Rico had promised her a special night, and those magical hours with him had changed her in some fundamental and irrevocable way. Her body no longer felt as if it belonged to her. She didn’t know herself. Scared and confused, she had hurried back to her room and collected her things. Downstairs, she had met the night porter still on duty who had told her that her bill had already been paid on her behalf. Not wanting to argue, needing only to escape, she had rushed to her car, tossed her things inside and had started her drive home as the first rays of sunshine were breaking through.
She had not been able to stop thinking about Rico or wanting him since. And she had not properly considered how leaving that way might affect him until she had seen the email that had been awaiting her when she had first logged on after arriving home.
‘You frightened me, Ruth. What happened to make you leave that way? Please, if nothing else for now, let me know that you are safe.’
That was when the guilt and shame had joined all the other emotions vying for dominance within her. ‘I’m sorry. I had to get back for work. I need to think.’
Her reply had only made her feel worse. But then Rico had written again, and his words had stayed with her, leaving her uncertain and not knowing what to do.
‘I will honour your need for some time, sirena mia. I cannot lie—I was upset to wake up and discover you had gone. And I do not plan to let things end here. But I have family commitments I must attend to now. So by all means think, carissima, but please, do not deny the last few days. You have my mobile number. You can phone, text or email me at any time. I will not push you now, but I will be in touch once the family business is completed, and arrange for you to come to Italy and see the clinic as agreed. And if you are missing your locket, do not worry, I found it in the bathroom. I will keep it safe until I can return it to you. Soon, sirena mia.’
Ruth’s unsteady hand settled at her throat, which felt bare without the locket that meant so much to her. But remembering what had happened in that hotel bathroom and why Rico had taken the locket off had her cheeks flushing and her whole body flaring with heat and need. Yes, she felt the loss of the locket, but she also felt a huge sense of loss without Rico. They had shared an unforgettable night. Everything in her had wanted to beg for more but, fearing rejection, she had run, leaving her heart behind her.
Rico’s email suggested that he thought they could go on as before, as if their incredibly sensual night had never happened. How could she consider taking the job with Rico now? To see him all the time, to work with him and never be able to touch him would be agonising. But she would be a fool to turn down such a wonderful career opportunity, one that filled her with enthusiasm and which would challenge and stimulate her as no other.
How could two days—and one phenomenal night—have changed her and her life so radically? She had gone into it with her eyes open, had accepted the terms, and she couldn’t now change the rules. When they met again, as Rico determined they would, it would be as professionals, colleagues, with Rico as her potential boss.
The ring of her phone brought an abrupt end to Ruth’s troubled thoughts. ‘Judith Warren is here, Dr Baxter,’ receptionist Janet Dalyrmple informed her crisply. Two years on and the woman remained very much the cheerleader of Graeme Campbell’s supporters.
‘Thank you, Janet, please send her through,’ Ruth responded politely, refusing to react to her surliness.
A few moments later Judith appeared. Smiling, Ruth invited her to sit down, then she drew in a deep breath, struggling to mask her personal feelings as she told the concerned mother all the information she had gathered about CVID and passed on to her the advice Rico had given.
‘I’m so grateful to you. You’ve put in so much effort on our behalf,’ Judith praised as Ruth showed her out half an hour later. ‘We were in such a rut before we saw you. It doesn’t help that my husband’s job takes him away for weeks at a time. He isn’t here to see all that Pippa goes through, and at times I think he wondered if I was imagining things, as the other doctors suggested. Now, for the first time in years, someone believes in us and we really feel there is light at the end of the tunnel for Pippa.’
Embarrassed, Ruth shook the woman’s hand. ‘It’s my job, and I am just pleased I could help.’
‘It’s much more than that. No one else did anything for us. Thank you.’
Ruth felt uncharacteristically emotional as Judith left. She had been on a knife edge the whole time she was talking to the older woman, because all she had been able to hear in her head had been Rico’s voice as she had repeated his words. He had given his undivided attention to Pippa’s case. And the support he had shown, his belief in her, had been the turning point that had started the changes that had taken place inside her this last week. Ruth pressed a clenched fist to her sternum where the ever-present ache gripped tighter than ever.
After finishing her notes, putting everything in order so there were no loose ends during her two weeks’ holiday, Ruth headed to the staffroom, thankful to find it empty. She couldn’t wait to get home. She had promised to look after Gina’s dog, a bouncy black Labrador called Montgomery, for the duration of the honeymoon and now, with so much on her mind, she was glad she had gone the whole hog and had taken some of the time off that was owing to her.
‘I see you’ve been stealing more of my patients, Ruth.’
The snide remark from behind her alerted Ruth to Graeme Campbell’s unwelcome presence. Stifling a groan, she finished putting on her coat and turned round, watching as the unpleasant man swaggered into the room, reminding her of one of the main reasons a change in career was so appealing. Seeing the sneer on his face, Ruth lifted her chin and stared him down.
‘I wasn’t aware they belonged to you, Graeme,’ she responded with an inner calmness that surprised her.
From the corner of her eye, she saw a couple of senior doctors and the practice manager enter the room, but they were behind Graeme and he had yet to notice their arrival or to realise that his outburst was being witnessed.
‘Rhona Nairn sees me. Remember that. You are not queen bee around here.’ Graeme accompanied the statement with an aggressive move forward, pointing a finger close to her.
‘I understood that it was practice policy to encourage patients to see whomever they choose.’ Ruth sidestepped Graeme and put some distance between them. ‘Rhona asked for an appointment with a woman doctor and she was assigned to my list. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you discuss it with David. I’ve put up with your rudeness, your disrespect and your petty harassment for two years, Graeme,’ she continued, her voice calm and controlled. ‘Be warned that I am not prepared to tolerate them any more.’
She had never spoken up to Graeme before and that she had done so now appeared to surprise him and deflate some of his bluster.
‘Is there a problem here, Ruth?’ one of her senior colleagues asked.
Again she raised her chin and, ignoring the nervous fluttering in her stomach, she held Graeme’s angry gaze. ‘No problem. Unless Graeme wants to make one.’
Her antagonist grunted, looking as if he wanted to say more, but not daring to.
Ruth gave a brief, cool smile. ‘Good. I think we understand each other.’
With a muffled curse, Graeme stamped out of the room like a thwarted schoolboy, the door to his consulting room slamming shut seconds later. Maintaining her composure, although her heart was thudding under her ribs, Ruth turned to face the colleagues who had witness the altercation. Before she could apologise, however, Bruce Tonner, the second in command at the surgery, surprised her by chuckling.
‘We should send you off to conferences more often, if this is the effect it has on you, Ruth!’ he told her.
Ruth frowned. ‘How do you mean?’
‘You’ve come back from Lancashire a changed woman. Very feisty!’ He smiled, pale blue eyes twinkling. ‘It’s about time you stood up to Graeme. Good for you.’
Ruth was still puzzled as Bruce left the room.<
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‘He’s right, you know,’ practice manager Jilly Sheldon commented, stirring a teaspoon of sugar into the mug of tea she had just poured herself. ‘Graeme deserved it—he’s had it coming a long time.’
‘Hear, hear,’ Peter Hemming, another senior GP, agreed.
Perching on the arm of a nearby chair, Jilly smiled at her. ‘I don’t know what happened to you in England, Ruth, but the change in you has been apparent ever since you came back two days ago. You even walk differently.’
‘I do?’
‘Yes.’ Jilly sipped her tea, her gaze speculative. ‘Your head is up and you exude a new confidence.’
Ruth was shocked at the observations. Lost in thought, she picked up her bag, said goodnight, and walked out of the surgery to her car. The cool, damp air met her overheated cheeks. Astounded with herself for facing up to Graeme, and equally surprised that her colleagues had noticed changes in her, she drove home. Since Wednesday, she had been so locked in her inner turmoil that she had been unaware of the differences Bruce, Peter and Jilly claimed to see. It was true, she never would have confronted Graeme like that before. But she knew where her new-found confidence had come from. Rico.
A fresh wave of pain lanced through her. What was she going to do? Ruth had no answers to that question as she pulled into the drive of her secluded cottage outside town.
Somehow she had to get through the next twenty-four hours. Tonight she would be with Gina and Holly, and she didn’t want her friends to know that anything was wrong. Tomorrow morning Gina was getting married and nothing could spoil her special day, Ruth vowed as she let herself into her house. She went through to the kitchen, filled the kettle and switched it on, craving a reviving cup of tea.
After the wedding she would have two weeks to herself. Two weeks in which to do some serious thinking and make up her mind what to do—about her career and about Rico.
A shiver rippled through her. Why did she have a sudden premonition that something was about to happen?
Hands thrust into his trouser pockets, Rico stared sightlessly out of the window and into the darkness of the night.
‘You are miles away, cugino. What is so interesting out there?’
Sighing, Rico closed the curtains and turned round, looking at Seb who was sitting across the room on the settee, two of the household’s cats vying for prime position on his lap. ‘Scusami. I am sorry.’
Rico sat back down in the armchair he had recently vacated and brushed his palms over his face. He couldn’t deny his cousin’s gentle accusation—he was preoccupied. The last sixty-two hours had passed in a blur of disappointment, anxiety and uncertainty. Now it was ten o’clock on Friday night, and his hosts, Nic and Hannah, had just gone up to bed after the four of them had shared a quiet but enjoyable dinner. Seb, who was getting married the next day, was also staying over, tradition decreeing that he should not see his bride again until she walked down the aisle.
Rico took his role as best man seriously, but right now his mind was elsewhere…back in a hotel room overlooking Morecambe Bay, where he had woken at seven o’clock on Wednesday morning, after the most incredible night of his life, to discover that Ruth had vanished.
He had been devastated. Angry. Hurt. Confused. Worried. There had been a vast range of emotions bubbling inside him since the reality had sunk in that Ruth had gone. No note. No message. And no details about where he could find her. All he had was her email address. Accepting the inevitable—that Ruth was not coming back—he had driven up, as arranged, to be with his cousin in Scotland, where final preparations for the wedding had been in full swing.
There had to be something in the Scottish air, Rico mused. The last time he had been here had been for Nic and Hannah’s wedding. And now, six years later, he was here for Seb’s. The location was beautiful, the scenery magnificent, and the way of life relaxed. Rico had enjoyed his time here in the past, but now he could not wind down or stop his mind working overtime on ways to find and reclaim Ruth.
He’d only been with her for two days, but he missed her. He wanted her, ached for her, was unable to sleep without her. After their magical night together he had thought that the major hurdle had been crossed. But he’d been wrong. Foolishly complacent. His hand slid into his trouser pocket, his fingers curling around Ruth’s platinum chain and the delicate locket suspended upon it. He’d found it in the bathroom on Wednesday morning. A ragged sigh escaped as he recalled the exact moment during their deliciously erotic night when he had taken it off and set it aside for safekeeping before drawing her under the shower, soaping her beautiful body from head to toe, and then making love to her again.
‘What is wrong, cugino?’ Seb asked, and Rico looked up to see that his cousin was looking at him with concern. ‘You have been troubled since you arrived on Wednesday. Is it work?’
‘No. I—’ He broke off, unsure what to say, where to start.
Seb’s dark brown eyes widened in sudden perception. ‘Accidenti! I don’t believe it. You’ve met someone!’
‘What if I have?’ he countered defensively, dragging his free hand through his hair.
‘Then I would be thrilled. Surprised, since you have never shown any sign of being serious about a woman, nor have you even dated for ages, so dedicated have you been to the clinic, but thrilled.’ Seb paused a moment, his expression growing reflective. ‘But you do not look happy. Who is she, Rico? What has happened?’
Expelling a shaky breath, Rico leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. ‘I’m going to sound just like you eight months ago,’ he admitted with a wry smile. ‘But I knew the instant I saw her that she was the one.’
‘That does sound familiar! Where did you meet? How long have you known her?’ his cousin queried, firing off questions.
‘I met her in person on Monday, but we had been emailing for a month.’
‘You are resorting to internet dating now?’ Seb teased with a mischievous grin.
Irritated, Rico shook his head. ‘Of course not.’ He explained the circumstances of their month-long correspondence, his plan to offer her a job, his reaction when he had seen her and his shock when he had found out who she was. ‘She’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. And she absorbs information like a sponge, Seb. She’s so bright and skilled—and her care for her patients is second to none.’
A smile came unbidden as he relived the moment he had first set eyes on Ruth. Not only was she stunningly beautiful in a natural, understated way, but she was intelligent, interesting and intriguing, not to mention fun to be with. She aroused him as no other woman had ever done, yet her innate reserve, innocence and vulnerability brought out a protective side in him he had not known existed.
‘It sounds like a cliché,’ he continued, ‘but our gazes met and it was as if my whole world changed in that split second. I had never felt like it before.’
Rico gave his cousin an edited version of what had happened during the two days that had followed. He remembered every second of his time with Ruth. Especially the passionate night they had shared. Ruth had been so unaware of her sexuality and shocked, at first, at the things they had done and the pleasure she had experienced. Coaxing out the inner vixen had been mind-blowing, and unlocking all that hidden, untapped passion intensely satisfying, not just in sexual terms but in knowing she had never felt it before. It made him want to beat his chest like some primitive caveman. She had blossomed, shedding her reserve and inhibitions, proving just how sensual and passionate she really was. And then she had slipped away like a thief in the night.
‘I don’t know why she ran—what it was that scared her,’ he said, admitting his anxieties. ‘I was so certain that she felt the same as me. Was I so wrong? And what am I going to do now?’
‘Have you not spoken to her at all since Wednesday?’ Seb asked, all hint of teasing now gone.
‘No.’ Rico wanted to growl his frustration. ‘I still only have her email address—she could be anywhere in the UK. I begged her to at least let me know
she had arrived home safely, and she did that much.’ His fingers wrapped around the precious locket once more, his only tangible link with Ruth. ‘I said I would give her a few days, if that was what she wanted, but no way am I going back to Italy without finding her, Seb. I can’t let her go.’
‘I thought you were anti-marriage…for yourself, at least.’
‘No!’ Seb’s comment shocked him. ‘Far from it. But I wasn’t prepared to settle for anything less than what Mamma and Papà have. No woman has ever made me feel what Papà feels when he looks at Mamma. Or you, when you look at Gina. No woman has ever made me feel I could have that forever kind of love.’
Seb smiled. ‘Until now.’
‘Until now.’ Again Rico dragged his fingers through his hair. ‘I didn’t think it would ever happen to me and then, when I least expected it, there she was.’
Moving the cats, Wallace and Sparky, from his lap to the adjacent sofa cushion, Seb stood up. ‘It would be easy to trace her through the medical register. One moment. If Nic and Hannah do not have a copy, I can access it on my laptop.’
As his cousin left the room, Rico worried over Ruth’s rejection. He had been so sure that she had been as lost in the magical connection between them as he had and he couldn’t believe he had misjudged her responses so completely. But Ruth had gone. He desperately needed to know why. And whether he still had a chance to win her round.
Seb arrived back, carrying a big red book. ‘As I thought, Nic and Hannah had this copy on the bookshelves in their study. It’s a year old—is that OK?’ he asked, sitting down again, the cats immediately gravitating back to him.
‘It should be. She said she had been in the practice for two years—although I don’t think she is happy there.’ He shook his head, despair tightening his gut. ‘I learned so much about her in such a short time…her unhappy childhood, her shyness and reserve, her competence as a doctor but her complete lack of faith in herself as a woman. I thought we had crossed a bridge, that she trusted me, felt the same as me.’ Rico paused a moment, steadying his voice. ‘I can’t walk away, Seb. I need her.’
Italian Doctor, Dream Proposal / Wanted: A Father for her Twins Page 10