‘I don’t have a lot of free time,’ she admitted, nearly giving him heart failure as her tongue-tip peeped out to wipe a spot of sauce from her lower lip. Dio! He tried to clear the sudden restriction in his throat and struggled to concentrate on what she was saying. Not easy given the rush of desire and his body’s inevitable response. ‘I volunteer a few hours each month at a local clinic for homeless people and others, such as migrants, who are without access to regular health care. And, when my hours allow, I volunteer at the animal rescue centre.’
Doing things for others rather than herself, Rico noted, not at all surprised. ‘What about time just for you?’
‘My friends and I go out to the cinema or for a meal, and we’ll often have a girls’ night in, relaxing with a bottle of wine, all talking at once, and eating far too much chocolate,’ she added with a bewitching chuckle. ‘I’m not very sporty, but I like to swim…and go for long walks. Most of all, I enjoy learning new things.’
‘Do you have pets of your own?’ Rico asked, captivated by her, and barely tasting his meal of fresh local fish.
‘No. Although I’ve always wanted to.’ She took a sip of her wine, then set down her glass, her slender fingers toying with the stem. ‘I was never allowed pets when I was young, I…’
Rico watched her, silently urging her to continue, sensing a moment of inner turmoil as a shadow clouded her eyes. Her words concerned him and made him wonder about her childhood. Had it not been a happy one? Before he could find a way to ask that would not have her retreating from him even further, she gave an imperceptible shake of her head and the moment was gone.
‘With the hours I work, it isn’t practical at the moment, but hopefully that will change one day. Until then I get to babysit my friends’ animals when they are away, and enjoy the ones at the rescue centre. I sometimes wonder if maybe I should have been a vet.’
There was humour in her words but also the edge of something else. Something dark and sad. There was so much more to learn about her and her life, and they had not yet begun to talk about work and whether she would be interested in a change of direction in her career. He had asked her to come here because he had wanted to offer her a job…having met her, he wanted so much more.
The time was ticking by far too quickly and he was becoming more resentful of the conference’s demands, greedier for her company, and hungrier to have her in his arms. If he didn’t touch her soon, he’d go crazy. And before too much longer, he had to kiss her. He hoped the time would come when he could touch her freely, could hold her, and make love to her.
Her meal finished, Ruth sat back and tucked a strand of pale gold hair behind her ear. His fingers tingled, remembering the feel of her hair when he had helped her on with her coat. The strands had been even silkier than he had anticipated. And her skin even softer. He had not been able to resist lingering, leaning close to breathe in her scent—lavender and her own unique womanly fragrance. Essence of Ruth. It had taken every ounce of willpower to release her, to not pull her into his arms and kiss her as he so yearned to do.
‘I’m sorry.’
Ruth’s words startled him from his reverie. ‘Sorry? Whatever for?’
‘I must have bored you, talking so much about myself,’ she explained, revealing once more the insecurities of the woman who shielded herself behind her work.
Taking one of her hands, smaller and more delicate than his, he held it between his palms, exploring the shape of her fingers, learning the feel of her, amazed at the softness of her skin and the contrast of her pale colouring against his darker tones. Even this simple touch caused his heart rate to kick up.
‘What nonsense! You could never, ever bore me, Ruth,’ he reassured her, determined to set her misconceptions to rest and to make her understand how much he valued her, personally and professionally. He met her gaze, seeing a whole mix of emotions vying for supremacy in those gorgeous green eyes. ‘I want to know all there is to know about you.’
Cradling her hand, he stroked her fingers and traced circles on her palm with the pad of his thumb. The zing of electricity crackled between them like a living thing. His fingers picked up the rapid beat of the pulse in her wrist and he knew she was as affected as he was. He drew her hand towards him and placed a kiss to her palm, feeling the tremor that rippled through her.
The evening was marching on and there was much more he needed to know if he hoped to succeed in winning Ruth in every way. Not wanting to make her uncomfortable by pushing too much on the personal details about her, he turned his attention to her current job. He frowned, remembering something from their conversation that morning that he had filed away to explore when they were alone.
‘Tell me more about your job, carissima, and what happened when Judith first brought Pippa to see you.You said earlier that there had been a query over you requesting the blood tests.’
Whilst every cell in her body was conscious of Rico and the sensation of his touch, her hand in his, his lips brushing softly across her palm, she was thankful that the conversation had returned to more comfortable ground. She rarely talked about herself, even to Gina and Holly, the only real friends she’d ever had, so the fact that she had been so open with Rico amazed her. Why she should be so surprised, she didn’t know. She had been acting completely out of character ever since she had first set eyes on him that morning, and the awareness, desire and electrically charged connection were increasing, not diminishing.
Trying to ignore the tingling sensation as his fingers caressed hers, Ruth focused on what he had asked her and briefly recapped on the information about the Warrens she had given in her emails. Warning bells had begun ringing as soon as Judith Warren and her eight-year-old daughter, Pippa, had stepped into her consulting room back in April and, after listening to the extensive and complicated history, and then examining Pippa, it had been obvious that something serious was going on.
Rico’s help and advice had led her to the possible diagnosis of CVID. A disorder of the immune system, CVID resulted in a deficiency of serum immunoglobin, meaning low levels of antibodies and an increased susceptibility to infections that the body was unable to fight off.
‘I forgot to tell you this morning that I’ve put Judith and Pippa in touch with the Primary Immunodeficiency Association,’ she told him. ‘They’re finding a lot of support on the forum, and Judith said it was especially useful being able to talk with other patients who have immunodeficiency diseases, and to parents who have children with CVID.’
‘I am glad. But I feel sure that the support the Warrens are most grateful for has been your own. They know how blessed they are to have found you.’
Rico’s continued approval and belief in her brought a warm glow. No one had ever given her the kind of backing he did and she had no idea how to deal with it. Feeling awkward, she looked down at the table, her hair falling forward to mask her expression. A second later Rico’s fingers were gently tucking her hair back behind her ear.
‘Why is it so difficult for you to accept your own worth, carissima?’ he asked, the soft huskiness of his accented voice and the sure touch of his hand cradling hers making her pulse race and her nerve-endings jump. ‘Is it so unusual for people to praise you and show appreciation for your skills and understanding and your caring heart?’
‘Rico…’ She broke off, unsure what to say, relieved when the waiter arrived to remove their empty plates and take the order for their desserts, as it gave her a moment to try and gather her scattered thoughts.
‘Talk to me, Ruth.’
How had Rico ended up even closer to her? His leg pressed against hers and one arm rested along the back of her chair, his hand toying with her hair. ‘I enjoy helping my patients…and they’re grateful.’ She felt ridiculously out of breath. Her voice sounded uneven, as much from the effect of his touch than her discomfort at his questions.
‘I am not surprised. You are an incredible doctor. But what of your colleagues? And your boss?’ His fingers slid beneath her hair, the t
ips of them tracing devastating circles on the back of her neck, making it impossible for her to concentrate. ‘Were they not happy that you diagnosed Pippa and proud of what you had achieved?’
‘The senior partner backed me,’ she told him, trying to sound positive and conceal both her disappointment with the problems at work and her response to his caressing fingers.
‘As he should have done. They all should have supported you,’ Rico insisted, his annoyance on her behalf clear. ‘Why did they not?’
‘Things were difficult.’
‘Difficult how?’
Ruth hesitated, but her defences were already lowered by Rico’s faith in her and by her body’s continued surrender to his closeness, his touch, his subtle scent, and she found herself confiding in him. ‘Graeme Campbell, a junior partner in the practice, was one of the doctors who had previously seen Pippa. The Warrens joined our practice last Christmas and saw Graeme several times in the next few months as Pippa had a couple of severe chest infections, breathing problems and other issues. Graeme’s attitude was the same as the doctors they had seen in the past. Then someone recommended that Judith bring Pippa to me. Graeme didn’t like it—especially when my diagnosis proved to be right.’
She felt Rico tense, and his fingers stilled their soft, erotic caresses, sliding round to cup her face and bring her gaze to his. ‘You mean this man resented that you had done your job properly, had taken the time and made the effort to see beneath the surface and had not given up or taken the easy route by dismissing the Warrens…as he had done?’
‘Something like that.’ Given how protective Rico had been of her all day, she shouldn’t be surprised by the fire in his eyes, but it was such a novel experience and took some getting use to. ‘Graeme felt I had shown him up and questioned his skills.’
Rico shook his head. ‘He has no one to blame but himself, carissima. He failed to listen to Judith or to take account of Pippa’s medical history.’
‘I know. But it made the situation…awkward. Especially as there was already tension between Graeme and myself. We got off to a rocky start from the day I began working there two years ago,’ she admitted, wondering if she could have done anything differently.
‘He made you unwelcome?’
Ruth released a heavy sigh as she thought back to her first day at work in Strathlochan. She had been nervous, anxious to please, wanting so badly to be accepted by the staff there. Most had been friendly, but one or two had been standoffish, including a couple of the younger doctors who had followed Graeme Campbell’s lead, and Janet Dalrymple, one of the receptionists, who made no secret of her affection for Graeme.
‘My first day at the surgery coincided with one of the regular meetings, when the doctors, practice and district nurses, and other support staff get together to discuss cases, raise any issues or ask for advice,’ she explained, pausing as the waiter set down the desserts which both she and Rico ignored.
‘Go on,’ he encouraged, the hand holding hers giving a gentle squeeze.
‘During the meeting, mention was made of a patient whose symptoms were puzzling everyone. I looked over the notes and listened to what the doctors and the district nurses were saying, and it sounded familiar, mirroring a case I had seen during my GP training year.’
Rico smiled and she was momentarily struck dumb by his effect on her and by the expression that gleamed in his eyes. ‘And you were able to give a diagnosis,’ he said, more statement of fact than query.
‘Yes.’
‘That’s my Ruth.’ He raised her hand so he could place another brief but tantalising kiss on her palm. ‘I am sorry. I interrupted you. Please, continue.’
It took a moment for Ruth to regain her composure, and not just from his intimate touch, his belief in her or the way he was now caressing her fingers. It was what he had said. His Ruth? It was the second time today he had said that and the possessive pride shocked her, warmed her, scared her.
‘Ruth?’ he pressed.
‘OK.’ She took a steadying breath and tried to focus on what she had been saying. ‘I did make a suggestion to them…bollus pemphigoid,’ she told him, noting his surprised reaction. ‘It turned out that I was right.’
‘But, of course.’
He sounded so adamant, so free of doubt, that she couldn’t help but smile, amazed at his acceptance of her. ‘David Robson—he’s the senior partner, along with his wife, Catriona, who is also a doctor there—said it wasn’t a condition he had seen in all his years as a GP, and he was impressed and grateful that I had.’
‘But others didn’t share his view?’
‘Not all of them,’ she admitted. ‘Graeme Campbell was displeased. Away from the meeting he tried to make out that I was showing off, saying that I thought I was better than the rest of them and trying to suck up to David because I was new there.’ She broke off a moment, remembering how she had felt, the sinking feeling that here was someone else who resented her love of learning and her curious mind—who couldn’t accept women doctors as their equal. ‘It wasn’t like that at all.’
Rico’s fingers linked with hers. ‘I know, carissima. Your only thought was to help the patient.’
‘Yes.’
Again Rico understood her. Things had been difficult with Graeme from that moment. He did as little work as possible and was more interested in golf and womanising than he was in his career. It hadn’t helped things between them when he had made inappropriate comments and tried several times to come on to her. She had turned him down. He hadn’t liked the rejection. And he had made life difficult for her at work, souring the atmosphere, and turning his friends on the staff against her. Ruth refrained from mentioning any of that to Rico, however, returning instead to the Warren case.
‘When I mentioned Pippa and CVID, Graeme was angry and urged caution, but David, Catriona and the other senior doctors were prepared to back me and trust my instincts,’ she explained, leaving out the unpleasantness that had ensued and Graeme’s nasty tirade when he had got her on her own.
‘And this attitude is not unusual for you? It has happened often?’ Rico queried with a frown.
Ruth gave a careless shrug. ‘If you have brains, and you use them, some people resent it or think you are competing or showing off, especially if you are a woman,’ she told him, although her attempt to be blasé and pretend it didn’t matter failed.
‘Which shows only how shallow and sad and stupid those people are.’ Rico was silent for a moment, absently playing with her fingers. Then he looked up and a tremor rippled through her at the fire of determination and the blatant sensual hunger in his gold-speckled hazel eyes. ‘Ruth, there is something we have yet to discuss. Already I feel I have known you for ever. One day is nearly over and there is so much more I want to ask and to learn about you. But hearing you speak like this, sensing there is a part of you that is not happy or fulfilled or appreciated, makes me rush ahead.’
Her pulse began racing, and she couldn’t pull enough breath into her lungs as she waited for Rico to continue, frightened that she knew what he was going to say, even more scared that she would be swept along by the special and potent connection between them and agree to something with her heart rather than her head. Rico drew her hand towards him until her palm was resting against his chest, pressed there by his own. Beneath the expensive wool of his jumper she could feel the rapid beat of his heart.
‘Rico…’ Her whispered protest was silenced as he placed a finger on her lips.
‘I know it is too soon, carissima, but—’
Whatever he had been about to say was cut off by a fearful bang and crash from the kitchen, followed at once by a heart-wrenching scream and several other voices raised in alarm. Rico released her hand and they both rose instinctively, rushing out of their secluded alcove and into the main part of the restaurant. The kitchen door burst open, increasing the volume of the commotion within. Face white with shock, the manager looked at the startled diners frozen in place at their tables.
&n
bsp; ‘There’s been an accident,’ he explained, his voice wavering. ‘Is there anyone here who knows first aid?’
All else forgotten in the urgency of the moment, Ruth stepped forward, knowing Rico was beside her. ‘We’re doctors,’ she told the shaken manager. ‘What’s happened? What can we do?’
CHAPTER FIVE
AS THE door of the hospital waiting room opened, Rico glanced up from the magazine he was idly flicking through, but it was a nurse who came in and not Ruth.
‘Dr Linardi, the car is here to take you and Dr Baxter home,’ the young woman informed him.
‘Thank you.’ Tossing the magazine back on the table, he rose to his feet and stretched weary limbs before crossing the room. He was eager to meet up with Ruth who had set off in search of the ladies’ cloakroom some while ago and had yet to return. ‘And Dr Baxter—do you know where she is?’
Nodding, the nurse gestured down the corridor towards the A and E department. ‘The young man’s parents asked to speak to her. They would like a quick word with you, too, before you go. I’ll show you the way.’
As Rico followed the nurse he thought back over the last couple of hours. The evening had certainly not gone the way he had hoped, although the unfortunate accident at the restaurant had prevented him from making a huge mistake and rushing Ruth too quickly with his appeal for her to come and work with him. Having her by his side—at work and at home—was what he wanted, more now than ever. And after listening to her, reading between the lines at all she had left unsaid, he was sure she was not happy and fulfilled in her current job.
He was glad that her boss was supportive of her. Clearly the man could see how dedicated and genuine Ruth was, and recognised her superb skills and intelligence. But that did not apply to all her colleagues and Rico felt a cold knot of anger form inside him as he thought of the selfish young GP who had made life difficult and unpleasant for Ruth. He suspected there was much that Ruth had not told him about Graeme Campbell, but even after one day, he knew her well enough to pick up on her discomfort when she had mentioned the man.
Italian Doctor, Dream Proposal / Wanted: A Father for her Twins Page 5