INTIMATE STRANGERS 7

Kerrien tidied round the house, humming tunelessly to herself. The children were playing quietly on the veranda, totally absorbed in their game. She was glad of this time alone, a space to think. In fact, she seemed to have spent most of the night thinking but had reached no conclusion about her feelings. She put down the half-peeled potato and stared through the window. On the surface, there should be no contest between the two men who seemed to be showing interest in her. Brett was young, good-looking, obviously available and his family seemed to run a successful business. Ashton was older and had two children already. Nor was he quite so devastatingly good-looking as the younger man but he had such hidden depths. His life must have seemed impossible for so long that it was little wonder he had forgotten how to enjoy himself. She sighed and went back to her potato peeling. She had been in such a reverie that she’d not heard the car draw up and Kate made her jump as she walked into t