by Leah Martyn
Suddenly the atmosphere between them was thick and uncomfortable.
‘We have to work together,’ she said without much conviction. ‘Day in, day out.’
‘So what?’ He huffed a jaded laugh. ‘Are you saying we can’t have a personal life outside the hospital?’ He pushed a hand roughly through his hair in irritation.
‘I’m not being difficult for the sake of it, Jack.’
He shrugged.
Her eyes searched his face. ‘We can’t leave things like this.’
‘I know.’
‘How can we go forward, then?’
‘I’ll back off,’ he said, as if coming to a decision.
‘I— Thank you.’ She forced the words past the dryness in her throat.
His mouth tightened for a second. An intensity of emotion he’d never felt before gnawed at his insides. God, she was so brave and beautiful. He curled his hands into fists to stop them reaching for her. ‘The last thing I want is to be offside with you, Darcie. What can we do to make things right again?’
Her uncertainty wavered and waned. She couldn’t doubt his sincerity. And she should remember that this was Jack Cassidy, proud and purposeful. And if it came down to it, she’d trust him with her life.
‘I suppose we could kiss and make up,’ she said softly.
Jack needed no second invitation. Keeping his hands off her by sheer strength of will, he bent towards her, letting his tongue just touch her lower lip as lightly as he could manage when every cell in his body wanted to devour the sweet mouth that opened for him so enticingly. Slowly, slowly, he drew back. ‘Sweet dreams, then...’ he murmured, and touched his forehead to hers. ‘Just make them all about me, hmm?’
Darcie felt the smile on her skin as he touched his mouth to her throat. ‘As long as you reciprocate, hmm?’
‘Done.’ He leaned forward and placed a quick, precise kiss on her lips. Hell, when the time was right, and they’d be able to make dreams into reality, he’d make her feel so loved, she wouldn’t be able to see straight for a week.
CHAPTER TEN
WITHIN TWO WEEKS Max had been discharged and was doing well. David Campion had come to the hospital and been treated and was now following a health regime Jack had set out for him.
Life was good, Darcie thought reflectively as she updated Emma Tynan’s chart at the nurses’ station. And although they hadn’t actually spelled it out, she felt as though she and Jack had reached a plateau in their personal relationship.
Everything was possible. And the thought lit her up from inside. She made a reflective moue, bringing her thoughts back to Emma. Was there something more she could be doing for the child’s wellbeing? She was such a plucky little thing...
‘Excuse me, Darcie...’
‘Oh, Carole.’ Darcie’s head came up and she smiled. ‘Sorry, I didn’t see you there. I was away with the fairies.’
‘That’s all right.’ Carole looked apologetic. ‘I wondered, while it’s a bit quiet, whether I could have a word?’
‘Of course you can. Let’s pop along to my office, shall we?’ Darcie led the way, hoping Carole wasn’t ill and needing medical advice.
‘I won’t beat about the bush,’ Carole said in her practical way when they were seated. ‘I’d like to give in my notice.’
‘Oh...’ Darcie looked pained. ‘There’s nothing wrong, is there? I mean, you’re not ill or anything?’
‘No, no.’ The older woman waved away Darcie’s concern. ‘My daughter and son-in-law have asked me to go and live with them in Brisbane. Ben’s just got one of these fly-in, fly-out jobs and he’s away a lot. Nicole’s feeling lonely and finding it hard to cope with the two little ones on her own.’
‘So you’re going to help out?’ Darcie surmised.
‘Well, I’d like to and I do miss the grandchildren. They’re lovely little things.’
‘Of course they are.’ Darcie’s tender heart was touched. ‘When would you like to go?’
‘Well...as soon as you can replace me. But I won’t leave you in the lurch,’ Carole hastened to add.
‘We’ll be sorry to lose you, Carole. But I realise things change and family should always come first if possible.’
‘That’s what I think too,’ Carole said, getting to her feet. ‘But I’ll miss Sunday Creek and all you folk here at the hospital.’
‘We must have a little send-off for you.’ Darcie smiled, as they walked back to the station. ‘And we’ll do the cooking.’
‘Oh—I never expected...’ Carole looked suddenly embarrassed. ‘But that’d be lovely, Darcie. Thank you.’
Darcie went straight along to Jack’s office. As well as Carole’s news, she had something else to tell him. She knocked and popped her head in.
‘Hey.’ He looked up, sending her a quick smile and beckoning her in.
‘You were late home last night,’ Darcie said. ‘I just wanted to check in and ask how things went.’ Yesterday had been the opening of their outreach clinic.
‘Word had got out apparently.’ He leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs out under the desk. ‘We were swamped. Lots of follow-up to do. Thank heavens for Maggie’s all-round skills. I couldn’t have managed without her.’
‘So we’ll take her each time, then?’
‘For the moment.’ He rubbed a hand across his forehead. ‘I imagine the other nurses would like a turn as well.’
‘And me,’ Darcie reminded him.
His gaze slid softly over her. ‘Of course you, Dr Drummond. Maggie has a list of what else needs to be done to make the space more patient-friendly at the clinic.’
‘Excellent. She’s on shortly. I’ll have a chat to her when she gets in. By the way, Carole’s just told me she’s leaving. We’ll have to find someone to replace her.’
‘Oh, no.’ Jack made a face. ‘I love Carole’s spaghetti and meatballs.’
Darcie sent an eye-roll towards the ceiling. ‘And on a lighter note, we had news yesterday the MD’s house is finished.’
‘Mmm,’ Jack said absently. ‘I know. Louise left me a set of keys.’
‘Well, then.’ Darcie’s look was expectant. ‘You should make a time to move in.’
He lifted a shoulder in a tight shrug. ‘I’ll think about it.’ In fact, he had no real desire to move at all. He was quite happy to be living in the communal residence. The MD’s house was meant for a family man, wife, kids, dog, the whole box and dice. He’d rattle around like a lost soul. He couldn’t think why a needy family in the town couldn’t be offered the place instead of him. But he was sure the board would have none of that.
‘Meg McLeish will look after the domestic side of things for you,’ Darcie said, ‘so you only need to gather up your personal stuff and move in.’
One dark brow lifted. ‘Keen to get rid of me, Dr Drummond?’
She flushed. ‘Your moving doesn’t mean we can’t see something of one another outside work.’
He hadn’t thought of that. ‘Are you saying it could offer us a few possibilities?’
Darcie felt the slow build-up of heat inside her. ‘Might.’
‘We’ve unfinished business between us, Darcie,’ he reminded her softly. ‘Don’t we?’
She gave a little restive shake of her head, her mind conjuring up a vivid image his evocative words had produced.
She got to her feet. ‘If you need a hand with the move, I’m around.’
Darcie was thoughtful as she made her way back to the nurses’ station. She found Maggie settling in for her shift. After the two had exchanged greetings, Maggie said, ‘Jack tell you we need to organise a few more amenities for the outreach clinic?’
‘Leave that for the moment, please, Maggie. I wanted to talk to you about something else.’ Darcie swung onto one of the hi
gh stools next to the senior nurse, realising without her even knowing it that a possible solution for Emma and her mother had begun crystallising inside her head. ‘Do you know anything about Kristy Tynan’s personal situation?’
‘I know she’s a hard worker,’ Maggie said. ‘Been here a couple of years. Divorced. No man about the place. Keeps to herself.’
Darcie bit down on her bottom lip. ‘I don’t mean to be nosy here, Maggie but something’s cropped up staff-wise.’
Maggie raised a well-defined dark brow. ‘Someone leaving?’
‘Carole. Relocating for family reasons.’
‘And you’re wondering whether Kristy would fit the bill?
‘My, you’re quick!’ Darcie grinned.
Maggie smirked. ‘Just ask my boys. But, seriously, I think Kristy would jump at the chance to get out of that truckers’ café. The hours she has to work are horrendous.’
Darcie looked at her watch. ‘I think I’ll go and have a chat to her now. The sooner we can get someone for the job, the sooner Carole can go to her family.’
‘Working here would certainly be a nicer environment for Kristy,’ Maggie reflected. ‘And as we’re supposed to be a caring profession, I don’t imagine the board would object to Emma tagging along when necessary. And we could quietly work on a quit-smoking campaign for Kristy,’ Maggie finished with a sly grin.
‘You should be running the country,’ Darcie quipped. ‘But you’ve read my mind exactly. I’ll see you in a bit.’
* * *
At the roadhouse, Darcie looked around and then made her way across to what looked like the dining area.
‘Can I help you?’ a young man, who was wiping down tables, asked.
‘I was hoping to have a word with Kristy Tynan,’ Darcie said.
‘No worries. I’ll give her a shout.’
Moments later, Kristy batted her way through the swing doors that led from the kitchen. Recognising Darcie, her hand went to her throat. ‘It’s not Emma, is it?’
‘No, nothing like that, Kristy. Sorry if I startled you,’ Darcie apologised. ‘But I’ve come about a job at the hospital. I thought you might be interested in making a change.’
Kristy wiped her hands down the sides of her striped apron, agitation in her jerky movements. ‘I don’t understand...’
‘Could you spare a few minutes?’ Darcie looked around hopefully. ‘Somewhere we could have a private chat?’
‘I’m due a break.’ Kristy pulled off her apron and placed it over the back of a chair. ‘Let’s go outside. There’s a bit of a deck where we can sit.’
Quickly and concisely Darcie explained the nature of the job at the hospital. ‘You’d be required to plan a menu but it would be nothing complicated, except now and again a patient might have special dietary needs.’
‘Well, I could handle that,’ Kristy said, looking almost eager. ‘I actually did two years of a chef’s apprenticeship in Sydney but then I got married and we moved away and I had Emma...’ She paused and chewed her lip. ‘You probably know I’m divorced now, Dr Drummond. There’s just Emma and me.’
Darcie nodded. ‘We could offer you more reasonable hours at the hospital, Kristy. And if Emma needed to come with you, that would be fine.’ Darcie smiled. ‘You could have your meals together and I believe the school bus stops outside the hospital as well.’
Kristy blinked rapidly. ‘It seems too good to be true...’
‘It’s true,’ Darcie said. ‘Carole, our present cook, is leaving. We need someone just as capable to replace her. And as soon as possible.’
Kristy’s mouth trembled. ‘So, would I have to come in for an interview or something...?’
‘You’ve just had it,’ Darcie said warmly. ‘I’ll run everything past the board and you’ll need a couple of referees.’
‘I can manage that.’
‘Good. And if everything checks out, then the job is yours.’
‘Oh...’ Suddenly Kristy’s eyes overflowed and she swiped at them with the backs of her hands. ‘You can’t know what this will mean to Emma and me, Dr Drummond. And thank you for thinking of me.’
‘Folk in Sunday Creek have been very kind to me,’ Darcie said earnestly. ‘I’m just passing it along.’
* * *
Later that afternoon, Jack tracked Darcie down in the treatment room. She was suturing the hand of a local carrier who had received a deep wound when unloading roofing iron at a building site. ‘Could I have a word when you’re finished here, please, Dr Drummond?’
Darcie turned her head. ‘Almost done. I’ll come along to your office, all right?’
Jack merely nodded. ‘Thanks.’
* * *
‘So, what’s up?’ Darcie asked, having sent her patient on his way with a tetanus jab and a script for an antibiotic.
Jack stood up from his desk, his expression a bit sheepish. ‘I—uh—thought, if you’re not busy, we could go across to the house and take a look.’
Darcie’s gaze widened in disbelief. ‘You haven’t been near the place since you arrived here, have you?’
‘Didn’t see the need.’ He came round from behind his desk and began to usher her out. ‘Want to come with me, then?’
She shrugged in compliance. ‘I’ll just tell Maggie where we’ll be. By the way, I think I’ve found us a new cook. I’ve approached Kristy Tynan. She’s keen and I think she’ll do a wonderful job.’
Jack whistled. ‘Well done, you. Nice footwork there, Dr Drummond.’
‘So you approve?’
‘Of course. It’ll be an excellent move for the Tynan ladies.’
‘It will,’ Darcie agreed. ‘I’ll pass the whole thing along to Louise, and she can sort out Kristy’s terms of employment and so on. And Carole can get on her way.’
* * *
‘Oh, we’re here already!’ Darcie sent him an encouraging look as they pulled up outside the house. ‘They’ve painted the outside as well.’
‘Aw, gee,’ Jack deadpanned.
‘Stop that. It’ll be fine,’ Darcie said bracingly. ‘Let’s go inside and see what they’ve done.’
Inside, the house smelled of new paint and it was obvious the renovation was complete. They wandered from room to room, peered into the master bedroom with its king-sized bed and en suite bathroom, down the hall to two smaller bedrooms, both with their own en suites, and then on to the living room and kitchen.
‘It’s obvious Lou has had a hand in the furnishings.’ Darcie was enthusiastic. ‘It’s wonderful, Jack, so clean and bright.’
Jack merely looked unimpressed. ‘What am I supposed to do with all this space?’
‘Live here, one assumes.’
‘I suppose I could offer it to the old woman who lived in a shoe,’ he grumbled, and sent Darcie a pained look. ‘I won’t be expected to entertain, will I? Give a drinks party before the mayor’s ball or something?’
Darcie gave an inelegant snort. ‘Don’t be pathetic. And as far as I know, Sunday Creek doesn’t have a mayoral ball. And look...’ she went forward and opened the pantry cupboard ‘...Meg’s already stocked up for you.’
‘I just don’t need this,’ Jack insisted.
‘Well, it comes with the MD’s position,’ Darcie pointed out. ‘The board is just fulfilling its part of your employment contract. You have a certain position in the town, Jack,’ she reminded him. ‘You don’t want to be remembered as the rogue medico who wouldn’t live in the doctor’s residence.’
Jack dredged up a jaded smile. ‘Do you think I could coax Capone across to live with me?’
Darcie sent him a look of resignation. She imagined Jack Cassidy could coax a herd of kangaroos to come and live with him if he chose. Her heart dipped. Even her. One day. ‘I imagine Capone will probably opt to settle here if you o
ffer him a few treats. Oops, that’s me.’
Reaching back, she pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her cargos. ‘Oh, hi, Lou,’ she said brightly. ‘Jack and I are just over at the house. It’s lovely— Sorry, what did you say?’ As she listened, Darcie began making her way slowly along the hallway and out onto the front veranda.
Hearing her abrupt change of tone, and fearing something untoward, Jack followed and waited until she ended the call. ‘Darcie?’
She turned from the railings, her expression strained. She licked her lips. ‘That was Louise...’
‘I gathered that.’ Jack went to her. ‘Is someone hurt?’
‘It’s Jewel.’ Darcie’s throat pinched as she swallowed. ‘She’s stumbled into some kind of rabbit hole. They’ve only just found her. Her front leg’s shattered. Sam Gibson’s on his way...’ She stopped and blinked.
‘Oh, baby...I’m so sorry.’ Jack hooked an arm around her shoulders and felt her shaking. ‘Do you want to go out to Willow Bend?’
She nodded. ‘Lou thought I might want to...’ She bit her lips together to stop them trembling. ‘My poor little Jewel.’
‘Come on,’ Jack said gently. ‘I’ll take you. Just give me a minute to lock up here and let Maggie know what’s happening.’
* * *
‘Do we have some idea where we have to go when we get there?’ Jack asked quietly as they drove.
‘Not far from the homestead. Louise said she’ll keep a lookout for us,’ Darcie answered throatily.
Jack put out a hand, found hers and squeezed.
* * *
A shadecloth had been erected over the little mare. Jack pulled to a stop a short distance away. ‘Go ahead,’ he urged gently. ‘I won’t be far behind.’
Darcie almost ran to where Max and Sam were standing just outside the shelter. Their body language told her everything she’d feared.
Max looked grim. ‘Sad day for us, Darcie.’
Darcie turned to Sam, a tiny ray of hope lingering in her questioning eyes.
The vet shook his head.
‘C-could I spend a few minutes with her?’ Darcie’s mouth trembled out of shape.