A Wedding In Warragurra
Fiona Lowe
The single father's Outback brideSingle father Dr. Baden Tremont moved to the Outback for a fresh start. He's focusing on raising his young daughter and on his job as a flying doctor.But working side by side with new flight nurse Kate Lawson, Baden realises that there's more to life than his work. They have both loved and lost in the past, and it will take courage now if they are to be a family together. Baden decides he's going to make that happen. Somehow, some way, he's going to make Kate his Outback bride.
Baden had never seen a sky like it. Twinkling stars in all their sparkling glory rained their light down on them. Then he saw a streak moving across the sky.
‘Is that a comet?’
Kate turned to him, her face alive with excitement. ‘Yes.’
He pulled her close, loving the way her curves fitted into him. ‘It’s a special night all round.’
She laid her head on his shoulder. ‘One worth remembering.’
Her quiet words unexpectedly speared him. One night. It was what they both wanted, what they had both agreed to. Neither of them was able to offer more. He couldn’t risk loving again. He had to protect Sasha. Kids loved easily, but as Kate didn’t want a relationship he couldn’t risk Sasha getting attached. Another loss could devastate her.
But he had tonight. They had less than twelve hours before real life returned. Before he was a doctor again, before he was a father again. Before life returned to what it had been.
So why the hell was he out here looking at stars?
He swung Kate into his arms and took her back inside.
Dear Reader (#ulink_13da1dab-f51e-55eb-8e66-b5e388a57821)
I am really excited and honoured to have a book out in Mills & Boon’s centenary year! I started reading Mills & Boon® Medical™ Romance many long, hot summers ago, as a teenager on the beach. I’ve always loved the drama and excitement of Medical Romances, so it seemed a natural progression to try and write one. It took me ten years and four manuscripts, but the wonderful Mills & Boon editors always read my submissions and offered constructive and encouraging advice.
I live in a town where you are only one or two handshakes away from everyone. At times this has its disadvantages, but one of the overwhelming advantages is a sense of community. With that in mind I created Outback town Warragurra. This town has its problems, but it also has its strengths, and when one of its own is under threat it draws together as a community, united in purpose.
Against this backdrop, Baden and Kate struggle with their attraction for each other. Baden and his daughter, Sasha, are recovering from loss and creating a new life. Kate is rebuilding her life and filling it with her work at the flying doctors’ base. Neither Kate nor Baden believe in ‘happy-ever-afters’, and they closely guard their hearts. But the Outback heat shimmers between them, and the township of Warragurra pushes them together, until they finally realise that to risk loving is what life is all about.
I hope you enjoy your visit to Warragurra, and that you will join me again later in the year for another Warragurra story.
Love
Fiona x
A Wedding in Warragurra
Fiona Lowe
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Always an avid reader, FIONA LOWE decided to combine her love of romance with her interest in all things medical, so writing Medical™ Romance was an obvious choice! She lives in a seaside town in southern Australia, where she juggles writing, reading, working and raising two gorgeous sons, with the support of her own real-life hero! You can visit Fiona’s website at www.fionalowe.com (http://www.fionalowe.com)
To my cousin, Annie, for her wholehearted enthusiasm, unwavering support, and shelf-arranging skills. A woman going places in her own life.
CONTENTS
COVER (#u997eee8a-574d-516a-8447-a7e895d94382)
Dear Reader (#u73b1f3c5-a310-5971-9966-fea963c9d9d7)
TITLE PAGE (#u848ffdde-cb68-5458-9d62-e3211e404080)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (#u66f7d0f5-cb0c-599d-aac6-232abec58189)
DEDICATION (#u0ec34c04-5726-5adf-82f7-3ad69b56a3af)
CHAPTER ONE (#ubb305149-ae6c-5bc5-89d7-a489541b5494)
CHAPTER TWO (#ue87614ad-517f-5041-85b1-6546662673ff)
CHAPTER THREE (#u6a6e10e6-dc24-546e-8686-ccbd9ebff33a)
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)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
COPYRIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_5dd862fd-9b1e-5768-8133-fd5ef7ef3672)
‘BUT it isn’t pink.’
Kate Lawson heard the disappointment in the young girl’s voice as she browsed in the limited clothing section of Warragurra’s answer to Teen Gear. She glanced up and just caught the woebegone expression that matched the voice before a set of very broad shoulders partially blocked her view.
‘Not everything in life is pink or purple, Sasha.’ The deep, melodious voice carried a smile.
Kate grinned, wishing she could see the man’s face. Did he have a clue what he was up against? Shopping with tweens was a minefield. She knew only too well. She had a niece much the same age and a Girl Guide troop that kept her on her toes.
Sasha tossed her head and stuck a hand on her hip. ‘I do know that, Dad.’
‘So, perhaps it’s time to branch out and explore green and blue now that you’re twelve.’ Patience threaded through the words. He picked up a cute striped vest top. ‘What about this?’
Kate watched, fascinated and completely forgetting she was supposed to be finding a gift for her niece. That she was supposed to be ironing her nurse’s uniform and polishing her shoes for her first day back at work. Not to mention the million other things that needed doing in preparation for her return to the real world of Warragurra. She’d been gone six months, but she couldn’t hide for ever.
Sasha wrinkled her nose at the top that lay across her father’s arm.
Long masculine fingers trailed across the fabric. ‘It’s green but it has a fine pink stripe.’ He paused for a beat. ‘It matches your beautiful eyes. They’re green, just like Mum’s.’
His words wove magic. Sasha’s expression transformed from sceptical to delighted. ‘I’ll try it on. And these shorts, too.’ Sasha took the hanger from her father’s hand, grabbed the matching shorts and marched toward the change room.
Laughter bubbled up inside Kate at the exchange between father and daughter. He was good! Wily, but good. Sasha had no idea she’d just been outplayed. Usually dads lost the fashion battles, which was why mothers took on that role.
He turned toward the change rooms and caught her gaze, giving her a conspiratorial grin. ‘Let’s hope that saves me from a trip to Dubbo.’
Kate forgot to breathe.
Azure eyes flecked with myriad shades of blue sparkled at her, along with a slightly crooked smile. A smile that belonged to a pirate. A smile formed by a mouth that promised all things deliciously wicked.
Where on earth had that thought come from?
She gave herself a mental shake. She wasn’t shopping for a man. She wasn’t even window-shopping. Shane had cured her of every romantic notion she’d ever held.
Besides, this man was a husband and a father. He had a wife with beautiful eyes. Perhaps that’s why the errant thought had played across her mind. He was an unavailable man and her radar had relaxed.
She returned his smile. ‘I think your days are numbered and it won’t be Dubbo she’ll be demanding, but the shopping delights of Sydney.’
‘You’re probably right.’ His grin faded, chased away by a shadow that flickered across his face as he shoved his large hands into the pockets of his chinos.
‘Dad, what do you think?’ Sasha reappeared and did a twirl in her matching outfit, her eyes anxiously seeking his approval.
‘You look gorgeous, sweetheart.’
Sasha rolled her eyes. ‘You always say that, Dad, even when I’m splattered in mud after soccer.’
‘Well, you do.’ The love in his voice radiated around the shop.
Kate tried to ignore the slug of loss that turned over inside her like a lead weight. What would it be like to be loved like that?
‘Um, excuse me, but do you think this colour suits me?’ Sasha directed her question to Kate.
Kate took in the tanned, healthy glow of the child, her shiny chestnut hair and large, green eyes. ‘Your dad’s right. That green does suit you.’ A streak of mischief shot through her. ‘And you know what would look really great with it? One of those new belts and a matching bracelet and necklace. They’ve got a rack of accessories to match each outfit.’ She pointed toward the display.
Sasha’s eyes widened as she caught sight of the trinkets. ‘Ooh, and bags, too.’
The pirate groaned and shook his dark head, his thick curls shaking in resignation. ‘Thanks for that.’
His sarcasm wasn’t lost on Kate and she laughed. ‘My pleasure. I’m happy to help. Have fun.’ She picked up the same vest top for her niece and walked toward the checkout, a sense of lightness dancing through her. It had been a long time since she’d felt so carefree in Warragurra.
For the first time she realised she was ready to go back to work. At work she’d be surrounded by the security of familiar faces and colleagues who understood. Armed with support like that, of course she could cope with the town.
A shimmer of anxiety skated along her veins, which she promptly squashed. After all, how bad could coming back to Warragurra really be?
‘I need to talk to you.’ Jen, the office manager of the Warragurra Flying Doctors’ Base, called to Baden as he walked briskly past her desk.
‘Sorry, Jen. Can’t do it now, I’m late. Sasha had an excursion and somewhere between home and school the permission slip vanished. I’ve just debased myself totally, begging the vice-principal to bend the rules and allow her to go,’ Baden Tremont called over his shoulder as he quickly checked the contents of his medical bag.
‘I’m sure you charmed her with that smile of yours but I need to talk to you about—’
Baden briskly snapped the clasps of his large black bag closed. ‘Email me.’ He strode toward the door, knowing he was cutting his departure way too fine.
Jen jogged behind him, trying to keep up. ‘I already did but it bounced back as undeliverable and I’ve had to change—’
‘Did you tell Emily? She can fill me in on the plane.’ His hand connected with the doorhandle.
‘Yes, but…’ Jen’s words disappeared, captured by the hot wind and drowned out by the engine noise that surged inside when Baden opened the door.
Hell, he really was late. The early morning flight from Broken Hill was touching down. The smell of burning rubber seared his nostrils as he stepped out onto the already steaming tarmac.
Jen continued talking despite the noise. ‘Emily…Kate…flight…’
He only caught a few fragments of the words over the din but he had no time to stop. ‘Is Emily late?’
Jen shook her head and threw her hands up in frustration.
He gave her a grin, one that usually got him out of trouble, waved and mouthed, ‘Tell me at three.’
His last glance was Jen muttering as she stomped back inside.
He hated being late. But the balancing act of full-time doctor and full-time single father meant he was frequently late both professionally and personally. Five months ago when he’d moved to Warragurra from Adelaide, he’d thought the move to the country would give him more time. He’d got that wrong. Remote areas were medically under-resourced.
He took the plane’s steps two at a time as a familiar thrill zipped through him. Life might not be how he’d imagined it four years ago but being part of the Flying Doctors’ team went a long way toward providing him with professional satisfaction. He’d accepted that was how things had to be. His life offered professional satisfaction. He didn’t expect anything more.
The plane door closed behind him and he signalled to Glen Jacobs, the pilot, that he’d checked the lock. ‘Morning, Emily.’ He caught sight of his flight nurse’s legs as she leaned into a storage compartment.
Funny, he’d only ever seen Emily wear long trousers. Somehow he hadn’t imagined her legs to be quite so shapely. Or as long. Come to think of it, he’d never imagined anything about Emily. She barely made it to five feet four and her uniform always seemed to hang off her, giving her a shapeless look. The only thing he regularly noticed was how her hair changed colour every third week.
He and Emily had been a team since he’d arrived in Warragurra. Steady and reliable, she had a no-nonsense approach and got the job done. Home was often chaotic and sadness crept around the edges but Emily made work easy. She was like one of the boys. Happy to talk cricket, tennis and car engines, she was often found at the pub on a Friday night beating anyone brave enough to take her on at the pool table.
He heard her muffled greeting and kept talking, his back to her as he stowed his bag. ‘What’s Jen in a flap about? I thought she was telling me you were late.’
‘I think perhaps she was telling you I was Kate.’
He turned abruptly at the rich and throaty yet vaguely familiar voice.
A tall, willowy woman met his gaze. A startled look crossed her face, racing down to bee-stung lips, which compressed slightly before relaxing into a hint of a smile. Large brown eyes, their gaze serious, blinked against a flash of surprise. ‘H-hello.’
He guessed he looked equally astonished. Unexpected warmth spread through him at seeing her again. A type of warmth he hadn’t experienced in a long time. ‘Hello.’ He extended his hand. ‘I’m Baden Tremont and you cost me an extra forty-five dollars yesterday.’
This time she smiled a full, wide smile and the serious edge in her eyes softened, changing her look completely. ‘A girl lives to accessorise, Doctor, didn’t you know that?’
He laughed. ‘I’m learning fast.’
She stepped forward with natural grace, taking his hand with a firm grip. ‘I’m Kate. Nurse Practitioner.’
Her smooth skin glided softly against his palm and his mind emptied. A tingle of sensation shot through him, stirring his blood for the first time since Annie’s death.
Shocking him to his toes.
He abruptly dropped her hand. He covered his rudeness by indicating they should both sit down. ‘Pleased to meet you, Kate.’ Had she mentioned a surname? He forced a smile. ‘Call me Baden. We should buckle up. Sorry to have kept you waiting. Is Emily sick?’
Kate slid into her seat, crossing her long legs. Baden’s gaze followed the movement as if hypnotised.
Stop gawking. He dragged his gaze away and focussed intently on the buckles of the safety harness wondering what the hell was wrong with him.
‘I don’t think so. She looked her usual hale and hearty self this morning when she flew out to Barcoo Station with Linton.’
Confusion snagged him. ‘Linton Gregory? The doctor in charge of A and E at the base hospital?’
She nodded. ‘That’s right. A couple of times a year he spends two weeks with us. Emily always accompanies him as she has so much experience. It’s a good link between the two organisations. Bridge building never goes astray.’ Slender fingers expertly snapped the buckles of the harness in place. She tilted her head. ‘You’re frowning at me—is something wrong?’
He started at the direct question. ‘Um, sorry. It’s just this has a surreal feeling of being my first day at a new school where everyone else knows each other and how things work. The only problem is that I’m not the new person, you are.’
She laughed. ‘I’m not actually new. I’ve worked for the Flying Doctors for four years. I saw your name on the email that Jen sent out on Friday outlining the changes, so I assumed you were expecting me. Besides, didn’t Emily tell you?’
Your email bounced back as undeliverable. Jen had tried to tell him but what about Emily? He racked his brains. ‘Come to think of it, on Friday night she did thump me on the back after beating me at pool and said, “Doc, you’re a good bloke to work with.”’
Kate’s mouth broadened into a knowing smile. ‘That’s Emily’s code for saying goodbye.’
A thread of unease vibrated deep inside him. Goodbye? No. He wanted to keep working with Emily. Emily was safe and uncomplicated. She didn’t stir up sensations he’d forgotten existed. Surely Emily was just spending a couple of weeks with Linton as part of the bridge-building exercise.
Of course, that was it. Just a temporary change.
Once he’d embraced the exhilaration of change. He used to actively seek it out, loving to juggle up the mix. But when Annie had got sick, uncertainty had marched into their life, changing it for ever. Now he craved stability for himself and Sasha. Especially for Sasha.
Of course he could cope for a fortnight working with a tall and slender colleague even if her standard-issue blue blouse seemed to hug her in all the right places. She was a nurse, just like Emily. He swallowed a sigh as he caught sight of her toned calves. He didn’t suppose it was PC to suggest she wear trousers rather than shorts.
The engines burst into life, their noise immediately killing the conversation. Baden lifted his green headphones over his ears and adjusted the black mouthpiece so he could hear any last-minute instructions from Glen.
He loved take-off. Loved the roar of the engines, the thrust of power, the torque and the pressure against his chest as acceleration increased and the plane tilted for its fast climb. It gave him an endorphin rush every single time. He forgot his unease and relaxed into the power surge.
The red earth of the outback opened out underneath them, endless red sand bound together by green-grey spinifex. A ute far below sent up a plume of dust into the cloudless blue sky as it travelled along a straight road. Kangaroos bounded with purpose in the cool of the morning. In an hour or so they’d be sheltering in the shade of the gnarled gum trees that clearly marked the winding path of the muddy Darling River, once the transportation lifeline of outback New South Wales.
It took a lot of imagination to picture the ‘river jam’ of a century ago. One hundred paddle steamers had plied the river, their barges groaning with bales of wool as they’d connected the outback stations with the southern cities. In today’s drought, the river was a trickle of its former glory.
He glanced across at Kate. Her eyes sparkled and her face glowed as she peered out the window, her fingers spread against the Perspex. She didn’t look like an experienced flight nurse. She looked like a child on her first flight.
She turned away from the window and caught him staring at her. She gave an embarrassed shrug and spoke into her mouthpiece. ‘I love the view.’
‘It’s pretty spectacular if you’re not into green, rolling hills.’
She nodded. ‘I’ve been in Europe and although I adored the greenness, I’ve just realised how much I missed this view. There’s a certain rugged beauty about scrubby vegetation and red sand.’
Surprise snagged him. It was like putting together a difficult jigsaw puzzle. Right up to this point he’d thought she was a transfer from another base. ‘You’ve seen this view before?’
‘Oh, yes, lots of times.’ She picked up a procedures folder as if she was going to read rather than talk.
He tried to ignore the irrational feeling of being overlooked. ‘But not recently?’
She shook her head, her chestnut bob caressing her cheeks, highlighting the fine line of her jaw. She seemed to hesitate before speaking. ‘I’ve been away for six months. Today is my first day back.’
Suddenly things started to line up in his brain. He vaguely remembered seeing the name Kate Kennedy on orientation documents when he’d first started. It had caught his attention because the Kennedy name meant money in Warragurra. The family construction company built or renovated just about every substantial public building in the town and had contracts on many of the cattle stations.
That’s why she hadn’t mentioned her last name when she’d introduced herself—typical Warragurra style. His brief experience with the three prominent families in town had been the same. They all assumed you knew them by the nature of their community standing. ‘We must have just missed each other. I started in September last year. So you must be Kate Kennedy?’
Her jaw stiffened slightly, the tremor running down her neck and along her arm. ‘My surname is Lawson.’ The words snapped out, matching the flash of fire in her eyes. Her body language brooked no argument. It clearly said, Get it right and don’t ask why.
He recognised her posture. He’d used it often enough himself to deflect questions. But it was a strong response over a name. Perhaps Lawson was her professional name? A lot of his female colleagues retained their maiden names for work.
He let it slide, wanting to establish some working esprit de corps. ‘You must have left just before I arrived in Warragurra. Welcome back, Kate.’
‘Thanks.’ Her eyes softened. A wistful tone entered her voice. ‘I hope it’s going to be good.’
‘Coming back from a long break is always a bit of an adjustment.’ He remembered how tough it had been when he’d returned to work after Annie’s death. All those sympathetic faces. He pushed the memory away. ‘Still, two weeks working with me will be a good way to ease back into the routine and then you’ll be set to take over your usual clinic runs.’
She blinked twice and her smooth brow creased in a fine line. ‘This is my usual run.’
His gut tightened, his unease strengthening. ‘But Emily—’
‘Was filling in for me while I was on leave.’
Her quiet words exploded like a bomb in his brain. No. No. He didn’t want this. ‘So you and I, we’re now Flight Team Four?’
‘We are.’ She smiled again.
Her enthusiastic vibes radiated around him, sparking off a trail of heat that coursed through him, completely disconcerting him. His mind creaked to the inevitable, unwanted conclusion. ‘And Emily has been reassigned?’
‘She has.’
‘Right.’ The tightness of his throat strangled the word. Think. This wasn’t really a problem. He’d just ask for another nurse.
The booming voice of the regional director sounded in his head. Teamwork is the key. Get your hormones under control and deal with it.
A shadow floated through Kate’s caramel-brown eyes before resignation pushed it aside. She laced her hands in her lap. ‘I’m sorry this change of roster caught you by surprise but I’m sure it won’t take too long for us to get used to each other.’ She gave a throaty laugh. ‘After all, I don’t bite.’
An image of her lush, red lips and her white teeth nibbling his neck slammed into him.
This wasn’t happening. He didn’t react like this to women. He couldn’t. For years he’d seen women as colleagues, employees, sisters, mothers, friends. He packaged women into neat, safe boxes.
And that was exactly what he had to do now. Find a box for Kate. She would go into the workbox. And it would be a very secure, firm box with a lid that would not open.
He could do that. Of course he could do that.
How hard could it be?
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_11060aad-8f8b-5263-8d96-2db7e97df8ae)
KATE twisted open the top of a bottle of ice-cold water and drank half of the contents in one go. After recapping the bottle, she ran it across the back of her neck, savouring the coolness against her hot skin. She glanced out toward the endless burnt brown paddocks and beyond to the horizon which blurred with shimmering heat. Cattle clustered under the few available scrubby trees, seeking shade in the midday heat.
Coming out of a European winter and straight back into a Warragurra summer was like crashing into a brick wall, except the wall was all-encompassing, energy-draining heat. She must be mad. She should have delayed her return and spent two more months in France and Italy. But Warragurra was home. At least it had been, and she planned to make it home again no matter what anyone else thought.
‘Hot one for you today, Kate.’ Barry Sanderson, the taciturn owner of Camoora Station, lifted his hat and ran his forearm across his sweaty brow.
Kate smiled. She’d missed the ironic understatement of the Australian outback. It was always hot in February in western New South Wales. ‘It’s a stinker. Thanks for giving me the shadiest spot on the veranda for my baby clinic.’
‘You know for as long as Mary and I are here, you’re always welcome at Camoora.’ Understanding crossed his weatherworn face before his voice became gruff, as if he’d exposed too much of his feelings. ‘Besides, we can’t have those babies overheated.’
‘Thanks, Barry.’ She continued swiftly, not wanting to embarrass him but grateful for his support. ‘I’d better get back to work. Can’t have the new doc beating me on my first day back.’
Barry put his hat back on his head. ‘You make sure you have some tea and scones with Mary sooner rather than later.’ He strode down the long veranda of the homestead, stopping to talk to Baden.
Kate watched the interchange—the stocky bushman and the tall, athletic doctor. Baden was as dark as Barry was fair. She’d been stunned this morning when he’d turned around and faced her on the plane. Yesterday’s pirate was a doctor.
A disconcerted doctor. He’d looked almost worried when he’d realised the two of them were now Team Four. That had thrown her. She was used to all sorts of expressions from half the town—disdain, hatred and loathing. But work was different. At work she was valued, admired, respected. Or at least she had been.
Teamwork was the basis of the Flying Doctors. The working day meant a lot of time was spent with your team colleague. She’d hoped to resume working with Doug Johnston, but he’d transferred to Muttawindi two months ago covering Bronte Morrison’s maternity leave. He wouldn’t be back in Warragurra for a year.
We must have just missed each other. I started in September last year. Her stomach dropped as she recalled Baden’s words. He and his family would have arrived in Warragurra just as the Kennedys had finally realised they had no legal standing to contest Shane’s will. Just as the vitriol in the local press had reached its zenith. In many circles in the town her name was mud. Perhaps Baden’s wife had heard the rumours and not heard the truth.
Tension tugged at her temples with a vice-like grip. Work was her sanctuary while she found her feet again in the town. She must make this assignment with Baden work. Only her actions could dissolve rumours and innuendo. She had to prove to him she was a professional who could be relied on, a team player. Someone he could depend on as much as he’d obviously depended on Emily.
She watched him walk along the veranda toward her, his moleskins moving against his thighs, outlining hard muscle. ‘Ah, the baby clinic.’ He rubbed his hands together. ‘It’s one of my favourites.’ His smile raced across his face, lighting his eyes, making them sparkle with anticipation.
His smile sent her blood racing to her feet, making her feel light-headed. ‘I know what you mean. A roly-poly baby, healthy on breast milk reaffirms that life is good.’
They quickly established a pattern of weighing and measuring babies, reassuring anxious mothers and immunizing babies against childhood illnesses. Kate dealt with any breast-feeding issues and Baden examined the babies with reflux.
With companionable teamwork and a lot of laughter they tested the hearing of all the eight-month-old babies. Baden entertained each mother and baby with his Peter the Penguin puppet, while Kate shook the rattle behind the baby’s ears.
Baden’s experience as a father came through as he managed to relax the mums and the babies with the antics of the hand puppet. Kate imagined he would have read great stories to Sasha, complete with a cast of voices for the characters.
In the distance a child’s scream rent the air as Kate called her next mother and baby.
‘Looks like we might be patching yet another knee and dispensing a lollypop,’ Baden commented as he filled in an immunisation record.
Kate nodded. ‘I think that will be number six for the day. Gravel paths and toddlers don’t really mix.’ She turned and called her next patient. ‘So, Ginny, how’s baby Samantha going?’
Ginny cuddled the baby in close. ‘Pretty well, although I think she’s been having a growth spurt as she’s been feeding a lot.’
Kate checked Samantha’s date of birth. ‘Well, at six weeks you’d expect—’
‘Help me! Will someone help me?’ A woman’s frantic voice carried across the yard, her distress palpable.
‘Sorry, Ginny.’ Kate spun around, reaching for the emergency kit, her hand colliding with Baden’s.
He grasped the handle. ‘I’ve got it. Follow me.’
He ran down the veranda as Mary Sanderson came into view, carrying her four-year-old daughter. Her eldest daughter, Kelly, ran close behind.
Blood covered the little girl’s face as she lay whimpering in her mother’s arms. ‘What happened?’ Baden gently guided the woman into a seat.
‘She was feeding the chooks with her big sister, like she does every afternoon. Kelly said she heard Susie scream and she turned around to find the rooster had knocked her flat. I can’t believe a rooster could knock a child over.’ Incredulity marked her face. ‘I’ve spent all my life on a farm and I’ve never seen that happen.’
Kelly bit her lip. ‘The rooster was on Susie’s chest and pecking her and I ran at it but it wouldn’t let go. I threw the bucket at it but while I was picking her up it flew at her again.’ She gave a quiet sob. ‘It was really scary.’
Kate squeezed Kelly’s shoulder. ‘You did a great job, Kelly. Dr Baden and I will soon have the blood cleaned up and it won’t look so scary.’ She opened up normal saline and began to clean Susie’s face with gauze so they could clearly see the extent of the damage.
Susie’s petrified screams pulled at her. The little girl’s face seemed to be swelling under Kate’s fingers as she wiped the blood away. Her puffy eyes were slits in her face and her cheeks were increasing in size.
Baden’s long fingers gently sought a pulse in the wriggling child’s neck, which he counted against the second hand of his watch. ‘Susie, I’m just going to listen to your chest with my stethoscope.’ He bent down so he was at the same level as the little girl and showed her the round end that would lie against her chest.
Susie’s crying halted for a moment but then she started to cough—probably induced by the hysterical screaming. The coughing eased and she lay exhausted in her mother’s arms.
Apprehension skated through Kate as her trauma radar tuned in. Something wasn’t quite right. Superficial lacerations didn’t usually cause swelling like this. As she grabbed more gauze she caught Baden’s worried expression.
He felt it, too—the aura of disquiet seemed to blanket them both.
She quickly and deftly used the gauze to clean away the large amount of blood on the child’s neck. Blood oozed out as fast as she could clear it. ‘Baden.’ She hoped he could decode the tone of her voice.
He immediately pulled the earpiece out of his ear, his concentration firmly on her. ‘Yes?’
‘There’s a really deep wound on her throat and her neck is swelling fast. I’m worried about her airway.’
‘So am I. Her air entry is diminished.’
‘What do you mean?’ Mary’s voice wobbled. ‘It’s just a few scratches, isn’t it?’
Baden carefully examined Susie’s throat, his fingers gently palpating around the base of her throat. ‘There’s air under her skin.’
‘Air? That can’t be good.’ Kate reached for the walkie-talkie.
He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘It’s subcutaneous emphysema. I think the rooster has perforated her trachea—the tube that takes the air to the lungs—and now air is escaping into the skin.’
Mary’s hand flew to her own throat. ‘Can she breathe?’
‘She’s breathing on her own at the moment but the risk is that the bleeding and swelling will block the tube. We’re going to have to get her stable and then evacuate her to hospital.’
Kate immediately called Glen on the walkie-talkie. ‘We need the stretcher, Glen. Susie Sanderson needs oxygen and evacuation, over.’
‘On my way, over.’ Glen’s voice crackled into the dry, hot air.
Mary, her eyes wide with fear, looked frantically at them both as Baden’s words finally sank in. ‘She’ll go to Warragurra Hospital, won’t she?’
‘No, I’m sorry but she needs to go to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide.’ He rested his hand on Mary’s for a brief moment. ‘I’m going to need to examine her fully.’
‘Glen’s on his way with the stretcher, which will double as a treatment bed.’ Kate pulled out the paediatric oxygen mask and unravelled the green tubing, making it all ready to connect the moment the stretcher and oxygen arrived.
‘Give us a hand, Kate.’
Glen’s voice hailed her from the bottom of the stairs. She quickly ran to meet him and helped to lift the stretcher up onto the veranda.
Baden’s strong arms gently transferred Susie onto the stretcher, sitting her up to aid her laboured breathing. ‘Kate’s going to put a mask on you to help you feel better and Mummy’s here to hold your hand.’
His tenderness with Susie touched Kate. Not all doctors were at ease with kids. But he was a father and had probably spent a few nights walking the floor.
‘I want a drink,’ Susie sobbed between fits of jagged crying.
Kate adjusted the clear mask to Susie’s face, making sure it was a snug fit by pulling on the green elastic. ‘I’m sorry, sweetie, you can’t have a drink but I’m going to give you a drink in your arm.’ Kate checked with Baden. ‘Normal saline IV?’
He nodded, a flash of approval in his eyes. ‘Yes, saline. You all right to insert it?’ He paused for a moment in his examination of Susie’s back.
For a brief moment she was tempted to say no. She’d been out of the field for six months and Shane’s parents’ campaign against her had dented her confidence. But she had to show Baden she was a team player and totally reliable. ‘Sure, no problem.’
You’ve done this hundreds of times. Don’t let the Kennedys invade work.
‘Susie, this will sting just a little bit, OK? You squeeze Mummy’s hand really tight.’ She adjusted the tourniquet and palpated for a vein. Her fingers detected a small rise and she swabbed the little girl’s arm, the alcohol stinging her nostrils.
‘OK, here we go.’ Carefully she slid the intravenous cannula into the vein, controlling the pressure so there was enough to pierce the skin but not too much that she put the needle through the vein.
‘Mummy, stop her,’ Susie squealed as the needle penetrated the skin.
Kate bit her lip. ‘Nearly there, Susie.’ Holding her breath, she withdrew the trocar. Blood.
Yes. She released her breath and taped the needle in place. ‘IV inserted, Baden.’
He gave her a wide smile of acknowledgment—a smile that raced to his vivid blue eyes and caused them to crinkle at the edges.
A smile that melted something inside her and sent spirals of molten warmth through her, reaching all the way down to her toes.
Stop it. Thank goodness he was married and off limits. Otherwise that smile could batter all her resolutions about staying single. She found her voice. ‘Do you want a bolus of three hundred millilitres?’
‘Yes, good idea. I’m worried about bleeding.’
‘What about pain relief?’ It was a tricky situation.
‘Morphine would be good for the pain so she would be more comfortable and start to breathe more easily, but it also depresses the respiratory system. It’s catch-22.’ He frowned and rubbed the back of his neck, the same action he’d used when he’d told Mary about the perforated trachea. ‘We’ll titrate it in through the IV and that way we can control it and pull it if we need to.’
‘Mary?’ Kate got her attention. ‘How much does Susie weigh? I need as accurate a weight as possible.’
The distraught mother spoke slowly. ‘I…It’s been a while since I weighed her but she’d be about twenty kilograms, I think.’
‘Baden?’ He’d lifted her onto the stretcher.
He nodded. ‘That’s about right.’ He gave Susie’s knee a rub. ‘You weigh the same as the sacks of flour I buy to make bread.’
Susie gave a wan smile.
Kate calculated the dose. ‘So two milligrams of morphine.’
‘Correct.’ Baden checked the dose with her as mandated by the Dangerous Drug Act.
He called to Glen. ‘We need to go.’ He rested his hand on Mary’s shoulder. ‘Are you or Barry coming with us or will you follow on your own?’
‘Mary’s going with Susie.’ Barry’s gruff voice cracked on the words. ‘I’m going to go and kill that bloody rooster.’
‘After you’ve done that, pack them both a case, Barry, and we’ll radio you when we get back to Warragurra.’ Kate hugged the usually stoic man and ran down the steps.
Kate gave thanks that the airstrip at Camoora Station was very close to the homestead. Station hands, their dusty faces lined with anxiety, carried the stretcher as if it were porcelain, avoiding jolting the adored Susie, hoping their care would help.
Seven minutes after Baden had issued the order to depart, the PC-12 aircraft was racing down the dusty runway.
Kate did the first set of in-flight observations. Susie’s heart was racing and her breathing rapid and shallow. ‘She’s tachycardic and tachypnoeic,’ she informed Baden sotto voce the moment he signed off from the radio conversation with the paediatric registrar in Adelaide.
He placed his stethoscope on Susie’s back and listened intently. ‘Nothing is getting into the lower lobe of her left lung.’ Deep furrows scored his forehead as he leant across her to check the IV.
The fragrance of spicy aftershave mixing with his masculine scent filled Kate’s nostrils and she wanted to breathe in deeply. Instead, she deliberately leaned back and concentrated on filling in the fluid balance chart. ‘Are you thinking pneumothorax?’
‘I’m certain the lower lobe of her lung has collapsed but at the moment her body’s compensating. I’m not rushing into a needle thoracentesis without X-ray guidance unless I have to.’ He shook his head in disbelief. ‘It was such a brutal attack. I can’t believe a rooster’s beak could cause such damage.’
‘It wouldn’t have been the beak. It was the spur on the foot. They’re viciously sharp.’
He raised his brows. ‘You seem to know a bit about poultry.’
She shrugged. ‘Born and raised a country girl. What about you?’
‘City boy. Grew up on the Adelaide beaches.’
She laughed. ‘Linton would say that Adelaide and city was an oxymoron.’
Baden raised his brows. ‘From Sydney, is he?’ He chuckled. ‘I’ll have you know that peak hour lasts half an hour.’
His rich laugh relaxed her. ‘Peak hour in Warragurra is Saturday night when the station hands drive into town. Even from Adelaide it’s a big leap.’ She checked Susie’s pulse. ‘What brought you here?’
‘It was something I’d talked about doing for a long time.’ He had a far-away look in his eyes as if he was recalling memories.
She jotted down the volume of the new bag of IV fluid that she had just attached to Susie’s drip. ‘And suddenly the time seemed right?’
His relaxed demeanour instantly vanished. ‘Something like that.’ His voice developed an edge to it, a tone she’d not heard before.
Before she could wonder too much about what that might mean, Susie started coughing. Kate immediately aspirated her mouth but the child continued to gasp, her lips turning blue.
‘She’s obstructing!’ She snapped opened the laryngoscope, the tiny light bulb glowing white. ‘Intubation?’
‘What’s happening?’ Mary’s petrified voice sounded from her seat at the front of the plane.
‘We have to put a tube in Susie’s throat so she can breathe.’ Kate wanted to go and hug the distraught mother but all her attention was needed for Susie.
Mary’s gasp of horror echoed around the plane.
Baden accepted the laryngoscope, a grim expression on his face. ‘I doubt I’ll be able to pass the tube through the swelling.’ He tried inserting the ’scope but a moment later shook his head. ‘No go.’
Kate’s stomach dropped and she swung into emergency action. ‘Right, then. Tracheostomy it is.’ She opened the paediatric emergency cricothyroidotomy kit, which she’d had ready since they’d boarded the flight.
Susie’s small chest struggled to rise and fall, each breath more torturous than the last.
Baden snapped on gloves and grabbed the scalpel.
A sharp incessant beeping from the monitor hammered the air as Susie’s oxygen saturation levels started to fall to dangerously low levels. Each beep told them Susie was edging closer to cardiac arrest.
‘Save my daughter, please!’
Mary’s tortured plea ripped through Kate. She quickly laid the semi-conscious child on her back and extended her neck.
Baden threw her a look, his eyes dark with worry. This procedure on a child was fraught with danger but they had no choice. With a remarkably steady hand he gently palpated Susie’s neck, counting down the rings of cartilage until he found the correct position. He made a quick, clean cut.
Kate immediately cleared the area of blood with a gauze pad. She pulled the sterile packaging of the endotracheal tube halfway down, exposing the top of the tube and insertion trocar.
Baden juggled the forceps and then grabbed the tube, sliding it into place.
Kate swiftly attached the oxygen. A moment later the monitor stopped screaming as Susie’s oxygen level rose. A sigh shuddered out of Kate’s lungs as she injected normal saline into the balloon of the ET tube to hold it in place.
Baden raised his head from his patient and turned toward Mary. ‘We’ve bypassed the blockage and she’s breathing more easily now.’
Mary slumped. ‘Oh, thank you, Baden. Kate. I was so scared that she might…’
Baden nodded. ‘She’ll probably have to go to Theatre when we arrive in Adelaide to repair her lung and trachea, and when the swelling has subsided, this tube can come out.’
He turned back to Kate and spoke under his breath. ‘So much for a quiet first day back at work for you. Nothing like an emergency to pump the adrenaline around.’ He stripped off his gloves. ‘Thanks, Kate. That was excellent work.’ His lips curved upward in a friendly smile. ‘It’s good to have you on board.’
‘Thanks. It’s good to be back.’ Delicious, simmering warmth rolled through her, quickly overtaken by sheer relief. She’d managed to drive away his doubts, the ones that had shone so brightly that morning in his amazing eyes.
Her plan had worked. She’d shown him she knew what she was about, that her medicine was sound. She’d managed to stay one stop ahead of him during the emergency and at times their anticipation of each other’s needs had been almost spooky.
For the first time all day she relaxed. Team Four would be OK. Work would again be the safe sanctuary it had always been—reliable and familiar. No surprises.
Smiling to herself, she adjusted Susie’s oxygen and started to dress her lacerations with non-stick gauze.
‘Prepare for landing.’ Glen’s command sounded in her ears and with one final check of Susie she took her seat, snapping her harness firmly around her.
The paediatric team met them at the airport in Adelaide and within minutes Susie and Mary were on their way to hospital and the ICU unit.
As always happened after a high-powered emergency, Kate’s legs began to wobble. Coffee. She needed coffee. The refrigerated air of the airport terminal hit her the moment she stepped inside. She ordered three coffees to go and some giant cookies so heavily laden with chocolate chips you could hardly see the actual cookie base. Juggling the capped coffees and her bag of treats, she headed back toward the plane. Glen usually liked to get back in the air as soon as possible.
As she approached she saw Baden striding back and forth across the tarmac, his mobile phone glued to his ear and his other hand rubbing his neck. Agitation rolled off him in waves—a total contrast to the cool and level-headed doctor she’d just worked with in an emergency.
He snapped the phone shut just as she stopped beside him. She passed him his coffee.
‘Oh, thanks.’ He accepted the coffee with a distracted air.
‘Let’s move under the wing—at least there’s shade there.’ She offered him a cookie as they took the five steps into the shadow of the plane. ‘Is there a problem?’
He blew out a breath. ‘Sasha is refusing to go to after-school care. She’s never done this before, she’s always been happy to go. I don’t know why she had to pull this stunt today, the one day in weeks I’ve been delayed.’
Confusion befuddled her brain. ‘Why is the school ringing you?’
He shot her a look of incredulity that screamed she was an imbecile. ‘Because I’m her father!’
His frustration hit her in the chest like a ball on the full, almost making her stagger. Rattled, she chose her words carefully. ‘Yes, I understand that, but you’re in Adelaide and your wife’s in Warragurra. Surely she can get away from work for half an hour to talk to Sasha?’
His hand tightened on the cookie, sending crumbs tumbling toward the ground. ‘I don’t have a wife. It’s just Sasha and me.’ His phone rang loudly and he spun away to answer it.
I don’t have a wife. He’d spoken the words softly but they boomed in Kate’s head as if she were standing in front of a 500-watt concert speaker. The five small words tangled in her brain like knotted fishing wire, refusing to straighten out and make sense.
He was a single parent.
Questions surged through her, desperate for answers, but Baden had his back to her, his entire being focussed on the phone call.
She watched him end his call and consult with Glen, his dark curly hair, flecked with grey, moving in the wind. Then he tilted his head back, downing his coffee in two gulps, his Adam’s apple moving convulsively against his taut neck. Crushing the empty cup in his strong hand, he swung around, his free arm beckoning her forward.
As she drew up beside him he stood back to allow her entry to the plane’s steps. ‘Glen’s ready to leave, so after you…’ His eyes sparkled as he gave her a resigned smile. A Pirate smile. Delicious and dangerous.
Her blood rushed to her feet as realisation hit her. He’s not married. Together they were Team Four. They had to work side by side every day. The attraction she’d easily shrugged off yesterday and earlier today suddenly surged through her like water through a narrow gorge—powerful and strong.
The safe sanctuary that was work, the sanctuary she so desperately needed, vaporised before her eyes.
Baden stacked the dishwasher, his thoughts not on the china but on trying to come up with the best approach to handle Sasha’s rebellion. She’d made herself scarce, knowing he wasn’t thrilled with her behaviour. He could see her out the window, jumping on the trampoline, her long brown hair streaming out behind her.
It’s chestnut, like Kate’s. The unexpected thought thudded into him, startling him.
Kate had worked alongside him today as if she’d done it every day for a year. Calm, experienced and knowledgeable, she got the job done. Just like Emily. Except Emily didn’t wear a perfume that conjured up hot tropical nights and sinful pleasures.
He slammed the dishwasher closed. What was he doing, thinking of Kate, when his concentration should be firmly on Sasha? Guilt niggled at him. He’d promised Annie that Sasha would always be his top priority. Hell, it was no hardship. He adored his daughter. But he missed sharing the parenting journey.
Sasha had finished on the trampoline and was lying in the hammock, which was permanently slung between two veranda posts. It had been a much-adored Christmas present and had saved him from buying the requested pink mobile phone, which he planned to put off for as long as possible.
He pushed the fly-wire screen door open and walked toward her. ‘I thought you might like an ice cream.’
Sasha looked up and swung her legs over the side of the hammock, taking the proffered confectionary. ‘Cool. I didn’t know we had any of these left.’
‘I went shopping.’ He sat down next to her, his weight sending the hammock swinging wildly, causing Sasha to fall onto him.
‘Da-ad,’ she rebuked him, but stayed snuggled up next to him, the back of her head resting on his chest. Ice cream dribbled down her chin.
His heart lurched. In so many ways she was still his little girl, but for how long? The signs of impending puberty were beginning to shout. ‘Sash, why did you give Mrs Davidson such a hard time this afternoon?’
She licked her ice cream. ‘I didn’t want to go to after-school care.’
‘That bit I understand. It’s why you didn’t want to go that’s bothering me.’
‘It’s for babies.’ A belligerent tone crept into her voice.
He breathed in and focussed on keeping his words neutral and even. ‘It’s for all kids from prep to grade six.’
‘But I’m twelve and can look after myself after school.’
He gave an internal sigh. ‘We’ve had this discussion before, Sash, and because work is sometimes unpredictable and I occasionally have to transport patients to Broken Hill, Dubbo or Adelaide, I need to know that you’re safe.’
‘But I’d be safe here.’ She turned, her earnest green eyes imploring him to understand. ‘Besides, Erin isn’t going any more. Her mum stopped working and she’s getting to do cool stuff, like going to Guides on Wednesdays and swimming on Fridays.’
He ran his hand through his hair. Erin Baxter and Sasha were inseparable friends. Without Erin’s company, after-school care would seem like jail. All the other children who attended were in the junior classes at the school. ‘Why didn’t you tell me Erin wasn’t there?’
She shrugged. ‘You would have said I still had to go and I hate it without her. There’s no one to hang out with. I wish that…I wish I could just come home after school.’
Her unspoken words hovered around them both, pulling at him, twisting his guilt. Before Annie’s death Sasha had always been able to come home straight after school.
‘I’m sorry I’m not here after school and I’m sorry Mum’s not here.’ He hugged her tight. ‘What if I talk to Erin’s mum and ask if she would mind taking you to swimming, too? I have Wednesday afternoons in the office so if we find out what time Guides is on, perhaps I can take you. That only leaves three days of after-school care. Deal?’
Her eyes danced with joy. ‘Deal. Thanks, Dad.’
He swung his legs into the hammock and lay down next to her. ‘You’re welcome, sweetheart.’ Another crisis solved. Work was uncomplicated and straightforward compared to this parenting gig.
Sasha cuddled in closer now her ice cream was finished. ‘Did Emily have purple hair today?’ She’d always been impressed by Emily’s extremely short rainbow-coloured hair.
He stretched out, enjoying the companionable time with his daughter. ‘Actually, Emily isn’t working with me at the moment. Do you remember that lady we met when we were buying your new green top? Well, it turns out she’s my flight nurse now.’
‘Awesome. She had the best smile and a gorgeous skirt.’ Sasha propped herself up with one elbow resting on his chest. Her serious gaze searched his face. ‘What’s she like?’
‘She’s very good at her job.’
‘Yeah, but do you like her?’ Hope crossed her face.
Unlike adults, kids always cut to the chase, but even so Sasha’s unexpected wishful look, combined with the question hit him hard in the chest. To a twelve-year-old, like was serious stuff.
Did he like Kate? The image of luminous brown eyes, as warm as melted chocolate, filled his head. A streak of unexpected longing shot through him.
Disloyalty followed closely, jagged and sharp.
He sat up abruptly, setting the hammock swinging wildly. He wasn’t up to discussing this with Sasha when his reaction to Kate confused the hell out of him. He rolled out of the hammock and stretched his arms down for her. ‘Time for bed.’
‘Da-ad.’
He hauled her out of the hammock. ‘Come on, hop it. Clean your teeth and get into bed. Otherwise you’ll never get Anne of Green Gables finished.’
The promise of reading time had Sasha dashing for the door, her question about Kate forgotten.
A long breath shuddered out of his lungs. If only he could find Kate that easy to forget.
CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_9d220d1e-a81c-5795-843f-0144e20a7c4a)
‘SO is everyone clear on the rosters?’ Jen’s right hand rested firmly on her hip as she looked expectantly at the staff. ‘Team Four, your roster has changed a lot so you must make sure you have the most up-to-date version.’ She narrowed her gaze at Baden. ‘The email system is back online and I expect you to check it.’ Jen ran a tight ship, holding together a staff of twenty strong personalities.
Everyone nodded and those brave enough even mumbled, ‘Yes, Jen.’
‘Right, then, thanks for your attention.’ Jen tapped a pile of brightly coloured files. ‘Please collect a folder on the way out.’
Baden winked at Kate. ‘We’d better check our emails.’
‘I think that line was directed solely at you. I’ve still got brownie points up my sleeve.’ She couldn’t resist teasing him. ‘After all, it wasn’t me who drove out to Opal Ridge for a clinic on the wrong day.’
A sheepish grin crossed his face. ‘Lucky for me old Hughie chose that day to have a hypo so it wasn’t a complete waste of time. Now he’s completely up to speed with his new glucometer.’ He faked a serious expression, the corners of his eyes crinkling with humour. ‘Patient education is a very important part of our work, Sister Lawson.’
Laughter rolled through her at his self-deprecating humour, bringing a joy that had faded from her life. ‘Is that right, Doctor? I had no idea.’
His laughter joined hers and quickly raced to his eyes, which sparkled like sunshine on water. His work-issue blue shirt intensified the vivid blue of his eyes and enhanced his tanned face. Not to mention the way his chest filled the shirt, making the fabric sit flat against what she imagined was solid muscle.
Her stomach flipped as heat rolled thorough her. Stop it now. She crossed her legs, trying to halt the tingling sensations that built up inside her.
It was too depressing to be twenty-nine and reacting like a sixteen-year-old. She was too old for a hormone crush. Too world-weary to have stars in her eyes and too bruised to ever think romance was for her. But her body wasn’t listening.
It didn’t seem to matter that she’d spoken sternly to herself, that she’d instructed her body not to react and that she’d willed herself to be impervious to eyes that sparkled with every shade of blue. It took one smile and her body quivered in anticipation.
She stood up and joined the queue behind Linton and Emily to collect the folder as instructed.
‘So, Doc, you thought you’d do a spot of opal fossicking the other day.’ Emily immediately teased Baden about his mistake.
‘Yeah, and I found one this big.’ He held his hands a shoulder width apart. ‘But it got away when Hughie hypo’d.’
Kate let the laughter and camaraderie wash over her, savouring it. Wednesday afternoon meant staff meeting. All the teams were back in the office after morning clinics to attend. They took it in turns being the standby emergency team, but it wasn’t very often that there was a Wednesday afternoon emergency. It was almost as if the locals knew not to get sick after 1:00 p.m. If they did get a callout it was usually from tourists who’d got themselves into a spot of bother.
With the exception of the staff meeting, Wednesday was pretty much a Baden-free day. Kate ran an early well-women’s clinic in the morning before returning to base for the afternoon.
It had been a relief to work on her own this morning, giving her over-developed radar of Baden a rest. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy working with him. She did. She’d loved her first two days with him. He was on the ball medically, good-humoured most of the time, and he related really well to the patients. But this overwhelming attraction that whizzed through her whenever she was near him was wearing her out.
It was crazy stuff. He was her colleague. She should be noticing how thorough he was with the patients, learning from him as he passed on clinical skills, taking advantage of the way he treated her as an equal, seeking her opinion in tricky cases. And on one level she was doing all those things.
But on another level she was very aware of the way he twirled his pen when he was thinking. How strands of silver hair caressed his temples in stark contrast to the rest of his raven curls, and how his deep, rich laugh was as smooth and velvety as a cellared shiraz.
And she kept wondering how he’d come to be a single father. Where was Sasha’s mother?
Was he divorced? Perhaps they’d never married. All the different permutations and combinations ran through her head. Baden hadn’t volunteered any more information and the opportunity to ask more direct questions hadn’t arisen. She supposed she could ask Emily but it seemed a bit tacky, almost like prying. She’d been on the other end of that. Her life had been pried into, opened up and peeled back like a sardine can. She didn’t intend to inflict that invasion of privacy on anyone.
‘Are you coming for coffee, Kate?’ Linton paused by the door. The ‘cappuccino club’ met straight after the staff meeting each week. ‘We’ve got Florentines.’ His expression of delight made him look like a kid who had just discovered Mum had filled the cookie jar.
She glanced at her watch. Four o’clock—the meeting had run late. Wednesday evening was Guides. She’d been a Guide leader for a couple of years and tonight was her second night back after her break.
She didn’t want to be late, especially as one of the Guides had asked if she could bring a friend. That was great as the pack could do with more members. The Kennedy clan had pressured some families to withdraw their daughters and some had capitulated. Others had stayed, although they refused to help out, but she was sticking with it. There were three supportive parents and now she was back she planned to rebuild. Guides would be so much fun that the girls of Warragurra would be begging their parents to attend and to get involved. ‘Sorry, I’ll have to pass this week. Save me a Florentine.’
Linton nodded and disappeared down the hall with Emily.
She picked up her folder and handed one to Baden. ‘Aren’t you going for coffee either?’
Baden shook his head. ‘I promised Sasha no after-school care on Wednesdays.’
She smiled. ‘Negotiated a midweek deal, did you, to sweeten the rest of the week?’
Surprise rippled across his face. ‘Something like that. I guess I have to accept she’s growing up and perhaps growing out of after-school care, but she’s not grown up enough to be on her own.’
Kate nodded slowly, understanding his dilemma. ‘It’s a tricky age. School holidays must be really tough for you.’ What about Sasha’s mother? She bit off the specific question that gnawed at her. ‘Can extended family help you?’
‘My parents visit in the holidays.’ The words came out curtly, as if they were meant to discourage a response.
He did that occasionally—lurched from extremely friendly to completely closed down whenever the conversation turned to personal things. A few times she’d been on the point of asking if Sasha might like to join Guides, but he always swung the conversation back to work and kept it firmly centred on the job.
Except when he told you he wasn’t married.
She thought back to Monday when they’d been in Adelaide. He’d closed down then when he’d told her that, just like he’d closed down now. For whatever reason, he didn’t want to talk about Sasha’s mother. Perhaps his relationship with her had been as disastrous as hers had with Shane. If it had been, she could totally understand why he avoided the topic. But that didn’t help her rampant curiosity. She hated the fact she wanted to know about this woman and the more he deflected the topic, the more she wanted to know.
He walked to the door, pushing it open for her. She ducked under his arm, her shoulder brushing against him. Tingling pleasure pulsated through her, the sensations intensifying as they dived deeper and unfurled like ribbons in the breeze. Her body’s reaction to an inadvertent touch was way out of proportion and she tried to shrug the sensations away. Finally, the tingling receded, leaving her bewildered and unsettled.
As they walked down the corridor she concentrated on work, trying to ignore the maelstrom of emotions churning inside her. ‘Have you heard from the Women’s and Children’s in Adelaide?’
He nodded. ‘Susie’s doing well. She’s out of ICU and will probably be transferred to Warragurra tomorrow.’
‘Thank goodness. Mary and Barry will be so relieved.’
‘Yes, it was a good outcome.’ He paused outside his office. ‘See you tomorrow, then.’
‘Yes, see you tomorrow. ’Night.’ She moved toward the door. Thank goodness she could leave the office now. She didn’t have to face working with Baden until tomorrow morning. And all her attention for the next few hours would be on the Guides, which would completely block any errant thoughts of a tall, curly-haired doctor.
An hour later she’d negotiated the supermarket, bought a giant container of maple syrup, set up three trestle tables and plugged in a couple of electric frypans. She crossed her fingers that the old hall’s fusebox would cope with the power drain.
She checked her watch. Sandra, her assistant, was usually here by now.
The Guides started arriving and she gave them setting-up tasks, keeping them busy.
‘Hi, Kate, Mum’s sent some eggs from the farm.’ Phoebe Walton put a dozen eggs on the trestle table. ‘She says you have to take any leftover eggs home.’
‘Thanks, Phoebe. Can you head into the kitchen and help Hannah and Jessica in their quest for cooking utensils?’
‘Sure.’ Phoebe headed to the kitchen.
‘I remembered the lemons!’ Erin Baxter proudly held a bag of lemons aloft.
‘Sensational effort, Erin.’ Kate looked beyond her. ‘Where’s your friend?’
Erin dumped the lemons down hard, sending three rolling down the hall. ‘She’s coming but Mum couldn’t bring her because I had a dentist appointment.’ She grimaced.
‘I think the fluoro pink brackets look fabulous on your braces.’ Kate’s mobile phone vibrated in her pocket. ‘Excuse me.’ She pulled out the phone, immediately recognising the number on the display. ‘Hi, Sandra.’
‘Joel has just vomited everywhere for the second time and I really can’t leave him. Sorry, Kate. Perhaps one of the mothers can stay and help you out?’ Sandra’s hopeful voice sounded down the line.
Kate didn’t have the heart to tell her that the mothers who might have stayed and helped had departed, and by the time she was able to get one of them to come back they would have lost too much time for the session to take place. ‘I hope Joel feels better soon.’ She rang off.
Hilary Smithton walked in with her daughter, Lucy, her nose wrinkling as if the air of the Guide Hall was offensive. Hilary always arrived late, although Kate doubted it was from disorganisation. Hilary had grown up with Shane. Along with the Kennedy clan, she blamed Kate for his death.
Kate took in a deep breath. ‘Hello, Hilary. Hi, Lucy. Did you remember the sugar for the pancakes?’
Lucy cast a worried look at her mother and then stared at the floor.
Hilary put her palm against her chest in an exaggerated movement, her red nails vivid against the white designer T-shirt. ‘Oh, dear, were we supposed to bring sugar?’
Kate forced a polite smile. She’d bet her bottom dollar Lucy had asked for the sugar. ‘Not to worry, Lucy. I brought some in just in case.’
Relief flooded the girl’s face as she ran off to join her patrol.
Kate did a head count. She had more girls than she could legally have in her care alone. She didn’t want to have to disappoint them and cancel. Swallowing hard, she smiled at Hilary. ‘Sandra Dodson has a sick child and isn’t able to assist tonight. Are you able to stay and help out?’
Hilary’s gaze swept the hall, taking in the smiling, chattering girls all lined up in their patrols with the expectation of a fun time ahead shining on their faces.
Kate could almost hear Hilary’s brain ticking over, working out that without help Guides would have to be cancelled. She gave it one last shot, planning to appeal to Hilary’s maternal side. ‘Lucy’s been so looking forward to earning her cooking badge. Tonight’s the final task. It would be disappointing if it couldn’t happen.’
Hilary exhaled on a hiss, her eyes narrowing to glinting slits. ‘Disappointment is part of life. The sooner she learns that, the better. You might have been able to manipulate Shane but you can’t manipulate me.’
For a moment her attention seemed to slide away, as if she was looking over Kate’s shoulder. Then her gaze snapped back. ‘I refuse to help you, just like you refused to help Shane. And if you run the group tonight without another adult present, I’ll report you.’
Kate’s fingers curled into fists, her nails digging into her palms. She welcomed the pain as she forced herself to stay calm. She knew Hilary disliked her but she hadn’t believed she would jeopardise the Guides.
Anger and frustration welled up inside her. Her first attempt at resuming her life back in Warragurra and she’d failed. Hilary had her neatly over a barrel. How hard did it have to be to live in this town?
‘I can stay and help.’
The deep resonance of the words washed over her, causing her breath to catch in her throat. She’d recognise that voice anywhere. She spun around so quickly she swayed.
Baden stood in the hall with Sasha, his expression congenial but his eyes unusually dark, with swirling puzzlement in their depths.
Then he smiled. ‘Hello.’
Kate’s knees wobbled and she locked them for support. Her heart had already been hammering from the adrenaline surge Hilary’s words had evoked. Now his smile added a crazy jumping third beat. It left her dizzy and disorientated.
‘Hello, Baden.’ She focussed hard to sound cool and in control.
‘Erin Baxter invited Sasha to Guides.’ The informative statement filled in the gaps, as if he sensed her confusion at seeing him out of context. ‘She’s been talking about Guides for days so it would be a shame if pancake night couldn’t happen.’ He shot a wide smile at Hilary. ‘Besides, I’m a bit of a pancake expert.’
Hilary stiffened. ‘Well, I’ll leave you to it, then, Doctor. Although a man present at Guides is not exactly what the organisation had in mind.’ She gripped her shoulder-bag close to her side and strode out of the hall, her high heels clicking on the bare boards. The door slammed behind her.
Relief flooded through Kate, followed by a certain amount of smugness. Hilary had been outplayed and Guides would take place tonight. The situation had been rescued. She turned toward Baden, her thanks rising to her lips.
His clear blue gaze hooked hers. Suddenly she was acutely conscious of his height, his sharply appraising gaze and the unasked questions on his face. Questions that demanded answers.
Her stomach dropped to the floor. Her private life had just collided with her working life.
She’d wanted to keep the two completely separate. No way was she going to tell him about her battle with the town and relive the horror of the last year. But Warragurra’s size was conspiring to throw them together.
The exhilaration of the rescue faded fast, leaving dread in its wake.
Baden had supervised the beating of batter, tossed a hundred pancakes, wiped up more sugar than an army of ants could have consumed and had fought off sixteen girls attacking him with teatowel flicks.
But now peace reigned. Their parents had collected all the Guides and Sasha had gone with Erin for an ice-cream treat on the way home. Although why Erin’s mother thought they needed any more food after the feast they’d just had was beyond him. But apparently ice cream was a must with pancakes, even if the ice cream had to be consumed half an hour after the pancakes.
As he folded up the last trestle table he surreptitiously watched Kate, or Koala, as the Guides called her. She wore a vivid pink and blue apron over her casual uniform and flour stuck to her forehead.
Her silky smooth hair, which normally hung in a perfect curve around her face at work, had been pulled back in a blue hair tie. Tendrils had escaped and now stuck to her cheeks, which were bright pink from the heat in the hall. She looked about eighteen. Except for the fine lines around her eyes.
Lines that life had put there. He recognised them, he had some of his own and many more than he’d had two years ago.
Did they have anything to do with the standoff he’d witnessed when he’d arrived earlier in the evening? The moment he and Sasha had walked into the hall he’d recognised the vitriol on Hilary Smithton’s face.
And every protective instinct he possessed had gone into overdrive. The intensity of his response had left him stunned. The only other time he’d experienced such feelings had been when Sasha had been a toddler and a large dog had bared its teeth at her.
But Kate wasn’t a toddler so this reaction was foolish. Most of him wanted to run a mile. Kate belonged at work. He had no plans to get involved with anyone again. Love was unreliable and he had to protect Sasha.
He’d kept all their conversations at work firmly centred on work. Hell, he hadn’t even realised she was the Guide leader until Sasha had mentioned it two minutes before they’d arrived. Spending an evening with Kate hadn’t been part of his plan for tonight, but the twist of Hilary’s mouth, and the venom of her words, had made him speak.
Kate had treated the episode with Hilary as if it hadn’t happened and now, two hours later, he was none the wiser as to the reason for Hilary’s antipathy. The Guide meeting had continued as smoothly as if there had never been a threat to the evening.
‘Cup of tea?’ Kate held out a steaming mug.
‘In this heat?’ He bit off the words. ‘Are you insane?’
She smiled, ‘Ah, but it makes you feel cooler.’
‘What, after it’s made you twice as hot?’ He eyed the hot drink with distrust.
‘That’s right.’ She laughed, a mellow, throaty sound. ‘Are you judging my mother’s logic?’
He stamped down on the rush of pleasure that streaked through him at the sound of her laugh. ‘Yes, I am.’
She sank down into a chair, all grace and innate elegance, which was at odds with her current bedraggled look. ‘You’re right, it’s crazy thinking but there’s nothing cool in the fridge and I need a cup of tea.’
The thought of a cold beer materialised in his head. ‘After sixteen giggling girls and a run-in with Hilary Smithton, you probably need something stronger than that.’
She flinched as if she’d been struck and her relaxed demeanour vanished. ‘No, I just need to sit down and catch my breath.’ The words came out precise and clipped as she put her mug down by her chair.
It was obvious she didn’t want to talk about it. And, hell, he didn’t really want to know because asking meant involving himself in her life. He didn’t want to be involved in her life. Getting involved with a woman wasn’t part of the plan, couldn’t be part of the plan. He and Sasha were doing fine on their own.
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