She was conscious of the heat from his arm gently seeping into her, and as he moved closer she felt the brush of his long body next to hers.

It was a good feeling, that warmth of human contact, and it occurred to her that it had been a long time since she had known such tenderness. She had a strange yearning to lean against him, to have him hold her and comfort her.

This was Jake, a man she had known for barely two weeks, and instinct told her that she ought to be keeping him at arm’s length. It was a pity her heart wasn’t listening. Instead, it was beating out its own erratic rhythm, and seemed to be recklessly bent on overriding common sense.

A soft breeze stirred the air, and she looked out over the water. Moonlight glittered on its surface, beautiful in its serenity.

‘Are you cold?’ Jake asked, and she was suddenly reminded that they were standing out here on the dock, with her wearing little more than a cotton shift.

She shook her head. ‘No, but I should go and put something on—a robe, or something.’

His mouth curved. ‘You don’t need to do that on my account. I’m perfectly happy for you to stay as you are…You feel very soft and cuddlesome to me, and you look like an angel—a dazzling white angel who makes the moonbeams dance on the water.’

The Secret Doctor

By

Joanna Neil

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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.

Recent titles by the same author:

HAWAIIAN SUNSET, DREAM PROPOSAL

NEW SURGEON AT ASHVALE A&E

POSH DOC, SOCIETY WEDDING

HOT-SHOT DOC, CHRISTMAS BRIDE

Chapter One

THE house was just as Lacey remembered it. Several years had gone by since she had last set foot on the property on Florida’s Lower Keys, but now, as she gazed around, overwhelming feelings of familiarity and nostalgia besieged her.

The building stood two storeys high, with decking on both levels so that people could sit outside and look out over the bay while taking in the warm subtropical air. The hurricane shutters were folded back right now, revealing an abundance of windows and glass doors that would flood the house with light.

The whole structure was long and wide, its clean lines white-painted, so that it appeared picture perfect against the vivid blue of the sky. In the distance, coconut palms dipped their branches towards the sand, swaying lightly in the faint breeze.

Tears sprang to Lacey’s eyes as the memories came flooding back…those long, hot summers of her teenage years, when she would run along the beach with her sister Grace, or swim in the warm waters of the sea. They were happy memories, of a time when the two girls had idled away their vacations in natural pursuits, while their parents had relaxed in their holiday home.

‘It’ll be so good to see you again,’ Grace had said over the phone just last week. ‘I can’t wait to come down and visit once you’re settled in. But…’ Grace paused. ‘Won’t this be a huge change for you? Are you quite sure you’ve thought it all through properly? I mean, you’ve lived in the UK all your life, and leaving all that behind will surely be quite a wrench? It was different for me. I had no choice but to come to the States, being married and with the children and all…I just went where Matt’s job took him. I’m longing to be able to see you more often, but are you quite sure you’re ready to put down roots here?’

That was something Lacey had thought about, long and hard, over these last few months. Some two years had passed since their parents had died, but finally the house in the UK had been sold, and Lacey had to come to terms with all the changes that had taken place in her world. What was she going to do with the rest of her life?

Of course, things might have been different if she hadn’t split up with Nick, her long-term boyfriend. Once they had drifted apart, life had lost its rosy glow, and all she had been able to think of was being somewhere closer to Grace. Family, that was it, that was what mattered most of all.

She braced herself, trying to shake off those melancholy thoughts. Maybe she was simply tired after her long journey. The sun was setting now, casting a golden glow over the horizon, and she took one last look at the exterior of the house before turning the key in the lock of the front door.

She would have gone directly to the kitchen, to switch on the kettle and make herself a reviving cup of coffee, but the tranquillity of the evening was suddenly shattered by the intermittent sounds of banging, as though someone was hammering away at some solid, impenetrable object. The noise filled the air, an abominable intrusion that grated on her nerves.

She frowned. Who on earth was making that awful racket? Hadn’t Rob said that her neighbour would be away for the rest of this week? Something had to be wrong. Was the place next door being burgled…ransacked?

She dropped her suitcases in the hall and went out of the house, doing her best to locate where the disturbance was coming from. They were isolated out here, some distance from any other houses, so it had to be her neighbour’s place that was under threat.

The secluded nature of her surroundings made her stop and think for a moment. Ought she to take some sort of defensive weapon with her—a broom handle, maybe, or a heavy fire extinguisher? But perhaps she was overreacting?

Instead, she ran her fingers over the touchpad of the mobile phone that was clipped to her belt. She could speed-dial for help if necessary.

In the distance, she saw what looked like a barn, a huge building, its doors standing open, and there was light coming from inside. She walked towards it, taking the path that followed the line of the dock, and all the while the banging became louder and louder.

When she reached the barn, she stopped at the doorway. A man was in there, working, his long body leaning over what looked like a huge upturned boat that was in the process of being built. The hull was made up of golden oak-coloured planking, and the smell of new wood filled the barn.

There was no banging now. He was running his hand with infinite care along a seam line, as though testing for flaws in the woodwork, and Lacey could see that his fingers were strong, but not weathered by manual work as she might have expected. His skin was lightly sun bronzed, and his forearms were covered with a smattering of dark hair.

He hadn’t noticed that she was standing there, and for a moment Lacey watched him in fascination. He was wearing dark blue jeans that showed off the taut, muscular lines of his long legs, and above that he had on a white T-shirt. He was in his mid-thirties, she guessed, a man who obviously kept himself fit, judging from his broad shoulders and rippling biceps.

Her absorbed reverie came to a swift end as the banging started up once more, with ear-shattering intensity. He had picked up a mallet and was pounding it against the head of a metal tool, driving some kind of thick cotton padding between the planks of the boat.

She covered her ears with her hands and walked fully into the barn. ‘Hello, there,’ she said, striving to make herself heard above the din.

His reaction wasn’t quite what she had expected, but it was clear that she had startled him. He dropped the metal tool, which clanged as it hit the floor, but the mallet continued on its way, driving home with brute force and landing directly on his thumb.

The mallet joined its partner tool on the ground as the man gave a sharp yelp of pain. He hopped round in a circle of agony and the air was filled with an explosion of indecipherable expletives, ground out through gritted teeth.

Lacey’s jaw froze in dismay. Guilt ripped through her as she watched him hold his injured hand in an effort to numb the pain with his fingers. His thumb was visibly beginning to swell, and the blood was building up underneath the nail bed, turning it to a dark shade of purple. She could only imagine the throbbing intensity of the pain.

He bent double for a moment or two, and then straightened, fixing her with a dazed stare. They stood in silence for a while, facing one another, until gradually his gaze sharpened on her.

‘Who are you?’ he said. ‘What are you doing here?’ Then he frowned. ‘I had no idea anyone was within a mile of this place.’

‘That’s what I thought, too.’ Lacey looked him over, doubt bringing a crooked line to crease her brow. ‘Rob told me my neighbour would be away this week, so I came to find out what was going on. With all that noise, it sounded as though someone was wrecking the place.’

He winced, holding onto his hand as though the pain was getting to him. The colour was beginning to drain from his face. ‘Yes, Rob was right. I was supposed to be attending a business meeting in Miami, but it fell through.’

‘Oh, I see.’ She hesitated, her gaze troubled as she took in the extent of the damage. ‘I’m sorry I intruded on you and caused you to hit your hand.’ If she hadn’t butted in, he wouldn’t have hurt himself, would he? It also occurred to her that this wasn’t exactly the best way to meet her new neighbour for the very first time.

He straightened, bracing his shoulders. ‘At least you were trying to keep an eye on things. I hope you’ll forgive the language.’ Now that he had overcome the initial shock of injury, his voice was returning to an even keel, a deeply satisfying masculine timbre, firm and charismatic.

‘Please don’t worry about it,’ she murmured, a wave of remorse for what she had done washing over her. For his part, he was still staring at her, his blue-grey eyes piercing in intensity, as though he was aiming to take in every detail of her slender shape.

Lacey was all too conscious of his glance roaming over her. She was wearing a cream-coloured linen skirt, cool and comfortable for the climate, teamed with a pale magenta cotton top. Both garments clung where they touched, and that made his slow, thorough scrutiny all the more uncomfortable to bear.

She shrugged back her long, honey-blonde hair and fixed him in return with an unwavering, blue-eyed stare. Her feelings of guilt were beginning to recede a little. She had been out of order, walking in on him, an innocent man on his own property, but he had been creating an almighty din and she had had just cause to investigate.

‘I’m Jake Randall,’ he said. ‘Normally, I’d offer to shake your hand but, given the circumstances, I think I’ll give it a miss this time.’ His mouth made a wry, pained twist that managed to light up his features and add a roguish quality to his half-smile. He was still supporting his injured thumb with his free hand.

‘Lacey Brewer,’ she told him. ‘I’m moving into the house along the dock.’

He nodded. ‘I wasn’t expecting you to arrive yet. Rob said you would be coming over some time next weekend. I think he was warning me to be on my best behaviour.’

‘Oh! Was he really?’ She blinked. She wasn’t quite sure how she ought to respond. ‘I can’t imagine why he would think it necessary to do that.’

She knew, though, that Rob had reservations about his next-door neighbour. Rob was an old friend, a reliable tenant who had been living in the house for the last couple of years while she decided what to do with the property. He had her best interests at heart, and she was well aware that he had his doubts about Jake Randall. Last time she had spoken to Rob, though, he had come to the conclusion that her neighbour was, at best, slightly eccentric.

‘He left for the Everglades a couple of days ago,’ Jake said, ‘off on another of his filming expeditions. Or, at least, he was heading out there after a detour to visit his family. He made it clear to me that if I saw you around the place you had a right to be there and I should give you some space.’ He gave her a thoughtful look. ‘He seems to be very protective of you.’

She smiled, pleased to know that Rob was looking out for her. ‘We’ve known each other a long time. He was right, though, I wasn’t supposed to be here until next weekend, but I had a change of plans. My boss discovered I had some days owing to me so I finished my contract at the hospital where I was working earlier than expected and caught a different flight. It will give me a chance to settle in and take some time off before I have to start work again.’

‘Hmm…Rob told me that you’re a doctor…is that right?’ His dark brows lifted in a querying fashion, and she noted that they were the exact colour of his hair, raven black, lending him a devilish look that was emphasised by the strongly sculpted lines of his face…a face that was taut at the moment with the effort of containing his pain. ‘Emergency medicine, he said.’

She nodded, and then glanced briefly at his hand. ‘That’s right. You know, I think perhaps you ought to have that thumb treated. You’re growing paler by the minute, and I can see that it’s troubling you a lot. It happens when the blood keeps pumping beneath the nail, building up pressure because it has nowhere else to go.’ She tried to gauge his reaction, just as she would have done if he were a patient back in the UK, and his wince told her everything she needed to know. ‘I have a medical bag back at the house,’ she told him. ‘I could treat your injury for you and do something to relieve the pain, if you like.’

He thought about it for a moment, as though trying to weigh up his options. ‘Okay. Thanks. I guess that would be as good a way as any to get to know my new neighbour.’

He stowed his tools away in a box and then secured the door of the barn, before setting off with her along the dock. A couple of boats were moored there, a yacht and a schooner, and further along the wharf there was a collection of lobster pots.

The fresh smell of the sea wafted on the warm breeze, filling Lacey’s senses, and planting a seed of hope for the future. She had come away from all that she had ever known to start afresh and what better place could she hope to do that than here?

Back at the house, she showed him into her kitchen. ‘You should sit down,’ she said. ‘You look as though you’re about to pass out.’ Faint beads of perspiration were starting to form on his forehead. She glanced surreptitiously at his wounded thumb. He ought to have an X-ray, in case anything was broken, but her immediate priority was to lessen his pain. ‘Just give me a minute,’ she said. ‘I’ll go and get my medical bag.’

‘Thanks.’ He took a seat by the glass-topped table in the breakfast area.

When she came back into the room a moment later, she set to work straight away, laying out her swabs and dressings on a clean plastic surface and pulling on a pair of surgical gloves.

‘First of all, I’m going to paint the nail with povidone iodine solution to make sure that any bacteria that might be present are killed. Then I’m going to heat up a metal paper clip over the gas hob to sterilise it. I’ll put the tip of the paper clip into the base of your nail and the heated metal will burn a hole through the nail and allow the blood to escape.’ She looked at him. ‘Are you going to be okay with that?’

‘If you told me you were going to hack off my thumb with a machete, I’d probably be okay with it right now,’ he said, his square jaw clamping. ‘Just do what you have to do.’

She smiled softly at his terse response, and proceeded with the operation. ‘This shouldn’t hurt,’ she said. ‘You should feel instant relief when the hole is opened up.’ She removed the paper clip as soon as the blood began to spurt, and he took over from her then, mopping up with the swabs as the wound oozed.

‘Phew,’ he managed after a while. ‘That is so much better. Thank you. I owe you.’

‘You’re welcome.’ She bundled the paper clip and used swabs into a plastic bag and threw them into the nearby bin. ‘As soon as the bleeding stops, I’ll apply an antibiotic ointment and cover it with a dressing strip. Keep it dry for a couple of days…and you ought to go and get an X-ray, just in case anything is broken.’

‘I doubt that will be necessary,’ he said. ‘All they’ll do is give me a finger splint to make it more comfortable and charge my insurance company for the privilege.’

She acknowledged that with a nod. Things were different over here in the States. Medical services had to be paid for on the spot. It was a very different system from the one in the UK.

‘You’ll probably lose your fingernail,’ she warned him, ‘but it will grow back in about six months.’

He gave a soft laugh. ‘I don’t mind losing such a tiny part of me,’ he said. ‘Here, let me help tidy up.’ He took over from her, and she went over to the sink to wash her hands.

‘Rob said he had stocked up on provisions for me before he left,’ she said, going over to the fridge and peering inside. ‘I can offer you orange juice, or coffee, if you prefer?’

‘Coffee sounds great.’ He looked around the kitchen while she added coffee grounds to the percolator. ‘This all looks new,’ he said in an appreciative tone, his glance taking in the pale wood of the units and the decorative glass panelling of the wall cupboards. ‘I don’t recall any of this. Last time I was here, there was an old kitchen range and oak units.’

‘Really?’ That must have been some time ago, before her parents had bought the place, Lacey guessed. Perhaps he’d dropped by every now and again to visit whoever had owned the house back then. Clearly, Rob hadn’t invited him in but, then, Rob tended to be a very private person.

He nodded and continued to gaze around the room. It was a spacious kitchen, well set out in a U-shaped formation, with a breakfast area at one end by the French doors. Beyond those was decking that looked out over the orange grove and distant mangroves. ‘I suppose you must have had it remodelled. This house is quite a few years old, isn’t? Though you wouldn’t know it to look at it.’

‘Yes, it is. My parents bought it about twelve years ago, but I believe it was built long before that. Around fifty years or more, I should imagine.’ She smiled briefly. ‘It has certainly stood the test of time. As to the kitchen, I remember the old one but my mother had it modernised some three years ago, along with the rest of the house. My parents used to come here whenever they could. My father worked for a shipping company, and his job took him all over the world, but my parents always tried to make it back here for the holidays—they would stay here for several weeks during the summer months.’

His gaze was pensive. ‘I was probably in Miami during those years. My parents moved next door when I was away at university, and I only came back here to stay some eighteen months ago. They passed on some time ago and my brother kept an eye on the place until he had to go to work in Jacksonville.’

‘I’m sorry—about your parents, I mean. I know what it’s like to lose family.’ She was quiet for a moment or two, her thoughts dwelling on the events of the past.

Then she dragged her mind back to the present. Jake’s absence in Miami would most likely explain why they had never met.

She poured the coffee and then pushed the mug towards him. ‘Help yourself to cream and sugar.’ She frowned as she checked the contents of the fridge and freezer. ‘I’m starving. All I’ve had to eat today is the meal on the plane, but it looks as though Rob has left me a choice of quick snacks. I could rustle up some empanadas if you’re interested?’ Getting to know the new neighbour worked both ways, and this seemed like an opportunity not to be wasted.

‘Wow. The girl next door is turning out to be full of incredible talents…emergency medicine, culinary arts…’ His blue-grey eyes took on a gleam of mischief. ‘And she looks good, too. Seems to me things are definitely looking up.’

‘I wouldn’t get too far ahead of yourself, if I were you,’ she retorted in a dry tone, switching on the oven and reaching into the freezer for a stack of pastry shells. ‘You haven’t tasted my cooking yet. Anyway, the pastry’s the supermarket frozen variety.’ She separated the pastry discs onto a piece of parchment paper. ‘Besides, considering that I was on my way over to your place to investigate the disturbance, we may still end up having our disagreements. I can’t say I’m a fan of late-night noise.’

His mouth made a crooked shape. ‘I’m sorry about that. I wanted to work on the boat, and I felt pretty secure in thinking that I wouldn’t be disturbing anyone, with Rob away from home. Wrongly, as it turns out.’

‘It looks like a big project. Have you done it all yourself?’ Lacey started to prepare the fillings for the empanadas, layering strips of chicken, bacon and cheese on top of the pastry.

‘Yes, all of it. It’s just a hobby. There’s something incredibly satisfying about working with wood…the smell, the feel of it, the finished product.’

‘What wood are you using? Oak’s a good hardwood, isn’t it?’

He nodded. ‘It is. Actually, I’ve been using a variety of wood-oak for the timbers and floors, cedar for the planks. The inwales, thwart risers and sheer strakes are larch.’

She had been folding the pastry into little dough packets, crimping the edges, but now she paused, giving him a long look from under golden lashes. ‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Sorry.’ He grinned. ‘It all gets a bit technical and I get carried away sometimes. Boat building tends to bring out the fanatic in me.’

Her mouth made a faint upward curve. ‘So I see.’ She placed a baking tray, loaded with empanadas, into the hot oven. ‘I’m not sure I understood quite what you were doing back there, hammering thick cotton wadding between the planks.’ She rubbed her hands on a clean towel and lifted the mug of coffee to her lips, taking a satisfying swallow. Then she arched her spine and rubbed at a knot of tension in the small of her back. It had been a long day.

He watched her, his gaze moving languorously over her, stroking her feminine curves, a flicker of interest darting in the blue depths of his eyes.

Lacey straightened. She knew that entirely male look, and she was suddenly all too conscious of her actions. The last thing she needed was to have him pay her that much attention. She was through with men, at least relationship-wise. They complicated things, promised the earth and a lifetime of love and then let you down when things didn’t go their way.

Jake smiled. ‘They call it caulking.’

She frowned. ‘Caulking?’ For a second or two, she had completely lost the drift of their conversation. The plain truth was the male of the species was a liability. You never knew where you were with them. And this man was probably no exception. He was only here in her kitchen because he had set her on a path of investigation.

‘Think of it as padding,’ he said helpfully, and she struggled to bring her thoughts under control once more. ‘The material fills in the wedge between the planks and makes sure that they don’t move…they swell, of course, or shrink, depending on different levels of moisture. You need a boat to be watertight as well as mechanically sound, so I’ll apply a coat of epoxy resin, and then I’ll paint it.’

‘Oh, I see.’ At least, she thought she did. Whatever procedures he was following, he was building a good-looking boat back there in his barn. ‘You already have a couple of boats moored alongside the dock, as far as I could see. Do you collect them? What’s this one for?’

‘Lobster fishing. As to the others, they were inherited from my father and my grandfather. I guess you could say that boats and the sea are part of my heritage.’ He gave her a crooked smile, and for some reason she had the idea that it was an ironic kind of smile, as though he was holding something back. Perhaps Rob had been right when he’d said that Jake was not quite like other men. There was a hidden side to him, Rob had said, a part of him that you couldn’t quite fathom.

The scent of hot cheese and bacon filled the kitchen, and she pulled herself together and went to check the oven.

‘These are done,’ she said. ‘You’ll have to mind that you don’t burn your tongue. We don’t want you being injured for a second time today, do we?’

‘Oh, I don’t know about that…you make a very lovely medic.’ He gave her a wickedly sexy glance that immediately set her temperature rising. ‘You can tend to my injuries any day.’

‘I wouldn’t count on that, if I were you,’ she said dryly, ‘or on anything else, for that matter. I can see when I’m being strung a line.’ She figured it was better to cut him down at the first pass, rather than leave things to roll on and get out of hand. She slid golden pasties onto a plate and passed them to him.

‘That’s a great shame,’ he said, affecting to appear dismayed but finding it difficult to prevent a grin from breaking out. He gave a false sigh. ‘I dare say I’ll have to console myself with the empanadas instead.’

Chapter Two

LACEY picked her way carefully along the rocky shoreline, deep in thought, her gaze sweeping along the line of coral reef islands that made up the Keys. They made a glorious picture, strung out like a jewelled, emerald bracelet across the Florida Straits. To the west the sundappled waters of the Gulf of Mexico gave off a blue haze as the heat of the day began to rise.

She was content for the first time in a long while, and perhaps now she would find the wherewithal to cope with whatever lay before her. A couple of weeks had passed since that evening when she had first arrived here and met up with her new neighbour, but she still wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. An hour or so in Jake’s company had been enough to make her realise that he was a definite threat to her peace of mind. And peace was what she wanted right now, above all.

There hadn’t been any contact between them since that first day, probably because she had been out and about, exploring the island and making the most of her newfound liberty. She was still licking her wounds after the disaster of her relationship with Nick. On top of that she’d had to cope with the upheaval of selling her parents’ house before the move out here. What she needed now was space, a chance to sort out her troubled thoughts. Jake was a distraction she could do without.

‘Hello, there…Lacey…wait up…’

She half turned. It was almost as though thinking about Jake had conjured him up. He was heading towards her, emerging from the woods that covered the land behind both houses.

She slowed down and he came alongside her. ‘So, I’ve found you at last,’ he said, his deep voice vibrant, echoing his energetic presence. ‘I’ve been looking for you these last few days. Then, just now, as I was on my way to the boathouse I spotted you down here.’ He fell into step beside her, sending her an oblique glance that took in her loose cotton top and the white shorts that showed off a golden expanse of long, shapely legs. ‘You’re looking good…’ he murmured. ‘All sun kissed and glowing with health. This part of the world must agree with you.’

‘The climate’s certainly better than it is back home,’ she agreed. ‘It’s tempted me to get out and about while I have the chance.’

‘Hmm.’ His eyes took on a faint gleam. ‘So much so that you’re hardly ever at home. I was beginning to get the idea that you might be trying to avoid me.’

Her mouth made a wry shape. He really wasn’t far wrong in thinking that way. ‘As I said, I’ve been spending time getting to know the place all over again. It’s all so different out here. I feel as though I’m being given a glimpse of paradise.’

As she spoke, a black cormorant, standing some three feet high, paused by the water’s edge, where it had been searching for food, and spread its wings to dry. He lifted his orange-tinted throat towards the sun, as though he was stretching and taking joy in the day.

Jake followed her glance. ‘You see a lot of them around the coastal area. You’ll often catch sight of white heron, too, wading in the shallows, but they’re shy and will fly off if you disturb them.’

‘I know. I’ll take good care not to do that,’ she murmured. ‘Herons are such graceful, beautiful birds, aren’t they?’ She glanced at him. He was casually dressed, in cargo pants and a navy T-shirt, and looked completely at ease with life in general.

He inclined his head, tilting it a little so that he could study her. ‘You seem to be very interested in all that the Keys have to offer, especially the natural environment…but there are other ways to enjoy life around here, you know?’ His voice softened. ‘In fact, I’m going to be hosting a get-together at my place tomorrow evening. It’d be great if you could come along. Any time from seven-thirty onwards.’

Her gaze met with his. She wasn’t at all sure that it would be a good idea to spend her leisure time with him. He started all kinds of warning bells ringing just by being close at hand. Even now, she could feel the warmth emanating from his long, lithe body as he moved alongside her, and her pulse had notched up a beat. She felt as though she ought to take a step away from him in a kind of desperate attempt at self-preservation.

‘Thanks for the invitation,’ she murmured, ‘only I’m afraid I’ll have to turn you down. I start my new job tomorrow, and I’ll be working the late shift…for the whole of the week, as it happens. I doubt I’ll be home until an hour or so before midnight.’

‘You could still come along.’ His voice took on a husky, coaxing note. ‘The night is still young at that time on the Keys.’

‘Perhaps it is for some.’ She smiled. ‘You get full marks for trying, anyway.’

‘Hmm…’ His gaze was quizzical. ‘You can’t blame a man for doing his best, but if it’s a competition we’re in, you have the highest score for caginess.’

He frowned, looking around briefly, and Lacey wondered if he was finding it a new experience, being thwarted this way. She doubted women often turned him down. He had a compelling, persuasive manner about him, and as for looks, he definitely had the wow factor. It was a pity she was immune…or should that be allergic? She had given everything to her relationship with Nick and it had turned sour. Why would she want to risk putting herself in the danger zone all over again?

She stopped walking. They had reached a clump of mangrove trees, jostling for room at the water’s edge. Their gnarled, tangled roots were a reddish colour, partly submerged in the salt water so that it seemed as though the trees were walking on its surface. Small birds hovered at the water’s edge, searching for morsels of food among the crustaceans. Looking up, Lacey caught a glimpse of brown pelicans nesting in the branches. As she watched, one of them flew down, splashed into the water and emerged a moment later, soaring upwards, triumphant, with a fish in its beak.

‘I think we must have come as far as we can along this path,’ she said, giving her attention back to Jake. ‘It’s time I started for home, anyway. I have to go into town for some provisions or I shall be living on stale bread and water for the rest of the week.’

He nodded, turning with her, and together they retraced their steps. ‘I expect the supplies Rob left you must be running low by now.’ He sent her a thoughtful glance, and then said, ‘He’s been away for some time, hasn’t he? Are you expecting him back any day soon?’

She shook her head, frowning a little. ‘I’m not sure. Actually, I’m a bit concerned about him. He went off to film a documentary for a local TV company, but when he finished there he was going to drop by my place and pick up some belongings before visiting his family. He should have been back a few days ago.’

‘So you think something might have happened to him?’

‘I really don’t know what to think. I know he hasn’t been too well of late—nothing serious, he said, but I know he’s been seeing a doctor regularly over these past few months.’ She frowned. ‘Even so, it isn’t like him not to get in touch.’ She made an awkward shrug of her shoulders. ‘I’mp robably worrying unnecessarily. He knows how to look after himself but, there again, the Everglades can be tricky if things go wrong.’

‘It could be that he had a change of plan and went straight on to his family.’

‘Yes, that’s most likely the answer…but I still think he would have given me a call to let me know. I haven’t been able to contact him.’ Perhaps she was distracted by thoughts of Rob and wasn’t paying attention to where she was going, because she missed her footing just then, and stumbled over a patch of rough ground. Instantly, Jake’s hand shot out, grasping her arm in a light, but firm, grip.

‘Are you okay?’

She nodded. ‘I’m fine, thanks.’ She wished her voice sounded more certain, but quite unexpectedly his touch was beginning to play havoc with her defences. The warmth of his fingers seared her tender skin, and her whole body flamed in reaction to his nearness as he drew her close to steady her. Her mouth was suddenly dry, her heart hammering against her rib cage as his thigh brushed hers and her nervous system went into meltdown. She couldn’t think straight with him holding her that way, with the flat of his hand resting on her waist, burning through the thin cotton of her top. She struggled to compose herself. ‘I’ll be all right now…Thanks,’ she mumbled. ‘I can manage.’

‘Are you sure? The ground is difficult underfoot here where the coral has been left exposed by the sea.’

‘I’m sure.’ She straightened, as though to emphasise the point, and he released her readily enough, so that at last her head began to clear.

‘You said Rob was supposed to pick up some belongings—does that mean he was going to move on from your place?’

She nodded. ‘Yes, although I dare say he will come back to the Keys from time to time because he still has contacts here. He found himself an apartment in Miami, close to where the film company is based and within a short distance of his parents’ and his brothers’ homes, so, all in all, I imagine things have turned out quite well for him.’

‘I expect so.’ He was thoughtful for a moment or two. ‘You told me that you’d been friends for some time…How did you two meet?’

‘We met when I was doing my medical training. He was doing a completely different course—media studies—but we had both joined the camera club on campus, and we became friends. I think he decided to come back to the States because there were good opportunities here for him in the television and film industry…and of course his family were here. He was homesick, I suppose, and having spent holidays here in Florida I could talk to him about familiar places, so that’s probably what drew us together in the first place.’

By now they had reached Lacey’s house, and after a few more minutes of chat they parted company, with Jake heading off once more for the boathouse. ‘Going by boat is the best way to explore the Keys,’ he told her. ‘You should let me take you out on the water some day. It’ll open up a new world for you.’ His look was mischievous, inviting her to take him up on the offer there and then.

‘Maybe some other time. I’ll think about it,’ she said, taking the easy way out.

He threw her a wry smile, and she guessed he was well aware that she was prevaricating once more.

Lacey wasn’t at all concerned about what he might be thinking. He would most likely forget about the offer, or at the very least he would give up trying when faced with constant rejection. That suited her fine. Jake was a complication she could do without.

Next day, she decided to eat her breakfast out on the deck. There was something utterly relaxing about sitting here first thing in the morning, she reflected, sipping freshly squeezed orange juice as she gazed out over the straits. Behind her, the glass doors to the dining room were opened wide to let the fresh, warm air sweep through the house, but here on the deck she had laid a table with a rack of toast, butter and apricot preserve. It was a perfect way to start the day.

In the far distance, boats dipped on the blue sea, moving gently with the rise and fall of the waves. Closer to home, if she looked carefully, she could make out the sand and sea grass through the clear water.

It was a view she would always delight in. In fact, with every day that passed she found something new to persuade her that this was where she belonged. She was growing used to the leisurely pace of life out here. It suited her frame of mind and in time might help to restore order out of the confusion that had preoccupied her of late. Of course, going out to work would dampen some of that holiday feeling and leave her little time to meditate, but it was probably for the best. She needed to keep busy.

She spread a generous helping of preserve onto a slice of buttered toast and then bit into it, savouring the taste. It was strange that Jake didn’t appear to have to go out to work. He’d mentioned business meetings, but what kind of business was it where he never went to the office?

She knew he was home based, because from time to time she would hear banging coming from the barn, muffled nowadays because he invariably kept the door shut. How did he stand the tropical heat? It must be like an oven in there, unless he was using a portable air-conditioner.

On other days she would see him setting out in one of the boats, heading across the bay towards the ocean. That was the life, wasn’t it? Laid-back, lazy days, following whatever whim caught his fancy.

Straightening up, she sighed and quickly brushed crumbs from her fingers. Enough of thinking about her intriguing neighbour…she didn’t have time to sit around here any longer dwelling on what he might or might not be up to. Her shift was due to start at the Bay View Hospital very shortly, and if she was to make a good impression on her first day, she had better look lively and get herself into gear.

An hour later she was driving along the main highway that linked the islands to one another and continued on in a long ribbon towards mainland Florida. The hospital was just a twenty-minute drive away from where she lived, and travelling there was a refreshingly smooth experience after the congested roads she was used to back in the UK.

‘We’re really glad to have you on board, Lacey,’ Mike, the attending physician, greeted her as she walked through the doors of the emergency room. He ran a hand through his thick, dark hair and from the knot in his brow and by his general demeanour Lacey could see that he was harassed. ‘We’re rushed off our feet right now,’ he explained, ‘so after you’ve taken a few minutes to acclimatise yourself, we’d appreciate your help dealing with the walking wounded. Then later on in the day when Dr Mayfield, the intern, goes off duty, perhaps you could take over from him and look at the patients who’ve already been admitted for observation. I’ll show you around properly when the pace settles down a bit.’

She smiled at his harried welcome. Not much difference there, then. It was much the same story back in London.

‘Just point me in the direction of the locker room and I’ll grab a lab coat,’ she told him. ‘I’m sure I’ll find my way around. If not, I’ll ask.’

‘That’s great,’ he said, a look of relief crossing his face. ‘Welcome to Bay View. You’ll find we’re a friendly bunch here, and we all support one another come what may. Rick Mayfield’s a good young doctor…I’m sure you’ll find he’ll be a great help to you. Anyway, if you have any problems at all, just shout.’

‘I’ll do that.’ She went to the locker room to stow away her bag and jacket, and within minutes she was back on the main floor of the emergency room, checking through the list of patients waiting to be seen.

‘There’s a wrist fracture in treatment room one,’ the assisting nurse said, ‘and a shoulder dislocation in room two. You might find it easier to deal with the wrist first, while I find someone to help you with the shoulder.’

‘Thanks, Emma.’ The nurse was a pretty girl, with clear hazel eyes and long, chestnut-coloured hair tied back in a ponytail. She was good at her job, confident, and a fountain of knowledge about the set up in the busy emergency room. Lacey worked with her throughout what was left of the morning, and on into the afternoon.

Around teatime, when Dr Mayfield was preparing to go off duty, he came to find Lacey. He was a young man, fair haired, and, from what she had gathered, conscientious in the way he did his job.

He studied her, a wave of fair hair falling across his brow. ‘How’s it going today? Have you managed to find your way around our system?’

‘More or less.’ She smiled. ‘Everyone’s been great, pointing me in the right direction when I was lost, or, best of all, showing me where you stash the pasties and cakes.’

‘Well, we have to get our priorities right, don’t we?’ He chuckled and then turned his attention to business, outlining the details of patients he had admitted for observation that day. He handed over the files. ‘Anyway, best of luck with these,’ he told her. ‘They’re mostly respiratory problems or cardiac queries.’

He made brief comments as she checked each patient’s file, but Lacey hesitated at one in particular. The name and profile of the patient jumped out at her and alarm bells started to ring inside her head.

‘This man—Mr Callaghan,’ she murmured, scanning the text. ‘It says here that he was brought in suffering from dehydration and that he appeared to be in a confused state.’ She looked at the intern. ‘What happened to him?’

‘Apparently he was filming some alligators in the marshes and came unstuck. From what I can piece together, one of the alligators started to head towards him and he retreated, but twisted his ankle and then went off in the wrong direction instead of returning to his base. His ankle’s fine, just sprained, so I’ve applied a compress and put on a support bandage.’

Rick ran his gaze fleetingly over the file. ‘It’s his general condition that’s giving us cause for concern. He passed out a couple of times, and he’s suffering from palpitations. According to his notes, he’s been receiving treatment for cardiac arrhythmia over the past year, so that probably needs more investigation. Anyway, he has been given fluids, and he’s had a bath and generally been made to feel more comfortable, but his vital signs are not too good at the moment.’

‘I’ll go and take a look at him straight away,’ Lacey said. ‘I’m sure I know him—he’s a friend. He went out to the Everglades recently and didn’t return.’

‘Sounds as though he’s had a lucky escape, then.’

She nodded, and then glanced through her list of patients once more. There was no particular urgency to any of them that she could see, so went to seek out Rob Callaghan straight away.

It was exactly as she had suspected. Rob was lying in bed, his light brown hair tousled against his pillows. He appeared to be dozing, but as she approached the bedside his eyelids flickered and he blinked, acknowledging her presence with a few mumbled words.

‘Lacey,’ he said in a low, cracked voice, ‘it’s good to see you. You’re a sight for sore eyes.’

‘I think I’ll take that literally,’ she murmured, noting the grey circles round his eyes and the general sunken appearance of his skin. ‘What have you been doing to yourself?’ She could see from the monitors that his blood pressure was high, and his heart rate was a lot faster than it ought to be.

‘I got lost,’ he said. ‘There was no water, and my phone battery failed. I feel so stupid.’ There was a breathless, weary quality to his voice, and she knew that she shouldn’t tire him by asking too many questions.

‘Well, at least you’re safe now,’ she murmured. ‘I’m a little concerned about some of your symptoms, though. You told me some time ago that you had been having palpitations, and your ECG shows that your heart is going at full tilt right now, even after the medication Dr Mayfield gave you. I think we need to find out what’s going on, so I’d like to run some tests.’

After resting in bed for the last hour or so, his symptoms should have begun to subside by now, but that clearly wasn’t happening. She gave him a thoughtful, assessing glance. ‘Perhaps I ought to leave you to rest. You don’t look as though you’re in any fit state to be talking.’

He frowned. ‘Stay awhile. Do you have time to sit with me for a bit? I know you must have other patients to see.’

‘Of course I can stay. There’s nothing urgent to drag me away for a while.’ She pulled up a chair beside his bed and placed her hand over his. ‘Do your parents know that you’re here? Do you want me to get in touch with anyone?’

‘They’re coming over. I think it took a while to contact them because they were out of town.’ He studied her fleetingly. ‘Florida suits you,’ he said. ‘I always thought you would do well out here.’ He took a deep breath in order to gather strength and then added, ‘How are you getting on with Jake? I’m assuming you’ve met?’

‘Oh, yes, we’ve met.’ Her lips made an odd shape. ‘I can’t quite make him out. He seems to enjoy a very relaxed way of life, and even though he talks about business meetings, I’ve no idea what he does for a living.’

‘Nothing, right now, I guess.’ Rob’s mouth made a cynical line. ‘He likes to party…and I mean parties…every month or so…big affairs, with his wealthy friends. He spends the rest of his time snorkelling, scubadiving, or sunbathing on board his yacht.’

Lacey’s eyes widened. ‘All the time?’

He nodded. ‘There are maybe one or two business meetings thrown in from time to time. Perhaps he just feels he doesn’t need to do anything more.’

Lacey shook her head. ‘I imagine that could be fun for a while, but I’m not sure I could live like that all the time. My work’s important to me. I’d need to do something more fulfilling with my life than sit around endlessly soaking up the sun.’

‘I’m with you on that. Though, right now, lazing around sounds like the ideal occupation for me.’ He made an attempt to smile, and she knew he was battling extreme fatigue.

She looked at him with concern. ‘I’ve tired you out…I knew I shouldn’t have sat down here and let you talk.’

‘No.’ Rob’s breathing was ragged. ‘I’m glad you agreed to stay. I’m only telling you these things because I know he’ll make a play for you—it’s the way he is—and I don’t want you to get hurt. He was asking a lot of questions about you even before you came down here.’

‘Thanks, Rob, but I’m all grown up now,’ she said with a smile. ‘And I’m more than cautious where men are concerned. You don’t need to worry about me.’

He reached for her arm and gave her a cautionary squeeze. ‘Even so…you take care, Lacey. You’re a gentle soul, and you’ve been through the mill lately. You deserve better.’ His breathing became increasingly ragged, and Lacey saw that the heart monitor showed a rising, thundering rhythm.

‘Perhaps you shouldn’t talk any more,’ she told him, getting to her feet. ‘I’m going to give you an injection of something to slow your heart rate down, and then I’ll go and organise the tests. The consultant will come along and see you once we have the results.’

‘Okay.’ Rob closed his eyes momentarily, clearly worn out by sharing those revelations with her.

Lacey went to prepare the injection, and once she had administered it she waited a while to gauge its effect. When Rob’s heart and blood pressure rate began to drop, she felt able to leave him in the care of the nurse.

‘I’ll go and order an echocardiograph,’ she told Emma. ‘I’ve a feeling we might need to implant a device to regulate his heartbeat, so I’ll ask the consultant to come and take a look at him.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘It’s probably too late to bring him here now, but first thing in the morning would be good.’

Emma nodded. ‘I’ll take care of him in the meantime. Any changes and I’ll let you know.’

‘Thanks, Emma.’

Lacey wrote up a form for the technician and made arrangements for Rob to undergo the testing of his heart activity. Only when all those wheels were in motion did she stop and give some thought to what she had learned about her new neighbour.

No wonder Rob had his reservations about Jake. Rob had no time for the ‘idle rich’, as he called them, but Lacey’s curiosity had been piqued.

Was Jake just out for a good time, taking life as he found it, and living it to the hilt?

And why did it bother her so much to think that a man with such charisma might be just an empty shell?

Chapter Three

LACEY stretched, trying to ease away the stiffness in her shoulders. Now that her first shift at the hospital had come to an end and she parked her car in the garage, she was left with mixed feelings about the experience. It had been an eventful day, overall, and perhaps not quite what she had expected.

Meeting so many new colleagues had been a good thing. She had even managed to overcome the difficulties of working for a medical service that was different from anything she had known back home…But coming across one of her dearest friends lying ill in a hospital bed had been a huge shock.

That was the worst part of the day, the one that left her troubled and out of sorts, so that by now the muscles in her neck were knotted with tension.

She slid out of the car and went towards the front of the house. Darkness had fallen some time ago, and in the distance she could see that Jake’s house was ablaze with light—it was coming from the windows, the open doors, and even the patio areas were bathed in gold. Soft music floated on the air, a lilting Caribbean rhythm, and it sounded as though the music was live, coming from an authentic steel band. She heard the occasional burst of laughter—obviously his party was in full swing.

She didn’t stop to listen for long, though. More than anything, she needed to unwind, and perhaps the best way to do that would be to soak in a scented bath for a while, and let the warm water soothe her aching body.

She went upstairs, ran the water into the tub and added a silky essence that produced a satisfying blanket of foam.

When she came out of the bathroom some half an hour later, she felt much more refreshed. She had put on soft cotton shorts and teamed them with a loose, button-through shirt that skimmed her hips and floated somewhere around mid-thigh. It wasn’t exactly nightwear, but the material was soft and comfortable and it felt good next to her skin.

The music was still drifting on the night air, and she wandered restlessly about the kitchen. What was going on at Jake’s house—what were his friends like? Was there some woman there who was particularly close to him? She cut that thought off at the root. She didn’t care what Jake was up to…not really…It was just that her restless mind was busy mulling things over.

The night was still warm, and even though she was tired, she knew she wouldn’t sleep. Instead, she poured herself a long glass of iced juice and wandered out to the dock area at the front of the house. It always calmed her to lean on the rail and look down at the water.

A few minutes later, she was disturbed by a soft footfall, the faintest rasp of leather on paving, and a shadow loomed beside her. ‘You look sad,’ Jake murmured, coming to join her at the rail.

‘Oh!’ Lacey jumped. Where had he come from? He had appeared like a phantom out of nowhere. The iced clinked in her glass and she spilled some of the contents over the deck rail. She stared at him open-mouthed. ‘That’s the second time you’ve done that to me,’ she said crossly. ‘You have to stop sneaking up on me that way. One of these days you could give me a heart attack.’

‘Nah—you’re way too young for that,’ he said, giving her an apologetic but altogether insincere smile. ‘I didn’t mean to startle you, though. As to sneaking…I’m pleading not guilty. I saw you out on the dock and decided to pay you a visit. I walked along the path in full view of anyone who cared to look, but you were so deep in thought you obviously didn’t notice me.’ He studied her reaction. ‘Perhaps next time I’ll hum a few lines of, “Hey-ho, here I come again”.’

She tried to glower at him, but his resolute cheerfulness had the better of her, and she grudgingly gave in, her face relaxing a fraction. ‘A warning would be great,’ she agreed, ‘but you really don’t have to sing. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.’

He chuckled. ‘It sounds as though you’re not in the best of moods.’ Sobering, he asked, ‘So how did your day go? Was it tough? We all know the emergency room can be hell on earth at times…and that’s not only as far as the patients are concerned.’

‘That’s true,’ she acknowledged, ‘but it wasn’t like that for me today. Everyone was doing their best to make me feel at home, and that helped to make it a really good experience. It’s just that I discovered what had happened to Rob—the reason why he didn’t come home. He was admitted to hospital earlier today.’

Jake frowned, leaning against the rail beside her. ‘I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?’

She told him the story, adding, ‘I spoke to the consultant briefly, and he said that he’ll come and have a look at him tomorrow and review all the tests. Because Rob has had several instances of collapse, he’s thinking of implanting a monitoring device in his chest. It’s very new technology—wireless, so that the consultant knows what’s going on with his heart at any time and can use the information downloaded to his computer system to diagnose what exactly is causing the problem. If the patient starts to show dangerous symptoms the monitoring device will alert him and allow him to start or change treatment accordingly.’

Jake gave her a thoughtful look. ‘It seems that everything possible is being done for him. Doesn’t that make you feel any better?’

‘I suppose it should.’ Her mouth turned down at the corners. ‘It’s just that I’m not used to seeing Rob helpless like that. He’s always been an outdoors kind of man, for ever on the move, wanting to keep busy and get the most out of life.’

Jake draped an arm lightly around her shoulders in a gesture of sympathy. ‘I’m sure he’s in good hands. They have an excellent treatment record at Bay View, and the consultant will do everything that’s necessary to turn his condition around.’

‘I know.’ The words came out in a muffled tone. She was conscious of the heat from his arm gently seeping into her, and as he moved closer, she felt the brush of his long body next to hers. It was a good feeling, that warmth of human contact, and it occurred to her that it had been a long time since she had known such tenderness. She had a strange yearning to lean against him, to have him hold her and comfort her, but that would never do, would it?

This was Jake, a man she had known for barely two weeks, and instinct told her that she ought to be keeping him at arm’s length. It was a pity her heart wasn’t listening. Instead, it was beating out its own erratic rhythm, and seemed to be recklessly bent on overriding common sense.

A soft breeze stirred the air, and she looked out over the water. Moonlight glittered on its surface, beautiful in its serenity.

‘Are you cold?’ Jake asked, and she was suddenly reminded that they were standing out here on the dock, with her wearing little more than a cotton shift.

She shook her head. ‘No, but I should go and put something on—a robe, or something.’

His mouth curved. ‘You don’t need to do that on my account. I’m perfectly happy for you to stay as you are…You feel very soft and cuddlesome to me, and you look like an angel, a dazzling, white angel who makes the moonbeams dance on the water.’ His eyes gleamed in the darkness. ‘Which reminds me…I came here to ask if you would come and join the party…There’s dancing, friendly people, and lots of good food and drink to warm your soul.’ He looked at her intently. ‘What do you say? Will you come?’

She shook her head. ‘I can’t. It’s late…I’m not dressed.’

‘Late doesn’t matter, does it? After all, you don’t have to be at work till lunchtime tomorrow, do you? You said you were on the late shift all week. And as to being dressed, much as it goes against the grain to suggest altering what’s perfect already, we could soon rectify that, couldn’t we?’

He started to turn her around, and began to walk her towards the house. ‘It really doesn’t matter what you wear. You’ll look gorgeous in anything, so choose whatever takes your fancy—maybe something cool and partyish.’

‘I haven’t said I’ll come to your party,’ she objected huskily as he urged her into the house, his arm still draped around her shoulders.

‘Then I’ll stay here with you and abandon my guests for even longer than I have done already. It will be all your fault when they say I’m a bad host.’

She gave him a look from under her lashes. ‘Am I supposed to worry about that? Your problem is, you haven’t learned to take no for an answer.’

He nodded. ‘You’re absolutely right.’ He halted at the foot of the stairs, leaning negligently against the newel post. ‘So what’s it to be? Am I staying the night?’ He paused, reflecting on that for a while. ‘Actually, come to think of it, it seems to me that’s much the better option.’ Flame darted wickedly in his eyes.

‘Oh, you’re impossible.’ She turned away from him and started up the stairs, but then she swivelled around and held out a forbidding hand as he made to follow her. ‘You stay there,’ she told him.

‘Are you sure?’ He gave her an innocent, wide-eyed look. ‘I thought you might need some help deciding what to wear.’

‘I’m quite sure.’ Her blue eyes sparked a warning, and this time he paid heed, holding up his hands in mock submission.

‘Okay, okay. I get the message.’

‘That’s good.’

Lacey started to climb the stairs once more, but in the background she heard his plaintive voice muttering, ‘She doesn’t like me a bit…She doesn’t trust me…yet here I am, innocent as the day…’

‘Innocent as an alligator on the prowl,’ she retorted without looking back, and was rewarded with a soft splutter of laughter.

She dressed quickly in a simple, pencil-line dress made of a soft jersey fabric that clung to her figure like a second skin. She felt good in this dress. In delicate shades of blue, it enhanced the colour of her eyes, and lent her confidence. It had a V neckline and was waist cinching, and the bodice was embellished with a smattering of sparkling diamanté.

When she went back downstairs just a few minutes later, she found Jake was waiting for her in the hall. As she approached, he simply stared at her, an arrested look in his eyes, as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He gave a soft gasp of appreciation.

‘You look fantastic,’ he said, his gaze drifting over her. ‘Like the girl of my dreams…I want to scoop you up and keep you all to myself.’

‘Sorry. That’s not an option.’ She smiled. ‘Besides, you said yourself that your guests will be wondering what’s happened to you.’

‘Maybe…but I left the caterers in charge. They’ll see to it that no one goes hungry or without a drink.’ He was still gazing at her in an enthralled fashion. ‘Perhaps the party was a bad idea. It would be so much easier to get to know you better if we were to stay here.’

‘On your way, neighbour,’ she told him in a firm voice. ‘You railroaded me into this, and you promised me food and drink…Besides, I have to confess I’m dying to see what your house is like inside. What I’ve seen from a distance looks magnificent, like a millionaire’s retreat…all those different elevations and those landscaped acres. Even the pale sunshine colouring looks good, with the white deck rails and tiled roofs and awnings. I’m intrigued to know what the rest of it looks like.’

‘Then it will be my pleasure to show it to you,’ he said. ‘Though I don’t think you need to feel envious in any way. The place you have here is just lovely—a lot smaller than mine, I grant you, but perfect for a couple, maybe, with a small family.’

He sent her a glance as they left the house and started out along the dock. ‘Have you thought about selling up and finding yourself another place nearer to the hospital, or closer to your sister? I mean, you have no real reason to stay on here, do you? And Rob said you were hoping to meet up with your sister again soon.’

Her brow knotted. ‘No, I hadn’t thought about it at all. I’m still coming to terms with the move out here, and this was the natural choice of where to stay.’

He nodded. ‘I can see how you would need time to acclimatise yourself. But if you ever do decide you want to sell up, I would give you a good price for the property.’

She looked at him in astonishment. ‘Why on earth would you want to buy the place? Don’t you have enough room to rattle about in already?’

He smiled. ‘It’s more about the land…I’d like to extend the dock, and build a marine basin…And then there’s the orange grove at the back of the property. I already grow oranges, limes and grapefruit, but with your land added to mine I could do it on a commercial basis. There’s always a market for fresh fruit or fruit juices.’

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