style="font-size:15px;"> She dragged her eyes away from the powerful conformation of muscles, deeming it wiser to let them home in on other aspects of his appearance, and immediately noticed how tall he was. He had to be at least six feet tall, with light brown hair which fell casually over a wide forehead.
His features were craggy rather than conventionally handsome, she decided thoughtfully, very masculine with that square jaw, impressive nose and chiselled cheekbones. However, it was only when he spoke that she became aware of the silence which had fallen while she’d been taking stock.
‘Sure? It must have given you quite a scare.…’
‘I’m fine. Honestly,’ she said quickly, uncomfortable with the way she was acting. It had been a long time since she’d been so aware of any man, and that she should be aware of this stranger now shocked her, made her feel guilty. Surely the fact that she had loved Ian so much should have made her immune to any other man’s appeal?
She took another of those pitifully ineffectual breaths then gave him a cool smile, hoping that he would take the hint and not pursue the subject. She had no idea who he was, but the way he was dressed could be a clue. A lot of parents stayed in the hospital with their children so it seemed likely that he was one of them. The thought that he might be the father of one of her new charges didn’t ease her mind. What caring parent would be impressed by a nurse who was incapable of getting linen off a shelf without causing a near-disaster?
The thought made her inwardly groan, although she took care not to let him see how flustered she felt. ‘Anyway, thanks again. You saved me from a nasty tumble.’
‘My pleasure.’ He returned her smile readily enough but she could tell that he’d sensed her embarrassment. It made her feel more uncomfortable than ever that he should be able to read her mind so easily. However, before she had time to dwell on it, he reached up to lift the bedding off the top shelf and handed it to her.
‘I think this was what you were after. Here you go.’
He gave her a last brief smile then left before Laura could thank him, his long legs carrying him swiftly along the corridor in the direction of the lifts. She stared after him for a moment then deliberately turned round and made her way back to the ward.
Katie was as delighted with the bed linen as Laura had hoped she would be, and chatted away non-stop as Laura set to work making the bed. She was glad of the distraction because it meant that she had no time to brood about what had happened. The encounter had disturbed her and not just because of the fright she’d had either. It was very odd.
Once the bed was neatly made again, Laura tucked Katie up then went to find Rachel. She was in the office, going through a stack of papers, and she grinned ruefully as Laura tapped on the door.
‘Oh, hi! Sorry to drop you in it like that, Laura, but, as you’ve probably guessed, we’re short-staffed. Anyway, come and sit down while I give you the introductory talk I had planned! Mark’s not due for another half-hour yet so we’ll have time to get you acquainted with how things are done around here.’
‘Mark?’ Laura queried as she sat down.
‘Mark Dawson, our paediatric reg. You haven’t met him?’ Rachel frowned as she got up to plug in the kettle.
‘No. David White was here the last time I visited the ward,’ she explained.
‘When Robbie was here as a patient?’ Rachel smiled as she spooned instant coffee into two mugs. ‘How is he? Up to all sorts of mischief, I’ll bet!’
‘How did you guess?’ Laura laughed softly, her face lighting up as she thought about her son. ‘He started school a few months ago and has been leading the teachers a merry dance!’
‘He’s a real little sweetheart. We were all sorry when it was time for him to leave us, and we don’t say that about all our patients, believe me!’
Rachel sat down behind the desk and frowned. ‘It’s hard to believe that it’s only a few months since that train crash you and Robbie were involved in, isn’t it?’
‘Ten months to be precise.’ Laura sighed reminiscently as she thought back. ‘I’m just grateful that both of us came through it all right.’
‘You must be. It must have been a horrible experience for you, something you never expect to happen,’ Rachel suggested with a shudder.
‘It was. And yet in a way it had a postive effect because being in hospital afterwards made me realise how much I missed the job. It spurred me on to come back to work.’
‘Really?’ Rachel smiled. ‘Well, it’s great to have you back, Laura. I just want to say how pleased I was when I heard that you’d accepted this post. We’ve been desperate to fill the vacancy, and to get someone with your experience is a real bonus.’
‘Thank you. To be honest, I didn’t expect to be so lucky as to find a job with such marvellous hours.’ Laura took a sip of her coffee. ‘Obviously, I need to work but I also need to be there for Robbie. Knowing that I can work nine to five each day makes all the difference.’
‘You can thank Mark for that because it was his idea,’ Rachel explained. ‘He’s very keen to encourage women who have left nursing to start a family to come back. His view is that it’s not only a waste of valuable training when they leave the workforce but a waste of their experience as well. That’s why he suggested we adapt the hours for this post to suit someone with family commitments.’
‘Well, I’m really glad he thought of it!’ Laura grinned. ‘I’m starting to like this Mark Dawson already and I haven’t even met him!’
‘Oh, give it a couple of days and you’ll be like the rest of us…totally besotted with the guy!’ Rachel laughed as she saw Laura’s expression. ‘Honestly! David was great and we were sorry to lose him when he moved to Glasgow, but Mark…well, Mark is something special. We all love him to bits. If I had to sum him up I’d say that he has to be one of the nicest, most caring men I’ve ever met—’
Rachel broke off and laughed as she looked towards the door. ‘I bet your ears are burning. We were just talking about you!’
‘Nothing bad, I hope?’
Laura felt a frisson inch its way down her spine at the sound of a familiar voice. Slowly, she turned, her eyes widening as she saw the man who was lounging against the doorjamb. The last time they’d met he had been wearing a lot less than he was wearing now, but the impact he made on her senses was much the same.
She took a quick breath but once again the giddiness was closing in, the same confusion and inability to think straight she’d experienced after he’d saved her from that potentially disastrous fall. As though it were happening in slow motion, she watched him walk towards her. He stopped a few feet away, his grey eyes holding a warmly intimate light which made her feel as though they shared some particularly delicious secret.
‘We didn’t get chance for introductions before, did we?’ He held out his hand and smiled at her. ‘I’m Mark Dawson and you must be Laura Grady. I’m very pleased to meet you, Laura. Welcome to the team.’
‘So, that brings us to Katie Watson. How has she been today?’
Mark Dawson sat back in his chair and tossed the steel-framed spectacles he’d been wearing onto the desk. He’d
