Virgin Midwife, Playboy Doctor

Chloe was still reeling from Oliver’s praise when he straightened, held her gaze for an endless moment, then stroked one finger across the tip of her nose. ‘Drive carefully, babe,’ he instructed, his voice soft but husky, before he stepped back to let her slide behind the steering-wheel and close the door.

Fighting down a fresh welling up of confusion, trying to ignore the way her nose prickled and her arm still tingled from the caress of his fingers, Chloe strapped on her seat belt with shaky hands and started the car. She backed out of her parking space and eased onto Harbour Road. As she headed towards the curve of the seafront and the turning to Bridge Street in the centre of town, which would take her along the side of the river and out towards the St Piran road, she glanced back one last time in her rear view-mirror.

The image that stayed with her was of Oliver, hands thrust into his trouser pockets as he stood outside the surgery, watching her go.

Despite a busy surgery, the afternoon dragged by and Oliver had a tough time concentrating and putting invasive thoughts of Chloe MacKinnon from his mind.

‘Keep off that leg as much as possible for the next few days, Linda,’ he advised the young tourist, having strapped up her sprained ankle.

‘I will,’ she promised with a rueful smile. ‘No dancing for me for a while.’

Oliver handed a prescription for some painkillers and antiinflammatories to the girl’s companion, reminding them again of the best course of action. ‘Rest, ice, compression and elevation. If you have any problems don’t hesitate to phone or come back and see me.’

‘Thanks, Doctor.’ The young man grinned at him, appearing to relish his role of nursemaid to his pretty girlfriend, helping her out of the room as Oliver opened the door and followed them through Reception.

‘The pharmacy is the next building along Harbour Road.’ Oliver stood with them outside the surgery entrance and pointed them in the right direction. The late afternoon heat radiated off the tarmac and sunlight shimmered on the waters in the harbour opposite where fishing boats and assorted pleasure craft bobbed on the gentle swell. ‘They’ll sort out the medication while you wait.’

Oliver watched for a moment as his final patient of the day hobbled along beside her boyfriend, then he went back inside and, after exchanging a few words with the receptionists, he returned to his desk in the consulting room that had been made available for his use while he was there. The previous occupant, Lucy Carter, married to Ben, an A and E consultant at St Piran, and daughter of the surgery’s senior partner, Nick Tremayne, was on maternity leave.

Sighing, he set about the task of updating his patient notes and dealing with the ever-present pile of paperwork, but his attention wandered in a predictable direction. To Chloe. Whose room was immediately above his own. His gaze lifted, as if somehow by staring at the ceiling he could see her, will her presence. She was all he seemed to think about these days. And she scarcely appeared to know he was alive. It was a novel and not very pleasant experience.

He had only been in Penhally Bay a short time, but he had been drawn to Chloe from the moment they had met on his first day in his new job. And he meant what he had said earlier. Chloe was an excellent midwife…the best he had worked with. He admired her skill, her kindness, the way she always went that extra mile for the mums-to-be who meant so much to her. Like today, accepting Avril’s need for another opinion and putting herself out to drive the obviously panicked woman to hospital. Perhaps he had been working too long in an impersonal big city practice. His time back in Cornwall had opened his eyes again to the true meaning and enjoyment of proper community medicine.

London had been a blast. At first. He’d had the brains to breeze through medical school, had enjoyed a successful career and an active social life since qualifying and, thanks to his family’s success, he’d had the money to live life to the fullest. A cynical smile tugged his mouth. There had been good times, but his lifestyle had had its downsides, too. He was tired of those who were impressed by the family name, the bank balance, the exaggerated reputation. Tired of being used. He wanted to be seen for himself, the person he was, and not for the added trappings or as a prop to give someone else a good time. He had become mistrustful, dubious of people’s—women’s—motives.

He had grasped the opportunity to come back to Cornwall, his home county. His family was here, although thankfully far enough away from Penhally to allow him privacy. He loved them. They loved him. They had just never understood him. Never understood his need to make his own way and not be swallowed up in Fawkner Yachts like his grandfather, his parents, his brother and his sister. It had always been medicine that had drawn him, excited him, not the family business.

Being back in Cornwall had added benefits. He could indulge his passion for surfing and jet-skiing on an almost daily basis. And already he felt reconnected, enjoying his work in a way he had not done in the cut-and-thrust impersonal world London had become for him. Having made a conscious decision to change his life, the plan had been to settle in Penhally Bay and lie low while he established himself. He had no experience of long-term relationships, had never lived with a woman, but it was one of the things he most wanted…to find a nice girl, to settle down, to have a family. Eventually. What he had not anticipated had been meeting anyone who interested him so soon. And Chloe MacKinnon more than interested him.

She was unlike anyone he had ever known. He had never felt like this about a woman before and he was wary, unsure of venturing into the unknown. In the future, he wanted something different, someone different, and from all he had seen and heard so far, Chloe fitted the bill in every way. Just thinking about her made him smile and sent the blood pumping faster through his veins, a curl of heat flaming in his gut.

Chloe was the cutest thing he’d ever seen. Wholesome, in the nicest way, she had an earthy, natural beauty, something she seemed completely unaware of. She seldom wore make-up—she didn’t need it. Her skin was smooth, almost translucent, while her eyes, a stunning moss green, shone between long, dusky lashes. Luscious, rosy lips begged to be kissed. At work she kept the luxuriant waves of her long ebony hair restrained in a braid, knot or ponytail, but he ached to see it loose in all its wild glory, to run his fingers through it, bury his face in it, to breathe in the lingering scent of fresh apples and sunshine that always clung to her.

Restrained was a word that could apply to Chloe in general. Serene and intelligent, she had a quiet humour that appealed to him and a sense of fun that came to the fore when she was relaxed with her friends. He had seen how she devoted all her energies to her mums-to-be and to the newborns she appeared to love with passion. She would make an amazing mother. But it was her other passions that sparked his interest and made him curious. From what he had discovered, Chloe’s life outside work was a closed book—aside from her loyalty to her female friends and the evenings out she spent with them, he had no idea where she went, what she did, or who she did it with.

No doubt about it, Chloe intrigued the hell out of him. She seemed so together, so content, but she was a very private person and he had found it an uphill struggle to get close to her. At first he had assumed she must have a husband or boyfriend, for sure, but he had been amazed to discover that Chloe had no one special in her life. Furthermore, she was content that way. Why? It didn’t make sense that someone so lovely and smart would be alone. But it left the field open for him. Not that he was making any headway. Chloe kept her distance from him and his own uncertainties about the timing and his suitability for a relationship made him cautious about pushing too fast.

Completely without artifice, Chloe had an air of innocence about her, one that surprised him, yet soothed his jaded spirit. He was used to women flaunting themselves and making obvious advances—it came with the territory. The Fawkner name and money drew women like iron filings to a magnet. For a time he hadn’t minded. Hell, he had been young and carefree, and he had made the most of the opportunities that had come his way. But he wanted something different now—he wanted Chloe MacKinnon. He just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon and wasn’t sure he was ready. Yet he wasn’t able to keep away from her.

Not that it had got him very far. For the first few days Chloe had treated him with the same friendly professionalism she bestowed on all her colleagues, but when he had made his personal interest in her known, she had been endearingly and puzzlingly shocked. He might have found her reaction amusing had it not led to her cooling noticeably, turning formal and businesslike, and clamming up more tightly than a bank vault.

Shaking his head, he ran his fingers through his hair, an image of Chloe vivid in his mind. She had a body to die for, but she had no notion how sexy she was. Even in the short-sleeved white tunic and loose navy blue trousers she wore to work, she turned him on as no other woman ever had. Her figure was stunning. A classic hourglass shape, with lush, full, feminine curves…soft and mouth-watering. His fingers itched to touch, his mouth to taste. But he could never get within a foot of the skittish Chloe and that was beginning to frustrate him no end.

It was a new experience for him to have to work so hard to gain a woman’s attention, to get her to even speak to him outside work, let alone go out with him on a date. But despite her reserve and his own caution about getting involved with someone so soon, he wanted her more and more each day. The simmering desire nagged at him, refusing him respite, and he couldn’t get her out of his head. Which meant that he somehow had to find a way past those prickly defences. Especially if he ever hoped to take her to bed. The very thought of having her naked, laid out for him, those long, inky-black tresses tumbled over his pillows, that voluptuous body arching under him as he loved her, was enough to make him harder than he’d ever been and so burning with frustration he thought he might go up in flames.

A knock on his door made him jump. For a moment he imagined it was Chloe—longed for it to be her—even if she had just come to tell him how things had gone with Avril at the hospital.

‘Come in,’ he called, his voice rough with desire, his heart racing in anticipation.

His gaze was fixed on the door as it slowly opened and he almost couldn’t breathe as he waited for Chloe to enter his room. When he saw, instead, that his visitor was senior partner Nick Tremayne, he struggled to swallow the wash of bitter disappointment.

‘Oliver, do you have a few moments?’

‘Of course, Nick.’ He summoned up a smile. ‘What can I do for you?’

In the short time he had been in Penhally, Oliver had come to admire the older man. He was an excellent doctor, knowledgeable if a bit aloof, but there were tensions he had yet to understand, especially between Nick and Kate Althorp, the former practice manager who had returned to her career in midwifery and now worked alongside Chloe in the practice. He suspected that Nick was a difficult man to get to know, one who felt deeply but who found it hard to share those feelings, a man who shut himself off and stuck stubbornly to a rigid point of view. Thankfully, Oliver had rubbed along well with his enigmatic boss…so far.

Exuding impatience, Nick strode across the room to gaze silently out of the window before he turned and moved back to the desk. Looking troubled, Nick folded his tall frame to sit in a chair opposite, his dark hair showing signs of grey, his gaze restless as it darted around the room.

‘Is something wrong, Nick?’ Oliver probed after a moment.

‘What?’ The older man looked up in surprise, as if disturbed from his private thoughts. ‘Oh, no. No, just a lot on my mind. How are things with you? Settling in all right?’

Oliver leaned forward and folded his arms on the desk. ‘Very much so. I’m enjoying my time here immensely.’

‘Good. I’m glad,’ he murmured, drifting again as if considering something.

Waiting patiently, Oliver reflected on the snippets of gossip he had heard. He didn’t know the history between Nick and Kate, but it was clear that something had happened between them recently as they were barely speaking. At least, Nick was barely speaking to Kate, Oliver amended. Kate looked stressed and unhappy, while the tension whenever the two were near each other was palpable.

‘So, Oliver,’ Nick said, apparently having come to a decision. He rubbed his palms together and shifted on the chair. ‘I have a favour to ask of you.’

‘I’ll be pleased to do what I can to help.’

Nick nodded, sitting back, his expression serious. ‘I noted from your CV that you’ve had a special responsibility for antenatal services in a previous practice.’

‘That’s right,’ Oliver confirmed, wondering where this was going.

‘I have some extra duties coming up in the next weeks, working with the town committee regarding the twinning of Penhally with a small town in Normandy. It would be of great assistance to me if you could take over my antenatal role. Just for the time being.’

Regarding his boss closely, Oliver wondered if the twinning committee thing was a ruse. He suspected Nick wanted an excuse to avoid Kate. Frowning, he considered the request. While he didn’t want to become embroiled in practice politics or take sides in whatever dispute had occurred between Nick and Kate, he couldn’t deny that taking on the extra duties had an appeal. Saying yes would mean more time working closely with Chloe. And the more time he could spend with her, getting to know her, easing past her defences and deciding if there was something worth pursuing, the better as far as he was concerned.

‘No problem, Nick.’ There was no way he was going to turn down an opportunity to be near Chloe. ‘I’ll be happy to cover for you.’

The older man’s relief was evident. ‘Excellent. Thank you, Oliver. I’ll fill you in on things and if it’s not too short notice, perhaps you could start by attending the next meeting with the midwives?’

‘Sure.’ Oliver pulled his diary towards him and opened it. ‘When is it?’

‘Actually, it’s in about half an hour. I, um, have to leave early,’ he finished, having the grace to look uncomfortable at the lame explanation.

Hiding a smile, Oliver nodded. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

He listened and made notes as Nick went through the salient points he needed to know, a shiver of anticipation fluttering inside him at what lay ahead. The prospect of breaking the news to Chloe and Kate that he would be replacing Nick for the immediate future was an unappealing one. He imagined that each woman would have her own reasons to be unsettled by the change. But he wasn’t going to shy away from the challenge. This unexpected turn of events could work in his favour. He was wary about the timing, unsure where any relationship might go, but instinct told him there could be something interesting between them. And desiring her as he did, he now had the perfect chance to try to woo Chloe MacKinnon.

CHAPTER TWO

CHLOE watched Kate check her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. Kate was quite a few years her senior but they had always got on well together. The friendship had deepened further since Kate had returned to work alongside her as a midwife after giving up her job as practice manager and taking a refresher course so she could resume her previous career.

‘Kate, are you all right?’

Uncharacteristically fidgety, her companion glanced up and attempted a half-hearted smile. ‘Fine. Fine.’

‘You realise you’re holding that file upside down?’ Chloe asked with calm concern.

‘Oh!’ Kate stared at the offending object in her hands and closed it, setting it on top of the pile in front of her. ‘Sorry, Chloe, I’m as jumpy as anything.’

‘Nick?’

‘Who else?’ Kate’s wry laugh was brief and without humour.

Chloe smiled in sympathy. Having only very recently been privy to details of the latest turmoil between Kate and the senior partner at Penhally, she was worried about her friend and couldn’t help but be annoyed at Nick’s behaviour. True, it had to come as a shock to learn by chance that he was the father of Kate’s nine-year-old-son, Jem, but to her mind his reaction had been excessive and his treatment of Kate inexcusable. Given the tension that now existed between the two of them, it was unsurprising that Kate was nervous at the prospect of their weekly antenatal meeting. The previous meetings since Nick had learned of Jem’s paternity had been fraught and awkward.

‘Would you rather I took the meeting on my own and brought you up to date on Monday?’ Chloe offered, wanting to spare her friend and colleague further distress.

Kate shook her head. ‘No, my love, thank you. I have to face him and I’m not going to run away. I’ve known him a long time and he has his own way of dealing with things. He can be so stubborn,’ she added with a sad, resigned smile.

‘If there’s anything I can do…’

‘Actually…’ Kate straightened, a frown of consideration creasing her brow. ‘I hate to impose, but are you busy tonight?’

‘No, I’ve nothing special planned.’

‘You’re not going out with the girls?’

Chloe shook her head. ‘Not this Friday. I’m meeting Lauren at the farmers’market tomorrow morning before my lunchtime parents’ class, then we’re getting together with Vicky in the evening. What did you have in mind?’

‘I think I should see Nick away from work, explain things from my point of view, and leave him to mull the situation over on his own.’ Kate paused as if uncertain of her plan. ‘It may not work, but I feel I have to try. If you don’t mind me dropping Jem off at your place for an hour or so—he does so love seeing you and playing with your cats—then I could go and talk to Nick.’

‘That would be fine,’ Chloe agreed as they arranged a convenient time.

Chloe hoped Kate knew what she was doing. As the older woman had rightly said, Nick could be extremely stubborn and difficult. She didn’t want to see Kate hurt even more. Before she could express her concerns, the door swung open and Chloe saw that Kate’s surprise matched her own when it was Oliver and not Nick who walked into the room. He was carrying a tray, and Kate hurried to clear a space on the desk so he could put it down.

‘I brought refreshments,’ he explained with a smile, handing around mugs of tea before passing Chloe the sugar bowl and a spoon, clearly having noted her sweet tooth. She wasn’t sure what to make of that. Removing the tray, he replaced it with a biscuit tin. ‘I snaffled the last of Hazel’s Cornish fairings, too!’

Kate smiled at him, ever gracious and polite. ‘Thank you, Oliver, this is very welcome.’

Hooking a spare chair towards him with one foot, Oliver sat and reached for his own mug. He was far too close. Her stomach tightening, her pulse racing alarmingly, Chloe drew in a ragged a breath and battled the urge to edge her own chair further away. What was he doing here? And why did he always make her feel so strange?

‘Any news on Avril?’ Oliver asked, opening the tin and taking out one of the delicious ginger spiced home-made biscuits.

‘Yes. I was going to tell you but you were still with patients.’ Chloe bit her lip cursing her defensiveness. Oliver’s gaze met hers, a smile playing around his mouth, and she looked away, setting her mug down to mask her trembling fingers. ‘They are monitoring Avril but it is looking increasingly likely that a Caesarean will be necessary. Probably on Monday…if she remains stable over the weekend. I’ll let you know when I hear anything.’

‘Thanks, I’d appreciate that. Let’s hope mother and baby are both fine.’

Chloe nodded, noting how Kate sipped her tea and glanced anxiously towards the door. Her friend met her gaze and then looked at Oliver. ‘Nick’s not coming, is he?’ she asked, undisguised hurt in her brown eyes.

‘No, Kate, I’m afraid he isn’t. I’m sorry.’ Oliver sounded sincere and understanding. ‘He’s asked me to stand in for him with the antenatal work for the next couple of weeks because he has extra responsibilities on the town twinning committee.’

‘I see.’

Kate’s smile was strained and Chloe wasn’t sure which she wanted to do more…hug her friend or give Nick a piece of her mind. This was a public slap in the face for Kate but Chloe had to admit she had been surprised by and grateful for Oliver’s sensitivity. It sounded as if he thought Nick’s behaviour was wrong and the town twinning work an excuse, but he was polite enough not to say so. She met his warm gaze, a confused mix of emotions swirling inside her. At the moment, however, she was too worried about how Kate was feeling to concern herself with the prospect of having to work more closely with Oliver.

With evident effort and fierce determination, Kate raised her chin. ‘Shall we get on, then? We have quite a bit to cover and I don’t want to be late home for Jem. I have plans this evening,’ she added, meeting Chloe’s gaze.

‘Of course,’ Chloe agreed after a moment of hesitation, still concerned at the thought of Kate going to confront Nick. ‘If you’re sure.’

‘Positive,’ Kate insisted firmly.

Oliver put his mug on her desk and took out a notebook, seemingly unaware of the undercurrents. ‘OK, ladies. Be gentle with me!’ His cheeky wink made Kate smile, and for that Chloe was grateful. If only she herself didn’t feel so awkward around him.

‘We’ve covered Avril Harvey, one of our new patients. There’s nothing more we can do there until we hear from the hospital,’ Chloe began, opening the file and making her own notes. ‘All being well, mother and baby will come home safely in the days ahead.’

‘We’ll keep an eye on them for a few weeks before handing them over to the health visitors,’ Kate agreed.

Oliver concurred. ‘Fine. Who’s next?’

For a while they discussed their ongoing cases, including local vet, Melinda, married to GP Dragan Lovak, who was five months pregnant and maintaining excellent health.

Kate selected the next file and filled them in on one of her cases. ‘I’m regularly seeing Stephanie Richards. All is going well with her pregnancy but she’s twenty-two and nervous about having this baby on her own. Her boyfriend left her and isn’t interested in being a father. Stephanie’s in a rented flat in Bridge Street, and there’s not much help from her own family so she needs extra support from us. Her baby is also due at the end of October—the same as Melinda’s.’

‘As far as potential problems are concerned, I have one mother showing signs of possible placental abruption,’ Chloe informed them, waiting while Oliver made a note of the name and details. ‘Angela Daniels had some discomfort and spotting. She was checked out at St Piran where they did an ultrasound and full blood count, plus a Kliejaur test to detect the presence of foetal red cells in maternal circulation. It was determined that the problem was mild and Angela was sent home on bed rest once the bleeding had stopped. She’s in her twenty-ninth week now.’

‘So we keep a close eye on her,’ Oliver commented, busy with his notebook.

‘Absolutely. She’s on my list and she has my pager and mobile numbers in case of an emergency.’ Chloe informed him. ‘Angela’s also having more regular checks with the consultant at the hospital. Likewise Susan Fiddick. Didn’t you see her yesterday, Kate? What is the update on her?’

Her concern for the young woman evident, Kate referred to her file. ‘The breech was spotted at her thirty-six-week appointment and they tried to turn the baby at the hospital this week, the thirty-eighth. It wasn’t successful and the procedure was abandoned. St Piran is predicting difficulties and have offered Susan an elective Caesarean next week. However, Susan and her husband want her to have the baby at home by vaginal delivery. While we’re all for keeping things natural whenever possible, I’ve advised them to reconsider…there could be problems in the next week or two,’ Kate warned them.