Return of Dr Maguire (Mills & Boon Medical) (5 page)

‘What’s the matter with me, Titan?’ she asked the little dog. ‘Have I gone completely mad?’

* * *

Lachlan closed the door, leaning against the wall for a minute, and took a deep breath, reflecting on the effect two soft full lips could have on a man when they were pressed to his mouth. He hadn’t expected his body to respond so urgently, and wondered what on earth had possessed him to kiss Christa after a mere afternoon’s acquaintance. Then he grinned to himself—because she was so damned beautiful, of course, and didn’t the thought of shocking that rather prim, headmistressy personality rather appeal?

He was used to casual relationships—never commit yourself because they never lasted, was his mantra. Take your pleasure where you could. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake his parents had—get married, supposedly for life, and then destroy the family with a bitter and cruel break-up.

Perhaps he’d gone a step too far with Christa Lennox, expecting her to take his kiss as casually as he had—but life was for living and having fun, wasn’t it? Except, of course, he’d forgotten that one person he should keep at arm’s length was someone from the Lennox family. And neither had he bargained for the fierce longing he now had to kiss Christa again—and more.

* * *

‘Isobel’s
son
? I don’t believe it!’ Alice Smith’s large blue eyes looked at Christa in amazement, and she paused in mid-action as she pulled open a filing-cabinet drawer. ‘He’s a bit late, isn’t he? Isobel’s funeral was a week ago!’

‘Nobody knew where he was, and he only heard she’d died a few days ago,’ explained Christa.

Christa and the two receptionists, Alice Smith and Ginny Calder, were having a quick cup of coffee before the Monday morning surgery, and Christa had been regaling them with the previous day’s events in the barn. Both girls goggled in disbelief at Christa.

‘Where’s he been, then, all these years?’ asked Ginny, the elder of the two receptionists, her eyes popping with surprise behind her thick-lensed glasses.

‘He’s been working in Australia—it took a time to find out where he was.’

Alice stuffed some papers into the files and said thoughtfully, ‘It was sad, wasn’t it—to stay away as long as he did. I wonder what happened.’

‘I remember him,’ recalled Ginny. ‘He was a handsome lad, and I know he was the apple of his mother’s eye. She was so proud of him.’

‘Well, what went wrong?’ asked Alice bluntly. ‘How come she never spoke about him?’

Ginny shook her head. ‘No one knows, except that Isobel’s husband left her around the time that Lachlan went off to college—and, of course, Lachlan was never seen again. How long’s he staying?’

Christa put her cup of coffee down on the desk. ‘Actually, it’s not just a flying visit—he’s going to work here permanently. Isobel left him a letter saying that she wanted him to take over the practice. And he’s decided to do that. She’s left the house to him.’

‘What?’ Alice closed the filing-cabinet drawer with a crash and turned to her in amazement. ‘But...but I thought you would be taking over... It doesn’t seem fair.’

‘It’s OK, Alice. We’ve talked it over, and he’s coming in as an equal partner. He understands that, at least for a trial of six months. And anyway we need another doctor, that’s for sure. Even before Isobel died we were pretty stretched.’

‘Since Colin Maitland left, I suppose... I hope Lachlan’s nothing like
him
,’ said Ginny sharply, then watching Christa’s face she grimaced and clapped her hand over her mouth. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, love, I shouldn’t have brought up the subject. But you’re over Colin now, aren’t you?’

Christa smiled brightly. ‘Of course I’m over him,’ she said robustly. ‘I can assure you I won’t be taken in by any other con men, however charming!’

‘And
is
he charming, this mysterious Lachlan?’

Christa shrugged, trying to look as casual as possible. ‘He wasn’t so charming when I thought he was a burglar—he was up on the roof inspecting the gutter, and I shouted at him. I got a frosty reception, I can tell you!’

‘We want more information than that!’ protested Alice. ‘Is he single or married, good looking?’

‘Now, why do you want to know that?’ teased Christa. ‘You’ve got a lovely boyfriend. But for general information, yes, he says he’s single, and I suppose some people would say he’s not bad looking. Not that I find him attractive,’ she lied.

Of course the truth was that she’d found it difficult to get that mind-blowing kiss from the night before out of her head. To him it had been just a casual brush of flesh on flesh, but in her imagination she could still feel the imprint of that sensual mouth on hers, and the feeling of exploding stars and fireworks it had produced! She took a deep slurp of coffee, hoping the girls wouldn’t notice the blush she was sure was spreading over her cheeks.

‘Ah!’ Alice said with satisfaction, her eyes meeting Ginny’s with meaning.

‘What do you mean, “Ah”?’ Christa looked sternly at Alice and Ginny. ‘I can assure you both I’m off men for good, however eligible. I can promise you that if George Clooney were to go down on bended knee and give me a million pounds to marry him, I’d send him off with a flea in his ear! I’ve no ambition to have a wedding ring on my finger!’

A discreet cough from the doorway and they all whirled round. Lachlan was standing there, a suspicion of laughter in his startling blue eyes, but the expression on his face was impassive.

Christa’s cheeks crimsoned, and she jumped up in a flustered way, swallowing whole the biscuit she was eating. Had the darned man heard her inane comment about marriage as he’d stood there?

‘Sorry to interrupt you all,’ he said smoothly. ‘I know I’m not starting work until next week, but I just wanted to know if you’d had any word about how that young boy is from last night’s accident...’

Christa rearranged her features quickly from shock to welcome. ‘Oh, Lachlan, it’s you!’ She turned to Alice and Ginny and cleared her throat. ‘This is Lachlan Maguire—Isobel’s son. Alice and Ginny are the backbone of the practice, Lachlan. We couldn’t work without them.’

He looked like someone out of central casting for the lead in a medical drama, she thought, noting irritably how Alice goggled at him with frank admiration. He unleashed a charming smile.

‘Then I must keep on the right side of them!’

‘I was telling them what happened yesterday,’ she explained, then felt her heart begin to race as she remembered just what
had
happened between them after attending the accident
.

Lachlan grinned, his eyes holding hers rather too long. ‘Plenty happened, that’s for sure! I was pushed in at the deep end all right.’

Christa looked away hastily and added some more sugar to her coffee, stirring it vigorously. Alice looked at Lachlan rather like a puppy given a special treat.

‘I believe you’re going to be working here with us permanently,’ she enthused.

‘Yes, that’s right. I know it’ll be a steep learning curve, but I’ll do my best. I look forward to getting to know you all.’

He smiled urbanely at them, and Christa could see Alice melting under his easy charm, although Ginny looked more wary. Perhaps, thought Christa, she was a little more cynical than Alice, wondering just why a son should lose touch with a lovely woman like Isobel, then suddenly appear out of the blue after she’d died.

‘A cup of coffee?’ enquired Alice, still staring at him as if mesmerised.

‘Thank you, just a quick one. I guess you’re pretty busy and I don’t want to hold you up. As I say, I just wanted to find out about the young lad who was injured last night.’

Christa nodded. ‘I rang the hospital a few minutes ago. He’s injured vertebrae in his back, and he’s being operated on this morning for his leg—he’ll pull through, though.’

‘That’s the good news I was hoping to hear before I see the builders this morning. There is one more thing, however. I wondered if it would help if I started on a part-time basis this week—I could get to know the ropes, and if I came with you on one or two visits it would familiarise me with the area again, after so long away.’

Of course it would help. Christa had been sleepless for many nights, wondering how she could cope with the work that was piling up. But she wasn’t so sure that being close to Lachlan Maguire was a good thing so soon after her experience with him the night before. She’d rather have liked that episode to fade into the past.

‘Oh, I don’t think there’s any need to—’

‘I think that’s a great idea,’ interrupted Ginny. ‘You’ve been working yourself to a frazzle over the past weeks, Christa. You accept any help that’s offered!’ She turned to Lachlan. ‘Visits are usually done around midday to two o’clock after morning surgery.’

Dear Ginny—she was like a mother hen where she, Christa, was concerned, and she’d been marvellous when Isobel had died, staying late to reorganise surgeries, bringing Christa meals to eat at the surgery. But sometimes she was just a little too fussy!

‘Right!’ Lachlan said briskly. ‘I’ll be back, then. See you later.’

When he’d gone, Alice turned to Christa and said accusingly, ‘You misled us there! You said he wasn’t bad looking...’

‘Well?’ asked Christa innocently.

‘You ought to go for an eye test...he’s absolutely
gorgeous
!’

‘Beauty,’ said Christa grimly, as she picked up a pile of blood results and went towards the door, ‘is in the eye of the beholder!’

‘Quite so,’ agreed Ginny tersely, as she reached out to answer the phone.

‘Will you listen to yourselves?’ demanded Alice in disbelief. ‘I can tell you, that man’s made my pulse go into overdrive! You two must be made of stone!’

* * *

Lachlan stood for a moment before he got into the car and looked back towards the surgery, amusement flickering across his face. So Christa Lennox wouldn’t get married for a million pounds—even to George Clooney! What the hell had brought that on, a bad experience perhaps?

He grinned to himself. It was a delicious irony that she should say that she wouldn’t marry at any price, when one of his mother’s ridiculous suggestions in her letter to him had been that he should get married. And that, of all people, Christa Lennox should be the bride!

Well, that was one proposition that wouldn’t be fulfilled! He was damned if he’d be manipulated by his mother from beyond the grave, however much he regretted her death and wanted to atone for his quarrel with her.

CHAPTER THREE

‘
C
OME
ON,
T
ITAN
! In you get!’

Titan sprang into the boot of the car and stood up with his front paws on the back seat, looking around eagerly.

‘He seems to enjoy going out on visits,’ remarked Lachlan as he folded himself up to fit in Christa’s little car.

‘Oh, he’s spoilt rotten—all my regulars seem to love him, especially at our first port of call. Fred was a shepherd and misses his sheepdog dreadfully. She died only a few months ago, so he loves to spoil Titan.’

Christa started the car and it did its usual little jumps and jerks to get going. She felt self-conscious and tense boxed up in this small space with Lachlan, extremely aware of how close he was to her, exuding sex appeal. The faint smell of shaving lotion and the warm tweedy smell of his jacket drifted over to her.

‘Have you had this car serviced recently?’ asked Lachlan, rubbing his knee as it hit the dashboard sharply and brushing his hand against Christa’s as she changed gear. She inhaled quickly as something like a little electric shock of excitement flickered through her at the unexpected touch.

‘Er, what?’ she said, flustered. ‘Oh, no, it hasn’t been serviced for a while—I keep meaning to make an appointment. It’s something to do with the clutch, I think—sorry about that.’

She glanced at Lachlan’s long legs doubled up in the cramped space of the passenger seat. Her car certainly wasn’t designed for a hunky guy of over six feet! In fact, the space in the car seemed to have diminished since he’d got in. She’d slept fitfully the previous night, her mind racing over the dramatic events that had taken place, but the thing that stayed with her in 3D clarity, and much to her irritation, was her reaction to Lachlan’s kiss. Like the rerunning of a recording, she went over and over it in her mind, reliving the total surprise of it all and the heavenly sensation of his firm mouth on hers, the odd feeling of something interrupted when she’d pulled away from him.

She turned on the car radio to distract herself, irritated that her mind seemed to be fixated on the man, then turned it off again when all she got was loud static and a humming sound.

‘You won’t get good reception in these hills,’ commented Lachlan. ‘We’ll just be forced to talk to each other, I’m afraid!’

Christa was aware that he had turned to look at her, a quirky smile on his lips. Perhaps, she thought with embarrassment, he could read her mind! She gripped the steering-wheel tightly and started to talk quickly.

‘You said you’d had an idea to raise money to do up Ardenleigh. What was it?’

‘It was just a vague idea—I’ve not thought it through properly, but it’s to do with the fact that the place has so much land. It might be a good idea to make more use of it...’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I don’t know if it will be feasible, but there’s a hell of a lot of land attached to the house—land that takes in several fields down to the river, which I can’t possibly look after. I wondered about developing it as a holiday complex and leisure centre. Perhaps a nine-hole golf course.’

‘
What?
’ Christa’s head whipped round to gaze at him in horror, and the car swerved alarmingly.

‘Hey...steady! You’re driving a car, remember?’ Lachlan looked at the sudden angry flush of her cheeks and raised his eyebrow. ‘You don’t sound very pleased. What’s wrong with the idea?’

She knew she was being unreasonable. After all, Lachlan had only put the suggestion forward tentatively. But the very idea of him thinking of such a thing when he hadn’t lived in the area for years, had only just arrived, was ridiculous. It would spoil the whole atmosphere of the pretty little village, and at the moment there was a beautiful walk over the hills that started through that very wood. Perhaps if he’d helped his mother more over the past years, Christa thought angrily, the house might not have deteriorated, and there’d be no need to spend so much money on it.