by Lucy Clark
Her father had wanted children and her mother had obliged but had hated every minute of it. One day, she’d upped and left and Rose had never seen or heard from her again. A part of her had always been curious and her father, bless him, had answered all her questions lovingly and honestly, showing her photographs of the woman she now looked almost identical to.
Was she identical in behaviour as well? Rose had never had much to do with children in the past and she’d tried never to think about if she’d ever be a mother herself. Having grown up without one, she had no idea how they were supposed to behave. Her mother’s behaviour had been appalling—according to her father—and he’d blamed himself for the way Rosie had been treated.
‘Agh! Stop it,’ she told herself as she switched off the taps.
After her shower, Rose decided she needed a good breakfast. ‘Surely that will help improve my mood.’
The phone rang as she was in the middle of sautéing some onions for the frittata she was planning to make. She glanced at the clock as she snatched it up. At six-thirty, it could only be the hospital.
‘Dr Partridge.’
‘Good morning, my sweet Rosie. I just needed to hear your voice,’ Dave said. His rich, deep voice washed over her and she momentarily closed her eyes, savouring the feeling.
‘There you go. You’ve heard it. What are you doing up so early?’
‘Early? I’m always up at six, sometimes earlier if Mick needs help with things. Besides,’ he added in a softer tone, ‘I couldn’t sleep. I was worried about you.’
Rose smiled. ‘Well, thank you for worrying about me, but I’m fine. Hang on a minute.’ She stretched the phone cord over towards the stove. ‘Don’t want the onions to burn.’
‘What are you cooking? Are you as good as your father?’
‘I’m making breakfast frittata and, no, I’m not as good as my father…but he taught me everything I know,’ she added.
‘Right. Breakfast at your house. See you soon.’
Rose laughed, loving the way a few minutes talking to him had put her in a better mood. ‘Dave, you can’t come around for breakfast. What will the neighbours think?’ It was then she heard the ‘disconnected’ signal. ‘Dave?’
He’d hung up on her. What a cheek! ‘Oh, no,’ she said as she replaced the receiver. ‘He’s coming around!’
Rose wasn’t sure what to do first. She was thankful that she’d showered and was presentably dressed, although, with Dave’s easygoing nature, she doubted whether that would be of any importance to him. He was so different from Julian. He might be divorced, he might have a child, but he was still very different. At times like these, she had no idea how to behave.
Should she be the cool, calm sophisticate who was used to men popping in for breakfast? Should she be hard and unyielding, refusing to let him in when he arrived? ‘Just concentrate on the cooking or all he’s going to be turning up for is burnt offerings,’ she told herself firmly.
By the time she heard his vehicle, breakfast was ready but she was nowhere near the same. What if one of the neighbours saw him? What if they thought his ute had been parked out front all night long?
What was going to happen when they saw each other again? Was it going to be awkward? No. Not with Dave. He wouldn’t let it be awkward. She’d only ever had polite, predictable relationships, she realised with a start. The men she’d dated before Julian had all been professionals. Polished. Seemingly perfect. Perhaps that’s what had been missing from her life? A bit of spontaneity. With Dave, she had no idea whether she was coming or going. It was a strange but not unpleasant feeling and right now, although her stomach was alive with butterflies at the thought of seeing him again, she was looking forward to it at the same time.
His coming would bring the gossips out in force but she knew there really wasn’t anything she could do about the rumour mill of Broken Hill. Right now, she had a hungry man knocking loudly at her front door.
‘I’m coming,’ she called a little impatiently when his knocking didn’t stop. She wrenched open the door and gasped with surprise as he burst through, swept her into his arms and kicked the door shut in one swift motion. Before she could say anything else, his lips were on hers, devouring them hungrily.
Rose wasn’t complaining. The same urge had built within her from the moment he’d left yesterday evening and she moaned with delight as his arms tightened around her back, moulding her body to his.
Her breathing was ragged, matching his. Her body was on fire, liquid heat spreading throughout her body. How did he manage to fuel such an uncharacteristic response in her with a few simple kisses? They weren’t simple, she corrected. They were the most passionate kisses she’d ever received in her life—and she loved them.
Finally, his mouth broke free from hers. ‘You taste and smell delicious.’
Rose smiled shyly up at him. ‘That’s the food, silly.’
‘No.’ Dave was serious as he looked down into her upturned face. ‘You are one very beautiful woman, Rosie Partridge, and don’t let anyone tell you differently.’ He kissed her again before letting her go and taking two big steps away. ‘If I don’t put some distance between us, breakfast will be the last thing we’ll be concentrating on this morning.’
Rose felt herself blushing and looked way. ‘Is that so?’ She worked hard to inject a haughty note into her tone but wasn’t sure she’d succeeded. ‘How do you know I’d let you do anything other than kiss me or eat the food I’ve cooked?’ She turned away from him and headed into the kitchen.
‘I should hope you wouldn’t.’ He chuckled as he followed her. ‘I just love it when you come across all prim and proper like that.’ He grabbed her from behind and held her back against his chest. He bent and nibbled at her earlobe, which sent a wave of goose bumps spreading down one side of her body. ‘All I meant,’ he whispered seductively, ‘is that you’re so…addictive, I doubt I’ll ever be able to get enough of you.’
‘I knew what you meant,’ she told him, not entirely sure she wanted to pull away. Even if she did, would her own legs support her? ‘Let’s eat. I don’t want you to be late for ward round. Then people will really start asking questions.’
‘So nice to be with a woman who understands my job.’ Dave reluctantly let her go and sat down on a stool.
‘Your ex-wife didn’t?’ Rose concentrated on making sure everything was ready and pulled the frittata from beneath the grill.
‘No. Mags resented my work as a doctor.’
‘Then why did she marry you?’
‘Good question. Apparently, it was considered fashionable to be a doctor’s wife.’
‘How did you meet?’ She served the food up and put a plate in front of him.
‘Looks and smells delicious,’ he said, and took one of her hands in his. Slowly, he raised it to his lips and pressed a light kiss on her knuckles. Rose smiled, a little confused but flattered all the same. ‘Thanks for letting me in.’
‘How could I not?’ She laughed. ‘If I hadn’t, I’m sure you would have knocked the door down.’
Dave laughed, before taking a bite. ‘Probably. Mmm, this is great! What’s in it?’
She wondered whether he was trying to avoid answering the question and decided she’d let him—for the moment. If he wanted to pursue a relationship with her, then she had the right to ask him personal questions. ‘Potato, bacon, eggs, onion and sun-dried tomato—oh, and some herbs.’
‘It’s delicious. You are as good a cook as your father.’
‘Thank you for saying so, even if I don’t agree. I’ve had a lifetime of eating his cooking and somehow it always tastes better than anything I ever make. Still, he would always encourage me.’
‘And that’s the point. To try new things.’ Dave swallowed his mouthful and looked at her, his gaze tearing a path directly to her soul.
‘Is that what you’re doing with me?’ she asked softly. ‘Trying something new?’
His fork clattered to his plate and he reached for her
hand again. ‘Rosie, I would never intentionally hurt you but, yes, I guess I am trying to try something new—if that makes sense. As I said, I haven’t been involved with a woman since Mags so, in essence, I am trying something new. I’m trying to see whether this natural chemistry that exists between us is just physical or something more.’
‘And if it is just physical?’
‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.’
She retrieved her hand. ‘That’s not good enough, Dave.’ Rose took a bite of her breakfast. She forced herself to chew calmly and swallow, before elaborating. ‘It’s only been three months since Julian broke off the engagement. You’ve had six years to recover from your busted relationship.’
Dave nodded. ‘The situation with Julian has made you question your own judgement.’
‘Yes.’
‘That never goes away, Rosie. I’m still questioning my judgement. We should all question our judgement. It’s the only way we learn. In our profession, we’ve learned what we need to do to save people’s lives. It’s our experience that helps us through in difficult times but we still question things. If we didn’t and the patient wasn’t a textbook case, they’d probably die. It’s part of life, it’s part of any relationship. I think the real problem is that for a while there we stopped questioning our judgement.’
He started eating again. ‘You want to know how I met Mags?’
Rose didn’t reply, she just forked in another mouthful and waited. If he wanted to tell her, she would listen, but she wouldn’t have initially asked the question if she didn’t want to know.
‘She was a patient of mine. She had a badly busted appendix which perforated on the table. She was extremely ill for a while but thankfully she recovered. Once she was discharged from my care, she kept stopping by the hospital to see me. The rest, as they say, is history. How about you and Julian?’
Rose took a sip of her orange juice. ‘He was supplying the hospital with new computers and devising a special program for the secretaries to use. We kept bumping into each other in the staff cafeteria and one day we sat together and had lunch. The next day, he took me out to lunch and the next thing I knew he was proposing and I’d accepted.’
‘Fast.’ He nodded again. ‘That’s the way Julian works.’
‘So I gather.’
‘Are you hurt that he’s found someone else so soon?’
‘No. His previous wives told me all about Margaret. Apparently he’s been seeing her on and off for years.’
‘You know his ex-wives?’
‘Yes. They started calling me after our engagement was announced. At first I thought they were being vindictive—at least that’s what Julian had said when I told him they’d been calling. Then I realised they were just trying to save me from what they’d been through.’
‘He was at my wedding. A friend of Mags’s. He was married to his first wife then. She seemed nice but I didn’t see her again. Julian’s the type of man who needs a pretty woman at his side who’ll put up with his many indiscretions. She’ll be the apple of his eye so long as she does what he wants.’
‘You think Margaret fits the bill?’
He shrugged. ‘They’re too much alike. Both like to play the field. Both are manipulative. Good luck to them. I truly don’t care. So long as I get custody of Mel, I’ll be happy.’
At the mention of his daughter, Rose swallowed suddenly and started coughing. Dave patted her on the back. ‘OK?’
She had a quick drink and nodded.
‘I mention my daughter and you start to choke. Is Melody going to be a problem between us?’ His tone was quiet yet firm.
‘She could be. I’ve told you, Dave. I’m just not comfortable around children.’
‘Why?’
‘Because that’s the way I am,’ she replied forcefully.
‘What happened?’ He gazed into her eyes and she felt as though he were touching her soul. She shivered and crossed her arms in front. ‘Tell me, Rosie.’
‘I…I can’t,’ she whispered. ‘It will upset me for the rest of the day and I…I can’t afford to have that happen.’
He exhaled deeply and raked his fingers through his hair. ‘I see.’ He looked at his now empty plate. ‘That was delicious. Thank you for allowing me to come over for breakfast.’ He stood and carried his plate and utensils to the dishwasher and stacked them inside.
‘You’re leaving?’
He groaned softly. ‘I don’t know what to do, Rosie. I think perhaps it’s best if I did leave, for the moment.’
‘Why? Are you going to say something you might regret?’
‘No. It’s not that. In fact, I don’t know what it is. That’s the truth. We seem to be going around in circles. I want to be with you and I think you want to be with me—and I don’t mean that in a physical sense.’
‘Ah, so you don’t think what’s happening between us is just physical,’ she stated.
‘I’ve never met anyone like you before, Rosie.’ He came to stand behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, kneading gently. ‘You’re direct, straightforward, yet you can be as cool as an ice queen when it suits you.’
‘Protection,’ she murmured as she closed her eyes, not only enjoying the massage but his closeness as well.
‘I know. We all have our barriers. Just like the echidna. We put up our spikes whenever we’re being attacked.’
‘What are your barriers, Dave? Am I going to be able to break through them?’
‘Do you want to break through them?’ he countered quietly.
‘I…I don’t know.’ He stopped massaging but didn’t remove his hands so the warmth was still spreading down her shoulders and flooding deep within her. Her blood pumped faster around her body; her pulse mimicked the pace. ‘Things have just been happening too fast but, try as I might, I just can’t seem to slow them down.’
He chuckled. ‘Especially when I’m barging in here, inviting myself to breakfast.’
‘Did you hear me strenuously objecting?’
‘Did I give you time?’ He bent his head and nuzzled her neck. ‘You smell incredible.’ He placed light kisses on her skin and Rose closed her eyes, letting her head rest back against him. She parted her lips as her breathing increased, savouring the sensations he was evoking deep within her. ‘I’m having such a hard time keeping my hands off you, Rosie. Now, that’s definitely physical.’
Rose swallowed. ‘I know what you mean.’ She turned in his arms to face him and, placing her hands on either side of his face, brought his lips down to meet her own. She sighed with longing as he moved his mouth over hers. This was the only time she felt complete. When she was with Dave and he was kissing her. Reality seemed suspended and she wished she could live in the moment for ever.
‘Sweetheart,’ he groaned a few minutes later as he eased back but didn’t let her go. ‘It’s almost half past seven and I’m due at the hospital for ward round soon.’
Rose nodded. ‘So where do we go from here, Dave?’
‘I’m not sure, Rosie. We’ll just have to figure it out as we go along.’ He bent his head and kissed her quickly. ‘Do you need help cleaning up here?’
‘No. I’ll put it all in the dishwasher with the dishes from last night and switch it on before I go.’
‘When are you leaving?’
‘In about two minutes. It’s Wednesday—baby day.’
‘How many C-sections are there this morning?’ He took a few steps away and put his hands in his shorts pockets as though he was having a hard time keeping his hands off her.
‘I think there’s two.’
‘All right. Well, you have fun. Are we still on for dinner tonight?’
‘Sure.’
‘We’ll talk more then.’ Still keeping his hands where they were, he leaned forward again and kissed her once more. ‘Sorry,’ he said with that lopsided grin that always melted her heart. ‘I told you I find you irresistible.’
Rose laughed. ‘Thanks for stopping by.’
<
br /> ‘I’ll see myself out.’
Rose turned her attention to the sink, determined to get to the hospital as soon as possible. The sooner she got this day under way, the sooner it would be time for dinner. Dinner with Dave.
CHAPTER NINE
THE rest of the day passed in a blur as Dave anxiously counted the minutes until he would be alone with Rosie again. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told her she was addictive and the more he saw of her, the harder he felt himself falling.
‘What’s the matter with you?’ Sadie quizzed as she showed in his last patient. ‘You’ve been as jumpy as a red roo all day long.’
‘Probably getting excited about seeing his little girl tomorrow,’ the patient supplied.
‘Good point,’ Sadie remarked, and Dave thought it safer just to smile and let them think what they wanted.
‘How old is she now, Dave?’ his patient asked, and she wasn’t the first one to have asked that question during the course of the day. He smiled politely and murmured the correct responses, all the while trying to squash his impatience for the day to be over.
Finally, the patient was finished and as he sat down to write up the notes he heard footsteps coming down the corridor. ‘What now?’ he grumbled quietly. The polite smile he’d pasted onto his face changed to one of relief and genuine surprise as Rosie walked into his room and sat down opposite him.
‘What a day.’ She sighed.
‘I know what you mean. How are you holding up?’ He finished writing and closed the case notes with finality. His clinic was done!
‘Nothing a good night’s sleep wouldn’t fix, but I don’t seem to be having many of them.’
‘Ah, now, that’s a lie. I know for a fact that you had a decent sleep the night you got food poisoning—well, once you stopped vomiting.’
‘Yuck!’ Rose grimaced and covered her face with her hands. ‘Don’t remind me. I must have looked awful.’