‘Can I help you?’ he asked, keeping his tone unchallenging.
The man turned to face him with an infectious smile. ‘No. Thanks, though. I’m waiting for someone. I—’ He broke off, his gaze straying beyond Nathan. ‘Ah, here she is!’ His smile widened to a grin as a door banged shut and footsteps sounded on the floor.
Nathan just had time to look behind him and move aside as Annie, dressed now in figure-hugging jeans and a blue fleecy top, whooshed past him and straight into the man’s arms.
Annie flung herself at Will, hearing his grunt of surprise. Thankfully he caught her, his strong arms closing around her just as she needed them to right now.
‘Not that I’m sorry to see you, hon, but what the hell is all this about?’ he whispered in her ear as he spun her round.
‘Please, please play along,’ she murmured back, hugging him tight, some of her initial relief giving way to a strange confusion and a sense of unease. ‘I’ll explain later.’
Slowly Will set her feet back on the floor, keeping an arm around her as she snuggled close. She was horribly aware of Nathan nearby, watching them, and whilst this had been her plan since sending the SOS text, she felt edgy and awkward as she sucked in a steadying breath and introduced the two men.
‘Um, Will—this is Nathan Shepherd. He’s just joined the unit. Nathan, this is Will Brown, another of the A and E doctors,’ she managed, unable to meet Nathan’s gaze.
Will reached round her to shake Nathan’s hand. ‘The name rings a bell.’ He smiled, and Annie froze, hoping he wasn’t going to do anything embarrassing or say something to give her away.
‘Not the foot fetish guy?’ he mused. ‘Wait a minute. Doughnuts!’
Annie smothered a groan.
Nathan knew his expression was brittle, but he couldn’t help it—couldn’t have forced a smile if his life had depended on it. Everything inside him seemed to have gone into cold storage. He hadn’t thought it was possible to hurt more than he had, but he had been wrong. Fresh pain cut through him, lacerating everything that had dared to begin to live again when he had seen Annie today.
Because Annie was involved with another man.
Clearly she had mentioned him to Will at some time, but was that all that had been noteworthy about their four-year relationship? The doughnuts? It made him feel as if he was just one in a line of unmemorable former boyfriends. Clearly their time together had meant nothing, and she hadn’t been as devastated about their break-up or as in love with him as he had thought.
And she’d been out with a foot fetishist?
‘Not that your feet aren’t cute, hon,’ Will was saying now, ‘but…’
‘Yeah, I know all about your own fetishes!’ Annie grinned.
‘You sure do!’
Nathan felt sick. He had made one more in a series of dumb mistakes over this woman, and he had no one to blame but himself. Of all the scenarios and outcomes he had considered when he had decided to come here, Annie being with someone else had not been on his list. A stupid oversight—one he had probably subconsciously avoided because of how he felt right at this minute. Lost. Without hope. Gripped by pain. He had been unable to date any other woman, and deep inside he had wanted to believe that Annie had loved him enough not to give herself to another man. Idiot, idiot, idiot, he chastised himself.
And Will was another doctor with whom he would have to work in this department? Just great. He’d have to see them together every day. Why in God’s name had he come here? What the hell had he expected to achieve? Had he really thought that Annie would still be thinking of him, pining for him? She’d made her views plain five years ago. Just because he’d never stopped loving her, it didn’t mean she felt the same. He could see that—now.
All this time he had clung to the fantasy that he and Annie were destined to be together—that she was his one soul mate and that somehow he could win her back. He was angry that he had been such a pathetic fool. Annie had left him, had said it was over. He had not wanted to believe it. He had taken a chance for the first time in his life of opening himself to another person and Annie had rejected him—had run away at the first hurdle, demanding her own way at once rather than stopping to listen to his point of view or caring about his feelings.
He frowned again as the thoughts raced through his mind, admitting to himself that while there were big parts of him that only Annie had ever seen, there were significant parts of him that he had withheld even from her. She hadn’t understood his motivation because he had never explained… but when trouble had come she had run rather than give him the benefit of the doubt, throwing his love back at him as if it meant nothing to her.
He knew that feeling. All his life he had felt rejected, not good enough. Annie had been different, had seen him differently—or so he had thought.
Annie hadn’t said one word about Will. Why hadn’t she told him right away that she was seeing someone? Even when she had panicked after their passionate kiss earlier in the day, being involved with another man had not featured amongst her excuses before she had run. And none of the staff gossip referred to Annie being attached. Why? What was he missing? Or was he just trying to ignore the fact that Annie’s heart now belonged to someone else? He might not have been able to turn to another woman for solace, but that didn’t mean Annie had been celibate. Pain stabbed at what remained of his heart. He was just deluding himself, rubbing salt into festering wounds.
It seemed he was still as much of a fool over Annie as he always had been. He’d been carrying her photo and her memory around with him for five long, painfully lonely years. And while he had been acting like a lovesick teenager Annie had moved on with her life…just as she had said. She had never given him a second thought. It hurt. Badly.
‘Ready to go home, hon?’
Will’s question drew him from his agonising thoughts. Nathan saw Annie glance quickly at him from beneath her lashes, but she refused to meet his gaze.
‘Yep. I’m done here,’ she replied, turning back towards Will as the man helped her on with her coat.
Wishing he was any place else, Nathan felt as if his feet were rooted to the spot, pain slicing through him as Will, one arm wrapped around Annie’s waist, offered a friendly smile he was powerless to return.
‘Good to meet you, Nathan. You’ll have to come round to our place for a meal one night while you’re here.’
He noted the way Annie dug her elbow into Will’s ribs. Clearly she didn’t appreciate the idea any more than Nathan did. No way could he endure a social evening and make polite conversation with Annie and her lover. As they turned and walked away, Nathan felt a crushing fist destroy the remaining fragments of his heart and he sank back against the wall, needing additional support to keep him standing. He had no business messing with Annie’s life. He might want to punch Will’s lights out, but it was clear the guy cared about her and who could blame him? She was beautiful, special—and she didn’t want him. When was he going to accept the inevitable and give up? Why did he keep punishing himself?
Heading to the men’s locker room, glad to find no one else there to witness his misery, he sat down and scrubbed his hands over his face. He had decisions to make. He had half a mind to leave Strathlochan now—tonight. To go and never come back. But he’d signed a contract and, despite his own despair, it wasn’t in his nature to let other people down. Besides, where would he go? A bitter, self-mocking laugh escaped him. He didn’t belong anywhere now.
Thoughts of Annie had held him together through many nightmares over the years, but she was no longer the solution to his emptiness, no longer the sunshine in his grey world. As much as it killed him to admit it, he could no longer look to her for any kind of future. He was on his own. Alone. As he always had been and as he always would be from now on.
For the moment he would do his job to the best of his abilities and endeavour to keep out of Annie’s way… As much as humanly possible, given Robert Mowbray’s determination to have them working the same shifts. In th
e meantime, he would turn down the consultant’s suggestion that he lengthen his stay and take a full time position in Strathlochan. Maybe the time had come to consider taking the job he had been offered in Africa…as far away from Annie Webster as he could get.
CHAPTER FOUR
ANNIE was still shaking with reaction by the time they arrived back at the house. Situated midway along a tree-lined terrace, in a quiet part of town not too far from the hospital, the traditional two-storey granite building had been her home since she had arrived in Strathlochan. Aware of Will following her up the path, carrying the fish and chip suppers they had stopped to collect, she fumbled for her keys. The icy evening air stung, and wind-driven raindrops bit into her face like dozens of tiny daggers, reinforcing the fact that winter still held them in its grip. Fingers unsteady, she managed to open the front door, sighing with relief when she stepped inside the welcoming warmth. The house felt more than ever like a sanctuary.
Flipping on the lights, she hung up her coat, dropped her bag at the foot of the stairs, and followed Will through to the homely kitchen. She was grateful for his silence, but knew it would not be long before he asked inevitable questions. Questions she had no wish to answer. In the meantime, she busied herself putting out some fresh salad and filling two glasses with water, while Will served the aromatic fish and chips onto plates. After adding cutlery—and the ketchup Will couldn’t seem to consume any food without—they sat at the small table in the kitchen to have their meal.
She rarely matched Will’s enjoyment of junk food, but fish and chips were an occasional treat she succumbed to. Tonight, however, Annie had to force herself to eat, her appetite having deserted her. Racked with nerves, she relied on false jollity to cover her muddled emotions, trying to fill the silence as she talked of her day at work, all the time feeling Will watching her.
‘Olivia was in full tart mode,’ she finished with a forced laugh, as the reality of Nathan’s presence as the new doctor in the department would no longer be denied. ‘You know what she’s like when she senses potential new prey in the vicinity.’
‘Annie—’
Pressing on in desperation, she laughed again, knowing she was the one who had touched on dangerous ground and could not now retreat. ‘You are so bad! What on earth was that foot fetish stuff about? Did you see Nathan’s face? He was so shocked.’
‘He was hurt, Annie. More than hurt. I saw that much.’ Will reached out and caught her hand as she fiddled with items on the table, unable to sit still or hide her agitation. ‘What’s going on, hon?’
‘Nothing,’ she lied, unable to look at him.
His fingers tightened on hers, preventing her efforts to evade him. ‘I think you owe me an explanation. I came running in answer to your text, and I went along with the subterfuge you sprang on me.’
‘I know, Will. And I’m grateful.’ She sighed, the whirl of energy draining away, leaving her weary and unsettled. ‘Seeing Nathan today was a big shock and I panicked. All of a sudden he’s determined to dig up the past. I don’t want to. It’s been five years, for goodness’ sake!’ Apprehension shivered through her as she thought of seeing Nathan in the days ahead. She looked up, facing Will as she voiced her request. ‘Help me. Pretend that we’re together.’
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ Will protested, a frown stripping the customary good humour from his handsome face.
Anxious, she returned the pressure of his fingers. ‘Please, Will. For a few days. I need to buy some time while I decide what to do.’
Annie held her breath as she waited for Will to speak, seeing the doubt cloud his eyes as he thought over what she had said. She knew he would do almost anything for her…as she would for him. They had started in Strathlochan’s A and E department on the same day, nervous, newly qualified, and embarking on their first foundation year in their chosen specialty of emergency medicine. Both had been singled out and bullied by the then dictatorial and prejudiced senior consultant—thankfully now retired—so it had been natural for them to gravitate together. They had formed an instant bond, swiftly becoming best friends and allies. When, a few months later, Will had split up with his partner and had nowhere to live, Annie had insisted he house-share with her. They’d been living together ever since.
It had worked out perfectly for both of them, with each feeling the other was the sibling they’d never had. They squabbled as much as brother and sister, too, and had different tastes in almost everything. Apart from work, the only interest she and Will shared were the monthly ten-pin bowling matches they enjoyed with friends from the hospital and from other local medical, fire and rescue services. Indeed, the first fixture of the new year was only a couple of days away.
Will, a keen runner, didn’t share her passion for cycling and swimming…but Nathan did. Annie loved dogs…so did Nathan. Will was a cat person. He also loved junk food, while Annie tried to eat healthily…the same as Nathan. Why was she even thinking like this? No matter what common ground she and Nathan had shared over books, music, food, the environment and various hobbies, it hadn’t made a jot of difference in keeping them together. It hadn’t made Nathan love her enough to commit to her. Or made her consider another point of view and let Nathan have his say, a tormenting inner voice nagged at her, as the insidious seeds of doubt Nathan had sown in her mind began to take root.
Forcing her mind back to Will, she reflected on how often they had acted as escort for one another when they’d had to go to a hospital function, a friend’s wedding or some other event. And if anyone thought they were a couple it suited them both fine not to correct them, taking the pressure off at work and socially, as neither was ready to dip their toes back into turbulent waters and try dating again.
And now Nathan had turned up in Strathlochan, determined to seek her out and stir up a hornets’ nest with his talk of the past. Scared and vulnerable, Annie desperately needed Will to extend the boyfriend role for her.
‘I have to keep Nathan at a distance. If he thinks you and I are together he’ll leave me alone,’ she explained, her worry increasing as Will shook his head again, then dragged the fingers of his free hand through his hair.
‘I don’t like this, Annie.’
‘I know, but—’
‘This isn’t the best way to handle it,’ Will insisted, releasing her hand and standing to pace the small room. ‘I can understand it was a shock to see him again so unexpectedly, but tricking him isn’t going to solve anything. At some point you are going to have to talk things over with him.’
It was her turn to rise, seeking motion to temper her inner turmoil. ‘No! I can’t. He hurt me, Will.’ She cursed the errant tear that escaped. It hovered on her lashes for a moment before dropping on to her skin.
‘I know that, and I’m sorry.’ Will’s smile was kind, his touch gentle as he brushed the moisture from her cheek with one finger. ‘But I think you need to put things in perspective.’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Why are you so angry all these years on?’ he countered.
The question shocked her. ‘You know why!’
‘We all get dumped and hurt, but we pick ourselves up and go on, wiser and stronger. You’ve never let this go, Annie. Why is that?’ His expression turned speculative as he leaned against the worktop and watched her, arms folded across his chest. ‘In all the time I’ve know you, you’ve never dated anyone.’
‘Pots and kettles, Will. You’ve been the same.’
‘At first. But I don’t always want to be alone, and I’ve started going out again. At least I’m willing to try. Are you? You use Nathan as an excuse,’ he accused, and although the words were gentle they stung.
‘I don’t. It’s just that I don’t want to get hurt again. I can’t trust anyone.’
‘And maybe you’ve never got over him. Maybe you still have feelings for him…deep down inside you still love him.’
‘That’s ridiculous!’ Her attempt to laugh off his shocking suggestion failed miserably.<
br />
‘Is it? So how did you feel when you saw him again? When you heard his voice for the first time in five years? Behind your front of anger and pain, I mean,’ he persisted. ‘Does Nathan still make your heart miss a beat? Do your toes still curl?’
She spun away, wringing her hands together, trying to deny Will’s words and the images they conjured up. ‘Don’t be silly. Of course not,’ she denied, her pulse throbbing in her veins as she thought of her instinctive reaction when she had first looked at Nathan again, let alone his searing, erotic kiss.
‘Then you have nothing to worry about, have you? You can be professional and do your job. Nathan’s a good-looking guy. Olivia won’t be the only one interested and in a few days he’ll have women around the hospital lining up to date him.’ Will’s sly smile widened to a grin as he studied her face, and she tried to relax the sudden tension that had gripped her. ‘You don’t like that idea?’
‘He’s a free agent. He can see whomever he wants. He’s probably dated dozens of women in the last five years.’ She manufactured a casual shrug, desperate to ignore the betraying curl of despair that tightened her insides at the prospect of Nathan’s hidden passions being unleashed and focused on anyone else.
‘But you don’t like to think of Nathan with another woman, do you?’
‘Stop it!’ Annie wanted to stamp her foot in angry frustration. ‘Why are you doing this?’
Sighing, Will closed the gap between them and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on top of her head. ‘Oh, Annie… Why are you so scared? What do you think is going to happen if you deal with the past?’
Six Sexy Doctors Part 1 (Mills & Boon e-Book Collections): A Doctor, A Nurse: A Little Miracle / The Children's Doctor and the Single Mum / A Wife for ... / The Playboy Doctor's Surprise Proposal Page 63