Wild and Willing! (11 page)

Kate gave her brother a pitying look. ‘No woman will
ever
think Uncle Adam is too old. Besides, you were
too busy looking down her dress to notice her face. Men are so disgusting!’ She gave a haughty sniff.

Jake grinned unrepentantly. ‘I think you’re meant to with those dresses,’ he said, obviously considering the occupation a legitimate one. ‘She didn’t seem like Adam’s type to me, and I still think she’s too young for him.’

‘Too old for you,’ Kate informed him maliciously. ‘Uncle Adam’s seriously dishy. You ought to hear some of my friends on the subject. Honestly, Jake, he needs someone with a bit of— I don’t know—spirit, to make him laugh occasionally.’

‘He wasn’t laughing,’ her brother reminded her. ‘In fact when she walked in front of that car I thought he was going to murder someone—probably her.’

‘You know what I mean,’ Kate responded impatiently. ‘He
never
laughs with Jessie and if he does she manages to remind him that such behaviour isn’t in keeping with his role as a consultant surgeon. The woman’s a real pain in the posterior!’ she reflected grimly. ‘Did you hear her going on about boarding-schools being superior? It doesn’t matter for us—we’re almost ready to leave home—but for the twins’ sake we can’t let Adam go through with it.’

On this subject both siblings found themselves in complete agreement.

Two hours later Anna sat in the foyer of Casualty, waiting for her father. Her knee was immobilised in a thick, unattractive bandage and a pair of crutches was propped up beside her wheelchair. Her outfit was attracting a good deal of attention and a few sniggers. She wished she had something to cover her exposed cleavage.

To her relief Adam’s diagnosis had been confirmed. The swelling would go down fairly rapidly. Rest and painkillers were the only things she’d been prescribed.

‘I thought you’d gone home.’ The squirmy mess in
her stomach made her feel sick as Adam silently materialised. He belongs to someone else, she told herself firmly. Polite but distant is what I’m aiming for.

‘I’ve got a taxi outside.’

‘Simon will have got Dad to come for me.’ Her confident smile faded as he replied.

‘While you were being treated I rang your parents to reassure them. They agreed that as I was passing we might as well make the journey together.’

‘I don’t suppose it occurred to you to ask me?’ she said witheringly. This was like some ghastly conspiracy. If she ran away to the Sahara she would probably bump into him!

‘I knew you’d say no, just for the hell of it.’

‘It could be I don’t enjoy your company,’ she suggested sweetly. If he knew the half of what his company did to her…!

‘Suffering is good for the soul, or so I’ve heard. Anyway grab your crutches and we’ll be off,’ Adam said, dispensing with discussion and bending to sweep her up.

‘What do you think you’re doing?’

‘I’d have thought that was self-evident.’ He spoke with his arms full of her. ‘Will you do something with that hat?’ he added as the feather trim prickled his nose.

‘Don’t tempt me,’ she said darkly, valiantly keeping up the pretence of hating this manhandling.

Actually it was a novel and incredible experience to feel the strength of his arms around her. She wasn’t helpless and didn’t need cherishing, but… He gave her a quizzical look and she cut off a tremulous sigh. She closed her eyes; she didn’t want to let the fact that this was all illusion spoil the experience. He smelt quite marvellous—warm, spicy and, well, male! Give me strength not to do anything obvious like burst into flames, she prayed.

When they reached the taxi Adam gave directions to
the driver and, after sliding her into the back seat, joined her. ‘There’s no room for you.’

‘Yes, there is, see? Legs elevated,’ he said, placing her feet in his lap.

The painkillers were making her feel slightly drowsy and the motion of the car made her eyelids feel heavy. ‘Your nephew, Jake, looks like you,’ she said brightly. Adam looked tired, she realised with a spasm of guilt. He had enough on his plate without nursemaiding her. The fact she was enjoying it made her guilt stronger.

‘You want to make small talk? Fine.’ He shrugged. ‘Jake looks like his father and people used to see the resemblance between us.’

‘I thought he’d be younger.’

‘He’s almost nineteen—off to university in the autumn. He spent last year back-packing across Europe.’

‘He seems very competent.’ Perhaps that too was genetic.

‘He’s apt to take too much responsibility on his shoulders.’ This observation brought a worried frown to Adam’s brow.

‘That’s only natural, given the circumstances.’

Adam nodded. He didn’t seem to be aware of the fact that his fingers were running up and down her slim, uninjured calf in slow, circular motions. Anna wished she could be equally oblivious to the casual contact which was sending darts of sensation over her tingling leg.

‘He’s young. I don’t want him tied down with responsibility, and Kate is nearly as bad. The twins turn to her as a mother replacement.’ A glance from his heavy-lidded eyes made her revise her opinion—there was nothing unconscious about the light caress of his fingers.

‘No doubt Jessica will lift the load from her shoulders,’ Anna observed neutrally. ‘That was the plan, wasn’t it?’ She couldn’t prevent the edge of scepticism from creeping into her tone. She couldn’t put a face to
the name, but the cool, perfectly modulated but strangely featureless voice had remained clearly in her mind.

‘Jessica is trying very hard—and the twins can be
very
trying.’

‘They’re gorgeous,’ she said warmly, recalling their cherubic innocence.

‘They were like kids themselves starting all over again with the twins,’ Adam recalled. ‘Ben and Tessa.’

The bleak expression that passed over his features made Anna’s tender heart tighten in her chest. ‘They have you.’

Adam shot her a startled look. ‘I’m hardly parent material.’

‘I’ve already told you once, you have potential. Have you forgotten?’

‘I probably haven’t forgotten
anything
you’ve said to me.’

She reacted to this unexpected admission with a rush of words. ‘No one’s born a parent; it’s something people learn as they go along. Mum and Dad had given up hope of ever having children when we came along and they coped with the three of us. You’re bound to make mistakes. I just don’t think you should be so hard on yourself,’ she finished lamely.

What had he been trying to say?
Why
had he remembered everything she’d said? Could it be the impact she’d made on him wasn’t as superficial as she’d imagined? Get real, Anna, she told herself brutally. The only thing he wants from you is your body! Sometimes being brutal was the only thing that stopped her making a total fool of herself.

‘You’re the last person in the world I’d expect such a glowing character reference from,’ he said, looking at her with an odd expression.

Her eyes slid away from the intent stare. She was very conscious that she’d sounded overly fervent. She
shrugged. ‘Being a parent is a job for amateurs. Your problem is you’re too much of a perfectionist.’

‘Wouldn’t
you
be daunted by the prospect?’ His words brought her head up with a snap.

‘It’s not something I’ve given a lot of thought to,’ she admitted.

‘I don’t suppose you give
anything
much thought.’ The corners of his mouth turned down with disapproval. ‘Take that farrago this afternoon.’

‘I’ll have you know a
great deal
of thought went into that farrago,’ she retorted huffily. ‘Organised chaos requires very careful timing, and a bit of prayer doesn’t go amiss,’ she added with the faintest twinkle in her eyes. ‘I’m very pleased with the way things went. Except for this bit.’ Her gaze shifted to her bandaged leg.

‘You mean that wasn’t deliberate too?’ he mocked. ‘Plucky crusader risking her life to rescue elderly protester from the jaws of death?’ he suggested. ‘That media circus must have loved it.’

‘You really do think I’m a complete crackpot, don’t you?’ Her voice rose to an indignant pitch. ‘As if I’d pull that sort of stunt! When you’re fighting against the odds you have to do things that capture the imagination just to get your case heard. I wish it was easier to raise public consciousness—’

‘Save the lectures.’ He leant forward and placed a finger lightly against her parted lips. ‘What happened to your sense of humour? I was teasing.’

Achingly conscious of the impression his finger had left against her mouth, she regarded him suspiciously. ‘My sense of humour is fine, thank you. It’s the fact that
you
have one that leaves me speechless.’

‘Ouch!’ He winced. ‘I take it that that show back there was your baby?’

‘A lot of people are just as committed…’

He made an impatient gesture. ‘You wrote the script and directed the action?’

‘What if I did?’ She suspected her admission would unleash a fresh torrent of criticism.

‘I’ve never met anyone with so much stamina—mental and physical,’ he mused. His grudging admiration threw her off balance. ‘You really are a sucker for a lost cause.’

‘I like to win occasionally.’ One day she might convince him to stand up and be counted, she thought, forgetting for the moment that she wasn’t going to have anything to do with Adam Deacon ever again.

‘Is that what your Simon is? He’s a loser.’

‘Simon is not a loser,’ she contradicted him, her eyes flashing angrily at this sly dig. ‘You don’t know him, and he’s not mine.’

‘He let me come with you to the hospital, didn’t he?’ Adam reminded her, his expression making it clear he despised the younger man for being so easily out manoeuvred. ‘I know his type,’ he continued with a surprising amount of venom. ‘He relies on his schoolboyish looks and charms and has cultivated the helpless look that has all your maternal instincts screaming to look after him.’

‘I don’t feel the least little bit maternal as far as Simon is concerned,’ she informed him with a gentle, sphinx-like smile.

The heat behind his hostile glare was vaguely shocking but also satisfying. It made her feel less impotent to know she could still hold her own verbally when so much was outside her control.

‘So you’ve dropped the “just good friends” story, have you?’

‘I’ve known Simon most of my life and I value his friendship. He’s kind, steady and he doesn’t make snap character judgements.’ To her dismay an evil voice in her head added, Boring, and she heard herself adding defensively, ‘Possibly because
he’s
not an arrogant pig with an over-inflated ego. He…’ The rest of her statement
was lost in the warmth of his mouth as he leant across and kissed her full on the lips.

‘He’d never dream of doing anything so despicable,’ Adam said huskily as he lifted his head a little from hers.

It occurred to him that not very long ago he could have claimed the same thing himself. Something about this woman made him override his principles, the precepts he’d conducted his life by. ‘Keeping you at arm’s length is getting beyond my control.’ The admission was bitter.

Anna’s eyelids felt heavy as she lifted them to look into his face. She could see the fine tracery of lines radiating from the corners of his eyes, appreciate the texture of his lightly tanned skin.

‘No, I don’t think Simon would,’ she agreed, a husky catch in her voice. She caught her trembling lower lip between her teeth. ‘My sister’s in love with you.’ I really will have to do something about this communication problem between my mouth and brain, she thought grimly.

‘Which one?’ He stroked the curve of her cheek with his thumb.

‘Don’t be smart.’ She continued to fight with all her might against the hypnotic pull of his eyes. Now it was out in the open she wasn’t going to let him laugh it off.

He did laugh in what she considered a heartless manner.

‘It’s no joke. I’m surprised you didn’t interview her for the job of wife and mother; she’s a much better catch than Jessica!’

‘I’m flattered that you think she’d be interested, but Rosalind and I have a strictly professional relationship. She’s a very single-minded lady and I’d have noticed if there was anything else on the agenda. It would have interfered with our working relationship, and I couldn’t have allowed that.’

It sounded pretty ruthless to Anna but she didn’t mention
this fact. It was hard enough to concentrate on the main theme of their conversation without introducing any sub-plots.

‘How can you be so sure?’ Could she have misinterpreted her sister’s distress?

‘Did Lindy say she was in love with me?’

‘No…but—’

‘What did she say?’

‘She said she missed you and she’s having trouble adapting to her new boss.’

‘How exactly did this translate as an avowal of love?’ he asked scathingly.

When he put it like that she did see there was a possibility she’d read more into the conversation than had been there. ‘She sounded so…so emotional. Lindy doesn’t get emotional. Well, she does, but she hides it.’

‘Unlike you,’ he murmured drily. ‘Listen, Lindy’s great at her job. I’d have had no hesitation in giving her the registrar’s vacancy that’s coming up soon. It takes time to adapt to a new way of doing things, and I’m sure my successor is eager to stamp his own personality on the job. Maybe Lindy is feeling resistant. It’s possible she has looked on me as a sort of role model.’ He gave a self-deprecating shrug. ‘I could have a word with Steven—’

Anna felt a rush of relief. ‘No, don’t interfere. Lindy’s very independent. Do you really think that’s the problem?’ It had been pretty awful feeling jealous of her own sister and angry on her behalf at the same time. She was ashamed to admit that the jealous part had been the stronger of the conflicting emotions.

‘I was pretty strongly influenced myself by someone in my early days. If it hadn’t been for his encouragement I’d have walked away from medicine at a very early stage. Angus Montford was an inspiring teacher and a good friend.’

‘Was?’ she said softly. There was a sadness in Adam’s
face that cut her deeply. She wanted to believe his explanation. She didn’t want to think of her sister suffering as much as she was, but she didn’t feel Adam could be compared to an elderly mentor.