She was sitting on a bench outside the church.

Archie Carew paused as he drew level with her. Even though it was none of his business what she was doing there, he couldn’t just walk away.

‘Are you all right?’ he asked, and saw the start she gave. It was obvious that she hadn’t noticed him.

She gave a broken little laugh. ‘I’m supposed to be getting married tomorrow. Everything is all arranged—my dress, the cake, the service at this church…’

‘But now you’re having second thoughts?’ he suggested.

She took a deep breath. ‘Yes. I just wish I’d listened to what my heart has been telling me before now.’

Archie didn’t say anything to that. If he’d listened to his heart then he wouldn’t be thinking about giving up the career he loved.

She gave him a quick smile, and Archie realised with a sudden jolt just how beautiful she was. With her soft brown hair and huge hazel eyes, she was truly gorgeous.

‘If there’s any advice I can give you, then it’s to follow your heart. If it doesn’t feel right in here—’ he placed his hand on his chest ‘—don’t do it.’

Archie felt his heart ache as he glanced at her. She looked so vulnerable that he was tempted to stay.

‘Good luck,’ he said huskily. ‘I hope everything works out for you.’ He took a deep breath. Even though he might not be able to follow his heart, at least he could make amends for what he had done.

The thought made him feel better than he’d done for a long time, and he realised that it was all thanks to this beautiful runaway bride…

Dear Reader

In November 2006 my husband and I experienced the joy of seeing our daughter, Vicky, marry her fiancé, Jamie. The wedding was held in Thailand, and it was the most wonderful day we could have wished for. I decided to mark the occasion by writing this mini-series—four books which all revolve around a wedding.

When Heather Thompson realises the day before her wedding that she is making a mistake, she doesn’t know what to do. How can she call off the wedding at this stage and let everyone down? However, a chance meeting with a kindly stranger convinces her that it will be even worse if she goes ahead and marries for the wrong reasons.

Cancelling her wedding means that Heather needs to make a lot more changes to her life. She leaves Dalverston and takes a job in London, and is stunned when she finds herself working with the man who helped her make up her mind. It isn’t long before she realises that she and Archie Carew are attracted to each other, but is it wise to start another relationship so soon?

Bringing Archie and Heather together during this book was a real pleasure. They were two characters I really loved and enjoyed writing about. I hope you enjoy reading their story, and all the other stories in this series.

Best wishes

Jennifer

For more details visit my website:

www.jennifer-taylor.com

Marrying the Runaway Bride

Jennifer Taylor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Jennifer Taylor lives in the north west of England, in a small village surrounded by some really beautiful countryside. She has written for several different M&B series in the past, but it wasn’t until she read her first Medical™ Romance that she truly found her niche. She was so captivated by these heartwarming stories that she set out to write them herself!

When not writing, or doing research for her latest book, Jennifer’s hobbies include reading, gardening, travel, and chatting to friends, both on and off-line. She is always delighted to hear from readers, so do visit her website at www.jennifer-taylor.com

Recent titles by the same author:

THE SURGEON’S FATHERHOOD SURPRISE**

THEIR LITTLE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

DR FERRERO’S BABY SECRET*

DR CONSTANTINE’S BRIDE*

For The Wedding Party: Vicky and Jamie, Kathy, Carl, Pauline, John, Nigel, Neil, Mark, Mel. And last but never least, Bill.

Thank you all for an unforgettable day.

Contents

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

EPILOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

Dalverston: December

SHE was sitting on a bench outside the church. The wind was bitter as it blew down from the surrounding hills, but she seemed oblivious to the icy conditions as she sat there, lost in thought. Archie Carew paused as he drew level with her. Even though he knew it was none of his business what she was doing there, he couldn’t just walk away.

It had been pure impulse that had made him decide to spend the night in Dalverston, a bustling little market town on the borders of Lancashire and Cumbria. It was a long drive back to London from his family home in Scotland at the best of times, but at this time of the year, when everyone was out doing their Christmas shopping, the journey had been horrendous. The thought of being cooped up in the car any longer had been more than he could bear so he had left the motorway and booked himself into a hotel. Once he had taken his case up to his room, he had decided to go for a walk and that’s when he had seen her.

Archie sighed as he studied the expression on her face. He knew how it felt to sink to that level of despair. The past eighteen months had been a nightmare, several times he’d wondered if he would get through them. He had buried himself in his job in the hope that it would blot out the pain, but it had been inevitable that he would have had to deal with it at some point.

That’s what he’d been doing for the past three weeks, sorting out the mess that had been left behind after his brother’s death. The situation was far worse than he’d imagined, too. It would need drastic measures to put things right. Archie knew that his whole life would have to change and it was hard to accept that fact. However, for the moment he was more concerned about the young woman than about himself.

‘Are you all right?’ he asked and saw the start she gave. It was obvious that she hadn’t noticed him and it merely reinforced his suspicions that something terrible had happened. Although he wasn’t sure if he should get involved, he sat down beside her.

‘Is there anything I can do? Sometimes it helps if you talk about a problem.’

She gave a broken little laugh. ‘I don’t think talking will help in this instance.’

‘Maybe not, but why not give it a shot?’ He shrugged when she looked at him. ‘You’ve nothing to lose, and I promise you that I’m a very good listener.’

‘You’re very kind, but I wouldn’t know where to start.’

‘The beginning is usually the best place,’ he said lightly, and she sighed.

‘That’s the whole point, though. Everything was fine in the beginning. I was so sure I was doing the right thing, and then last week, I started to wonder if I was making a mistake…’

She trailed off but Archie didn’t press her. He could tell that she was on the verge of tears so waited until she felt able to continue. After a few seconds had elapsed she carried on.

‘I’m supposed to be getting married tomorrow. Everything is all arranged. It has been for months—my dress, the cake, the service here at this church and the reception afterwards. There’s over a hundred guests coming and several of them are travelling some distance to get here, too.’

‘But now you’re having second thoughts?’ he suggested when once again she faltered.

‘Yes. I know it’s crazy. I mean, how on earth can I call off the wedding at this stage?’

‘I understand how difficult it must be,’ Archie said quietly. ‘But surely the question you should be asking yourself is how can you go ahead with it if you have any doubts.’

‘I know. And it’s something I’ve asked myself a dozen times, too, but it hasn’t helped. I just don’t know what to do for the best!’

Archie sighed when he saw her shoulders heave as she started to cry. Reaching over, he squeezed her hand. ‘A lot of people have last-minute jitters before they get married. That’s probably all this is, too. Why don’t you go and see your fiancé and talk it all through with him? I’m sure it would help.’

‘No.’ She ran a trembling hand over her face to wipe away her tears. ‘I need to decide for myself what I want to do. If I speak to Ross, I’ll only end up feeling guilty about letting him down.’

‘You aren’t letting anyone down,’ Archie said firmly. ‘You certainly can’t go ahead with the wedding just so you won’t upset him. You’d be letting yourself down then and that wouldn’t be right, would it?’

‘No, it wouldn’t.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Thank you. I needed someone to tell me that even though I already knew it deep down inside. I just wish I’d had the courage to listen to what my heart has been telling me before now.’

Archie didn’t say anything to that. If he listened to his heart then he wouldn’t be thinking about giving up the career he loved. All his life he had wanted only one thing and that had been to help sick children get better. Whereas most of his friends at med school had chosen their specialities towards the end of their studies, he had known from the outset what he’d wanted to do.

He had worked incredibly hard since he had qualified, too, but his efforts had paid off last year when he’d been appointed head of paediatric care at one of London’s top teaching hospitals. It was the job he had dreamed about and it was bitterly ironic that he was going to have to give it up now.

It was too painful to deal with that thought right then. He turned to the young woman again, wondering why it seemed so important that he should help her. Whatever decision she made would have little impact on his life, yet he desperately wanted her to make the right choice.

‘So what do you intend to do? If you don’t want to speak to your fiancé, is there anyone else you can talk to? A friend, perhaps, or your parents? What about your mother? Surely she could advise you?’

‘My mother’s dead. There’s just my dad now and he was thrilled about me and Ross getting married.’ She bit her lip and he could tell that tears were threatening again. ‘He’ll be so upset if I call off the wedding.’

‘You can’t let that influence you,’ Archie said decisively. ‘All right, so maybe it would have been better if you’d realised you were making a mistake before now, but it will be a whole lot worse if you go through with this wedding and regret it later.’

‘You’re right, of course you are. It will be much, much worse for everyone.’

She gave him a quick smile and Archie realised with a sudden jolt just how beautiful she was. With her soft brown hair curling around her heart-shaped face and those huge hazel eyes fringed by incredibly thick black lashes, she was truly gorgeous.

Quite frankly, the discovery was enough to stun any man into silence, but it was the fact that he had noticed how she looked that shocked him most of all. Since Stephanie had died in the same tragic accident that had claimed his brother’s life, he hadn’t looked at another woman, hadn’t been interested in looking either. However, all of a sudden he was so aware of the woman sitting beside him that he could feel his body thrumming with sexual tension.

He stood up abruptly, disgusted with himself for the way he was behaving. ‘I have to go. I hope you’ll think about what we’ve said, though, and not rush into a decision. You need to consider everything and make sure it’s not just last-minute nerves that’s causing you to have these doubts.’

‘I shall. Thank you. You’ve been very kind, letting me pour out my troubles like that.’

‘I was glad to help.’

‘Why?’ She gave a little shrug. ‘We’re complete strangers so why should you want to help me? Most people wouldn’t want to get involved, so what makes you any different?’

‘Let’s just say that I know how it feels to be forced into doing something you don’t want to do.’

‘Because it’s happened to you?’ she said softly, and he nodded.

‘Yes. And if there’s any advice I can give you, it’s to follow your heart. If it doesn’t feel right in here…’ he placed his hand on his heart ‘…don’t do it.’

‘That’s what I’m going to do.’ She stood up and there seemed to be a new resolve in her eyes when she looked at him now. ‘I’m going to follow my heart and see where it leads me instead of doing what I think is right all the time.’

‘Good.’

Archie couldn’t explain why he felt so choked up. Maybe it was relief because she seemed to have reached a decision, or maybe it was more complicated than that, but all of a sudden he was overwhelmed with emotion. He swung round, very much afraid that he would make a fool of himself if he lingered.

‘Thank you again…for everything.’

Archie felt his heart ache as he glanced back. She looked so vulnerable as she stood there that he was tempted to stay, but it would be wrong to influence her in any way. She had to decide for herself what she intended to do and all he could do was hope that she wouldn’t regret it in the future.

‘You’re welcome,’ he said huskily. ‘Good luck. I hope everything works out for you.’

He took a deep breath as he crossed the road, feeling the cold air biting deep into his lungs. For the past eighteen months he had been merely marking time, but now that period was over. Even though he might not be able to follow his heart, at least he could make amends for what he had done.

The thought made him feel better than he’d done for a long time, and he realised that it was all thanks to that woman, too. If she could find the courage to reassess her life, he could find the courage to make these changes.

London: March

‘We’ve been really short-staffed since Christmas. At one point we were working double shifts and it was no joke, I can tell you. If our departmental head hadn’t put his foot down, we’d have had to keep on doing them, too. He raised a real stink about it and that’s why we were given permission to hire agency staff.’ The ward sister laughed as she opened the staffroom door. ‘It’s not a good idea to get on the wrong side of him!’

‘Thanks for the warning.’

Heather Thompson smiled as she looked around the room. As hospital staffrooms went, this one wasn’t too bad. At least the chairs looked as though the springs weren’t all broken and there was actually a rug on the regulation blue composite floor. Compared to some of the hospitals where she’d worked in the last few months, this was quite luxurious, in fact.

‘It’s not too bad, is it?’ The sister must have noticed her taking stock. ‘It’s not exactly the Ritz, but it’s not the absolute pits either. We have our consultant to thank for that too. He insisted on them refurbishing the place when he took over last year, said it wasn’t right that staff had to put up with such appalling conditions when they were expected to work twenty-four seven.’

‘Really? I am impressed.’ Heather hung her coat in an empty locker. ‘Most consultants couldn’t care less about the staff, in my experience.’

‘Oh, he’s a real treasure, believe me.’ The other woman sighed. ‘It’s just a shame that he’s leaving—’

She broke off when an alarm sounded. Heather recognised the sound immediately and was already on her way to the door before the ward sister could tell her to follow her. Staff were appearing from all over the place, responding to the call. There were half a dozen people gathered by the time they entered the ward, and each and every one seemed to know what was expected of them.

Heather followed the convoy to the child’s bed, her heart aching when she saw how young he was. He couldn’t have been more than eight years old and he was desperately ill. One of the nurses had already started CPR, another had fetched the crash trolley, while a third was frantically working the controls on the bed to lower it into a horizontal position. It was obvious they had the situation covered so she turned to the boy’s parents.

‘Let’s leave the team to do their job,’ she said, urging the couple towards the door.

‘But I want to stay!’ the mother shrieked. ‘Charlie needs me—I can’t leave him!’

Heather grasped hold of the woman’s arm when she tried to force her way back through the group to get to her son. The last thing the staff needed at the moment was a hysterical parent hampering their efforts to resuscitate the child.

‘Charlie needs their help more than anything else,’ she said firmly, trying to lead her away.

‘Let me go!’

Heather gasped when the woman swung round and struck her across the face. She staggered back, but quickly recovered. Taking a firmer grip on the woman’s arm, she ushered her out of the ward, thanking her stars that the boy’s father followed them without a murmur. She wouldn’t have rated her chances if he’d clobbered her as well!

There was a family room next to the office and she took the parents in there. She managed to persuade them to sit down then got them both a cup of tea from the machine in the corner and sat down opposite them.

‘I know how worried you are but the staff are doing everything they can to help Charlie.’ She pressed a cup of tea into the woman’s hand. ‘Try a sip of this. It will help.’

The woman obediently drank a little of the tea. All the fight seemed to have drained out of her now as she sat huddled on the edge of the sofa. ‘I thought he was getting better. The doctor said he was, didn’t he, Darren?’

‘Yes.’ The father ran a trembling hand over his face. Heather’s heart went out to him when she saw that he was crying.

‘I only started working here tonight so I don’t know what’s wrong with your son,’ she explained quietly. ‘But I do know that everything possible is being done to help him.’

‘One of the nurses said that he’d had a heart attack,’ the father told her. He shook his head. ‘I know he’s been having pains in his chest but I didn’t think kids could have heart attacks. I mean, it’s something old people have, not eight-year-olds like our Charlie.’

‘It’s unusual, but it does happen,’ Heather said gently. ‘The main thing is that Charlie was already in hospital when it happened. That will certainly go in his favour.’

‘So you think he’ll be all right, do you?’ the mother said desperately.

‘Let’s hope so.’

Heather was too experienced to make promises she might not be able to keep. It was impossible to foretell what the outcome would be and all she could do was reassure the parents while they waited for news. It was almost half an hour before the door opened and she stood up when the parents leapt to their feet. Just for a moment she stared at the man who had entered the room, wondering where she had seen him, before all of a sudden it came rushing back and she gasped.

It was the man she had spoken to the day before her wedding! What on earth was he doing here?

CHAPTER TWO

ARCHIE could feel the shock waves reverberating around his body when he saw the woman. He’d thought about her many times since that day they had met. Far too often, in fact, her face had sprung to mind and he had found himself wondering what had happened to her. If he’d known her name, he might have tried to find out, but the lack of information had ruled out that possibility. To suddenly see her right here, in the hospital, stunned him and he had to force himself to focus as he turned to Charlie’s parents.

‘Why don’t we sit down?’ he suggested, ushering the couple back into the room. He waited until they had sat down before he turned to the young woman. ‘Thank you, Nurse. I’ll handle things from here on.’

‘Of course, sir.’

She smiled politely as she hurried to the door, but Archie could see the colour in her cheeks and knew that she was as shocked as he was by the unexpected encounter. He could only assume that she was one of the agency nurses, although it seemed strange that fate had brought her here.

‘First of all let me assure you that Charlie is fine,’ he said, quickly dismissing that thought. He didn’t believe in fate. As he knew from experience, a person’s life was dictated by the choices he or she made, not by some unforeseen force of nature. ‘He suffered a myocardial infarction—a heart attack—but he’s stable now and his vital signs are as good as we can hope for at the present time.’

‘Thank heavens!’

Charlie’s mother started crying when she heard that. Archie passed her the box of tissues off the table and waited while she collected herself. He wanted to be sure both parents understood that their son wasn’t in the clear yet.

‘We’ve completed all the tests now and I’m ninety-nine per cent certain that Charlie is suffering from myocarditis, which is a fancy term for inflammation of the heart muscle. You mentioned that he’d had an upper respiratory tract infection before Christmas and I think it can be linked directly to that.’

‘You mean that cough he had has caused him to have a heart attack,’ the father demanded.

‘Basically, that’s correct, Mr Maguire,’ Archie confirmed. ‘The most common cause of myocarditis is a viral infection usually caused by one of the Coxsackie viruses. I think that’s what has happened in this instance.’

‘But I had loads of coughs and colds when I was a kid,’ Darren Maguire protested. ‘And I never had a bad heart.’

‘No, but sadly Charlie hasn’t been as lucky as you were,’ Archie explained patiently, knowing it was a lot for the parents to take in. ‘Fortunately, your GP suspected there was a problem when he learned that Charlie had been getting those pains in his chest. It’s thanks to him for referring Charlie to us so promptly that we’ve been able to get to the root of the matter. The tests we’ve run have shown there is a disturbance in your son’s heartbeat and that his heart isn’t working as efficiently as it should be doing either. That’s why Charlie was complaining of feeling breathless all the time.’

‘So what happens now?’ Darren Maguire asked. ‘Can you give Charlie some drugs to make him better?’

‘Unfortunately, there’s no specific treatment for myocarditis. Charlie will need bed rest while he recovers and I’ve also prescribed corticosteroid drugs to reduce the inflammation.’ He leant forward, wanting to impress on the parents how serious the situation was. ‘The main thing is that Charlie must remain in hospital while we monitor what’s happening to him. With rest and the proper care, I’m hopeful that he will make a full recovery, but it will take time. There’s no quick fix to this problem, I’m afraid.’

‘It doesn’t matter how long it takes,’ Cheryl Maguire said, wiping her eyes. ‘As long as he gets better, that’s all that matters, Mr Carew.’

‘Indeed it is.’ Archie stood up and smiled at them. ‘Charlie’s having another ECG at the moment. I’ll send one of the nurses to fetch you when it’s finished.’

‘Thank you, Doctor. You’ve been very kind.’ Cheryl bit her lip. ‘I feel awful about what happened before. I never meant to hit that poor nurse. I don’t know what came over me.’

‘You hit one of the staff?’ Archie exclaimed.

‘Yes. It was the nurse who brought us in here and gave us a cup of tea. She was so kind to us, too…’

Archie sighed as Cheryl trailed off. ‘I’m not sure exactly what happened but any display of physical violence towards a member of the hospital’s staff will be taken very seriously. I suggest you apologise to the nurse concerned as soon as you get the chance.’

‘Oh, I will,’ Cheryl said hurriedly.

Archie left the room and went back to the ward. It was almost seven p.m. but there was little chance of him leaving just yet. Fortunately, everything seemed to have calmed down now the crisis was over. Most of the children were watching television or playing with the games’ stations he’d had installed for their use. It was open visiting during the day and there were still some parents around. Although he encouraged families to play an active part in their children’s recovery, he emphasised that they needed their rest so visiting ended at seven-thirty each evening. Of course, if a child was seriously ill then special arrangements were made.

He checked on Charlie and was pleased with the results of the latest ECG. He asked one of the nurses to fetch the boy’s parents in then went to the office. Marion Yates, the ward sister, was writing up the boy’s notes; she looked up and smiled at him.

‘That was a bit hairy.’

‘I didn’t think we were going to get him back at one point,’ Archie said bluntly, slumping down in a chair. He tipped back his head and groaned. ‘It’s hard to tell which bit of me is aching the most. Why do emergencies always come along in threes?’

‘They’re a bit like buses. You wait ages for one to arrive and then they all turn up together,’ Marion said, chuckling. She put down her pen and got up to switch on the kettle. ‘How about a cuppa? That might help.’

‘A long hot bath followed by a full body massage would be better,’ Archie grumbled, wiggling his aching shoulders.

‘Sorry, no can do. I mean, what would the staff think if they found you stretched out across the desk with me giving you a massage?’ Marion teased him. ‘The gossips would have a field day!’

‘At this precise moment I couldn’t care less what anyone thought,’ Archie retorted and then yawned widely. ‘I’ve been trying to pack after I finish work and it’s no joke, I can tell you. I don’t know where half the stuff has come from. Every cupboard and drawer seems to be filled to the brim.’

He yawned again as tiredness caught up with him. He’d been called into work before six that morning and it had been non-stop from then on. It would be after eight before he got home at this rate and he would have to set to work on sorting out the rest of his belongings otherwise he would never get everything done in time for the move. He closed his eyes as a cloud of gloom descended on him. Even though he’d set everything in motion, he still couldn’t believe that he was actually going to give up the job he adored, but he had to get used to the idea. Come the end of March, he would be leaving London and that would be the end of his career as a doctor.

Someone tapped on the office door just then and Archie’s eyes flew open. With his head still tipped over the back of the chair, the view of the newcomer was somewhat distorted. From this angle he was seeing her upside down, although he had to admit that starting at the bottom didn’t make the picture any less attractive.

A flurry ran through him as he took stock of long legs encased in black cotton trousers, slim hips, a neat waist and a shapely bosom beneath a crisp white uniform jacket. He was really enjoying himself by the time he reached her face and his pleasure didn’t dim one iota as he continued his appraisal—a full mouth, a straight little nose, a pair of hazel eyes framed by thick black lashes….

Archie reared up with all the finesse of a rusty spring uncoiling when he realised who she was. The woman gave him a tight little smile as he stood up and spun round, but he could see the strain on her face and knew she was worried that he was going to say something about how they had met. He took a deep breath and used it to damp down his racing pulse. In that second, he knew that neither thumbscrews nor boiling oil would make him reveal what had happened in Dalverston. Her secret was safe with him. He would never tell a soul.

Heather could feel the tension humming along her nerves and fought to control it. The only way she was going to get through the next few minutes was by staying calm. She fixed a smile to her mouth as she turned to the ward sister.

‘Mrs Jackson wants to know if Emily can go home tomorrow. I said that I’d check with you.’

‘I’d like to keep her in for at least another day.’

Heather’s gaze swivelled sideways when a male voice answered. In a fast sweep her eyes took in the rumpled dark brown hair, the tired green eyes, the firm but beard-shadowed jaw. He was taller than she remembered, his body looking lean and fit beneath the pale grey shirt he was wearing with a pair of darker grey trousers. He looked older and far more careworn than when she had seen him last and the thought bothered her. His kindness that day had been the one bright spot to come out of a very dark experience.

‘Sorry. I’d better introduce myself.’ He held out his hand, his green eyes looking straight into hers. ‘I’m Archie Carew, head of the paediatric unit. I take it that you’re one of the agency staff?’

‘I…um…that’s right,’ Heather murmured. She took his hand, feeling the jolt that ran through her as his fingers closed around hers. She wasn’t sure what was happening but all of a sudden she felt safer than she’d done for ages. There was something immensely comforting about the firm pressure of his palm against hers. She had the strangest feeling that if she held onto Archie Carew’s hand then nothing could ever hurt her.

She took a quick breath as she pulled her hand away. It was ridiculous to get carried away by such a fanciful notion. The only person she could rely on now was herself, not some man she barely knew.

‘Heather Thompson,’ she said crisply. ‘I just started working here tonight.’

‘Rather a baptism of fire,’ he replied easily. He glanced at the ward sister and raised his brows. ‘Apparently, Charlie’s mum hit Heather. I don’t know if she told you.’

‘No, she didn’t!’ Marion exclaimed. ‘You should have said something, Heather.’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Heather said quickly, because the last thing she wanted was to make a fuss. ‘The poor woman was upset and I understand that’s why it happened.’

‘It’s good of you to take it that way, but I made it clear to Mrs Maguire that we view these matters extremely seriously,’ Archie said firmly. ‘I won’t have members of staff being assaulted for any reason.’

Heather shrugged. ‘I’m sure it won’t happen again.’ She swiftly changed the subject, loath to get into an argument. ‘What should I tell Mrs Jackson? She seems very anxious about taking Emily home.’

‘I’ll have a word with her,’ Archie offered immediately. He turned to Marion and grinned. ‘I’ll have to take a rain-check on that tea and the massage, I’m afraid.’

He laughed when the sister rolled her eyes. It was obviously an ‘in’ joke and Heather couldn’t help feeling excluded as he followed her out of the office. She sighed. Being out of the loop was something she would have to get used to now that she was doing agency work. Still, the up side was that she wouldn’t have to explain herself to anyone and that more than made up for it.

They went back to the ward and Archie headed straight for Emily’s bed. He seemed to have taken it for granted that Heather would go with him so she did. He smiled at Emily’s mother when she hurriedly stood up. Heather had noticed how nervous the woman appeared to be when she’d been speaking to her and she was pleased to see that Archie was making allowances for that.

‘I believe you were asking if Emily could go home tomorrow, Mrs Jackson,’ he said gently.

‘That’s right. Her…her father is very keen to have her back at home so I said I’d ask you,’ the woman whispered, nervously plucking at the cuff of her expensive cashmere sweater.

Heather frowned when she spotted a livid bruise on the woman’s wrist. It was obviously a recent injury and it must have been painful, although Mrs Jackson appeared unaware of it.

‘I can understand that,’ Archie replied soothingly. ‘However, I think it would be better if we kept Emily here for another day or so. Her kidney function is almost back to normal but I don’t want to take any chances of her relapsing. Another couple of days will make all the difference.’

‘If you say so, Doctor,’ the woman mumbled.

She quickly gathered up her belongings, said goodbye to Emily and left. Heather smiled at the little girl when she noticed her downcast expression.

‘Mummy will be back tomorrow to see you, sweetheart. In the meantime, would you like to watch some television or maybe read a book?’

Emily’s big dark eyes fastened hopefully on her face. ‘Will you read me a story?’ she whispered, sounding exactly like her mother.

‘Of course I will!’ Heather reached over to hug her, feeling alarm run through her when the child immediately cowered away. It was obvious the little girl had been expecting a blow and there could be only one explanation for it, too.

‘I’ll go and find you a book then come straight back,’ she assured her, glancing at Archie to see if he had noticed Emily’s reaction. It was clear from his expression that he had, and that he’d drawn the same conclusion as she had done. He followed her to the dayroom and she could feel the waves of anger emanating from him.

‘You noticed it too, didn’t you?’ she said quietly, crouching down in front of the bookcase.

‘The way she cringed when you went to touch her? Yes.’ His tone was grim. ‘I had my suspicions when Emily was admitted but there was no proof that she’d been injured deliberately. The father’s explanation could very easily have been true.’

‘What did he say had happened to her?’ Heather asked, pulling out a book about Paddington Bear, a particular favourite of hers when she’d been Emily’s age.

‘He said that Emily had fallen off her scooter in the park and had hurt herself when she’d banged into a tree. The mother backed him up.’

‘I read her notes and I know she had severe bruising to her right kidney when she was admitted.’

‘That’s right. She was in a bad way when she was brought in—passing blood and in tremendous pain. Although only her right kidney had been damaged, we decided to take the strain off her left one and put her on dialysis while it recovered.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s hard to believe that any parent could do that to their own child.’

‘Has she been brought into hospital before?’ Heather asked, standing up.

‘We don’t have any notes for her here, but I’ll have a word with the social workers and see if they can check if she’s been treated at another hospital. If we can find a history of so-called accidents, it would help to prove that she’s being abused.’ He sighed. ‘They’ll need to be quick, though. I can’t keep her in here for ever.’

‘I noticed that the mother has a really bad bruise on her wrist. It might be worth following that up to see if there’s ever been a complaint made about domestic violence by any of their neighbours.’

‘Good idea!’ he exclaimed and smiled at her. ‘I can tell you’re going to be an asset to this department. Any chance of you taking a job here on a permanent basis?’

‘I’m afraid not. I don’t intend to put down any roots until I’ve decided what I want to do with my life.’

‘Do I take it that you didn’t go ahead with the wedding?’ he said softly.

‘No. I called it off that night, after I’d spoken to you.’

His eyes darkened with sympathy. ‘It must have been very difficult for you.’

‘It was.’ She gave him a tight little smile, unwilling to go into detail when they were in such a public place. Thinking about the hurt she had caused everyone upset her and she didn’t want to risk breaking down. ‘I’d better go and read Emily her story before she thinks I’ve forgotten about it,’ she said, edging away.

‘Of course. But if you ever need to talk, I’m a good listener, Heather. Remember that, won’t you?’

‘I shall. Thank you.’

Another smile and she made her escape. However, as she went back to the little girl’s bed, Heather felt a new lightness in her spirit. For the past few weeks she had done nothing but berate herself for the mess she’d made of things and it was a relief not to feel guilty for a change.

She sighed because it would be stupid to get carried away by Archie’s kindness. She had every reason to feel guilty when she had let so many people down. It hadn’t been only Ross who’d been affected by her decision not to go ahead with the wedding, but both their families as well. Her father in particular had been terribly distressed. He seemed to believe that he was to blame in some way, but that wasn’t true.

Matthew Thompson had done everything he could to make sure that Heather had been safe and happy since her mother had died so tragically after suffering a stroke. Heather had been fifteen at the time and she had been devastated by her mother’s death. Her father had been, too, but he had focused all his energy on helping Heather come to terms with her loss.

It had brought them even closer so that Heather had had no hesitation about taking a job in Dalverston after she’d finished her nursing degree. Her father had supported her for all those years and she’d wanted to be there for him, too. Ross’s mother had been a partner at the general practice her father had run for a number of years, and when Ross had completed his GP training, he had joined the practice as well.

It had been inevitable that she and Ross would end up spending time together and eventually they had drifted into a relationship. Both sets of parents had approved and Heather had taken it as a sign that they were meant to be together. It had only been as the wedding had drawn nearer that she’d started having doubts and even then she hadn’t acted on them until it had been almost too late.

She had caused a lot of hurt and unhappiness for the people who loved her, and now she had to make up for it by learning to stand on her own two feet. Moving to London could turn out to be a mistake but it would be up to her to deal with it. No matter how kind Archie Carew had been to her, she wouldn’t turn to him again for help.

CHAPTER THREE

IT WAS almost nine p.m. by the time Archie finally made it home and he was exhausted. Working fifteen hours straight was no joke, especially when it had been after midnight before he’d gone to bed the previous night. He went straight to the kitchen and raided the fridge. All he could find was a lump of slightly mouldy cheese and a tomato but it would have to do. He definitely wasn’t heading out again to find himself something else to eat.

He made cheese on toast, slicing the tomato on the top so that he could ease his conscience by telling himself he was eating at least one of the requisite portions of fruit and veg he was supposed to consume each day. He ate in the kitchen because the dining-room table was piled up with cartons. He had been planning to do some more packing that night, but after he had finished his supper, he couldn’t face it.

He made himself a cup of instant coffee and retired to the sitting room, glad that at least he had something to sit on. He had packed away all the ornaments and pictures so the room looked very bare but at least he had a seat. Slumping down on the sofa, he sipped his coffee, grimacing at the powdery aftertaste it left on his tongue. Although he was quite an accomplished cook, he never bothered cooking nowadays. There was no one to share a meal with and that took all the pleasure out of it.

The thought immediately reminded him of Stephanie and he sighed. He tried not to think about her too often but it wasn’t easy. Before the accident his future had been all mapped out, and mapped out the way he had always dreamed it would be, too. He’d had a job he’d loved and a woman he’d wanted to spend his life with. He had been perfectly happy with his lot until his world had fallen apart.

Archie stood up, too restless to sit there while the thoughts ran like rats around his brain. Going over to the bureau, he opened a drawer and took out an old chocolate box. He had been meaning to sort through it for weeks but each time he’d put off doing it because it had been too painful. However, he was already upset so he may as well get it over with now.

He sat down and emptied the contents of the box onto the cushion beside him. There were dozens of photographs along with other mementoes of his life with Stephanie. He picked up a programme for the ballet, smiling ruefully as he recalled how angry Stephanie had been when he had fallen asleep during the performance. Next came a single ticket for the opera—he’d had to miss the show when he’d been called into work. Then there was an out-of-date train ticket for an aborted trip by Eurostar to Paris—Stephanie had gone by herself in the end as he’d been too busy.

Archie frowned as he continued to delve through the remnants of their life together. There’d been an awful lot of occasions when he had let Stephanie down. Work had always been his number one priority and everything else had come a poor second, including Stephanie. Was it any wonder, really, that she’d sought solace with someone else?

He picked up another photograph, feeling pain tug at his heart as he studied the smiling faces of the people in it. It had been taken a couple of years ago when he, Stephanie and his brother, Duncan, had spent some time together at the family estate in Scotland. Stephanie had stayed on when he’d had to return to London and he’d thought nothing of it at the time.

Now he couldn’t help wondering if that had been when his fiancée had fallen in love with his brother, after he had abandoned her for the umpteenth time. It was one more reason to feel guilty, another reason why he needed to make amends for what he had done. If he had paid more attention to what had been going on around him, Stephanie and Duncan might not have died.

It was gone four in the morning when Charlie Maguire suffered a second heart attack. Heather grabbed the crash trolley and raced to his bed. Marion had already started CPR and she looked up when Heather appeared.

‘Plug that in then phone the switchboard and ask them to page Mike. We need him back here, stat!’

‘Will do.’

Heather flew to the phone and dialled the switchboard. ‘It’s Heather from Paeds,’ she said as soon as the operator answered. ‘Can you page Dr Mike Bridges, please? We need him here urgently.’

She hung up after the operator confirmed her request. Some of the other children had woken up now, disturbed by all the commotion, so she made her way around the ward, doing her best to settle them down. Marion and the other nurse on duty that night, Abby Connor, were working on Charlie, but it was a relief when the registrar arrived. He headed straight to the boy’s bed, looking very grim when Marion explained what had happened.

‘We’ll shock him and see if that works. I’ll need some adrenaline—can someone sort that out for me, please?’

‘I’ll do it,’ Heather offered immediately.

Mike told her the dosage while Marion gave her the keys to the drugs trolley. When she got back, the team had defibrillated Charlie’s heart once and were about to perform the procedure a second time because there was still no output. Heather found herself willing the child to respond as the paddles were once again placed on his chest.

‘Clear!’ Mike rapped out.

Everyone held their breath as another charge of electricity shot through the boy’s body, but there was still nothing on the monitor apart from a flat green line. Mike turned to her and she could see the worry on his face as he took the drugs from her.

‘Get onto Archie. Tell him what’s happened and that it’s not looking good.’

‘Of course,’ Heather agreed, hiding her surprise because in her experience it wasn’t usual to phone a consultant during the night.

She hurried to the phone again and found Archie’s number listed with all the others. She keyed it in and waited anxiously for him to pick up. If anyone could help Charlie, it was Archie—he would know what to do in any crisis.

She bit her lip because she really shouldn’t be thinking along such lines. It would be only too easy to see Archie as her saviour as well and that wouldn’t do. She cleared her throat when a sleepy male voice mumbled hello.

‘I’m sorry to bother you, Mr Carew, but Mike Bridges asked me to phone you. Charlie Maguire has had a second myocardial infarction and we’re having problems stabilising him.’

‘How long ago did it happen?’ he demanded, instantly alert. Heather had a quick mental flash of him dragging himself up out of bed and just as quickly dismissed it. She couldn’t afford to get sidetracked.

‘Roughly five minutes.’

‘Right. I’m on my way. Tell Dr Bridges to continue CPR until I get there.’

‘Yes, sir,’ Heather replied, responding automatically to the authority in his voice.

‘Thank you, Heather,’ he said quietly before the line went dead.

Heather’s hand was trembling as she gently replaced the receiver on its rest. Although she hadn’t introduced herself, Archie must have recognised her voice and it gave her a funny feeling inside to realise that. As she went to relay his message to the others, Heather found herself smiling before she realised how stupid she was being to set any store by it. Archie was only going to feature in her life for as long she worked here. He certainly wasn’t going to play any part in her future.

‘Is everyone agreed, then?’

Archie looked at the group assembled around Charlie Maguire’s bed and saw the same expressions on their faces that must have been on his own. Despite all their efforts, they’d been unable to resuscitate the boy and his death had upset them all.

‘Time of death 5:13,’ he said when they all nodded. ‘Thank you for everything you did. I’m only sorry it didn’t work out in the end.’

He pushed the curtain aside, feeling despondency weighing down on him as he made his way to the office. Losing a child was always a heartbreaking experience but it had become even more difficult since Duncan and Stephanie had died. It was hard to accept that so many lives should be cut short far too soon.

Heather was in the office; she looked up when he went in and he saw her expression change when he shook his head. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, her voice catching, and Archie had to swallow when he felt a lump come to his throat. He could tell that she’d truly meant what she’d said and that it hadn’t been just a polite expression of regret. It touched him deeply, far more deeply than it should have done, in fact.

‘We all are,’ he said shortly, because breaking down wasn’t an option. ‘Have the parents arrived yet?’

‘Yes. They’re in the relatives’ room.’ She was all business once more and Archie was suddenly sorry that he had been so short with her.

‘Right. I’ll have a word with them, then.’ He turned to the door, stopped, walked another step, then swung round. ‘Look, I didn’t mean to snap at you, but it always hits me hard whenever we lose a child.’

He gave her a tight smile, wondering why he felt that he had to explain himself. He wouldn’t have done so under normal circumstances, yet for some reason he didn’t want Heather to get the wrong idea. ‘I can’t afford to get too emotional when I need to speak to Charlie’s family.’

‘I understand.’ Her eyes filled with compassion as she looked at him. ‘I don’t think it’s possible to do this job unless you care, but it’s hard, isn’t it, when something like this happens? It makes you remember the people you have lost, too.’

‘It does,’ he said quietly, then left before he was tempted to say anything else. It seemed his suspicions had been correct. However, he knew that asking Heather whom she had lost would be a mistake at the moment. It would only lead to him telling her about Duncan and he didn’t think he could cope with that right now.

He made his way to the relatives’ room and spoke to the boy’s parents. It was every bit as bad as he had expected and he was emotionally wrung out after he finished. He made sure the parents knew that they could sit with Charlie for as long as they wanted to, then asked Marion to escort them to a side room. Charlie would be taken there from the ward so the family could have some privacy. Sorting out such details was all part and parcel of his job, but it was so much more than mere routine and he would never be able to treat it as such. Mind you, he wouldn’t have to after he returned to Scotland. Maybe that was the plus side of giving up his job?

He tried to put a positive spin on the thought but he was all out of optimism. The cloud of gloom that had been hanging over him seemed to intensify as he went back to the ward and had a word with Mike, who was equally despondent. Archie assured him that he had done everything he could, but he knew his registrar didn’t believe him and that Mike wouldn’t have been half the doctor he was if he had done. As Heather had said, you had to care otherwise you couldn’t do this job properly.

As though thinking about her had conjured her up, she suddenly appeared. It was just gone six a.m. and she was on her way home. Archie frowned as he watched her button up her coat as she hurried along the corridor. Was that it, then? Was she going to leave and disappear for good? He had no idea if she was booked to work at the hospital again. Some agency staff did full weeks, others preferred to do the odd session here and there, and he had no idea which category she fell into. However, the thought that she might walk out of the door and that would be the last he saw her of her was very hard to swallow.

Archie wasn’t sure what his intentions were when he found himself following her. He wasn’t even sure if it was a good idea but that didn’t stop him. He put on a spurt when he saw her get into the lift but the doors closed before he could reach it.

He took the stairs instead, two at a time, careering down them as though a pack of hungry hounds was snapping at his heels. Heather was already leaving the building by the time he exited the stairwell so he raced after her, then had to stop when he reached the main door to let an elderly woman pass through ahead of him. He helped the old lady manoeuvre her walking frame inside then set off again—down the steps, across the car park, out into the street…

He ground to a halt when he spotted Heather standing at the bus stop. Quite frankly, he wasn’t sure what came next. Should he go over and tell her that he would like to see her again, maybe even ask her out? Bearing in mind recent events, did he really think she would accept?

Archie groaned when he realised how stupid it was to imagine that Heather might be interested in seeing him again. She had just run out on her wedding and going out with him would be the last thing on her mind!

It should have been the last thing on his mind, too. In a few weeks’ time he would be moving to Scotland and he would have enough on his plate, learning how to run the estate. He’d never taken much interest in it before—that had been Duncan’s prerogative. As the elder son, Duncan had always known that he would become Laird one day and had planned his life accordingly. Whereas some people might have felt aggrieved that they would never inherit either the title or the land, Archie had felt relieved. It had meant that he could follow his dream and become a doctor, but all that had changed on Duncan’s death. Now he was Laird and he had responsibilities to go with the title. He would be far too busy in the coming months to take on anything else.

He was still chewing it all over when Heather suddenly glanced round and spotted him. In that instant he knew that, no matter how crazy it was, he couldn’t let her get on the bus and disappear from his life for good. He would be constantly wondering what had happened to her and he couldn’t bear it.

He made his way over to her, feeling his insides judder when she gave him a tentative smile. Despite the busy night, she looked so beautiful as she stood there in the grey morning light that he’d have needed a heart of stone not to be aware of it. It was an effort to remember that neither of them was in a position to go looking for romance and behave accordingly.

‘Hi. I spotted you leaving and wondered if you fancied having breakfast with me.’ He pointed across the road. ‘The café over there does the best breakfasts in London. Can I tempt you?’

CHAPTER FOUR

‘THANK you.’

Heather waited while the waitress arranged her cutlery in front of her. She still wasn’t sure why she had accepted Archie’s invitation. After all, what was the point of spending any time with him? Although she had agreed to work at the hospital for the next few weeks, she wouldn’t stay on after that. It would be silly to get involved with him when there was no future for them.

She drew herself up short. Archie had offered to buy her breakfast, not suggest they should have an affair! Colour rushed to her face and she snatched up her cup of coffee to hide her discomfort.

‘Hmm. You can’t beat a decent cup of coffee.’ Archie inhaled deeply as he savoured the aroma, then grinned at her. ‘This is the point where I should really stand up and confess.’

‘Confess,’ Heather repeated blankly.

‘Uh-huh.’ He pushed back his chair and stood up. There was a smile twitching the corners of his mouth as he recited solemnly, ‘My name is Archie and I’m a coffee addict.’

Heather chuckled, appreciating the fact that he could make fun of himself that way. ‘Your secret is safe. There’s just me and a couple of dozen other people in here who’ve witnessed your confession.’

‘That’s all right, then.’ He resumed his seat and smiled at her. ‘It was worth outing myself just to hear you laugh.’

Heather sighed. ‘There hasn’t been much to laugh about recently.’

‘I can imagine. Life must have been pretty difficult for you these past couple of months.’

‘It has.’ She shrugged, wondering how much she should tell him. It was her problem and she had to deal with it herself. However, the thought of being able to share some of the heartache with him was too tempting to resist. ‘I hurt a lot of people and it isn’t easy to deal with that thought.’

‘Have you made your peace with your exfiancé?’ he enquired, his green eyes filling with sympathy.

‘Not really.’ Heather grimaced as she felt a wave of guilt rise up inside her. ‘I haven’t actually spoken to Ross yet. I know I should have done, but I had no idea what to say to him. I sent him a letter, apologising for what I was doing, but it really wasn’t enough. I’ll have to speak to him at some point and I can only hope he’ll forgive me.’

‘I imagine he’s had time to think things through by now and realised you made the right decision.’ Archie shrugged when she looked at him in surprise. ‘I can’t believe he didn’t know that something wasn’t right. His gut instinct must have told him that you weren’t happy.’

‘I don’t know about that. Ross isn’t big on following his instincts. He’s always very much in control—knows exactly what he wants from life and goes for it.’ She shook her head when she realised how that may have sounded. ‘That wasn’t meant as a criticism. Ross is just very single-minded and doesn’t allow anything to stand in his way. It’s one of the things I’ve always admired about him, in fact.’

‘Do you think he’ll find it hard to accept that you changed your mind about marrying him?’

‘I suppose the truthful answer is that I don’t know. I can’t see him falling apart, though, if that’s what you mean. It just isn’t in his nature.’ She sighed. ‘My father will have a harder time accepting what’s happened. He was terribly upset, blamed himself for pushing me and Ross together. He wouldn’t listen when I tried to explain that it was my fault, not his.’

Tears welled in her eyes and Archie reached across the table and squeezed her hand. ‘I’m sure your father will get over it in time, Heather.’

‘I hope so.’

Fortunately, their breakfast arrived just then. Heather had opted for scrambled eggs on toast but Archie had ordered the full works—bacon, eggs, sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried bread—and he tucked in with relish.

‘Hungry?’ Heather said drolly, scooping up a forkful of buttery eggs.

‘Ravenous.’ He popped a chunk of sausage into his mouth, chewed and swallowed, then smiled at her. ‘The only thing left in the fridge last night was a lump of cheese and a tomato so supper wasn’t exactly a cordon bleu experience.’

‘Don’t tell me that you’re one of those men who can’t tell a frying pan from a Frisbee,’ she accused him, picking up a triangle of toast.

‘The frying pan’s the one with the handle, isn’t it?’ he replied with a wicked little chuckle.

Heather felt her heart give the oddest little leap and hastily averted her eyes from his laughing face. For some reason she felt all jittery inside and she couldn’t understand it. She bit off a corner of toast then stole a glance at him, feeling shock ripple along her veins when she realised all of a sudden how good-looking he was. She hadn’t paid much attention to how Archie looked before, mainly because she’d had other things on her mind, but suddenly she was seeing him as a man, and a very attractive one, too.

Facts tumbled over themselves as her brain rushed to log them. He was tall, over six feet, and well built, too, with a muscular chest and broad shoulders. His face was craggy rather than conventionally handsome, his features very masculine with those strong, uncompromising lines. His eyes were gorgeous, a clear deep green framed by dark brown lashes. His hair was the same rich brown colour, thick and glossy as it fell across his forehead. A mouth that had a tendency to curl upwards at the slightest excuse completed the picture. All things considered, Archie Carew was a man whom any woman would be happy to be seen with, and she was no exception.

Heather took a quick little breath as that thought wriggled its way into her head. She was happy to be there with Archie, very happy indeed.

Archie wasn’t sure what Heather was thinking as she stared at him across the table. He cleared his throat, uncomfortable at finding himself on the end of such an intent scrutiny, and saw her jump. There was a touch of colour in her cheeks as she applied herself to her breakfast that intrigued him, although he wasn’t going to make the mistake of asking her what was wrong. He didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.