by Fiona Lowe
She opened her mouth to welcome him, desperate to taste more of him, wanting to explore, feel, savour.
But as quickly as it had started, the kiss ended. His arms fell away. ‘Here!’ He started waving his arm in a large arc.
Dazed, Meg turned to see four horses coming through the trees. The rescuers had arrived. She should feel over the moon with relief.
All she could think of was how much life could change in seventeen hours.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE small church was packed to overflowing. After a coroner’s inquest, Tom’s body was finally released two weeks after the crash and today was his funeral.
The Laurel Valley residents had come together to honour a man they had all loved. Meg sat in the second row, letting the music and words flow over her. Her mother pressed a fresh hankie into her hand, replacing the tear-soaked one in her lap.
The last two weeks had felt surreal. Sure, she’d been back at work and she’d competently dealt with the usual issues, but her mind seemed stuck on the mountain.
From the moment the search and rescue team had arrived and put Meg on one horse with a bushman and Will on another, she’d lost contact with him. They hadn’t spoken again.
The rescue party had brought them to the Mt Hume resort where her mother and brothers had been anxiously waiting for her. In the mêlée of hugs, she’d looked up to see Will getting into a luxury four-wheel-drive with a well-dressed older couple she assumed were his parents, his father a frail version of Will, his mother slim with ash-blonde hair.
And that had been the last she’d seen of him. But he had filled her thoughts both day and night. For two weeks she’d relived every conversation, every laugh and every sigh. And she’d replayed his kiss over and over—the pressure of his lips against hers, the surge of longing that had swept into every crevice of her body when she’d tasted him, the feeling of loss when he’d pulled away.
She’d spent hours imagining conversations with him should they ever meet again and how she would greet him if they did.
The organ music swelled and the pallbearers, Tom’s sons and members of the footy team he coached, lifted the coffin high onto their shoulders and carried it down the aisle. Slowly the crowd filed from the church and Meg took a moment to say a few words to Tom’s wife before heading out into the sunshine.
Meg turned to walk toward the hall where the women of Laurelton had prepared the wake. She knew the drill…standing around drinking tea, balancing a plate of sponge cake and sandwiches and making polite conversation. But her heart wasn’t in it. People would ask about the crash and she didn’t want to have to tell her story again. This was time to remember Tom.
Her mother’s voice broke into her thoughts. ‘Sheryl Jettison’s offered to drive me home, so I’ll see you later this afternoon.’
‘Are you sure?’
Her mother nodded at her quizzical look. ‘Go back to work. You’re on call, so people will understand.’
‘Thanks, Mum.’ She cut back across the church lawn, the quickest way to get back to the bush nursing centre.
‘Meg.’
Her breath caught in her throat. She’d know that deep, sensual voice anywhere. She turned slowly, wanting it so much to be Will but scared she was superimposing his voice onto someone else’s. She didn’t want to deal with the disappointment if she was wrong.
Will stood in front of her, his black designer suit tailored to outline his broad shoulders and long legs. In casual clothes he’d looked gorgeous in a crumpled sort of way. In a suit he was strikingly handsome, a forceful statement of a man in charge.
‘You came to the funeral.’ Well, duh, he’s standing right in front of you. So much for the conversations she’d practised in her head.
‘I did.’ He moved toward her. ‘How are you?’ He spoke quietly. ‘How’s your ankle?’
She tried not to sound breathless. ‘Fine. And you, and your ribs?’
‘Fine.’ A subtle ripple of tension wove across his shoulders.
Tension that she recognised all too well. ‘Actually, Will, I’m not that fine. I’m not sleeping at all.’ The truth rushed out after two weeks of putting on a brave front to her family and friends.
He gave her a wry smile. ‘Me neither. Do you keep replaying the crash in your head?’
‘Yes.’ It was a relief to tell him.
‘Do you want to…?’ Their words collided, spilling over each other.
Meg laughed and looked into his face. ‘Go somewhere and talk? I’d love to.’
He gently took her arm and steered her toward his car.
The gentle pressure of his fingers sent delicious shivers of sensation along every nerve and every vein until she tingled all over.
He opened the door for her, his eyes crinkling in a smile as he released her arm and handed her up onto the running board of the vehicle.
She climbed into his four-wheel-drive expecting the luxurious smell of leather. Fabric seats greeted her and as she sat down she noticed a saddle on the back seat and a suitcase in the very back. A man on the move? She wondered where he’d come from and where he was going.
Will sat down next to her and started the engine. ‘Where’s the best coffee?’
She bit her lip. ‘Technically I should be at the wake, so I really can’t be seen in public having coffee. But I’m on call, so come back to the nursing centre and I can make you an espresso, a lattè or a cappuccino.’
He raised his brows. ‘Café society à la Laurelton?’
‘Hey, the Italians came and started the tobacco industry here. We know our coffee.’ She smiled. ‘Any more cheek and you’ll wear it rather than drink it.’
He grinned his trademark smile, his even teeth looking very white against his tanned face. ‘Fair enough. So direct me to the centre.’
Two minutes later she ushered him into the kitchen of the clinic and started to froth milk for two cappuccinos. ‘Did you take your ski trip after the crash?’
‘I stayed on the mountain for a few days. Probably not the best idea, but I thought I would still try and work on Jason Peters to donate money to my current project.’
She wondered if he was being deliberately vague about his job. ‘How did you go?’
‘I tried to ski but the whole idea of being social just drained me. I found myself listening to conversations about the stock market, about the latest football player trading controversy and I thought, Why am I here?’
Complete understanding wound through her. ‘I know exactly what you mean. I thought after a near-death experience you’re supposed to gain pleasure from everyday things, but I get so frustrated. Two nights ago I had to walk out of a meeting before I exploded. The discussion was all about what colour the serviettes should be at the council dinner. I felt like saying, “What does it matter? Just pick a colour.”’
He nodded, empathy and comprehension radiating from him. ‘Then I went to Queensland to my parents’ beach house. Bad idea. My usually non-maternal mother turned all motherly on me. Dad just wanted to talk work.’
‘Is your dad a doctor, too?’
He shook his head. ‘No, I’m the only member of the family in medicine.’
She tried to match up his words, none of them making a lot of sense. ‘Your dad’s not a doctor but he can talk medicine to you?’
‘Right now I’m not working at the coalface, I’m more in the admin side of things.’
‘Oh, is your dad on the hospital board?’ Getting information out of Will was like pulling teeth. ‘Sorry, I’m a bit confused how you can talk work when your dad’s not a doctor.’ She sat down opposite him, and slid his mug of cappuccino across the table.
Her eyes zeroed in on his hands as he wrapped them around the mug. Long fingers that had worked so hard trying to save Tom. Fingers that had warmed her skin and created such confusion and longing inside her with their touch that she could no longer sleep at night for thinking about them.
He sighed. ‘It’s complicated.’
She rais
ed her brows. ‘Try me.’
His expression flickered with indecision.
A jab of pain struck deep inside her. He didn’t want to tell her. She saw the doubt on his face. He thought she might sledge him and who could blame him? He didn’t trust her after her appalling behaviour in the snow cave.
She tried to breathe in against a constricted chest. In a way they’d shared so much on that mountain—life and death, survival and endurance. They shared a very close bond from that experience. She could sense that, drew comfort from it.
And yet there was a huge yawning chasm between them. A trench she had dug based on a false belief. And now it looked like that gap could not be breached.
The pain intensified and wrapped around her heart.
Will tried to marshal his thoughts, pondering if there was a succinct way to explain how his father’s illness and family responsibilities had propelled his career in an unexpected direction. He ran his hand through his hair. Nope, there was no quick way to explain it. An outsider wouldn’t be able to fathom how the Cameron clan worked.
But thinking clearly when Meg’s clear blue gaze was focused on him wasn’t easy. Her wide smile distracted him. The cute little frown lines between her brows that appeared when she concentrated distracted him. The way her breasts pressed together when she leaned forward to listen distracted him. And her slightly parted lips, whose taste he recalled so vividly, forced every thought from his brain.
Hell, he’d been completely distracted by her from the moment he’d met her. For two weeks she’d taken up residence in his brain. He’d be reading a book, only to discover he had no idea of what he’d just read because the thought of his hands tangling in her chaotic curls had sidelined him.
The recollection of his lips tasting hers was seared into his memory and seemed to be on permanent replay. And he couldn’t sleep at night because he missed the warmth of her body against his.
He’d come to Tom’s funeral hoping to get closure on the whole crash experience. His plan was to spend the afternoon with Meg and then head back to Melbourne. An hour with Meg would tie up loose ends and put an end to this feeling of restlessness. After all, work, no matter what the job, had always been his focus, and there was no reason for that to change. One chance meeting with a woman would not affect that. Work was waiting and it was time to restart his life.
Meg suddenly pushed her chair back and stood up, the feet of her chair scraping loudly against the linoleum floor. ‘Would you like me to show you the clinic?’
He pushed away the feeling of disappointment that sneaked in at her businesslike expression. ‘That would be great.’ He stood and followed her. ‘So how does the system work here?’ Will looked around at the bush nursing centre, which he guessed had once been a busy hospital in days gone by.
‘We lost our status as a hospital a few years ago, along with a lot of other bush nursing hospitals. Our last full-time doctor retired five years ago and we haven’t been able to attract one since.
‘We have a fully stocked clinic, though, and doctors rotate through here out of Winston. Occasionally we get a doctor who wants to ski and trades off some time in the clinic. Unfortunately, the Mt Hume resort clinic offers better conditions so just lately we’re down to one half-day doctor session. I’m the nurse practitioner who is “it” for the rest of the time. I run the maternal and child health clinic, the well-women’s clinic and I’m on call for emergency triage.’ She spoke matter-of-factly, as if this was nothing out of the ordinary.
‘But that’s appalling. Laurelton’s a reasonable-sized town, surely it deserves some hospital beds.’ He experienced a fizz of outrage. ‘And when do you get a day off?’
She smiled at him as if he were a child stamping his foot. ‘I have a weekend reliever. As for deserving hospital beds, tell that to the number-crunching bureaucrats. Someone in a tall tower in Melbourne thinks it’s perfectly fine for the elderly or seriously ill person to have to travel forty-five minutes down the road to Winston hospital. Rural communities do it the tough way and people from the city have no real idea what it’s like. They take their health care for granted.’ Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks flushed pink. ‘Shocks you, doesn’t it?’
This must have been what she’d looked like the night in the snow cave when she’d talked so enthusiastically about Laurelton. Then he’d heard the passion in her voice, now he saw the fire and spirit on her face. It gave her a glow that sent his pulses racing.
He wanted to share with her what he cared about, what gave his life purpose. He opened his mouth to speak but the loud chime of the front doorbell cut off his words. Someone had arrived in need of Meg. He’d just lost his chance. The clock was ticking—it was time to go back to Melbourne.
They both turned and looked through the double glass doors of the clinic. A young woman was pacing back and forth, looking left and right, her actions restless and frantic.
‘I’ll get the door.’
‘I should go.’
Their words crashed into each other as they both stood still, both knowing they should move.
Meg scanned his face and for one brief moment he thought he saw regret in her eyes, but then the shutters came down and her professional look was back. ‘Could you possibly stay another half an hour just in case I need you?’
Just in case I need you. For a crazy moment his heart kicked up a notch.
She tilted her head toward the door. ‘I’ve been worried about Brittany for a few weeks, she’s been very agitated.’
She needs you as a doctor, you idiot. Common sense kicked in. She doesn’t need you. She doesn’t need anyone. She is the most independent, self-reliant person you’ve ever met.
This was unfamiliar territory. Usually he was ducking for cover, avoiding women who stalked him in social situations, hunting him for his family name, intent on trapping him for his wealth. This time he didn’t need to duck—in fact, he wanted to stand tall, be noticed and needed.
But he doubted he’d be needed, she was a competent nurse practitioner, but an offer to extend his time in her company was on the table and he’d take it. ‘Sure. Happy to stay.’
He shushed the niggling voice that told him this was a bad decision.
She didn’t want him to leave. Not yet, when they’d hardly had time to talk. Meg knew he wouldn’t have stayed for her sake but he was a caring doctor. She doubted he would walk away from a patient.
She gave him a grateful smile and together they walked up to the door. She’d been asking Brittany Chambers to drop into the clinic for weeks and now Brittany was here, she was worried how the eighteen-year-old would react. Meg pasted a smile on her face, pushed open the door and stepped outside. ‘Hello, Brittany.’
The young woman turned and looked at Meg and then at Will, her pupils large black discs. Her gaze snapped back to Meg.
‘Brittany, this is Dr Cameron, who’s visiting from Melbourne.’
The young woman stopped pacing and looked straight at Will. ‘Are you a psychiatrist? ’Cos I think I’m going crazy.’
Will smiled at Brittany and opened the door to usher her inside. ‘I’m not a psychiatrist but I come from a pretty crazy family so that might help.’
Brittany laughed and some of her tension dissipated as she walked inside.
Will raised his brows at Meg and gave her a grin as if to say, Step one down, nine to go.
Meg let out a long, slow breath. With a smile and a quip, Will had just managed to engage a very prickly patient. On the way to the treatment room she pulled Brittany’s history from medical records.
Walking into the room, she found Will leaning casually against the wall, while an overly thin Brittany paced. No white-coat syndrome here, no doctor behind a desk.
‘At first I loved not being able to sleep, I got so much done. I could party all night and still make it to lectures in the morning.’ Brittany’s words rushed out.
‘How is your concentration?’
Meg noticed Will kept his voice light and conversa
tional and Brittany responded to it, giving him more information than she’d been prepared to give anyone else of late.
‘At first it was fine but now I can’t finish my assignments. I sit down to write and my attention keeps wandering.’
‘Have you seen anyone about this?’ Will’s attention stayed completely focused on Brittany.
She shrugged. ‘I went to the student clinic at uni but the doctor there didn’t seem that interested. He just wanted to put me on sleeping pills and I didn’t feel comfortable doing that.’
Meg sat down on the desk, in keeping with the casual tone Will had set. ‘How are things with your boyfriend, Michael?’
Brittany bit her lip and her voice quavered. ‘Not good.’ She took in a deep breath. ‘He’s wonderful but I find myself getting so frustrated with him. One minute I’m the happiest person in the world and the next I’m yelling and screaming at him.’ She dropped onto a chair, her hand beating a rapid rhythm on her leg. ‘I can’t go on like this.’
Will pulled up a chair next to Brittany. ‘I’ ve got some hard questions to ask, Brittany. Are you up to answering them?’
Brittany met Meg’s gaze, her expression asking for confirmation that this was the right thing to do, that this doctor would actually listen to her.
Meg nodded. She’d seen Will in action on the mountain and she trusted his clinical skills. With Will, Brittany had a chance of a correct diagnosis.
The young woman turned back to Will. ‘OK, Doc, shoot.’
Will glanced at Meg for a moment, his face serious with concern, and then his gaze returned to Brittany. ‘You’re overly thin, Brittany. Mood swings and lack of concentration can be caused by not eating enough.’
Brittany rolled her eyes. ‘I’m not anorexic. My friends all hate the way I can eat anything in front of me and never put on any weight.’ She turned to Meg. ‘Remember the smorgasbord at Lauren Tonti’s wedding?’
Meg laughed. ‘The tables almost collapsed from the weight of all that Italian food.’
‘I had three plates of main course and a serving of every one of the seven desserts.’ She sighed. ‘But I was hungry at the end of the wedding and Michael and I stopped at Nick’s for a hamburger on the way home.’