appearance had disturbed her.
She certainly didn’t want to see him when she was dressed in a skimpy bathrobe with a towel over her hair…once upon a time it might have been only too wonderful to be dressed in next to nothing with Jack McLennan in a hotel bedroom, but not now, not now… Coming to see her just had to be curiosity on his part, an excuse to see her again so that they could have a cosy chat about past times…and that was the last thing she was going to do with a man who’d treated her so badly.
She didn’t open the door, but called out crisply, ‘Who’s the message from?’
‘Your colleague, Jean Cornwell.’
‘Jean? Why should she give you a message—why not give it me herself?’
‘She’s had bad news and hadn’t time to get it to you. If you open the door, I can give you her note.’
Anxiety fluttered through Sally and she opened the door. ‘OK. Pass it to me.’
A pair of deep blue eyes held hers for a moment then swept quickly over her attire.
‘Sorry—rather an inconvenient time I guess,’ he apologised.
Sally pulled the robe even more tightly round herself, acutely aware of how close they were to each other. The last time they’d been this close, she thought fleetingly, had been when Jack had been finishing with her and he’d looked so stern…so implacable. Was he reminded of that time, or had it meant so little to him that he’d forgotten that episode completely? He’d probably had many affairs since then and their liaison had been long forgotten. She took the note from him, pushing those silly thoughts to the back of her mind.
‘Do you know what this is all about?’ she asked curtly, tearing open the envelope.
‘Yes—Jean bumped into me in the foyer in a very distressed state. Apparently she’d just had a phone call to say that her sister in New Zealand has been admitted to hospital with pre-eclampsia, and with her husband still in hospital himself the situation is very difficult. She tried to ring you on her mobile, but couldn’t get a signal.’
Sally looked at him in distress. ‘Oh, no! Poor Jean! She must be worried sick. What’s she going to do?’
‘She’s gone to Glasgow to get a flight, I think, but the thing is, Sally, she was extremely concerned that you would be on your own and begged me to take on the locum job at your practice. Anyway, I guess it’s all in the note.’
Sally frowned. ‘As we said before, there are other people who can help out—I can ring them when I get back to Crachan. There’s no need for you to…trouble yourself.’
‘Apparently she did ring your contacts but none of them can start immediately. However, it’s up to you, Sally. Do you think we could work together…again?’
‘Possibly,’ she replied coldly, suddenly angry that he should imagine she would be in any way affected by what had happened years ago. She had a fiancé, she was getting married soon. It didn’t matter to her who she worked with as long as they were competent.
Her eyes scanned Jean’s note quickly. Jean was obviously in a state, worrying about her sister’s family and indeed her sister’s health.
‘So sorry to land you in it like this,’ Sally read. ‘Gail is very ill, and although neighbours are looking after her children for the time being, I feel I must get over there as soon as possible. I’m going to try and catch a flight from Glasgow to Heathrow tonight and get to New Zealand from there. Do you think you could possibly work with Jack McLennan for a few weeks? After all, he’s available immediately, unlike everyone else, and he seems to have lots of experience. He was rather reluctant to take on the job without your sanction, but it really would rest my mind if I thought there was someone to help you out—and we don’t seem to have many takers. Text me when you can. Love, Jean.’
Sally stuffed the note in her pocket. There didn’t seem to be much choice in the matter—it was true she needed help and she knew Jack was a good doctor.
Jack watched her reaction. ‘I wouldn’t want to put you in an awkward position if you have any reservations about working with me,’ he said gently.
‘Why should I?’ remarked Sally rather tersely. ‘It was a long time ago when we went our separate ways, and a lot’s happened since then.’
‘That’s true.’ He nodded. ‘You’ve got engaged, for one thing. When are you getting married?’
‘In two months—that’s one of the reasons we need a locum who will know the practice quite well, because I’ll be going on my honeymoon for a week after the wedding.’
Jack’s brows lifted slightly. ‘Only a week?’ he remarked teasingly, ‘Why doesn’t he grab the chance for longer than that?’
‘Tim’s got a very busy schedule with his business at the moment.’
‘Ah, I see. He’s a businessman, then?’
‘Yes—he can’t be away from work for too long,’ replied Sally rather defensively. The thought flickered through her head that Tim might be just as career-orientated as Jack was—but he did at least want to commit to her! ‘Anyway,’ she added briskly, ‘about you joining the practice…’
She paused for a second as a feeling of anxiety flickered through her. Could she really work with this man who had once meant so much to her? She took a deep breath. She was engaged and what had happened between her and Jack was completely irrelevant now. The fact was that in weeks of advertising for a locum to help at the surgery, no one suitable had come forward so she had to be sensible.
‘I guess we can stand each other for a month or two until Jean gets back,’ she said.
‘I guess we can,’ he commented lightly. ‘When do you want me to start?’
‘Come in two days and I’ll have sorted out your accommodation…’ She paused for a second. ‘You didn’t tell me if you have a family. The flat I’m thinking of isn’t suitable for children.’
He smiled faintly. ‘No…no children or wives accumulated over six years—just a teenage brother at university in Glasgow.’
He was probably still too focussed on his damn career, Sally reflected scornfully. A man who refused to be tied down in a relationship. But an odd feeling of satisfaction flickered through her at this information.
‘Well,’ she said briskly, ‘you’ve got our card with the address on—it should take you about an hour to get there.’
‘I’ll look forward to it,’ he murmured, and walked off down the corridor.
He smiled grimly to himself. He was under no illusions about Sally’s feelings towards him. She didn’t like him, but she was in a tight spot and needed help—and though his first instinct had been to get out of her life again now she was engaged, somehow the opportunity to work with the woman he knew he’d never really stopped loving was irresistible. Not, he thought sadly, that the situation had changed. He still couldn’t offer her a future. And as usual when he thought about the reason he was still single, he felt a tremor of horror, which, even after six years, hadn’t diminished.
Sally went back into the room, peeled off
