word but she knew what it was like to lose a child. The guilt could be paralysing. ‘Stop torturing yourself. Allie has recovered and she needs her father. All of him. Not someone fractured by guilt. It’s a pointless emotion when you should be concentrating on each other.’
‘Yes. You’re right.’ He dragged a hand down his face then gave her a gorgeous, lopsided smile. ‘Thank you. For everything. Including the pep talk. You see things beyond the physical. It makes you an extraordinary doctor, Terri.’
Terri swallowed and looked away. She shoved her hands into her coat pockets. His praise was almost more than she could bear because she knew exactly how limited her abilities were.
He trusted her.
It was priceless.
It was an almost intolerable burden.
She wanted to warn him not to think too highly of her. Warn him how very flawed her judgement could be.
‘Luke, please…’ Her voice was croaky. She cleared her throat before continuing. ‘I was just doing-’
‘Don’t say you were just doing your job. It was much more than that. We’re lucky to have you here at Port Cavill.’ He looked deeply into her eyes and there was no doubting his sincerity. ‘
The warm approval was too much. She needed to shrug it off, find a way to keep him at a distance, to quash this intimacy that seemed to have sprung up between them.
‘Well,’ she said, struggling for a light note, ‘I’m glad you think so. Please remember this when I do something to blot my copy book.’
Her smile felt ghastly as she blinked back the urge to cry. She needed to go, find somewhere private to pull herself back together. She cast unseeing eyes in the direction of her watch and said, ‘I must catch the lab tech before she goes for the day.’
She all but fled, not caring what he thought. As the barrier of the door clicked shut behind her, she sagged with relief.
Too much, too soon. Being close to him showed her how very flimsy the shell of her carefully mended persona was. She wasn’t ready for the powerful, conflicting emotions that Luke awakened. She wondered if she ever would be. She shivered. How long would she be able to hold the facade together under the pressure?
Luke stared at the door after Terri had gone.
He frowned. She’d seemed embarrassed by his thanks. More than that, she’d seemed ashamed, as though she was somehow undeserving of them. But that was ridiculous-she’d saved his daughter’s life today.
He’d been there, he’d seen how hard she’d worked, seen her skill and determination. He couldn’t praise her highly enough for what she’d done.
He owed her. He respected her.
And he wanted her.
Needy hunger that clawed at him. He’d held her in his arms twice now-embraces that had started out with the very best platonic intentions. But he’d felt the heat grow in his lower abdomen on both occasions, giving the contact with her a sizzling, inappropriate energy.
Familiarity wasn’t kicking in as quickly as he’d hoped. He just had to keep holding himself in check until it did.
He huffed out a breath. An armful of Terri Mitchell would test the restraint of a saint. All he had was the very tenuous control of Luke Daniels and it was no match for the temptation of her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
LUKE pushed open his car door and stood listening to the high pitched howl of hard-working motorcycle engines.
He was escaping. Just for the day.
At his mother’s behest, he’d left Allie with her for a girls’ day out. Shopping. His daughter was really excited about it. He smiled wryly, hard pressed to think of anything he’d like to do less.
He was also escaping from the lure of Terri. She had the day off but he had no good excuse to invade his colleague’s off-duty hours. Other than the fact that he wanted to.
With Allie gone for the day, he couldn’t casually suggest a walk on the beach…via Terri’s cottage on the off chance that she was around. Having her so close, at the bottom of the garden, was a refined form of torture.
He sighed. Rather than hang around home testing his self-discipline, he was going to face a personal demon. He’d loved hanging out at the racetrack with his cousin Kevin, and Terri’s brother Ryan. He hadn’t been back since Kevin’s accident.
Hadn’t been on a bike either. But that was something to tackle another day…perhaps. For now, being here was an accomplishment.
He’d talk to Mick Butler while he was here, too. An informal follow-up after the diabetic episode. He smiled wryly. Maybe he would earn himself some Brownie points with Terri.
He walked through the tunnel under the track to the pit area and watched the speeding bikes for a few moments. Just an initial tightening in his chest, he noted dispassionately. Nothing unmanageable.
He took a deep breath and looked at the people standing trackside. His lips curved when he spotted a familiar profile. Terri’s uncle.
‘G’day, Mick!’
The man turned. ‘Luke Daniels!’
Their palms smacked together as they used the handshake to draw into a quick, hard embrace of uncomplicated masculine friendship.
Mick stood back, his wide smile and dark eyes familiar and uncannily like Terri’s. ‘About time you showed your face around here!’
‘Yeah, I know.’ Luke shrugged. ‘Time gets away. You know how it is.’
‘I know.’ Mick patted his arm, the gesture awkward but the emotion behind it genuine. ‘I was sorry to hear about Sue-Ellen. She was a bonzer girl.’
Luke nodded. ‘Yes, she was. Thanks. I got your card.’
‘How’s that gorgeous daughter of yours?’
‘Giving me grey hairs.’ Luke smiled.
‘It gets worse.’ Mick chuckled. ‘I remember when my girls-’
He was interrupted by loud whoops and clapping from the men nearest them. Mick’s head whipped back to the course.
‘She’s just taken Russ,’ called one of the appreciative audience. ‘Boy, he’s going to be dirty about that.’
‘She?’ A corkscrew of unease twisted through Luke’s gut. No, it couldn’t be…could it?
‘Terri.’ Mick craned his neck, following the action. ‘She’s on the yellow Honda.’
Luke’s heart leapt into his throat. His eyes followed the motorcycle as it tipped into another sweeping bend in a blur of red leather and yellow bike.
‘That’s Terri?’
Desire and fear congealed into a solid lump of cold ice in his gut.
Leaning, leaning…Surely the bike must slide from under her. That long crouching form would be thrown, fragile bones crushed, gentle curves mutilated.
How dared she risk her precious life like this?
‘Yeah, good, isn’t she? Could’ve gone pro if she hadn’t been so set on medicine.’ Obviously unconcerned, Terri’s uncle turned away as one of the other riders came in.
Good!
