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‘Hello, who’s this?’ Jack asked, as a blue heeler cattle dog roused himself from under the steps and slowly came to meet them.
Darcie dimpled a smile. ‘That’s Capone.’
‘Because...?’ Jack bent and stroked the dog between his ears.
‘He seems to get away with everything.’
Jack chuckled. ‘Is that so, chum?’ The dog’s black button eyes looked back innocently. ‘He’s quite old, then?’ Jack had seen the sprinkling of white hair mottling the dog’s blue-grey coat. He went on stroking. ‘What’s his story?’
‘Apparently, he belonged to one of the old-timers of the district.’ Darcie recounted the information as she’d heard it. ‘He died here at the hospital and his dog wouldn’t leave, wouldn’t eat and just hung around.’
‘So the staff adopted him?’
‘Something like that. Naturally, he couldn’t be kept at the hospital so gradually they coaxed him over here and he’s seems content enough to stay.’
‘You’re a great old boy, aren’t you?’ Jack gave a couple of hollow thumps to the bony ridge of the dog’s shoulders. He was a sucker for cattle dogs. They’d had some beauties on the farm when he’d been growing up.
‘Well, he seems to have taken to you.’
‘Seems to.’ Jack’s expression softened for a moment.
Darcie took a shallow breath, all her nerve ends twanging. What a very compelling picture they made—a big man and his dog... She beat back the sudden urge to reach for her phone and take a picture. How absurd. How sentimental. Shooting her sensible thoughts back in place, she said briskly, ‘Let’s go in, shall we?
‘There are six bedrooms, all quite large,’ Darcie said as they made their along the wide hallway. ‘Our funding allows for some domestic help. Meg McLeish keeps everything ticking over. She’s a real gem.’
Jack managed a polite, ‘Mmm.’ He didn’t need this kind of detail but it was a female thing. He got that.
‘You should be comfortable in here.’ Darcie opened the door on the freshness of lemon-scented furniture polish.
Jack’s gaze tracked over the room, taking in the king-sized bed, fitted wardrobes and bedside tables. ‘This is great, Darcie. Thanks. I’ll manage from here.’
Darcie took a step back. Was he was trying to get rid of her? Tough. She hadn’t finished. ‘There’s a linen cupboard at the end of the hall where you’ll find sheets and towels. Sorry there’s no en suite bathroom. I think the place was built long before they were in vogue. But there are two bathrooms for communal use.’
Jack plonked himself on the edge of the bed. ‘Darcie—’ he held down the thread of impatience ‘—it’s all fine, thank you.’
‘OK...’ Her teeth bit softly into her bottom lip. ‘I’ll leave you to it, then.’
He looked up sharply with a frown. Had he offended her somehow? She’d tilted her chin in a gesture he was beginning to recognise. He pulled himself upright again. ‘I’ll just get cleaned up.’ His mouth tweaked into a wry grin. ‘I promise I’ll be more sociable then.’
‘Fine.’ Darcie spread her hands in quick acceptance and began backing away. ‘Come out to the kitchen when you’re through and I’ll find you that cold beer.’
* * *
Barely twenty minutes later Jack joined Darcie in the kitchen. She turned from the window. ‘You were quick.’ Her eyes flicked over him. Cleaned up and dressed in jeans and a pinstriped cotton shirt, he looked...well, more like a senior doctor should look, she concluded a bit primly. Crossing to the fridge, she took out a beer from a six-pack and handed it to him. ‘You Aussies seem a bit territorial about your brands. I hope you like this one.’
Jack barely noticed the label and twisting open the top he took a long pull. ‘Right at this moment I’d settle for any brand as long as it was cold.’ He hooked out a chair. ‘Are you joining me?’
She gave a stilted smile. ‘I have a glass of wine here.’
‘What do we do about meals?’ Jack indicated she should sit at the table with him.
‘At the moment there’s just Lauren and me.’ Darcie met his questioning look neutrally. ‘So it’s all been a bit haphazard, depending what shifts she’s on. We tend to just grab something from the hospital kitchen. But now you’re here, perhaps we should get a better system going. Do a regular shop.’
‘Sounds good to me.’ He rolled back his shoulders and stretched. ‘What about right now? I’m starved. What can the fridge yield up?’
‘There’s some watermelon and fudge,’ Darcie deadpanned.
‘OK,’ Jack said with studied calm. ‘I see you’ve covered all the essential food groups.’
Her spontaneous laugh rippled out, the action bringing her whole face into vivid life.
Instinctively, Jack swayed forward, staring at the sweet curve of her laughing mouth. And feeling something else. Oh, good grief. Instantly, he took control of his wild thoughts, anchoring his feet more firmly under the table.
Darcie tilted her head to one side. ‘If we’d known you were coming—’
‘You’d have baked a cake,’ Jack rejoined, sitting up straighter.
‘Or cooked a roast.’
He chuckled. ‘So, you’re telling me there’s nothing in the fridge we can make a meal with. No leftovers?’
She shook her head.
‘A remnant of cheese? A couple of lonely eggs?’
‘Sorry.’
‘What about the pub, then? Food OK?’
‘Pretty good. And it’s steak night, if that’s what you want to hear.’
‘Excellent.’ He downed the last of the beer and got to his feet. ‘Let’s go, then, Dr Drummond. I’m shouting dinner.’
‘We’ll take my vehicle,’ Darcie said. ‘It’s a bit of a step up to the town centre.’
‘What do I do about getting a vehicle?’ Jack asked as they walked over to her car.
‘The local Rotary Club bought a new Land Rover for the MD’s use. It’s presently garaged at the hospital. OK if we sort all that tomorrow?’
‘Yup.’ Jack opened the car door, sat down and leaned back against the headrest, deciding any further conversation about the practice could wait.
* * *
It was a typical country pub, Jack observed, with a bar, a billiard table and a scattering of tables and chairs.
‘There’s a beer garden through there.’ Darcie indicated the softly lit outdoor area. ‘We just have to order at the bar first.’
‘So, what would you like to eat?’ He guided her to the blackboard menu. ‘Uh—big choice, I see,’ he said dryly. ‘Steak and vegetables or steak and chips and salad.’
‘I’ll have the steak and salad,’ Darcie said. ‘No chips.’
‘You don’t like chips?’ Jack pretended outrage.
‘I like chips,’ she responded, ‘just not with everything.’
They ordered and were told there might be a bit of a wait. ‘Let’s have a drink, then,’ Jack said. ‘Another wine?’
She shook her head. ‘Mineral water, I think.’
‘OK. Me as well. I don’t want to fall asleep.’
Darcie sent him a cool look. Nice to know he found her conversation so scintillating. Being Friday evening, the beer garden was crowded. ‘Most folk are friendly here,’ she said, returning greetings from several of the locals.
‘And you’ve made friends since you’ve been here?’ Jack asked as they made their way to a vacant table.
‘It’s been good,’ she evaded lightly. ‘You’re getting well looked over,’ she added, taking the chair he held for her.
‘I’d better behave myself, then.’
‘Will that be difficult?’
‘I’m not given to dancing on tables, if that’s what you’re worried about.’
Darcie propped her chin on her upturned hand. ‘I’ve never actually seen anyone do that.’
‘I tried it once.’
‘Were you drunk?’
‘Are you shocked?’ Jack’s teasing smile warmed the space between them. ‘Final interviews were over and I knew they’d offer me a place on the surgical training programme.’
She raised an eyebrow. Oh, to have such confidence. But, then, she reasoned, Jack Cassidy seemed to be brimming with it. She took a deep breath and decided to find out more about this man who had literally dropped out of the sky and was now to all intents and purposes her boss. ‘So—where have you come from today?’
His mouth tipped at the corner. ‘You mean by the way I was dressed?’
And his tan. ‘Well, I didn’t imagine you’d just arrived from London.’
‘No.’ He picked up his glass unhurriedly and took a mouthful of his drink. ‘I’ve been trekking in New Guinea for the past couple of weeks. I did part of the Kokoda track. I always promised my grandfather I’d walk it for him one day. His battalion was stationed there in the Second World War.’
‘So, it has some significance for Australians, then?’
He nodded. ‘Our lads were heroes in all kinds of ways. I got some good pics of the general area and managed to run off some film footage too. Next time I see Pa, he’ll be able to see how it is now, although it’s many years on, of course.’
Darcie felt her heartbeat quicken. She guessed this was her opportunity to extend their personal relationship a little further, ask about his family. But somehow it all felt a bit...intimate. And he’d probably feel compelled to reciprocate, enquire about her family. And as yet she hadn’t been able to go there in any depth—not even with Maggie. While she was still cobbling her thoughts together, her attention was distracted by the sight of one of the hotel staff making his way swiftly between tables, almost running towards them. Darcie jumped to her feet.
‘What’s wrong?’ Jack’s head spun round, his eyes following her gaze. He sensed an emergency and shoved his chair back as he stood. ‘Do you know him?’
Darcie’s eyes lit with concern. ‘It’s Warren Rowe. He’s the manager—’
‘Thank God you’re here, Darcie.’ Warren looked pale and shaken. ‘The chef—young Nathan—he’s had an electric shock. We need a doctor.’
‘You’ve got two!’ Jack turned urgently to Darcie. ‘Grab your bag! I’ll do what I can for the casualty.’
‘How long has he been down?’ Jack rapped out the question as the two men sped along the veranda to the kitchen.
‘Not sure. Couple of minutes at most.’ Warren palmed open the swing doors and jerked to a stop. He swallowed convulsively. ‘It was the electric knife—’
Jack’s breath hissed through his clenched teeth and in a few strides he was at the chef’s side. The young man was glassily pale, blue around the lips and, worse, he was still gripping the electric knife that had obviously short-circuited and thrown him to the floor.
‘I used an insulator and switched off the current at the power point,’ Warren said helpfully. ‘What do you need?’
‘What emergency equipment do you have?’ Jack had already kicked the knife away and begun CPR.
‘Defibrillator and oxygen.’
‘Grab them. We’ll need both.’
‘Oh, my God—Nathan!’ Darcie burst in, her horrified look going to the young man on the floor. Dropping beside Jack, she shot open her medical case. ‘Any response?’
‘Not yet. Run the oxygen, please, Darcie. I need to get an airway in.’
‘I can do CPR.’ Warren dived in to help.
‘Defib’s charging.’ Darcie watched as Jack positioned the tube carefully and attached it to the oxygen.
‘Breathe,’ he grated. ‘Come on, sunshine. You can do it!’
Darcie bit her lips together. With sickening dread she waited for some movement from Nathan’s chest. Waited. And watched as Jack checked for a pulse. Again and again. The nerves in Darcie’s stomach tightened. ‘Shocking?’
‘Only option,’ Jack said tersely. ‘Everyone clear, please.’
Nathan’s young, fit body jerked and fell. Darcie felt for a pulse and shook her head.
‘Dammit! Shocking again. Clear, please.’ Jack’s controlled direction seemed to echo round the big old-fashioned kitchen.
Come on, Nathan. Come on! Darcie willed silently. And then...a faint jiggle that got stronger. ‘We have output,’ she confirmed, husky relief in her voice.
Jack’s expression cleared. ‘Good work. Now, let’s get some fluids into this guy.’ He looked up sharply. ‘Has someone called an ambulance?’
‘We’re here, Doc.’ Two paramedics stepped through with a stretcher.
Darcie looked up from inserting the cannula to receive the drip. ‘Say hello to Dr Jack Cassidy, guys.’ Relief was zinging through her and she gave rein to a muted smile. ‘He’s the new boss at the hospital—only been here a few hours.’
‘And already saved a life, by the look of it. Zach Bayliss.’ The senior paramedic held out his hand. ‘My partner, Brett Carew.’
A flurry of handshakes ensued.
Nathan was loaded quickly. ‘We’ll see you across at the hospital, then, Doc?’ Zach confirmed.
‘We’ll be over directly.’ Jack turned to Warren. ‘You should disconnect all power until it’s been checked by the electrical authority. You might have other dodgy gear about the place.’
‘Will do, Doc. Hell, I don’t ever want to see a repetition of this...’
Jack looked around the kitchen. ‘This will stuff up your meal preparation. Do you have a contingency plan?’
‘We do. As it happens, we’d planned to put wood-fired pizzas on the menu tomorrow so we started up the brick oven for a trial run this afternoon. It’s still going strong. We’ll have a line of pizzas going in no time.’
Jack gave a rueful grin. ‘You couldn’t send a couple across to the residence, could you, mate? We still haven’t have had dinner.’
‘Yeah, absolutely. No worries.’ Warren flicked a hand in compliance. ‘On the house, of course. And thanks, Doc. Mighty job with Nathan.’
Jack waved away the thanks and they walked out together.
‘Right to go, then?’ Darcie had tidied up the medical debris and was waiting on the veranda.
Jack nodded and they went across to her car.
‘Nathan didn’t appear to have any fractures,’ she said. ‘But he must have landed with an almighty thump.’
‘I’ll check him thoroughly in Resus. Do you know if he has family to be notified?’
‘Not sure. But Warren will have got onto that.’
Jack sent her a quick, narrow look. ‘He said it was your initiative to have both the defib and oxygen located at the pub. Well done, Dr Drummond.’
‘I was just being proactive.’ Darcie shrugged away his praise. ‘There’s always a crowd in the pub at the weekends. Accidents happen. The odd nasty punch-up. Even a couple of heart attacks while I’ve been here. Having the defibrillator and the oxygen on site seemed a no-brainer. And the staff at the pub all have first-aid knowledge.’
‘Down to you as well?’ Jack asked.
‘And our nurse manager, Maggie Neville. You haven’t met her yet.’ Darcie gave a small chuckle. ‘I think she could run the place if it came to it.’
‘Good.’ Jack stretched his legs out as far as they would go. ‘Nice to have backup.’
A beat of silence.
‘I was very glad to have your backup this evening, Jack.’
Jack felt an expectant throb in his veins. What was this? A tick of approval from the very reserved English doctor? And unless he was mistaken, her husky little compliment had come straight from her heart.
CHAPTER THREE
WHEN THEY PULLED into the hospital car park, Jack said, ‘I can take over from here, Darcie. Go home. I’m sure you’ve more than earned a night off.’
She made a small face. ‘If you’re sure?’
‘More than sure. I’m pulling rank, Doctor. You’re officially off duty.’
‘Thanks, then.’ Darcie felt the weight of responsibility drop from her. ‘I’d actually kill for a leisurely bath.’
‘And dinner’s on its way,’ Jack confirmed, as he swung out of the car. ‘Warren’s sending over pizzas.’
* * *
Lauren stood with Jack as he made notations on Nathan’s chart. ‘How’s he doing?’ she asked quietly.
‘He has entry and exit burns on his left hand and right foot. It’s obviously been a serious shock. We’ll need him on a heart monitor for the next little while.’
‘He’s coming round.’ Lauren looked down at her watch to check the young man’s pulse. ‘You’re in hospital, Nathan,’ she said as Nathan’s eyes opened. ‘You’ve had an electric shock. This is Dr Cassidy.’
‘Take it easy, Nathan.’ Jack was calmly reassuring. ‘This contraption here is helping you breathe.’
Nathan’s eyes squeezed shut and then opened.
‘Pulse is fine,’ Lauren reported.
‘In that case, I think we can extubate.’ Jack explained to their patient what he was about to do. ‘You’re recovering well, Nathan, and there’s an excellent chance you’ll be able to breathe on your own.’ He turned to Lauren. ‘Stand by with the oxygen, please, but let’s hope he won’t need it.’
Lauren noticed the surgeon’s hands were gentle. Mentally, she gave him a vote of approval. In her time she’d seen extubations carried out with all the finesse of pulling nails with a claw hammer.
‘I want you to cough now, Nathan,’ Jack said as the tube was fully removed. ‘Go for it,’ he added, as Nathan looked confused. ‘You won’t damage anything.’
Nathan coughed obligingly.
‘OK, let’s have a listen to your chest now.’ Jack dipped his head, his face impassive in concentration. ‘Good lad.’ He gave a guarded smile. ‘You’re breathing well.
‘Thanks, Doc.’ Nathan’s voice was rusty. ‘Guess I’ve been lucky. When can I get out of here?’
‘Not so fast, mate.’ Jack raised a staying hand. ‘You’ve had a hell of a whack to every part of your body. We’ll need to monitor you for a couple of days.’
Nathan looked anxious. ‘My job—’
‘Is safe,’ Jack said firmly. ‘Warren will be in to see you about that tomorrow. In the meantime, I want you to just rest and let the nurses take care of you.’
‘And we do that very well.’ Lauren gave the young man a cheeky smile. ‘Fluids as a matter of course, Doctor?’
‘Please.’ Jack continued writing on Nathan’s chart. ‘Call if there’s a problem, Lauren. I’ll be right over.’
‘Will do. Good to have you on board, Jack,’ Lauren said as they walked out.
Jack pocketed his pen and then turned to the nurse. ‘What time do the shops come alive here in the mornings?’
‘Depends what you need.’ A small evocative smile nipped Lauren’s mouth. ‘There’s a truckers’ café that opens about five-thirty, supermarket and bakery about six, everything else around eight-thirty-ish.’
‘Thanks for the heads-up.’ Jack acknowledged the information with a curt nod and strode off.
* * *
‘This is fantastic!’ They were eating pizza straight from the box and Jack pulled out a long curl of melted cheese and began eating it with exaggerated relish. ‘Why the look, Dr Drummond?’ He gave a folded-in grin. ‘You didn’t expect us to stand on ceremony and set the table for dinner, did you?’
Darcie took her time answering, obviously enjoying her own slice of the delicious wood-fired pizza. ‘I thought the present state of the fridge would have proved I’m no domestic goddess.’
‘Who needs them?’ Jack wound out another curl of cheese. ‘Do you want the last piece?’
Darcie waved his offer away and got to her feet. ‘I found some raspberry ripple ice cream in the freezer. Fancy some?’
Jack shook his head. ‘No, thanks.’
‘Cup of tea, then?’
‘Any decent coffee going, by any chance?’
‘There’s some good instant. Near as we get can to the real stuff out here.’
‘Perfect.’ Jack got up from the table and moved across to the sink to wash his hands. Drying them on a length of paper towel, he moved closer to look over her shoulder as she reached up to get mugs from the top cupboard. ‘Turned out all right, then, didn’t it?’ His voice had a gruff quality. ‘Our impromptu dinner, I mean.’
He was very close and Darcie felt warning signals clang all over her body. The zig-zag of awareness startled her, unnerved her. With her breathing shallower than usual, she said, ‘It was great.’ She took her time, placing the mugs carefully on the countertop as though they were fine china, instead of the cheerful, chunky variety from the supermarket.
‘So, Darcie...’ Jack about-turned, leaning against the bench of cupboards and folding his arms. ‘Do you think we’ll rub along all right?’
She blinked uncertainly. In just a few hours Jack Cassidy had brought a sense of stability and authority to the place, his presence like a rock she could hang onto for dear life.
Whoa, no! Those kinds of thoughts led to a road with no signposts and she wasn’t going there. The water in the electric jug came to boiling point and she switched it off. ‘We’d better rub along,’ she replied, ignoring the flare of heat in his eyes and waving light-hearted banter like a flag. ‘We’re the only doctors for hundreds of miles. It won’t do much for morale if either of us stomps off in a hissy fit.’
Jack gave a crack of laughter. ‘Do male doctors have hissy fits?’
‘Of course they do! Especially in theatres.’ She made the coffee quickly and handed him his mug. ‘They just call it something else.’
‘Thanks.’ Jack met her gaze and held it. She had the most amazing eyes, he thought. They were hazel, coppery brown near the pupils, shading to dark green at the rims. And they were looking at him with a kind of vivid expectancy. ‘I suppose men might have a rant,’ he suggested.
‘Or a tirade?’
‘A meltdown?’
‘Ten out of ten. That’s an excellent analogy.’ She smiled, holding it for a few seconds, letting it ripen on her face and then throwing in a tiny nose crinkle for good measure.
Hell. Jack felt the vibes of awareness hissing like a live wire between them. Enough to shift his newly achieved stable world off its hinges.
But only if he let it.
Lifting his coffee, he took a mouthful and winced, deciding he’d probably given his throat full-thickness burns. He had to break this proximity before he did something entirely out of character.
And kissed her.
‘Uh...’ His jaw worked a bit. ‘Let’s grab what’s left of the evening and take our coffee outside to the courtyard.’
Darcie looked surprised but nevertheless picked up her mug and followed him. ‘I’ll just turn on the outside light,’ she said. ‘We don’t want to break our necks in the dark.’
‘There’s plenty of moonlight.’ Jack looked around him as they sat at the old wooden table. The smell of jasmine was in the air. It twisted around a trellis at least six feet high. ‘I guess this place would have a few stories to tell,’ he surmised.
‘Probably.’ Darcie took a careful mouthful of her coffee.
Tipping his head back Jack looked up, his gaze widening in awe at the canopy of stars, some of which looked close enough to touch, while myriad others were scattered like so much fairy dust in the swept enormous heavens. So very different from London. ‘You’re a long way from home, Darcie.’
Darcie tensed. She’d expected the question or something similar but not quite so soon. For a heartbeat she was tempted to lower her guard and tell him the plain, unvarnished truth. But to do that would make her feel vulnerable. And perhaps make him feel uncomfortable, or worse even—sorry for her. And she so did not want that from any man. ‘This is Australia.’ She feigned nonchalance with an accompanying little shrug. ‘So I imagine I must be a long way from home. But this is home now.’
Jack heard the almost fierce assertiveness in her voice. OK, he wouldn’t trespass. Darcie Drummond obviously had her ghosts, the same as he did. But he liked to think he’d laid his to rest. On the other hand, he had a feeling young Dr Drummond here appeared to be still running from hers.
‘So, tell me a bit about Sunday Creek,’ he said evenly. ‘No GP here, I take it?’
‘Not for a long time. Anyone with a medical problem comes to the hospital.’
‘So we take each day as it comes, then?’
‘Yes.’ She smiled into the softness of the night. ‘I’ve treated a few characters.’
He chuckled. ‘It’s the outback. Of course you have.’ With subtlety, he pressed a little further, determined to get to know her better. ‘Any one instance stand out?’
‘Oh, yes.’ She smiled, activating a tiny dimple beside her mouth. ‘Pretty soon after I’d arrived here I had a call out to one of the station properties. There’d been an accident in the shearing shed. I was still at the stage of being wide-eyed with wonder at the size and scope of everything.’