His eyes glimmered. ‘You still hover on the brink between exasperation and caring for me, don’t you? Go on, admit it.’

‘I won’t. You’re a pain in the neck, Connor. You always have been and you’ll probably stay that way for ever.’

He put an arm around her shoulders and drew her to him. ‘But despite all that you do care for me just a teensy bit, don’t you?’

‘I’m not admitting to anything. You drive me to distraction.’

‘I’ll settle for that,’ he murmured. ‘For the time being at least. Distracted is good. I like distracted.’

Slowly he lowered his head, until his cheek was just a breath away from hers, and then, before Phoebe had time to realise what he was about, he was kissing her softly, tenderly, his lips brushing hers and exploring the curving line of her mouth.

The kiss was like a lick of flame gliding along her nerve-endings. Heat built up in her, engulfing her, taking her over, so that she could think of nothing but the sheer ecstasy of that moment. Everything went out of her head.

Phoebe drew back from Connor, looking at him with bemusement in her eyes.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked.

‘I don’t know.’ She was floundering, her nervous system firing off sparks as though he had inadvertently lit a fuse in her.

He smiled. ‘Shall I kiss you again and see if things come any clearer?’

When Joanna Neil discovered Mills & Boon®, her lifelong addiction to reading crystallised into an exciting new career writing Medical™ Romance. Her characters are probably the outcome of her varied lifestyle, which includes working as a clerk, typist, nurse and infant teacher. She enjoys dressmaking and cooking at her Leicestershire home. Her family includes a husband, son and daughter, an exuberant yellow Labrador and two slightly crazed cockatiels. She currently works with a team of tutors at her local education centre to provide creative writing workshops for people interested in exploring their own writing ambitions.

The Rebel

and the

Baby Doctor

Joanna Neil

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Praise for Joanna Neil

A SURGEON BEYOND COMPARE

‘This is a very heartwarming story of facing your fears, of love and family, of finding out where you belong in life. Ms Neil has written a sweet, entertaining love story that you, the reader, can totally relate to—the everyday fears and choices we all deal with at some point in our lives.’

—Coffeetime Romance

CHAPTER ONE

PHOEBE pulled open the door of the kitchen cupboard and peered inside. ‘It looks as though we’re left with just cornflakes for breakfast,’ she said, studying the empty shelves. Taking down the packet, she gave it a light shake. ‘No, scrub that. It’s empty.’ She pulled a face and added in exasperation, ‘Why do you suppose anyone would put an empty packet back in the cupboard?’

‘Search me.’ Jessica flicked the switch on the kettle and began to rummage through the contents of the fridge. ‘Would you believe it, there’s no milk, either? I expect we can put that down to Alex, along with the cornflakes.’ She ran a hand raggedly through her long brown hair. ‘I must have asked him a hundred times to stop swigging it as if we keep a cow in the back garden. But does he ever listen? It’s in one ear and straight out the other.’

Phoebe made a wry smile. ‘I guess he must have had a huge thirst after the party last night. I must say I thought he looked a bit the worse for wear this morning when I passed him on the stairs.’

‘He’ll be even more so if I get my hands on him—preferably around his throat, and with a light application of pressure…’ Jessica’s mouth formed a wicked grimace of intent as she positioned her hands to demonstrate. ‘He knows I need my coffee first thing in the morning.’ She frowned. ‘So where is he now, I wonder.’

Phoebe closed the cupboard door. ‘He’s in the bathroom, I think, taking a long shower. He said he needs to clear his head for work this morning.’

‘Don’t we all?’ Jessica moved away from the fridge. ‘I was all geared up and ready to start work on Mr Kirk’s cardiac team, but now the time’s actually arrived I’m wondering if it’s going to be everything I thought it would be. I’ve heard he’s very cool, capable and efficient, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to match up to his standards. I struggled a bit with some of the cardiology lectures in med school, but I need the experience if I’m to go on to be a GP.’

‘You’ll be fine,’ Phoebe said firmly. ‘You’re only having doubts because your stomach is empty and your brain is feeling the effects of that. I wonder if there’s anything we can rustle up from the freezer? Hash browns, maybe?’ She looked doubtful. ‘Anyway,’ she added, getting to grips with the situation and swivelling around so that her blonde hair swished lightly before settling into place once more on her shoulders, ‘I suppose we could settle for black coffee. That would be better than nothing, wouldn’t it?’

She lifted down mugs from a shelf and slid them onto the worktop. ‘At least that should help to revive us a bit. It was way late when we finally sloped off to bed, last night. I can’t imagine what we were thinking, having a party the night before starting a new rotation.’

‘That was it, probably.’ Jessica grinned. ‘A final fling before it’s heads down to some serious work again…that, and the fact that we have a new tenant to celebrate.’ Her eyes rolled heavenward. ‘The landlord must have had me in mind when he sent Connor to us. He’s exactly what I would have ordered up for myself if I’d had free rein. He’s stunning. Fabulous just doesn’t say it. He’s a real hunk, don’t you think?’ Her mouth quirked briefly. ‘Long and lean and vital—and those lovely grey eyes that seem as though they see right into your soul.’ She sighed. ‘What I wouldn’t give to get to know him better. You’re so lucky, Phoebe, knowing him from way back when.’

‘Hmm. Maybe.’

‘Maybe? Are you kidding?’ Jessica’s voice rose an octave. ‘How could you possibly keep your hands off him? He’s a stud.’

Phoebe had been studying the contents of the freezer, but now she straightened up and turned to look directly at her friend. ‘He’s okay—he’s definitely all that you say, I’ll grant you that. But if you take my advice, you’ll watch your step with him. He always had something of a reputation when we lived in the same village as teenagers. Ask Alex. He was there at the same time. In fact, they’re related—they’re cousins.’

‘Oh…you’re just afraid to live dangerously,’ Jessica said with a dismissive shake of her head. ‘He can come and ring my bell any time.’

Phoebe laughed. ‘You’re a sucker for a handsome face and a winsome manner, aren’t you?’ She held out a packet of potato waffles. ‘How about these? Do we grill them or put them in the microwave?’

Jessica’s mouth turned down at the corners. ‘Neither. I don’t think I could stomach them first thing in the morning.’ She frowned, her mind diverted only briefly. ‘Where is our new housemate, anyway? I haven’t seen sight or sound of him this morning. The door to his room was open, but he wasn’t in there when I went by.’

Phoebe’s blue eyes sparkled. ‘You couldn’t resist looking, could you?’ She chuckled. ‘I’ve no idea where he might be. Connor Broughton was always a law unto himself.’

‘Do I hear someone taking my name in vain?’

The back door opened and the subject of their discussion walked in, his arms filled with packages. He elbowed his way into the kitchen, shutting the door behind him with a deft flick of his leather-clad foot.

Jessica made a quick intake of breath. ‘Is that food I smell? And coffee?’ Her nose twitched and her hazel eyes widened as Connor walked over to the table and put the packages down. ‘It is, isn’t it?’ She sniffed the air, going over to him and watching him as he shrugged off his jacket and laid it over the back of a chair.

Phoebe glanced at him. ‘We were wondering where you were,’ she murmured.

He was everything Jessica had said, and more. His long legs were encased in expensively tailored dark trousers that moulded his hips to perfection, while his immaculate linen shirt, in a deep blue that reflected the colour of his smoky grey-blue eyes, outlined the flat plane of his stomach. He was way too good looking for any woman’s peace of mind, Phoebe decided, and he was altogether too much for her to handle this early in the morning, or at any time, come to think of it.

Distracted and unwilling to allow herself to be sucked any further into his magnetic field, Phoebe averted her gaze and busied herself in a search for plates.

Connor had always been trouble with a capital T and the very fact that he had turned up here in Devon, in this sleepy coastal town, was enough to set her nerves jangling.

‘I went out for food,’ Connor said as he began to open up the brown paper cartons. ‘I called in at the bakery down the road on the off chance they were open for business. Luckily they were, so I bought hot pasties, baguettes, croissants and apricot preserve. I wasn’t quite sure what to choose so I decided to bring a selection. The cupboards were empty when I glanced through them this morning and I couldn’t face starting the day without anything to eat.’

‘Me neither.’ Jessica’s mouth wavered a fraction as she sent him an appealing glance. ‘Were you by any chance planning on sharing any of this feast?’

‘Of course.’ Connor’s brows shot up as he returned her gaze. ‘I’m hardly going to sit here and scoff this lot all by myself, am I?’

‘Oh, I love you.’ Jessica flung her arms around him in delight. ‘I’m so hungry. You’re my salvation. I think I want to have your babies.’

Connor’s mouth curved and his eyes danced with glimmering amusement. ‘Really?’ He hugged her in return. ‘That’s not an offer I get every day, but it’s certainly one worth thinking about. How many did you have in mind?’

‘Oh, a dozen or so, I should think,’ Jessica answered, with a grin. ‘I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve eaten and my head’s back to thinking straight.’

‘Ah.’ He nodded sagely, looking glum. ‘That could put a bit of a damper on things, I expect. There’s nothing to beat a good breakfast for getting the world back to normal and allowing you to see things clearly.’

He released her with a resigned sigh, and went to hunt for crockery, but Phoebe had already beaten him to it. ‘Here you are,’ she said, handing him plates that she had heated in the microwave. ‘Take these. You’d better sit down and eat before it all gets cold. You’ve cheered us up no end by doing this, you know. We were feeling starved, and now we definitely owe you one.’

‘You’re very welcome.’ He sent her a shrewd glance. ‘It was the least I could do since I foisted myself on you with hardly any warning. I know it must have come as something of a shock to have a new tenant land among you.’

Phoebe kept her feelings to herself on that score, saying only, ‘We knew the landlord wouldn’t leave the room empty for long.’ She still hadn’t managed to work out what he was actually doing here, choosing to share a house with them.

The Connor she knew from way back in their teens would never have opted for a career in medicine, and consequently, when he’d announced that he was travelling to London to start a new life, that had fulfilled all her expectations. He was always skirting danger and living life on the edge. London was full of exciting possibilities for him.

Something had happened along the way, though, causing him to alter course, and here he was, back in their home county, a qualified doctor in his last few months of hospital training as a senior house officer. A sea change had come about, inasmuch as he was now part of a respectable profession, but Phoebe was wary of how deep that change actually went. Was he still a sleeping tiger, dangerously unpredictable and a hazard to her emotional well-being?

He pulled out a chair and seated himself beside Jessica, who was already chomping on a sausage pasty.

‘Mmm…mmm…mmm,’ Jessica said with a satisfied groan. ‘This is scrumptious—I’m in heaven. It’s so tasty, it’s wonderful.’

Connor smiled. ‘It certainly sounds as though it is.’ He inspected the selection of food, as though he was trying to decide what to choose. ‘I was a bit surprised to find the cupboards here were bare—do you have some kind of rota for doing the shopping, or is it down to everyone to fend for themselves?’

‘We do have a rota,’ Phoebe said, coming to sit down at the table opposite him. ‘It was Alex’s turn to fetch the groceries, but I think he must have been knocked sideways by the news that he didn’t get the rotation he wanted. It was all a bit last minute, and he couldn’t quite get his head around it.’

‘So the groceries were forgotten?’ Connor gave a faint smile, then picked up a breakfast baguette and bit into it. ‘Knowing Alex, I can see how that might happen. He’s always been fine with the big, important things, and you can rely on him wholeheartedly to deal with those, but I expect anything as mundane as shopping could quite easily pass him by.’

He opened up a carton and the wonderful aroma of coffee escaped and wafted on the air, teasing Phoebe’s nostrils.

‘I thought the senior house officer posts were all decided well in advance,’ he said after a moment or two, pushing a polystyrene cup towards her. ‘Did things not go to plan?’

She accepted it gratefully and shook her head. ‘I’m not sure what happened, really. He had pinned his hopes on working in A and E, but there was a delay in getting back to him, and he was offered a post in Orthopaedics instead. The powers that be said something about another candidate pipping him to the post.’

She was saddened for a second or two, remembering. ‘He was disappointed, but I think he made up his mind that perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to accept the orthopaedic job after all. I imagine he’ll have the chance of doing a stint in Emergency later.’

‘Hmm.’ Connor watched as she began to munch thoughtfully on a cheese and bacon pasty, and then asked softly, ‘So what rotation will you be working on? As I understand things, we’ll all be based at Mount View Hospital. That’s what makes living here the perfect choice. Apart from the obvious advantage of being close to the sea, it’s only a hop and a skip to work from here.’

She glanced at him. ‘I guessed that might be why you turned up on our doorstep out of the blue. Though I was surprised you hadn’t decided to stay in London.’ She took a sip of her coffee and savoured it for a moment. ‘I’m starting a six-month stint that covers children’s A and E and the neonatal unit.’

‘Ah…that explains a lot. I think I see it all now…’ His grey gaze meshed with hers, and he nodded, as though her answer had settled a question in his mind. ‘You were hoping that you would be working with Alex, weren’t you? You always did have a soft spot for him. I remember from years back you were always hankering after him.’ He sent her a teasing smile. ‘In fact, there was a time when you two were pretty much inseparable, weren’t you? I had the impression last night that nothing much had changed on that front.’

A warning glint came into her eyes. ‘I wouldn’t go there, if I were you. Alex was always a good friend to me, and I owe him a lot. Unlike some, he knew how to tread the straight and narrow.’

‘Ouch!’ He made an exaggerated movement, jerking back in his chair and gripping his chest as though she had pierced him with a dart. ‘That was a low blow, don’t you think? We were young then. Things were different.’

‘Were they?’ From what she had seen at the party last night, nothing much had changed from her perspective. Connor was still the devil-may-care charmer he had always been, and the girls were hanging on to his every word, trying their best to get close to him. And he certainly wasn’t putting up any resistance on that score, was he?

‘Do I sense some tension here?’ Jessica was looking from one to the other, her curiosity pricked.

‘Not at all.’ Phoebe’s expression still held the faint embers of a glower. ‘We understand each other perfectly well, Connor and I. He lives his life in a whirl of reckless abandon and answers to no one, while I stick to the well-worn path and try to follow the rules. We get along fine, just as long as we remember who we are and what we’re about.’

‘Sounds like a mess of trouble to me,’ Jessica commented drily. ‘Still, I’m with Connor on the Alex front. I’ve a good mind to eat up everything in sight just to teach the man a lesson.’

‘What lesson would that be?’ Alex came into the kitchen in bright and breezy fashion, taking everything in at a glance. He was wearing dark trousers and a fresh-looking dove-grey shirt, and he was altogether easy on the eye. His black hair was peaked in spiky fashion, still damp from his shower. Phoebe gave him a beaming smile.

‘Hi, gorgeous.’ He dropped a light kiss on her forehead. ‘Wow, hot food. That looks good. Where did this come from? Shove over, Phoebe. Make room for a hungry man.’

Phoebe obliged, sliding onto the chair opposite Jessica, and Alex seated himself next to her. ‘Connor went out and bought it for us.’

Jessica sent Alex a long look. ‘If we had any sense we’d bar you from the kitchen. Do you know, somebody came in here while we were out and emptied the fridge and ransacked the cupboards? Just after you’d gone to the time and expense of restocking them yesterday.’

‘Ah…yes, I was going to do something about that,’ Alex said sheepishly, even as he eyed up a crusty baguette. ‘Only there was this meeting going on at the students’ union building, and what with the party and everything else—well, you know how it is.’

Jessica made a disgruntled sniff, and he gave her a disarming smile. ‘I’ll sort it later, I promise, on my way back from the hospital.’

She nodded, her eyes narrowing on him. ‘You’d better,’ she said tartly. ‘Or else.’

He made a mock wince, and then turned to glance at Connor. ‘Is it all right if I help myself? I’ll do the same for you some time.’

‘Go ahead.’ Connor studied Alex. ‘I hear you’ll be working in Orthopaedics—that’s not such a far cry from A and E, is it? Do you think you’ll be okay settling for that?’

‘Maybe.’ Alex made a face. ‘It all depends on whether I can manage to get on good terms with the consultant in charge. We’ve come across one another once or twice before when I was in medical school, and things didn’t always go too well.’

He frowned. ‘I had my hopes pinned on the A and E job. I need to do a stint in Emergency at some point, but now it’s been delayed for a while. I suppose it won’t matter too much…I’ve not made up my mind what kind of specialty I want to follow yet, but at least I have another eighteen months before I need to make the decision. Unlike you…You’re in your final year, aren’t you? I heard you already had the offer of a job in London when you finish here.’

‘That’s right…unless I decide to go on and take specialist exams. I’m still thinking things through.’ Connor swallowed some of his coffee. ‘This last rotation before the summer break is going to be crunch time for me.’

‘Where will you actually be working?’ Jessica wiped her hands on a piece of kitchen towel and waited expectantly. ‘You wouldn’t be coming into Cardiac Care alongside me, would you?’ she murmured in a hopeful tone, her eyes growing large. But then she was thoughtful for a moment. ‘Mind you…that might not be an altogether good move. Some of the more frail female patients might see you and go all aflutter, and that wouldn’t do them too much good, would it?’

Connor chuckled. ‘I don’t know what to make of you, Jess. Are you always like this? You’re irrepressible.’

Jessica gave a nonchalant shrug. ‘I don’t think I am, not really. I just say it how I see it, and, to be fair, I’m not alone in thinking this way. After all, you weren’t short of company last night, were you? I’m sure the word must have gone around, because there were a lot more women here than we actually invited. From what I heard, you’re the talk of the nurses’ home.’

‘I’m not sure whether that’s a good or bad thing,’ Connor returned wryly. ‘Anyway, to go back to what you were saying, I’m actually really serious about medicine. I want to work in Accident and Emergency, and I need to cover all aspects of trauma care if I’m going to do that.’

Phoebe sent him a quick glance. ‘And has that worked out for you? Is that what you’ll be doing?’

He returned her gaze steadily. ‘Yes, as things have turned out, I’ll be doing a stint in A and E. I put in a late application, so I wasn’t too sure whether I stood a chance. There was some debate as to whether they wanted a junior or a senior to fill the vacancy, and in the end they decided that I would fit the bill.’

Phoebe’s eyes narrowed on him. Did that mean that he had taken the job Alex had been after? Was that the reason he had landed here in their patch without warning a couple of days ago? But, then, Alex still had plenty of time to do an A and E rotation. It was unfair to resent Connor for getting the placement, though that wouldn’t hurt in her attempts to keep her guard up where Connor was concerned.

She decided not to pursue the subject there and then. It wouldn’t be pleasant for Alex to hear how Connor had managed to land the job he had wanted.

Connor had always had the world at his fingertips. He’d never had to struggle for anything. Life treated him well, even when he didn’t deserve it, and yet Alex, who was sincere and dedicated, had to work doubly hard to achieve anything.

‘It’s time we were on our way,’ Jessica warned, with a glance at her watch. ‘I don’t want to be late for my induction meeting. Mr Kirk’s a stickler for timekeeping. It wouldn’t do to start off with a blot on my record.’

Phoebe nodded, and started to load the dishwasher with the plates they had used. ‘Are you ready to go, Alex?’ she asked. ‘I don’t think it will turn out to be half as difficult as you’re expecting it to be. You were always good with patients in the fracture clinic and you know a couple of the nurses in Ortho. I’m sure they’ll help you out.’

‘I’ve a feeling I’ll need all the help I can get.’ Alex grimaced. ‘Ortho’s right next to children’s A and E, isn’t it? Maybe I’ll be able to pop my head round the door and say hello—unless they decide to send you straight to Neonatal instead.’

‘Yes, I was wondering about that.’ Her mouth turned down a fraction. ‘I was hoping I could delay the neonatal side of things for a while.’ She frowned. ‘I really need to get my head around it. I’m not sure I’ll be able to cope with all those tiny babies. They’re helpless little mites at the best of times, and even more so in Neonatal Intensive Care. I’m just not sure that I’m up to it—I’m not looking forward to it at all.’

Connor was looking at her oddly. ‘Do you not know where you’ll be? That seems a little strange.’

‘Well, yes, it is unusual, I suppose. They’ve had a lot of staff changes lately, by all accounts, and the consultants were still working things out when I spoke to them last.’ She sent him a direct look. ‘Anyway, you’ll be okay whatever happens. You’ve worked in A and E before, haven’t you? So there shouldn’t be too many surprises for you.’

‘I’ve never worked in children’s A and E before this. Apparently I’ll be covering both adult and paediatric emergencies, but the bulk of my time will be spent with the paediatric side of things.’ He returned her gaze steadily, and she stared at him in disbelief. Was he actually saying he was going to be working in the same department as she was?

‘Is something wrong?’ Connor was looking at her as though he was trying to work out what was going on in her head.

‘No, nothing at all,’ she said, schooling her expression into one of blank indifference. It wouldn’t do to let Connor know that she had any qualms about working with him, would it? It would only serve to give him ammunition and, once armed, he would tease her mercilessly. She would not let him get to her.

CHAPTER TWO

‘IT’S all right to hold him, you know? I promise you, he won’t break.’ The specialist nurse was smiling as she came to stand beside Phoebe.

‘But he’s so tiny and vulnerable. I just can’t get used to the idea that he’s dependent on us for his every need. It’s such an awesome responsibility.’

Phoebe was struggling to keep her emotions in check as she looked down at the infant in the cot. A whole range of feelings washed over her, threatening to engulf her. This baby was so fragile, so delicate in every way, with fingers no bigger than matchsticks, curled possessively around the ends of her thumbs, and little legs that were bunched up to his abdomen as though he was still enjoying the safety of the womb.

‘I think you’ll find that they’re a lot tougher than we give them credit for. Most babies are born with the instinct to survive. That’s why they cry and gasp and struggle to make their needs known.’

‘You’re probably right, but I’m glad you’re here to help me through this, at any rate,’ Phoebe said, glancing towards the nurse. ‘I have to check him out to see what’s causing his problems, but you’ve probably already diagnosed him on instinct.’

‘Sort of. I have my theories. I’ve worked in Neonatal for a long time, so we get a sense of what’s what.’ Katie’s mouth curved. ‘You’ll get used to it.’

‘I hope so.’ Phoebe gathered in a deep breath and gave her attention back to the baby. ‘Right you are, little man. Let’s see if we can get this over with as quickly and easily as possible. Best to do it now while you’re peaceful and your mum has gone to get herself something to eat.’ She looked back at Katie. ‘We’ll start with a blood test for bilirubin levels, and then I’ll order up an abdominal X-ray. He’s very jaundiced, and, given how poorly he is, and the fact that he’s already three weeks old, I suspect there’s more going on here than we initially thought.’

‘I think you’re right.’ Katie nodded. ‘He’s not making any weight gain and his skin colour is becoming darker despite the treatments he’s had so far.’

Phoebe gingerly picked up the infant, cradling the soft bundle in her arms for a minute or two and gazing down at him. ‘Okay, little fellow,’ she said, after a while, ‘let’s get this over with, shall we?’

It was around half an hour later by the time she had finished doing all the tests and returned the baby to his crib. His mother was waiting for him, and Phoebe watched as she sat down beside his cot and lightly stroked his cheek.

‘I took him away to do a few tests to see what’s what, but he looks comfortable enough for now, and he’s none the worse for wear,’ Phoebe told her, and the mother nodded, before turning her attention back to the child.

‘Thanks. He looks so ill, doesn’t he? Is it something I’ve done that’s made him this way? Is it my fault?’ The woman didn’t look at her but there was a tremor in her voice that hinted at the strain she was under.

‘No, it’s nothing that you’ve done,’ Phoebe hastened to assure her. ‘You had no control over what’s happening to him, I’m sure of that. His liver isn’t functioning properly, but we’re doing everything we can to help him through this, and I want you to know that we’re here for you whenever you need us. As soon as I have all the test results I’ll come back and talk to you. Don’t be afraid to ask anything at all. We’ll do our best to answer your questions.’

The woman seemed to be satisfied with that for the moment. ‘Thank you,’ she said.

Phoebe left her with the baby and went to pick up the samples she had taken, making sure that the vials were labelled and packaged correctly. ‘I’m going over to the lab with these,’ she told Katie. ‘It’ll be quicker if I take them myself. Bleep me if you need me at all.’

She left the samples and forms with the lab technician a short time later, and she was heading back towards Reception when she saw that Connor was walking in her direction. Steeling herself, she continued towards the lift bay.

His stride was long, confident and supple, and she tried not to notice how he managed to look so much like a doctor at ease with himself and the world. Why was it that everything fell into place for him as though he had been born to the job? What had happened to that rebellious young man who’d challenged the adults around him at every opportunity and had generally made his presence felt?

‘Hi, there,’ he said cheerfully. ‘I’ve been wondering if I would run into you at all today. I heard that you’d been sent over to Neonatal. How’s it going?’ He looked at her closely. ‘Not so well, from the looks of things.’

‘You’re right,’ she answered. ‘I’m not at all sure that I’m cut out for it. The babies are all so frail and ill, as though they’re just clinging on to life, and I feel as though they need someone much more capable than me to take care of them.’

‘You wanted more time to get used to the idea?’

She nodded. ‘It was a bit of a shock to find myself posted there. Apparently I’m also supposed to attend A and E if there’s a case that needs to be transferred to Neonatal. These next few months are going to be sheer hell.’

‘I’m sure you’ll survive.’ His grey eyes met hers. ‘You can always come and cry on my shoulder. I’ll be here to pick up the pieces, any time.’

She gave a brief, tight smile. ‘Yeah, sure you will.’

He draped an arm around her shoulders. ‘You’re a good doctor, Phoebe—I’ve heard people say as much. You qualified the year before last, didn’t you, and you have the world at your fingertips. What you need is to have more confidence in yourself.’

‘That’s easier said than done, isn’t it? It’s all very well for you, in your third year after qualifying—you must already know that you’ve made the grade.’

She tried to keep a level tone, but it was hard for her to even think straight with his hand curved around her shoulder that way. His closeness was compelling, as though he would shield her from all life’s hardships. She could feel the warmth of his fingers seeping through the cotton of her blouse, right through to her flesh, and little eddies of sensation were rippling out in ever-widening circles along her arm and the back of her neck. It was comforting and disturbing, all at the same time.

It was distracting. She shouldn’t be feeling like this…She had no idea why Connor’s touch should make her feel so strange. Alex was the man she cared about, the one who made her feel warm and protected, the one who made her light up inside with his smile.

Connor was the one who brought a ripple of nervous excitement to her stomach, who filled her mind and her stomach with fluttery feelings of peculiar expectation. As a youth he had always been wayward and rebellious, a boy who had made her feel unsettled and somehow represented a sensual threat to her well-being, but as a man he was doubly so, for reasons she couldn’t begin to explain to herself. All she knew was that he was to be avoided at all costs. It wouldn’t do to let him pierce her defences.

‘You’ll do it, too. There’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll make the grade. You’ll see, you’ll work out what it is that you really want, and you’ll end up with the career that satisfies you beyond all else.’ He smiled down at her, his grey-blue eyes searching her face and seeking out everything she would have kept hidden from him. ‘You were always the sensible one, the girl who had her priorities all worked out. People know they can rely on you, Phoebe, and that will go for the children in your care, too.’

‘I’m glad you think so. I just wish I wasn’t filled with so many doubts.’

‘You shouldn’t let them get to you. You haven’t changed a bit, from what I’ve seen. You’re cool under pressure, caring, practical and completely organised…all the things that make for a doctor who can be relied on. And you’re beautiful, with it…even more beautiful than I remember.’ His gaze intensified, lit by a warm glint of appreciation. ‘When I saw you last night, wearing that dress that looked as though it had been sprayed on, I thought, Wow, that girl is a stunner.’

A quick flush of colour ran along her cheekbones. ‘Well, thanks for that, I think…’ She sent him a quizzical look. ‘Not that I recall you ever commenting as such in the past. Then again, you were always too busy racketing around.’

‘Not a bit of it. I had a very clear view of you…silky blonde hair shining like a halo of gold, and blue eyes as deep as the ocean. A soft, kissable mouth…What I wouldn’t have given to explore the possibilities there…only you were always just that little bit out of reach…’ He gazed down at her, a smile playing around his mouth. ‘That was deliberate, wasn’t it? You weren’t ever going to let me that near you…at least, not close enough to make any kind of physical impact.’

Her brows lifted. ‘Can you blame me? I saw too many girls wandering around with broken hearts, wondering where it was they had gone wrong.’ She wagged a finger at him. ‘But I knew where the answer lay. Their mistake was in thinking that you could ever be serious about any of them.’

Her mouth twisted slightly. ‘I really don’t see that things are any different now. You’re just that bit older and more experienced at winding women around your little finger. I was never going to let myself be counted among them.’

She had always been well aware of Connor when they’d been young. Alex was keen to spend time with his cousin, and since she and Alex were good friends it followed that she would run into Connor every now and again.

They went around together in a group, from time to time, and she enjoyed the usual banter and camaraderie, but she was always careful to keep a guard on her heart where Connor was concerned.

She treated him to a high-voltage smile. ‘And that still stands. You can cross me off your list of would-be conquests. I had the vaccination early and I’m immune.’

‘And I’m cut to the quick to hear you say that.’ He put on a wounded look. ‘I don’t know how you could imagine that I would play with your feelings that way. I practically grew up with you. I think the world of you.’

She laughed. ‘Maybe. I’m sure plenty of people would believe you.’ She fixed him with her gaze. ‘So, tell me how things are going for you. On the work front, I mean. I expect you found your feet straight away in A and E.’

He gave a slight shrug, letting his hand drop away from her, and immediately she felt as though a draught of cold air had wafted over her. ‘It’s okay, I guess.’

He didn’t seem to have any problem with changing the direction of the conversation, and that only confirmed her belief that he was all gloss and no substance.

‘It’s scary, some of the things these children get up to, though,’ he added. ‘You’d think they would have an inbuilt sense of self-preservation, but time and again you see them involved in accidents that might have been prevented. Only this morning I had to treat a six-year-old boy who fell thirty feet from a tree.’

She frowned. ‘Is he going to be okay?’

‘I think so. With any luck, there’ll be no lasting damage. He has a couple of limbs in plaster, and we’re keeping him under observation for a head injury, but he’s better than we might have expected.’

‘That’s a relief.’ She sighed. ‘It’s always boys, isn’t it? It seems as though they simply have to push things to the limit when it comes to exploration and inquisitiveness.’

She wrinkled her nose at him. ‘Like you, when you filched your father’s canoe and went out on the river—do you remember? That stretch of water was hazardous, and you weren’t a particularly strong swimmer at the time.’

‘How was I to know that I needed to be?’ His expression was one of bewilderment. ‘I thought the water was about two feet deep. It was only when they brought in a clean-up team a few months later that I learned the river was some eight or nine feet deep.’

She shuddered at the memory. ‘No wonder my parents told me to keep away from you. You were a liability, to yourself and others.’

He laughed. ‘Maybe, but it was exciting, wasn’t it?’

‘For you, perhaps.’ To this day, she remembered the anxiety in the pit of her stomach as she’d watched him tip over into the frothing waters of the weir and come up seconds later, thrashing about and gasping for air. It had only been because he’d managed to grab hold of the canoe and cling on until it washed up against the river-bank that he was here to tell the tale. And yet it hadn’t served to daunt him, had it? Just weeks later he’d been wading out further downstream, trying to catch fish with his bare hands.

‘You never did learn a lesson from that, did you?’ she said. ‘You were back there the next day, bold as brass, showing off to all the youngsters from the village.’

‘You were there, too, weren’t you? I remember waving to you and you shook your head and turned your back on me.’ He frowned. ‘I was devastated.’

‘No, you weren’t. I heard you laughing and fooling about with your friends. You acted like you were the king of the river.’

He chuckled. ‘Maybe. I was an idiot. I craved excitement. I wanted to prove that I could do anything I wanted. Even knowing that I was going to get it in the neck from my father didn’t stop me from testing the boundaries.’ He walked with her over to the lifts.

Phoebe pressed the button on the wall panel. ‘I used to wonder how your poor mother coped. You have a sister, too, don’t you, but at least she was never in any kind of trouble. She had far more sense than to follow in your footsteps.’

‘Olivia was always going to turn out all right. She set her sights on family and children and that’s exactly what she has now. She’s a homemaker. It suits her to let the world pass her by.’

‘But that wouldn’t do for you, would it?’ She studied him briefly as she heard the lift start to make its descent towards the ground floor. ‘You were always a restless spirit, forever on the move. I wasn’t the least bit surprised when you headed off for London. It was only later, when I heard that you had decided to go to medical school, that you did something unexpected with your life.’

His glance trailed over her. ‘You have no faith in me at all, do you? I can see that we have a lot of catching up to do.’ He smiled. ‘Are you free for lunch today? It might be pleasant to take a walk in the woodland close by here. It starts just at the back of the hospital, and we could enjoy the spring sunshine for a while.’

She shook her head. ‘I’m afraid I’m not. I said I would meet up with Alex in the cafeteria at lunchtime, but you’d be welcome to join us if you wanted. My break starts at 1.30. Alex isn’t having too great a time, by all accounts, and I want to give him some moral support. Jessica saw him earlier and said he was a bit down in the mouth.’

Connor made a wry face. ‘That’s a shame—for Alex, and for us. It would have been good to have the chance to talk for longer, just you and me.’ He tilted his head a little to one side. ‘You’re very fond of Alex still, aren’t you? I wasn’t really surprised to find that you two are living together.’

Her mouth flattened. ‘We’re not living together, as you so bluntly put it. We just happen to share the same house. Jessica lives there, too, remember?’

‘I do. But you and Alex go way back, don’t you? I still catch you looking at him with those moon eyes, as though he’s sugar candy wrapped up in exotic packaging.’

She laughed. ‘Jealous, are you? Poor Connor. That must be a very odd experience for you.’ She lightly patted his hand. ‘You’ll get over it, I’m sure. You were never one to worry over lost opportunities. There’s always another one just around the corner.’

‘You’re a cruel woman, and you have me all wrong, you know.’ He made a good attempt at a crestfallen face, but Phoebe was wise to his antics.

The lift doors swished open. ‘I have to go,’ she said, stepping inside. ‘There are several babies who need me much more than you do. Perhaps I’ll see you later, back at the house.’

He nodded and waved a hand in acknowledgement as the lift doors closed on her, and once the lift started to move and he was out of her field of vision she relaxed a little, letting out a long, slow sigh and allowing her shoulders to slump a fraction. Somehow, she hadn’t realised how much the tension had been building up inside her as she had spoken to Connor, or how much she had relied on her senses to help her to stay on alert. He was a threat to her in every way imaginable, and it was sheer relief to be moving out of range.

Alex, on the other hand, was a much easier person to get along with. There were no worries with him. She knew what to expect, and he was always there for her, just as she was there for him.

‘Is the consultant giving you a hard time?’ she asked Alex as they collected their lunch trays in the hospital restaurant a couple of hours later. ‘I was hoping that things would be going smoothly for you.’

‘He’s watching me like a hawk. I think he remembers me from a year or so back. He thinks I have promise, but need a push to live up to it.’

‘So he’s going in hard, right from the beginning? It seems a bit strange to be doing that this early on.’

His mouth twisted. ‘I was supposed to have done some groundwork on a few of the case notes before starting ward rounds with him today. Usually I wouldn’t have had too many problems with that, but someone dropped the files and it was all a bit of a scramble to put things together again in time. I had to think on my feet and hope that everything would be all right. I don’t think the consultant was too impressed.’

Phoebe carried her tray to a table by the window. ‘I can’t help thinking that it’s a bit unfair really, to come down so hard on you right from the outset, but I’m sure you’ll manage to sort things out. You’ve a good, clear head on your shoulders, and you’re brilliant with the patients. Your boss is bound to see that, given time.’

He grimaced. ‘I hope so. I suppose he’s only doing his job, keeping me on my toes. I started off on the wrong foot, wanting to do A and E instead, but things don’t always go according to plan…like you with the neonatal. I wish we could have been working together, Phoebe. I always seem to get along so much better when you’re around. It’s as though everything magically falls into place around you.’

She chuckled at that, and started to eat her lunch, twirling spaghetti around her fork with a deft hand. ‘If only…I could do with a magic touch, up on Neonatal.’

Alex ate a mouthful of steak pie. ‘I think Connor was there when they handed out the pixie dust,’ he said after a moment or two. ‘Everything he touches seems to go his way. Did you see the car he’s driving around in?’

Phoebe shook her head. ‘I came in with Jessica this morning. We set out some fifteen minutes after Connor left, and I guessed he must have parked in the garage block last night.’ She flicked a glance at him. ‘Is it something special?’

‘A midnight-blue convertible. I can’t believe he landed on his feet so well…I know his family have money, but he always reckoned he’d make his own way in the world.’

‘Perhaps he changed his mind.’

‘Yeah, maybe.’ Alex finished off his food and glanced across the room. ‘Talk of the devil.’

Phoebe blinked. ‘He’s here?’

Alex nodded. Her glance followed his, and met with Connor’s piercing gaze.

‘Pity he left it so late to put in an appearance, or we might have had a chat.’ Alex glanced at the watch on his wrist. ‘I have to be getting back to Orthopaedics. I want to get on the good side of my boss, and if I show him I can put in extra time, it might help things along.’

He pushed his chair back and stood up, coming around the table to give Phoebe a swift embrace. ‘It was good being able to have lunch together,’ he said. ‘You’ve helped me to put a bright face on things.’

She smiled up at him. ‘You’ll be fine,’ she murmured. She laid a hand lightly on his arm. ‘Just remember what it was that made you decide to become a doctor in the first place. You were so good at helping people when you volunteered with the rescue services that they all thought it was something you should follow up on. That still stands, to this day.’

He brushed the back of his hand gently over her cheek. ‘And you’re a treasure. Remind me to pay you back some day.’

Phoebe flashed him a mischievous grin. ‘You can do that by remembering to get the groceries in. If you don’t, you’ll have Jessica to reckon with.’

‘Oh, no. Save me from that.’ Alex started to walk away from the table, raising a hand in greeting to Connor as he went.

Phoebe looked across the room at Connor. He wasn’t alone. He was with a senior house officer from A and E, a pretty girl who Phoebe had chatted with from time to time. The woman’s cheeks were faintly flushed, and Phoebe guessed she was finding it all too easy to fall for Connor’s charm.

Phoebe’s mouth took on a wry slant. It hadn’t taken him long to find someone willing to take her place by his side this lunchtime, had it? Were the two of them coming in here to grab a sandwich after a pleasant stroll along the leafy paths that threaded through the woods nearby? Why did that thought needle her so much?

It was the supreme confidence of the man…that must be it. As Alex had said, Connor managed to land on his feet every time.

CHAPTER THREE

‘YOU’RE very quiet. Is everything all right?’ Phoebe glanced at Jessica as they tended to the flowerbeds in the garden at the back of the house. She pulled up a handful of chickweed and tossed it into a bucket.

‘It’s fine.’ Jessica stood up and placed her hands on the back of her hips, stretching her spine as though she was aching a little.

‘You don’t have to do this with me, you know.’ Phoebe shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked up at her friend. ‘I like being out here, and I find that I can think things through more easily if I spend some time tidying up the garden, but I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.’

‘It isn’t that…I think plants brighten the place up, and this is such a small area that it doesn’t take much to look after it. It’s more of a courtyard, really, isn’t it, but it’s great to sit out here and enjoy the lovely summer weather.’ Jessica flopped down into a wrought-iron chair by the round table and helped herself to a glass of fruit juice. ‘Shall I pour one for you?’ She lifted the glass jug and raised a brow in query.

‘Yes, please. I’m parched.’ Phoebe pulled off her cotton gardening gloves and went to sit down opposite her.

She took a moment to look around. The walls of the house were white-painted, reflecting the warmth of the sun, so that it was pleasant to sit out here and while away an hour or so. At intervals, the walls were covered with rectangles of wooden trellis, where jasmine scrambled and filled the air with delicate perfume. Stone planters were placed at strategic points on the terrace, filled with bright pansies, adding colour here and there.

Phoebe looked again at her friend. She was faintly concerned. Despite Jessica’s light-hearted chatter, she couldn’t help thinking that something was bothering her, and the garden talk was a cover-up. ‘How are things going with Mr Kirk and his team? Is it all turning out as you hoped it might?’

Jessica pulled a face. ‘Not exactly.’ She might have said more, but Connor emerged from the house just then and came to join them.

‘So there you are. I wondered where you had all gone. I just came back from the garage and the house was empty.’ He looked from one to the other. ‘You’ve a smudge on your face, Phoebe…leaf green. It’s quite fetching, but it doesn’t quite go with the peaches-and-cream look. Want me to rub it off for you?’

He moved towards her, his hands at the ready, and Phoebe inched herself back in her seat, avoiding his seeking fingers. ‘I’ll do it myself, thanks.’ It was a plague on her nervous system that he was here at all, without him attempting to lay his hands on her. She pulled a tissue from her pocket and rubbed vigorously at her cheek.

His mouth curved, and he turned his attention to Jessica. ‘What’s up, Jess? You don’t look too happy. It’s because you’d rather be down the pub, isn’t it?’

Jessica threw an ice cube at him. ‘At this time of day? Are you mad?’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Well, yes, actually…maybe I would.’ She let out a short laugh. ‘But it wouldn’t do when I’m supposed to go on duty in a couple of hours. Late shift…ugh.’

‘Same here.’ Connor frowned. ‘So what’s with Mr Kirk and his team? I heard what you were saying just now. Is he giving you a hard time?’

‘Not really.’ Jessica was thoughtful for a moment. ‘It’s just that there’s something about his manner that bothers me a bit. I do my best, but he can be a bit aloof sometimes. It’s hard to know what he’s thinking because he has this way of keeping his distance…He’s like it with the patients, too. A sort of I-know-best, paternal kind of attitude that really ought to have died out long ago. Still, he’s rated very highly. I’ve heard he’s a top-rate surgeon and he’s known for getting results and working on new procedures. I expect I’ll learn a lot from him.’

Connor put his feet up on one of the empty chairs, crossing his legs at the ankles. ‘You shouldn’t let him get to you. It doesn’t do for doctors to get above themselves. These days they’re open to scrutiny.’ The fabric of his trousers pulled tautly across his thighs and Phoebe averted her gaze.

She still didn’t know why he was actually living here with them. His parents had a big house that wasn’t too far away from here, and surely it would have been better for him to stay with them?

She said softly, ‘I expect Mr Kirk knows that, but doesn’t much care.’ She sent Connor a quick glance. ‘He’s very confident in his abilities—in fact, in some respects he reminds me of you. You never seem to falter or question what you do. It appears to me that you look over a situation, decide what to do about it and move on…like choosing to come here when you had opportunities waiting for you in London. Better ones than you were offered here, according to Alex.’

His gaze narrowed on her. Did he suspect that she was wishing he were elsewhere? If he did, he made no comment. Instead, he answered cautiously, ‘It’s all a bit subjective, isn’t it? I could have stayed to do a six-month stint in trauma surgery, but this rotation in A and E was more tempting. Besides, I thought it would be pleasant to spend the spring and summer months by the sea in my home county.’

‘I suppose I can see the logic in that.’ She reached for the jug and poured out more juice, adding ice from an insulated pot. ‘What do your parents think about you coming back here to Devon? They must be pleased to have you on their doorstep once more.’

He nodded. ‘My mother was glad to have me close by. My father is busy with the business as usual, but even he manages to take a break at the weekends, so it’s all worked out fairly well.’

‘You didn’t ever think of going to live at home? I would have thought that would be the cheaper option.’

His mouth tilted, and she knew then that he had picked up on her train of thought. ‘Maybe,’ he said, a glitter of amusement starting up in his eyes, ‘but, as I said, I was quite taken with the option of living by the coast, and since Alex and I are related to one another it seemed like a good option to stay here. My parents’ house is further inland…just like your family home. Did you not think of going to stay there?’

She leaned back in her chair. ‘It crossed my mind, but I wanted to be independent. Besides, my sister and her children often stay over at the house, and it would have been a bit of a squeeze if I’d been living there, too. My parents only have a three-bedroomed place, unlike your country mansion.’

He blinked, sending her a wry smile. ‘I wouldn’t exactly call it that. It’s bigger than average, I guess, but mansion? Never.’

‘Anyway,’ Phoebe murmured, ‘our old house doesn’t come anywhere near what you enjoyed, but my mother loves it when the family are around. She likes to fuss over her grandchildren, especially with little Emily being so poorly as a baby. The children bring out all her maternal instincts.’ She swallowed her ice-cold drink. ‘It suits me to visit on a regular basis.’

‘I can imagine. I remember what a lovely atmosphere there was when I first used to visit,’ Connor said, nodding. ‘Your parents made a wonderful, welcoming home and I could see how happy you were as a family…on the instances when I was allowed to call in and see you, that is. Things changed after I grew older. I became the wild boy from over the hill, and they had me down as a bad influence, didn’t they?’ He made a rueful grimace. ‘I can’t say that I blame them.’

Phoebe stared down at the liquid in her glass. She had been resentful of the ban at first. For all he had landed in trouble on a regular basis, Connor had always managed to tug at her heartstrings. Maybe that was why she had gone looking for him that day when he’d gone missing at the end of her fifteenth summer. It had been as though there was an almost telepathic bond between them, and she had sensed that something was seriously wrong.

Jessica’s face lit up with curiosity. ‘You were wild? Oh, I can just imagine it. You still have that look about you as though the devil’s lurking in there somewhere.’ She grinned impishly. ‘I’m intrigued. Tell me more.’

‘Nope. Will not.’ Connor sent her a teasing glance. ‘I shall keep my murky past to myself, and leave you in suspense. All I will say is that Phoebe’s parents were probably right to warn her off me, and Phoebe showed a lot more common sense than you might have expected for a girl of her tender years. She always followed her instincts, and I expect that’s why she and Alex bond together so well. He’s protective of her, and in return she gives him the stability he needs.’

‘Alex—huh…he’s a liability.’ Jessica’s tone was scornful. ‘What he needs is a good shaking.’

‘See—we all have our faults.’ Connor yawned and then stretched, as though preparing for action, his movements supple like a tiger’s, and Phoebe watched, unwillingly drawn to follow the way his long body uncoiled.

‘I have to get ready for work,’ he said. ‘Does anyone want a lift in to the hospital?’

‘Oh, yes, please.’ Jessica straightened, preparing to stand up. ‘I’ve been waiting for you to ask. How could anyone resist a spin in that beautiful car?’

He smiled, and glanced at Phoebe. ‘And you? We all finish work around the same time, don’t we?’

She shook her head. ‘I’ll stick with my runabout, thanks. That way I can come and go as I please.’

‘Independent to the last,’ he murmured. ‘One day, Phoebe, one day…’

She had no idea what he meant by that. ‘Yes, one day I’ll find out what it is I truly want,’ she said, ‘and then the world will be my oyster.’

Things certainly weren’t going the way she wanted right now. At work, she struggled every day to come to terms with working with vulnerable babies, and it was no different when she arrived at the hospital a short time later. In fact, it looked as though things were about to get worse.

‘They’re calling for you over in A and E,’ Katie told her as soon as she walked into the neonatology unit.

Phoebe frowned. ‘What’s the problem, do you know?’

‘A traffic accident, as far as I understand it. A woman gave birth prematurely as a result, and it looks as though the baby is in difficulty. The parents are both injured and being treated right now. I think A and E want you to go and help with the baby and bring her over to Neonatology.’

Phoebe sucked in a quick breath. ‘Okay, tell them I’m on my way.’

Things were not going well when she arrived in the A and E department. The parents had been whisked off to the operating theatre, and the paediatric team working with the baby was concerned about the infant’s frail condition.

‘She’s not breathing,’ the nurse said, her expression anxious. ‘I’ve applied suction, but she’s still not responding.’

Phoebe helped to resuscitate the infant. ‘Her heart rate is very slow,’ she said. Already she was reaching for the bag and mask oxygen equipment. After trying to inflate the baby’s lungs for a short time, she shook her head. ‘There’s little chest movement.’ There was a note of urgency in her voice. ‘I’m going to have to put in a tube to help her to breathe. We need to get her on a ventilator as soon as possible.’

It was some half an hour later, after she had linked the infant to a heart monitor and taped a cannula in place at a vein in her arm so that they could administer medication, that she was ready to take her over to the neonatal unit.

‘Poor little scrap,’ the nurse said. ‘What a way to come into the world.’

Phoebe nodded. It was scary to think that her mother and father were both undergoing operations in attempts to save their lives. ‘Let’s hope the parents make a good recovery. As to this little one, her lungs are still immature, and she needs all the help we can give her.’

She glanced into the next treatment bay as she prepared to set off for the lift that would take her up to Neonatal. Connor was there, attending to a young boy of around eight years old, and for a moment she paused, drawn to watch him in action.

The child was distressed and struggling to breathe, and she guessed that he was suffering from a worrying asthma attack. It looked as though he was in a bad state, but Connor was talking quietly to him all the time, his manner gentle and soothing.

‘This will help you, Charlie,’ he was saying. ‘Just relax and try to breathe in and let the medication seep into your lungs. It will help to open up your air passages and make you feel better.’ His voice was calm and evenly modulated, falling softly on Phoebe’s ears, and she realised that there was an almost hypnotic quality about it.

The boy nodded, and Connor glanced down at his football shirt. ‘It looks as though you support the same team that I do,’ he said. ‘They did all right at their last match, didn’t they? Except for Bex having two left feet and falling over his boots. I don’t know where his head was that day, but it wasn’t with him on the pitch, was it?’

The boy chuckled, and Connor went on, ‘Mind you, he made up for it with the penalty shot. Talk about whacking it in. It hit the back of the net so hard I thought the goalposts were going to tip over.’

Charlie appeared to relax. His breathing was much easier now, and Phoebe could see that he was almost out of danger. Clearly, Charlie was in good hands.

Connor turned and glanced towards her as she started on her way once more. She nodded to him and he gave her the thumbs-up sign.

‘Hi, there, Phoebe,’ he said cheerfully. ‘How about supper in the hospital restaurant later on, since you stood me up the other day? Jessica said she’d try to drop by around seven o’clock, and Alex is hoping he’ll be free by then.’

‘That sounds okay,’ she agreed. It would be good to catch up with Alex and find out if he was coping with Orthopaedics any better. Lately, with their different shift patterns, they had been like ships that passed in the night. ‘I’ll see if I can get away.’ She glanced at the baby in the incubator. There were no signs of respiratory distress, but her heart rate was still slow, and her oxygen saturation could have been better. ‘I have to go,’ she said. ‘This baby’s had a hard time coming into the world, and I need to get her up to the unit as quickly as possible.’

‘I heard about that,’ he murmured. ‘I’ll see you later.’

As she moved away, she heard him say to the boy, ‘Now, there goes one very pretty doctor, don’t you think? She almost makes me wish I was ill so that she could come and pat my brow with a damp cloth.’

The boy giggled.

Phoebe went on her way. The man was incorrigible, but he certainly had a magic touch where the boy was concerned.

She was more than ready for her break when suppertime came around. The baby had been suffering from seizures, and they were all worried for her safety.

‘You go off and get something to eat,’ Katie told her. ‘You’ve been on duty for hours, and it will do nobody any good if you start to wilt. It’s quiet enough around here for the moment.’

Phoebe acknowledged the truth of that, and made her way down to the restaurant on the ground floor. Connor was already in there. He looked as fresh and energetic as if he had only just come on duty, and it was all she could do not to scowl at him. ‘I don’t know how you manage it,’ she said. ‘How do you stay so jaunty and unruffled? It’s as though nothing touches you.’

‘It comes from years of practice.’ He nodded towards the glass doors at the side of the restaurant. ‘Shall we go and sit out there? There aren’t too many people in the courtyard just now. It will be peaceful.’

‘Okay. I’ll come and join you just as soon as I’ve collected my food.’ There was no sign of Jessica or Alex, and it was already after seven o’clock. Perhaps they wouldn’t be able to make it down.

She chose a light cheese salad with crusty bread and a fruit tart to follow. Connor cast a swift glance over her tray as she set it down on the table. ‘It’s no wonder that you never put on any weight,’ he said. ‘You don’t eat enough to keep a sparrow alive.’

She gave him a withering smile. ‘Unlike you. I don’t know where you put it all—and yet you never add an ounce of fat to your waistline, do you? You’re all lean and fit, as though you’ve just come from working out in the gym.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘In fact, I suspect that’s what you do. Otherwise, it’s just not fair.’

He laughed, and stabbed his fork into a substantial cottage pie. His gaze wandered over her, taking in the fullness of her curves beneath the light cotton top she was wearing, and then drifted down over her narrow-fitting skirt to explore the length of her shapely legs. ‘It has to be said, though you’d still look good even with extra padding.’

Her cheeks heated under that appreciative scrutiny. To distract herself from the hectic play of emotions that he evoked in her, she fixed him with an exasperated stare. ‘That’s it, isn’t it? That’s what you do all the time…you lead people astray. It’s what you did when you encouraged your friends to stay out all night on Exmoor, and it’s what you did when you produced those bottles of cider a few weeks after you turned sixteen. You shared them among your friends. No thought for the consequences, just live for the moment.’ She glowered at him. ‘Just try telling Jessica to pile on the pounds, and she’ll give you short shrift.’

He paused, his fork midway between his plate and his mouth. ‘Now, there you have one lady I wouldn’t like to cross.’ He nodded, a brooding expression on his face. ‘When she gets that look in her eyes, I know she means business.’

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