you’re an A and E nurse?’
‘That’s right.’ She poured herself a glass of water. ‘I left my last job a few weeks ago.’
‘Why?’
Josh let out an exasperated sigh. ‘For goodness’ sake, Mac. You sound like the Spanish Inquisition.’
‘Are you always this suspicious?’ Louisa sipped her water and then put the glass down on the table. ‘I’m a perfectly competent nurse, if that’s what’s worrying you. Your unit sister has my references if you want to check them.’ She broke off and hesitated briefly. ‘And I left because I didn’t want to be in London on my own at Christmas.’ She stood up and started stacking plates into the dishwasher. ‘I always get restless at this time of year.’
Mac sat back in his chair. ‘You don’t like Christmas?’
‘Oh, I love Christmas,’ she said softly, closing the dishwasher with a click. ‘It’s my favourite time of year.’
He sensed that she was going to say something more and then her mouth closed firmly and she carried on clearing up. He watched as she busied herself around the kitchen and wondered what she was hiding.
Because he had a feeling she was hiding something.
He took a deep breath and prepared to question her further, and then he caught the warning gleam in his brother’s blue eyes. ‘All right. You can stay.’ What the hell was he saying? ‘Just for now. Once you start working in the department you’ll find you won’t have time to clean up after us.’
She’d get fed up and leave and that would save him the bother of sending her away.
The tension seemed to ooze out of her. ‘I can stay? Really?’ Her voice was husky and curled itself around his insides like velvet. ‘Thank you.’
Josh grinned and put down his fork. ‘Thank goodness for that. She would have been a pretty difficult Christmas present to send back.’ He raised his glass and winked at Louisa. ‘To a decent Christmas dinner for once in our lives.’
‘SO MY Christmas present has so far tidied your house and cooked you an amazing meal. And the coffee she left for us this morning was the best I’ve tasted. Any time you want to thank me, just go ahead.’ Josh threw a smug smile at his brother and held out his hand to one of the A and E nurses, who was hovering with some X-rays. ‘Are those for me?’ He took the X-rays, flicked on the light box and whistled. ‘Just look at that.’
‘I’m looking.’ Mac narrowed his eyes. ‘That’s a nasty fracture. Did you call the orthopods?’
‘No, I thought I’d fix it myself in my lunch-break,’ Josh drawled sarcastically, a wry smile touching his mouth as he glanced at his brother. ‘Of course I called them. What do you think I am, a first-year medical student who you have to watch out for?’
‘Sorry.’ Mac gave an apologetic smile and ran a hand over the back of his neck. ‘You may be a consultant but to me you’re still my kid brother.’
‘The kid brother who works like a dog so that you can get some sleep at night,’ Josh reminded him, yanking the X-ray out of the light box and returning it to the brown envelope. ‘I’d better go and talk to the relatives. Have you seen Louisa this morning? How’s she getting on?’
‘At first glance she seems good,’ Mac conceded, walking with his brother back through the department towards the trolley bay. ‘Certainly knows her way round an A and E department.’
‘And she knows her way round a kitchen, too, which has got to be good. I’m sick of take-aways.’ Josh gave a shudder and came to a halt outside one of the treatment rooms. ‘Just don’t frighten her off with any more of your sharp remarks. I’m looking forward to tasting proper turkey for the first time in years.’
Mac sighed. ‘I want to make sure that she doesn’t get any ideas. She was giving me ‘‘I want to save you’’ looks this morning.’
It happened all the time since Melissa had died and it drove him nuts.
‘Has she thrown herself at you?’
‘No, but—’
‘Trust me.’ Josh’s tone was dry. ‘Even you wouldn’t get that lucky. Louisa doesn’t do casual relationships.’
Mac looked at his brother, his hackles rising for some reason he couldn’t fathom. ‘You’ve tried?’
‘Do I look stupid?’ Josh threw him a wicked grin. ‘Of course I tried. Several times, actually. She wouldn’t have me.’
Mac hid his surprise. He knew only too well that most women found it hard to resist his younger brother. ‘In that case, she’s just gone up in my estimation.’
‘Thanks.’
Mac shrugged. ‘I still don’t understand why she would want to come to Cornwall in the middle of winter to look after two strangers.’
‘Speak for yourself. I’m not strange.’ Josh smothered a yawn. ‘And the answer to that will become clear once you get to know Louisa.’
Mac frowned. ‘Meaning?’
‘OK.’ Josh took a deep breath, his blue eyes serious for once. ‘Louisa doesn’t like being on her own at Christmas. On top of that, she’s a genuinely kind and generous person who can’t pass someone in trouble without trying to help. Watch her in action and you’ll see what I mean. She’s a fixer.’
‘So what exactly is she fixing with me?’
‘Your life,’ Josh said, slapping him hard between the shoulder blades, ‘and, goodness knows, it needs it.’
* * *
‘I know I’ve broken it, Nurse.’
Louisa stared down at the badly deformed wrist and then at the wrinkled, aged face of the lady looking at her so anxiously. ‘I think you’re right, Alice,’ she said gently. ‘I’ll get a doctor to look at it and then we’ll take some X-rays. Try not to worry. We’ll get it sorted out.’
‘I can’t believe this has happened.’ Alice’s eyes filled with tears. ‘I should never have gone out but I wanted to do some Christmas shopping. I don’t want to miss the last posting date. Vera is useless at that sort of thing, you see. The shopping is my responsibility.’
‘Who’s Vera?’ Louisa reached for an X-ray form and filled in all the necessary details.
‘My sister. She relies on me for everything,’ Alice fretted. ‘I’m the organised one, you see. She’s not very strong. I look after her.’
Louisa glanced at the date of birth on the notes and calculated that Alice was eighty-six. ‘You look after her?’ She kept her tone level, careful not to betray surprise or concern.
‘Ever since
