City Surgeon, Small Town Miracle

‘He tries hard not to be.’

Terri was still looking at him doubtfully, but Luke sensed he’d crossed some invisible boundary with her.

He smiled. ‘So how about it?’

‘Slow and sensible?’

‘As you want.’ And may the powers give him the strength to keep his word without causing him physical injury.

A loud discordant beep made her start. She reached for the paging unit on her waistband and looked at it. Tucking it back into position, she got to her feet. ‘I’d better go.’

Hell. Was she going to leave him in limbo? Luke swallowed and stood to pick up the plates. Surely she wouldn’t be so cruel.

A second later she looked him squarely in the eye. ‘All right, then. Yes. Slow and sensible.’

He stifled the yell that threatened to rip out from gut level and managed a moderate ‘Great.’

She nodded. ‘See you back at work.’

‘Yes.’

As soon as the door closed behind her, he let his smile escape. Yes! Now all he had to do was get the balance right. He didn’t want her to feel crowded or stampeded by him, but he did want them to spend as much time together as they could.

Terri’s heart somersaulted wildly. She’d just agreed to have a relationship with Luke Daniels. Should she applaud herself for bravery for taking the step or chastise herself for being foolish? Apologise to Luke for leading him on? For not telling him all the reasons why he shouldn’t get involved with her?

She was too weak. The love that shone between him and Allie beckoned her closer. Made her want to catch some of the warmth for herself. Was it so wrong of her?

Somehow she would find the courage to tell him what he had a right to know. Soon. Before they got too deep. First she would store precious bright moments in her memory.

She shivered as she walked through the warm spring afternoon. Was she fooling herself?

Everyday routine stuff, he’d said.

She was very much afraid that the normal, everyday could be addictive with Luke.

CHAPTER TEN

FIVE days since Terri had agreed to a relationship with him.

Five days of caution and restraint.

Five whole days.

Not long in terms of world affairs. Not even a week.

In terms of self-control, it was an aeon.

Luke looked across to where Allie was showing Terri the information tag on another nursery plant. At his daughter’s behest, Terri obediently bent to sniff a white bloom. Helpless to resist, he watched the way her red shorts clung to the curve of her buttocks as she leaned forward. A familiar tug of desire caught him low in his gut and he suppressed a groan. Frustration was his constant companion these days.

He’d played it cool all week, not making any overt moves, not giving Terri any excuses to retreat, to change her mind. The first few times he’d joined her for coffee in the staff tea room, he’d felt her wariness. As though she expected him to say something, do something, in front of the other staff. As though she’d known how hard he’d had to tether his need to stake a public claim on her.

By the end of the week she’d almost relaxed and he congratulated himself that his softly, softly approach was working.

Allie flitted to another plant like an overly fussy worker bee. Her face radiated enthusiasm as she turned over the tag, read it, then moved on. He smiled. She’d inherited her mother’s love of gardening.

His eyes slid back to the woman who followed a pace behind his daughter. Long dark hair formed a thick gleaming mantle across Terri’s shoulders.

Five whole days since he’d kissed her. Since he’d held her in his arms…threaded his fingers deep in her hair.

The sable silk would look glorious spread over his pillow…as her lips moved in a mysterious, womanly smile, inviting his kiss, inviting his touch. Inviting-

‘Dad-dy!’

The plaintive cry slapped him out of his fantasy. He focussed to find himself staring straight at Terri. Her soft brown eyes held a quizzical expression. His pulse stopped and then lurched into an erratic bounding rhythm.

Hell. What was she reading from his face?

He swallowed.

‘Sorry, miles away.’ He walked towards them, forcing his mouth into the best smile he could manage. It felt feeble. ‘What did I miss?’

‘I want this rose for Mummy’s garden.’ Allie looked at him anxiously. ‘Do you think Mummy would like it, Dad? It’s not exactly the same as the one at home but the colour is so pretty.’

He looked from his daughter’s wistful face to the plant with its cluster of small coral-pink buds. ‘I know your mum would love it because you chose it, sweetheart. It’s perfect.’

Allie beamed. ‘Cool. Can we get some small plants, too? I talked to Granddad and he said we should. He gave me a list to choose from.’

‘Did he? Then if Granddad said so, we’d better get some.’ He grinned.

‘We need a trolley. They’re over there.’ Allie pointed then skipped away.

‘It’s lovely to see her so happy.’ Terri’s husky voice sent a quiver down his spine.

‘Yes.’ He watched as his daughter manoeuvred an awkward flat-bottomed trolley back towards them. He tilted his head towards Terri, his eyes following the line of her jaw to her stubborn little chin. ‘Have I mentioned how much I appreciate you giving me my daughter back?’

‘You might have a time or two.’ Her grin was alive with mischief.

‘Perhaps I should mention it again,’ he murmured, reaching out to capture a ringlet of hair that had caught on the simple gold chain of her necklace. Masculine satisfaction surged at her quick shiver as he stroked the strand back over her shoulder.

‘It’s not necessary.’ There was a slight catch in her voice and when her eyes darted up to his they held a dark flare of awareness.

His gaze moved down to her mouth, watched as she caught her bottom lip. Her teeth sank into the tender flesh until he wanted to protest, wanted it to be his teeth nipping at the plump cushion.

‘Terri-’

She blinked and looked away, a strained smile curving her mouth. ‘Well done, Allie. Let’s grab your rose and see what else we can find.’

Rooted to the spot, Luke watched as one of the attendants lifted the pot of the chosen rose onto the trolley. His daughter chattered to Terri and pushed the trolley a little further along the aisle. When they stopped, a trick of the light bathed the two of them in a glowing, ethereal halo. Terri bent her head towards Allie, whose upturned face was filled with trust and hope.

And love.

He stared at their smiling profiles. The seconds moved with a syrupy slowness as his heart compressed painfully. A shudder ran through him as though a foundation had shifted deep in his psyche.

He blinked and looked away, waiting for normality.

He wanted Terri badly.

He ached for her, but this sensation was something more. Something powerful, elemental.

Frighteningly important.

He’d promised to take things slowly and sensibly but there was nothing temperate about the emotions storming through him.