by Judi Nolan
"Excellent. The rest will do you good." Kate showed her out and helped her round up her brood. Cheryl went with her to help load them all into her car.
Spencer appeared at her side as Kate tidied up a few scattered toys back into their container. "Thanks for the help in there."
"You're welcome." Her eyes shied away from his cool gaze. "All part of the service," she replied with a quick nod, before making good her escape.
Kevin Michaels smiled as Kate entered the kitchen in search of her overdue cup of coffee.
"Caffeine, you gotta love it." He raised his mug, inhaling deeply.
He pushed the hank of fair hair out of his eyes. He sighed as it flopped back across his forehead.
Kate felt her troubled spirits lift as she returned his smile. She liked Edith's husband, enjoying his off beat company. The Michaels were an unlikely couple. Kevin was as thin and rangy as Edith was small and plump. He was also completely uncomplicated and he didn't stare at her as if he knew a secret he couldn't share.
"I've been waiting all morning for this," she said, crossing the room to make her own coffee.
"So, how's the horde treating you?" Kevin cocked a knowing eyebrow. "You managing to cope okay?"
I'm doing all right. No complaints so far." Kate lifted her cup to her lips, taking a long swallow and sighing in relief.
"Patients." Kevin shook his head. "You gotta love 'em."
Kate gave a soft laugh. "Do you love everything in this world, Dr. Michaels?"
Kevin's furrowed brow creased even more as he thought about the question seriously. He shrugged. "What's not to love?" he asked at last. "I have a beautiful wife and a great job."
His green eyes tracked to Kate. "What about you, Dr. Martin?" His sandy brows shot higher. "What do you love? Any significant other we don't know about?"
Kate fought to keep heat from surging into her face as she pretended to consider his question. How could she answer him and not give herself away?
Eric didn't want her and Spencer had made it perfectly clear he didn't wish to become involved with her either. She was beginning to feel decidedly unwanted and unloved.
"That's a rather personal question." She pushed aside the rush of self pity. As she hitched a troubled breath her tangled thoughts must have shown on her face.
Kevin threw up his free hand. "Oops, sorry, ignore my size twelves, they're always in my mouth. I get the idea I've stepped on some tender points." He began to backtrack with almost comical dismay.
His face crinkled with despair. "Sorry, Kate. Wasn't thinking. Spur of the moment question. My mouth is always getting me into trouble. I don't know when to shut up. When I—"
"Stop!" Kate couldn't help laughing, holding up her hand against his undiminished spate of words. "It's all right. I get the idea. You're sorry."
Kevin sagged with relief. "Didn't mean to cause you any offence."
"You didn't." Kate finished her coffee, moving to the sink to wash her cup. "And to answer your question, no, there's no significant other. No other of any kind, in fact."
There was a lengthy pause. Kate sensed rather than saw Kevin's apologetic shrug. "But, you would like there to be."
Against her will Kate's thoughts filled with Spencer. It wasn't doing her any good to dwell on what could never be. She managed to shrug aside Kevin's concern. "Perhaps, but I guess it's not in my stars."
Kevin sighed. "Sometimes I forget the world isn't as happy go lucky as me," he said sincerely. "I'm sorry, Kate."
"It's okay, Kevin." Kate washed, then dried her cup and replaced it on the shelf. "I like my own company."
"Okay then, ready to go back into combat?" He gave her a lopsided grin.
"Lead the way." Kate pushed him in the small of his back, propelling him forward towards the kitchen door before he said anything more than could cause her to break down and confess.
No. Not now, not ever.
CHAPTER NINE
A steady stream of patients kept Kate busy until her stomach signaled it was past time for lunch. Dropping her stethoscope onto her desk, she collected a bottle of mineral water and the plastic wrapped package of sandwiches she'd made that morning and took her meal outside into the bright sunshine.
She looked about her with pleasure, breathing in the sunshine. The surgery grounds backed onto wide parkland filled with native trees and flowers. Birds called from the canopy overhead as Kate sat down on a rustic bench against the back fence to unwrap her food. A small flock of sparrows immediately began arriving to perch further along the fence, their sharp little eyes looking for any crumbs.
Kate shredded the crust from her sandwich before tossing the pieces over the fence onto the grass. She unscrewed the cap from her bottle of water and drank several mouthfuls before eating the sandwich and picked up a second. She watched the sparrows hopping about her feet, their bright chirps begging for more.
"Is taking care of the wildlife another intense passion of yours?"
Kate gasped, looking up from her meal to find Spencer standing a short distance away holding a large mug of coffee in his hand. The sun's reflection on the lenses of his glasses shielded the expression in his eyes, but his jaw was set in hard, uncompromising lines.
Kate sighed. "I felt the need for some fresh air." A renewed sense of frustration curled through her. "The wildlife was an extra bonus."
She disliked not being able to see what his eyes might reveal of his thoughts. But she also noted, with a small dash of satisfaction, that he still looked slightly wrecked.
Maybe he hadn't been sleeping well lately either. It modified her response to think he could also be suffering from some kind of post-kiss trauma. "I've never been able resist a soft sell. These sparrows look half starved."
"Somehow I doubt that." Spencer came closer. "The staff around here keep them well-fed. Is this spot taken?" He indicated the far end of the bench. "Or do you want to be alone?"
What is he asking? Kate couldn't decide. Her headache made clear thinking difficult. Again he looked as if he had something to tell her, but couldn't find the right words to begin. The possibilities—none of them good—zipped through her tired brain.
"No, it's not taken," she replied tersely, dropping her eyes back to her crust shredding as he sat down beside her. The sparrows inched closer, snatching at the food and flying away into the trees with their prize.
Kate shredded another crust. She kept her eyes on her task, finding she couldn't eat under his close gaze. She saw she was mangling the sandwich and relaxed her fingers. Her heart pounding, she waited for him to say what was on his mind.
After a tense silence Spencer leaned back. "So, tell me, Kate, how's your day been so far? Nothing you couldn't handle?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary." Kate looked up, frowning at the deliberate flatness of his tone.
His face was set and remote. Her heart went into overdrive. So any mention of their shared kiss was off limits?
Her eyes dropped to his mouth, her mind replaying images and sensations that made her fingers tremble. It had been an incredible kiss, everything she had ever dreamed a real kiss could be.
It was so awful not knowing what he was thinking or feeling. What he wanted to say. She couldn't ask; that would be fatal to her fragile sense of equilibrium. Distance and perspective, why had they deserted her, when she needed them the most?
"Earth to Kate?" His mouth thinned with impatience. It registered then he'd been speaking to her.
"Sorry?"
"I said thanks again for helping out with Pat O'Neill's brood. I was also asking about your other cases."
"You're welcome." She drew a careful breath. Keeping her eyes down, she briefly outlined her extensive patient list. He questioned her for a few minutes, seeming satisfied with her responses. Kate knew a brief moment of pleasure as if she had just passed some kind of test.
"It sounds like you're coping well." Spencer finished his coffee in a long swallow, before tipping his head back and closing his eyes against the su
n. "Remember, it's my job to look after you. Anything you need, just ask." His tone said he no longer wanted the task.
Anything I need...Kate shifted her eyes away from the long muscular length of his thigh as he stretched out beside her, easing the tension from his muscles with a deep sigh. He stripped off his glasses, holding them in his fingers as he pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger.
Kate's mouth tightened with chagrin. Don't go there, not again. What she wanted wasn't on offer, even if she was foolish enough to think about it. And she wasn't about to forget that bleak fact a second time.
"I'll keep it in mind," she replied throatily. "If I ever need anything, I'll make sure I let you know."
"Excellent." Spencer pushed his fingers through his hair before he replaced his glasses.
He turned to look at her. She appeared nervous, acting like the proverbial cat on hot tin. He glanced down. The rest of her sandwiches lay untouched on the seat beside her. He'd been in two minds about approaching her at all. He wanted to explain about the other night, rationalize it in his own mind, but he didn't know how to begin.
Kate withdrew her attention to watch the sparrows. Spencer studied her averted profile. Is she remembering the kiss we shared? The unguarded sweetness of her response had kept him awake all that night, even after the cold shower. He'd been too wound up to escape into sleep.
As a direct consequence he'd been short with Jamie the next day and that wouldn't do. That kiss was the beginning and the end of anything between them. It simply couldn't go any further, as much as his body wanted it to happen. The rational dictates of his mind knew better.
She'd been involved with a married man. Broken up a committed relationship for her own selfish ends. That told him everything he ever needed to know about her. So why was it so hard to get her and her soft mouth out of his mind?
He couldn't afford to take the chance on her and then watch her walking out on him and Jamie when she got restless. And a city girl like her would soon get itchy feet. That was a given.
Consumed in his thoughts he felt her shifting restlessly beside him. Like she wanted to be anywhere else but here beside him, but was too polite to just get up and walk away. "I have patients waiting to be seen," she said finally, getting abruptly to her feet.
He watched her toss the remains of her sandwiches to the flocking sparrows. He noted that she had hardly eaten anything. It concerned him when she seemed so edgy. He hadn't meant to interrupt her meal.
He felt a flare of irritation that he might be the cause of her loss of appetite. He needed to mend the professional relationship between them. He should try and make amends, make her feel she could be easy around him.
That he wasn't going to compound his error by trying to kiss her again. That he wouldn't again put their working relationship at risk by getting too close.
"How about Saturday?"
"I'm sorry?" Kate took several steps away before looking back.
"I asked, how about my place on Saturday afternoon." Spencer lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the sun behind her. He watched her reaction from beneath the flat of his palm. "We have a local race meeting Friday morning. I thought you might like to join in."
"Join in?" Kate fought the sensuous pull of his attraction, trying to make sense of what exactly he was asking of her.
"Horses, Kate," Spencer replied flatly. "Everyone will be there. We always make a day of it after the races and then parade the horses around the back garden on Saturday morning. You'll be quite safe with me."
Kate frowned, wondering who exactly would be there. A short strained silence fell between them, underscored with bird song. She took another couple of steps towards the surgery.
The birds' chatter sounded suddenly strident in her ears. "I'll have to check the roster. I may be on call."
"No problem if you are." Spencer climbed to his feet. "The cell phones work just as well at my place. You need to relax, Kate, you work too hard."
And whose fault is that? Kate backed up. "I'll check, let you know how I'm placed by the end of the week."
"Fine." Spencer's arm moved past her, his hand reaching to open the door. The warm masculine essence of him filled her nostrils and senses to exclusion. She couldn't move away.
He dropped his head to look down at her, trapping her against the warm bricks at her back. "Don't worry; I have every intention of controlling myself from now on. Maintain our professional relationship at all times. It's for the best."
"For the best." Kate nodded jerkily; looking up into the clear dark blue of his unsmiling eyes and feeling her heart dip to her toes.
It was what she wanted, wasn't it? Spencer Stelanos to keep away from her, allow her space to breathe and work without constant vigilance? She moved passed him with a small nod of thanks and went inside. Why then did the idea make her feel so dissatisfied?
Stepping inside out of the bright sunlight, she was momentarily blinded. She almost walked into Jake Morgan as he was coming out of the emergency room.
He put a steadying hand on her arm. "Kate. I've been meaning to catch up after last weekend. Is Spencer looking after you?"
"I don't really need looking after, you know."
"I know." Jake's swift grin disarmed her rising sense of indignation. "You're a big girl and I'm an old fool."
His dark eyes studied her for a long moment. Suddenly Kate wished he would tell her what he saw in her face. He looked as if he wanted to say more. What was holding him back she had no idea.
Deciding she wasn't going to receive a confession this time either she finally shrugged her dissatisfaction. "Was there something else you needed me for, Dr. Morgan?"
Jake hesitated before he said, "I just wanted you to know I've been thinking and I should tell you that I—"
"Got a minute, Jake?"
Kate spun around to find Spencer standing right behind her. He must have followed her inside. His eyes were on his partner's face; his heavy frown almost looked like a warning. His closeness at her back felt like a solid wall of denial. There seemed no way for her to push through to the truth.
"Of course, Spencer." Jake nodded quickly, looking relieved. He glanced back at Kate. "I'll let you go then. Glad to know everything is working out. Come and see me at three o'clock. I'm free then. There are a couple of your cases I want to fill you in on. The Pigott child for one. I had to admit her to hospital on Saturday night and things don't look too good."
Kate opened her mouth, started to speak, then closed it again and simply nodded. "Thank you. I'll be there."
The two men walked away, deep in conversation. Kate ran a questing hand over her face and shook her head. She was in no mood for puzzles, but the idea she was somehow missing something important remained to torment her like an itch she couldn't reach. The next time she managed to get Jake alone, without the frequent interruptions of their working day, she was going to demand the truth.
Later that afternoon Kate was at the cottage when a familiar black four wheel drive pulled up in the front drive. Kate shaded her eyes against the last rays of the setting sun as Spencer got out.
He walked up the front steps, carrying a large covered basket. "I've just been to the Jacksons to check on them. Martha's feeling much better and Bill is doing as he's told, for the first time in his life. Martha is so grateful; she made me promise to bring you this."
"What is it?" Kate followed him inside.
"Baked goods. Martha insisted on making you a thank you gift. I tried to talk her out of it, but—"
Before he could finish the telephone began to ring. Excusing herself, Kate picked up the receiver. "Hello, Dr. Martin speaking."
She listened to what the caller was saying before nodding, glancing up at Spencer's intent expression.
"It's Anne Rangi. They've just found Wirimu unconscious in bed. He's not breathing and they can't find a pulse. Anne has rung for an ambulance and they've started CPR."
Spencer nodded quickly. "Tell her I'm on my way right now.
"
Kate relayed the message and hung up. "Do you need me?"
"Yes. Jamie's staying at Serena's tonight, so he'll be fine. The track to the farm can be difficult, even in the summer, so we'd better take my vehicle."
After driving down the narrow country roads for twenty minutes, they turned into the long, winding driveway. When Kate got out of the vehicle, she discovered the old farmhouse crowded to overflowing and an ambulance already parked outside. Every room seemed filled with people and chatter. Small children of all sizes and ages ran in and out among the groups of adults. If the event wasn't so tragic, they whole scene would look magical.
Grabbing her bag, Spencer acknowledged the many called greetings as they hurried inside. Wirimu Rangi's children and grandchildren had come from their nearby homes on the farm to see the old man safely on his way. It was also a sign of respect for the old man's high standing in the local Maori community.
"Grandpa's in here, Doc." A small, dark eyed boy appeared to take her hand. "Come on, I'll show you."
He pulled at her hand, leading her into the main bedroom at the front of the house. Spencer followed, pausing to speak to the two ambulance officers standing quietly at the back of the room. Kate approached the bed where an old man was stretched out, his lined face peaceful. His wife, Leah sat cross-legged on the end of the bed, next to her husband's feet. Anne stood against the far wall.
"He's gone, Leah." Spencer said quietly.
The old lady began to rock gently from side to side. "After sixty years, now he decides to leave me."
"I don't think he wanted to leave you." Spencer put an arm around the old lady's thin shoulders. "By law a doctor has to look at him. Do you mind if it's me?"
"No, he always liked you." Leah leaned forward to hug her husband's lower legs. "You know, I told him and told him to leave that old stump alone. Let the boys handle it. But he wouldn't listen."
She swiped a hand over her eyes. "He was so tired tonight, he went to bed early. That's why I got Anne to go and see you today. After he came back from hospital, I just knew something was wrong. I should've phoned you earlier, but he wouldn't let me. Said he didn't want to bother you."