Escaping the big city...

For love under Icelandic skies

When surgeon Betty Jacinth’s heart is broken once again, she takes a job in Iceland for a change of scenery. She expects cold weather—but not the frosty welcome she receives from gorgeous but brooding Dr. Axel Sturlusson! Now father to his orphaned niece, Axel gradually thaws, and a flame ignites—but when Betty’s ex begs her to return, can she make the right choice for love?

Born and raised just outside Toronto, Ontario, AMY RUTTAN fled the big city to settle down with the country boy of her dreams. After the birth of her second child Amy was lucky enough to realise her lifelong dream of becoming a romance author. When she’s not furiously typing away at her computer she’s mum to three wonderful children, who use her as a personal taxi and chef.

Also by Amy Ruttan

Perfect Rivals…Tempting Nashville’s Celebrity DocUnwrapped by the DukeAlejandro’s Sexy SecretHis Pregnant Royal BrideConvenient Marriage, Surprise TwinsNavy Doc on Her Christmas ListThe Surgeon King’s Secret BabyA Mummy for His DaughterA Date with Dr Moustakas

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

NY Doc Under the Northern Lights

Amy Ruttan

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07538-1

NY DOC UNDER THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

© 2018 Amy Ruttan

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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This book is dedicated to the people

who helped get me to my 20th.

My husband, my kids, my parents.

I couldn’t do this without your faith in me.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

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

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

WHERE IS HE?

Dr. Betty Jacinth’s eyes burned. She’d forgotten to take out her contact lenses on the plane when she took the red-eye from Newark to Keflavik Airport, so she was squinting as she pulled her bag through the baggage claim, looking in vain for Dr. Sturlusson, who was supposed to be picking her up.

Dr. Sturlusson was an older physician and friend of her late father, whom he’d met when he’d traveled to Iceland to do a series of lectures before Betty was born. The two had stayed in touch, first through letters, then email, and Betty had only seen her father’s friend for the first time on a video call three months ago. When her father died Dr. Sturlusson had sent Betty a card, expressing his condolences and offering her the chance to work for three months in Reykjavik, whenever she wanted.

As her father had done before her.

She had put it off for a long time, but now she was glad to go.

Her ex, Thomas, had married the woman he had cheated on Betty with, and so Betty was definitely overdue for a change of scenery.

Out of sight and out of mind!

She should have left ages ago, but she didn’t want Thomas and his newfound bliss to drive her away from her work. The problem was, if she didn’t go, then he would always have a hold on her.

Thomas had been her Attending when she was a resident. He’d been there for her when her father died. He’d taught her everything she knew. And she’d thought he’d loved her.

Then she’d found out he’d been seeing someone else. She’d broken it off but Thomas had still been her boss, still overseeing all her surgeries. She’d been stuck in a destructive cycle, her heart broken, her father gone and just paralyzed by self-doubt.

Thomas had used her.

She was a fool.

Yet, as she searched the airport, not understanding a word over the PA system, she wondered if she was an idiot for dropping her work in New York at one of the most prestigious hospitals on the eastern seaboard, to come to Reykjavik.

No. This is good. Then you won’t have to face Thomas right after his marriage to Susan.

She glanced at the big windows and saw a vast, flat nothing and that nothing was covered with white. What had she gotten herself into? She wasn’t even sure what day it was. Was it Tuesday, yeah it must be Tuesday.

She could always turn around and go back to Manhattan. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. No, there was no way she could head back. There was no one to go back to. Her father was gone and he’d been her only family. There was nothing left for her there except her job.

A job under Thomas’s thumb.

She bit back the tears stinging her eyes. She could do this. She would just have to hire a car and figure out how to drive herself into Reykjavik and the small vacation home she’d rented. Dr. Sturlusson didn’t seem the type to leave her high and dry, but perhaps something unavoidable had happened and he hadn’t been able to contact her.

She should’ve told him not to bother picking her up and she should’ve gone with the car-rental plan in the first place.

Betty glanced up at the signs overhead, trying to figure out where to go to rent a car when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye.

She looked over her shoulder and her mouth hung open a little as an over-six-foot Viking of a man came marching toward her. Quickly.

His eyes were trained on her and her knees instinctively weakened, because even from a distance there was an air of command about him. His hair was a dark blond and he had an athletic build. She was pretty sure that he could easily pick her up and toss her a long distance, despite the fact that she was pretty tall herself at five feet nine.

He stopped a few feet from her, those piercing blue eyes settling on her as his gazed briefly raked over her form, assessing her. It sent a shiver down her spine, but not one of fear. His assessment of her was something else, something almost sensual. He didn’t smile, his lips pressed together firmly, his strong jaw clenched.

She knew from his posture that he wasn’t happy about being here and that got her back up a bit. Why was this stranger staring at her with annoyance? It wasn’t as if she were blocking his way, but then again maybe most people made more of an effort to get as far out of his way as possible.

Betty narrowed her eyes and stared back at him, holding her ground.

“Dr. Jacinth?” he asked, almost in disbelief, his voice deep and rumbling.

“Yes. And who might you be?”

“Dr. Sturlusson,” he snapped back in annoyance. “I thought that would be obvious.”

“No, it’s not obvious. I’ve seen Dr. Sturlusson and he’s at least seventy. Are you telling me you’re seventy?”

He rolled his eyes. “You mean my father. I am Dr. Axel Sturlusson, his son.”

“I see. I thought your father was meant to pick me up.”

“He was, but something came up and I’ve come to collect you.” He sounded annoyed by the prospect of taking her into the city.

“Well, if it’s too much trouble I can rent a car and drive myself. I wouldn’t want to burden you.”

“I am here now and you will come with me.”

It wasn’t ‘will you come with me?’ It was you will come with me and that irked her even more. Dr. Sturlusson was pleasant and polite. His son Axel was a bit of an arrogant jerk.

She should argue with him further, but truth be told she was tired and she was glad to not have to drive.

“Fine,” she said. “Lead the way.”

He looked down at her shoes. “You do know this is Iceland in winter?”

“I’m aware.”

“You’re wearing ridiculous heels.”

She glanced down at her boots. “They’re boots.”

“It’s icy outside,” he stated gruffly.

“Oh, I’m surprised to hear that a place called Iceland is icy,” she snapped back. She was too tired to be bandying words about with a gigantic behemoth of a Viking in the middle of the airport.

His eyes narrowed. “I don’t appreciate the sarcasm.”

“And I don’t appreciate your tone, either. I assure you, if I can navigate the likes of Manhattan during rush hour I can get myself to Reykjavik intact.”

A small smile flitted at the corner of his mouth and there was a sudden twinkle in his eyes. “Is that so?”

“It is. And I can do all that in heels.”

He was openly amused. “Well, my apologies, then, but since I am here already perhaps you’ll let me drive you anyways?”

“Thank you.”

Axel held out his arm, gesturing in the direction to the terminal doors, and she followed him, pulling her suitcase behind her. She was very aware of the sound of her heels against the airport floor, but she wasn’t going to back down to Axel Sturlusson. She hadn’t got where she was as a surgeon by backing down. She’d learned how to stand her ground.

Except when it came to Thomas. She’d let Thomas walk all over her and she hated herself for that.

They stepped outside and she was met with a blast of cold, icy air completely foreign to the temperatures she was used to in Manhattan and back home in Tennessee. Her teeth chattered.

Axel turned. “You stay here and I’ll pull the car up.”

Betty nodded. She wasn’t going to argue as she opened up her carry-on bag and dug out an ugly knitted cap and the matching mitts she’d bought at an outdoor store. Fashion be damned, she was freezing her keister off.

It wasn’t long before his SUV pulled up and he got out. In a couple of strides he was beside her, picking up her suitcase and her carry-on and stowing them in the back.

Betty took a step toward the car, but her ankle twisted and she lost her balance.

Before she could hit the cold, unforgiving ground, two strong arms came around her, holding her gently. She looked up into Axel’s startling blue eyes. She’d thought they were darker, but up close she could see how deep a blue they were.

And her heart skipped a beat. It was as if those eyes had pierced her very soul. It was unsettling how much the intensity of his gaze affected her.

“I told you those were ridiculous boots. I knew that you were going to slip,” he grumbled as he set her upright.

“I didn’t see the ice,” she said, but she still clung to him.

“Well, you’re going to kill yourself walking around in those.”

Before she had a chance to respond or react Axel bent over and scooped her up, depositing her over his shoulder, as if he were carrying her from a fire. Upside down she had a good view of his butt. Which wasn’t a bad thing, just unexpected for a first meeting. Especially in light of the fact that she was going to be working with him at the hospital. It wasn’t the best first impression, but it also wasn’t the worst.

“Excuse me!” she hollered, but didn’t bother struggling because that would just make things worse.

“What?” he asked, moving toward the SUV, his hand firmly planted on her backside.

“Put me down!” she said.

“I will. Once you’re out of harm’s way.” He stated a matter of fact.

“Look, you great big Viking...you can’t treat me like this.”

He moved her and then set her down in the front seat of his SUV. There was a condescending, smug smile playing on his face.

“Treat you like what? I got you to the vehicle safely. This way you won’t be laid up with a broken ankle during your first month of work in Reykjavik. My father would not be happy if I let harm come to you.” He motioned for her to slide her legs into the foot well so he could shut the door.

Fuming, Betty begrudgingly did as he asked, her eyes tracking him as he climbed into the driver’s side and buckled in. He glanced at her.

“You should buckle up.”

“Do you always manhandle people like that?” she muttered as she reached for her seat belt.

“Only people who don’t know how to appropriately dress in icy weather and may be susceptible to a nasty fall.”

Betty’s anger melted away and she tried to fight the amused smile that was threatening to erupt on her face.

“I have better boots, but they’re in my luggage.”

“I do hope so. If not, there is a store not far from your rental where you can purchase a good sturdy pair. You’re not far from the hospital, but as that part of town is close to the sea, it can get dangerously icy at times,” Axel stated calmly as he drove away from the airport and headed toward the city.

“How do you know where I’m staying?” she asked.

“My father helped you find it. And as I said, he gave me the task of making sure that you are settled. He’s quite overloaded with some work at the hospital, so I’ve been the one dealing with it all.”

The last few words were said cautiously and she could see his jaw clench under the stress. She almost wondered if Dr. Sturlusson Sr. was sick rather than overworked and if Axel was hiding it. She knew that look well. She knew the pain and the pressure one carried when a parent was dying. Her mother died when she was young and it had just been her and her father for so long. Then he got sick and it was just her caring for him while trying to do her first year as a resident.

“I’m sorry to hear that your father is ill,” she said gently.

“Who said he was ill?”

“Your expression. Your tone of voice. I thought—”

“He’s a busy man,” Axel snapped.

“Okay.”

“He doesn’t have time for much,” Axel muttered darkly. He didn’t elaborate. He just kept his eyes on the road, his jaw clenched and those blue eyes dark and serious.

“Sorry for making an assumption. I lost my father some time ago and I know they were about the same age.”

“It’s all right,” he said gently. “And I’m sorry. My father spoke highly of your father.”

“Thank you.”

Betty turned and gazed out of the window, her eyelids becoming heavy as the exhaustion that had been pestering her finally caught up with her.

* * *

Axel could hear her deep, even breathing and he glanced over at her. Her head was pressed against the window and she was fast asleep. She was quite beautiful. He hadn’t been expecting that. He didn’t know what he had been expecting, to be honest, but he hadn’t been expecting her.

Blonde hair, brown eyes and a pixie-like face. She was tall, or at least taller than the women he was used to dating. Although it was hard to tell because of the heels. She seemed to have a bit of fire in her, but one that she was suppressing and he couldn’t help but wonder why.

Axel was attracted to her but, with his past and the fact that Betty would only be in Iceland for a short time, there was no point acting on that attraction.

He relaxed, but only fractionally.

When he had been ordered by his father to take on the role of assisting the new American surgeon in her three-month placement he’d instantly been outraged.

“I don’t want to babysit some American surgeon.”

“You need to do this, Axel,” his father had said sharply. “I don’t have time to deal with her.”

Axel had been able to feel the pain in his father’s eyes even without looking directly at them. He’d become an expert at it since the accident two years ago. He still couldn’t look his father in the eye. Not really.

“I’m here to save lives, not babysit another surgeon who outranks me.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“I do my work. I save lives!”

“You’re not striving for anything better. You’re not publishing papers or doing anything innovative. There will be no more discussion about this. You’re doing it.”

Axel really hadn’t been able to say no. His father was the Chief of Surgery and was Axel’s boss now that he was no longer part of the tactical coast guard and worked as a surgeon in the hospital. He just wanted to save lives and go home. He didn’t want anything more. He didn’t deserve anything more.

He’d worked with Americans before and they hadn’t been pleasant to him. So when he’d gone to the airport to pick up Dr. Betty Jacinth, he hadn’t been expecting the woman he’d found waiting for him.

Her beauty stunned him. Sure, she had a feisty little temper, but there was a vulnerability beneath her surface and he wondered what had made her that way.

What had hurt her?

What made her feel as if she needed to prove herself in front of him? Prove that she was so strong, when really he could see that her confidence was shaken under the surface.

That he understood.

He could still hear the screams, smell the smoke and feel the icy cold water cut through his skin like daggers.

Get control of it.

Axel rolled his shoulders as he banished the thought away. It was hard, especially during the winter months when the thoughts of the helicopter crash crept closer. The botched rescue attempt.

His elder brother drowning beside him.

He was the only one who survived, when he should’ve been the one who died.

Now, Axel was guardian to his fourteen-year-old niece, Eira, and he had to deal with the fact that his father blamed him for Calder’s death. His niece certainly did.

Don’t think about it.

Betty stirred in her sleep and Axel glanced at her only briefly. Working with her was going to be harder than he’d originally thought.

Maybe his father would take pity on him and step in, especially if his father saw how working with her would be a struggle. He wasn’t completely sure how he was going to manage that, but he’d find a way. He couldn’t work with Betty. Her or anyone.

He was better on his own. Focused on saving lives and taking care of Eira. That was all he could handle in his life and that was all he really deserved.

His PTSD and Eira were baggage that women couldn’t handle and he was fine with that. Eira and his work were his priority. Too bad he was also failing at that. Lives he could save, but dealing with a fourteen-year-old girl was something else altogether.

Still, Eira had no one else and he’d promised his brother he would care for her as they’d clung to what was left of the helicopter in the stormy North Sea.

Betty woke with a start, jolting Axel from his musings.

“Are we there?” she asked drowsily.

“Nearly,” he said, gently.

“Good.” She sat up and stretched. “Sorry I dozed off there.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re tired and you need to get your sleep. You start in a couple of days and the shift starts at five in the morning. I’ll come and pick you up.”

“I can walk to the hospital.”

“It’s still dark at five in the morning. I will pick you up.”

“Fine. I guess that’s okay. I don’t want to get disoriented on my first day.”

“You will have obstacles. Language, for one.”

“I can speak a bit,” she responded in a bit of broken Icelandic. “And I believe most people here speak very good English.”

He laughed. “You are right. When did you learn Icelandic?”

“My father spoke Icelandic because he spent a few years working here before I was born. That’s how he and your father became friends. My father came here to work and met your father and then they corresponded for years. My father loved it here and taught me a few words of the language.

Axel shrugged. “I never thought to ask how my father knew yours, but I guess it makes sense. My father is not much of a traveler, so I couldn’t really picture him going to the US.”

Silence fell between them.

He pulled down a side street off the Hverfisgata that wasn’t far from the hospital. Her little rental was a small blue-green cottage that had a view of the water. It made his stomach twist in a knot as he looked out over that cruel, unforgiving stretch of sea.

He used to love that wide expanse of churning blue, now he hated it.

“Here you go. I’ll help you in.” Axel didn’t give her a chance to protest. There would be icy patches down by the sea and it was windy. As soon as he stepped out of the car he could feel salty mist spraying his face.

“Hold on, Calder. Help is coming.”

“I... I can’t.” There was a wound on Calder’s face; his eyes were closed. “Promise me.”

Axel knew what he was talking about. “I’ll look after her. Don’t worry, but just hold on.”

“I’m so cold.”

“You okay?” Betty asked as he opened her door and then he realized he was blocking the way.

“Fine.” He reached down to pick her up, but she held up her hands.

“I’ve got it. Thanks.”

Axel didn’t fight her and stepped back. He grabbed her luggage from the back and followed her up the path and the few stairs as she punched in a code on the lock box and got the key. His pulse was thundering in his ears, because every fiber in his being was telling him to get away from the water.

Once they were inside, he set her luggage down.

“I’ll pick you up Thursday morning at five.”

“You don’t have to...”

“No, I’ll be outside. Waiting.” He didn’t want to argue with her. He just needed to put some distance between himself and her, the sea, from it all.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll see you Thursday, then.”

Axel nodded and left. He could hear her shut the door behind him. He should’ve offered to help her get groceries. Show her around a bit more.

His father had made it clear that she was his responsibility, but then Calder had been his responsibility too and look how that had turned out.

He’d show her the ropes of the surgical floor in Reykjavik, but that was all.

That was all he could give.

CHAPTER TWO

THERE WAS A knocking at Betty’s door early the next morning. An incessant pounding that permeated into her dreams and gave her a raging headache. She opened her eyes, rolling over and looking at the clock on the nightstand. It was nine in the morning Icelandic time, which meant that it was four in the morning in New York City.

Good Lord.

Betty rubbed her eyes and heard the pounding again. It startled her.

Who was at her door? She knew no one here, except Axel and his father and it wouldn’t be either of them. Would it?

She clambered out of bed, jammed her glasses on her face, threw a sweater over her tank top, pulled on her heavy woolen socks and made her way downstairs, bumping into a wall as her eyes adjusted to the daylight.

She cursed under her breath and then peeked through the peephole and groaned when she saw a familiar six-foot Viking standing on her porch, looking just as good and put together as he had yesterday.

What does he want?

She opened the door a crack. “What?”

Axel’s gaze raked her up and down, just as it had when they’d first met. It was unnerving.

“You just open the door to strangers?” he asked, annoyed.

“You drove me home. You’re hardly a stranger.”

“You don’t know me.”

She ran her hand through her hair and tried to stifle a yawn. “So, you’ve come to my place, early in the morning, on my first full day in Iceland to give me a lecture on stranger danger?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Stranger danger? I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

“It’s...” Betty trailed off. Clearly it was a language-barrier thing and she didn’t have the patience or brain power to explain the phrase’s meaning to him or argue about it with him. “What do you want, Axel?”

“Can I come in?” he asked.

“Sure.” She opened the door wider and he slipped inside. She closed the door and crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe for support.

“You look terrible,” he said.

“It’s called jet lag and I was sleeping until I was rudely interrupted.”

“The only way to beat jet lag is to pretend it’s not real.”

“Really?”

“Yes, you should’ve got up a couple hours ago and started your day.”

“Look, have you just come to insult me or are you here for a reason?

Axel glanced over his shoulder. “Let’s have some coffee.”

And before she could argue he was striding into her small kitchen and rifling through her cupboards. What was with this guy?

Betty followed him, still a bit woozy from her lack of sleep. She tripped over a rug in the hall and Axel reached out to steady her, stopping her from doing a face-plant. His strong arms were around her once again and she was completely mortified.

“You’re not too nimble on your feet,” he said with a hint of humor in his voice.

She pushed out of his arms. “Axel, what’re you doing here? I know you didn’t just drive all the way over here to make me coffee.”

He turned back to the coffeemaker. “I’ve come to check on you and make sure you know your way around the city. Also to make sure you get food.”

She wanted to tell him that she was fine, but she wasn’t. She knew a few Icelandic words and phrases thanks to her father’s teaching, but last night when she’d been struggling with jet lag she’d tried looking up stores in Reykjavik and couldn’t make heads or tails of the names.

“That would be great,” she said. “I’ll go get dressed.”

Axel nodded. “Good. Don’t trip going up the stairs.”

Betty glared at him and took the stairs slowly, just so he wouldn’t keep remarking on her klutzy tendencies. She wasn’t such a klutz when it came to the operating room. When she was there she was in her element.

Was she?

She tried not to think about Thomas. About how he had always been in the operating room with her. Always the lead surgeon. At first, she’d loved having him there. It had been reaffirming. Thomas had been her teacher and he’d given her strength.

But since his betrayal his presence had annoyed her and shaken her confidence to the core, which was another reason why she was here. She was determined to prove to herself that she didn’t need anyone’s assistance when it came to surgery. That she was better than she thought she was.

She got dressed and made herself presentable. By the time she was done brushing her hair she could smell the coffee brewing downstairs.

When she came back down into the kitchen Axel handed her a cup. She took a sip and it was delicious. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had made her coffee. Thomas certainly never had when they were dating.

“This is good,” she said. “Thank you.”

“You say that in a shocked tone.”

“Well, you are a stranger. I don’t know how you make coffee. It could be complete doo-doo.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Doo-doo?”

“Garbage.”

“Ah, well, I suppose so. Are you ready to go?”

Betty finished her coffee and set the mug in the sink. “Yes, let’s get this over with.”

“I hope you have your better boots today. It’s quite icy being this close to the...to the water.” There was an edge to his voice as he mentioned the water, as if he hated it. Betty shook that thought off; perhaps he just didn’t like ice, and she couldn’t blame him. She wasn’t a huge fan of it herself.

“Yes. I have better boots.” She picked them up off the floor. “See?”

Axel nodded in approval. “Well, let’s go and I’ll drive you to the nearest store and make sure you get enough food to survive. I don’t want my father saying I let you starve.”

“I can find my way around.”

“Oh?” he asked as she locked her front door. “What street do you live on?”

“I live on Vatn...”

“I thought as much. You live on Vatnsstigur. That’s the correct pronunciation.”

“Thanks,” she said dryly.

They walked down to his SUV and he held open the door for her. She shouldn’t be going with him to get groceries, but she did need food and she was tired and didn’t know her way around Reykjavik. She would take his help for this and that was it.

No more.

She was here to make it on her own and not rely on someone else.

The drive to the grocery store was silent, but she really didn’t know what to say to him. Everything she said seemed to annoy him and vice versa. Thankfully it wasn’t a long ride and soon they were pulling up in front of a grocery store that advertised being open twenty-four hours a day.

“We’re here.”

“Good,” Betty said, stifling another yawn. “I’m going to need more coffee.”

“Well, after we get your groceries home I will take you for a proper coffee near your place. That will wake you up.”

“If the cold air doesn’t wake me up I doubt any coffee will,” she muttered.

“You haven’t had this coffee yet.” He got out of the car and Betty followed him. He walked well ahead of her in big, commanding steps making it hard to keep up with him.

“Hey!” she called out. “Wait up.”

Axel paused and turned around. “What? Did you fall?”

“No, I didn’t fall. Why are you always assuming I’m falling or tripping?”

“Because you keep doing it,” he stated in a matter-of-fact tone. And he had a point. She had been.

“I’m not falling this time. You’re just walking too fast. You’re a giant and I can’t keep up, not in these boots.”

There was a twinkle in his blue eyes. “Sorry.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll get a cart.” He grabbed a cart from the carrel. “You ready?”

“I didn’t make a list.”

“We’ll get you what you need.”

“Okay.” Betty followed him in a daze. He took her through the produce section and she picked out some apples and oranges. Then they moved over to the deli and bakery. Axel dutifully pushed the cart in silence but after a few aisles he made a “hmm” sound.

“What?” she asked as she held a box of pasta.

Axel reached into her cart and pulled out a can. “This is an interesting choice.”

“Isn’t it tuna?”

“No, it’s lutefisk. You know what that is?”

“Not tuna?”

“No, it’s an aged stock fish and lye. It’s sort of like gelatin.”

Betty made a face. “Oh.”

Axel chuckled. “You want me to put it back?”

“No, I’m going to try it.”

Now it was his turn to make a face. “You’re brave. I don’t like it much.”

Betty took the can and placed it back in the cart. “I’m going to try it. I’ll be brave. I like fish.”

Axel looked amused but didn’t say anything more. Satisfied that she had enough to last her for her first few days, she paid for her purchases and he helped her load them into the car. Returning to her rental, Axel helped her take the groceries inside and put them away. She was hoping he would leave when they were done, but he lingered.

“What?” she asked.

“Coffee, remember?”

“Oh, I thought you were just being polite.”

“No, I mean it. I’ll get you some good coffee. It’s not a far walk from here.”

“Okay. Isn’t it a little cold to be walking though?”

“You wanted to walk to the hospital on your first day and that’s farther than the coffee house.”

“You have a point,” she said. “Okay, let’s go, but then I have to get back and prepare for tomorrow.”

“Deal.”

Axel was right, it wasn’t far from her rental, but when they got to the coffee house it was packed and there was nowhere to sit, let alone move.

“Sorry about that,” Axel said as they left.

“It’s okay.”

“I promised you coffee for dragging you out.”

Betty looked around and down on the pier near the beach was a little coffee hut. “What about there? That looks like a coffee place!”

Axel looked to where she was pointing and his expression hardened. “Uh.”

“We can have coffee and go walk on the beach.”

“No,” Axel snapped. “No, that’s not a good place.”

“But it’s not crowded at all.”

“I said no!” Axel’s jaw was tightened and he wasn’t even looking in the direction of the beach. “You know what, I have to go.”

“Oh,” she said. “Okay.”

“Let’s go. I’ll walk you home.” He took her by the arm and practically dragged her from the beach. Someone really didn’t like water and she wondered why.

That’s not your concern.

She was out of breath by the time they reached her rental and he wouldn’t look her in the eye as he opened the gate into her yard.

“Thanks for taking me out. I’ll see you Thursday.”

He nodded curtly. “Thursday. Tomorrow.”

And before she could say anything else to him, he walked quickly to his SUV and left. Betty was too tired to figure out what had happened and it really wasn’t her problem. She was here to work, not make friends, and that was all there was to it.

CHAPTER THREE

BETTY SIPPED HER COFFEE, her body still not used to the time-zone change, even after having had a couple of days to adjust. She was glad that she’d got proper coffee before her first day of work. No matter what she tried she still couldn’t brew as good a cup of coffee as Axel had.

Axel.

That had been a good second day. He’d helped her get groceries, made her feel somewhat welcome, even if her suggestion to walk on the beach had gone a bit awry.

She took another sip of the coffee, wishing she could go back to bed so she could feel more rested for this important day.

It was currently midnight in New York City, usually the time when she’d be thinking about going to bed.

And the bed in the rental was comfortable. It had a thick, down duvet and two feather pillows.

Stop thinking about bed.

She set down her travel mug and picked up the parka she’d bought, pulling it on and glancing out of the window just in time to see Axel’s SUV pull up.

He’s punctual.

She didn’t know why in this moment that thought surprised her. He didn’t strike her as the kind of man who was usually late. Granted, he’d been late picking her up the other day at the airport, but he had been annoyed and grumpy, so being late had probably irked him.

Why are you dissecting this?

She shook her head. Man, she was tired.

Betty grabbed her bag, her travel mug and her keys. She was ready to face the day, meet the elder Dr. Sturlusson and discuss her lecture series for his surgical residents later in the week. Not only was she working in the emergency room as a trauma surgeon, but she’d been hired to teach the first-year surgical residents. She was terrified because she’d never done this before.

You’ve got this.

Though there was a part of her that wasn’t quite sure that she did, indeed, have this.

* * *

“You can’t go to Iceland,” Thomas had said as he’d followed her from the scrub room.

He hadn’t taken the hint that she wanted to be alone. She’d wanted to cry, to weep, because he was getting married to someone else. He had used her.

“I can and I am.”

Thomas had stood in front of her. “Where can I reach you, then?”

“For what?”

Thomas touched her cheek. “You’re my rock.”

“I’m going,” she’d said, her voice shaking.

“You’ll come back,” he’d snapped. “You can’t possibly handle it.”

* * *

She locked her door and headed down the steps toward Axel’s SUV. He got out and pulled open the gate for her.

“I’ve come to check that you’re wearing appropriate footwear.”

Betty stuck out her leg. “Happy? You saw these the other day.”

He looked her up and down, then nodded. “Yes. Quite. I won’t have to carry you into the hospital.”

Betty ground her teeth. “And I won’t have to slug you now.”

“Slug me?” he asked, as he shut and latched the gate behind her.

Betty held up her fist, but the effect was lost, buried under a thick, wool mitten.

Axel raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I see.”

And then he chuckled as he opened the passenger door.

“Why are you laughing?” she asked as she slid into the warmth of the SUV’s interior.

He shut the door and then walked around to the driver’s side, still chuckling as he buckled up.

“What is so funny?” she asked again.

“Slugging. I find it humorous that you think you can harm me.”

“I’m tougher than I look, partner. Or, I’ve been told I am.”

Truth be told, it had been a long time since anyone had told her that. She used to be a tougher woman and she hated herself for burying that part of her, for letting Thomas bury that part of her.

Let it go.

“I don’t doubt it,” Axel said, a hint of humor in his voice. She glanced at him and even in the dark of the car she could see a glint of a humorous twinkle in his eye.

She snorted and took a sip of her coffee.

Axel turned around at the end of the dead-end street where her rental was and sped toward the hospital a couple of blocks away. As they drove through the darkened streets, she could see a green hint in the distance, above the city.

“What is that?” she asked.

“What?” Axel asked.

“The green light on the horizon. What is that?” Something was gnawing away at her that she should know.

“It’s the Norðurljós, the northern lights. Have you never seen them?”

“No,” Betty said, excitedly craning her neck to look at them. “I live in New York City and there are so many lights there. You can barely see the stars. I also grew up in southern Tennessee. Not exactly close to the sixtieth parallel, but they’ve always been on my bucket list.”

She smiled as she watched the green lights just beyond the horizon. They flickered, but just barely and the light was fading.

“It’s hard to see them here. They’re stronger around midnight and you can see them much more clearly outside the city. They must be really strong tonight for us to see a glimpse of them here.”

“I would love to see them properly one night.” The words slipped out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop them.

“Would you? Well, I can drive you to a great spot I know if you want.”

Warmth flushed her cheeks. She hadn’t meant to fish for a date from him.

“You don’t have to.”

“Do you have a car?” he asked.

“No.”

“Then I’ll take you. I don’t mind.” He parked his SUV. “You are my responsibility.”

“I’m not a child. I’m going to rent a car to get around. You took me out to get food. I think your job is done. I’ve settled in.”

“I will drive you.”

Betty got out of the SUV and shut the door. “I’m a grown woman, a talented surgeon and I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”

“Why are you so defensive?” Axel asked.

“I don’t need anyone to help me.” She was being defensive, but she didn’t want help. Iceland was her chance to prove herself.

To whom? Thomas? He doesn’t care.

She shook that thought away. No, she wasn’t going to let all these self-doubts take over. She wasn’t going to let Thomas ruin this.

She would use the distance. She needed to get over him.

To get over the hold he had on her.

“I’m sorry,” she said, wincing as she gripped her travel mug. “I’m just used to doing things on my own.”

“I get that,” he said. “Same with me.”

“Good.” She stared up at him. He really was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. It was almost classical. As if he were a Viking hero.

Like Beowulf.

And right now, she felt like a complete Grendel.

“Let’s go,” he said. “Or we’ll be late and I don’t like being late.”

She nodded and followed him into the hospital.

Great way to alienate yourself from your coworkers, Betty.

This was going to be a long, long first day.

* * *

Axel glanced up from where he was charting to see Betty bending over a patient with her stethoscope and listening to the patient’s chest. Her blonde hair was tied back and the aquamarine of her scrubs suited her.

Look away.

Only he couldn’t tear his gaze from her.

She had spirit. Even if that spirit grated on his nerves, Axel couldn’t help but admire her for that. The day he’d spent with her had made him forget all the stress he usually bore on his shoulders.

He’d enjoyed the simplicity of buying groceries and sharing a laugh, the adult companionship aspect of it.

That was, until she’d suggested walking along the beach. That was when it had all gone sideways and he was still angry at himself for the way he’d treated her. This was why he didn’t get involved with anyone and why he kept to himself.

“She seems to be fitting in well.”

Axel tore his gaze from Betty and glanced at his father, who was suddenly standing across from him, looking formidable in his white lab coat and expensive suit. He didn’t see eye to eye with his father on many things, including the expensive tastes his father had.

His father had never understood Axel and Calder’s need to go to sea. He saw it as them wasting their medical training by serving in the tactical navy. Patrolling the coast of Iceland and providing emergency medical services at sea.

After the accident, his father had taken the opportunity to point out that if Calder and Axel had listened to him in the first place and pursued “proper” medical positions, Calder wouldn’t be dead.

“First Eira’s mother dies of cancer when she’s an infant and now her father is lost at sea. Now Eira is an orphan. Calder never should have died.”

His father’s pained words still haunted him and he knew that Eira thought the same things too. He could see it in her eyes when she was mourning Calder. Or when she thought about the mother she never knew.

Axel was all Eira had now. An uncle who knew nothing about raising a teenaged girl.

“Yes,” Axel replied. He was hoping that would be the end of the conversation, because, even though it had been two years since Calder died, it was still hard. To know that his father had loved Calder more and wished that Calder had been the one to survive.

I wish that too. It would be easier than bearing this burden.

“Did you give her my apologies about not being able to pick her up at Keflavik?” his father asked.

“I did. I told her that you were busy.”

His father was always busy.

“Thank you,” his father said stiffly. “I would’ve gone, but...”

“I know you were too busy, Father. Eira and I both know how busy you are.”

It was a dig. His father barely came to see Eira.

His father’s eyes narrowed. “I take my work very seriously, which is why I’m Chief of Surgery here.”

Axel shut the chart and set it down on the counter of the nursing station where he’d been working. He took a step closer to his father. “I take my work seriously too. I’m saving lives!”

“Except for one.” The words his father spoke stung Axel, because he couldn’t save Calder and his father could never forgive him for that. His father took a step back and straightened his lab coat. “I should go and make my introductions. She seems to be done with the patient for now.”

“Yes. Do that,” Axel said, annoyed with his father’s stubbornness as he watched him cross the triage area and introduce himself to Betty.

Axel’s head pounded and he turned on his heel, walking away.

His father was so stubborn. If his mother were still alive... He let that thought trail off because he knew his mother would never have survived losing Calder, the favored son.

Calder was the favorite, whereas Axel had always been the screw-up.

Calder had been the only one to love and support him when he was growing up and then messing up his life. It was why Axel had wanted to go into the tactical navy. It was why he’d wanted to be a naval surgeon like his brother. His plan had never been to work in a hospital.

Of course, his plan hadn’t included losing his brother and almost drowning.

Axel stepped inside an on-call room that was empty and took a couple of deep calming breaths as the post-traumatic stress disorder began to take control of him.

You can control this wave.

The therapist working with him on his PTSD had taught him the deep-breathing technique. He kept his eyes closed and kept breathing in and out, trying to drown out the sounds of the helicopter crashing into the water, of Calder’s last words or the howling of the stormy seas.

Instead he saw Betty’s face in his mind’s eye. That saucy, feisty pixie-like face. It startled him to see her there.

He scrubbed a hand over his head. Angry that he saw Betty’s face in his mind, mixed in with his torment.

He already knew that he had to be careful when it came to dealing with Betty Jacinth. This only reinforced his conviction to keep things strictly professional between them.

His phone buzzed and he frowned when he saw that it was Eira and that Eira was headed to the emergency room.

What in the world?

Axel pocketed his phone and rolled his shoulders, making sure that he had regained his composure before leaving the on-call room.

Axel headed to the emergency room, hoping his father hadn’t gotten word that Eira was in the hospital. No doubt Axel would be blamed for whatever had gone wrong.

He was always the one to be blamed.

It was always his fault, because Axel wasn’t Calder.

“Where is my niece?” Axel asked the head triage nurse.

“She’s in pod four with Dr. Jacinth. Bed three.”

“Thank you.” Axel headed over to pod four, which contained six beds. Bed three had the curtains drawn and he could see Betty’s shoes under the curtain.

He hesitated, then cleared his throat. “Is it okay if I come in?”

Betty peeked through the curtain. “Dr. Sturlusson, can I help you?”

“Your patient is my niece. I’m her guardian.”

Betty’s eyes widened.

“Is that my uncle?” Eira’s sweet voice came from inside the curtained bed in almost perfect English.

“Yes, if Dr. Sturlusson is your uncle,” Betty answered Eira.

“Yes. Or it could be my grandfather.”

“No, I don’t think it’s your grandfather,” Betty teased as she stepped to the side to let him by.

Eira looked so small against the bed. Her arm was wrapped up and he could see blood on her shirt and seeping through the wrapping.

“What happened?” he asked, instantly feeling guilty that he hadn’t been there for her.

He was never going to get the hang of balancing working and being a guardian to a teenage girl.

How had his brother ever managed?

“I slipped in a puddle of water in the bathroom at school.”

Axel gently pulled away the gauze and could see the angry, ragged wound on her arm. It didn’t look as if she’d just fallen on the floor. It looked as if she’d hit something metal and sharp.

“I’ll help you. It’ll be okay.”

“Uh, I don’t think so,” Betty said, stepping in. “You’re her family. You can hold her hand, but I’m the doctor here.”

Axel wanted to argue with Betty, but she was right in this case and he didn’t want to upset Eira.

Axel stepped away and then took a seat on the opposite side of the bed.

Eira looked uncomfortable. As if she didn’t want him to be here.

“Uncle, if it’s all the same to you I would like to talk to Dr. Jacinth, privately.” A pink blush crept up her cheeks and Eira couldn’t even look him in the eye.

“Okay. I will just be outside the pod doing some charting. If you need me I can be back here right away.”

Eira nodded and he left.

Betty closed the curtain and his stomach sank.

Eira and he used to be close, back when he was fun Uncle Axel and not her parental figure.

Just another way his life had changed since the accident.

He missed the way it used to be.

* * *

Betty could tell that Axel was sad that he was asked to leave but she could tell that Eira was uncomfortable. She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to the girl’s parents. Axel hadn’t even mentioned that he had a niece, but then again Axel wasn’t terribly forthcoming about anything except for the fact he disapproved of her winter footwear and didn’t think that she was capable of walking anywhere safely.

“So, what did you need to speak to me about? Or was that just a ruse to get rid of your uncle?” she asked as she pulled a chair over and began to gently clean the wound.

Eira winced. “Well, a bit of both, I suppose.”

“Well, you can talk to me. There is a doctor-patient confidentiality that I can’t violate.”

Eira sighed. “I didn’t slip. I fainted.”

“Fainted?”

Eira nodded. “I started...there was...blood.” A blush crept up the girl’s neck and bloomed in her cheeks. Betty completely understood.

“How old are you, Eira?”

“Fourteen, but I will be fifteen soon. I know it’s late for... I’m the last of my friends to get it.”

“It’s not late. If you were over sixteen and hadn’t had the onset of menarche I’d be worried then. I was fourteen too when it happened for me.”

“You were?” Eira seemed relieved. “My mom died when I was little so there’s no one to talk to about these things.”

“I get it. Your uncle or your grandfather aren’t exactly people you feel comfortable talking with about it.”

“Right.” Eira blushed.

“I understand completely.”

“You do?”

Betty nodded as she continued her work on Eira’s arm, cleaning the wound. When she’d fainted, Eira had cut her arm on a metal grate, so it needed a few stitches. A resident or an ER doctor could handle this, but it was slow and they weren’t busy. Betty didn’t mind.

“My mother died when I was a baby and it was just my father and me. He was a surgeon too, but... I had a hard time talking about it with him. Thankfully my grandmother in Tennessee was still alive and she guided me through my first monthly.”

Eira frowned. “My grandmother died before I was born and my mother died shortly after my birth. I just had my dad but...” Tears welled up in Eira’s eyes and she wiped them away with her good sleeve. “He drowned.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Betty said gently. “Was it recently?”

“Two years ago. My uncle Axel was my guardian and I went to live with him after he recovered.”

“Recovered?”

“My uncle Axel was in the same accident as my father. They were both doctors in the tactical navy. They were in a helicopter on a training mission over stormy seas when there was an engine failure. The helicopter crashed. Everyone but my uncle died.”

Betty’s heart sank. It explained so much. The aloofness. The aversion to water. That must be a hard thing to overcome.

It made her issues seem silly.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Betty said. “How about I get you cleaned up so you can get out of here? Do you want me to talk to your uncle? Explain what happened?”

Eira nodded, a relieved expression on her face. “That would be great, Dr. Jacinth.”

Betty smiled. “You can call me Betty and, I don’t mean to overstep, but if you have any other questions I’m here in Reykjavik for the next three months and I would be happy to help you any way that I can. Your grandfather and my father were friends so it’s the least I could do.”

“I would like that.”

“Good. Now, sit tight and I will be right back.”

Betty collected up the soiled gauze and disposed of them. As she went to get Eira some sanitary napkins, she found Axel pacing outside the pod, not charting as he’d said he was going to do.

And she couldn’t blame him.

“How is she?” Axel asked.

“She’ll be fine. I haven’t done the sutures yet. She wanted me to talk to you about something delicate.”

Axel frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“She fainted. She was probably overwhelmed she had her first period. She’s been worried because she hadn’t had it yet and there’s no one to talk to about it. She passed out from the sight of blood and cut her arm on a metal grate in the bathroom when she passed out.”

“Oh, I see.”

Betty nodded. “She said they taught it in school, but for a young girl without a mom, it can still be a shock. I know I had a similar uncomfortable conversation with my father when it happened to me.”

Axel scrubbed a hand over his face. “I should’ve prepared her better, but...”

“I get it.”

“Did she tell you what happened?” Axel asked cautiously. “About her father?”

Betty nodded. “She did.”

Axel seemed uncertain.

“I asked her what happened to her parents. She told me.”

“Of course, I’m sorry. It was hard for me and I’ve been trying to be there for her and apparently what I’ve been doing is not good enough.”

“It’s good enough.”

He shot her a disbelieving stare. “Well, I’m glad she was able to confide in you.”

“I told her that if she had any more questions she could ask me. I hope I didn’t overstep my boundaries.”

“No, but I don’t want her burdening you either. You have a job to do,” he said quickly.

“It’s not a burden. I know the special circumstances of the situation she’s going through.”

Axel cocked an eyebrow. “How so?”

“My mother died shortly after I was born and it was just me and my father after my grandmother died when I was a bit older than Eira. It’s hard and you shouldn’t be so tough on yourself. You’re doing a good job.”

“You’ve only just met me. You have no concept about whether or not I’m doing a good job.”

It was a snarky retort, but she couldn’t blame him. They were still strangers and he’d been through a lot.

“I’m going to get her what she needs and suture her wound. You should take her home and watch for signs of infection.”

Axel nodded, but he didn’t look at her.

She turned to walk away and he reached out and touched her arm.

“I’m sorry for snapping. Thank you.”

She smiled. “You’re welcome, Dr. Sturlusson.”

She turned and left him standing there. She had a newfound appreciation for him. He still might be closed off, but at least she understood that it was because he’d been through the wringer himself and for that she could cut him a little bit of slack.

But only a little.

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