‘Yes, they do.’ Jamie frowned. ‘Grandma is grown up. And she always spends Christmas with us. We all have Christmas together. I think it’s mean that they didn’t invite you. You can’t be on your own. It isn’t right, is it, Mummy? You can come to us. Grandma always cooks a turkey and it’s massive. We eat it for weeks. You could help.’
Unbelievably touched, it took Dino a moment to answer. ‘That’s kind of you, Jamie—’
‘So you’ll come? Great. That’s great, isn’t it, Mum? Dino is going to spend Christmas Day with us.’
Meg’s face was pink. ‘Jamie, he may not want to—our house is really small, and—’
‘I’d love to.’ Dino watched her face, trying to read her mind. They hadn’t had a chance to talk about what had happened since she’d bolted from the bed that morning. About where this was going. But he knew where he wanted it to go.
All the way.
But he saw the fear in her eyes and knew he had to take it slowly. ‘So, Jamie, do you think I need my own tree?’
‘Of course. Otherwise where do you put your presents?’
Charmed by the innocence of the conversation, Dino struggled to find the right answer. ‘When you reach my age, you don’t tend to have too many presents.’
‘Why not?’ Jamie looked shocked. ‘What about your mum and dad and your sister?’
Dino kept his expression neutral. ‘My parents give me money and I choose something for myself. That’s what we’ve always done.’
‘What? Even when you were little?’ Jamie looked appalled. ‘That’s awful.’ He slipped his hand into Dino’s. ‘This year, you should try writing to Santa. I know you’re big, but you never know. I write to him every year and he always comes.’
Finding it difficult to speak, Dino cleared his throat. ‘You think he’d come if I wrote to him?’
‘Sure. I think so.’ Jamie frowned. ‘Maybe you ought to tell him that you save a lot of people’s lives, just in case he doesn’t know that you do that kind of thing. I mean, that’s good, isn’t it? It’s got to be worth something.’
Dino nodded. ‘Maybe.’ He rubbed his hand over his jaw. ‘Where do I post the letter?’
Jamie gave him a puzzled look. ‘You put it up the chimney. It just goes.’
‘Up the chimney. Right.’ He didn’t point out that his contemporary fireplace was surrounded by glass. ‘Maybe you can help me write it. Have you done yours?’
‘Last week.’ Jamie tugged at his hat. ‘I asked for a Batmobile toy, and a Nintendo Wii, but I know I won’t get both because it’s too expensive. I sort of asked him to choose. He knows what would suit you. He’s clever like that. What would you ask for?’
Dino looked at Meg, who had wandered off to help her mother choose a tree. ‘I have a feeling Santa probably can’t give everyone what they want,’ he said huskily, and Jamie looked at him and then turned his head.
‘You like my mum, don’t you? You look at her all the time. And she looks at you, but mostly when she knows you’re not looking.’
Digesting that information, Dino dropped down to his haunches so that he was at the same level as the boy. ‘I do like your mum, Jamie. I like her a lot.’
Jamie glanced over his shoulder and then leaned forward and whispered, ‘If you like my mum, then you need to have a plan, because pretty soon she’ll drive you away. That’s what she does. She puts men off. I’ve heard Grandma talking to her. Grandma says she needs to stop shutting people out. I don’t quite know what that means, but I know she doesn’t kiss anyone. Is that going to be a problem?’
Dino thought about the night before, about Meg stretched out naked underneath him and above him. ‘I think I can handle it.’
‘The thing that really worries her is that a man might like her and not me.’ Jamie fiddled with one of the branches of the tree. ‘Not everyone likes kids. My real dad didn’t like kids.’
Dino found that his hands had curled into fists. Forcing himself to breathe slowly, he relaxed them. ‘Jamie—’
‘I used to think it was that he didn’t like me, but Mum told me that was wrong. He didn’t even wait around for me to be born, so it couldn’t have been because he didn’t like me, could it?’ There was a flicker of uncertainty in his face and Dino put his arms around the boy and dragged him into a hug.
‘No, it most definitely could not have been because he didn’t like you. Your mum is right, he must just not have wanted kids. If he’d known you there is no way he could have walked away.’ Over Jamie’s shoulder he saw Meg looking at them. Saw the anxiety in her eyes. He gave her a smile and saw her relax slightly. But she kept glancing towards them as she helped her mother choose a tree.
‘Mum says it was her fault. Because she’s not a girly girl. She says my dad wanted someone who wore a dress all the time and painted her nails pink.’ Jamie pulled away. ‘Would you want Mum to paint her nails? Because generally she thinks it’s a waste of time.’
‘I think,’ Dino said slowly, ‘that I’d want your mum to do whatever she wanted to do. If she wanted pink nails, that would be fine. If she didn’t, that would be fine, too.’
‘Right, well, that’s good. And I know you don’t mind that she likes the mountains, because you like them too. Most of the time at weekends we’re up in the mountains, training Rambo. And when I’m older she’s promised to get me my own puppy to train.’ He looked at Dino. ‘So what do you think? Do you think you could get to like me? Because I sort of come with my mum, a bit like getting a free toy in the cereal packet.’ There was a tremble in his voice and Dino tried to remember another occasion when he’d felt as though his heart was jammed in his throat.
‘I already like you, Jamie. I like you a great deal.’
Jamie stood for a moment. ‘So the only problem is how to get Mum to stop being scared of you.’
Dino frowned at that interpretation. ‘You think she’s scared of me?’
‘She’s scared you might go away, like my dad. Some men do that.’ Looking older than his years, Jamie studied the tree. ‘I suppose you just have to show her you like her and that you’re not going anywhere. But I don’t know how you do that. I expect she’ll push you away. It’s what she always does.’
‘I’m not going to let her push me away, Jamie.’
‘It will be hard.’
‘I don’t mind.’
‘That’s because you’re a superhero.’ Jamie slid his hand into Dino’s. ‘Superheroes don’t mind when things get tough. That’s when they’re at their best.’
‘I’m not a superhero, Jamie. But I won’t let your mum push me away. That’s a promise. How old are you again?’
‘Seven years and twelve days. I don’t know the hours.’
‘Well, Jamie…’ Dino cleared his throat. ‘for seven years and twelve days and I don’t know the hours, you are very wise.’
‘No worries. Any time you need any advice about girls, just ask.’
Chapter Seven
‘SO YOU didn’t make it to the ball.’ Ellie gave her a wink and a suggestive smile and Meg gritted her teeth.
‘Actually, it wasn’t—’
‘Honestly, you don’t have to explain. I’m thrilled for you.’
‘Ellie, we’re not—’
‘I knew the moment he saw you in that dress, he’d rip it off.’
Remembering exactly what had happened that night, Meg coloured and Ellie punched her gently on the arm and wandered off in the direction of the radiology department, leaving Meg to stew over her relationship with Dino.
Having not thought about sex for a few years, she suddenly couldn’t think about anything else. And it didn’t help that she seemed to be working every shift with him. Every time she turned round, he was there. And she’d started noticing things she’d never noticed before—like the way he really looked at the patients when he talked to them. The way he paid attention. Listened. The way he kept a cool head no matter what emergency came through the doors of the department. And he was razor sharp. He had a way
of sifting through the evidence in front of him and homing in on the important bit that was going to give him the answers. Just watching him work sent a thrill running through her because he was so incredibly clever. She felt a rush of pride and then realised that was ridiculous. What right did she have to feel proud? He wasn’t hers, was he? One scorching night wasn’t a guarantee of a future. She knew that better than anyone.
As the days passed, Meg started to wonder whether their colleagues were engineering it so that she and Dino worked together as much as possible and decided that they probably were. People thought it was a bit of fun, didn’t they? They didn’t realise that they were playing games with something that had the potential to explode and wreck a life. Two lives.
On the fourth day after the ball, she finally lost it. ‘This is meant to be an emergency department,’ she snapped at Ellie, ‘not a dating agency. Why am I in Resus with Dino for the fourth time this week?’
‘Because you make an unbeatable team.’ Leaving that ambiguous statement hanging in the air, Ellie scurried off to meet yet another ambulance while Meg was left standing there, wondering why everyone felt they had to interfere. First her mother then Jamie and now her colleagues.
She felt a flash of exasperation, mingled with fear.
Were they all going to pick up the pieces when everything fell apart?
With a growl of frustration, she removed the packaging from a bag of IV fluid and hung it from the drip stand, ready for the next patient unlucky enough to find himself in the resuscitation room.
‘Finally, we’re on our own.’ Dino’s voice came from behind her and her breath caught. Awareness came like a blow to the stomach and Meg tried to calm herself before she turned.
‘Alone, apart from about a few hundred staff and patients.’
‘I’ve missed you. This has been the longest four days of my life.’ He curved his hand around her face, his gaze slumberous and sexy. ‘Can I interest you in hot sex on the trolley? Against the wall?’
Her heart skipped and danced. ‘Show a little finesse, Dr Zinetti.’
‘Finesse? What’s that? In case you hadn’t noticed, where you’re concerned I don’t have any.’ His smile was at his own expense. ‘Remind me.’
It was impossible not to be flattered by the masculine appreciation burning in his eyes. ‘You’re obviously feeling rather—’
‘Desperate?’ There was a husky note to his voice. ‘You could say that. I want you, Meg. Every minute of every day. And every minute of every night, but let’s not go there.’
His words cut her off at the knees. ‘I want you, too.’ It was true, so why was she fighting it? ‘Jamie is sleeping over at my mother’s tonight because she’s taking him on a secret shopping trip tomorrow.’
‘Secret?’
‘To buy my Christmas present. I’m not supposed to know. So, Dr Hot…’ Her heart jerked. ‘Do you want to go out tonight? Dinner? Movie?’
‘Neither.’ He smiled, the stroke of his thumb against her cheek a sensual prelude to the night ahead. ‘If I have you all to myself then I want to stay in. All the entertainment I need is right here.’ His eyes told her exactly the form the entertainment was going to take and her insides turned to liquid.
‘I assumed you’d want to do fancy restaurants and candles and all that sort of thing.’
‘If we’re only going to have a few hours alone, I don’t want to be in the company of others.’
Her protective antennae twitched. ‘You find it hard having Jamie around.’
‘No. I love having Jamie around.’ He lowered his forehead to hers. ‘But I also want to rip your clothes off and I don’t want to do that in front of your child.’ His mouth hovered close to hers and Meg felt suddenly dizzy.
‘Right, well, that’s…good, because I don’t want to shock him.’ She leaned in for his kiss but he released her and took a step backwards.
‘Better not.’
‘No.’ She cleared her throat. ‘Because it’s unprofessional.’
‘Actually, it’s more that I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop. Which I suppose could amount to the same thing. I’ll see you tonight, Meg. Don’t bother cooking. I’ll do something about replenishing the calories we use.’
In the end they didn’t bother replenishing calories. Instead, they feasted on each other, making love until the cold winter light slid across the room and sheer exhaustion had her snuggling against him. She tumbled into clouds of warmth, cocooned by the delicious feeling of being close to another human being, and slept deeply.
This time when they woke, there was no rush to move. No subterfuge.
Meg made fresh coffee and plates of scrambled eggs with toast and they ate in bed, talking about everything and nothing.
‘What time will Jamie be home?’ Dino leaned back against the tangled bedding. ‘Should we get dressed?’
‘I’m picking him up from my mother’s so that there is no repeat of last time.’ Meg put the tray on the floor. It came as a shock to realise she could get used to seeing him in her bed. ‘We have another hour, at least.’
‘A whole hour?’ His eyes gleamed with humour. ‘How are we going to fill the time?’
It was fun to tease. ‘We could go for a run.’
‘If it’s exercise you want, I have a better idea…’ He rolled her underneath him and his mouth came down on hers just as both their pagers went off.
Cursing in Italian, Dino leaned across and dug his pager out of the pocket of his trousers. ‘This had better be something really, really important.’ Hair tousled, eyes sexy, he squinted at it. ‘A climber has fallen in Devil’s Gully. We’re closest and they want us to make a start. For the first time in my life I’m thinking of resigning from the team.’
Meg laughed, but she was already out of bed and pulling on her clothes. ‘Do we have exact co-ordinates?’
‘Yes.’ His eyes skimming her body, Dino sighed. ‘The guy had better not have taken a stupid risk or I’m going to give him a lecture for ruining my Sunday. I’m not giving this up for anything less than a lifethreatening situation.’
‘You’re not allowed to lecture.’ Meg pulled layers over her head and hopped around as she pulled on her socks. ‘Don’t just lie there staring. Get dressed!’
‘If one of us has to abseil into Devil’s Gully, it’s going to be me. I just want to get that straight right now.’ He dressed quickly and she stole a glance, admiring the curves and definition of his muscles.
‘Just because you’re sleeping with me doesn’t mean you can suddenly get ridiculously protective. I can abseil as well as you can. We’ll do what needs to be done.’
He fisted his hand in the front of her fleece and pulled her against him. ‘I’m protective,’ he said huskily, ‘that’s just the way it is. Get used to it because it isn’t going to change.’
‘I don’t need protecting.’
‘Yes, you do.’ He claimed her mouth in a brief but devastating kiss. ‘Mostly from yourself. You seem to have a talent for smashing anything that comes too close. Come on. We need to move.’
In under three minutes they were in the mountain rescue vehicle. Rambo was in the back, ears pricked, alert.
‘What do you mean, I need protecting from myself?’ Meg drove and took the fastest route to the car park that was closest to Devil’s Gully. ‘I don’t smash things.’
‘Tell me you’re not thinking of a thousand reasons why our relationship is never going to work.’
‘Not a thousand.’ Annoyed that he was so perceptive, she shifted gear jerkily. ‘Even I can’t come up with a thousand.’
‘That’s because I’ve been keeping you occupied.’ He zipped his jacket, wincing as the vehicle hit a bump in the road. ‘Keep your eyes on the road. If I have to be driven, the bare minimum I expect is for the driver to look at the road.’
‘My eyes are on the road. Don’t tell me how to drive.’
‘You’re so scared of being hurt again you’ve shut everyone out.’ He pushed his hands into gl
oves, understanding but ignoring her snappiness. ‘But you’re not shutting me out.’
‘Is that a warning?’
‘It’s just the way it is, so there’s no point fighting it. Car park’s ahead. If you pull in by the gate, I’ll sort out the equipment. And I’m driving home.’
From the car park, it was only a fifteen-minute hike to the top of Devil’s Gully, which was just enough time for her to brood on his comments. It wasn’t true. She didn’t smash anything that came too close. She didn’t need protecting from herself. That was a ridiculous thing to say. Her life had been stable over the past seven years, and that was because she’d taken great care to keep it that way. She liked her life.
But she also liked being with him.
And that terrified her.
‘I see someone on the path—this must be where they fell.’ Dino quickened his pace and they met up with two walkers who were hovering at the top of the gully.
The woman had obviously been crying. ‘He was climbing. We were watching him. He was so good. And then he just fell right past his girlfriend. She was screaming but she’s stopped now. I think she’s paralysed by fear. And he’s been dangling from the rope for at least an hour. Any moment now it could snap. But we don’t have any equipment. We had no idea what to do so we just called the police.’
Meg stared down into the gully. She saw the girl clinging to the rock face. ‘She doesn’t look too good.’
Dino was hauling equipment out of his backpack. ‘He’s hanging from emergency ropes.’
The woman was shaking. ‘At first he was just swinging. We kept thinking the rope would snap. And he smashed into the rock face when he fell. He managed to tie something round his thigh but he’s still bleeding. He hasn’t moved for the last few minutes.’
‘I’m on my way.’ Meg had her hand inside her backpack, pulling out her own gear. ‘I’ll abseil down to him. I’ll try and cut a seat in the snow or something for him to sit on while we wait for the helicopter. I know this climb—there are places. There’s a ledge just below him.’
Dr Zinetti's Snowkissed Bride / The Christmas Baby Bump Page 14