thin knit material of her old T-shirt clung in all the right places. Her hair draped in a ponytail across one shoulder, the ends curving around her breast.
He stood, shoving his hands into his pockets, and walked across the lawn to meet them. Terri lifted her head and gave him a small smile. A moment later, Allie saw him, her face falling. He suppressed a sigh.
‘Had a good time?’ he said to his daughter, ignoring her sudden mood change.
‘Yes. Terri said I could visit again as long as it’s okay with you.’ Her tone was terse. ‘So may I?’
He raised one brow and his daughter’s eyes slid towards Terri in a shamefaced look.
‘Please?’
Luke glanced at Terri, who gave him a small nod. ‘All right,’ he said slowly. ‘As long as you understand that Terri might have to say no sometimes.’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay, then.’
Her quick thanks were perfunctory but the grin she gave Terri was more open. ‘Thank you, Terri.’
‘Thank you for your help in the garden.’ Terri smiled.
Luke cleared his throat. ‘Nana’s nearly ready for dinner, Allie, so how about going in to wash up?’
He watched his daughter disappear then turned to find Terri watching him, her dark eyes filled with soft sympathy. He realised abruptly that it was not the look he wanted to see when she focussed on him.
‘Allie’s struggling with her mother’s death, isn’t she?’
Shock and hope jolted through him. Had Terri managed the impossible? ‘Did she talk to you?’
‘Not really. I just got the impression that she hasn’t accepted what’s happened.’
‘You’re right. She hasn’t. I can’t seem to reach her or get her to open up at all.’
Terri looked towards the house, her face pensive. She opened her mouth as though to say something, then must have thought better of it.
‘Whatever you were thinking just then…tell me,’ he demanded. She gave him a startled look. ‘Please,’ he said, moderating his tone, ‘Don’t worry about offending me, just say it.’
He could see her hesitate but after a small silence, she said, ‘Your daughter seems almost…angry with you.’
Conscious of a sense of disappointment, Luke slowly released the breath he’d been holding. Unreasonable though it was, he’d expected Terri’s answer would provide a break-through for him with his daughter.
‘Too true.’ He gave her a wry grin.
‘But it’s more than that, Luke. Watching her with you just now, it’s like she’s made up her mind not to let you get close.’ She gazed off into the distance again. ‘Maybe she’s punishing you for something.’ Her words came haltingly, as though she was choosing each one with great care. ‘Or…’
‘Or?’
Her deep chocolate-brown eyes came back to his, the expression in them puzzled. ‘Or maybe it’s herself she’s punishing.’ She shook her head. ‘But for what, I can’t imagine.’
‘Neither can I.’ He silently turned over what she’d said. Perhaps there
‘Me? I haven’t done anything.’
‘I think you’d be surprised. It’s the most enthusiasm I’ve seen in her for a long time so thank you.’
‘Poor little girl,’ she said softly as she stared in the direction that Allie had disappeared.
Luke ran his eyes over Terri’s profile, taking in the thick spiky black lashes that fringed her eyes, the lovely apricot tint of her cheeks. Her lack of awareness of a tiny smudge of dirt high on her cheekbone was endearing.
Without thinking, he reached up to brush it away for her.
She jerked back, her eyes wide and alarmed. ‘What are you doing?’
‘You have a bit of dirt just…’ He indicated on his own face as she so obviously didn’t want his touch.
‘Oh. Well. Thanks.’ She scrubbed it as she eyed him warily. ‘I, um, I’d better go, then. Bye.’
‘See you tomorrow, Terri.’
‘Yes, tomorrow.’ She swung away. Her long easy stride carried her quickly out of his view. With a small sigh, he turned towards the house. Terri making sure Allie got home safely was laudable but now his excuse for dropping in at the cottage was gone. He smiled wryly at his disappointment.
Probably just as well.
‘How are you going, Joe?’ asked Terri a few days later as the patient on the bed wriggled slightly.
‘Okay. Got an itch.’
‘Hold still just a little longer. I’m nearly finished.’ Using the dissecting forceps, she pulled back the last section of the skin flap and pushed the curved needle through the subcutaneous tissue. The needle holder made soft ratcheting clicks when she grasped the sharp tip to pull the thread through. With the final neat stitch secured, she snipped the ends and disposed of the needle in the sharps bin.
Luke wasn’t on the same roster as she was today. She should have felt relief but when she tried to define her feelings, they weren’t at all clear cut. If anything, she felt…flat. As though some indefinable ingredient for sparkle in the day was missing. She frowned. That nonsense needed to be stamped on quick smart.
‘All done, Joe. We just need to dress that before you move.’
Joe arched his neck to look at her handiwork. ‘Woah. Cool.’
‘A thank you would be good, Joey,’ said his mother.
‘Thanks, Dr Mitchell.’ The freckled face flashed a puckish grin.
‘You’re very welcome.’
‘Terri?’ Susan poked her head around the curtain. ‘We’ve got a ten-year-old with ARD on the way in.’
‘Okay. Thanks, Susan. I’m just finishing up here.’
An odd look crossed Susan’s face as she hesitated a second. ‘Shall I send someone in to dress that for you?’
‘Okay. And a tetanus booster, too, thanks.’ Something was definitely worrying the nurse. She stripped off the gloves and said to her delighted patient, ‘You’ll need to keep the dressing on and dry for twenty-four hours and we’ll see you back here in a week to have the stitches removed.’
‘Okay.’
‘The wound was very clean,’ she said to Joe’s mother. ‘But if you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to come back and see us.’
‘Thanks, Terri.’
‘Someone will be here in a minute to put a dressing on that and give you a sheet of instructions.’ Terri smiled and excused herself.
She found Susan in the office, making a note on the patient tracking board.
‘Problem?’ Terri said.
‘Maybe.’ Susan looked up, frowning. ‘The message was a bit confused but I think the ARD patient is Luke’s daughter.’
Terri’s hands stilled. ‘What makes you think that?’
‘The teacher who called it in was very shaken but she kept saying it was Alexis and asking for Dr Daniels.’
‘Ambulance dispatched?’ Terri swallowed a stab of foreboding. Luke had mentioned Allie’s worsening asthma attacks.
‘No. The child was already in transit with one of the other teachers when the call was made.’
‘Right, what’s their ETA?’
‘Now. The class was on a field trip to the museum. They decided to make the dash straight here rather than wait for an ambulance as they’re only a couple of blocks away.’
Terri suppressed a sigh. She could understand the temptation to make the dash, but it was precious minutes that the child should have been having treatment.
‘Okay. I agree, let’s assume that it is Alexis. Have we got medical records for her?’
‘I’ve rung Admin,’ said Susan. ‘They’re on the way.’
‘Great. Thanks.’ Terri glanced at the clock. Ten o’clock. She wondered what Luke had planned. He wouldn’t be too far away because he was on duty this evening. She didn’t want to page him unnecessarily but she knew he’d
