by Lucy Clark
‘I’ll be out in a moment.’ She shooed him away with her hand. ‘Go, before someone else comes in.’
He frowned at her. ‘You’re behaving rather strangely tonight. Has something happened?’
Only the fact that I’m so madly in love with you I can’t cope with you talking to any other woman, she wanted to say. Instead, she shrugged. ‘I’m tired. Do you have any complaints about my patient treatments?’
‘No. That’s not what I meant. You’ve been…distant somehow.’
Nicolette sighed and looked down at the tissue in her hands. She fidgeted with it for a moment longer before putting it in the bin. ‘I’m fine, Stephen,’ she reassured him.
He stepped closer and studied her face for a moment. ‘You’ve been crying.’
‘I’m fine.’ She shifted back, keeping distance between them.
‘So you keep telling me.’ He thrust his hands into his trousers pockets. ‘Look, we need to talk. Please, will you come over for brunch tomorrow?’
‘Stephen.’ Why was he torturing her like this? Didn’t he get it? She could be the relaxed professional during clinic, she could work with him here at the hospital, she could even talk with him not only about their time spent in Africa but also about a variety of other topics. What she couldn’t do was watch other women flirt with him or be alone in a room with him…like she was now. She loved him so passionately, so completely, so intensely it was getting harder with every passing second not to tell him the truth.
‘I can’t. You know that.’
He glanced down at the floor and then back at her, determination on his face. ‘Actually, I want to discuss the practice with you. We haven’t had a real practice meeting and this morning I realised there are several things we need to go over.’
Nicolette frowned, wondering if he was telling the truth or whether this was just a ruse to get her there. If it was, why? He knew the score just as she did. Perhaps he thought, with the attraction the way it was between them, that he couldn’t work with her after all. Panic began to grip her and she wanted to grab him and shake whatever it was out of him right now. He’d said he needed to discuss things so surely that didn’t mean he was going to fire her. Admittedly the atmosphere yesterday afternoon hadn’t been as relaxed as it had been before that moment in the kitchen at lunchtime.
‘We can have the discussion now,’ she suggested.
‘In the female changing rooms? I don’t think that’s appropriate. Besides, we’re both tired and the papers I need are at home. Tomorrow, around eleven?’
Nicolette swallowed over the tension gripping her and slowly nodded. ‘Eleven, but not for brunch.’
Stephen thought for a moment before nodding. ‘I’ll see you then.’ He turned and headed out of the changing rooms, stopping in the doorway. ‘Drive safely tonight.’
‘You, too.’
‘Give me three rings when you get home so I know you’re safe.’
Nicolette almost burst into tears at his thoughtfulness. Was it any wonder she loved him? ‘You, too,’ she insisted, smiling a little. He returned her smile and her heart melted into a pool of mush. With a brisk nod, he was gone.
He was so incredibly different from the others. Tim, Warren and Archie had all been men who’d put themselves first. It had been their careers that had mattered most in the relationships—not so with Stephen. They had appreciated her brains but had never really taken the time to have meaningful discussions with her—Stephen had. They had never made her feel as though she were the most valuable, precious and cherished woman in the whole entire world—Stephen definitely did.
He cared about her, that was evident, and he was certainly attracted to her, but could he possibly open his heart to let himself love her? She didn’t know. She knew him better now than she had a few weeks ago, but was it enough? Dared she hope?
Nicolette retrieved her keys from the floor and opened her locker. She would see him tomorrow at eleven. He’d said he wanted to discuss the practice but why hadn’t he said so before? Was it just a ruse, an excuse? Did he want to get her alone to let her know all contact and conversations, other than those of a professional nature, must stop? On the flipside, did he want to profess undying love?
She gripped her hands close to her heart and prayed fervently that that would be the case. She was a hopeless romantic, she realised as she opened her eyes, retrieved her coat, scarf and bag and closed her locker. Or maybe not hopeless but…hopeful.
When she signed out at the nurses’ station, she noted Stephen had already left. The security guard walked her to her car and although it took a few attempts to get her car started, it took even longer for the heater to kick in. She needed to think seriously about getting a new car. Perhaps she could ask Stephen to come to Sydney with her when she was ready to buy one.
As promised, when she arrived home, she dialled his home number and let it ring. He picked up immediately. ‘You weren’t supposed to answer,’ she protested. ‘You were supposed to let it ring three times and then I was supposed to hang up.’
‘Sorry. I just wanted to hear your voice and double-check you were all right.’ His deep, caring voice washed over her and Nicolette slumped down into a chair. He really was everything she was looking for. She’d promised herself not to get hurt again but she was effectively setting herself up for possibly the biggest fall of her life. Not even the horrific, frantic pace of a war zone could block out the pain he could cause if he rejected her love.
She took a breath. ‘I take it you didn’t run into any problems on your drive home?’
‘No. You’re a little later than I expected.’
‘When did you expect me?’
‘At least five minutes ago.’
‘That’s not a little later, that’s five minutes, you oietête.’
He chuckled. ‘What did you just call me?’
‘Goose-head.’
‘What on earth is that supposed to be? No, wait. Don’t bother. I don’t think I want to know.’
Nicolette joined in his laughter, her earlier apprehension gone. It had been replaced by a warm, secure feeling that Stephen didn’t want to keep their relationship strictly business.
‘It’s nothing bad. Just a silly childhood name my brothers and I used to call each other.’
‘So long as it’s nothing bad, then.’
Both were silent for a moment, their laughter dying away.
‘Bonne nuit, Nicolette.’ His voice was soft and gentle as he told her to have sweet dreams.
‘A toi aussi.’ She disconnected the call and whispered into the dark, ‘Mon chéri.’
At three o’clock, she began to think sleep would never claim her. Stephen had told her to have sweet dreams and that would be good if she could only settle her mind.
What did he want to discuss with her? Three thousand different scenarios had filtered through her head…well, perhaps no more than ten but it certainly felt like three thousand and her brain was just refusing to switch off and go to sleep.
All she wanted to do was lie there and dream about Stephen. The tender way he touched her hand, the way his lips brushed hers, tantalising and teasing her before the fierceness of their attraction took over. The way his body felt so perfect pressed against her own.
At five-thirty she gave up all pretence, deciding it was better to shower and dress and hopefully get some work done. It was then she recalled that she didn’t have any work to do. As Dr River had left the majority of the case load to her, she’d often brought casenotes home so she could either research, study or just write up what had happened with the patient in question. Now, though, working in a practice where the other doctor actually carried his weight, she found she didn’t have any extra paperwork to do. It was quite a strange feeling.
‘I’ll read a book,’ she decided firmly. It had been ages since she’d had the time to indulge in reading, and excitedly picked up the book Luc had sent for her birthday over six months ago. At first she read the same page over and over, her mind s
till refusing to be distracted, but after persisting she managed to snuggle up in front of the fire and read. At seven o’clock she fell asleep and woke just before nine with a stiff neck.
‘That’ll teach you,’ she muttered crossly as she massaged her neck. Her head felt as though it was full of cotton wool and she needed to get outside to clear the stuffiness.
She tugged on warm socks and her walking boots before pulling on her coat and woollen hat. She wound her scarf around her neck and picked up her keys and gloves. After shutting the door, she let the cold morning air hit her and welcomed its freshness.
Her favourite walk to Bridal Veil Falls wasn’t far and she set off, sliding her fingers into her gloves and then shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her coat. It was cold, it was brisk but it was just what she needed.
Nicolette was determined to enjoy the walk as she always did, and forced herself to take in her surroundings rather than dwell on Stephen…but she found herself failing quite often. She longed to bring him here, knowing he would love the place. Perhaps he’d want to paint it and perhaps he’d let her watch. She was curious about his painting and wondered if he’d ever let her see his work.
She waltzed through the car park and headed down the steps to the falls below. It was a popular destination and the car park was big enough for several tourist buses to park and turn around. Nicolette was just thankful the tourists hadn’t yet arrived for the day.
A few steps from the base of the falls she saw someone up ahead. She slowed her pace, not wanting to disturb them. Through the foliage, she realised the person was sitting down…painting. Warmth flooded through her in the hope that it was Stephen. Was he a morning person? Was that when he did his painting? There was still so much she needed to know about him.
On tenterhooks, she crept closer, not wanting to disturb the man but wanting to see if it was Stephen.
It was!
Her heart thudded so wildly against her chest she thought she’d wake any sleeping wildlife around. The birds were all awake and singing their beautiful songs and so, too, were her heart and mind. She shifted off the path to head towards him. A twig snapped underfoot and she looked up, expecting him to turn and see her, but instead he continued to paint.
Nicolette smiled. It was then she realised he had headphones on and she could now hear the muffled beat of heavy rock. How on earth could he create with such noise blaring in his head?
Then she looked at the canvas. This was obviously not his first trip here as the painting was well and truly established, but she gasped at what she saw.
The background held the natural beauty and splendour of Bridal Veil Falls cascading down over the rocks. The native trees were painted perfectly but it was the person in the painting that made her gasp. On one of the rocks in the middle of the pool was a woman. A woman who had blonde hair and brown eyes.
A woman whose face smiled back at her from the mirror every time she looked into it.
Stephen had painted her into the picture! But why?
It was then he turned and saw her. He froze for a few heart-stopping moments before he pulled the headphones from his ears, his gaze never leaving hers. ‘Good morning.’
‘I’m in that painting.’ There was going to be no small talk. She had too many questions that needed answers.
‘Yes.’ Still no movement.
‘Why?’
‘Because I’m trying to paint you out.’ His gaze was steady on hers as he spoke, his words causing hope to come more strongly to life.
‘Why?’
Stephen exhaled slowly and finally stood. He came over and stood next to her, viewing his painting critically. ‘It’s not too bad but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to completely capture all the colours in your hair. It’s so…sensual. It’s hard to paint sensual.’
Nicolette swallowed over her dry throat. ‘I think you’ve done an amazing job. She looks just like me.’
‘Thank you.’
She turned to face him. ‘But why, Stephen? Why the need to paint me at all?’
Stephen shifted so he could see her better, and gazed longingly into her warm brown eyes. ‘Don’t you have any idea what you do to me?’
She paused, her heart swelling with love for him. ‘I need you to tell me.’
‘Tell you what? That I can’t stop thinking about you? That even when I try to relax by painting, you somehow find your way onto the canvas? I thought at first I could paint you out, but the more I tried, the more I failed. You’ve stayed, Nicolette, and that has scared me, and it takes a lot to scare me.’
The smile on her face was one of pure love and she hoped it shone through, that he could not only see how much she needed him but also felt how special he was to her. ‘I know the feeling.’
‘Do you? And what do you do about it?’ His tone was earnest and clear.
‘I don’t fight it. I haven’t fought it for quite some time now and I’ve found that helps.’
‘Stop fighting?’
‘Yes.’
‘That would mean I have to tell you how much I love you.’
Nicolette gasped, her bottom lip quivering and her eyes beginning to fill with tears. She brushed them away impatiently, not wanting anything to blur her vision at this most life-changing moment.
‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘Yes, it would.’
‘By declaring my love, it means I’ve opened myself up to the possibility of hurt.’
‘Yes…but I could never hurt you.’ She pulled off her gloves and reached out, caressing his cheek. ‘I love you too much to do that.’ He sucked in a deep breath and took her hand in his, tugging her closer until his arms could close around her.
‘You love me?’ He was stunned and she laughed at his disbelief.
‘How can you doubt it?’ A teasing glint entered her eyes. ‘Let me prove it to you.’ She pressed little kisses to his neck. ‘Tu es adorable…’ More kisses across the lower part of his jaw. ‘Et sexy…’ A kiss on the corners of his mouth. ‘Et complètement chaud pour moi.’
‘Really?’ He raised his eyebrows.
‘Oui.’
‘I’m hot for you?’
‘Oui.’
He gathered her as close as he could, given their bulky clothing, and nuzzled her ear lobe. ‘Mmm. I guess you’re right. Despite it being a cold morning, I am toasty-roasty, basking in the unbelievable knowledge that you love me.’
‘If you don’t hurry up and kiss me, I won’t be held accountable for my actions.’
‘But you said you’d never hurt me,’ he reminded her.
‘Never intentionally, but isn’t it hurting you not to kiss me?’
‘Sweet torture,’ he murmured as he took a turn to press kisses to her neck. ‘Tu es belle…’ He worked his way around to her lips. ‘Tu es intelligente.’
‘Will you hurry up?’
He lifted his head and smiled down into her beautiful face. ‘Oui, ma chérie.’
Finally, his lips found hers and although both were eager to renew their acquaintance, there was also something very different in this kiss compared to the others they’d shared. This one declared the emotions they were both feeling, were understood and returned, as well as being for life.
The ringing of a phone pierced the stillness around them and Nicolette jumped.
Stephen smiled as he shifted slightly, not at all inclined to let go of the woman who meant everything to him, and pulled his phone from his pocket. ‘That’ll be Steph.’ He answered the call. ‘Hey, sis. How’s Sydney?’
‘What’s going on? I hardly slept last night and have been feeling quite miserable, and then a few minutes ago everything lifted and I can’t stop smiling!’
‘Is she feeling you again?’ Nicolette complained loudly.
‘Nic’s with you?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you’re happy?’ Stephanie fished.
‘Extremely.’
A piercing scream came from his sister and he held the phone away from his ear, both of them l
aughing. He took the opportunity to press a few more kisses to Nicolette’s lips before returning his attention to his sister.
‘So are you getting married?’
‘Am I getting married? Well, I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to ask her yet so give me a moment and I’ll fix it.’ He put the phone down on the ground and dropped to one knee, taking both Nicolette’s hands in his. She gasped with delight.
‘Nicolette, we may not have known each other long, but we’ve got to know each other more deeply than I’ve ever known a woman before. You are vitally important to me and I want you with me. Not only in business but in my personal life, too. Stephanie told me the mountains would help me find my smile again but, although they’ve helped, it’s been you who’s performed that miracle. You understand me and you’re on my wavelength. You are everything to me and I want you with me for ever. Please.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘Be my wife?’
Nicolette dropped down on one knee also, facing him, letting him see just how much she loved him. ‘There’s no longer any need for pretence, no need to hide how much you mean to me. I love you with every fibre of my being and I would love to be your wife, to make a life with you, to have children with you, to work with you, to encourage and support you. You are my equal, Stephen, the other half of me, and I am so glad I’ve finally found you.’
Tears were sliding down her cheeks as she spoke, her words choking in her throat due to the intensity of her emotion, but he heard every word and it took a few microseconds for it all to sink in. She loved him! He still couldn’t believe it, but what she’d said had been correct—they were each other’s missing halves, and together they made a whole.
The screaming from the telephone on the ground startled them both. Laughing, he picked up the phone. ‘Happy now?’
‘Yes. Let me speak to Nic.’ Stephen handed the phone across. ‘Nic, I’ve always loved you like a sister from the moment we met, and now you really are going to be my sister. Thank you for respecting the bond Stephen and I have and for letting me be a part of such an intimate and private moment.’
Nicolette smiled. ‘What are sisters for? Have fun in Sydney. I’ll be expecting a full debrief—and I mean full—later on in the week.’