His Bride in Paradise

‘Perhaps he acted on impulse and meant to tell you later.’ Her body relaxed a fraction.

‘Yes, I suppose that could be it.’ He nodded, and his cheek lightly brushed hers. His hold on her eased a little, and it seemed to Alyssa’s heightened senses that it became much more like a caress. She felt his warm breath fall softly on the back of her neck, and his arm brushed the rounded swell of her breast as he held her to him. It was unintentional, she was sure, but the heated contact ricocheted through her body, bringing with it a shocking, bone-melting response. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. How could she be reacting this way? She didn’t even know him. It was unthinkable.

Clearly there was something wrong with her. Jetlag, probably. She needed to break free from him, but the warmth of those encircling arms and the gentleness of that embrace had taken her completely by surprise. It seemed like such a long time since anyone had held her in such an intimate way and, worryingly, she was discovering that she liked it.

‘I’ll find somewhere else to stay first thing in the morning,’ she said.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, he released her. ‘You don’t need to do that. You’re Ross’s guest, and therefore mine, too. I wouldn’t dream of having you go elsewhere. Please stay. I’d like you to stay.’

‘I’ll think about it.’ She dithered for a moment. She wanted to walk out of the room, but as she stood there, undecided, she glanced towards the oven, conscious of the appetising smell of melting cheese and sizzling herbs and tomato permeating the air. She hadn’t realised until now how hungry she was … her last meal had been virtually a snack on the plane journey over here.

He looked at her, his head tilted on one side, a faint smile playing around his mouth. ‘You’re hungry,’ he said. ‘It’s no wonder you’re feeling a little fractious. Sit down and we’ll eat. Things always seem better on a full stomach.’

Annoyed by her own weakness, she did as he suggested and went back to the chair. Maybe he was right, and circumstances had combined to throw her off balance. A long plane journey, a change of surroundings and the appearance of the proverbial tall, dark stranger had certainly knocked her for six. Her heart was racing as though she’d run a marathon, and the world seemed to be spinning around her ever so slightly. She felt decidedly odd.

There was a noise from across the room and they both turned as the kitchen door opened and Ross came in.

‘What on earth …? Connor, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Florida?’ He was tall, like his brother, with dark hair and the same angular jaw, but Ross had more homely, lived-in features, and generally there was a happy-go-lucky, almost boyish air about him. ‘You said you’d be away for several months.’

‘I did, but there was a change of plan. It turns out I’m going to be working here, on the island, for the most part.’

‘So you’ll be staying here.’ It was a matter-of-fact statement. Then Ross added, ‘I’ve arranged for Alyssa to have the ground-floor apartment. I’d no idea you would be coming back so soon.’

Connor nodded. ‘Yes, she told me. That’s okay. That arrangement can still stand. It just means that you’ll have to stay at your place near the film studio. That won’t be a problem for you, will it?’

Ross’s grey-blue eyes narrowed. ‘I guess not.’ He looked at his brother as though he suspected him of some devious ploy.

‘Good. So now that’s all sorted, perhaps we can sit down together and enjoy a meal.’

Connor took the pizza from the oven, and Alyssa said quietly, ‘Is there anything I can do to help? I could set the table for you, if you like.’

‘Thanks. That would be great. There’s a bowl of salad in the fridge. You could put that out, too, if you would.’

‘Okay.’

They worked together, while Ross went to freshen up. ‘So, if you’re not involved with the filming, what will you be doing all day while Ross is at work?’ Connor asked. ‘Is this meant to be a holiday for you, or a sightseeing trip, or something like that?’

Alyssa smiled. ‘It’s nothing like that. I’m going to be working as a medic on the film set. Apparently, the company Ross usually calls on to provide that service is tied up with other projects right now, so when he found out that I was looking for work, he asked me if I’d like to take it on.’

Connor’s dark brows lifted. ‘You’re a nurse?’

She shook her head. ‘I’m a doctor. I’ve worked in the same line as you, accident and emergency, so I should be able to deal with any problems that arise if stunts go wrong, and so on.’ She smiled. ‘Though, hopefully, that won’t happen. Mostly, it’ll be a case of handing out headache and sunburn medication, I expect.’

‘So now you’ve managed to surprise me all over again.’ Connor stared at her for a moment or two, before starting to slice the pizza into triangular wedges. ‘Now I understand what you meant when you told your friend that there would be nothing much to do but enjoy the sunshine and the surf and thank your lucky stars.’

She frowned, sending him a fleeting glance. ‘You heard me talking to Carys on the phone?’

He nodded. ‘I didn’t know it was Carys, but I heard some of the conversation you were having. I came out onto the deck and I couldn’t help but hear what you were saying.’ He paused as he checked the filter on the coffee pot.

‘The only part that bothered me was when you added that you’d take money and all the trappings over love any time.’ His gaze meshed with hers. ‘I don’t know what your plans are, but perhaps I should warn you to tread carefully there. I wouldn’t want to see my brother hurt. He has his faults, but he’s family and I care about him very much.’

Once again this evening she felt hot colour rise in her cheeks. No wonder he’d been so edgy with her from the beginning. He’d heard what she said and had drawn his own conclusions.

‘It was just a joke,’ she said. ‘The sort of throw-away remark we all make from time to time. It didn’t mean anything.’

‘Maybe so.’ He acknowledged that with a wry smile, but she noticed the warmth didn’t reach his dark eyes. ‘But the warning stands … I’ve always looked out for my brother, and I see no reason to stop doing that.’

‘Even though he’s a grown man who owns a successful film company? Don’t you trust him to make his own decisions?’

‘Of course I do … to a certain extent. But Ross is a fool where women are concerned. He’s made a few mistakes over the years that have cost him dearly. I don’t want to see that happen again.’

‘And I’m obviously the scarlet woman whose talons cut deep?’ She sent him a scornful look.

‘You’ve come all the way from the UK to be with him.’ His mouth twisted. ‘I don’t blame you for that. Who would turn down the chance of living a life of luxury on this beautiful island? But I’m inclined to be cautious all the same.’

Clearly he wasn’t going to believe she was on the level. Alyssa opened her mouth to make an answering retort, but Ross came back into the kitchen just then, and she concentrated instead on carefully laying out the cutlery on the table.

‘I’m starving,’ Ross said, eyeing the food with a ravenous eye. ‘This looks good.’

She smiled at him, handing him a plate, and took her seat at the table. She didn’t need to say anything more to Connor. They simply looked at one another, and that glance spoke volumes. They both knew exactly where they stood. He didn’t trust her an inch and for her part she was ultra-wary of him. The battle lines were drawn.

CHAPTER TWO

‘ARE we all clear for this shot?’ Ross was talking to the cameraman, making sure that every detail was covered. They were standing just a few yards away from Alyssa, and she could hear every word that was being said. It was fascinating, she’d discovered, to watch a film being put together. In principle, Ross was the producer, but she’d learned that he also had a hand in directing the films.

‘Let’s start off by letting the audience see the coral reef in the distance,’ Ross said quietly, ‘and the sheer drop to the sea. Then we can gradually move to the background of the pine forest and sweep down to a view of the lake, so that we see the sun shining on the surface.’

The cameraman nodded, and Ross went on, ‘Lastly, I want you to bring in the bridge over the main road and try to give us an impression of the sheer height and majesty of it all. We’ll tie all that in with atmospheric music and build up to a crescendo.’

‘Okay. And that’s where we cut to the car chase?’

‘That’s right. As soon as that comes to an end, we’ll go straight into the stunt scene.’

‘You want the lorry to come into the picture from the east? I’ll need a clear signal for that.’

‘Yes. I’ll let you know as soon as the driver starts up the engine.’

‘Okay.’

Alyssa watched all the activity around her with interest. The actors who would be needed for the next scene were standing around, chatting to one another, languid in the heat of the sun as they waited to be called. Everyone wanted to see how the stunt would go. The technicians had planned it down to the last detail, and there had been several rehearsals, but now it was time for the real thing, and the stuntman, Alex, was in position on the bridge, a lone, dark figure against the protective rail.

Ross came over to her. He was in prime form, bubbling with energy and totally enthusiastic about the way things were going. ‘I’m going to be tied up with this for the next hour or so,’ he told her, ‘but I thought we might have lunch later at the new restaurant that’s opened up in town … Benvenuto. It’s down by the marina. They do some great dishes there. I think you’ll like it.’

‘Sounds great. I’ll look forward to it.’ Alyssa smiled at him and on the spur of the moment he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her soundly on the lips.

‘Me, too.’

‘Oh.’ She was startled by the fervour that went into that kiss. ‘What was that for?’

He grinned. ‘I really appreciate what you’ve done here for us these last few weeks. Everyone says you’ve been brilliant, helping with everything from toothache to blistered toes. And I love the way you’ve looked over the script and offered advice on the medical stuff. Even if they’re just a minor part of the film, it’s important we get the hospital scenes right. And in the restaurant, when the man keels over, we needed to know how a doctor would respond.’

‘Let’s hope that won’t be necessary at the restaurant today.’ She laughed. ‘It’ll be great to sit and enjoy a meal in peace and quiet after all the goings-on on set.’

‘Yeah, too right.’ He gave her a final hug before letting her go. Then he hurried over to the lorry driver to give some final instructions.

‘Going by the looks of things, it seems you and Ross are getting closer every day.’ There was an edge to Connor’s voice, and Alyssa looked at him in surprise as he came to stand beside her. His jaw was faintly clenched as though he was holding himself in restraint. He was wearing stone-coloured trousers and a casual, open-necked shirt, and he looked cool in the heat of the day.

‘Hello, Connor,’ she greeted him in a light tone, trying to counteract his disapproval. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I imagined you would be at work.’ In fact, she’d seen very little of him these last few weeks, considering that they shared the same house, but she guessed he started work early at the hospital and he often came home late. Occasionally, he’d gone over to Florida to oversee his other project. Perhaps he’d been going out of an evening, too, once his shift ended.

As to his comment about her and Ross … she simply wasn’t going to answer him. He was obviously hung up on the situation, so why make matters worse? It bothered her, though, that he had seen that kiss. How would she ever be able to convince him that there was nothing going on between her and his brother after that?

‘It’s my day off,’ he said, ‘so I thought I’d come and see how things were going here. Apparently the filming’s on schedule so far.’ His dark gaze moved over her. ‘And I wondered how you were getting on. Has it been the quiet, relaxing time you expected?’

‘Not exactly,’ she murmured. ‘But, then, I’ve been making something of an effort to get to grips with the job from the start.’

‘Yes, so I heard.’ A glimmer of respect flickered in the depths of his eyes. ‘Ross has been singing your praises for days now. Apparently, you’ve made yourself known to everyone on set and managed to get a medical history from each one of them. He’s very impressed with the way you’ve been handling things.’

Alyssa shrugged lightly, inadvertently loosening one of the thin straps of her broderie-anglaise top, so that it slid down the lightly tanned, silky smooth slope of her shoulder. ‘It’s what I’m paid to do, and the job is exactly what I thought it would be. I made it my business to get to know as much as I could about everyone beforehand so that I would have a good idea what I’m dealing with.’

‘Very commendable.’ Before she could remedy the offending strap, he reached out and hooked a finger beneath the cotton, carefully sliding it back into place. His touch trailed over her bare flesh like the slow lick of flame, causing an unexpected, feverish response to cascade through her, heating her blood and quickening her pulse. ‘There,’ he murmured. ‘You’re all neat and tidy once more.’

‘I … urn … have you … have you been to see every one of Ross’s films being made?’ she asked, disconcerted by his action and lifting a hand to push back the curls from her hot face. The movement lifted her brief top and exposed a small portion of her bare midriff, pale gold above the waistband of her dark jeans. His glance flicked downwards and lingered there for a while.

‘I … uh …’ He sounded distracted for a moment and then he cleared his throat. ‘Most of them. I like to keep up with what’s going on in the film world from time to time. Even though he’s my brother, I must say Ross’s work is good. He’s had some notable successes. He deserves them because he works hard and pays a lot of attention to detail.’

She nodded. ‘I’ve noticed that, too. He’s been worrying about this morning’s stunt, though. The timing has to be perfect. The stuntman has to jump from the bridge onto the moving lorry to escape from his pursuers, and he has to do it at exactly the right moment. They’ve even worked out how to make sure the lorry will be going at a certain speed when he jumps.’

He nodded. ‘I guess that’s what you might expect with these action adventure films. There always has to be something spectacular going on. After all, that’s what the audience pays to see.’

Ross gave the signal for the camera recording to begin, and they turned to watch the proceedings. Around them, the buzz of conversation came to a halt and everyone’s gaze was riveted to the scene about to take place. A lorry began to gradually pick up speed on the main road, which had been temporarily cleared of traffic while filming took place. The stuntman abandoned a wrecked car on the bridge and ran, chased determinedly by burly men who looked as though they meant business … nasty business. Coming to the concrete bulwark, he glanced around as though his character was trying to assimilate his options in double quick time.

With nowhere to go, and his pursuers gaining ground with every second that passed, he sprang up onto the guard-rail, remained poised for a moment, and then, as the men snapped at his heels, he leapt from the bridge.

The landing was perfect. He balanced, feet apart on top of the moving lorry, but a moment later a shocked gasp went up as the onlookers took in what happened next. Somehow Alex’s foot twisted beneath him and the momentum of the still moving lorry flipped him onto his back, causing him to topple to the ground.

Alyssa was already on the move as it was happening, grabbing her medical equipment and racing towards the road where Alex was lying on the grass verge, groaning in agony. Her heart began to pound against the wall of her chest. This was the last thing she had expected. They’d been working so hard to make sure that nothing could go wrong. She had even checked him over to make sure that he was in prime physical condition before he attempted the feat.

‘Alex, can you tell me where it hurts?’ She quickly knelt down beside him, looking at him in concern.

‘It’s my back,’ he said, his face contorted with pain. ‘I think I caught it on the side of the lorry as I went over. I thought I felt something crack.’

The thought of the damage that might have been done to his spine made her sick with fear. All those old feelings of dread that she’d experienced back in the UK came flooding back to her, but she knew she had to get a grip on her emotions for her patient’s sake. Small beads of perspiration broke out on her brow.

‘Okay,’ she said, disguising her inner fears with an air of confidence, ‘try not to worry. We’ll soon have you feeling more comfortable.’ She dialled emergency services, calling for an ambulance and warning them of a suspected spinal injury, and then she turned to Alex once more. ‘I just need to check you over to see what the damage is.’ All the colour had drained from his face, but at least he was still conscious and able to talk to her. That was perhaps a good sign, but she’d seen the way he’d fallen, and it didn’t bode well.

‘I can’t believe I … could have messed up like that,’ Alex said in a taut, strained voice. ‘I thought … I thought it was going to be okay …’ He broke off, and small beads of perspiration broke out on his brow.

‘Are you in a lot of pain?’ she asked. ‘On a scale of one to ten?’

‘Twelve,’ he said, squeezing his eyes closed and pushing the word out through his teeth.

‘All right.’ Her head was swimming—the shock of this awful event was beginning to crowd in on her, but she made a huge effort to cast her feelings to one side. ‘I’ll give you something to take that away, just as soon as I’ve done a preliminary examination. Try not to move. It’s very important that you stay still.’

She made a brief but thorough check of his injuries and noted his blood pressure and pulse, before injecting him with a painkiller. ‘I need to put a collar around your neck to immobilise it and make sure there’ll be no further damage.’

Alex didn’t answer her. His strength seemed to be ebbing away, and she realised that he might be slipping into neurogenic shock through a combination of pressure on the spinal cord and possible internal bleeding. A wave of panic swept through her. It was down to her to get him through this. What if she couldn’t do it?

‘Would you like some help?’ Connor came over to her, and she guessed he’d been standing by, waiting to see if he was needed.

‘Yes, that would be great, thanks.’ Alyssa sent him a fleeting glance. His expression was serious, but he was calm, and his long, lean body was poised and ready for action. If only she could experience some of that inner composure. She said quietly, ‘His blood pressure and pulse are both dropping rapidly, so I’m going to try to stabilise him with intravenous fluids.’

It was a very disturbing situation. When she tested his reflexes, Alex wasn’t aware of any sensation in his legs and that was tremendously worrying, because it meant the eventual outcome could be disastrous. It was possible the damage was so great that Alex might never walk again.

She dashed those thoughts from her mind and breathed deeply to try to overcome the chaotic beat of her heart, concentrating on doing what she could for her patient. It was down to her to bring about the best outcome possible for him and the responsibility weighed heavily on her. ‘I want to get a rigid collar around his neck … that’s all important … and we must give him oxygen.’

He nodded. ‘I’ll do that for you.’ He knelt down and supported Alex’s neck while Alyssa carefully fixed the protective collar in place. Then he placed the oxygen mask over their patient’s nose and mouth and started to squeeze the oxygen bag rhythmically. All the time, Alyssa was aware that Alex was slipping into unconsciousness.

She sucked in her breath. ‘His heart rate is way too low. I’m going to give him atropine and have the defibrillator standing by, just in case.’ Simply, if the heart didn’t pump blood around his body effectively, her patient would die, but the atropine should help to increase the heart rate.

She quickly prepared the syringe while Connor continued with the oxygen. ‘Okay,’ she murmured, ‘let’s see if that will bring him round.’ While they waited for the drug to work, Alyssa placed pads on Alex’s chest and connected him to the portable defibrillator.

‘It’s not happening—the heart rate’s not picking up enough,’ Connor observed with a frown a short time later. ‘Maybe it’s time to deliver a shock to the heart.’

She nodded and set the machine to the correct rate and current. ‘Stay clear of him while I do that.’

Connor moved back a little, and both of them waited. For a second or two, nothing happened, and Alyssa’s mouth became painfully dry, the breath catching in her throat. She realised she was praying silently. This had to work.

Then there was a faint bleep, and the display on the defibrillator began to show a normal heart rhythm. She breathed a sigh of relief. The rate was still slow, but at least he was out of the woods for the moment.

The ambulance arrived as she and Connor continued the struggle to regulate Alex’s blood pressure. The paramedics greeted Connor as a friend, as if they’d known him for a long time, and then they listened as Alyssa quickly brought them up to date with what was going on.

‘I’m very worried about any injury to his back,’ she said quietly, ‘so we need to take great care when we move him. We’ll help you to get him onto a spinal board.’

She and Connor knelt with one of the paramedics alongside Alex’s still form, each one ready to lift and gently roll him on his side towards them on Alyssa’s command. ‘Okay, let’s do it … three … two … one … go.’

The second paramedic slid the board underneath Alex, and then they carefully rolled him onto his back once more.

‘That was well done.’ Alyssa stood back as the paramedics strapped him securely in place and lifted him on to a trolley stretcher. Alex was still not speaking and she was dreadfully afraid his condition was deteriorating fast. ‘I’ll go with him to the hospital.’

‘Okay.’ The paramedic nodded and turned to Connor. ‘Will you be coming along, too?’

‘Yes. I’ll follow in my car.’

Alyssa watched as they trundled Alex towards the ambulance, and saw, out of the corner of her eye, that Ross was hovering nearby. Seeing that she had finished working on her patient for the time being, he hurried over to her.

‘Is he going to be all right? I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It’s my worst nightmare.’ The lively, boyish young man he’d been just a short time ago had disappeared completely. He looked haggard, devastated by what had happened.

‘We’ll know more after they’ve done tests at the hospital.’ She laid a hand on his arm, wanting to comfort him. ‘It wasn’t your fault, Ross. All stunts carry danger, you know that. It was plain bad luck.’

‘Even so, I feel terrible about it.’ His face was ashen. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have been directing today, but Dan had to be somewhere else, so I had to step in. I know he wanted to be here for this scene. Maybe it was an omen …’

‘Ross, you mustn’t blame yourself. No one could have foreseen what happened.’

His shoulders sagged. ‘I don’t know … I thought I had everything covered …’ He pulled himself together, straightening up. ‘I want to go to the hospital to be with him, but I have to get in touch with his wife, and stay here and talk to the police, and try to explain what went wrong. There will be all sorts of questions, accident reports, insurance forms to be dealt with … I’m going to be sifting through all that over the next few hours, but tell him we’ll take care of his family and see to anything that he needs, will you? Anything he wants, he just has to ask.’

‘I’ll tell him.’

‘Thanks. I’ll come along to see him just as soon as I can.’