Daring to Date Her Boss
Joanna Neil
She wants him to be so much more…For E.R. doctor Saskia Reynolds, a move to the Isles of Scilly is just what she needs to escape a relationship gone wrong. Yet her new job means working with the delectable and utterly desirable Dr. Tyler Beckett–a man completely off-limits. Because not only is Tyler her new boss, he's also her landlord! Saskia has learned the hard way that work and love don't mix, but with such an intense attraction, she's finding it hard to follow her own advice!
She wanted him—loved being in his arms.
She longed to have him tell her the things she wanted to hear, but how could that ever come about? He didn’t love her, did he? He’d never said those words she desperately needed him to say. And through it all he was still her boss—the man who held power over her future. Hadn’t she told herself she would never get into this situation ever again? What was wrong with her that she couldn’t find the willpower to keep him at arm’s length?
Dear Reader (#ulink_55f30a82-f07a-58da-93f4-6c782e54631b)
Islands hold a special place in most people’s hearts, I would imagine. The idea of love blossoming on a palm-fringed paradise is wonderfully romantic, and conjures up all kinds of possibilities.
But things may not always be what they seem. Living and working on an island comes with its own set of problems—as my heroine soon begins to find out.
I had a great time seeing how Saskia managed to contend with all her difficulties—Tyler being first and foremost among them. Falling for the boss was never going to be a good idea as far as she was concerned, and the fact that they were total opposites added a whole other dimension to her troubles.
I hope you, too, enjoy the journey as Tyler and Saskia work together to find a solution to their problems.
Love
Joanna
Daring to Date
Her Boss
Joanna Neil
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
When JOANNA NEIL discovered Mills & Boon
, her lifelong addiction to reading crystallised into an exciting new career writing Mills & Boon
Medical Romance™. Her characters are probably the outcome of her varied lifestyle, which includes working as a clerk, typist, nurse and infant teacher. She enjoys dressmaking and cooking at her Leicestershire home. Her family includes a husband, son and daughter, an exuberant yellow Labrador and two slightly crazed cockatiels. She currently works with a team of tutors at her local education centre, to provide creative writing workshops for people interested in exploring their own writing ambitions.
Contents
Cover (#uc31e4395-cc5e-582b-b9ad-a50a017bafe6)
Introduction (#u30115caa-f20a-5eac-8c3f-3c9a90b93922)
Dear Reader (#ulink_988bf3ea-4060-5e2e-85e5-dbfd27af48a0)
Title Page (#ub79fda18-313a-57ff-b7ff-563181b7cae9)
About the Author (#ubb58d483-d240-5410-bc36-0bb9e57fa781)
Chapter One (#ulink_fa098bff-a195-5eed-bed7-1e0ba11a9de3)
Chapter Two (#ulink_d119f7a9-ebf0-59d6-aa53-522dba67402a)
Chapter Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_ac49dd76-6bf0-5014-82ef-9e0bc71574b8)
‘DROP IT, BOOMER. Right now. Drop it and give it back.’
Saskia turned over in bed and pulled the duvet more closely around her. What was going on? Why was there so much noise? Dimly, her sleep-befuddled brain made out eight-year-old Becky’s voice, growing shrill with urgency. Saskia blinked, and drowsily stretched her limbs before opening her eyes a fraction. She peered groggily around the unfamiliar room.
Soft sunlight filtered through the chenille curtains, highlighting the glazed, Georgian-style wardrobe doors and the wide dressing table with its plush upholstered stool. It was a lovely room, but for a moment or two Saskia stared at it, perplexed. What was she was doing here? And what on earth was all the shouting about? She was used to peaceful mornings, to gradually waking to the low sound of the radio on her bedside table. There was no such luck today.
A loud wail shocked her into sitting upright. Groaning softly, she swung her legs out from under the cosy duvet and rested her bare feet on the carpeted floor. What time was it?
She reached for the short silk robe that was draped over a nearby chair. Pulling it on over her thigh-length nightshirt, it was all starting to come back to her. Her circumstances had changed pretty dramatically over the past few days. She was here to look after the children. A small wave of panic engulfed her. In that case, what was she doing in bed while they were up and about?
‘You’re a bad dog, Boomer. I don’t like you any more. Go away.’
There was a sharp tap on the bedroom door and Saskia must have muttered acknowledgement because two seconds later the door was flung open and an irate Becky stood in front of her, angry tears staining her flushed cheeks.
‘Boomer’s chewed Milly’s bottle and now it’s ruined—look.’ The child thrust the offending object towards her, and Saskia gazed blearily at what had once been a doll’s feeding bottle. Becky was right. It was ruined, that was for sure.
Saskia put a comforting arm around her niece’s shoulders and laid her head against the child’s golden curls. ‘I’m sure we’ll manage to get another one for you next time we go to the shops. You have to keep these things out of Boomer’s way, you know. He might be two years old, but he still acts like a pup a lot of the time.’
‘Well, he’s a bad dog.’
‘Yes.’ Straightening, she glanced at the watch on her bedside table. It was ten o’clock already? Another quiver of alarm washed through her until she remembered that she didn’t have a job to go to and, anyway, it was Saturday. So...no worries there, were there? Hah. As if.
The doorbell rang a couple of minutes later as she wandered into the living room to check that all was well with Becky’s brother and sister. Boomer, the family’s exuberant springer spaniel, set up a frantic barking in response to the door chimes, and Saskia frowned. Her head was beginning to ache.
Who could that be? She really wasn’t in the mood for visitors. Besides, the place was a mess, with packing crates everywhere and half-opened boxes taking up every available surface.
Six-year-old Charlie was trailing his cars over the play mat in a corner of the room and acknowledged her with an absent ‘Hiya’ as she greeted him with a smile.
Seeing her, Boomer stopped barking and raced up to her, wagging his tail and almost knocking her over in his excitement. She patted his silky, chocolate-coloured fur as she glanced around. Caitlin was nowhere to be seen. Most likely she was still tucked up in bed, like teenagers everywhere. The thought filled her with envy.
‘Perhaps you should come in,’ she heard Becky saying cautiously. ‘My mummy isn’t here, but you can talk to my auntie if you like.’
Saskia immediately tensed and hurried out of the room and into the hallway, ready to avert disaster. She wasn’t dressed properly—how could she possibly meet up with anyone while she was in this state?
But she was already too late...a man carrying a large package, a box of some sort, was following Becky down the hallway towards the living room.
For a second or two, as she studied him, Saskia’s breath caught in her throat. He was in his mid-thirties, she guessed, and he was absolutely stunning...long, lean and incredibly fit looking, dressed in smart casuals, a dark, open-neck shirt and cream-coloured trousers. She closed her eyes briefly to savour the moment. Wow! So this was what the Isles of Scilly had to offer.
His jet-black hair was cut in a short, crisp style that perfectly suited his angular features. As to his eyes—well, his stunning blue gaze was mesmerising, except that right now it was directed at her, bringing warm colour flooding to her cheeks as she realised she’d been caught staring at him.
But he, too, seemed to have been knocked off balance by their unexpected meeting. She heard the sharp intake of his breath and saw his eyes widen as his glance moved over her in turn, taking in every softly feminine curve. He was suddenly rooted to the spot, his gaze sweeping like a lick of flame over the smooth expanse of legs that were lightly bronzed from a summer of sunshine.
A sudden arc of electric tension sparked between them, an intense, sensual intimacy that brought with it a wave of heat that raced through her body. She couldn’t move, didn’t know how to go on.
Then the stranger made a rough-edged, broken kind of sound, as though he meant to say something but instead the words seemed to choke in his throat.
Coming to her senses, Saskia tugged awkwardly at the hem of her robe, trying to cover a bit more thigh, an action that only resulted in drawing the edges of the garment further apart. Taking a deep breath, she wrapped the silk more firmly around herself and tied the belt in what she hoped was a secure knot.
‘I—uh...’ He hesitated, drawing his gaze back to her face. Like her, he seemed to be struggling to get himself back together. ‘I um...I gather you’re not Mrs Reynolds...’
‘Er, no, I’m her sister-in-law...Saskia.’
‘Ah, I see.’ He nodded acknowledgment, then pulled in a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. ‘I’m Tyler, Tyler Beckett. I have a parcel for Mrs Reynolds.’ He indicated the large box he was carrying, marked ‘Glass, Handle with Care’. ‘I’ve been hanging on to it for a couple of days, ever since the courier dropped it off next door.’
‘Oh...thanks.’ Her breathing had settled down at last to a heavy thud and now her brow furrowed. ‘My brother said something about Megan ordering a new light fitting...I guess this must be it. He said she’d checked with the landlord to make sure it would be okay to change things.’
‘Yes, I told her I’m okay with it, as long as she runs things by me first.’
He was the landlord? That came as a bit of a surprise. She went to take the box from him but he hesitated, saying, ‘Actually, this is quite heavy. Maybe it would be better if I put it down for you, somewhere safe?’
‘Oh...yes, of course.’ She studied him surreptitiously. This could be difficult. If he owned the place, how was he going to react to seeing what had happened to his once pristine property now that three children and a dog had cut a swathe through it? There was already a scuff mark on the wall where Charlie had run amok.
He was watching her expectantly and she galvanised herself into action. Fighting back a nervous quiver of apprehension, she showed him into the L-shaped living room, padding barefoot across the smooth oak floorboards to the dining area. ‘You could put it down here, if you like.’
To her shame, there were four dirty soup bowls on the table, the remnants of last night’s hastily prepared supper. She’d been too tired to clear away after the meal and, besides, she’d figured it was more important to try to sort out the childcare arrangements, or at least find out what her options were. She still had to see if there was anyone around who would be prepared to walk the dog—if she managed to find a job it would be unfair to leave Boomer cooped up at home all day.
She quickly moved the crockery out of the way, along with a jumble of household ornaments, and waved a hand towards the clear space on the large, solid wood table.
Her brother had rented the house partly furnished and she was impressed—from what she’d seen so far, his new landlord certainly had an eye for quality.
At the moment, though, he was looking around, a bewildered expression on his face as he took in the chaos. Charlie had spread his toys generously around the room—his was the first box that had been opened as he’d been desperate to be reunited with his belongings, and Saskia had been anxious to keep him occupied. Next in line had been Boomer’s collection of chew toys—a couple of facsimile bones, a rubber ring, a pull toy made of knotted strings and his favourite, a plastic, squashy ball. They, too, were strewn across the floor.
Tyler frowned, absorbing everything in that one glance, and Saskia winced. She wondered if he was familiar with the mayhem of family life. The slight bracing of his shoulders seemed a dead giveaway.
Still, he didn’t comment. ‘I was busy at work the last couple of days,’ he said, as he set down the parcel, ‘and I could see you were dealing with the removal van until late in the evening yesterday, so I didn’t like to disturb you.’
‘That was thoughtful of you,’ she murmured, leaning forward to help with the positioning of the parcel and faltering a little when she realised he was running his gaze over her once more. Heat flickered in his smoke-dark eyes as he took in the cloud of coppery curls that framed her oval face and brushed against the creamy slope of her shoulders.
Belatedly, she realised that her shoulder was indeed bare, and she quickly tugged her robe back in place. The wide neckline of her nightshirt had somehow managed to slide partway down over her arms.
‘I...um...I should apologise for being dressed like this...only you caught me unawares. I overslept. It’s not something I do regularly,’ she added hastily, ‘it’s just that...uh...’ It was just that she’d been up half the night, using her laptop to sort out the route to school and trying to find suitable day care for the children after school and a whole host of other things he didn’t need to know about. Doing it when the children were tucked up in bed had seemed like the best opportunity. ‘We did a lot of travelling on Thursday to get here. Then there were two and a half hours on the ferry and the journey from where we docked to here. And we don’t seem to have stopped since. I haven’t caught up with myself yet.’
‘It’s all right. You don’t have to explain yourself.’ His expression was wry, and she could guess what he was thinking. She’d already burned her boats on that one.
She started to move away from the table and his glance slid down to her bare feet, lingering there as though he’d only just noticed her toenails were painted a shimmering, luscious pink. He seemed intrigued, curious even, and he certainly didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave, leading her to wonder uncomfortably if she ought to offer him coffee. It would be the neighbourly thing to do, wouldn’t it?
‘Um...can I offer you—?’ She broke off as Boomer, abandoning his knotted pull toy, bounded up to her once more and joyfully nudged her hip, tipping her off balance.
Reacting swiftly, Tyler put out his arms to steady her. ‘You were saying...?’
‘Oh, yes...um...’ It was totally distracting, having him stand so close to her, and for some reason it took a real effort to unscramble her brain. His hands lightly circled her arms, sending small eddies of warmth throughout her body. While he was holding her like this she simply couldn’t think straight.
‘Coffee,’ she said at last. ‘I was going to offer you coffee.’
‘Thanks, I’d like that.’ He released her and she let out a long, silent breath of relief. ‘You can perhaps fill me in on one or two things,’ he added, ‘like what’s happening with your brother and his wife.’
She nodded, but a quiver of anguish rippled through her. That wasn’t going to be easy to recount, was it, with Sam and Megan both in hospital and neither of them likely to recover very soon? As their landlord, she supposed he had a right to know, but it was hard for her to talk about it. Coming out of the blue on a busy road, the accident had shocked all of them.
Boomer followed them into the kitchen, still nudging her gently, as though anxious that she should head in the right direction, and it dawned on her that he must be eager for his breakfast. ‘Okay, Boomer,’ she told him. ‘I’ll feed you. Just give me a minute.’
Caitlin had finally put in an appearance and was sitting at the round table in one corner of the room, her mid-brown hair falling across her cheek like a curtain as she hunched over her mobile phone. ‘He’s used to being fed at eight o’clock,’ the teenager remarked, a faint note of censure in her voice as Saskia emptied kibble into Boomer’s food bowl. The girl tossed her hair out of the way with a shake of her head. ‘You were late with his meals yesterday as well, and the day before that.’
‘Well, we’ve had a lot going on over the last few days,’ Saskia defended herself, uneasily conscious of Tyler showing an interest in the conversation. ‘I’ll be much more organised once I get the hang of things.’
‘Yeah, right. It’ll probably be better if I take over feeding him.’ Caitlin sighed and pushed a half-eaten bowl of dry cereal towards Saskia. ‘I can’t eat that. Mum always buys the proper branded version.’ She pressed her lips into a flat, disgruntled line. ‘And Charlie’s finished off all the milk again.’
‘Oh, dear.’ Saskia frowned. As well as being upset about what had happened to her parents, Caitlin, at fourteen, was going through a definite grumpy phase.
Tyler intervened. ‘Don’t worry about coffee. It doesn’t matter.’
She shook her head. ‘I have some sachets somewhere. We even have a choice—latte or cappuccino. I think you’ll like them.’ Her gaze travelled around the room, searching for the box where they were packed, and after a moment or two she realised that he was looking with her.
‘There are quite a few boxes to choose from, aren’t there?’ His gaze settled on a collection of crockery and cookery books that were spread out over the worktop and slowly his eyes half closed as he though he was trying to shut out this alien world he’d stumbled into.
‘No, it’s okay, they’re in the cupboard,’ Saskia said in triumph. ‘I remember I put them where they would be near to the kettle. Yay!’ She hurried forward to retrieve them at the same time that Boomer came and dropped his ball in front of her and then gazed at her in panting anticipation.
‘Ow, ow, ow...’ She yelped in pain as she stepped on one of his plastic chew toys and began to hop around the tiled floor, clutching her foot.
‘What’s wrong?’ Caitlin asked, getting up from her seat to come and look. Then, ‘Oh...that’s blood,’ she said in an anxious voice. ‘You’re bleeding, Sass.’ She inspected the hard nylon, bone-shaped toy. ‘It’s really rough around the edges where he’s been having a go at it. Are you going to be all right?’
Saskia pulled in a deep breath. ‘Of course I am.’ She stopped hopping and gingerly put her foot to the floor. ‘I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.’ The last thing she needed was for the children to be concerned about her. They had enough on their plates right now. Instead, she flicked the switch on the kettle and tried to ignore the stinging in her foot, busying herself adding coffee powder to a couple of mugs.
‘I don’t suppose you have a first-aid kit to hand, do you?’ Tyler asked, and Saskia thought about it then shook her head.
‘I recall seeing it somewhere.’ She frowned.
‘I’ll go and fetch mine.’
‘There’s no need, really. I’ll be fine.’
He gave her an assessing look. ‘You won’t be if you go on the way you’re doing now. Sit down and stop spreading blood over the floor. You don’t want to get an infection, do you?’
‘N-no, of course not.’
‘Good. Then sit down and wait there until I get back.’
After he’d gone, Caitlin finished making the coffees and then studied the chew toy once more. ‘I’m going to put this in the bin,’ she said. ‘Maybe Boomer should go out in the garden and get some fresh air. He has way too much energy.’
‘That’s a good idea. Perhaps Charlie would like to play with him out there? Anyway, he and Becky need to go and feed their rabbit.’
‘Yeah, I’ll tell them as soon as I’ve cleaned up the floor.’
Saskia smiled at her. ‘Thanks, Caitlin. You’re a treasure.’
Tyler was back within a couple of minutes. Noticing that Boomer was nowhere to be seen, he glanced out of the kitchen window and saw that the dog was racing around outside, having a whale of a time with the two younger children.
Hearing their laughter, Saskia guessed Becky must have forgiven Boomer for his earlier misdemeanour.
Tyler placed a fresh carton of milk in the fridge and then set out a fully equipped medical pack on the kitchen table.
‘I guess that’s the flower border done for,’ he murmured on a rueful note, glancing out of the window once more as he went over to the sink and poured warm water into a bowl.
‘I’m really sorry about all this,’ Saskia said. She waved a hand towards his coffee mug. ‘Please, help yourself.’ Perhaps a reviving drink would help him to feel better.
‘Thanks.’ He went on setting out his equipment.
Saskia bit her lip. ‘Maybe I could put some sort of decorative fencing up to keep him away from the plants.’ She frowned. ‘You’ve caught us at a bad time, but we planned on getting to grips with everything today—well, over the weekend, at least. Caitlin’s just gone to start unpacking clothes and to put things right upstairs.’
He nodded, drawing up a chair in front of her and laying a towel over the seat. ‘Rest your leg on there. I’m going to bathe your foot first to make sure there are no bits of debris in the wound.’
‘Okay...thanks.’ She watched him as he hunkered down and began to work. He was very thorough, cleaning her foot with meticulous care and then gently drying it.
‘There are several small puncture wounds,’ he commented. ‘I’ll press some gauze against it for a while until the bleeding stops.’
‘You look as though you’ve done this sort of thing before,’ she murmured, looking over his medical pack with interest.
‘I have, although I usually have to deal with rather more serious injuries than this,’ he answered soberly. ‘I’m a doctor. I work at the hospital on the island, in the emergency department, and I’m on the rota as a first attender where the paramedics need a doctor to go along and help out.’
‘Ah, that explains it,’ she said, speaking half to herself.
‘I beg your pardon?’ He glanced at her, absently resting his hand lightly on her leg before pausing to check under the gauze to see if the bleeding had stopped.
She cleared her throat. His touch was doing very strange things to her nervous system. Things she’d thought she’d long forgotten. ‘It’s just that you have that kind of air about you,’ she explained, ‘as though you’re very capable, well organised, and know exactly what has to be done. I expect seeing the state we’re in here has been a bit of a shock for you.’
He didn’t answer, but his mouth moved in a faint curve. He applied a topical antiseptic and then bound up her foot, securing the neat bandage with tape.
‘That should be a bit more comfortable for you,’ he said. Finally, he stood up, reaching for his coffee and taking a long swallow. He paused for a moment, staring at his cup in puzzlement, and she guessed he was faintly surprised to discover that he quite liked the taste. ‘So how do you fit into the picture here?’ he asked. ‘Did you decide to move over here with your brother and his family, or were you already living on the island?’
‘Uh, I came over here when my brother and his wife were...delayed.’ She still didn’t want to talk about what had happened and hoped he wouldn’t persist. ‘I have to get the children into school for the new term, and of course the removal had been planned and booked a few weeks ahead. It was important that things went smoothly.’
He nodded. ‘What do you think of our island? Have you been here before?’
She shook her head, making the silky, copper curls quiver and dance. ‘I saw it for the first time on Thursday. It’s so beautiful, it took my breath away—the lovely beaches and the clear blue water, the palm trees... It’s like a subtropical paradise.’
His mouth curved. ‘Yes, it is.’ He stood up and started to clear away his equipment just as the kitchen door burst open and Charlie came rushing in.
‘Boomer’s been sick all over the flowers,’ he announced. ‘It’s yucky. He’s brought up all of his breakfast and there’s lots of grass in it, too.’
Saskia groaned. ‘Did you let him out into the garden first thing this morning?’
‘Becky did.’
She sighed. ‘That must have been when he did it. We’ll have to stop him eating grass somehow.’ She looked at Charlie. ‘Okay, I’ll come and hose it down in a bit. Try to stop him from running around, will you, but keep him out there for a bit longer if you can until his stomach settles down?’
‘Okay.’ Charlie went outside once more and Tyler sent her a brief, sympathetic glance.
‘I’d better leave you to get on. It looks as though you have your hands full.’
She nodded, giving him a regretful look. ‘Like I said, it should all be sorted out over the weekend.’
She stood up, testing her foot against the hard floor. ‘That feels good,’ she said. ‘It must be all the padding you put in there. Thank you so much for helping me out. And thanks for the milk—I appreciate it. You’ll have earned yourself a thousand brownie points with Caitlin.’
He smiled. ‘You’re welcome.’ He left by the kitchen door, and she heard him saying goodbye to the children as he left. As she glanced out of the window, she saw him briefly pat Boomer on the head.
She looked disconsolately at the mess around her. There couldn’t have been a worse time for the landlord to pay them a visit, but that wasn’t the worst of it, was it? They shared the same profession. She was a doctor, too. How would it be if he heard about her application for a job at the hospital where he worked? She couldn’t see that going down too well.
For all that he’d been pleasant to her and he had helped her out, she suspected that he didn’t think very much of her lackadaisical ways. There was no point suggesting that she would put everything right...she had a strong feeling that, left to him, he would have organised things properly from the start, and everyone, probably even the dog, would have been given a job to do to help out.
Still, she couldn’t help wishing things had been different. After all, he was the kind of man women dreamed of, and she was by no means immune...even though she’d sworn off men. He’d made her body tingle just by being near... And when he’d rested his hand on her bare leg...phew.
She sighed. Maybe it was just as well she’d made a bad impression on him. It would nip things in the bud from the outset...because she really ought to have learned her lesson by now. After all, it was only when you got to know men that things started to go wrong.
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_0f7eb896-36cc-5df7-9adc-14011197d4d6)
‘CHARLIE, WILL YOU hurry up, please? We need to get a move on or we’ll be late.’
Saskia looked around the kitchen, mentally ticking off a list in her head. ‘Becky, don’t forget your PE kit—you need to take that with you as well as your backpack.’
‘Yeah, okay.’
‘Do you have everything you need, Caitlin?’ She peered into the hallway to look at the teenager, who was frowning at her hair in the mirror and trying to brush loose strands into place, something she’d been doing for the last several minutes. ‘What about your geometry set—did you remember to put it in your bag? Perhaps I should have a quick look, just to make sure.’
Caitlin whipped the backpack away from her before Saskia had a chance to investigate. ‘I can sort my own things out,’ she said, turning away and pressing a hand against her forehead as though her head was aching. ‘I don’t need anyone checking up on me.’
Saskia winced. So far, nothing was going to plan. Her vision of a smooth, hassle-free morning getting ready for this first day of the school term was dissolving with every minute that passed. Caitlin had been tetchy ever since she’d dragged herself out of bed, and when you added in Becky’s insistence on taking time to go outside to pet her lop-eared rabbit, and Charlie’s complete oblivion to everything going on around him, getting them all organised and ready was rapidly turning into a stressful situation.
‘Charlie, can you switch off that computer game? We’re leaving right now.’
It must be great for Tyler next door to simply ease himself into his sleek, shining BMW and head off for the hospital without a care in the world. She’d seen him leave his house about half an hour ago, perfectly groomed, dressed in an immaculate dark suit, his hair crisply styled. She’d caught the glint of a cufflink as he’d reached to open the car door. His whole life was probably streamlined.
She shepherded everyone towards the front door, but as they were about to leave Becky said urgently, ‘Saskia—wait. I think Boomer’s being sick in the kitchen. I can hear him.’ The little girl went back in there to take a closer look. ‘Yeuw! It’s got lots of bits of tissue in it.’
Saskia sighed. Tyler certainly never had to deal with anything like this, did he? She looked at Charlie. ‘Have you been feeding Boomer paper towels again?’
He shook his head vigorously, but she noticed he couldn’t quite meet her eyes.
‘It’s bad for him,’ she said firmly. ‘And it’s not helping us either, because now I have to stop and clean up after him when we’re already pushed for time. Perhaps you’d better come and give me a hand. Go and let him outside in case he needs to be sick some more.’
A few minutes later she settled Boomer down in his bed in the kitchen and they finally started out on the walk to school. It was a good thing the primary and secondary schools were on the same site, Saskia reflected. At least it made things a little easier.
Of all the mornings to be delayed, this was the worst, because as soon as she had dropped off the children she was supposed to go for her interview at the hospital. She really needed that job, and she was more than a little anxious about it. In fact, she was beginning to feel quite apprehensive. There was money coming in from her brother’s bank account to pay the rent, but now she had three extra mouths to feed and the bills were mounting up. Her savings would only take her so far.
Arriving at the school a few minutes later, she gave Becky and Charlie a hug and told a still fractious Caitlin she hoped she’d have a good day. She would have hugged her, too, but the teenager made it clear she didn’t want any demonstration of affection, especially not in front of the other students.
She was about to leave when someone said, ‘Ah, Miss Reynolds—or should I call you Dr Reynolds? I saw you helping Charlie to find his peg in the cloakroom a little while ago and realised you must be the newcomers to our school.’
Saskia glanced at the woman who had approached her. She was tall, with medium-length dark hair cut in a stylish bob, and there was an undeniable look of authority about her. ‘Hello. Yes, that’s right. I’m Dr Reynolds.’
The woman smiled. ‘I’m Elizabeth Hunter, the headmistress—I’m so glad I managed to meet up with you.’ She was keen to talk to Saskia about the children’s parents and how their accident might have affected the youngsters. ‘We want to be as supportive as possible,’ she said.
‘Thank you. I appreciate that. It has been a difficult time for them, but I’m hoping that if we let the children talk about their worries it might help.’ Saskia spoke to the headmistress for a few minutes, wanting to ease the children’s transition into their new school as best she could but conscious all the while that the clock was ticking and she needed to get away to the hospital.
At last, though, she was free to rush away to keep her appointment. Glancing at her watch, she realised with growing alarm that there was no way she was going to make it to the interview on time.
Perhaps it had been a mistake to walk to school. It had taken a lot longer than she’d anticipated, with Charlie dawdling and Becky stopping to search for wild flowers in the hedgerows, but this was a small island and she’d hoped she might get away without buying a car. Walking, she’d reasoned, would at least give them the opportunity to enjoy the green hills and valleys along the way and let them take in the view of the bay and the bustling harbour in the distance. Now, though, she still had a further ten minutes’ walk ahead of her.
The hospital, she discovered, was relatively small, a pleasing, white-painted building, with a deep, low-slung roof. Alongside it was a health centre and a pharmacy. She hurried through the automated glass doors at the entrance.
The receptionist was talking to a young woman, a slender girl with chestnut hair arranged into an attractive braid at the back of her head. She was a doctor, Saskia guessed, judging by the stethoscope draped around her neck.
‘Hello. Can I help you?’ The receptionist broke off their conversation so that she could attend to the new arrival.
‘Oh, hello. Yes, thanks,’ Saskia said, a little out of breath from her exertions. ‘I’m Dr Reynolds. I’m here to see Dr Gregson.’
‘Oh, yes,’ the woman answered with a smile, ticking her name off a list on her desk, ‘you’re the nine-fifteen appointment. They’re waiting for you. If you’d like to come with me, I’ll take you along to the office.’
The woman doctor glanced down at her watch and made a face. Noting her reaction, Saskia almost did the same. She could guess what she was thinking. She wasn’t making a very good start.
‘Just tell Dr Beckett that I’d appreciate his involvement in the new cardiovascular clinic, would you?’ the doctor murmured. ‘Perhaps he might be able to spare me a few minutes later today?’
‘I’m sure he’ll make the time,’ the receptionist answered.
She walked with Saskia along the corridor. ‘Here we are,’ she said, knocking lightly on a door marked in bold, black lettering ‘Dr James Gregson’.
A gravelly voice responded, ‘Come,’ and Saskia pulled in a deep breath before going into the room. She took in her surroundings in one vague sweep.
A large, mahogany desk dominated the room, and behind it sat a well-dressed, distinguished-looking man who studied her with interest over rimless reading glasses that sat low down on his nose. There were two other, younger, men on either side of him, some small distance away, seated at an angle to the table.
One of them had his head down, immersed in studying papers in a manila file, and for a dreadful moment, as she stared at the top of his dark head, Saskia felt a wash of stomach-lurching familiarity run through her. Her heart began to thump, increasing in tempo as though she’d been running. Could this really be her new neighbour?
‘Dr Reynolds, it’s good to see you. Please, come in and take a seat.’ Dr Gregson stood up and waved her to a leather chair in front of the desk. He was a man of medium build, with square-cut features and dark hair, greying a little at the temples. Above the glasses his brown eyes were keen, missing nothing.
‘Let me introduce you to my colleagues,’ he said. ‘This is Dr Matheson—Noah Matheson. He’s our man in charge of the minor injuries unit.’
Dr Matheson stood up to shake hands with her. He was young, handsome, in his early thirties, tall, lithe, and it was obvious right away that he was most definitely taken with Saskia. Interest sparked in his hazel eyes as he drank in the cloud of her Titian hair and his gaze skimmed her slender, curvaceous figure. She was wearing a cream-coloured suit with a pencil-line skirt and a jacket that nipped in at the waist. It was a feminine outfit yet at the same time businesslike, and it gave her a fair amount of confidence to know that she looked her best.
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you,’ Noah said, holding onto her hand for a second or two longer than was strictly necessary.
‘And this is Dr Beckett—Tyler Beckett. He’s in charge of Accident and Emergency.’
Her spirits plummeted, her worst fears confirmed.
Tyler stood up and clasped her hand firmly in his. His glance moved over her, clearly appreciative. His smile was warm, welcoming, and she relaxed a little. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad after all. He looked terrific, lean and flat-stomached, every bit as good as the first day she’d seen him. The jacket of his suit was open, revealing a deep blue shirt teamed with a silver-grey tie. His cufflinks were of the same silver-grey pattern.
‘Dr Reynolds and I have already met,’ he said, addressing his colleagues. ‘It turns out that she’s a neighbour of mine.’ He looked into her green eyes, adding in a low voice, ‘I didn’t know the name of our applicant until this morning, and even then I wasn’t sure it would turn out to be you.’ His well-shaped mouth made a faint curve. ‘Perhaps I should have guessed as time went on. It sort of fitted somehow.’ He didn’t look at his watch, but she caught his drift all the same.
He released her and she sat down carefully. She cleared her throat. ‘I must apologise for being so late,’ she said, looking from one to another. How much should she tell them? ‘I had a few unavoidable domestic issues to contend with this morning—and then the dog was sick just as I was leaving the house. Um...on top of that, I didn’t realise quite how long it would take me to walk to the hospital.’ She winced inwardly. She was babbling, wasn’t she, saying too much? They didn’t need to know all that. ‘It was my mistake, but I’ll be certain to make better arrangements from now on.’
‘I’m sure you will.’ Dr Gregson picked up a folder and leafed through it, saying after a while, ‘Would you like to tell us a bit about your last post? You worked at a hospital in Cornwall, I believe?’
‘That’s right.’ She was on much safer ground with this. ‘I started off there as a senior house officer in the A and E department. I had to deal with all kinds of emergencies, both traumatic and general. A good percentage of my patients were youngsters.’
‘That’s valuable experience. Good...good...’ Dr Gregson riffled through his papers. ‘Your references are all in order from what I can see, and your qualifications are impeccable. You’ve specialised in emergency medicine and paediatrics, as well as spending some time in general practice—that’s excellent, exactly what we’re looking for.’ He glanced at her. ‘It’s a little unusual, though, to mix hospital work with general practice, isn’t it?’
She faltered briefly, caught on the back foot. ‘Ah...that’s true, of course...but...initially I wasn’t sure which specialty appealed to me the most.’ She squirmed a little. Tyler Beckett would never be unsure of himself, would he? ‘I enjoyed working in a GP’s surgery for a year, but after attending several emergency cases during that time I realised that’s what I wanted to do more than anything.’
Dr Gregson nodded. ‘I see.’ He turned to his colleagues. ‘Do you have any questions you’d like to put to Dr Reynolds?’
Tyler nodded. ‘I do have one query,’ he said, his tone sober. ‘Ah...about these references...’ He was sifting through his copy of the paperwork, and she glanced at him, sitting stiffly upright, suddenly on alert.
‘Is there a problem?’
‘Not a problem as such... I’m just a little concerned about one aspect of your work that hasn’t been mentioned here...’
She frowned. ‘I can’t think of anything I might have left out.’
He gave her a direct look. ‘No, except—there was an occasion when you lost a patient, I believe. Would you like to tell us about that incident...about what happened?’
Saskia sucked in a sharp breath. ‘But how did you...? I thought—’ She broke off, uncertain where this line of questioning was coming from.
Noah frowned, sending Tyler a questioning, disbelieving look, as though he couldn’t fathom why his colleague would want to upturn the apple cart this way.
‘It’s just something your previous consultant mentioned.’ Tyler used a soothing voice, as though he wanted to put her at ease. ‘I didn’t fully understand the implications and I thought you might be able to clear it up for us.’
‘M-my consultant?’ She gazed at him in consternation, her green eyes troubled.
‘Yes. It just happened that I rang the hospital in Truro this morning,’ he explained, ‘to enquire about a patient of mine who was recently admitted, and I was put on to Michael Drew. He was your consultant, wasn’t he?’
Michael. The breath left her body in a soft gasp and her stomach began to churn. She might have known this would come up to bite her. She’d made a mistake, getting involved with Michael. In the end he’d been more than just her consultant, and that’s when things had started to go downhill, hadn’t they?
It had been fine at first. They’d dated for a time, and she’d enjoyed his company, but eventually, when she’d realised he was becoming too controlling, she’d called a halt to things between them. Michael hadn’t taken it well, and eventually the situation between them had deteriorated to a point where life at work had become intolerable. That was partly why she’d made up her mind it was time to look around for another job.
And now this... It looked as though Michael had thrown a spanner into the works at the worst possible time. She hadn’t been able to avoid giving his name for a reference, and he’d assured her that she had nothing to worry about. But now—what could he have said to Tyler? Clearly their break-up still rankled with him, and although she’d hoped he would be adult about things, she really wouldn’t put it past him to try to make life difficult for her.
Tyler watched the variety of expressions flit across her face. He said quietly, ‘When I realised who he was, that you and he had worked together, we got to chatting, and that’s when he mentioned your patient. He only brought it up as a humorous anecdote.’
Her mouth made a wry twist at that and he paused momentarily. ‘He said you’d lost her and there was a big hue and cry until she was found again. But by then she needed treatment for another condition.’
He rested his hands on top of the file, lacing his fingers together. ‘It might have seemed slightly amusing afterwards, when the worry was over, but I’m sure you can see why this has to be cleared up, can’t you? We need to be reassured that our patients are going to be in the best possible hands.’
‘Yes, of course, I understand perfectly.’ Saskia moistened her lips, unhappily aware that Noah and Dr Gregson had both straightened and were paying her close attention. ‘The truth is I didn’t find anything at all humorous about the situation at any time, when it was going on or afterwards. And I didn’t lose her—not exactly.’
‘So, what happened?’
‘She was a woman in her sixties suffering from what appeared to be dementia. A passer-by had brought her into the hospital because she’d had a fall and hurt her arm.’
She was silent for a moment, remembering the hectic activity in the emergency unit that day. ‘We were very busy in A and E that morning, and we were short-staffed. Some of the nurses were off sick with a bug that was going around. I didn’t have anyone to assist me, but I was keen to do further tests on my patient—alongside my concerns over her arm I wasn’t absolutely convinced she had dementia. Anyway, I asked her to stay in the treatment cubicle while I went to find a porter to take the blood samples over to Pathology. But when I came back to see her a couple of minutes later, she’d gone walkabout.’
‘That was tough luck,’ Noah sympathised.
She nodded. ‘It was worrying. We couldn’t find her anywhere nearby. Then it occurred to me that she might have wandered outside into the hospital grounds so I followed the stairs to the exit. I found her sitting on the bottom step, nursing a swollen ankle. Apparently she’d missed her footing.’
Tyler’s mouth made a wry shape. ‘It just wasn’t her day, was it?’
‘No, unfortunately, it wasn’t.’
‘So, what was the final diagnosis?’ he asked. His expression was thoughtful, his blue gaze skimming her features as though he was trying to weigh her up.
‘She had a thyroid problem—her body was producing too little of the hormone, causing symptoms that mimicked dementia. And to add to her troubles she had a cracked bone in her forearm from the earlier fall, along with a sprained ankle from taking the stairs.’
Dr Gregson gave her a reassuring smile. ‘Well, I think you’ve cleared that up for us nicely, Dr Reynolds. Thank you for that.’ He looked at her over his glasses. ‘And it’s good to know that you weren’t prepared to accept things at face value.’
She inclined her head briefly and tried to breathe slowly and steadily. That had been a deeply uncomfortable few moments. Tyler was clearly a stickler for getting things right, but she might have hoped he’d be less thorough in following up every detail arising from her application. Did he have to dot every i and cross every t? Michael could very easily have ruined things for her.
‘You’ll certainly need to be on the ball in this job,’ Dr Gregson remarked. ‘It isn’t quite the same as being on the mainland where you have all manner of resources to hand. Those patients who are too ill to be managed in our small hospital have to be flown over to Cornwall for treatment.’
‘I’m sure I’ll be able to handle whatever’s asked of me, Dr Gregson. I’ve had to cope with a huge change of circumstances recently but I think I’m dealing with it.’
Noah was clearly interested in this. ‘Do you want to tell us more about that?’
She closed her eyes fleetingly, wishing she could take back the words and steeling herself against the pain. ‘My brother and his wife were involved in a nasty road accident.’ She took a deep breath. ‘They’re both in hospital in Truro at the moment—and it’s beginning to look as though they’ll be there for some time.’
Tyler frowned, leaning forward in his seat. ‘You didn’t mention this to me before, at the house.’
‘No—perhaps I should have, but it was painful for me to talk about it. I was still getting over the shock. I still am.’ She hesitated, then went on, ‘They were preparing to move over here for Sam’s job—he works for the wildlife trust and they wanted him as part of their team in the Isles of Scilly. Sam was bringing his family over that day so that they could see the house—they were going to rent before they decided where to make a permanent home. They wanted to spend some time looking around the island, but before they could get here they were in collision with a lorry that took a bend too wide. Luckily, the children escaped relatively unhurt, though they were traumatised, of course.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Tyler was genuinely concerned. ‘That must have been devastating for you. And I suppose you’ve taken over caring for the children in the meantime?’
‘That’s right. That’s why I came over here, and it’s the reason I’m looking for work.’
‘Is there no one else who can care for them?’ Noah was full of compassion and understanding, although at the same time it seemed he sensed there was an opportunity to be explored here. ‘Is there no one to support you—you’ve no ties?’
Tyler sent him a sharp look and Noah checked himself, drawing back.
Saskia shook her head. ‘Not right now...at least, not close by.’ She guessed Noah was never one to let the grass grow under his feet. With his looks and easygoing manner he’d probably left behind a string of female conquests who’d fallen for his charms.
‘I admire your sense of loyalty,’ Tyler said, frowning as he glanced through the paperwork once more, ‘and I can see why finding work here must be important to you...but hadn’t you handed in your notice before your brother’s accident?’
Saskia’s shoulders lifted awkwardly. Didn’t he ever miss anything? ‘I’d already decided I wanted a change.’
‘Wasn’t that a little irresponsible—to leave your job on a whim?’
She flattened her lips briefly. She wasn’t about to go into detail about her failed relationship. ‘Perhaps it was,’ she conceded, ‘but the way I saw it there’s pretty much always a need for emergency doctors in the UK.’
He nodded. ‘On the mainland, maybe. I think you’ll find there’s not quite the same demand out here, though.’
‘Yes, I’m starting to realise that.’ Her heart sank. This wasn’t going at all the way she’d hoped. From the doubts he was expressing it looked very much as though he didn’t want her for this job, and she could hardly blame him.
For someone as thorough and organised as Tyler Beckett it would go against the grain to take on a young woman who appeared to work on impulse and followed wherever her heart led.
She didn’t know how many people they had interviewed for this post, but she guessed she wasn’t the only candidate. There had been at least three names on the receptionist’s tick sheet.
‘I did have another job in mind in Cornwall at the time,’ she ventured, ‘and I was about to be interviewed for it, but all my plans had to change after the accident.’
Dr Gregson decided it was time to intervene. ‘With regard to the post you’re applying for here, you should understand that our work isn’t just centred on the hospital. We often travel to the islands to visit patients in emergency situations. In those circumstances, we use the ambulance boat to reach them.’
‘Oh, I see.’ She swallowed carefully. She’d said she’d be able to cope with the demands of the job, but going by boat wasn’t something she had bargained for. And yet it should have been fairly obvious to her that travelling between the islands was a necessity. Perhaps she’d simply tried not to think about it.
The trouble was, ever since she was a child she’d been plagued by seasickness—how could she possibly tell them that? If she owned up, there was absolutely no way she’d get the job.
‘Does that bother you?’ Tyler was watching her, a small frown indenting his brow. ‘You seem distracted somehow.’
She tried what she hoped was a convincing smile. ‘No, not at all. I’d be quite all right with that.’
Dr Gregson appeared satisfied. ‘Well, then, Dr Reynolds, my colleagues and I have one more person to interview before we get together to talk things through. We should be able to let you know our decision before the end of the morning, though. In the meantime, perhaps you’d like to look around our hospital—Janine, my secretary, will be happy to give you the grand tour. You might want to spend some time in the minor injuries unit to see how we do things there, and then familiarise yourself with the A and E department.’
She nodded. ‘Yes, thank you. I would. That’s a good idea.’ At least she could stay around until they were ready to announce their decision.
His secretary showed her around the different areas of the hospital, pointing out the new cardiovascular wing and the obstetrics department. They made light conversation along the way, but Saskia felt weighed down inside with defeat. In her imaginings things would have gone very differently.
‘We have a few inpatient beds here,’ Janine told her, ‘but we’re probably not at all like the hospitals you’ve been used to. Everything here is on a much smaller scale.’
Saskia nodded. ‘I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen so far. It’s all exceptionally clean and efficient-looking.’
Finally, they arrived at the A and E department. There were a couple of resuscitation rooms, several treatment bays and an area where doctors could go to type up their notes or access computers.
‘I love the way this small area has been set apart for the younger patients,’ Saskia commented. ‘That mural must help to take their minds off their troubles, for a start.’
Janine smiled. ‘It’s great, isn’t it? Dr Beckett commissioned it from a relative of one of his patients. The children love trying to find the chicks hiding in the farmyard. And, of course, the ceiling mural helps distract them when they have to lie down.’
‘Yes, I imagine it does.’ It had been made to look like a vivid blue sky, with cotton-wool clouds, a mixed assembly of birds and colourful box kites to keep the children amused.
If only she could be so easily distracted. She sighed inwardly, thinking about the members of the interview panel who were most likely deciding her fate at that very moment. Her stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch.
A nurse came over to them as they walked towards the nurses’ station. ‘Janine, I’ve been paging Dr Beckett—do you know if he’s in the hospital today? I haven’t seen him all morning and we’ve had a patient come in with an injury to his wrist. We need him to come and take a look at it.’
‘He’s definitely here. He’s been doing interviews since first thing, but they should be finished by now. I expect he’ll be along in a minute or two.’
‘Okay, thanks.’
Janine glanced at Saskia. ‘You might want to be in on this—see how we do things here.’
‘Are you sure?’ Saskia frowned. ‘I don’t want to get in the way.’
Janine shook her head. ‘I’m sure it won’t be a problem. We’re all very friendly and informal around here.’
‘You have a patient for me?’ Dr Beckett strode into the A and E unit, his manner brisk and ready for action. Saskia stiffened. Had the interview panel finished their discussion and come to a conclusion?
‘He’s in here,’ the triage nurse told him, pointing out one of the treatment rooms. ‘We’ve done X-rays and given him painkillers.’ She handed him the patient’s file.
‘Thanks.’ He glanced at the notes in the file, and then went over to the computer and studied the films. Frowning, he said, ‘I’ll need someone to assist. Who’s free?’
The nurse shook her head. ‘No one right now. I’m needed in several places at once, and as for the rest—we’re busy with an influx of patients just now. There was a minor explosion at a building site and we’ve had a number of casualties...something to do with a propane gas cylinder. Nothing dreadfully serious regarding casualties, thankfully, but some quite nasty burns.’
He inclined his head in acknowledgement. ‘Okay, I suppose I’ll just have to wait until you can spare someone.’
Saskia said quickly, ‘I could help, if you want.’
He glanced at her. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course. If there’s anything at all I can do...’ She frowned. ‘I understand this man has a broken wrist. Was that something to do with the explosion?’
He shook his head. ‘Totally different, apparently. He came off his motorcycle while taking a bend too sharply.’
‘Oh, dear.’
They went into the treatment room, where they found a young man in his early twenties nursing a badly deformed wrist.
‘Well, Mason,’ Tyler said, pulling up a chair and carefully examining the man’s injury, ‘I could have told you even without looking at the X-rays that you’ve broken your wrist.’ He glanced at Saskia. ‘Have you seen this kind of fracture before?’
She nodded. ‘It’s a Smith’s fracture,’ she murmured, ‘and that’s a typical garden-spade deformity.’ She looked at Mason. ‘I expect you fell awkwardly off your bike and landed on the back of your hand. I suppose you can count yourself lucky you don’t have any other injuries—apart from cuts and grazes, that is.’
The young man gave her a rueful smile. ‘I guess I can. Though this feels bad enough.’
‘I’m sure it does.’
‘We’ll get you sorted out in no time,’ Tyler said. ‘I’ll give you a local anaesthetic and a sedative, and then we’ll realign the bones for you and get you fixed up with a splint.’ He looked at Saskia. ‘I’ll need you to hold his elbow steady while I reduce the fracture—are you okay with that?’
‘Yes, of course.’
A few minutes later, when their patient’s wrist had been fully anaesthetised, they worked together to manipulate the bones back into position. ‘Okay,’ Tyler said, checking the shape of the wrist and testing the pulses there. ‘That seems to have done the trick. We’ll get that splinted up and then do further X-rays to make sure everything’s as it should be.’
Mason was clearly relieved some time later when the procedure was finished and had been pronounced a success.
‘Okay, we’ll see you back here in a couple of days to check how things are going,’ Tyler told him. ‘And in the meantime I’ll write up a prescription for some painkillers for you to take home with you.’
‘Thanks.’
At Tyler’s signal, a nurse came to take Mason along to the nurses’ station so that she could go through the discharge process with him and give him his medication.
Tyler turned to Saskia. ‘Thanks for your help with that. I’m sure he was relieved to get it over and done with.’ His glance moved over her fleetingly. ‘You’ve been very patient. You must be anxious to know the result of your interview?’
She nodded. ‘Has it been decided?’
He shook his head. ‘Not yet. I gave the others my input before I left the meeting, so I expect they’ll let us know shortly. Shall we go along to my office while we wait? I expect you could do with a cup of coffee.’
‘That would be good, thanks,’ she said, although all she really wanted to do now was get out of there and start working out what she was going to do for the best. She didn’t hold out much hope for a successful outcome.
His office was everything she might have expected. It was a beautifully turned out room with satisfying neutral colours in soft greys and blues and an overall sense of calm. A good deal of light came in through deep, wide windows that looked out onto a paved terrace beyond, where stone planters were filled with bright chrysanthemums, adding a splash of colour.
The furniture was made of pale golden beechwood. A desk with a pigeonholed upstand stood to one side of the room, and against another wall neat cupboards were interspersed with glass-fronted bookcases. There were even a couple of plants, billowy ferns that provided a pleasing touch of green.
‘Please, sit down,’ he said, waving her towards a chair. He switched on the filter machine, and soon the delicious aroma of coffee filled the room.
‘I’m sorry if I seemed a bit hard on you this morning,’ he said, placing a cup on the desk beside her. ‘I know it must have been difficult for you.’
She took a sip of the hot liquid. ‘I had the feeling you weren’t at all keen on having me as part of your team,’ she murmured, ‘though I don’t really know what you have against me.’
‘It’s not that I don’t want you,’ he demurred. He went to stand with his back to the window. ‘I have one or two reservations, that’s all. I have the feeling that you’re inclined to be impulsive—which is not a bad thing at all unless it intrudes on your work, but it wouldn’t do to be making impulsive decisions in A and E.’
‘Unless they were based on instinctive knowledge, maybe.’
He shrugged. ‘Possibly. The other thing is that I can’t help feeling you’re holding something back. I’m not sure yet what that might be.’
He studied her once more, but she didn’t offer any explanation. Instead, she lowered her head and swallowed her coffee as though it was a lifesaver.
He appeared to be deep in thought for a while, but then he said, ‘I suppose the biggest hurdle for me was that I had a particular type of candidate in mind—someone who was on the ball, alert and ready to face up to the challenges of the job.’
He smiled, gentle humour reflected in his eyes and in the curve of his mouth. ‘But instead you came along—and from what I saw back at the house you strike me as being...distracted, disorganised and probably stressed out with the strain of looking after your family. Medicine’s a difficult profession, even for the hardiest of people, and I can’t help feeling that this is probably not the best time for you to be taking on a responsible position.’
Dismayed, she stared at him. ‘You can’t judge me on one meeting. You must realise that you came to the house at a particularly difficult time.’
‘Yes...but that one time made a big impression on me.’ He made a wry face. ‘The problem is I’m finding it difficult to be detached when it comes to making this decision. Try as I may to keep a clear mind, the fact is whenever I look at you, in my mind’s eye I keep seeing a beautiful, half-naked young woman surrounded by chaos. It’s kind of hard to shake off that image.’
Her cheeks flushed with hot colour. ‘I... You caught me unawares. I wasn’t ready to receive visitors.’
He chuckled. ‘No, I realised that, and I should have left right away, but I must admit, the temptation to stay was just too great.’
She sucked in a sharp breath. ‘Tyler, I need this job.’
He nodded. ‘I know,’ he said, becoming serious once more. ‘And the truth is we need a woman on the team to balance things up. I might be a bit concerned that you’re not exactly what I had in mind, but I suppose, since we would be working together initially, I’d be able to keep an eye on you.’
Her eyes widened. ‘Are you saying that you voted in my favour?’
‘I am, albeit with reservations.’ The phone rang just then and he came over to the desk to half sit, half lean on the edge as he reached for the receiver. She was conscious of him being close to her, the fabric of his trousers stretched taut against his thigh, and she felt a sudden, unbidden, rush of heat race through her veins. ‘Okay, thanks,’ he said to whoever was on the other end of the line. ‘Will do.’
He replaced the receiver and looked at her. ‘That was Dr Gregson. He said to tell you the job’s yours if you want it.’
She gave a small gasp. ‘Really? Oh, I do. Definitely, I do.’
His mouth curved, giving his features an irresistible sex appeal. ‘Good. That’s settled, then.’ His expression sobered. ‘Though there is one proviso I should add.’
‘And that is...?’ She frowned, on edge all over again.
‘We feel there should be a three-month trial period to give us all time to decide whether we think things will work out. It’ll be a mutual arrangement. After all, you may decide you don’t care for the way we do things here, and once your brother and his wife are out of hospital, you may want to go back to the mainland.’
She mulled it over. Right now, she couldn’t see that happening, because she would always want to be close to her family, but it was true she had friends back in Cornwall, people she would miss.
‘I can see how a three-month trial might work both ways.’ She was troubled, though. This result was a positive one for the time being, but it wasn’t quite what she’d hoped for, not with this inevitable sense of insecurity hanging over her. Tyler was the one who would have pushed for that condition, she was sure. How could she convince him that she wouldn’t let him down?
She said carefully, ‘Look, I know you have your doubts about me, but I’m sure I can show you that I’m as sensible and methodical as you or anyone else.’
She thought about it for a moment or two and then added hastily, ‘In fact, why don’t you come over for supper one evening...Saturday, perhaps? Then I can show you that I don’t always live surrounded by chaos and upheaval. You’ll see, I can be every bit as efficient and on the ball as you are.’
‘You don’t have to do that—’
‘I know. I want to.’
He inclined his head a fraction. ‘Then, yes, thank you. I’d like that—that is, provided I’m not called out to any sudden emergencies.’ He frowned. ‘I believe I’m on call over the weekend. I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble unnecessarily.’
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