Return of Dr Maguire (Mills & Boon Medical) (8 page)

Of course it was a relief to him that their relationship should stay at that level, he thought. The truth was that he deeply resented the fact that his mother should try and manipulate his life even from the grave—how dared she suggest he marry Christa Lennox just because she’d formed a close bond with the girl? How did Isobel know the kind of girl he wanted?

In another time and place perhaps Christa would have been the sort of girl he would have gone for. He sighed. And if she hadn’t been Angus Lennox’s niece... But that was a subject he was better off keeping to himself.

* * *

‘So this guy’s on top of the roof and I’m shouting at him to come down—and guess who he turns out to be?’

Christa and her mother, Pat, were sitting in Pat’s little bright kitchen, having a quick cup of coffee before Christa went back to afternoon surgery. Titan was lying contentedly by a radiator, half-asleep. Christa cradled her mug of coffee in her hand and her mother leaned forward, her bright, dark eyes, so like Christa’s, alive with interest.

‘I can’t imagine who it would be. Brad Pitt perhaps?’

Christa laughed. ‘I wish! Of all people, he’s Isobel’s son. Lachlan Maguire!’

Pat Lennox stared at Christa in astonishment. ‘Isobel’s son?’ she repeated. ‘Lachlan Maguire? He’s turned up, after all this time—I never thought we’d see him again!’

‘I know—it’s incredible, isn’t it? He didn’t know Isobel had died until after the funeral. He’s been working in Australia.’

‘But what was he doing on top of the roof?’

‘That’s what I wondered. I thought he was filching lead, but it turns out he was just inspecting the guttering. The place is very neglected, and his mother’s left it to him. You do remember him, then?’

Pat took a sip of coffee and replaced the mug precisely on a mat on the table. ‘Yes,’ she said rather abruptly. ‘Of course I remember him—he used to run home through the village from school, and your father supplied any drugs the practice needed.’

‘Well, as I said in my text to you on Sunday, explaining that I wouldn’t be able to pop in and see you, there was an incident with two youths in the big barn and luckily he was there to help.’

Pat got up from the table and went over to the coffee jug, her back to Christa. ‘Sounds as if he came in the nick of time. Another cup of coffee? I’m having one...’ Her voice was light, inconsequential, and she turned back to Christa with a bright smile. ‘Fancy him being found. Sad that he missed Isobel’s funeral, though. How long’s he going to be here?’

‘That’s the thing, he’s decided to leave Australia and he’s going to come back to the practice. At first I wasn’t sure about it but, actually, it’s a relief that I’ve got someone.’

‘You mean he’s going to be working with you?’

‘Well, yes. Apparently he’s been pining for Scotland.’

‘Did...did he say why he left, or at least stayed away for so long?’

‘It’s extraordinary—he told me he found out when he was just about to leave school that Isobel had had an affair when he was younger. That’s why his father left. Lachlan blamed his mother for the break-up of the family, and I guess that’s why he and she had a falling out. He didn’t go into detail.’

Pat put her hands round her coffee mug as if to warm them, and gazed ahead of her as if looking into the past.

‘But that was many years ago...’ she said softly, and shook her head. ‘All this time and never a word from him.’ She focussed back on Christa. ‘You’ll be working closely with him, then, won’t you? Probably get to know him quite well.’

A little nervous tremor passed through Christa, the doubts she was having about not allowing herself to get too involved with this man surfacing yet again.

She shrugged, trying to appear casually indifferent. ‘Well, as colleagues we’re bound to see each other quite a lot.’ She looked at her mother more closely. ‘You OK, Mum? You look a little pale.’

Pat Lennox stood up and moved restlessly to the window, twisting her hands together. ‘I’m fine... It’s just, well, you seem to be irretrievably bound up with the Maguire family, always working with them. Couldn’t you get someone else...someone who has nothing to do with them?’

Christa looked taken aback. ‘But surely you liked Isobel, Mum?’

Pat’s lips compressed slightly and she said briefly, ‘She offered you a job near me when I was very ill, and I was grateful for that—although perhaps I didn’t find her as...congenial as you did.’

‘I never knew you thought that,’ said Christa in some surprise.

Pat picked up the mugs and stacked them in the dishwasher, then shrugged. ‘It’s of no consequence—one can’t like everybody,’ she said offhandedly. ‘Tell me, is Lachlan’s family going to join him soon?’

‘Oh, he’s no wife or children...and he can start straight away, thank goodness. Frankly, I’m finding it pretty hard going at the moment and I can’t wait for him to start properly next Monday.’

Pat turned round, leaning against the machine, her eyes studying Christa intently. ‘You will be careful, won’t you, darling, working closely with another single man...?’

Christa laughed. ‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, Mum. Just because I fell for that rat Colin when he was working at the practice, it doesn’t mean that every single man I work with is going to break my heart! I’ll be extremely careful who I fall for another time. I’ve learned my lesson. He may be reasonably good looking and have a bit of charm, but it’s mixed with a short fuse. No—it’ll be strictly business from now on, I can assure you.’

She met her mother’s searching look almost defiantly, because she meant every word, thought Christa fiercely. She’d made it clear to Lachlan the other day when the car had broken down that there was no way she would allow relationships to get in the way of work. Yes, she admitted he was one sexy guy and that kiss had set every erogenous zone in her body buzzing and kept coming back to haunt her. But liaisons of any sort with him were quite definitely not on the cards. Once bitten, twice shy.

‘Well, if you’re happy to be working with Lachlan and he’s a good doctor, I guess that’s fine.’ There was a terse note in Pat’s voice and she softened it by smiling down at Christa lovingly. ‘I...I just don’t want you hurt again, darling, that’s all.’ She paused and sighed. ‘What I really want is for you to meet a nice reliable man who won’t let you down.’

Christa got up and gave her mother a hug, grinning. ‘God, you sound as if you want me to marry Mr Dull-as-Ditchwater... Anyway, you’re looking very glam today—I like that tweed jacket. Are you off somewhere exciting?’

Pat laughed, suddenly looking very like her daughter, although her hair was white now.

‘If you call going out with Bertie to the pub outside the village for a meal exciting!’

‘Good for you!’ Christa looked teasingly at her mother. ‘You know, I don’t know why you and Bertie Smith don’t move in together—he only lives in the next flat. You might as well be married!’

‘Oh, no, I value my independence too much. Besides...’ Her mother’s voice was brisk, devoid of self-pity. ‘The thing is, I’m very fond of Bertie, but I made one lot of vows once, and I’m not inclined to make the same ones again.’ She glanced at the kitchen clock on the wall. ‘Aren’t you going to be late? It’s nearly two o’clock.’

‘Oh, God, you’re right...I’ll have to fly!’ Christa blew a kiss to her mother as she dashed out. ‘See you soon—enjoy your meal... Come on, Titan, back to work!’

* * *

Friday night and a chance to wind down in the local little gym after a gruelling week. The surgery seemed to have been crammed with patients needing urgent referrals, and more than the usual amount of visits, and however ambivalent Christa was about Lachlan joining the practice, she couldn’t wait for him to start work on Monday and take some of the load from her.

She really enjoyed her weekly workout at the gym, which her friend Richie had converted from one of the little warehouses off the main road. She admired Richie so much—he had been a ski instructor in the Cairngorms during the winter, but after a bad accident had had to give that up. After that he had trained to become a personal trainer, and had set up this small business. Gradually he was building up his clientele.

‘Now a final exercise for those abdominals!’ he shouted. ‘Touching the floor with the heels as you air-bicycle for twenty... Good, good—and stop! Now a good stretch against the bars and then you can put the kettle on!’

Eight pairs of legs collapsed back on the floor and there was a general gasp of relief.

‘You worked us hard tonight, Richie,’ protested Christa, wiping her forehead. ‘I’m so out of condition!’

‘That’s because you’ve missed a few weeks,’ said Richie mock-sternly. ‘I know you’ve been run off your feet, but no excuses now because I hear you’ve Isobel’s son to help!’

‘Yes, thank God. He starts properly on Monday—such a relief.’ She smiled at Richie and looked around the gym, which seemed quite crowded. ‘You seem to have more people here since I was here last. Things going well?’

Richie pulled a face and rotated his hands. ‘So, so. At the moment I feel I’m just about making a breakthrough. But I’ve heard rumours about a new development...’

‘When did you hear that?’ asked Christa, amazed that what had apparently just been an idea of Lachlan’s should be almost common knowledge so quickly. Hard to keep any secrets in a small place like Errin Bridge!

‘The builder who adapted this place for me said that all the land around your medical centre could be sold off for a leisure centre and holiday complex, even a golf course! Can you imagine what that could do to a little place like this? I’ve invested quite a bit of money in it...’ His voice trailed off, but Christa got his drift.

She looked at Richie’s worried face with concern. ‘It’s not set in stone, is it, though?’

‘Hopefully not. But I couldn’t possibly compete with that sort of thing so close.’ He sighed heavily. ‘It’s not something I want to think about, especially now Ruth is expecting our first baby.’

Christa was filled with sympathy for a guy who had tried so hard to turn his life round after his accident and the numerous operations he’d had to mend his hips. She tried to think of some positives. ‘But surely that sort of place would be much more expensive than coming here. The subs would be huge.’

Richie shrugged. ‘I’ve no doubt they’d hold out a carrot for a special opening offer. Anyway...’ he straightened his shoulders and gave a wan smile ‘...I’m damned if I’ll give in—I’ll just have to try and attract more people somehow!’

‘Good for you, Richie. I’ll certainly try and get my friends to come, and some of my patients could definitely do with the exercise! It may never happen anyway.’

Christa went into the changing room, feeling slightly depressed for Richie and more than ever determined to try and convince Lachlan that his plans could adversely affect a great many people in the village.

She slung her old warm jacket over her shoulders and changed her shoes, deciding that she’d have a shower at home as there was a queue to use it in the cloakroom. She flicked a look at herself in the mirror and pulled a face—hair like a bird’s nest and a face like a tomato! What a marked contrast to the photos round the walls of various celebrities apparently having just finished a punishing routine and looking neat and glowing.

Alice, one of the practice receptionists, had also been to the class. She saw Christa glancing at the photos and grinned. ‘There’s been a bit of airbrushing on those photos! How else do you think the girls in keep-fit DVDs manage to look so cool and glamorous after forty minutes’ punishment without some digital tweaking?’

‘I need more than digital tweaking.’ Christa laughed. ‘I just want to get home before anyone sees me in this disgusting state. See you on Monday.’

She pushed through the door and barged heavily into the muscular arms of a tall guy walking past.

‘Whoa, there! In a hurry?’ The man held her at arm’s length, then raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘Well, hello there! Dr Lennox, I presume. Getting your stress levels down?’

Lachlan Maguire was looking down at her with amused eyes, and she got a quick impression of a strapping, well-honed, muscular figure in Lycra shorts.

‘Something like that,’ she gulped, making a grab at her coat to conceal her perspiring, out-of-condition body.

The coat slipped from her shoulders onto the floor, and she stood before him feeling hot, dishevelled and purple-faced. She tried to disregard the fact that in gym attire Lachlan Maguire was the sexiest man that she’d ever seen.

‘What are you doing here?’ she enquired, trying to control her ragged breathing to something slower than if she’d been running a marathon.

‘Trying to keep in good condition, like you!’ Lachlan said, his eyes twinkling as they swept over her beetroot face. ‘You’ve obviously upped your heart rate—keeping your body in good shape!’

Christa wasn’t sure if there was a double meaning to his remark. Was he referring to her admirable training regime or was he being more personal?

‘I try to keep healthy,’ she rejoined.

‘I approve of that.’

He stepped onto the treadmill and started off at a brisk jogging level on tanned muscular legs, grinning cheerfully at her as he settled into a steady rhythm, increasing to a faster pace with seemingly little effort.

Christa clutched her coat firmly round her top. ‘I thought you might be coming to suss out the competition,’ she said lightly, mindful of their mutual pact to be friendly colleagues.

He flicked a puzzled look at her then his face cleared. ‘Oh, you mean the leisure centre? I told you, it’s only an idea yet.’ He added rather offhandedly, ‘But I don’t suppose what I have in mind would have any effect on this place. I imagine we’d attract different clientele.’

‘In what way? You’d be offering fitness classes and machine work. Where’s the difference?’

He shrugged, still pounding away easily on the machine and scarcely out of breath. ‘I imagine this gym would be cheaper and with less commitment. Here you can just pop in without joining for a minimum time...’

‘But you can see how it would compete directly with Richie’s little business.’

‘I don’t agree—I don’t think he’s got anything to worry about.’