Children’s Doctor, Shy Nurse
Molly Evans

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Table of Contents

Cover Page

Title Page

Dear Reader

About the Author

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Copyright

Dear Reader

Thank you so much for reading this book. I hope that you have enjoyed seeing how Mark and Ellie solved the problems between them and found the love they now share.

Regarding the aromatherapy used in this story: while pure essential oils and aromatherapy can certainly be used for a variety of minor ailments, and to promote positive moods, always seek proper medical attention for serious disorders first. You can add complementary aromatherapy later if you wish. There are simple ways to treat simple imbalances such as headaches and skin irritations using natural ingredients. I’m not advocating either/or, but both together to reach wellness. Lavender is my favourite of the aromatherapy oils, and helps to soothe my skin as well as my mind. Try it some time and see what you think.

There is a lot of information about aromatherapy widely available on the internet, as well as some great reference books out there. If you’re interested in using the oils make sure that you do your research first, or consult a certified aromatherapist.

Happy reading!

Love

Molly

Molly Evans has worked as a nurse from the age of nineteen. She’s worked in small rural hospitals, the Indian Health Service, and large research facilities all over the United States. After spending eight years as a Traveling Nurse, she settled down to write in her favourite place: Albuquerque, New Mexico. In days she met her husband, and has been there ever since. With twenty-two years of nursing experience, she’s got a lot of material to use in her writing. She lives in the high desert, with her family, three chameleons, two dogs and a passion for quilting in whatever spare time she has. Visit Molly at: www.mollyevans.com

CHAPTER ONE

Camp Wild Pines

Maine, USA

NURSE Ellie Mackenzie watched a man jog past the camp infirmary as she put away the medical supplies. She didn’t mind the task. Frankly, it kept her hands busy and her mind off of the last difficult year of her life, which was what she needed right now. A fresh start. A break from everything that was familiar, habitual, ingrained in her by years of ICU nursing with a side dish of humility for good measure. With a quick glance at the photo of her parents that sat on her desk, she returned to her task. She liked seeing them there.

The jogger was someone she didn’t know, so she didn’t take much notice as he cruised by the other direction. No business of hers who was running around outside in the sweltering June sunshine in Maine. She was here to work, take a break from hospital nursing for the summer, chase healthy kids around for a few weeks and forget about the recent emotional traumas that had nearly broken her spirit. The man was probably just a counselor enjoying a solitary run before the campers descended tomorrow. After that, there would be no peace and quiet for anyone until the end of summer. At least, that’s what her friend, Vicki, had said. Vicki had been a nurse here for several summers, so she should know. Now that Vicki and her husband, Sam, had had a little girl, and Sam had entered a new residency program, they couldn’t spend their entire summer here. That’s how Ellie had been recruited for the job.

Ten minutes later, the lone jogger ran by in the opposite direction. Catching only a glimpse of long muscular legs, bare torso and a baseball cap turned around backward, she tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but those legs were a definite distraction. She’d likely meet the fellow and the other staff later at the lodge, then she could put a name to the legs, er, face.

Before she finished her task, the squeaky screen door announced a visitor, and she entered the front room to investigate.

“Hello?” Audible wheezes caught her trained ears the second she entered the room.

The jogger had come into the infirmary. Sitting on one of the wooden chairs designated for patients by the front door, the man leaned forward with his hands on his knees, huffing and sweating. “Hi, there.” He waved while he caught his breath.

“Hi, yourself. Are you all right?” Moving closer, she gave his thin frame a closer inspection.

He held up a hand, indicating he still needed a minute to catch his breath. “I’m good.”

“You don’t look good.” Wondering if he were experiencing heat exhaustion, she sat on the chair next to him and checked his pulse. It was rapid, but not bounding. The red color of his face indicated he’d been exerting, but he looked as if he were starting to settle down.

Wiping away the sweat on his face with his shirt, he laughed. “Thanks. I’m not used to the humidity and heat here.”

“Where are you from? Obviously not Maine,” she said, more accustomed to it than he was having lived in Dallas, Texas, for several years.

“New Mexico.” He wiped his arm across his forehead. “Hot, but not humid.”

“Hey, that’s cool. I went to nursing school there, but now I live in Dallas where it’s hot and humid. Are you one of the counselors? I’m Ellie.” Now that his color was returning to normal, she relaxed somewhat. Not that she couldn’t handle it, but she really didn’t want to have to deal with a medical emergency the second she arrived at camp and without the assistance of a backup. Since he was able to carry on a conversation, he wasn’t in too much distress, and otherwise he looked healthy.

“Yes, and no. I’m assuming you’re the nurse?”

His striking green eyes met hers for the first time. Keen intelligence shone from them. Another time or place she might have been intrigued, but now she looked away. Any interest in men and relationships was on hiatus for the summer. She was too tired to tackle either one. The last relationship had worn her out. Not that she couldn’t admire the beauty of the male form; she just didn’t want to get close to one just yet.

“Yes.”

“I’m the camp’s doctor, Mark Collins.”

“Oh,” she said with a nod and then sat upright as the realization of what he’d just said hit her. “Oh.” He was so not what she’d expected. From what Vicki had told her about her new colleague and his extensive professional experience, she’d thought him to be much older than he obviously was. This put an alarming new perspective on those legs that she would be around a whole lot more than she expected.

He wiped his hand on his shorts, then held it out to her. “Nice to meet you.”

Ellie shook the rather sweaty hand, then removed hers from his grip. “Same here. So, do you know Sam or Vicki?”

“Sam. We worked together for a few years at the university hospital in Albuquerque. And you?”

“I’m a friend of Vicki’s. We went to nursing school at UNM together. She convinced me that taking a leave of absence and being a camp nurse for the summer would be good for me. Did you get the same line from Sam?” She smiled, suspecting that their mutual friends had begun a small conspiracy.

Mark grinned and put his shirt on. “Nearly identical. Seems they went to great lengths to find substitutes for themselves so they didn’t have to come back.”

“Right.”

Long awkward silences bothered Ellie, so she usually filled them with idle chatter, attempting to keep her patients comfortable. She did the same now, falling back on the best technique she knew. Having a casual conversation with a stranger was something she’d learned to do. Naturally shy, it didn’t come easily to her, but she’d learned to hide behind her nurse persona.

“So, are you ready for tomorrow?” she asked. “I hear that it’s pure chaos the first day or two, especially with the younger campers who are away from home for the first time.” Memories of her own camp experiences as a kid were good, though she hadn’t gone to sleepaway camp as young as some of these children.

“Yep. Ready as I’m going to be.” He indicated the pile of empty cardboard boxes strewn around the floor. “I see you’ve been tackling the supplies already. How about a break? Come down to the dock and meet some of the others with me? There’s going to be a bonfire just for us tonight, then another one with the kids tomorrow night.”

“Sounds great,” Ellie said, but hesitated, glancing at the load of trash and boxes scattered about the infirmary. A job left undone was just work to do later, or for someone else to finish, and she hated leaving things incomplete. She simply couldn’t do it in good conscience. The nagging voice of her past rolled through her, and she nearly shivered. She hated that voice and thought it had finally left her alone for good.

“Something wrong?” Mark asked, his eyes intense and watching her, unsettling her.

“Didn’t a bonfire nearly destroy the camp two summers ago?” she asked, trying to direct his attention away from her.

“That’s what I heard, but it all worked out well in the end. Got a new soccer field out of it, too.” He pointed to the fire extinguisher by the door. “There are more extinguishers around, but after that experience, it’s doubtful there would be a repeat.”

Ellie nodded, then stood. “That makes me feel a little better. Well, I’d better get back to it. There are a few more things for me to unpack yet.” She hoped that wasn’t too straightforward, but if she intended to get this project done before nightfall, she needed to keep moving.

“Want some help? I’ve finished my run and am happy to give you a hand.” He glanced at his watch. “We’ve got two hours before the bonfire starts.”

“No.” Again, she hesitated. “I’ve got it.” Stepping back, she moved away from him. He was a very intense man, and she didn’t need that right now. She was supposed to be soothing her frazzled nerves, not getting them more so. The energy he had seemed to want to pull her in. She was here to relax, not get embroiled in other people’s high energy, no matter how enticing it seemed.

“Can’t I at least take some of the empties out to the recycle pile?” he asked and pointed to the stack by the door. “Won’t take but a minute.”

“Okay. But I’ve got the rest.”

“After that, I’ll unpack my stuff, take a shower and head down to the bonfire.” He started toward the door and loaded his arms with the empty boxes, then paused. “You really ought to come down, eat some sticky marshmallows and hang out with the rest of us. You’ll make everyone feel guilty if they know you’re up here working while we’re all down there having fun.”

She chewed her lower lip, then reached past Mark to open the door for him. “Maybe. We’ll see how much of this I get finished first.” Though the idea was tempting, she doubted that she’d go. There was so much to do before tomorrow. There was always so much to do, and she never seemed to have enough time in her life to get everything done.

Mark strolled down to the edge of the lake just at sunset and the spectacular rays of orange, yellow and red bounced off of the gentle ripples of water. Breathing deep, he pulled in the fresh, humid air that was so different than he expected it to be. Not that he hadn’t been in humid climates before—he had, all over the world, but something was different about this experience. It was fuller, fresher, much more alive than he’d remembered air ever being. Maybe he was being fanciful, but that’s what it seemed to him tonight, and he was okay with being a little fanciful now and then. Kept things interesting. Life was too short to be serious all of the time. He’d certainly learned that lesson in spades not long ago.

As twilight deepened, he paused on the dirt path, savoring the moment. Night creatures crawled from their dens to explore their world and created such a symphony of sound that he was compelled to stop and listen for a few moments.

Sam had been right. This remote experience was exactly what he needed after all he’d been through in the previous few years. Tension he hadn’t been aware of holding onto began to slowly unwind, and his shoulders relaxed. The persistent gnaw in his gut eased a fraction. Working as a pediatric trauma physician was intense enough, then becoming a patient in his own hospital with a life-threatening illness had brought his world to an abrupt halt. Tension didn’t begin to describe the hell he’d been through.

Now that he was past all that—three years past—he was still having difficulty getting back into the swing of having a normal life. He was no longer sure what normal really was. It was definitely not what it had been a short time ago. Nagging doubts, and the agonizing wait of two more years before his body was considered free of cancer, loomed over him every day and influenced him in ways he’d never imagined. Should he rent or have a mortgage? How much life insurance should he buy? Would he die before the tires on his car wore out? Could he engage in a short- or long-term relationship? These were at the top of the list. So many decisions were now based on his questionable longevity.

Chasing after a bunch of healthy kids all summer was going to be a monumental change for him, but one he anticipated being good.

The hoot of a night bird pulled him from his thoughts, and he continued down the hill to the fire blazing at the edge of the water. The smell of charred marshmallows was already heavy in the air, and he hoped that it would entice Ellie into joining the group.

“Hi, Mark. Glad you made it.”

“Gil, nice to see you.” He shook hands with the camp administrator.

Gil looked up the path. “Where’s your nurse?”

“Ellie’s finishing up a bit of housekeeping in the infirmary, then she’ll be down.” At least, he hoped she would be.

“Okay. There’s a spot by me and the bag of marshmallows. You can join me there.”

“Just what I wanted to hear.” With a laugh, Mark followed the man through the tangle of people who had just plopped down anywhere near the fire. Casting one last glance up the path that had fallen completely dark, he hoped that Ellie would come. She seemed nice, and he needed to make friends with her while they were here for the summer. The community of people he called friends had dwindled during his illness, and he needed to rebuild his support system differently this time. His fiancé, who was supposed to be with him through sickness and health had they married, had bailed during his first treatment. She’d said it was because he wasn’t likely to be able to father children, but now he knew better. The shallowness and insecurity he’d never seen had become blindingly clear.

Not wanting to cloud the evening with thoughts of the past, he put her from his mind and followed Gil to the fire.

Though he enjoyed the atmosphere of young adults and experienced counselors who returned year after year, something was missing. Maybe it was just because he was a first-timer here, maybe because he really didn’t know the others yet, but something was out of place. Having grown up in a large family that didn’t recognize boundaries, loneliness had never been part of his life, but now that was the feeling that came to mind.

Footsteps on the path and a quick, feminine curse alerted them to the arrival of someone else.

“Hello? Is this where the party is?”

Ellie had arrived. A smile covered Mark’s face, and he stood. “Over here,” he said and waved, hoping she’d recognize him against the backdrop of the fire.

“There you are,” she said and made her way through the tangle of people seated on blankets and camp chairs. She reached for Mark’s outstretched hand and grabbed on. Her touch was strong and firm.

“We’ve got a nice spot here,” he said and eased down to the ground with Gil on one side and Ellie on the other, then released her hand. The small groups returned to their conversations now that Ellie was seated. Someone brought out a guitar and began playing softly in the background.

The slap of a hand against bare skin broke the silence, and Ellie jumped. “Ohh. I shouldn’t have worn shorts.”

“Bugs getting to you?” he asked and swatted away a mosquito buzzing near his ear. “They sound like tiny airplanes, don’t they?”

“Yes. These critters are going to have a feast on me. I didn’t have time to mix up my own bug spray today and just grabbed the commercial stuff left over from last year.” She slapped again. “Obviously, it’s not working.”

“Maybe you have a sweeter disposition than the rest of us,” Gil said and everyone chuckled. Small conversations picked up where they had left off when Ellie arrived.

“I’m an ICU nurse, so sweet doesn’t really enter into my job description.”

“Now, I’ve worked with plenty of sweet ICU nurses, so I’d have to argue with you on that,” Mark said, wondering why she was down on herself.

There was a moment of silence before Ellie answered. “I might have been at one time, but over the years, it seemed to have gotten lost in the job, you know what I mean?” she asked, her voice softer than it had been moments ago, meant for only him and Gil to hear. The others were too far away to hear anyway. “Life gets to be about what you do, not who you are.”

“Oh, I doubt that or Vicki wouldn’t have recommended you,” Gil said and poked a marshmallow onto a long wooden stick. “This is for you. Roast to your preference and enjoy.”

“Thanks.” She took the stick and focused on putting the fat marshmallow at the edge of the hot coals. “Vicki’s a good friend, Gil.”

“She said you’d fit right in here, and I believe her.” He handed her a chocolate bar and graham crackers to go with the marshmallow.

“I hope she’s right.” Tucking her head, she focused on making the gooey treat.

Mark’s mouth watered. “Gil, can you fix me up with some of that? I haven’t had a s’more in years.”

“You got it.” He reached into the bag and produced a marshmallow that he handed to Mark, then gave him a chocolate bar and a graham cracker.

Mark took the items, watching Ellie as he did. Her focus seemed to move inward as she watched the changing lights in the fire in front of them. The light picked up the reddish hues of her short brown hair. There was a simmering fire in Ellie that he saw, but she probably didn’t even know about. Mark hoped for her sake that it wouldn’t go out completely.

CHAPTER TWO

HAD she seriously even thought the word relax yesterday? Ha! There would be no relaxing at Camp Wild Pines. Chaos didn’t begin to describe the absolute bedlam that descended on the camp when the four charter buses of kids arrived just after lunch. She’d simply replaced the intensity of the hospital for the madness of camp life. Ellie had never seen so many kids in one place before and certainly none with the level of excitement that sparked off of these campers. Someone must have fed them a bunch of sugar on the bus and let them go.

“Great, stuff, isn’t it?” Mark asked her as the campers made their way to the infirmary for exams. He poked bellies, and tickled ribs, as each child made it through, then supplied all with a sweet treat.

“Great?” Ellie gaped at the line of campers, boys and girls, ages seven to fourteen, that trailed its way through the infirmary and out the door, filing all the way across the compound to the lodge, nearly a football field’s length away. “Uh, that wasn’t quite how I would have described it.”

Mark laughed and placed the otoscope into the ear canal of the next camper and leaned forward for a look. “It’s great to me.”

Ellie gave him a sideways glance and raised her brows. The man obviously lived a crazed life if he thought this was great. “If you say so. Too much chaos and noise kinda makes me nervous. Reminds me too much of work.” The thing she’d come here to get away from.

“The noise level with kids is always high. You’ll get used to it.”

“I doubt it.” She’d never get used to it. “There’s always too much to do, and never enough time to finish it.” Hurrying, she pulled the folders for the next group of kids. “There’s only a few minutes before they’re supposed to be heading to their cabins, then to the lodge for the welcome reception.” She looked at the line of campers and anxiety cramped in her belly. “We’re never going to make it.” What if they were late, what if she didn’t do things the way Dr. Collins liked them, what if—

“Ellie?” Mark touched her on the shoulder, distracting her from her racing thoughts. She hadn’t seen him rise and step closer to her.

“What?” She looked up at him. He was so close and tall that she felt small in comparison. Until now she hadn’t realized how different they were in height. He just kept going up.

The calm smile on his face didn’t detract from the sharp assessing look in his green eyes. “Don’t have a panic attack the first day. We’ll be fine.”

Sweat broke out on her back. Being so nervous about everything wasn’t how she wanted to be, but she didn’t seem to know how to change. After so many years of being dedicated to helping others and more recently helping her parents through her father’s illness and death, something had broken inside of her that she didn’t know how to fix. She didn’t know if it could be fixed. The last man she had been intimately involved with certainly hadn’t thought so. “But the kids will be late, and then—”

“So? It’s not like they’re going anywhere for the next eight weeks. They can be a little late for the first meeting in the lodge, or we can do the remainder of the assessments tomorrow. Won’t hurt anything.”

Ellie simply stared at Mark. “Are you serious? Things need to be done on time, not when we feel like doing them or get around to it.” How could he be a physician and say that?

“Ellie. We’re not slacking. There are simply a few kids I want to take an extra look at right now. There are some campers with chronic illnesses that we need to follow closely over the summer, and if I document well now, it will save me a lot of brain strain later.”

Looking away from him, she lowered her eyes. “I see. Sorry, Dr. Collins.”

“No sorry about it, and please call me Mark.” He squeezed her shoulder once in a gesture that was meant to soothe her frazzled nerves, then turned away. “Let’s just get finished with what we can reasonably do, and then we’ll go to the lodge with the kids.” He called the next camper over. After a quick, assessing glance at Ellie, he carried on with the exams.

Before Mark finished with the next set of eyes, ears and tonsils, the paging system called the campers to the lodge. Without preamble, the kids scattered in a mob of gangly legs and arms and choruses of cheers. “Guess that settles it. Off to the lodge with the bunch of them.” He popped off the cover of the otoscope into the trash bin that nearly overflowed beside him. With a look at Ellie, he bundled up the trash and placed a clean liner in the bin.

Stacks of files lay on every conceivable surface; some hung precariously from their perches, and a few had landed on the floor. Ellie hurried around the room picking up trash, putting away files, writing notes on other files. Her frantic pace nearly made him dizzy. He’d had enough of that sort of thing for a while. The change in his life over the past few years had made him much more aware of how he spent his time. He wasn’t going to waste his, and he didn’t want to see Ellie use up hers on mundane things that could wait. Especially when there was a bonfire waiting. With s’mores.

“I guess it’s time to head to the lodge,” Mark said and motioned for Ellie to join him by the door. Mark paused at the look of panic in her eyes as she surveyed the mess. There was something definitely going on with her and it wasn’t files or organization. Getting out of a hospital environment was going to be good for her, too. That was obvious. He knew nothing about her personal life, but the signs of stress she displayed were enough to make him want to reach out to her, want to help her. “Are you ready?” he asked, knowing there could be an explosive answer at the end of that question, but he was ready for it. He hadn’t grown up with three sisters without learning a few things about women.

“Uh, no.” Ellie shook her head and moved back to the first pile of charts. “I can’t go until all of this is taken care of. You go ahead, and I’ll join you later.” She picked up a stack of files and their contents slid onto the floor. “Probably much later.”

He caught a glimpse of tears in her eyes before she hid her face behind the files in her arms. “Ellie, this stuff isn’t going anywhere. Let’s go meet the kids and let them get to know us a little. We’re going to be here all summer, and the charts can wait.”

“I just can’t leave things undone, you know? I’m not built that way.” A sigh flowed out of her. “If I leave things for later, I’ll never catch up. You go ahead.” She grabbed another stack of charts and began going through them. “It’s practically a sin in the nursing world to leave something for the next person to do when you could have done it yourself.” She clucked her tongue.

“You’re not the only one here. I can help you. I helped create the mess—I can certainly help clean it up.” That was logical, wasn’t it?

“But that’s not a physician’s job. This is a mundane task that I should do.”

“Ellie, we’re not going to be in a hospital setting for eight entire weeks. I won’t tell if you don’t.” Offering her an encouraging smile, he wanted her to respond, but she didn’t.

She eyed the piles, but gave another heavy sigh. “I don’t know. It’s a lot of work. I’ve always had the philosophy of ‘do it now so you don’t have to do it later.’”

“My philosophy is ‘don’t waste the now,’ and I outrank you. Let’s go enjoy ourselves. Before last night I hadn’t been to a bonfire for years, and my stomach is growling in anticipation of more campfire food.” He paused when she looked as if she were going to resist more. “Please don’t make me give you a real doctor’s order.”

“What?”

Startled brown eyes caught his gaze, and he knew he’d surprised her. Good. “When we come back, we can do it together and get it done in half the time. It’s not like it’s an urgent matter, and there’s no one from Medical Records breathing down our necks.”

At that she gave a sideways smile, and her brown eyes lit up for the first time since they’d met. “You’re right. I can deal with all this later.”

“We’ll deal with it. Promise. Let’s just go enjoy ourselves.” This was good. One small step forward.

“Okay. Let me grab a sweatshirt and my special bug spray. They ate me alive last night so I’m not taking any chances tonight.”

“Sounds good.”

She hurried to her room at the opposite end of the hall from his and returned in minutes. She carried a dark blue sweatshirt with an embroidered loon on it and a white spray bottle in the other hand.

Mark waited by the door, then walked with her to the lodge, wondering what could be special about bug spray. But if it worked, who cared?

The evening was pure delight. Kids ran wild through the camp, and he laughed more than he had in years. Tension began to simply unwind out of him with each passing moment. This was a good change for him, and one he hadn’t realized he’d needed. Thank God for good friends who made excellent recommendations. Get out of the hospital for a while. That was the ticket. Oh, what a pleasure it was to be here and simply to be alive.

Tapping his foot to the guitar music, he wasn’t watching as one small camper tried to sneak by, but tripped and landed nearly in Mark’s lap. The little boy with bright red hair squealed, and Mark helped him to stand.

“I gotta use the bathroom,” he said and his blue eyes expressed his urgency.

“Come on, it’s this way,” Mark said and helped the young boy find the restroom. This was something he knew he might never be able to do otherwise. Not necessarily help a kid to the bathroom, but help his own child—get up in the middle of the night with his own children, help them with whatever they needed. For a moment, despair hit Mark; the realization of what he might never have was reflected in the face of each and every camper present. He simply couldn’t allow himself to indulge in a relationship when he might not live through the next few years. It wasn’t fair to the woman or any children that could come of the relationship. Minutes later, the boy emerged from the bathroom and, for a moment, Mark forgot about his own needs that wouldn’t be met so simply.

CHAPTER THREE

ELLIE stirred in her bed the next morning, awakening slowly as the sun crept over the windowsill to invade her room. She hadn’t slept so well in such a long time; she’d almost forgotten what it was like. Events of the past few years had disturbed her wakeful time as well as her sleeping time. Maybe fresh air and the quiet Maine woods had helped. A lovely breeze had stirred the pines surrounding the infirmary most of the night, bringing with it the lonesome call of the loons that she loved. The soothing sounds must have lulled her into a state of bliss.

Living in a large city for so long had numbed her senses to what nature had to offer. Cement and skyscrapers and bright lights, and the never-ending roster of critically ill patients, had taken the place of activities she had once enjoyed, and she mourned that loss. Work, and the lengthy illness of her father, had just about worn her out, the breakup with her fiancé only compounding her exhaustion. Mourning had unfortunately become a way of life and one she was determined to shake off during the summer. She knew she would. She just had to figure out how to get started.

The framed photo on the table beside her bed had been taken when her father had been happy and healthy and that’s how she wanted to remember him. Memories of his illness had finally begun to fade.

After a quick glance at the clock beside the photo, she bolted upright, panicked. She was late! Tearing off her sleep shirt and quickly dragging on shorts and a T-shirt, she raced out the door, then came to a halt.

Mark sat quietly with about ten kids who waited in a semi-organized line for their morning meds.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” she whispered and patted her short, rumpled hair into place, supposing she looked like a porcupine with it sticking out all over.

“No worries. I’ve got things under control.” He gave her a quick assessing glance and his eyes warmed, lingering on her longer than they had yesterday. The flush of heat that rushed through her wasn’t entirely from embarrassment. Though she had said she wasn’t going to be interested in men during the summer, Mark was intriguing her from the get-go.

“I’m supposed to pull the charts, and the meds, and have things ready before clinic. You didn’t need to take clinic this morning. I should have done it.” Her heart raced uncomfortably in her chest. This was her job, and the first day here she was already behind.

“Ellie, calm down.” Mark handed a camper two pills in a paper medicine cup and a small glass of water. “Down the hatch, buddy.” The camper dutifully swallowed the medicine. “Why don’t you wake up and get something to eat? It’s not a crisis that I take the morning clinic. You can have the one after lunch and the evening one if that will make you feel better. There are a few kids with allergy shots that are due, so you can set them up for the lunch clinic.” He gave her a quick glance and adjusted the baseball cap on his head. So far she’d never seen him without it. If he was anything like her brothers, they had to have a favorite team cap on almost before they got out of bed.

“Thank you. I’ll do that.” Face burning, she headed to the bathroom and closed the door. She splashed cold water on her face, combed her hair and glanced in the mirror over the small ceramic sink. Already, on the first day of camp, she’d succeeded in embarrassing herself in front of the physician and a number of the kids. Determined not to let this setback get the better of her, she pulled herself together. One little problem shouldn’t ruin, or set the tone for, the rest of her day. Think positive. Think positive. Wasn’t that what she told her patients all the time? Maybe she ought to listen to her own words of advice. If it worked for her patients, it ought to work for her, right? She’d simply make it up to Mark somehow. She’d find a way. Opening the door to the shared bathroom, she re-entered the front, feeling a little better.

“Bear is the man you want to see at the lodge. He said he’d put a few things back for you if you’re hungry.”

“I can wait. Why don’t I take over here?” she said, but as she looked for more campers, she saw that the line had dwindled down to just a few. Mark had handled the task without her help, and no one looked as if they were distressed, so she relaxed a little more. Positive thoughts. Positive energy. If she kept telling herself that, she’d really believe in it one day, wouldn’t she?

“Seriously, Ellie. Go ahead and get something to eat. I’m good for a while.” He winked at her. “After this I think I might take a run around the camp, get my exercise for the day.”

“Yes, Doctor,” she said and, with a frown, turned to the door, but paused as she felt a hand on her arm. Turning back, she glanced at him. They were going to be working together for the entire summer, so she should make a better attempt to be friends. Making friends with a handsome man was always a good thing.

“Ellie, my name is Mark, not Doctor. Can you just call me Mark? Please?” he asked and paused, then removed his hand.

“I can do that,” she said, then nodded and liked the sound of his name rolling around in her head. “Where I work not too many physicians like being addressed by their first names, so it’s just habit.”

“A good habit to break, if you ask me. We’re all on the same team, right? And if Bear has any of those Boston cream doughnuts left, snag me one for later, will you?” He smiled and the effect made her hold his gaze a second or two longer than she normally would have. Though thin, he was a handsome man. Intense, but handsome.

“Sure.” The tension in her flashed away as his vibrant energy seemed to move into her. Energy she seemed to need right now, but didn’t know how to find.

“Maybe two if he has them.”

That made her laugh and the sensation was warm in her chest. Laughter had been bountiful in her home as she’d grown up, and she realized now that it was somehow missing in her life. She’d become too serious and that was something she’d never wanted to be. “I’ll see what he has. You might have to do an extra lap around the camp to work it off though.” The man had a sweet tooth. She’d have to remember that. He was too thin by far, so if she could grab him a doughnut now and then, she’d do it. He’d been nothing but nice to her, so she could do something nice back. Perhaps her payback to him could come in the form of confiscated pastries now and then.

The lodge, a great lumbering building made of rough-hewn timber, was the hub of the compound, and she reached the front porch in minutes. The screen door squeaked as she opened and closed it, and she entered the cool interior to find the place empty. Last night, they had stuffed nearly three hundred people in here, and the din had been overwhelming. Now, every foot-step echoed off the log walls. Just as she entered the lodge, a crashing clatter of pans and shattering of glass made her jump. Loud cursing and yelling followed, and she hurried over to the galley.

“Hello? Is everything okay?” She gasped as the biggest, brawniest bearded man she’d ever seen turned to face her, anger blazing in his deep-set brown eyes.

“No, dammit! I’m burned half to death.” He held his right hand under the water in the sink and continued to grumble. A thin man covered by a white apron hovered a few feet away, his hands nearly choking the handle of a broom.

“I’m Ellie, the nurse. We haven’t met yet.”

“I’m Bear, the chief fried cook.” He shook his head and continued to mutter under his breath.

“Why don’t I look at your injury? Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“No, thanks. I’ll be fine.”

Now, she remembered something Vicki had said, that Bear took a while to warm up to people. “Vicki Walker said you make a great clam chowder,” she said, hoping to distract him a little.

“She did, did she?” Bear cast her another glance. “We’ll be missing her around here this year.”

“She and Sam and their little girl will be up for a visit or two during the summer, so you’ll get to see her.”

Nodding at that, Bear turned to face her more fully, though he kept his hand and forearm under the running water. “Think you got anything in the infirmary to help a grease burn as big as this?” he asked.

“Sure. Getting it under the cold water is the first thing, for sure. Let me call Dr.…Mark to come over and see you, too. I also have some aromatherapy oils that will take the sting right out of the burn and probably minimize scar tissue.”

“I don’t care about scars. Got enough of them already, so a few more won’t make much difference.” He sniffed. “Aroma-what? What’s that?” Bear asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

“Plant extracts that have healing properties.” She’d studied aromatherapy and used it on her father when he’d been ill, and she was now thinking of becoming a practitioner in addition to her nursing career. Complementary therapies were helpful to standard treatments, and she was a believer in them.

“Like folk medicine?” he asked and his fierce expression eased a little.

“Something like that.” That was probably the simplest way to describe the therapy that didn’t sound too out-there for most people.

“Okay. Phone’s on the wall there.” Bear nodded to the wall beside the mess of a desk scattered with magazines and paperwork.

“Thanks.” Ellie looked at the numbers scrawled on a piece of paper beside the phone. Dialing the number, she waited for Mark to answer. She quickly explained the situation and hung up. “He’ll be here in a minute. Only one camper left for the morning clinic.”

A single nod was the only response from Bear. She noticed that he had reverted back to his tight-lipped expression again and suspected the burn hurt a lot more than he was letting on. “Can I ask you a few questions, Bear?”

“As long as they’re not about my clam chowder recipe,” he said.

“No,” Ellie said and hid a grin, knowing that Vicki had worked long and hard to get that recipe out of him. “They’re medical questions. Are you on any medications or do you have any medication allergies?”

Bear answered her questions and a few minutes later Mark charged through the door of the lodge, carrying two medical supply packs. “I wasn’t sure what we were going to need. I brought a few things, then we’ll get you to the infirmary to do a full exam.”

“I don’t need no full exam. I just need my burn looked at.” He held his hand and forearm out to them.

Ellie winced inwardly at the sight of the red, inflamed skin and took a pair of exam gloves from Mark. “Do you think it will blister?”

“Not sure. Might,” Mark said and applied exam gloves before touching the wound that ran from Bear’s thick fingers all the way to midforearm. “You said he put the injury in cold water right away, correct?”

“Yes. And to my knowledge, the sooner a heat injury is cooled, the better.” Burns weren’t her specialty, but that much she remembered and the advice made complete sense. Sometimes common sense was the best medicine in the world.

“Should I put ice on it?” Bear asked and winced as Mark touched a particularly tender spot that could have been the initial contact site.

“No. You don’t want to apply ice to skin that’s already delicate.”

“Delicate? There’s nothing delicate about Bear,” the thin assistant cook said with a snort. “He’s as tough as they come.”

“You’re right about that, Skinny,” Mark said. “The injured skin is the only thing delicate here, and we don’t want to add anything too cold to it, because skin damaged by heat could then be damaged by cold.”

“Makes sense,” Bear said and gave a nod.

“If you have no objection, Mark, I’d like to try some aromatherapy oils on the injury, too.” She chewed her lip, not sure how he would react to that request. Many doctors didn’t understand, or agree with, the benefit of treatments that weren’t created in a chemistry lab.

“Aromatherapy?” Mark asked with a quick glance at her, brows raised, silently asking for more information.

Clenching her hands together, she prepared to support her case. “Yes. I know it’s considered an alternative treatment, but I like to think of it as complementary. I’ve used it successfully on a variety of ailments. No adverse reactions, either.” Mostly she’d treated her dad and a few friends, but she truly believed in it. Heart racing, she hoped he would agree. She might even be able to document the use of oils on a burn for others to follow.

“Any objections from you, Bear?” Mark asked and turned the man’s wrist slightly, looking at the wound that ran all the way around his wrist. “Otherwise, we’ll just send you off to the ER in town.”

“Nope. She said it’s kind of like folk medicine, and I’m okay with that. Anything to take the sting out of it is okay with me, and I don’t want to go to the ER. I got stuff to do.”

“Aromatherapy is widely used in Europe, and I’ve used it before on burns, though not one as large as this.” In the kitchen she was a klutz and had succeeded in burning herself in myriad ways, so she kept a bottle of lavender essential oil handy to treat herself with.

“Okay, Nurse Ellie. Do your thing.”

Mark issued the order, and she was suddenly energized by his open-minded nature. Working with him might not be so bad after all.

“I’ll be right back.” She raced to her room, grabbed her kit of aromatherapy vials and quickly returned to the lodge. Unzipping the protective neoprene case, she pulled one bottle out and clenched it in her hand. “Keep holding your arm over the sink, will you? In case anything drips off,” she said.

“I think you did a good job of cooling the injury right away, Bear,” Mark said and stood to observe Ellie’s treatment.

“Hurts like hell though,” he said, grumbling, but allowed Ellie to minister to him. The first few drops of oil hit his skin and the fragrance permeated the kitchen. “You didn’t tell me it was perfume!” Bear cried and tried to pull away from her.

Grabbing him by the apron front, she kept him in position. “It’s not perfume. Now live up to your reputation and hold still, will you?”

“Oh, man. The guys will never let me live this one down. My wife, neither.” He bowed his head and shook it in disgust, certain his fierce reputation had just been torn to shreds.

Beside them, Skinny snickered, but quieted after a glare from Bear.

“It’s better than being in pain, and it’s certainly better than a burn that could scar badly and prevent you from cooking for all these campers.” Gently, she used her fingers to rub the oil over all areas of the burn. “There are wonderful healing properties in this oil, as I said. Who cares what it smells like, right?”

Bear gave a sniff of lingering disapproval, but relented. “I guess.”

“If it will make you feel better, you can tell people I held you down while Ellie poured it on you,” Mark said.

Bear gave Mark’s thin frame a glance and snorted. “Now, no one’s gonna believe that one.”

“I’m stronger than I look,” Mark said and flexed his left bicep.

Bear barked out a laugh and shook his head. “I make biscuits bigger than that, Mark.” Bear relaxed, and Ellie knew that had been Mark’s intention.

The tension between the three of them eased. “Did Ellie get her doughnuts?”

“No. I burned myself just as she walked in. They’re still in the cooler.” He nodded to indicate which one.

Mark rubbed his hands together at that information. “Any others that you want to get rid of, like Boston cream? Breakfast was a long time ago.”

“Yeah, help yourself. There’s a couple left.” Bear held still while Ellie wrapped a light gauze dressing to his injury.

“That ought to do it.” She applied one strip of tape to keep the end of the gauze secure.

“I can’t cook wearing this thing. I look like a mummy.”

“Leave it on through the afternoon. Step back and just supervise for a meal, then come see me before dinner. We’ll take it off then and see how it’s doing. You might not even blister,” Ellie said, pleased that she’d been able to help him right away with her essential oils. The more she used them, the more uses she found for them.

“I’ll see you in a couple of hours, then. Get your doughnuts, and I’ll clean up this damned mess I made.”

Skinny stepped forward with a grin. “I can help you, Bear, since you have a sore paw.”

Bear turned quickly with a growl. “Now, don’t be making cracks about me bein’ lame…” Bear said and grabbed a towel with his left hand and snapped it at Skinny, but he missed by a long measure. “Put that broom to good use and help me clean this mess up.”

The two engaged in what appeared to be a long-standing, good-natured argument. Thus dismissed, Mark and Ellie gathered their medical supplies and returned to the infirmary.

CHAPTER FOUR

THE chaos of the morning settled down and Ellie was able to prepare the allergy shots as well as get the normal lunch meds organized. Accomplishing the task ahead of time made her feel more in control of herself and more comfortable with the job she was supposed to be doing.

While the kids who had received allergy shots waited the requisite fifteen minutes in the infirmary to see if they were going to have a reaction to the injection, Ellie waited with them. A local reaction of warmth and swelling sometimes occurred, although there was always the potential for a serious reaction with each injection. She kept a number of EpiPens handy for true allergic emergencies. Something she dreaded happening to anyone, but especially a child.

Screams and shouts heralded the arrival of someone to the infirmary, and she was on instant alert. A counselor carrying a screaming child in his arms hurried toward the building. Ellie rushed to the door and opened it for them.

“What happened?” The boy screamed as if he’d had a leg cut off, but it was clearly intact.

Mark arrived directly behind them. “I heard the commotion from across the soccer field. That kid’s got a good set of lungs. What’s going on?” He instantly switched to physician mode, and Ellie was startled to see the visible change in front of her. The intensity and his energy were totally focused on the situation in front of him.

The counselor sat the boy in a chair and dropped into the one beside him. “Bee sting.”

Ellie knelt as the boy held out a hand with a bright red welt forming on the back of it. He continued to cry and tremble despite the efforts of the counselor and Ellie to comfort him.

“I don’t see a stinger, so that’s good.” She applied a numbing spray to the site as Mark watched over her shoulder. “This will make it feel better in a jiffy,” she said and stroked his arm above the sting, trying to soothe him a little. “What’s your name?” With a gentle hand, she wiped his tears away and pressed a cool cloth to his face.

“This is Adam,” the counselor said when the boy didn’t speak. “And I’m Eddie.”

“Nice to meet you both. Is this your first year at camp, Adam?”

The boy nodded and leaned closer into the counselor, who hugged him. Tears continued to flow, but the hysteria had settled down to hiccups and sniffles. Ellie suspected that the numbing spray had begun to do its job. The fear would take a little longer to subside.

Then Adam giggled. And his eyes lit up. And then he pointed over Ellie’s shoulder, and she turned. And she clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the totally unprofessional giggle that threatened to burst out of her.

Mark looked like a rooster. He had taken a large exam glove and placed it over the top of his head. The fingers flopped over to one side, but each time he moved they jiggled like a rooster comb.

“That’s more like it,” he said and knelt beside them, still wearing the glove on his head. Adam reached out and batted the fingers, trying to make them stand upright. Mark examined the injury closely. “You’re right. No stinger, so couldn’t have been a honeybee. Looks like there might be two stings though. Must have been a hornet or a wasp. They’re a lot nastier.” He looked at Eddie. “Where was he when this happened?”

“Over at the edge of the new soccer field.”

“Okay. As long as it wasn’t in your cabin, although I think the maintenance guys checked all of the buildings for unwanted critters already.” He patted Adam on the leg. “Ellie, got any more of that lavender oil handy?” he asked.

“Sure. Want to put some on the sting, too?” She brightened at the thought. Another use for her oil.

“Yes. The numbing spray smells so medicinal, and the oil is a much better fragrance for the kids.”

“Got it.” She returned in a minute with the oil and put a dab on Adam’s hand, smearing it around the entire welt. “This will fix it up quick. I would like him to stay for a few minutes to make sure he’s not going to have an allergic reaction.” That would be a disaster if Mark weren’t close to help.

“Good plan.” He rose and removed the glove from his head and put it on Adam’s head. “Looks better on you.”

For the first time, Ellie was able to look at Mark’s hair, which was a dense, thick brown and cropped close to his head. She supposed it was much easier to care for this way for the summer.

“I have some candies, Adam. Want one?” Mark asked and reached for the jar of sweets even before Adam’s eyes widened. Opening the lid, he held it over for Adam to reach into and select his own. “You, too, Eddie.”

“Thanks.”

“Eddie, will you bring him back after dinner so we can check him?” Ellie asked.

“Sure.” He unwrapped a candy and popped it into his mouth.

After a few more minutes, when Ellie was sure that Adam wasn’t having a more severe reaction to the sting, Eddie picked up the boy and gave him a shoulder ride out the door and back to their afternoon activity. The allergy-shot kids also departed since their waiting time was over as well.

Mark wrote a note in Adam’s chart regarding the injury and treatment. Watching him, Ellie knew she had to say something.

“I’m really surprised that you’re so open to alternative therapy.” She shrugged. “At least to the aromatherapy anyway.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” He set the chart aside and focused his attention on her. “It’s good practice to be open-minded in all sciences.”

“I’m just surprised. So many medical people—nurses and doctors—discount other therapies as being whacked simply because it’s not developed in a pharmaceutical lab.” Thinking of it still irritated her, but she had to realize that not everything worked for everyone, and people were entitled to their own opinions, even if she didn’t agree with them. Alan, her former fiancé, had had nothing good to say about the oils.

“I’ve heard that said about acupuncture, chiropractic and massage therapies over the years, but they’ve all proved their worth, haven’t they?”

“You’re right. I never thought about it that way, but the science of medicine continues to evolve, doesn’t it?”

“As it should.”

Sitting in the chair beside him, she warmed to her subject and decided to share a little of her personal experiences with him. “My dad was ill not long ago. Seriously ill. One of the best things I did for him was mix up some oils that my mom and I massaged onto his feet and hands.” Talking aloud about her father made her miss him right then and a pang shot through her. Being weak and vulnerable in front of Mark wasn’t what she wanted to do, but right now she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “He said when the pain was coming on, he’d always take his medication, but using the oils in addition helped him relax enough for the meds to work.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me. How is he doing now?” Mark blinked and stiffened, his face strangely devoid of emotion that had been so evident moments ago. His green eyes observed her, and she had a hard time holding his gaze. This was apparently becoming a difficult conversation for both of them, based on Mark’s reaction.

“He died about six months ago.” Tears pricked her eyes, but she didn’t want to give in to them. One of the last things her father had asked of her was that she not grieve overly long, that she continue with her life, but she seemed to have become stuck where she was, unable to move forward out of the quagmire of emotions that wanted to tangle her up at odd moments.

“I’m sorry, Ellie. Is it something you want to talk about?”

“No. Not right now, but thanks.” She looked down at the bottle of lavender oil in her hand and closed her fingers around it. “Fragrances are very powerful and stimulate memories that we often forget about until we experience the scent again. When I open this particular oil, I always think of what he said.”

“He sounds like he was a smart man.”

“He was.” Rising, Ellie moved away from him and busied herself putting away the items used in the lunch clinic.

Bear arrived around 4:00 p.m. for his checkup. He nearly filled the small front room with his larger-than-life presence. But he didn’t intimidate her as she’d expected. She guessed that putting Teddy in front of his name would describe Bear on the inside.

After applying gloves, she reached for the scissors and began to cut away the gauze wrapping. The fragrance of lavender filled the air around them and soothed her nerves.

“Careful with them scissors—I still have dinner to contend with,” Bear said.

Although his eyes were serious, the words made her smile. There was a sense of humor in there, but it was buried deep beneath the beard and the brawn of the man. “I’ll try not to cut your hand off.” In seconds she had Bear’s arm and hand open to the air again. “How does it feel?”

Flexing his fingers and making a fist, Bear moved his hand in all directions. He gave a grunt. “Hmm. Feels good. The lavender did take the sting out after a while.”

“I knew it was going to work!” Excitement bubbled through her. “Let me find Mark so he can have a look.”

Eagerly, she turned, but ran right into Mark, and his arms caught her before they both toppled over. “Whoa, Ellie. I’m right here.”

“Oh, you have to see this.” She grabbed him by the arm and led him to Bear’s side. “See? I told you this was going to work.”

The contrast in skin tones was obvious, but what had been a fierce red color of the burned skin had mellowed to a dark pink. The center that had been the initial contact site had also faded, though it was still richer in color than the rest.

Mark gave a smile to Ellie, then faced Bear. “My. You’re right.” He parked his hands on his hips and looked at the burn site. “It’s nearly gone.” Putting on the gloves that Ellie handed him, he turned Bear’s arm toward the light to examine the area around the wrist. “I’m impressed, Ellie. Your lavender oil really worked.”

“So am I,” Bear said and lowered his arm to his side, then looked up at her, his expression open. “I’m grateful to you for fixing me up so quick.”

“You’re welcome.” She handed him the remainder of her bottle. “Put some more on throughout the day today and tomorrow if it gives you any trouble.” Eagerness and joy bubbled within her. Treating people that resulted in such good healing was the epitome of her work. “You have to make sure they are pure essential oils, if you ever use any again. And lavender is the only one you can put directly on the skin. The rest have to be diluted with another oil, like grape seed or the like.”

“No tellin’ how long I woulda sat in the ER.” The bottle nearly disappeared in his brawny hand.

A thrill shot through her. “This was the biggest burn I’ve ever treated, but the oil seems to have done the job.”

Bear stood. “Next time you get some, how about ordering me a bottle or two? Someone’s always burning or cutting themselves in the kitchen. We’ll use this one up in a hurry.”

“Absolutely, Bear.” She reached forward and gave him a quick hug.

Blustering at the affection, Bear patted her shoulder with his large hand. “I gotta get back to the kitchen. No tellin’ what Skinny’ll do without me there.”

“Okay. Let me know if there’s anything else you need, Bear.”

“Sure will.” He exited the infirmary and returned to the lodge.

Mark turned to Ellie with a grin. “That was good work,” he said.

A flush ranged over her face and neck at the compliment. She hadn’t been this excited over anything in a long time, and although the sensation was good, it was somewhat unfamiliar at the same time.

“Thanks, Mark.” She tossed the fragrant gauze in the trash. The scent of lavender lingered in the air, and she took a deep breath. “Suddenly, the scent no longer has any sadness to it for me.” She gave a laugh. “That’s kind of a surprise to me.”

“A good one, I hope.” Mark leaned against the exam table, settling in for a chat.

“Yes.”

A frown chased across her face and her eyes were wide and open, but there were secrets hidden in there. “But?” Would prodding her a little help her to open up?

“But what?”

“Sounds like there’s a ‘but’ hiding in that statement somewhere.” He had been the champion of hiding his feelings, so he recognized the same trait in Ellie.

“There probably is.” Running her fingers along the edge of the table, she looked away from him. “I don’t know. It’s just that I’ve not felt like this for so long that I don’t quite know how to go about making things different.” She blew out a long sigh.

“Change is never easy, it takes time. I know that myself.” The life he had known had been changed for him, and he’d had no choice except to go along with it. A memory shuddered through him.

“You don’t look as if you’ve had a serious problem in your life. You’re so easygoing. And Vicki told me that you’ve traveled in many parts of the world, gone on missions for health care and even run in two marathons.”

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