all these people were forcing her on him but what the heck. She’d enjoy it while it lasted.
‘Five minutes enough time? Out the front?’ he said.
‘I’ll be there.’
Simon watched Tara towel her shoulders vigorously and then rub shapely calves and stand on one leg and dry her toes.
He suffered a brief adolescent urge to metamorphose into her towel. Apart from her delightful breasts her body was firm and supple and he suspected she would feel incredibly sleek and smooth in his arms.
The swim had proved to a little more bracing than they’d both expected and he saw her shiver. He guessed she’d had a cold start. ‘Sorry. I was hot from my run so it feels good to me.’
She shrugged. ‘Hey, it’s summer in Queensland. I can swim all year round.’ The idea was sound but the rows of goose-bumps covering both arms and her delightful thighs made Simon want to bring her in close and warm her against his chest.
Or maybe it wasn’t the goose-bumps he wanted to warm against him. It had been a while since the last time he’d noticed so much about a woman. Passing glances, inner appreciation, sure, but this little firebrand had him constantly ready without any effort on her part. Danger. Alert.
Thankfully she remained oblivious to his shift in thoughts. That was a good thing.
He could see her mind was still on the swim. ‘And Lyrebird Lake’s too far south for crocodiles.’
Crocodiles. Now, there’s a thought. He’d bet she wasn’t afraid of any animal. ‘Not sure why but I get the feeling it would take more than a crocodile to scare you off something you wanted to do.’
She grinned at him and that was an added bonus. Her whole face lit up and warmed him more than any towel could. ‘Thank you, kind sir. I’ll take that as a compliment.’
‘It was.’ And a bit of a surprise. He didn’t usually go for the daredevil type. ‘So you have an interesting bucket list?’
‘I’ve always wanted to go skydiving. Birthday present for myself next week.’
Of course she was. ‘Seriously?’
‘Yep.’ Her eyes shone at the thought.
Well it was the last thing he wanted to do. ‘Birthday wish I wouldn’t be keen on.’
She shook her head and her spiky hair flicked droplets around like a little sparkler. ‘They say you’re never the same after you do it. All to do with my belief to live life so I know that I’ve been here before I leave this earth.’ She looked so intense when she said that. There was something incredibly gloomy about such a vibrant young woman contemplating her mortality that chilled him.
‘You planning to leave this world?’
She shrugged. ‘Not planning to, but anything can happen. My dad and mum died when I was six. That’s why I’m always glad when people driving arrive safely. I was made a ward of the state. I grew up in an orphanage.’
‘I’m sorry about your parents.’ Hard reality to face at that age. At any age. ‘What about her mother? Your grandmother?’
‘Died in childbirth. No siblings.’ No expression. No plea for sympathy. And he was guessing not much childhood—which explained a lot. But there was a wall that said as good as a raised hand, ‘Don’t give me any sympathy.’
‘Nasty family history.’ Understatement. He seriously wasn’t being flippant. It was a shocker and he could see how that could be a trigger for more risky, adventurous behaviour. ‘My life is boring in comparison.’
‘Tell me about boring.’
He shrugged. ‘Nothing to tell except my mother didn’t tell my biological father she was pregnant, a minor glitch I didn’t find out about till after I grew up. That was as adventurous as I got.’
‘That’s adventurous. Especially searching him out as an adult.’ There was wistfulness in her eyes when she said that and he knew she wished she had someone to search out. He’d never actually looked at it like that.
‘So, anyway, maybe I should be up for exciting escapades.’ His voice trailed off as she pulled her T-shirt over her head and it stuck, alluringly, in a few damp places.
He closed his mouth and glanced away. Regathered his thoughts with some difficulty. ‘One day I will try being adventurous for a change.’
She looked him up and down and he sucked in his belly. Not that he was ashamed of his six pack, and not quite sure why he should even think about it because he wasn’t usually a vain man, but he had no control over the reflex. She just did that to him.
‘You could jump with me on Tuesday if you like.’
He knew the horror showed on his face.
To make it worse, then she laughed at him. And not even with him. Not sure he liked that either.
Tough. He wasn’t jumping. ‘How about I come and be ground support? Hold a glass of champagne for you.’
He could see she liked the idea of that and he felt he’d redeemed himself somewhat. ‘Thank you. That’d be very cool.’
‘Okay. We’ll talk about it later when I get the picture out of my mind of you stepping out of a perfectly good plane.’ They picked up the towels and walked back towards the path.
‘So what were you and Maeve talking about doing later?’
‘Antenatal clinic. I offered and she’s accepted to go on my caseload.’ She sounded a little hesitant and he guessed it could be confronting to take on the sister of the consultant. He needed Maeve to see someone and he didn’t have much chance of her listening to him at the moment.
‘That’s great. Really. I think you guys will have a great rapport.’
She flashed a grateful glance at him. ‘Thanks, Simon. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll take good care of her.’
THE ANTENATAL CLINIC opened at eleven a.m. seven days a week. That way the morning midwife had discharged any women and babies who were due to go home. Plus the ward was often less busy so the women booking in could look around. Except when there was a woman in labour.
Tara had ten women on her caseload at the moment in various stages of pregnancy and two who had already delivered on the six-week postnatal check programme.
The first visit at least would be held at the clinic but most visits she would do at the woman’s home. All the midwives took turns to carry the maternity phone in case one of the other midwives needed help in the birthing suite or two women went into labour at once on the same midwife’s caseload.
Maeve looked very interested in the running of the unit, judging by the way her head never stopped swivelling, and Tara smiled quietly to herself. She’d bet there’d be some thought about staying
