party.”
PJ visibly relaxed. “I did. Sorry.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “You obviously had good reason, sweetheart.”
“I have to keep them safe.”
“Sit down and tell us Paul son.” Paul looked at his son.
PJ sat in the armchair across from his parents.




Chapter 2
The corridor cleared as the deep voice shouted “Coming through!” Everyone turned to look. Surprise etched the faces of several people. Surprise at the owner of the voice.
At twenty two, Paul Jacob Grayson Junior, stood six feet six inches. He looked like he would be more suited to a fashion magazine or a film set, than a hospital corridor. He was in his final year of training. Currently he was working in the Emergency department. He had been in the ‘on call’ room, when his pager started bleeping. He had hoped to be able to take a few days off and visit his parents. But there was an outbreak of flu and some of his fellow trainees were struck down. Not that he minded really. He missed home, but when he was away, he missed Teri.
Teri Fergusson was two years older and worked as a nurse. She was five feet eight, slim, blonde and gorgeous. At least that’s what PJ thought. Her big, blue, eyes were a deeper shade than his own. Eyes you could get lost in. PJ would have loved to get lost in her eyes, along with the rest of her. She was funny and bright and confident, when she was under the spotlight. But there were times when PJ saw a deep sadness in her eyes. Times when she didn’t think anyone was looking. Times when she let her guard down. She mainly worked nights. On