From the moment they met, fighting together to save two young lives, Dr. Ally McGuire and Dr. Sean Nicholson were and explosive team! Sean was keen to follow his up out of surgery hours, but while he didn’t want commitment of any kind, Ally knew she could never settle for a brief affair. Neither was prepared to risk falling in love…until, after one unexpected night of passion, Ally became pregnant…

Worth the Risk

Sarah Morgan

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Table of Contents

Cover

Back Cover Copy

Title Page

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

Copyright Page

CHAPTER ONE

ALLY was cold.

Last night, curled up with a hot chocolate in front of a cosy, flickering fire, a walk in the mountains had seemed like a good idea. Solitary. Invigorating. Good for the soul. Something she rarely had time for any more. The weather forecast had predicted a clear, fine day…

Tugging her hat further down over her ears to keep out the rising wind, she scowled at the swirling mist. How did the weatherman get away with it? If she ever got a diagnosis that wrong she’d be struck off!

With a resigned shrug she put her fingers in her mouth and gave a shrill whistle, bracing herself as a ball of fur streaked through the mist and skidded to a halt in front of her, tail wagging.

‘This was a stupid idea!’ She rammed her fingers back inside the glove before they froze, and glared at the dog. ‘I don’t know what you’re looking so pleased about—I’m in the last stages of hypothermia. Let’s call it a day.’

Dropping her hand to give him a quick pat, she turned on her heel and then stopped dead, every muscle in her body frozen into stillness. The dog growled.

‘Did you hear something, too?’ She listened again, straining her ears to pick out the sound again.

Nothing. Just the wind gusting more heavily by the minute.

Hesitation showing on her delicate features, Ally turned her head to gaze back up the path. It had come from the ghyll, a deep ravine plunging hundreds of feet down towards the valley floor.

Just the wind? Or a cry for help?

Her fingers tickled the dog’s ears. ‘It’s probably nothing, but we’d better just check. We’ll go higher up where the path is better.’

Down here the path was so badly eroded that going too close to the edge would be a quick route down to the bottom.

Her decision made, she turned on her heel and snapped her fingers at the dog, who fell into step behind her, tongue lolling. She stopped at the curve in the path and rubbed the dampness away from her face before dropping to her knees, inching as close to the vertiginous drop as she dared.

‘Are you crazy?’

Hard male fingers bit into her shoulder and wrenched her back from the edge, leaving her spread-eagled on the stony path.

Her heart galloping with shock, Ally closed her eyes briefly and then opened them again to find herself staring at a pair of long, powerful legs. Blinking several times, her eyes moved slowly upwards, past broad shoulders, past a chunky polo—which brushed a rough jawline, and finally clashed with a pair of dark, very angry eyes.

Very angry indeed. With her?

Her heart still thumping, she scrambled to her feet, ignoring his outstretched hand. No way was she going to be on the receiving end of that grip twice in one day! The man obviously didn’t know his own strength.

‘What the hell were you doing?’ His sharp question made her lift her chin defensively.

‘What did you think I was doing?’ Surely it was obvious?

‘Contemplating suicide?’

‘Oh, don’t be ridiculous!’ Ally gave him an impatient look and brushed some stones from her knees. ‘I thought I heard someone shout.’

Smooth, dark eyebrows rose. ‘So you thought you’d dive head first over the edge to investigate?’

‘I wasn’t anywhere near the edge—’

Strong fingers clamped around her wrist and jerked her back towards the head-spinning drop.

‘See that?’ He gestured with his head, a muscle working in his lean cheek as his eyes blazed into hers. ‘This path is crumbling. You were seconds away from joining them at the bottom of the mountain.’

She tugged at her wrist. ‘It’s fine here. The National Trust have—’ She broke off as his words registered. ‘You said them! So you heard something, too?’

He gave a grim nod and released her, swinging a large rucksack off his back. ‘There are two boys in trouble. They were scrambling in the ghyll.’

‘Scrambling?’ Ally’s voice rang with disbelief. ‘But we’ve had ten inches of rain in these fells since Monday. That ghyll is a difficult scramble at the best of times, but when it’s been raining it’s lethal. Were they roped up?’

He unclipped the top of his rucksack with gloved fingers, tugging the collar of his jacket higher to keep out the wind. ‘They’re just kids. I doubt they’ve even got a waterproof between them.’

‘Oh, no!’ Ally bit her lip and glanced anxiously towards the edge. ‘We need to get help for them fast.’

‘We do indeed.’ He glanced up from the rucksack and studied her, those dark eyes sweeping every inch of her face and body before lingering on the logo of her quality weatherproof jacket.

She shifted uncomfortably. Something about those eyes made her feel suddenly gauche and tongue-tied. Like an eighteen-year-old student instead of a twenty-eight-year-old doctor with responsibilities. He had gorgeous eyes. Male eyes. Eyes you could stare into and lose yourself.

She blinked. ‘We need to contact the mountain rescue team. I didn’t bring a mobile phone.’

‘I did, but there’s no signal. I already tried.’ He straightened and wiped a hand across his forehead. ‘You and your party need to go down to the bottom and use a land-line.’

‘And what will you do?’

He turned his attention back to the rucksack. ‘Get down into that ravine and do what I can for them until help arrives.’

Ally stared at him. ‘On your own?’

‘You want me to take the sheep, too?’

Ally gritted her teeth. ‘I’m suggesting that it might be wiser to wait for the mountain rescue team.’

‘They’ll take too long.’ He delved into the rucksack and dragged out a coiled rope. ‘The way those boys were equipped they’ll die of hypothermia before you even make the phone call.’

Ally rubbed a hand over her numbed cheeks. The temperature was dropping fast. ‘It’s too dangerous. You can’t climb down there on your own.’

‘You have a better idea?’

She hadn’t, not that he was exactly interested in her opinion anyway. He was too busy preparing for the descent into the ghyll, seemingly indifferent to the physical challenge it presented. Her heart missed a beat as he tugged off his hat and stuffed it into the top of his rucksack. He was heart-stoppingly handsome. Jet black hair cropped short and a firm mouth and jaw that was overwhelmingly male. For a moment Ally just stared. Then she shook herself and frowned instead. Why was she staring? She never stared at men. Never. Especially not handsome ones. They were bad news.

‘I think what you’re planning is really dangerous. How can you be so calm?’

‘You’d prefer me to panic?’

The dry amusement in his tone made her flush slightly and she wrapped her arms around her body and looked at the threatening profile of the mountains. The weather was getting worse. Much worse.

‘You’re taking a huge risk.’

He rammed a helmet onto his head and glanced at the sky, assessing the weather. ‘As long as the wind doesn’t get any stronger it should be fine, although there’s no way the RAF will be able to scramble a helicopter. If necessary we’ll have to stretcher him off.’

Ally nodded. ‘OK. Well, I’ll wait until I know you’re safely down—that way you can give me an idea of their condition before I contact the mountain rescue team.’

He gave a brief nod. ‘That makes sense. Where are the rest of your party?’

Ally shifted slightly. ‘I’m not in a party…’

There was an ominous silence. ‘You’re walking alone? In this weather?’

Her eyes avoided his. ‘Yes, but I—’

‘You crazy, irresponsible woman!’ His gloved hand captured her chin and forced her to meet his incredulous gaze. ‘You’re walking on your own in the mountains in the middle of winter? You must be nuts!’

Her eyes flashed angrily and she jerked her chin away from his hand. ‘Don’t be a hypocrite! You’re walking on your own, too, remember? And you’re about to abseil down a rock on your own, so don’t lecture me about safety!’

His jaw tightened. ‘That’s entirely different.’

Ally’s chin lifted and her eyes clashed with his. ‘Because you’re a man and I’m a woman, I suppose?’

Anger blazed in his eyes and then suddenly faded and he gave her a sheepish smile that did strange things to her insides. ‘Something like that.’

Ally swallowed hard. If he was handsome when he was angry then he was devastating when he smiled. The rapid transformation from macho condemnation to self-deprecating humour was as surprising as it was attractive.

She pulled herself together and glared at him. ‘Has anyone ever told you you’re a chauvinist?’

‘Repeatedly.’ His soft laugh warmed her insides. ‘I just happen to think it isn’t safe for a woman to be up in these mountains on her own. The weather is unpredictable and the world is full of perverts.’

‘I’m equipped for bad weather and I have a dog to take care of perverts.’ Ally stamped her feet to keep warm and met his gaze squarely. ‘So when you’ve finished indulging your prejudices perhaps we can finish working out a rescue plan.’

‘I have worked out a rescue plan.’ He hefted a rope, his mind obviously back on the job in hand. ‘But I hadn’t banked on you being on your own.’

‘Why does that make a difference?’

‘Because I was hoping for reinforcements, and one woman on her own is not reinforcements.’

Ally bristled defensively. ‘What am I, then?’

‘Frankly?’ His mouth twisted into a wry smile. ‘A liability.’

‘A liability?’ She gaped at him and he shrugged without a trace of apology.

‘I don’t need a dizzy blonde distracting me when I’m supposed to be concentrating. It’s the same reason I don’t believe women should be in the army. Men always have protective feelings towards them and that affects the job.’

Dizzy? Stunned into silence, Ally opened her mouth and closed it again. Her voice seemed to have given up the ghost. She tried again. ‘Feel free to stifle your protective feelings. I don’t need them.’

He shrugged. ‘Well, like it or not, you’ve got them. And you’re not going down this mountain on your own.’

She couldn’t believe she was hearing this. ‘I’ve been walking in these mountains on my own since my teens and I’ve never come to any harm.’

He glanced up, his eyes hard. ‘Then you’ve been lucky. If you want to walk, join the Ramblers Association.’

‘The Ramblers…’ She broke off and her small chin lifted angrily. ‘How dare you make judgements when you don’t know anything about me? Dammit, you don’t even know I’m blonde!’

His gaze lifted briefly to the wool hat, which successfully hid all traces of her hair colour and then rested on her face.

‘I do know you’re blonde.’ His eyes smiled into hers for a brief moment. ‘I’m a connoisseur of blondes. Only true blondes have eyes the colour of violets.’

A connoisseur of blondes?

‘And being a blonde makes me dizzy?’ Her whole body was tingling with outrage and something else she chose not to identify. ‘You are the most chauvinistic, misogynistic, prejudiced male—’

‘And I like you, too.’ He smiled complacently and then turned to look at the ravine, totally dismissive of her words, his mind obviously working on the problem ahead. How to evacuate the boys.

‘Look.’ She took a deep breath and deliberately made her tone conciliatory. ‘I may be a woman but I do know these mountains and I can help—believe me.’

Judging from the look he gave her, he didn’t. ‘At a guess you’re five feet nothing and eight stone. The chances of you being able to deploy any muscle to save those guys down there is remote.’

‘Mountain rescue isn’t about muscle.’ Her fists clenched by her sides.

‘No?’ He tilted his head, his eyes hard. ‘Didn’t you say the water level is high at the moment? What if one of them has fallen into a dangerous position and needs to be moved to save his life? Good at lifting bulky teenagers, are you?’

Ally counted to ten. It wasn’t enough so she tried twenty. ‘Well, as you rightly said, someone needs to go for help, so once you give me a brief on their condition I’ll alert mountain rescue.’

With a short laugh he turned his attention back to the rope. ‘You’re not going anywhere. The wind is getting worse, the path is barely visible and you’re going down this mountain on your own over my dead body.’

Ally ground her teeth. The thought was actually quite attractive! ‘I came up it on my own.’

‘Ever heard the saying, Two wrongs don’t make a right?’ He tugged off a glove to get a better grip on what he was doing.

Ally ignored his tone and scanned the items he’d laid on the ground. ‘If you’re really planning to abseil down to them this isn’t the best place.’

He muttered something rude under his breath. ‘You’re trying to give me an abseiling lesson?’

‘Yes.’ She forced herself to hold his stare, refusing to be intimidated by his dry, forbidding tone. Obviously he thought she couldn’t teach him anything, and his arrogance made her grind her teeth in frustration. Except that something told her that, however difficult the abseil, this man would manage it. He was supremely confident, very fit and, judging from the equipment he was pulling out of his rucksack, he obviously knew exactly what he was doing. But he didn’t know the area like she did and it would be stupid to make the abseil more dangerous than it had to be.

‘Do it from further up the gully. There’s a six-metre waterfall directly beneath us and another one directly below that. It’s a double cascade and totally unclimbable unless it’s dry.’

He studied her in silence for a long moment, dark eyes narrowed. ‘You’re telling me you’ve abseiled into this ghyll?’

‘Amazing, isn’t it?’ Her voice was honey-sweet. ‘Even my blonde hair and blue eyes didn’t hold me back.’

He stared at her. ‘You’re saying you can abseil?’

She batted her eyelashes in a parody of a dumb blonde. ‘If I really concentrate hard I can even read and write.’

He grinned. ‘OK, OK. So maybe I jumped to conclusions—’

‘No, you?’ Ally gave him a pert look, picked up the rope and slammed it against his chest. ‘I know these mountains inside out and that ghyll is a death trap in weather like this. You need to be higher up. There are some flat rocks to the right of the falls. It’s safer there and your rope is less likely to get snagged. And for your information, I’m five feet five, not five feet—above average for a woman, actually. I just seem smaller because you’re tall. I weigh nine stone, and I may not have your volume of muscle but I’m extremely fit and more than capable of getting down this mountain in one piece and contacting the rescue services.’

Without waiting for his reply, she picked up his rucksack and trudged up the path, aware that he was close behind her.

‘Do it from here.’ She dumped his rucksack as far away from the edge as possible. ‘There’s a good place to anchor up there.’

He followed her gaze to a spiky rock above the path. ‘Are you an only child?’

Ally blinked, totally thrown by his question. ‘Sorry?’

‘You must be,’ he muttered under his breath, shaking his head and pulling a tape sling out of his rucksack.

‘Why?’ What was he talking about?

‘Because, having had you, no mother would have the nerve to put herself through the worry again,’ he said dryly. ‘Your exploits must have given her heart failure. So you must be an only child. Or the youngest.’

Ally grinned in spite of herself. ‘The youngest, actually. Shall I follow you down?’

‘Have you got a helmet?’

‘No.’

‘Then you’re staying here.’ His eyes gleamed. ‘Although, if you’ve spent your life being reckless, I don’t suppose this is exactly the time to reform you. But as you rightly said, one of us needs to go for help. If you’re sure you can do it without getting lost then that’s the best solution.’

‘Lost? Why should I get lost?’ Ally held onto her temper. Just. ‘Your opinion of women is appalling. Who on earth have you spent your life mixing with?’

‘You want a list?’ He gave her a wolfish grin and she could have bitten her tongue off. What a stupid thing to say. A man like him would have had women clawing each other to get at him since he could walk.

She changed the subject quickly, her voice crisp and businesslike. ‘You do know not to move a casualty unless it’s absolutely necessary?’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘You’d like to add a first-aid lesson to your abseiling lesson?’

She flushed. ‘I wasn’t being rude. It’s just that I’m a doctor and I thought that—’

‘A doctor?’ His eyes narrowed and she rolled her eyes.

‘Don’t tell me—you don’t think women should be doctors.’

‘Did I say that?’

He hadn’t, of course, and, judging from the strange light in his eyes, she had a nasty feeling that he was overplaying the chauvinism just to wind her up. And she was falling for it every time…

‘Just go and fetch the mountain rescue team and stop worrying.’ This time his tone was gentle. ‘I’m a doctor, too, so you can relax.’

Relax? He had to be kidding! She’d never be able to relax in his company in a million years! And he didn’t look like any doctor she’d ever met. He looked more like someone from the SAS.

She watched while he checked the anchor point once more and adjusted his helmet, before looping a rope around his body in classic abseiling style.

‘Ouch.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Not the most comfortable way of doing it.’

‘You can say that again.’ He gave her a rueful smile. ‘Unfortunately, I didn’t come out fully equipped for abseiling.’

‘Will you be OK?’

‘Oh, yes.’ He gave a short laugh. ‘My youth was as misspent as yours.’

‘Well, be careful,’ she mumbled. ‘It’s a difficult abseil.’

‘I’ll manage.’ His eyes locked with hers. ‘Are you sure you can get down the mountain safely? It goes against my better judgement to let you go alone…’

She smiled sweetly. ‘Do us both a favour and leave your better judgement down there in the gully, will you?’

Why on earth did she find him so attractive? All he needed was a loincloth and he’d be the original Stone-Age man!

‘Are you this prejudiced against all women or is it just blondes?’

He gave her a slow, sexy grin that melted her irritation faster than ice cream in a microwave. ‘Don’t misunderstand me, I’ve always been a sucker for blondes. In the right place.’

‘And no doubt that’s chained to the kitchen sink at home.’

‘Barefoot and pregnant, you mean?’ His eyes gleamed wickedly. ‘Oh, no, sweetheart. If you were mine I wouldn’t waste you in the kitchen.’

If she were his—

For a moment Ally stared into those dark eyes, seduced by the blatant interest she saw there, and then she shook herself. She wasn’t his. She wasn’t interested. She had Charlie now and they got on fine together. Life might not be exciting, but it was stable and predictable and that was what she wanted.

‘Well, remind me to leave the bedroom window open so that you don’t get stuck delivering the box of Milk Tray,’ she snapped, determined not to show him how much he flustered her. His slow smile told her that her efforts were in vain. He knew all right.

‘Humour me. Sending a woman down a mountain alone in this weather offends my notions of chivalry.’ His eyes gleamed with appreciation. ‘Even if she has got guts.’

‘Well, chivalry isn’t going to save those boys,’ Ally pointed out briskly, pulling herself together rapidly and clicking her fingers at Hero, her dog, who bounded up eagerly. ‘I’ll wait while you abseil down.’

He gave a short nod and Ally tried not to look impressed as he went over the edge like a pro. There was no doubt that he knew what he was doing. He probably would have had heart failure if he’d seen the way she used to fling herself over the edge as a child. For several long minutes she hovered anxiously and then heard his voice, faint and muffled from deep down in the ghyll.

‘I’ve got them. One of them has fractured his clavicle but he seems fine otherwise. The other is unconscious with a nasty head injury, fractured tibia and maybe a few broken ribs, judging from the way he’s lying. Go as fast as you can but be careful!’

‘Will do,’ Ally yelled, whistling to the dog as she paced down the path as quickly as she felt was safe. Would she bring the team back in time?

* * *

It took two hours for her to return with the mountain rescue team and another hour for them to stretcher the two boys out of the ravine.

Ally’s eyes widened as she recognised the first of the casualties, his arm secured in a broad sling.

‘Andy? What on earth have you been doing?’

Despite his pallor, the boy coloured and looked thoroughly embarrassed.

‘Look, we’re really, really sorry, Dr McGuire…’

Ally made a soothing noise. Now wasn’t the time to tell him off. ‘Why weren’t you roped up?’

Andy closed his eyes and shook his head, wincing with the pain. ‘We didn’t think we needed to. We judged it all wrong.’

‘Well, you can say that again,’ muttered Jack Morgan, leader of the mountain rescue team, who was co-ordinating the rescue. He threw an exasperated look in the direction of the injured youngster. ‘Who’s the other boy?’

Andy shifted on the stretcher. ‘Pete. Pete Williams.’

‘Oh, no! Not Pete!’ Ally sprinted towards the edge of the ghyll to watch the second stretcher being lifted. She’d heard via the radio communications that the team had had trouble stabilising his injuries.

She’d known Pete for years. Ever since he’d first developed diabetes. Since then he’d devoted his short life to ignoring his diabetes and trying to prove he was no different from any other young teenager by getting into one scrape after another. And now he was seriously hurt. Her heart lurched and she mentally crossed her fingers as they lifted him up. Please, let him be OK. Please.

‘He’s in a bad way—we need the air support unit, really, but the weather’s too foul. We’ll have to carry him off.’ Jack helped steady the second stretcher as they lowered it onto the hard ground. He glanced at the man who had masterminded the rescue from the bottom of the ghyll and did a double take.

‘Nicholson?’ Wide-mouthed with shock, he pushed his helmet back, a look of delight spreading across his craggy features. ‘Damn, it is you! Sean, my boy, it’s good to see you!’

Ally frowned and braced herself against a sudden gust of wind. The mist was clearing but the wind was rising steadily. ‘You know him?’

Jack grinned. ‘I do indeed. Not that I was expecting to see him. When you told me that some macho idiot had abseiled into the ghyll, I was expecting to find another crazy tourist.’

‘Oh, thanks, Jack.’ Ally closed her eyes briefly, flushing as she heard her less than complimentary description fed back to her and caught Sean’s amused glance. Oh, well, at least he wasn’t offended.

‘So how are you, Sean?’ Jack was oblivious to her embar-rassment. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Being in the wrong place at the wrong time as usual,’ Sean muttered, wrenching off one of his gloves and checking the boy over again. ‘I didn’t know you were in charge of this lot now, Jack. This lad’s in a bad way. Nasty head injury—in and out of consciousness—fractured ribs and a compound fracture of his tibia—we splinted that down below.’

‘Right.’ Jack frowned as he looked at the boy lying on the stretcher. ‘Anything else?’

‘He’s wet through from the waterfall and heading for hypothermia. His right ankle’s gone—but he was climbing in trainers so that’s hardly surprising. At a guess that’s probably why he slipped. We’ve put him in a polythene survival bag but we need to get a line in and get him off this mountain fast.’

‘Trainers? In this weather?’ Jack shook his head and exchanged a look with Sean. ‘Nothing changes, does it? The mountains are still full of blithering idiots keeping us busy. Why on earth didn’t he stay at home and watch television?’

‘It’s Wednesday. Nothing on.’ Ted Wilson, the equipment officer, grinned wryly at his team-mates, his humour ever present even in an emergency.

Ally was on her knees beside the stretcher. ‘Pete? Pete, can you hear me?’

The boy lay still, his pallor frightening.

‘You know him?’ Sean was frowning down at her and stupidly she felt tears prick her eyes. Poor, poor Pete.

‘Yes.’ She cleared her throat. ‘He’s one of my patients.’

‘Local boys?’ Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head, his look of exasperation tempered by the worry in his eyes. ‘They should know better. It’s bad enough rescuing tourists without having to start on the locals as well.’

Ally wanted to tell them that Pete was just trying to prove himself but she couldn’t break a confidence so instead she mentioned the diabetes and then invested all her energy into doing what she could to save the boy. He groaned and opened his eyes, focusing with difficulty on the people around him.

‘It’s OK, Pete.’ Ally ripped off one glove and stroked his face gently with her slim, warm fingers, before checking his pulse. At least he was conscious. ‘You’ve hurt yourself, sweetheart, but we’ll soon sort you out.’

‘Big softy is our Ally. She ought to be reading him the riot act, not holding his hand,’ Jack murmured to Sean, before picking up the radio and issuing more orders.

‘S-sorry…’ Pete winced and coughed slightly, his face contorting with pain.

Ally frowned. She didn’t like the look of him one little bit. His lips were blue and his breathing was laboured and irregular. She glanced urgently up at Sean who was discussing the best way to carry the boys off the mountain.

‘Problems?’ In an instant he was crouched down next to her, the light-hearted banter of their previous encounter gone. The self-assurance was still there, but for some reason she found that oddly reassuring. She had a very bad feeling about young Pete.

‘I can’t—’ Pete took a jerky breath and then another, and his eyes bulged with panic.

‘It’s OK, Pete. Just try and relax,’ Ally soothed, jerking her head towards two of the team members who were hovering. ‘Let’s sit him up.’

Together they carefully lifted him into a sitting position so that he could breathe more easily and Ally looked at Sean. ‘Pneumothorax?’

Sean nodded, his mouth a grim line. ‘Could be. He’s certainly broken some ribs.’

And one of those ribs could have punctured a lung.

‘What’s happening?’ Jack was frowning and Sean rose to his feet in an easy movement, talking to Jack in low tones while Ally sat with Pete, monitoring his condition and reassuring him while he struggled with his breathing.

Gently she unzipped the top of his jacket and examined his neck, her heart sinking as she recognised the cardinal sign of pneumothorax. Giving Pete a quick smile, she stood up and joined Sean who was discussing the options with Jack.

She touched his arm, feeling the rock-hard muscle under his jacket. ‘He’s got tracheal deviation. We need to get him off this mountain fast.’

Sean shook his head, bracing himself against a sudden gust of wind. ‘No way. It’s compromising his breathing. If we could arrange an air evacuation then maybe we could risk leaving it, but as it is—’ He broke off and gave a shrug. ‘It’s going to be a long and difficult carry off, and he’s not going to make it unless we sort his breathing out.’

Jack frowned. ‘So what do you suggest?’

‘We’ll have to put in a chest drain.’ Sean gestured to the team members carrying the medical equipment.

‘We carry a disposable chest drain,’ Jack informed him quickly. ‘It’s just that we’ve never seen it used before.’

Sean gave a humourless laugh. ‘Well, stick around—this is your lucky day.’

‘What else do you need?’ Jack was the epitome of professionalism, demonstrating with his quiet calm just how he’d managed to mastermind so many successful rescues over the years.

‘Local anaesthetic and scalpel.’

Ally caught Sean’s arm again, her expression urgent. ‘Sean, you can’t! It’s too risky to put in a chest drain here.’

‘You have a better suggestion?’ Sean removed his thick protective gloves and flexed long, strong fingers.

‘Not really.’ Ally bit her lip and glanced anxiously at Pete, who was lying with his eyes closed, a bluish tinge surrounding his lips. ‘But we’re half way up a mountain—he might die…’

Sean moved her to one side and took some anaesthetic from one of the team. ‘And if we do nothing he will almost certainly die. His breathing is becoming more compromised by the minute. Look at him.’

‘But it’s an emergency technique.’

Sean gave her a half-smile and unsheathed the needle. ‘And this is an emergency.’

Ally watched him stride confidently over to Pete and tried to squash her anxiety. Maybe Sean was right. Maybe they had no choice.

She walked back to Pete and knelt beside him, smiling with a confidence she was far from feeling. Would Sean be able to do this?

‘Leave him as much clothing as you can,’ Sean ordered in an undertone. ‘He’s already colder than he should be.’

Carefully Ally removed Pete’s jacket, watching Sean out of the corner of her eye as he snapped on sterile gloves.

‘Jack, have you got strong scissors?’

They were slapped into her hand without question and as quickly as she could she cut through the fabric of Pete’s jumper and shirt, exposing a small area of his ribs.

‘Good thinking.’ Sean was next to her, positioning himself to give the local anaesthetic. ‘He’ll stay warmer that way. Jack, I need high-flow oxygen here.’

‘On its way.’ Jack handed the mask to Sean and hovered, watching over his shoulder. ‘Do you want Entonox?’

Ally shook her head quickly and shifted to give Sean elbow room. ‘No. Never in this sort of chest injury. It can turn a pneumothorax into a tension pneumothorax. What else have you got?’

‘I’ll look.’ Jack vanished and returned in less than a minute with a syringe which he slapped into her rapidly freezing fingers. ‘Any good?’

Ally scanned the label. ‘Fine.’

‘Tell us what you’re doing, will you, Sean?’ Jack stood behind Sean, squinting down at the younger man. ‘We haven’t seen this done before.’

Neither had Ally. At least, not since her casualty days years before, and never halfway up a mountain in a howling gale. She was a GP, for goodness’ sake, not a trauma doctor. And what was Sean’s specialty? He didn’t seem at all nervous but, then, he didn’t seem to be the sort of man who would ever be nervous about anything. His hands were rock steady and his manner totally relaxed, although Ally wasn’t fooled. The man was working fast and with a skill that left her open-mouthed with awe.

‘OK, he’s had pain relief.’ Ally handed the empty syringe to one of the team and flexed her fingers quickly to warm them. ‘I’ll get a line in while the anaesthetic works.’

Sean nodded approval and Ally reached out a hand for a venflon. Her fingers were stiff with cold and she seriously doubted she’d find a vein with Pete this cold. Still, maybe… She frowned down at his arm.

‘Squeeze there for me, Jack.’

Jack’s hands closed like a vice and she flicked the skin and mentally crossed her fingers. The cannula slid into the vein and she released her breath. Thank goodness.

Sean gave her a brief smile. ‘Well done. Now get your gloves back on before your hands freeze. OK, I’ve given local anaesthetic and I’ve prepared a sterile field. God, it’s cold! I’m going to make a small incision here. You’re doing well, Pete—this will help you breathe.’

Ally watched as he used the scalpel with quick precision and then inserted his gloved finger into the incision.

Jack hunkered down next to her, his voice soft. ‘What’s he doing that for?’

‘To check that part of the lung isn’t stuck to the chest wall,’ Ally replied in an undertone, squeezing Pete’s hand gently.

‘That’s fine,’ Sean said quietly, and pushed the tube with just the required amount of force. ‘I’m in. That should do it.’

Ally released the clamp.

‘Cough for us, Pete,’ Ally instructed gently, watching as air bubbled up through the fluid in the bottom of the drain.

‘Bingo,’ Sean muttered softly, rising to his feet in an easy movement and gesturing to Jack. ‘That drain must be kept below the level of the lungs. If it goes any higher then the fluid drains back into his lungs and we’re in trouble.’

Jack gave a brief nod, his expression grim. ‘No problem. One of the lads can carry the drip and the other can carry the drain. Good work, Sean.’

Ally finished taping the drain securely and listened to Pete’s chest, smiling with satisfaction at what she heard. Jack was right—Sean had done good work. And judging from his quiet confidence, he’d done the procedure many times before, but surely not in circumstances as difficult as these?

He caught her glance and raised an eyebrow. ‘What?’

Her eyes teased him with a mixture of humour and admiration. ‘I don’t know what sort of doctor you are but I’d hazard a guess that you’re not an obstetrician.’

‘You don’t think I can deliver a baby?’

Ally had to admit that the man would probably succeed at anything he set his hand to. ‘Well, that was pretty impressive, Dr Nicholson.’

‘For a macho idiot, you mean?’ His teasing drawl made her blush.

‘I admit that my first impression of you was wrong—but you called me a dizzy blonde.’

‘So I did.’ His smile faded and his gaze was intent. ‘And I was wrong about that, too, wasn’t I? So maybe we’re quits.’

Ally shifted under his watchful scrutiny, suddenly aware of every female part of herself. She’d never met a man who made her feel more like a woman than Sean did. To cover her awkwardness she concentrated on making Pete comfortable, aware that Sean was still watching her while the mountain rescue team made the final preparations for their descent.

‘You made good time down that mountain. The mist was awful—I thought you might get lost.’

Jack glanced curiously from one to the other and gave a short laugh. ‘Lost? Our Ally? You have to be kidding! She used to be our best team member until—’

‘We’re ready when you are, Jack,’ Ally interrupted quickly, reluctant to have the details of her private life broadcast to this stranger.

Sean gave her a sharp look. ‘You were in the mountain rescue team?’

Ally’s eyes challenged him. ‘They do take blondes, you know.’

Sean’s eyes gleamed with appreciation but he carried on dealing with the patient, skilfully preparing him for the arduous trip down the mountain.

Jack snorted. ‘Ally was in the team for more than a while. She knows these fells like you know the inside of a beer can. She wouldn’t get lost if you put her head in a bag.’

‘Now, there’s an idea for keeping her quiet,’ Sean said dryly, tugging on his gloves and yanking his Balaclava back down over his face. ‘OK, folks, let’s get these guys off this mountain.’

CHAPTER TWO

IT TOOK the best part of an hour before they reached the waiting ambulance. Ally and Sean supervised as the stretchers were lifted into the vehicles.

Risking a surreptitious glance at Sean, Ally’s eyes skimmed his hard, male profile, resting for a moment on the strong nose and dark jaw.

‘Good-looking devil, isn’t he?’ Jack shot her a knowing grin and she gave him what she hoped was a casual smile as they moved away from the ambulance.

‘If you like Milk Tray.’

Jack looked baffled. ‘What’s Milk Tray got to do with it?’

Ally’s cheeks dimpled into an impish grin. ‘You know, man dives under water, scales mountains, leaps off cliffs and all because the lady loves…remember?’

Jack grinned. ‘Oh, right. Yes, that’s our Sean. Women usually can’t leave him alone.’

She could well believe it. There surely wasn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t find Sean Nicholson attractive. Dark-fringed lashes shielded an expression of cool indifference which she’d seen change to burning anger and molten sexuality.

As if sensing her scrutiny, he turned suddenly, one dark eyebrow lifting questioningly as he caught her looking at him. Throwing a final remark to one of the team members, he strode over to them, his eyes fixed on Ally.

‘Take a hike, Jack.’ It was a quiet order and Jack glanced curiously at the two of them before strolling back to his colleagues, whistling softly.

Ally’s heart thudded. Why on earth had she been stupid enough to get caught staring like a besotted teenager?

‘So how do you know Jack?’ She huddled deeper inside her jacket, although whether for protection from the weather or Sean she wasn’t sure. He made her nervous and he knew it.

‘I don’t want to talk about Jack.’

Ally shrugged casually and concentrated on watching the ambulance. ‘So what do you want to talk about, Dr Nicholson?’

‘Us.’

Her heart stumbled and her eyes flew to his. ‘Us?’

He reached out a hand and tugged off her hat, a wry smile twisting his firm mouth as her totally unmanageable blonde curls tumbled over her shoulders.

‘So…I was half right. Blonde—but not dizzy.’

Ally took a deep breath. She was feeling pretty dizzy at that precise moment.

‘Sean—’

‘I want to see you again, Ally.’

His eyes trapped hers and her heart thudded against her ribcage. The man certainly came straight to the point. Whatever happened to ‘perhaps you might like to’ or ‘would you consider?’. But that was Sean all over, or so it seemed. What the man wanted, the man got.

She lifted her chin and feigned indifference. ‘Why? You want abseiling lessons or first-aid training?’ She used bravado to cover up how shy and uncomfortable this man made her feel, and he laughed out loud, a powerful figure, his feet planted slightly apart, shielding her from the curious glances of the rest of the mountain rescue team.

‘Neither.’ His smile curled around his insides. ‘I want you, Dr McGuire.’

Her palms were damp and her breathing was difficult. ‘And what about what I want, Dr Nicholson?’

His lazy, totally male appraisal made her heart lurch. ‘You want exactly the same as me—it’s just a question of whether you’re brave enough to admit it on such short acquaintance.’

For a moment Ally stared at him, almost hypnotised by his gaze. She didn’t want the same as him. She didn’t. She had Charlie. A safe, steady relationship with none of the fire and heat that this man poured over her.

‘You’re assuming I’m not involved with anyone.’

He stared at her for a long moment, a muscle working in that hard jaw. ‘Are you?’

‘Yes.’

‘And he lets you wander the fells on your own?’ He scowled angrily. ‘You should ditch him. No man worth his salt would allow that. He should be protecting you.’

‘Charlie doesn’t own me.’ She forced herself to hold his gaze. ‘And I don’t need protecting.’

His jaw tightened. ‘That’s a matter of opinion.’

‘Sean, we’re off!!’ Jack shouted across to them, and Sean’s mouth tightened.

‘We’ll finish this discussion another time.’

He turned on his heel and walked towards the ambulance, leaving her trembling. What did he mean, they’d finish the discussion another time? With shaking hands she pulled her hat on. She didn’t want there to be another time. She never, ever wanted to see him again. Not if she lived to be a hundred. He made her feel vulnerable and exposed. He brought all her emotions to the surface, emotions that had been hidden for a long time and needed to stay hidden. She didn’t want to be forced to confront those feelings. She had Charlie now, and life might not be exciting but it was stable and predictable and that was all she wanted. Wasn’t it?

* * *

‘Mummy, did you really save two boys?’

‘Who told you that?’ Ally sipped her tea and mentally ran through everything she had to do before surgery. Mornings were always such a rush.

‘Uncle Jack.’ The little girl pushed her arm into the cereal packet and removed a fistful of cornflakes.

‘Charlotte McGuire, that’s disgusting!’ Ally removed the packet with a frown and pushed a piece of toast towards her daughter. ‘If you’re still hungry eat some toast.’

Blue eyes clashed with hers. ‘Toast is yuck.’

Ally took a deep breath, reminding herself that mealtimes should never be a battleground. ‘You liked toast yesterday.’

‘Well, I hate it today.’ Charlie scowled and then shrugged, obviously deciding that the toast looked quite tempting. ‘OK. One piece. If you shape it like a house. Why didn’t they die?’

Calmly Ally buttered the toast and cut out windows and a door. ‘Why didn’t who die?’

‘Those boys.’ Charlie munched happily, obviously forgetting that toast was supposed to be ‘yuck’. ‘Uncle Jack told Grandma that they were lucky you happened to be there because if you hadn’t they might have died.’

‘Well, they certainly shouldn’t have been walking without the right equipment.’ Making a mental note to talk to Jack about being so graphic in front of five-year-olds, Ally picked up the rest of the breakfast things and stacked them in the sink.

‘How would they have died?’

Ally gritted her teeth. Thanks, Jack. Thanks a bunch. ‘Well, it was very cold, sweetheart, and people can die of being too cold. But they’re fine now, so why don’t you just forget about them and get ready for school?’

Charlie didn’t want to forget it. ‘Karen doesn’t always wear her coat in the playground so does that mean she could die?’

‘No, it doesn’t,’ Ally said quickly, wiping her hands on the towel. ‘It isn’t the same thing at all. The boys on the mountain were wet through from a waterfall and that made them even colder. And up in the mountains is much colder than the playground. Now then, if you don’t hurry up and clean your teeth you’re going to be late.’

Charlie slipped off the stool, skipping through the kitchen to the stairs.

Ally breathed a sigh of relief. Having a five-year-old with an enquiring mind was a mixed blessing.

She grabbed both coats and Charlie’s schoolbag, and they climbed into Ally’s little car to drive the short distance to her friend Karen’s house.

They were met at the door by Tina, Karen’s mother.

‘Hi, there!’ She gave them a bright smile and ruffled Charlie’s hair as the little girl darted past her to join her friend who was finishing breakfast in the kitchen.

Ally bit her lip and looked at her gratefully. ‘Thanks, Tina. I don’t know what I’d do without—’

‘Forget it! You know we love having her.’ Tina gave her a friendly push. ‘Get going or you’ll be late for surgery. Don’t forget our Hallowe’en party on Saturday. Are you coming?’

Ally shook her head. ‘I’m working, but Mum will bring her.’

She gave her friend a quick hug and sprinted back to her car, thinking how fortunate she was to have a good friend who was prepared to have Charlie to play every morning for the short time before school so that she herself was able to make morning surgery without being late. Her parents collected Charlie after school and looked after her until Ally finished evening surgery. Fortunately the senior partner, Will Carter, restricted her on-call responsibilities so she rarely worked evenings or weekends. All in all, the arrangements worked well, although she would have liked to be at home for Charlie more.

A feeling of sadness shot through her and she pushed it away. She had no choice about the way things were and she never had. She did the best she could in the circumstances.

She pulled into the surgery at the same time as Will.

‘Morning, beautiful! How’s that girl of yours?’

Ally rolled her eyes. ‘Too inquisitive for her own good.’

Will laughed. ‘You wait. It gets worse.’

‘Don’t tell me that!’ Ally threw him a grin. She adored Will. Nearing retirement age, he had developed a practice that the whole of Cumbria admired. Without Will she would never have survived the trauma that had surrounded Charlie’s arrival. ‘Karen Butler is having a Hallowe’en party on Saturday and they’re all dying of excitement.’

Will frowned and pushed open the health centre door for her. ‘Aren’t you working on Saturday?’

‘Yes, but it’s not a problem.’ Ally tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. ‘My mum is taking her and that’s fine by Charlie.’

‘Sure?’

Ally nodded as they walked through to the spacious reception area. ‘Quite sure, Will, but thanks for the thought.’

She knew that Will would have taken over at the drop of a hat and she didn’t want that happening. He already picked up more than enough of her workload so that she could spend as much time as possible with Charlie.

Will greeted the reception staff in his usual cheery manner and strode through to the staffroom, still talking to Ally.

‘Talking about Saturday, Tony Masters is having a dinner party and I thought—’

‘The answer’s no, Will!’ Ally interrupted immediately, knowing what was coming. The same thing that happened every time they were on their own together. Will trying to play Cupid. With the best of intentions, admittedly. ‘I know what you’re going to say, and not only do I hate dinner parties where I’m the available woman but I’m quite happy as I am. I don’t need you matchmaking.’

Will scowled and flicked the switch on the kettle. ‘Ally, you’re young and beautiful and you shouldn’t bury yourself because of Charlie.’

‘Charlie and I are fine.’ Ally shrugged off her coat and hung it up, before filling her mug and standing by the door ready to make her escape into her consulting room.

Will’s mouth tightened. ‘You’re far from fine! You don’t have a social life, apart from Charlie’s friends, I know you struggle financially because that louse—’

‘I’m independent, Will, and that’s what matters to me.’ Ally gave him a gentle smile. ‘It’s love and constancy that matter to a child, not luxuries. Charlie and I are happy. You’re much more upset about it than I am!’

‘Too right I’m upset about it,’ Will growled. ‘You should have someone to look after you.’

‘Oh, yes?’ Ally’s gentle blue eyes hardened. ‘Well, the men I meet aren’t very good at that if you remember, so now I look after both of us by myself. On my own.’

Will looked sad. ‘You deserve so much more…’

Ally’s face softened and on impulse she walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ‘You’re a lovely man, Will, but there aren’t too many like you around.’

Will stared down at her. ‘But if I knew someone—’

‘Will! Drop the subject, will you?’ She gave him an exasperated look and made for the door. Didn’t he ever take no for an answer? ‘I’m happy. Charlie is happy. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’ve got a surgery to take.’

‘OK, OK, I’m sorry.’ Will raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and smiled ruefully. ‘You can’t blame me for trying. Consider the subject dropped. Don’t go yet—I need a quick word about a patient before we start surgery.’

Ally raised an eyebrow and paused with her hand on the doorhandle. ‘One of yours or one of mine?’

‘One of yours.’ Will pulled a face. ‘I was called out to little Kelly Watson last night. She had a dreadful asthma attack.’

‘Again?’ Ally sighed and closed the door again. ‘This is the second time this month. Was she admitted?’

Will nodded and dragged a hand through his greying hair. ‘Too right she was! Her mother was in a state of total panic, which didn’t help. I spoke to the hospital today and they’re going to increase the dose of inhaled corticosteroids before they discharge her.’

Ally frowned. ‘She was on a reasonable dose—’

‘If she was taking it.’ Will stared at her, all traces of humour gone from his craggy features. ‘I don’t think she was.’

‘But why?’ Ally looked astounded. Why would a nine-year-old girl not take her medication when she knew what the complications were of not taking it? ‘She’s not exactly at the age of teenage rebellion.’

Will’s mouth twisted. ‘I don’t know. I just think that the dose she was taking should have prevented that sort of attack. Have a chat to Lucy, will you?’

Lucy Griffiths, the practice nurse, ran an asthma clinic and knew all the patients better than anyone in the practice.

Ally nodded. ‘Yes, of course. We obviously need to check her inhaler technique.’

‘Thanks, Ally. Any news on young Pete Williams, by the way?’

Ally’s eyes widened. Did everyone know? ‘How did you know about Pete?’

‘Never try and keep a secret from Uncle Will.’ Will waggled his finger and then grinned. ‘Actually, I met Jack in the Hare and Hounds last night. Sounded a pretty dramatic rescue.’

‘Yes.’ For a moment Ally’s thoughts flew to Sean Nicholson and then she frowned. Why on earth had the man got to her so badly? ‘Anyway, in answer to your question, I was planning to phone before I start surgery. I did try last night but he was still in Theatre.’

Will’s face was suddenly serious. ‘He’s a good lad.’

Ally nodded, her voice soft. ‘I know that. I’ll have a long talk with him once he’s up and about.’

‘Do that. Oh, by the way…’ He stopped her as she was about to leave, not quite meeting her eyes, ‘Join me for lunch, will you? There’s some practice business we need to discuss.’

Practice business? Ally gave a mental shrug and let the door swing closed behind her. Time enough for that later. What was happening to little Kelly Watson?

She found Lucy in the treatment room, preparing for the asthma clinic.

‘I hear we’ve got problems with Kelly.’

Lucy nodded, her pretty face serious. ‘Too right. I spoke to the registrar and he wants to increase her inhaled steroids, but I don’t think that’s the best approach, do you?’

Ally propped herself against the wall and frowned thoughtfully. ‘When did we last check her inhaler technique?’

‘Last time she had an attack.’ Lucy flipped through her records. ‘And we checked her peak flow. In fact, we went through her entire management plan. I was totally satisfied that both she and Mum understood what she had to do.’

‘Well, something’s badly wrong,’ Ally murmured, ferreting around in her mind for a solution. ‘Any ideas?’

Lucy understood the problems of the asthma patients better than anyone. ‘Well, if I had to hazard a guess I’d say it was something to do with her mother.’

‘Her mother?’ Ally’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Surely she wants her to be well?’

Lucy frowned and tapped her pen on the desk. ‘You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But she doesn’t seem very keen on increasing Kelly’s drugs.’

‘Well, that’s understandable, I suppose. No one likes taking drugs.’

‘No.’ Lucy stared at her thoughtfully and then shrugged. ‘Well, anyway, I’ll get them in and then let you know how I get on.’

‘Brilliant.’ Ally straightened and smiled. ‘Thanks, Lucy. See you later.’

Her surgery was busy, a constant stream of coughs, colds and ear infections, and halfway through she snatched a moment to phone the hospital about Pete. Hearing that his condition was now stable, she breathed a sigh of relief. She’d have a thing or two to say to him when he was discharged! In the meantime, she made a mental note to visit him and take him something to cheer him up.

Her next patient was a young woman, thirty years of age, whom Ally remembered from her recent pregnancy.

‘Hello, Jenny, how are the twins?’

Jenny Monroe smiled and rolled her eyes. ‘Hard work and getting harder. They can’t crawl yet but they’ve discovered that they can roll everywhere so I can’t leave them alone for a minute.’

‘I remember it well.’ Ally sat back in her chair and laughed, her mind scooting back to when Charlie had been that age. ‘Nightmare!’ Only it hadn’t been a nightmare. Not really. In many ways it had been wonderful, except for all the other traumas…

‘My mother’s got them for me for a few hours…’ Jenny fidgeted slightly. ‘I’ve got this thing on my leg and I’ve read so much lately about skin cancer it’s been worrying me.’

‘Let me have a look.’

Ally waited while Jenny pulled down her leggings, and then bent to examine the mole on her patient’s leg. Alarm bells rang instantly in her mind. It had a jagged, uneven edge and was a mixture of black and brown, both signs highly suggestive of malignant melanoma.

‘Are you a sunbather, Jenny?’ She rummaged in her drawer for a ruler and measured the mole carefully.

Jenny looked sheepish. ‘Well, not regularly, Dr McGuire, but I love the sun and I love to be tanned. It makes you feel better, doesn’t it?’

It depended on your skin type, Ally thought wryly. When you were very fair, as she was, it was better to stay out of the sun altogether and settle for looking pale and interesting.

Ally frowned. ‘Remind me where you work.’

‘I’m a bank clerk.’

‘And you holiday abroad?’

‘Oh, yes!’ Jenny smiled. ‘Mike and I live for our two weeks of sunshine!’

An indoor job all year round and two weeks a year sunbathing—the very worst combination.

Jenny watched her curiously. ‘Why are you measuring it?’

Ally hesitated and made a note on her pad. ‘You were quite right to come and see me, Jenny, because suspicious moles do need to be checked out.’

‘And this is suspicious?’

‘It certainly needs to come off.’

Jenny swallowed. ‘Do you think it’s cancer?’

Ally hesitated. ‘It’s impossible to say, without removing it and examining the cells under a microscope.’

‘But you think it might be, don’t you?’ Jenny probed, her eyes wide and anxious.

‘It’s possible,’ Ally admitted, ‘but we need to arrange for a specialist to remove the mole and have a proper look at it.’

‘And if it is?’ Jenny swallowed. ‘What then?’

Ally reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. ‘Jenny, it may be nothing. Why don’t we wait for the results before we discuss the options?’

Jenny took a deep breath. ‘OK. How long will I have to wait for an appointment? I won’t sleep a wink until I know…’

‘They’re very quick,’ Ally assured her, reaching for her hospital phone directory. ‘I’ll phone Mr Gordon, the plastic surgeon, today and he should see you this week.’

‘Plastic surgeon? I thought it would be a dermatologist.’

‘When it comes to removing moles it can be either. Mr Gordon is very good.’

Jenny gave her a shaky smile. ‘Well, at least I won’t have to wait long. Will I have to stay in hospital?’

Ally shook her head. ‘No. They’ll remove it under local anaesthetic as a day case and then ask you to go back for the results.’

Jenny nodded and stood up. ‘Oh, well! Nothing to do but wait, then. Thanks, Dr McGuire.’

Ally watched her go and felt suddenly depressed. She was sure the mole would turn out to be malignant, and Jenny was a young woman with two small children…

Forcing those thoughts away, she phoned Mr Gordon’s secretary and arranged for an urgent referral. Then she glanced at her watch, gasping as she saw the time. She was late for Will’s meeting.

She flicked off her computer and hurried to the staffroom, stroking her wayward blonde curls back out of her eyes. Her hair hated being tied up for work and rebelled by gradually escaping from the tidy plait she started the day with. Maybe she should have replaited it before the meeting—but, then, it was only Will and the other partners and she was already late.

‘Sorry, Will! I had two extras and—’ She broke off and froze, her eyes fixed on the man lounging in one of the easy chairs. It was Sean Nicholson, freshly shaved and wearing stylish trousers and a jacket, a look of amused satisfaction pulling at the corners of his mouth as he watched her stunned reaction.

Will was looking as pleased as Punch with himself, although he didn’t quite meet her eyes. ‘There you are, Ally! I wanted to introduce you to our new locum.’

For a moment her heart flipped and words failed her.

With a slight smile Sean intervened, his voice that same deep, lazy drawl she remembered so well. ‘We’ve met. Hello again, Ally.’

Had he known? Was that why he hadn’t pressed her for her address? Because he’d somehow known he’d be working here with her? Had Jack said something? Suddenly she felt a shaft of panic. She didn’t want to work with this man! He made her feel—feel—

‘I didn’t know you’d met—that’s excellent.’ Will was still smiling, gesturing for Ally to sit down. Her legs wouldn’t move. ‘Where did you meet?’

Ally didn’t trust the innocent look on Will’s face. And then she remembered that he’d met Jack for a drink, so he must have known about Sean…

‘We met on the fells.’ Sean was watching her closely, his dark eyes slightly narrowed. ‘She was giving me advice on my abseiling.’

Will chuckled and placed a tray of coffee on the low table. ‘I hadn’t considered how much the pair of you have in common. That’s excellent. It will make for a good working relationship.’

Good working relationship? Ally couldn’t see herself having a good relationship with this man if she lived to be a hundred. He was everything she avoided in a man. Arrogant, handsome, chauvinistic—and totally compelling. She suppressed a groan. Work with him? Never! He made her too aware of herself and the feelings she’d squashed down for so long.

Sean was still watching her closely, his eyes intent. ‘Have a sandwich, Ally.’

A sandwich? It would choke her!

‘I thought you didn’t approve of female doctors.’ Ally found her voice at last and took refuge in sarcasm as she sat down in the nearest chair with a thump. Her legs were threatening to go on strike. It was sit down or fall down. ‘Especially blonde ones.’

His appraisal was disconcertingly male. ‘On the contrary, I totally approve of female doctors, especially if they’re blonde.’

Ally ground her teeth and then caught the gleam of laughter in his eyes. Damn the man! He was winding her up again. Well, this time he wasn’t going to succeed. Determined to look relaxed, she reached for a sandwich and concentrated her attention on Will instead.

‘Sean’s agreed to help us out until we can find a replacement for Tim,’ Will said, looking more and more pleased with himself. ‘He’s just what we need in the team.’

‘Dr McGuire may disagree.’ Sean smiled slightly. ‘She thinks I’m a chauvinist pig.’

‘Well, I dare say you are a bit,’ Will said calmly. ‘All those years in the army, I suppose. But deep down women like a man to be a man.’

Ally ignored that bit. ‘In the army? You did your medicine in the army?’

‘No.’ Sean shook his head. ‘I trained after I left the army.’

She could see him in the army. Short, cropped hair and a slightly wonky nose which had obviously been on the receiving end of someone’s fist—although, from what she’d seen of Sean, the other guy would have come off worse.

‘So what’s your special interest?’

‘Trauma.’

Stupid question, Ally thought wryly, remembering his skill with Pete. That explained why he’d been so skilled and confident. And now she knew why Will wanted him.

‘He’s going to run our minor accident clinic?’

Will beamed. ‘Absolutely.’

Ally’s heart sank and then she gave a philosophical shrug. They did need someone badly and it wasn’t as if she’d have to work that closely with him.

‘Well, your trauma experience will be useful,’ she said briskly, proud of how matter-of-fact and calm she sounded. ‘We’ve been getting very busy since we agreed to see minor accidents here, instead of sending them all the way to the infirmary.’

Will nodded enthusiastically. ‘We’ll offer daytime cover for all minor emergencies, including weekends. People won’t have to travel so far—it makes for a much more comprehensive service. And you’re the perfect person.’

Sean’s eyes narrowed. ‘This is only temporary, Will…’

Will looked out of the window across the fells. ‘Of course it is.’

Sean’s mouth tightened for a moment and then he gave a short laugh. ‘You’re a manipulative old goat.’

Will smiled. ‘Absolutely. I’ll do anything to get what I want for my practice. And I want you, lad.’

‘I would have thought general practice would be a bit tame after trauma,’ Ally suggested, and Sean shrugged.

‘So did I until that rescue the other day. Now I think it might have distinct possibilities.’ He shot a warning glance at Will. ‘As a temporary measure.’

So he obviously wasn’t planning to stay for long. Thank goodness for that!

Ally sipped her coffee. ‘I phoned the hospital about Pete and he’s doing quite well.’

Sean helped himself to another sandwich. ‘More than he deserves, then, taking those sorts of risks.’

Ally thought of Pete and the problems he’d had to face in his young life, and her blood boiled. ‘Don’t judge until you know what you’re talking about,’ she said tartly. ‘People may have a good reason for taking risks.’

Like proving to themselves they could do it.

Sean shook his head, his tone cool and unemotional. ‘Those boys could have killed themselves out there.’

And, in fact, if it hadn’t been for Sean’s skill Pete would undoubtedly have died, but Ally still couldn’t bear him to make judgements about a person he didn’t know.

‘He was unlucky.’

‘He was a fool.’ Sean lobbed a crisp packet into the bin, his eyes hard. ‘He shouldn’t have been out in those conditions at all. And neither should you.’

‘I wasn’t taking risks, Dr Nicholson.’

‘No?’ His mouth tightened. ‘You’ve all the bulk of an elf and you’re roaming those hills in the middle of November on your own.’

‘It’s October,’ she said sweetly, wondering why Will looked so pleased with himself. They were arguing, for heaven’s sake! Shouldn’t he be looking worried? ‘And I don’t see how obesity would help me survive in the fells. It’s equipment and knowledge that count, not size. I know those hills and I don’t take risks. I was the one who told you the safest place to abseil, remember? Jack knew I was out walking and he had my route. I had the dog with me and I had basic survival gear.’

His jaw tightened. ‘If you were my woman I’d put a stop to it.’

Her heart tumbled in her chest and her breathing jerked.

‘Well, I’m not your woman, Dr Nicholson.’

She clamped her hands in her lap and hoped he wouldn’t see them shaking. What on earth was the matter with her? She didn’t want to be his woman. She didn’t want to be anybody’s woman. All the men she’d met in her life had just been bad news. Selfish and egotistical and, from what she’d seen, Sean was no different. Get a grip! she told herself firmly. Good-looking or not, he was still a man and that put him totally off limits. She’d had enough of men to last her a lifetime.

There was something in his eyes that she couldn’t interpret and it made her nervous. He turned to Will. ‘Did you know she wanders round the fells on her own?’

‘Ally?’ Will gave a philosophical shrug. ‘Well, yes. She’s lived here all her life and she knows these fells better than anyone.’

Sean frowned. ‘And you think that qualifies her to gallivant off on her own with no back-up or equipment?’

Will shrugged and spooned sugar into his coffee. ‘She’s sensible and she’s got Hero.’

Sean blinked. ‘Hero?’

‘Her German shepherd dog. She takes him everywhere.’

‘Hero?’ Suddenly Sean laughed out loud, his hard features softened by the smile. ‘You called the dog Hero?’

Ally bristled. ‘That’s what he is to me.’

Sean watched her for a moment and then gave a small shrug. ‘Well, dog or not, she shouldn’t be walking alone, Will.’

Will helped himself to another sandwich. ‘Try stopping her. Ally knows these mountains as well as anyone around here. She was in the mountain rescue team for years. I couldn’t stop her walking any more than I could stop you, Sean.’

‘Would you mind not talking about me as if I wasn’t present?’ Ally said indignantly, chewing a sandwich with limited enthusiasm. It tasted like sawdust. ‘How do you know each other? And while you’re at it, perhaps you’d better fill me in on how you know half the mountain rescue team as well.’

‘I grew up here,’ Sean said shortly, and she saw something slam shut in his eyes.

‘And?’

He placed his coffee-cup carefully down on the table, his eyes cool and discouraging, all traces of humour gone. ‘And what, Dr McGuire?’

‘Well, there must be more to it than that.’ She gave him a curious look, sensing the barriers he’d just erected. ‘Did you go to school with Jack? Did Will deliver you as a baby?’

The smile faded from Will’s face and he glanced warily at Sean.

‘I didn’t know you were so interested in me.’ His handsome face was taut, and she swallowed. Obviously Sean Nicholson did not want to talk about his past.

‘Just making polite conversation,’ she said quickly, wondering what had caused those shadows around his eyes. Whatever it was, Sean didn’t want to talk about it. There was no doubt about that.

‘Sean was working in Accident and Emergency last,’ Will said quickly, smoothing over the tense atmosphere in the cosy staffroom. ‘He’s pioneered certain aspects of immediate care—stimulated by your army experiences, I suppose?’

Sean nodded and his shoulders relaxed slightly. ‘That’s right. When you’re stuck in the field with an injured man you have to do the best you can with limited equipment.’

So that was why he’d handled the mountain rescue with such ease. And why Will had laughed when Sean had mentioned her abseiling tuition. ‘I suppose you abseiled a lot in the army?’

His lips twitched. ‘Just a bit.’

Will stretched his legs in front of him. ‘Have you fixed somewhere to stay?’

‘Not yet.’ Sean pulled a face and helped himself to a sandwich. ‘I plan to have a scout around this weekend. Unless you know of anywhere?’

Will concentrated on peeling an apple, not looking at Ally. ‘Ally is looking for a lodger.’

Ally gasped. ‘Will! I’m not! I—’

Will looked up, his expression unreadable. ‘You told me you needed to get a lodger now that Fiona has gone back to London.’

‘Well, I do, but not—I mean, that’s different.’ Ally licked her lips. She’d kill him! ‘Fiona was a midwife—’

Sean contemplated her with silent laughter. ‘I can deliver a baby if that’s one of the requirements.’

‘That’s not what I meant and you know it.’ Ally gritted her teeth. There was no way she was going to have this man lodging with her, even if she did need the money. He’d find out she’d misled him about her personal life for a start. The only person she was involved with was her daughter. And what would he do when he found that out? He needed to be kept at arm’s length.

‘What she means is she doesn’t want me,’ Sean murmured, his dark eyes challenging.

She shifted under his laughing gaze, hating the way he made her feel. As if she was a coward—which, of course, she was when it came to men.

‘Of course she wants you. It makes sense, Ally,’ Will said firmly. ‘That barn drains every penny you earn.’

‘Barn?’ Sean was looking at her curiously. ‘You live in a barn?’

‘It’s in the middle of nowhere and you’d hate it,’ Ally said flatly, giving Will a threatening look which he met with a smile. Ally almost snarled. He was doing it again! Matchmaking! Trying to pair her up with anything male under the age of ninety. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?

‘It’s the perfect solution,’ Will said happily. ‘You need a lodger and Sean needs a place to stay.’

Ally opened her mouth to refuse for the final time and then caught the wistful look on Will’s face and closed it again. Oh, blow the man! How could he do this to her? He had been so good to her for so long. In fact, without him she didn’t know how she would have survived. She owed him so much and he made her feel churlish every time she avoided his attempts to liven up her life.

Maybe if she let Sean stay in her barn it would keep Will quiet. Stop his matchmaking. Prove to him once and for all that no matter how many men he paraded in front of her she wasn’t interested. It just wasn’t fair on Charlie. She needed constancy in her life, not a continual throughput of men who walked out when the going got tough. No, a lodger was all Sean would ever be, and even then it wasn’t as if they would really be sharing accommodation. The stable wing attached to her barn was quite self-contained. All she had to do was pass him on the driveway occasionally.

‘Do you mind sleeping in a stable?’ Her voice sounded unwelcoming but Sean just smiled.

‘Is the horse still in it?’

She gave him a withering look and the smile deepened.

Will stood up and deposited his mug and plate in the sink. ‘Ally’s stable is gorgeous—she’s spent a lot of money converting it.’

‘Has she now?’ Sean’s eyes meshed with hers and she forced herself to hold his gaze. ‘And doesn’t your husband mind having lodgers?’

‘Oh, Ally’s not married,’ Will said blithely. ‘Didn’t I mention it?’

Thanks, Will! Ally thought, feeling her colour rise. Thanks a lot. Now that he’d well and truly set the scene she didn’t know whether to laugh or kill him.

‘But she lives with someone,’ Sean murmured, giving her an odd look that she couldn’t interpret.

‘Lives with—? Well, yes, Charlie, but not…’ Will glanced at Ally with a frown, which deepened as he met her pleading look. His mouth tightened. ‘Oh, I see. Well, I’ve got calls to make so I’ll leave the two of you to sort out the details.’

With that he left the room, leaving Ally gaping after him, boiling with frustration, knowing she’d been totally outmanoeuvred.

Sean stood up and made himself another cup of coffee. ‘Subtle, isn’t he? More coffee?’

‘No, thanks.’ Ally felt swamped with embarrassment by Will’s obvious games. ‘I don’t know what’s come over him.’

Sean gave a wry smile. ‘Well, if that’s really the case then I go back to my first impression of dizzy blonde. He’s matchmaking, sweetheart, as you well know, and what I want to know is why he’s matchmaking when you’re already attached.’

Ally blushed furiously. ‘I don’t know.’

One dark eyebrow lifted. ‘No?’

‘No.’ She started to clear away the remains of the sandwiches to hide her awkwardness. ‘And, anyway, it’s totally irrelevant because I wouldn’t have a relationship with you if you were the last man on earth.’

Sean dropped into one of the chairs and stretched long legs out in front of him, his eyes amused. ‘Is that so?’

She warmed to her subject. ‘Yes, it is. You, Dr Nicholson, are the original male chauvinist pig who thinks that a woman’s place is in the home, keeping it warm for her man. I don’t suppose you’ve ever even heard of New Man, have you?’

Sean smiled politely. ‘New Man?’

‘Yes, you know—the sort of partner who respects women as equals, who doesn’t mind doing the ironing or the washing-up and who certainly wouldn’t stop me fell-walking if that’s what I chose to do.’

Sean looked interested. ‘You don’t think I qualify as New Man?’

‘You?’ Ally gave a snort of derision. ‘You’re a clone of the original Stone-Age version. The only difference is that you wear clothes instead of a loincloth.’

His eyes gleamed with unholy laughter. ‘Any time you want to see me in a loincloth, Dr McGuire, you only have to ask.’

Vivid images of Sean Nicholson with no clothes on flashed before her eyes and she coloured furiously. His smile deepened.

‘You’re the limit!’ Her tongue moistened dry lips and her breath caught as his eyes dropped to her mouth.

‘So why aren’t you married, Dr McGuire?’

Ally lifted her chin. ‘That’s none of your business.’

His eyes met hers. ‘Charlie obviously isn’t Mr Right, then.’

‘Let’s get one thing straight, shall we?’ Ally glared at him. ‘You can move into my barn if you so wish because it would please Will and, frankly, I haven’t the energy to argue, but don’t read any more into it. You’re my lodger. Nothing more.’

Sean raised an eyebrow. ‘Have I asked for more?’

Ally blushed. ‘Well, no, but—’

‘I never touch another man’s woman, and you’ve told me you’re already involved with someone.’ There was something benign about his expression that she didn’t trust an inch. ‘Aren’t you?’

‘Well, yes, but—’

‘So that’s that, then.’ He drained his mug and stood up, his powerful figure dominating the small room. ‘Of course, if you weren’t involved with someone then the situation would be entirely different.’

His eyes held hers for a long moment and she swallowed uncomfortably. Had he guessed? What was going to happen when he found out that the person she was involved with was her daughter? She gave herself a shake. Nothing was going to happen. Nothing. Because she would make sure it didn’t. She owed it to Charlie.

CHAPTER THREE

SURGERY was relatively quiet, courtesy of the extra pair of hands—a fact not missed by the patients.

‘I see there’s a new doctor!’ One of Ally’s regulars settled herself comfortably in the chair and looked expectant.

Ally suppressed a sigh of frustration. Some of her patients were wonderful but some of them were just downright nosy!

‘That’s right, Mrs Turner, we’re glad to have the help.’

Mrs Turner fiddled in her handbag and pulled out a handkerchief. ‘Will this one be staying longer than the last one, then?’

Ally forced a smile. She sincerely hoped not. With any luck he’d be moving on in a few weeks and she’d be able to breathe properly again.

‘Dr Nicholson is a locum doctor. He’s only temporary. Now then, what can I help you with today?’

The old lady looked momentarily baffled. ‘Well, nothing, dear, I—’

‘You came to see me, Mrs Turner,’ Ally reminded her gently, and was rewarded with a smile.

‘Of course! I remember now. My ears.’ She shook her head gingerly. ‘They’re popping all the time.’

Ally picked up her auroscope and examined both her patient’s ears carefully. ‘There’s nothing wrong, Mrs Turner, just a build-up of wax. Make an appointment with Sister to have them syringed. You need to put a few drops of olive oil into your ears for a few days before you see her.’

‘Wax! Is that all?’ The old lady looked at her suspiciously. ‘Did you get a proper look?’

Ally smothered her smile. ‘Wax can be very painful. If there’s no improvement after you’ve had them syringed, come back and see me.’

She watched Mrs Turner go with a wry smile, her mind only half on the job. The other half was on Sean Nicholson and how she was going to handle him. One thing was sure, he wasn’t an easy man to brush off. Once he wanted something he got it. And was that her? With a groan she rubbed her aching forehead with her slim fingers and then summoned up a smile as her next patient tapped on the door.

Mary Thompson was a nervous lady in her late forties whom Ally usually saw only rarely. Lately she’d been visiting the surgery every few weeks, each time with something minor. Ally had a growing suspicion that something else was wrong.

‘Hello, Mrs Thompson.’ Ally smiled at her gently. ‘What can I do for you today?’

The woman settled herself on the edge of the chair, her thin fingers twisting her gloves.

‘I’m so sorry to bother you but I’ve had a bit of a cough, Doctor.’

Ally nodded and reached for her stethoscope. ‘For how long?’

Mrs Thompson looked vague. ‘Oh, a couple of weeks, I suppose—hard to say, really. But it’s keeping me awake at night.’

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