After dinner Caitlin put the children to bed. Happily they were exhausted after their afternoon’s excitement and soon drifted off. Andrew had suggested Caitlin might like to use the hot tub on his deck. His room was right next door to hers so they would hear the children if they woke up.
Caitlin slipped on her bikini and popped on the bathrobe that had been thoughtfully provided. The sun was turning the mountains purple and she stood on her balcony and watched as the sun slipped below the horizon. Despite all her worries about her sister she felt more at peace than she had been since she had heard the news. David had been dismayed when she had insisted on coming out here for six months, and when he’d refused to support her decision, Caitlin had realised that he wasn’t the man she thought he was. Their break-up had brought surprising relief and Caitlin knew, if she was honest with herself, that she had been using her work to avoid him for a while. The breakup had been amicable, but Caitlin had wondered if she would ever meet that special someone who would make her heart race. Much in the same way Andrew did. But that was ridiculous, she told herself. She hardly knew the man. He wasn’t her type, he lived thousands of miles away from her home, and—this was the biggie—she, according to her sister, had no chance with him.
The air was much cooler now that the sun had set, and Caitlin shivered. She knew that if Andrew had tried to kiss her back there in the forest she would have kissed him back. She had wanted him to kiss her. She had wanted to feel his lips on hers, his chest against hers. She was in lust. There was no denying the horrible truth. For the first time ever she had allowed a man to get under her skin and she didn’t know how she felt about that. Not good, came the immediate reply from that part of her brain that was still capable of rational thought. Not good at all.
She knocked on Andrew’s door. He had changed into jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. He also seemed oblivious to the fact he had a smear of soot on his forehead. He looked as sexy as hell, Caitlin thought.
‘I’m putting on a fire,’ he said. ‘It’s pretty cool now the sun has set.’
‘I can see that. You men just like making fires.’ Caitlin laughed. ‘Hang on just a moment.’ She licked her finger and, standing on tiptoe, reached up to wipe away the soot. As she leant towards him her bathrobe fell open. His hands reached down and encircled her waist, but only for a second. She saw surprise in his eyes, followed closely by something else—could it be desire?
‘I’ll just have a quick soak while you sort the fire out.’ She was dismayed to find she was almost breathless. She walked over to the tub and shed her bathrobe, placing her glasses by the side. But just before she stepped into the bubbling water, she noticed something fat and wriggly attached to her ankle. She peered at it in disgust. It seemed to be a worm of some description. She smothered a shriek of disgust and tugged, planning to fling the disgusting thing as far as she could. But the creature, it seemed, had other ideas. Now it was attached to her it seemed it had no intention of letting go. She couldn’t bear it any longer. Andrew must have caught the edge of her surprised squeak as he left the fire and came over to her.
‘Everything all right?’ he asked.
The last thing Caitlin wanted was for him to have to come to her rescue again, but the thought of spending the rest of the evening with an insect attached to her foot was equally unbearable.
‘There’s a worm or something stuck on my foot! I can’t get it off!’
‘Here, let me see,’ he said quietly. ‘Sit down on the chair over there.’
Caitlin hopped over to the chair.
Andrew took her foot in his lap. With one swift yank he had removed the offending visitor from Caitlin’s foot. Immediately blood began to ooze. He examined the insect with interest.
‘It’s a leech, but it’s gone now,’ he said. ‘Remember I suggested that you tuck your trousers into your socks on our walk? This is the reason why.’
‘Ugh,’ Caitlin said forcefully. All of a sudden she became aware that her foot was still in his lap and she was wearing nothing but her tiny bikini. She felt Andrew’s eyes flicker over her body. Slowly they took her in, from the tip of her toes, before coming to rest on her face. Every nerve in her body seemed to be tingling under his look. Abruptly he lifted her foot from his lap and stood.
‘We can stick a plaster on it. Reception’s bound to have one. I’ll just nip across and get one,’ he said.
‘It’s okay,’ Caitlin said, scrambling to her feet. ‘It’ll stop bleeding soon enough.’ But it looked as if Andrew couldn’t wait to get away from her. Grief, did he think this was some half-baked attempt to seduce him? How mortifying.
‘It won’t stop bleeding for a while,’ he said. ‘These guys have anticoagulant in their bites. It’s hardly lifethreatening, but we don’t want you to bleed all over the place, do we?’ And with that he left the room.
Giving up on the hot tub, Caitlin retreated to her room, showered quickly and slipped on a pair of jeans and a thin cashmere sweater. While she showered she felt herself flush at the memory of her foot in his hand and his eyes on her body. Whatever this thing between them was, she knew he felt it too. She had thought he was going to kiss her and then he had pulled away. Clearly he was reluctant to start anything between them. Was it because they worked together? In that case, she could understand. But could she? They were both adults. Surely, at the grand age of twenty-nine, she could be expected to behave like one. Maybe it was more to do with him being friends with Brianna and Niall? That she could understand. It would be intensely awkward if anything did happen and then one of them broke it off. And, besides, Caitlin told herself firmly, she didn’t want a relationship with a man who lived on the other side of the world from her. There was no future in it. And then there was Brianna. She was here to be with her sister, not be distracted by some man, no matter how gorgeous. She would put any feelings she might have aside and behave towards him as she would towards any other colleague. Why, then, did a little voice tell her that it wasn’t going to be that easy?
While Andrew waited for the receptionist to fetch him a plaster, he too was thinking about Caitlin. Why did Brianna’s sister have to be so sexy and warm and funny? She was doing things to his libido that he couldn’t remember happening before. Sure, he’d had lovers. Sure he’d been fond of them, but they all knew the score and were happy to be lovers until the relationship came to a natural end. Which it always did. And he had to admit usually because he lost interest. But Caitlin was different. He knew deep in his heart that if he allowed her to get under his skin—more under his skin than she already was—she would be a difficult woman not to fall in love with. And falling in love wasn’t part of his plans. It wouldn’t be fair to her, it wouldn’t be fair to him. They could never be anything more than lovers. Deep in his soul he knew that that wouldn’t be enough for her. And to complicate matters further, she was Brianna’s sister. He couldn’t do anything but play fair with her.
Accepting the plaster from the receptionist, he made his way back to his room. Whatever this attraction was between him and Caitlin, he had to put an end to it. He would tell her the truth. It would be her call. If she wanted to take things further, knowing there was no future in it, who was he to stop her? Satisfied that he was doing the right thing, he felt his spirits rise. He would tell her, then leave it up to her.
But when he got to his room, Caitlin was nowhere to be seen. He felt an inordinate sense of disappointment and realised that he’d been hoping that she’d be there waiting for him, happy to pick up where they’d left off. But it seemed that for whatever reason she had decided against it. But she would still need the plaster. Tentatively, so as not to wake the children, he tapped on her door. She opened it, looking wary.
‘I have the plaster,’ he said. ‘I thought you’d still be in my room.’
‘I didn’t think it was a good idea,’ she said, her green eyes glinting. ‘I’m tired, I guess I didn’t realise how tired till just now. It was an early start, so if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll just go to bed.’ She
held out her hand and took the plaster. Andrew felt crazily disappointed. He knew then he’d been hoping against hope that Caitlin would listen to what he had to say, and that it wouldn’t make a difference. But it seemed she had different ideas. Had he read the situation all wrong? He was still thinking of what to say when she quietly but firmly closed the door on him.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE next morning Caitlin was woken by two small faces staring down at her. As she focused, Siobhan and Ciaran giggled.
‘We’ve been waiting ages for you to wake up,’ Siobhan said. ‘Mummy said we weren’t to wake you up, but we’ve been up for ages.’
Caitlin scrambled for her watch and squinted at the face. Five-thirty. She groaned. It was still the middle of the night! However, realising that the children would never allow her to go back to sleep, she eased herself out of bed. The children had tried to dress themselves, but had made rather a poor attempt at it. Siobhan was wearing a pair of shorts and a dress and Ciaran had his T-shirt on the wrong way round.
‘Okay, guys, let me just make myself some coffee and then I’ll sort you out. After that we’ll go for breakfast—okay?’
While Caitlin waited for the kettle to boil she fixed the children’s clothes. Then, still in her dressing gown, she opened the curtains and let herself out onto the deck, coffee in hand. Dawn was just beginning to light the sky and a heavy mist hung over the trees. The birds had woken and she listened to the strange chirping and whirling cries as she sipped her coffee. It was like being in another world, on another planet even, she thought.
When she’d finished her coffee, she realised that it had gone unnaturally quiet in the room. She looked around feverishly but the children were nowhere to be seen. An open door suggested that they had got tired of waiting for her and had decided to go exploring. Caitlin flung on her jeans and T-shirt and not stopping long enough to pull a comb through her hair went off in pursuit. How could she have turned her back on them, even for a moment? Visions of them being lost in the rainforest or slipping down the side of a mountain, or, even worse, falling over the edge of the canopy walk made her blood run cold. God, couldn’t her sister rely on her for even twenty-four hours? If having children meant having eyes in the back of your head and being on alert twenty-four seven then Caitlin knew she had been right not to go down that route. Clearly she’d be a hopeless parent. Nieces and nephews, preferably at a distance, suited her just fine.
But she had only got as far as the room next to hers when she saw that the door was open. Hearing the sound of giggles, she followed the sound into Andrew’s room to find him sitting up in bed looking bemused, a child on either side.
‘They got you too, huh?’ Caitlin said. The sight of him, all bleary-eyed and looking so aghast, made Caitlin laugh out loud.
‘The last time I was awake this early I was on call,’ Andrew admitted. ‘Hey, I don’t suppose you could make some coffee while I get dressed?’ He flung aside the sheet, and Caitlin turned away, but not before she caught a glimpse of his torso. Her heart thudding, she busied herself with the coffee while, behind her, she heard him pad towards the shower. ‘Give me five minutes,’ he said.
His coffee was cooling by the time he emerged from the shower, a towel slung low on his hips. Caitlin couldn’t help but look at his muscular chest, golden in colour and perfectly smooth. She was aware of his arms and the muscles that made it seem as if he worked out. Probably all that kite surfing, she thought. For a second she let herself imagine her head against his chest and his strong arms around her. She shook her head to chase away the image. That way lay madness.
By the time they made their way to the dining room, breakfast was being served and Caitlin saw to the children before helping herself to a plate of fruit, some of which she hadn’t seen before. Nevertheless it was all delicious. Andrew tucked into a plate of bacon and pancakes. Catching Caitlin’s look of amazement at how much he seemed able to pack away, he raised an eyebrow. ‘I need to keep my strength up,’ he said between mouthfuls. ‘I have a feeling I’m going to need it today.’
‘What’s the plan?’ Caitlin asked, rescuing Ciaran’s tumbler just in time to stop it tipping over.
‘I thought we should take the children on the canopy walk,’ he said. ‘It’s an easy one, so they’ll manage fine. After that, lunch and home, I guess. I told Brianna we’d have them back around three.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ Caitlin said.
‘Me too,’ said Siobhan. She looked just like Brianna had as a little girl, Caitlin thought. All red curls and freckles. Thinking about her sister, she remembered why she was here. Please, God, she sent a silent prayer heavenwards. Don’t let anything bad happen to this family.
‘How’s your foot, by the way?’Andrew asked, helping himself to another slice of toast. Then he peered at her. ‘Are you all right? You looked so sad there.’
‘My foot’s fine,’ she said. ‘And so am I.’ She glanced pointedly in the direction of the children. Andrew was quick to pick up the signal. He must have guessed she was thinking about Brianna. He leaned over and touched her hand. It was only the lightest of touches but it sent an electric shock up Caitlin’s arm. Before she could help herself she jerked it away.
The children, having finished their breakfasts, were growing restive. ‘Let’s go. Now!’ Ciaran demanded. Andrew and Caitlin shared a look of resignation before gathering up the children.
‘Surely among the treetops there are no jellyfish or leeches,’ she said. ‘I think I’ve had my share of troublesome Australian wildlife for the time being.’
‘Don’t worry,’Andrew said, grinning at her. ‘You’ll be perfectly safe.’
The canopy walkway snaked across the top of the trees. They had to cross a series of suspension bridges and there were viewing platforms along the way. The children kept shrieking with delight every time they spotted a different bird. Every now and again there would be sounds like a whip cracking or a rifle shot that made them all, but especially Caitlin, jump. Amused, Andrew explained the sounds were made by birds and that Caitlin shouldn’t worry as there were no hunters in the forest waiting to take a potshot at her.
Although it was still early, the sun was already warming Caitlin’s skin. At least up here the sun wasn’t so unbearable. In fact, the heat was just perfect. As the children ran ahead Andrew said, ‘You were thinking of Brianna back there—at breakfast—weren’t you?’
Caitlin nodded. ‘You could tell?’ she asked, smiling wryly.
‘You show everything in your face,’ he said. ‘Every emotion is written there for the world to see.’
Caitlin cringed inwardly. She certainly hoped not every emotion was visible—the last thing she wanted was for him to see how much he was affecting her.
‘I guess I’m not as good at hiding my emotions as I thought I was,’ she replied. ‘Just as well I always tell my patients the truth. Otherwise they’d know immediately when I was lying and lose faith in me. But sometimes I wish I could switch off, not be so involved. I don’t think I could be a paediatrician for that reason,’ she said. ‘Perhaps that’s why my career is following the path of academia,’ she added thoughtfully.
‘I find I have to keep my distance. I worry I’d let personal feelings cloud my judgement otherwise,’ Andrew answered.
Caitlin felt herself bristling. ‘I don’t think I have ever let my feelings cloud my judgement,’ she said, more sharply than she’d intended.
‘Hey,’ Andrew said. ‘I wasn’t implying that you did. We all have to cope in different ways. I think you’re an excellent doctor. Certainly if I had a wife I’d want her looked after by you.’
‘And have you? Ever had a wife, I mean?’ Maybe that was what Brianna had meant. Of course he was probably involved. After all, it was unlikely that someone as gorgeous as him wouldn’t have someone. Maybe he was divorced and that’s what Brianna had meant about her not being his type? But what was she thinking, letting her imagination run away with her? She could just ask him.
&n
bsp; ‘A wife?’ He shook his head. ‘Good God, woman, I’m too young for one of those.’
‘How old are you, then?’ she asked.
‘I’ll be thirty on Christmas Day.’
‘Most people would say that’s not too young to settle down.’
He looked at her sharply. ‘What about you? You’re twenty-eight or twenty-nine? You don’t look it,’ he added hastily, ‘but you must be at least that to be where you are professionally.’
‘I’m almost thirty,’ Caitlin said. ‘And, no, I’ve never met someone I wanted to marry. I don’t expect to either.’
‘What, never? Don’t you want kids?’ He sounded astonished, Caitlin realised. ‘I want several!’ he continued, laughing, but she noticed a flicker in his eyes. Probably thinks all women should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, Caitlin thought to herself. But she didn’t have to justify her decision—not to him or anybody else for that matter.
She looked across to where Siobhan and Ciaran were playing. ‘I have five nieces and nephews. And I have my work. That’s enough for me.’ By this time Ciaran had moved to the side and was beginning to climb the barrier for a better view. For a moment she thought Andrew was going to say something else, but instead he simply nodded and turned his attention back to the children. He scooped Ciaran up and swung him onto his shoulders. ‘Come on, little fella, let’s go have some fun.’
It was past three by the time they pulled up outside the house. Brianna and Niall came rushing out to meet them and the children flung themselves into their parents’ arms as if they’d been away for weeks instead of a single night. ‘Honestly, sis,’ Caitlin said. ‘We didn’t beat them or starve them. Although,’ she muttered under her breath, ‘I was tempted this morning when they woke me at half-five.’
‘Siobhan, Ciaran. What did I tell you about not disturbing Aunty Caitlin too early?’ Brianna scolded mildly. ‘Sorry, Cat, children have no respect for the adult’s need to sleep.’
Hired: GP and Wife / The Playboy Doctor's Surprise Proposal Page 23