Worth the Risk (6 page)

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 don’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

S
URGERY
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 helplessly. ‘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!

On the short drive home she drank in the stark outline of the fells, looming menacingly out of the dark, wondering whether Sean would have found his way.

He had.

The lights from her barn illuminated the powerful motorbike and the tall figure standing next to it, and she gave a short laugh. Of course, it had to be a motorbike. She should have guessed. Switching off the engine, she sat for a moment, dredging up the courage to leave her car. Horribly conscious of the way his leathers stretched lovingly across his wide shoulders and clung to the hard muscle of his thighs, she took a deep breath and stepped onto the gravel. Why did he have to be so devastatingly male? Why couldn’t he have been a puny wimp?

‘Hello, there.’ Sean turned from his assessment of the barn and flashed her a smile that made her stop in her tracks. Black made him look like a bandit—dark, handsome and very, very dangerous. Hadn’t he been clean-shaven in surgery earlier? So why was his hard jaw already blue with stubble? Obviously too many male hormones…

‘I’m sorry if I’m late,’ Ally babbled, averting her eyes and locking her car. Picking up her bag, she tucked it under her arm and scrunched over the gravel past her barn to the adjoining stable. ‘I was held up in surgery.’

‘No problem.’ He tucked his helmet under one arm and waited while she fumbled for the keys, which promptly fell from her shaking fingers and landed with a dull thud on the gravel. Brilliant! So much for being cool and in control. Cursing under her breath, she stooped to retrieve them, catching the gleam of amused satisfaction in his eyes. Blow the man! He knew exactly what effect he was having on her and he was enjoying every minute of it.

‘I expect you’ll find it too isolated here,’ she said crisply, ramming the key into the lock with more force than was necessary and pushing open the door quickly. She just couldn’t begin to think of the effect he would have on her if he moved in. She’d need spare sets of keys to start with, to make up for all the ones she was going to drop…

‘Still trying to put me off?’ Sean’s smile widened as he stepped in after her. ‘I hate to disappoint you, but there’s nothing I like more than isolation. I can’t think of a better position. Just the sheep as neighbours.’

If it was just the sheep it wouldn’t be a problem…

‘Well, they can be pretty noisy.’ Ally flicked on the lights and dropped her bag on the polished wooden floor, nerves making her brisk and formal. ‘It’s not very big—’

‘You’re a born salesman, Ally.’ There was a wry gleam in his eyes as he walked slowly round the living area, tipping his head back to stare up into the eaves and then glancing at the gallery. ‘What’s up there?’

‘The bedroom.’ Catching his eye, Ally gritted her teeth. It wasn’t going to work. It really, really wasn’t going to work. She doubted whether she could live comfortably in the same country as this man, let alone the same property.

‘I’ll take it.’

Her mouth opened to tell him that she’d changed her mind, that he couldn’t rent it, but her voice went on strike. She took a deep breath and tried again.

‘You haven’t seen the kitchen yet.’