The ultimate prize?

Capturing the guarded bachelor’s heart...

Entering the “Hospital Challenge,” the last person single mom paramedic Hannah Greene wants to be partnered with is Matt Lawson! She’d planned on winning the competition, not getting distracted by a sexy surgeon! But forced to put her trust in lone-wolf Matt, Hannah uncovers the compassion behind his charisma and can’t help inviting him into her world. They make the perfect team. Could they also be the perfect family?

Cursed with a poor sense of direction and a propensity to read, ANNIE CLAYDON spent much of her childhood lost in books. A degree in English Literature followed by a career in computing didn’t lead directly to her perfect job—writing romance for Mills & Boon—but she has no regrets in taking the scenic route. She lives in London: a city where getting lost can be a joy.

Also by Annie Claydon

Healed by the Single Dad Doc

From Doctor to Princess?

Firefighter’s Christmas Baby

Resisting Her English Doc

Festive Fling with the Single Dad

Best Friend to Royal Bride

London Heroes miniseries

Falling for Her Italian Billionaire

Second Chance with the Single Mum

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Winning the Surgeon’s Heart

Annie Claydon

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90223-0

WINNING THE SURGEON’S HEART

© 2020 Annie Claydon

Published in Great Britain 2020

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

SILENCE FELL. FROM the thirty people who had entered the challenge, there could only be two winners, and it looked as if the judges were ready to announce who they were.

Hannah’s friend, Sophie, was bent forward, clutching her knees and stretching the muscles in her back. The most challenging task in a long and challenging day had been saved until last, an obstacle course that had drained everyone. But they’d done it together. Hannah laid her hand on Sophie’s shoulder and she looked up, grinning.

‘I think you’re in with a chance. Not so sure about me.’

‘We’ll find out soon enough. Are you okay?’

Sophie nodded, straightening. ‘We’ll all be aching tomorrow.’

This was more than just a matter of winning for herself. Hannah and Sophie had worked together for five years, crewing an ambulance that worked out of Hamblewell Hospital. When the hospital had entered Arial TV’s Hospital Challenge, lured by a generous cash prize, they’d decided to enter together. The selection day had involved both physical and mental challenges, and was designed to whittle thirty entrants down to two, who would go on to represent the hospital in the televised challenge. Hannah had set her heart on winning with Sophie.

She caught Sophie’s hand, squeezing it. A stage had been erected on the open space behind the hospital building, and in the heat of a summer’s day there was almost a carnival atmosphere amongst the spectators. The chairman of the judging panel had picked up the microphone and was tapping it to see whether it was working. A frustrated murmur travelled through the crowd that had come to watch and cheer the competitors on.

‘Get on with it, mate.’ Sophie whispered, and Hannah nodded. The suspense was getting to her as well.

‘The judges have come to a decision—’

The microphone cut out suddenly, and Hannah rolled her eyes. If they’d wanted to keep everyone on tenterhooks for as long as possible, this couldn’t have been planned any better.

There was a short pause as the microphone was inspected and pronounced fit for use, without the need for any further tapping. The judge smiled, turning once more towards the crowd.

‘Sorry about that... As you all know, today’s winners will go forward to represent Hamblewell Hospital in the Hertfordshire heats of Hospital Challenge, the first of which will be hosted here next Saturday. We hope you’ll all be here to cheer our team on. We’ve been obliged to choose just two winners today and our task hasn’t been easy...’

There was a pause. Everyone was holding their breath already, and if the guy didn’t get on with it, someone was going to pass out. It was just as well that there were plenty of medical staff on hand...

‘Hannah Greene!’

Hannah heard a cheer go up, somewhere far away. She felt Sophie grab her, hugging her tight. Suddenly it felt as if her legs weren’t going to carry her.

‘Go... Go.’ Sophie had freed her now, and was pushing her towards the stage, where the judges were all on their feet and joining in with the applause.

‘Sophie...’ Hannah didn’t want to go alone. She’d thought that both names would be announced together, and taking this walk without her friend seemed impossible.

‘You’ve won, Hannah. You’ve got to go and shake the man’s hand.’ Sophie gave her one last push, and a path opened up in front of her through the other competitors. She walked towards the podium in a daze.

Then it hit her. Sophie was going to be next, it was impossible that the judges hadn’t seen the way they’d encouraged each other in completing the challenges. They were already a team, used to going together into every kind of situation. Hannah climbed the steps onto the stage, shook the judges’ hands and then turned to the crowd, throwing her arms up. Everyone cheered wildly, and she could see Sophie jumping up and down, suddenly finding that last bit of energy.

‘We’ve obviously made a popular choice.’ The judge smiled, waiting for the cheering to die down, and there was silence again. ‘And going on to join Hannah for Hospital Challenge is Matt Lawson...’

What?

Hannah tried to smile, but it felt as if her own achievement had suddenly turned to dust. She didn’t even know Matt Lawson. She looked for Sophie, and she was cheering along with everyone else, seeming not to notice that it was her name that should have been called.

The crowd parted, and a man began to walk towards the stage, stopping to shake a few hands as he went. Hannah did know him, although not by name. He had a reputation as being an excellent surgeon, but many of the female staff ignored that and concentrated on his looks. Hannah herself had been guilty of a little objectification on that score...

His sun-coloured hair and the tan gave him the look of someone who spent more time outdoors than inside. Probably blue eyes. Hannah had imagined the blue eyes and then consigned the whole image to the look-don’t-touch category.

She felt herself blush as he shook the judges’ hands, and then grinned at her. Blue. They were blue, the shade more intoxicating than she’d imagined. Dark, like a Mediterranean sea.

That was where he belonged. On a holiday she had no intention of taking. Not here, not in her real life. He congratulated her, and then turned to wave to the crowd. This was not happening.

She stood, trying to smile, for what seemed like an age, until they were allowed to climb down from the stage. Sophie was the first to get to Hannah and hug her.

‘I’m so excited... And you’ve got the dreamboat as a partner!’

Hannah felt tears of exhaustion and disappointment in her eyes. ‘I don’t want him. Why didn’t they pick you?’

Sophie puffed out a breath. Hannah was about to get one of her friend’s reality checks.

‘Look, I’m not going to pretend that I’m not disappointed. But you did a lot better than me, and so did he. Did you see the way he got over that climbing wall?’

Yes. Hannah had looked, just as Sophie had. Matt Lawson had been in the second group around the obstacle course, and they’d both seen the way he’d negotiated the steep wall. And she’d dared to notice that he looked just as good—better actually—in action than he did when she’d seen him walking along the corridors of the hospital.

‘I can’t do it on my own, Sophie. We’re a team.’

‘Well, you’re just going to have to get used to being in a new team, aren’t you? I’ll be cheering you on all the way.’

‘But...’ This sounded a lot like self-pity. She should be thinking about how Sophie must be feeling, not having been chosen after all the effort they’d put in. ‘I’m so sorry...’

‘Nonsense. We said that we’d be happy if just one of us was chosen, didn’t we? This is my achievement as well, we did it together. Give me a break, will you?’

They’d said it would be enough if just one of them won. Hannah hadn’t actually meant it. But Sophie was glowing with joy, and it would be unfair if she didn’t feel it too.

‘You’ll stick with me, won’t you? I can’t do this without you.’

‘Are you kidding? I’ll be with you all the way. You’ll be there for both of us, eh?’

Matt hadn’t seriously expected to win this thing. As the only member of the surgical team who’d had any chance of being able to negotiate a climbing wall, he’d been strong-armed into signing up for the challenge by his colleagues, who had all been keen to have someone represent them. He’d stepped up his gym routine a bit for the last three weeks, and that had been about it.

He’d seen Hannah and her partner, making their way around the obstacle course. They were both fit, and both up for the challenge, but Hannah was clearly the stronger of the two. Although the tasks they’d encountered today were meant to be done individually, he’d seen Hannah slow a little once or twice, waiting for her partner to follow so that they could pace each other around the course.

They were a team. They wore matching T-shirts, emblazoned with the logo of the ambulance service. He knew that the nature of their job meant that they had to rely on each other, and that the ambulance crews had a fierce sense of pride. He wondered how Hannah felt about being teamed up with a complete stranger.

She’d seemed less than enthused about the judges’ decision when he’d been called up to the stage. But as she walked towards him across the grass, she was smiling. Matt had to admit that it was a very nice smile, at that.

‘Congratulations.’

‘That was a surprise...’ He felt strangely at a loss for words. ‘For me, I mean. You were a dead cert to win.’

She blushed a little. It was a fine accompaniment to her smile. ‘You made it over the climbing wall in one go. I took two.’

Matt was privately of the opinion that she could have done it in one. His automatic assessment of her mobility and strength told him that the wall shouldn’t have been a problem for her and that her partner was the one who’d taken two goes. The judges had clearly seen that as well, and Matt decided not to mention it.

‘I’m looking forward to the next round.’

Hannah nodded. ‘Me too. Would you like to meet up? To train?’

That sounded rather more enticing than Matt had supposed it might. Hannah’s was the kind of beauty that was enhanced by the application of a little grime and sweat. This morning, he’d noticed her chestnut hair tied back in a shining plait at the back of her head. And, of course, her smile. But as the day had gone on, he’d started to appreciate her fearlessness and tenacity. She was messy and exhausted, but she still shone.

‘I’m afraid I can’t this week, I have a pretty full schedule at work. I imagine they’re going to be throwing the unexpected at us next Saturday, so I guess the best we can do is just keep up the fitness training and get a good night’s sleep on Friday.’

That obviously wasn’t the answer that Hannah was looking for. It was too bad, because he couldn’t just put off a few operations because it happened to suit him. She should understand that.

‘Okay. Well... I’ll keep training with Sophie. As long as you don’t mind.’ She motioned towards her partner, who was walking towards them.

‘Why should I? If it works, don’t mess with it.’

She and Sophie had the kind of partnership that Matt had observed in others, and had never really experienced for himself. He was part of a team at work, in just the same way that she was, but he confined that to knowing the strengths and weaknesses of his colleagues and what they could reasonably be called on to do during working hours. Hannah and Sophie were obviously friends, and he almost envied it.

‘Hi. I’m Sophie. Congratulations. You did a great job and you really deserved to win.’ Sophie held out her hand and Matt took it. Her manner was a little more open than Hannah’s and her grin a little easier, but somehow it didn’t reach into the corners of his soul the way that Hannah’s did. But then no one had any business with his soul, that was his to contend with.

‘Thanks. You and Hannah are a great team...’

Sophie threw her arm around Hannah’s shoulder, laughing. ‘I think I’ve hit my limit today. You and Hannah can go on and win this thing.’

That was obviously important to both of them. Matt hadn’t really thought much about it, he’d reckoned on giving a reasonable account of himself and then going home. But suddenly he wanted to be a winner. And he wanted Hannah at his side, winning with him.

‘The hospital could do with the money.’

‘We’re all relying on you two.’ Sophie laughed. ‘No pressure, obviously.’

‘Pressure? What’s pressure?’ Hannah murmured the words quietly.

Sophie chuckled, nudging her friend in the ribs. ‘Don’t listen to her, Matt. Hannah’s very focussed at times.’

He could see that already. And he liked Sophie immediately, she was the kind of woman that he usually chose to spend his free time with. Conventionally pretty, with blonde hair and blue eyes, she seemed easygoing and uncomplicated. Hannah, on the other hand...

Hannah was compelling. Beautiful. Almost certainly not the right kind of woman to get involved with, because bonds made with Hannah might not be easy to break. Matt dismissed the idea. No one was going to get involved with anyone, he should relax and look at this as an extension of his work. Money for the hospital was an extension of his work.

‘We’d better get going...’ Hannah was scanning the crowd intently, obviously looking for someone. ‘I’ll see you next Saturday, then?’

A whole week suddenly seemed a very long time to wait. But Matt hadn’t planned on winning today, and he was going to have to fit his training sessions in whenever the opportunity presented itself.

‘You know where to find me if you want me?’

Hannah nodded quietly, and it was Sophie who answered. ‘Yes, we know. We’ll leave a message with the surgical unit...’

Matt watched as the two women walked away from him. Sophie was obviously reliving one or other of the obstacles, tracing shapes in the air in front of her to illustrate the point. Hannah was listening intently. He wondered if she ever gave herself a break and loosened up a bit.

‘Mum...!’

A small boy, of about six, was running across the grass towards them, followed by an older woman. Even if he hadn’t called to her, Matt would have guessed this was Hannah’s son, his tawny eyes and red-brown hair matched hers almost exactly. Hannah stretched out her arms in an expression of joy, falling to her knees, as the boy ran straight into her arms.

If she’d employed half the exuberance that she’d shown just now, she would have floated over the obstacle course, instead of battling her way through it. Sophie and the older woman were chatting and laughing together, and Hannah was doing a little victory dance with her son. The thought that he wanted to do a very different kind of victory dance with her was enticing and entirely inappropriate, but it was the kind of image that was difficult to erase from his memory.

It would fade. Memories did fade when you were a stranger, always on the move. Matt had learned to travel light, making no lasting personal attachments to hold him back.

He’d been travelling light since he was eight years old. Always running, always trying to leave behind the bad memories. But they were the ones that had caught up with him now, crowding in and obscuring the sun. As clear as if it had all happened yesterday, and blocking the view of Hannah and her family.

Matt had known that his father had an uncertain temper and that he’d sometimes hurt his mother and made her cry, but he knew now that his mother had protected him from the worst of it, locking him in his bedroom or sending him to a friend’s house to spend the night. Afterwards he’d seen his mother wince in pain as she’d bent or reached for something. There had never been any bruises on her face, but as he’d got older Matt had begun to understand that was the one place his father had never hit his mother.

His father had hurt him once. Just once, but Matt still remembered the pain and the terror of being unable to escape the hand clamped firmly around his arm. Now he thought of it as a good thing, because it had been the final straw that had made his mother pack their bags and leave.

At first it had been exciting, a taste of the kind of freedom that Matt hadn’t even realised existed. They’d changed their names, using his mother’s surname instead of his father’s, and had embarked on a new life, in a new town. And then his father had found them and they’d run again. Another new life in another new town. Matt had forgotten how many there had been. In the end he hadn’t bothered to make new friends, because he’d known that he and his mother would be moving on again soon.

Matt watched as Hannah played with her son in the late afternoon sunshine. They seemed happy, carefree. No looking over their shoulders...

Until Hannah did look over her shoulder, straight at him, and caught him staring. Matt raised his hand, giving a smile, and she returned the gesture. Then he turned and walked away. He had no business wanting Hannah’s warmth. He needed her as a teammate, and that was just for the next few weeks. After that, he’d be moving on again.

CHAPTER TWO

LIGHTS, NO SIRENS. There was no lack of urgency in getting their patient to the hospital, but Hannah needed to be able to hear his laboured breathing. And Sophie needed to be able to hear if Hannah called out to her to stop.

The ambulance swayed a little as it turned into the hospital. Sophie specialised in giving their patients a smooth ride, but speed was of the essence. She’d radioed through to the hospital, asking for immediate assistance, then put her foot down.

They drew up outside A and E, and Hannah concentrated on monitoring their patient, a middle-aged man who’d been hit by a bus. Sophie climbed down from the driver’s seat, opening the back doors of the ambulance, and Hannah saw a tall figure in surgical scrubs waiting outside.

‘What are you doing here?’ As usual, Sophie voiced the question that was on Hannah’s mind. Matt Lawson should be in the operating theatre, not A and E.

‘Just helping out.’ Matt was smiling and relaxed, but when Sophie and Hannah manoeuvred the stretcher out of the ambulance he moved quickly, his eyes on their patient as he guided them through the melee of people in A and E to an empty cubicle. It wasn’t unusual for the doctors in A and E to place a call for specialist help from other departments when they were busy, and Matt must have been the one to answer.

Matt had clearly been told about her provisional diagnosis, and everything necessary to confirm it was laid out ready. He pulled on a pair of gloves, listening as she relayed Ben’s name and what she’d already observed about his condition. Taken together, his symptoms indicated that Ben might be in the early stages of a tension pneumothorax, and if it went unchecked the progressive build-up of air in his pleural cavity could prove fatal.

‘I’ll need you to help me lift him. I appear to be flying solo.’ Matt murmured the words to Hannah quietly, so that Ben couldn’t hear.

‘I’ll stay. Sophie and I are on our lunch break now.’ It looked as if everyone was busy with other patients, and Matt would need her help.

‘Thank you.’

The warmth in his smile prompted an inappropriate thrill in Hannah’s chest as her heart beat a little faster. She pulled on a disposable apron and gloves, trying not to think about how Matt’s assessment of her actions seemed suddenly all-important.

They lifted Ben onto the bed, and Sophie folded the ambulance stretcher, ready to take it back out to the vehicle. Matt was talking to Ben as he quickly examined him, and Hannah readied the ultrasound machine, handing the probe to Matt as soon as he turned around to look for it.

‘Great, thanks.’ Even that small approbation meant more than it should. Matt was studying the screen on the ultrasound carefully, his brow furrowing for a split second before he made his decision. ‘You were right, this is a tension pneumothorax. I’m going to do a thoracostomy—can you assist?’

Hannah nodded. Ben was conscious and Matt had undoubtedly left out the word emergency in describing the thoracostomy for his benefit. But they had no time to lose now. Hannah had taken Ben’s shirt off in the ambulance, and now she raised his arm, smiling at him as she placed it behind his head.

‘What’s...happening...?’ Ben began to move restively. Breathlessness and agitation were two of the symptoms that Hannah had already noted.

‘The doctor’s going to do a small procedure that’ll help you to breathe more easily. We need to you stay as still as you can.’ Hannah tried to reassure Ben and hold him still without getting in Matt’s way. She’d never before felt so conscious of the touch of another body, working next to her.

Ben flinched as Matt swabbed the area at the side of his chest, moving again so that he could see what Matt was doing. Hannah couldn’t blame him, but he had to keep still.

‘Ben, this will be over soon. I’m going to inject an anaesthetic now. Look at Hannah, not me.’

Matt’s voice was relaxed and calm. The kind of voice that you needed to hear when you were afraid and in pain. Ben quietened, his gaze fixed on Hannah, and she gave him a reassuring smile.

‘Very still now.’ She heard Matt’s voice behind her and leaned forward, preparing for the inevitable reaction when the needle went into Ben’s chest. Matt was working quickly and deftly, but no amount of skill could render the procedure painless.

Ben groaned, gripping her hand tightly, and Hannah heard a tell-tale hiss of air as the tension in the pleural cavity was relieved. Matt withdrew the needle carefully, taping a plastic cannula in place.

‘All done. You did really well.’ Matt smiled at Ben as he started to examine him again, to check that the procedure had relieved his symptoms. ‘Hannah and I are a team, you know. We’re entering a competition to win money for the hospital.’

This wasn’t just idle talk. Matt was assessing Ben’s ability to understand and reply.

‘Yeah? You’re lucky to have her.’ Ben’s face was less ashen now.

‘Don’t I know it.’ Matt smiled, and tingles ran down Hannah’s spine. She reminded herself that Matt’s sudden impulse to chat was for Ben’s benefit, not hers. ‘I’m rather hoping that she’ll keep me in line.’

Keeping Matt in line felt like a delicious and yet difficult prospect. Hannah shot a smile in Ben’s direction. ‘It looks as if I’m going to have my work cut out for me.’

‘Just let me know if he gives you any trouble.’ Ben’s hand found hers again and Hannah gave it a squeeze. ‘I’ll sort him out for you.’

‘Thanks. I might take you up on that.’

Matt chuckled, and his glance of approval told Hannah that he’d seen exactly what she had. Ben was much less breathless now, and he was more alert. As Matt set about checking Ben’s blood pressure, one of the A and E doctors arrived with a nurse, ready to take over from them.

Matt briefed the doctor, while Hannah said goodbye to Ben. When she left the cubicle, she saw that Matt was already at the far end of the busy space outside but he’d stopped by the door and was waiting for her. Hannah stripped off her apron and gloves, and went to join him.

‘Spotting the early signs of a tension pneumothorax isn’t easy in the best of circumstances, let alone in the back of an ambulance.’

Hannah nodded. Matt’s easygoing humour had given her no clues about what he thought about the course of action she’d taken, but she was pleased that he approved.

‘We were close to the hospital, and the symptoms were inconclusive. Doing a thoracostomy in the back of an ambulance isn’t ideal, and I decided it was better to keep going so that Ben’s condition could be properly confirmed...’ She bit her lip. Matt’s gaze was making her feel very nervous.

‘You don’t need me to tell you that you made the right decision, do you?’

‘No, I don’t.’ She really wanted him to, but that had more to do with his blue eyes and his smile than it did with any medical considerations.

Those eyes, and the thought of how it had felt working next to him, were playing havoc with her senses. And Ben wasn’t here to concentrate her mind on other things. Suddenly it felt as if she was standing too close to Matt, but stepping back now was only going to betray her embarrassment.

‘I should be getting along now. Sophie’s probably waiting for me, with some lunch.’

Matt nodded amiably. ‘I’ll see you on Saturday.’

‘Yes. Saturday.’ Hannah tried to think of something friendly and encouraging to say, and came up empty.

As he walked away, she couldn’t resist watching him, telling herself that assessing the width of his shoulders was something to do with deciding on Matt’s ability to handle whatever they were confronted with on Saturday. She jumped, as Sophie seemed to appear out of nowhere and caught her staring.

‘I’d say you don’t have too much to worry about on the teamwork front.’

Hannah shrugged. ‘It’s different. We both knew what had to be done...’

‘Yeah. Keep telling yourself that. You two looked as if you were reading each other’s minds.’ Sophie grinned at her. ‘Come on. Let’s take our break while we can. I could murder a cup of tea.’

Hannah nodded. There was a lot to do before Saturday rolled around, and she could begin to feel nervous about that later.

The four teams had started to gather on the open space behind the hospital building at seven thirty, for the first of four Saturdays that were intended to single out one team to represent Hertfordshire in the finals of Hospital Challenge. Many of Hannah’s friends and workmates were there to watch, and the other teams had brought carloads of their own supporters.

Hannah had been issued with three red T-shirts, with the name of her hospital emblazoned on the back, and she was wearing one. The other teams were wearing blue, green and yellow, so that they could be picked out easily by the cameras. There was a large marquee that no one was allowed access to, and everyone was eyeing it with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

Matt was nowhere to be seen. Hannah had greeted the other teams, shaking hands with them and keeping her eye out for the splash of red that she hoped might announce his arrival.

Finally she saw him. Strolling across the grass towards her, wearing the same red T-shirt, with a pair of cargo pants and trainers. They hadn’t been told what to expect, other than that anything might be thrown at them today, and Hannah had made the same decision.

‘Hello.’ She wanted to ask where the hell he’d been, but that might not be the best start to this new partnership.

‘Hi. Sorry I’m late.’ He looked at his watch. Matt wasn’t late, it was just that everyone else had been half an hour early. ‘I stopped by my office...’

‘Doing real work, then.’ Hannah tried to smile.

Matt shrugged. ‘This feels surprisingly real at the moment.’

One hint that he wasn’t as laid-back about all of this as he made out. ‘I’m a bit nervous, too.’

He laughed suddenly. ‘Did you get the pep talk from Human Resources?’

‘The one about how everyone’s going to be watching, and the good name of the hospital is on our shoulders? And how much the hospital can do with the cash prize, if we win?’ Hannah quirked her lips down. ‘Yes, I got it.’

‘And of course we both feel a great deal better after that.’ There was a twinkle in his eye, and Hannah felt herself relax.

‘So much better. Nothing like the weight of expectation to give us wings. I wonder what the other teams have up their sleeves.’

He nodded, motioning quietly away from the groups of people that surrounded them. Hannah followed him to a quiet spot in the shadow of the hospital building.

‘My office window is just up there.’

Hannah followed the line of his finger. The windows of the second-floor surgical suite looked out over the people milling around the marquee. It occurred to her that Matt hadn’t been up there, working.

‘What have you seen?’

‘I reckoned that the first thing we needed to do was assess the competition. We’re not the only team who don’t know each other all that well. Look at the blues and the greens.’

Hannah looked. The two green T-shirts were giving each other a high five, which she’d seen them do before, and it was obviously for the benefit of the people around them.

‘I’d agree with you about the greens. Too demonstrative.’

He nodded. ‘And the blues have their backs to each other most of the time.’

‘The yellows seem pretty tight.’

‘Yes, they are, I know them. Jack and Laura crew an ambulance, working out of Cravenhurst Hospital.’

Matt looked suddenly uncomfortable. Hannah had tried to hide her feelings but he must know that she’d wanted to be partnered with Sophie.

‘So we reckon that two of the other teams are like us, and don’t know each other too well. But the yellows are already very used to working together...’ Matt’s brow puckered in thought. ‘Maybe we just pretend we have a tension pneumothorax to contend with. We did pretty well there.’

Looking beyond the personal, and functioning as a team. A self-contained unit, relying on each other and seamlessly compensating for each other’s weaknesses. That was so easy to do with Sophie, and so very challenging with Matt. Relying too much on him seemed like stepping into a vortex, which would claw her down into the kind of relationship that she’d promised herself she’d never have with a man again.

So don’t look at him as if he’s a man. He’s a person, a fellow competitor.

As soon as the idea occurred to her, Hannah dismissed it as ridiculous. Matt was all man, and every nerve ending was urging her to be all woman in response.

‘Perhaps for a start we should tell each other our greatest weakness.’ Hannah puffed out a breath. You couldn’t just ask that of someone without being willing to go first. ‘I’ll start—’

He shook his head, laying his hand on her arm, and suddenly her greatest weakness wasn’t her tendency to plan everything down to the smallest detail. Her greatest weakness was Matt’s touch...

‘Why don’t you tell me what my greatest weakness is? When you find it. In return, I’ll tell you yours.’

That was a great deal more challenging. But this was supposed to be a challenge after all.

‘Okay. That could work.’

‘And in the meantime, concentrate on our strengths. We’ll need those if we’re going to win.’ He gave her a gorgeous smile. ‘And we are going to win, aren’t we?’

‘Yes, we are. Do you want a high five?’ Hannah had just seen the greens do it again, and this time it seemed a little less confident than it had before.

‘Is that your thing?’ He turned his gaze on her, and she shivered as the vortex seemed to beckon her once more.

‘No, not really.’

‘Right, then. Let’s disappoint Human Resources and dispense with that.’

She liked his quiet humour. The way he looked for real answers, and didn’t just follow what everyone else did.

Then she saw it, glistening in his eyes. Despite all of his outward unconcern, Matt wanted to win too. He wanted to make them into a team that could win together. She’d been too quick to jump to conclusions about him.

‘How long do you suppose we’ll have to wait?’ There was obvious activity going on amongst the production crew, but no one seemed very interested in rounding up the contestants yet.

Matt chuckled. ‘Probably until our nerves are just hovering around fever pitch.’

He didn’t seem to be anywhere near fever pitch at the moment. If Hannah hadn’t known better it would have infuriated her, but Matt was obviously working things through in his own way. Maybe they’d just taken the first step in their team-building exercise.

Matt was used to waiting. The quiet, measured activity of the operating theatre, where lives hung in the balance and the slightest slip could make a world of difference to a patient, had taught him that being ready wasn’t a matter of straining at the leash.

The competitors had been called to a roped-off area to one side of the tent, but it didn’t look as if anything else was going to happen any time soon. Matt sat down on one of the benches that had been provided and Hannah sat next to him, fidgeting. He could almost feel the tension radiating out of her.

‘The little boy you were with last week. He’s your son?’ Maybe talking would calm her a little.

‘Yes.’ She smiled suddenly, that wide open, joyful smile that he’d seen last week. ‘His name’s Sam.’

‘How old is he?’

‘Six.’

That got the basics over. ‘Where is he today? With his father?’

Hannah’s smile slid from her face. That clearly hadn’t been the right thing to say, and Matt wondered why on earth he’d made the assumption. He should have just come out and asked if Hannah had a partner, if he’d wanted to know so much.

‘No, with my mum. She’s going to bring him along here later to hear the results announced. It’s just me and Sam. His father isn’t on the scene.’

‘I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to pry.’

‘That’s all right.’ Mischief kindled suddenly in her eyes. ‘If we’re going to be a team we should get to know each other.’

Matt laughed. ‘Okay. Matthew Robin Lawson. Thirty-six years old, born in Newcastle, single. I’ve been here for a year, and before that I was working in Glasgow.’

‘You’ve moved around a bit?’ Matt shot Hannah a questioning look and she smiled. ‘You don’t have a Newcastle accent.’

‘Yeah. The only family I’m in touch with is my mother, and she lives in Devon. I go wherever there’s a great job that will challenge me.’

It sounded suddenly as if the life he’d made for himself was missing something. The vital ingredient that Hannah seemed to possess, a family and good friends. But this was what he knew. He’d grown up as an outsider, and that was how he felt comfortable now.

‘And you watch people.’ It came unerringly out of the blue, and combined with the warmth in Hannah’s eyes it carried a momentum that almost knocked him backwards.

‘I guess so. We used to move around a lot, and I found it pays to sit and watch for a while when you’re the new kid in school.’

She seemed to see more in that then he’d said. It felt good to be accepted, but Matt knew that being accepted wasn’t everything. Being safe was everything, and he didn’t want Hannah to know about that.

‘And you?’

‘Ah. Hannah... Do I have to tell you my middle name?’

‘You do now. How bad can it be?’

She grinned. ‘Hannah Eloise Greene.’

‘What’s wrong with Eloise?’ It suited her softer side perfectly.

‘It’s...well it’s a bit girly, isn’t it? I’d prefer something a bit more...’ She waved her hand, as if she were groping for the right word. ‘Adventurous, maybe.’

‘Flash? Jet?’

Hannah laughed, and Matt warmed to his theme. ‘How about Olympia, if you want to go classical? Or Juno?’

‘No! Olympia and Juno are far too elegant for me. And one of my friends called her little boy Jet.’

Matt chuckled. ‘Flash it is, then.’

‘Okay. Hannah Flash Greene...it’s got a ring to it. Twenty-six years old, born right here in this hospital. My father died six years ago, and Sam’s father and I split up before he was born. My mum and I bought a house together, and she looks after Sam when I’m at work. I’m lucky, because it’s a good arrangement for both of us.’

‘I imagine it’s great for her to be able to spend time with her grandson.’ Matt hadn’t had too much contact with his family. Staying below the radar had meant that his mother had considered it unwise to visit either set of grandparents, and his aunts and uncles had been just names to him.

‘Yes. She didn’t know what to do with herself when Dad died. I was away, and...’ Hannah shrugged. There was something she didn’t want to say, and Matt didn’t intend to press her. This had just been something to talk about, he hadn’t meant to share any secrets.

‘Contestants! This way, please.’ One of the production assistants called out suddenly and they both jumped.

They’d been told that there would be cameras in the tent, and that they should do their best to ignore them. Inside, there were four sections, each screened off from the others. A smiling woman handed Matt an envelope.

‘Everything you need is in here. Follow the red markers.’ She gestured towards the canvas door that bore a red flash. ‘You can go now.’

Hannah unzipped the doorway, and Matt saw trestle tables, piled high with medical equipment. He watched as another canvas door at the far end of the tent was opened, revealing a carport with a small red car parked in it. They stepped inside and someone zipped the doorway closed behind them. It was an odd feeling, being completely alone with Hannah, but knowing that they were being watched by cameras. He opened the envelope, sorting through its contents.

‘Car keys and a map... Phone... Ah. Instructions.’ He handed the sheets of paper to Hannah, craning over her shoulder to see.

‘Okay...’ She scanned the paper quickly. ‘We’ve got to take the things we think we might need, and wait for the phone to ring. The red car’s ours, and we’ll use it to get to a medical emergency that’s happening somewhere inside the red ring on the map. We don’t know where yet, or what kind of emergency...’

‘Sounds like a normal day for you.’ Matt grinned at her, spreading the map out on top of one the boxes that were heaped on the trestles.

Hannah studied the map, frowning. ‘The red ring’s a good thirty miles from here.’

‘Which means we have to make a decision. We can’t get everything here into the car, so we either take what we think we’ll need and make a start, or we wait here for the phone call and risk being delayed in traffic.’

Hannah nodded, looking up at him. Perhaps she was waiting for him to make the call.

‘What do you say, then, Flash? This is your area of expertise, not mine.’

She grinned suddenly. ‘I say we go. We can open up the boxes and take just the amount we might need from them.’ She pointed at the large box of dressings. ‘Even if we need all that, there are only two of us and two people can’t apply that many dressings.’

‘Agreed. Why don’t you make a selection and I’ll put everything into the car.’

She raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re sure about that?’

‘Positive. I’m used to having whatever I could possibly need within reach. I’ll go with your best guess over mine.’

‘All right, Robin...’ He raised his eyebrows and Hannah chuckled. ‘You asked for that. You can start with the defibrillator and the oxygen kit—we should definitely take those.’

Fifteen minutes’ concentrated work, and they were ready to go. Hannah had used plastic bags and torn wrappers to contain reasonable amounts of as many different things as possible, repacking boxes and labelling them with a marker pen. She’d added a couple of large zipped bags to their provisions, commenting that they were obviously there for a reason, and picked up the bag of sandwiches and the six-pack of water bottles, stowing them in the footwell of the car.

‘Can you see what the others are doing?’ Matt drove out of the carport, and he caught an enticing trace of her scent as she craned round in the passenger seat, trying to see what was going on behind them.

‘Yep. Yellows have gone already. Since they’re an ambulance crew I wouldn’t be surprised if they haven’t done the same as us. Blues and greens look as if they might be staying put.’ She twisted back round in her seat, surveying the road in front of them. ‘I hope we’ve done the right thing.’

‘We’ve done it now. We look forward, not back.’ Matt could feel a tightening excitement in his chest. This wasn’t just about winning, not even just about bringing home the cash prize for their hospital. Suddenly, it was Flash and Robin, on the road together. Ready to face whatever was thrown at them.

CHAPTER THREE

HANNAH HAD PICKED a spot that gave easy access to main roads in all directions, and was approximately at the centre of the circle. They got out of the car, stretching their legs, and even though it was only ten thirty, she broke open one of the packets of sandwiches. Who knew when they’d get a chance to eat later on? After ten minutes, the phone rang. Matt answered it, listening carefully and scribbling notes on the back of the map.

‘It’s at Lloyd Court. Apparently there’s someone who’s collapsed. No further details at the moment.’

Hannah rolled her eyes, spinning the crust of her sandwich into a nearby waste bin. ‘What, like where he is or what might be wrong with him?’

‘I suppose they think that’s far too easy. They’ll pass further information through to us in the next half-hour. Do you know Lloyd Court?’

She nodded. ‘Yes, it’s a country park. And it’s huge, it’ll take us all day to find someone there.’

Matt handed her the car keys. ‘We’d better get a start, then.’

As Hannah turned into the wide avenue that led to the heart of the country park, he got another call. He listened carefully and then turned to her.

‘Apparently our patient’s had a heart attack. There was one phone call from him, he couldn’t give his exact location but he said he’d been walking on the estate here for around half an hour, and that he was surrounded by trees. His name’s Justin Travers and they’ve given me a phone number for him, but apparently he’s not answering.’

The spike of adrenalin made a clear summer’s day move into even sharper focus. ‘Why give it to us, then?’

‘That’s what I’m wondering...’ Matt was fiddling with the phone as she drove, and Hannah concentrated on the road ahead, turning into the car park that sprawled to one side of the visitors’ centre. She got out of the car, opening the hatchback.

‘What are you doing?’ She started to unload the boxes, sorting out what they would need for the walk ahead of them.

‘Just looking...ah! Got him!’

‘What?’ Matt didn’t seem to appreciate that this was an emergency situation. Okay, so it was a fake emergency situation, but they had to pretend it was real.

‘I did an internet search for the number. There’s a business connections page for a Justin Travers and he’s obviously a walker. Look...’ Matt held out the phone and Hannah glanced at it, then went back to unloading the boxes from the car. She grabbed the two rucksacks and started to fill them with the things they might need.

‘He’s a made-up person, Matt. He’s not going to have social media.’

‘Or they’re testing us. What would you do if you were in this situation for real? You’d try to find out who he was if you could.’ He handed her the phone and Hannah scrolled through the page that was displayed. The guy was a self-employed computer consultant, and his hobby was walking. He’d been on a recent expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro, and his contact number was clearly shown. When she scrolled down a little, his other hobby was listed as ‘Watching Hospital Challenge’. That couldn’t be a coincidence.

‘I was wrong...’ She suddenly felt very small. Matt hadn’t underestimated the complexity of the challenge the way she had. He hadn’t dismissed her experience either. She hadn’t shown him that respect.

He shook his head. ‘No, we were both right. We need to get moving now and expand our search area, because someone like this is going to be able to walk further in half an hour than most people could.’

‘What do you suggest?’

‘Serious walkers tend to travel in a straight line and if that’s what he did, then there’s just one area of woodland that’s approximately two and a half miles from here.’ Matt indicated an area to the west.

‘And we go there first?’ There was woodland to the east as well, but that was only a mile away. Further on was an area of grassland.

‘It’s a risk. Under normal circumstances there would be search parties out, going in every direction, but we have to choose. We can’t split up, the instructions say that we both have to be at the scene together.’

Think. Think!

Hannah turned, staring at the hill that led away to the west. This was the challenge that any experienced walker would set themselves. When she faced Matt again, he was regarding her steadily.

‘Okay. I agree, we go west.’

Matt shouldered the heavier of the two bags, and added two bottles of water to its weight. He set off at a fast walk, and Hannah wondered if she should remind him that they needed to pace themselves. He probably was pacing himself. She watched his back, gritting her teeth. It was a matter of pride that she could keep up.

But after a mile her head started to swim, and the muscles in her legs and shoulders were screaming. She stopped, letting her bag fall to the ground. Matt turned.

‘Perhaps we should have some water...’ Just a few minutes’ rest, and she’d be ready to go again. He nodded, handing her one of the water bottles.

He was waiting for her. Matt made a show of consulting the map, but they both knew exactly which way they were going as the woodland at the top of the hill stood starkly on the horizon. One minute. Just one minute and she’d be ready to pick up the bag and go again.

‘Drink a little more.’ He picked up the half-empty water bottle that she’d put down on the grass, handing it to her. Then he caught the strap of her bag, shouldering it with his.

‘No... Matt, I’ll be okay...’

‘We have to get there together. If I get tired, you can take the bag back.’

His tone was quiet. Gentle, even. Not like the shouted exhortations to keep going that she’d trained with.

‘Don’t give me permission to give up...’

He grinned suddenly. ‘You don’t have my permission to do anything other than keep walking. I’m going to need you when we get there, so let’s go.’ He turned, obviously slowed by the extra weight but still able to keep going.

It was a lot easier without the bag. Hannah caught up with him, walking beside him.

‘You don’t believe in a little encouragement?’

‘What, you mean bullying you until you pick the bag up again and start walking? No, I don’t believe in that.’ He was suddenly tight-lipped.

‘Sometimes a bit of a push is what’s needed.’

He nodded. ‘Yeah. But don’t ask me to do it.’

Matt wasn’t wasting any words, and it wasn’t just the extra weight he was carrying. This was a line that he didn’t cross. His relaxed attitude to everything wasn’t a matter of laissez faire. It was more like a decision about how he was going to interact with the world.

‘I get it. If I need any shouting to get me back on my feet, I’ll do it myself.’

‘I’d appreciate that.’ He gave her one of his sudden smiles. Those deep blue eyes were enough to drag anyone to their feet, heart pumping faster and legs suddenly strong.

‘I’ll take my bag back in a little while.’

He nodded. ‘All right. I can’t make it all the way like this.’

He had his strengths, just as she did. And finding them, using them, was a challenge that was both daunting and delicious.

Matt knew what Hannah had been asking of him. He knew that getting her to her feet wouldn’t be a matter of real aggression, and more one of channelling her thoughts and reactions towards one clear aim. But he still couldn’t do it.

It had been more than twenty-five years since he’d cowered before his father’s wrath. Everything he’d done and said had been calculated to please, because when his father had got angry it had been over the smallest things. This wasn’t the same, and pressuring Hannah back to her feet wouldn’t have been the same kind of aggression that his father had dispensed so freely, but he still couldn’t bring himself to do it. It wasn’t who he was. What he’d made himself be.

When she took her bag back, he caught the scent of her sweat. Not stale or pungent, but an exciting sweetness, which spoke to his body on a level that he’d learned to ignore. He should ignore her touch, too. Something about the way that she snatched her hand away from his when he gave her the bag told Matt that she felt something too, and he couldn’t help but smile.

‘We split up?’ They’d reached the edge of the woodland, and Hannah took the map from him, spreading it out on the ground. The trees formed a wide band that stretched out ahead of them.

‘I think so. I’ll walk along the ridge, there, and you take the path.’ Matt chose the more uneven, sloping terrain. Physical effort might take his mind off her auburn hair, glinting in the sunlight, and the way that her sweat-dampened T-shirt didn’t hide her curves as well as it had.

‘Giving me the easier route again?’ For a moment her expression told him that she might well argue with that.

‘Don’t worry. I reckon there are enough challenges ahead of us to go round.’

Hannah grinned suddenly. ‘Probably. Thanks, I could do without climbing to the top of that ridge.’

They walked more slowly now, keeping each other within sight and scanning carefully for any signs of the man they were looking for. Matt caught a glimpse of blue, between the trees on the other side of the ridge, but when he scrambled down towards it, he saw that it was an abandoned plastic carrier bag, fluttering in the breeze.

‘Anything...?’ He heard Hannah’s voice, calling to him.

‘No. Nothing.’ Matt shouted back, and she started walking again. As the woodland area started to narrow, the ridge wound down to meet the path.

‘Where is he? Suppose we’re wrong, Matt.’ She seemed suddenly exhausted from the effort it had taken to get here.

‘Suppose we’re right?’

Hannah nodded, straightening suddenly. ‘We’ll walk through to the end of these trees, and then double back for a second look, shall we? When we’re sure he’s not here, we can think again.’

They walked for another ten minutes and then he saw it. Deep amongst the trees, in a patch of bright sunshine, the body of a man propped up against a tree stump. They forced their way through the undergrowth and Matt felt a bramble tear at his arm, catching at the supple branch before it hit Hannah straight in the face. She ducked ahead of him, jogging towards the man and falling to her knees beside him.

Matt wasn’t sure what to expect right now. Surely they weren’t supposed to carry out resuscitation procedures on what was presumably a perfectly healthy volunteer? Then the man opened his eyes, grinning up at Hannah.

‘Hi, there. You made it, then.’ He jerked his thumb behind him. ‘Go over there.’

Hannah didn’t move. ‘Are you all right?’

The man snorted with laughter. ‘Yes, of course I am. We try to make everything as authentic as possible, but I draw the line at having a real heart attack.’

She frowned suddenly. ‘Have you got some water?’

Matt felt for the water bottle in his bag. They’d both been caught up in the illusion, but Hannah had stepped out of it for a moment and seen a real issue. The man had been sitting in full sunlight, and it was a hot day. His face was already a little red.

‘Actually, I could do with some. Looks as if I’ll be here for a while.’ He took the bottle from Matt. ‘Thanks. Now go on, will you? Five minutes in that direction.’

Hannah got to her feet, staring ahead of them. She turned questioningly to Matt and he shrugged. He couldn’t see anything either.

They walked downhill through the brush, and he saw something amongst the trees. The shape of an expertly camouflaged tent. They approached it, and Matt ducked around the tent flap, seeing a busy crew and four tables, each bearing one of the team colours. He turned to Hannah, holding the flap aside for her.

‘Great.’ A young woman approached them, beaming. ‘Go over to your table...’

‘In a minute.’ Hannah’s grim determination to get the job in hand completed seemed to have deserted her. ‘I’d like to speak to whoever’s in charge.’

‘You’re still being timed.’ The young woman frowned.

‘Then I’d like to speak to them straight away, please.’ She shot an apologetic look at Matt and he nodded. He knew now what was on her mind, and he wasn’t about to tell her to forget it and hurry her over to the table.

A man responded to the woman’s beckoning hand, and hurried over. ‘Is there a problem?’

‘Yes, there is. The man lying out there is in direct sunlight, and he’s got no water, we gave him some of ours. He’s already looking a little red in the face, and I’m hoping he doesn’t get sunstroke.’

Matt grinned. Go, Flash.

‘Um...’ The man scratched his head. ‘Did he say he felt ill?’

‘No. But prevention’s always better than cure, and I was sure you’d want to know.’ Hannah shrugged. ‘Health and safety, and all that...’

She was being nice about it, but there was a hint of firmness beneath her smile. Matt never had to explain what he wanted, he just made a decision and everyone went with it. Hannah must face this kind of situation every day, and she was clearly practised at getting her own way with the minimum of confrontation and fuss.

‘Yes, of course. Thanks for letting me know, I’ll get straight on it. If we sit him in the shade a little closer to the path, and make sure he has plenty of water, would that be okay with you?’

‘That’s fabulous. Thanks.’ Hannah flashed him a smile, and turned to make her way across to the red table.

‘That’s very sportsmanlike of you.’ Matt shot her a smile, so that Hannah would be in no doubt that he approved. ‘The other teams will be able to see him more easily if he’s closer to the path.’

She shot him a querulous look. ‘You think I should have done anything different?’

‘No. I’m just pleased to see that I have a teammate who won’t stop at nothing to win.’

Hannah flushed a little, then leaned towards him. ‘You just wait and see what I’ll do if you don’t get over to that table. Right now.’

That was almost an incentive to stay put. Hannah could do anything she wanted with him, the more up close and personal the better. The sentiment must have shown on his face, because she raised her eyebrows.

‘Since you asked so nicely...’ Matt turned and walked over to the table.

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