Their Christmas Vows (7 page)

`Are you all set to go?'

Callie nodded in response to Annie's question feeling increasingly groggy and lethargic. `Thanks for everything, Annie.'

`No problem. That's what friends are for.' Taking a piece of paper, Annie slipped it into one of Callie pockets. `My home and mobile numbers. Ring me there's anything you need. Any time.'

'OK.'

When you're feeling up to it, we'll get together have lunch and do some Christmas shopping.'

Callie found herself returning Annie's infectious smile. 'I'd like that.'

`Good.' She linked her arm with hers. `Come then. There's a very impatient, very gorgeous flight doctor waiting for you.'

`Annie...'

Her friend ignored the warning. `He's a good man Callie. One of a kind.'

`And one who has his pick of available women `You are available.' Annie smiled. `And it's clear he's taken with you.'

Callie sucked in a painful breath. Heaven knows why-she had done everything to discourage `He wouldn't be if he knew.'

`You're wrong, Callie. Not everyone is like your ex. Don't be scared to give Frazer a chance.' But she was scared. 'I'm not interested.'

The Words burned in her throat and she cringed inwardly, knowing they were a lie.

When Annie whisked back the curtain, Callie's immediately settled on Frazer. Melted chocolate eyes contained worry, frustration and the kind of slow-burn heat that made her stomach turn over. She handed him the bag from the pharmacy containing her pills, then stepped aside. Callie was disconcerted to discover that she swayed alarmingly when her friend's support was removed, but Frazer stepped forward, his arm sliding far too possessively around her waist.

'Thanks, Annie. I'll take care of her.'

Callie wanted to protest, but somehow the words wouldn't come. A pale sun was rising above the eastern hills behind the loch when they went outside, a light dusting of snow had fallen in the last couple of hours. Uncharacteristically docile, she allowed Frazer to help her into the passenger seat and gently strap her in. He was so close she could smell his earthy sandalwood fragrance. Dismayed at the ache of desire inside her, she was grateful when he moved away and closed the door. Hamish pushed his head between the front seats and nuzzled her shoulder, distracting her, and she smiled, giving the dog a hug. Then Frazer was behind the wheel, and before she knew it they were at her house. He came around to open the passenger door, before unclipping the seatbelt.

`Keys?' he asked, his voice seeming huskier than usual.

Frowning, she fumbled in her pockets, wondering why her brain felt so fuzzy. `Keys,' she murmured handing them over.

`Wait a minute and let me help you.' Frazer stepped back from the door, but she ignored hi m sliding out in ungainly fashion. `Callie...'

`I can walk.'

The full-voltage dimpled smile he sent her increased the shaky feeling in her legs. `Of course you can.' Folding his arms, he stood back and watched her.

Hamish sat on the pavement and gave a sharp bark-whether of encouragement or disapproval she didn't know. Licking her lips, and finding it took far more concentration

than usual to put one foot in front of the other, Callie headed towards the house. Or tried to. She weaved a bit, a cry of surprise escaping as she slipped on ground that was icy under its recent dusting of powdery snow. She was even more surprised when Frazer caught her before she could fall, drawing her up against the solid 1enght of his body. A very masculine body. It was tempting to rest there, to cuddle even closer. She had just enough sense left to know that was a bad and very dangerous idea.

Pushing against him, she struggled for space. `Frazer, I can manage.'

`Sure. I see that.' She felt a chuckle rumble from inside him as he all but carried her up the path. `Let's get you indoors.'

`Cats.'

`Excuse me?'

Against her better judgement, she leaned on him while he dealt with opening her front door. `I have cats.'

'Good for you,' Frazer murmured, guiding them inside the narrow hallway.

'I meant because of Hamish.'

'Don't worry, I have cats at home, too.' One strong arm held her up while he closed and locked the door. 'Hamish is used to them. He won't hurt yours.' She swayed again, feeling groggier by the minute.

`Pecan and Maple don't like dogs. They hurt him.'

Frazer didn't appear concerned. Extracting herself from his hold, she weaved her way into her small, impersonal living room and flopped onto the sofa, curling up in a bail. Why did she feel so spaced-out?

What was Frazer doing in her house? This wasn't good at all.

' You can go now,' she mumbled, finding it hard to focus on him as he walked towards her.

'I'm not leaving you alone. I promised Annie.'

Callie's frown deepened. `Go away,' she instructed, when he knelt down on the floor in front of her, one palm brushing aside her wispy fringe and resting on her forehead.

`Is there someone I can call for you?' She shook her head at such a stupid suggestion. `No one? What about family?'

`Never had one. Never had anyone. All alone. Except Ed. Briefly.'

The hand moved from her forehead, fingertips brushing her cheek, making her skin tingle with sensation. `Your husband?'

`Soon to be ex-husband. Thankfully. Bastard left me when I needed him.' She struggled to focus, sure she shouldn't be saying these things, but her words spilled out, even if they were slurred. It was impossible to stay awake. `I'm not desirable:

Frazer sat back on his heels and struggled to absorb all he had learned-things he knew Callie would mortified at having confessed had she had her wits about her. Her husband had told her she wasn't desirable? He had left her? The man had to be a fool. He'd like a few moments alone with him to take him to task for hurting Callie, for abandoning her. What had she said? That he'd left when she had needed him? What had happened? He was sure there was much more to this story, but her soft, endearing little snores told him he wasn't going to discover any more now. Or anything at all when she woke up and effects of the medication had worn off. She'd be as hell if she remembered just how indiscreet she had been and what she had revealed to him.

He really ought to put her to bed, but she looked so comfortable. The flight suit was loose enough that it wasn't constricting her, and she was peaceful and clearly not in pain. Moving her might disturb that and what she needed most right now was rest. There were things he needed to do, but for a moment he just stayed motionless, watching her. She looked fragile, but aside from her unexpected physical strength she had a tenacious spirit, and if it was true that she had never had a family, had always been alone, who knew what she had coped with? It explained her independence. And made him impossibly sad.

Reaching out, he brushed a few strands of short, feathery hair back from her face. Her skin was flawless, almost translucent. Under the light, her dark brown hair gleamed with unexpected tints of darkest copper and russet. She wore little, if any make-up and given the number of women he had known who spent inordinate amounts of time fussing with their appearance, he knew that Callie's natural, understated beauty and complete lack of artifice was unusual. Special. Long, sooty lashes fringed those exceptional eyes, closed now in sleep. He couldn't get over their colour. They captivated him. And for all her outward prickles and her front of hardness, he sensed a very different woman was locked inside.

Callie, with her hidden secrets, the hurt and aloneness she tried so hard to hide and yet which seemed a part of her being. He planned to find the key that would unlock the real Callie Grogan and allow her to flourish and fly free.

With a sigh he rose to his feet, halting when he looked towards an armchair and saw two intriguingly coloured cats staring at him through mistrustful green eyes. Pecan and Maple, he presumed. Equally suspicious, Hamish sat across the other side of the room, regarding the felines warily. There seemed to be an uncomfortable stand-off. Smiling, Frazer crossed to the fireplace and spent a few moments lighting a new fire putting the guard round it once the kindling had caught and flames were licking at the seasoned logs he h set on top. He looked around the room, seeing n photos, no homely touches. It felt lonely… like Callie In the kitchen, he found cat food, and something that would suit Hamish. He fed the animals, seeing to fresh water and setting the bowls far apart to avoid any flying. He noted that one of the cats had three legs and the other was missing part of its tail. So, Callie shared his penchant of caring for the underdog. Or undercat in this case. Smiling to himself, he made some toast then put a pot of coffee on, sure that Callie would appreciate some when she woke. While it brewed, he walked up to the bathroom, lingering to smell her coconut soap and shampoo, closing his eyes as he recalled how the fragrance clung sensuously to her hair and skin. He found a blanket and a pillow to make Callie more comfortable, reflecting on the way back downstairs on absence of any male presence in the house.

Just how long ago had her creep of a husband walked out? A while, if the divorce was imminent. Annie had some insight, had tried to tip him off without breaking a confidence. So why was Callie hiding behind her wedding ring? Did she use it to keep distance between them because she felt the same pull did and was scared by it? Threatened? The idea intrigued him. Just what else was Callie hiding? Back in the living room, he gently slid the pillow under her head, then tucked the blanket around her, dropping a kiss on her forehead before collecting his toast and coffee from the kitchen. Selecting an adventure novel from the well-stocked bookshelves in an alcove beside the fireplace, he sat in a chair near her to plan his campaign to gain her trust and win her heart. Now he knew there was no husband in the picture he had no intention of backing

away from the attraction he felt for Callie. But she needed careful handling. If she was still asleep after lunch he'd need Annie to take over for a while. He had things to do, ideas to set in motion. Callie might not think she had anyone in her life who cared about her, but she was wrong. With the spirit of Christmas growing every day, and the warmth of the Strathlochan community all around them, he'd make sure to spend time with this mysterious, intriguing woman, and prove to her that she didn't have to be alone any more. If he had his way, she'd never be alone again.

CHAPTER FIVE

THERE was blood everywhere.

The tension in the helicopter was tangible as they sped back to Strathlochan Hospital, where an emergency team was on standby, awaiting their arrival.

'How long, Craig?' Frazer demanded, swallowing a curse as the bumpy flight in appalling weather jostled them, and his gloved, bloodied hand lost its, grip on Desmond Pollock's mangled, partially. severed right arm.

`ETA seven minutes,' Craig responded, his voice betraying his own stress. `Six if we're lucky.'

`We sure as hell need some luck if this guy going to make it.'

At first Frazer had worried about Desmond losing his arm... Now the concern was whether the would even live. Looking up, he met Callie's anxious gaze. Like him, she was covered in blood and monitoring Desmond's condition while squeezing yet another bag of fluids as fast as possible through the IV in his uninjured arm.

`BP's dropping,' Callie announced quietly, leaning over the unconscious man as she called out the levels for pulse and respiration. `Saturation on oxygen ninety per cent and falling.'

`Thanks.'

Cursing under his breath, Frazer adjusted the tourniquet again, working hard to control the haemorrhaging. In the worst December weather in living memory, Desmond had been outside, trying to cut more logs for the fire, when his chainsaw had slipped and nearly taken off his arm above the elbow. His distraught wife had managed to keep her head sufficiently to call for help, and had then done her best to stem the blood loss until the air ambulance arrived. An immediate assessment had told Frazer there was no time for delay or heroics at the scene. They had just scooped Desmond up and made a clash for the hospital. Aside from the significant vascular damage and haemorrhage, there was considerable jury to tendons, nerves, muscle and bone. Desmond would face at least one major operation to repair the damage. Vein and tendon implantation, pins to fix the broken humerus, skin grafting and a long rehabilitation to regain what use he could of arm and hand function. If he lived. Frazer didn't want to think about having to tell Desmond's wife and children that the man they loved hadn't survived.

Finally, the hospital loomed into view, and it was a bumpy landing in the lashing rain and gusting Arctic winds. The casualty team were ready for them, and the hand-over was Swift as Desmond was transferred to Resus for emergency work before being whisked up to the operating theatre.

`I hope he makes it.' Callie sounded tired as she began to gather up their things.

`We did everything we could.' He took off gloves and tossed them in the bin, glancing down his soiled flight suit and jacket. `time to get back clean up before the next emergency.'

`A hot shower sounds like heaven right now.'

Her comment brought a rush of erotic images t his mind. He closed his eyes, seeing Callie compact, curvy body under the spray of water, so rivulets running down her skin, and his handssnapped off his inappropriate thoughts and open his eyes, his gaze clashing with hers. He could drown in those purple depths. The longing to be alone her, to touch her, to kiss her, threatened to overwhelm him, but, sensing her nervousness, he reined in need and stepped back a pace.