by Lucy Clark
Abbey returned her attention back to Pierre’s transfer and made sure he wasn’t in any pain so he could endure the helicopter ride without discomfort. ‘You’ll do fine and we’ll have you back here in next to no time,’ she told him.
‘Thank you, Abbey,’ Pierre said, and while his tone was still rather gruff there was an underlying gentleness and appreciation in the words. Abbey was left with the feeling that Pierre Knowles would do anything for her at any time. It was more than gratitude. More than friendship. It was a strange sensation and one she’d never experienced before.
‘You’re part of his family now,’ Joshua said after they’d transferred Pierre to the helicopter. He spoke close to her ear as the starting-up noises of the helicopter drowned out everything else. Abbey felt his warm breath fan her neck and was unable to control the shiver that passed through her. His fresh scent was teasing her senses and she wished he’d just take a bit of a step back so they weren’t so close.
‘His family?’
‘Pierre is the type of man who only lets certain people into his inner circle.’
‘Does he not have a family of his own?’
‘He’s married. Five grown-up children but that’s not what I meant. Pierre is old school. He’s the type of man who gives you his respect but only after you’ve earned it.’
‘And I’ve just earned it?’ Abbey’s eyebrows hit her hairline in delighted surprise. Joshua tried not to let the way this gorgeous woman looked affect him. Didn’t she have any idea just how sweet and lovely she looked right now, her brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail, wisps of it circling around her neck in the breeze?
‘You have.’ Joshua nodded. ‘As far as you treating the rig staff, things will run smoothly for you. Anything you need or want, Pierre will bend over backwards to do his best to provide it.’
‘Really? New laparoscope? New chair? New pair of sunglasses?’ she asked quickly.
Joshua chuckled. ‘Not sure about the first one but the other two sound feasible.’
‘Have I earned Pierre’s trust or yours?’ For some reason, his answer was really important to her. Rivals they may have been but what they were doing here now in the outback wasn’t medical school any more.
Joshua leaned a little closer again as he spoke. ‘You’ve always had my trust, Abbey. Always.’
At his nearness, Abbey swallowed and tried not to look into his eyes, but it was hard not to. Breathing out slowly, she noticed that neither of them backed away, both of them caught in a time vortex, the past and the present mingling together to form something new.
‘Abbey,’ he breathed, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Abbey’s lips parted at the touch, at the way heat seemed to spread throughout her entire body as his hand came to rest on her shoulder. His gaze flicked from her eyes to her lips and back again, and she tried desperately to control herself.
It wouldn’t take much, just a slight shift forward, a tilt of her head, to bring him closer, to let him know she was right there with him even though she had no idea exactly where she was. The helicopter, Pierre all seemed to fade into nothingness as they looked deeply into each other’s eyes. He wanted to kiss her. There was no doubt about it and it appeared, from the way she wasn’t pulling back from him, that she was more than happy to accept. He’d often wondered what it would be like to kiss Abbey. He’d thought about it when they’d been at med school but both of them had been far too focused on their studies to even risk it if the kiss turned out to be a nightmare.
Was it simply burning curiosity? Was it the heightened circumstances they’d found themselves in today? He’d stood in an operating theatre and he’d been able to conquer that fear because of Abbey…because of the remarkable woman who was now looking at him as though she wanted nothing more than for him to take her in his arms and plunder her mouth.
As the helicopter started to rise into the air, Joshua’s insides sank. He was becoming far too attracted to her and although he kept telling himself to stop, it didn’t seem to be working.
Chapter Five
ON SATURDAY, the end of her first official week working in the outback, Abbey was exhausted but thoroughly elated. After a busy week of learning the ropes, of moving from the pub into her own residence, of watching and observing not only the people she worked with but the locals who lived in town, she knew she’d made the right decision. Life here was completely different from that of a busy hospital in a bustling city but it was the type of life she’d been looking for.
Given the rushed initiation she’d had on her first day into Yawonnadeere life, on day two Joshua had declared they would take it easy. He’d shown her around the surgery, pointing out where things were in her consulting room, and then, as they’d had no patients booked for that day, they’d returned to the pub where she’d been coaxed behind the bar and taught how to pull a beer.
‘All outback people know how to pull a beer,’ Mark had told her as Joshua had sat on a bar stool and watched. His children had been running around the nearly deserted room, playing hide and seek amongst the chairs. Abbey had been mesmerised by them, their gorgeous innocence shining through as they’d crawled beneath the tables, the chair legs doing little to obscure them from view, and then acting all surprised whenever they’d found each other.
They were two children who really did seem to be ‘owned’ by the town. Now that Joshua had explained about their mother, how she’d died in childbirth, Abbey could well understand why everyone had rallied around him, helping out wherever was needed. It wouldn’t have been easy, having two newborn premature babies while still trying to work and grieve for the loss of his wife. It helped her to realise just how much pain he must have faced and she started looking at him differently, watching him more closely.
On Wednesday, Joshua had taken her out to the rig again where they’d held a small clinic. The injuries had ranged from a cut finger to an ingrown toe nail to a nasty-looking rash. The afternoon had been spent with Joshua and his children, visiting other locals in town, such as the vet and the full-time police officer.
Jimmy and Becka were delightful to be around, both jabbering away to each other about their up-and-coming birthday in a language Abbey found difficult to decipher at times. However, the words ‘cake’ and ‘presents’ and ‘yummy’ were often quite clear.
On Thursday, Pierre had returned to the town and to his own residence not far from the rig, Joshua giving the man’s wife strict instructions that he was supposed to be on bed rest for the next week at least. Pierre had harrumphed in annoyance but had promised Joshua he’d at least try to stay quiet.
Friday and Saturday had all been a mix of something medical and then something social. Abbey discovered there were no real set Monday to Friday doctors’ hours. They were either on duty or off duty, regardless of day or time. There were days, such as Wednesday, when they consulted at the rig and other days when they’d spend all day at the surgery, consulting and treating patients.
‘It comes in waves,’ he’d told her on Saturday afternoon. ‘We’ll have weeks where we’re in the surgery consulting all week long and then times like this when it’s quite dull and boring.’ Patients could either make appointments or just turn up. Giselle and Mark ran a monthly immunisation clinic and as far as Abbey could see, everything was well structured and all needs were catered for. It was a strange sort of way to go on but it had apparently been working that way for the past fifty years—since Dr Turner had come to town—and that’s the way it would stay.
Throughout the entire week, Joshua had been polite and professional. He’d patiently explained things to her, introduced her to people and made sure she was settling nicely into her new accommodation. In short, he’d been the perfect host and it was starting to rattle her.
Where was the Joshua who had met her off the plane? Where was the person who had challenged her and argued with her so ardently in the past? He was definitely all ease and friendliness but it somehow didn’t feel right—not since they’d talked on the ve
randah after Pierre’s operation. He’d been nothing but polite and professional.
Abbey lay in her bed, the clock telling her it was just after three o’clock on Sunday morning yet sleep was definitely somewhere else. All she could think about was Joshua and the way he’d looked at her as the helicopter had whirred noisily beside them. He’d stared at her so intently, so deeply, the touch of his hand tucking her hair behind her ear. Abbey moaned and closed her eyes, recalling exactly how he’d made her feel. Her heart pounded double time against her chest, her throat went dry, her breathing erratic, her knees weakened at his sweet touch.
She’d hoped then that he’d follow through on what she’d seen in his eyes. There had been desire, desire for her in those gorgeous blue depths of his, and she’d parted her lips, silently urging him to come closer even though she’d known it was so incredibly wrong.
‘It is wrong,’ she said out loud as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. ‘You are colleagues. You have to work together until January next year. Are you a complete idiot? To want him to come near you? To hold you? To kiss you?’ She walked to the mirror and stared at her reflection. ‘This is Joshua we’re talking about,’ she told herself sternly. ‘You don’t even like him.’
But that was where she was wrong. She may not have liked him much back in medical school, his total obnoxiousness driving her insane, but now it was completely different. He’d been through so much, blaming himself for his wife’s death, raising two children on his own, caring for the people of this town.
He was an enigma. There was no doubt about it and she had to admit she had enjoyed watching him this past week. The way he seemed to fit in perfectly with the townsfolk, the way he was attentive towards his children, the way he cared for his patients. It was all so typically Joshua but at the same time she couldn’t help missing the old antagonistic Joshua.
Feeling stifled by the four walls, the ceiling fan whirring steadily above her, Abbey walked to her front door and stepped out onto the verandah. All of the houses in the main street had verandahs. They were all weatherboard, well-worn, well-loved houses and now, with the absence of any cars, any sounds in the main street of town and, thank goodness, any flies, Abbey sat down in the old rocking chair, which had come with the house.
She looked across at the surgery directly opposite her place. Joshua’s house was situated at the back of the surgery and while she hadn’t seen inside it, she imagined it to be as neat and as practical as her own little house. He also didn’t seem to spend much time there, preferring the pub instead. With the days being so incredibly hot, it was always better for his children to be playing inside rather than risk getting sunburnt outside, their soft, young skin at risk to the elements.
This was the outback and as Abbey had read during her preliminary research, it had two seasons—wet and dry. She was actually quite pleased she’d come during the dry and could, therefore, get to know the whys and wherefores of the town without having to worry about getting flooded.
She had enough to do as it was. That included trying to figure out why Joshua seemed to be occupying so much of her thoughts. She remembered in medical school that, like her, he hadn’t dated anyone, preferring to focus on his studies. They had been two workaholics, feeding off each other, determined to get the best marks, do the best research, hand in the best projects. Secretly, she’d admired him, not only for his good looks but also for his dedication. Of course, she would have rather had her teeth pulled than admit it. He’d pushed her to do her best, to work and study hard. Now, though, if the few strange and electrifying moments they’d shared were anything to go on, they appeared more than happy to study each other rather than medicine. Did he feel that same tug of awareness she did whenever they were alone together?
‘You’re being ridiculous,’ she told herself softly, shaking her head. The poor man was obviously still traumatised from his wife’s death. He wouldn’t want to get involved with anyone and he surely wouldn’t want her when he discovered her secret. No man ever would. Abbey took a deep breath. But that didn’t matter any more. She didn’t need anyone, any man, to be who she was deep down inside. She was alive, and that was enough to be grateful for. She had to keep remembering that.
It was so silly that for the past sixteen years since medical school, she hadn’t cared one iota where he was or what he’d been doing, hadn’t even thought of him. Obviously he’d met a woman and married before tragedy had struck his life. At least he’d had the opportunity to have such a life. Abbey had long since regretted her decision to focus on her career, desperate to advance in the medical field and succeed with honours.
Well, she’d done all of that and not needed someone special in her life, someone to share the highs and the lows, to help when things didn’t go exactly according to plan. Someone to come home to at the end of the day. Someone to share her most private, most intimate thoughts with. Someone to just sit and be with her. Someone like Joshua.
He’d suffered a great loss, though, and that could take a while to get over. She understood that. She knew the way emotions could rise up and overwhelm, how irrationality could make a person do things they wouldn’t normally do, how lonely walking through the valley of despair could really be.
As she sat there dressed in her summer pyjamas—pink with red hearts—quietly rocking and thinking, a light went on in the surgery.
Abbey instantly stopped rocking and sat forward in the chair, her heart starting to beat wildly against her chest. Had someone broken into the surgery? There were plenty of drugs stored there and she’d been more than relieved to find Joshua kept them locked as tight as a drum. He might leave his car keys in his car at all times, the doors to his house might be unlocked, but the medication and patient files were kept firmly under lock and key.
She stood up, wondering if she should go and investigate further. Should she go and wake Wally, the town’s police officer? Should she creep around the back of the surgery to Joshua’s place and wake him instead?
Indecision warred within her but just as she stood, deciding to at least go over and take a closer look, the front door to the surgery opened and out walked Joshua, barefoot, dressed only in denim jeans, something dark bundled in his arms.
Abbey paused at the top leading to her house and looked across at him. Obviously, he was no criminal come to steal the drugs from the surgery, so why had her heart started pounding even louder than before? What was he doing? Perhaps it was best she didn’t know because, dressed as he was, his chest bare and enticing, she might not be able to resist the urge to run her fingers through the crinkly hairs that dusted his skin.
She was about to turn and head back inside when he looked over and saw her standing there.
‘Abbey?’
‘Hi.’ There were a few streetlights on in the town but most of the light was coming from his house, meaning she could make out every contour of his gorgeous body. Her breathing started to increase and again she knew she should just say goodnight, turn and go inside, yet she felt like a cane toad caught in the headlights—stunned and unable to move.
He put down the bundle of whatever it was he’d been holding and headed across the road, not even bothering to check for any cars. ‘Is everything all right? What’s wrong?’ He walked from the light into the darkness surrounding her house and while she may not have been able to see him as clearly as before, she could feel him instead. He stopped at her bottom step, looking at her, concern etched into his brow.
‘I’m fine. Just…you know…couldn’t sleep.’
‘I guess the heat does take a while to get used to,’ he said, his voice soft and calm.
The heat had nothing to do with it and she knew herself to be a liar as she simply nodded her head, letting him think what he wanted. There was no way she was telling him the truth, no way she was letting him know that it was thoughts of him that were keeping her awake. Now, with him standing there before her, so scantily clad, it was only making matters worse. Now she had a dry mouth
as well, and knew she’d never get back to sleep.
He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up, which only added to his appeal. Abbey swallowed a few times, stretching out her hand to the verandah post beside her for support. Why did he have to look so incredible? Why did he have to be so sweetly concerned for her? Why had he been awake at three o’clock in the morning?
‘Everything all right with you?’ she asked.
‘Yeah. Too much to do.’ He wasn’t going to tell her that he couldn’t sleep either, and that it had nothing at all to do with the heat. He’d been thinking of her, of how well she’d fitted into the routine of the town, how well liked she was, how well he was coming to like her and how fighting the attraction he felt towards her was becoming increasingly difficult with each passing day.
One week. She’d been back in his life for one week and after that first electrifying day he’d decided it would be best to pull right back and to treat her merely as another colleague. Now, looking at her standing on the step, dressed in cotton pyjamas consisting of a top with thin little straps and a pair of low-hung trousers, it was all he could do to keep his tongue from rolling out of his mouth and hitting the ground. Her hair was down, floating around her perfect shoulders, thankfully hiding her glorious neck, which he’d had visions of nuzzling. She looked incredible and the fact that they were the same age only impressed him even more.
What he wanted to do was to close the distance between them, to take her in his arms, to press his mouth to hers, to feel her skin beneath his hands, to explore the contours of her luscious body and to never stop.
What he did was to take a step back towards the road. ‘I’ve uh…just got to…um…’ He closed his eyes for a second, trying to get his thoughts back on track. ‘Hang twinkle lights.’
Abbey tilted her head to the side, unsure she’d heard him correctly. ‘You’re hanging twinkle lights at three o’clock in the morning?’