Dear Reader

There’s something really special about college days, with young people so full of energy and sparkle, living life to the full. Everything takes on the brightest colours. Their lives are filled with music, deep, lasting friendships and the sheer joy of being alive and trying new things.

So when the four young people in my book get together to share a house things are bound to fizz. It isn’t long before Jade and Ben find themselves drawn to one another … Things are definitely beginning to warm up but, as always, there are pitfalls along the way. Jade is cautious about getting involved—and anyway, what with all her studies, and working part-time at the café-bar in London, whenever would she find the time for a relationship?

And what of the other two people in the house? Well, Lucy and Matt are certainly a mismatched couple … Jade and Ben are well used to observing their frequent spats. But when they have to work together as well as live together, sooner or later things are bound to change.

I loved finding out how these young people interacted with one another. I hope you do too.

With love

Joanna

About the Author

When JOANNA NEIL discovered Mills & Boon, her lifelong addiction to reading crystallised into an exciting new career writing Mills & Boon® Medical™ Romance. Her characters are probably the outcome of her varied lifestyle, which includes working as a clerk, typist, nurse and infant teacher. She enjoys dressmaking and cooking at her Leicestershire home. Her family includes a husband, son and daughter, an exuberant yellow Labrador and two slightly crazed cockatiels. She currently works with a team of tutors at her local education centre, to provide creative writing workshops for people interested in exploring their own writing ambitions.

Recent titles by Joanna Neil:

DR LANGLEY: PROTECTOR OR PLAYBOY?

A COTSWOLD CHRISTMAS BRIDE

THE TAMING OF DR ALEX DRAYCOTT

BECOMING DR BELLINI’S BRIDE

PLAYBOY UNDER THE MISTLETOE

Recent titles by Margaret Barker:

A FATHER FOR BABY ROSE

GREEK DOCTOR CLAIMS HIS BRIDE

THE FATHERHOOD MIRACLE

These books are also available in eBook format from www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dr Right
All Along
Joanna Neil

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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CHAPTER ONE

‘YOU’RE cutting it a bit fine, aren’t you?’ Matt Berenger frowned as Lucy hurried into the kitchen. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be starting your new placement at the hospital at eight o’clock this morning? That gives you less than half an hour.’

‘Tell me about it!’ Lucy groaned. She dumped her holdall down on a chair and ran her fingers through her silky golden hair, as though the action would in some way help to clear her head. ‘I left my parents’ home at six this morning, thinking I’d have plenty of time, but there was an accident on the road, and before I knew it I was in a tailback half a mile long. I hope whoever was involved will be all right. I passed a couple of ambulances, but I couldn’t see what was going on.’

She opened a cupboard door and peered inside. ‘I’m starving. I didn’t have any breakfast before I left because I thought I’d be able to last until I arrived back here.’ She frowned. The cupboard was practically empty.

‘You forgot to get the groceries in before you went away for the weekend,’ Matt remarked in a dry tone. He walked over to the coffeemaker and flicked a switch.

Lucy stared at him distractedly for a moment or two. He was wearing dark trousers and a freshly laundered linen shirt, and he looked fit and ready for anything—a huge contrast to her sleep-deprived, travel-weary self. Long limbed, lean and muscular, his presence seemed to dominate the small kitchen. It was a little unnerving. She hadn’t even expected to find him here this morning. She’d been sure he would have set off for the hospital well before she’d arrived home.

‘We’re out of everything,’ he added, ‘barring milk.’

She winced, coming back to earth with a bit of a jolt. ‘Oh, heavens, I’m sorry … it was my turn to get the food in, wasn’t it? I’ll have to get a grip. I meant to do it, I know I did, but something must have come up.’ She shook her head in frustration, causing her long tresses to sway and then settle in a shimmering cloud over her shoulders as she tried to remember what it was that had caused her to forget. ‘It was Jade, I think … she told me she and Ben had bought a house, and she wanted me to go and see it with her. I was going to do the shopping on the way back, before I left for Berkshire, but …’

‘But then I guess something else cropped up.’ Matt poured coffee into a mug and handed it to her. ‘Here, drink this. Perhaps it’ll help you get your head together.’ He studied her for a moment or two, his penetrating blue glance moving over the smooth lines of the dress that draped itself lovingly around her curvaceous figure. He blinked, falling silent for a while before giving himself a shake and bringing his mind back to the situation at hand. ‘I thought you planned on coming back last night?’

She nodded. ‘I did, but Mum and Dad invited family friends round at the last minute, and it would have been rude to leave since I’d not seen them in a while.’ Hunger pangs clawed at her stomach and she stared in dismay at the cupboard once more. There was a fog clouding her brain and she couldn’t think what to do.

‘There’s half a slice of toast left over from my breakfast,’ he said. ‘You might want to eat that. I was going to put it out for the birds, but I’m sure your need is greater than theirs.’ He gave a wry smile and pushed a plate towards her. ‘I’d have done the shopping myself but I was on call over the weekend. I didn’t get home until late last night.’

She sent him a quick look. ‘Thanks for this,’ she murmured, spreading butter on the cold toast and munching gratefully.

‘You’re welcome. It’s a bit pale around the edge because the bread slices are too big for the toaster—I had to hunt it out because the grill on the cooker isn’t working.’

‘It tastes perfect to me.’ She frowned. ‘I’ll have to get someone in to look at the cooker.’ She bit into the toast once more, and after a while she said, ‘You must be shattered. Do you have to go in to work again today?’ From the way he was dressed, she guessed he wasn’t going to be lounging around the house.

‘I do. It’s not too bad, though. I’m part of a good team—I’m being given the chance to do procedures we only practised in med school, and being on call means I get to take on a lot more responsibility. It’s what I want.’

Lucy nodded, finishing off her toast and brushing the crumbs from her fingers. She swallowed the last of her coffee. ‘This year’s gone well for you, hasn’t it? I suppose, with any luck, I’ll be in the same position as you, a foundation-year doctor, by August … except that I have to get through my final exams first.’ She thought about that and pulled a face. ‘I’m really not looking forward to those. I’m spending every last minute revising.’ Finding that time was becoming more and more difficult of late, though. Much as she loved her parents, she could have done without going home this particular weekend.

She hunted around for her bag, and said hurriedly, ‘I have to go. What time do you have to be on duty?’

He glanced at his watch. ‘Soon. I’ll walk with you.’

‘Okay.’

It was a strange feeling, being alone with Matt like this, and she wasn’t sure quite how she felt about it. There were usually four of them sharing the house, but things had changed now that Jade and Ben were planning their wedding. They had been house hunting, and hadn’t been around very much of late.

Perhaps that was why Matt had been acting differently these last few weeks. It was an odd situation. He’d been surprisingly laid-back about her forgetting to get the groceries, and that in itself was peculiar, given the way he usually enjoyed teasing her.

‘You said Jade took you to see the house they’d bought,’ Matt commented now, cutting in on her thoughts. They left the neat, Georgian crescent of houses behind them and set out along the London streets, heading for the hospital. ‘I imagine that means they’ll be wanting to move out fairly soon.’

She shook her head. ‘It’ll be some time before they do that, I think. With prices being what they are in London, they’ve settled for a house that needs quite a bit of work. They have to rewire the place and put in central heating, and so on, and after that they’ll be decorating.’

He pulled a face. ‘That sounds like a lot of hard work.’

She smiled. ‘I don’t think they mind. It’ll be a great house once the renovations have been done. And I guess, as long as they’re together, they’ll be happy enough. I suppose it could be fun, getting the place just how they want it.’

He gave her a sidelong glance, lifting a dark brow. ‘Fun? Well, yes, it’s the sort of thing I’d enjoy. I can see how it would be good to stamp your individual touch on a house, to make it well and truly your own, but I can’t imagine you wanting to do hands-on stuff like that. With your background, I’d have thought you’d be more inclined to get the builders in.’ The hint of a smile touched his lips as his gaze wandered to her beautifully manicured nails.

‘Oh, here we go …’ she remarked in a cross voice. ‘Why does everyone assume they know me from a quick glance at the way I look? And you’re a prime example. We might have lived in the same house for the last few months, but you don’t know me at all, do you? You just think that you do. I’m perfectly capable of setting to and fixing things up if need be.’

Not that she’d ever been called on to do anything like that, but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t be capable if the situation arose, did it?

‘Okay, okay … I take it back. There’s no need to get yourself worked up about it. I didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers.’ His mouth quirked and she frowned, looking at him suspiciously. Was she overreacting? It had been a difficult weekend, one way and another, and she had to admit to being tired and out of sorts.

She was silent for a moment or two, thinking things through. It looked as though she and Matt would be on their own in the house for a good deal of the time from now on, and that could be difficult for both of them, without Jade and Ben there to deflect their arguments. They were opposites, after all. Matt was laid-back, easy-going, happy to strum on his guitar whenever the fancy took him, whereas she …

She had a lot to contend with, even more so of late since her father had decided to expand his business. The changes meant there was far more work to be done. Lucy was a medical student, but she’d always helped out with her parents’ property development company, ever since she had been old enough to hold the other end of a measuring tape. She’d been round countless properties with her father and grandfather, and knew the jargon off pat—strengthen those joists, put in a new damp course, sand the wooden floors. Even now, her father regularly sent work her way.

‘See if you can track down a supplier for those ceramic tiles I want for the old-cottage renovations, will you?’ he’d said last week. ‘And have a look on the internet to see if there are any likely properties in the neighbouring area. Find out how much the houses go for over there. You can fill me in on the details when you come over at the weekend. Your mother’s looking forward to having you with us for Sunday lunch, and I want to show you the old farm cottage now that the work is almost finished.’

All these things took time, when she really ought to be studying, but she didn’t complain. After all, her father owned this house that they were all living in, and she, at least, didn’t have to pay rent. No doubt Matt thought she was a spoiled daddy’s girl, but in reality she paid her way by working as a researcher for her father.

It wasn’t fair, the way she was judged. Just because she came from a wealthy family, and she happened to be blonde with a decent figure, people only saw the superficial, the outer packaging. They saw a golden-haired fashion model, and assumed she was only interested in looking good and keeping up with the latest fashion trends.

It was the same at the hospital. She had to work harder than anyone else to be accepted as the woman she really was, someone who would one day make a skilled and capable doctor.

That was what she hoped she would become, anyway. If she didn’t get there, it wouldn’t be for want of trying.

‘You’ll be working on Paediatrics for the next week or so, won’t you?’ Matt asked, sniffing the air as they passed by a café. The proprietors were setting up for the day and the appetising smell of meat pasties and hot bacon wafted through the air.

Lucy’s mouth watered, and she thought longingly of food … crisp bacon, eggs with bright yellow yolks, and maybe a couple of hash browns to complete the meal … She groaned inwardly; the toast Matt had given her had only served as an appetiser. She didn’t even like fried food, so why on earth was she obsessing about it now?

‘Yes, that’s right,’ she said. ‘Jade told me she had a good experience on Professor Farnham’s team, so I’m hoping things will turn out pretty much the same for me. I’m not sure how I’ll cope, though, working with children.’

‘I’m sure you’ll be fine.’ He laid a hand on the small of her back and urged her through the automatic doors at the entrance to the hospital. ‘I must go and meet up with my consultant. Perhaps we’ll catch up with one another later on?’

Even though he removed his hand, she still felt its warm imprint on her spine as they walked along the corridor towards the lift bay. It was a peculiar, intimate feeling, and she pulled in a quick breath to help her deal with the strange emotions that had suddenly overtaken her.

‘Perhaps.’ She nodded in agreement, though with any luck they’d go their separate ways. She still wasn’t sure quite how to deal with this new-style Matt. Over the last few months, she’d become used to their frequent, fairly good-natured spats, but now that he was being halfway nice to her she didn’t know how to take it.

She went straight to the children’s ward and introduced herself to the registrar on duty and to the nursing staff.

‘It’s good to see you again, Lucy,’ the registrar greeted her with a smile. They’d met before and talked occasionally whenever there had been a gig going on in the student union bar, and the last few times he had made a point of singling her out. James Tyler was tall and good-looking, in his mid-thirties, and she was sure he would be a catch for any girl but she wasn’t inclined to get involved with him, no matter how much he pushed the issue.

She’d been bitten a couple of times before, and he had all the hallmarks of being like the other men in her life—seduced by the way she looked, and interested only in one thing. She just wasn’t prepared to go down that route again, especially not at this particular time when she was completing the most difficult year of her medical studies.

‘You, too,’ she murmured, and listened attentively as he briefly outlined the case histories of the young patients in the unit.

‘Professor Farnham wants you to check on all the youngsters, and make yourself familiar with their conditions, and their treatment, medications and so on. When you’ve done that, he’d like you to take a look at the baby in here,’ he said, taking her over to the neighbouring bay. ‘See what you make of him. He’s ten months old.’

‘Do I get to look at his notes?’

He smiled. ‘Later. I think the professor wants to see what you come up with first.’

Lucy drew in a deep breath. ‘Okay. I’ll do my best.’

‘Good. I’ll leave you to it, if you don’t mind. I have to go and see to a patient who’s being admitted. The professor should be along in around an hour’s time—he’s been liaising with A and E over a ten-year-old who was injured in a traffic accident on the bypass this morning. We’ll be looking after him. The boy has a splenic injury, but he may not need surgery if we can keep him on supportive treatment for a while.’

Lucy frowned. ‘That must have been the accident I came across when I was on my way home from my parents’ house, first thing. Do you know if anyone else was injured?’

‘His parents escaped with minor injuries, and the driver of the other car has a broken arm. It seems they were lucky, all things considered. The boy was hurt when the side of the car was pushed inwards.’

‘Well, I’m glad I found out what happened to them, anyway.’

He moved away from her and Lucy went to introduce herself to the children on the ward. Some of them were very poorly, whilst others were on the way to recovery and greeted her cheerfully.

When she had finished getting to know them, she went back to the bay where her special patient, the ten-month-old baby, was sleeping. She walked over to the cot and gazed down at the tiny, pale-looking infant. He was receiving oxygen through thin tubes inserted in his nostrils, and when she looked at the monitors, she could see that his blood oxygen level was very low. He was breathing fast, and even with the oxygen therapy it seemed as though he was struggling to get enough air into his lungs.

‘You poor little thing,’ she murmured. ‘I’m going to disturb you for just a minute or two, poppet, while I listen to your chest.’ She put the earpieces of the stethoscope into her ears and warmed the chest piece with her hands before running it over the baby’s lungs.

‘What have you managed to find out, Lucy? Anything interesting?’

She jumped as Professor Farnham suddenly appeared at her side. Even more startling was the fact that Matt was with him. She looked at both of them, wide-eyed, before recovering herself and sliding the stethoscope back around her neck.

‘I—uh …’ What was Matt doing here? He wasn’t meant to be on this team, was he? The professor was waiting for an answer, though, and she hurriedly pulled herself together. ‘There are decreased breath sounds bilaterally and I heard inspiratory crackles, suggesting involvement of the deeper lung tissues. He has a high fever, he’s breathing fast and has shortness of breath. I’d say he was suffering from a severe chest infection, possibly pneumonia.’

The professor nodded. ‘And what procedures would you carry out?’

She gave it some thought. ‘Blood cultures, sputum sample and chest X-ray.’

‘Good, well done. Keep that up and you’ll get through your clinical exams without any trouble at all.’ He beamed at her. He was a tall, slim man, in his mid-fifties, she guessed, with dark brown hair that was beginning to grey a little at the sides. His hazel eyes showed an alert, keen intelligence. ‘The tests have already been done. Let’s see what the lab came up with, shall we?’ He moved over to the computer at the other side of the room, leaning over the table and pressing a few keys.

While the professor was otherwise engaged, Lucy sent Matt a narrowed glance. ‘What are you doing here?’ she mouthed silently.

‘New rotation,’ he mouthed back. ‘Paediatric medicine and intensive care.’

A small surge of dismay flowed through her. He could have told her before this, couldn’t he? As things were, it had come as something of a shock to discover that they would be working together, and she felt as though she had been completely wrong-footed. Why had he held back from telling her?

‘I thought it might put you off your stride if I told you this morning,’ he whispered, as though he had read her mind. ‘I only got the placement at the last minute when someone dropped out.’

‘Here we are,’ Professor Farnham said. ‘The test results are on screen. What do you make of them, Lucy?’

Discomfited, she hoped he wouldn’t notice the warm colour that had flooded her cheeks. She hated being put on the spot like this, with Matt looking on.

She went over to the table and studied the lab report. ‘It’s a bacterial infection—Staphylococcus aureus.’ She brought the X-ray film up on screen and studied it for a while. ‘Definitely pneumonia,’ she decided, ‘though there’s something else going on there.’ She hesitated, unsure of what she was seeing. ‘There appears to be some inflammation in the pleural space.’

‘What do you think, Matt?’ The professor waved Matt forward so that he could have a look.

‘I think she’s right. It could be an empyema,’ he said, ‘a collection of pus in the cavity between the lung and the inside of the chest wall. I expect that’s why the baby is in so much distress.’

The consultant nodded. ‘Usually, these things clear up with antibiotic treatment, but he’s already been given that. We might be dealing with a secondary infection here. I don’t think we can leave this one—perhaps you’d like to do the chest-drainage procedure? That should reduce the pressure and help the baby to breathe more comfortably. We’ll get the sample analysed and then we can see what kind of antibiotic we need to add to the mix.’

‘I’d be glad to do it.’ Matt turned to look at the baby, his expression serious. ‘I’ll set up the equipment right away.’

‘Excellent. Lucy can help you with that—in fact, it might be a good idea if she were to shadow you for the next week or so.’ He sent Matt a querying look. ‘It’ll give her a good insight into what goes on in Paediatrics.’

Matt hesitated just for a moment, and then said, ‘That’s fine. I’m okay with that.’

Lucy held her breath for a second or two, trying to take it in. She was to follow Matt around? Her mind skittered, seeking a way out of the situation, before coming around to the inevitable conclusion that there was no escape.

She had to be professional about this, of course. Obviously the professor had no idea how she and Matt tended to avoid one another back at the house, if only for the sake of peace and quiet. Something that had been easy enough when Jade and Ben had been around, but now …? She was doomed. Not only were they being thrown together at home, now they were to work together, as well. How long would it be before they found themselves at loggerheads over something or other?

Matt looked at her, and for a moment their glances met, each of them keeping their innermost thoughts hidden.

‘I’ll leave things with you, then,’ Professor Farnham said. ‘Any problems, and James will be around to help you out.’

Lucy looked anxiously at the baby after the professor had left. ‘He’s so small and vulnerable,’ she said softly. ‘I’m glad it’s not me having to do an invasive procedure on him. Are you okay with it?’ She sent Matt a troubled look. She felt unnaturally queasy at the thought.

He shrugged. ‘It has to be done if he’s to get better,’ he murmured. ‘Let’s take him over to the treatment room, and then we’ll scrub up.’

She went with him and helped him to lay out a trolley with the necessary medical equipment. It was something she’d seen done many times, and she knew well enough how to clean the baby’s skin and drape the chest area with dressings.

Matt sedated the baby, and all appeared to be well. Even so, her stomach lurched as he anaesthetised the area and prepared to make the incision. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. It was odd, this feeling of being out of synch with everything. She was usually on the ball and quite happy to go along with whatever procedure was needed.

Matt carefully identified the area over the baby’s rib and began to insert the chest tube. Lucy felt a wave of nausea swell up inside her. It threatened to overwhelm her, and immediately she began to panic. All of a sudden she felt hot, with beads of perspiration breaking out on her brow, and her heart was pounding so much that she could feel it in her throat. She felt faint.

This couldn’t be happening to her, not here, not now. Whatever would Matt think of her if she were to disgrace herself by being sick, here in the treatment room?

‘Are you all right?’ he asked, pausing as he checked that the tube was in place.

‘I’m fine,’ she managed, keeping her head down. She handed him the collecting device and he connected the tube to it so that the drained fluid could be accumulated and made available for testing.

‘You don’t look all right,’ he commented. ‘You’re very pale. Are you going to be sick?’

She shook her head and swallowed hard. She wouldn’t allow herself to be sick. Heavens above, she’d seen this operation performed many times before, and it didn’t make sense that now, of all times, she should want to throw up.

‘We’ll have to take him down to X-Ray to make sure that the tube is in the right place,’ he said.

She nodded. ‘I’ll just … I’ll … Excuse me a minute, will you?’ The way she was feeling, she knew she wouldn’t make it as far as Radiology, so she grabbed the opportunity to escape. Their work was more or less done here, and she wouldn’t be missed for a minute or two, would she? All she could think about was getting outside and finding some fresh air before she made a complete fool of herself.

It was probably too late, anyway. Matt had already guessed that she wasn’t feeling well, and he would come to the only possible conclusion, that she wasn’t fit to be a doctor if she felt faint assisting with a commonplace surgical procedure.

She didn’t wait for Matt to answer. Instead, she headed outside and made for the paved area set out in the L-shape created by the wall of the children’s ward where it met up with the treatment area. Fortunately for her there was no one around, and she found a bench to sit on, where she bent forward and put her head between her knees.

She stayed like that for a few minutes, only coming up for air when the nausea had passed.

‘Are you feeling any better now?’ For the second time that day, Matt startled her by arriving when he was least expected.

‘Oh,’ she said, looking at him aghast. ‘I thought … I thought I was on my own out here.’

He nodded. ‘It’s okay. No one else knows but me. How are you?’

‘Better,’ she admitted. ‘Much better. I’m sorry I rushed out on you. I don’t know what came over me. Is the baby okay? Does he still need to go to X-Ray?’

‘I asked the nurse to take him over there.’ He studied her, his dark eyes brooding. ‘I’m guessing you’re not likely to be pregnant, so the other explanation for you feeling ill could be lack of food. Let’s get you over to the cafeteria, and you can get some proper food inside you.’

She shook her head. ‘I can’t do that—I have to get on. Professor Farnham wants to see my case notes. He’ll want to know where I am.’

He frowned. ‘I doubt he’ll be waiting with bated breath. Did you eat properly while you were at your parents’ house?’

‘Of course I did.’ She looked at him, astonished that he could think otherwise. ‘Though … well, I missed tea, because I went with Dad to look over one of his projects, and by the time we arrived back at the house there were visitors waiting for us.’ She thought things through. ‘I should have made myself a snack for supper, I suppose, but it was late and I was so tired I just wanted to crawl into bed.’

He raised a dark brow. ‘I thought going home was supposed to be relaxing?’

She gave him a wan smile. ‘You know how my father is. He never stops. He’s always on the lookout for new properties to develop. And whenever I did get half an hour to myself, I switched on my laptop and did some work for my exams.’

‘Lord help us.’ He rolled his eyes heavenwards. ‘You won’t even reach first base as a doctor if you don’t know how to keep yourself healthy.’

She mulled that over for a while. Of course, he was right. He must have a very low opinion of her, and she deserved it. It was very depressing, and all at once she was swamped with guilt for letting things get to this state.

‘Come on,’ Matt said. ‘I’ll take you along to the cafeteria.’ He placed a hand beneath her elbow and helped her to her feet. ‘And don’t even think of asking for a salad. Jade told me you keep that perfect figure by cutting out pasta and fries, and anything else that might tend to add the pounds. That’s a silly way to be going on. You have to be at the top of your game, for heaven’s sake. You need nourishment.’

Jade had been talking about her? How could she do that with Matt, of all people?

‘I know that,’ she protested. ‘If I don’t eat those foods, it’s because I’m not keen on them. It’s nothing to do with watching my weight. I don’t do that—I don’t even think about it.’

He made a disgruntled, scoffing sound and urged her on, walking with her through the entrance door and along the corridor towards the cafeteria.

‘Sit down,’ he said, when they arrived there and he had picked out a table by the window. ‘I’ll go and order for you.’

He started to walk away. ‘Hey, hang on a minute,’ Lucy called after him. ‘You don’t even know what I want.’ She frowned, feeling unaccountably annoyed. Perhaps that was another side effect arising from lack of sleep and practically nothing to eat.

He turned and looked at her as though he was dealing with a recalcitrant child. ‘I thought pancakes with strawberry syrup, and waffles with ice cream on the side. That way you get to eat and be cheered up at the same time. Those are your favourites, aren’t they?’

‘Well, um, yes … but …’ How did he know that? She didn’t even know that he must have been watching her over these last few months. Waffles and ice cream for breakfast? She weighed it up in her mind. Then again, why not? ‘Oh, what the heck …’ She gave up the struggle and saw the faint smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Then he swivelled around, and she watched him stride over to the counter to place the order. He was still shaking his head as though he was trying to fathom how they had come to be in this situation. She hated the fact that she’d had to be rescued by him. It would have been so much simpler if they could have gone on passing each other like ships in the night. That way, neither one of them would have needed to try to understand the other.

When he came back to the table a few minutes later he was carrying a tray that was filled with goodies, along with two steaming cups of coffee. ‘That should do the trick,’ he murmured, laying the dishes in front of her. ‘Tuck in.’

She didn’t need a second bidding. Only when she’d finished with the pancakes and was ready to start on the waffles did she look up at him and notice that he was working his way through a burger and chips.

‘First rule of medicine,’ he said. ‘Make sure that you’re fuelled up and ready to go.’

‘I’ll remember that,’ she murmured. She smiled, relaxing for the first time that morning, and he stopped eating, looking at her oddly, as though he’d never really seen her before.

‘I wasn’t expecting to be working with you,’ he said, after a while. ‘That might take some getting used to for both of us.’

‘Yes, I expect so.’ She gave him a fleeting glance before turning her attention to the waffles, still warm from the grill, with ice cream slowly melting into the syrupy hollows. ‘You said you were given this placement at the last minute. What happened to the one you’d already chosen?’

‘I had to talk to the consultants about it. I really wanted to do Paediatrics, and the opportunity seemed too good to miss. I didn’t think they’d go for it, but in the end they seemed happy to change things around, and so here I am.’

She nodded, finishing off her dessert and leaning back in her chair, a satisfied expression on her face.

‘The colour’s come back into your cheeks,’ he said. ‘That’s good.’ He looked as though he was about to say something more, but then his phone started to play its familiar tune, a lilting guitar melody, and he sent her an apologetic look. ‘I’d better get this.’

He studied the caller ID, and then said, ‘Hello, Mum. What’s up? It’s not like you to call this early in the day.’

He frowned as the conversation developed. ‘Chest pains? How long has he been getting them?’ There was a moment or two of silence while he listened, and then he said, ‘Make sure he goes along to his GP. I’ll come over to see you, if you like … No? Well, yes, you’re probably right—but let me know how he goes on, won’t you?’ Another period of quiet followed, before he added, ‘Yes, I know, but they’re partners, and he was bound to take on the bulk of the work when the business started to expand.’

He cut the call a while later, and Lucy gave him a sympathetic glance. She wasn’t sure whether she ought to intrude, but she was sitting here with him, and she hadn’t been able to help hearing what had been said.

‘Was that about your father?’ she asked quietly. ‘Is he ill?’ There had also been something about ‘the business’ and that worried her, because Matt’s father was in partnership with her father, and it sounded as though there was a problem of some sort.

Matt pressed his lips together, making them into a flat line. ‘My mother’s worried about him. He’s been working too hard lately, and now he’s getting twinges in his chest.’ His gaze met hers. ‘The trouble is, he always puts in a hundred and ten per cent. We’ve tried telling him to slow down, but he doesn’t listen. He says he doesn’t have a choice.’

‘Because of my father? That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?’

His shoulders lifted, but he didn’t reply, and his expression was unreadable, leaving her at a loss. Of course he blamed her father. Martyn Clements was a powerhouse of energy, and the business meant everything to him. He drove himself and everyone else to give their utmost to make it succeed. He’d never come to terms with the fact that his daughter chose to study medicine rather than carry on in his footsteps.

‘We should get back to the children’s unit,’ he said, his features grim and impenetrable.

‘Yes.’ She hesitated. ‘What will you do?’

‘Nothing, for the moment,’ he answered. ‘I’ll go and see him at the weekend.’

She followed him out of the cafeteria and neither of them spoke. A wall had come down between them, and the relaxed atmosphere of just a few minutes ago had passed. The loss left her with a hollow feeling inside.

CHAPTER TWO

‘IT LOOKS as though you’ve bought enough food to last us for a month,’ Jade observed with a laugh, watching Lucy stocking up the fridge and freezer. ‘I can’t see how the groceries kitty would have covered us for that lot.’

‘No … well, I was worried about leaving the cupboards empty, so I decided to get a few extras in. Nothing major, but a few things to tide us over in an emergency—dried milk, bread for the freezer, pasta shells and sauces, rice and curry spices and chicken pieces. That way we’ll always have something to fall back on.’

Jade smiled. ‘Ah … now I see the reason for the shopping spree. So Matt’s been giving you a hard time, has he?’

‘No, no … not at all.’ Lucy paused, thinking about that. ‘Actually, he’s been remarkably quiet, lately. He hardly said a word when we ran out of everything at the weekend.’

‘You’re joking!’ Jade’s eyes widened. ‘What’s wrong with him? Is he not feeling well?’ She chuckled as she helped to put away the packages. She was glowing with health, her long, chestnut-coloured hair gleaming like the copper pans that decorated the far wall, touched by the morning sunlight. Her green eyes reflected the happiness that came from being a woman in love and for a second or two Lucy envied her that feeling.

She sighed and brushed those thoughts away. Romance wasn’t for her. Not now, not perhaps for some time to come. It was a disappointment, finding out how shallow men could be. Though that wasn’t true of all men, of course. Jade’s fiancé was a wonderful man. He thought the world of Jade, and they were truly blessed, but it wasn’t likely that such a liaison would happen for her any time soon.

Why was it that every time she was halfway interested in a man, he was all over her and trying to hustle her into bed? She didn’t want a brief fling based purely on sex, she wanted something more than that—something deeper and more meaningful, a man to love her, perhaps, and care for her, and not just be obsessed by her body. But it wasn’t happening. So far, every man she’d met hadn’t been able to get past the way she looked. Even Alex, whom she’d known for some years and whom she’d thought at one time might be the one for her, had let her down and left her disappointed.

She tried to shake off those negative feelings. ‘I think Matt’s on top form lately. I get the feeling he’s really happy to be working in Paediatrics, and he doesn’t seem to be fazed by anything. One minute he’s doing chest drainage on a baby and the next he’s playing Air Attack with a ten-year-old on the ward. I wish I could be as relaxed about the job.’

Jade nodded. ‘It doesn’t help that we have clinical examinations coming up next month, does it?’

Lucy gave a slight shudder. ‘It’s definitely stressful. I’ve been trying not to think too much about them, but with them looming up ahead there’s no avoiding it any longer. I just hope I manage to keep it all together, and that my mind doesn’t go blank when the time comes.’

‘Me, too.’

‘Whose mind’s going blank?’ Matt joined them in the kitchen, casually dressed in jeans and T-shirt, the cotton fabric hugging his muscular chest and showing off strong, sun-bronzed arms that were covered with a smattering of dark hair. Lucy guessed he’d just come from the shower because his hair was damp and spiky, giving him a roguish, ready-for-anything kind of look.

‘Mine,’ she told him, and before she could add, ‘we were talking about exams,’ he started to nod.

‘That figures,’ he said, his mouth crooking at the corners.

She gave him a soft punch on the arm and he pretended to be wounded. ‘Did I say anything about you being an airhead?’ he grumbled. ‘I mean, just because you forget the groceries occasionally and the cooker still hasn’t been repaired, it doesn’t have to mean there’s nothing going on in there, does it? Anyway, you’re blonde … it goes with the territory.’

She scowled at him. ‘Don’t push it, okay? That joke is wearing a bit thin. I hear it all the time, and I’m telling you I’m not in the mood. As to the cooker, the repairman’s coming this morning.’

‘That’s good. We’ve only been waiting a week.’

‘And that was hardly my fault,’ she said in a clipped tone, staying on the defensive. ‘I rang several companies, and this was the earliest anyone could come out.’

‘Did I say it was your fault?’ Matt raised dark brows.

‘Okay, children,’ Jade interrupted, smiling, ‘I’m going to leave you to it. I have a lecture to attend this afternoon, but before that I want to spend some time in the hospital library, looking up clinical exam questions to see what sort of thing might come up.’ She glanced at Lucy. ‘Are you coming along?’

‘I’d like to, but it depends how things go here. I asked the cooker man to come early, but he’s already late. I’ll catch up with you as soon as I can.’

‘See you later, then.’ Jade left, and Lucy returned to the task of putting away the last of the packages.

Matt added coffee to the filter jug and said, ‘I could wait in for the repairman, if you like. I don’t have to be at work until lunchtime today.’

Lucy turned around to look at him, touched by his thoughtfulness. ‘Would you? That would be so helpful—I really ought to go to this lecture. It’s not quite the same, looking things up on the internet. My head’s been all over the place just lately, and a face-to-face meeting is so much better because you can ask questions and clear up niggling difficulties.’

He nodded, but just as she thought about getting ready to leave Matt glanced out of the kitchen window and said softly, ‘Well, now, it looks as though we have a visitor. I wonder what that little lad is doing here?’ He walked over to the sink to get a better look.

Lucy went to join him at the window, looking out on to the small garden.

‘He must be the little boy from next door,’ she said. Matt brushed up against her as he moved to get a better view, and for a while her concentration went to pieces as she stared distractedly at the patch of lawn and surrounding flowers and shrubs.

‘He can’t even be three years old,’ Matt mused, his voice low. ‘I wonder how he managed to get into the garden?’

Lucy didn’t answer straight away. Matt was so close that she could feel the warmth of his long body seeping into her, and as he lifted an arm to point out a small figure scrambling about in the bushes she was conscious of his biceps lightly grazing the softness of her breast. His thigh was gently pressuring hers, and a rush of heat spread through her, firing up every nerve ending and shooting her nervous system into a spiralling state of heightened awareness.

‘I … uh … I think he must have crawled in through a gap in the fence,’ she managed, her voice becoming husky.

‘Mmm.’ Matt half turned, looking at her. ‘I expect so.’ He sounded distant all at once, and he shifted slightly, so that she wondered if he, too, was overcome by this same feeling of warm intimacy that was bothering her, where her soft curves were brought into mind-shattering contact with his strong, firm body.

‘Perhaps I should go and talk to him,’ she murmured breathlessly, making an effort to get herself together. ‘His mother might be worrying about him.’

‘Yes, I think you’re right.’ He moved away from her, slowly, and it seemed as though his mind was somewhere else altogether. ‘I’ll come with you.’

They went out through the French doors into the garden, quietly, so as not to startle the little boy. By now, he was sitting on a collection of pebbles that were lit up in a patch of sunlight.

‘Hello,’ Lucy said softly, bending down to be on a level with the child. ‘Are you from next door? I don’t think we’ve met before, have we? I’m Lucy, and this is my friend, Matt.’

‘I’m Jacob,’ he told her, unperturbed by their sudden appearance. ‘I live over there.’ He waved an arm towards the fence. ‘I’ve never been here before.’ He looked around, his grey eyes bright with curiosity. ‘Is this your garden?’

‘Yes, it is.’ Lucy nodded.

‘I like it here.’ He pushed his fingers into the pebbles and laughed when the smaller ones fell through his fingers to the ground. ‘These are good. If I had my truck, I could fill it up wiv these.’

Matt nodded, kneeling down beside the boy. ‘I expect you could. That would be fun, wouldn’t it? But perhaps we should find out if your mother knows where you are. She might be worried.’

Jacob shook his head. ‘She won’t be worried. She’s bathing the baby.’ He frowned. ‘She has to,’ he added knowledgeably, ‘because she fills her nappy and gets stinky. Babies are like that, aren’t they? They’re smelly and they cry a lot.’

Matt laughed. ‘I suppose so, but they’re not like that all the time.’

Jacob screwed up his nose and pursed his pink mouth. Obviously he wasn’t too sure about that.

From somewhere in the distance Lucy heard the doorbell ring. ‘That’ll be the man about the cooker,’ she said, glancing worriedly at Matt. ‘I ought to go and let him in.’

‘Okay. I’ll see to it that Jacob gets home all right.’

‘Thanks.’

She smiled at the little boy. ‘Bye for now, Jacob. I’ll probably see you again sometime.’

He nodded cautiously. ‘Prob’ly,’ he said.

The repairman was nonchalantly looking around when she opened the front door to him, but as soon as he saw her, his eyes widened. He looked her up and down, taking in the clinging, cotton top she was wearing, and the skirt that hugged the line of her shapely hips.

‘Um … Domestic oven service. You called our company out because your grill’s not working?’

‘That’s right. I’m so glad you’ve come.’

He was a good-looking young man, in his mid-twenties or thereabouts, with dark, silky hair that had a natural wave. His glance moved over her once more, and he took a moment to bring his mind back on track before he said with a grin, ‘Consider me at your service.’

‘Come on in.’ She was well used to men looking at her that way, so she ignored his stares and showed him into the kitchen. ‘It’s not lighting up or getting hot or anything,’ she told him.

‘I’ll take a look.’

‘Thanks.’

He opened up his kit box and began testing various parts of the cooker. ‘Your element’s had it,’ he said after a while. ‘I can fit a new one for you. There’s one in my van.’

‘Oh, good.’ She smiled. ‘That’s a relief. I wondered if you might have to send away for the part.’ She shrugged. ‘I suppose I couldn’t expect it to go on working forever. It gets a lot of use, one way and another.’

He nodded. ‘They generally do.’ He gave her a thoughtful look and said cheerfully, ‘The only way round that is to go out for meals. I’d be happy to take you out and free you up from all that cooking … if you’re not otherwise engaged, that is?’ His glance went to the fingers of her left hand, and when he saw that she wasn’t wearing a ring, his confidence seemed to grow. ‘There’s a new place opened up in the city. I don’t know what kind of food you like, but I’ve heard good things about the restaurant. We could go there this evening, if you like.’

Lucy smiled again, but shook her head. ‘Thanks for the invitation, but I’m afraid I’ve given up on dating. I have other things to concentrate on right now … like my studies and exams.’

His mouth made a wry twist. ‘That’s a shame,’ he said. ‘An awful shame. Seems to me we should all take a break every now and again.’

He eyed her up once more before reluctantly leaving her while he went outside to his van. When he came back a short time later, he set to and fixed the new element in place, and then asked if he could wash his hands at the sink.

‘Of course, go ahead.’ She took a clean towel from a cupboard and handed it to him.

‘You know,’ he murmured, drying his hands and putting the towel to one side, ‘it would be such a pity to give up on the dating game. You’re gorgeous, absolutely stunning, in fact, and I can’t believe you’re content to stay at home and swot every night. Give me half a chance, and I could show you what you’re missing.’

She shook her head once more and said lightly, ‘Thanks for the offer, but no, thanks … I meant what I said. I’m not going to change my mind. Do you want to give me the bill, and I’ll settle up with you?’

He pulled a face and wrote out the invoice, and Lucy handed him a cheque. ‘I appreciate you fixing the grill for me,’ she said. ‘Thanks.’

‘You don’t need to thank me … just change your mind and come out with me this evening.’ He moved a little closer and Lucy took a step backwards.

‘I already gave you my answer,’ she said firmly. ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t.’

‘Sure you can,’ he murmured. ‘We’d be great together, you and I. A night on the town would do you a world of good.’ He moved towards her once more, but this time Lucy stood her ground.

‘I don’t think you’re listening to me,’ she said, her tone brisk, but she was wondering what she ought to do about him. He was certainly persistent. In fact, if he came any closer, she might have to resort to drastic action, something a little more forceful than mere words perhaps since he didn’t seem to be taking any notice of what she said.

‘I believe she’s already given you her answer,’ Matt remarked coolly from the doorway. ‘Or perhaps you don’t understand that “no” means no?’

Lucy was startled. She hadn’t heard the kitchen door open, but Matt stood there, broad-shouldered, straight-backed, formidable, his eyes glittering like steel, lancing into the man who was holding on to her.

The young man stared at him in confusion. ‘Who are you? Where did you come from?’

‘I’m the man who’s looking out for her, and I live here. Do you have a problem with that?’ He dared him to answer. Matt’s jaw was rigid, his mouth set in a hard line that brooked no nonsense. Lucy had never seen him like this before, and she was astonished that the easy-going, laid-back man that she knew had suddenly turned into this granite-edged guardian.

He walked towards them, his long stride steady and determined. ‘It looks as though you’ve finished your job,’ he said, looking at the closed toolbox and the old element on the kitchen worktop. ‘Now it’s time for you to leave.’

‘I … Yes, well, I …’ the young man floundered, pulling his hands away from Lucy as though he’d been stung. ‘I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just asking her out.’

‘And you had your answer. Now you should go.’

‘Okay, I’m out of here.’ He put up his hands in a gesture of submission and then hurriedly grabbed his toolbox. Matt followed him to the door and watched him get into his van and drive away.

Coming back along the corridor to where she was waiting, he glanced at Lucy and said calmly, ‘I can’t leave you alone for five minutes, can I? Men take one look at you and their brains fly out the window.’

She stared at him, dumbfounded. ‘Is that my fault?’ she said, feeling affronted. ‘Do you think I like it that way? I hate that it always happens. I hate it that other women resent me for the way I look, but I can’t do anything about it. I wish I could, but I can’t … unless …’ Her mind whirled. ‘Perhaps I should scrape my hair back into a ponytail and start wearing baggy clothes.’

‘I can’t see that working,’ he said with a wry smile. ‘Anyway, I was just teasing you—you make it so easy for me because you always rise to the bait. You really shouldn’t take things so seriously, you know.’

She frowned. ‘No, maybe not. But just lately I can’t help it. I feel as though I’m under pressure all the while, and you have a knack of turning the key and winding me up even more. I don’t want to feel that way.’ Her gaze flicked to him. ‘About what happened with the repairman just now … There was no need for you to intervene, you know. I was handling things. I was perfectly able to deal with him.’

‘Sure you were.’ He draped an arm around her and led her back towards the kitchen. ‘Anyway, forget about it. You have more important things to think about right now, don’t you?’

She looked at him in consternation. ‘Oh—the lecture, yes. I must get my head clear.’ She dithered for a second or two, undecided what she should do first. ‘I have to get my bag … And I need to sort out some paperwork for my father before I go—he’ll be ringing to ask me about it later today and I need to have it to hand.’ She frowned, trying to bring her thoughts into order. ‘What happened about the little boy … Jacob? Is he all right? He didn’t look as though he wanted to leave, did he?’

She realised that it might seem as though she was babbling, and she stopped talking, her mind in a whirl. Then she put a hand to her head and said raggedly, ‘Why can’t I think straight? What’s wrong with me? I’m not usually like this, and I don’t understand it. I don’t know what’s happening to me.’

‘Hmm.’ He was thoughtful for a moment or two. ‘I think you should sit down for a few minutes before you do anything at all. I’ll make you a milky coffee. That will help you to focus. Just try to stay calm for a while—you’re always so busy, busy, busy, but I’m sure you don’t have to fill every single minute of the day.’

He laid a hand on her shoulder and lightly pressed her down into a chair by the table. And that would have been good, she might have taken comfort in his gentle urging and given herself a few moments to gather her thoughts, except that her mobile phone rang and from the display she saw that it was her father who was calling.

She pulled in a deep breath before answering. ‘Hello, Dad, what is it? I thought you were going to ring later. Is everything all right back home?’

‘Of course everything’s fine. But the work’s piling up, and I need you to go and take a look at the house you mentioned to me at the weekend … the one that’s coming up for auction. I want to know if the structure is sound. How much work needs to be done? How much is it going to cost me to bring it up to scratch and what price do I bid to make a decent profit? The auction’s on Thursday, so you’ll need to do it in the next couple of days.’

Her mind reeled at the influx of new instructions. ‘I can’t, Dad. I can’t do anything more than the basics right now. I’m snowed under. Do you remember, I told you I’ve started my new placement? That means a lot of extra work, and I have exams coming up. I don’t have any spare time. I can manage the internet research, but that’s about it.’

‘You have the evenings, don’t you? You can’t be studying the whole time.’ He sounded affronted. ‘Anyway, how long will it take for you to get over there? It’s only a hop and a skip away from you.’

‘No, but that’s not the point, Dad. You’re not listening to me. I have exams, and I have to study every chance I get. With the best will in the world I can’t go checking out houses right now. This is my career we’re talking about—I have to take the time to work at it.’

‘You had a career all laid out for you back here in the family business.’ His tone was blunt. ‘I’m not asking for the world, Lucy, just a few minutes of your time. It’s not beyond you to give me that, is it?’ His tone was scathing. ‘You know I can’t get over there right now, with the accountants coming to see me.’

She sighed heavily. It was always the same. He never listened to her. No matter what she said, he would never understand her point of view. It wasn’t important to him. All that mattered to him was the family business, the company that his grandfather had started and had passed on to his son, and which from there had come to him. She felt as though she was being pulled in all directions. She knew he wouldn’t back down.

‘All right,’ she said with a sigh, giving in. ‘I’ll see what I can do … but I’m making no promises.’

He cut the call, after asking about the paperwork she had prepared for him, and she pushed the phone into her bag, staring into space, her thoughts bleak.

‘Well, now we know why your mind is all over the place, don’t we?’ Matt said, sliding a coffee mug towards her across the table. ‘It’s the same thing he does with my father. He pushes and pushes and doesn’t consider the effect his demands have on other people.’

Lucy winced. ‘He’s not a bad person. He just has so much drive and energy, and he can’t understand why other people don’t have the same priorities. I know your father works hard.’

‘Too hard.’ Matt was grim-faced. ‘His team does all the building work for your father, and they’re stretched to the limit to keep up with all the projects he’s taken on. My father’s recruited more men, but even so they can’t pull in all the extra work. My mother’s worried sick about him. She says he’s not sleeping well and she thinks he has the beginnings of a stomach ulcer.’

Her blue eyes were troubled. ‘It must be a huge anxiety for her.’

‘Yes, it is. For me, too.’

Lucy’s shoulders slumped. Was this problem with her father going to drive a wedge between them? She had to share this house with Matt, and she didn’t want any bad feelings to blow up between them.

Things had been different a few months ago when the two families had rubbed along well together—after all, it was the sole reason that Matt was living here in the house with Jade, Ben and herself. Her father was very particular about who shared the living accommodation with his daughter, but he had been only too pleased to help out by giving his partner’s son a place to live when Matt had been offered a job at the local hospital. But now it looked as though being in business together was going to have all sorts of repercussions, especially if it was no longer an amicable arrangement.

‘Drink up.’ Matt inclined his head towards her coffee mug. ‘Once you get that down you, you should be able to make it to the hospital in time to sort yourself out for this afternoon.’ As an afterthought, he added, ‘And make sure you eat lunch.’

‘I will.’ She sipped her coffee and glanced at him over the rim of her cup. ‘I almost forgot—what happened with the little boy in the garden? Tell me, did his mother realise he had gone missing?’

He smiled. ‘Yes, she came looking for him. She thought he must have gone through the fence after the cat. He’s a bit of a tearaway apparently—the boy, I mean, not the cat—and there’s probably a smidgin of jealousy going on with the baby. I get the impression he keeps his mother on her toes.’

Lucy nodded. ‘It sounds that way. I’d wondered about the white cat that keeps appearing in the garden. I don’t think they’ve lived next door for long. The couple in the house before them went off to live in a detached property.’

She finished off her coffee. ‘Thanks for that,’ she murmured, getting to her feet. ‘I must go.’

She fetched her bag from the worktop and then looked at him once more before she headed for the door. ‘I should say thanks for stepping in to help me out earlier. I know you meant well but, as I said, I’m perfectly capable of handling things myself. If he’d come on too strong, I was thinking about kneeing him in the groin, but I’m not altogether sure how that would have gone down.’

‘Ouch!’

‘Yeah!’ She gave him a light wave of the hand and left the house, stepping out into the morning sunshine. The trees were in blossom all the way along the crescent, and a good many of the houses were decorated with brightly blooming hanging baskets. It was a glorious summer’s day, but something was bothering her and, try as she may, she couldn’t quite place what it was.

She walked along the street, ignoring the interested glance of the man who lived across the way. She was used to being avidly watched by the opposite sex wherever she went, and she did her best not to pay any attention. She frowned. Perhaps that was the source of what was playing on her mind.

Living together as closely as they did, Matt had never made a pass at her, and before today he’d hardly ever commented on the way she looked. Of course, she was pleased about that because it made life so much easier … but a perverse little imp was prodding and poking her, and prompting her to wonder about it.

Could it be that Matt saw beyond the superficial appearance and found that what was left was ultimately flawed? In his eyes she was her father’s daughter, programmed to do his bidding, sometimes a little resentful of that but happy all the same to live on the proceeds of his wealth.

It was a disturbing thought.

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