Harlequin Medical Romance December 2015, Box Set 1 of 2 (39 page)

‘The patient in Resus has asked if we can contact his family in India. Apparently, he's a student at the local college and he doesn't have any family living here. There isn't a telephone number where we can reach them so we may need to go through the Embassy. I was hoping that you would be able to sort it out.'

‘Of course,' Molly said formally. ‘I'll get straight onto the Embassy once I've finished in here.'

‘Thanks.' He half turned to leave then paused. ‘Did you enjoy your lunch and coffee, by the way? You never gave me the chance to ask what you thought of the restaurant.'

‘The food was excellent,' she said shortly, refusing to let him goad her into saying something she would regret. If he'd had an ulterior motive for being there then she didn't want to know what it was. She treated him to a deliberately bright smile. ‘Adam and I had a great time, I have to say. In fact, I'm sure we shall go back there again in the future.'

‘Good. I'm glad you didn't find it too stuffy.'

He sketched her a wave and headed back to Resus before she could ask him what he meant by that comment. Had Sean found the place rather too formal, as she had done? she wondered as she started suturing Bert's arm. Although the food had been delicious, the restaurant had lacked atmosphere, although maybe that had been down to her companion, she mused. Although Adam was extremely attentive, he lacked any real charisma. Adam certainly wouldn't have been able to make lunching at a burger van feel like a Michelin star experience!

Molly's mouth tightened. Once again she was comparing Adam to Sean and she had to stop. She finished suturing Bert's arm and saw him and Doris out then collected her next patient. She had no intention of wondering who Sean was planning to invite out for an expensive dinner. He could date every single woman in the hospital if he wanted and she wouldn't lose a wink of sleep worrying about it! However, despite such stalwart claims, she couldn't deny that the thought of Sean seeing some other woman hurt. It brought it home to her once more how vital it was that she erased him from her life for good.

CHAPTER EIGHT

S
EAN
HAD
THE
next two days off and had decided to spend them looking for a place to live. As it had been a last-minute decision to accept the post in Dalverston he had booked himself into a bed and breakfast, but if he was to spend the next six weeks working here he desperately needed his own space.

He set off early to visit the local estate agent's office and came away with a list of four properties, all available on a short-term lease. However, he quickly discovered that the agency's glowing descriptions fell far short of the reality. By the time he arrived at the last property he was starting to feel very despondent.
Cosy
probably meant tiny and
full of character
undoubtedly meant it was riddled with damp or overrun with mice or both. He almost gave up but the thought of having to put up with living in one room for the next few weeks spurred him on. He would go crazy if he had to stare at the same four walls much longer!

Sean got out of the car. The cottage was tucked away down a narrow lane close to the river and he stood for a moment, drinking in the peace and quiet. He frowned because the area seemed strangely familiar for some reason. Looking around, he realised with a start that it was very close to where Molly lived. Why, he could remember running along this very lane one morning after he had stayed the night at her house! He sighed. It put him in a bit of a quandary. Molly had made it abundantly clear on more than one occasion that she wanted nothing to do with him outside of work, hadn't she? On the other hand, he was pretty much out of options by now, he reasoned, and it wasn't as if he and Molly would be next door neighbours. The thought helped him make up his mind and he went and knocked on the front door. It opened a crack and a wizened face peered out at him.

‘Yes?'

‘Mrs Bradshaw? I believe you're renting out your cottage. The estate agent gave me the details.' He showed the old lady the letter the agency had given him and smiled at her. ‘They said they would ring and let you know I was coming.'

‘That's right, dear. Come in, come in.' She opened the door wider and ushered him inside. ‘I'm off to New Zealand, you see, to stay with my son and his wife over Christmas. They've asked me umpteen times if I'd go and stay with them but I've always refused in the past because I didn't want to leave Henry.' She sighed. ‘He's no longer with us, I'm afraid, so I've no excuse not to go now.'

‘I'm so sorry,' Sean said quietly, thinking how sad it must be to lose one's partner after what must have been a lengthy relationship. ‘Were you married a long time?'

‘Married?' The old lady laughed. ‘Oh, no. Henry wasn't my husband, dear. He died many years ago. Henry was my dog and a bad-tempered old thing too, but I still loved him. He finally went to doggy heaven a month ago so I decided to book my flight. The problem is that I don't like the thought of leaving the cottage standing empty while I'm away. One of my neighbours, who lives just round the corner, did offer to pop in and check everything was all right, but I thought it was too much for her when she's so busy working, which is why I decided to rent it out.'

‘I see.' Sean laughed at his mistake then looked around the living room. It was small, admittedly, but it felt wonderfully cosy and inviting. ‘This is lovely,' he said truthfully. ‘It feels so...well, homely, is the best way to describe it.'

‘I'm glad you like it, dear. I've lived here for over forty years and I love the place. Why don't you look round and see if it's suitable for you?' the old lady suggested. ‘I'll put the kettle on and make us a cup of tea.'

Sean did as he was told, checking out the small but functional kitchen, the bedroom with its old-fashioned dark wood furniture and the surprisingly large and well-equipped bathroom. He had already decided to take it by the time he returned to the living room and he told Mrs Bradshaw that he would get straight onto the agency.

‘That is good news, dear.' Mrs Bradshaw beamed as she handed him a delicate china cup and saucer. ‘I'm so pleased. Not only will I know the place is being well looked after but it means that Molly won't have to bother about it.'

‘Molly,' Sean repeated, his hand shaking ever so slightly so that the cup started to rattle in its saucer. He hurriedly set it safely down on the end table, telling himself that he was being silly. It wouldn't be his Molly; that would be too much of a coincidence. No, Mrs Bradshaw's Molly was most likely a kindly older lady like herself. ‘Is she a friend of yours?'

‘Yes. Molly's a real sweetheart. I'm sure you'll like her. She's been like a daughter to me—pops to the shop for bread and milk if I run out; fetches my Sunday paper if she's not working at the weekend.' Mrs Bradshaw sighed. ‘She's a nurse in the A&E department at the hospital and she works the most terrible hours but she still finds the time to visit me. You can understand why I don't want to burden her with having to look after my cottage while I'm away, can't you?'

‘I...erm...yes. Of course,' Sean replied, his heart sinking as he realised that he couldn't in all conscience take the cottage now he knew that there was a very real risk of him bumping into Molly.

‘Mrs Bradshaw,' he began, knowing that he had no choice in the circumstances other than to tell the old lady that he had changed his mind. Maybe he did love the cottage but it wasn't worth taking it if it meant upsetting Molly.

‘It's such a weight off my mind!' the old lady declared, cutting him off mid-flow. She patted his hand. ‘Now I shall be able to go off and enjoy my holiday without having to worry. I just know that you will take very good care of everything here, dear.'

‘Of course,' Sean murmured because he really couldn't find it in his heart to disappoint her after hearing that.

Maybe there was no need to do so either, he thought as he picked up his cup and drank his tea. He would just have to be extra careful to stay out of Molly's way. After all, with him there, taking care of the cottage, there would be no need for Molly to pop in, would there? By the time he left, he had more or less convinced himself that there was nothing to worry about. After all, he needed somewhere to live and the cottage was perfect for his needs. The downside of living the way he did was that he had never had a real home and all of a sudden he found himself longing for a place of his own.

It was such an unprecedented thought that it threw him completely. Leaving his car parked in the lane, he made his way to the river. It was bitterly cold down there but he didn't notice the chill. Having a home of his own had been all tied up with the plans he and Claire had made for their future together. He had never considered the idea since she had died but there was no point denying how tempting it was and the realisation made him feel overwhelmed with guilt, as though he was betraying Claire by even considering it.

Closing his eyes, he tried to conjure up Claire's image but it just wouldn't come. Her face was hazy, her features too indistinct to see her clearly. Slowly but surely, Claire was slipping away from him and it was painful to know that he was incapable of keeping her safe in his heart where she deserved to be. He had planned to spend his life with her, so what kind of a man must he be if he had allowed her memory to fade?

Unbidden, another image began to form in his mind's eye and Sean felt his breath catch when he recognised the familiar features: those deep green eyes; the long black lashes; that tumble of red-gold curls...

He opened his eyes and stared across the river in despair. He might not be able to recall Claire's face but he had no difficulty at all conjuring up Molly's.

* * *

Molly had been planning to go into town to do some much-needed food shopping. However, on a sudden whim, she decided to take the less direct route along by the river. It was a beautiful day, even if it was bitterly cold, and the fresh air would do her good after three days of working nights. She walked to the top of the path and came to a sudden halt when she spotted Sean standing on the riverbank. He was staring across the river and there was an expression of such intense pain on his face that her heart seemed to scrunch up inside her. Even though she knew it wasn't any of her business what was troubling him, she simply couldn't walk on by and leave him like this.

‘Hello, Sean,' she said softly as she made her way towards him. He glanced round and she could see the effort it cost him to pull himself together.

‘Hello, Molly. What are you doing here? Out for a walk?'

‘Hmm. I needed to get some shopping so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and get some fresh air at the same time.' She pushed her hands deep into her pockets, afraid that she would do something really stupid like touching him. Maybe he
was
hurting but there was no reason to think that he would welcome her concern.

‘So what brings you here?' she asked brightly, not wanting to dwell on that thought. ‘Are you out for a walk as well?'

‘No, actually, I was viewing a house that I'm hoping to rent.' He turned and pointed back up the path. ‘It's just up there, Lilac Cottage—the last cottage in the row.'

‘You don't mean Mrs Bradshaw's cottage!' she exclaimed and he grimaced.

‘Yes. I had a feeling that you wouldn't be too pleased if you found out I was living so close to you. Not to worry. I shall tell the letting agents that I've changed my mind.' He turned to walk back up the path but Molly shook her head.

‘There's no reason why you should do that. I really don't care where you live, Sean. Plus I know for a fact that Mrs Bradshaw has been very worried about finding someone suitable to rent the cottage while she's away.' She gave a careless little shrug, determined not to let him know how disturbing she found the idea of him living so close to her. It wasn't only in work that she would have to take steps to avoid him, it seemed. ‘If you think the cottage is right for you then you should take it.'

‘Are you sure?' he asked and her skin prickled when she heard the doubt in his voice. It was obvious that he didn't think she could cope with them living in such close proximity and she needed to squash that idea right away.

‘Of course I'm sure! It's you who's making such a big deal of it, not me.' Molly deliberately shifted the conversation along a different path, not wanting to have to keep on reassuring him when, in truth, she felt so ambivalent about the idea. ‘Why are you so eager to move in the first place? I wouldn't have thought it was worth it when you're only going to be in Dalverston for such a short time.'

‘You're right, and normally I wouldn't dream of swapping and changing. However, it was a last-minute decision to accept this job and the only accommodation I could find was a room in a B&B close to the bypass.' He shrugged. ‘It's all right but I'm starting to get cabin fever from staring at the same four walls all the time. At least I'll have a bit more space in the cottage.'

‘It must be odd to keep moving around all the time,' Molly observed thoughtfully. ‘Have you never wanted a place of your own?'

‘No. Well, not until recently, anyway.' His voice was low but laced with so much anguish that it immediately made her set aside any qualms she had. Reaching out, she touched his hand.

‘Why, what's happened to make you change your mind recently?'

‘I'm not sure. Maybe it's being here—who knows?' He turned his hand over and captured hers. ‘I don't want to feel this way, believe me, but I can't seem to stop. And it makes me feel so damned guilty!'

‘Guilty? I don't understand. Why should you feel guilty about wanting a home of your own?' It was impossible to keep the surprise out of her voice and she heard him sigh.

‘It doesn't matter. Take no notice of me. It's probably a case of the midwinter blues.' He gave her a tight smile as he let go of her hand and started to walk back up the path, but if he thought he could fob her off like that he could think again.

‘Of course it matters!' Molly declared fiercely. She stepped directly in his path so that he was forced to stop. ‘It's obvious that something's troubling you, Sean, so what is it? Surely it can't be whether or not to buy yourself a house. I mean, that would be crazy!'

‘Maybe it seems crazy to you, but the situation is far more complicated than it appears.'

He gently eased her aside but there was such pain on his face that Molly knew she couldn't let him leave. Catching hold of his arm, she held him fast. Maybe it didn't have anything to do with her but Sean was hurting and she wanted to help him any way she could.

‘Then tell me about it.' She stared into his eyes, willing him to trust her, wondering if he would. ‘I know things haven't been exactly easy between us, Sean, but I want to help you. Really I do.'

* * *

Sean leant forward in the chair, warming his hands in the heat coming from the fire. He felt cold to the core, as though his very flesh and bones had turned to ice. The rational part of his brain knew that he'd been mad to let Molly persuade him to come home with her but the other part didn't care. He couldn't bear it if he had to spend the rest of his days eaten up by guilt for the part he had played in Claire's death. For ten long years he had kept it to himself; even his family didn't know the full story. But maybe it was time that he brought it all out into the open and faced the criticism that would undoubtedly follow. It had to be better than living like this—knowing he was to blame and constantly trying to avoid thinking about it.

‘Here we go. Hot chocolate to warm us up. I don't know about you but I'm absolutely frozen!'

Molly came back with a tray bearing two steaming mugs of chocolate. Sean nodded his thanks as she placed one of the mugs on the table next to his chair. Going over to the sofa, she sat down, curling her legs under her, and the very normality of the scene helped to ease a little of the tension that gripped him. Reaching for his own mug, he cradled it between his hands, relishing the heat that flowed through his icy fingertips. He had no idea what Molly would think once he told her the whole sorry tale; he would just have to deal with it whichever way he could.