Their Christmas Vows (2 page)

But she didn't wait around to concern herself with his apology... or his recovery. Instead, she stepped around him, giving him a wide berth, then marched from the room. It was an impressive march, too, for such a tiny thing. Now he had seen the whole impressive package, he couldn't understand how he had ever mistaken the stranger for the taller, more robust Mel, who was also a decade or more older than the firebrand who'd just decked him. As he sat there, bemused and bewildered, his friends' merriment continued at his expense. Only Hamish came to check on his well-being. Thankful for at least one display of loyalty, Frazer scratched the dog behind the ears, his fingers sinking below the harsh outer coat to the softer one below.

`Trust you to make such a great first impression, Frazer,' Craig, the pilot on his flight team, tormented him.

`Yeah, I wish I wasn't going home,' Rick Duncan, a paramedic coming off-shift, added with evident enjoyment. 'I'd love to be around for the fireworks to come. You've met your match now, buddy.'

Still winded, Frazer frowned. `Who was that?' `The new flight paramedic.'

A sick feeling of dread settled inside him at Craig's grin. `Whose?'

`Yours!'

Damnation.' Groaning, he levered himself up off the floor, his dignity well and truly shot to pieces.

Rick's smile was distinctly unsympathetic. `That'll teach you. See you guys in three days-if you're all still alive!'

Welcome back, Frazer,' Craig chuckled as Rick and the others left. He poured a second mug of coffee and handed it over. `Here, you're going to need it. Archie wants to see you.'

Frazer gratefully accepted the caffeine fix, and wondered what their boss, a former flight doctor himself, and now base director, would have to say. `Where's Mel? What's been going on around here? I've only been away ten days.'

`Archie will explain.'

`Terrific.

He took a slug of hot coffee, wincing at the burn on his tongue and down his throat. He had the distinct feeling he was not going to like whatever news was to come... and that the mistake he had just made with the new paramedic was going to return to haunt him.

A few moments later he walked along to the office to learn his fate and rapped on the door.

`Come on in, Frazer,' Archie called. The older man looked up with a smile, running one hand across his receding hairline. `How was the holiday?'

`Wonderful. But it's good to be back.'

Archie nodded. `Good to have you back. Take a seat.'

'So what's the story with Mel?' he asked, pulling a chair up to his boss's desk.

`She's grounded, Frazer. Health reasons.' Another dart of shock stabbed him. `What? But she just had a touch of flu when I left.'

`That's what we all thought.' Archie shook his head. `Turns out Mel has an inner ear problem. She was poorly for several days, and the medical advice is that she shouldn't fly again. At least not in the foreseeable future.'

`Damn. Poor Mel. How is she? What's she going to do?'

`She's philosophical about it-says she was getting a bit long in the tooth to go on.'

`Rubbish.' Frazer swore, bringing a grin to his boss's face. `I'll talk to her.'

His smile fading, Archie watched him a moment. `She'll be delighted to see you, of course. But her mind is made up, Frazer. This has just brought forward her decision, that's ail. Be pleased for her. She's looking forward to working part-time with a land crew when she feels up to it, and spending more time with John. He's taking early retirement next year and they have plans.'

`I see.'

He didn't. This was all news to him. And it hurt that Mel had never confided in him that she was thinking of taking a back seat. They had formed a close friendship and working partnership these last six months, and Mel had given no sign that things would change.

`I know it isn't the situation you expected to come back to,' Archie said now, shuffling some papers, sympathetic understanding in his hazel eyes. `But Callie Grogan joined us a week ago from Glasgow and you'11 be partnering her from now on.'

`Great,' he muttered, with a distinct Jack of enthusiasm. And not just because he had made the worst first impression on his new flight paramedic. He had a nasty feeling his working relationship with Callie was not going to be as smooth and light-hearted as the one he had enjoyed with Mel.

`She's good, Frazer. This is her first posting with a flight crew, but she is dedicated, committed and extremely qualified. And she's taken every additional course available to enhance her all-round skills. Callie topped the shortlist in every way, and her orientation week here impressed us all.'

Frazer tried to concentrate as his boss sang Callie's praises, but all he could think about were those eyes, and the anger and disdain in them when she had looked at him.

`Callie's new to Strathlochan. I want you to take her under your wing, help her settle in.'

He stifled a groan at Archie's direction, not at all sure that his new charge would welcome his input. `I'll do my best.' The promise was reluctant and full of misgivings.

`I'll have her join us and introduce you-give you a few moments to get acquainted before any calls come in.' Having sent for Callie, Archie leaned back and continued, `We need to keep our wits about us; I have a bad feeling December is going to be a difficult month.'

Just as the office door opened and his new team member stepped in, glancing at him as if he was something she'd scrape off her boots, the emergency alarm sounded, letting them know they had a call-out. Frazer rose to his feet, focusing on Archie, who was taking the sheet of paper that clattered out of the printer with the first basic details of the incident.

`What do we have, boss?'

`Three-car pile-up on the motorway. Northbound, ten miles South of us. Off you go. We'll have our welcome chat and briefing later on.'

Frazer caught up with Callie in the supply room, where their emergency packs and drags were stored. He grabbed his pack, pausing to smile at her and see if she needed any assistance, only to be met with an expression of cold indifference. Gee, welcome back. Scowling, he followed as Callie turned away from him and ran for the hangar. So much for the festive season, peace and goodwill to all men. Yeah, right!

The yellow helicopter was being rolled from the hangar, the icy conditions still treacherous outside. Craig was already aboard, doing his pre-flight checks, and Frazer moved up beside Callie as they waited for the all-clear to join him.

`Everything OK?' he asked, attempting another conciliatory smile, concerned she might be nervous about her first official flight.

Callie glanced at him with an expression as chill as the wintry weather. `Fine.'

`Look, Callie, we started off on the wrong foot. I made a mistake. I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else.'

He paused, filled with the sense that he was digging himself deeper into a hole. Not a flicker of interest or thawing showed in eyes that were the most unusual colour he had ever seen. They really were a true purple. He frowned, trying to reject an unexpected surge of attraction and get himself back on track. This apology apparently wasn't working. Disconcerted, he was unable to remember a time when he had not been able to talk a woman round.

`What's the matter?' she snapped at him, and he realised he had been staring.

`Nothing.' He gave himself a mental shake, drawn back to reality as the technicians cleared the aircraft and one of the guys opened the door for them. `I've just never met anyone with such amazing eyes.'

`Oh, please. You don't really fend that kind of line works, do you?'

`It wasn't a line,' he protested, cut by her scorn. `Shall we get on, Dr McInnes?'

Out of sorts, Frazer followed as Callie moved forward. Instinctively, he went to help her, but she batted his hands away. I'm quite capable, thank you. I don't need you pawing me.'

`I wasn't!'

She swung to face him, cold anger evident. `Let's get something straight. Keep your hands and your comely chat-up lines to yourself and we'll get on with our work just fine.'

Simmering at the injustice of it, Frazer tried to ignore her as they took their places. The helicopter came to life with a characteristic whine, the rotor blades picking up speed, and he had to focus on the emergency can that lay ahead. But he had a sinking feeling that being partnered with feisty, prickly and intriguingly attractive Callie Grogan was never going to work.

CHAPTER TWO

'HELI-Med Echo-Two-Seven, clear to go.'

Craig's voice, confirming take-off and their course to the map reference of the accident site, sounded through her earpiece as Callie strapped herself into her seat on board the helicopter and put on her helmet. She tested to ensure her microphone was functional. In flight it was noisy, and they needed the system to communicate with each other and the ground. The helicopter was new and state-of-the-art, complete with a comprehensive medical bulkhead with everything they would need to hand. There was seats, more internal space, so they could work on the patient during a flight and give them whatever treatment and monitoring was necessary. Callie forced herself to concentrate on double-checking equipment supplies-anything but thinking about wretched Frazer McInnes, who had turned out to be every bit bad as she'd expected.

`Frazer might look like a playboy, he might even act like one sometimes, but I've never met a better doctor or a more loyal friend. There is no one else I would rather have on my side if I was injured, or in a tight spot.'

Quite an endorsement, Callie recalled, and she didn't imagine Archie Stewart suffered fools gladly. But her own impressions of Frazer had confirmed all her worst fears about the man. Wicked. That was the first word that had come to mind when she had looked at him and been subjected to that practised, lethal smile. It was a smile that promised every kind of sensual sin and carved twin dimples in his lean cheeks. There was no doubt about

it. By any standard Frazer was stunningly, impossibly gorgeous. He oozed charm and the kind of smouldering sexuality that made female knees weaken at fifty paces. His hair was cut short, the thick, lustrous strands having a silky black sheen, while the mischievous gleam in eyes the colour of melted dark chocolate was dangerous to any woman's well-being. She didn't even want to thick about his mouth, or what those perfectly shaped mobile lips could do to a woman, how they would feel, how he would kiss, how... Stop it!

Callie was furious with the man. But she was even more furious with herself and her own inexplicable reaction to him. Those few heart-stopping moments when the unknown masculine hands had touched her had fired a shocking response through her body, stirring things-deep, surprising, scary things-she had not felt before. How could that be? Not only was the man a stranger, and reputed to go through women the way other people went through hot dinners, but she had assumed herself resistant, uninterested, immune. It must have been the surprise of the moment that had made her pulse race like a mad thing and caused an ache to knot low inside her, Callie reassured herself. Any other explanation was impossible-and far too frightening to consider.

'ETA one minute,' Craig informed them, drawing her from her disturbing thoughts.

An unwanted tingle raised the hairs on the back on her neck when Frazer's throaty voice responded. `Any update on casualties?' he asked, and she sneaked a glance at him. How could he round sexy just asking a simple work-related question?

`There are four reported, one with serious injuries.' Craig paused a moment as he flew over the scene of the crash and looked For a safe place to land, bringing the aircraft down on the area of carriageway at had been cordoned off for them as close as possible to the site. `The fire service are cutting out a middle-aged woman now. You're needed there.'

As the helicopter landed, Callie unstrapped herself and grabbed her pack, feeling a rush of adrenalin spill through her veins as she faced her very first call. Too bad it had to be in the company of Frazer McInnes, she groused to herself, following close on his heels as he ran towards the tangled wreckage. Her new boots, protected with steel toecaps and ankle supports, still felt cumbersome, while the full pack she carried was heavy, but she kept up as they were directed by a waiting policeman towards the worst of the injured. The other, less serious casualties, were already being assessed and taken to hospital by road.

`Hello, Rory, what do we have?' Frazer enquired as they came to a halt beside the mangled remains of a car.

`Hi, Doc,' the paramedic on scene greeted him, giving basic details of the patient and her condition, while his partner, Tim, remained in the canto monitor her as the firefighters worked. `Her name is Barbara Allen, fifty-one years old. We have a neck collar on her as a precaution and she's receiving oxygen. She's conscious, but having difficulty talking and breathing, and she's complaining of chest pains. No head injury, and as far as we can tell her legs are clear. The problem was the buckling, and the way the steering column caved in to her chest and abdomen.'

Fearing internal injuries, Callie set out their packs and readied herself, waiting for their casualty to be freed. Another few moments and the firefighters had gently and skilfully removed the woman from her car, a backboard in place as a precaution. Frazer knelt opposite her, speaking reassuringly as he carried out his preliminary assessment.