‘It wasn’t that bad,’ she protested, touched by the concern in his voice. ‘As I said, Mum and Dad were marvellous and once I’d completed my GP training, life became much easier. It was still hard work, of course, but at least I didn’t need to work such gruellingly long hours.’
‘When did you move out of your parents’ house?’ Matt asked curiously.
‘When Ross was about twelve. I was earning a decent salary by then and I was able to afford a mortgage. Mum still helped out if I needed a hand, but it was good to be independent at last.’
‘You value your independence, then?’ he said quietly, and she frowned when she caught a hint of something she couldn’t identify in his tone.
‘Yes, I suppose I do. It was a long time before I was able to strike out on my own and it’s important to me to know that I’m not beholden to anyone.’
‘Is that why you’ve never married?’ He shrugged when she looked at him in surprise. ‘It just seems strange that you’re still single. It certainly can’t be for lack of offers.’
Rachel felt the colour rush to her cheeks and stared down at the table. Had she imagined that sensuous note in Matt’s voice, that hint of sexual attraction? She must have done because there was no sign of it on his face when she looked up.
‘I guess I’ve never met anyone I wanted to spend my life with,’ she said lightly, opting for a partial truth.
The waiter arrived just then to take their order and by the time they decided what they wanted, the moment had passed. However, several times during the evening Rachel found herself wondering if she should have been more up front with Matt and explained that she had been wary of falling in love in case she had committed another error of judgement. For some reason she couldn’t explain it seemed important that he should know the truth. How odd.
They left the restaurant shortly after ten p.m. Matt would have happily stayed there longer but it was obvious the staff were waiting to close for the night. If anything the temperature had dropped even further and he saw Rachel shiver as they walked towards their cars.
‘Brr, it’s freezing,’ she declared, huddling into the collar of her coat. ‘Do you think it will snow tonight?’
‘It could do, although it’s probably a bit too cold at the moment.’ Matt carried on past his car and saw her look at him in surprise. ‘I’ll just make sure you get off safely,’ he explained, and she laughed.
‘Ever the gentleman even in the freezing cold!’ She quickly zapped the locks open and turned to him. ‘I enjoyed tonight, Matt. Thank you. Next time, it’s my treat.’
‘I’ll hold you to that,’ he said, aiming for lightness and hoping he had succeeded. The thought of them spending another evening together was so enticing that he had a sudden urge to grin but managed to restrain himself. There was no point scaring her into thinking she’d had dinner with a lunatic!
‘You do that.’
Before he could say anything else she reached up on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. Her lips were cold from the wind and Matt sucked in his breath when he felt them touch his skin. It was just one of those kisses that people exchanged all the time, he told himself firmly, a social nicety, nothing to get steamed up about, but he wasn’t convinced. He could call it whatever he liked, but it was still a kiss and his body appreciated that fact even if his brain insisted on trying to rationalise it.
Desire flooded through him, bringing about a very predictable response, or at least one that would have been predictable several years ago. The fact that it hadn’t happened in so long he could barely remember the last time made his heart almost stutter to a stop.
Rachel gave him a quick smile as she stepped back. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Take care going home. There could be ice on the roads.’
‘I…um…you too,’ Matt said numbly as she got into her car and closed the door. He waited while she backed out of the parking space, even managed to wave as she drove away, but every action was an effort when his body was clamouring for something it hadn’t experienced since Claire had died.
He walked back to his car and got in then sat there, letting the feelings pour through him. This had gone beyond what he had felt at the weekend, way beyond that first tentative awakening of desire. What he was feeling now was something more earthy, more powerful, more urgent. He wanted to make love to Rachel and enjoy every inch of her delectable body, and then enjoy her enjoying him. Maybe it was the passage of time but he couldn’t remember feeling this need so intensely before, not even for Claire.
The thought shook him to the core. His love for Claire had been the mainstay of his life, the one thing that had never been in doubt. Surely he wasn’t doubting it now just because he wanted to have sex with another woman?
Matt knew he needed to work out what was going on and that he couldn’t do it there. He needed to go home and think about it, calmly, rationally. He drove himself home, keeping his speed well below the limit because he was aware that his reactions weren’t as sharp as they should have been. As soon as he got in, he made himself a cup of coffee and took it into the sitting room. There in the room he and Claire had spent so many happy evenings, he let himself remember their life together, all the good times they’d had, the fun, the laughter, the love.
Tears welled to his eyes but he didn’t try to stop them falling. He had spent years being strong for his daughter’s sake and it was time he allowed himself an outlet for his emotions. He had loved Claire so much, would have loved her for ever more, but she had died and left him on his own. He needed to cry for the woman he had lost and he also needed to cry for himself too.
Rachel drove home carefully, heeding her own advice. Although the main roads had been gritted, she could see a shimmer of frost on the tarmac when she turned into the lane leading to her cottage. She negotiated the bends with extra care and drew up with a sigh of relief. Thank heavens that was over.
Stepping out of the car, she went to hurry up the path and shrieked in alarm when her feet suddenly skidded from under her. She landed with an almighty thud, wincing as her right knee took the brunt of her fall. Getting to her feet again wasn’t easy when her knee felt as though it was on fire but she needed to get inside. She certainly couldn’t spend the night outdoors in weather as cold as this.
She hobbled up the path and let herself in. It seemed an awful long way to the kitchen but a cold compress should help to prevent her knee swelling up. By leaning against the wall and hopping, she finally made it to the kitchen and dug a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer, wrapping it in a tea-towel before applying it to her knee. There was already a huge bruise forming and she guessed that the whole knee would be black and blue by the morning.
She sighed as she held the makeshift compress against her swollen joint. What a miserable end to a lovely evening. Maybe it was payback for that kiss? She hadn’t planned on it happening—it had been purely an impulse. She wouldn’t have given it a second thought normally either. However, the moment her lips had connected with Matt’s cheek, she had realised her mistake. Social kissing may be all well and good, but not when the person she was kissing was Matt, apparently.
Her breath caught as she remembered the warmth of his skin against her lips. She touched a finger to her mouth and shuddered when she felt an echo of that heat still lingering there. It was hard to believe the brief contact could have left such a lasting impression. Had it made the same impression on Matt, though?
Common sense insisted that the answer to that question should be a resounding no but she found it difficult to accept it. There had been several occasions recently when he had looked at her with an awareness in his eyes that she hadn’t seen there before. Even the interest he had shown tonight when he’d asked her why she had chosen to remain single was a new departure for him and she couldn’t help wondering what had changed. Was it possible that Matt no longer saw her simply as a colleague?
The thought made her heart race even though she had no proof that it was true. Rachel sighed as she put the now
-soggy bag of peas back into the freezer and lifted out a bag of sprouts. All she knew for certain was that her feelings towards Matt had altered recently and altered dramatically too. She would have to be extra careful around him and make sure that she didn’t let him know how confused she felt. And that meant no more kissing for any reason!
Matt was getting showered the following morning when the telephone rang. Snatching a towel off the rack, he hurried into his bedroom and picked up the receiver. Surprisingly, after all the emotional upheaval of the previous evening, he had slept soundly. It was as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, making him see that he had needed an outlet for his feelings for a very long time.
‘Matthew Thompson.’
‘Matt, it’s me, Rachel. I’m sorry to phone you so early but I need a favour.’
Matt felt a rush of heat invade him and sank down onto the bed. Hearing Rachel’s voice reminded him vividly of the dreams he’d had during the night, dreams of such an explicit nature that his body immediately quickened as he recalled them. It was an effort to respond calmly when every cell was suddenly on the alert.
‘Of course. What can I do for you, Rachel?’
‘Can you give me a lift into work? I very stupidly slipped on some ice last night as I got out of my car and hurt my knee. It’s not serious,’ she added hurriedly, ‘but I don’t think I can actually drive myself there today.’
‘Do you want me to run you to hospital so you can have it X-rayed?’ Matt suggested in concern.
‘Thanks, but there’s no need. I’m sure there’s no serious damage—it’s just badly swollen. It should be back to normal in a couple of days’ time.’
‘Are you sure you should be going into work?’ he protested. ‘The best thing for it is rest and you won’t be able to do that if you’re having to jump up and down, attending to patients.’
‘I’ll manage,’ she assured him. ‘I’ve spent the night with a bag of frozen peas strapped to it and that’s helped.’
Matt chuckled. ‘It’s good to know the professionals opt for the same remedies as their patients. Frozen peas indeed!’
Rachel laughed. ‘It was either peas or sprouts, and the sprouts were far too lumpy, I discovered. They kept rolling about!’
Her laughter rippled down the line and Matt felt his senses spin all over again. Why had he never realised before what a gorgeously sexy laugh she had? It was an effort to concentrate as she continued.
‘I’ll be ready any time you say, so when should I expect you?’
He glanced at the bedside clock. ‘Will half an hour suit you?’
‘Fine. I’ll be able to hobble around and make myself some breakfast before you get here. Everything seems to take twice as long as normal when you have a gammy leg.’
She said goodbye and Matt went back to the bathroom. However, the thought of her struggling as she tried to make herself something to eat didn’t sit well with him. His conscience simply wouldn’t allow him to let her soldier on on her own.
It took him a scant ten minutes to get himself dressed and drive the short distance to Rachel’s house, and instead of ringing the front doorbell he went straight round to the back. It would save her having to trek down the hall if he used the rear entrance, he reasoned. He tapped on the door, feeling his heart lurch when she opened it. Rachel in the flesh was every bit as beautiful and as sexy as she had appeared in his dreams.
‘You’re early!’ she exclaimed.
‘I thought you could use some help.’ He smiled at her, determined to get a grip on such wayward thoughts. ‘I’m a dab hand at making tea and toast for the injured.’
‘Oh, that’s really kind of you, Matt. Thank you.’
She hobbled over to a chair and sank gratefully down onto it. ‘I hadn’t realised how difficult it is to do even simplest tasks like filling the kettle when you need to hang onto something to stay upright.’
‘Well, I’m here now so you just sit there and rest that leg.’ He glanced at her bruised knee and grimaced. ‘That’s a real beauty. You really need to raise it to reduce the swelling—here, use this chair.’
He pulled over a chair and gently manoeuvred her leg until it was resting comfortably on the cushion. Rachel groaned, the lines of strain easing from her beautiful face.
‘That feels so much better.’
‘Good.’
He turned away, although he could have happily stood there all day and simply enjoyed looking at her. He set to work instead, scrambling some eggs and making a stack of toast as well as a pot of tea to go with them. Rachel nodded approvingly as he placed everything on the table and sat down.
‘This looks delicious. Scrambled eggs are my absolute favourite.’
‘We aim to please.’ Matt helped himself to a slice of toast, thoroughly enjoying the experience of sharing breakfast with her. He could get used to seeing Rachel across the breakfast table each morning, he decided, very used to it indeed. The thought was so highly inappropriate when he was trying to be sensible that he immediately chased it from his mind and applied himself to his meal.
Rachel scraped the last morsel of eggs off her plate and sighed in contentment. ‘My compliments to the chef. That tasted every bit as good as it looked.’
‘Thank you kindly.’ Matt smiled at her, loving the way her eyes sparkled with golden glints when she was feeling happy. It was something else he hadn’t noticed before and he added it to the ever-expanding list. ‘Although I have to warn you that my repertoire isn’t exactly extensive. I can roast a chicken, grill chops, scramble eggs and that’s about it.’
‘Better than a lot of men, I imagine,’ she said cheerfully, attempting to stand up.
‘Whoa!’ Matt put out a restraining hand and eased her back down onto the chair. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’
‘I was only going to stack the dishes in the machine,’ she protested.
‘I’ll do that.’ He picked up their plates and took them over to the dishwasher, adding the rest of the crockery as well as the pan he had used for the eggs.
‘Thank you.’ Rachel glared at her knee in frustration. ‘It’s a real nuisance not being able to do things for myself. I only hope the swelling goes down soon.’
‘It will probably take a couple of days before you get your full mobility back and even then you’ll need to be careful,’ he warned her. ‘If you try doing too much too soon, you’ll only make matters worse.’
‘In other words, I need to be patient.’ She grimaced. ‘The worst part was last night. The stairs here are really steep and I had a devil of a job getting up them to go to bed. And I had to come down on my bottom this morning—not a pretty sight, believe me!’
Matt laughed at the wry note in her voice although he couldn’t help feeling concerned. If there was an emergency, Rachel would have great difficulty getting out of the cottage. ‘Maybe you should sleep downstairs until your knee is better.’
‘I would do but the bathroom’s upstairs, so I have to go up to get to it.’ She gave a little shrug as she lifted her leg off the cushion and cautiously stood up. ‘Not to worry. I’ll soon be back to normal.’
Matt doubted it but he decided not to say so. He waited while she found her coat and bag then offered her his arm so she could lean on him while they went out to his car. It was obvious from the strain on her face that it was an effort for her to walk even that short distance but he knew it was pointless advising her to stay at home and rest. She was far too dedicated to go off sick unless she really couldn’t avoid it, and in all truth they would find it very difficult to manage without her when they were trying to lighten Ross’s workload.
It was frustrating not to be able to do more to help her, though. Matt resolved to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn’t push herself too hard until her knee was better. What Rachel needed at the moment was someone to take care of her and he was more than happy to take on that role. The fact that he wouldn’t mind it being a long-term project flashed through his mind but he didn’t d
well on it. It was too soon for ideas like that, way too soon.
CHAPTER FIVE
MORNING surgery was exceptionally busy that day. There was a nasty tummy bug doing the rounds and a lot of people wanted to see the doctor. Rachel dispensed sympathy and advice in almost equal measures. Although this type of winter vomiting bug was very upsetting for the victims, so long as they behaved sensibly by restricting their food intake and maintaining their fluid levels, it was rarely life-threatening. The only exceptions were the elderly and the infirm, and young babies and infants. They needed extra care so she was particularly concerned when one young teenage mum brought in her three-month-old son.
‘How long has Charlie been like this, Melanie?’ she asked, studying the poor little mite. Little Charlie’s lips looked extremely dry and when she gently opened his mouth and checked, his tongue was dry to the touch too, worrying signs in a child this young.
‘Since yesterday lunchtime. He was sick after he’d had his bottle and kept being sick all afternoon long. He also had the most horrible nappies,’ Melanie added, her nose wrinkling in disgust.
Rachel stifled a sigh. It wasn’t the girl’s fault that she lacked experience and hadn’t realised just how urgent the situation was. ‘Has Charlie had anything to drink since then, cool boiled water, for instance?’
‘No. The health visitor told me to give him some the other week, but he doesn’t like it,’ Melanie explained. ‘He prefers his milk.’
‘I see.’ Rachel gently pressed her index finger against the baby’s arm and was unsurprised to find that his skin was lacking in elasticity. Charlie was exhibiting all the classic signs of being severely dehydrated and he needed urgent treatment. Picking up the phone, she dialled the emergency services and requested an ambulance, briefly outlining the problem to the operator when she was connected. Melanie looked at her in dismay after Rachel hung up.
Their Baby Surprise Page 4