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Return of the Rebel Doctor
Joanna Neil
Her irresistible rivalFor years Katie has run her small Scottish community hospital, and is not impressed when the bad boy from her past comes back to stake his claim on her job!Ross McGregor might have been from the wrong side of the tracks once, but the exarmy doc has developed a charm that’s as sharply honed as his medical skills. Katie intends to fiercely protect her dream job – but why does she find her mind wandering to thoughts of the handsome doctor who’s back in her life?
Praise for
Joanna Neil:
�I’ve never given a romance novel 5 stars before,
but I loved this one.’
—www.goodreads.com on A COTSWOLD CHRISTMAS BRIDE
A small gasp hovered on her lips. �You’re going for the interview?’ she echoed in a shocked voice.
He nodded, watching her cautiously, his expression serious. �That’s right.’
Her jaw dropped a fraction and she felt as though all the air had been sucked out of her, leaving her floundering. �So that’s why you’ve been hanging about all morning. You weren’t here to renew old acquaintances—you were looking around, eyeing up the facilities and checking out the way we work, getting ready for any questions that might come your way this afternoon.’ She was sick with disappointment. �We’re in competition for the same job.’
She’d had no idea this was coming. How could he have kept it to himself? Heavens, he might even have managed to manoeuvre her into bed with him if they hadn’t been interrupted.
�We’ll soon see, won’t we?’ She stood up, pushing her chair back and reaching for her handbag. All at once she needed to escape, and she desperately needed time to get herself back under control.
Dear Reader
What is it that we love about a hero who is tall, dark and dangerous…dangerous to our peace of mind, that is? Is it that frisson of excitement, the secret hope that maybe our heroine is the only woman who can win his heart?
These were the questions I had in mind when I wrote Katie and Ross’s story. Ross is the archetypal rebel—a man who melts women’s hearts, but who is determined not to follow through. No wonder Katie tries to resist him.
And this story had to be set on a beautiful Scottish island—where else could my rugged hero strive to win the heart of the one woman he truly desires?
I hope you are as entranced by their story as I was when I wrote it.
Love
Joanna
About the Author
When JOANNA NEIL discovered Mills & Boon
, her lifelong addiction to reading crystallised into an exciting new career writing Mills & Boon
Medical Romance
. Her characters are probably the outcome of her varied lifestyle, which includes working as a clerk, typist, nurse and infant teacher. She enjoys dressmaking and cooking at her Leicestershire home. Her family includes a husband, son and daughter, an exuberant yellow Labrador and two slightly crazed cockatiels. She currently works with a team of tutors at her local education centre, to provide creative writing workshops for people interested in exploring their own writing ambitions.
Recent titles by Joanna Neil:
HIS BRIDE IN PARADISE
TAMED BY HER BROODING BOSS
DR RIGHT ALL ALONG
DR LANGLEY: PROTECTOR OR PLAYBOY?
A COTSWOLD CHRISTMAS BRIDE
THE TAMING OF DR ALEX DRAYCOTT
BECOMING DR BELLINI’S BRIDE
These books are also available in eBook format from www.millsandboon.co.uk
Return of the
Rebel Doctor
Joanna Neil
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
CHAPTER ONE
�WOULD YOU COME and take a look at this young lad for me, Katie?’ There was a faint note of unease in Colin McKenzie’s voice, and Katie glanced up at him, wondering what could have happened to disturb the usually relaxed, easygoing police sergeant.
�Of course.’ She’d been busy checking the cupboards for medical supplies, to see if there was anything she needed to reorder, but now she stopped what she was doing and turned to face him. �What’s the problem?’
She was on call at the police station a couple of evenings a week, one early, one late, which fitted in well with her shifts as a paediatrician in the emergency unit at the local hospital. Nothing much happened around here as a rule.
Being a relatively small Scottish island community, crime wasn’t a major problem in the area, and Katie’s role as police surgeon was generally limited to treating minor ailments, such as the occasional graze, or assessing the condition of youngsters who had drunk too much alcohol.
�It’s John McGregor’s boy.’ Colin pulled a face. He was a tall man, with dark hair greying around the edges, the wisdom of years as a police officer weighing on his broad shoulders. �He’s been hurt. We picked him up in a raid on the Old Bakehouse—Lizzie keeps petty cash in the office there, and a gang of teenage boys were after stealing it once it got dark. The lad was acting as a lookout.’
�Finn was the lookout?’ Katie sucked in a sharp breath. She’d known Finn McGregor all his life. He was a long, lanky boy, just sixteen years old, and up to now he’d managed to steer clear of any major trouble, getting off with a caution or two for things like trespass or disturbing the peace. It seemed to Katie that most of his misdeeds stemmed from youthful exuberance. Surely he couldn’t have fallen in with the local troublemakers?
�How bad is it? I mean, how did he come to be injured?’ She followed Colin out of the room that had been set aside as her surgery and headed with him towards the waiting room.
�It’s a dog bite—not from one of our dogs, thankfully.’ The sergeant looked uncomfortable. �It was a difficult situation. He was injured, but we had to put him in the van with a police constable while we rounded up the rest of the gang. They ran off in all directions and it took us a while to catch up with them.’ He grimaced.
�Anyway, in the first instance we thought about sending the lad to A and E, but that would have meant even more delay, a journey by ambulance to the hospital, and seeing as how you were on duty here…’
She nodded. �I’ll see what I can do.’
Finn was sitting on a bench at the far side of the room. He was ashen faced, blood trickling through his fingers and down his cheek as he held a thick wad of tissue paper to his ear. His grey eyes were blank with shock and his body was trembling, so that Katie’s first overwhelming instinct was to go and put her arms around him and hold him close.
This was Ross’s baby brother, after all—or half-brother, in truth—and she’d watched him grow from a tiny baby. Right now he looked lost and alone, and no matter what he’d done she had a compelling urge to reach out and protect him.
Sheer professionalism made her hold her instincts in check, but she went over to him and laid an arm gently around his shoulders. �Let’s go to my surgery, Finn, and I’ll see if I can clean you up a bit and sort out what’s to be done.’
�Oh, Katie, it’s you…’ Relief swamped his voice as he looked at her. �I didn’t do anything wrong, Katie, honestly.’ His voice started to shake and his eyes glistened with moisture as he replayed in his mind what had happened. �I wouldn’t…I was just…And then this dog came from out of nowhere…he sank his teeth into me and wouldn’t let go.’ He broke off, clamping his lips together as he fought for control of himself.
�You can tell me all about it while I take a look at you,’ Katie said gently. �One thing at a time. You’ve had a nasty shock and we need to get you settled.’
She led him towards her medical room and sat him down on the examination couch. �Okay,’ she murmured. �We’ll just get rid of those tissues and see what’s going on here. So you don’t know where the dog came from?’
�No. He was just there, staring at me.’ Finn let her take the blood soaked wad from him. His hands were trembling. �I was on top of a wall,’ he said, �looking into the yard at the back of the bakehouse, when the police started shouting at me. They came for me and I jumped down.’ He gulped, his voice catching with emotion. �The dog started growling and I just froze for a moment. Then I started to run, and he leaped at me.’
Katie winced as she saw the result of the attack. The boy’s ear had been bitten right through and there were bite marks on the side of his neck. It looked a mess. �You’re going to need stitches,’ she told him, �but first of all I need to clean it up.’
Colin McKenzie hovered in the background, but as she helped Finn to lie down on the couch he said tentatively, �Do you need any help here, Doc? Only I could send one of the constables in, if you want. Otherwise, perhaps I should go and look into this business with the dog. And there are the other lads to be questioned, paperwork to be filled in, and so on.’
She shook her head. �I’ll be fine, Sergeant. You go and do what you have to, except someone should call Finn’s father and let him know what’s happened. He’ll need an adult to be with him.’
�Not my dad,’ the boy said quickly, and Katie guessed he was afraid of how his father might react to finding he was in trouble with the police. �He’s away on business, anyway. And Mum’s not well. You can’t go worrying her. She’s been sick with a virus these last few weeks.’
�Yes, I heard about that.’ Katie frowned. Finn’s mother wasn’t strong, and certainly she was no match for her stern, unyielding husband. She followed his guidance where their son was concerned, and perhaps it was no wonder that Finn had begun to wander from the straight and narrow, in much the same way his half-brother had done, all those years before, though the reasons had been different in Ross’s case.
�Look,’ she said on a sudden impulse, �whatever happens, Finn, I’ll take care of you. I’ll help you to sort this out and be with you when the police interview you, if that’s what you want.’ She looked at Colin, and after a moment’s hesitation he nodded briefly and went out of the room.
�Thanks, Katie.’ Finn bit his lip, still looking dazed as Katie began to set up her equipment, getting ready to irrigate the wound.
�I’m going to start by cleaning the wound,’ she said. �Are you okay?’
�I think so.’ He frowned. �I don’t know what’s going to happen now…with the police, I mean. I phoned Ross after they put me in the van. I thought he might be able to tell me what I should do.’
�You did?’ Katie shot him a quick look. �What did he say?’
�Nothing.’ His shoulders slumped. �I didn’t get the chance to talk to him because the call went to voicemail and I had to leave a message. I suppose he’s busy. He’s working on the mainland so I don’t get to see him much these days. I just wanted to talk to him.’
She laid a hand lightly on his arm. �I know, Finn. He seems to be settled there now, doesn’t he?’ She could understand the sad look in the boy’s eyes. He worshipped Ross. Even though there was an age gap of around fifteen or sixteen years between them, the bond between them was very strong. But it worried Katie that the teenager was pinning his hopes on his half-brother. From what she’d heard, Ross was working in Glasgow, and it wasn’t very likely that he would be able to be of much help from that distance.
She began to carefully cleanse Finn’s wound. She made a thorough and painstaking job of it, and when she had finished and was satisfied with the result, she injected the area with a local anaesthetic and waited for it to take effect.
Her mind wandered, conjuring up images of Ross. All the warnings her parents had issued when she had been a young girl came flooding back to her. �Stay away from Ross McGregor. He’s trouble, mark my words,’ her father had said. �He’ll come to no good, you’ll see.’
A part of her had never quite been able to see Ross in that light. True, he had been the village bad boy, always up to something or other, and none of it good, but there had been a sparkle in his eyes and a quirk to his mouth that, regardless of her father’s warnings, had stoked a fire inside her and made her wish for all the things she shouldn’t have.
Finn shifted restlessly on the couch, and she banished those errant thoughts from her mind as she began to prepare the suture kit.
�It’ll need quite a few stitches,’ she told Finn, �but I’ll do my very best work so that you should be as handsome as ever once it’s had a chance to heal.’ She smiled, her green eyes softening as she looked at the boy.
�Maybe, when I’ve finished, I could get you a cup of tea. It’ll help to calm your nerves. I’ll have a word with Sergeant McKenzie and see if he can put off questioning you until another time.’
Finn gave an involuntary shudder. �I don’t know how I’m going to tell my dad. He won’t believe I’ve done nothing wrong.’
Katie didn’t know how to respond to that. She wouldn’t have thought Finn was capable of such an unlawful act, but the sergeant must have been very sure of his misconduct to bring him in to the station.
�Well,’ a familiar male voice, deep and reassuring, cut across the brief silence, �we’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.’ Katie gave a small start of surprise. Neither of them had heard the surgery door open, but now they both stared in disbelief as Ross McGregor came into the room.
Katie’s heart lurched inside her rib cage, making her catch her breath. He was as heart-stoppingly good looking as ever, over six feet tall, ruggedly masculine, his strong frame clad in dark chinos and a combat jacket that could have been left over from his army days.
�I did knock,’ he said, �but perhaps you were both too engrossed to hear.’ He shrugged his backpack off his shoulders and let it drop lightly to the floor. Then, as Katie turned fully towards him, his blue eyes widened. He exhaled slowly, his glance trailing in a lingering exploration of her face and the cloud of bright chestnut curls that tumbled over her shoulders.
�Wow…it’s great to see you again, Katie,’ he said. �I’d no idea I’d find you here. You look terrific.’ He gave her a bemused nod of recognition before turning his attention to Finn.
Finn’s face lit up with joy. �You came,’ he said in astonishment. �How did you manage that? I didn’t think you’d get my message, and I never expected you to turn up here.’
�You sounded really down, so I knew I had to come,’ Ross said evenly. �As luck had it, I managed to get the last train from Glasgow and then I took the ferry the rest of the way.’ He went over to him and inspected the gaping wound left by the dog and turned to Katie. �It looks as though you have your work cut out here. Is it all right with you if I stay and talk to Finn while you get on with the sutures?’
�That’ll be fine.’ She waved a hand towards the kettle on the worktop across the room. �You could make us a hot drink—I expect you could use one after your journey, and I know Finn would appreciate one when I’m done here. He can have a couple of paracetamol tablets with it to help with the pain.’
�Will do.’ He strode over to the sink and filled the kettle. �We’ll get through this, Finn,’ he said. �But first you have to tell me what happened. How did you end up in this mess?’
Finn told him his story while Katie set to work. It had been so long since she’d seen Ross, several years, in fact, but she’d heard rumours about what he’d been up to. It seemed he hadn’t really changed. He was still as big and bold as ever, and the instant he’d walked into the room he’d seemed to take in the situation and assume control. He’d always been that way. He knew what he wanted, where he was headed, and nothing ever stood in his path. Not for long, anyway.
The only person who had ever had any influence over him had been his father, but Ross had put paid to any hold he’d had over him by leaving home to join the army as soon as he had been old enough. Those years had certainly left their mark on him. Now, he appeared confident, capable, and if the tales she’d heard were correct, it seemed that nothing was beyond him.
She finished the sutures and began to clear away her equipment. �I’ll put a dressing on it,’ she told Finn, adding with a smile, �I’m afraid you’re going to look a bit like an Egyptian mummy for a while, with all the bandaging to hold it in place.’
�It’ll just add to your street cred,’ Ross told him. He waited until Katie had finished the dressing and then handed her a cup of coffee. �Do you still take cream and sugar?’ he asked, his interested gaze drifting down over her slender figure.
�Yes, please,’ she murmured, his warm glance making her suddenly conscious of her feminine curves, outlined by the dress she was wearing, a simple sheath with a bodice that swathed her breasts in gentle folds of material.
To calm herself, she suggested to Finn that he should lie back against the pillows and rest awhile. �I’ll give you an anti-tetanus injection and prescribe some antibiotics in case of infection.’
Ross placed the sugar bowl and jug of cream on the table beside her. �So, what are you doing here, Katie? Is this your regular job these days?’
She shook her head, making the soft curls quiver and dance. �I sort of fell into this job, really. They were pushed for someone to take over when the regular surgeon had his days off, and I just happened to be in the vicinity at the time. Nowadays I fill in for the times he can’t manage.’
She smiled, taking a moment to sip the coffee, enjoying the sensuous aroma. �The rest of the time I work at the hospital in paediatric emergency medicine. I quite like the contrast, and it helps to give me a wider perspective.’
�I imagine it does.’ He looked at her hand as she curved her fingers around the coffee mug. �No ring on your finger?’ he commented. �I’d have expected you to be married, with at least a couple of children in tow, by now. Is there something wrong with the men around here?’ His eyes narrowed. �Or is there someone hovering in the wings?’
�You’re very direct, aren’t you?’ She put down the mug, uncertain how she was going to answer him. If she gave Ross half a chance, he’d home in on her like a guided missile and lay waste to her emotions before she even knew what was coming.
�Some people would call it being nosy,’ he said with a laugh, �but I don’t mind. I’m really keen to know how you’re gettng on, what you’ve been doing these last few years. In fact…’ he hesitated a moment as though he was thinking something through �…maybe we could get together for a meal or something while I’m over here? We could take some time to get to know each other all over again.’
A rush of heat ran through her at the suggestion, and she was sure her cheekbones must be highlighted with a flood of pink. Spend time with him? Get to know him all over again? Heaven forbid. Having him here in her small office had already sent her senses spinning full throttle into overdrive. How on earth would she be able to go on with her tranquil, orderly life if he was to be around for any length of time?
�Oh, I don’t know about that,’ she said huskily, going over to the fridge and searching for the anti-tetanus vial. Seeing the quick look of disappointment that crossed his face, she added, �I tend to have an awful lot on these days, what with work, and renovating Waterside Cottage in my spare time. I’m actually waiting for someone to come and give me a quote for roof repairs.’ They were just feeble excuses, and she guessed he knew it.
�That’s a real shame.’ He frowned. �Does the cottage belong to you now? It used to be your aunt’s property, didn’t it—an old farmhouse that she started to renovate? I remember you and Jessie used to go and visit her there quite regularly.’
�That’s right.’ She went over to the couch and prepared Finn for the injection. �Just a scratch, now. There, that’s it. It’s all done.’
She cleared away her equipment once more and turned back to Ross. �It was her ongoing project,’ she said with a smile. �She never did finish everything that needed to be done, and unfortunately she died a few months ago and left the house to my sister and me. Jessie was already in the middle of buying a property for herself, though, so I bought her half from her.’
�You always liked that house, didn’t you?’
She nodded, glad that the conversation had turned away from the worry of her going out on a date with him. �There are still a few things that need doing, though, so it’s turning out to be a bit of a money pit.’
�I can imagine.’ He looked as though he was about to say something more, but there was a knock on the door just then, and Colin McKenzie stepped into the room.
�How’s it going in here, Katie? Is the lad all right? Is he going to be fit for questioning?’
�I’ve patched him up, but he’s not in any state to be interviewed. He’s suffered a nasty injury, lost quite a lot of blood, and he’s still in shock after what happened. I think we should leave him to recover for a few days, don’t you?’
�Hmm.’ The sergeant gave it some thought. �Okay, I suppose you’re right. I dare say no harm will come from it.’ He straightened up and came further into the room, putting on his formal police officer manner as he approached the boy. �As soon as you’re finished here, you’ll be bailed to appear back at this station next week to answer questions. Do you understand?’
The small amount of colour that had been in Finn’s face rapidly disappeared. He didn’t answer Sergeant McKenzie, but nodded in a worried fashion.
�He’ll be here, along with his solicitor,’ Ross said in a curt tone. �But do you really believe he’s done anything wrong, Sergeant? He said he saw the lads and was looking to see what was going on—it’s pure supposition to suggest that he was acting as a lookout.’
The sergeant braced his shoulders. �We all have a job to do, McGregor.’
�I accept that,’ Ross retorted, �but I’d have thought by now the other boys would have told you that Finn had nothing to do with the break-in.’
�Aye, but strangely they all seem to have suddenly lost any notion of who was with them,’ the sergeant answered with feeling. �To hear them talk, they were all there looking to see what was going on.’
Ross’s mouth twitched faintly. �Well, in Finn’s case, if he says he knows nothing about the break-in, I’m quite sure that he’s telling you the truth. Anyway, I’ll be here with him when you decide to question him.’
The sergeant’s brows rose. �You’re planning on staying around, then? What about your work on the mainland? You’re a doctor now, aren’t you, at the hospital?’
�That’s right, but I’ve some time off owing to me, so I’m planning on taking it now.’ He inclined his head in the direction of the large holdall he’d brought with him. �I’ll be here as long as it takes to see Finn through this.’
Colin McKenzie digested that information. �Okay, just as long as you both realise he’s in deep trouble.’ He looked at Finn. �If it weren’t for this incident with the dog—’
�And that’s the point, Sergeant,’ Katie interrupted him as Finn paled all over again. �I haven’t finished with my patient yet, so I’d appreciate it if you would leave us while I tend to him.’
He nodded. �Of course. He’s all yours, Doctor. For now.’
Katie looked at the shaking boy and debated whether she ought to give him a sedative. On the other hand, he had Ross to bolster him now, and maybe that would be the boost he needed.
She wrote out a prescription for antibiotics, and handed it to Ross. �Could you get this filled for him? There’s a late-night pharmacy on the High Street.’
�I’ll do that.’ He gave her a thoughtful look and said softly, �I’ll be seeing you around, Katie. Maybe you’ll think some more about having dinner with me—if only as a way of letting me thank you for taking such good care of Finn.’
�Maybe,’ she murmured. His fingers brushed hers as he took the prescription from her, and the brief, intimate contact sent shock waves rippling throughout her body.
Her heart was thumping, banging against her rib cage in a heavy, pounding rhythm. It was so confusing, having him here on the island, in her surgery. After all this time she’d thought she’d managed to blot him out of her mind, but here he was, back in full, whirlwind force.
How on earth was she going to cope, having him around?
CHAPTER TWO
�ISN’T IT GREAT? I could hardly believe it when Maggie at the post office told me Ross McGregor is back on the island.’ Jessie was bubbling with excitement, full of the news that was the talk of the village. �I wonder if he’ll decide to stay?’
�I don’t think that’s very likely.’ Katie was listening to her sister with half an ear while she busied herself getting ready for a trip to the mainland. She’d spent the last half-hour checking her overnight bag for last-minute essentials. �I wonder if I’ll need a special dress for the evening? It’s only a two-day conference after all.’ She frowned, thinking it through. �Perhaps I’ll take a cocktail dress just to be on the safe side.’
�Aren’t you thrilled, though, Katie?’ Jessie’s grey eyes were shining with enthusiasm, making her look like an excited teenager.
Katie glanced at her, holding up a simple black dress that was adorned with an embroidered pattern of silver thread at one side of the bodice. �Excited…why? It’s just a conference about using video technology for health services. There’ll be a few speeches and some hands-on use of the equipment, but nothing too spectacular, I imagine. Except for the castle where it’s being held, of course.’ She paused to dwell on that for a moment or two. �Now, that could be really interesting. It looks out over the loch.’
Jessie threw up her hands in a gesture of impatience. �Honestly, Katie, you’re so single-minded. Haven’t you heard a word I’ve been saying? I’m talking about Ross—I’m so happy he’s back. I’ve only managed to see him for a day or so each time he’s been home over the last few years, but I’ve heard all sorts of things about him while he’s been away. I wonder if he’ll drop by McAskie’s Bar one evening? It would be so good to meet up with him again.’
Katie laid the dress inside the bag and closed the zipper. �I’m not so sure it would be wise to get involved with him,’ she cautioned. �You’re not teenagers any more, and he could break your heart if you give him half a chance. Besides, he’s only here for as long as it takes to sort out the business with Finn, and he’ll walk away from us without even looking back, the same as he did before.’
�I’m not talking about getting involved with him.’ Jessie shook her head, her silky black hair settling in a neat bob just below her ears. She was a beautiful young woman, with a perfect oval face, a peaches-and-cream complexion and full, well-shaped lips. She had the figure to go with all that, too. Being curvaceous and good-natured, she was every man’s dream girl.
�Anyway, he didn’t have much choice about leaving,’ she said, her face taking on a drawn, anxious expression. �The way things were for him at home, and with all the village against him—I don’t blame him for wanting to go.’
Katie’s mouth made a flat line as she thought back to that awful time. It still bothered her, all these years later, what had happened that fateful night. Ross had met up with Jessie at the Old Brewery, a secret get-together, by all accounts, because her parents had made it clear they were dead set against either of their daughters seeing him.
Nothing had happened between them, Jessie had insisted afterwards—that hadn’t been the intention when she’d asked him along. She’d dared him to go there with her, flouting all the rules. At fifteen, she’d been a bit wild and reckless, seeking adventure, and Ross must have seemed like the ideal partner in crime. She’d known the place was unsafe, and that had been the thrill, until it had all ended in tragedy.
Ross had suffered a terrible accident there but only after he had somehow managed to set fire to one of the outhouses.
What could have possessed him to behave in such a way that afterwards his only recourse had been to leave the village where he had grown up? There had been talk of a drifter hanging about the place, and it had been suggested that maybe he had started the fire, but no one had really believed that. Ross was the one they’d had in their sights. There had been no actual proof against him, but everyone had laid the blame at his door.
Katie still had trouble squaring it in her mind. He’d always been reckless, but causing a fire was something beyond the pale, even for him, surely?
�No,’ she murmured, bringing her mind back to Jessie, �but you know how you felt when he went away. You were devastated. You sobbed for days and moped about the house for weeks, as I recall.’ Katie guessed it had probably been guilt that had made her sister react that way, but she knew that even now Jessie was impulsive, with a tendency to let her heart rule her head.
�Only because it was so tragic, him having to leave. Besides, I was only fifteen, then.’ Her sister’s voice faltered and she started to flounce out of the room. �I’m older now, and much more sensible.’
�Oh, yeah?’ Katie picked up the holdall and followed her downstairs. �I’m just saying you don’t owe him anything. You don’t have to make up to him for what happened in the past.’ She frowned. �I don’t want to see you get hurt.’
�That’s not going to happen, Katie. Ross and I are just friends, nothing more. You don’t need to worry about me.’
�Well, okay, I’ll try.’ Katie looked around the neat, farmhouse kitchen, ticking off a list of last-minute jobs in her head. �If the roof man phones while I’m away, will you remember to make a note of the day he’ll be coming to do the work?’
�I will.’
�And try to persuade him we need the work done like…yesterday.’
�I will.’
�And don’t let young Jack from next door do any weeding in the garden without supervision—he pulled up some of the aubrietia from the rockery last time I let him loose in there.’
�I won’t.’ Jessie laughed. �You can trust me. I’ll look after the place while you’re off gallivanting.’ She picked up a slice of toast left over from breakfast, slathered it with butter and bit into it. �It’s good of you to let me stay here, Katie. I thought everything was done and dusted once I’d signed the papers for my house, but I didn’t realise it would take so long for everyone in the chain of buyers to move out of their own properties, or that I’d need to get my extension finished before I could move in.’
�You know I love having you here. Don’t worry about it.’ She glanced at her watch. �Now, I must get a move on or I’ll miss the ferry.’
�And I have to make tracks or Mum will wonder why the café hasn’t been opened up, and there’ll be a queue forming outside the gift shop.’
Katie gave her younger sister a hug. �Take care. I’ll be back before you know it.’ Sometimes she envied her sister her simple life, working on their parents’ country estate, a picturesque, rambling old house and gardens, nestled in a verdant stretch of forest, where people came to spend a day out while they soaked up the island’s historic heritage.
Ross had always been conscious of the wide differences in their backgrounds, but it hadn’t mattered to Katie. They’d mixed with the village children throughout their school lives, and it had seemed to her then that there were no class boundaries. They had just been children, spending their summers scrumping in the apple orchards or fishing with nets in the nearby burn.
That had been when she’d first been aware of Ross, when she’d paddled barefoot in the cool, running water and he’d shown her how to chase the fish into the shallows and then trap them in her net. He’d helped her transfer them to a jam jar filled with water, and he’d laughed when she’d insisted on tipping them back into the stream before they’d set off for home.
She shook the thoughts from her head and set off a few minutes later for the ferry port. She took the bus, looking out of the window at the beautiful wooded hills and low mountains in the distance. Soon the blue sweep of the coastline came into view, and she readied herself for the next lap of her journey.
It would be a blustery crossing, she guessed, for although the sun managed to filter through the clouds every now and again on this late August day, the wind was already stirring, lifting her hair in playful gusts.
It wasn’t too long before she was standing on the deck of the ferry at last, looking out over the water. Gulls swooped and shrieked, and she smiled, relaxing against the rail as the boat began to move slowly away from port. The light breeze danced around her, pulling at the edges of her cotton jacket, adding a chill feel to her denim-clad legs.
�Well, there’s a welcome surprise. My dreams have started to come true.’ Out of the blue, Ross came to stand beside her, placing a hand next to hers on the rail. He smiled, looking inordinately pleased to have found her there.
�Oh!’ She looked at him in startled wonder. �What are you doing here? I thought you were planning to stay on the island for a few days?’
�I am, but I have some business on the mainland that was arranged before this happened. I was going to cancel, but Finn has perked up a bit now and his mother’s being supportive, so he insisted on me going ahead with it. He doesn’t have to go back to the station until the end of the week and I’ll be back before then.’
�Oh, I see. Are you staying at the house with them?’
He shook his head. �I’m renting a room at McAskie’s for the time being. It’s comfortable there, and the food is good, so I’m well set up.’
She guessed he didn’t want to be with his father. �It sounds as if you’re doing all right, then.’ Jessie would be pleased about that, at any rate. She often went to McAskie’s with her friends, so she was bound to run into Ross before too long.
�And how is it that you’re on board the ferry?’ he asked. �Is it a shopping trip, or are you taking a holiday?’
�Neither of those. I’m going to Loch Cragail for a medical conference.’
�Really?’ A smile spread across his face, crinkling the corners of his eyes and making her heart do an unexpected flip-over. She sighed inwardly at her weakness. There was no getting away from it, he was an extraordinarily good-looking man. No wonder he was so popular with all the girls. �I guess I get to wine and dine you after all, then,’ he murmured with satisfaction in his voice. �That’s where I’m headed.’
�You’re kidding.’ Her jaw dropped momentarily, and he gave her a quizzical look before she recovered enough to clamp her mouth shut. How could fate conspire against her this way? Two whole days in his company? The irony of the situation struck her and she gave a wry smile. Jessie would never forgive her when she found out that she and Ross had been staying together at a luxury hotel.
�Is that such a daunting prospect? You and I could get along very well, you know, Katie,’ he said in a coaxing tone, �if you’d only give us half a chance.’
�I wouldn’t bank on it.’ She turned a glittering emerald gaze on him. �I’ve seen you in action, remember, and I know full well that you can flit from one woman to another quite easily, without so much as a backward glance. Look what happened to poor Molly Jenkins. She fell for you, hook, line and sinker, and you left her and went off with her best friend. I’ve no intention of becoming one of a long line of conquests.’
His dark brows lifted. �I’m shocked you think that way about me. In fact, it sounds almost like a challenge.’ His mouth tilted a fraction. �One I’d be more than happy to take up. But I think you’re misjudging me, Katie,’ he added with a frown. �I don’t set out to hurt people. Anyway, that was all a long time ago. What makes you think I’m still the same man I was then?’
�News filters through, one way or another.’ She shivered a little as the wind buffeted her, and she paused to pull her jacket more closely around her. �And you’ve never settled down with a woman for any length of time, have you?’
�I could say the same about you, regarding the men in your life. From what I’ve heard, you’re very careful about whom you date, and so far I gather no one has managed to win your heart. Except maybe for one who finally got the heave-ho.’
She looked at him from under her lashes. �It sounds as though you’ve been asking around.’ She didn’t want to talk about her ex. He’d been enough to put her off serious relationships ever since.
He grinned. �I may have just happened to catch the odd murmur here and there, you know, as you do when people have had a drink or two. I’m always interested to hear what you’ve been getting up to.’
�Hmm.’ She looked out over the water and shivered again as the wind began to toss her hair, sweeping silky tendrils across her cheeks. In the distance, she could see the undulating, green hills of the mainland, with whitewashed houses spread out along the coastline or clustered together in small settlements in the valleys. Behind them, mountains rose majestically, their summits shrouded in mist.
Ross reached out and lightly tucked her hair back behind her ears. �Why don’t we go to the bar and I’ll buy you a drink,’ he suggested. �A brandy, perhaps, something to warm you a little?’ He wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her close.
She nodded agreement, enjoying the instant heat that came from his warm body, and they turned away from the deck rail. He kept her by his side and said in a cheerful tone, �You can tell me all about what you’ve been up to these past years.’
�I’ve been working mostly,’ she said. �I’ve had to study hard to pass my specialist exams, and my job means everything to me.’
He frowned. �So much so that you’ve missed out on a personal life?’
She shook her head and smiled. �I wouldn’t go as far as to say that.’
He studied her thoughtfully as they took the stairs down to the lower deck. �You were always the sensible daughter of the family, weren’t you, Katie?’
Sensible? She absorbed that comment with a rueful, inner twinge. She’d not had much choice in that, had she? When her father’s angina had started giving him trouble in stressful situations, she’d made up her mind that she would do her utmost to protect him.
Jessie tried to do the same, but her nature was such that she often gave in to impulsive behaviour and only thought about the consequences afterwards.
�I’ve missed you,’ Ross said, breaking into her thoughts. �Whenever I’ve been in bother, or about to do something mad, I’ve had the image of your sweet, calm face before me, with your green eyes warning me not to be such a harebrained fool.’ His mouth indented. �You’ve a lot to answer for.’
�Oh, yes?’ She gave him a doubtful look. �I’m not sure I believe that. Since when did you ever bother about my opinion? I can’t imagine you’ve given me much thought at all—out of sight, out of mind, isn’t that what they say?’
�Such scepticism…I can see I have my work cut out with you.’ There was a gleam in his eyes as he looked at her. �Definitely a challenge.’
He led the way to the bar, still keeping his hand splayed out over the curve of her hip, sending small ripples of excitement coursing through her body, and she had to steel herself not to give in to the warm, confusing tide of emotion that ran through her at his touch.
She had mixed feelings when he left her at a table by the window to go and fetch their drinks. Part of her was relieved that she was no longer under siege to that intensely intimate and sensual onslaught, and yet another, perverse part longed once again for that delight.
�There you are,’ he said a moment later, sliding a brandy glass across the table towards her. �Drink up. You’ll soon feel it warm you.’
�Thank you.’ She did as he suggested, and instantly felt the heat of the alcohol suffuse her body. Idly, she looked at him over the rim of her glass, and it seemed in that moment that the intervening years fell away. He still had that youthful look about him, all that boyish charm that had melted her heart when she’d been just a teenager.
Today he was wearing dark trousers and a navy-blue shirt beneath his open jacket. The first few buttons of his shirt were undone, showing his lightly tanned throat, and she watched, as though mesmerised, as he swallowed his drink. His larynx moved, and she felt a sudden, disconcertingly intense urge to reach up and run her fingers lightly over his golden skin.
She dragged her gaze away from him. �Do you ever look back and regret that you left the island?’ she asked.
He thought about her question for a moment or two. �In some ways, yes, for the family I left behind, but I think if I had that time all over again, I’d do the same thing. I was under a lot of pressure back then.’ His eyes darkened. �As you know, things weren’t going well for me, and my father was angry and clamping down on me more than ever.’
�I know.’ She took another sip of brandy, feeling the amber liquid scald the back of her throat. �But you were badly injured, after all, and when all the hoo-hah died down after the accident, and the fire, your father might have had a change of heart. Perhaps you didn’t give him the chance to see things in a different light?’
He shook his head. �He was worried about me, I knew that, deep down, of course. But he was a stickler for doing things right and the fact was he was disappointed in me. I always seemed to be in trouble, and I guess the incident at the Old Brewery was the last straw.’
Katie nodded, understanding how things had gone so badly wrong. She didn’t know the full details—only what people had said at the time, and she suspected those stories had been embellished and exaggerated. The fire had scandalised everyone, but their feelings had been tinged with sorrow because when Ross had come down from the upper storey of the old building, the rotten timbers of the staircase had given way and he had fallen to the floor below. Quite why he had gone back up there after starting the fire wasn’t clear, but Katie suspected he’d gone to retrieve Jessie’s jacket. She’d said she’d left it behind, and that must have added to her guilt.
Ross and Jessie had been tight-lipped about that night ever since, and neither of them wanted to talk about what had happened.
�I shouldn’t have been there,’ he admitted now, �but you don’t think about these things too deeply when you’re young. We’d all been warned to keep away because it was abandoned and dangerous, but it drew teenagers like a magnet, and I was no exception.
�The way my father saw it, if I hadn’t been there, if I hadn’t acted the way I did, the accident wouldn’t have happened. He was right to be angry. It was my fault for being reckless, and the fire was the last straw.’
He gave a rueful smile. �They blamed me, and I suppose that was because my reputation for skirting the law went before me. I was unconscious, and I have no memory of it. But as far as my father was concerned it was one of a long line of misdemeanours, and I guess he was torn between anger and sorrow.’
She frowned. �Jessie was adamant that you didn’t do it.’
He nodded. �Yes, but no one was prepared to believe her.’
It was Jessie’s role that bothered Katie. She must have gone there in the first instance knowing full well her parents had forbidden it. It was a dangerous place and there were signs all around warning people to keep away, but perhaps she had simply decided to throw caution to the wind.
�You were very badly injured. It was lucky for you that Jessie was there. She must have saved your life by ringing for the emergency services.’ Even now Katie tensed, thinking about what might have happened if the paramedics and fire service hadn’t arrived within a few minutes of her call.
�Yes, she did.’
�You were so ill. A fractured skull—I was so worried about you. We all were.’
He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. �I remember you came to visit me in hospital. That was like a ray of light shining down on me. It meant a lot to me, you being there, but I felt wretched knowing that you thought badly of me.’
She was startled. �You knew I was there? But I thought…I didn’t realise. I know I talked to you, but you didn’t answer. You’d been in a coma. It was awful, I felt so wretched, seeing you like that, not being able to do anything.’ Her voice trailed away. �There was a time when we didn’t think you would recover.’
�Well, all I can say is I must have the luck of the devil. Thanks to the surgeons I was up and about after some extensive physio and ready to do battle.’ His mouth flattened. �I knew I had to make some changes in my life after that.’
She nodded, finishing her drink. �So did I. That’s when I decided I had to study medicine. I was so impressed by the way everyone handled things, from the paramedics, the nurses, through to the doctors. It had a huge impact on me.’
He grinned. �I’m glad I had some influence on your life in a good way. But as for myself, I knew I had to get away, to start afresh where no one had any preconceived ideas about me.’
She raised her brows. �It was a bit drastic, though, going off and joining the army, don’t you think?’
He laughed. �Maybe.’ He picked up her glass. �Will you have another?’
�Yes, thanks. It’s certainly done the trick.’ While he was at the bar, she undid her jacket and slipped it off, placing it over the back of her chair. She was wearing a crocheted top over a cotton shirt blouse, and when Ross came back he gave her an admiring glance.
�You’re a sight for sore eyes.’
Her mouth twitched. �I bet you say that to all the girls.’
�Yeah. Especially those who give me the run-around. A bit of flattery goes a long way, I find.’
She laughed. �I expect it does. You’ll go far.’
�I’ll drink to that.’ He raised his glass and she answered the toast with hers, clinking their glasses together.
�So, here’s to the future,’ she murmured. �May it bring us both what we want.’
�Mmm…I’d be more than happy to settle for you,’ he returned, as quick as a flash, a light dancing in his blue eyes.
She shook her head. �Poor, deluded man,’ she said softly, swirling the amber liquid in her glass. �Such passion…such persistence…such a waste.’
�We’ll see.’ He looked so confident and quietly sure of himself that she felt a momentary qualm. He wouldn’t succeed, though. He was chivvying her along, playing her on a long line, but it wouldn’t get him anywhere. She was immune, wasn’t she? How could she fall for someone who had such a reckless nature?
She tasted the brandy once more and felt a giddying surge of heat rush to her head. She frowned. Could it be that the strong spirit was getting to her? She’d had breakfast, but that had been a while ago, and she hadn’t eaten all that much then, just a bowl of cereal and a round of toast.
She started to talk, to cover her confusion. �How was it that you turned to medicine? I meant to ask you when we met up at med school a few years ago, but we had so little time together it went out of my head.’
�Yes, I remember thinking it was almost a pity I’d secured a place on the accident and emergency rotation. I’d hoped we could work together for a while, but you were doing paediatrics then, as I recall, and our shifts always seemed to clash.’
She nodded. �You said the army had organised the training for you—but what was it that made you want to go in for medicine? I thought you were all set in your career with the army?’
He frowned. �It was the general nature of the work I was doing, I think. I was in a lot of areas where there was fighting, and there were injured men being evacuated on a regular basis. The medics would come in and do what they could for the men, and then they were whisked off to hospital. I began to feel that I would like to have some part in that.
�I wanted to become a surgeon so that I could make a difference to the men who were severely wounded—I wanted to give them the chance of life. So in the end I decided to specialise in accident and emergency and neurosurgery.’
�But you left the army after all that. When did it happen?’ She sipped more brandy and felt warm all over, and began to worry that she was becoming a little light-headed.
His gaze trailed over her, and she was conscious of the hot tide of colour that must be flooding her cheeks. His glance was interested and speculative at the same time. �Only quite recently, actually. I had to stay with the army for a few years after they supported my training. I can’t say I decided it was time to put down roots, exactly, but I think I’d had enough of being in conflict zones.
�It’s easy to become hardened to it after a while, and I didn’t like that. I didn’t like what it was doing to me. I began to wonder if I could do just as much good by working in Accident and Emergency here at home.’
�I expect your father’s pleased you made that decision.’
He shrugged. �I wouldn’t know. I don’t see all that much of him. He’s away on business a lot—he always was.’ He appeared to be unperturbed by that, but there was a faint edge of regret in his voice.
After a while they finished their drinks and he said quietly, �Shall we make our way down to the car deck? We’ll be docking soon, and we might as well get ready to go.’
She gave him a quick look. �You bought a car?’
�I hired one.’ His mouth indented. �So I’ll be able to drive you to Cragail. That will make things easier for you, won’t it?’
�Yes, it will. Thanks.’
She started to get to her feet and swayed slightly, so he put out a hand and helped her find her balance. �Are you all right?’
�I’m fine, thanks.’ Her brows drew together. �I think perhaps I should have eaten more at breakfast or avoided the brandy. It seems to have gone to my head.’ They walked out of the bar and along the corridor leading to the stairwell.
�I’ll get you something to soak it up—a bun, a sandwich, a pack of biscuits or something,’ he said. �What would you like?’
�A bun would be great—but I can get it for myself.’ She turned to walk towards the cafeteria, but he retained his hold on her, and she realised he didn’t think she was steady enough to go on her own.
�Honestly, I’m all right,’ she said. The dizziness would pass soon enough, she was sure, though she was ashamed of herself for getting into this state.
�Of course you are.’ A couple of passengers approached, wanting to get past them, and he tugged her gently towards him so that her soft curves were lightly crushed against his hard, masculine frame. A wave of heat raced through her body.
He pulled in a deep breath. �You’re more than all right, Katie.’ He looked into her eyes and let his glance shift over the pink flush of her cheeks and down to the ripe swell of her lips. �More tempting than you could possibly imagine. In fact, you’re perfect. Delectable, and as sweet as luscious strawberries.’
And he was a charmer, a devil in disguise, who would play havoc with her feelings if she gave him half a chance. His hand smoothed over her spine, coming to rest on her hip, and despite herself she arched against him sinuously, like a cat, revelling in the gentle caress.
His smile was inviting, a small glow of satisfaction flickering in the depths of his eyes. �I’m really glad we’re going to be together at Castle Cragail,’ he murmured. �I’ve been longing to have you all to myself ever since we met up again at the station.’
�Hmm.’ Katie wasn’t so sure about that. All at once she could see all manner of pitfalls opening up in front of her. �I’m not thinking too clearly,’ she said, pushing the palms of her hands lightly against his chest, �and I think I should take your advice and go and get something to eat. I have the feeling I need to keep a clear head.’
�What a shame,’ he said softly. �I was getting to like being with this new, befuddled Katie.’
She nodded. �That’s what I’m afraid of.’
CHAPTER THREE
THE SUN APPEARED from behind the clouds as Katie and Ross approached Cragail Castle, and Katie gave a small gasp. �Oh, look at that, Ross—it’s so beautiful. I never imagined it would be like this.’
The stonework had taken on a mellow, golden glow in the morning light, and she gazed, enraptured for a moment or two, at the circular towers and high ramparts, set against a backdrop of pine forest and green meadowland.
�We’ll have to go up to the ramparts and look out over the countryside later on,’ Ross murmured. �It will have been well worth coming here just to see that.’
She smiled. �Are you not all that interested in the conference itself?’
�I am, actually.’ They walked to the main gate, passing along a stone-walled bridge that went over a bubbling stream. �I like to keep up with all kinds of new technology—it’s just that we don’t always have the advantage of being in beautiful surroundings when we take part in these events.’
There was more than one conference being held at the castle, they discovered, and notice-boards had been set up in the main hall to show people where the various meetings were being held.
One of the girls from Reception showed them to their rooms, where they would be staying overnight, and Katie discovered that she and Ross had been allocated rooms on the same floor, just a few doors away from each other.
�I’ll come and call for you in a few minutes,’ Ross said, checking his watch. �It looks as though we’ve just time to freshen up before the first meeting.’
�Okay.’ Katie went into her room and laid her holdall on the softly quilted bed. There was no time to unpack so she quickly ran a brush through her hair, applied fresh lipstick to her mouth and added a touch of perfume to her throat and wrists. Then she went over to the casement window and looked out through the leaded panes over the landscaped gardens that stretched for acres in all directions. Amongst the shrubbery there was a statue half-hidden by a rose-covered archway, and a fountain where water trickled over a series of stone urns.
Ross knocked lightly on her door a moment later, and she went to meet him, ready for the day ahead.
�What’s your room like?’ he asked. �Are you pleased with it?’
�It’s lovely—all sunshine-yellow walls and soft furnishings,’ she murmured. �How about yours?’
�Perfect. Tartan covers and a writing table by the window. I brought my laptop with me, so that’ll come in handy.’
They stayed together throughout the day, listening to various speakers talk of the advantages of video links for centres in remote rural areas, enabling doctors to link up with consultants in other parts of the region.
�I liked the idea of a new mother being able to see her baby over a video link when she had been taken to a different hospital for surgery,’ Katie said, when they went to the banqueting hall to get some food a few hours later. �It must be awful to be separated from your infant when you most want to be with him.’ She surveyed the variety of dishes on offer and wondered what to choose.
Ross nodded. �There are lots of advantages to video conferencing—it’s very useful to be able to exchange ideas with other professionals, without having to travel miles to meet up with them.’ He loaded his tray with steak pie and vegetables and added an apple pie for dessert. �I’ll get a pot of tea for both of us, if you like?’
She nodded, and he waved a hand towards the far side of the room. �There’s a table over there by the window. Will that be okay with you?’
�It’ll be fine.’ Katie chose the soup of the day, a tempting mix of appetising vegetables, and picked out a crusty bread roll to go with it. Finally, she opted for a cool fruit salad to finish things off.
She glanced around the hall as she tasted her soup a few minutes later. The oak-panelled walls were adorned with oil paintings, a mixture of local landscapes and portraits of the ancestors of the people who owned the castle.
Glittering chandeliers hung down from the ornate ceiling and high up along one side of the room she noticed a minstrels’ gallery. There was no music being played at the moment, but she’d heard that in the evenings a group of musicians would gather there to provide entertainment for people who were dining.
Ross finished pouring tea and then followed her gaze. �It looks as though a lot of care and attention has been put into this place. All the rooms have their own particular features—even the conference room was warm and welcoming. I’m not sure whether it was because of the décor or the plush seating…’
�I think it was both of those, and the flowers and greenery added the finishing touch.’ She smiled. �I suppose it would be very sexist of me to say that I think a woman has had a strong part in overseeing the interior design here.’
He grinned. �It would but I think you’re right.’ He tucked into the steak pie for a while and then said on a thoughtful note, �Did you have any particular reason for wanting to come to this conference? It’s not as though you’ll have much use for this technology in paediatric A and E, is it? Unless you’ve come across problems, of course?’
She laid down her spoon for a moment while she answered him. �You’re right—so far there hasn’t been any situation where I’ve needed to have the equipment on hand. But I’m thinking of the wider issues. A job has come up that I’m really interested in. I felt coming here might be useful to me, because the work will involve administration—seeing to the needs of the region, not just the local hospital.’
He was silent for a moment, seemingly preoccupied with his thoughts, but then he frowned and asked, �Are you thinking of moving away from paediatrics?’
She shook her head, making the chestnut curls gleam in the golden light of the chandelier. �Not at all. It just means I’ll have extra responsibility on top of what I’m doing now. My boss has been encouraging me to go for it. It’s really important to me to get this job—I’ve worked hard these last few years, because I always wanted to become a consultant. This is the ideal opportunity for me to achieve that.’
�As a registrar, you’re only one step away from that, though some people might think you’re still rather young, and maybe you could do with a bit more experience under your belt.’ His dark brows drew together. �Is your career that important to you? What about marriage and children? Don’t they figure in your plans?’
�Of course they do…at some point,’ she said in a faintly troubled voice. �But right now my job is everything to me. I love what I do.’
The truth was, there’d been boyfriends along the way, and one in particular who she’d cared about quite deeply, until she’d discovered that he’d cheated on her. That had hurt her badly, and had shaken her confidence, so that she decided to put all her energies into her work. She’d made up her mind she wasn’t ever going to allow herself to be hurt that way again.
She’d learned a valuable lesson, and at the same time she’d realised that none of the men she’d dated had measured up to her ideal. Perhaps, subconsciously, she’d been setting them all against her first love…or should that be infatuation? Somehow, Ross had always been there in the back of her mind, right from the beginning. He was so wrong for her, and yet the dream had persisted. There was always that �what if’ hovering in the background.
�Katie, Ross! Who’d have thought we would meet up here?’ The male voice cut into her thoughts, and Katie looked up from her seat by the window to see a tall man, immaculately dressed in a dark suit and subtly patterned silk tie, standing by their table. His dark hair had a natural wave, and his blue-grey eyes glinted with recognition.
�Josh? Josh Kilburn?’ Katie smiled as she recalled the earnest young man she’d been at school with several years before. She turned to Ross, wondering if he remembered him, too.
�Hi, there,’ Ross said, nodding acknowledgement. �Are you here for the other conference—something to do with the legal profession, isn’t it?’
�That’s right. I’m a solicitor—we’re finding out about using video links to liaise between the courts and people in prison. One way for convicts to give testimony without having to travel to and from court.’
Katie patted the chair beside her. �Why don’t you come and join us?’ she suggested with a smile. �I’d really like to hear what you’ve been up to these last few years.’
�I’d love to,’ he said, a look of regret coming over his face, �but I won’t, thanks, because I’m with my colleagues. I just wanted to come over and say hello. I’ll be staying here overnight, so if you’re doing the same, perhaps we could get together at some point? I’m in room twenty-eight.’
�That must be on the floor above mine. I’m in number twelve,’ Katie murmured, �and Ross is along the corridor from me.’
�Room nine,’ Ross said. �Come and knock on the door if you want to meet up later on. Otherwise we’ll be round and about the place.’
�It’s great to see you again,’ Katie told him. �Are you working on the mainland? I never ventured that far—not for any length of time.’
�I was, but actually I just moved back to the village, so I guess you’ll be seeing see me around from time to time. I’m a partner of a law firm setting up there.’
�That’s good to know. We’ll be able to catch up, and talk over old times.’ She ran her gaze over him briefly. Judging by the expensively tailored suit and the crisp linen shirt he was wearing, he’d done well for himself. She could see the merest hint of gold cufflinks beneath the sleeves of his jacket. �Will you be bringing family over with you?’
�No, just myself. I’m planning on buying a house not too far from where my parents live. It’ll be good to be close to them and my brother again.’ He turned as his friends tried to catch his attention. �It looks as though they’re going into the annexe to eat,’ he said. �It seems to be filling up fast in here.’ He smiled. �I’d better go. It was good meeting up with both of you—maybe we’ll be able to talk again later? Perhaps we could all get together for dinner this evening?’
Katie and Ross nodded, and then, as Josh walked away, they turned their attention back to their meals.
�He used to be a regular visitor to your family estate at one time, as I recall,’ Ross murmured. �Weren’t you and he dating at one time?’
�Off and on, yes, but it was nothing serious. He was always more interested in Jessie. Anyway, I left for medical school soon after.’
�How’s Jessie doing? Has she left the nest or is she still working on the family estate?’
�Oh, she won’t leave. She loves that job.’ She sent him a wide-eyed glance. �What’s not to love—all that beautiful countryside, people wanting to be shown around the place? She’s in her element there. The house is only open at certain times, though—my parents value their privacy—but there are the gardens to see, and the woodland paths, and the horse riding. I expect you know it all fairly well.’
He shook his head and looked at her from under his dark lashes. �I was never very welcome on the estate, remember?’
She frowned, disturbed by the mixed emotions she read in his eyes. What was it she saw there? Regret? Disillusion? �But you must have visited—Jessie brought you back to the house a few times, didn’t she? I don’t think I was at home then, but…’
His mouth made a wry twist. �Your parents usually found a way to see me to the door before too long. They didn’t want me around. Apparently I was a bad influence on their younger daughter.’
She sent him a concerned glance. �I’m sorry about that. Jessie was a bit wild and headstrong in those days.’ And, of course, their worst fears had come to fruition when they’d discovered Jessie had been with him that night at the Old Brewery. Perhaps that was why Jessie didn’t want to talk about that incident. She knew she shouldn’t have been with him, and she’d let her parents down.
His brows arced upwards. �Didn’t they have the same qualms about you? You’re not much older than she is, and yet you seemed to come and go as you pleased, and as I recall you were never short of young men wanting to go out with you.’
She shrugged lightly. �I guess they thought I was more level headed.’
�More than likely.’ His blue eyes gleamed. �You were always the one to look out for her and try to keep her out of trouble, like that night when we were all partying down by the stream, a group of us lads and some girls?’
She nodded. �You’d set up tents. I remember being a bit shocked by that, and a tiny bit jealous. It looked such fun, but there was no way my parents would have let me join you.’
The corners of his mouth tilted. �We were planning on sleeping out under the stars. Not that we managed to get much sleep, as I remember.’
�No,’ Katie said, pushing her soup bowl to one side and starting on her fruit salad. �Because you were all busy getting drunk on lager and vodka. There was a bottle being passed round, as I recall.’
�Some of them were getting drunk,’ he corrected her. �Not all of us. Anyway, I’d already told Jessie that she needed to go home before she got into trouble with her parents. I’d offered to walk her back to the estate.’
�You had?’ She stared at him for a second or two, bemused, before focussing her thoughts once more. �She didn’t tell me that. All I knew was I needed to get her home before my father went on the warpath but she was having way too good a time to want to leave.’
He smiled. �You read her the Riot Act, and she dug her heels in even further. I’m still not sure what you said to her to make her change her mind.’ He gave her a quizzical look.
She coloured a little. �I had to do something. I was worried about what would happen if my father became too stressed—his angina was starting to cause him a lot of problems, and I was afraid for him. I didn’t want to see him in pain or struggling for breath, and that was almost bound to happen if he found out what Jessie was up to. I don’t think she realised how bad things were for him then.’
He nodded, sympathy and understanding coming into his eyes. �So what did you do?’
�I told her I would go home and dump her favourite clothes and all her make-up in the charity bins unless she saw sense.’ She pulled a face. �I felt terrible saying that, but I didn’t see any other way out. My dad had already been looking at his watch and making veiled comments, and I’d seen him take some of his medication.’
�So it was a good thing Josh came to the rescue and offered to take her home…to take you both home,’ Ross commented. �I was annoyed with him. I was hoping you might stay with us for a while. After all, you were a couple of years older than Jessie, and I didn’t think that would be a problem for you.’
She shook her head. �I couldn’t do that. For my own peace of mind I had to follow the rules of the house.’ She’d wanted to, though. More than anything, she’d wanted to stay and have Ross put his arms around her and hold her close, but she’d known she couldn’t, not while her father had been getting ready to come looking for them. �Anyway, you had that roguish look in your eyes, and I didn’t trust you one little bit, not with my sister, or with me.’
Even now she remembered the wrench of leaving that party. The smell of new-mown grass had been in the air, there had been a lot of laughter and some of the gang had paired up, so there had been a few couples kissing in the moonlight, while others had been dancing to the music from a portable stereo. The temptation of spending time with Ross had been almost more than she’d been able to handle.
�Mmm. So Josh and I walked you both home. I remember consoling myself with the thought that there would be other times when I might persuade you to sample forbidden fruit.’ His mouth curved as he watched her, a wicked gleam flickering in the depths of his eyes. �And I was right, wasn’t I?’
�I don’t want to talk about that,’ she said, taking refuge in hiding behind her teacup and watching him over the rim. He was right, of course. There’d been another night, another party, when Jessie had been away on a weekend break with a friend’s family, and she had been given permission to sleep over at a friend’s house. Only the birthday celebration that had started out so naively in intent had slipped into something far more intimate, as far as she had been concerned.
The lights had been dimmed, and she had found herself in Ross’s arms, where all thoughts of being her natural, sweet and innocent self had gone straight out of the window. She’d wanted him with an intensity that had made her whole body tremble, and it had only been when her friend’s parents had returned from their night out that sanity had returned. How close she’d come to offering up her body to him had shocked her to the core.
He chuckled. �Okay. My lips are sealed. It just struck me that some other young man was after you that night, too. His loss was my gain.’
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