fiancee’s sloped off back to New York and you’re carrying a ring around with no one to give it to-right? So you’re thinking of marrying our Abbey.’ He steadied on his feet but he didn’t relinquish his grip on his son. ‘You could do worse, Ryan. Abbey’s a damned fine girl.’
‘I know she is,’ Ryan said heavily. And then he shrugged. Talking to his father about his personal life was new to him, but he liked the sensation. It was just, well, hard to get used to.
And it was uncomfortable, talking about Abbey.
‘Dad, I have asked her to marry me,’ he confessed.
Sam stared. ‘Yeah?’ His whole face lightened. ‘You and Abbey… Well, well.’
‘She’s refused.’
Sam frowned.
‘Why on earth? Ryan, Janet tells me she’s nuts about You.’
‘Janet says… Dad, have you and Janet been talking about us?’
‘You have to do something in this dratted hospital if you’re not to go stir-crazy,’ Sam retorted. ‘Between bedpans and library trolleys and people making you do a damned stupid set of exercises, talking to Janet’s been a lifeline. And she’s worried about that girl of hers. Says she’s breaking her heart over you.’
‘Not so you’d notice,’ Ryan said morosely. ‘She won’t marry me.’
‘Hell, why not?’ Sam’s face was still eager. ‘Maybe it’s just she needs time to get used to the idea. Ryan, it’d be great.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Tell you what. If it’ll help, I’ll buy a little place down closer to the beach and let you kids have the homestead. It’s too big for me and it’d be a great place to bring up kids. That is…’ he was watching Ryan’s bleak face ‘… if you want more kids.’
But Ryan shook his head. ‘Dad, that’s more than generous, but you must see… Even if Abbey marries me we couldn’t live here.’
Silence.
‘Why not?’ Sam asked at last, but the light had faded from his face as if it had never been.
‘Because my life is in New York,’ Ryan said explosively. ‘Hell, Dad, I have a career.’
‘And Abbey doesn’t?’
‘Well, yes, but what sort of career? It pays peanuts and you know it.’
‘Maybe Abbey’s content with peanuts,’ Sam said sadly.
‘How can she be?’ Ryan demanded, and it was as if he was talking to himself. ‘She works herself into the ground for nothing. But the lifestyle I’m offering her… I could look after her. Take her away from all this.’
‘But Abbey loves “all this”.’ Sam’s face softened. ‘And, Ryan, so should you. You were born here. This is your heritage too.’
Ryan stared at him in astonishment. ‘Dad, are you seriously suggesting that I should stay here?’
‘If you want Abbey.’
‘If Abbey loves me then she’ll come with me.’
‘No.’ Sam shook his head. ‘Abbey’s not that selfish.’
‘Selfish?’
‘Abbey could go with you tomorrow-Janet tells me that-and be content. Heck, Ryan, Abbey’s been your other half since she was knee-high to a grasshopper. The two of you are meant for each other. But she won’t abandon her responsibilities, and you can’t ask her to.’
‘It’s not like Sapphire Cove owns her.’
‘No,’ Sam said sadly. ‘It’s not. But you don’t either and you never will.’
‘I don’t want to own her.’
‘Don’t you?’ Sam shook his head. ‘By taking Abbey away from Sapphire Cove, what would she have but you? She’d be totally dependent on you for her happiness. And you? Would it be the same for you? Will you be dependent on her? I don’t think so. I’ll just bet you don’t intend to drop your work commitments by one bit.’
‘I can’t. Dad-’
‘So you won’t change your lifestyle and you’ll expect Abbey to fit in around the edges of your existing life?’ Sam demanded harshly.
‘Other women marry men like me.’
‘Other women aren’t Abbey,’ Sam said roughly, and he sat heavily on the bed. ‘If you want “other women” go marry “other women”. If you want Abbey I suggest you marry her for what she is. A woman with a heart too big to ever think of leaving us.’
He looked up at his son and his eyes were full of pain.
‘I’m feeling too tired to go look for turtle eggs,’ he said sadly. ‘You go by yourself. Stare out to sea and think about whether poverty really means peanuts! Or whether you really know what love means at all.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE following few days were some of the bleakest of Abbey’s life.
She should have been cheerful. So many of her problems were solved.
Janet’s walking went from strength to strength. At the end of the following week Janet could walk, unaided, from one end of the corridor to the other, and was agitating to go home. Only the knowledge that she’d refuse to take things easy when she did go home made Abbey keep her in hospital for a few days longer.
Sam was home already. Ryan had taken him out to the farm and Abbey hardly saw either of them.
‘If there were problems we’d have heard,’ Steve Pryor told her at the end of the following Friday. ‘But, if you’re worried, why don’t you take off early and drop in and see him?’
‘No.’
Abbey and Steve had been sharing the workload for the previous week and had found they worked well together. With two doctors working together, everything was well under control. The hospital was quiet and there was no reason Abbey shouldn’t leave early. But to drop in on Sam meant dropping in on Ryan.
No and no and no.
‘Are you busy tomorrow?’ Steve asked, and Abbey hauled her thoughts back to work.
‘No. I’m not busy and my babysitter’s available if you want me to work.’
‘Could you run the morning clinic?’ Steve asked. Then he turned pink. ‘I… Caroline and I…’
Caroline. The pretty young night sister.
Abbey smiled. ‘You’d like to do something together?’
‘Just spend the day at the beach,’ Steve confessed. His blush deepened. ‘I don’t usually swim but Caroline…’
Caroline was hauling this young man from his academic pursuits with the strength of a bulldozer, Abbey thought Steve only had a week more to work in Sapphire Cove but if Caroline had her way…
Her thoughts flew off at a tangent. Maybe Steve could be persuaded to work here. Then she could leave…
No, she couldn’t. There was still Janet. There were still her debts. There was still her little son who should be brought up in the place his father loved.
‘What’s wrong, Abbey?’ Steve asked gently. ‘You look sad.’
‘Do I?’ Abbey managed a smile. ‘Nope. I was just reminiscing about young love. Far be it from me to put my oar between the pair of you. Certainly have the day off with Caroline. You can work Sunday.’
‘I hoped you’d say that.’ Steve leaned over and kissed her on the nose. As working companions they’d achieved almost instant rapport and Abbey was growing fonder of this owlish young man by the minute. ‘And I wouldn’t get too nostalgic about young love just yet, Dr Wittner. You’re not exactly grey-haired and matronly.’
‘I’m a widow, Steve.’
‘And Ryan Henry’s just lost a fiancee.’
‘Steve…’
‘I know.’ Steve held up his hands in mock surrender. ‘You’re just good friends. And I’m the monkey’s uncle.’
He laughed and left her, walking down the hospital corridor with his stethoscope swinging jauntily and a bounce in his step.
