Hired: GP and Wife / The Playboy Doctor's Surprise Proposal (15 page)

Terry’s voice faded a bit as the scene replayed itself in her mind.

‘Go on,’ prompted Atholl gently. ‘Tell me everything.’

‘Suddenly a man burst out of the door, almost knocking me over, and ran across the road to leap into the car. I knew instinctively it was a raid and rang the police on my mobile—and for some reason the ambulance as well.’

‘And you knew who the man was?’

‘Oh, yes.’ Terry’s voice was bitter. ‘I could tell it was Max. His face was hidden, but he looked me right in the eyes—there’s no mistaking his eyes, they’re a most unusual colour. I could easily see it was Harry, his brother, in the car—he wasn’t covered up at all. Until that moment I had no idea that I’d been going out with a criminal—the man who caused my father’s death.’

Atholl said quietly, ‘Your father died—did they shoot him?’

‘No,’ said Terry in a small, sad voice. ‘He’d been bound and gagged and he had a heart attack. I…I couldn’t save him. I knew as soon as I saw him when I ran to his office that it was too late.’

Atholl hugged her to him, stroking her back comfortingly. ‘A terrible, terrible thing…’ he whispered. ‘And I guess the police wanted you as a witness?’

‘Without me, the police felt they didn’t have enough evidence to secure a conviction even if they caught Max and Harry. I was told my life would be in danger if I stayed around while they were still at large.’

Atholl grinned. ‘That’s one thing you won’t have to worry about now—those two won’t be going anywhere in a hurry.’

Terry got up and wandered to the window, looking out at the beautiful view. She turned round and smiled brilliantly at Atholl. ‘Yes, thank God. No more deception, no hiding the real story. At last I can be me again…Theresa Masterson. I’m a free woman!’

‘I don’t care what name you go under,’ growled Atholl. ‘When we made love underneath the stars that night on the shores of the loch, I knew that I’d found the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We’ve both had lucky escapes.’

Terry shook her head. ‘I thought I’d never see you again,’ she said. ‘I thought you’d hate me for ending things so abruptly.’

‘No, don’t interrupt.’ Atholl put his finger to Terry’s lips for a second, gazing down into her eyes. ‘When you said you wanted to end it between us it was the saddest day I can remember—but you know something? I didn’t really believe you wanted to go—and I was right, wasn’t I?’

He stroked a tendril of hair from her forehead, and Terry’s heart began to do a little tattoo of happiness against her chest. She looked up at this man that she’d learned to love and thought she’d lost, and began to laugh.

‘“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive,”’ she murmured, and looked up into his kind, wonderful face. ‘If you really want me back, Atholl Brodie, that’s all right with me!’

‘I want more than that, Terry,’ Atholl said with dancing eyes. ‘I want you to change your name again—but for keeps this time. Don’t you think Theresa Brodie sounds pretty good?’

H
E PLUCKED
her out of the sea. One minute she was floundering in the water, the next she was being manhandled to shore by a stranger with bronzed muscles and nutmegcoloured eyes. It was by far the most embarrassing thing that had happened to her for as long as she could remember.

Ten minutes earlier, Caitlin had plunged into the Pacific, gasping as the cold water chased the heat of the Australian sun from her skin. She had ploughed through the water for a few moments until life had returned to her frozen limbs, then turned on her back and floated.

Her sister, Brianna, and the rest of the group were on the beach. Niall was fussing around lighting the barbecue, while Brianna relaxed with a book. The children were making sandcastles on the startingly white sand, and the sounds of their laughter drifted over to Caitlin on the perfectly still air. She could still scarcely believe that she was here in Brisbane. Months of planning followed by a forty-eight-hour journey from Dublin and finally here she was. She only wished her trip could have been made under happier circumstances. Flipping over onto her stomach, she swam for a few more minutes, then trod water. Brianna’s husband, Niall, had promised her that she was safe from sharks this close to shore, but Caitlin wasn’t going to take any chances. She’d keep the beach within easy distance.

Looking towards the shore, she could see Niall and Brianna waving to her. Without her glasses, they were slightly fuzzy shapes against the glaring white of the sand. Caitlin waved back. Just a few more minutes then she’d return to shore and help her sister with lunch.

Her stomach gave the familiar flutter of anxiety that she always experienced these days when she thought about her older sister. Although Brianna was recovering well from her treatment, the sight of her nearly bald head with the wispy tendrils of hair had brought tears to Caitlin’s eyes when she had first seen her at the airport. It had taken all her resolve not to show how shocked she was when she had hugged her sister and felt the fragile bones. Still she was here now. When she wasn’t working, she’d be around to help, at the very least offer moral support.

The next time she looked up the beach had receded. She became aware that Brianna and Niall were still waving and Caitlin waved back again. They probably wanted her back on shore.

Flipping over on her stomach once more, she struck off towards the beach. She was a good swimmer, managing twenty lengths most mornings at her local pool before she left for work. Caitlin believed that routine and discipline were essential parts of life.

Stopping for a moment, she lifted her head out of the water to check the distance to the beach. To her dismay, she didn’t seem to have made any progress. In fact, if it was possible, she appeared to have moved away from the shore and further out to sea. For the first time, Caitlin felt a flutter of anxiety. Niall had warned her about the currents but she hadn’t paid too much attention, putting his concerns down to him being an anxious brother-in-law. Now, she realised grimly that he hadn’t exaggerated. Clearly she was caught in a current that was dragging her out to sea. She felt the first flicker of real alarm.

She had read somewhere that the best thing to do was to swim across the current rather than against it. That way you’d eventually reach a point where the current would disappear. From there it should be easy to swim back.

By this time Niall had waded in up to his thighs and was gesticulating wildly. He had been joined by another figure, and although it was too far for Caitlin to see more than blurry outlines, she could see enough to know that the figure was tall, topping Niall by a good couple of inches, although her brother-in-law was no slouch in the height stakes. Caitlin had just enough time to wonder if the new figure was Andrew, her new colleague, who she’d been told was to join them for lunch, before she started swimming again.

Don’t panic,
she told herself as she cut through the water.
You’ve been in difficult situations before, and panicking never did anyone any good. Just swim parallel to the beach and everything will be fine. Eventually.

She had only been swimming for another couple of minutes, but already she could feel the energy sapping out of her limbs. Swimming in the safe confines of her local pool was not the same thing as swimming in the sea. If she were to make it back safely she would need to conserve her energy. She would tread water for a few moments, just long enough to get her breath back, then start swimming again. She shuddered as she saw a mass of translucent blobs float past her. That was all she needed—jellyfish. She’d been told that Australian jellyfish could be lethal, along with hundreds of other snakes, sharks, spiders and goodness knew what else that seemed to favour the continent. And Caitlin didn’t do dangerous animals. But typical of the way her luck had being going lately, she felt a sudden pain in her calf, as if she’d been stung by a thousand wasps. She cried out in pain and shock, swallowing water, and as she grabbed her leg, she felt herself go under.

She popped up again, gasping and choking. Now she was really worried. What if she had only a few minutes to live? One way or another right now her chances of survival seemed grim. At that moment she felt something touch her shoulder. What now? She twisted her body round to face this new threat and found herself looking into a pair of unfamiliar brown eyes. She guessed immediately it was the man she had seen standing with Niall.

‘I’ve always wanted to rescue a damsel in distress,’ he drawled. His wide grin made Caitlin furious. What on earth did he find amusing about her situation? Couldn’t he see she was in trouble?

‘I need to get ashore,’ she panted. ‘I’ve been stung.’ She spluttered as a wave rolled over her, forcing more salt water down her already choked-up throat.

Hands reached for her. All trace of amusement vanished. ‘Just do as I tell you and don’t fight me,’ he said, his deep voice calm. ‘Just roll over onto your back and relax. I’ll take you in.’

Caitlin hesitated. Despite her terror there was no way she was going to be dragged ashore like so much flotsam.

‘Or, so help me, I’ll knock you out if I have to,’ he threatened as if he read her mind.

The hardness in his tone made Caitlin realise he was deadly serious. He would knock her out—she didn’t doubt him for a second! The last thing she had the strength for was a brawl. And she did need help. Her leg was agonising and she was finding it difficult to breathe. Giving up all pretence of being able to get herself out of her predicament, she rolled over on her back and let herself float. She felt firm hands grasp either side of her head, and then she was being tugged towards the shore.

It could have only taken a few minutes but, exhausted and mortified, it felt like hours to Caitlin before she was being helped up the beach and onto a blanket. She dropped to her knees while Brianna dropped a towel around her shoulders.

‘My God, Cat. Are you all right?’ Brianna pressed a tumbler of water to her lips and Caitlin drank the liquid gratefully, washing away the taste of sea water. Over her sister’s shoulder, Caitlin was conscious of the curious gazes of her niece and nephew. She shivered, trying to catch her breath, acutely aware how close she had come to being swept out to sea. Her rescuer knelt beside her and to her consternation gently lifted her calf and examined the place where she had been stung. Caitlin had the briefest impression of broad shoulders the colour of toffee and thick black hair.

‘How’s her leg, Andrew?’ Niall asked, sounding concerned.

‘It’ll be okay. As soon as I get some vinegar on it.’ Caitlin’s embarrassment deepened. So she’d been right. The man who had been forced to come after her to bring her ashore as if she were some helpless female was her new colleague. Dr Andrew Bedi. What a way to make a good first impression, she berated herself. He must think her all kinds of an idiot.

‘I’ve got some vinegar in the boot of my car. If you could fetch it, Niall?’ Andrew continued. He turned to Caitlin and smiled sympathetically. ‘They’re always getting me. It will sting like crazy for a while, but I don’t think there’s any lasting damage. You’re lucky that you got stung by these babies. Now, if it had been the ones up north, you’d really be in trouble.’ He raised his eyes to Caitlin’s and once again she was aware of the intensity of his gaze. She felt a tingle in her leg, but whether it was from the feel of his hands or the shock of her recent experience, she didn’t want to know. He was tall, at least six feet four, with short black hair. He was only wearing Bermuda shorts and Caitlin was acutely aware of his bronzed, muscular chest. Deep brown eyes, framed by impossibly thick lashes, glinted as if he found the whole world amusing. His features were perfectly sculpted, high cheekbones and a full, generous mouth. People might have called him beautiful, if it weren’t for his nose, which looked as if it had been broken and badly set. He was simply by far the sexiest man Brianna had ever seen—and she was to be working with him!

‘Did no one warn you not to go too far out?’ he said, frowning at her. Although he looked as if he was of Indian descent, his accent was Australian.

Caitlin prickled at the disapproval in his voice. She wasn’t used to people telling her off. ‘Yes. But I didn’t notice how far the current had taken me until it was too late.’ Caitlin pulled her leg out of his grasp, annoyed. Okay, so he’d had to rescue her, that was embarrassing and she owed him, but there was no need for him to talk to her as if she were a naughty child. ‘Thank you for helping me out. I am very grateful…’ She was aware that she sounded less than appreciative, but she desperately wanted to regain some dignity as quickly as possible. She wasn’t used to feeling at a disadvantage, as if she was in the wrong. ‘And I can promise you, I will never ever put myself, or any one else, in that position again. Okay?’ She tried a smile and tugged her leg from his grasp. It was still stinging like hell, but she would just have to grit her teeth until the pain subsided.

‘Oh, Caitlin,’ Brianna was saying as Niall returned carrying a large brown leather bag. ‘You gave us all such a fright.’

Caitlin hugged her sister. ‘I’m sorry, sis. Particularly seeing as it’s me that’s supposed to be watching out for you.’

‘Anyway, all’s well that ends well,’ Andrew said, taking the bag from Niall. After hunting around for a few moments, he pulled out a bottle and a dressing. He reached for Caitlin’s leg once more and propped it on his knees. Caitlin was deeply aware of the heat of his skin on hers. Once again there was that tingle. Dismayed, she tried to pull her leg away again. Equally determined, he pulled it back and held it there with a steel-like grip. Caitlin gave up, knowing that if she entered into a tug of war with this man she was likely to come out the loser, and would look even sillier than she felt right now.

He glanced up at her and Caitlin could see laughter in his deep brown eyes. ‘Just do as you’re told for a few minutes,’ he drawled. ‘Brianna did warn me that you were a stubborn woman. Goes with the red hair, I guess.’ He looked from Brianna to Caitlin. They both had auburn hair—or at least until Brianna’s had fallen out as a side effect of her treatment. But where Brianna’s hair had been a mass of curls, Caitlin wore hers longer, tamed into a silky curtain of thick waves. But adding to her discomfort, Caitlin was conscious that as her hair dried in the heat of the sun it was beginning to frizz. At the moment she was as far away from the sleek professional she liked to present to the world as was possible.

‘I did not!’ Brianna protested. ‘I said she was determined—not stubborn.’

‘Well I guess we both know who the other is, then,’ Caitlin said, feeling ridiculous as she held out her hand. She in her bikini, frizzing hair plastered to her scalp, her leg in the lap of her colleague and now here she was holding out her hand as if they had just met at some cocktail party. It was so ludicrous she had to smile.

‘Dr Caitlin O’Neill,’ she said with a grin.

He stopped what he was doing for a moment and engulfed her hand in his. ‘Dr Andrew Bedi. At your service.’ Then he too smiled. The effect was devastating. His teeth were a flash of white against the darkness of his skin, his dancing eyes crinkled at the corners. He really was the most incredible-looking man. Caitlin’s pulse, which had been beginning to resume its normal rhythm, uncomfortably started pounding again.

Eventually, having dressed her leg, he placed it back on the blanket. ‘It’ll feel a little bruised,’ he said, ‘and might be sore for a day or two, but that’s all. You’ve been lucky. If it had been one of the brutes up the coast a bit that had stung you, you’d have been a goner for sure.’

Caitlin shuddered, her gaze shifting to the clear blue Pacific. There was no way she was going back in there unless she was sure it was perfectly safe. Once stung twice shy.

‘I think we should go back to the house,’ Niall said. ‘And have our barbie there. Andrew, if you could take the girls, I’ll follow with the kids once I’ve packed up here.’

‘Please don’t,’ Caitlin said. ‘I don’t want to spoil everyone’s day. If Andrew thinks my leg is okay, we should just carry on as if nothing has happened. C’mon, Niall. Please. I don’t want to spoil it for everyone.’

‘Yes, Daddy. Let’s stay,’ Caitlin’s nephew, Ciaran, begged. ‘We haven’t been down to the beach since Mummy got sick. And Siobhan and I have only half finished our castle.’

Caitlin was stricken with remorse. She was supposed to be here to help make things easier for the family. Now it looked as if she had ruined their first proper day out.

‘I insist we stay,’ she said firmly. ‘Brianna and I will lie on the blanket here and chat. We still need to catch up properly. And as Andrew said, my leg will be perfectly fine.’

‘Yippee,’ Siobhan yelled in delight. ‘Uncle Andrew was going to show us his tricks on his board. Now he can.’ Now the drama was over, the little girl flung herself at Andrew, who pretended to be knocked over. He fell back in the sand, taking Siobhan with him. Seconds later, Ciaran had jumped on top of him too. Andrew seemed used to this behaviour. After a few minutes of horseplay he picked up Siobhan and threw her over his shoulder.