Unknown (20 page)

Missing her like crazy, he had tried to phone last night from Florence, but her mobile had been switched off and there had been no reply from the house phone. It had been later than he had intended, because he had been delayed having dinner with Zio Roberto, Zia Sofia and Rico, so he had not worried unduly at being unable to speak with Gina. He had guessed that she and Maria were having an early night. It was only now he realised that she had seen the news and had been avoiding him.

He considered trying her mobile phone, but then thought better of it. He needed a proper strategy. If he rang or texted her now she would reject him. And it was all his fault. He had misjudged the situation from the first, and he had driven Gina away in the process, hurting her and destroying her trust in him. Unlike any other woman he had ever known, rather than seeing his money and his name as an advantage, to Gina it was a barrier, making a relationship between them impossible. He read again the final lines of the note crumpled in his hands...

I understand why you didn’t tell me—I could never fit into your monied world or compete with the beautiful women you are used to. But I'll never forget my time with you on Elba. It was a lovely fairytale while it lasted. Now I have to face reality and go back to my own life. I wish you well with yours. Gina.

Dio,
she had it all wrong. He had never for a second imagined that she was not good enough for him. It was the other way round.
He
didn't deserve
her.
And no other woman held a candle to her. Somehow he had to make her understand. He'd been a fool, and now he risked losing the best thing that had ever happened to him because of it. His innocent subterfuge had backfired on him in a major way. It wasn't a mistake he would make again.

He was used to getting what he wanted. And he wanted Gina. No way was he giving up on her. She was the only woman he had ever loved, and it was time he fronted up and told her how he felt about her. Momentary doubt assailed him because he had no guarantee of her feelings for him. Yet if Gina didn't care, surely she wouldn't be so upset. The magic between them was special.. .the fairytale
was
real. He was the one who had messed up, so it was up to him to sort it out—to win back Gina's trust, to claim her heart and prove to her how much he loved her.

His mind made up, he reached for the telephone, ignoring the noisy banging of pots and pans from the kitchen as Evelina made her displeasure at him known. Renewed determination fired inside him as his call was answered.

'Rico, it's me.' After updating his cousin on the latest events, he waited for the berating he deserved to come to an end, then, 'I need your help,
cugino.
Again. I have a plan.'

'There
—that's the dressing done. We're all finished, Tam.' Gina pulled off her gloves, discarded the remains of the sterile wound pack, and smiled at the elderly man sitting on the treatment table. 'How does it feel now?'

'Much more comfortable, lass. I'm obliged to you.'

With painful dignity, over-long strands of straggly grey hair falling around his rugged face, the man leaned forward, pulled up his threadbare sock and rolled down the leg of his frayed trousers. Everyone in Strathlochan knew Old Tam. Of indeterminate age, he lived rough. He found it impossible to accept help from anyone, and got by doing odd jobs and living off scraps. His was a sad story of a lost job, lost home and lost family. He could be irritable, and he indulged in a drinking binge once or twice a year, but Gina knew he had a good heart. She wished he would accept the other things they could do for him, but he refused to go to hospital when poorly, rejected charity, and declined to take a place in a hostel, preferring the way of life he had become used to, suspicious of anyone who tried to interfere.

It was miracle enough that Tam had come to the centre to have the bad cut on his leg cleaned and treated. It had developed a nasty infection—not helped by the poor state of his living conditions. At least now they could keep the
wound clean and dressed...and provide him with something hot to eat and drink. Given the way he had demolished a bowl of vegetable soup, a meat pie, a whole plateful of biscuits and two cups of tea, Tam clearly appreciated what the more informal and less pressured conditions of the new multi-purpose drop-in centre had to offer.

'Will you come back and see me in a few days?' Gina asked now, helping him to his feet and walking with him towards the front door, where his fiercely protective and constant companion Jock, a Jack Russell terrier, awaited him, barking noisily as he spied Tam returning.

'Aye, lass. Maybe I will.'

Gina knew it was as much of a promise as she could expect. Certain Tam would never take a course of tablets if she offered them, she had taken the precaution of giving him a broad spectrum antibiotic injection, along with a tetanus shot. She could only keep her fingers crossed he would return to have his dressing changed.

Smiling again, she held the door open for him. 'We're always here, Tam, so pop in any time that suits you.' Mentally crossing her fingers, she gave him a bag of fruit, and a couple of treats for Jock.

'Thank you, we'll enjoy these,' he allowed, and Gina let out a sigh of relief that he had not rejected the gift.

'Anything else I can do?'

He shook his head, untying the piece of bailer twine that served as Jock's lead, and bending to give the white and tan dog a gentle stroke. 'We'll be all right. You could tell Doc Gallagher that I'll take care of that gardening job for him.'

'I'll do that.' Bless Thorn for realising that Tam needed to feel useful, and to believe he was giving something in return. 'Take care.'

She watched him walk away, wondering where he went and how he managed. It made her ashamed of herself. She
had so much to be thankful for, but all she had been able to think about this last week was the pain and desolation of losing Seb. Not that she had ever really had him. But leaving him and Elba had been heart-wrenching. A distraught Evelina had begged them to wait for Seb's return, but, aside from being unable to face him, Gina had felt awkward knowing the kindly woman had been party to his deception.

The taxi had dropped them at the hospital in Portoferraio, where Dottore Vasari had given her grandmother the official all-clear to travel. Then they had taken the ferry back to the mainland and caught the train to Pisa for their afternoon flight back to Scotland. Arriving home had brought mixed feelings.. .familiarity, warmth at her effusive welcome from Montgomery, but always the ceaseless ache of missing Seb and knowing that she would never see him again.

One day had passed into another, the nights dragging slowly as she found it hard to sleep without Seb, and when she did, his image filled her dreams. Everything made her think of him. Even starting her new job and catching up with her friends couldn't block the memories and her pain over Seb from her mind.

Trying to push the disturbing thoughts away, she went back inside the welcoming reception area, where Lesley Stuart claimed her attention. The centre's secretary turned her hand to anything that was needed, and had an uncanny knack of handling anyone from the fearful to the obstreperous with tact, compassion and firmness—a skill she claimed she had acquired raising three irrepressible boys alone. Gina had no idea where Thorn had found Lesley, but thank goodness he had, because everything ran like clockwork when she was around.

'Gina, Thorn asked if you could stop by his office before you leave,' the older woman informed her with a smile.

'Of course.' Gina tried to hide a flicker of anxiety as she
wondered why the clinical director wanted to see her. 'Thanks, Lesley.'

After she had tidied the treatment room, written up her notes and finished her final tasks of the day, she went to the staffroom to collect her things and say goodbye to a few of her colleagues who lingered there, sharing a chat over mugs of tea as they changed shift. A few moments later Gina stood outside Thorn's office and knocked on the door.

'Come in.'

Gina did as she was bid. Her boss was on the telephone, but he smiled and waved her to a chair, mouthing, "Won't be long," before returning his attention to the call. She sat down and waited, picking up from Thorn's end of the conversation that he was talking with Nic di Angelis, an Italian GP who worked locally. Thoughts of Italy inevitably brought images of Seb to mind. To prevent herself lingering on them, she tried to focus her attention on the man across the other side of the desk.

Thornton Gallagher was an enigma. There was an edge about him—something a bit dangerous and unconventional. He had not been in town long, but he was an excellent doctor, having proved himself during a six-month stint in Strathlochan's busy A and E department, which was where Gina had met him. In his early thirties, he was tall, with a rangy body and a leanly handsome face. He had unusual amber eyes and untamed, just-got-out-of-bed hair, its shade somewhere between dark blond and light brown.

Gina had always found Thorn good to work with, and he had been the perfect choice to run this centre. Experienced beyond his years in various areas of medicine, at home and abroad, he was full of exciting, often radical ideas for getting care delivered where and when it was needed. He was also not averse to bucking the system and going out on a limb for what he wanted.

As her boss said goodbye to Nic and hung up the phone, Gina found herself subjected to the full force of his enigmatic amber gaze.

'How have you found your first days here? Any problems?' he asked, leaning his elbows on the desk and steepling his fingers under his chin.

'No, it's been good. I enjoy the work.' Despite her personal issues, she maintained her enthusiasm for her job, but Thorn's intense assessment made her uneasy. 'Why? Have I done something wrong?'

'Don't be silly, Gina.' He dismissed her question with an impatient wave of his hand. 'You're the best nurse I know. Why do you think I was determined to have you as part of my team?'

'Oh! Well, thank you,' she murmured, flattered and taken by surprise.

'How's Maria?'

Thorn's change of tack momentarily wrong-footed her. 'She's fine in herself. Our GP is keeping her on a maintenance dose of the diuretics, and monitoring her for any further fluid on the lungs and oedema...and investigating the cause.'

'It must have been a worry, her being taken ill while you were away?'

'Yes.' Pain lanced through her as she recalled Seb's arrival at Elba's hospital, his care and concern for her grandmother. 'Thankfully, all was well.'

Veiled amber eyes studied her, a pout of consideration shaping Thorn's mouth. 'And what about you?'

'What about me?'

'You've been pale and quiet,' he remarked, demonstrating once again that little escaped his notice. 'And sad since you came back from Italy.'

'I'm OK,' she lied, struggling to hold onto her composure.

She wasn't OK. She feared she never would be again. It was foolish, hopeless, but she loved Seb with every fragment of her broken heart, and she tormented herself over the way things had ended. Was her grandmother right? Had she made a mistake not waiting to see him? They were questions that plagued her in the darkest hours of the night. She had run because she had been hurt and scared. Scared she hadn't known him at all. Scared she could never be good enough for him. Scared Seb would explain why he had deceived her and then ask her to leave—tell her it had been fun, but... And it wasn't as if he had made any effort to contact her. Not that she expected him to. But a week's silence confirmed she had made the right decision. He was likely relieved to have it over without further awkwardness and embarrassment. But that didn't stop the welling of pain and disappointment.

'You met someone.' Thorn's uncanny insight spooked her. 'Your heart is still in Italy.'

Gina forced back an unwanted sting of tears. 'It wasn't to be.'

How could it be, when Seb was used to dating beautiful, rich women? She wouldn't fit in his world and they both knew it.. .that had to be why he had misled her and hidden the truth about himself from the beginning.

'You're in love with him.'

'Yes,' she found herself admitting. She huffed out a breath, wishing Thorn wasn't so adept at zeroing in on people's emotions and getting them to confide in him, even when they didn't mean to. 'But there's nothing I can do about it.'

Thorn remained silent, continuing to watch her, his expression unreadable, a small, mysterious smile pulling at his mouth.

'Anyway, you asked about work. I've just seen Old Tam,' she said, determined to divert the conversation away from herself. 'Whether he comes back to have his wound redressed remains to be seen. He asked me to tell you he'll take care of the job you asked him to do.'

Knowing amusement sparked in Thorn's amber eyes. 'Thanks. Are you off home now?'

'Yes.' Thankful to be let off the hook—because he had most surely sussed out her ploy—she rose to her feet. 'After a stop at the supermarket on the way back. Holly and Ruth are coming round later.'

'I'll walk you out.'

Puzzled, because it wasn't a normal thing for him to do, she watched as he gracefully eased his athletic frame from the chair and walked across to open the door. She might not be attracted herself, but she could understand why many other women were. It wasn't just Thorn's looks, it was the bad-boy edge he had about him.

'Thanks. But you don't have to bother. You're busy,' she added, not wanting to be impolite.

'I'm about to show someone around the centre. He's interested in making a donation...of both money and expertise. A skilled doctor, he could be on board full-time.' He paused, his unfathomable gaze watchful. 'Let's hope we can satisfy his needs and give him all he wants to stay in Strathlochan.'

'The additional help would be welcome,' Gina agreed, thinking of the benefit to the centre of having an extra full-time doctor on staff with Thorn, rather than relying so much on the voluntary efforts of local GPs and hospital staff. 'Is there anything I can do to help?'