THE MAVERICK DOCTOR AND MISS PRIM/ABOUT THAT NIGHT...

by Scarlet Wilson

  The director was moving now, picking up his paperwork. He glanced from one to the other. “Maybe three months in a hot climate will help you two sort out your differences.”

  The realization of what was about to happen hit him like a boulder on the head. “We’re going together? To Nigeria? I’m going to be Dr. Connelly’s team leader?”

  He couldn’t possibly mean that. From the little Evan knew about the polio program it worked across a number of countries. Surely, the director didn’t plan on sending them together on the same field assignment?

  “Of course. This is perfect. Hard work in an area uncluttered by other distractions. The two of you are there to represent the clinical expertise of the DPA, so I expect you to iron out any personal issues. Both of you report to Dr. Sanday tomorrow morning. He’ll give you all the background information and travel arrangements that you need.”

  “But what about here? What about infectious diseases?”

  The director gave him a wry smile. “Donovan’s served his time well. I think he’s ready to take the next step—a more strategic direction. It will stretch him, do him good—just like it will you.”

  And then he was gone.

  Violet sat in the chair, unmoving. Evan could almost sense she didn’t want to meet his gaze.

  There was so much going on in his head right now. And most of it concerned her. She was shifting constantly in his mind. Violet, Sawyer’s sister. Violet, his colleague who’d ignored his instructions. Violet, the woman he’d kissed a few months ago. Violet, the woman who’d asked for a transfer without talking to him first.

  Violet, the woman he was going to spend the next three months with—in close proximity.

  Was that better or worse than her leaving? Right now he didn’t know.

  It didn’t help matters that he was being replaced by a guy he considered a cocky upstart.

  “Are you going to say something?” She’d rested her elbow on the desk and was leaning her head on her hand. She looked exhausted.

  Then again, she’d barely slept in the past few days. None of them had, thanks to the crisis.

  Her eyes were closed. For the first time he noticed she had little dark circles under them. They marred her usually perfect complexion. Her blond hair was swept back with a clip but little strands had escaped around her face. Even in a state of exhaustion Violet Connelly was a thing of beauty.

  But her beauty couldn’t distract him from the thoughts rattling around in his brain.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about Sawyer? No. Why didn’t you tell anyone that he’s your brother? Are you ashamed of him?”

  Her eyes shot open, sparks of fury shooting in his direction. She opened her mouth to speak then pressed her lips together firmly for a few seconds, obviously having second thoughts. Maybe she’d been outspoken enough for one day. She bent forward, putting her head on the desk in exasperation.

  “You do that to me,” she mumbled.

  He was thrown. “What?”

  She lifted her head, so he could only see one pale green eye. “You make me mad at the drop of a hat. It irritates me. And I’m just too exhausted to fight with you.”

  He nodded slowly. This wasn’t exactly where he thought this conversation would go.

  “Of course I’m not ashamed of my brother. I love him dearly. But he’s had issues. He needed time. He needed space. Ever heard of the expression ‘If you love someone let them go’? That’s Sawyer. The past six years have been hard.” Her pale green eyes looked off to the side and she nodded slowly. “But I think he’s on his way back.”

  Wow. Nothing like getting to the heart of the matter. But he didn’t have time to think about what she’d said because she wasn’t finished.

  “But I don’t know where you fit into this picture.”

  “What do you mean?” Her conversation seemed to jump all over the place. What was going on in her mind? Was this lack of sleep?

  She folded her arms across her chest and straightened herself in the chair.

  “I know you had issues with my brother but I don’t know what they were. Sawyer never told me. Will you?”

  Now, there was a question. The words hung in the air. Could he really put into words the complexity of what had happened between him and Sawyer and how he felt? He almost didn’t know where to start. And did he really want to have this conversation with a woman he would spend the next three months with? The answer was easy.

  “Probably not.”

  She sucked in a deep breath. “Well, where does that leave us?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Does your irrational hatred of my brother extend to me too?”

  He swallowed, not really sure how to answer. The truth of the matter was that it did change how he perceived her. His bias against Sawyer was already affecting how he felt about her. Would she exhibit the same traits as her brother? Would she walk out on a mission when it was at its most vital stage?

  He set his lips in a firm line but he couldn’t look at her and his voice was low. “You know I don’t hate you, Violet.” His brain was painting pictures. Pictures of Violet in that red dress she’d been wearing a few days ago with a thick black belt cinching her waist. He was sure she’d worn it to distract him from the fact she hadn’t produced the report. And she had been right to, because it had worked.

  Her eyes drifted off to one side. “I thought I was going to get fired.”

  He nodded slowly. “Me too.”

  Her green eyes met his. “I don’t want to get fired,” she said steadily. “I love my job.”

  “I don’t want to get fired either. My job’s the best thing in my life right now.”

  Why had he said that?

  That was far too personal. And Evan tried not to mix his personal life and with his working life. Or, at least, not usually.

  “So I guess we both have to make the best of the situation.”

  She didn’t acknowledge his words. Instead, she pulled out a flower-covered notebook and started scribbling.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I need to make plans. I need to make arrangements for my apartment. The electricity, the rent, the mail...” Her voice tailed off.

  The enormity of the upheaval started to hit him too. He’d need to make similar plans—all in the space of a week. To say nothing of the handover he’d have to give to Donovan about running the team here. The next week would be a nightmare.

  Violet was scribbling again. It was almost as if he wasn’t there. He watched her as her hand flew over the page. Her hair was falling over her face. His fingers itched to reach out and tuck it behind her ear. Why on earth did he think like this around her?

  “Any chance of a copy of your list? It will save me doing mine.”

  She raised her head and the sides of her mouth turned up. “Not a hope.” She stood up and walked toward the door. “I’m going to start going over my files, see what work I need to hand over to someone else.”

  “Violet?”

  She stopped, her hand on the doorhandle. “What?”

  He couldn’t help it. He had to ask. Did she have the same kind of traits that he’d seen in her brother? He needed to know. The next three months were going to be a strain. Ever since that kiss he’d spent the past few months avoiding being in close proximity to her.

  They’d never spoken about it. Never mentioned it. A drunken fumble on a work night out that no one knew about.

  He had no idea how she felt about it.

  More importantly, he’d no idea how he felt about it.

  He’d woken up the next morning with the strangest feeling in his stomach. Part dread, part excitement. He was her boss. He should never have gone near her. It compromised their working relationship.

  And now it seemed as if she was prepared to h
old it over his head. That made Violet dangerous. That made Violet a threat.

  “When the director interrupted us you were saying something about me being unprofessional. You were implying that because of the kiss. You thought you were about to be fired. Were you going to try and get me fired too? Would you do that, Violet?”

  Her eyes met his and he saw a little flash of fire. She didn’t hesitate for a second. “In a heartbeat.”

  She pushed open the door and walked out, leaving Evan wondering what he’d got himself into.

  CHAPTER TWO

  THE HEAT HIT her as soon as they stepped off the plane. It was like stepping into a fan-heated oven.

  How on earth could she function in this for the next three months? Would she ever get used to it?

  The sweat was already starting to run in rivulets down her back and catch in her bra strap. She rummaged in her bag and pulled out a travel-sized antiperspirant spray. “I’m heading to the ladies’ room. Can you watch for my bag? It’s lime-green.”

  Evan nodded and dropped his rucksack onto the floor beside the luggage carousel. Great. A twelve-hour flight from Atlanta to Lagos, Nigeria, and he still wasn’t speaking to her.

  Not that she cared. But it was unnerving to sit next to someone for that long without exchanging a single word.

  She splashed some water on her face and pulled a ponytail band from her bag, sweeping her sticky hair from the back of her neck. She pulled off her white top and sprayed liberally before swapping it for a purple one in her rucksack. It was a little crumpled but it would have to do.

  Was Evan planning on speaking to her any time soon? And what did he have to be so mad about, anyway? She’d only told him the truth. And if he couldn’t handle the truth...

  She heard the squeak of luggage being wheeled past the doorway. People were obviously leaving so the baggage must have arrived.

  She picked up her bag and headed back outside, just in time to see Evan drag her lime-green suitcase from the carousel.

  It landed with a thump at her feet. “What on earth have you got in here? Did you pack the entire contents of your apartment? I’ve never seen a suitcase that size in my life. As for the weight, how on earth did you get it down your stairs?”

  She watched as he pulled another suitcase—this time with one hand—from the carousel. It was a medium-sized navy blue case. She couldn’t help the smile that flickered across her lips.

  She tilted her head up at him. “Oh, so now you’re talking to me, are you?” She pulled the handle up on the side of her case and tilted it onto its wheels. The initial tug was tough but once the case picked up a little momentum, it sailed along behind her.

  “Do you remember the name of the person we’re meeting?” She walked in the direction of the exit.

  Evan was matching her stride for stride, holding his case easily in his hand—he had no need for wheels. He pulled a piece of paper from his top pocket. “Someone called Amos should be waiting for us outside Arrivals with a car. They said under no circumstances should we get in a local taxi.” His eyes fell on her suitcase again. “Though at this rate we’ll probably need an eighteen-wheeler to move that. What do you have in there?”

  Violet rolled her eyes. “Just everything a girl could need. Hold up a sec,” she said, as one of the customs officers gestured toward her.

  Two hours later they finally made it to the exit.

  “Of all the ridiculous, over-packed, stupid items to have in your suitcase—”

  “Oh, drop it, Evan. I’m too hot and tired to listen to your whining.” She nodded in the direction of a man with a board showing their names in his hand. He looked as if he was wilting.

  “Hi,” she said. “Amos? I’m Violet Connelly and this is Evan Hunter. Sorry we took so long.”

  The man’s brow furrowed. “Was there a problem with the officials? I hope not.”

  Evan let out a snort. “The only problems were the ones that she caused. Probably by trying to transport the equivalent of an elephant in her luggage.”

  “An elephant? I don’t understand.”

  Violet placed her hand over his. “Dr. Hunter is being sarcastic. The officials searched my luggage and removed certain items.”

  “Items? What items?”

  Violet shook her head. “Nothing important. Some U.S. candy. Some electrical items. Nothing I can’t live without.”

  Evan was obviously becoming impatient. The two-hour-long inspection of Violet’s luggage must have been the final straw for him. “Do you have a car?”

  Amos nodded. “The minibus is parked outside. I’ll take you to the Healthy World Federation building and give you some safety instructions. Stay next to me, please, as we leave the building. Some of the local taxis will try and encourage you to go with them.”

  He grabbed hold of the handle of Violet’s case and stopped dead, obviously unprepared for the weight. He struggled to give her a smile as he dragged it along behind him. Within a few minutes they were outside the terminal building and were immediately accosted by a whole host of taxi drivers.

  “Stay close!” shouted Amos as they pushed their way through. Evan’s hand appeared from nowhere and rested gently at her waist, guiding her through the shouting faces until they reached the car park.

  “How far to the city?”

  The long flight, followed by the search at customs, had taken their toll. Violet was ready to collapse in a heap. “Around fifty minutes. We’re just going to the outskirts. It’s a relatively safe area. Don’t worry.”

  He opened the back door of the minibus and nodded to Evan. “Give us a hand with this, please.” Evan grabbed the other side of the case and between them they tossed it into the back of the minivan. Maybe a big suitcase hadn’t been such a good idea after all. But at the time she’d been packing everything had seemed like an essential.

  The journey flew past. Violet could barely keep her eyes open as they sped through the city suburbs. It was immediately apparent that poverty was an issue—just like in so many other cities throughout the world.

  She felt a sharp nudge on the ribs. “Wake up, Violet, we’re here.”

  Her eyes shot open. When had she fallen asleep? The last thing she remembered was staring out the window at a group of children playing football in the street.

  Somehow she’d fallen asleep with her head on Evan’s shoulder, and the heat from his body in the air-conditioned van had been comforting. She pulled herself up straight and rubbed at her cheek. Great. She could feel the creases of his shirt embedded in her face.

  She looked out the window as Amos opened the door and let the heat flood inside again.

  She’d had a little handheld, battery-powered fan in her suitcase. Too bad she hadn’t thought to put it in her hand luggage.

  She jumped down onto the street and immediately pulled her sunglasses down from her forehead. She glanced at her watch. It was still set to Atlanta time. Lagos was only five hours ahead, but the jump between time zones had totally disorientated her. It felt as if it should be the middle of the night.

  Amos hauled her case up the front steps of the building and pushed open the glass doors. Air-conditioning again. Bliss.

  A woman in traditional dress met them at reception. “Dr. Hunter? Dr. Connelly? Welcome to headquarters.” She gestured toward the rear of the building. “If you want to head to the lifts, I’ll give you a key to your rooms. You’ll have a chance to freshen up, but we need you back down here later to meet the members of your team and have a safety briefing.”

  “No problem.” Evan obviously wasn’t suffering from the same travel effects that she was. Right now she just wanted to lie down on some cool cotton sheets.

  Evan glanced at the number of the key and pocketed it. Both of them stood for a few more seconds, waiting for the second key to appear.

 
; It didn’t.

  The lady looked back up. “Oh, didn’t someone explain? We’re a little short of space. You’ll be bunking up together. That won’t be a problem, will it?”

  Her manner was so relaxed it almost disarmed Violet. What Violet really wanted to do was scream and shout and stamp her feet on the floor. Her patience and fatigue was at an all-time low.

  “No problem at all.” Evan’s cool voice cut through the strop she was currently throwing in her head and he headed off toward the lift.

  She bit her tongue and tugged her case after him, struggling to pull it over the seam between the floor and elevator door. Evan’s hand slid over hers and he gave it a final tug, sending her hurtling backward into the lift. She landed against the back wall with a thud.

  “Thanks.” She couldn’t hide her sarcastic tone and wasn’t even going to try.

  “My pleasure.” She could hear the edge of amusement in his voice and she really wasn’t in the mood at all.

  He pressed a button and the elevator slid smoothly upward, opening onto a brightly lit corridor with a procession of identical brown doors.

  “Can you manage?”

  “Of course.” She tugged her case with both hands, smiling as his foot came into contact with one of the wheels. It really did feel as if she had a dead body inside.

  He flinched. “We’re in here.” He slid the card into the door and pushed it open, revealing a regular-sized room with a large white bed.

  One large white bed.

  Silence.

  Who would react first?

  It was Violet. It was the final straw.

  “You have got to be joking!”

  Evan’s eyes swept the room, obviously looking for somewhere else to sleep. No stowaway bed. No pull-down couch.

  One bed. Or nothing.

  Violet stomped over to the bathroom and stuck her head inside. Clean. Functional. White bath and a separate shower.