by Sarah Morgan
Lucy beamed at them. ‘You can call me, too, if you like because Red and I passed our assessment last night.’
‘Oh, Lucy, that’s great!’ Ally leaped up and gave her a hug. ‘So she’s now an official search dog?’
‘She certainly is.’ Lucy peeled a banana and curled her slim legs under her bottom, a pleased expression on her pretty face.
Sean frowned. ‘Who calls you out if there’s an incident, then? Jack?’
Lucy nodded. ‘Either him or Howard Davies, the SARDA co-ordinator.’
SARDA, the Search And Rescue Dog Association—Ally knew how many lives they’d saved over the years.
She grinned. ‘So now you have your own pager?’
‘I do, indeed.’ Lucy cocked her head on one side and gave a flippant grin. ‘So I can dump my patients on you lot and dash off to the rescue.’
‘Well, I don’t want you rescuing us, thanks!’ Ally finished her apple and tossed the core into the bin.
‘Where are you planning to go?’ Sean stretched his long legs out and Ally tried not to notice how the fabric showed the hard muscle of his thighs. Since the bonfire party they’d hardly seen each other, mostly due to conflicting on-call demands, and she was horrified by how much the fact bothered her. Also, if she was honest, she was more than a little disappointed that he hadn’t really gone out of his way to seek her out. Maybe he’d changed his mind about her—maybe. She gave herself a sharp talking to. So what if he’d changed his mind? That was good, wasn’t it? That was exactly what she wanted.
Realising that Sean was waiting for an answer, Ally shook herself. ‘Um…depends on the weather.’
She removed a crumb from her lip with the tip of her tongue, colour seeping into her cheeks as she caught Sean’s eyes on her mouth. For a brief second their eyes held and her heart lurched as she read the message in his. He hadn’t changed his mind. He was biding his time. The knowledge made her nerve endings tingle.
‘You were saying?’ His eyes teased her and she looked away, flustered.
‘I don’t know—maybe the Fairfield Horseshoe.’
Will frowned and glanced out of the window. ‘Well, for goodness’ sake, check the weather and be careful, the pair of you.’
‘Yes, Uncle Will.’ Sean grinned and it occurred to Ally that he hadn’t said anything else about leaving. Had he changed his mind about that and decided to stay on in the practice for a while? She gave herself another sharp talking to. So what if he had? It wasn’t any of her business. It wouldn’t change the way he felt about relationships—or the way she felt about men who didn’t want commitment.
* * *
Her afternoon antenatal clinic was busy and her nerves were jangling by the time Felicity Webster walked in, two children strapped securely in their buggy.
‘I know you’re not supposed to bring buggies through to the consulting rooms, but Helen said it would be fine and I—’
‘Felicity,’ Ally interrupted gently, ‘it’s no problem. It’s a rule that’s meant to be broken in cases such as yours. I wouldn’t fancy trying to examine you with those two on the loose.’
Felicity dropped into a chair, clearly exhausted. ‘Well, I certainly can’t carry them.’
‘How’s the chickenpox?’
‘Oh, it’s cleared up nicely.’ She leaned forward and tugged a woolly hat off one of the children. ‘Tom’s still got scabs, but we’re managing to stop him scratching.’
Ally had a brief look. ‘Oh, that’s looking fine. And what about you?’
Felicity gave a short laugh. ‘What about me? I’m due tomorrow, and if it doesn’t come soon I’m sending it back.’
Ally grinned. ‘Any twinges?’
‘Plenty.’ Felicity shifted slightly, obviously uncomfortable. ‘But none that have made this baby pop out.’
‘When’s your next hospital appointment?’
‘Next week.’ Felicity pulled a face. ‘But it’s got to come before then. I’m stuffing myself with raspberry tea, pineapples—you name it, I’m doing it.’
‘Well, let’s have a look at you.’ Ally checked Felicity’s blood pressure, examined her ankles and fingers for signs of swelling and tested her urine. ‘That’s all fine, Felicity. Hop up on the couch and I’ll take a look at the baby.’
‘Hop?’ Felicity grinned and eased herself up, hobbling painfully over to the couch. ‘I could be wrong but I don’t think I’ll ever hop again.’
Ally laughed. ‘You will. With two under five and a new baby you’ll spend all day hopping.’
‘Don’t! I can’t even bear to think about how I’m going to manage.’ Felicity wriggled down and exposed her bump. ‘It feels huge.’
Ally slid her hands over Felicity’s abdomen, palpating the lie of the baby. ‘Not at all. I think it’s a nice size.’
‘That’s because you’re not the one who has to have it,’ Felicity said dryly.
‘True.’ Ally laughed and picked up the Sonicaid. ‘The baby’s in a good position. Let’s have a listen.’
The rhythmic galloping of the foetal heartbeat echoed around the room and they exchanged smiles.
‘Oh, lovely!’ Felicity grinned and then sobered. ‘I’m dreading it, Dr McGuire. I know you keep telling me not to panic but I keep thinking of the other two…’
‘I know you’ll be fine this time.’ Ally switched off the Sonicaid. ‘What are you doing with the other two when you go in with this one?’
‘Oh, my mum will come. She’s only ten minutes away.’
Ally helped her to sit up and scribbled on her notes while Felicity straightened her clothing.
‘Well, I don’t think this baby will be here for a few days yet.’
‘Really?’ Felicity chewed her lip. ‘I don’t know whether to be pleased or sorry. Sometimes you wonder whether they’re more trouble out than in.’
Ally laughed as she opened the door and helped her with the buggy. ‘Make sure you let me know if anything happens.’
Felicity grinned. ‘You’ll probably hear the yelling. Thanks, Dr McGuire.’
* * *
Ally tucked the map back into her pocket and lifted her face to the wind.
‘Fantastic, isn’t it?’ Sean stared at the view, his hard features relaxed and contented.
‘Yes. I love this time of year.’ Ally’s cheeks were pink from the cold and strands of blonde hair had escaped from her woolly hat, framing her face. ‘No tourists.’
Sean glanced up at the sky and frowned slightly. ‘I don’t like the look of that.’
Ally followed his gaze and shrugged. ‘The forecast was good.’
‘Yes.’ Sean didn’t seem convinced, staring at the sky with narrowed eyes.
‘Did you do a lot of outdoor stuff in the army?’
He turned to look at her with a smile that melted her bones. ‘Oh, yes. We used to have to spend days at a time outside under the stars. Survival training.’
‘You lucky thing—being paid to spend days in the mountains.’
He gave a short laugh. ‘Well, it wasn’t always a bed of roses. The Brecon Beacons covered in snow in the middle of winter isn’t the most inviting terrain.’
Ally carried on up the path, falling into step behind him. ‘It must have been dangerous.’
‘Oh, it was.’ Sean hitched his rucksack more comfortably on his back. ‘The army loses people on exercise far more often than they like to admit.’
‘When did you decide you wanted to be a doctor?’
He stopped walking and leaned against a rock, staring across the stark mountain scenery.
‘I don’t know, really. I suppose subconsciously I must have thought about it when I lived with Will and Molly. But I didn’t really get interested until I did some medic training in the army.’
‘How did you come to live with Will?’ Ally blushed as he turned to look at her. ‘Sorry. Forget I asked. I know you hate talking about it.’
He gave a short laugh. ‘I’m surprised the gossips haven’t given you the story already.
’
Ally’s voice was quiet. ‘I’m not a gossip, Sean.’
His eyes held hers. ‘I know you’re not.’
Her heart thudded under the intensity of his gaze. Was he going to kiss her? He hadn’t kissed her for ages. Not since the night of the bonfire party. She was horrified by how much she wanted him to. What was the matter with her?
‘I was a bit of a handful when I was young.’ He stared at the horizon and gave a wry smile. ‘Actually, that’s an understatement. I was the boy from hell. I suppose it’s not surprising that I was moved from one foster-home to another. No one could put up with me for long. I was totally wild.’
Ally’s heart contracted, thinking of how lonely and desperate it must have been for him with no family of his own. No wonder he’d been a handful. It was amazing that he’d grown up to be so well balanced. Part of her longed to ask if he’d ever tried to contact his mother, but he was opening up more than he ever had before and she didn’t want to jeopardise that with intrusive questions.
‘So where did Will come into it?’ Suddenly she wanted to put her arms round him and hold him tight. To love him like he’d never been loved before.
Love him?
Her breath caught. Dear God, she was a total fool but she did love him. As well as the strong, tough man, she’d had glimpses of the scared boy, protecting his emotions, and she loved him, too.
‘Well, he and Molly—’ Sean broke off suddenly and frowned down at her. ‘Are you all right?’
No. She wasn’t. She was in love with a man who never wanted commitment. The realisation made her feel strange.
‘I’m fine.’
‘Right…’ Sean stared at her for a moment and then carried on. ‘He and Molly had fostered once before but they didn’t do it regularly. Then one day I got into trouble and Will bailed me out.’
Ally gave him a curious look. ‘What did he do?’
Sean stared at the mountains and gave a short laugh. ‘I’d broken into a warehouse, only I misjudged the drop between the window and the floor and I hurt myself. My friends took me to the surgery and Will was the duty doctor.’
‘And he sorted you out?’
‘He stitched my leg, jabbed me and then gave me the sternest talking to I’d ever had. We talked for hours.’ Sean kicked some loose stones on the path and gave a wry smile. ‘I kept waiting for him to call the police but he never did. He called Social Services and read them the Riot Act.’
‘For not keeping a proper eye on you, and placing you with the wrong families?’
‘Something like that. Anyway, the long and the short of it was that he and Molly took me in. And that was that.’
‘Only you’d spent too long running wild, with no one bothering about you, to be able to trust them.’
Sean turned to look at her. ‘What makes you so astute?’
She swallowed. ‘I don’t know. It’s just the obvious reaction, I suppose.’ And he was still running, she knew that much.
‘Well, I did learn to trust them eventually but it was Will who steered me towards the army. I always loved fitness and the outdoor life and I suppose he thought the discipline and training would do me good. He was right.’
‘But he must have been thrilled when you decided to be a doctor.’
Sean’s eyes softened. ‘He was.’
‘He loves you.’
‘I know that.’ Sean’s voice was gruff and he straightened and shifted his rucksack more comfortably on his shoulders. ‘And what about you? Your childhood was idyllic by comparison, wasn’t it?’
They stomped up the path, continuing to talk, and Ally gasped with shock when Sean suddenly stopped and she cannoned into him.
‘Sorry—you need brake lights! What’s the matter?’
‘The weather. Damn. I should have trusted my instincts.’ Sean stared at the blackening sky and braced himself against the wind.
Ally blinked with shock. She hadn’t even noticed the weather. All she’d been thinking of had been Sean, Sean, and Sean. But as she stopped walking the wind suddenly buffeted her, making her stumble into him. ‘We’d better get down fast.’
Sean hesitated and then gave a brief nod. ‘Yes, OK. We’ll give it a try.’
Give it a try? What did he mean by that?
Walking as close to him as she could, she dipped her head to give herself some protection from the wind, her eyes narrowing against the sharp raindrops which started to pelt against her face.
‘Don’t you just love Lake District weather?’ Sean’s voice was barely audible above the wind as they exchanged a wry look of understanding.
They struggled on for another half-hour, Ally forcing her tired limbs forward despite the force of the wind which pushed her back again.
When Sean finally stopped walking she fought to stay upright against the pressure of the howling wind, and only Sean’s firm grip on her hand stopped her from dropping to the ground with exhaustion. Why on earth hadn’t they noticed the change in the weather and how late it was? She bit her lip. Because they’d been too busy enjoying each other’s company, that was why. Neither of them had paid too much attention to the weather.
The wind threw all its force at her again and she stumbled against Sean who clamped her against him with a strong arm. For once she was glad of his protection.
He steadied them both and frowned down into her white face. ‘Are you OK?’
She nodded, not wanting to show how scared she was. She knew better than anyone how totally unforgiving these mountains were when you made a mistake. And they’d made a mistake. A big one. And it was winter.
Sean’s eyes swept her strained features and then he glanced at his watch. ‘It’s getting late. We’d better set up camp.’
‘Camp?’
Her gloved hand fastened itself to the front of his jacket. He represented the only solid security around here and she wasn’t letting go, principles or no principles!
Sean grimaced and his fingers closed reassuringly over hers. ‘We’re not going to make it down before dark. I’m sorry. I misjudged it really badly.’
‘It wasn’t your fault.’ She was almost shouting to be heard above the noise of the wind. ‘You weren’t responsible for me.’
He gave a wry smile and flicked the end of her chilled nose with his gloved finger. ‘Miss Independent.’
She managed to return the smile—just. ‘Can’t we just push on and make it down? We’ve got torches…’
Sean shook his head. ‘No way. The wind’s rising. We’ve loused up badly, sweetheart, so we either make the team drag themselves out to rescue us or we camp and sit it out until morning.’
Ally stared at him. ‘We haven’t got the equipment.’
Sean gave her a saucy grin. ‘You keep refusing to let me show you my equipment.’
How could he flirt and be so relaxed when they were in danger? ‘Sean, please…’
Something in her voice must have penetrated because his smile faded and his eyes were gentle. ‘We’ll be fine, angel. Trust me.’ Gently disentangling her hand from his jacket, he checked the map and the compass. ‘OK, let’s set up the tent on the lee slope. Can you walk just a bit farther?’
She nodded dumbly, staring at him in amazement. Tent? He had a tent? They walked on for another ten minutes and then he stopped abruptly and swung the rucksack off his massive shoulders. In a remarkably short time—and with no help from her—he’d set up a dome tent.
‘Right. All wet clothes off quickly and into that polythene bag, and then get inside fast.’ Sean helped drag off her dripping wet jacket and over-trousers and left her to undo her boots while he sorted himself out. She stuffed her wet clothes into the polythene bag so that they wouldn’t get the inside of the tent wet, and crawled inside.
Seconds later he joined her, his dark hair glistening with a mixture of rain and snow.
‘OK?’ He paused as he tugged some more gear out of his rucksack, a frown touching his dark features. ‘You’re shivering.’
‘I’
m fine.’ She was shivering but goodness knew why. The tent was totally waterproof and windproof and was the perfect shelter.
‘Strip some more clothes off and get into the sleeping bag.’ Sean gave the bag a vigorous shake and threw a sleeping mat in her direction. ‘Spread that under the bag.’
She followed his orders without question, too cold and exhausted to argue, watching while he secured the tent and fished in his rucksack for the mobile phone.
‘You’re calling Jack?’
‘We gave him our route so he’ll be worrying soon. Let’s hope there’s a signal.’ Sean punched in the number and then grinned. ‘Jack? It’s us.’ He listened for a moment and then gave a grim laugh. ‘Tell me about it!’
Ally could hear Jack’s voice, but not what he was saying.
Sean’s eyes rested on her face. ‘No, she’s fine. Just a bit tired out.’ He listened again and this time his jaw tightened. ‘No need, but thanks for the offer. We’ll camp out here tonight and then I’ll get her down at first light.’
Jack must have said something else because Sean gave a short laugh and muttered, ‘In my dreams.’ Then he snapped the phone shut and dropped it back into the rucksack.
‘Right, then.’ He stripped off his jumper and thick shirt and raised an eyebrow in her direction. ‘I suppose you’re going to say I can’t share the sleeping bag.’
How could she possibly say that when it was his skill and preparation that was saving them both? She shook her head numbly and shuffled to the furthest edge to make room for him. Even so, it was a shock to her system when he slid inside with her, the warmth and power of his body filling the remaining space in the sleeping bag. Outside the wind screamed in anger and whipped at the sides of the tent, and Ally snuggled further inside the sleeping bag, a delicious feeling of safety creeping over her as she felt Sean next to her.
‘I ought to turn the torch off.’ Sean’s voice was gruff and she shifted her head so that she could look at him.
‘Can we keep it on a bit longer?’
He lifted a hand and brushed a strand of blonde hair away from her face as he searched her eyes with a frown. ‘Are you scared?’