by Sarah Morgan
‘I am.’ Lucy rubbed her eyes and stifled another yawn. ‘I’m spending every spare minute training. Red and I have got our assessment coming up in a while.’
Sean raised an eyebrow. ‘Who’s Red?’
‘Red’s my Border collie,’ Lucy told him proudly. ‘We’ve been training for search and rescue so that we can join the mountain rescue team. If we pass we can go on call-outs. Talking of which, are you two going to the fireworks on Saturday?’
Lucy glanced at them and Ally couldn’t hide her blush. She wished people wouldn’t keep addressing them as a couple. Will, Jack and now Lucy.
‘We are, indeed.’ Sean’s eyes held hers for a long moment. ‘I promised Charlie.’
He’d promised Charlie? When had he promised Charlie? She’d known he’d be there, of course, but that didn’t mean they had to go together.
‘I’ve promised to help with the food for my sins.’ Lucy chatted away happily, oblivious to the tension simmering in the room. ‘Jack’s selling tickets for five pounds. Jolly good idea really. Just baked potatoes and things like that.’
Ally dragged her gaze away from Sean’s and managed a smile. ‘Super. Just the thing for a cold night.’
Excusing herself, she made her way to her consulting room, relieved that she had a busy surgery to take her mind off Sean.
The first patient she saw was Mary Thompson, looking as anxious as ever.
‘Hello, Mrs Thompson,’ Ally greeted her warmly. ‘How’s that cough?’
‘Cough?’ For a moment the woman looked baffled and then she shook herself and gave a weak smile. ‘Oh, that. Yes, well, it hasn’t bothered me really…’
‘Good. So what can I help you with today.’
Mary fingered her coat nervously. ‘It’s difficult…’
Ally leaned forward and covered her hand with her own. ‘Mrs Thompson, I know something is wrong—why don’t you trust me and just tell me what it is?’
Mary shook her head and then burst into tears. Ally handed her some tissues and waited for the storm to pass.
‘I’m sorry about that, Doctor.’ The woman sniffed and blew her nose. ‘I’m just being a silly woman.’
‘Tell me,’ Ally prompted gently, and Mary took a deep breath.
‘It’s my husband. He’s got a bit of a problem.’
Ally suspected that that was an understatement but she didn’t speak, just waited for Mary to finish.
‘It started when he took this job. Too much entertaining, sales conferences and targets which he couldn’t meet.’ She gave a sigh and stared helplessly at Ally. ‘He’s drinking. A lot. I suppose you saw the newspaper article.’
Ally hesitated and then nodded. There was no point in lying. ‘Yes. Yes, I did, actually.’
‘Frankly, I’m amazed it hasn’t happened before.’ Mary crumpled the tissue into a ball and fiddled nervously with it. ‘He’s been drinking far too much for at least a year.’
And driving. Ally gritted her teeth and tried not to think about the damage he could have done.
‘Will he come in and see me, Mrs Thompson?’
The older woman shrugged her shoulders and gave her a bleak look. ‘Well, before that newspaper article I would have said no. He’s a very proud man. Very traditional, you know? Won’t ever admit he needs help. But now—well, to be frank, he just might because he feels so down. I’ve been trying to persuade him to come and see you. I did wonder whether there was anything I could do…’
Ally shook her head. ‘Not really, Mrs Thompson. If he’s drinking as much as you say then he needs professional help now. We need to check his current state of health—see what damage the alcohol has done—and then break the addiction. The best thing you can do is get him to come and see me. He has to want to change things or a detoxification programme has no chance of working.’
The woman slumped in the chair and sighed. ‘It’s all so complicated.’
‘Has he hurt you at all, Mrs Thompson?’ Ally asked gently. ‘Does he get violent when he’s drunk?’
‘No. That’s one thing I should be grateful for, I suppose.’
‘Try and get him to come and see me,’ Ally said as the woman stood up to leave. ‘I’m sure we can help him.’
She watched as Mary walked down the corridor, her figure bent and defeated. Ally frowned. She’d have a word with Will and see if he had any bright ideas how to persuade Mr Thompson to come and see her.
* * *
Charlie was baking biscuits in the kitchen with her grandmother when Ally arrived home. She dropped her bag and pushed open the kitchen door, sniffing in appreciation. ‘Mmm. Something smells good.’ She stopped dead as she saw Sean lounging comfortably at the kitchen table, laughing with her mother. What was he doing here?
‘Hello, pet.’ Her mother was in the process of wiping flour from the kitchen table. ‘We’re just stocking up the freezer, aren’t we, Charlie?’
‘Yup.’ Charlie grinned, her sweet face covered in tell-tale signs of cake mixture.
‘We’ve made an orange one for us and two chocolate ones for Uncle Jack’s firework party.’
‘I told Jack I’d donate two and if he wanted any more he’d have to buy them,’ her mother said cheerfully. ‘We’re so busy on the farm at the moment I haven’t got time to cook. I’ve made you a casserole and I made sure there’s enough for Sean, too. I thought it would be nice if he joined you.’
Ally gaped at her mother who beamed at her.
Sean unfolded his length from the chair and gave her mother a gracious smile. ‘That’s very kind of you, Mrs McGuire. I’ll just nip next door and get a bottle of wine,’ he said smoothly, his eyes gleaming with humour as he scanned the look on Ally’s face.
The minute he’d gone Ally sent Charlie off to find a book and rounded on her mother. ‘What are you playing at, Mum?’
Her mother turned the last of the sponge cakes onto a wire rack to cool. ‘Inviting that gorgeous man to join you for dinner.’
Ally was appalled. ‘But I don’t want to eat dinner with him!’
‘Then you need your head examined,’ her mother said calmly, dropping the dirty cake tins into the sink and putting water on them to soak. ‘He’s handsome, intelligent and single, and if I weren’t still in love with your father I’d be eating dinner with him myself.’
Ally shrugged off her coat. ‘I can’t believe I’m hearing this. You’re pairing me up with someone you met five minutes ago? You don’t know anything about him!’
Elaine McGuire stilled, a slight frown touching her fine, elegant features. ‘Oh, yes, I do. I know a great deal about him. I’ve known Sean Nicholson since he was three years old.’
Ally gaped at her and dropped into a chair. ‘You’ve known—? Mum! How? How come I don’t remember him, then?’
Her mother shrugged. ‘He’s quite a bit older than you…’
‘Did you know his parents?’
‘No.’ Watching her mother’s face tighten, Ally felt a sense of foreboding. ‘He was abandoned by his mother when he was two.’
Ally’s eyes widened in shock. Abandoned? Sean had been abandoned by his own mother? What sort of a woman would do a thing like that? Suddenly her limbs felt shaky and she was glad she was sitting down. She didn’t know what she’d expected but it certainly hadn’t been that.
‘What about his dad?’
‘Goodness knows. I don’t think his mother even knew who the father was.’ Elaine frowned. ‘I probably shouldn’t even be telling you this, but it’s pretty common knowledge really. He was in and out of foster-care for his entire childhood—probably would have got into real trouble if it hadn’t been for Will and Molly.’
‘What did they do?’ Everything was starting to fall into place. The way he felt so strongly that children should have two parents. His fear of commitment.
‘Well, eventually they gave him a home, of course, but it was more than that.’ Her mother wiped her hands on her apron. ‘Will got him involved in the outdoor pursuits centre, which was
where he met Jack. Sean helped out in return for tuition and then he joined the army and no one really heard of him after that. I never imagined he’d become a doctor, but obviously living with the Carters must have rubbed off.’
‘He’s a brilliant doctor,’ Ally mumbled, thinking about all the times she’d seen him in action. Totally cool and controlled and yet capable of sensitivity, too—after all, look how he’d been with Pete.
‘Yes, I can imagine he would be.’ Her mother looked at her thoughtfully. ‘He was considered quite brilliant as a boy but too lazy and quick with his fists to spend time bothering with his brain.’
Ally shook her head slowly. ‘But why hasn’t Will ever mentioned him?’
Her mother shrugged. ‘The Carters fostered quite a few children and I don’t think Sean was the best at keeping in touch.’
He’d admitted as much himself. Ally fiddled idly with some cake crumbs. ‘And he won’t be around for long this time either. He’s just helping Will out—says he owes him a favour.’
‘I expect he does.’ Her mother dried the cake tins and laid them carefully on the table. ‘And if he’s not going to be here for long, you’d better make the most of him while you can.’
Ally gasped. ‘Mum!’
‘What?’ Elaine gave a sigh. ‘Ally, I would have to be both blind and stupid not to have picked up the vibes between the two of you. It’s never really bothered me before, you putting your life on hold for Charlie, because I knew you’d never met a man worthy of you anyway, but if you let this opportunity slip through your fingers then you’ll regret it.’
‘But he doesn’t want commitment and he says he never wants children.’
‘Well, we all say things we don’t mean,’ her mother replied calmly. ‘Would you want children and commitment after all he went through as a child?’
‘Probably not.’ Ally cast her mind back to his comments about people who became parents. If he’d suffered so much abandonment in his life, no wonder he shied away from forging relationships. ‘But what happens when he moves on?’
‘Then you have your memories,’ her mother said crisply. ‘Better a brief relationship with Mr Right than a lifetime with Mr Wrong, don’t you think? I know you’re thinking of Rob and Paul, but don’t—they weren’t worth ruining your life over.’
Ally stared at her. ‘But there’s Charlie…’
‘You’ve always done the right thing by Charlie but she’s not made of glass, sweetheart.’ Elaine checked that the cakes were cool and then wrapped them up in clingfilm. ‘Thanks to you, she’s more than capable of coping with a few knocks in life. Now, I’m late and your dad will be worrying so I’m going to make a move.’
She stooped and kissed her daughter and picked up her coat on her way out, leaving Ally sitting at the table lost in thought. She was still there when Sean returned ten minutes later, bottle in hand.
‘Has your mum gone?’
‘What?’ Ally blinked and managed a shaky smile. ‘Oh—yes. She had to drop two chocolate cakes off with Jack on the way home.’
Sean frowned and set the bottle down on the table, reaching for a corkscrew. ‘Are you all right?’
‘Fine.’ Ally stood up and checked the casserole, removing the lid and giving it a stir.
‘Don’t tell me—your mother told you that I was a bad influence and that you should run a mile.’
Ally gave a short laugh and tossed the spoon into the washing-up bowl, before opening a cupboard and handing him two glasses. She watched while he poured the amber liquid and handed her a glass.
‘On the contrary, she was recommending that I jump into bed with you at the earliest possible moment.’
There was a moment’s stunned silence and then Sean threw back his head and laughed, a rich, totally male sound that made her nerve endings tingle.
‘Was she now? Well, I never—what a fantastic woman.’
‘She remembered you…’
The smile faded and those dark eyes narrowed. ‘Ah, now I see. She doubtless regaled you with harrowing tales of my depraved youth.’
She blushed under the heavy sarcasm and took a sip of wine. ‘Well, let’s just say I can now understand why you avoid commitment.’
His jaw tightened. ‘I see.’
Something about his chilly tone made her hesitate. ‘Well, it can’t have been easy for you—’
‘Spare me the psychology, Ally. I don’t need it!’ All traces of warmth had vanished and his eyes glittered angrily. ‘So what have you decided? That you’ll let me have my wicked way with you because you feel sorry for me?’
Ally frowned. Boy, was he sensitive about his past! ‘Don’t be ridiculous…’
His mouth was a grim line. ‘Don’t patronise me, Ally! I can see it in your face. All of a sudden I’m a poor boy who needs mothering and who’ll change his ways for the love of a good woman.’
‘I didn’t say that—’
‘You didn’t have to.’ He gave a wry smile and drained his wineglass in one gulp. ‘Forget supper. All of a sudden I’m not hungry.’ He banged his glass down on the table and strode out of the kitchen, leaving her staring, open-mouthed.
* * *
Ally tapped on the door of Sean’s consulting room the next morning, taking a deep breath when she heard his clipped tone. He was working on the computer and his fingers stilled when she entered, his expression cool and unwelcoming.
‘Yes?’
The words came out in a rush. ‘I came to say I’m sorry. Mum wasn’t gossiping, but I can see that it must have looked that way to you. And I don’t feel sorry for you—at least, I suppose I do in a way but that hasn’t got anything to do with me going to bed with you—’ She broke off, horribly uncomfortable under his steady scrutiny.
He leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you telling me that you’re sorry or that you want to go to bed with me?’
‘Neither.’ She blushed fiercely and chewed her lip. ‘I mean, I am sorry, but— Oh damn you! You know what I mean.’
She glared at him and he stood up and walked across to her, his eyes suddenly gentle.
‘And I’m sorry, too. I overreacted. I’m afraid my childhood isn’t my favourite topic of conversation.’ He lifted her chin and scanned her face. ‘So, are you going to take your mother’s advice?’
She looked away, her heart hammering. ‘Don’t tease me, Sean. It isn’t fair.’
‘Who’s being fair?’ He gave a short laugh and cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. ‘It isn’t fair that I have to look at you every day and not touch. It’s no wonder I’m behaving like a maimed lion. I’m suffering from a serious case of male frustration.’
‘I don’t parade myself!’ Her mild protest was ignored and her stomach flipped over as he brushed his thumb along her lower lip.
‘You’re driving me nuts, do you know that?’
She was hypnotised by the look in his eyes and the husky tone of his voice. ‘I’m not doing anything.’
‘Exactly.’ His smile was wry. ‘I only have to think about what will happen when we finally make love and I’m a gibbering wreck.’
Her heart seemed to collide with her stomach and she shook her head and backed away from him. ‘It won’t happen, Sean.’
‘It’s got to—I need to start getting some sleep at night.’ He gave her a rueful look that turned into a wicked grin. ‘Mind you, that might not be the best way of ensuring sleep…’
She swallowed. ‘You’d break my heart.’
He rubbed his forehead with long fingers and gave a short laugh. ‘So you keep saying. I’m beginning to think you might have a similar effect on mine.’
‘You haven’t got a heart, Sean, remember?’
She opened the door and some little imp inside her made her lower her lashes, treating him to a teasing smile that made him catch his breath.
‘Close the door and get yourself back in here.’ His voice was a low growl but she merely widened the smile.
‘I’ve g
ot surgery, Dr Nicholson.’
And with that she waltzed out of the room, leaving Sean and temptation firmly behind her.
CHAPTER SIX
THE evening of the bonfire party was crisp and clear.
Ally put the final touches to her make-up and stared at herself critically in the mirror. She was wearing a thick, chunky sweater in a shade of blue that matched her eyes, and a pair of skin tight jeans tucked into soft suede boots. She frowned down at the boots. Would they get muddy? Probably not, she decided, remembering how bitterly cold the weather had been. The ground was likely to be as hard as rock. She lifted her hands to fasten her blonde hair on top of her head and then she hesitated, letting it fall softly around her shoulders. Oh, goodness, why not? A bonfire party in temperatures little above freezing was hardly the venue for natty dressing so the least she could allow herself was feminine-looking hair. Nothing to do with Sean, of course. Nothing at all.
Her heart gave a little jump as she sprayed on some perfume and grabbed her thick wool coat and scarf.
‘Mum, come on!’ Charlie’s voice sailed up from the sitting room. ‘Sean’s here and we’re going to be late.’
Ally took a steadying breath, flicked off the bedroom light and made her way down the spiral staircase that led directly to the living room.
Sean was waiting at the bottom, his powerful legs planted slightly apart, his shoulders looking wider than ever in the bulky jacket he’d chosen to wear. His eyes travelled slowly over her body, lingered on the golden hair fanned across her shoulders and settled on her face. For a brief moment his rakish dark eyes burned into hers and then he was turning his attention back to Charlie.
‘Wow!’ Charlie danced around at the bottom of the stairs, her blonde hair tucked up inside a wool hat. ‘You look like Cinderella with your hair like that, Mum—doesn’t she, Sean?’
‘She certainly does.’ Sean’s voice was husky and he shifted slightly as if he was suddenly uncomfortable. He caught her eye and his mouth twisted into a smile of wry self-mockery. ‘I think we’d better go, don’t you? I promised Jack we’d be there early enough to help out.’
‘I love fireworks.’ Charlie grabbed his hand and he swung her up into his arms.