Wild and Willing! (10 page)

‘And you would have declared any conflicting interest you had, I’m sure. Your son-in-law
is
an executive director of the building firm which has won the very lucrative contract for the supermarket development. You and he have several joint financial ventures, I understand…’

Anna stepped back happily. The reporter had enough
Rottweiler in him to scent blood. She heaved her banner onto her shoulder and joined the chanting group that was blocking the highway.

Something made her look to her right; on the perimeter of the crowd her eyes paused and stopped. Tall and blond-headed, the man stood out from this crowd as he would from any. He held two angelic-looking boys and he was staring straight at her. Their eyes met, and her heart seemed to stop. Her stomach muscles contracted painfully and all the strength rushed from her limbs, leaving her feeling strangely empty.

The smile faded dramatically from her face and it took her several moments to tear her eyes away. She responded to an anxious enquiry at her side with a firm nod.

‘I’m fine,’ she lied.

‘You looked so odd just then. I thought you were going to pass out,’ Ruth Thompson confided.

‘I was nervous with the cameras,’ Anna improvised, keeping her profile firmly averted from a certain tall figure. In truth she would have preferred to face a thousand cameras than Adam Deacon. Was it always going to be like this? she wondered bleakly.

‘Well, it didn’t show, you were so natural. I think the period costumes were a brilliant idea, and who’d have thought all these TV people would turn up?’

Anna’s smile held a hint of irony. After the hours she’d spent ringing around to ensure the press coverage today she would have been devastated if they hadn’t turned up.

‘It looks like Mr Shaw has had enough.’ Anna watched as the big man shouldered his way past the media and got into his official chauffeur-driven limousine.

The driver inched his way forward, his hand on the horn. People leapt hastily to one side as the vehicle gathered
momentum. It all happened so quickly that Anna couldn’t recall the precise sequence of events afterwards.

It looked as though Ruth had plenty of time to move aside, but Anna knew that the elderly woman’s arthritic hip made her slow. She shot forward, a cry of warning on her lips. Somehow she was between the car and the grey-haired figure, and the next thing she was thrust violently forward. Her hands saved her face from the tarmacked surface, but her knees took most of the impact.

There was a lot of noise and loud jeers as the car came to a halt. She ignored the anxious voices of concern all around her; all she could think about was the hole she’d torn in the costume she’d promised to return in pristine condition.

‘Fine… I’m fine,’ she said vaguely, shrugging away the hands that were extended to help her up. The pain in her knee when she shifted her weight took her breath away. No, not again, she found herself silently praying.

‘She saved my life,’ a tremulous voice announced somewhere to Anna’s left, and then she heard Simon’s familiar tones beside her.

‘Are you hurt?’

‘It’s my knee,’ she hissed.

‘Here, let me…’

‘No!’ Panic seized her as he took hold of her shoulder. ‘Simon, I can’t move, it’ll…’ She gritted her teeth as her throat dried up.

‘Love, you can’t stay like that,’ Simon said reasonably.

‘I’m a doctor—can you give us some space, please?’ The answer to Simon’s prayers pushed him unceremoniously to one side.

Adam
would
feel morally obliged to step forward, Anna thought, biting her lip. She could just imagine how much her actions had confirmed his opinion of her reckless immaturity.

‘Go away, Adam!’ she pleaded from between compressed
lips. She sensed him kneel beside her and stayed crouched on all fours, her eyes tightly shut.

‘I’ve never seen anything so wantonly stupid.’ His low, furious voice gave her no desire to open her eyes.

‘I think she was very brave,’ a young male voice she didn’t recognise said admiringly. ‘And fast.’

‘The last thing she needs is encouragement,’ Adam retorted grimly. ‘Can you move?’ he asked, his voice growing more impersonal. She felt his hands on the back of her neck.

‘Do you think I’m on my hands and knees because I like it?’ The snarling sarcasm ended with more of a whimper than a roar, and she felt the prick of tears behind her eyelids. ‘I think I’ve hurt my knee—the bad one. It hurts like blazes.’

‘I hardly think yelling at her is going to help.’ Simon’s indignant expression made it clear he didn’t think much of the older man’s bedside manner.

Adam turned to look at the owner of the critical voice. He saw a pleasant-looking young man, of above average height, clothed in period dress, who laid a protective hand on Anna’s shoulder as he went down on one knee.

‘For God’s sake, Simon, don’t get a mark on those pantaloons. I’ve already ruined one outfit.’ Anna betrayed little gratitude at his intervention. She squinted sideways and moaned as he placed the other yellow-clad knee on the dusty ground.

‘See?’ Simon said anxiously. ‘She’s in pain!’

‘Thank you for your valuable input.’ Anna inwardly winced at the sarcasm in Adam’s voice. ‘If you move to one side I might be able to make my own diagnosis.’

‘We’ve only your word for it you are a doctor,’ Simon said, his colour heightened with anger.

‘Not a doctor!’ Jessica intervened indignantly. ‘I’ll have you know he was one of the youngest professors in the history of the hospital. Adam, I really don’t think you should get involved with these people. You hear all
sorts of stories about doctors being sued for malpractice after roadside heroics. You should consider your best interests, darling. I’m sure an ambulance will be along soon; they’re much better equipped to help.’

‘It’s my patient’s best interests I’m concerned about, Jessica! Do something useful—look after the twins. Get that bloody camera out of my face,’ he added softly, with a savage smile that made the news-hungry media hound step backwards.

Adam’s fiancée paled at this sharp reprimand. ‘I was only offering my advice.’ Her public-relations soul was clearly shocked by anyone speaking to the media so bluntly. ‘He didn’t mean it,’ she apologised hastily to the reporter.

‘Anna, I’m going to get you off that knee.’ Adam’s attention was totally on the injured girl as he ignored the circus surrounding them.

‘I’m scared to move,’ she admitted gruffly, rather ashamed of this cowardly behaviour. Memories of how badly her knee had hurt the first time held her frozen and made her limbs shake. He must think I’m pathetic, she thought angrily as she sniffed loudly.

‘Of course you are,’ he said soothingly, ‘but it’ll be much more comfortable if you’re off that knee. Here, Jake, support her around the waist and we’ll turn her over.’

Anna felt the touch of competent hands.

‘After three—ready, Anna?’ She nodded.

The manoeuvre was completed swiftly, and Anna was sitting on the ground able to view the world from a more conventional angle. Seeing at a glance all the faces peering at her, she wrapped her arms instinctively around herself. ‘I feel like an idiot—and I’m not your patient!’

‘Cheap publicity stunt!’ a loud voice blustered. ‘My driver was in no way responsible.’

‘Get rid of the pompous idiot, Jake.’ Adam flashed a fierce, irritated look over his shoulder.

‘My pleasure,’ the young man agreed cheerfully, getting to his feet. He gave Anna a broad smile, and with a ruthless look in his eyes reminiscent of his uncle he moved purposefully away.

‘Your nephew?’ Anna asked as Adam pushed aside the voluminous folds of her skirts to reveal her knee. She was impressed by the young man’s confidence and his uncle’s obvious trust in his ability to resolve the situation.

Adam nodded, his hands moving over her leg, his fingers delicately probing the sensitive area. ‘Painful?’ he asked as she flinched.

‘Not too bad,’ she said honestly. ‘I think I might have panicked,’ she admitted gruffly, straightening her bonnet.

‘Understandable.’ Adam raised his head from his contemplation of her leg, and for the first time since the accident she looked into his face. A wave of warm emotion swept over her. Hot-cheeked and conscious of the tightening in her chest, she stared back, feeling ludicrously self-conscious.

‘I’m sorry to have been so much trouble,’ she said softly. He was staring so fixedly at her face that she couldn’t look away. ‘And I won’t sue.’ The milling crowd seemed to have retreated into the distance.

Adam seemed belatedly conscious that he was staring. ‘Jessica was only…’

‘Looking after your interests?’ she suggested.

Adam didn’t disagree. ‘I don’t think there’s any serious damage but they’ll know better once you’ve been X-rayed. That sounds like the ambulance now.’

‘I was aiming for drama, but not quite this much.’

‘Your period costume didn’t extend to the footwear, I see,’ he said, touching the trainer-clad foot which lay in his lap.

Anna touched the ruined gown with a frown. ‘I promised to bring this lot back in perfect condition,’ she said
ruefully. ‘The amateur dramatic society’s new production begins on Saturday.’ She blew away a troublesome feather that had become detached from her bonnet as it tickled her nose, and gave a droll grin.

‘It would be more sensible to be concerned about the state of your knee, not your outfit.’

‘I am concerned.’

Adam’s comprehensive scrutiny took in the white-knuckled grip she had on the folds of her skirt.

‘Let me guess. Your fertile imagination is already conjuring up interesting limps and wheelchairs?’ Adam noticed her shiver and placed his jacket around her shoulders. ‘I don’t like to outguess the tests, but I’m willing to say there’s no permanent damage.’

Anna hunched her shoulders, feeling the second-hand warmth of his body through the fabric and wishing foolishly that it was direct contact that was giving her the warm glow. The man was painfully astute. Losing her mobility had always been one of her most vivid nightmares, especially as she knew how close she had come to it once.

Anna expected Adam to disappear when the ambulance men arrived, but to her surprise he announced his intention of coming with her.

‘That won’t be necessary,’ she said stiffly. Panic rose because she did want him to come; she wanted it quite badly. Weak and helpless doesn’t suit you, Anna, she told herself severely.

‘No, it won’t; I’ll go with Anna,’ Simon announced, with a belligerent expression on his normally good-natured face.

‘Thank you, Simon.’ She smiled her gratitude. She wasn’t up to being with Adam in the close confines of the ambulance; she wasn’t up to being with him anywhere!

‘I have to deliver the patient to my colleague, give a medical history—’

‘I’m not dumb,’ Anna interrupted.

‘It’s a courtesy,’ he said tersely. ‘Perhaps your
friend
—’ Anna put a restraining hand on Simon’s arm as he bristled at the sneer in Adam’s voice ‘—might be better employed telling your parents what has happened.’ He tossed the car keys to Jake, who had reappeared. ‘Drive back to the hotel. I’ll see you there later.’

‘Jessie has a meeting first thing in the morning; she won’t be happy,’ his nephew observed.

‘She’ll have to catch a train up to town,’ Adam said impatiently. ‘Where is she, Kate?’ he asked as his niece reappeared with the twins in tow.

‘The boys couldn’t wait for a toilet. I’m afraid she’s overcome by the social stigma of it and has sought refuge in the Range Rover.’

‘It’s locked,’ Jake said. A faint grin touched his lips as he imagined scarlet fingernails hammering on the paintwork.

‘Too late,’ one of the cherubs said cheerfully. ‘She won’t die like Mummy, will she?’ His round eyes were on Anna, now made comfortable on the stretcher.

‘She won’t,’ Adam said calmly.

Anna could see the child accepted his word as something indisputable in his turbulent young life. She found she was deeply moved by this small display of faith, and found herself wistfully imagining how nice it would be to feel that way.

‘I shall be back later,’ Adam said, catching Kate wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. ‘We’ll drive back to Granny’s in the morning. You do as Jake says.’

‘Anna?’ Simon hung on, determined not to be so easily dismissed.

‘I’ll be fine,’ she said, grinning to offer proof of this claim. ‘Tell Mum and Dad for me, but don’t let them panic,’ she pleaded as the stretcher was lifted.

‘I don’t need you, Adam.’ Anna’s voice carried
clearly on the breeze as they moved towards the ambulance.

‘Temporarily, you’re stuck with me,’ came the intransigent reply. ‘So give your mouth a rest.’

‘Don’t you ever listen to anyone?’ she asked wrathfully. ‘And if you think I’m being treated by you…’

‘I’ve no more wish to be your doctor than you have to be my patient,’ he assured her from between gritted teeth.

‘I suppose you think I should be grateful.’

‘I never have had much faith in miracles. That’s more your field, isn’t it? Shall I sprinkle you with sweet-smelling oils and pour some herbal remedy down your throat? Would that make you happy?’

‘Thank God not all doctors are narrow-minded bigots,’ Anna hissed as the ambulance door closed.

Kate looked at her brother, a speculative smile playing about her lips. ‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’

‘When Adam is mad he’s always devastatingly polite—he’s
never
rude,’ Jake reflected. An expression of pure pleasure spread over his face. ‘Did you hear him with her?’ he said wonderingly. ‘I’ve never seen anyone get under his skin like that before, have you?’

Kate shook her head. ‘He
never
yells at Jessica. Did you see her face back there when he just snapped at her?’

‘All that well-bred civility gives me a headache,’ Jake confided with an expression of disgust. ‘Who
is
she?’ he asked curiously.

‘She’s definitely the toothbrush lady; I recognised her voice.’ Kate gave her brother a slow smile. ‘Maybe she’s also the answer to our prayers.’

‘Don’t pin your hopes on it, sis,’ Jake advised soberly. ‘She looked a bit young for Adam.’