happy as she could be. As happy as he could make her.
So did noticing a pretty woman mean he’d moved on?
Panic hit him with force, like bullets pelting his body—his heart, his gut, his throat. He wasn’t sure he wanted to move on. Mostly, he didn’t want to forget.
But, regardless of what noticing her meant, he needed to apologise for being rude. Twice. Probably more. Maxine would have a fit if he didn’t and word got round he’d scared the new staff nurse away.
‘You still here?’ he asked her as he dropped blood forms and paperwork onto the large uncluttered desk, the last of the patients having just left. ‘I thought you didn’t start until tomorrow?’
‘After Maxine’s incident I wasn’t going to leave you so short-staffed, was I? I just helped out, learning the ropes.’ She looked up at him, her tone defensive, with little warmth in the amber gaze. ‘Dr Jenny said it was all right for me to stay on. Apparently, they’ll have someone to man the desk in the morning.’
‘Yes, of course.’ Good old Jenny—if it hadn’t been for her, Maxine and Alex, the place would have buckled under Joe’s flagging leadership and the mire of fog engulfing him. But the fog was lifting now, apparently, if noticing lovely eyes was anything to go by. Which was interesting and very inconvenient because he didn’t want to find her—or any woman for that matter—attractive. Especially one who was here on a temporary contract and destined to leave when her time was up. He’d already had his world blown apart by the loss of one woman and he had no inclination to open himself up to that again. ‘It’s fine by me.’
‘Good, because I’m not sure how you’d have got on with no one to cover the front desk during a busy afternoon clinic.’ She nodded. ‘Actually, it’s worked out well, because now I know how the place runs.’
‘I’m glad someone does.’
It was meant to be a joke, but it had been so long since he’d made one he wasn’t sure it hit the mark. It shocked him that he wanted to see her face light up the way it had this morning as she’d stretched her arms out wide and breathed in the fresh morning air on his mountain.
But she just nodded, all business. ‘It’s actually very straightforward. Maxine’s got systems in place for everything.’
‘I know. She’s a star and runs a very tight ship. I was…er…joking.’
‘Oh. I didn’t realise you knew how.’ This time she did smile, although it was a little hesitant and didn’t warm her eyes and he knew it was because all she knew about him was that he was bad company.
So now was his chance to make amends. ‘Look, can we start over? I’m sorry about this morning.’
‘Which bit?’
‘What do you mean?’ Wasn’t a blanket apology enough?
Clearly not. She started to count his misdemeanours off on her fingers. ‘The comments about my clothing choice for a super quick walk up the hill.’ Forefinger. ‘The dismissal of my input with a very sick patient.’ Middle finger. ‘Outright rudeness when I tried to be compassionate to you…’ Ring finger. Which, he noted, didn’t have a ring, but it did have a barely discernible white line which meant…which meant he was noticing more than he should. Her terse voice made him focus. ‘Which are you apologising for, Doctor?’
Those lovely eyes settled on his face. A little warmer. Drifted to his mouth, back to his eyes, and he had the distinct feeling she was sizing him up.
That made him stand taller. So, she wasn’t going to pussyfoot around him. This was new, and he wasn’t sure what he thought about it. But he definitely deserved it. Maybe he’d been too protected by his staff, who’d all taken the reins when he’d begun to sink, and probably let him get away with too much self-absorption in the process.
‘Good point. I’m sorry for everything. Absolutely everything I did, and pretty much everything I didn’t do too… The fact that the Tooth Fairy isn’t real, the extinction of the dinosaurs, and mostly for The Birdie Song.’
Her eyes twinkled at that and she started to laugh. Which made him notice her even more.
She put her hand up, signalling that he’d said enough. ‘Okay. Don’t get carried away. But…oh, my poor heart…the Tooth Fairy? Not real?’
‘I know. I took it hard too. For God’s sake, don’t tell my daughter; she’d never forgive me.’
‘My lips are sealed.’ She did a zipping action with her forefinger and thumb across her mouth. Pouting it a little. It was a nice mouth. Full lips. The kind of smile that made you feel as if you had a pool of light in your chest. Seemed it wasn’t just his head but his heart noticed her too. Something in his blood started to fizz.
It had no right fizzing. He cleared his throat. ‘So, let’s start again. I’m Joe Thompson. The patients know me as Dr Joe. Maxine calls me Joey. But I also answer to hey you, oi and a whole lot of things I can’t say in polite company…and that you’ve probably muttered under your breath more than once today.’
A wry lift of her eyebrow. ‘I stopped counting when I got to fifty-seven.’
‘That bad, eh? I’m sorry and even though I didn’t show it I’m very grateful you’re here, particularly today.’
‘You’re forgiven, but only just, and you’re now on a caution.’ She nodded, satisfied. The smile stayed in place, hinting he was on the right track with being civil. ‘Any more of that grumpy nonsense and you’ll be in a lot of trouble. Life’s too short to be a huge pain in the ars—’
‘Indeed.’ As he knew, well enough. But he’d been stewing in his bad mood for five years and he’d thought he might be stuck there.
‘Anyway, I’m Rose McIntyre. Locum nurse extraordinaire.’ She stuck out her hand, long feminine fingers.
Which he took and shook, trying to ignore more fizzing, this time over his skin as her fingers slipped from his. He caught her gaze and wondered whether she’d felt it too.
No. No hint of any kind of fizzing on her side. Why on earth would she? He dragged his eyes from hers and tried to be more professional. ‘So, from somewhere down south, judging by the accent?’
She nodded and two small dots of pink bloomed on her cheeks. ‘Born and bred in London.’
‘But…?’
‘But what?’ The pink intensified.
‘There must be a but if you’ve moved away from your home to little old Oakdale in the middle of nowhere.’
‘It’s so beautiful here.’ But her demeanour changed, the openness in her eyes shuttered down. ‘I just needed…wanted a change.’
‘Bright lights and big city getting too much?’
‘Something like that.’ Her gaze slid away from him and she picked up her handbag, signalling the conversation about her was over. She wasn’t going to tell him anything personal, that was for sure. He didn’t even know why he wanted to know. They’d had other locums and he’d never asked about their reasons
