‘I don’t know what to say except thank you. You’ve all been brilliant—there’s no other word for it. Just brilliant!’
‘I’d say it’s been a pleasure only I’ll probably get locked up for lying,’ Marie retorted, groaning as she sank down on the ground and massaged her aching calf muscles. ‘I’m going to be fit for nothing next week. You could find yourself running Paeds all on your own!’
Ryan laughed. ‘That’ll teach me to push you all so hard.’ He looked round when Eve came to join them, doing his best to control his racing heart, but it was impossible. He only had to look at her and his heart raced, his breathing quickened, and as for other bits of him…
He cut short that thought, not daring to go down that route. ‘Right, unless you fancy doing it all over again, I suggest we head off to the guest house. I don’t know about you lot, but a long hot soak in the bath sounds like bliss to me.’
Murmurs of approval greeted the suggestion. Ryan tossed his haversack into the back of the bus and went to shut the doors, pausing when he heard someone calling his name. Glancing round, he gasped when he saw the couple hurrying towards him. The last time he’d seen Sarah and David had been when he’d been doing his rotations in London. They’d been junior doctors at the same time, in fact.
‘What a surprise!’ he exclaimed, shaking David’s hand. He kissed Sarah’s cheek and grinned at her. ‘I take it that you haven’t kicked this reprobate into touch, then?’
‘No. More fool me, eh?’ Sarah laughed as she held up her hand so he could see the wedding band on her finger. ‘We got married last year, so I doubt I’ll be able to get rid of him now.’
‘Congratulations,’ Ryan said warmly, genuinely pleased for them. He looked round when he heard footsteps, smiling when Eve appeared round the side of the bus. ‘Look who’s here, Eve. David and Sarah—you remember them, don’t you?’
‘Of course,’ Eve replied.
She shook hands with them but Ryan was very aware of how ill at ease she appeared. He frowned, wondering what was wrong. David and Sarah had been part of their set and they’d got on very well together. However, he had the distinct impression that they were the last people Eve had wanted to see.
‘I must say I’m surprised to see you here, Eve,’ Sarah said curiously. ‘The last I heard, you’d moved abroad. When did you get back?’
‘About six months ago,’ Eve replied quietly.
Ryan could hear the tension in her voice and felt more perplexed than ever. Something was definitely wrong, although he had no idea what.
‘Really? So have you returned to medicine?’ Sarah continued, obviously keen to find out more.
‘Yes.’
‘Oh, good. That’s great.’ Sarah sounded a bit surprised by the brevity of the answer. She glanced from Eve to Ryan. ‘So how did you guys meet up? Did you keep in touch or something?’
‘No. Eve accepted a post at Dalverston General when she decided to return to medicine,’ Ryan explained. ‘I’ve been working there for several years now and it was a real surprise when she turned up out of the blue, a pleasant one, mind you.’
Sarah laughed. ‘I’m sure it was. You two were always the best of friends, weren’t you? We all thought you’d make the perfect couple until Eve started seeing Damien.’ She turned to Eve. ‘Are you still in touch with him, by the way?’
‘No. I haven’t seen him in a long time.’
Ryan heard the panic in Eve’s voice and all of a sudden realised what was wrong. She was scared stiff, terrified at the thought of her ex tracking her down. He cursed under his breath, calling himself every kind of a fool for not realising it sooner. Slamming the back doors, he put his hand under her elbow.
‘It’s been great seeing you guys again but I’m afraid we’re going to have to go. Maybe we’ll run into one another again some time.’
‘You never know,’ David replied easily. He turned to leave then glanced back. ‘I’ll tell Damien I saw you, shall I, Eve? He may want to get in touch.’
He didn’t wait for a reply as he and Sarah hurried off to rejoin their friends. Ryan took one look at Eve’s white face and knew that he needed to get her on the bus. She looked on the point of passing out and that was the last thing he wanted when it would invite all sorts of awkward questions.
‘Come along.’
He steered her to the steps, keeping his hand under her elbow as he helped her on board. Fortunately the front seat was vacant so he sat her down and fastened her seat belt because she didn’t appear capable of doing it herself. She just sat there, staring straight ahead, her face devoid of colour, and Ryan knew that he would never forgive himself if there was any come-back from what had happened.
What if Damien contacted her? If David told him where Eve was working, he might very well do so and the thought was more than he could bear. He may have raised a lot of money for Scott’s fund in the past few days but it wouldn’t mean a thing if he’d put Eve at risk!
* * *
They’d booked into a guest house on the outskirts of Betws y Coed. Eve got off the bus and followed the others inside. Despite their tiredness, everyone was in high spirits and she did her best to join in but it was impossible. She kept thinking about what would happen if Damien tracked her down. She was over him—she was sure about that. However, the thought of having to see him again made her feel sick.
‘Let’s get you sorted out.’ Ryan rang the old-fashioned bell on the counter. As soon as the proprietor appeared, he introduced himself and asked for the key to his room. Eve had no time to protest as he led her up the stairs to the first floor. Unlocking the bedroom door, he ushered her inside. ‘I’ll fetch your bag up in a minute. I just need to make sure everyone’s all right first.’
‘Thank you.’ Eve bit her lip when she felt tears sting her eyes. She hated feeling so afraid, hated the fact that Damien still had a hold over her. Until she could rid herself of this fear, she would never be free of him.
‘Don’t.’ Ryan’s voice was so gentle that the tears spilled over.
‘I don’t want to feel like this,’ she murmured, choking back a sob. ‘I hate it, hate the fact that he can make me feel so scared!’
‘I know, sweetheart. I understand, really I do.’ He gathered her into his arms and she felt the shudder that passed through him. ‘You’ve just got to hold onto the thought that one day you’ll be able to think about him and not feel anything.’
‘Do you really believe it will happen?’ she asked hollowly.
‘Yes, I do.’ He tilted her face so he could look into her eyes. ‘You’re strong and you’re brave and one day this will all seem like a bad dream.’ He smoothed his thumb over her trembling lips. ‘It will get easier, Eve, I promise you. I’ll make sure it does!’
Eve felt her breath catch when she saw the expression in his eyes, a mixture of tenderness and something else, something that made her heart race, although not from fear this time. She knew that he was going to kiss her and just for a moment panic rose inside her. And then his mouth found hers, warm and so achingly gentle that her panic melted away. This was Ryan and he would never hurt her. He would always protect her.
It was a moment Eve knew she would remember for the rest of her life. She had been living with fear for so long but there was nothing to fear any more. Ryan was here and he would make things right, support her, help her. And maybe—just maybe—she could help him too.
It was that final thought that unlocked the last of her reservations. Reaching up, she drew his head down so she could deepen the kiss. She felt him tense and then the next second he was kissing her with a hunger that couldn’t be denied. Ryan needed this kiss as much as she did!
They were both breathing heavily when they broke apart. Eve could feel the blood pounding through her veins, filling her with life and warmth, and it was the most wonderful feeling after existing in a state of limbo for so long. Ryan rested his forehead against hers and she could feel him trembling.
‘I didn’t plan this, Eve. I want
you to know that.’
‘I do.’ She took a shuddery breath. ‘I didn’t plan it either, just in case you thought I had.’
He laughed softly. ‘So you don’t have designs on me, then? I’m gutted.’
‘Hmm, I doubt that.’ Eve chuckled, loving the fact that he could tease her even at a moment of such high emotion. ‘I imagine there have been enough women who’ve had designs on you to feed your ego.’
‘One or two.’ He drew back and his expression was solemn all of a sudden. ‘But none of them meant anything to me, Eve. Not like you do.’
He broke off when there was a knock on the door. Eve smoothed back her hair as he went to answer it. What had he been about to say? That he cared for her? That he loved her?
Her heart leapt even though she knew it was too soon to think along those lines. She couldn’t afford to get carried away by the heat of the moment. It had been a shock to see Sarah and David again and it was understandable if she got things out of proportion. Only she didn’t honestly believe that was what had happened. Did she?
Her feelings for Ryan weren’t governed by past events. He may have helped to unlock her emotions but how she felt right now wasn’t a reaction to what she’d been through before. She bit her lip. Her feelings for Ryan were pure and unsullied by anything else.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
IT TOOK RYAN some time to sort out the problem with their accommodation. It turned out that there weren’t enough rooms for them all even though he had booked the correct number. By the time he dug out a copy of the confirmation email he’d received, everyone was starting to look really fed up.
He passed it over the desk so the proprietor could read it. ‘Here you are. As you can see from this, I booked and paid for four rooms.’
‘I don’t know what’s happened then, Dr Sullivan.’ Mr Jones shook his head. ‘I’ve only got you down for three rooms, I’m afraid, although it’s obviously my mistake. The problem is that I don’t have another room available. We’re fully booked, you see.’
‘In that case, can you suggest somewhere else?’ Ryan asked tersely. He didn’t need this hassle, he really didn’t. Not when he so desperately wanted to get back to Eve.
He bit back a groan. That kiss may have been wonderful but he had been wrong to allow it to happen. It could so easily have led to something more if they hadn’t been interrupted, and that was the last thing he wanted. Once he made love to Eve he would never be able to stick to his decision; he would have to stay with her even though he knew he could ruin her life.
‘I doubt you’ll find another room in Betws y Coed at this time of the year,’ Gwyn Jones said apologetically. ‘What with it being Easter, you understand, everywhere will be fully booked. No, the only thing I can suggest is that you use the cabin. We don’t normally let it this early in the year but it won’t take me long to get it ready. I should warn you, though, that I usually rent it out to families so it’s rather basic.’
‘Fine. I’ll take it.’ Ryan didn’t waste time debating the idea. He turned to the rest of the party and shrugged. ‘Sorry about this, guys, but it can’t be helped. I’ll take the cabin so sort out which rooms you want.’
‘Eve won’t mind, will she?’ Marie asked guilelessly. ‘I mean, she might not fancy the idea of roughing it.’
‘I’m sure she’ll be fine about it,’ Ryan said firmly, although he had no idea how Eve would feel. Maybe he should have consulted her, he mused as he ran back upstairs. Given her the choice. They could even have tried to swop everyone around so she could share with someone else, only that would have invited even more speculation, wouldn’t it? He sighed as he reached the bedroom. He couldn’t do right for doing wrong, it seemed.
Eve was sitting on the bed when he went in and he was relieved to see that she looked more composed than she had done earlier. ‘All sorted?’ she asked.
‘Kind of.’ He gave a little shrug, trying to play it cool, no mean feat in view of the fact that the moment he’d set eyes on her, his body had responded in time-honoured fashion. ‘There’s been a mix-up with our booking. They’ve only reserved three rooms for us instead of the four I booked. Mr Jones has offered us the use of his cabin to make up the shortfall and I’ve agreed as it’s unlikely we’ll find anywhere else. I’m not sure what it will be like, though. He described it as basic so say if you don’t fancy staying there and I’ll see if I can juggle everyone around.’
‘I don’t think that’s possible, do you?’ Eve demurred, standing up. ‘Marie and Steve are the only ones who could feasibly swop places and it isn’t fair to ask them when they’ve been looking forward to spending some time together.’ She picked up her bag and shrugged. ‘I’m sure it’ll be fine.’
‘Well, so long as you’re happy to give it a go,’ Ryan said, doubtfully.
‘It isn’t a problem—really.’
She gave him a quick smile as she headed out of the door. Ryan followed her down the stairs, wondering if he was imagining the fact that she seemed to be trying to set a little distance between them. He sighed as he waited for Mr Jones to fetch the keys to the cabin. Maybe Eve had decided, as he had done, that it would be foolish to get carried away by the heat of the moment. After all, she had as much to lose as him. She needed to concentrate all her efforts on getting her life back on track. She didn’t have time to think about starting a relationship.
* * *
The cabin was much nicer than she had expected. Eve smiled as she looked around the simply furnished interior. The walls were of bare cedar, caulked and sealed to keep out any draughts, making it feel very cosy. Soft furnishings in various shades of green added to the charm of the place plus there was a tiny kitchen and a bathroom, as well as two bedrooms, the largest built into the mezzanine level and offering a wonderful view of the woods. Turning to Ryan, she laughed in delight.
‘I’d say we’ve struck it lucky, wouldn’t you? This is lovely!’
‘It is nice,’ he agreed, looking around. ‘It’s so quiet too because we’re well away from the road back here.’
‘It’s perfect,’ she assured him, and he laughed.
‘Phew! That’s a relief. I did wonder if I was being a bit presumptuous by expecting you to rough it in a cabin.’
‘Oh, I think I can cope very happily with this.’
She smiled at him and felt her heart leap when he smiled back. He’d seemed a little withdrawn since he’d returned to tell her about the mix-up with the rooms and it was a relief to know that he seemed to have got over whatever had been troubling him. Maybe he’d been having doubts about that kiss too but it had happened and there was no point regretting it. It was what happened from here on that mattered more and she had no idea what that was going to be.
The thought was a little disquieting in view of the fact that she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. Eve pushed it to the back of her mind as she headed into the kitchen. Opening the miniature-sized fridge, she took out a fresh carton of milk. ‘It looks like our host has provided us with a few necessities. How about I make us some tea while you fetch the bags?’
‘Good idea. I won’t be long.’
Ryan sketched her a wave and left. Eve filled the kettle and set it to boil, opening cupboards at random until she found what she needed. She laid cups and saucers, milk jug and sugar bowl on a tray then made the tea. There was even a packet of ginger biscuits so she put some on a plate and had everything ready by the time he came back. He grinned as he took stock.
‘Quite the little domestic goddess, aren’t you?’ he teased, leaving their bags by the door.
‘I have my moments,’ she retorted, carrying the tray into the living room and setting it down on a rustic-style coffee table next to the sofa. She poured the tea then offered him a biscuit. ‘No scones, I’m afraid, so these will have to do.’
‘Hmm, I may have to downgrade you from fully fledged goddess to trainee if you haven’t baked any scones,’ he said, grinning.
‘Oh, dear!’ Eve rolled her eyes. ‘I’m not sure
I can stand the thought of being marked down.’
‘I’m sure you’ll survive. You’re a lot tougher than you look, Eve.’
‘Do you think so?’
He must have heard the doubt in her voice. He put down his cup and looked steadily back at her. ‘Yes, I do. You wouldn’t have got to this point if you hadn’t been tough and brave too.’
‘I didn’t feel very brave when we bumped into Sarah and David,’ she admitted. ‘I thought I was going to collapse into a quivering little heap of jelly.’
‘Because you were scared at the thought of Damien tracking you down?’ he said gently, and she sighed.
‘Yes. Oh, I know it’s silly but the thought of seeing him again makes me feel all churned up inside.’
‘Because you still have feelings for him?’
‘I suppose so.’ She frowned, wondering how best to explain how she felt about her ex. She didn’t want to burden Ryan with her problems after all. She looked up in surprise when he suddenly stood up.
‘I’m sure you’ll work it out, Eve. As I said, you’re strong and you’re brave and in the end you’ll sort things out. Right, I’ll take our bags through. Which room do you fancy? How about the mezzanine? You’ll get a wonderful view from up there.’
‘I…um… Thank you.’
Eve watched him walk over and pick up their bags. He didn’t look at her as he carried her case up the open-tread staircase. He came back down and took his bag into the other bedroom, closing the door behind him, and she was more confused than ever. Had she said something to upset him?
She ran back over their conversation but couldn’t work it out and sighed. She was imagining it, reading too much into everything that happened. The problem was that she was so aware of Ryan that every word was far too significant. She needed to get a little balance back into her life, start seeing the situation for what it was. Ryan was her friend and, despite that kiss, he had every intention of remaining her friend too.
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