by Joanna Neil
‘There’s no rush. You can take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere, and I just rattle around in the place on my own.’ He sent her a searching glance. ‘Are you ready to go? I’ll take you there now.’
He had been right when he’d said it was just a few minutes’ drive away, she discovered, but none of what he had said prepared her for the sight that met her eyes.
He had said that the place was small, but there was nothing small about it. The house was set in its own grounds, backed by low hills and woodland so that it was immediately pleasing on the eye. There was a low single-storey block to one side with a beautiful wide entrance porch enhanced by a profusion of clematis that scrambled over the trellis-covered walls. Tacked onto this building was a two-storey element with large double windows, and in front of all of this was a generous paved area, which led onto immaculate lawns with shrubbery to either side.
‘I thought you said your house wasn’t very big,’ she murmured, her eyes growing large as she took it all in. ‘This is fantastic. It’s lovely.’
‘I’m glad you like it,’ he said with a twist to his mouth. ‘I suppose size is relative, depending how many people who want to cram in. Compared with my parents’ home, this is a bit like a holiday chalet.’
‘You were obviously born with the proverbial silver spoon in your mouth if you think this is just a holiday home,’ she told him. ‘A lot of people would give their eye teeth for somewhere like this.’
‘I suppose I’m fortunate,’ he agreed. ‘I was looking for a place of my own when I came to work at the emergency department and for a while it looked as though I wasn’t going to find anything that suited me. I wanted somewhere that was close to the hospital, but at the same time in a kind of rural setting. Then this place came on the market and I snatched it up. I like the woodland setting, and at the back of the house, from one of the bedrooms, you can look out over the river in the distance. It can be quite beautiful in the summer, or even in the late autumn.’
‘I can imagine.’
‘Let’s go inside, anyway. I should think you want to wind down. I’ll make us some supper and show you the guest room.’ He was opening the front door as he spoke and then he ushered her inside.
The interior of the building was every bit as wonderful as the outside. The floor was pale oak, and all the woodwork reflected the same warm colouring. Everywhere was light and open, allowing the last rays of the evening sunlight to filter into every crevice.
‘I’ll put the kettle on, and then I’ll give you a quick tour, if you like. Come through to the kitchen with me.’
She followed him and halted in the doorway of the large room. It was a dream kitchen, with cream-coloured cupboard units and smooth marble worktops. In the centre of the room was a glass dining table, with dancing light shimmering on its surface.
He flicked the switch on the kettle, and said, ‘Let me show you the living room. It’s just through here.’
He led the way, opening the door to a spacious, rectangular room, furnished with comfy sofas upholstered in a soft cream fabric and decorated with scatter cushions. At the far end of the room was a dining unit with a circular, light oak table and chairs facing patio doors that looked out over a landscaped garden and fields beyond.
‘This is all so lovely,’ she told him. ‘The view out there reminds me of my aunt’s cottage on the island. I spent most of the last years of my childhood playing in the fields, gathering wild flowers and feeding the horses that grazed around there. There was a brook where my sister and I used to dangle our nets and try to catch tiddlers.’
‘It sounds as though you had fun.’
She nodded and smiled, reminiscing. ‘They were happy times when my aunt and uncle took us in. It gave my mother a breathing space to get her head right after everything that had happened, with the divorce and so on, and as far as my aunt was concerned, I think she was glad that we were there with her after my uncle died. We were a comfort to her.’
‘Did your mother stay there with you for a long time? You said that she was ill, and I had the impression that she might not have been with you the whole time. You’ve spoken more about your aunt than you have about your mother.’
He was obviously far more astute then she had counted on. ‘I suppose the truth of the matter is that my mother was there with us in body if not in soul,’ she said. ‘Of course, it’s true that she was ill for a while. I think she was run down after everything that had happened with my father, and stress took its toll on her for a while. Once she had recovered, though, I think she became restless. We, Alison and I, tended to turn to Aunt Heather for comfort and companionship. She was always ready to listen to us, and nothing was too much trouble for her.’
She smiled, remembering those days. ‘She would walk with us along the country lanes, and she would point out all the things that we might have missed—the wild flowers, the fungi around the roots of the trees, and she was always the one who would spot the squirrel trying to hide from us, or the pheasant that would appear from under a hedgerow.’
‘I think I’d quite like to meet your aunt,’ he said softly. ‘She sounds like a woman after my own heart.’
‘I’m sure you would take to her,’ Rebecca murmured.
Craig nodded and started towards the kitchen once more. ‘I’ll make a pot of tea, and then, while it’s brewing, I’ll show you the rest of the house. There are three bedrooms upstairs, two of them looking out over the fields and the woodland, so if you think you might like to look out over the river, you could have the room next to mine. The other bedroom is smaller, but there’s still a good aspect over the front of the house. I’ll leave it to you to decide which one you want.’
Rebecca wasn’t at all sure about sleeping in the room next to his. Somehow that seemed altogether too close. He wasn’t pushing the issue, though, and perhaps she was too much on edge and not thinking clearly. The truth was, she was far too aware of him. He was the first man in a long time who had made her feel that it would be good to have him around.
She followed him up the stairs a short time later and peeped into the master bedroom when he pushed open the door. Somehow, the thought of him sleeping in there made her feel warm all over. She was glad when he pulled the door closed and showed her into the bedroom next door.
‘Oh, this is so pretty.’ She turned to look at him. ‘There’s such a contrast between this and…and your room. Does this room belong to someone?’
He shook his head. ‘My brother and his wife stay here from time to time. I think Jenny is glad of a break from the farm sometimes so she kind of revels in the chance to chill out around the place. She helped to choose some of the interior decoration. I have my own tastes, but she was good at adding those touches that make a place a home, so I gave her free rein in here. My brother’s like me—he doesn’t really have any particular preferences, so he lets her get on with it.’
Rebecca laughed. ‘Now, he sounds like a man that I would get along with very well.’
He made a smile. ‘Actually, you might be better off in this room because, now I come to think of it, my mother bought some packs of underwear and a few items of clothing, just in case anyone was to stay over and didn’t have everything that they might need.’
He made a face. ‘I think, to be honest, she wasn’t just thinking of Jenny—she was thinking that she might forget to pack something or other whenever she came over here. She does that, my mother…She decides to drop by for a weekend and then realises she’s forgotten half of the stuff that she needs. My father went away with her on holiday once and found that she’d failed to pack any trousers for him, so now he always does his own packing.’
Rebecca chuckled. ‘I can imagine.’
‘Anyway,’ he added, ‘this way, there’s no problem. So what I’m trying to say is you could help yourself to any of the things in the wardrobe or the drawers. At least that would tide you over until you get your luggage back.’
She nodded. ‘That sounds like a good i
dea—if you’re sure that no one will mind me using any of the clothes?’
‘There’s absolutely no problem. Just help yourself.’ He moved further into the room and pushed open another door. ‘You have your own en suite in here, so hopefully you’ll have everything you need.’
‘Thanks.’ She looked up at him, taking in his strong-boned features, the straight nose and the way his mouth was perfectly moulded. ‘You’re being very good to me. I do appreciate it.’
‘Any time,’ he said. ‘Why don’t I leave you here to rummage around for a bit, while I go and rustle up some supper for us?’
‘That would be good, thank you.’
It was only when he had left her alone and gone downstairs that she realised she had agreed to sleep in the room right next to his. She glanced towards the large bed with its exquisite soft duvet. The headboard was set against the adjoining wall, and if she remembered right, his bed was just on the other side of that wall.
She gave a soft sigh. How was it that she managed to get herself into these situations? It looked as though she was in for a sleepless night.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THERE was a knock on the door, and then Rebecca heard Craig’s voice coming to her from the landing outside the bedroom. ‘I’ll be putting breakfast on the table in about half an hour,’ he said. ‘Is that all right with you? I thought I heard you moving around in there.’
‘Yes…yes, that will be fine. Thank you.’ Rebecca frowned. She had been as quiet as a mouse, hadn’t she, so how had he managed to hear her? He must have been on the alert the whole time.
She’d had it in mind to go downstairs and cook breakfast for him, if only as a small way of thanking him for putting her up for the night, but that was out of the question now, wasn’t it?
Of course, she hadn’t bargained on sleeping from the moment her head had touched the pillow until just a few minutes ago. The events of the previous day must have knocked her for six, because even though her senses were heightened to an abnormal degree where Craig was concerned, and she had been cautious about letting her guard down for even a moment, she had gone out like a light once she’d pulled the duvet protectively around her.
Quickly, she wriggled into her jeans. Then she unhooked a cotton top from its hanger in the wardrobe and pulled it down over her head. It fitted snugly. She followed up with a few quick strokes of the brush through her long hair, and then added a light touch of make-up to her face.
Feeling a little more ready to face the world, and Craig in particular, she went downstairs to the kitchen a few minutes later. The appetising smell of bacon and eggs wafted over to her.
‘Good. There you are,’ Craig said with a smile, turning as she walked into the room. ‘You’re just in time.’ He slid a plate full of food onto the table and indicated a chair. ‘Sit down and tuck in.’
‘I feel bad about this,’ she said awkwardly. ‘About you cooking for me and waiting on me, I mean. I meant to get up early and do all this for you.’
‘There’s no need for you to do anything at all.’ He stood for a moment, simply looking her over from head to toe. ‘Just having you here in my kitchen, looking totally gorgeous, is reward enough.’
Her mouth made an odd shape in response to that, something halfway between a smile and a nervous twist. ‘You have a smooth tongue in your head, don’t you?’ she murmured. ‘Perhaps I should tell you that I’m very cautious about men like you. I’ve had my fingers burned before this and I’m not likely to fall for flattery.’ She glanced at the table, laid out with toast and butter, apricot preserve and a steaming pot of coffee. ‘There’s always the chance that bacon and eggs might do it, of course. I do appreciate a good breakfast.’
He chuckled. ‘Then you should sit down and enjoy it. I like a woman with a good appetite.’ He started to pour coffee for both of them. ‘Incidentally,’ he said in a matter-of-fact tone, ‘it wasn’t intended as flattery. I meant every word of it.’ He slid into a chair and reached for a slice of toast. ‘I have to say that you’re the best-looking woman to come my way in a long, long time.’
She shook her head. He was irrepressible, wasn’t he? She said lightly, ‘I’m not even going to go there.’ Picking up her fork, she started to make inroads on her breakfast. ‘Do you have plans for the day?’ she asked after a while. ‘I suppose under normal circumstances you would be working, wouldn’t you?’
‘That’s right, but I’ve been told that I have to take a day or so off work to get over the accident. The powers that be aren’t letting me have any choice in the matter.’
She frowned. ‘Would you have gone in otherwise? I would have thought you would be hesitant after what happened, especially as you are quite often involved in call outs…how can you face going up in a helicopter ever again?’
He shrugged. ‘I want to work, and I don’t have a problem with the job that I do. Anyway, I think it’s probably best to get back on the horse right after you’ve been thrown, so to speak.’
She stared at him and gave a small shudder. How could he be so casual about what had happened to them? ‘Some people might say that would be tempting fate. I certainly won’t be setting foot in a helicopter ever again, that’s for sure.’
He glanced at her. ‘I think that would be a mistake. You can’t go through life being afraid of what might happen.’
‘You’re welcome to think that way. Personally, I don’t know how you can go on doing that kind of work after what we went through.’
‘The simple answer to that is that someone has to do it. Sometimes it’s the only way to make sure that people get to hospital in the shortest time possible after an accident. At least in this line of work I’m able to feel that I’m doing some good.’
She winced. ‘I’m sure you are, but if it was me, I’d say that was the end of my time spent up in the air in a tin box.’
‘I’ve never really thought of it that way.’ He munched thoughtfully on a corner of the toast that he had dipped into the runny yolk of his egg. ‘What about your plans? You had it in mind to go and work on the island where your aunt lives, didn’t you? There was a job waiting for you. Isn’t that the reason you came here?’
‘Yes, I do have something lined up, but I’m not sure how it will work out yet.’
‘It involves working with mothers and babies, doesn’t it? I heard something about that from one of the nurses. I think you must have told her something about your reasons for coming home.’
She nodded. ‘That’s right. I’m desperate to get back to my roots. I want to go and live on the island where I grew up. It’s the one place where I knew peace, and I long to be there once again. Here on the mainland, where we used to live, my parents were always arguing with each other, and we were under the constant threat of having our family split apart at any moment. It wasn’t a good time.’
‘So the idea of going back to the island is for you to live and work there on a permanent basis?’
‘Yes, that’s right.’ She sent him a quick glance. ‘You sound as though you think that’s not a good idea?’
He shrugged. ‘I prefer to live and work on the mainland. At the moment I have the best of both worlds, because I work in the A and E unit most of the time and go out with the helicopter on a rota basis. It suits me to do that.’
‘Don’t you have any qualms at all about going back up in the air?’
He shook his head. ‘Like I said, sometimes you have to go with the flow and take the knocks, or life will grind you down. I prefer to put all that behind me and look to the future. I can’t govern what happens, so I’ll carry on doing what I know best.’ He ran his gaze over her. ‘Are you going to follow up on the island job? I would have thought that could be a problem if you want to be near to your aunt.’
‘That’s true, it would.’ Rebecca took a moment to savour the taste of fried tomatoes before adding, ‘Anyway, nothing is written in stone at the moment. I’m not altogether sure that the job I’ve been offered will actually come about, but there’s a
lways the option of a post in the health centre over there, dealing with the under-fives and their health problems. Again, the centre is waiting for a staff member to finish her contract with them before she moves on.’
‘So that leaves you in a kind of limbo right now?’
‘Yes, it does.’ She frowned. ‘For the moment I need to find some other kind of work to tide me over so that I can stay close to my aunt while she’s in the stroke unit.’
Craig was thoughtful for a while. ‘I could probably help out with that. I imagine I might be able to find you some temporary work in A and E over here. We’re always short-staffed.’
‘You could?’
He nodded. ‘I take it that you’ve had a fair amount of experience with emergency medicine?’
‘Yes, I have…but there’s no way I would be prepared to go out on your kind of missions.’ She sent him an anxious glance. ‘Would I need to do that?’
‘Not unless you wanted to.’ He studied her briefly before finishing off his meal. ‘Would you like me to put in a word for you?’
‘That would be great, thanks.’
‘Good. That’s settled, then.’ He appeared to be running it over in his mind. ‘I could mention it to Admin this morning when I go to the hospital…I’m assuming that you want to go over there to visit with your aunt for a while?’
‘Yes, I do. I thought I would take a bus over there straight after breakfast.’
‘There’s no need for that. I’ll drive you in. I have one or two loose ends that I need to tie up back at the hospital.’
‘Thanks.’ Rebecca smiled at him before swallowing down the rest of her coffee. Things seemed to be working out far better than she had expected, and it was mostly down to Craig. How was it that her life had been a complete mess up until now, and yet within days of meeting him her path was being smoothed out for her?
A sudden thought brought her up sharply. At this rate she was going to find herself relying on him, and that would never do, would it? He was just someone she had met by chance, and surely in the end they would simply be ships that passed in the night?