Summer Fling: A Bride for Glenmore

CHAPTER FOUR

‘AISLA PRICE is a single mother.’ Kyla snapped on her seat belt and pressed her foot to the accelerator. ‘She moved to the island when Fraser was a baby because she thought it would be a good place to bring up a child. She has a small knitting business that she runs over the internet. Pretty successfully, I believe. She makes really pretty jumpers covered in bits of lace and beads and things like that. They live in a house right by the water.’

Ethan looked at her. ‘And she has diabetes?’

‘Yes. But her diabetes is very well controlled so it shouldn’t be that.’ Kyla frowned as she changed gear and flicked the indicator. ‘But Fraser obviously thinks there’s a problem so we’d better check it out. It might be nothing.’

‘She hasn’t asked you to call? You’re making an impromptu visit?’ Ethan tried to imagine something similar happening in London and failed. But in London a child wouldn’t run across a beach to bang on the community nurse’s door.

‘That’s right. An impromptu visit.’ She stopped the car outside a row of whitewashed cottages and yanked on the handbrake. ‘We’re here.’

Ethan looked at her in disbelief. ‘What on earth are you planning to say? You’re going to bang on her door and say that her little boy thought she looked pale at breakfast?’

‘No. That’s why I’m taking you along.’ She smiled and reached for her bag. ‘You’re the new doctor and I’m introducing you. She’ll be your patient after all. You may as well meet each other.’

Wondering why he was on a wild-goose chase when he could be in the shower, Ethan slammed the car door and followed her towards the house.

The front door opened and it took less than a second for him to register the raw panic in Fraser’s eyes.

‘You have to come quickly! She’s on the floor,’ he said urgently, reaching out a hand and virtually dragging Kyla inside. ‘And I can’t get her to wake up properly. She’s sort of moaning and trying to hit me.’

Ethan sprinted past him into the house, leaving Kyla to deal with the panicked child.

The woman was slumped on the floor of the kitchen, the remains of a cup of coffee spread over the quarry tiles. With a soft curse he dropped into a crouch and checked her pulse.

‘Has she died?’ The small voice came from behind him and Ethan turned.

‘She’s not dead. Fraser …’He kept his voice calm and steady so as not to frighten the child further. ‘I need my bag from Kyla’s car. Do you think you could fetch it for me? It’s on the back seat.’

The little boy nodded and sprinted out of the room while Kyla dropped to her knees beside him. ‘Aisla?’

The woman gave a groan and her eyes fluttered open and then closed again as she muttered something incoherent.

‘Sugar,’ Ethan instructed, glancing around him. ‘Would you know where to find it?’

‘Not a clue.’ Kyla sprang to her feet and started opening cupboards. ‘Come on, Aisla, where do you keep your sugar?’ She rummaged through packets and bottles. ‘Soy sauce, pasta, turmeric, honey. Harissa paste—what on earth is Harissa paste? Gosh, do people really use all this stuff? No wonder cooking confuses me.’

‘Hurry up, Kyla,’ Ethan growled, and she yanked open a few more cupboards.

‘Lucozade. That will do.’ She lifted it down just as Fraser ran back into the room with Ethan’s bag. ‘Can we get her to drink, do you think, or is she past that?’

‘We should be able to manage it.’ Ethan scooped the woman up and Kyla held the glass to her lips.

‘Aisla.’ Her voice was firm. ‘You need to drink this.’

Aisla murmured something incoherent and tried to push them away, but Kyla held the glass and eventually she took a few sips.

‘More,’ Kyla urged. ‘You’re doing well, Aisla. Just a bit more.’

The woman drank properly and Kyla glanced towards Fraser, who was standing rigid, a look of horror on his face. ‘She’s going to be fine, sweetheart. Do you have any biscuits in the house?’

Fraser looked at her and some of the tension left his little body. ‘Of course.’ A flicker of a smile appeared. ‘Chocolate ones. Really yummy. But I’m only allowed them on special occasions.’

‘This is a special occasion,’ Kyla assured him hastily. ‘And a glass of milk, please.’

‘Can you manage here for a second?’ Ethan reached for his bag. ‘I want to check her blood sugar.’

‘She’s coming round,’ Kyla murmured. ‘Why would she have gone hypo? Fraser, what did your mum do this morning? Anything different to usual?’

‘She was late getting up.’ Fraser was on a chair, reaching for a tin. ‘I had to shake her. Why are you pricking her finger?’

‘We’re trying to find out the level of sugar in her blood.’ Ethan read the result and nodded. ‘Well that’s your culprit. It’s less than three. Perhaps she overdid the insulin. Fraser, has your mum done any exercise this morning?’

Handing the tin to Kyla, Fraser shook his head. ‘No. But she went for a run on the beach last night. I know because I took my book down and sat while she ran up and down the beach. Is that why she’s been acting funny?’

‘I don’t know, but I intend to find out. I’m going to take a blood sample and send it off,’ Ethan told Kyla, reaching for a blood bottle. ‘I want a more accurate blood glucose level.’

By the time he’d taken the sample and labelled the bottle, Kyla had fed Aisla several chocolate biscuits and she was rapidly recovering.

‘I can’t believe I let that happen,’ she groaned, struggling to her feet with Ethan’s help. ‘It was such a sunny evening yesterday I just couldn’t resist a trip to the beach. And then when I got there I thought I’d do some exercise.’ I was going to eat as soon as I got in but Fraser’s uncle rang and then I sort of lost track and just went to bed. I’m so sorry. How did you find me?’

Ethan opened his mouth to give the honest answer, but Kyla jumped in. ‘We were passing,’ she said quickly. ‘I wanted to introduce you to Dr Walker.’

‘Well, this isn’t the way I would have chosen to meet you,’ Aisla said with a weary smile, ‘but thanks. I owe you both. If you hadn’t called, goodness knows what would have happened.’

Ethan saw Kyla glance towards Fraser. Saw her smile of reassurance and praise.

Aisla followed that look. ‘Fraser?’ Her voice was gentle. ‘Are you all right? Didn’t you say something about feeling sick?’

‘I’m feeling a lot better now,’ he said firmly. ‘Ever since I had that fresh air on the beach.’

‘Fresh air can be a miracle-worker,’ Kyla said blithely, and Fraser breathed an audible sigh of relief.

‘I can’t believe that this is an average working day. Do you ever get any time off for good behaviour?’ Ethan slid into the car beside her and Kyla smiled.

‘The nature of this island is that we’re permanently on call. But it isn’t usually this bad, honestly. And now you definitely deserve some time off. I’ll drop you home on my way to the clinic. But have dinner with Logan and me tonight. It’s the least we can do, having pushed you straight into the deep end.’ She saw his expression change. Saw surprise flicker in the depths of his dark, dangerous eyes.

‘You eat dinner with your brother?’

‘Of course,’ Kyla said comfortably. ‘We’re family.’

‘But not all families eat together and socialise.’

‘Well, we do. Usually several times a week. Is that so strange?’ Kyla looked at him in confusion, wondering why that would seem odd to him. As far as she was concerned, it was so normal it wasn’t even worth commenting on. ‘I love seeing my niece and usually one of my aunts or cousins are there. It’ll probably be a pretty noisy evening but it will be nice for you to meet some of the islanders. One of my aunts runs the café on the quay and another has a knitwear boutique in Glenmore village. Two of my other cousins are fisherman. They also man the lifeboat when it’s necessary.’

‘What about your parents?’

‘They moved over to the mainland two months ago to be with my other aunt. My uncle died and she needs help on the farm, so my parents moved in and took over. But we still get together all the time.’

‘You’re a close family.’

‘Are we?’ She frowned and then gave a shrug. ‘A pretty normal family, I would have said. We have our rows and disagreements and we’re pretty noisy but, yes, we like each other’s company and we’re in and out of each other’s lives. Why wouldn’t we be? What about you? Are you a big family? Brothers? Sisters?’ She saw the immediate change in him. His dark eyes were blank. Shuttered—as if something had slammed closed inside him.

‘Just me.’ His tone was cool and his eyes slid away from hers. ‘My parents divorced when I was eight and my father’s second marriage didn’t last long either.’

‘Oh.’ Kyla tried to imagine not having her family round her and failed. Maybe that explained why he was reserved and slightly aloof. ‘That must have been pretty tough on you.’

‘On the contrary, it was a relief from the interminable rows. And it made me independent.’ He frowned, as if he hadn’t even considered the subject before. ‘I had a very free and easy childhood because everyone was too busy fighting to be remotely interested in what I was doing. From my point of view, it was a good thing.’

A good thing? It didn’t sound like a good thing to Kyla. ‘But one of the joys of childhood is being fussed over. Knowing that someone cares. It’s about loving and being loved.’ Puzzled by his observation, she lifted her eyes to his and saw the faint gleam of mockery there.

‘Perhaps it depends what sort of person you are. Don’t feel sorry for me, Kyla,’ he advised in a soft drawl. ‘I’ve never been touchy-feely. I don’t need hugs.’

‘Everyone needs hugs.’ Even people like him. He was tough and aloof. Independent.

‘I prefer to handle my problems myself. In private.’

Kyla laughed. ‘Actually, so would I sometimes. But it’s virtually impossible if you live here. On Glenmore, people not only know everything about your problems, they all think they know the best way of solving them. And they let you know. Loudly and quite often in the pub when you’re trying to have a quiet drink. Come for supper tonight. Really. It will be a gentle introduction to the realities of living on an island. Sort of sanitised nosiness.’

Her humorous observation drew a smile from him. ‘I thought you didn’t cook.’

‘I don’t. But luckily for you, Evanna does. Extremely well. And tonight it’s seafood. You should come, it will be fun. If the weather holds, we’ll eat in Logan’s garden and no doubt my niece will create havoc.’ She tried to keep her voice light. Tried not to stare. His hair was rumpled and his jaw was dark with stubble, but she’d never seen a more attractive man in her life.

‘The baby will be there?’

Kyla dragged her eyes away from her surreptitious study of his mouth. ‘Well, she’s not really a baby any more. More of a toddler. Life has grown a great deal more complicated for everyone since she started crawling. But, yes, she’ll be there.’ She noticed the sudden tension in his shoulders. ‘Is that a problem?’

‘Why would it be a problem?’

‘I don’t know.’ But she sensed something. ‘You just seem …’ There was something in his cool gaze that she found intimidating and she broke off and gave a small shrug. If he came from such a small, fractured family then he probably just wasn’t used to children. ‘Nothing. Anyway, you’re welcome if you want to join us. I can give you a lift.’ Her heart was pounding hard against her chest and she wondered what it was about him that had such a powerful effect on her.

‘I think my relationship with your car has reached its conclusion,’ he drawled with a sardonic lift of his eyebrow. ‘My own car is arriving this afternoon. I’ll give you a lift.’

‘Does that mean you’re coming?’

His hesitation was fractional, but it was there. ‘Yes. If you’re sure your brother won’t mind.’

‘The more, the merrier.’ Her heart gave a little skip and she lectured herself fiercely. She shouldn’t care whether he was coming or not. This was not a man to get involved with. There were too many shadows around his eyes. And the little he’d revealed about himself hinted at an extremely scarred childhood. And any man who didn’t need hugs was never going to suit her. ‘Can you pick me up at six? We eat early because Logan puts Kirsty down around seven o’clock and I like to have some time with her.’

He sat for a moment without moving. ‘How does he manage?’

‘With the baby? Very well. Logan’s a brilliant father. Fun, loving and amazingly hands-on considering the job he does.’ Kyla shrugged. ‘He has to have help, of course, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to work. My aunts work out a rota, and I help when I can. My cousins muck in and he’s employed a few girls from the village, but that hasn’t really worked out.’

‘Why? Weren’t they competent?’

‘Perfectly competent. But they all had serious designs on my brother,’ Kyla said in a dry voice. ‘It would seem as though there’s nothing more appealing to a single woman than a sexy doctor with a baby. Amy Foster is helping at the moment and we’re all laying bets on how long it takes her to make a pass at Logan.’

‘What about Evanna? She mentioned helping out.’

Kyla gave a soft smile. ‘Evanna adores the baby.’

‘And I suppose she’s not likely to fall for your brother.’

Kyla laughed, wondering what it was about men that made them so unobservant. ‘Evanna’s been in love with my brother all her life. One day I’m hoping he’ll wake up and notice. Otherwise I just might have to interfere and that won’t be a pretty sight.’ She pulled up outside the cottages and saw him staring out to sea, his handsome face an expressionless mask. ‘You’re very difficult to read, do you know that?’

He turned his head. ‘Why would you want to read me?’

‘It’s easier to deal with people if you understand them.’

A faint smile played around his firm mouth. ‘I have no particular desire to be understood,’ he said softly, ‘so you can relax.’

‘Is it too isolated from civilisation for you here? Do you hate it?’ For a long moment he didn’t reply and she was starting to wonder whether he’d even heard her question when he turned his head away and stared at the sea once more.

‘I don’t hate it.’

What sort of an answer was that? He was a man who revealed nothing about his thoughts or feelings, she thought with mounting frustration as she switched off the engine. ‘Thanks for helping me with Aisla. I’ll see you at six, Dr Walker. Enjoy your shower.’

Ethan let himself into the cottage, changed into his running gear and let himself out of the back of the house. He needed a shower, a shave and a rest, but none of those options tempted him. He didn’t want what he needed.

What he wanted was to run. Fast.

The conversation with Kyla had disturbed him and he didn’t understand why.

All he knew what that he intended to drive out the thoughts from his head with hard exercise.

Despite the sunshine, a strong wind gusted, but Ethan didn’t even notice, his expression grim and intent as he jogged to the end of the garden and down onto the beach.

As soon as his feet hit the sand he picked up speed, his long, powerful legs covering the ground in rhythmic, pounding strides as he pushing his body to its limits. His arms and legs pumped, his heart thumped and the sweat prickled between his shoulder blades, but still he ran, lengthening his stride until his pace would have been the envy of the wind. Still he pushed himself, giving himself no slack.

He ran until the sand ended and the cliff path rose upwards. He hit the slope with a fierce determination, maintaining his punishing speed through a mixture of willpower and physical fitness, his lungs and his muscles screaming a protest that he ignored.

He felt the rapid pumping of his heart as it responded to the demands of physical exertion, felt his body burn as his arms and legs pounded the earth. Felt his brain empty of everything except the need to focus on the physical task in hand.

Run, Ethan. Run.

And if he ran fast enough and hard enough, perhaps none of it would hurt any more.

Kyla stood at the bedroom window and watched.

Ethan ran like a professional athlete.

Or a man with the devil at his heels.

Even from this distance she could sense the grim determination that drove his long stride. She could almost feel the power and force of his body as he took on the elements and pushed himself with almost superhuman effort.

Kyla stared, unable to look away, captivated by the unexpected display of masculinity.

She’d only popped into the house to collect something for her afternoon clinic but then she’d happened to glance out of the window. She’d begun watching out of concern, sure that such physical exertion would cause an injury and then her gaze had turned almost greedy as she realised exactly what she was watching.

A male in his prime, at the peak of physical fitness.

This was no city boy out for a guilt-driven exercise session. This was a man who regularly pushed his body to the limit.

He ran with rhythm and surprising grace, drawing on all the strength and power of his body to meet the challenge he’d set himself.

She couldn’t see his face and yet she knew that his expression would have been set and determined. Focussed. Bleak?

Sensing that his run was more than a desire to raise his pulse rate, Kyla turned away, giving him the privacy he so clearly craved, her curiosity well and truly piqued. Her own body suddenly stirred to an uncomfortable degree.

Who was he?

His cool indifference and aloof approach to life was completely alien to her.

Who was this man who held himself slightly apart from others? And why did he affect her so strongly?

She’d spent too long cooped up on an island with people she knew too well, that was why.

Ethan Walker was a stranger. And when you lived with people who were entirely familiar, strangers were always interesting.

It was no more than that.

She gave herself a mental shake and reminded herself that she had less than ten minutes to get back to the surgery or she’d have Logan on her back.

Logan’s house was attached to the surgery and opened onto a huge garden crowded with mature apple trees.

Fresh from the shower after a busy clinic, Kyla pushed open the back gate and walked straight into the kitchen without knocking.

‘Oh!’ Evanna was standing in front of the range, stirring something in a pot. Her dark hair was caught up in a ponytail, her cheeks were pink from the heat and she was wearing a loose white dress that was summery and pretty. ‘You’re early. Can you pass me the coriander, please?’

‘Coriander?’ Kyla glanced along the work surface in confusion. ‘Is that this green, weedy-looking stuff?’ She picked it up, sniffed and handed it to Evanna. ‘If we’re early, you can blame Ethan’s car. You should see it. All black and very growly. Very high testosterone rating.’ She peered over Evanna’s shoulder into the pot. ‘Is that our dinner? It looks nice, but nothing like barbecued seafood. Did you lose the recipe?’

‘It’s chicken soup, and it’s for Kirsty who hasn’t woken up yet from her nap. Logan is hopeless with routine. He keeps waking her up for a cuddle.’ Evanna swiftly chopped the coriander, sprinkled it on the soup and glanced at her friend, a curious look in her eyes. ‘So I notice you’re calling the new doctor Ethan now? Getting friendly, are you?’

Kyla grinned. ‘No. Not yet. But I could probably be persuaded. You should have seen him running along the beach earlier. I thought my heart was going to stop. What a body! Not that you notice things like that.’

‘I’m not blind, Kyla,’ Evanna said mildly as she stirred the soup slowly. ‘I do know a handsome man when I see one, and Ethan is certainly very good looking.’

‘But?’ Kyla leaned forward and dipped a spoon in the soup, tasting it cautiously. ‘There’s a definite “but” coming. This soup is good. Can I take some for lunch tomorrow?’

‘There’s more to a man than looks, Kyla.’ Evanna gently slapped the back of her hand. ‘Leave the soup alone. It’s for Kirsty.’

‘I’m the royal taster. And there’s plenty more to Ethan than looks.’

Evanna frowned. ‘That’s what worries me. There are dark corners there. And mystery.’

‘Dark corners? Mystery?’ Kyla dropped the spoon in the sink, laughing to hide the effect that Evanna’s words had had on her. ‘You’ve been reading too many Celtic legends. Your imagination is in sprint mode. Spotted any fire-breathing dragons on your rounds?’

Evanna didn’t smile. ‘You can laugh, but I’m right. That man has secrets, Kyla.’

Kyla felt cold fingers of unease stroke her nerve endings. ‘What sort of secrets?’

‘If I knew that, they wouldn’t be secrets, would they? But I don’t think they’re good ones.’ Evanna stopped stirring and her pretty face was serious. ‘There’s something about him,’ she said softly, glancing over her shoulder to check that they were on their own. ‘Can’t you feel it? A hardness. He’s tough—a bit intimidating. I don’t know …’ She gave a shrug, obviously wishing she’d never said anything. ‘Something’s happened in his life, I’m sure of it. Something that he’s living with every day of his life. He has issues.’

‘Well, things have happened in our lives, too,’ Kyla reminded her, trying to shake off the black, threatening cloud that hovered over her happiness, ‘and we’re living with them. We all have issues, Evanna.’

‘That’s true. Just be careful, that’s all. I don’t want to see you hurt by a man.’

‘Wouldn’t be the first time.’

Her friend looked at her and her expression softened. ‘You haven’t fallen for anyone since that rat, Mike Robinson, hoisted his sails and left for the mainland. It’s time you found someone. I’m just not sure it should be Ethan. Is there something going on there or is it just wishful imagining on your part?’

‘I’m not imagining the chemistry. I keep thinking we’re going to burn the cottage down every time we look at each other.’ Kyla chewed her lip thoughtfully. ‘I just have a feeling he isn’t very pleased about it. He’s fighting it.’

‘Probably because he knows he’s only here for the summer,’ Evanna said briskly. ‘Thank goodness one of you is sensible.’

‘Well, it isn’t me,’ Kyla said lightly. ‘You know I always pick the unsuitable. And what about you? Talking of issues, you’re wearing a white dress to feed my niece chicken soup. A strange choice from where I’m standing, knowing what I do about Kirsty’s aim. You’re going to have serious stain issues.’

Evanna’s colour deepened. ‘I happen to like this dress.’

‘So you should. It suits you. It’s nice to see you in something other than jeans.’ Kyla opened the drawer, fished out a spoon and dipped it into the soup. ‘My brother will probably like it, too. Which, I’m guessing, was the intention.’

Evanna gave a wry smile. ‘Your brother wouldn’t notice me if I stripped naked in front of him and danced a tango.’

Kyla tasted the soup again. ‘I’ve come to the sad conclusion that my brother is obviously thick. One day I’m going to tease him about it. But not before I’ve eaten his seafood. My stomach always comes before sibling conflict.’

‘You mustn’t mention it.’ Evanna gave a faint frown. ‘And to call him thick is just ridiculous when you know just how clever he is. It’s just that he can only think of Catherine. And that’s normal, of course,’ she added hastily, emptying the soup into a blender and securing the lid. ‘She was his wife. He loved her.’

Kyla waited for the noise of the blender to cease before she spoke. ‘Yes, I think he did. But that doesn’t mean he can’t love again.’

Evanna’s eyes met hers. ‘It isn’t going to happen, Kyla. Please stop talking about it.’

Kyla leaned forward and gave her friend a hug. ‘Give him time. Be patient.’ She glanced up as Ethan strolled into the room and suddenly found herself unable to breathe.