One stolen kiss...

...and they’re both in deep water!

Sensible Annalise has always played it safe, but when she accepts a job as nurse aboard a cruise ship, her guard is instantly disarmed by the ship’s playboy doctor! She’s never felt so alive and liberated, but Hugh Patterson has no interest in putting down roots. Their fling may be temporary, but is falling for Hugh a complication she’s ready to embrace?

ALISON ROBERTS is a New Zealander, currently lucky enough to be living in the South of France. She is also lucky enough to write for the Mills & Boon Medical Romance line. A primary school teacher in a former life, she is now a qualified paramedic. She loves to travel and dance, drink champagne, and spend time with her daughter and her friends.

Also by Alison Roberts

Melting Her Trauma Doc’s Heart

Single Dad in Her Stocking

Rescue Docs miniseries

Resisting Her Rescue Doc

Pregnant with Her Best Friend’s Baby

Dr Right for the Single Mum

Medics, Sisters, Brides miniseries

Awakening the Shy Nurse

Saved by Their Miracle Baby

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Awakening the Shy Nurse

Alison Roberts

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90230-8

AWAKENING THE SHY NURSE

© 2020 Alison Roberts

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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Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

PROLOGUE

‘WHAT’S THAT?’

‘Nothing.’ Annalise Phillips tried to fold the sheet of paper and stuff it back in the envelope at the same time. Her nonchalance didn’t quite work and her younger sister Abby narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

‘That’s envelope’s got a window. It’s a bill, isn’t it?’

‘It’s nothing to worry about. I’ve got everything under control.’ Lisa watched as Abby manoeuvred her wheelchair to the other side of the kitchen table. She’d always been able to convince Abby that she could manage and that had turned out to be an accurate prediction for so many years that it had become an automatic and genuine reassurance. So why was Lisa aware of a nasty edge of panic approaching this time?

‘Look...’ It was good that there was a distraction on hand. ‘There’s a letter here for you as well. No window.’

‘Really?’ Abby transferred her laptop from her knees to the table and reached for the letter. ‘Oh...maybe it’s confirmation of my date to sit my driver’s licence.’ She grinned at Lisa. ‘I still can’t believe you managed to find that funding for my modified car. It’s the most exciting thing ever...’

It felt good to be able to smile and tap into the glow of having achieved something that had been such a long time coming. Abby didn’t need to know that Lisa hadn’t exactly found funding from a charitable community support organisation and she had, instead, taken out a huge loan against the house to pay for the modifications the car had needed to accommodate a paraplegic driver. Or that the first repayment of the loan was now due at such an unfortunate time when she was between jobs, having been forced to resign from her nursing home position due to a merger that would have meant she had to move to another city.

‘Oh...oh, you’re not going to believe this...’ Abby sounded as though her new car had just been demoted from being the most exciting ever. She handed her letter to Lisa. ‘There’s a room available at the uni hostel. Ground floor, with an en suite bathroom—one of the ones that are only available to disabled students. And get this... it’s an unexpected vacancy because a student has pulled out of her course so I can move in next week!’

‘Next week?’ Lisa took the sheet of paper but she couldn’t focus on the words. ‘But...but...’ She had to swallow hard. She wasn’t ready for this after all.

Abby was waiting for her to look up. ‘You knew this was coming, Lise,’ she reminded her gently. ‘I’ve had my name down for one of those rooms in that hostel ever since I started uni and that’s years ago.’

‘I know.’ Lisa tried to find that smile that seemed a million miles away now. ‘And it’s wonderful. You’re going to be completely independent and I’m so proud of you and...and...would you like a cup of tea?’ Lisa got to her feet quickly to escape her sister’s watchful gaze. ‘Wait, no...we should be having a drink to celebrate, shouldn’t we? Have we got any wine?’

‘We never got round to opening that fizz when you found out about your new job. You said that seeing as you weren’t starting for more than a month, we might as well keep it on ice, but maybe now is the perfect time.’

‘Mmm... I think it is.’ Lisa busied herself finding the bottle in the back of the fridge, getting glasses down from the high cupboard and then opening the sparkling wine. It certainly seemed like a good idea. Abby wouldn’t know that she might be drowning her sorrows instead of celebrating, would she? Or panicking because she needed to find enough money to pay a rather large bill in the very near future?

But, of course, her sister knew her better than that. How could she not, when Lisa had been pretty much her principal carer for as long as she could remember? Her only family since their grandmother had died nearly ten years ago now.

‘What’s really up, Lise?’ she asked quietly.

What could Lisa say? That she was beginning to wonder if she’d made a big mistake applying for that desk job as a junior manager in another nursing home just because it had regular hours and was close to home and would make life a lot simpler? That living alone in this little house they had inherited from Gran suddenly seemed like the loneliest prospect ever and it would give her far too much time to worry about how Abby was coping. Worse, it would be more time to revisit the guilt that it was her fault in the first place that her sister was having to cope with so many more challenges in life?

No. She couldn’t go there. They’d agreed long ago that it was so far in the past it was a no-go subject. That you could destroy your future if you didn’t leave your past behind...

But she couldn’t be dishonest either. ‘I’m going to miss you,’ she told Abby.

‘I’ll only be on the other side of town. I’ll drive you crazy with how often I visit.’

‘And I’m only a phone call away.’ Lisa nodded, taking another sip of her wine. ‘If...you know...’

‘If I fall out of my chair, you mean?’ Abby laughed. ‘I can manage. It’s a long time since I’ve needed you hovering around like a helicopter parent.’

It was meant as a joke but Abby must have realised it stung a bit because she reached out to touch Lisa’s arm. ‘It’s not that I don’t appreciate everything you’ve done, you know that, don’t you?’

Lisa nodded. And took a longer sip of her wine.

‘You’ve been—and still are—the best sister ever but it’s time we both got to live our own lives. It’s the next step for me and then I’ll really be able to have a place of my own. Where I can bring my boyfriend home. Or you can bring yours, at least.’

Lisa’s jaw dropped. ‘You’ve got a boyfriend?’

‘No, silly.’ There was a beat of something very dark in the way Abby avoided her gaze. Avoided allowing a memory any hint of the light of day in the hope that it would stay buried for ever. It was another reason that Lisa felt the need to stay close to Abby to be able to protect her. If she hadn’t come home when she had that night, they both knew what would have happened because Abby had been unable to defend herself.

‘You’d be the first to know if I did.’ Abby’s tone was too bright. ‘I’ve been way too busy getting my Master’s in occupational therapy to want the hassle of a man in my life again. And now I’m well into my postgraduate course in hand therapy so I’m still too busy but, for heaven’s sake, Lise—you’re nearly thirty and you haven’t had a proper boyfriend yet and it feels like that’s at least partly because you think you have to keep looking after me.’

‘I have had boyfriends,’ Lisa protested. If Abby was determined to deal with her past trauma by burying it, then all she could do was support her. She made her own tone light and bright as well. ‘I’ve had lots of them. There was Michael. And Stephen. And...um...what was his name? Oh, yeah... Geoffrey. I guess he doesn’t really count...’

Abby was laughing again. ‘None of them count. They were all the most boring men on earth. Stephen wore socks and sandals and the most interesting thing he had to talk about was his worm farm. Michael was so skinny and tall and bald he looked like one of the test tubes in his laboratory and...oh, my God... I’d forgotten about Geoffrey. Wasn’t he the one whose mother turned up on your first date?’

The wine was definitely helping because Lisa was laughing now, too. ‘I think he’d booked a table for three all along.’

They’d seemed like such nice men, though. Safe...

‘You’re right,’ she had to admit. ‘I have a talent for picking boring men.’

‘Being bored is bad,’ Abby declared. ‘I think that’s your problem at the moment. You haven’t got enough to do until you start your next job. You should go on a holiday.’

Lisa’s breath escaped in a huff of laughter. As if. She’d never been on holiday in her life and she certainly wasn’t about to start now. Not when money was so tight it was scaring her.

‘What I should do is find a job for a few weeks.’

She didn’t realise that she had voiced the thought aloud until she saw the frown on Abby’s forehead.

‘Why? Oh...it’s because of my car, isn’t it? I knew it cost too much...’

‘No.’ Lisa shook her head. ‘It’s because I need something to do so I don’t die of boredom. I’ll go crazy rattling around here by myself for weeks after you move into the hostel. I might end up on your doorstep every day.’

‘Can’t have that.’ Abby feigned horror. ‘Fill up those glasses again.’ She opened her laptop and started tapping keys. ‘I’m going to see what’s on offer for a super-talented nurse who only wants a few weeks of work. Hmm...we need a high-end medical locum agency, don’t we?’

By the time Lisa had their glasses brimming again, Abby was looking triumphant.

‘I’ve found the perfect thing. Tailor-made. It’s work but it’s a holiday at the same time. And it’s legit. This agency—London Locums—is obviously highly rated.’

‘What is it?’

‘A cruise. More specifically, a Mediterranean cruise. Oh...’ Abby’s sigh was heartfelt. ‘It starts in Spain and then goes to places in the south of France and Italy and some Greek islands before finishing up back in Spain again. How romantic is that...?’

The countries and islands were fantasy destinations. A cruise ship even more of a fantasy but not one that Lisa had ever considered desirable.

‘I couldn’t do that. Cruise ships are full of self-indulgent people who have too much money and just want to float around having a good time, eating and drinking far too much. It would be disgusting.’

It certainly went against the values Lisa Phillips had embraced since she’d been no more than a child.

‘There’s nothing wrong with having a good time occasionally.’ Abby was watching her sister again. ‘It might be fun. They need a nurse in this ship’s well-equipped infirmary, just for a two-week cruise, to fill in a gap in a team of two doctors and three nurses. You’ll get time off to go on shore at some ports of call and accommodation and all meals are provided. And they’ll pay top rates for the right person. Why don’t you give this woman a call tomorrow? Julia, her name is...’

Lisa’s attention had certainly been caught. Not so much by the idea of shore excursions in foreign parts or shipboard accommodation or even the novelty of working in a completely different kind of environment. There was, however, something that made this feel like it might be meant to be—probably the words “top rates”.

‘Show me...’ She leaned closer as Abby turned her computer so she could see the screen. ‘Oh, wow...they’re paying that much? And it doesn’t start until after next week so I’d be here to help you move.’

Lisa pulled in a deep breath. ‘I think you’re right. It is perfect...’

CHAPTER ONE

WEARING JEANS HAD been a bad idea.

It was much hotter than Lisa had expected in Barcelona and, by the time she climbed out of the taxi after her trip from the airport to the port, it felt like the denim was actually sticking to the back of her legs. Even her short-sleeved white shirt felt too warm, despite her having removed her light cardigan. She could only hope that the uniform Julia from London Locums had told her would be supplied for her temporary job as a ship’s nurse was better suited to a late summer Mediterranean climate.

The friendly taxi driver opened the boot of the car to retrieve her small, bright red suitcase. ‘Here you go, señorita.’

‘Thank you so much.’ Lisa dug in her bag to find her wallet. ‘I don’t suppose you know which of the ships here belongs to the Aquamarine cruise line?’

Her driver shrugged. ‘It’s no problem. See that big round building over there?’

Lisa looked over her shoulder and nodded.

‘That’s the World Trade Centre. Your ship will be one of the ones berthed around it.’

Lisa could see the massive ships docked around the building. They looked like floating cities and one of them was going to be her home for the next couple of weeks. Maybe those butterflies in her stomach weren’t solely due to the nervousness that came from starting any new job. Maybe they were due to something she didn’t have that much experience of...like excitement? She could feel a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she turned back to pay her driver but for a split second her gaze snagged on what was happening over his shoulder.

Another taxi had pulled up. The rear door was open and a man had stepped out. A tall, lean, ridiculously good-looking man... He was wearing light, casual clothing and looked as though he’d just spent a very relaxing day of sightseeing and highlighting those streaks of sun-kissed blond in his hair. To add to the impression of sheer pleasure, she saw the long, long legs of his companion emerging from the back seat of the car. Slim, elegant arms went straight around the man’s neck as the woman got to her feet and he leaned in to kiss her with a leisurely grace that suggested it was by no means a first kiss and more like a continuation of a sexy, afternoon romp.

‘Um... Here you are. Is that enough for a tip?’ Embarrassed, Lisa was fumbling with the notes and coins. The embarrassment wasn’t just because she didn’t know about tipping practices in Spain. It was more to do with what was going on just a few feet away from her. That kiss... It was still going on. And on. For heaven’s sake, it was broad daylight. Those two needed to get a room. Again...?

‘Enjoy your time before you set sail,’ her driver instructed. ‘You can walk to Las Ramblas from here in less than fifteen minutes. If you have time, take a tour on the bus. This is the most beautiful city in the world.’

Lisa nodded her thanks for the advice but she knew she wouldn’t be exploring Barcelona today. Arrangements for her urgent passport hadn’t been finalised in time for her to join the cruise along with all the new passengers in Malaga a couple of days ago so it felt like she was playing catch-up already. She was due on board her new place of employment at four p.m. and that was...she glanced at her watch...less than twenty minutes from now, which didn’t give her that much time to identify the correct ship to board. Being late was the height of rudeness as far as Lisa Phillips was concerned.

As her taxi pulled away she noticed that that kiss was finally over and the leggy blonde was—reluctantly—getting back into her taxi. As Lisa pulled the long handle out of her suitcase the man lifted his hand in a farewell wave and then turned, his gaze locking onto Lisa’s a heartbeat later. He had to know that she’d seen what he’d just been doing but he didn’t seem remotely bothered. If anything, that quirk of his eyebrow seemed like nothing more than a flirtatious invitation. Perhaps she might like to find out how good at kissing he was?

Lisa could feel colour flooding her cheeks as she snapped the handle of her suitcase into place and then tipped it so she could start dragging it behind her. She’d already had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t just the sightseeing and unlimited food and drink people took cruises for and that had just been confirmed. Some people clearly found a cruise an opportunity for unlimited sexual adventures as well. A “what happens on board stays on board” kind of thing.

‘Can I be of some assistance?’

Oh...dear Lord... The man’s voice was just as gorgeous as the rest of him. Deep and sexy and with a hint of laughter that went with his whole, laidback look. It had to be the overly warm air she was dragging into her lungs that was adding to the heat Lisa could feel in her cheeks. And in the pit of her stomach, come to that. A rebellious corner of her brain was melting in that heat as well. Otherwise, why would it come up with the absurd idea that maybe she would rather like to find out how good this man was at kissing?

‘No,’ she said firmly, without looking up, so he wouldn’t notice her fiery cheeks. ‘Thank you, but I’m fine. It’s not heavy and I’m perfectly capable of managing by myself.’

‘No problem.’ That hint of laughter was more pronounced now. ‘Enjoy your cruise.’

A group of women, in flowing maxi dresses and floppy sunhats were coming towards them. Amidst the giggles, a call came that sounded more like a command.

‘Hugh... You must see these photos we took at the beach today. Wait until you see Scout’s new bikini.’

He’d already slowed his pace so it took only seconds for Lisa to leave him behind with the young women. Fellow passengers from the same ship, she decided. Hopefully not hers. She quickened her own pace, heading towards the first ship that was towering over her more and more as she got closer. There was a covered gangway sloping up to a door on the side of the hull and a desk shaded by a canopy at the bottom, staffed by uniformed people who might well be able to help her. If this wasn’t her ship, they could no doubt point her in the right direction.

Well, well, well... So there were still women in the world who blushed?

Hugh Patterson was intrigued, he had to admit, as he strolled along the marina, having finally extricated himself from the group of overexcited young women that he really didn’t have the energy for after a long lunch with his Spanish friend, Carlotta. Well acquainted with the tourist circuit of the Mediterranean for a couple of years now, Hugh had friends in many of the popular cruise ship destinations.

It wasn’t just sailors that had a girl in every port these days, he mused. Ships’ doctors could be just as privileged and if you were that way inclined, it was the easiest sex life ever because anybody involved knew that it was never going to be anything serious. It was just intermittent fun. Living life for the moment and enjoying every minute of it.

That young woman he’d made blush at the taxi rank had looked as if she needed to learn to let herself enjoy the moment. Fancy being so uptight you wouldn’t even let someone help with your suitcase? Or even make eye contact with them when they offered? Maybe it was actually irritating rather than intriguing? Being dismissed like that was not something he was used to.

‘Hi, Hugh. Had a good day?’

One of the team welcoming people back on board the ship after their shore excursions saw him heading for the gangway.

‘Fabulous, thanks, Simon. I love Barcelona. I had a picnic with a friend in Parc Guell.’

‘Oh...lucky you, not having to work today. I don’t get a day off on shore until Santorini this time. Or it might be Mykonos. One of the Greek islands, anyway.’

‘I know... I’m lucky. We only need one doctor on board at all times when we’re in port so, with two of us, we can take turns.’

He did feel lucky. What other doctors got to do their work in what could seem like an endless holiday but still got to practise enough real medicine that it didn’t get boring and it was also possible to keep one’s skills honed? Okay, he’d probably want to settle down sometime in the future but not yet. Maybe never, in fact. He’d almost done that once and look what a disaster that had turned out to be.

‘I’m about to go and take over from Peter now, though,’ he added, heading towards the gangway. ‘That way he can at least get out and stretch his legs on land.’

Hugh took the stairs rather than the elevator to get to the lobby atrium of the ship, which was one of the most impressive areas on board with its marble floors, glittering chandeliers, huge potted palm trees, and the grand piano that was always providing some background music for the crowds taking advantage of the boutique shops and bars that circled the lobby on several levels.

Except old Harry wasn’t playing his usual repertoire of popular classics. He wasn’t playing anything at all but standing beside his piano stool, looking down at a knot of people at the base of one of several staircases that curved gracefully between the atrium levels.

What was going on? Hugh’s pace increased as he got close enough to see that someone was on the floor in the middle of the group. An elderly woman, who, despite what had to be well over thirty-degree heat today, was wearing quite thick stockings. One of her shoes had come off and was lying beside someone that was crouched at the woman’s head.

‘Let me through, please,’ he said calmly. ‘I’m a doctor. What’s happened here?’

The crouching person looked up and Hugh was momentarily startled to see that it was the blushing girl from the taxi rank. Right now, however, she was supporting an elderly woman’s head in a manner that suggested she knew what she was doing to protect and assess a potential cervical spine injury.

‘She fell,’ he was told. ‘From about halfway down these stairs. Her neck seems to be okay, though.’

‘Did you see it happen?’

‘Yes... I was almost beside her going up the stairs.’

‘Please...’ the victim of the fall raised her hands. ‘Just help me up. I’m fine... I really don’t want to cause such a fuss.’

‘We need to make sure you’re okay first,’ Hugh told her. ‘My name’s Hugh and I’m a doctor and this is...’ He raised his eyebrows at the young woman who had, he couldn’t help noticing, rather extraordinary eyes—a golden hazel shade but the edge of the iris had a dark rim around it, as if nature had been determined to accentuate the design.

‘Lisa,’ she supplied. ‘My name’s Lisa and I’m a nurse.’

No wonder she was giving the impression of competence, Hugh thought, as he focused on his patient. ‘What’s your name, love?’ he asked.

‘Mabel...’

‘Is anything hurting, Mabel?’

‘I... I’m not sure... I don’t think so, dear.’

‘Can you take a deep breath? Does that hurt?’

‘No...’

‘Is someone with you?’

‘Frank...my husband...he’s coming shoon. We need to shee about our...our...’

Hugh frowned. Mabel might look to be well into her eighties but that didn’t mean she might not have been having a drink or two this afternoon. But slurred speech could very well be an indication of something more serious as well—like hypoglycaemia from a diabetic emergency or a head injury, which was not unlikely given the hard marble flooring beneath her.

‘Was she knocked out?’ he asked Lisa.

She shook her head. ‘I don’t think so but, if she was, it would have only been for a moment because I was beside her by the time she got to the bottom of the stairs. I tried to catch her but I was just a split second too slow, unfortunately.’

This Lisa might be small but Hugh could imagine her leaping into action to try and help someone. She was still clearly determined to help.

‘She didn’t just fall,’ Lisa added. ‘She looked dizzy. She was already holding the railing but she let go and...’ Lisa was watching the elderly woman carefully. ‘Mabel? Do you remember that?’

‘No...pleashe...let me up...’

Hugh was holding Mabel’s wrist, finding her pulse rapid but very pronounced, so her blood pressure couldn’t be low enough to explain any dizziness.

‘Move back, folks.’ Old Harry, the pianist, had come down from the stage and was trying to move people further away. ‘Let’s give them some space.’ He caught Hugh’s gaze. ‘I’ll go to the infirmary, shall I? And get some help?’

Hugh nodded. ‘Yes, thank you.’

Mabel pulled away from his hand and moved as if she was making an effort to sit up.

‘Don’t move, Mabel,’ Lisa said. ‘Let us look after you for a minute, okay?’

But Mabel tried to roll and then cried out with pain.

‘What’s hurting?’ Hugh asked.

‘Look...’ Lisa tilted her head to indicate what she had noticed. ‘That looks like some rotation and shortening of her left leg, don’t you think? A NOF?’

Fracturing a neck of femur was a definite possibility given the mechanism of injury and they were often not that painful until the patient tried to move, but Hugh was impressed that Lisa had picked up on it with no more than a glance.

‘Try and keep still, Mabel.’ Lisa leaned down so that Mabel could hear her reassurance. ‘It’s okay...we’re going to take care of you...’

The warmth and confidence in her voice was as distinctive as her eye colouring. She sounded absolutely genuine—as if she was well used to taking care of people and doing it extremely well. If Hugh were unwell or injured, he would certainly feel better hearing that voice. Mabel was trying to respond but seemed to be having trouble getting any words out and that was when Hugh noticed the droop that was now obvious on one side of her face. Lisa’s observations that it had appeared to be a medical event that had caused the fall rather than a simple trip and the other symptoms like the slurred speech now were coming together to make it urgent to get this patient into hospital.

It was a relief to see the other ship’s doctor, his colleague Peter, coming into the lobby, with the emergency kit in his arms. One of their nurses was following and she carried a pillow and a blanket under one arm and an oxygen cylinder under the other. Hugh had another flash of relief that they were currently docked in the port of a major city. They might be very well equipped to deal with emergencies on board but someone who was potentially having a stroke and had fractured their hip in a fall would have needed evacuation to a land hospital as quickly as possible. At least they wouldn’t need to call in a helicopter this time.

‘We need an ambulance,’ he told Peter. ‘Not just for the NOF. We’ve got signs that the fall might be the result of a CVA.’

‘We’ll get them on the way.’ the older doctor nodded.

‘Mabs?’ An elderly man was pushing his way through the concerned spectators. ‘Oh, no...what’s happened?’

He crouched down beside Lisa, who moved to let him get closer to his wife. Hugh turned to reach into the emergency kit as Peter opened it. They needed to get some oxygen on for their patient, check her blood glucose level, get an IV line in and some pain medication on board and to splint her hip. They needed to talk to Mabel’s husband, too, and find out about her past medical history and what kind of medications she might be taking. It was only when he looked back to start talking to Frank that he realised that Lisa had disappeared. Did she think she might be in the way now that the rest of the ship’s medical staff were on scene?

It was a shame she’d gone, anyway. He would have liked to have thanked her. And to tell her how helpful she had been.

Lisa should probably have introduced herself to the ship’s doctor and the nurse who’d come in with him and she should have offered to keep helping, but after she’d moved to let Mabel’s husband get close enough to comfort his wife, the nurse had moved in front of her and it just hadn’t been the right time to say anything that might interrupt the focus on their patient so Lisa had let herself slip into the background to let them do their work. She would have expected that good-looking passenger who also happened to be a doctor to stand back and let the people in uniform take over but it almost looked as if he was still in charge of the scene.

Moving further back brought Lisa to the bottom of the staircase and she took a few steps and then paused to watch what was happening. She might be doing this herself very soon, dressed in pale green scrubs with a stethoscope hanging round her neck like the nurse who was currently taking Mabel’s blood pressure. The doctor, in a crisp, white uniform with epaulettes on the shoulders of his shirt, was attaching electrodes to monitor Mabel’s heart and the extra doctor... Hugh...was sorting something from what looked like a well-stocked kit. IV supplies, perhaps?

She could only see Hugh’s profile but she’d been much closer to him only a minute or two ago and she’d been aware from the instant he’d appeared that this was a very different man from the one who might have been flirting with her near the taxi rank earlier.

It wasn’t that he was any less good looking, of course. Or even that that relaxed grace that came from an easy enjoyment of his life had vanished. It was more that there was a focus that made it obvious this man was intelligent and he knew what he was doing. Lisa could respect that. She could forgive him for being some kind of playboy, in fact. After all, doctors were just like any other professional people and there were no laws that prevented them going on holiday and letting their hair down occasionally, were there?

Onlookers were being asked to leave the area and make space as a team of paramedics arrived with a stretcher. Lisa found herself in a flow of people that took her to the next level of the atrium but she knew she needed to find an elevator or internal stairway. Not that there was any point in finding the ship’s medical centre to introduce herself when she knew the staff were busy here for the moment, but her suitcase would have been delivered to her cabin by now so it would be a good time to find out where that was and freshen up before she went to meet her new colleagues.

She did know she had to go down rather than up. Crew members didn’t get cabins with balconies. They were possibly right in the middle of the ship and might not even have any portholes. Lisa had to hope that she wasn’t prone to seasickness. Either that, or that the Mediterranean was a very calm sea.

An hour or so later, Lisa was heading for the middle of Deck Two, where a helpful steward had told her the medical centre and infirmary were located. She had showered, swapped her jeans for a more formal skirt and brushed her short waves of auburn hair into a semblance of order. A large red cross painted on a steel door told her that she had found her destination and a sign below that gave the hours the medical facility was open and phone numbers for the nurse on duty for out of hours. So, it was a nurse rather than a doctor that made the first response to any calls?

Lisa’s heart skipped a beat as she went into an empty waiting room. She was going to be one of those nurses for the next two weeks, with possibly more responsibility than she’d ever had before if she was going to be the first responder to something major like a cardiac arrest or severe trauma. This time she knew that that internal flutter was definitely excitement. She was stepping well out of her comfort zone here, and...well...she couldn’t wait...

‘Hello?’

The desk at one side of the waiting room was empty. Lisa peered around a corner and walked a short distance down the corridor. There were consulting rooms, a room labelled as a laboratory where she could see benches covered with equipment that looked like specialised blood or specimen testing machines and a closed door that had a sign saying it was the pharmacy. An open door on the other side of the corridor showed Lisa what looked like a small operating theatre. Surprised, she stepped into it. There was a theatre light above the narrow bed in the centre of the room, a portable X-ray machine, cardiac monitor and ventilator nearby and glass-fronted cupboards lining the walls that looked to be stocked with a huge amount of medical supplies.

A movement in her peripheral vision as she entered the narrow corridor again made Lisa turn, to see the back view of the white pants and shirt of the ship’s doctor’s uniform as he stood at the desk in the waiting room.

‘Hello...’ she said again, walking towards him. ‘I was starting to wonder if I was all alone here.’

The doctor turned and Lisa could actually feel her jaw dropping. If she’d thought this man was good looking when she’d seen him kissing his girlfriend, it was nothing to how attractive he looked in uniform. Especially this uniform, with the snowy, white fabric accentuating his tanned skin and making those brown eyes look remarkably like melted chocolate. He also looked as startled as Lisa was feeling. They both spoke at precisely the same time.

‘What are you doing here?’ Lisa’s voice was embarrassingly squeaky.

‘It’s you...’ His tone was more than welcoming. It was almost delighted.

They both stopped speaking then and simply stared at each other. Lisa was confused. Why was Hugh wearing the same uniform as the ship’s doctor? And, now that they were nowhere near someone who needed medical attention, why was it that the first thought that came into her head as she looked at him was the image of him kissing that woman so very thoroughly? To her dismay she could feel heat creeping into her cheeks.

It was Hugh who finally broke the awkward moment, his mouth curving into a lazy smile. ‘You’re blushing.’ He sounded amused. ‘Again...’

Oh, help... So, avoiding eye contact with him out on the pier hadn’t been enough to disguise her beetroot-coloured cheeks, then. Lisa closed her eyes as she sighed. ‘I’m a redhead. It kind of goes with the territory.’ She opened her eyes again, frowning. ‘I thought you were a passenger.’

‘But you knew I was a doctor. We’ve just been working together.’

‘Yes, but... I thought you were a doctor who was on holiday.’ Good grief...the look she was getting suggested that it was Hugh who was confused now. He probably thought that she was an idiot. ‘I’m Lisa,’ she added. ‘Lisa Phillips. I’m a—’

‘Nurse,’ Hugh put in helpfully. ‘Yes, I remember. A good one, too, I think. Thank you for your help earlier. With Mabel.’

‘It was a pleasure.’ The compliment about her abilities was making her feel far more proud of herself than it merited. ‘Do you know how she is?’

‘I believe she’s doing well. She’s scheduled for hip surgery later this evening but the better news was that her neurological symptoms had virtually resolved by the time she reached the hospital.’

‘So it was a TIA rather than a stroke?’ A transient ischaemic attack could present with the same symptoms of a stroke but they were temporary. A warning signal rather than a critical event.

‘So it would seem.’ The quirk of Hugh’s eyebrow told her that he was impressed by her medical assessment but then his smile reappeared. ‘Now...what it is that I can help you with, Lisa Phillips? I hope you’re not unwell...or injured...’

Along with a very genuine concern in his voice, there was a gleam in those brown eyes that made Lisa remember that kiss all over again. Or rather the moment he’d caught her gaze after the kiss and they’d both acknowledged what she’d seen. There was also an acknowledgement of something on a different level—one of mutual attraction, perhaps? Oh...help... Lisa looked away. Any attempt to return the man’s smile evaporated instantly. She’d never expected to see him again and things were about to get even more unsettling.

‘I’m a nurse,’ she explained.

‘Yes, I know. A nurse on holiday.’

‘No... I’m here to work. Through London Locums. I believe I’m replacing someone called Amanda who needed time to support her mother who’s having surgery?’

There was another moment of startled silence. ‘You’re our locum? Why didn’t you say something?’

‘Why would I? I thought you were a passenger.’

‘But you didn’t say anything when Peter turned up.’

‘Peter?’

‘Our other doctor. And Janet was there—one of our nurses.’

‘Well...it didn’t seem quite the right moment to be introducing myself.’

‘I guess not. Let’s do that properly now, shall we?’ Hugh was holding out his hand. ‘I’m Hugh Patterson. Pleased to meet you, Lisa. I look forward to working with you for the next couple of weeks. And it will be me you’re working with mostly because you’re filling a gap on my Blue Watch.’

‘Oh?’

Lisa had taken his hand automatically but, instead of shaking hers, he simply held it for a moment and then gave it a slow squeeze, and that did it. Like a switch being flicked on, an electrical jolt shot from Lisa’s hand and raced up her arm—an extraordinary tingle she had never felt before in her life. It was enough to make her pull her hand free with the kind of instinctive reflex she might have had to touching something that was hot enough to burn her badly.

How weird was that?

And this Hugh Patterson was looking forward to working with her?

‘Yes,’ he said, as if confirming her silent query. ‘I’m Blue Watch. Peter’s Green Watch. It just means that we’ll be working together. Probably having the same days off as well and you should be able to get some shore excursions if there’s space. Do you have a favourite place to visit around the Mediterranean?’

‘This is the first time I’ve been out of England,’ Lisa confessed.

‘Really?’ Hugh sounded astonished. ‘You don’t like travelling?’

‘I’ve...um...never really had the opportunity, that’s all.’ Lisa wasn’t about to tell him the reasons why. He didn’t need to know about her family responsibilities and he certainly wouldn’t be interested in hearing about financial hardship. This Hugh Patterson looked like one of life’s golden people who never had to worry about anything much. Someone from a completely different planet from her own, which made her wonder how well they might be able to work together. Perhaps he was thinking along the same lines now because the look she was receiving made her feel as if she was being seen as someone very unusual. Someone...interesting?

The prospect of her new working responsibilities pushing the limits of her professional comfort zones were nothing in comparison to how this man was pushing the boundaries of anything she considered personally safe when it came to men.

No wonder she’d snatched her hand back as if she was about to get burned.

Anyone who had anything to do with Hugh Patterson could be playing with fire. Lisa could feel herself releasing her deeper than usual breath carefully. It was nothing to worry about because she never played with anything dangerous. Never had. Never would. That there was even any temptation there was enough of a warning that she wasn’t about to ignore.

‘I’m looking forward to working here as well,’ she heard herself saying with commendable calmness. ‘And, if you’ve got a moment, I’d appreciate a bit of a tour, if you’ve got time, that is. I’d like to get up to speed as soon as possible—preferably before my first shift tomorrow morning.’

Lisa was edging back a little as she spoke. Even though she had broken the skin contact between them well over a minute ago, she could still feel that odd tingle it had provoked. It was almost as if she could still feel the warmth of his skin, filling the air between them, and when he spoke both his words and his tone made both those impressions even more noticeable.

‘No problem,’ he said. Those dark eyes were watching her so closely Lisa had the horrible feeling that he knew about that tingle. That he knew that she thought he was dangerous.

‘Come with me,’ he added, with that lazy smile that was already beginning to feel familiar—the one that suggested he was finding this all rather amusing and he intended to enjoy the entertainment as much as possible. ‘I’m all yours, Nurse Phillips.’

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