maybe… She frowned down at his arm.
‘Squeeze there for me, Jack.’
Jack’s hands closed like a vice and she flicked the skin and mentally crossed her fingers. The cannula slid into the vein and she released her breath. Thank goodness.
Sean gave her a brief smile. ‘Well done. Now get your gloves back on before your hands freeze. OK, I’ve given local anaesthetic and I’ve prepared a sterile field. God, it’s cold! I’m going to make a small incision here. You’re doing well, Pete—this will help you breathe.’
Ally watched as he used the scalpel with quick precision and then inserted his gloved finger into the incision.
Jack hunkered down next to her, his voice soft. ‘What’s he doing that for?’
‘To check that part of the lung isn’t stuck to the chest wall,’ Ally replied in an undertone, squeezing Pete’s hand gently.
‘That’s fine,’ Sean said quietly, and pushed the tube with just the required amount of force. ‘I’m in. That should do it.’
Ally released the clamp.
‘Cough for us, Pete,’ Ally instructed gently, watching as air bubbled up through the fluid in the bottom of the drain.
‘Bingo,’ Sean muttered softly, rising to his feet in an easy movement and gesturing to Jack. ‘That drain must be kept below the level of the lungs. If it goes any higher then the fluid drains back into his lungs and we’re in trouble.’
Jack gave a brief nod, his expression grim. ‘No problem. One of the lads can carry the drip and the other can carry the drain. Good work, Sean.’
Ally finished taping the drain securely and listened to Pete’s chest, smiling with satisfaction at what she heard. Jack was right—Sean had done good work. And judging from his quiet confidence, he’d done the procedure many times before, but surely not in circumstances as difficult as these?
He caught her glance and raised an eyebrow. ‘What?’
Her eyes teased him with a mixture of humour and admiration. ‘I don’t know what sort of doctor you are but I’d hazard a guess that you’re not an obstetrician.’
‘You don’t think I can deliver a baby?’
Ally had to admit that the man would probably succeed at anything he set his hand to. ‘Well, that was pretty impressive, Dr Nicholson.’
‘For a macho idiot, you mean?’ His teasing drawl made her blush.
‘I admit that my first impression of you was wrong—but you called me a dizzy blonde.’
‘So I did.’ His smile faded and his gaze was intent. ‘And I was wrong about that, too, wasn’t I? So maybe we’re quits.’
Ally shifted under his watchful scrutiny, suddenly aware of every female part of herself. She’d never met a man who made her feel more like a woman than Sean did. To cover her awkwardness she concentrated on making Pete comfortable, aware that Sean was still watching her while the mountain rescue team made the final preparations for their descent.
‘You made good time down that mountain. The mist was awful—I thought you might get lost.’
Jack glanced curiously from one to the other and gave a short laugh. ‘Lost? Our Ally? You have to be kidding! She used to be our best team member until—’
‘We’re ready when you are, Jack,’ Ally interrupted quickly, reluctant to have the details of her private life broadcast to this stranger.
Sean gave her a sharp look. ‘You were in the mountain rescue team?’
Ally’s eyes challenged him. ‘They do take blondes, you know.’
Sean’s eyes gleamed with appreciation but he carried on dealing with the patient, skilfully preparing him for the arduous trip down the mountain.
Jack snorted. ‘Ally was in the team for more than a while. She knows these fells like you know the inside of a beer can. She wouldn’t get lost if you put her head in a bag.’
‘Now, there’s an idea for keeping her quiet,’ Sean said dryly, tugging on his gloves and yanking his Balaclava back down over his face. ‘OK, folks, let’s get these guys off this mountain.’
IT TOOK the best part of an hour before they reached the waiting ambulance. Ally and Sean supervised as the stretchers were lifted into the vehicles.
Risking a surreptitious glance at Sean, Ally’s eyes skimmed his hard, male profile, resting for a moment on the strong nose and dark jaw.
‘Good-looking devil, isn’t he?’ Jack shot her a knowing grin and she gave him what she hoped was a casual smile as they moved away from the ambulance.
‘If you like Milk Tray.’
Jack looked baffled. ‘What’s Milk Tray got to do with it?’
Ally’s cheeks dimpled into an impish grin. ‘You know, man dives under water, scales mountains, leaps off cliffs and all because the lady loves…remember?’
Jack grinned. ‘Oh, right. Yes, that’s our Sean. Women usually can’t leave him alone.’
She could well believe it. There surely wasn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t find Sean Nicholson attractive. Dark-fringed lashes shielded an expression of cool indifference which she’d seen change to burning anger and molten sexuality.
As if sensing her scrutiny, he turned suddenly, one dark eyebrow lifting questioningly as he caught her looking at him. Throwing a final remark to one of the team members, he strode over to them, his eyes fixed on Ally.
‘Take a hike, Jack.’ It was a quiet order and Jack glanced curiously at the two of them before strolling back to his colleagues, whistling softly.
Ally’s heart thudded. Why on earth had she been stupid enough to get caught staring like a besotted teenager?
‘So how do you know Jack?’ She huddled deeper inside her jacket, although whether for protection from the weather or Sean she wasn’t sure. He made her nervous and he knew it.
‘I don’t want to talk about Jack.’
Ally shrugged casually and concentrated on watching the ambulance. ‘So what do you want to talk about, Dr Nicholson?’
‘Us.’
Her heart stumbled and her eyes flew to his. ‘Us?’
He reached out a hand and tugged off her hat, a wry smile twisting his firm mouth as her totally unmanageable blonde curls tumbled over her shoulders.
‘So…I was half right. Blonde—but not dizzy.’
Ally took a deep breath. She was feeling pretty dizzy at that precise moment.
