Kisses at Sunset

by Sarah Morgan

  ‘I grew up here,’ Sean said shortly, and she saw something slam shut in his eyes.

  ‘And?’

  He placed his coffee-cup carefully down on the table, his eyes cool and discouraging, all traces of humour gone. ‘And what, Dr McGuire?’

  ‘Well, there must be more to it than that.’ She gave him a curious look, sensing the barriers he’d just erected. ‘Did you go to school with Jack? Did Will deliver you as a baby?’

  The smile faded from Will’s face and he glanced warily at Sean.

  ‘I didn’t know you were so interested in me.’ His handsome face was taut, and she swallowed. Obviously Sean Nicholson did not want to talk about his past.

  ‘Just making polite conversation,’ she said quickly, wondering what had caused those shadows around his eyes. Whatever it was, Sean didn’t want to talk about it. There was no doubt about that.

  ‘Sean was working in Accident and Emergency last,’ Will said quickly, smoothing over the tense atmosphere in the cosy staffroom. ‘He’s pioneered certain aspects of immediate care—stimulated by your army experiences, I suppose?’

  Sean nodded and his shoulders relaxed slightly. ‘That’s right. When you’re stuck in the field with an injured man you have to do the best you can with limited equipment.’

  So that was why he’d handled the mountain rescue with such ease. And why Will had laughed when Sean had mentioned her abseiling tuition. ‘I suppose you abseiled a lot in the army?’

  His lips twitched. ‘Just a bit.’

  Will stretched his legs in front of him. ‘Have you fixed somewhere to stay?’

  ‘Not yet.’ Sean pulled a face and helped himself to a sandwich. ‘I plan to have a scout around this weekend. Unless you know of anywhere?’

  Will concentrated on peeling an apple, not looking at Ally. ‘Ally is looking for a lodger.’

  Ally gasped. ‘Will! I’m not! I—’

  Will looked up, his expression unreadable. ‘You told me you needed to get a lodger now that Fiona has gone back to London.’

  ‘Well, I do, but not—I mean, that’s different.’ Ally licked her lips. She’d kill him! ‘Fiona was a midwife—’

  Sean contemplated her with silent laughter. ‘I can deliver a baby if that’s one of the requirements.’

  ‘That’s not what I meant and you know it.’ Ally gritted her teeth. There was no way she was going to have this man lodging with her, even if she did need the money. He’d find out she’d misled him about her personal life for a start. The only person she was involved with was her daughter. And what would he do when he found that out? He needed to be kept at arm’s length.

  ‘What she means is she doesn’t want me,’ Sean murmured, his dark eyes challenging.

  She shifted under his laughing gaze, hating the way he made her feel. As if she was a coward—which, of course, she was when it came to men.

  ‘Of course she wants you. It makes sense, Ally,’ Will said firmly. ‘That barn drains every penny you earn.’

  ‘Barn?’ Sean was looking at her curiously. ‘You live in a barn?’

  ‘It’s in the middle of nowhere and you’d hate it,’ Ally said flatly, giving Will a threatening look which he met with a smile. Ally almost snarled. He was doing it again! Matchmaking! Trying to pair her up with anything male under the age of ninety. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?

  ‘It’s the perfect solution,’ Will said happily. ‘You need a lodger and Sean needs a place to stay.’

  Ally opened her mouth to refuse for the final time and then caught the wistful look on Will’s face and closed it again. Oh, blow the man! How could he do this to her? He had been so good to her for so long. In fact, without him she didn’t know how she would have survived. She owed him so much and he made her feel churlish every time she avoided his attempts to liven up her life.

  Maybe if she let Sean stay in her barn it would keep Will quiet. Stop his matchmaking. Prove to him once and for all that no matter how many men he paraded in front of her she wasn’t interested. It just wasn’t fair on Charlie. She needed constancy in her life, not a continual throughput of men who walked out when the going got tough. No, a lodger was all Sean would ever be, and even then it wasn’t as if they would really be sharing accommodation. The stable wing attached to her barn was quite self-contained. All she had to do was pass him on the driveway occasionally.

  ‘Do you mind sleeping in a stable?’ Her voice sounded unwelcoming but Sean just smiled.

  ‘Is the horse still in it?’

  She gave him a withering look and the smile deepened.

  Will stood up and deposited his mug and plate in the sink. ‘Ally’s stable is gorgeous—she’s spent a lot of money converting it.’

  ‘Has she now?’ Sean’s eyes meshed with hers and she forced herself to hold his gaze. ‘And doesn’t your husband mind having lodgers?’

  ‘Oh, Ally’s not married,’ Will said blithely. ‘Didn’t I mention it?’

  Thanks, Will! Ally thought, feeling her colour rise. Thanks a lot. Now that he’d well and truly set the scene she didn’t know whether to laugh or kill him.

  ‘But she lives with someone,’ Sean murmured, giving her an odd look that she couldn’t interpret.

  ‘Lives with—? Well, yes, Charlie, but not…’ Will glanced at Ally with a frown, which deepened as he met her pleading look. His mouth tightened. ‘Oh, I see. Well, I’ve got calls to make so I’ll leave the two of you to sort out the details.’

  With that he left the room, leaving Ally gaping after him, boiling with frustration, knowing she’d been totally outmanoeuvred.

  Sean stood up and made himself another cup of coffee. ‘Subtle, isn’t he? More coffee?’

  ‘No, thanks.’ Ally felt swamped with embarrassment by Will’s obvious games. ‘I don’t know what’s come over him.’

  Sean gave a wry smile. ‘Well, if that’s really the case then I go back to my first impression of dizzy blonde. He’s matchmaking, sweetheart, as you well know, and what I want to know is why he’s matchmaking when you’re already attached.’

  Ally blushed furiously. ‘I don’t know.’

  One dark eyebrow lifted. ‘No?’

  ‘No.’ She started to clear away the remains of the sandwiches to hide her awkwardness. ‘And, anyway, it’s totally irrelevant because I wouldn’t have a relationship with you if you were the last man on earth.’

  Sean dropped into one of the chairs and stretched long legs out in front of him, his eyes amused. ‘Is that so?’

  She warmed to her subject. ‘Yes, it is. You, Dr Nicholson, are the original male chauvinist pig who thinks that a woman’s place is in the home, keeping it warm for her man. I don’t suppose you’ve ever even heard of New Man, have you?’

  Sean smiled politely. ‘New Man?’

  ‘Yes, you know—the sort of partner who respects women as equals, who doesn’t mind doing the ironing or the washing-up and who certainly wouldn’t stop me fell-walking if that’s what I chose to do.’

  Sean looked interested. ‘You don’t think I qualify as New Man?’

  ‘You?’ Ally gave a snort of derision. ‘You’re a clone of the original Stone-Age version. The only difference is that you wear clothes instead of a loincloth.’

  His eyes gleamed with unholy laughter. ‘Any time you want to see me in a loincloth, Dr McGuire, you only have to ask.’

  Vivid images of Sean Nicholson with no clothes on flashed before her eyes and she coloured furiously. His smile deepened.

  ‘You’re the limit!’ Her tongue moistened dry lips and her breath caught as his eyes dropped to her mouth.

  ‘So why aren’t you married, Dr McGuire?’

  Ally lifted her chin. ‘That’s none of your business.’

  His eyes met hers. ‘Charlie obviously isn’t Mr Right, then.’

  ‘Let’s get one thing straight, shall we?’ Ally glared at him. ‘You can move into my barn if you so wish because it would please Will and, frankly, I haven’t the energy to argue, but do
n’t read any more into it. You’re my lodger. Nothing more.’

  Sean raised an eyebrow. ‘Have I asked for more?’

  Ally blushed. ‘Well, no, but—’

  ‘I never touch another man’s woman, and you’ve told me you’re already involved with someone.’ There was something benign about his expression that she didn’t trust an inch. ‘Aren’t you?’

  ‘Well, yes, but—’

  ‘So that’s that, then.’ He drained his mug and stood up, his powerful figure dominating the small room. ‘Of course, if you weren’t involved with someone then the situation would be entirely different.’

  His eyes held hers for a long moment and she swallowed uncomfortably. Had he guessed? What was going to happen when he found out that the person she was involved with was her daughter? She gave herself a shake. Nothing was going to happen. Nothing. Because she would make sure it didn’t. She owed it to Charlie.

  CHAPTER THREE

  SURGERY was relatively quiet, courtesy of the extra pair of hands—a fact not missed by the patients.

  ‘I see there’s a new doctor!’ One of Ally’s regulars settled herself comfortably in the chair and looked expectant.

  Ally suppressed a sigh of frustration. Some of her patients were wonderful but some of them were just downright nosy!

  ‘That’s right, Mrs Turner, we’re glad to have the help.’

  Mrs Turner fiddled in her handbag and pulled out a handkerchief. ‘Will this one be staying longer than the last one, then?’

  Ally forced a smile. She sincerely hoped not. With any luck he’d be moving on in a few weeks and she’d be able to breathe properly again.

  ‘Dr Nicholson is a locum doctor. He’s only temporary. Now then, what can I help you with today?’

  The old lady looked momentarily baffled. ‘Well, nothing, dear, I—’

  ‘You came to see me, Mrs Turner,’ Ally reminded her gently, and was rewarded with a smile.

  ‘Of course! I remember now. My ears.’ She shook her head gingerly. ‘They’re popping all the time.’

  Ally picked up her auroscope and examined both her patient’s ears carefully. ‘There’s nothing wrong, Mrs Turner, just a build-up of wax. Make an appointment with Sister to have them syringed. You need to put a few drops of olive oil into your ears for a few days before you see her.’

  ‘Wax! Is that all?’ The old lady looked at her suspiciously. ‘Did you get a proper look?’

  Ally smothered her smile. ‘Wax can be very painful. If there’s no improvement after you’ve had them syringed, come back and see me.’

  She watched Mrs Turner go with a wry smile, her mind only half on the job. The other half was on Sean Nicholson and how she was going to handle him. One thing was sure, he wasn’t an easy man to brush off. Once he wanted something he got it. And was that her? With a groan she rubbed her aching forehead with her slim fingers and then summoned up a smile as her next patient tapped on the door.

  Mary Thompson was a nervous lady in her late forties whom Ally usually saw only rarely. Lately she’d been visiting the surgery every few weeks, each time with something minor. Ally had a growing suspicion that something else was wrong.

  ‘Hello, Mrs Thompson.’ Ally smiled at her gently. ‘What can I do for you today?’

  The woman settled herself on the edge of the chair, her thin fingers twisting her gloves.

  ‘I’m so sorry to bother you but I’ve had a bit of a cough, Doctor.’

  Ally nodded and reached for her stethoscope. ‘For how long?’

  Mrs Thompson looked vague. ‘Oh, a couple of weeks, I suppose—hard to say, really. But it’s keeping me awake at night.’

  A couple of weeks. A quick glance at the computer confirmed that she’d seen her only last week with a painful toe. If her chest had been bothering her then, why hadn’t she mentioned it? Something nagged at Ally’s brain.

  ‘Slip your top off, Mrs Thompson, and let me have a listen to your chest,’ she murmured, wondering how best to get to the bottom of this. She didn’t know Mary Thompson that well and she didn’t seem the sort to open up easily.

  She listened to the woman’s chest and found it clear, just as she’d suspected.

  ‘Do you smoke, Mrs Thompson?’

  Mary Thompson shook her head. ‘No, Doctor, but my husband does.’

  Her husband. Ally had a vague mental picture of an overweight man in his early fifties. Yes, that was him. She’d seen him once for a routine medical for a new job.

  ‘Your chest doesn’t sound too bad,’ Ally said carefully, folding up the stethoscope and placing it back on her desk. ‘I’d like to check it again in a week. Is there anything else I can help you with while you’re here, Mrs Thompson?’

  Was there just the briefest hesitation? ‘No, Doctor. No, just my chest.’

  Ally tried again, her voice infinitely gentle. ‘Are you sure there’s nothing else worrying you, Mary?’

  The woman gripped her handbag until her knuckles were white. ‘Nothing at all.’

  So why didn’t Ally believe her? ‘I really would like to see you again next week.’

  Mary Thompson nodded slowly and stood up, looking utterly defeated. ‘If you think it’s necessary.’

  ‘I do,’ Ally said firmly. ‘I need to check that chest.’

  She watched her patient leave with a feeling of helplessness. Something else was wrong, she knew, but if the patient wouldn’t confide in her then there wasn’t much she could do but wait. Unless she could find an excuse to call on her…

  There was a tap on the door and Sean put his head round. ‘I’ve finished surgery and I’m off on my rounds. If you’re sure about renting me the stable, I’ll pop in later.’

  Ally gave him a brief nod, her mind still on Mary Thompson. As for the stable, she was far from sure about renting it to Sean, but it would keep Will off her back and she needed the money badly. Since Charlie’s birth it had been a permanent struggle to make ends meet even on a very reasonable doctor’s salary.

  ‘I live just beyond Ambleside, past the turning for the Kirkstone pass.’ She reached for a piece of paper and scribbled him a map. ‘I’ll be in after five.’

  And her mother dropped Charlie home at 5.15. Confession time.

  ‘Great.’ Sean crossed the room and took the map from her. ‘Everything OK? You look worried.’

  ‘Oh—’ She gave him a distracted look. ‘Just a patient, that’s all.’

  To her consternation he dropped into the empty chair and stretched his long legs out in front of him.

  ‘Want to talk about it?’

  Talk about it? With him? Somehow she hadn’t got used to the idea that this man was a doctor despite the skill with which he’d handled the casualty on the mountain.

  ‘Not really.’ She shook her head and then hesitated. Maybe another perspective would be worth having. ‘Well, I mean, there’s nothing to talk about, on the surface. It’s just that I’ve got this feeling that she’s desperate to tell me something and doesn’t know how. I just know there’s something going on.’

  Sean raised an eyebrow. ‘The While I’m here, Doctor, can I just mention something else? type of patient?’

  ‘Exactly.’ Surprised that he’d understood, Ally gave him a wary smile and bit her lip. ‘Except Mary Thompson never does mention anything else. Just keeps consulting me about all sorts of ridiculous minor things…’

  Sean frowned. ‘Could she be depressed?’

  Ally thought for a moment and shook her head. ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘Family problems?’

  The mental picture of Mary Thompson’s husband returned and Ally nodded slowly. ‘Maybe. I just wonder if— Oh, I don’t know! I’m probably imagining it and there’s nothing else wrong at all.’

  Sean gave a short laugh. ‘In my experience the one thing you can rely on in life is your instincts. If they tell you there’s something wrong then there probably is. I should follow it up.’

  ‘But how?’ Ally shrugged her shoulders helple
ssly. ‘If she won’t open up, I can hardly force her, can I?’

  ‘Well, she obviously wants to or she wouldn’t be consulting you all the time.’ Sean stood up and tucked her map into his pocket. ‘Why not invite her to a well woman clinic? Maybe that would be a more relaxed situation than a busy surgery.’

  Ally thought for a moment. It wasn’t a bad idea. If Mary Thompson didn’t turn up to have her chest checked again, maybe she’d do just that. She smiled gratefully at Sean, surprised that something useful had come out of a conversation between them. Maybe she would be able to work with him after all. Maybe her brain was stronger than her hormones…

  ‘Good idea—I might do that if she doesn’t come back to see me next week.’

  Sean studied her for a moment, his gaze leaving her heart thudding. OK, so maybe her hormones were winning at the moment. ‘I’ll see you later, then.’

  She watched him go, nervously wondering whether she’d done the right thing, agreeing to let the stable to him. She’d shied away from men and relationships for so long she’d forgotten what it felt like to be living in close proximity to one. How would they get on together? Would she ever be able to relax and just get on with her life?

  With a groan she flopped back in her chair and closed her eyes, trying to rationalise her fears. The stable was totally self-contained, she reminded herself firmly. She need hardly see him. She wouldn’t even know he was there…

  Her next patient tapped on the door and Ally pulled herself together quickly, pushing aside visions of those lazy dark eyes and firm mouth. She really had to concentrate.

  Involving herself in her patients, she was surprised when she finally glanced at her watch and realised the time. Ouch! If she wasn’t careful she’d be late for Charlie. She buzzed through to Helen, the practice manager.

  ‘Any more for me, Helen?’

  ‘No. Scoot off home to that girl of yours,’ she replied. Ally smiled and turned off her computer. Helen was the backbone of the practice. She knew every patient and all their problems. Not because she was nosy but because she was the sort of warm, caring person in whom everyone confided. Including Ally!