City Surgeon, Small Town Miracle

her agitation was the heightened colour in her cheeks. ‘You used to haunt your uncle’s racetrack.’

She handed him a steaming mug.

‘Thanks.’ He considered her over the rim as he took a small sip. ‘Your brother warned me off.’

‘Ryan? Did he?’ She wrinkled her nose in disbelief.

‘Sure. He warned off a few of us. He’d have dismembered me if he’d known some of the things I’d thought about you.’ Things he’d have liked to share with her…would still like to share with her.

‘I never realised. I must make sure I thank him for his interference.’ She shook her head, her lips curved with amusement. ‘And here I thought I was the most unpopular girl in school. All the boys wanted to be my friend but never my boyfriend.’

‘It was self-preservation.’ He grinned, raising the mug to take another mouthful. Flirting with her was fun- regardless of whether it was a good idea. It had been a long time since he’d done something just for the fun of it. ‘I half expected a visit from your brother after I kissed you that night.’

‘You thought I’d run home and tell?’ She gave him an old-fashioned look and signalled for him to follow her along the hall. Over her shoulder, she said, ‘Why would I advertise the fact that you’d rejected me?’

‘I wasn’t rejecting you,’ he said as she led the way into the lounge.

‘Oh, yes? I was kissed by the local heart-throb and then told he didn’t want to babysit. That was a rejection in my book.’ She curled into one of the overstuffed chairs and looked at him with a small enigmatic smile on her lips.

‘Local heart-throb?’ His cheeks warmed. This woman could really throw his system for a loop. ‘Give me a break.’

‘Tsk. I’m telling this story, not you.’ She waved an airy hand, dismissing his protest. ‘My poor seventeen-year-old ego was thoroughly battered.’

Luke grinned at her. ‘You seem to have recovered just fine.’

‘Some scars don’t show.’ She arched an expressive brow at him.

He felt his smile slip. God, she was so tempting. The offer to make amends was ready to leap off his tongue. With an effort he stifled the unruly impulse. That was not the sort of familiarity he needed to cultivate with Terri.

Shaking himself mentally, he looked around the room, his eyes settling on a collection of photographs on the mantelpiece. He stood and crossed the room to pick up one of the pictures. An unsmiling man stared out of the frame. Tanned, good-looking. Intense. He glanced at Terri. ‘Is this your husband?’

‘Yes.’ Her fingers curled around her mug and she blew on the liquid as though cooling it was the most important thing in the world.

The easy relaxed atmosphere was gone in an instant and he was sorry to have been the one to destroy it. He hesitated then said, ‘Mum told me he was killed in a landmine explosion.’

‘Yes.’ Her monosyllabic answers discouraged further questions. She was obviously troubled and he wanted to get past the barrier she was putting up.

‘Yesterday…’ He put the picture back and moved to the sofa. ‘You cut me off when I was going to offer my condolences.’

She shrugged. ‘Nothing will undo what’s happened.’

‘You were with him when it happened,’ he said gently as he sat down.

‘Yes.’ Her expression was shuttered.

‘Were you injured?’

‘I walked away.’ She hadn’t really answered the question and he sensed there was much more to the story.

‘It must have been traumatic.’

‘You could say that.’ She hunched over her mug, resolutely keeping her gaze averted.

The healer in him wanted to help, find the key so she would let him in. Anguish radiated from her and he couldn’t let it rest. ‘Any ongoing problems?’

Her head snapped up and she glared at him. ‘Why? Are you worried about working with me?’

Remembering his own grief after Kevin’s death and then with Sue-Ellen, his heart ached for her. ‘Maybe I’m worried about you, Terri.’

‘It’s not necessary and it’s not your place.’ Her lips barely moved as she grated the words out. ‘I’ve done the counselling. Learned to live with it. I don’t like giving people, acquaintances, chapter and verse on my life’s tragedies.’

He ignored the sarcasm, hearing the residue of pain behind it. He knew well the twin burden of grief and guilt. Regrets over Sue-Ellen’s death still tugged on his conscience.

‘What about friends?’ he asked softly. ‘We’re friends, at least, aren’t we?’

She stared at him coolly. A tiny tremble of her chin betrayed her before she set her jaw.

‘Well, if you need to talk…’ He opened his hands, making a small conciliatory gesture.

‘You’ll be the first to know,’ she said flippantly with a toss of her head.

‘I’m sure I won’t, but the offer stands. Any time.’ He smiled gently. He’d failed to reach her. Worse than that, he suspected he’d caused her more suffering with his well-meant probing.

There was a small silence and then she said, ‘Was there a particular reason for your visit tonight, Luke?’

He stifled a sigh. His communication skills with the opposite sex were not good at the moment. He’d alienated Allie and now he was doing the same with a colleague and friend. ‘I wanted to see how you were after last night. Plus, we’re going to be working together and-’

‘So you’ll be making these cosy calls on the other staff members as well, will you?’ She looked at him then, one eyebrow raised, challenging.

‘And I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of Dad with his MI,’ he continued smoothly, ignoring her interruption. ‘You saved his life.’

Her shoulders moved in a tiny shrug. ‘I was just doing my job.’

‘I know, but in this case the job was my father so thank you. He was lucky you were at the barbecue when it happened. Mum told me how stubborn he was about his indigestion.’

‘It’s hard for some people to face physical vulnerability. Especially someone as vital as your dad.’ She studied the liquid in her mug.

Was she speaking from experience? He couldn’t ask, not tonight. He’d already asked too much, definitely worn out his welcome. His heart squeezed and he felt the same frustrating helplessness as when Allie shut him out. The same…but different. This feeling was mixed with a potent attraction. More than anything, he wanted to scoop her into his arms, to comfort and reassure.

Bad idea. They had to work together. For a year. The sexual chemistry between them made it impossible for him to judge where altruism ended and lust began.

He had to keep reminding himself she was a colleague. Keep striving for that day when he’d know her so well this fizz of awareness would be a thing of the past.

The silence was broken by the catarrhal cough of a possum outside.

‘I’d better go. Thanks for the coffee.’ He placed his mug on the low table and waited a beat. ‘I’ll let myself out, shall I?’

At the door, he looked back at her. She hadn’t moved.

‘Goodnight, Terri.’ That air of fragility about her tonight was probably entirely in his over-protective imagination.

‘’Night.’

Terri sat for a long time after Luke left, waiting for her equilibrium to return. Inviting him into this room had been a disaster. Why hadn’t she thought of the photographs, realised he might be curious? But at the time she’d only thought of sitting somewhere other than the tiny kitchen table, where their knees would have touched every time they moved. Her eyes touched on the picture of Peter, her hand automatically sliding to her belly.

Protecting where there was nothing left to protect. Tears stung her eyes, pushing to escape. She thought she’d finished with crying…

She’d been wrong.