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He didn’t wait for her to reply before he left—didn’t need to, either. He was in charge and she was there to carry out his instructions. However, as the door closed behind him, Kelly knew that their working relationship had nothing to do with the way she was feeling right then.
She hurriedly left the office and went to the consulting room the registrars used. A plastic strip bearing her name had been slotted into place on the door and she stopped to look at it, needing to remind herself who she was: Dr Kelly Carlyon. Junior Registrar. Clinical Care.
She was a member of Luca’s team now and nothing more. She had to forget that he was the man she had loved with all her heart if she intended to stay here. There must be no more looking back at the past, and definitely no repeat of what had happened just now.
Heat suffused her as she recalled the way his arm had brushed against her. It had been the most fleeting contact yet she could feel her skin tingling as it had always done whenever Luca had touched her. Luca had been the most wonderful lover. She’d had little experience when they had met, but he had taught her to how to give love and how to receive it as well. She had come alive in his arms, but she mustn’t make the mistake of thinking it could happen again. Luca was a married man now and even if she stayed, he could never make her feel like that again.
A sob rose in her throat as she hurriedly entered the office but she forced it down. Dropping the files onto the desk, she took off her jacket and put on a clean white coat. She smoothed down the collar then checked her appearance in the mirror over the handbasin, wanting to be sure that everything was in order before her patients arrived.
Her dark red hair was neatly coiled at the nape of her neck in the style she favoured for work. She’d decided to wear a touch of make-up that morning to bolster her courage and the slick of lip gloss and coat of mascara added to the overall picture of a woman in control of her life. On the outside, at least, she looked much the same as she always did. It was only her eyes that betrayed her inner turbulence.
Pain lanced through her as she studied the shadows that clouded their sea-green depths. The fact that Luca had been completely unmoved when they’d touched just now hurt unbearably. Once, she would have confidently claimed that he’d loved her as much as she had loved him, but she’d been wrong. Luca hadn’t loved her then and he most certainly didn’t love her now.
‘Come in.’
Luca steeled himself as the door opened but it was only Serafina with some messages for him. He thanked her, shaking his head when she asked him if he wanted a cup of coffee. ‘No. Grazie.’
He managed to hold his smile until she left but the tension was starting to tell on him. All morning long he had tried to forget how it had felt when he had brushed against Kelly but he’d failed. He could still feel it deep inside him—her softly yielding flesh, her smooth firm skin, her heat.
He swore softly, fluently, using the language he had learned as a child growing up in one of the poorest parts of Italy. The people in charge of the children’s home where he had been sent to live had called it gutter language and had washed out his mouth with soap and water, but even that hadn’t stopped him. It had been the only way he had been able to release the pain and anger that burned inside him.
It hadn’t been until he had finished his degree that he had taught himself not to say the ugly words out loud. The anger had still been there, of course, along with the painful memories of his childhood. It had only been when he had met Kelly that they had started to fade. She’d made him see that he was no longer that ragged, unkempt urchin but a man whom a woman could love. The man Kelly had loved.
How it hurt to know that he could have had a lifetime of her love if things had been different. It wasn’t that he had thrown it heedlessly away—he’d had no choice. Sophia had needed him and he couldn’t have lived with himself if he had abandoned her and her unborn child. He had traded one kind of love for another and he didn’t regret his decision. He had loved Kelly with all his heart, but she hadn’t needed him like Sophia had done.
Luca jumped when there was a second knock on the door. ‘Come in,’ he called, picking up the bundle of messages so it would appear as though he had been doing something useful instead of sitting there, daydreaming.
He heard the door open and footsteps cross the room but he didn’t look up. He didn’t need to. He knew it was Kelly, he could smell her scent, hear her breathing, feel her presence in every fibre of his being. He allowed himself a single, glorious second to savour the sensations that washed through him then banished them to where those memories resided. He had indulged himself enough for one day.
‘How was clinic?’ His tone was cool, distant, polite, the voice he used with all his staff. Luca Ferrero, the physician, gave away nothing about himself, neither the man he was today nor the child he had been. He didn’t fraternise with his colleagues because he didn’t have the time. Every second of every day was devoted either to his work or his son and that’s how he intended it to continue, especially now that Kelly was here. Kelly was the one person who could make him question the path he had chosen, the only one who could make him want more than he had.
‘Fine. Most of the children were follow-up cases so there were no problems.’
‘Bene.’ He glanced up at last, felt his heart lurch, and swiftly recovered. So maybe she was standing in a patch of sunlight that was setting her glorious hair alight but it made no difference to him. He was centred, focused wholly and exclusively on his job.
She shifted slightly and his heart jolted again as he watched her slender body move beneath the white coat. He knew that he would never actually do it, but he longed to get up and walk around the desk, unbutton that coat and peel it off her then set to work on that prim little blouse which she wore underneath.
His vision blurred as he pictured his hands moving down the row of tiny pearl buttons until the very last one had been unfastened. He knew from experience that her skin would be barely darker than the fabric—milky-pale, smooth, unblemished—and shuddered. He would slowly open her blouse, breathe in her scent, feel the warmth of her skin, pull her to him and…
‘You said that you wanted to discuss a case with me.’
Her voice was sharp; it cut through the image that was playing in his head with rapier-like speed so that he almost gasped out loud. He managed to quash the sound before it emerged, but it shook him to know how close he had come to disaster. What the hell was he doing, playing such dangerous mind games?
‘That’s right.’ He stood up and went to the filing cabinet, waving her to a chair as though he didn’t care where she sat or what she did. It wasn’t true because he cared a lot, cared deeply about whether she was going to stay or leave, and how much time he could spend with her.
He slammed the drawer, wishing he could lock his thoughts away as easily. ‘The patient’s name is Domenico del Pietro, a fifteen-year-old boy who lives in Palau with his parents.’ He handed her the file and sat down. ‘He was referred to us following a number of consultations with his own doctor.’
Kelly frowned as she read through the case history. ‘Fever, headache, muscle pain, tenderness, nausea. A general feeling of tiredness and malaise.’ She looked up. ‘There’s nothing here about his mental state. How did he appear when you saw him?’
‘Somewhat depressed,’ Luca replied, inwardly smiling. It seemed that Kelly was already thinking along the right lines, not that he was surprised. She’d always been extremely sharp, quick to diagnose and accurate, too, which was more important. He carried on feeding her information, wondering how long it would take her to reach the same conclusion he had arrived at. ‘His teachers have also noticed a definite loss of concentration in recent months. Domenico is usually an A-grade student but his work has suffered of late.’
‘Any panic attacks or sleep disturbance?’
‘None reported.’
‘Has a full neurological assessment been carried out?’
‘Not yet. Domenico is due to come into hospital tomorrow and we shall do it then.’
‘I imagine you’ve ruled out mononucleosis. He’s the right age for it so it must have been your first thought.’
‘It was, but the tests came back negative.’ He leant back in his chair. ‘So, Kelly, have you any suggestions?’
‘ME.’ She placed the file on the desk. ‘The symptoms are all indicative of myalgic encephalomyelitis.’
‘And you ascribe to the school of thought that says ME is an actual illness and not the result of a psychiatric disorder like depression?’
‘Yes, I do.’ She met his gaze across the desk. ‘I don’t doubt that anyone who suffers from ME also suffers from depression—who wouldn’t when you’re feeling ill all the time? However, I’m convinced there is a physical cause for it. Most people who present with symptoms of ME have had a viral infection, haven’t they?’
‘Domenico had an upper-respiratory tract infection six months ago.’
‘And it was after that his symptoms appeared?’ she said.
‘Si,’ Luca agreed, enjoying watching her piecing together the puzzle.
She nodded as she picked up the file and glanced at the lab results. ‘Recent tests show everything is normal, which is what I would have expected. It’s rare that the lab comes up with anything in a case of ME.’
‘It is. So what do you recommend?’
‘That we wait for the results of the neurological tests and go from there,’ she said promptly.
‘Which is exactly what I have decided to do.’ Luca smiled, unable to hide his satisfaction. It was good to know that his faith in her hadn’t been misplaced. ‘Maybe you would like to be involved in this case, Kelly. It will be good experience for you to follow the boy’s progress.’
‘I’d like that. Thank you.’ She briefly returned his smile then stood up. ‘If that’s all, I’d better get back. We overran this morning and Serafina has rebooked a couple of cases for this afternoon. I want to read through their notes before I see them.’
Luca frowned as he checked his watch. ‘Surely you’re due for a break.’
‘It doesn’t matter. I’d rather be prepared than left floundering when a patient arrives.’
She went to the door, not giving him a chance to object. Luca sighed as she left because what could he have said? That she should stop work and take a break? He wouldn’t dream of saying that to any other member of his team and he mustn’t single out Kelly for special treatment. If she wanted to work through her break that was her decision. He understood. How many times had he missed a meal—several meals—because he’d been too busy to stop?
He put the file away then settled down at his desk. He phoned his housekeeper first to check that Matteo was all right then pulled out the report he was working on. If Kelly was going to work through her lunch-break, he would too. In a funny way it made him feel less guilty about her working so hard.
He caught himself up short. He had to stop worrying about Kelly and let her get on with her life. Once he started interfering, he might not be able to stop.
CHAPTER THREE
‘CIAO.’
Kelly waved goodbye to a couple of nurses who worked on her ward and headed along the path to the staff quarters. It had been a busy day and she was glad it was over. Once she had finished in the clinic, she’d had notes to write up and that had taken the best part of the afternoon. She’d barely finished in time for the afternoon ward round, in fact.
Letizia had made a point of drawing everyone’s attention to her when she’d rushed into the ward with just a couple of minutes to spare, but Luca hadn’t said a word. In fact, he had ignored her for the next hour and that had been far worse than any reprimand. Even a cutting remark about her tardiness would have been better than the indifference he’d shown her.
She groaned when she realised how stupid she was being. Keying in the security code, she let herself into the building. The air-conditioning was switched on full and she groaned with pleasure when she felt the cool air playing over her skin. The weather had been extremely hot ever since she’d arrived in Sardinia. The temperature regularly hit the mid-thirties and she would have found it very uncomfortable in her apartment without air-conditioning. As she made her way up the stairs, Kelly couldn’t help thinking how lucky she was to have been offered an apartment here. From what she could gather, there was a waiting list for staff accommodation, and she had no idea how she’d managed to jump the queue. Unless Luca had arranged it for her?
Her heart lurched at the thought of him going to so much trouble on her behalf before she battened it down. She doubted if he even knew where she lived let alone had played any part in getting her a flat here. She let herself in and went straight to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of mineral water then took it into the sitting room and sat down.
All the apartments were decorated in the same neutral shades of grey and cream. The furniture was standard too, light beech built-in cupboards and cabinets, a small sofa plus an armchair. She’d added a few personal touches—some photos of her and Katie with their parents, a couple of ornaments—but the place still didn’t feel like home. It was just somewhere she came to sleep after a busy day. Until she found a place of her own, she would continue to feel like a visitor, although it might be wiser to forget about setting down roots until she decided if she was going to stay.
Kelly sighed when she realised that she was going round in circles. She would have to make up her mind soon about what she intended to do but she was too tired to think about it right now. One of the nurses was celebrating her birthday that night and she had invited Kelly along. They were meeting at a restaurant near the harbour so once she had showered, she changed into white cotton jeans and a black vest top. Her hair always took ages to blow-dry so she scooped it into a ponytail and left it to dry on its own rather than waste time toiling with the hairdryer. Half an hour later she was on her way out again.
She left the hospital and headed towards the harbour, taking the road that overlooked the bay. It was a beautiful evening and the sun was glinting off the azure blue sea. There was a cruise liner anchored in the bay and she could see a flotilla of tenders scurrying back and forth as they ferried the passengers ashore. The air was redolent with the scent of the pine trees which lined one side of the narrow, twisting road. There were a number of luxurious villas built into the hillside, although they were well hidden behind the trees.
It was wonderfully peaceful after living in the centre of busy Manchester and she hated the thought of going back there, but she might have to if she couldn’t find a way to work with Luca. Although the day had gone better than she’d feared, she’d felt extremely tense whenever he’d been around and that was hardly conducive to a healthy working relationship. All she could do was wait and see if it got any easier.
Kelly was halfway down the hill when she heard a motorbike roaring along the road behind her. There was a bend coming up so she decided to let the motorbike pass her. A lot of the young men in the area rode motorbikes and they usually rode them at a breakneck speed, so it was safer to keep out of their way.
She’d just stepped onto the grass verge when a movement suddenly caught her eye. A little boy had appeared from the drive of one of the villas and was riding his tricycle down the middle of the road. He was oblivious to the danger he was in and Kelly realised that she would have to do something if she was to avert an accident.
Hurrying forward, she swept the child into her arms just a moment before the motorbike came careering down the road. There was a squeal of brakes as the driver tried to stop, but she didn’t wait to see if he succeeded as she hurled herself and the child onto the verge. Pain shot through her when her elbow struck a lump of rock but she barely registered it because she was more concerned about the child. Her legs were trembling as she scrambled to her feet and hurriedly checked him over.
‘Good boy,’ she said as she ran her hands over his chubby little limbs. Apart from a small graze on his cheek, he appeared unscathed so that was something to be grateful for, although she dreaded to think how the driver had fared.
Picking the child up, she ran over to the young man. He was lying at the side of the road, moaning. Crouching down beside him, Kelly could tell immediately that his right arm was broken. It was an open fracture, too, and she could see a section of bone sticking through the flesh. Setting the little boy on the grass beside her, she took a clean handkerchief out of her bag and placed it over the wound to prevent any infection getting into the tissue. Once that was done, she quickly examined the young man, but he didn’t appear to have broken anything else. However, the fact that he wasn’t wearing a safety helmet meant that she couldn’t rule out the possibility of him having suffered a head injury.
‘I’m going to fetch help,’ she told him, knowing there was very little else she could do for him. The most important thing now was to get him to hospital as quickly as possible.
He broke into a torrent of rapid Italian and she shook her head. Although her grasp of the language was more than sufficient to deal with the patients she saw at the hospital, he had a thick local accent which made it difficult to follow what he was saying. ‘I don’t understand.’ She pointed towards the villa. ‘I’m going for help—aiuto.’
Thankfully, he understood what she meant and nodded. Picking up the little boy, Kelly ran back up the road. Hopefully, there would be someone at the villa who would allow her to use their phone to ring for an ambulance.
‘Matteo!’
Kelly ground to a halt when a man suddenly appeared from the driveway leading to the villa. She gasped when she recognised Luca because he was the last person she’d expected to see. He came racing towards her and swept the child into his arms.
‘What happened?’
‘There’s been an accident,’ she explained as she watched the little boy cling to him. The child obviously knew him, although she had no idea what their relationship was.
‘An accident,’ Luca repeated, staring at the child in concern.
‘Yes, but he’s fine. There’s just a graze on his cheek—see.’ She brushed a dark curl off the little boy’s face so that Luca could see what she meant then hurried on. Determining Luca’s relationship to the child really wasn’t important at the moment. ‘This little chap was riding his trike down the road when a motorbike came along. The driver managed to avoid him but he’s broken his arm. I was on my way to fetch help when you appeared.’
‘I see.’ Luca’s mouth thinned as he digested what she had told him. Kelly could tell that he was angry and didn’t blame him. The child couldn’t have been more than two years old, far too young to be out on his own.
‘Go up to the house and ask them to phone for an ambulance,’ he instructed tersely. ‘I’ll take a look at the driver while you do that.’
‘Right.’
He started to hurry away but Kelly stopped him. ‘Do you want me to take the child with me? I expect his mother is wondering where’s he’s got to.’
Something crossed his face, an expression she found impossible to decipher. ‘Thank you but no. I’ll keep him here with me.’
He didn’t waste time debating the issue as he strode over to the injured motorcyclist. Kelly watched him kneel down beside the man then turned away. She had a feeling that she was missing something but there was no time to worry about it at the moment.
She hurriedly made her way up the drive to the villa. It was a beautiful house, built all on one level, with a small turret at one side and a low-pitched terracotta tiled roof, characteristic of the houses in the area. Crimson bougainvillea spilled down the walls and surrounded the huge oak door with its gleaming brass knocker. At any other time, she would have loved to explore the house and its grounds but it was more important that she sought help for the injured motorcyclist.
She knocked on the door and waited. She could hear footsteps inside and a moment later an elderly woman appeared.
‘Si?’
‘I’m sorry to bother you,’ Kelly began, ‘but there’s been an accident outside in the road. Can you phone for an ambulance, please?’
‘An accident?’ The woman pressed a hand to her mouth. ‘Is it Matteo? Has he been hurt?’
‘No, no, he’s fine,’ Kelly assured her. ‘It’s the driver of the motorcycle who’s been injured. Dr Ferrero is with him and he said that you would phone for an ambulance.’
‘Si, si. Immediatamente, signorina.’
‘Grazie.’ Kelly smiled her thanks then hurried back down the drive. Luca was examining the motorcyclist’s left ankle when she went back to them.
‘I think he’s damaged his ankle as well, possibly sprained it or even torn a ligament,’ he told her, glancing up.
‘I must have missed that,’ she admitted, crouching down beside him. ‘I was more concerned about his arm, I’m afraid. Sorry.’
‘There is no need to apologise. From what he has told me, the accident could have been a lot more serious if it weren’t for you.’ He looked over at the little boy, who was happily playing with some pebbles, and she could hear the emotion in his voice when he continued. ‘Matteo could have been killed if you hadn’t got him out of the way in time, Kelly. I don’t know how I can ever thank you.’
‘I’m sure the driver would have managed to avoid him,’ she said lightly, because she didn’t want Luca to think that he was beholden to her in any way.
‘Perhaps.’
He didn’t say anything else. Maybe he was relieved to have been let off the hook, she thought. She understood if he felt that way because she felt the same. If she was to work with him then she had to maintain her distance—if it was possible to do that, of course.
Fortunately, there was no time to dwell on that thought as the ambulance arrived just then. Luca told the crew what had happened and politely asked Kelly if she wanted to add anything but she shook her head. There was no need, he was too much of a professional to allow anything to get in the way of him doing his job, even his obvious concern for the child.
A frown pleated her brows when she saw the tenderness on his face as he picked up the little boy. Just who was Matteo? And why was he so important to Luca?
Luca could feel his heart thundering as he watched the crew load the injured man into the ambulance. The terror he’d felt when he’d realised that Matteo was missing was impossible to describe. It had felt as though his guts had turned to liquid when he’d seen the open gates and heard the squeal of brakes.
His stomach lurched as he cuddled the child to him, drawing comfort from the feel of his solid little body. Matteo immediately began to squirm in protest at being held so tightly and Luca forced himself to relax his grip. He smiled at him. ‘Shall we go home and have a drink?’
‘Si, si.’
Matteo clapped his hands in delight. He seemed oblivious to the danger he’d been in and Luca was grateful for that. No child should have to suffer the way he and Sophia had suffered when they’d been children. A child’s life should be filled with happiness and love, and certainly not with the terror he had known when he’d been little older than Matteo was now. Cruelty had been a daily part of life at the children’s home. There’d been physical beatings and, worse still, mental torture. Being told repeatedly that you were worthless had caused far more damage than the physical abuse had done. Luca knew that he would happily forfeit his life to protect this precious child from that kind of harm.
The thought unlocked a door in his mind usually kept securely locked and he swung round. He wasn’t in a fit state to handle the memories at the moment. He had a final word with the paramedics then turned to Kelly, hoping she couldn’t tell how emotional he felt. He needed to be in control when he was with her, keep his feelings locked away as securely as those memories of his childhood. It was the only way he was going to cope.