dream with a sardonic lift of a dark eyebrow. ‘I thought you were catching cold?’
Obviously not a romantic.
‘I am.’ She walked slowly up the stairs, trailing her hand lovingly up the oak banister. ‘The wood is beautiful.’
‘I restored it,’ Mac said irritably, and she peeped at him quizzically.
‘You know, you should probably get some sleep.’
‘Why would I want to do that?’
‘Because you look tired. You’re also very, very crabby and that’s always a sign of tiredness.’
His dark eyes burned into hers. ‘It’s also a sign that my brother has introduced a strange woman to my house when I don’t need one.’
‘Men are always hopeless at knowing what they need,’ Louisa said sagely, ‘but fortunately for them, women are here to help them work it out. Do you think you could rescue my bag from the boot before everything is soaked through?’
He was staring at her with an expression of stunned disbelief on his handsome face. ‘Your bag...’ His tone was almost faint. ‘I’ll get it.’ He seemed to shake himself. ‘And once you’ve dried off, you’re leaving. I’m not blaming you and it isn’t personal. I’m fully aware that none of this is your fault and I intend to take it up with my brother. Bedroom is second on the right.’
Ignoring the frost in his tone and the ice in his eyes, Louisa followed his instructions and pushed open the door. The place had been decorated like a traditional beach house. Floor-to-ceiling windows, scrubbed floorboards and a huge bed covered in white bedding and creamy throws. There were touches of blue, interesting pieces of driftwood and piles of shells stacked in pretty bowls. Even in the depths of winter the room seemed to feel summery and light. And she loved it. She gazed out of the window as Mac strode in with her bags.
‘You were right. They’re soaking wet. Put them near the radiator and they should dry off.’ He dumped them on the floor and frowned at her. ‘Is something wrong?’
Her eyes were still on the sea. ‘Oh, no, nothing’s wrong—’ She broke off and cleared her throat. ‘Everything is right. I just love it here.’
Her dream.
A house by the sea. A village where everyone knew each other. Surely in a place like this a person could belong.
‘Well, don’t get too settled. You won’t be staying.’ His frown deepened and there was a moment’s silence, as if he regretted his rudeness. ‘Most people hate the beach in the winter,’ he said gruffly. ‘They find it wild and lonely.’
Louisa thought of her early childhood spent in a cramped high-rise flat in the middle of a soulless city until Social Services had taken her away. ‘I suppose loneliness means different things to different people.’ She pulled herself together and turned to face him, a bright smile on her face. ‘I’ll take a shower and change, if that’s all right with you, and then we can meet downstairs so that you can tell me again that this is all a mistake and I can’t possibly stay.’
He paused for a moment, his dark eyes wary, and then he gave a reluctant laugh. ‘Why do I have a feeling you’re going to be difficult to shift?’
Without waiting for an answer, he left the room and Louisa stared after him thoughtfully. ‘Oh, I’m not going to be difficult to shift, Dr Mac Sullivan,’ she muttered thoughtfully. ‘I’m going to be impossible.’
He needed her.
She’d always been good at reading people. It was her special gift. And all her senses warned her that Mac Sullivan was a troubled man. She could feel the tension in him. Feel the way that he pushed people away. Shut himself off.
Josh was right about one thing, she mused as she unzipped her bag and pulled out a warm jumper. His brother was going to do everything in his power to get her to leave.
She cuddled the jumper and for a moment her eyes swung back to the sea. The winter wind whipped the waves into a foaming mass and the sky was grey and laden with the threat of more snow.
It was cruel and cold and unwelcoming.
So why did she feel she was finally home?
DOWNSTAIRS, Mac put the kettle on the Aga and called his brother. ‘I owe you a black eye. Your Christmas present just arrived.’
His brother chuckled. ‘Isn’t she gorgeous? I’ve excelled myself, haven’t I?’
Mac felt the irritation rise. ‘When I need a pimp,’ he said tightly, ‘I’ll ask for one.’
‘Hey!’ Josh’s voice was suddenly sharp. ‘Don’t speak that way about Louisa. Believe it or not, this time I’m not fixing you up. This isn’t about sex.’
Mac rolled his eyes as he waited for the water to heat. ‘With you, everything is about sex and you’ve been trying to fix me up since the day Melissa died. And frankly I just don’t need it. I don’t need another woman in my life.’
He was no good at relationships.
He was better off on his own.
An image of Louisa with snow scattered through clouds of curling dark hair filled his brain and he pushed it away. It was all part of his brother’s plan and he wasn’t falling for it. He was perfectly satisfied with his life.
‘This isn’t just about you.’ Josh sighed. ‘Mac, we’re drowning under work. We don’t have time to turn around. We need someone to help in the house and we need another nurse in the department. Louisa fits both slots. She’ll make all our lives easier. If you frighten her off, I swear I’ll kill you with my bare hands.’
‘She’s the nurse you were talking about?’ Momentarily preoccupied, Mac suddenly felt steam sear his wrist and stepped back with a soft curse. Functioning on automatic, he lifted the kettle off the heat and ran his arm under the cold tap, his mouth set in a grim line. ‘I appreciate the sentiment, Josh, really I do.’ He increased the flow and frowned at the red streak appearing on his wrist. ‘But I don’t need my brother arranging my love life.’
‘No, what you need is to stop shutting people out,’ Josh said shortly, ‘and that’s why I’ve bought you Louisa.’
‘You’ve bought me Louisa?’
‘I’m paying her salary for a month. After that it’s up to you. But Louisa is the nicest person I know. A real giver. And on top of that she’s a brilliant A and E nurse. She’s going to be the answer to our prayers, bro, so stop complaining. It’s just for Christmas.’
‘If she’s so wonderful, why aren’t you sleeping with her?’
‘Truthfully?’ Josh laughed. ‘Because she wouldn’t have me. She’s too wise. But she’s one of my favourite people. Let her stick around and you’ll see why.’
Mac turned off the cold tap. ‘I have no
