‘I can’t stay. My home is in England.’ She said it like a mantra. Like a creed. ‘It’s where I belong.’
‘Is that where your heart is?’
‘Of course.’ Izzy kept her expression under such tight control it was painful. ‘Where else would it be?’
* * *
Izzy opened the door to Zach a couple of hours later. ‘Hi.’
He ran a finger down the length of her cheek in a touch as light as a brushstroke. ‘You OK?’
She blew out a long exhausted-sounding breath. ‘What a day.’
He closed the door behind him and reached for her, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her gently on the mouth. A soft, comforting kiss that was somehow far more meaningful and moving than if he’d let loose with a storm of passion. It was his sensitivity that made her heart contract. It wasn’t because she was in love with him. That thought was off limits. Her brain was barricaded like a crime scene. Cordoned off. Do Not Enter.
He pulled back to look at her, still holding her hands in his. ‘I’ve got some good news.’
Izzy gave him a weary look. ‘I could certainly do with some. What is it?’
‘Caitlyn Graham filed a domestic assault complaint an hour ago. That’s why I’m late. Rob’s taking Wayne Brody to Bourke to formally charge him.’
Izzy clutched at his hands. ‘Is she all right? Should I go and see her?’
‘She’s gone to Peggy McLeod’s place with the kids. I thought you’d had enough drama for one day.’
‘What happened? I thought you were certain he hadn’t hurt her when you went out there?’
‘He hadn’t at that stage,’ Zach said. ‘He’d verbally threatened her. Refused to let her leave the house, that sort of thing. But a couple of hours after we left, when the boys got home from school on the bus he started trying to lay into her. Apparently he’s done it before but never in front of the boys. Jobe called triple zero.’
‘Are you sure Caitlyn’s not hurt? Are the kids OK?’
‘Brody was too tanked to do much after the first swing, which Caitlyn luckily managed to dodge. She barricaded herself and the kids in the bathroom and waited for Rob and me to arrive.’
Izzy shuddered at the thought of the terror Caitlyn and the kids must have felt. ‘I’m so glad she’s finally out of danger. I felt sure it would only be a matter of time before he did something to her or one of the kids. He was so threatening to me. I thought he was going to assault me for sure.’
‘If he had, he would’ve had me to answer to.’ A quiver went through her at the implacability in his tone and his grey-blue eyes had a hard, self-satisfied glitter to them as he added, ‘As it was, I already had a little score to settle with him.’
Izzy ran a gentle fingertip over the angry graze marks on the backs of the knuckles on his right hand. ‘You wouldn’t do anything outside the law, would you, Sergeant?’ she asked.
He gave her an inscrutable smile. ‘I’m one of the good guys, remember?’
She stepped up on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his lips. ‘I didn’t realise they still made men like you any more.’
He threaded his fingers through her hair, gently massaging her scalp. ‘You sure you’re OK?’
Sensitive. Thoughtful. Gallant. What’s not to love?
Izzy stepped back behind the yellow and black tape in her head. ‘Margie has a lump in her breast.’
His brows snapped together in shock. ‘Cancer?’
‘I don’t know yet. She has to have a mammogram and ultrasound and possibly a fine needle biopsy. I’ve managed to get her an appointment the day after tomorrow.’ Izzy let out a breath. ‘She wanted me to tell you so you could tell your dad.’
‘Why doesn’t she want to tell him herself?’
‘I asked her the same thing but she’s worried about getting too upset.’
He dropped his hands from her head and raked one through his own hair. ‘Poor Margie. This town would be lost without her. My dad would be lost without her.’
‘What a pity he hasn’t told her that,’ Izzy said on another sigh.
He gave her a thoughtful look. ‘He will when he realises it.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
‘CANCER?’ DOUG’S FACE blanched. ‘Why on earth didn’t she tell me herself?’
Zach mentally rolled his eyes. ‘You’re the one who blew her off because she was getting too close.’
His father looked the colour of grey chalk. ‘Is it serious? Is she going to die?’
‘I don’t know the answer to that. No one does yet. Izzy’s organised a biopsy for her in Bourke. We’ll know more after the results of that come through.’
‘I need to see her. Will you drive me there now? I just want to see her to make sure she’s all right.’
‘What, now?’
‘Why not now?’ Doug said. ‘She shouldn’t be on her own at a time like this. Better still, I’ll pack a bag and stay with her. I’ll go with her to the appointment. She’ll want someone with her. Might as well be me.’
Zach felt a warm spill of hope spread through his chest. ‘You sure about this? You haven’t stayed anywhere overnight other than hospital or rehab since the accident.’
Doug gave him a glowering look. ‘I’m not a complete invalid, you know. I might not be able to do some of the things I used to do but I can still support a friend when they need me. Margie was the first person other than you to come to see me after the accident. She sat for days by my bedside. It’s only right that I support her through this.’
* * *
Three days later Izzy opened the letter from the surgeon with trembling hands. Margie and Doug were sitting together in her consulting room, holding hands like teenagers on their first date.
‘I want you to know I’m going to marry Margie, no matter what that letter says,’ Doug said. ‘I’ve already talked to Reverend Taylor.’
Izzy acknowledged that with a smile. Zach had already told her the good news. Now it was time for the bad news. She looked at the typed words on the single sheet of paper with the pathology report attached. She breathed out a sigh of relief. Not such bad news after all. ‘It’s not as bad as it could be. It’s a DCIS—’
‘What’s that?’ Doug asked, before Izzy could explain.
‘DCIS is duct cancer in situ. It’s not cancer but a step before you to get to cancer. It’s like catching the horse just before it bolts.’
‘So I don’t have cancer? But you said duct cancer. I don’t understand. Do I have it or not?’ Margie asked.
‘I’ll try and explain it the best I can,’ Izzy said. ‘Think of it like this. Our body is made up of trillions of cells. Each cell has a computer program in it, telling it what to do. The computer program becomes damaged in some cell and the cell doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do. The worst-case scenario is when a whole lot of damage occurs, the cell goes out of control, starts multiplying too many copies of itself and won’t stop. The copies spread throughout the body. That’s cancer. But DCIS is where only a little bit of damage has occurred so far—the cell is a bit iffy when it comes to taking orders, but isn’t yet out of control. If the lump is fully removed the problem has been cured.’
‘Cured? Just by removing the lump? You mean surgery will fix this?’ Doug asked.
‘Yes, but the surgeon is still recommending radiotherapy afterwards because although the palpable lump of DCIS will be removed, there could be other unstable cells in the breast about to do the same thing. You’ll need regular follow-up but it’s certainly a lot better news than it could have been.’
Doug hugged Margie so tightly it looked like he was going to snap her in two. ‘I can’t believe what a fool I’ve been for all these years. We’ll get married as soon as it can be arranged and go on a fancy cruise for our honeymoon once you’ve got the all-clear.’
Margie laughed and hugged him back. ‘I feel like I’ve won the lottery. I’m not going to die and I’ve got the man of my dreams wanting to marry me.’ She turned to Izzy. ‘How can
I thank you?’
‘Nothing to thank me for,’ Izzy said. ‘I’m just doing my job.’
Which will end in two days’ time.
* * *
Zach had been dreading the Shearers’ Ball. Not just because too many of the locals had too much to drink and he had to be the fun police, but because it was the last night Izzy was going to be in town. Neither of them had mentioned that fact over the last couple of days. The drama with Margie and then the relief of his father finally getting his act together had pushed the elephant out of the room.
Now it was back...but Zach was painfully aware its bags were packed.
As soon as Zach arrived at the community centre where the country-style ball was being held he saw Izzy. She was wearing a fifties-style dress with a circle skirt in a bright shade of red that made her look like a poppy in a field of dandelions. He had never seen her look more beautiful. He had never seen anyone look more beautiful. Her hair was up in that half casual, half formal style, her creamy skin was highlighted with the lightest touch of make-up and those gorgeous kissable lips shimmered with lip-gloss.
The locals surrounded her, each one wanting to have their share of her. Caitlyn Graham was there with the kids, looking relaxed and happy for the first time in years. Peggy McLeod was cuddling Skylar and smiling at something Caitlyn had said to Izzy.
Jim Collis wandered over with a beer in his hand. ‘She’s something else, isn’t she?’
Zach kept his expression masked. ‘I see you got your tyres fixed.’
‘Cost me a fortune.’ Jim took another swig of his beer. ‘Hey, good news about Margie and your old man. About bloody time. Look at them over there. Anyone would think they were sixteen again.’
Zach looked towards the back of the community hall where his father was seated next to Margie on a hay bale, their hands joined, his father’s walking frame proving a rather useful receptacle for Margie’s handbag as well as a place to put their drinks and a plate of the delicious food Peggy and her team had organised. ‘Yeah. I’m happy for him. For both of them.’
‘So...’ Jim gave Zach a nudge with his elbow. ‘What about you and the doc?’
‘She’s leaving tomorrow.’ Zach said it as if the words weren’t gnawing a giant hole in his chest. ‘Got a new locum position in Brisbane. Starting on Monday.’
‘Brisbane’s not so far away. Maybe you could—’
‘What would be the point?’ Zach said. ‘She’s going back to England in July. It’s where she belongs. Excuse me.’ He gave Jim a dismissive look. ‘I’m going to get something to drink.’
* * *
Izzy saw Zach standing to the left of the entrance of the community centre with a can of lemonade in his hand. He had his cop face on, acknowledging the locals who greeted him with a stiff movement of his lips as if it physically pained him to crack a full smile. She knew events like these were often quite stressful for country police officers. There were always a couple of locals who liked to drink a little too much and things could turn from a fun-loving party into an out of control mêlée in less time than it took to shake a cocktail. Friends could become enemies in a matter of minutes and the cop on duty had to be ready to control things and keep order.
Izzy had spent a few hours last night with Zach but the topic of her leaving had been carefully skirted around. She’d told him she was looking forward to the Brisbane locum but even as she’d said the words she’d felt a sinkhole of sadness open up inside her. It was like her mouth was saying one thing while her heart was saying another. Feeling another. But it wasn’t like she could tell him how she felt. What woman in her right mind would tell a man she had only known a month that she loved him? He’d think she was mad.
It was a fling. A casual hook-up that had suited both of them. They had both needed to get over their broken engagements. Their short-term relationship had been a healing process, an exercise in closure so now they were both free to move on with their lives.
The trouble was it didn’t feel like a fling. It had never felt like a fling.
Izzy went over to him with a plate of savoury nibbles Peggy had thrust in her hand on her way past. ‘Having fun over here all by yourself?’
He gave her a dry look. ‘You know that word “wallflower”? I’m more of a wall tree.’
She smiled. ‘I’m pretty good on a city nightclub dance floor but out here among the hay bales I’m not sure what might happen.’
‘Are you asking me to dance with you?’
Izzy was asking much more than that and wondered if he could see it in her eyes. His expression, however, was much harder to read. He had that invisible wall around him but whether it was because he was on duty or because he was holding back from her for other reasons she couldn’t quite tell. ‘Not if you don’t want to.’
He put his can of lemonade on a nearby trestle table. ‘Come on.’ He took her hand as the music started. ‘One dance then I’m back on duty.’
As soon as his arms went around her Izzy felt as if everyone else in the community centre had faded into the background. It was just Zach and her on the hay-strewn dance floor, their bodies moving as one in a waltz to a poignant country music ballad.
Zach’s breath stirred her hair as he turned her round in a manoeuvre that would have got a ten out of ten on a reality dance show. ‘You know what happens if you play country music backwards?’
Izzy looked up at him with a quizzical smile. ‘No, what?’
‘You get your job back, your dead dog comes back to life and your girlfriend stops sleeping with your best mate.’
It was a funny joke and it should have made her laugh out loud but instead she felt like crying. She blinked a couple of times and forced a smile. ‘I’m really going to miss Popeye. Do you think I could—?’ She looked at his shirt collar instead. ‘No, maybe not. I’m not very good at goodbyes.’
‘What time do you leave?’ The question was as casual as What do you think of the weather?
‘Early. It’s a long drive.’ Izzy was still focusing her gaze on his collar but it had become blurry. ‘I don’t want to rush it.’
‘Izzy...’ His throat moved up and down as if he had taken a bigger than normal swallow.
She looked into his grey-blue eyes, her heart feeling like it had moved out of her chest and was now beating in her oesophagus. ‘Yes?’
His eyes moved back and forth between each of hers as if he was searching for something hidden there. ‘Thank you for what you did for my father.’
Izzy wondered if that was what he had really intended to say. There was something about his tone and his manner that didn’t seem quite right. ‘I didn’t do anything.’
He stopped dancing and stood with his arms still around her, his eyes locked on hers. It was as if he had completely forgotten they were in the middle of the community centre dance floor, with the whole town watching on the sidelines. ‘You didn’t give up on him.’
Izzy gave him another wry smile. ‘I like to give everyone a decent chance.’
He looked about to say something else but the jostling of the other dancers seemed to jolt him back into the present. A shutter came down on his face and he spoke in a flat monotone. ‘We’re holding up traffic.’ He dropped his hands from her and stepped back. ‘I’ll let you mingle. I’ll catch you later.’
‘Zach...?’ Izzy’s voice was so husky it didn’t stand a chance over the loud floor-stomping music Bill Davidson had exchanged for the ballad. She watched as Zach walked out of the community centre without even acknowledging Damien Redbank, who spoke to him on the way past.
It was another hour before Izzy could get anywhere near Zach again. She got caught up in a progressive barn dance and then a vigorous Scottish dance that left one of the older locals a little short of breath. She had to make sure the man was not having a cardiac arrest before she could go in search of Zach. She found him talking on his mobile out by the tank stand. He acknowledged her with a brief flicker of his lips as he slipped his phone away. ‘All danced out
?’
Izzy grimaced as she tucked a damp strand of hair behind her ear. ‘I’ve been swung about so energetically I think both my shoulders have popped out of their sockets.’
‘The Gay Gordons not your thing, then?’ It was difficult to tell if he was smiling or not as his face was now in shadow.
‘I loved it. It’s the best workout I’ve had since...well, since last night.’
He stepped out of the cloaking shadow of the community centre but didn’t look at her; instead, he was looking out into the sprawling endless darkness beyond town. ‘That was my mother on the phone.’
‘Does she call you often?’
‘Not often.’ Izzy heard him scrape the gravel with the toe of his boot. ‘That’s probably as much my fault as hers.’
‘Would you ever consider going over to see her again some time?’
He lifted a shoulder and then let it drop. ‘Maybe.’
‘Maybe you could look me up if you do.’ As soon as she’d said the words she wished she hadn’t. They made her sound as if she was content to be nothing more than a booty call. She wanted more. So much more.
‘What would be the point?’
Izzy rolled her lips together. ‘It would be nice to catch up.’
‘To do what?’ His eyes looked as hard as diamond chips now. ‘To pick up where we left off?’
She let out a slow, measured breath. ‘I just thought—’
‘What did you think, Izzy?’ His tone hardened, along with his gaze. ‘That I’d ask you to hang around so we could pretend a little longer this is going to last for ever? This was never about for ever. We’ve had our fun. Now it’s time for you to leave as planned.’
Izzy swallowed a knot of pain. ‘Is that what you want?’
His expression went back to its fall-back position. Distant. Aloof. Closed off. ‘Of course it is.’
‘I don’t believe you.’ She held his strong gaze with indomitable force. ‘You’re lying. You want me to stay. I know you do. You want me, Zach. I feel it in every fibre of my being. How can you stand there and pretend you don’t?’
Flirting with the Socialite Doc (Mills & Boon Medical) Page 14