Jack scrubbed a hand roughly across his cheekbones, reminding himself to get some eye drops. His eyes felt as though a ton of shell grit had been dumped there.

He hadn’t slept well. His thoughts had spun endlessly, always centred on this waif of a girl sitting opposite him: Darcie Drummond.

But she wasn’t a waif at all. That was just his protectiveness coming into play. And she wouldn’t thank him for that. She was capable of taking care of herself. More than OK. He’d better smarten up.

‘Darcie, I need you on board with all these changes. Otherwise nothing’s going to work for us in any direction, is it?’

His plea came out low and persuasive and Darcie felt relief sweep through her. What he said made sense. They couldn’t afford to be offside with one another. Professionally, they were doctors in isolation. It was simply down to her and Jack to make things work. Otherwise she’d have to leave. And she definitely didn’t want that.

LEAH MARTYN loves to create warm, believable characters for the Mills & Boon® Medical Romance™ series. She is grounded firmly in rural Australia, and the special qualities of the bush are reflected in her stories. For plots and possibilities, she bounces ideas off her husband on their early-morning walks. Browsing in bookshops and buying an armful of new releases is high on her list of enjoyable things to do.

Recent titles by Leah Martyn:

OUTBACK DOCTOR, ENGLISH BRIDE

REDEEMING DR RICCARDI

DAREDEVIL AND DR KATE

WEDDING IN DARLING DOWNS

THE DOCTOR’S PREGNANCY SECRET

These books are also available in eBook format

from www.millsandboon.co.uk

Wedding at Sunday Creek

Leah Martyn

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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For Claire, for professional insight

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the launch of my twentieth book for Mills & Boon.

Contents

Cover

Excerpt

About the Author

Recent titles by Leah Martyn

Title Page

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

DR JACK CASSIDY, trauma surgeon, part-time explorer sometimes lover, stood away from the aeroplane, slowly absorbing the rich, bold colours of the Australian outback. And thought, unlike England, there was no elegant restraint out here. The colours were in-your-face heart-stopping and glorious.

He breathed in deeply, his eyes picking out the silhouettes of a family of kangaroos grazing in a nearby paddock. Big reds, he decided, feeling exhilarated by the sight. It felt good to be home. Added to that, he’d finally stepped away from the train wreck of a long-term relationship and felt freer than he had in months. Riding the upbeat feeling, he wheeled back towards the plane, where his luggage was waiting on the airstrip, and bent to pick up his bags.

The hospital was only a short walk away. He understood from his telephone interview that presently there was only one doctor at the Sunday Creek hospital, Dr Darcie Drummond. And that’s where his knowledge of her began and ended. He just hoped Dr Drummond wasn’t into role demarcation in the practice. If she expected him to just sit in his office and administrate, then she’d have to change her thinking.

Jack Cassidy intended to be a hands-on boss.

* * *

With the merest glance at her watch, Darcie decided it was time to go home. The hospital would call her if she was needed. Rolling her chair away from the desk, she stood and moved across to the window, looking out.

It was still hazy towards the west and she knew the grey bank of cloud in the sky was caused by intermittent bush fires. Nothing to worry about, the locals had assured her. It was the regular burning off of long grass or bushfire fuel and the rural fire brigade would have everything under control.

Darcie just hoped they did...

‘Knock, knock.’

She spun round, several fronds of dark hair zipping across her cheekbones as her gaze swivelled to the open doorway. A man, easily six feet if she was any judge, and someone she didn’t recognise, lounged against the doorframe.

Out of nowhere, every nerve in her body jumped to attention. Darcie blinked, registering blue eyes, dark hair, knife-edge cheekbones and a mouth that had her instantly imagining fantasies that only existed in her dreams. She swallowed dryly. ‘Can I help you?’

‘I sure hope so.’ He gave a cool imitation of a smile. ‘I’m your new medical director.’

He had to be kidding.

Darcie’s disbelieving gaze ran over him. She wouldn’t have expected a suit and tie but this guy looked as though he’d just come down from a Himalayan trek. He was wearing combat trousers and a black T-shirt, his feet enclosed in hiker’s boots that came up over his ankles.

He didn’t look like a senior doctor at all.

At least, not the ones she was used to.

‘I came on the plane,’ he enlightened her. ‘You weren’t expecting me?’

‘No—I mean, yes. That is, we knew you were coming, we just didn’t know when.’

He rumbled an admonishing tsk. ‘Don’t you read your emails? I sent my arrival details through a couple of days ago.’

Oh, help. This was going to sound totally lame. ‘Our computer’s anti-virus protection has turned a bit iffy lately. It’s culling messages that should be coming through to the inbox. And a tree fell over some cables yesterday, bringing the internet down. We do the best we can...’

Jack caught her cut-glass English accent and frowned a bit. What kind of a hospital was she running here? Or attempting to run. Switching his gaze from her heated face to the sign on her door, he queried, ‘You are Dr Darcie Drummond?’

Almost defensively, Darcie pulled back from the intensity of his gaze and cursed the zing of awareness that sizzled up her backbone. How totally inappropriate, she admonished herself. And grief! She’d forgotten his name! ‘Yes, I’m Darcie Drummond.’ Moving quickly from the window, she offered her hand.

‘Jack Cassidy.’ He took her hand, easily enfolding it within his own.

Darcie took her hand back, almost shocked at the warmth that travelled up her arm. ‘You must think this is all terribly unprofessional,’ she apologised.

One eyebrow quirked above Jack Cassidy’s extraordinarily blue eyes. ‘Thought of getting someone in to check your computer?’

Of course they had. ‘We’re rather isolated here,’ she said thinly, as if that should explain everything. ‘Technical help is never easy. You just have to wait until they get to you.’

He made a click of annoyance. ‘The hospital should have priority. You should be out there, kicking butt.’

Darcie bristled. She knew whose butt she’d like to kick! And she was puzzled as well. She’d read Jack Cassidy’s CV. That information had actually come through on her email. He’d been working in London for the past year. Surely he hadn’t drifted so far from his Australian roots not to realise their rural hospitals were chronically under-resourced?

‘I take it you do have running water?’

Darcie’s hackles rose and refused to be tamped down.

OK—he was taking the mick. She got that. But enough was enough. ‘We draw water from the well outside,’ she deadpanned.

Jack’s smile unfolded lazily, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Nice one, Dr Drummond. He felt his pulse tick over. The lady had spirit. And she was a real looker. Working with her should prove...interesting.

He lowered himself onto the corner of her desk. ‘I need to make a couple of phone calls, check in with the hospital board. Landline working OK?’

She sent him a cool look. ‘Yes, it is.’ She indicated the phone on her desk. ‘Make your calls and then we’ll see about getting you settled in.’ With that, she turned and fled to the nurses’ station.

And female solidarity.

* * *

Darcie palmed open the swing door and went through to the desk. ‘He’s here!’

Nurse manager Maggie Neville and RN Lauren Walker paused in mid-handover and looked up.

‘Who?’ Maggie queried.

Darcie hissed out the breath she’d been holding. ‘The new MD.’

‘Cassidy?’ Maggie’s voice rose a fraction. ‘I didn’t see anyone come through here.’

‘He must have cut through the paddock and come in the back way,’ Darcie said. ‘He’s in my office, now.’

‘Oh, my stars!’ Lauren’s eyebrows disappeared into her blonde fringe. ‘It must have been him I passed in the corridor. Big guy in combats, flinty eyes, out there sexy?’

Darcie nodded, her teeth meshing against her bottom lip. Lauren’s description was OTT but Darcie supposed Jack Cassidy had come across as very...masculine.

Lauren snickered. ‘I thought he must have been an actor come in for some treatment!’

Darcie and Maggie looked blank until Maggie asked, ‘Why on earth would you think that?’

‘Keep up, guys!’ Lauren said, making a ‘duh’ face. ‘There’s a reality series being shot out at Pelican Springs station. The film crew and cast are living in a kind of tent city. I can’t believe you didn’t know.’

‘All news to me,’ Maggie said cryptically. She flicked a hand. ‘With you in a minute, Darc. We’re just finishing up the report.’ Maggie went on to tell Lauren, ‘Keep an eye on Trevor Banda, please. If that old coot is up and walking—’

‘I’ll threaten him with a cold shower,’ Lauren promised cheerfully. She slid off the high stool. ‘Ciao, then. Have a nice weekend, Maggie.’

‘Chance would be a fine thing,’ Maggie muttered, before returning her attention to Darcie. ‘So, we have a new boss at last. Someone to take the flak. What’s he like?’

Absurdly good looking. Darcie gave a one-shouldered shrug. ‘He seemed a bit...strutty.’

‘You mean stroppy?’

‘No...’ Darcie sought to explain. ‘Strutting his authority.’

‘Throwing his weight around,’ Maggie interpreted with a little huff. ‘Well, we’ll soon sort him out.’

‘Maybe it’s just me,’ Darcie reconsidered, thinking she had possibly said more than she should about their new boss. ‘He caught me unawares. I looked up and he was just...there.’

Maggie’s look was as old as time. ‘Six feet plus of sex on legs, was it? That’s if we can believe Lauren.’

Darcie rolled her eyes and gave a shortened version of the missing email containing Jack Cassidy’s arrival details. ‘He didn’t seem too impressed with us,’ she added bluntly.

Maggie made a soft expletive. ‘Don’t you dare wear any of that rubbish, Darcie. You’ve been here. Done the hard yards when no other doctor would come outback. And how challenging was that for someone straight out of England!’

Darcie felt guilt a mile wide engulf her. Coming to work here had had nothing to do with altruism, or challenge. It had been expediency in its rawest form that had brought her to Sunday Creek.

She’d more or less picked a place on the map, somewhere Aaron, the man she’d been within days of marrying, would never find her. She knew him well enough to know he’d never connect her with working in the Australian outback.

It was that certainty that helped her sleep at night.

‘I couldn’t have managed any of it without you and the rest of the nurses,’ Darcie apportioned fairly.

‘That’s why we make a good team,’ Maggie asserted, picking up her bag and rummaging for her keys. ‘I can hang about for a bit if you’d like me to,’ she offered.

‘No, Maggie, but thanks.’ Darcie waved the other’s offer away. ‘Go home to your boys.’ Maggie was the sole parent of two adolescent sons and spent her time juggling work, home and family. In the time Darcie had been here, she and Maggie had become friends and confidantes.

Although it was usually Maggie who confided and she who listened, Darcie had to admit. Somehow she couldn’t slip into the confidences other women seemed to share as easily as the name of their hairdresser. ‘I’ll be fine,’ she said now. ‘And it’ll be good to have a senior doctor about the place,’ she added with a bravado she was far from feeling.

* * *

Jack was just putting the phone down when Darcie arrived back in her office. ‘All squared away?’ she asked, flicking him a hardly-there smile.

‘Thanks.’ He uncurled to his feet.

Taking a cursory look around her office, she moved to close one of the blinds.

‘So, what are the living arrangements here?’ Jack asked.

‘The house for the MD is being refurbished at present, so you’ll have to bunk in with the rest of us in the communal residence for now. At the moment, there’s just me and one of the nurses.’

‘That doesn’t seem like a hardship,’ he said, giving a slow smile and a nod of satisfaction.

Darcie felt nerves criss-cross in her stomach, resolving to have a word with the decorators and ask them to get a wriggle on. The sooner Cassidy was in a place of his own where he could strut his alpha maleness to his heart’s content, the better. ‘The flying doctors stay over sometimes too,’ she added, making it sound like some kind of buffer. ‘And now and again we have students from overseas who just want to observe how we administer medicine in the outback.’

He nodded, taking the information on board.

Darcie’s gaze flew over him. She’d waited so long for another doctor. Now Jack Cassidy’s arrival, the unexpectedness of it, seemed almost surreal. ‘Do you have luggage?’

‘There didn’t seem anyone about so I stashed it in what looked like a utility room on the way through.’

‘We’ve a small team of permanent nurses who are the backbone of the place.’ Darcie willed a businesslike tone into her voice. ‘Ancillary staff come and go a bit.’

He sent her a brooding look. ‘So, it’s you and the nurses most of the time, then?’

She nodded. ‘The flying doctors are invaluable, of course.’

‘Whoops—sorry.’ Lauren jerked to a stop in the doorway.

‘Lauren.’ Darcie managed a brief smile. ‘This is Dr Cassidy, our new MD.’

‘Jack.’ He held out his hand.

‘Oh, hi.’ Lauren was all smiles. ‘You arrived on the plane and there was no one to meet you,’ she lamented.

‘There was a mix-up with emails,’ Darcie interrupted shortly, fed up with the whole fiasco. ‘Did you need me for something, Lauren?’

‘Oh, yes. I wondered if you’d mind having a word with young Mitchell Anderson.’

A frown touched Darcie’s forehead. ‘I’ve signed his release. He’s going home tomorrow. What seems to be the problem?’

‘Oh, nothing about his physical care,’ Lauren hastily amended. ‘But he seems a bit...out of sorts for someone who’s going home tomorrow.’

‘I’ll look in on him.’ Darcie sent out a contained little smile.

‘Thanks.’ Lauren gave a little eye flutter aimed mostly at Jack. ‘I’m heading back to the station. Yell if you need me.’

‘What was your patient admitted for?’ Jack asked, standing aside for Darcie to precede him out of the office.

‘Snakebite.’

‘You know, he may just need to talk the experience through.’

Darcie shrugged. ‘I’m aware of that. I tried to find a bit of common ground and initiate a discussion about snakes and their habits. I knew Mitch would be able to tell me more than I could possibly know but he didn’t respond. I’d actually never seen a case of snakebite,’ she admitted candidly. ‘But I know the drill now. Compression, head for the nearest hospital and hope like mad they have antivenin on hand.’

‘Mmm.’ A dry smile nipped Jack’s mouth. ‘Much more civilised than in the old days. They used to pack the bite puncture with gunpowder and light the fuse. You can imagine what that did to the affected part of the body,’ he elaborated ghoulishly.

If he was hoping for her shocked reaction, he wasn’t going to get it. ‘Pretty drastic,’ she said calmly. ‘I read about it in the local history section of the library.’

Jack flashed a white grin. Oh, she’d do, this one. Clever, cool and disarmingly sure of her ground as well.

It was a real turn-on.

Uh-oh. Mentally, he dived for cover. He’d just untangled his emotions from one relationship. He’d have to be insane to go looking for a replacement so quickly. But as they began to walk along the corridor towards the wards, the flower-fresh drift of her shampoo awakened his senses with a swift stab of want as incisive and sharp as the first cut of a scalpel.

CHAPTER TWO

JACK YANKED HIS thoughts up short with a barely discernible shake of his head. He needed to get back into professional mode and quickly. ‘Give me the background on your patient.’

‘Mitchell is sixteen.’ Darcie spun her head to look at him and found herself staring into his eyes. They had the luminosity of an early morning seascape, she thought fancifully. She cleared her throat. ‘He works on his parents’ property about a hundred kilometres out. He was bitten on Monday last.’

‘So he’s been hospitalised all this week?’

‘It seemed the best and safest option. I’m still getting my head around the distances folk have to travel out here. If I’d released him too early and he’d had a relapse and had to come back in—’

‘So you erred on the side of caution. I’d have done the same. Where was he bitten?’

‘On the calf muscle. Fortunately, he was near enough to the homestead to be found fairly quickly and he didn’t panic. His parents were able to bring him straight in to the hospital.’

‘You don’t think he could possibly be suffering from some kind of PTSD?’

Darcie looked sceptical. ‘That’s a bit improbable, isn’t it?’

‘It can happen as a result of dog bites and shark attacks. How’s he been sleeping?’

‘Not all that well, actually. But I put it down to the strangeness of being in hospital for the first time.’

‘Well, that’s probably true. But there could be another reason why he’s clammed up.’ Jack’s lips tweaked to a one-cornered grin. ‘He’s sixteen, Darcie. His testosterone has to be all over the place.’

Darcie’s chin came up defensively. Same old sexist rubbish. ‘Are you saying he’s embarrassed around a female doctor? I was totally professional.’

‘I’m sure you were.’

She swept a strand of hair behind her ear in agitation. ‘Perhaps I should try talking to him again.’

‘Why don’t you let me?’

‘You?’

‘I’m on staff now,’ he reminded her. ‘And your Mitchell may just open up to another male. That’s if you’re agreeable?’

Darcie felt put on the spot. He’d given her the choice and she didn’t want to be offside with him and appear pedantic. And he was, after all, the senior doctor here. ‘Fine. Let’s do it.’

Jack gave a nod of approval. ‘Here’s how we’ll handle it, then.’

* * *

Mitchell was the only patient in the three-bed unit. Clad in sleep shorts and T-shirt, he was obviously bored, his gaze only intermittently on the television screen in front of him.

Following Jack’s advice, Darcie went forward. ‘Hi, there, Mitchell.’ Her greeting was low-key and cheerful. ‘Just doing a final round.’

Colour stained the youth’s face and he kept his gaze determinedly on the TV screen.

‘This is Dr Cassidy.’ Darcie whipped the blood-pressure cuff around the boy’s arm and began to pump. ‘He’s going to be spending some time with us here in Sunday Creek.’

‘Dr Drummond tells me you crash-tackled a snake recently, Mitch.’ Casually, Jack parked himself on the end of the youngster’s bed. ‘What kind was it?’

The boy looked up sharply. ‘A western brown. They’re deadly.’

‘They’re different from an ordinary brown, then?’

Almost holding her breath, Darcie watched her young patient make faltering eye contact with Jack. ‘The western is more highly coloured.’

Jack flicked a questioning hand. ‘How’s that?’

‘These guys aren’t brown at all,’ Mitchell said knowledgeably. ‘They’re black with a really pale head and neck. They’re evil-looking. The guy that got me was about a metre and a half long.’

‘Hell’s teeth...’ Jack grimaced. ‘That’s about five feet.’

‘Yeah, probably. I almost peed in my pants.’

‘Well, lucky you didn’t do that.’ Jack’s grin was slow and filled with male bonding. ‘I heard you kept your cool pretty well.’

Mitch lifted a shoulder dismissively. ‘Out here, you have to learn to take care of yourself from when you’re a kid. Otherwise you’re dead meat.’

Over their young patient’s head, the doctors exchanged a guarded look. This response was just what they’d hoped for. And it seemed that once started, Mitch couldn’t stop. Aided by Jack’s subtle prompting, he relaxed like a coiled spring unwinding as he continued to regale them with what had happened.

Finally Jack flicked a glance at his watch. ‘So, it’s home tomorrow?’

‘Yeah.’ Mitch’s smile flashed briefly.

‘What time are your parents coming, Mitchell?’ Darcie clipped the medical chart back on the end of the bed.

‘About ten. Uh—thanks for looking after me.’ He rushed the words out, his gaze catching Darcie’s for the briefest second before he dipped his head in embarrassment.

‘You’re welcome, Mitch.’ Darcie sent him a warm smile. ‘And better wear long trousers out in the paddocks from now on, hmm?’

‘And don’t go hassling any more snakes,’ Jack joked, pulling himself unhurriedly upright. ‘Stay cool, champ.’ He butted the kid’s fist with his own.

‘No worries, Doc. See ya.’

‘You bet.’ Jack raised a one-fingered salute.

* * *

‘Thanks,’ Darcie said when they were out in corridor. ‘You were right,’ she added magnanimously.

‘It’s what’s called getting a second opinion,’ Jack deflected quietly. ‘I imagine they’re a bit thin on the ground out here.’

‘Awful to think I could have sent him home still all screwed up.’

‘Let it go now.’ Jack’s tone was softly insistent. ‘You’ve done a fine job. Physically, your patient is well again. He’s young and resilient. He’d have sorted himself out—probably talked to his dad or a mate.’

She gave an off-centre smile. ‘And we can’t second-guess everything we do in medicine, can we?’

‘Hell, no!’ Jack pretended to shudder. ‘If we did that, we’d all be barking mad. Now, do you need to check on any more patients?’

She shook her head. ‘I’m only next door anyway if there’s a problem.’

‘Good.’ In a faintly weary gesture he lifted his hands, running his fingers around his eye sockets and down over the roughness of new beard along his jaw. ‘So, we can call it a day, then? I need a shower, a shave and a cold beer, in that order.’

‘Oh, of course. I should have realised...’ Darcie forced herself to take a dispassionate look at him. There was no mistaking the faint shadows beneath his eyes.

A sliver of raw awareness startled her. The fact that suddenly she wanted to reach up and smooth away those shadows, slowly and gently, startled her even more. Especially when she reminded herself that, for lots of reasons, her trust in men was still borderline.

* * *

The staff residence was next door to the hospital with a vacant block in between. Like the hospital, it was of weathered timber with wide verandas positioned to catch the morning sun and to offer shade during the hot summers.

‘Here we are.’ Darcie opened the gate and they went in, the heady scent of jasmine following them up the front path.

‘Hello, who’s this?’ Jack asked, as a blue heeler cattle dog roused himself from under the steps and slowly came to meet them.

Darcie dimpled a smile. ‘That’s Capone.’

‘Because...?’ Jack bent and stroked the dog between his ears.

‘He seems to get away with everything.’

Jack chuckled. ‘Is that so, chum?’ The dog’s black button eyes looked back innocently. ‘He’s quite old, then?’ Jack had seen the sprinkling of white hair mottling the dog’s blue-grey coat. He went on stroking. ‘What’s his story?’

‘Apparently, he belonged to one of the old-timers of the district.’ Darcie recounted the information as she’d heard it. ‘He died here at the hospital and his dog wouldn’t leave, wouldn’t eat and just hung around.’

‘So the staff adopted him?’

‘Something like that. Naturally, he couldn’t be kept at the hospital so gradually they coaxed him over here and he’s seems content enough to stay.’

‘You’re a great old boy, aren’t you?’ Jack gave a couple of hollow thumps to the bony ridge of the dog’s shoulders. He was a sucker for cattle dogs. They’d had some beauties on the farm when he’d been growing up.

‘Well, he seems to have taken to you.’

‘Seems to.’ Jack’s expression softened for a moment.

Darcie took a shallow breath, all her nerve ends twanging. What a very compelling picture they made—a big man and his dog... She beat back the sudden urge to reach for her phone and take a picture. How absurd. How sentimental. Shooting her sensible thoughts back in place, she said briskly, ‘Let’s go in, shall we?

‘There are six bedrooms, all quite large,’ Darcie said as they made their along the wide hallway. ‘Our funding allows for some domestic help. Meg McLeish keeps everything ticking over. She’s a real gem.’

Jack managed a polite, ‘Mmm.’ He didn’t need this kind of detail but it was a female thing. He got that.

‘You should be comfortable in here.’ Darcie opened the door on the freshness of lemon-scented furniture polish.

Jack’s gaze tracked over the room, taking in the king-sized bed, fitted wardrobes and bedside tables. ‘This is great, Darcie. Thanks. I’ll manage from here.’

Darcie took a step back. Was he was trying to get rid of her? Tough. She hadn’t finished. ‘There’s a linen cupboard at the end of the hall where you’ll find sheets and towels. Sorry there’s no en suite bathroom. I think the place was built long before they were in vogue. But there are two bathrooms for communal use.’

Jack plonked himself on the edge of the bed. ‘Darcie—’ he held down the thread of impatience ‘—it’s all fine, thank you.’

‘OK...’ Her teeth bit softly into her bottom lip. ‘I’ll leave you to it, then.’

He looked up sharply with a frown. Had he offended her somehow? She’d tilted her chin in a gesture he was beginning to recognise. He pulled himself upright again. ‘I’ll just get cleaned up.’ His mouth tweaked into a wry grin. ‘I promise I’ll be more sociable then.’

‘Fine.’ Darcie spread her hands in quick acceptance and began backing away. ‘Come out to the kitchen when you’re through and I’ll find you that cold beer.’

* * *

Barely twenty minutes later Jack joined Darcie in the kitchen. She turned from the window. ‘You were quick.’ Her eyes flicked over him. Cleaned up and dressed in jeans and a pinstriped cotton shirt, he looked...well, more like a senior doctor should look, she concluded a bit primly. Crossing to the fridge, she took out a beer from a six-pack and handed it to him. ‘You Aussies seem a bit territorial about your brands. I hope you like this one.’

Jack barely noticed the label and twisting open the top he took a long pull. ‘Right at this moment I’d settle for any brand as long as it was cold.’ He hooked out a chair. ‘Are you joining me?’

She gave a stilted smile. ‘I have a glass of wine here.’

‘What do we do about meals?’ Jack indicated she should sit at the table with him.

‘At the moment there’s just Lauren and me.’ Darcie met his questioning look neutrally. ‘So it’s all been a bit haphazard, depending what shifts she’s on. We tend to just grab something from the hospital kitchen. But now you’re here, perhaps we should get a better system going. Do a regular shop.’

‘Sounds good to me.’ He rolled back his shoulders and stretched. ‘What about right now? I’m starved. What can the fridge yield up?’

‘There’s some watermelon and fudge,’ Darcie deadpanned.

‘OK,’ Jack said with studied calm. ‘I see you’ve covered all the essential food groups.’

Her spontaneous laugh rippled out, the action bringing her whole face into vivid life.

Instinctively, Jack swayed forward, staring at the sweet curve of her laughing mouth. And feeling something else. Oh, good grief. Instantly, he took control of his wild thoughts, anchoring his feet more firmly under the table.

Darcie tilted her head to one side. ‘If we’d known you were coming—’

‘You’d have baked a cake,’ Jack rejoined, sitting up straighter.

‘Or cooked a roast.’

He chuckled. ‘So, you’re telling me there’s nothing in the fridge we can make a meal with. No leftovers?’

She shook her head.

‘A remnant of cheese? A couple of lonely eggs?’

‘Sorry.’

‘What about the pub, then? Food OK?’

‘Pretty good. And it’s steak night, if that’s what you want to hear.’

‘Excellent.’ He downed the last of the beer and got to his feet. ‘Let’s go, then, Dr Drummond. I’m shouting dinner.’

‘We’ll take my vehicle,’ Darcie said. ‘It’s a bit of a step up to the town centre.’

‘What do I do about getting a vehicle?’ Jack asked as they walked over to her car.

‘The local Rotary Club bought a new Land Rover for the MD’s use. It’s presently garaged at the hospital. OK if we sort all that tomorrow?’

‘Yup.’ Jack opened the car door, sat down and leaned back against the headrest, deciding any further conversation about the practice could wait.

* * *

It was a typical country pub, Jack observed, with a bar, a billiard table and a scattering of tables and chairs.

‘There’s a beer garden through there.’ Darcie indicated the softly lit outdoor area. ‘We just have to order at the bar first.’

‘So, what would you like to eat?’ He guided her to the blackboard menu. ‘Uh—big choice, I see,’ he said dryly. ‘Steak and vegetables or steak and chips and salad.’

‘I’ll have the steak and salad,’ Darcie said. ‘No chips.’

‘You don’t like chips?’ Jack pretended outrage.

‘I like chips,’ she responded, ‘just not with everything.’

They ordered and were told there might be a bit of a wait. ‘Let’s have a drink, then,’ Jack said. ‘Another wine?’

She shook her head. ‘Mineral water, I think.’

‘OK. Me as well. I don’t want to fall asleep.’

Darcie sent him a cool look. Nice to know he found her conversation so scintillating. Being Friday evening, the beer garden was crowded. ‘Most folk are friendly here,’ she said, returning greetings from several of the locals.

‘And you’ve made friends since you’ve been here?’ Jack asked as they made their way to a vacant table.

‘It’s been good,’ she evaded lightly. ‘You’re getting well looked over,’ she added, taking the chair he held for her.

‘I’d better behave myself, then.’

‘Will that be difficult?’

‘I’m not given to dancing on tables, if that’s what you’re worried about.’

Darcie propped her chin on her upturned hand. ‘I’ve never actually seen anyone do that.’

‘I tried it once.’

‘Were you drunk?’

‘Are you shocked?’ Jack’s teasing smile warmed the space between them. ‘Final interviews were over and I knew they’d offer me a place on the surgical training programme.’

She raised an eyebrow. Oh, to have such confidence. But, then, she reasoned, Jack Cassidy seemed to be brimming with it. She took a deep breath and decided to find out more about this man who had literally dropped out of the sky and was now to all intents and purposes her boss. ‘So—where have you come from today?’

His mouth tipped at the corner. ‘You mean by the way I was dressed?’

And his tan. ‘Well, I didn’t imagine you’d just arrived from London.’

‘No.’ He picked up his glass unhurriedly and took a mouthful of his drink. ‘I’ve been trekking in New Guinea for the past couple of weeks. I did part of the Kokoda track. I always promised my grandfather I’d walk it for him one day. His battalion was stationed there in the Second World War.’

‘So, it has some significance for Australians, then?’

He nodded. ‘Our lads were heroes in all kinds of ways. I got some good pics of the general area and managed to run off some film footage too. Next time I see Pa, he’ll be able to see how it is now, although it’s many years on, of course.’

Darcie felt her heartbeat quicken. She guessed this was her opportunity to extend their personal relationship a little further, ask about his family. But somehow it all felt a bit...intimate. And he’d probably feel compelled to reciprocate, enquire about her family. And as yet she hadn’t been able to go there in any depth—not even with Maggie. While she was still cobbling her thoughts together, her attention was distracted by the sight of one of the hotel staff making his way swiftly between tables, almost running towards them. Darcie jumped to her feet.

‘What’s wrong?’ Jack’s head spun round, his eyes following her gaze. He sensed an emergency and shoved his chair back as he stood. ‘Do you know him?’

Darcie’s eyes lit with concern. ‘It’s Warren Rowe. He’s the manager—’

‘Thank God you’re here, Darcie.’ Warren looked pale and shaken. ‘The chef—young Nathan—he’s had an electric shock. We need a doctor.’

‘You’ve got two!’ Jack turned urgently to Darcie. ‘Grab your bag! I’ll do what I can for the casualty.’

‘How long has he been down?’ Jack rapped out the question as the two men sped along the veranda to the kitchen.

‘Not sure. Couple of minutes at most.’ Warren palmed open the swing doors and jerked to a stop. He swallowed convulsively. ‘It was the electric knife—’

Jack’s breath hissed through his clenched teeth and in a few strides he was at the chef’s side. The young man was glassily pale, blue around the lips and, worse, he was still gripping the electric knife that had obviously short-circuited and thrown him to the floor.

‘I used an insulator and switched off the current at the power point,’ Warren said helpfully. ‘What do you need?’

‘What emergency equipment do you have?’ Jack had already kicked the knife away and begun CPR.

‘Defibrillator and oxygen.’

‘Grab them. We’ll need both.’

‘Oh, my God—Nathan!’ Darcie burst in, her horrified look going to the young man on the floor. Dropping beside Jack, she shot open her medical case. ‘Any response?’

‘Not yet. Run the oxygen, please, Darcie. I need to get an airway in.’

‘I can do CPR.’ Warren dived in to help.

‘Defib’s charging.’ Darcie watched as Jack positioned the tube carefully and attached it to the oxygen.

‘Breathe,’ he grated. ‘Come on, sunshine. You can do it!’

Darcie bit her lips together. With sickening dread she waited for some movement from Nathan’s chest. Waited. And watched as Jack checked for a pulse. Again and again. The nerves in Darcie’s stomach tightened. ‘Shocking?’

‘Only option,’ Jack said tersely. ‘Everyone clear, please.’

Nathan’s young, fit body jerked and fell. Darcie felt for a pulse and shook her head.

‘Dammit! Shocking again. Clear, please.’ Jack’s controlled direction seemed to echo round the big old-fashioned kitchen.

Come on, Nathan. Come on! Darcie willed silently. And then...a faint jiggle that got stronger. ‘We have output,’ she confirmed, husky relief in her voice.

Jack’s expression cleared. ‘Good work. Now, let’s get some fluids into this guy.’ He looked up sharply. ‘Has someone called an ambulance?’

‘We’re here, Doc.’ Two paramedics stepped through with a stretcher.

Darcie looked up from inserting the cannula to receive the drip. ‘Say hello to Dr Jack Cassidy, guys.’ Relief was zinging through her and she gave rein to a muted smile. ‘He’s the new boss at the hospital—only been here a few hours.’

‘And already saved a life, by the look of it. Zach Bayliss.’ The senior paramedic held out his hand. ‘My partner, Brett Carew.’

A flurry of handshakes ensued.

Nathan was loaded quickly. ‘We’ll see you across at the hospital, then, Doc?’ Zach confirmed.

‘We’ll be over directly.’ Jack turned to Warren. ‘You should disconnect all power until it’s been checked by the electrical authority. You might have other dodgy gear about the place.’

‘Will do, Doc. Hell, I don’t ever want to see a repetition of this...’

Jack looked around the kitchen. ‘This will stuff up your meal preparation. Do you have a contingency plan?’

‘We do. As it happens, we’d planned to put wood-fired pizzas on the menu tomorrow so we started up the brick oven for a trial run this afternoon. It’s still going strong. We’ll have a line of pizzas going in no time.’

Jack gave a rueful grin. ‘You couldn’t send a couple across to the residence, could you, mate? We still haven’t have had dinner.’

‘Yeah, absolutely. No worries.’ Warren flicked a hand in compliance. ‘On the house, of course. And thanks, Doc. Mighty job with Nathan.’

Jack waved away the thanks and they walked out together.

‘Right to go, then?’ Darcie had tidied up the medical debris and was waiting on the veranda.

Jack nodded and they went across to her car.

‘Nathan didn’t appear to have any fractures,’ she said. ‘But he must have landed with an almighty thump.’

‘I’ll check him thoroughly in Resus. Do you know if he has family to be notified?’

‘Not sure. But Warren will have got onto that.’

Jack sent her a quick, narrow look. ‘He said it was your initiative to have both the defib and oxygen located at the pub. Well done, Dr Drummond.’

‘I was just being proactive.’ Darcie shrugged away his praise. ‘There’s always a crowd in the pub at the weekends. Accidents happen. The odd nasty punch-up. Even a couple of heart attacks while I’ve been here. Having the defibrillator and the oxygen on site seemed a no-brainer. And the staff at the pub all have first-aid knowledge.’

‘Down to you as well?’ Jack asked.

‘And our nurse manager, Maggie Neville. You haven’t met her yet.’ Darcie gave a small chuckle. ‘I think she could run the place if it came to it.’

‘Good.’ Jack stretched his legs out as far as they would go. ‘Nice to have backup.’

A beat of silence.

‘I was very glad to have your backup this evening, Jack.’

Jack felt an expectant throb in his veins. What was this? A tick of approval from the very reserved English doctor? And unless he was mistaken, her husky little compliment had come straight from her heart.

CHAPTER THREE

WHEN THEY PULLED into the hospital car park, Jack said, ‘I can take over from here, Darcie. Go home. I’m sure you’ve more than earned a night off.’

She made a small face. ‘If you’re sure?’

‘More than sure. I’m pulling rank, Doctor. You’re officially off duty.’

‘Thanks, then.’ Darcie felt the weight of responsibility drop from her. ‘I’d actually kill for a leisurely bath.’

‘And dinner’s on its way,’ Jack confirmed, as he swung out of the car. ‘Warren’s sending over pizzas.’

* * *

Lauren stood with Jack as he made notations on Nathan’s chart. ‘How’s he doing?’ she asked quietly.

‘He has entry and exit burns on his left hand and right foot. It’s obviously been a serious shock. We’ll need him on a heart monitor for the next little while.’

‘He’s coming round.’ Lauren looked down at her watch to check the young man’s pulse. ‘You’re in hospital, Nathan,’ she said as Nathan’s eyes opened. ‘You’ve had an electric shock. This is Dr Cassidy.’

‘Take it easy, Nathan.’ Jack was calmly reassuring. ‘This contraption here is helping you breathe.’

Nathan’s eyes squeezed shut and then opened.

‘Pulse is fine,’ Lauren reported.

‘In that case, I think we can extubate.’ Jack explained to their patient what he was about to do. ‘You’re recovering well, Nathan, and there’s an excellent chance you’ll be able to breathe on your own.’ He turned to Lauren. ‘Stand by with the oxygen, please, but let’s hope he won’t need it.’

Lauren noticed the surgeon’s hands were gentle. Mentally, she gave him a vote of approval. In her time she’d seen extubations carried out with all the finesse of pulling nails with a claw hammer.

‘I want you to cough now, Nathan,’ Jack said as the tube was fully removed. ‘Go for it,’ he added, as Nathan looked confused. ‘You won’t damage anything.’

Nathan coughed obligingly.

‘OK, let’s have a listen to your chest now.’ Jack dipped his head, his face impassive in concentration. ‘Good lad.’ He gave a guarded smile. ‘You’re breathing well.

‘Thanks, Doc.’ Nathan’s voice was rusty. ‘Guess I’ve been lucky. When can I get out of here?’

‘Not so fast, mate.’ Jack raised a staying hand. ‘You’ve had a hell of a whack to every part of your body. We’ll need to monitor you for a couple of days.’

Nathan looked anxious. ‘My job—’

‘Is safe,’ Jack said firmly. ‘Warren will be in to see you about that tomorrow. In the meantime, I want you to just rest and let the nurses take care of you.’

‘And we do that very well.’ Lauren gave the young man a cheeky smile. ‘Fluids as a matter of course, Doctor?’

‘Please.’ Jack continued writing on Nathan’s chart. ‘Call if there’s a problem, Lauren. I’ll be right over.’

‘Will do. Good to have you on board, Jack,’ Lauren said as they walked out.

Jack pocketed his pen and then turned to the nurse. ‘What time do the shops come alive here in the mornings?’

‘Depends what you need.’ A small evocative smile nipped Lauren’s mouth. ‘There’s a truckers’ café that opens about five-thirty, supermarket and bakery about six, everything else around eight-thirty-ish.’

‘Thanks for the heads-up.’ Jack acknowledged the information with a curt nod and strode off.

* * *

‘This is fantastic!’ They were eating pizza straight from the box and Jack pulled out a long curl of melted cheese and began eating it with exaggerated relish. ‘Why the look, Dr Drummond?’ He gave a folded-in grin. ‘You didn’t expect us to stand on ceremony and set the table for dinner, did you?’

Darcie took her time answering, obviously enjoying her own slice of the delicious wood-fired pizza. ‘I thought the present state of the fridge would have proved I’m no domestic goddess.’

‘Who needs them?’ Jack wound out another curl of cheese. ‘Do you want the last piece?’

Darcie waved his offer away and got to her feet. ‘I found some raspberry ripple ice cream in the freezer. Fancy some?’

Jack shook his head. ‘No, thanks.’

‘Cup of tea, then?’

‘Any decent coffee going, by any chance?’

‘There’s some good instant. Near as we get can to the real stuff out here.’

‘Perfect.’ Jack got up from the table and moved across to the sink to wash his hands. Drying them on a length of paper towel, he moved closer to look over her shoulder as she reached up to get mugs from the top cupboard. ‘Turned out all right, then, didn’t it?’ His voice had a gruff quality. ‘Our impromptu dinner, I mean.’

He was very close and Darcie felt warning signals clang all over her body. The zig-zag of awareness startled her, unnerved her. With her breathing shallower than usual, she said, ‘It was great.’ She took her time, placing the mugs carefully on the countertop as though they were fine china, instead of the cheerful, chunky variety from the supermarket.

‘So, Darcie...’ Jack about-turned, leaning against the bench of cupboards and folding his arms. ‘Do you think we’ll rub along all right?’

She blinked uncertainly. In just a few hours Jack Cassidy had brought a sense of stability and authority to the place, his presence like a rock she could hang onto for dear life.

Whoa, no! Those kinds of thoughts led to a road with no signposts and she wasn’t going there. The water in the electric jug came to boiling point and she switched it off. ‘We’d better rub along,’ she replied, ignoring the flare of heat in his eyes and waving light-hearted banter like a flag. ‘We’re the only doctors for hundreds of miles. It won’t do much for morale if either of us stomps off in a hissy fit.’

Jack gave a crack of laughter. ‘Do male doctors have hissy fits?’

‘Of course they do! Especially in theatres.’ She made the coffee quickly and handed him his mug. ‘They just call it something else.’

‘Thanks.’ Jack met her gaze and held it. She had the most amazing eyes, he thought. They were hazel, coppery brown near the pupils, shading to dark green at the rims. And they were looking at him with a kind of vivid expectancy. ‘I suppose men might have a rant,’ he suggested.

‘Or a tirade?’

‘A meltdown?’

‘Ten out of ten. That’s an excellent analogy.’ She smiled, holding it for a few seconds, letting it ripen on her face and then throwing in a tiny nose crinkle for good measure.

Hell. Jack felt the vibes of awareness hissing like a live wire between them. Enough to shift his newly achieved stable world off its hinges.

But only if he let it.

Lifting his coffee, he took a mouthful and winced, deciding he’d probably given his throat full-thickness burns. He had to break this proximity before he did something entirely out of character.

And kissed her.

‘Uh...’ His jaw worked a bit. ‘Let’s grab what’s left of the evening and take our coffee outside to the courtyard.’

Darcie looked surprised but nevertheless picked up her mug and followed him. ‘I’ll just turn on the outside light,’ she said. ‘We don’t want to break our necks in the dark.’

‘There’s plenty of moonlight.’ Jack looked around him as they sat at the old wooden table. The smell of jasmine was in the air. It twisted around a trellis at least six feet high. ‘I guess this place would have a few stories to tell,’ he surmised.

‘Probably.’ Darcie took a careful mouthful of her coffee.

Tipping his head back Jack looked up, his gaze widening in awe at the canopy of stars, some of which looked close enough to touch, while myriad others were scattered like so much fairy dust in the swept enormous heavens. So very different from London. ‘You’re a long way from home, Darcie.’

Darcie tensed. She’d expected the question or something similar but not quite so soon. For a heartbeat she was tempted to lower her guard and tell him the plain, unvarnished truth. But to do that would make her feel vulnerable. And perhaps make him feel uncomfortable, or worse even—sorry for her. And she so did not want that from any man. ‘This is Australia.’ She feigned nonchalance with an accompanying little shrug. ‘So I imagine I must be a long way from home. But this is home now.’

Jack heard the almost fierce assertiveness in her voice. OK, he wouldn’t trespass. Darcie Drummond obviously had her ghosts, the same as he did. But he liked to think he’d laid his to rest. On the other hand, he had a feeling young Dr Drummond here appeared to be still running from hers.

‘So, tell me a bit about Sunday Creek,’ he said evenly. ‘No GP here, I take it?’

‘Not for a long time. Anyone with a medical problem comes to the hospital.’

‘So we take each day as it comes, then?’

‘Yes.’ She smiled into the softness of the night. ‘I’ve treated a few characters.’

He chuckled. ‘It’s the outback. Of course you have.’ With subtlety, he pressed a little further, determined to get to know her better. ‘Any one instance stand out?’

‘Oh, yes.’ She smiled, activating a tiny dimple beside her mouth. ‘Pretty soon after I’d arrived here I had a call out to one of the station properties. There’d been an accident in the shearing shed. I was still at the stage of being wide-eyed with wonder at the size and scope of everything.’

‘That figures.’ Jack tilted his head, listening.

‘When I stepped inside the shearing shed I was thrown with the hive of activity. I’m sure I must have stood there gaping, wondering where to go or whom I should speak to. Then one of the men bellowed, “Ducks on the pond!” and suddenly there was this deathly kind of silence.’

Jack’s laughter rippled.

Darcie pressed a finger to her lips, covering an upside-down smile. ‘You know what it means, of course?’

‘Yep.’ He shot her a wry half-grin. ‘It’s simply shorthand for, “Mind your language, there’s a lady present.”’

‘I had to ask Maggie when I got back to the hospital,’ Darcie confessed. ‘But the men were very kind to me and, fortunately, the emergency was only a case of a rather deep wound that needed suturing. I stayed for morning tea in the shed. I think I managed OK,’ she added modestly.

‘From the sound of it, I’d say you managed brilliantly.’ In the moonlight, Jack’s gaze softened over her. She was gutsy and no slouch as a doctor. He already had proof of that. He wondered what her story was. And why she’d felt the need to practise her skills so far from her roots.

Leaning back in his chair, he clasped his hands behind his head. ‘I’ll cover the weekend. I want you to have a break.’

‘Oh.’ Darcie looked uncertain. ‘Shouldn’t I hand over officially?’

‘We can do that officially on Monday. Meanwhile, I’ll get a feel for things in general, talk to a few faces.’

‘I won’t know what to do with myself...’ The words were out before she could stop them.

‘Have some fun,’ Jack suggested. ‘See your friends.’

He made it sound so simple—so normal. And it would look pathetic if she hung around the house for the entire weekend. Her brain quickly sorted through the possibilities. She supposed she did have a couple of friends she could visit—Louise and Max Alderton. They lived on a property, Willow Bend, only ten miles out. Louise was on the hospital board and somehow had sensed Darcie’s need for a no-strings kind of friendship.

She could give Lou a call now. She’d still be up. See if it was OK to visit. Maybe they could go for a ride... ‘OK. I’ll do that. Thanks.’

* * *

Next morning, Darcie couldn’t believe she’d slept in. If you called seven-thirty sleeping in, she thought wryly, sitting up to look out at the new day. The sun had risen, the temperature climbing already. Blocking a yawn, she stretched and threw herself out of bed. She had a holiday.

And she’d better remember there was a man in the house. Slipping into her short dressing gown, she sprinted along the hallway to the bathroom.

As she dressed, Darcie sensed something different about the place. A feeling of the house coming alive. And there was a delicious smell of grilling bacon coming from the kitchen.

And that could mean only one thing. Jack was up and around and amazingly he must be cooking breakfast. She hoped he’d made enough for two because she intended joining him.

As she made her way along the hallway to the kitchen, her newly found confidence began faltering. Perhaps she was being presumptuous. She didn’t expect Jack to feed her. She really didn’t.

But already her preconceived ideas about him had begun falling like skittles. He wasn’t strutty—just competent. And from what she’d observed, he seemed straightforward and she liked that. If he’d only made breakfast for one, then he’d tell her so.

She paused at the kitchen door, ran her tongue around the seam of her lips and said, ‘You’re up early.’

Busy at the cooker top, Jack turned his head and gave her a casual ‘Morning. How do you like your eggs?’

‘Um...’ Darcie’s mouth opened and closed. ‘Scrambled, I think.’ She joined him at the stove. He was turning sausages and the bacon was set aside in the warming oven.

‘Me too.’ He gave her a quick smile. ‘Will you do that while I watch these guys?’

‘Yes, sure.’ She looked around and saw a pile of groceries had been unloaded onto the benchtop. ‘Have you been to the supermarket already?’

‘I was awake early,’ he said. ‘Thought I’d do a quick swoop. I borrowed your car. I hope that’s all right?’

‘Of course.’ Darcie searched for a bowl and began cracking the eggs. ‘You must let Lauren and me pay for our share of the groceries.’

‘We can talk about that later,’ Jack dismissed. ‘Tomatoes for you?’

‘Yes, please.’ Darcie’s mouth began to water. All this home cooking was beginning to heighten her taste buds. ‘And I’ll make some toast. Did you get bread?’

‘I did. The baker had his front door open a crack. I gave him a shout, introduced myself and he obligingly sold me a couple of loaves.’

‘That’ll be Jai.’ Darcie found the wholemeal loaf and hacked off a couple of slices. ‘He and his wife, Nikki, relocated from Thailand. He makes gorgeous bread.’

Jack piled the cooked sausages onto a plate. ‘Should we keep some of this food for Lauren?’

‘Uh-uh. She’ll sleep for ages. And she’s vegetarian anyway.’

‘Oh—OK. Good for her,’ Jack said, though he sounded doubtful. ‘We won’t have continuous tofu to look forward to, will we?’

Darcie chuckled. ‘Tofu is the new meat. But she’s more a risotto person. Although she does a great grilled halloumi and courgette salad.’

‘You mean zucchini? Well, that sounds all right, as long as there’s a nice T-bone steak to go with it,’ he said with wry humour. ‘This is about ready. Should we tuck in?’

‘I’ll get the plates.’

‘I hope it’s up to scratch,’ he said.

‘Oh, it will be.’ Darcie was adamant. ‘You seem like an amazingly good cook.’

‘I was reared on a cattle property,’ Jack said, as they settled over their meal. ‘We all had to learn to throw a meal together, especially at mustering time. If you were given kitchen duties, you had to have something ready to feed the troops or risk getting a kick up the backside. Sorry...’ His mouth pulled down. ‘That sounded a bit crass.’

‘Not at all.’ Darcie dismissed his apology. ‘So, are there a lot of you in the family?’

‘I’m the eldest of five. Two brothers, two sisters. I recall some pretty rowdy mealtimes.’

And he made it sound so warm and wonderful. Darcie felt the weight of her own solitary childhood sit heavily on her shoulders. Meals on your own didn’t have much going for them. But that was her old life. She shook her head as if to clear the debris and firmly closed the lid on that particular Pandora’s box. She drummed up a quick smile. ‘So, happy childhood, then?’

‘Mmm.’ Jack hadn’t missed the subtlety of her mood change or her quickly shuttered look. But he didn’t want to be stepping on any of her private landmines. One thing he did know, he’d shut up about his happy childhood.

‘So, what are your plans for today?’ He’d already noticed her boots, jeans and soft white shirt.

‘I’m going riding.’ She filled him in about the Aldertons and Willow Bend. ‘You’ll probably meet Lou sooner rather than later. She’s on the hospital board and a great innovator.’

‘Excellent. As the sole MOs for the entire district, we need all the help we can get.’

They batted light conversation around for the rest of the meal.

‘You’ll find a set of keys for your use at the nurses’ station,’ Darcie said, as they finished breakfast and began clearing the table. ‘Including those for your vehicle.’

‘Thanks.’ He bent and began stacking the dishwasher.

Darcie blinked a bit. Heavens, he really was house-trained. ‘Natalie Britten will be the RN on duty and with a bit of luck a couple of our ancillary staff should turn up as well. There’s a list of numbers to call if there are any staffing problems.’

‘You like all your ducks in a row, don’t you?’

Darcie’s chin came up. ‘We’re running a hospital,’ she countered. ‘We have to make some effort for things to be orderly.’

‘That wasn’t my first impression.’ He smiled then, a little half-smile that seemed to flicker on one side of his lips before settling into place.

‘A tiny glitch.’ Darcie shrugged away his comment. ‘I think you enjoyed surprising us.’

‘Perhaps I did.’ He considered her for a long moment. ‘Will you be home tonight?’ Oh, good grief! He squirmed inwardly. He’d sounded like her father!

Darcie looked up warily. Was he enquiring whether she had a boyfriend who might be wanting to keep her out all night? Well, let him wonder about that. ‘Yes, I’ll be home. But I may be late.’

Jack closed the door on the dishwasher and stood against it. ‘Have a good day, then.’

‘I shall.’ She hovered for a moment, pushing her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. ‘Thanks for this, Jack. The day off, I mean.’

He shrugged. ‘You’re probably owed a zillion.’

‘If there’s an emergency...’

He sent her a dry look. ‘If I need you, I’ll call you. Now scoot.’ He flicked his fingers in a shooing motion. ‘Before I reassign you.’

She scooted.

Jack wandered out onto the veranda, the better to take in the vibe of his new surroundings. Leaning on the timber railings, he looked down at the wildly flowering red bottlebrush. The hardiest of the natives, it simply produced more and more blossoms, regardless of the vagaries of the seasons.

Raising his gaze, he looked out towards the horizon. There was a ribbon of smoke-laden cloud along the ridge tops. So far it obviously wasn’t a cause for concern. He hoped it stayed that way...

The clip of Darcie’s footsteps along the veranda interrupted his train of thought. He swung round, a muscle tightening in his jaw, an instinct purely male sharpening every one of his senses. She’d gathered up her hair and tied it into a ponytail and she’d outlined her mouth with a sexy red lipstick.

His heart did a U-turn. His male antennae switched to high alert. Hell. This was right out of left field.

He fancied her.

Darcie stopped beside him, dangling her Akubra hat loosely between her fingers. ‘Taking in the scenery?’ Her quick smile sparkled white against the red lipstick.

‘Just getting acquainted with the possibilities.’ And wasn’t that the truth.

‘Good,’ she said lightly, and proceeded down the steps. At the bottom she turned and looked back. ‘Don’t wait up.’

Cheeky monkey. Jack dipped his head to hide a burgeoning grin and countered, ‘Don’t fall off.’

Then, with something like wistfulness in his gaze, he watched as she reversed out of the driveway and took off.

His hands tightened their grip on the railings, some part of him wanting to rush after her, flag her down.

And spend the entire day with her.

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