Hot-Shot Doc, Christmas Bride / Christmas At Rivercut Manor

by Joanna Neil / Gill Sanderson

  ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, looking concerned. ‘Is it too big?’

  ‘No, nothing like that. I’m amazed, that’s all. Surely that must be a work of art? It isn’t something you’d buy from any old shop, is it? It must be hand-made.’ She crouched down and ran a hand along the smooth slats that made up the seat, and then examined the runners, in the shape of skis, with curved ends that arched up to join with the seat. ‘It’s fantastic.’

  ‘Actually, my grandfather made it. Well, we made it together. He was the one who showed my sister and me how to scoot down the slopes and how to pull on the rope to guide us where we wanted to go. The guide bit doesn’t work all that well, but we had a lot of fun trying it out when we were small. He made it to last.’

  ‘He certainly did.’ She stood up, sending him an anxious look. ‘Are you sure you want to lend this? I mean, if anything should happen to it I’d be devastated.’

  ‘It’s not doing any good in the attic, is it? Besides, Grandad would be pleased to know that children were still getting joy from it.’

  He went over to the sink and washed his hands. ‘Come and eat,’ he said. ‘You’ll need some food inside you if we’re going to face the cold and take Jason and Rachel to explore the slopes.’

  She did as he suggested, helping herself to salad and cutting a wedge of cheddar. ‘Is you grandfather no longer around?’ she asked on a tentative note.

  Josh shook his head. ‘No, he passed away a long time ago, when I was about ten years old. My grandmother followed soon after. They were wonderful people…and in a way they were my salvation. They were there for my sister and me after our parents divorced.’ He stopped then, hesitating as though he’d said too much, and Alison wondered whether she ought to ask him any more about them or whether it would be best to stay silent.

  In the end he made up her mind for her. ‘My grandmother was a great cook,’ he said. ‘I remember we would go out collecting blackberries and scrumping apples, and she would turn them into mouthwatering apple and blackberry pies.’

  He started to butter a crusty roll as Alison poured the tea. ‘She made delicious Christmas puddings, too,’ he said, ‘and there was always a coin hidden away somewhere inside. We always joked that Grandad would find it and break a tooth on it, but he never did. I think she secretly made sure that one of us children would find it. Then we’d rib one another because the other one had lost, and we’d make up for it later on by pulling the wishbone on the turkey. Of course if the winner had the coin as well a lot of squabbling went on.’

  Alison smiled at that. ‘When my brother was very young,’ she said, ‘he asked why it was called the wishbone, and Grandad said it was because the turkey wished it had run faster. So of course my gran told him off and said he was lowering the tone.’

  Josh laughed. ‘You’re a very close family, aren’t you?’

  ‘We are.’ Her expression became sad. ‘I was really looking forward to my grandparents coming over for the Christmas break. Of course that won’t happen now.’ She sighed. ‘You saw him when he was worried and on edge at the hospital, but my grandad’s a dear old thing, and he always manages to make us laugh.’

  Josh began to carve the ham. ‘He was friendly towards me, and he listened to what I said even though he was preoccupied…And your grandmother seemed like a pretty stoical woman, even though she was still semi-anaesthetised and in pain.’

  They finished off their meal with fruit for dessert, with Alison telling him how her mother served whipped cream mixed with brandy with the Christmas pudding. ‘I’ve been adding brandy to the Christmas cake I made,’ she added. ‘It’s supposed to keep it moist. You have to add a little every so often, maybe once a week, and then just before the big day I’ll ice it and top it with sugar fir trees and snowmen.’ Her smile faded. ‘I’m not sure when we’ll be eating it, though, now. I don’t know what my parents are planning to do about Christmas, now that Gran can’t travel. I hate the thought that we’ll all be separated.’

  ‘Maybe they’ll work something out? Your mother seemed very anxious to stay with your gran and grandad to make sure they were both all right.’

  She nodded. ‘I suppose they might stay over there for the Christmas period. Fraser will be able to travel down there on the train, but I’ll be working.’ She glanced at him. ‘The same as you…But I expect you’ll be spending Christmas with your sister and maybe your mother or father, will you?’

  ‘Possibly. They’ve asked me, but I haven’t finalised anything yet.’ He smiled wryly. ‘You know how I feel about the holiday season. But, as to your celebrations, it sounds to me as though you would all be sozzled—what with brandy in the cake, and wine with dinner, and brandy cream on the Christmas pudding.’

  She laughed. ‘More than likely. Mind you, Grandad says he’s going teetotal ever since he lost the plot last year and sang “Happy Birthday” when the Queen’s Speech came on the television. I actually didn’t know you could make the words fit to the tune of “God Save the Queen”, but somehow he managed it.’

  Josh chuckled. He finished off his tea and started to get to his feet. ‘I have to go and see my patient,’ he said. ‘He’ll be here at any moment. I gave him a total knee replacement a few weeks ago, and I need to check that everything’s progressing as it should.’ He hesitated. ‘Feel free to relax—read the paper, watch television, whatever you want while I’m gone. I’ll clear away as soon as I come back.’

  ‘Thanks. I’ll probably ring my mother and have a chat.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Alison ignored what he’d said about clearing up, and sorted it out herself. She stacked the crockery in the dishwasher before sitting down to ring her mother, and then started to wipe down the surfaces in the kitchen.

  Josh came back to the apartment after around half an hour. He looked pleased with himself.

  ‘His knee was looking good,’ he said. ‘He isn’t on painkillers any more, and he’s walking well. He’ll soon be able to drive his car again.’

  ‘Another satisfied customer, then?’ Alison glanced at him as she placed a tea towel over the oven bar.

  He nodded and glanced around. ‘You didn’t need to do all this,’ he said. ‘You’ve obviously been busy.’

  She smiled. ‘It means we can set off for my flat. I need to go and take over from Martha. They have some serious present-buying to do once Tom finishes work.’

  ‘He’s doing well from what I hear.’ Josh picked up the toboggan and went with her to the door. ‘The maintenance supervisor says he’s a good worker—one of the best.’

  Alison was glad about that. Things were looking up for the family next door, and she kept that cheerful thought in mind as they went in search of the children.

  They were pleased that she was going to be looking after them, and happy that Josh was with her.

  ‘Come and see what we have in the boot of Josh’s car,’ she suggested, after they had waved their parents goodbye.

  They both stared at the magnificent sledge, their eyes growing large, while Chaser danced around them on the pavement, getting in everyone’s way. ‘Josh thought you might like to try it out on the slopes by Sawyer’s Dell,’ she

  said casually.

  ‘Oh, wow…Wicked,’ Jason exclaimed.

  Rachel’s eyes lit up. ‘Do we really get to use this?’ she asked, looking at Josh for confirmation.

  He nodded. ‘As long as you wear your bike helmets. Some of those slopes are pretty steep, and we want to make sure you’re safe in case of a tumble.’

  The little girl jumped around excitedly. ‘Brilliant!’ she exclaimed. ‘My friends are going down to Sawyer’s Dell, and I was feeling miserable because I couldn’t go with them.’

  ‘Well, that turned out all right, then, didn’t it?’ Josh grinned.

  ‘Is Chaser coming with us?’

  ‘No, not today,’ Alison said. ‘We thought he might get in the way of the sledge and be hurt, so I asked Fraser to take him for a walk instead.’

 
; She made sure they were well wrapped up, with coats, hats, scarves and gloves, before she led the children back out to the car and saw to it that they were strapped securely into their seats.

  Chaser watched them from the pavement, jumping about and howling in misery as he was prevented from going after them, restrained by the lead that Fraser was holding firmly in his hand. ‘Not this time, lad,’ Fraser said. ‘You’re with me. You’ll like it, I promise. Maybe not a lot, but it won’t be so bad.’

  They set off. Just a few minutes later Josh parked his car on the roadside by the hilltop, and lifted the sledge out of the boot.

  ‘We’ll try a gentle slope first of all,’ he said, positioning the toboggan and holding it steady while the children seated themselves on the wooden slats. ‘Jason, you hold on to the guide rope, and Rachel, you put your arms around your brother’s waist. Hold on tight. Okay?’

  They both nodded, and a moment later he gave them a gentle push to start them on their way. The toboggan slid effortlessly over the snow-covered hillside, and the children shrieked with joy as they careered down into the valley below.

  ‘That was mega,’ Jason said, breathless from helping to haul the sledge back up the slope.

  Rachel tugged on his coat. ‘Let’s do it again,’ she said.

  For the next half hour or so Alison watched as they raced down the hill, competing with their friends for speed. ‘They’re having a great time,’ she said, gazing up at Josh and shivering a little from the cold. She stamped her booted feet in an attempt to warm herself up.

  Josh wrapped his arms around her. ‘Here, let me give you some of my heat,’ he offered, and she laughed, going into his firm embrace.

  ‘That’s just an excuse,’ she said. ‘You’re as cold as I am.’

  ‘W…w…what m…makes you th…think that?’ he asked, his brows lifting.

  She chuckled, and snuggled closer to him. It was a blissful experience being in his arms like this, and she found herself wishing that it could go on for ever.

  He lowered his head and rested his cheek against hers, before stealing a brief but definitely determined and passionate kiss.

  ‘Have I told you I think you’re something very special?’ he asked, his breath warm against her cheek. ‘You likened me to Scrooge a while ago. Does that mean that you’re my very own Christmas angel, come to save me from myself? I think I like that idea. Even if you do have a cold nose.’

  She turned to face him fully then, laughing up into his eyes. ‘You’re pretty wonderful yourself,’ she said, ‘doing all this to cheer us up. Have I said thank you for that—a very special thank you for all that you’ve done?’

  He nodded. ‘I think you may have, but then again there’s special and very special. What exactly did you have in mind?’ He looked hopeful, his gaze heating, his head lowering towards her, his mouth seeking hers once more.

  ‘I’m thirsty.’ Jason’s voice pierced the warm exclusion zone that surrounded the intimacy of their embrace. ‘Can we go home now and have some hot chocolate? Mum always makes it with melted marshmallows on the top.’

  Rachel added her voice to the plea. ‘I need the toilet,’ she said.

  The bubble of contentment burst in a flash and Alison blinked, trying to gather her thoughts together. ‘Yes, of course,’ she said, as Josh’s arms gradually released her.

  ‘Can you hold on while Alison and I try out the sledge?’ Josh asked, looking down at Rachel.

  ‘Yeah, sure.’ Rachel’s eyes widened a fraction. ‘This is something I want to see. Alison doesn’t do sledging, or fairground rides, or anything like that. She says it makes her tummy go funny.’

  ‘We can’t let her get away with that, can we?’ Josh looked from one to the other, and both children shook their heads.

  ‘No!’

  A moment later Alison found herself bundled on to the sledge behind Josh, with instructions to hold on tight. She did as she was told, putting her arms around his waist, closing her eyes and leaning her head against his solid back. She put her trust in him that he would get her there and back in once piece.

  They were poised at the top of the longest, steepest slope, and she pulled in a deep breath as he pushed against his heels and started their glide down the hillside. She clung on to him for dear life, her stomach clenching against the swift descent, the cold air whistling past her cheeks, and somehow, in that mad, whirlwind of time, she realised that she had done what she had vowed never to do. She had fallen for him—big-time. Love had crept up on her without warning, without giving her the chance to push it away.

  The ride ended in a flurry of snow as they crashed into a snowdrift, and she gasped and spluttered, shaking herself to throw off the impact of what seemed like a dozen or more snowballs. Love, she was discovering, was a chilly, ice-drenching experience.

  Josh was grinning from ear to ear. ‘You look just like Chaser,’ he said, copying her actions and giving himself a good shake, splattering her with even more snow.

  ‘Oh, do I?’ She gave him a wicked smile. ‘Perhaps you’d better watch what you say—unless you want to haul that sledge up there all by yourself.’ She sent a long look over the steep gradient of the hillside. ‘Looks quite a marathon from here, doesn’t it?’

  ‘Oops,’ he said.

  Back at the house, Alison made sure that Rachel and Jason changed into warm, dry clothes—while Josh searched Martha’s cupboards for chocolate powder and marshmallows. Alison drew the curtains against the darkness, and then they sat in front of the hearth, gazing into a glowing fire. Chaser lay on the rug, blocking a good deal of the heat, his tail thumping with the satisfaction of having his favourite people back where they belonged.

  Josh came to join them, handing out hot drinks and home-made cookies, and for a while all was peace and contentment.

  Then Josh’s phone rang, and he answered the call, listening carefully for a while before getting to his feet.

  ‘I have to go,’ he said, snapping the phone shut. ‘I’ve been on call at the hospital since some twenty minutes ago, and they need me to check on a patient who’s been brought in. He’s a young man—a motorcyclist who came off his bike in a skid.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ Alison followed him from the room as he prepared to leave for the hospital. ‘I’m sorry for the motorcyclist and for you, having to set out. It’s a shame the day has to end like this. We’ve all had a lovely time.’

  He put his arms around her and kissed her soundly, as though he, too, regretted having to leave. Her lips tingled in the aftermath of that kiss, and she gazed up at him in wonder. It was a kiss of passionate intent—one that spoke volumes without a word being said.

  ‘This wouldn’t be happening if I’d listened to my stepfather, would it?’ he said with a rueful grimace. ‘He said I should have gone into private practice in the States, and I said I’d think about it. I was even offered a job just a couple of weeks ago. If I took that there wouldn’t be any late-night calls to take me away.’

  She watched him get into his car and drive off. The mist of happiness that had surrounded her all evening suddenly began to dissolve. Was he actually thinking about doing as his stepfather suggested? Was he going to accept the job he had been offered?

  She felt nauseous all at once. She had done it again, hadn’t she? She had fallen in love with a man who never meant to get involved in a serious long-term relationship—a man whose priorities lay elsewhere. They didn’t even share the same principles, a belief in a health system that treated everyone equally.

  Only this time it was far worse. This time she knew that her love was the real thing. She loved Josh, despite any faults he might have. She had come to believe that she might share her life with him, and now all that had gone in an explosion of broken dreams.

  Chapter Nine

  ALISON put the children to bed later, tucking each of them under their duvets and planting a kiss lightly on each cheek. ‘Sleep tight,’ she said, closing the doors to their bedrooms before she made her way quietly dow
nstairs.

  Katie knocked on the back door as Alison was rinsing dishes under the tap. She stepped into the room. ‘Are Jason and Rachel settled for the night?’ she asked, looking around.

  Alison nodded. ‘I don’t suppose it will be long before they’re asleep,’ she said.

  Katie had brought a shopping bag with her. ‘I bought loads of things this afternoon. I spent far too much.’ She started to empty the bag. ‘I thought I’d show you these while Tom and Martha are still out. I bought a cosmetic set for Martha, and a marquetry set for Tom, since he likes making things with wood. And there’s a doll for Rachel and a football for Jason. Do you think they’ll like the gifts?’

  ‘I’m sure they’ll love them.’ Alison smiled. ‘It sounds as though you had a good shopping trip.’

  Katie pulled out a chair and sat down. ‘I did. It was lovely in the town centre. There were Salvation Army people singing carols, and stalls in the cobbled square selling hot food. And inside one of the big stores they had a display with Santa’s sleigh and reindeer. It was so sweet. There were little elves who nodded their heads and moved their arms, and I saw one little boy talking to them as if they were real.’

  ‘I expect he was telling them what he wanted for Christmas.’ Alison smiled. ‘I hope his parents were listening and taking notice.’

  ‘That’s what Fraser said. Great minds think alike.’ Katie started to put her purchases back into the bag. ‘I thought Tom and Martha would have been back by now? Didn’t you say Martha wanted to tuck the children up in bed?’

  Alison nodded. ‘She did. But perhaps they needed a bit of extra time to search for gifts—or maybe they stopped to enjoy the atmosphere of the city centre for a bit longer?’

  ‘Maybe.’ Katie frowned. ‘Where’s Josh, by the way? I saw you both go out with the children, and he unloaded a sledge from the back of his car. Seeing how cosy you two have been getting of late, I would have expected him to stay around.’