Tears filled her eyes and she saw Ross frown in concern. “What is it? What have I done?”

“It’s not you, Ross. It’s me. I should never have let things reach this point.”

“How can you say that?” he exclaimed, trying to draw her into his arms.

“Please don’t. I’m sorry, Ross.…”

“For God’s sake, Heather, stop it! Don’t do this to yourself or to me.” He didn’t try to touch her again but the pain in his voice was more than enough to gain her attention. Heather’s heart ached afresh because it was all her fault that he was suffering.

“Don’t push me away, Heather. Talk to me. Tell me what the problem is and then maybe we can find a solution. I—I know this has something to do with Grace’s father and I swear I’ll understand.”

Dear Reader,

Every woman dreams of finding a hero to share her life, but imagine how difficult it must be, loving a man who constantly puts his life at risk? That idea was the starting point for this book and, as I wrote it, I soon realized that if it takes a very special man to be a hero, then it takes a very special woman to love him.

When firefighter Ross Tanner is brought into the emergency room, Dr. Heather Cooper finds herself instantly attracted to him. However, she is determined not to get involved. She has loved one hero and there is no way that she is going to risk falling in love with another one! Heather is content with the life she has made for herself and her small daughter, and she doesn’t intend to let anything ruin it. Nevertheless, she soon discovers it isn’t easy to switch off her feelings. Can she find the courage to overcome her fears?

Ross Tanner is deeply attracted to Heather as soon as they meet. He is confident that he can give Heather the happiness she deserves until he gradually starts to realize how dangerous it is to let her fall in love with him. He might have accepted the risks that come with his job, but would it be right to put Heather through the heartache of loving a man who might not come home one day?

Helping Heather and Ross work through their problems was a joy. I hope you enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it. There can be nothing better than bringing together two very brave people and watching them find true happiness.

Best wishes to you all,

Jennifer

www.jennifer-taylor.com

Saving Dr Cooper

Jennifer Taylor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CONTENTS

Cover

Dear Reader

Title Page

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

THE call came in shortly before Red Watch were due to go off duty. Up till then the day had been unusually quiet. Weekends tended to be their busiest periods but there had been just one call that afternoon, to a fire started by some teenagers who’d set light to the contents of a skip left in the car park of a local supermarket.

It had taken the crew from Hexton fire station less than an hour to get the blaze under control and arrange for the skip to be collected. They’d been on their way back to the station when the second call had come through. It had been immediately apparent that this one wasn’t going to be anywhere near as easy to deal with.

Ross Tanner nodded as one of the crew finished checking his breathing apparatus and gave him the thumbs-up sign. He waited impatiently while his colleague Terry Green’s equipment was also checked. The fire had started in the basement flat of a run-down Victorian terrace and had spread rapidly through the four-storey building. Even from a distance of several hundred yards, the roar of the flames was deafening.

Crews from neighbouring fire stations had been called in to assist because of the danger that the fire would spread to the adjoining properties. That wasn’t Ross’s main concern, however. A three-year-old child had been reported as trapped inside the blazing building and the sooner they got him out the happier Ross would be.

‘I don’t want either of you taking risks. The upper floors could cave in at any moment. You’re to get the hell out of there at the first sign of trouble.’

Ross listened while the senior divisional officer, Mike Rafferty—who was in charge of the fire ground—issued some last-minute instructions. As Station Officer at Hexton, Ross knew the rule, of course, that no firefighter should needlessly put his own life at risk. He also knew that when there was a child involved none of the men from Red Watch would hesitate. If there was a chance of saving the little boy then neither he nor his colleagues would pull out.

Ross led the way to the front of the blazing building and waited while the crew hosed him down. The equipment he was wearing was both heavy and cumbersome but he spent hours practising the drill each week and he was used to the weight of the air tank on his back and the difficulties of breathing through a mask. He was even used to the ferocity of the heat that greeted him as they entered the smoke-darkened hallway and made their way to the staircase at the rear.

He’d been a firefighter for ten years and he’d attended enough fires during that time to know what to expect. He was trained for this situation. He knew what to do. Now all he had to do was find the child and get him out…alive.

‘Will I be glad when this shift is over. If I see one more person who’s injured himself doing DIY then I swear I shall scream!’

Heather Cooper frowned as her colleague, Melanie Winters, laughed. ‘What’s so funny? Aren’t you sick and tired of washing splinters out of eyes and sewing up cuts?’

‘Oh, I am, I am.’ Melanie grinned at her. ‘It’s just the thought of the oh-so-calm Dr Cooper letting rip which is so amusing. When have you ever lost your cool, Heather? You have to be the most together person I’ve ever met!’

‘Hmm, appearances can be deceptive.’

Heather summoned a smile as she turned to the board to check which cubicles were still in use, but her soft grey eyes held more than a hint of pain.

None of the people she worked with could guess how hard it had been to get her life together in the last three years because she’d never discussed her past with any of them. It had been too difficult to talk about that terrible period in her life so she’d made the decision when she had accepted the job as senior registrar in the accident and emergency unit of St Gertrude’s Hospital in south-east London not to tell anyone what had happened.

She picked up a duster and wiped the last patient’s name from the board, feeling the tremor that coursed through her as the memory of those dark days came flooding back. After Stewart had died she’d come so close to giving up that at times it had been all she could do to get out of bed each morning. Even the fact that she’d been pregnant hadn’t helped because all she’d been able to think about had been that she’d not had a chance to tell Stewart they’d been expecting a baby.

It had taken the birth of their daughter to give her the strength to carry on. Now Grace was her whole world and Heather wanted nothing more than to make sure that her precious little girl was safe and happy. Never again would she risk falling in love and leaving herself open to being hurt.

‘Looks as though now might be a good time to take your break,’ she suggested, turning to the younger woman with a smile that betrayed little of her true feelings. ‘Why don’t you go to the canteen and I’ll go when you come back?’

‘If you’re sure…?’ Melanie grinned when Heather nodded. ‘Rightio, then. I did just happen to spot the gorgeous Dr Carlisle heading toward the lift. This could be the perfect opportunity to show him what’s been missing from his life up till now, i.e. me!’

With a wave of her hand, the young nurse hurried away. Heather sighed. At twenty-three, Melanie was only ten years younger than she was, but at times it felt as though she was old enough to be Melanie’s mother. Had she ever been that carefree? Would she ever feel that way again?

It took a determined effort to shake off the moment of introspection but Heather had become adept at controlling her emotions in the months since Grace’s birth. Children picked up on mood swings so quickly and she refused to do anything that might upset the little girl. Far better to keep her feelings to herself than risk letting them affect her precious daughter.

She made her way to the end cubicle and pushed back the curtain, smiling politely at the young woman perched on the end of the bed. ‘It’s Tanya Harvey, is it?’

‘That’s right.’ The young woman tossed back her streaked blond hair and regarded Heather sourly. ‘I thought they said in the papers that the health service had improved recently. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to be seen? Over two hours, and it’s just not good enough!’

‘Unfortunately, we are extremely busy in this department.’ Heather gave the young woman no opportunity to complain further as she picked up the clipboard and quickly read her admission notes. ‘I see that you have a sore throat, Miss Harvey. Don’t you think it would have been more sensible to visit your GP’s surgery rather than the accident and emergency unit?’

‘It’s closed on Saturday afternoons which is why I came here.’ Tanya glared at her. ‘I hope you’re not refusing to treat me because I know my rights.…’

‘I am merely pointing out that this department is for the treatment of urgent cases. It isn’t an alternative to visiting your general practitioner’s surgery outside of normal working hours.’

Heather took her penlight out of her top pocket and switched it on before the girl could reply. ‘If you’d just open your mouth so I can take a look at your throat.’

She quickly examined the woman and wasn’t surprised to discover that although Tanya Harvey’s throat was red and a little swollen, there was nothing to indicate the problem was serious. Mild antibiotics would clear up the infection so she washed her hands then wrote out a prescription and handed it to her.

‘These should clear up the problem but make sure you finish the full course of tablets,’ she explained coolly. ‘One tablet to be taken three times a day with water.’

‘And where am I supposed to get them from?’ Tanya demanded belligerently. ‘It’s gone six now and the chemist’s shop will be shut. Can’t you just give me the tablets?’

‘I’m afraid we don’t dispense antibiotics from this department. The hospital has its own dispensary in the foyer which is open until nine p.m. Take the prescription there and they will sort it out for you.’

Heather could tell that the young woman was about to say something else—another complaint, no doubt. However, just then Rob Bryce, their newly acquired houseman, poked his head round the curtain.

‘Sorry to interrupt, Heather, but we’ve got an emergency on the way in. ETA five minutes.’

‘That’s OK, Rob. I’d just finished here.’ With a last, brief nod at the young woman, Heather followed Rob out to the corridor. ‘What do we know so far?’

‘A three-year-old child trapped in a house fire.’ Rob scanned the scrap of paper in his hand, mercifully missing her swiftly indrawn breath. ‘Doesn’t appear to be too badly burnt from what the paramedics say but he’s suffering from smoke inhalation, as is the fireman who rescued him, apparently. They’re bringing him in as well.’

‘I see.’ Heather managed to control her expression but burns cases were the most difficult of all for her to deal with. She ran her hand over her honey-brown hair to smooth a few stray wisps back into the neat chignon she favoured for work then let her hand fall to her side when she realised it was trembling. Stewart had been involved in a fire, too….

She blanked out the thought.

‘Get onto the burns unit and put them on standby in case we need their input. Sometimes the severity of a burn isn’t immediately apparent. And you’ll need to phone the canteen and ask Ben and Melanie to come back down. We’re going to need everyone available if we have two patients to deal with. We’re running on minimum staffing as it is.’

She ran a quick mental check-list of what needed doing, knowing from experience that it would be easier to deal with the situation if she focused on practicalities. ‘Ask Abby to check Resus and make sure that we have enough dressings and saline. Stocks were running low last time I was in there. Also get her to contact Ambulance Control and check if there are any more casualties expected. On second thoughts, I’ll do that myself.’

‘Will do.’ Rob hurried away, muttering under his breath as he tried to remember everything he’d been asked to do. It was only his third day in the job and Heather knew how overwhelming it was to be thrown in at the deep end this way.

Normally, they only accepted housemen who had gained experience in one of the other departments, but there had been a shortage of suitable candidates so they’d had no option but to take Rob fresh from med school. He seemed to be shaping up well enough but Heather made a note to keep an eye on him. An emergency like this could be extremely harrowing for everyone involved.

Once again, she steered her mind away from what might confront her in a few minutes’ time. She quickly dialled through to Ambulance Control and breathed a sigh of relief when they assured her that there were no more casualties on their way. It would be just the child and the fireman to deal with.

The sound of a siren alerted her to the fact that the ambulance was drawing up outside. Heather replaced the receiver and took a deep breath. She had to put aside her personal demons. There were people depending on her and she mustn’t let them down.

‘OK, Ross, I’m going to take you straight through to Resus. They’ll soon get you sorted out.’

Ross eased the oxygen mask away from his face. His throat felt raw and swollen as a result of all the smoke he’d swallowed but he was less concerned about himself than the child. ‘Don’t worry about me. Just make sure the kid is attended to.’

‘I think you can safely leave it up to us to prioritise treatment. Now, if you would put that mask back on…’

A cool hand brushed his cheek as the oxygen mask was firmly fitted back into place. Startled, Ross glanced round but the woman had already moved away. He just had time to catch a glimpse of a slender back beneath the folds of a crisp white coat before she disappeared through swing doors at the far side of the room, but it was enough to intrigue him. Who was she?

He might have attempted to voice the question out loud but the woman’s intervention seemed to have galvanised the paramedics into action. Before Ross knew what was happening he found himself being wheeled through the same doors into what was obviously the resuscitation unit.

His gaze skimmed around the room and he felt a ripple run through him when he spotted a familiar white-coated figure bending over one of the beds. Once again the woman had her back to him and Ross found himself willing her to turn round as the paramedics got him safely ensconced on another bed. He had no idea why he should be so fascinated by her but he was desperate to know who she was.

His view was suddenly interrupted when a nurse appeared and began attaching him to the state-of-the-art monitoring equipment standing beside the bed. Adhesive pads were stuck to his chest and an array of electrodes clipped into place, then his finger was clamped with a plastic peg and the monitor was switched on. The young nurse smiled reassuringly as she adjusted the settings on the machine.

‘Dr Carlisle will be here in a moment to check you over. Don’t worry. You’re going to be fine.’

Ross tried to smile back but it was difficult to perform any facial manoeuvres with the mask biting into his nose and mouth. It was starting to make him feel a bit claustrophobic but he wasn’t sure it would be wise to remove it again and maybe earn himself another rebuke….

His pulse leapt as the woman across the room suddenly turned and he got his first proper look at her face. He blinked because his eyes were still a little hazy from all the smoke…or, at least, he assumed that was what was wrong with them. Surely it was the only explanation for why it felt as though he was looking at the face of an angel rather than a real, live, flesh-and-blood woman?

In a dazzled sweep Ross drank in each of her features from the generous curve of her mouth to the wonderfully soft grey eyes in their frame of sooty black lashes. Her nose was short and straight, her forehead smooth and unlined, her cheekbones so perfect that surely only a sculptor could have created them.

Her golden-brown hair was twisted into an uncompromising knot at the back of her head, but the severe style simply highlighted her beauty rather than detracted from it. It also made his palms tingle in the strangest way to imagine how it would feel to pull out all those pins and allow her hair to tumble around her shoulders in wanton disarray….

She turned away when one of the nurses came back with a bag of saline. Ross sucked in as deep a breath as his swollen throat and burning lungs would allow. What the hell was going on? Why had this unknown woman had such an effect on him? Was it all the smoke he’d inhaled that had addled his brain?

He closed his eyes and forced himself to concentrate on the mundane matter of keeping a steady supply of oxygen flowing into his body. But it was alarming how that beautiful face seemed to have impinged on his consciousness. Even with his eyes closed he could still see her…his very own, very beautiful angel.

‘Not as bad as I’d feared. I’d like the burns reg to take a look at this area above his left ankle but, apart from that, he’s been extremely lucky.’

Heather was pleased to hear how calm she sounded. In truth, she didn’t feel at all calm yet the panic that was welling inside her didn’t owe itself purely to the stress of dealing with this type of emergency. What was it about the way that fireman had been looking at her that had unsettled her so?

She summoned a smile for the little boy lying on the bed, hoping that the rest of the team hadn’t noticed anything amiss. Ben Carlisle was attending to the fireman so at least she wouldn’t have to deal with him, which was a relief. Deliberately, she blocked him from her mind.

‘You’ve been a really brave boy, Damien. Nurse is going to give you some special medicine to stop your leg hurting and then another doctor will come and see you.’

‘Want my mummy,’ the little boy wailed, his eyes filling with tears.

‘I know you do, poppet.’ Heather gently patted his hand then glanced at Melanie. ‘Is his mother waiting outside? It might be better if we let her come and sit with him. There’s no point in him getting upset.’

‘She didn’t come with him.’ Melanie lowered her voice so the child couldn’t overhear. ‘From what I could gather she’d gone out and left him in the flat on his own. A neighbour alerted the fire crew when they arrived and told them the child was still inside the building.’

‘But he’s only a baby!’ Heather found it impossible to hide her dismay. ‘How on earth could any mother leave a child that age on his own?’

‘No idea, but it happens all too often, I’m afraid.’ Melanie glanced across the room and sighed. ‘Evidently, the fireman who rescued him was lucky not to be killed. The whole place caved in just seconds after he got the kid out.’

Heather shuddered, unable to stop the rapid play of images that flashed through her head. They were part of the nightmare that had haunted her since Stewart had died. Everyone had said that he’d been a hero but it was hard to find comfort in that fact when all she could think about was what she had lost that day.

‘Heather, are you OK?’

‘Fine. I was just wondering if we should ask the police to find the mother,’ she said briskly when she heard the concern in Melanie’s voice. She mustn’t think about what had happened to Stewart. She must focus on what needed doing, instead of allowing her emotions to run away with her. ‘If they questioned the neighbours then someone might be able to tell them where she went.’

‘Want me to have word with them?’ Melanie offered. ‘There’s a policeman waiting outside so I could ask him.’

‘No. It’s OK. I’ll do it. The burns reg should be here any minute….’ Heather glanced round as the door opened and Alan Fontain appeared. ‘Ah, here he is now.’

She quickly relayed everything that had been done for the little boy for the benefit of the other registrar. Alan was of the same opinion as her, that the child had been extremely fortunate to have got off with such a small area of damage. He made arrangements to admit Damien to the burns unit then hurriedly left.

‘If you’ll take Damien to the burns unit, Mel, I’ll have a word with that policeman,’ Heather began, only to stop once more when Ben approached her.

‘Would you mind taking a look at this chap for me, Heather? I don’t think the damage is too severe but I’ve not handled any cases like this before and I’d hate to miss anything.’

The young registrar’s handsome face broke into a rueful smile. Ben had caused quite a stir since he’d started working in the accident and emergency unit but, so far as Heather was aware, he’d not asked any of the nurses out yet. ‘The effect of smoke inhalation is not something you see very often in the maternity unit, which was my last rotation!’

‘I don’t suppose it is,’ Heather conceded, trying to hide her dismay. However, the fact that she should feel the least bit worried about dealing with a patient alarmed her. What was it about this patient that disturbed her so much?

‘I’ll ask the police to chase up the mother,’ Melanie put in helpfully, shooting a megawatt smile at Ben.

‘Thanks.’ Heather formed her mouth into a smile but her lips felt as though they’d been turned to rubber all of a sudden. She would have to help Ben, of course, because it would be unforgivable to endanger a patient’s life by missing some vital sign which the younger doctor had overlooked.

In silence she crossed the room and took the notes Ben handed her, using the few moments it took to read through them to calm her racing heart. Then, when she could delay no longer, she handed back the clipboard and turned to the man lying on the bed.

‘My name is Heather Cooper and I’m the senior registrar in the accident and emergency unit.’

She couldn’t have counted the number of times she had introduced herself that very same way, yet for some reason the words sounded unfamiliar, as though it was the first time she’d ever said them, the first time they had really mattered.

Her shocked grey eyes flew to the man’s face and stopped, held by the expression in the hazel ones which were regarding her with exactly the same degree of bewilderment. In that moment Heather knew that it wasn’t her imagination that something odd was going on because he could feel it, too. And the panic she’d felt before was nothing to the fear that suddenly gripped her.

There was no room in her life for another hero!

CHAPTER TWO

‘IF YOU could just lean forward, Mr Tanner…a little more. That’s fine. Thank you.’

Ross felt his rigid muscles relax as the cool fingers that had been touching his bare back were suddenly removed. Dr Heather Cooper’s examination had been extremely thorough, although he wasn’t foolish enough to imagine that he should read anything into it. Even though he knew nothing about her, he sensed that she would treat all her patients the same way. Dr Cooper was just very good at her job.

Disbelief shot through him and the monitor blipped as his heart rate increased. He saw Heather Cooper’s eyes swivel towards the screen and willed himself to calm down. The last thing he wanted was for her to suspect that something was wrong with him, but it was hard to deal with the way he seemed to be behaving all of a sudden.

Since when had he developed the gift of ESP? How on earth could he know that Heather was good at her job? He had no idea but it was worrying enough to cause his heart to fit in several more beats in rapid succession.

‘Do you have any chest pain at all?’

Dr Cooper’s calm voice should have been the perfect antidote to his fanciful musings but Ross was past the point of no return by that stage. Blip, blip, blip went the damned machine as he shook his head, seemingly intent on making a liar of him.

‘Are you quite sure, Mr Tanner?’

Those cool fingers returned to hold the chilly end of a stethoscope against his chest. Ross sucked in as much oxygen as his burning lungs would allow but the blasted machine rattled out another volley of blips. Heaven help him if Heather Cooper worked out that the reason why his heart was hopping up and down like a kid on a pogo stick was because she was touching him!

‘Relax, Mr Tanner. I know how worrying this must be for you but I’m confident that you’ve suffered only minimal damage to your throat and lungs….’

She stopped talking while she listened, lightly holding the end of the stethoscope against his chest with the tips of her fingers. Ross focused on the pale ovals of her nails because that seemed a relatively harmless thing to do. Fingernails weren’t the least bit scary. Neither were they sexy, although Heather Cooper’s nails were particularly beautiful with those delicate half-moons at the base of each shimmering through the unvarnished shell-pink.

Ross saw her stiffen as his heart gave an almighty surge. He closed his eyes, praying that nobody would notice the matching response that had occurred in another part of his body. Thankfully, the nurse had only removed his shirt and he was still wearing his uniform trousers beneath the sheet. With a bit of luck they would save him from any major embarrassment.

‘We’ll monitor what’s happening overnight.’

Ross’s eyes flew open when he realised that Heather Cooper was speaking to him. She was calmly rolling up her stethoscope but there was a hint of colour in her cheeks that hadn’t been apparent before. His gaze dipped down then swooped back up in relief when he realised that the bulky trousers had safely preserved his modesty. If Dr Cooper was looking a little hot under the collar then it had nothing to do with him.

‘I’m glad I asked you for a second opinion, Heather.’

Ross’s eyes swivelled to the young man standing beside Heather Cooper and he felt a sudden stab of irritation. The fellow was gazing at her like a lovesick puppy! Didn’t he understand that a mature and intelligent woman like Heather wouldn’t be swayed by a good-looking face, that she needed a man of her own age and experience to satisfy her needs? A woman of Heather’s calibre wouldn’t look twice at someone several years her junior.

Would she?

Ross’s stomach sank when it struck him that he was making an awful lot of assumptions he wasn’t qualified to make. How could he say what Heather Cooper needed? Maybe that blush on her face was a direct result of working side by side with the handsome younger doctor? Maybe the pair were already involved in a relationship and being able to work together added an extra buzz?

He’d watched enough hospital dramas on television while he’d been working night shifts to know there must be some basis for portraying hospitals as hotbeds of romance. Maybe the beautiful Dr Cooper and the handsome Dr Carlisle were starring in their very own series. Love in the Accident and Emergency Unit.

Hell’s teeth!

‘It’s always safer to get a second opinion in a case like this, Ben.’

Heather smiled at the young registrar, praying that he couldn’t tell how on edge she felt. Was it her imagination or had the tension level suddenly upped several degrees?

She glanced at Abby McLeod, the sister in charge of the A and E unit that shift, and was relieved to receive a calm smile in return. Abby obviously hadn’t noticed anything amiss so it must be her imagination. Time to knock this on the head. Once Ross Tanner was off their hands then she could get back to normal.

Hopefully…

Heather blanked out that last thought by dint of sheer will-power. She turned to Ross Tanner again, finding it less stressful to focus strictly on professional matters. Tanner was a patient and it was her job to treat him as such.

‘I can find no indication of there being anything wrong with your heart, Mr Tanner, but, as I said, I shall recommend that you be kept on a monitor overnight.’ She shrugged. ‘We would have kept you in until we were sure that your lungs were clear so it’s simply a matter of attaching you to a bit more machinery.’

‘I had a medical last week and my heart and everything else that matters were fine.’

Ross Tanner had eased the mask away from his mouth. Heather just managed to suppress a shiver when she heard his voice for the first time. Although the swelling in his throat would have caused some changes to its tone, she guessed that he normally had a wonderfully deep voice. She was overcome by a sudden desire to hear how it sounded once he’d recovered before she briskly dismissed the idea. Once Ross Tanner left Resus that would be the last she saw of him.

‘That’s good to hear, Mr Tanner.’ It was hard to ignore how disquieting she found that idea but Heather had become an expert at controlling her feelings. ‘I know how rigorous the fire brigade’s medical examinations are and can only repeat that I don’t believe there is a problem with your heart. It’s purely a precaution, you understand.’

‘The old belt and braces approach?’ Ross Tanner grinned at her, his teeth gleaming whitely through his smoke-blackened skin, his hazel eyes sparkling with amusement. ‘Well, I certainly can’t argue with that approach, Dr Cooper. If there’s one thing the brigade teaches you, it’s always to try and minimise any risks.’

‘I would have thought that was impossible in your job,’ she said tartly, praying that he couldn’t tell how mixed up she was feeling. Why on earth had her heart started racing because Tanner had smiled at her? What could it mean?

‘Surely every time you attend a fire you’re putting yourself at risk? The unexpected can always happen and nobody—nobody—can guarantee that it won’t!’

Heather only realised that she’d raised her voice when she saw the startled expressions on everyone’s faces. She took a deep breath but it was hard to pretend nothing was wrong and pointless, too, when everyone could tell just by looking at her that she was upset.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.’

Ross Tanner reached over and touched her hand, just lightly, but it was still too much. Her emotions were too raw at that moment to withstand anyone’s sympathy and especially not his. Heather jerked her hand away and turned from the bed, ignoring Ben’s look of concern as she brushed past him.

‘Phone the bed manager and tell him that we have a patient who needs admitting, please. I’m taking my break now but page me if anything urgent crops up.’

She didn’t wait to hear what Ben said in reply. She strode to the door but was forced to stop when Melanie and a porter came back with the trolley they’d used to take Damien to the burns unit. Heather waited while they wheeled it into the room then hurried out of the door, cursing under her breath when the hem of her white coat snagged on a rough splinter of wood.

She stopped to disentangle herself, automatically glancing round and shaking her head when Melanie offered to help. Through the gap in the doors she could see Ross Tanner watching her and her heart felt as though it was going to burst right out of her chest when she saw the compassion in his eyes. He knew that comment she’d made about the unexpected happening had been based on experience. He had recognised her pain and empathised with it. He wanted to help her.

The idea terrified her. The last thing Heather wanted was to talk about what had happened to Stewart. She couldn’t deal with the heartache it would unleash all over again. She needed to keep this pain safely locked away inside her. Opening her heart to Ross Tanner wasn’t an option.

‘Hey! I thought those were supposed to be for me?’

Ross upended the paper bag and sighed when a solitary grape dropped onto the bed. ‘Thanks, guys—I don’t think!’

‘Blame Jack. He said there was no point giving you grapes because you wouldn’t be able to swallow them with your throat. He said he might as well save you a job.’ Terry Green grinned as he drew up a chair and sat down, but Ross could see the troubled light in the older man’s eyes.

It was way past evening visiting hours but the crew from Red Watch had managed to persuade the ward sister to let them in to see him. Fortunately, Ross had been put in a side room off the main ward and the only other occupant—an elderly man—was watching television in the lounge. At least he didn’t need to feel guilty about disturbing anyone. He seemed to have caused enough upset for one day.

He forced himself to concentrate on what Terry was saying, but the pain he’d glimpsed in Heather Cooper’s eyes had haunted him. There was no doubt in his mind that something dreadful had happened to Heather in the past and he resolved to find out all he could about it, although why he should be so interested was beyond him. However, if there was one thing Ross had learned to do it was to trust his instincts, and his instincts were telling him that this mattered. A lot.

‘I had no idea you’d turned back. One minute you were right behind me and the next time I looked you’d disappeared.’ Terry shook his head in dismay. He was obviously having a hard time dealing with what had gone on earlier that day.

‘I said that you needed your hearing testing,’ Jack Marsh—another of the crew—chipped in. ‘You have the telly turned up that loud in the break room that you have to be going deaf, and this just proves it!’

‘It was my fault,’ Ross cut in before a squabble could break out. Tensions always ran high after a member of the team was injured and he didn’t want to be the cause of an argument. ‘I was following you out, Terry, when I glimpsed something out of the corner of my eye and went to check it out. I should have told you what I was doing but there wasn’t time.’

‘Damn good job you did—check it out, I mean.’ Jack popped the last grape into his mouth and chewed it. ‘Another minute and the kid would have had it. The cupboard where you found him, Ross, ended up in the basement.’

There was a moment’s silence as they all reflected on how close the child had come to being killed that day. Most of the men at Hexton fire station had children of their own and it was easy for them to imagine how they would have felt.

At thirty-six, Ross still hadn’t found the right woman to settle down with and start a family, although he certainly hadn’t ruled out the chance of it happening. He loved kids and adored his sister’s twin boys. However, he was realistic enough to know that a woman who committed herself to a man who did the kind of job he did would have to be very special. Living with the risks involved was something he had long since accepted, but he’d seen too many relationships break up during his time with the brigade not to realise the toll it took. Would Heather Cooper be able to handle it?

He coughed as the question caught him unawares. Although his throat was feeling a little easier, his lungs were still very sensitive. He accepted the oxygen mask Terry handed him, relieved that his expression was concealed by the opaque plastic.

What would the guys say if they discovered he was having thoughts like that about a woman he’d met just a few hours ago? They’d probably think the smoke had affected his reasoning and maybe they’d be right, too. Heather Cooper wasn’t interested in him, as she had made abundantly clear.

That thought was a little too close to the truth not to cause him some discomfort. As Ross drew in a few more breaths of oxygen his mind raced back over what had happened in the Resus room. Did Heather really have something going with that junior doctor?

He tried to recall their body language even though he could scarcely believe he was doing anything so pathetic. He had a book full of phone numbers back at his flat, most of them belonging to women who were every bit as beautiful and desirable as Heather Cooper was. And yet when was the last time that he’d called any of them?

It was alarming to realise that it must be a good six months since he’d been out on a date and that he couldn’t for the life of him remember who with, let alone where they had gone. Yet here he was, lying in a hospital bed and trying to remember exactly how Heather Cooper had looked at another man.

Ross swallowed his groan of dismay but now that he’d set off down this route it was impossible to stop. Heather’s beautiful face swam before his eyes, that cool little smile curling her generous mouth. It hadn’t appeared to warm up by even half a degree when she’d looked at her junior colleague, but maybe she preferred to be discreet about their relationship?

The fire brigade certainly frowned on liaisons between the sexes and took immediate steps to transfer the people involved to different stations. Maybe Heather was afraid that young Dr Carlisle might be given his marching orders if their affair became public knowledge so preferred to keep things low-key?

Ross sighed as he realised that he might very well be right, although Heather hadn’t given the impression of a woman enjoying a heady love affair when she’d left Resus. His heart ached as he recalled the suffering on her face. It made him wonder once again what kind of a tragedy had befallen her in the past and what he could do to help her get over it.

He sucked in another lungful of air but the facts had to be faced. Why should he imagine that Heather Cooper needed his help?

‘And the little puppy snuggled up in his basket and fell fast asleep.’

Heather closed the book and quietly placed it on the bedside cabinet. Standing up, she tucked the quilt around her small daughter, feeling a wave of love wash over her as she looked at the sleeping child.

Grace had just turned two and each day she grew more like Stewart to look at. She had Stewart’s mop of dark brown curls, the same deep blue eyes and wonderful smile. Grace was living proof of their love for one another, the child they had both longed for. How proud Stewart would have been of his tiny daughter.

Tears stung Heather’s eyes and she quickly blinked them away as she bent to turn off the lamp. She hadn’t allowed herself to cry since Grace had been born and she had no intention of breaking her rule now. She didn’t want Grace to grow up surrounded by sadness. Far better to keep her emotions in check rather than let them affect her precious daughter, even though today it was proving unusually difficult. Had it anything to do with meeting Ross Tanner, perhaps?

‘Supper’s ready, Heather.’

Heather jumped as her mother, Sandra, popped her head round the bedroom door. She tried to dismiss the idea as she followed the older woman to the kitchen but the thought that Ross Tanner might have had an effect on how she had behaved alarmed her. She didn’t even know the man so how could he be responsible for her loss of self-control?

‘It’s only shepherd’s pie, I’m afraid. I didn’t get a chance to go to the supermarket.’

‘It’s fine, Mum.’ Heather sat at the table and took the plate Sandra handed her with a grateful smile. ‘I’m only glad that I don’t have to set to and start making a meal for myself when I get home from work. You spoil me, you know that, don’t you?’

‘If I can’t spoil my own daughter then who can I spoil?’ Sandra said lightly, taking her own seat.

‘Your granddaughter?’ Heather laughed when her mother grimaced. ‘Grace told me that you’d taken her to see the ducks after nursery school. And then she did just happen to mention something about going on the swings as well.’

‘I enjoy playing with her. Anyway, the playground is on our way home and you meet a lot of nice people there, too.’

Heather frowned when she saw a little colour run up her mother’s cheeks. If she wasn’t mistaken, Sandra was blushing. She put down her knife and fork and stared at her.

‘These nice people you meet—is there anyone in particular you’re referring to?’

‘Well, yes, actually.’ Sandra stared at her plate for a moment then seemed to make up her mind. ‘There’s this very nice man who I’ve met at the playground a number of times. He’s a widower and he has a little grandson. He…well, he asked me if I’d like to go out for a drink with him one night.’

‘Did he indeed? And what did you say?’ Heather hid her surprise because it was the first time that her mother had shown any interest in socialising since she’d moved to London to help her look after Grace.

Heather’s parents had divorced when she’d been in her teens and her father had remarried shortly afterwards and moved to California with his new wife. Apart from a yearly Christmas card, Heather had very little contact with him.

Her mother had never remarried although she’d had a wide circle of friends of both sexes back home in Manchester. It suddenly struck Heather how much Sandra had given up when she’d moved to London, and how lonely she must have been without her friends. How selfish of her not to have thought about that before.

‘I hope you said yes, Mum.’ She reached over the table and squeezed Sandra’s hand. ‘It’s about time you went out and had some fun!’

‘So you think it’s all right for me to accept, then?’ Sandra sounded worried. ‘I told David—that’s his name, David Harper—that I would need to think about it first, you see.’

‘What on earth is there to think about?’ Heather regarded her mother sternly. ‘Tell him that you’ll go, Mum. That’s an order!’

‘All right, I will.’ Sandra squared her shoulders then looked steadily at Heather. ‘But what you just said, about it being time I had some fun, applies to you, too, darling. Stewart wouldn’t want you to grieve for ever. He’d want you to get on with your life and make the most of it.’

‘That’s exactly what I’m doing.’ Heather picked up her fork. She swallowed a mouthful of mashed potato but it tasted like sawdust all of a sudden.

‘There’s more to life than working and looking after Grace,’ Sandra said quietly, then changed the subject to what Grace had done after they had arrived home that afternoon.

Heather made appropriate responses but she couldn’t seem to give her small daughter’s antics her undivided attention as she usually did. Was her mother right? Was it time that she looked for more out of life than just her work and caring for Grace?

Her mind veered off towards what that more might entail and she felt her heart spasm in panic. She wouldn’t risk falling in love again! Even if she found a man who could match Stewart in her estimation—which was highly unlikely—she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t face the heartache if anything happened to him, too. What she’d said to that fireman today about the unexpected happening had been true. He, more than anyone, must know that.

In Ross Tanner’s world life and death were too closely linked to be discounted. It made her wonder how any woman could bear to fall in love with a man who put himself in constant danger like that. How did a woman cope with the thought that the man she loved might not come home one day? She certainly couldn’t, which made it all the more imperative that she steer clear of Tanner.

The thought brought her up short. She wouldn’t see Ross Tanner again so what was she worrying about? They had fleetingly crossed paths that day and that was the end of the matter.

Heather shivered as the cool finger of premonition suddenly slid down her spine. Or had it been merely the beginning and not the end?

‘Thanks, Jane. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.’

Ross kissed the ward sister’s cheek. It was Monday morning and, after a lot of persuasion on his behalf, he’d finally been discharged. The consultant had been inclined to keep him in another day but in the end he’d relented after Ross had promised to come straight back if he experienced any problems. To his mind, it was a lot of fuss about nothing, but he did appreciate the excellent care he’d received.

He left the ward and headed for the lift. He knew that he could have asked any one of the crew from Red Watch to collect him but he’d decided to take a taxi back to his flat. Maybe he was making a big mistake but there was something he needed to do before he left.

Sign boards directed him to the accident and emergency unit when he reached the ground floor so he had no difficulty finding his way. The waiting area was packed with people and Ross hesitated. Maybe this wasn’t a good time to talk to Heather when she was so busy.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he spotted her leaving a cubicle and, without pausing to reconsider, he hurried after her. ‘Heather!’

It seemed the most natural thing in the world to call out her first name, natural and right. Dr Cooper was too formal, Ms Cooper impolite, so how else would he address her? And yet Ross wasn’t prepared for the way it made him feel as her name rolled off his tongue. Heather.

He repeated it in his head and felt the heat that flowed through him as he savoured it once more. In that moment Ross knew that it might have been the first time he’d said it but it wouldn’t be the last. Definitely not!

He saw her turn, saw the alarm that lit her soft grey eyes when she recognised him, and knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to convince her of that. Given an inch, Heather was going to run a mile in the opposite direction both physically and metaphorically speaking. He had to find a way to stop her, had to make her run towards him instead of away. Only then could either of them be truly happy.

‘I’m busy.’

The clipped tone of her voice cut through his thoughts like a hot knife slicing through butter, and he flinched. He wasn’t a man given to fanciful notions normally and it stunned him to find himself indulging in them now. However, he didn’t have the time to worry about it when he had more important matters to deal with, like making Heather listen to him for starters. From the look on her face, listening to anything he had to say was about as attractive an idea as plunging her hand into a nest of vipers!

‘I realise that so I won’t detain you. I just wanted to thank you for what you did the other day, Heather. For me and the kid. I believe he’s on the mend.’

‘Yes, so I believe.’

Her expression softened so that Ross had a glimpse of the real woman beneath the ice-cool exterior. He sent up a silent vote of thanks that he was no longer attached to any monitors when he felt his heart kick up a storm. Did she have any idea how drop-dead gorgeous she was? he wondered giddily.

He cleared his throat but he could hear how rough his voice sounded even if Heather seemed blissfully unaware of the strain he was under. Keeping his hands by his sides and well away from her took an awful lot of will-power.

‘You did a great job on him, and on me, too. I just wanted to find a way to thank you properly and wondered if you’d consider having dinner with me one night.’

Ross was almost as shocked as Heather so obviously was when the invitation sprang from his lips. He certainly hadn’t planned on asking her out and would have set about it with a bit more finesse if he had. He saw her face close up and cursed his wayward tongue because it had just cost him an awful lot of ground he might never be able to make up.

‘Thank you, but that isn’t necessary, Mr Tanner. I was only doing my job. Now, if you’ll excuse me.’

She didn’t wait for him to reply before she hurried away. Ross didn’t try to stop her because there was no point. He had wasted the one and only opportunity he was likely to get and that was it. Finito.

There was a taxi dropping off a fare outside the main entrance. Ross got in and told the driver to take him home. He sank back in the seat as the cab headed down the drive, feeling so bad that he seriously wondered if he should have stayed in hospital after all. There was an ache in his chest which alarmed him until he realised it was disappointment at ruining his chance to get to know Heather and not the prelude to a heart attack. He wouldn’t get another opportunity…unless he came up with some sort of a plan to engineer another meeting with her.

A brilliant smile suddenly lit his face and a middle-aged woman, who had stopped on the kerb to let the taxi pass, blushed with pleasure as she received the full benefit of it. Ross didn’t notice her smiling back at him because he was too concerned about devising the perfect plan to see Heather again. It wouldn’t be easy but he’d find a way. There was too much at stake to fail!

CHAPTER THREE

‘WE’LL need to X-ray your wrist, Mrs Montgomery. I’m fairly certain that it’s broken and not just badly sprained, as you hoped.’

Heather smiled reassuringly at the elderly woman. Alice Montgomery had tripped over a paving stone whilst out shopping with her husband. The couple were obviously shocked by the accident so she decided to arrange for a porter to take the old lady to the radiography unit rather than ask her husband to take her. There was a small unit attached to the accident and emergency department so Alice shouldn’t have to wait too long to be seen.

‘I’ll get a porter to take you through to X-Ray. You can go with your wife, Mr Montgomery, or you can wait in Reception. I could ask one of the nurses to fetch you a cup of tea,’ she suggested, noticing how grey the old man looked.

‘It’s very kind of you, Doctor, but I’d prefer to go with Alice. We do everything together, you see.’

‘Of course. Why don’t you sit there and keep your wife company until the porter gets here? It could take a few minutes to find one who’s free.’

Heather left the cubicle but instead of going directly to the phone to summon a porter she went to the staffroom instead. Melanie was in there, making herself a cup of tea, and Heather smiled beseechingly at her.

‘Any chance that you’d make a cup of tea for the old man in cubicle six? He’s really shaken up and it might help to steady him. I’d make it myself only I’m a bit pushed this morning with Ben being off sick.’

‘No problem,’ Melanie replied cheerfully, dropping a tea-bag into a second mug and topping it up with boiling water from the kettle. ‘What’s up with Ben, by the way? Any idea?’

‘He’s suffering from a nasty case of diarrhoea apparently. Trish took the message.’ Heather grimaced. ‘Let’s hope it isn’t catching. The last thing we need is the rest of the staff going down with some bug or other.’

‘I doubt that will happen. Ben doesn’t get close enough to pass on his germs,’ Melanie observed ruefully.

Heather laughed. ‘I take it that you’ve had no luck with him?’

‘Nope! Not even a flicker of interest. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Maybe you could give me a few tips?’

‘Tips?’ Heather stared at the younger woman in surprise. ‘What do you mean?’

‘That if I had the same kind of effect on our dishy Dr Carlisle that you had on that fireman, I’d be a happy woman.’

Melanie picked up the mug of tea and headed for the door. She grinned as she eased past Heather. ‘I saw him talking to you, Heather. He’d obviously made a special detour down here to see you.’

‘I…um…Yes.’

Heather blushed. She’d tried to forget about Ross Tanner’s visit by concentrating on work, but Melanie’s teasing comment brought it all flooding back. She had been so shocked when he’d asked her out to dinner that she’d not even stopped to think. Her refusal had been instinctive yet all of a sudden she found herself wondering why Ross had invited her out. Had it been simply his way of thanking her, as he’d claimed, or because he was attracted to her, as Melanie believed?

The thought made Heather blush all the more and she heard Melanie laugh. ‘There’s nothing like a hero to make a woman go weak at the knees, is there, Heather?’

Fortunately Melanie didn’t wait for her to reply as she hurried away with the tea. Heather followed more slowly, taking several calming breaths to get herself under control. Maybe some women were attracted to the heroic type of man but she wasn’t one of them. If…and it was a very big if…she ever formed another relationship with a man then she would make sure he was someone who spent his working life safely ensconced behind a desk.

She had reached for the phone to ring for a porter when it struck her that a few days ago she wouldn’t even have considered another relationship. She’d had her work and Grace and they had been more than enough. Her throat constricted with a sudden attack of nerves. Although she hated to admit it, she couldn’t deny that meeting Ross Tanner seemed to have affected her thinking. What a good job it was that she’d refused his invitation to dinner.

It was Friday before Ross came up with a plan to see Heather again. It had been a busy week and Red Watch had been called out a number of times while they’d been on duty. They were off duty that weekend and Ross was looking forward to spending some time with his sister, Kate, and his nephews. It made a nice change, being part of a family, even if it was only for a couple of days.

The plan occurred to him while he was catching up with some of the never-ending paperwork. A memo from divisional HQ, reminding station officers about the need to keep on top of issuing fire certificates, had the same effect as a light being switched on. When was St Gertrude’s due for an inspection?

A quick check of the files told him that the hospital was scheduled for a visit that very month. Ross closed the filing cabinet drawer with a satisfied smile. If he could time his visit to coincide with when Heather was on duty, that would be the perfect opportunity to speak to her again. She couldn’t refuse to co-operate because all public buildings required an up-to-date fire certificate. And whilst he was dealing with the essentials he would try to draw her out. If he could just get past her defences then he might be able to get to know her better.

He sighed because there was no reason to imagine that Heather would want to get to know him.

Saturday was cool and blustery, a brisk May breeze sending the clouds scudding across the sky. Heather was off for the whole weekend but she was up before seven and had time to shower and dress in jeans and a long-sleeved navy T-shirt before Grace woke.

She took the little girl into the kitchen and popped her in her high chair then gave her some cereal. It was always a treat to be able to have breakfast with her daughter because most days she was in such a rush to get to work that she had to leave it to her mother to feed and dress Grace. It worried Heather that she was unable to spend very much time with the little girl but Grace seemed happy and well adjusted and there was little else she could do when she needed to earn a living.

Sandra came in just as Heather was wiping Grace’s hands. She dropped a kiss on her granddaughter’s curls then smiled at Heather. ‘You two are early birds this morning. You make me feel quite guilty.’

‘Rubbish! It’s about time you had a lie-in, Mum,’ Heather declared, lifting Grace out of her chair. She glanced at the kitchen clock and grinned. ‘Although not many folk would consider getting up at half past seven as having had a lie-in, especially at a weekend!’

Sandra laughed as she poured herself a cup of tea from the pot. ‘I suppose not. Anyway, what have you got planned for today? I managed to do the grocery shopping yesterday so you don’t have to worry about that.’

‘Catch up with some washing then take Grace to the park if the weather stays fine.’ She glanced at the little girl and smiled. ‘Do you want to go and play on the swings, darling?’

‘Yes!’ Grace clapped her hands in delight.

Heather laughed. ‘That’s my day sorted out. How about you? What are you planning on doing, Mum?’

‘Oh, I thought I might pop into town if you don’t need me.’ Sandra shrugged, feigning nonchalance. ‘I’m going out with David tonight and thought I’d treat myself to something new to wear. Silly really because I’ve got heaps of clothes.’

‘Of course it isn’t silly!’ Heather replied firmly. ‘You want to look your best, don’t you?’

‘Well, yes…But it’s just a drink, Heather. Nothing more than that,’ Sandra said quickly.

‘A drink or a meal, what’s the difference? You deserve a night out, and if this David is anywhere near as nice as I imagine he is then you’ll have a great time. Now, I’d better get this little madam dressed.’

With a last encouraging smile at Sandra, Heather left the room. She was really glad that her mother had decided to accept David Harper’s invitation. It was about time Sandra went out and enjoyed herself instead of staying at home all the time. Just for a second the memory of Ross Tanner’s invitation came flooding back before she quickly dismissed it. She had turned him down and she’d been right to do so. She didn’t need that kind of a complication in her life.

Ross arrived at his sister’s house at eleven and by ten minutes past the hour he was on his way to the park with his nephews. According to his sister, the twins had been watching for his car since they’d finished their breakfast and he didn’t have the heart to make them wait any longer.

His sister was seven months pregnant and suffering from high blood pressure. She’d been ordered to rest by her GP, no easy feat with two lively five-year-olds to look after. Mike, his brother-in-law, was working in the Arab Emirates for one of the oil companies. Although he was due to fly home for the birth of the new baby, his absence hadn’t helped the situation.

Ross did what he could and Kate’s friends rallied round as well—doing the school run and fetching the weekly grocery shopping for her—but trips to the playground had had to be curtailed. Consequently, Josh and Luke could hardly wait to get there.

Ross helped the boys clamber onto adjacent swings and started pushing them. The playground was busy with it being the weekend and there were children running about everywhere. He gave Luke a push and turned to do the same for Josh then felt his heart sink when he saw a small child racing towards them. The toddler obviously had no idea of the danger as she ran straight in front of the swings.

Ross heard a woman shout but he didn’t pause as he darted forward and lifted the child out of the way. He could feel his heart thudding as he carried the toddler to safety because it had been such a close call. Setting the little girl on the ground, he bent down to look at her, smiling reassuringly when he saw her lower lip wobble.

‘You’re OK, poppet,’ he began, but got no further when a woman suddenly appeared and swept the child into her arms. He felt his heart thud all the harder when he realised in surprise that it was none other than Heather Cooper.

‘Grace! Are you all right, darling?’ she demanded frantically. ‘Tell Mummy where you’re hurt.’

Ross felt a wave of compassion wash over him when he saw how terrified Heather looked. He hurried to reassure her. ‘The swing didn’t hit her, Heather. She might be a bit scared because I grabbed hold of her but she isn’t hurt.’

‘Are you sure?’

Heather raised fear-darkened eyes to his and Ross could see that she was trembling. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it, feeling the delicacy of her bones beneath the thick red fleece jacket she was wearing.

‘Quite sure. She’s just had a bit of a fright.’

Heather took a deep breath but Ross could hear the shrill edge of hysteria in her voice. ‘It’s all my fault. I should have kept tighter hold of her hand. If anything had happened to her…!’

‘But it didn’t.’ Once again he squeezed her shoulder but her reaction alarmed him. It was natural that Heather should be upset by the thought of what could have happened to her daughter, but her response seemed to be way beyond what he would have considered as normal.

He glanced round when Luke shouted out that he and Josh wanted to go on the slide next. Maybe it had nothing to do with him but Ross knew that he couldn’t just walk away and leave Heather when she was so upset. He came to a swift decision, hoping that he wouldn’t ruin his chances of getting to know her better by appearing too pushy.

‘Grace isn’t the only one who’s had a fright from the look of you. What you need is a cup of tea, Heather. I was going to take my nephews to the café for a drink, so why don’t you join us?’

‘Oh, no, I couldn’t—’ Heather began, but Ross simply wasn’t prepared to leave her there on her own. She was still trembling and looked so pale that he was afraid she might pass out.

‘Yes, you can.’ He put his hand under her elbow and helped her to her feet, keeping firm hold of her as she settled the little girl in her arms. ‘You won’t do yourself or your daughter any good if you faint, will you?’

‘I suppose not.’

Heather bit her lip and he could tell that she was trying to decide what to do. The fact that it was such an effort filled him with tenderness. Heather had struck him as someone who was very much in control when they’d first met and to see her having such difficulty making up her mind simply proved how shaken she was. Unconsciously, Ross’s tone softened and became persuasive.

‘As a doctor I imagine you must have told dozens of people the same thing over the years, that a cup of tea would do them the power of good. Now it’s your turn to see if it works. I’ll just get the boys off the swings then we can go and test out the theory.’

‘All right,’ she agreed with a tentative smile.

Ross turned away before she could see how elated it had made him feel to know that he’d managed to bring a smile to her face. He lifted Josh and Luke off the swings and explained that they would have a drink first and go on the slide later. And the whole time he was doing so it felt as though his heart was going to burst right out of his chest with delight. He had made Heather smile!

Maybe it wasn’t an earth-shattering event by other people’s standards but it was by his and a definite step in the right direction, too. While they were having tea, he would try to make a bit more progress towards getting to know her better….

His spirits plummeted when it struck him that he had overlooked one major point: if Heather Cooper had a child then she probably had a husband as well. Why hadn’t he considered that possibility before?

By the time they’d found an empty table in the park’s crowded café, Heather was beginning to wish she hadn’t agreed to Ross’s suggestion. The shock of knowing that Grace could have been badly hurt if the swing had hit her had played havoc with Heather’s self-control. All she really wanted was to be on her own while she calmed down but, short of causing a scene, she had no choice except to go through with this now.

‘Tea, Heather?’

She jumped when Ross spoke to her, feeling her pulse race when she saw the concern on his face. She didn’t want to be on the receiving end of his concern when her emotions were so near to the surface.

‘Um…yes, please. Tea will be fine,’ she replied as coolly as she could.

‘And what will your little girl have? Juice or milk?’ he continued, placing his hand lightly on Grace’s head and ruffling her curls.

‘Milk, please.’ Heather managed to maintain her poise but it disturbed her to see how her daughter was smiling up at Ross. Grace was normally such a reserved child and rarely responded to people she didn’t know. However, the little girl wasn’t shy with Ross, oddly enough.

Heather frowned as she watched him turn to the two boys. Ross had told her they were his nephews and it was obvious he was very fond of them and that they adored him, too. She could tell from the easy way he behaved with the twins that he spent a lot of time with them. Maybe Grace had sensed that he was used to children and had reacted accordingly?

It was a relief to have found such a simple explanation. Heather allowed herself to relax for the first time since she’d sat down, but maybe she’d been a bit premature about lowering her guard. She felt her breath catch when she heard Ross laugh at something one of the boys had said.

She looked away as Ross went to fetch their drinks, afraid that her expression might be too revealing. Why should she feel all warm inside just because she’d heard him laughing? Why should she feel anything at all when Ross was, essentially, a stranger to her?

‘I think I’ve just about got everything.’

Ross came back with a tray full of drinks. He doled out glasses and straws to the children then dropped a handful of paper napkins in the centre of the table and sat down. Picking up a packet of sugar, he tipped the contents into a cup of tea and stirred it briskly then placed it in front of Heather with a teasing grin.

‘Hot, sweet tea. Just what the doctor ordered!’

‘Thank you.’ Heather picked up a spoon and stirred the tea again even though it wasn’t necessary to do so. However, the laughter in Ross’s eyes had once again played havoc with her equilibrium. She could feel her heart thumping and it shocked her to realise that she was so susceptible to him. She searched for something to say to defuse the situation and her eyes alighted on the heap of paper napkins.

‘Why do you need all those napkins?’

‘One thing I’ve learned through bitter experience is to be prepared like any good Scout should be.’

His smiled widened and Heather felt her heart kick in another half-dozen extra beats. There was no ignoring the fact that Ross was looking at her like a man looked at a woman he found extremely attractive.

‘The day you don’t have a wad of paper napkins to hand is the day that one of the little horrors ends up spilling orange juice all over the place!’

‘Sounds as though you spend a lot of time with your nephews,’ Heather replied lightly, although it was hard to behave as though nothing had happened.

‘As much as I can, especially at the moment.’ He leant back in his chair and sighed. ‘My sister is expecting another baby and she’s had problems with her blood pressure. She needs to rest but it isn’t easy with two lively five-year-olds to take care of and a husband who’s working abroad. I do what I can whenever I have any time off.’

‘She’s lucky to have you to help her,’ Heather said as evenly as she could. She picked up her cup and took refuge in sipping some of the hot tea. She never usually had any difficulty keeping a rein on her emotions but she’d had such a fright that day when she’d seen Grace running towards the swings. Maybe that explained why she was behaving so oddly.

‘That’s what families are for, isn’t it?’ He shrugged but she could see the curiosity in his hazel eyes as he looked at her across the table. ‘I imagine it’s difficult to balance the demands of your job with your daughter’s needs. Does your husband help?’

Heather put the cup carefully back on its saucer because her hands had started shaking and she didn’t want to spill the drink. She knew that Ross was trying to find out more about her, but how much should she tell him? Did she really want to explain about Stewart’s death? Yet for some reason telling Ross the version she’d told everyone else didn’t seem enough.

‘I’m not married.’ She cleared her throat, shocked that she should feel the need to debate the issue. What difference did it make what she told Ross? She barely knew him and she certainly wasn’t under any obligation to pour out her life story to him!

‘Grace’s father and I were engaged but he died before she was born.’

Her tone was devoid of emotion, almost as though she was talking about someone else rather than herself. She’d learned from experience that most people didn’t pry any further if she stated the facts in that indifferent way.

‘How awful for you! It must have been a terrible shock.’ Ross leant forward and laid his hand on top of hers. ‘I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for you to cope on your own, Heather.’

The compassion in his voice was so genuine that Heather felt a lump come to her throat. ‘It was awful,’ she admitted huskily.

‘Can you tell me what happened? It might help to talk about it. I may be wrong, of course, but I have an idea that you’ve been bottling up your feelings for far too long.’

He ran his thumb over the back of her hand in a gentle caress that was meant to soothe, but it had the opposite effect. Heather felt a burning heat flow through her body and start to melt away the layers of ice with which she had surrounded herself for the past few years.

She snatched her hand away, terrified by the thought of what might happen then. She didn’t want to feel the way she’d felt during those terrible months after Stewart had died. She couldn’t bear it! She simply couldn’t cope with the heartache again. Ross might mean well but he had no idea what he was doing.

She stood up abruptly and pushed back her chair, ignoring the startled look he gave her. ‘I’m sorry, but I have to go. I hadn’t realised how late it is.’

Moving swiftly around the table, she lifted Grace out of the high chair, shaking her head when the little girl reached for the beaker of milk. ‘I’m sorry, darling, but we have to go now. Granny is waiting for us. You can have another drink when we get home.’

Grace was obviously less than pleased about leaving her milk and broke into noisy sobs. Heather cuddled her close, wishing with all her heart that she’d never let herself be drawn into this situation in the first place. What on earth had she been thinking of? All she’d done was upset Grace and upset herself as well.

‘I’m sorry, Heather.’

She glanced round when Ross rose to his feet, feeling her heart turn over when she saw the regret on his face. He was several inches taller than she was and she had to tilt back her head to look at him. It made her feel incredibly vulnerable to stand there staring up at him without being able to mask her own feelings properly.

‘There’s nothing to apologise for. It’s my fault for not checking the time,’ she replied, deliberately pretending to misunderstand him.

‘I’m sorry for having raked up the past when it’s obvious that you can’t bear to talk about it.’ His voice was low but it was clear that he didn’t intend to go along with the pretence for politeness’s sake.

‘I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,’ she snapped. ‘Thank you for the tea, Mr Tanner. Now, if you’ll excuse me…’

She went to brush past him, feeling her breath catch when he put his hand on her arm and stopped her. Even through the thickness of her fleece jacket she could feel the heat from his fingers burning her skin.

‘If you ever need to talk, Heather—’ he began, but she didn’t let him finish, couldn’t when she knew that she just might be tempted to pour out the whole dreadful story to him. The thought of how she would feel afterwards was more than she could cope with.

‘I won’t!’

She shrugged off his hand and he didn’t try to detain her again as she hurried to the door. There were a lot of people milling around outside the café but Heather didn’t stop as she made for the path that would take her home. Grace was still sobbing but she quietened after a few minutes and soon fell asleep on Heather’s shoulder.

Heather slowed down, realising it was unlikely that Ross would follow her. She must have made it perfectly clear that she’d wanted to get away from him. She sighed because it wasn’t like her to overreact like that. It had never happened before so what was it about Ross Tanner that made it so difficult for her to remain in control?

She tried to work it out but it was impossible. The only thing she could do was ensure that she never placed herself in such a difficult position again. The last thing she needed was her life being turned upside down when she’d finally achieved a degree of calm after all the turmoil. She would make it clear to Ross that she wasn’t interested in him playing any part in her life….

Her heart lurched when it struck her that she’d already accepted she would see him again. He wasn’t the type of man who would be put off by what had happened that day when he was obviously determined to get to know her better. Melanie had been right—Ross was attracted to her.

Heather took a deep breath but there was no way that she could pretend the idea didn’t make her feel all warm and tingly inside. She might not want Ross prying into her past, might not want him in her future either, but she couldn’t claim to be indifferent to him.

Ross took the twins home after they had tired themselves out. He was bitterly aware that he’d made a complete mess of things with Heather. He shouldn’t have tried to press her into telling him about her past. He should have waited until she’d been ready to tell him of her own accord.

He sighed as he let the boys into the house. The chances of Heather ever being ready to tell him her deepest secrets were non-existent. Why should he imagine that she would want to bare her soul to him? Just because he felt this…connection to her didn’t mean that she reciprocated.

The thought made Ross feel even more dejected and Kate—with all the astuteness of a sibling—quickly picked up on his mood. Shooing the twins into the playroom to watch a cartoon, she sat down to grill him.

‘So why are you looking so glum, big brother? And before you try to deny it, I have to say that you don’t look your usual laid-back self. Is it woman trouble, by any chance?’ she demanded, easing herself onto the sofa.

‘What makes you think that?’ he hedged. ‘I could be having problems at work or trouble with my flat—anything, in fact.’

‘You could but you’re not.’ She grinned at him. ‘Come on, Ross, I know you too well. Nothing ever affects you. That isn’t meant as a criticism. I think it goes with the job you do. When you’re faced with some of the awful situations that you have to deal with then normal, everyday worries must seem very insignificant.’

‘Mmm, I suppose you’re right. I never really thought about it that way before,’ he conceded. ‘Obviously, the four years you spent at university weren’t a complete waste of time after all!’

He ducked when Kate threw a cushion at him by way of reply. He picked it up and put it back on the sofa, thinking how tired she looked despite the fact that she’d spent the morning resting. He made a note to phone his brother-in-law and see if Mike could come home sooner than planned then sighed when he realised that Kate wasn’t going to let the matter drop.

‘You can insult me all you like but I’m not letting myself get sidetracked, if that’s what you’re hoping.’ Kate settled back again and smiled angelically. ‘So come on, out with it. Who is she and why is she causing you a headache?’

‘Her name is Heather Cooper, Dr Cooper, to be precise. She’s the senior registrar in St Gertrude’s A and E department,’ he explained wearily, knowing it was pointless trying to hold out. Kate was relentless when it came to ferreting out information. Anyway, maybe it would help to talk through the situation and get her opinion about what he should do.

‘I see. Do I take it that she’s the lady who ministered to you during your recent stay there? Soothed your fevered brow and all that?’ Kate chuckled. She was obviously enjoying herself immensely. ‘Don’t tell me that your eyes met across a bedpan and—bingo—it was love at first sight?’

‘Hardly,’ he said dryly, although the memory of how he’d felt when he’d first seen Heather wasn’t easily dismissed. He couldn’t remember ever reacting so strongly to anyone before. He cleared his throat, somewhat uncomfortable with the idea.

‘Heather doesn’t dole out bedpans for a start. She’s far too important for that.’

‘Oh, pardon me! Anyway, you’re just splitting hairs because you’re too embarrassed to admit that you’ve fallen for the lovely doctor. Am I right or am I right?’

Ross rolled his eyes. ‘You’ve been reading too many romantic novels. Pity help poor Mike when he gets home!’

He held up his hand when his sister went to butt in because he didn’t want her prising too much out of him. Admitting that he was attracted to Heather was one thing but he wasn’t prepared to go any further than that.

His stomach lurched because the thought that it might be more than just physical attraction was alarming. He knew so little about Heather that it would be foolish to imagine even for a nanosecond that he might have fallen in love with her. He’d never believed in the theory of love at first sight and wasn’t about to subscribe to it now. However, the idea prickled at the back of his mind like a thorn.

‘Heather is a very attractive woman and I admit that I’m interested in her. The problem is that she doesn’t seem the least bit interested in me.’

‘That must have been a blow to the old ego! No wonder it’s whetted your appetite, Ross. I might be your sister but I’m well aware there aren’t that many women in the world who would turn you down.’

Ross frowned as he considered what Kate had said, or the first bit of it at least. Was it Heather’s lack of interest that had, perversely, aroused his?

‘Have you tried asking her out?’

He looked up when his sister spoke, undecided if that was the real explanation as to why he was so drawn to Heather. ‘Yes. I invited her out for dinner and she turned me down flat.’

‘Maybe she’s already seeing someone,’ Kate suggested. ‘Or perhaps she’s having to work long hours. The papers are always going on about the shortage of staff in our hospitals and A and E departments are reportedly the hardest hit of all.’

‘I suppose either is possible,’ he admitted gruffly, although it grieved him to have to add another man to the equation. Maybe Heather wanted to spend any free time she had with Carlisle? He hurried on before the idea could take root.

‘She has a child, a little girl who looks to be about two years old, so she can’t have much spare time, I don’t imagine.’

‘Not if she’s working full-time and looking after a child,’ Kate agreed. ‘What about the child’s father? Is he no longer on the scene?’

‘Heather told me that he’d died before her daughter was born.’

‘Oh, how sad! It must have been really hard for her,’ Kate exclaimed sympathetically.

‘It must. Oddly enough, I sensed there was some tragedy in her past when we first met.’ He sighed when Kate looked at him quizzically. ‘I come across a lot of people in my job who have suffered and I recognised the signs.’

‘Which makes you ideally placed to understand what she’s been through,’ Kate suggested.

‘Maybe. The problem is that she seems reluctant to talk about what happened.’

‘Maybe she needs to get to know you better before she opens up.’

‘You could be right.’ Ross frowned. Was the explanation as simple as that? After all, Heather didn’t really know him so why should he expect her to open her heart and tell him all about herself?

The twins came back just then to tell Kate that the video had finished and they were hungry. Ross stood up. ‘OK, guys, I’ll make you something to eat. Let your mum have a rest.’

He herded the boys to the door, glancing round when Kate said, ‘Thanks, Ross. I can’t wait till I’m back to my normal self. All this sitting around is driving me crazy.’

‘Enjoy it while you can. You’ll have no time to lounge around once junior arrives. Anyway, it gives me a chance to get in some practice at being the perfect uncle.’

‘Oh, you’re pretty good at that already.’ Kate winked at him. ‘You need to work on your parenting skills so you’ll be ready for fatherhood. That’s your next big test.’

‘I need to find the right woman first,’ he pointed out dryly.

‘Maybe you already have,’ Kate said innocently.

Ross didn’t say anything as he left the room. He took a deep breath but the image that swam before his eyes made his blood heat. Heather would look even more beautiful pregnant with his child.

He groaned out loud. He had to get a grip before this got completely out of hand! Maybe he was attracted to Heather and maybe he did want to get to know her better, but he wasn’t planning on marrying her.

Another picture swiftly formed in his mind’s eye and his hands clenched. Now he could see Heather walking down the aisle, looking an absolute vision in white lace. She had flowers in her hair and the most radiant smile on her face….

Ross sucked in air like a drowning man and the image faded, but he was shaking as he went into the kitchen and set about making the twins some lunch. He wasn’t sure what was happening to him but he had to find a way to take control of himself. He couldn’t keep letting thoughts of Heather rule his life like they had been doing. If Heather wasn’t interested in him then there were other women who were. He would make a few phone calls when he got home, kick-start his social life, and forget about Heather Cooper.

It was only as he was spooning baked beans onto slices of toast that he remembered his forthcoming visit to St Gertrude’s. Whether he liked it or not, he would have to see Heather one last time but he would play it cool. He would stick strictly to the reason for his visit and be polite but aloof….

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