‘I loved them. They’re the kind of family I would have dreamed of having as a kid. But...you introduced me as just a friend. They thought I was paying you for being my personal trainer.’
Jack laughed. ‘If I’d introduced you in any way that made you more significant than a friend, they would have been planning our wedding before the birthday cake got cut. They’ve been waiting for me to find a proper girlfriend for so long that I think they believe it’s never going to happen.’
A proper girlfriend? A significant relationship?
‘Oh... Jack...’ A part of Harriet’s brain was making a final search to find another way to stop this roller-coaster and keep them both safe from any kind of heartbreak. But he hadn’t said that he was in love with her and she hadn’t said anything like that either. Surely any relationship had to start somewhere so that you could find out where it might lead? She could actually feel the moment when her brain simply gave up and shut some internal door in her head.
This was happening. Whether this was the real thing or simply physical attraction or gratitude or whatever, she couldn’t stop it. She didn’t want to stop it.
Apparently Jack could feel that door closing as well. Because he was smiling again. Drawing Harriet back into the circle of his arms. Kissing her forehead and then the tip of her nose before his lips settled once again onto hers. And this time there was no soft conversation of questions and answers. They had both willingly climbed instantly onto a new kind of roller-coaster that was purely physical for the moment. A steep climb as increasing desire made this so urgent and a wild descent into bliss as skin was exposed and touched in ways that made intimacy feel completely new.
‘Not here...’ Jack’s voice was raw as he finally held Harriet away from his body.
‘I know...’ Harriet dragged in a ragged breath. ‘They’ll be expecting us back at the party.’
But Jack was smiling. ‘I didn’t mean that... I’m thinking about sand. You know...getting into uncomfortable places. And...protection. It didn’t occur to me to put anything in my pocket for the ceremony.’
Harriet actually blushed. And she was supposed to be the older, wiser one here?
‘Nobody’s expecting to see us before the big breakfast tomorrow. They think you got tired because of your leg.’ Jack brushed her cheek with his fingers. ‘You’re not, are you? Too tired?’
Harriet took a slow breath. ‘I’ve never been less tired in my life.’
Jack took hold of her hand. ‘See that path over there? Through the gardens?’
‘Mmm?’
‘That leads straight to my bungalow.’
Harriet started taking a step forward but Jack’s hold on her hand stopped her. A beat of fear that he might be having second thoughts vanished as she caught the mischievous gleam in his eyes.
‘You forgot your sandals.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘SO, HOW WAS IT? Your first day back in ICU?’
‘Long...’
Harriet settled back in her armchair, still smiling. She hadn’t expected a call from Jack while he was on shift and just the sound of his voice gave her a delicious tingle deep in her belly.
They’d been on the same flight back from Hamilton Island yesterday and Jack had insisted on sharing her taxi to make sure she got home safely. He hadn’t left her apartment until many hours later.
Harriet would have sworn that nothing could have been better than the first time she and Jack had made love but, unbelievably, this second time had been so much better. Any shyness or residual doubts about the wisdom of starting this relationship were almost forgotten already. This was an unexpected gift in her life and it would be crazy not to accept it. And maybe it wouldn’t last because one of them would come to their senses or hit the wall as far as trust was concerned but, while it was happening, she had no choice but to revel in the joy it was bringing. She was almost drowning in it, to be honest.
‘I hope they didn’t have you running around too much.’
The note of concern in Jack’s voice changed that tingle into a squeezing sensation that seemed to involve her heart. Did men realise how incredibly sexy it was to say something that suggested they really cared about you? Not that she was going to tell him how it made her feel. Or that the happiness she was basking in, thanks to their lovemaking, had definitely done wonders for her energy levels today.
‘I think I was given the easiest patient there. A sixty-four-year-old woman with diabetic ketoacidosis. She just needed intensive monitoring while we got her blood sugar levels under control.’
‘What caused the DKA?’
‘She thinks she got food poisoning. She lives alone and was too sick to even think about taking her insulin. She could have died if her neighbour hadn’t got worried about her.’
‘Was she conscious?’
‘Yes, but I had to do a neurological assessment every hour. Along with measuring her blood glucose level and hydration and keeping a close watch on her ECG. She was getting some atrial arrhythmias.’
‘So you were on your feet all day?’
‘Pretty much. I’m tired now but it was so good to be back. I’m so happy...’
‘I’m happy for you.’ She could hear the smile in his voice.
‘So, what are you up to?’
‘Not much right now and we’re due to clock off in twenty minutes or so. We’ve only had a couple of callouts. Car crash up north a bit and a kid in respiratory arrest from an asthma attack who was more than an hour’s drive from the nearest hospital. He’ll be in the paediatric ICU now.’
‘You got him back? From a respiratory arrest?’
‘He didn’t arrest until we were en route. It was touch and go. You have to be so careful ventilating someone like that so you don’t cause lung damage.’
‘Sounds like a tough job.’
‘I thought the worst part was that his mum didn’t get to the school in time to come with us, but it was probably better that she didn’t see how close a call it was. He was properly ventilated mechanically by the time she got to the hospital.’
‘Is he going to be okay?’
‘They think so.’
‘Go you.’ Harriet’s breath came out in a small sigh. ‘You’re a hero.’
The chuckle of laughter was soft. ‘Hardly. Just doing my job. But it’s nice that you think so. What are you up to this evening?’
‘Hot bath,’ she told him. ‘And an early night. My shift starts at six a.m. tomorrow.’
‘When’s your next day off?’
‘Friday. How ’bout you?’
‘Also Friday. How good is that?’
‘It’s very good.’
But the fact that it seemed a rather long time to have to wait to see Jack again was a bit worrying. Was she throwing herself in too deep and too fast to whatever this was? Being a little needy?
‘We should plan something.’ She kept her tone light. Casual, even. ‘If you’re not busy, that is.’
‘I’ll make sure I’m not busy.’
The promise in his voice made her smile again but then she heard the strident beeping over the line that could only be Jack’s pager sounding.
‘Uh-oh... Have to go.’
For a long minute Harriet simply held her phone in her hand after the abrupt termination of the call. She could imagine Jack and the rest of the crew running out to the helicopter, putting their helmets on and buckling into their harnesses, the way he would have done that day he’d arrived to get her and Eddie off that ledge.
They only got called to serious cases so it was highly likely he was on the way to save another life.
He was a hero all right...
* * *
The sun was low enough to make the distant Blue Mountains look even more rugged and beautiful. It was a favourite destination for Jack because it often involved a winching jo
b but this time it sounded as if there was a clear space to land near the mountain bike track where a young man had had a serious tumble. That the job might not be as much of a challenge wasn’t what was dimming any adrenaline rush right now, though.
Normally, a late job that meant their shift could run on for even a couple of extra hours wouldn’t bother Jack at all. It might mean he’d miss a session at the gym or be late for a family dinner but everybody knew how passionate he was about his job so it didn’t matter.
It felt different now. Even though Harriet was tired after her first day back at her old job and he wouldn’t have suggested a visit or a date or anything, his time away from work had suddenly become a whole lot more important.
His job wasn’t the only thing he was passionate about now.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Harriet. This destination of the Blue Mountains was taking him back to that dreadful day when she’d had the accident. He would never forget how it had made him feel to see her lying there with her leg all but crushed by that rock. He almost felt responsible, because he’d seen that she’d been standing too close to the path of that rockfall. He’d shouted a warning, even gone closer to grab her hand and encourage her to run to safety, but she’d tripped on the uneven ground and her hand had pulled away as she’d fallen and his momentum had carried him forward for too many steps. If only he’d been a few seconds earlier. Or had held onto her hand more tightly...
But if he had, life would be very different now, wouldn’t it? It could well have been Harriet and Pete’s wedding he’d been attending the other day, instead of Blake and Sam’s.
And that would have been so wrong. Another memory of the day of that accident was how frustrated he’d felt. Harriet’s distress had felt like physical pain for him, too, but there’d been nothing he could do to help, other than offer to take Blake’s motorbike back to the city. Pete had been the one who should have been trying to comfort her but all he’d done was sit there and pat her shoulder occasionally and he’d actually looked relieved when she’d asked Sam to go with her in the chopper. What had that been about? It certainly wasn’t the kind of concern and care you would want from the person you were planning to spend the rest of your life with.
But she’d been in love with him. She would have stayed in that relationship if he hadn’t walked out on her, wouldn’t she? Even now, she believed that she was the one who needed to apologise. What the heck was that all about?
‘ETA ten minutes.’ The pilot’s voice cut into his memories and Jack forced himself to focus.
‘Can you find out if the patient’s still conscious?’ The information they had so far was that the bike rider had come off at speed, landed on rocks and was having trouble breathing.
The pilot radioed through for the link to people on the ground.
‘He’s drowsy,’ he reported back to the crew a short time later. ‘And confused. Doesn’t know where he is or what day it is.’
‘Sounds like head as well as chest injuries,’ Matt said. ‘Let’s hope we do have a spot to land and don’t need to set up for winching.’
Jack nodded but, as he turned to look out of the window again, his brain was already straying back to Harriet. To winching her off that ledge—the first time he’d ever been that close to her body.
He’d been a hell of lot closer in the last couple of days.
That first kiss had been everything—and more—that he’d ever dreamed it could be. All it had taken was that first touch of her lips beneath his own to make him realise that he’d been kidding himself that he’d got over that crush long ago. That he’d accepted that Harriet Collins was completely out of his league and, even if she hadn’t been older and part of a cooler social set, she was so much in love with someone else he would never have stood a chance.
He’d actually been in love with her for the best part of the last two years, hadn’t he? That was why he could never find a connection with any other woman that interested him for more than a date or two.
Not that he could tell her any of that. It was way too soon.
She’d had her own doubts about them being together like this and he understood. The age thing, anyway. He knew his family would accept her with open arms and who could resist an invitation to be a part of a huge and supportive family, even if they might drive you crazy sometimes? Especially someone who had never had that as a child. That was a gift he could provide that meant she would never have to feel lonely again.
No...what really held him back was that part of him still wondered if he was going to be enough for Harriet. If, somewhere in the unforeseeable future, another rejection might be waiting for him? One that would be infinitely worse than a request for a date being dismissed as nothing more than a gesture of friendship.
It wouldn’t be the first time either. There’d been a girl he’d been close to, back at university but she’d broken off their relationship when someone more exciting had come along.
‘You’re such a lovely guy, Jack. I love you to bits...as a friend...’
How could he compete with even the memory of someone who’d been the poster boy for the fire service? The first one to be picked for their famous yearly calendars? He’d seen one of those shots of Pete, with his uniform pants unbuttoned, held up only by suspenders over a bronzed, bodybuilder’s bare chest. He’d been holding a kitten or puppy or something and that sun-streaked blond hair had oozed a beachy surfer vibe. He could imagine how many women had envied Harriet.
‘Target sighted, four o’clock,’ Matt said.
The helicopter dipped and turned and, this time, Jack managed to push any thoughts of Harriet firmly into the background. Only time would tell if this miraculous new connection would become solid enough to trust that he was enough for her. And he could take it as slowly as he needed to. He’d waited this long so it would be a huge mistake to rush things.
At least he knew he had everything needed to do this job well. And someone was waiting for them who needed their help. And there it was, finally. The adrenaline rush of potentially being about to save a life.
* * *
‘So he had a flail chest and a haemopneumothorax that was starting to tension and we had to get a chest drain in as soon as possible but his head injury was bad enough to be making him really combative.’
‘Did you sedate him?’ Harriet had stopped eating her lunch, a forkful of salad poised halfway to her mouth.
‘He would have been another respiratory arrest to cope with if we hadn’t. It was a full-on job, that’s for sure. I went for a run when I finally got home, just to unwind.’
‘A soak in the bath works wonders for me.’ Harriet was eating again. Enjoying this lunch in one of her favourite beachside cafes. Enjoying being with Jack again after the pressures of their work had separated them for days. ‘I’ve needed a few of those this week.’
‘But you’ve done it. You’ve managed your first full week back in ICU. How’s the leg holding up?’
‘Better than I expected.’ But Harriet made a face. ‘Don’t think I’ll be running any time soon, though.’
‘Never say never.’
‘You’re right. Six months ago I would never have believed I could walk down the aisle with Sam without a brace, let alone without even limping. Oh...she’s sent me through some of the first photos.’ She pushed her plate to one side and reached for her phone. ‘Some of them are gorgeous. Look...’
That wonderful day on Hamilton Island had been special enough because it had been the wedding of two of their closest friends, but because it now also marked the beginning of what they had between them, it was so much more significant.
Jack stared at one of the images for the longest time. The one that had been taken with the men holding the women in their arms, a breaking wave rolling over their feet. It was such a happy photo. Sam had her arms wound around Blake’s neck and she was laughing up at him, clearly so m
uch in love. But Harriet also had her arms around Jack’s neck, looking up at him, and she must have been laughing as well. None of them were looking at the camera. Blake was smiling down at Sam. And Jack...oh, wow...the way he was looking at her. How could she not have known that what had happened late that night had been inevitable?
‘This one,’ Jack said, his voice a little hoarse. ‘I’m going to keep this one beside my bed.’ He winked at Harriet. ‘After I crop out the bride and groom.’
He held her gaze a moment longer. Opened his mouth as if he was about to say something else but then paused as if he was changing his mind.
‘It was the best day,’ he finally said, quietly. ‘I’ll never forget it.’
Harriet took her phone back to cover a beat of disappointment. Instinct told her that Jack had been about to say something very different. A lot more significant but he’d decided against it.
Because it was too soon? Because neither of them could know if this astonishing feeling of connection was going to last or whether it was just a friendship that had slipped into something more?
‘They’re due back from their honeymoon tomorrow.’ Harriet kept her tone light. ‘I hope they’ve had an amazing time.’
‘I’m sure they have. Maybe I’ll see Blake at the gym this week and we can shoot a few hoops.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘He’ll be ready to think about the team again by then. When he knows that you’re back on deck in the ICU, I reckon he’ll agree it’s time you came back on the team properly.’
Harriet caught her breath. ‘Do you think? Do you really think I could do it—without risking being a problem for everybody else?’
‘I know you can.’ Jack reached out and put his hand over hers and squeezed it. ‘Look how far you’ve come already.’
‘I know I can walk well. And swim. But I don’t think I can run. And I haven’t even tried climbing properly.’
‘Then let’s work on that together. Some walks with a little bit of jogging to start with. Some easy work on the climbing wall at the gym.’
Rescued by Her Mr. Right Page 10