Doctor's Delight (26 page)

Cherry wasn’t
even aware that she’d taken a step back until she felt Rick shift
slightly, a calculated move that placed him partially behind her,
thwarting her retreat while giving silent support.

“You look
lovely, Annabelle,” Cherry said quietly, fighting to maintain her
composure, so conscious of how different they looked even though
they were dressed the same.

“Thank you.”
Annabelle’s gaze lifted to Rick. “This gown does require a certain,
how shall we say, figure? Doesn’t Cherry look nice, Rick?”

If a hole had
opened up right then, Cherry would have crawled into it and pulled
it closed over her head. Humiliated by Annabelle’s nastiness in
pointing out the obvious difference in their figures, part of her
wanted to run and hide,

Rick looked
down at Cherry, his eyes flaring with anger, but softening as he
met her gaze. “Cherry looks breath-taking. Absolutely
breath-taking.”

Though grateful
to Rick, she wanted the attention off herself, so she cast around
for something – anything – to say, settling on, “I don’t see your
date, Annabelle?”

“Oh, he’s
coming.” Annabelle shrugged elegantly. “He’s just a friend of the
family.” She smiled at Rick, cutting Cherry out of the conversation
by simply ignoring her. “How are you settling in, Rick?”

“Very well,
thank you.” Wrapping an arm around Cherry’s waist, Rick drew her
against his side in open proclamation of their togetherness.
“Cherry and I have been spending time checking out the sights of
the city, and work is going well. Do excuse us, Annabelle, I see
Tim heading this way.”

Annabelle
smiled and moved away with a murmured “See you later, then, Rick”.
But her gaze when it slashed to Cherry was hard and filled with
dislike.

He stiffened,
but Cherry leaned up to whisper, “Don’t. Please don’t say
anything.”

Looking down at
her, he ran his hand soothingly up and down her back. “I won’t have
anyone hurt you, Cherry. I’ll have a word to her and—”

“Don’t. If you
really care for me, don’t,” she pleaded. “Please, Rick.
Please.”

It was obvious
that he fought an inner war with himself, but finally he nodded.
“Very well. But don’t take any notice of that bitch. She’s a
vindictive woman and nasty to boot. She’s no comparison to
you.”

Cherry smiled,
though her heart remained heavy. “Okay.”

Leaning down,
he placed his mouth to her ear and said softly, “Okay nothing. You
let her get to you, Cherry, and I swear I’ll paddle your
backside.”

That really
jolted her and her eyes widened, but more than aware that they were
in a public place, she managed to keep a smile on her face even as
she whispered back, “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try it.”

Outrage surged
through her and she glared at him when he lifted his head. His eyes
were steady, determined, and when he saw the anger in her eyes,
though she remained outwardly calm, he smiled slightly. “There’s my
girl.”

Before she
could retort, Tim walked up and greeted them. “Hey, Rick. Cherry.
Lady, you look hot.” He winked at her.

She smiled at
him, forcing her anger down to drag out later and confront Rick at
a more suitable time. “Hi, Tim.”

“Saw The
Barracuda over here, figured she was stirring some shit, so I
thought I better come over and rescue you.” Tim grabbed a passing
waiter and grimaced at his tray. “Champagne? Man, can you not do
something a little more classy? Get me a can of beer, there’s a
good fellow.”

“Very good,
Sir.”

“Betcha
arse.”

Cherry noticed
that Tim was dressed in a good grey suit, but instead of a white
shirt and tie, he wore a t-shirt with
I’m a Vet and I have a
thermometer
.
Be afraid…very afraid
written on it. “Tim,
what the…?”

He brushed his
hand over his shirt and preened. “You like?”

“I’m
flabbergasted. Why aren’t you in a proper shirt?”

“Just trying to
add some class to the dinner.”

“I don’t
understand.”

“Tim has a
love/hate relationship with his mother,” Rick explained. “Fancy
dinners like this bring out the bad boy in him.”

Tim grinned.
“I’ll tell you all about it one day, honey. Probably when I’m drunk
and looking for a shoulder to cry on.”

“So who is your
date tonight?” Rick queried, his hand coming again to rest in the
small of Cherry’s back.

Suspecting that
he’d deliberately riled her up she didn’t step away, but she was
still struggling with her emotions, so she focused on Tim’s
answer.

“Nancy, my
neighbour.”

“Nancy is sixty
years old.”

“Yeah. That
really pissed Mother off.”

“Your date is
sixty years old?” Bewildered, Cherry stared at Tim.

“Nancy’s a good
old stick. She’s always up for some good food and a good time. I
promised to mow her lawn if she’d come with me tonight. I also had
to clip her Chihuahua’s claws for free, which, come to think of it,
I do anyway, so I got off lightly.” Tim rubbed his jaw musingly. “I
think.”

A sprightly,
purple-haired woman with tortoiseshell glasses came bounding up at
that moment, a champagne glass in hand, her sparkling silver dress
with the dangerously low neckline somehow suiting her
perfectly.

“Tim, darling!”
she cooed.

Tim leaned down
and gave her a smacking kiss on the cheek.

“Cheeky boy.”
She patted his cheek fondly and turned to Cherry and Rick. “Hello
Rick. And you must be Cherry.” She hugged them both at the same
time, squashing them together, before releasing them and saying
brightly, “Isn’t this just a fab party? Where’s that waiter? The
blonde one with the pierced eye brow.” She glanced around. “He’s
yummy. I wonder if he’s into older women?”

“I think he
might be into men,” Tim informed her. “If his giving me the eyeball
was anything to go by.”

“Bet I could
change his mind.” She leered, then looked at Cherry. “What a
fabulous gown, my dear. Now someone with your figure can wear a
gown like this. I saw another woman in the exact same gown, and I
tell you, she looked like a stick that needing some padding. You
gotta have a big bosom to pop that bodice out, and I have to say,
you’ve got a great bosom. You lucky fellow.” She elbowed Rick in
the ribs and winked. “Huh? Huh?”

Cherry couldn’t
help but guffaw, slapping her hand almost instantly over her mouth
and looking around, hoping no one had heard her.

Rick’s hand
tightened on her waist. “The luckiest, Nancy, I do agree.”

And just like
that, all lingering anger fled. Cherry smiled up at him, and he met
her gaze with warmth and a touch of tenderness.

“That is so
sweet.” Nancy wiped her eyes.

“How much have
you had to drink?” Tim asked in amusement.

“Not near
enough. So saying, I’m going to look for that waiter. Come with me,
son, if he’s got the hots for you, he’ll come to us like a bee to
honey.” Waving a cheery goodbye, Nancy went back into the crowd
towing a laughing Tim by the hand.

The rest of the
evening went well, Cherry managing not to disgrace herself at the
dinner. The amount of silverware was bewildering, but Rick
unobtrusively touched his own silverware before every dish, so she
knew before it came which spoon, knife or fork to use. Tim and
Nancy sat opposite, and so she was able to talk and enjoy the
meal.

After dinner,
the guests were ushered into another room, where they sat or stood
in small groups and talked.

Several people
wandered outside to enjoy the cool night air, and Rick wasted no
opportunity in whisking Cherry out of an open French door onto a
small balcony that overlooked the lush gardens.

“How
delightful.” She looked around. “Just like my garden.”

Rick gave a
snort of laughter. “Would you like a tour, see if it meets your
expectations?”

“You know the
gardens that well?”

“Old friends,
remember?”

“I somehow
can’t see you and Tim tearing around these gardens like little
hooligans.”

“When the cat’s
away, etc.”

“Two sneaky
little boys, now that I can see.” She slid her hand into his warm
clasp. “Lead on.”

“Your wish is
my command.”

They passed
several couples wandering along the pathway that wound through the
garden. One couple was a giggling Nancy and an older gentleman who
was whispering into her ear.

“Looks like
Nancy’s found a paramour.” Rick waved to them.

“What a
delightfully old fashioned term.”

“I’m an old
fashioned kind of fellow.” He squeezed her hand. “I believe in
love, marriage, and the baby carriage.”

Of that Cherry
had no doubt, especially when he’d spoken of courtship, but she
wasn’t sure whether he was hinting at something, or whether it was
just wishful thinking on her part. Contemplating love, marriage,
and a baby carriage in conjunction with Rick… She glanced up at him
from the corner of her eye.

This man was so
loving, so caring, so patient and gentle and sensual. Any woman
would be lucky to have him. It was hard to imagine that right now
she was that woman. But would it – could it – lead to love,
marriage, and a baby carriage? She knew she felt something for him,
he sent delicious thrills down her spine, he made her blood heat
with his caresses, he brought laughter to her lips so readily, he
made her feel so special, and her self-consciousness was
disappearing when in his presence. When Rick walked into her
vision, she saw no-one else.

Was that
love?

Before she
could contemplate any further, he led her through an archway and
into a brick-tiled area that was trellised for privacy. Lights
glimmered softly overhead, their reflection sparkling in the blue
waters of the swimming pool. Several comfortable chairs and lounges
were spread around the poolside, and potted plants were placed
strategically against the trellis. Titling her head up, she looked
at the stars twinkling in the sky, then brought her gaze down once
more to find Rick standing in front of her.

“It’s
beautiful,” she breathed.

“It is.” He
didn’t bother to even look around, his regard fixed on her. “But
not as beautiful as you.”

And there it
was, that flush of warmth that spread through her when he looked at
her as though she was the only person in the world worth his
attention. A little flustered, she glanced down. “Sweet
talker.”

“I mean it.” He
took her hands in his.

There was
something in his voice that made her look back up at him. Green
eyes caught the light, the steadiness of them trained directly on
her, capturing her gaze as surely as he’d captured her hands.

He squeezed her
fingers gently and she felt the touch clear to her toes. One step
forward and he was right against her, the heat of his body
filtering into hers, his masculine scent infiltrating her senses.
Such a welcome, familiar scent that she wanted to have filling her
senses when she went to sleep and awoke again. The heat of his
body, the steadiness of his very presence, she ached to have it
beside her through her life.

When did I fall
in love with you?

The thought
rose unbidden as the emotion surged up and out of her heart to fill
every part of her. The sudden sharp knowledge was almost
overwhelming, and her fingers tightened convulsively around his.
She felt as though her very breath had been sucked away, and the
night seemed unexpectedly brighter, brilliant, though her sole
focus was on the breathtakingly handsome man standing so close to
her that only their clothes separated their skin. She could smell
him, feel him—

“Cherry.” His
voice wove through her like black velvet.

Trying to
thread her way through the warm shock of self-discovery, she
smiled. “Yes?”

“Are you all
right, love?” In a familiar move, he tucked a curl back behind her
ears, his gaze both concerned and - her breath caught at the
emotion she was afraid to name in case she was heartbreakingly
wrong.

“I’m – I’m
fine.”

“You’re
sure?”

“Yes. Really.”
Her heart fluttered while outwardly she maintained her composure.
She hoped.

“Good.” His
eyes crinkled at the corners in quiet amusement. “Because I don’t
want any excuses later.”

“Excuses? This
sounds intriguing.”

“You’re
intriguing.” The amusement faded from his eyes as he regarded her
seriously. “Cherry, I want you to listen to me, because I’m going
to lay my—”

“Dr Reed!”

Rick looked up
and over Cherry’s head towards the archway through which they’d
entered. “Don’t answer.” There was a definite touch of annoyance in
his tone.

“Dr Reed!” A
man dressed in a suit and tie hurried through the archway. “Thank
God. There’s an urgent call for you.”

“I’m not
on-call for the hospital tonight—”

“The doctor is
concerned about one of the patients you treated today.

“Which doctor?”
Cherry felt the tension spiral through Rick.

“I don’t know
his name, I’m just delivering the message.”

“I’ve got my
mobile on me, why didn’t he ring me on it?” Rick glanced down at
her ruefully. “I’m sorry, love, I’d better go in and take this
call.”

“No problems.
I’ll wait here for you.”

He dropped a
quick kiss on the top of her head. “I won’t be long. Don’t leave
without me.”

“Not likely.”
She laughed. “You’ve got the car keys.”

Within seconds
he was gone, and the man spared her a brief glance before
following. Left alone, she turned and walked slowly over to the
pool, stopping near the edge to gaze down into the shimmering
water.

Whatever Rick
had been about to say to her, it was important to him, and she
wondered what it could have been.

“So, left all
alone?” Annabelle appeared suddenly beside Cherry.