Hired: GP and Wife / The Playboy Doctor's Surprise Proposal (5 page)

She flicked a look at Atholl’s strong profile and sighed. If only she’d met someone like him two years ago—someone who was kind, generous with his time, concerned for others. Instead, she thought bitterly, she’d been hoodwinked by honeyed words and her own gullibility—as had her father, she reflected. She wondered if she would she ever believe in a man again or trust her own judgement.

Atholl turned off the road up an unmade cart track, bumping over the holes until they came to a barn-like building in front of a small loch surrounded by hills. A washing line hung outside with several pairs of jeans and T-shirts hanging from it.

‘This is The Culleens where Pete and his wife have their outward bound venture,’ he remarked. ‘You’ll like Sally—she’s a great girl and expecting their first baby in about five weeks. She supervises most of the domestic stuff and Pete’s the outward bound expert.’

He opened the car door and jumped out. ‘Better put on that fleece—you’ll need it here,’ he advised.

He opened the rear door and Shona flung herself out and raced madly away towards the back of the building, barking excitedly. Terry followed Atholl as a burly young man wearing a thick sweater came into view from behind the barn. The man lifted his hand and hailed Atholl.

‘Hello, there!’ he called. ‘I was hoping you’d come.’

Atholl turned to Terry. ‘Let me introduce you to Pete Brown. Pete, Terry Younger, our new locum at the practice and assistant here.’

Terry smiled, seeing the familiar look of surprise when she was introduced to anyone. ‘No,’ she said quickly. ‘I’m not a man! I know you were expecting one, but I’m afraid you’ll have to make do with me!’

Pete grinned and shook her hand in a crushing grip. ‘I can tell you’re a lass all right!’ He turned round and bellowed, ‘Sally! Sally! Come here and meet Atholl’s new locum! Terry Younger…’

A tall and very pregnant-looking girl wearing jeans and an old coat came out of the barn. ‘Hi, there! Lovely to meet you, Terry.’ She had a wide, attractive smile and Terry took to her immediately. ‘It’ll be great to have a woman to talk to sometimes instead of all these men!’

‘Talking of which, you’d better come and meet these boys,’ Pete said. ‘They’re doing well on the whole—only Zac’s not pulling his weight at the moment, and yet he was very keen to start with.’

He led the way round the side of the building where three large youths were chopping wood whilst one leant against the wall watching them, his jaws working rhythmically as he chewed gum. The other boys stopped what they were doing and watched as Atholl and Terry came up to them.

‘Right, lads, meet Terry,’ said Pete. ‘She’s a GP in Atholl’s practice and she’ll be with us on some of our activities.’

The boy leaning against the wall leered at Terry suggestively. ‘Don’t mind being overseen by her…’

‘Watch it, Zac,’ warned Pete sharply. ‘Try and be courteous.’ He turned to Terry. ‘Let me introduce you to Bert, Len, Colin and Zac.’

The boys nodded to her, slightly warily, possibly aware that they were being assessed by this new woman. Terry nodded back. She wasn’t going to be effusive about meeting them—it could seem patronising.

‘I’m looking forward to seeing you abseiling,’ she said. ‘I’ve never done it myself.’

‘You coming with us when we do that?’ asked one of the boys. ‘You could try it then.’

Pete nodded. ‘Yes, starting with a trek across the moor and maybe some kayaking as well.’

‘Sounds fun,’ said Terry.

Zac laughed heartily. ‘You wait till you see us—we’re bloody hopeless.’

‘Why aren’t you helping to cut the wood, Zac?’ asked Atholl.

Zac shrugged. ‘Ask Pete—he says I’m a danger to everyone. I’m quite happy to watch, mind you.’ He gave another robust laugh.

‘You’re just a bit clumsy, Zac,’ remarked Pete. ‘You nearly lost a finger cutting the bread yesterday—I can’t risk you using an axe until that cut’s healed.’

Zac giggled. ‘I was hungry—did it a bit quickly.’

Pete shook his head in mock despair. ‘You’re always hungry, Zac, you’ve an appetite like a horse. I hope you’ve brought some more basics, Atholl, to keep this lot fed.’

‘There’s a load of bread, milk and meat in the Land Rover, as well as all the gear I promised you, like ropes and tents. Perhaps the lads could unload the stuff now and take it in,’ said Atholl. Terry frowned and looked at Zac closely. He had reddened eyes and his lips were dry and cracked, and something about his slightly manic manner reminded her of some of the kids who’d been patients of hers in London. She watched as the boys carried the gear from Atholl’s car to a shed by the barn, Zac’s whoops of laughter drifting towards them. She would mention it to Atholl later. They went into the converted barn which was divided simply into various rooms—a large kitchen and sitting area, two dormitory-type bedrooms and a bathroom.

‘Are you enjoying yourselves?’ Terry asked the three boys who had come in with them. Zac had wandered off to throw sticks in the air for Shona to run after.

‘Aye, it’s good,’ said one of them. ‘But we miss the telly. We’re only allowed an hour a day.’

‘If you behave, that is,’ said Pete with a grin. ‘Right, lads, you start making the lunch. What is it, Sally?’

‘We’ll have spaghetti bolognaise with grated cheese on top, bread and fruit,’ said Sally, turning to Atholl and Terry. ‘Are you going to have some with us?’

‘Thanks, but not today, Sally,’ said Atholl. ‘I’m just giving Terry a mini-tour of the area before we do some visits this afternoon, but we’ll be on duty when you do the abseiling.’

‘That’ll be great.’ Sally smiled. ‘Better bring your waterproofs! And thanks for delivering the extra provisions—just what was needed!’

Atholl whistled for Shona, who came bounding up happily to them and jumped into the Land Rover. Zac followed and stood watching them stolidly, still chewing gum, his arms folded.

‘Go and help your friends make your lunch,’ suggested Atholl as he got back into the car and started the engine.

Zac gave that extravagant laugh again, kicked a stone and ambled back towards the barn.

‘The boys really seem to have relaxed since they’ve come here—and they’ve got stuck into doing things. When they arrived they were sullen and uncooperative,’ remarked Atholl as he drove back down the winding road. ‘Only Zac seems to have slowed down almost to a full stop.’

‘His manner reminded me of some of the patients I used to see in London,’ began Terry. ‘It makes me wonder if—’

‘He’s on something?’ put in Atholl, turning to her with a wry smile. ‘I have to say he seemed a bit hyper.’

Terry looked at Atholl, surprised at his perception. ‘Exactly! I’ve seen it before—the slightly reddened eyes, that excitable laughter. And didn’t Pete say he had a huge appetite? All could be indicators of cannabis.’

‘It did occur to me as well—I’ll speak to Pete about it tonight. The boys all receive post from time to time and although Pete and Sally try to keep a strict eye on the lads, it’s something that you could miss in the early stages.’ His periwinkle-blue eyes twinkled at her, dark hair flopping over his forehead, and suddenly a flicker of attraction caught her by surprise, flashing through her body like lightning through a conductor. ‘Same old problems even in little Scuola, eh?’ he said.

‘Absolutely,’ she agreed, slightly flustered at her reaction to him.

He changed gear as the car started to labour up a steep hill. ‘Anyway let’s forget about Zac for a while. I want to show you a favourite place of mine—perfect for having a bite to eat. It’s good to get away from the surgery for a while.’

It was ridiculous the way her heart began thumping at the thought of being alone with Atholl, thought Terry. He was a work colleague, for heaven’s sake, and the last thing she needed was to fall for another man’s charms so easily!

T
HEY
had been driving away from the loch and gradually getting higher where the terrain was rougher, and now Atholl turned into a small clearing where a circle of silver birches made a pretty glade overlooking the countryside and the sea between Scuola and the mainland. He shot a look at his watch.

‘Just time for lunch and a quick coffee.’

He got out of the car and stretched, his lean strong body looking like an advertisement for some impossibly marvellous health food, and again there was that sudden flutter like captured butterflies trying to escape from Terry’s stomach as she watched him.

He held her shoulders and turned her towards the Scuola Sound, and she felt herself tense at his touch. He was much taller than she, dominating her petite form, acting as a windbreak between her and the freezing wind whipping through the trees.

‘Look, from here it’s a good vantage point to show you where the surgery is in relation to the rest of the island—do you see it?’

‘Oh…yes, yes, I can. It’s a wonderful view.’ Her throat felt a little dry and her voice came out rather breathlessly.

One hand still held her shoulder and with the other he pointed to a small steamer crossing the firth, bending so that his eyeline was the same height as hers, his face very close to her cheek.

‘And there goes the
Highland Lady
—a luxury cruise for some lucky people round the islands,’ he said. ‘They’ll probably be sitting down to a fine lunch of lobster and champagne right now.’ He grinned down at her. ‘Nothing like that here, I’m afraid. It’s all rather basic stuff—oat cakes, local baps, cheese, ham and smoked salmon. Take your pick.’

He went over to the car and hauled a basket out of the boot and Terry relaxed slightly. Having him quite so near seemed to be doing devastating things to her mind and body—something she hadn’t bargained for at all.

‘It all looks delicious,’ she said brightly. ‘I didn’t expect so much. When did you buy it?’

He laughed. ‘Isobel did the buying! She doesn’t trust me to get the right stuff.’ The sound of a ship’s siren hooted mournfully over to them and he turned and pointed through the trees. ‘Look down there again—you can see where the ferry comes in, and it’s clear enough to see where the car rammed into the dock wall when you arrived. And follow the road round and beyond the curve of the hill is the hospital.’

The wind had become even stronger and colder and, despite wearing the fleece, Terry felt chilled as she looked down.

‘Lord, this really is Highland weather,’ she said, wrapping the fleece more tightly around her slight figure. ‘I’m glad of your fleece.’

He laughed and poured some steaming coffee from a Thermos flask into a mug and put it on the ground. ‘I told you, you’ve got to be tough to work here.’ He looked at her critically. ‘You need to be better clothed for these climes. Let me feel your hands. Good God, they’re freezing!’ He started to rub them between his warm ones, then took off his scarf and put it round her neck, tying it into a loose knot. He looked down at her with a smile. ‘There! That’s what’s needed!’

What was needed, thought Terry nervously, was for Atholl Brodie to remove his strapping body away from hers. No wonder her pulse had gone into overdrive…Perhaps it was because they were out in the clear fresh air of the outdoors but that treacherous attraction seemed determined to come flickering back, and it was very easy to imagine cuddling up to his chest and out of the biting wind.

What was she like? she thought angrily to herself. Was she so needy that she had to indulge in pipe dreams with a man she had only just met? A man, moreover, who had no time for women—just as she, of course, had no time for men after the way they’d destroyed her life in London.

‘Thank you,’ she said, stepping back from the danger zone that was Atholl Brodie. ‘I’m dying for some coffee, and this food looks delectable. I can’t wait to eat it. Everything tastes twice as good in the open air.’

Atholl laughed. ‘Hardly cordon bleu!’

As they started to eat, he pointed out the little island of Hersa across Scuola Sound, to the left of the mainland. Far away they could see the ferry, a small craft in the glittering blue sea, making its way back to the dock. Then Atholl pointed up to the sky.

‘Look,’ he whispered. ‘Hovering just to the right of us—a kestrel. Isn’t that a wonderful sight?’

She watched as the bird fluttered and then plunged like an arrow to the ground not far from them, and she smiled at Atholl in delight. ‘Do you know, I’ve never seen that before.’

The wind whipped her hair into a halo round her head and her eyes were sparkling with the pleasure of seeing the beautiful bird. Quite often Terry seemed to have an aura of sadness about her, but in that instant Atholl suddenly saw a beautiful woman filled with a spontaneous enjoyment of life, a joy in the beauty of things—and a shiver of something akin to longing went through him. Terry had the capacity make someone very happy, he reflected. She was good company and, of course, she was damned attractive. It had been a long, long time since he’d met anyone like her.

The expression in his eyes intensified as his gaze swept over her neat figure then rested on her face, and under his scrutiny Terry felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. The last thing she’d been thinking of when she’d landed on Scuola was the possibility that there might be drop-dead gorgeous guys on the island like Atholl, and now he seemed to be doing things to her insides that she hadn’t felt for a long time—and certainly didn’t want to feel!

Atholl wrenched his eyes away from her and moistened his lips. He felt shaken at the total unexpectedness of the attraction he felt for her. Damn it, this was something he hadn’t planned. He wanted a quiet life where he could do his work, enjoy his fishing and walking, and he didn’t want any distractions from females. That was why he was so bewildered at his reaction because he had the uneasy feeling that if they’d known each other for longer, he’d have taken her in his arms and kissed her soft lips and that little hollow in her neck, and to hell with it being dangerous and getting himself involved in a relationship…

The sound of a bus changing gear noisily as it went up the road brought Atholl back to the present. He took a deep breath and began to pick up the mugs and the Thermos flask. This whole thing was completely crazy. The woman had arrived only yesterday and already he was putting himself in a vulnerable position, allowing himself to be beguiled by a lovely woman. He’d had enough of women to last a lifetime, he thought irritably. It had to be just a spurious attraction, nothing more, a thing of the moment. Keep your distance, Brodie, he growled inwardly to himself.

He put the picnic things in the boot and looked at Terry as she walked towards the car. She was totally different to Zara, yet in one respect they were similar—both had been born to privilege and a world away from the mean streets of the poverty-stricken area he’d come from. They were town girls and he and Terry had very little in common—and he was pretty confident that after a few weeks she would find island life too dull, too isolated and go back to the city, just like Zara.

‘It’s getting late,’ he remarked lightly. ‘We’d better get back.’

Terry remained still for a second, wondering if Atholl had felt any spark between them, just as she had. An unfamiliar feeling of excitement that she hadn’t felt for so long seemed to glimmer reluctantly into life again like a small bright flame. Then she dismissed the feeling crossly. She was here to give all her attention to work—and through circumstances she’d been given the chance to do just that.

Over the next few days Terry met all the staff at The Sycamores. Bunty was Isobel’s part-time assistant, as jolly as Isobel was dour, and Sue was the community nurse, a pleasant woman with three young sons who seemed to be always in trouble at school. The practice shared a manager, Jonathon Murie, with another group of GPs on the mainland and he came over once a week for a practice meeting.

The staff were friendly and relaxed with her, although there had been the familiar double-take when she’d been introduced to them and Bunty had exclaimed in surprise, ‘Oh, we didn’t think we’d get a female doctor again!’ And the others looked at each other meaningfully. When she knew them better, vowed Terry, she would ask them what all these cryptic references to the previous locum meant!

It was the start of another busy day and there had been a quick meeting before work regarding the ongoing building work at The Sycamores. Atholl came into the office behind Reception, looking harassed, and flung some papers on the table in the back office.

‘Wouldn’t you know it? The damn builders have found some subsidence on that wall with the damp in it, so it’s going to take even longer to complete the job. I dare say they’ll be here for months…’

Not what she wanted to hear, Terry reflected. That would surely mean the flat at The Sycamores wouldn’t be ready for ages and she would have to stay at Atholl’s for longer. Despite her vow to make her job her priority, her mind seemed to dwell rather too much on Atholl. Living in such close proximity to him, she couldn’t help but be aware of his physical closeness—when she passed him on the narrow little stairs, and when she lay in bed at night, knowing that he was only a few feet away from her in his room. It didn’t take much for her lively imagination to picture his muscled, well-toned body lying on the bed. She felt vaguely ashamed of herself.

Luckily, many evenings he had been at meetings or going over to the mainland hospital to see his uncle, so she was able to have some time to herself. There was no doubt about it, however, the time had come for her to get her own place—and fast. She would speak to him about it over the weekend.

‘So I’ve still got to keep all that junk in my room while the builders are here?’ asked Sue Calder, the community nurse, with a grimace. ‘It’s very squashed in there when there’s a mother and her children in for vaccinations.’

‘I’m sorry, Sue, I do sympathise. If we could make some more room, I would,’ said Atholl.

‘What about the room I’m using?’ suggested Terry. ‘It’s very big and I don’t need all that space, so perhaps we could move some of the stuff near the bookcase where there’s a recess—I suppose it was a fireplace once.’

‘You sure about that?’ asked Atholl. ‘We’d tried to keep your room clutter free so as not to frighten off any new locum.’

She smiled. ‘No problem. I’m not put off by clutter. In fact, there already are quite a few old files and books in there which perhaps we could get rid of to make more space. Would that help, Sue?’

Sue grinned. ‘I’ll say. I’ve practically had patients sitting on my knee to have their BPs taken. Thanks, Terry, it’ll certainly help. By the way, have you two seen the local paper? You’ve got it, haven’t you, Bunty?’

Bunty handed Terry a newspaper with an impish smile. ‘You’ll probably get a film contract out of this! Talk about Superman and his mate!’

Terry stared at an enormous photograph of her and Atholl grinning into the camera, big headlines proclaiming, ‘Doctor Duo Defy Danger—Mother and Baby Saved!’

‘For heaven’s sake!’ she said in amusement. ‘That’s a bit dramatic!’

Atholl peered over her shoulder at it and snorted derisively, ‘That young reporter’s gone over the top.’

It was actually a very good photo. Atholl looked like someone out of a TV medical drama, Terry reflected, his tall frame looking even bigger beside her dainty figure. She folded the paper and slipped it into her bag—just as a memento, she told herself.

The phones started ringing as soon as Isobel put the lines through at eight-thirty. Sue picked up her bag and some patients’ notes.

‘I’ll be going out to see the Mackie sisters this morning,’ she said to Atholl. ‘They’re both so frail that I feel they’re going to need some help very soon—but I know for sure they’ll resist any suggestions of that! I wonder if you’d drop by when you’ve time and give me your assessment of the situation. And don’t forget to bring your dog—they’ve a whole tin of biscuits for her!’

‘Will do. Perhaps I can fit it in tomorrow or the day after,’ agreed Atholl. He turned to Terry. ‘It might be quite a good idea if you were to come with me—I’d like to introduce the sisters to you, and show you where they live.’

He started to leave her room, then hesitated, looking back at her. ‘I’m out tonight, seeing my uncle at the mainland hospital again, and I won’t be back until later.’ He smiled, a warm twinkly smile that did devastating things to her heartbeat. ‘And thanks for sacrificing a bit of space in your room—much appreciated.’

Terry walked to her room and pushed the newspaper cutting into a drawer, then went to the window, flicking aside the crooked Venetian blind for a second and looking out of the window at the spectacular view across the Scuola Sound. How lucky she was to have found such a gem of a place to work in. The unhappiness she’d felt in the last months in London was receding and every day she felt more relaxed and happy here. Of course, she did have bad moments when she missed the friends that she was unlikely to see for a long time, but gradually a general warm kind of happiness had crept in that she hadn’t felt for so long, and everyone at work was so nice to her.

Through the window she watched Atholl walk toward his car, stopping to talk to an elderly patient, his tall frame bending forward to listen to her. Terry smiled wryly to herself. She had to admit that part of her happiness was to do with the strange effect Atholl was having on her.

Silly woman, she chided herself. She had to stamp this feeling out quickly. After all, the last thing she wanted was to get involved with a man again, and Atholl seemed very happy to be a bachelor!

She looked up as Bunty knocked at the door and came in with a list of patients for the morning’s surgery.

‘Here you go. First off you’ve got Cyril Rathbone,’ she said cheerily. ‘His weekly appointment, I suppose.’

‘I did seem him a week or two ago,’ Terry acknowledged. ‘I’ll just bring up his notes and then call him in.’

On the face of it he seemed to be one of the ‘worried well’—someone convinced that they were ill despite constant reassurance. There had to be some deep underlying insecurity there that led to him using the surgery as a kind of crutch, Terry thought. Perhaps it was the stress of his work. She pressed the button that activated the call screen in the waiting room and after a few seconds Cyril Rathbone appeared.