CARLY HID HER face from the sandblasting caused by the updraft of the helicopter as it rose above the bay into the clear summer sky. Then she turned and walked back towards the medical centre to collect her supplies.
The new doctor strode purposefully ahead of her, in a hurry to get back to the surgery. She had to admit he was impressive. Not just in looks, but in his demeanour too. In the aftermath of an emergency, people often crumbled, but he seemed just as level-headed now as before. But then, he hadn’t known Wiremu for years, the way she and Anahera had.
Or maybe he was always like that...calm and considered. Except on Saturday when she’d growled at him and he’d clearly fought to keep his temper at bay. Which meant there was more to him than he liked to portray...hidden depths. Stop it.
She did not want to know what was going on behind his professional exterior.
The emergency bleeper on her shorts belt started to vibrate against her waist. Now what? There was still so much she had to do to get ready for the influx of children tomorrow morning. She looked at the message coming through.
Emergency. Bream Bay. Fallen tree. Simon injured his leg.
Okay. Everything else had to wait.
Taking a deep breath, she called out, ‘Hey, Doc! Owen?’
He stopped short and turned to her, his dark eyes roaming her face. God, he was lovely to look at. ‘Yes?’
‘Don’t get too comfortable, we’re needed out at Bream Bay.’
He gave a slight frown, more curiosity than irritation. ‘Do you have any details?’
‘There’s been an accident. Not quite sure what we’re going to find, but apparently a tree has fallen on someone.’
His eyebrows rose. ‘Wow. Okay. We’d better get going. Good job I don’t have any patients booked in.’
He must have been feeling overwhelmed, especially with his receptionist gone now. ‘It gets like this sometimes, but people do understand if you run late. They realise if it’s an emergency then it’s likely to be someone they know, and usually want to help out too.’ She pulled out her phone and sent a text to Mia. ‘I’ve just let Mia know what’s happening. The surgery phone has an answer-machine, so don’t worry about missing anything. You can follow up when we get back.’
He nodded. ‘Of course. Do you have everything, or do I need to grab emergency supplies?’
‘I’ve got a full first aid bag down at the marina.’
‘Okay.’ He unlocked the surgery door. ‘I’ll just grab my work bag, put the closed sign up and lock everything up.’
She stood in the open doorway. ‘Have you got any swimwear with you?’
‘No. Why?’
‘It’s jet-ski time.’ Her gaze slid over his body...purely for sizing purposes. At least, that was what she told herself. She was not checking out the man’s body. She was not noticing the broad shoulders or the nice backside. She was not thinking about what was under his neat white shirt and grey chinos. ‘We’ll grab some togs from the pharmacy. They sell stuff like that for the tourists.’
He nodded. ‘I’ll remember to bring some to work in future. I just expected I’d be in the clinic all day.’
‘You usually will be, but best to have a bag of swim stuff close by for emergencies. I’ll meet you down at the marina. Just along that road.’ She pointed out of the surgery window. ‘Orange jet-ski on the floating dock. I’ll get it ready to go and grab the first aid kit from the locker while you get changed.’
‘Give me two minutes.’ He dashed into the pharmacy while she ran to the quay.
He was by her side in no time, wearing a black rash vest that hugged his toned body, navy-and-white-striped swim shorts and jandals. A pair of trainers was slung over his shoulders, hanging by the laces. His dark hair was mussed-up, presumably from pulling his clothes over his head. He looked, quite simply, gorgeous.
Then she gave herself a good talking to. Just because a man was gorgeous didn’t mean anything. Just because, despite her first impressions, he was actually quite nice, calm and controlled in an emergency, had a cute, dimpled smile and showed compassion to his co-workers, didn’t mean a single thing.
Not. A. Thing.
But she did quietly thank her lucky stars that the new doctor wasn’t averse to adventure. Although, she’d realised that when she’d watched him zoom across the cove in pursuit of dolphins with his little boy.
And, far too quickly, questions began to crowd her head. Where was the mother of his child? Why were just father and son here? What had made him come to the island when, by all accounts—background info from Mia, mainly—he’d had a perfectly successful city practice?
She brushed those thoughts away and gunned the jet-ski engine, then threw a life jacket to him. ‘Put this on. Hop on. And hold on.’
‘Got you.’ He slid the jacket on, pulling it tight across his chest, and then slipped his messenger-style work bag across his body.
She was aware of the slide of his legs against hers as he straddled the jet-ski. She was aware of the warm stretch of his hands at her waist and his scent of anti-perspirant—something minty and very definitely male.
Acutely aware...as if someone had flicked a switch inside her. A switch that hadn’t been working for three long years. Hell, she hadn’t wanted it to work ever again, but now, with his hands round her waist, she felt jittery and off-balance.
How long since she’d been held? Kissed? Cared for? Her chest hurt at the thought of what she’d lost. So much. So many plans, hopes and dreams with the man she’d loved had been cruelly snatched away from her in a freak accident. It hit her that what she missed most was human contact. The little, everyday affections. Someone to ask how her day had gone. Someone to hold. Someone to hold her.
And why was she having these thoughts right now? And around Dr Owen Cooper? A few weeks before she was leaving?
She lifted her chin, felt the spray refresh her cheeks and wipe away the sadness she’d thought she’d come to terms with. Had come to live with. But, she realised, it was an unwanted talisman she carried everywhere, tainting everything, every thought, every plan.
Which was why she needed to leave this place to create some new memories and find out who she was, now she no longer fitted the description of wife or daughter-in-law.
Soon enough they were at Bream Cove, where Simon’s wife, Michaela, was frantically waving. After securing the jet-ski to the jetty, Carly waited for the woman to fill her in.
‘Carly, thank God. He’s out the back of the house. He was supposed to be trimming the lower branches, but the old idiot got carried away without thinking it through.’
They raced up the jetty, along the gravel path and out into the paddock behind the old cottage where tall, thick podocarp trees provided a natural barrier between workable land and bush. Carly scanned as she ran and eventually made out a figure pinned underneath a large branch that must have spanned almost half a metre wide.
‘There! Quick.’ She turned, expecting Owen to be somewhere behind her, but he was at her side, now overtaking her, covering the distance in no time. Somehow, he’d managed to put his trainers on—a good move, given the thistles and clumps of sedge grasses that scratched her ankles and feet.
‘Crush injury. We need another helicopter. Quick.’ Without even having to assess too closely, Owen clearly knew this was urgent as he knelt next to the man’s head. ‘Hey, Simon. I’m Owen, the new doctor. We’re going to get this branch off your leg and see how much damage you’ve done.’
‘Hurts.’ Simon grimaced and tried to sit up.
‘I know. Try to keep still, mate.’ Owen put his hand on the man’s chest and gently encouraged him to lie back down. ‘We’ll sort you out. I just need to make sure you haven’t done any damage to your back or neck before we move either you or the tree.’ After assessing for any other injuries, Owen turned to Michaela, calm and totally in control. ‘When did this happen?’
She shrugged, her face pale, her fingers knotted in the hem of her T-shirt. ‘To be honest, I don’t know. Could be half an hour. Could be two hours. I was out on the boat for a while, then pottering in the kitchen.’
He turned to Carly and nodded. ‘We need to be careful when we get the pressure off his leg.’
‘Crush syndrome?’
‘Yes, although it’s his leg that’s trapped, not his torso, so I’m not expecting it. But we don’t know how long he’s been here, or how much toxin build-up there could be, so we need to be careful and watch for signs.’ He slipped a pulse oximeter onto Simon’s finger. ‘I’m just going to see what your oxygen levels are, and I’ll give you some pain relief. Then we’ll get that log off your leg.’
Simon groaned. ‘Thanks... Doc.’
Carly dialled up the satellite phone, got through to ambulance control, and gave all the details of the injury and the location of the nearest helicopter landing pad, which, luckily, was at a neighbouring property only a few minutes away.
Owen pulled the small portable oxygen cylinder from the first aid kit, fitted it to a mask then slid it over Simon’s head. Then he pulled out some ampoules, drew liquid into a syringe and jabbed Simon’s arm. ‘Right. That will hopefully take the edge off while we work out how to do some heavy lifting.’
Carly almost didn’t want to see what was going on under the branch but somehow, with the help of Michaela, some thick rope and some clever physics Owen came up with, they managed to roll it off Simon’s leg, exposing a bone-deep wound across his shin.
As the branch shifted, he moaned and screamed, but now he was eerily quiet and pale. Carly kept a close eye on his blood pressure and breathing while Michaela was sent next door to meet the chopper crew.
Owen pressed two fingers at various points over the man’s ankle and foot. Then he did it again, methodically touching and pressing. ‘No medial pedal pulses. We need him air-lifted as soon as possible. In the meantime, we need to keep monitoring him and stabilise that fracture.’
The leg was clearly broken, oddly flattened, with deep bleeding cuts and the start of some impressive bruising and swelling. While Owen applied dressings to the gashes, Carly took out her inflatable splint and together they slid it under Simon’s leg and inflated it to provide stability and keep him safe until the helicopter arrived.
They were doing another round of vital signs when Simon began to shake uncontrollably.
‘Blood pressure is dropping. Ninety over fifty.’ Carly watched the electronic machine inflate the cuff around Simon’s arm again. ‘Pulse is getting faster. One hundred and two.’
Owen put his hand on the man’s shoulder. ‘Looks like you’re in a bit of shock, mate. How about I put in a line and give you some fluids? That should help.’
Carly opened the silver emergency blanket. ‘I’ll go see if I can find some more blankets in the house.’
‘Mind reader.’ Owen smiled and took the crinkly blanket, wrapping it around their patient.
She watched as he knelt on the ground, completely unaffected by the thistles and gravel, his focus purely on his patient, and she wondered what it would feel like to have Owen’s gaze on her, his focus only on her. Those strong hands around her waist again, the way they’d been on the jet-ski. Pulling her close against his toned body. Holding her.
What the heck? She barely knew the man. Why would she want him to hold her? Why was she thinking about his hands? His body? About the way her body had responded when those hands had spanned her waist?
Because, she realised with a shock, she was attracted to him. Properly attracted, as in intrigued, endeared, interested. Very interested. It felt as if her body was springing to life after years of hibernation, prickling with goosebumps, heating low in her belly. She liked Owen Cooper enough to think about holding him.
Panic radiated through her, making her heart thud against her rib cage. She couldn’t. She just couldn’t. She couldn’t hold anyone, not after everything she’d been through. It was too much of a risk to her heart, which had only just started to heal. She couldn’t let herself fall into anything meaningful again. So she forced herself to follow his lead and focus on the needs of the patient.
Mind reader...
‘I sincerely hope not,’ she quipped back, then dashed to the house to get some more blankets and hopefully find some perspective.
For the second time that day, Owen watched a helicopter rise into the sky.
Carly stood next to him on the jetty, her hand shielding her eyes. The wind whipped strands of her dark hair out of her ponytail, framing her face in wispy waves. Her nose was peeling. Her skin was tanned. She looked vibrant and healthy, like an advert for outdoor exercise. Loose-limbed and free.
She was so different from Miranda, who refused to go anywhere near the sun in case it damaged her skin. And, no, he wouldn’t let his bad marriage intrude on his new life...unless it was to facilitate Mason seeing his mother.
Carly bent and riffled through her bag. Thinking she was fishing out the jet-ski keys, he asked her, ‘Back to the surgery, then?’
Although, if he was honest, spending a few more moments in this beautiful cove with a beautiful woman was very enticing.
‘In a minute or two.’ She took out a flask and poured hot liquid into two battered white tin cups with Rāwhiti Camp printed on the side in forest-green ink. ‘Refreshments first.’
‘That’s like Mary Poppins’s bag.’ He pretended to peer inside it. ‘Is it bottomless?’
She laughed and followed his eyes to her large rucksack. ‘I’m an efficient packer. I teach rucksack packing to the kids before we set off into the bush on our overnight camps. You wouldn’t believe the kind of things they like to sneak in there that add so much weight, they complain all the way in and all the way out again.’
‘Like what?’
‘Books. More food than they could eat for a week—sweets, mainly. All sorts of devices to entertain them. They don’t realise they won’t have the energy for anything but holding a cup of hot chocolate after I’ve had them bush whack, build a shelter and then cook their dinner over an open fire.’
‘Sounds fun.’
‘It is. The kids love it. Some of them have never even seen the sea, can you imagine—living in the city or in a farm in the middle of nowhere and not ever going to the coast? You should see their faces.’ She suddenly looked wistful and he remembered she was selling up. Did she want to? Was she being forced to?
He made sure to catch her eye. ‘Are you okay, Carly?’
‘Sure. I’m fine.’ She flashed him a confused look and offered him a cup of hot brown liquid before sitting down at the end of the jetty, her legs hanging over the side. ‘Why?’
‘You seem...’ He wanted to say ‘emotional’ but knew that wouldn’t go down well. ‘It’s been a stressful afternoon.’
‘Simon’s leg wound was pretty gruesome, but I’ve seen worse. But, if you’re asking why I need a hot drink and a rest, it’s because it’s important to stay hydrated, especially when going from one emergency to another. It’s easy to forget about eating and drinking in all the hustle and bustle. But even superheroes need a cup of tea every now and then.’
He laughed, sat down next to her, took the cup and sipped the sweet hot tea. Interesting that she’d assumed he was asking her about the accident and not about the sudden change in her demeanour when she’d talked about her job. He wanted to ask so many questions but didn’t think it right to pry. He’d hate it if anyone wanted to know all about his business. ‘Well, that was certainly an interesting introduction to island life.’
‘It’s not usually like this.’ She turned to look at him at the same moment he turned to look at her. Her eyes sparkled like water in sunlight, like diamonds glittering. ‘Don’t get too excited, Dr Cooper.’
Interesting choice of words. Especially as the word ‘excited’ falling from her lips seemed to set off an echoing thrum inside him. But he didn’t want to misinterpret anything, and certainly didn’t want to imbue the conversation with his wayward thoughts, so he changed direction. ‘Look, about the other day...’
‘Yes?’ She gave a coy sideways glance, eyebrows raised in a question. Her dark eyes played and a smile hovered on her lips.
‘Was I really going too fast? Because, if so, I need to get a handle on that boat, especially when I have Mason to look after too. From where I was, it didn’t feel too fast.’
There was a long pause, during which Carly sighed and nodded, her smile gone. She slid her foot along the decking. The kind of hedging mannerism that his son did when he didn’t want to admit to a wrongdoing. ‘Okay, I guess not, if I’m honest. Only, I’m very protective of my little cove and my students.’
‘It’s good to be safety conscious.’
‘Yes.’ Her voice was soft. ‘But I can be over-the-top protective.’
He wondered why, but that thought dissolved the moment he glanced at his watch. ‘Damn, I was supposed to collect Mason ten minutes ago. It’s my first pick-up from kindergarten and they’ll probably shout me down.’
‘No, they won’t. They’ll be very polite and understanding. Not everyone’s as brutally honest as me around here.’ She laughed as she bundled the empty cups and flask back into her bag and jumped up. ‘Come on, then, jump on.’
He settled behind her on the jet-ski and slid his hands around her waist, feeling her heat against his skin. Her back was ramrod-straight. Sea spray covered the fine hairs on her arms. Her scent—flowers and fresh air—mingled with the salty air and made him want to inhale deeply.
He inched away from her. This was getting ridiculous. He couldn’t be attracted to a woman’s scent. Or notice the warmth of her skin or her toned legs and, more than anything, the sad smile she had when she thought no one was looking at her.
When they arrived back at the marina, Mia was sitting on the sand with both her own little girl and Mason, building sandcastles. Owen jumped off the jet-ski, helped Carly secure it on the floating dock then ran towards the nurse and his son.
Carly jogged alongside. ‘Hey, Mia,’ she said with the huge grin she seemed to save for her sister-in-law. ‘Bless you for bringing Mason down to meet us. Owen was starting to stress.’
He had been. And it was getting worse. ‘Don’t they have a policy for not allowing children out without a named guardian?’
Immediately he’d said it, he wanted to take it back. Mason was safe and sound, playing contentedly in the sand as if he was on holiday. He certainly didn’t look as stressed as Owen felt about the delayed pick-up.
The happy smiles on both women’s faces fell. Mia was quick to say, ‘Jackie would have been happy to keep him until you arrived, but she had to dash off, and there was no one else. I couldn’t leave him there all alone.’
‘Of course. Yes.’ He wrapped his boy in a hug, but Mason brushed him off with, ‘Stop it, Daddy. Build a castle.’
Owen turned back to Mia, to find her frowning at him. ‘Jackie knows me. We grew up here together. She knows I’m not about to abduct your son. She also left a couple of messages on your phone, but there was no reply from you. We waited as long as we could but, in the end, she had to close up.’
And all the while he’d been having tea and inappropriate thoughts about Carly. He shrugged apologetically. ‘No phone service out there.’
‘It happens.’ Mia nodded. ‘We islanders understand. There’s a different pace of life here and we help each other out. We have to, because we’re isolated, and there are limited services.’
‘What the doctor means is thank you.’ Carly smiled, pulling Mia’s daughter, Harper, onto her lap and blowing a raspberry onto the toddler’s belly, making her giggle and squirm.
It was such a happy scene, and he’d ruined it with his own over-protectiveness and city-borne suspicion. ‘Yes, yes, I’m so sorry, Mia. I do mean thank you. Thank you very much. I’m sorry if I came across as rude. I’d been worrying about my boy and, being the only parent here, I need to put him first. I’d hate to think of him left there all alone.’
‘It’s okay. I’m a single parent too. I totally understand. Any time you need me to pick him up, just let me know. It’s no hardship at all, and the kids seem to play well together.’ But Mia shot Carly a look Owen couldn’t read.
‘Can I come to your playground again?’ Mason asked Carly, completely out of the blue.
‘Mason, where are your manners?’ Owen reminded his son, then turned back to Carly. ‘I’m so sorry. Just say no. It’s fine.’
She looked a little uncomfortable at the suggestion, but glanced down at Harper, and her body language immediately softened. ‘Yes, of course, Mason, come and play. That would be lovely. I’ve got a wonderful playground, and I know your place needs sprucing up. I have school children here every Tuesday to Friday, but they go back home on the one o’clock ferry. Why don’t you come over one Friday afternoon?’
‘Thank you.’ Owen knew he didn’t deserve such a kindness, but his son did.
‘Not a problem.’ She looked up at him and grinned, as if she’d won some battle they’d been waging. And...wow... Her eyes shone, and the sun framed her face, and...she really was beautiful. He didn’t know what to say, because telling her she was beautiful was the only thing he could think of, and he really, really couldn’t do that.
And yet she was still looking at him and he couldn’t drag his eyes from her. The world seemed to shrink to just him and her. What was she thinking? Did she get this weird vibe too?
After a beat or two, she nodded and looked at her watch. ‘Shoot. Now I really have to dash. These emergencies have derailed my whole day. See you all later.’
Owen watched her jump up from the sand and then trip lightly away, bag in hand. But he refused to turn to watch her go, even though another glimpse of her would be good for...
‘So, Dr Cooper. Had a good afternoon with our Carly?’
He turned and saw Mia looking at him with a quizzical expression. He dragged his thoughts away from Carly. ‘Eventful, shall we say?’
‘Sounds like you handled everything well. A good team?’ She glanced in the direction Carly had headed.
Owen followed her gaze with a little pang in his heart to see no sign of the woman he’d spent the afternoon with. ‘We worked well together. It’s great that she knows everyone and has the whole routine down pat. It makes my life easier.’
‘Underneath all that armour, she’s actually lovely.’
‘Is she?’ He laughed, just to show he was joking, but in truth he wasn’t sure where this was going. ‘She’s definitely capable.’
‘Aha. That’s what we call it, right?’ Mia smiled and raised her eyebrows, as if she was in on some private joke. A joke he hadn’t been let in on.
‘She handles the jet-ski well and anticipates danger and the right kind of response needed.’ And that was as far as he was going to go with this conversation.
‘Just...look, Owen...’ Mia grimaced. ‘Carly’s had a hard time. We both have, if I’m going to be honest.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ Seeing the nurse’s eyes fill with tears, he sensed this conversation straying into difficult territory. ‘Hey, please. You don’t have to tell me anything personal.’
‘No doubt you’ll hear all about it anyway from one of the locals. It’s not a secret.’ Carly shook her head and gave Owen a wobbly smile, wiping her cheek with the heel of her hand. ‘But I guess it is her story to tell and, if I blab it all, it will sound like gossip, which she’d hate. But...well...she doesn’t like to let people close.’ Mia swallowed and Owen could see how hard it was for her to be telling him this. ‘She has good reasons, Owen. She’s been through a lot. Just...be gentle.’
‘Are you warning me or...what?’ What kind of impression had he given Mia? Or Carly? He’d stuck to being professional, but maybe something had given away his...interest...attraction to Carly? ‘Because, I can assure you, we’re purely work colleagues.’
Who exactly was he trying to convince here—Mia or himself?
‘Sure you are.’ Mia jumped up, gathered her bag and the buckets and spades and called to her daughter. ‘Harper, come on, missy. Time for tea. See you tomorrow, Owen. Bye, Mason.’
Then she gave him a quick wave and left him there with his son and a whole lot of emotions he couldn’t put a name to.