A Family Of Their Own

Funnily enough that idea stung, but she forced herself to ignore it when he turned to her. ‘I wonder if you would mind taking a look at a patient for me?’

‘Me?’ she exclaimed, not attempting to hide her surprise.

‘Yes, you.’ Nick grinned. ‘Don’t be so modest. You wouldn’t have been hired for this job if you weren’t good at what you do.’

‘Why, thank you, Dr Slater. I’m completely overwhelmed.’ She smiled back, unable to resist the warm amusement in his eyes.

‘So you should be. I don’t hand out compliments like that every day of the week,’ he retorted, leading the way along the corridor.

‘In other words, you’re soft-soaping me because you want a favour?’

‘Something like that.’ He gave her a last smile then made an obvious effort to concentrate on what he needed to tell her. And it was the fact that it was such an effort that made Leanne’s heart race.

She wasn’t a complete innocent and knew that men found her attractive. She had dated her fair share back home in Australia before she’d met Michael. She had believed at first that what she’d felt for Michael had been the embodiment of everything she’d ever wanted, but she’d been wrong. She knew that now when she looked at Nick, because he made her feel things no other man had made her feel.

All of a sudden she was overcome by sadness that she should have met him when her life was in such a state of flux. Until she found out about the mother who had abandoned her, she wasn’t in a position to start a relationship, not that Nick would be interested, of course. She had heard what he’d said that morning about not wanting a woman cluttering up his life, so it would be silly to imagine that he was looking for commitment.

It should have made it easier to know that he felt the same way she did, but it didn’t. It felt as though there was a big gap in her life, one that might never be filled. Knowing that you couldn’t have something, it didn’t stop you wanting it. It didn’t stop her wanting Nick.

‘This is Leanne Russell. Would you mind if she takes a look at that lump on your hip, Mr Jacobs?’

Nick moved aside as the patient readily gave his permission. It was rather crowded in the room with three of them gathered around the bed. He felt Leanne’s arm brush his as she stepped forward, and gritted his teeth when a spasm shot through him.

He had just about managed to damp down the desire he’d felt when he’d steadied her on that ladder. However, once again he felt his body surge to life and had to swallow a groan of dismay. What was it about her that seemed to push all the right buttons or, rather, all the wrong ones?

He wasn’t interested in commitment, he couldn’t be. How could he commit himself to a woman when he had nothing to offer her? It had been hard to accept that he should remain single all his life, but it had been the right decision. He couldn’t take the risk of letting himself fall in love, wouldn’t take the risk of breaking anyone’s heart. Love, marriage and commitment led to children, and children were the one thing he couldn’t have.

He knew how he had to live his life, but it made not a scrap of difference in this instance. When he looked at Leanne, when he touched her, common sense deserted him. All he could think about was how much he wanted her…

‘I’ve seen this type of insect bite on a number of occasions.’

Nick jolted back to the present, feeling a little colour run up his cheeks when he found her watching him. He could only pray that he wasn’t quite so open about his feelings as she was because he’d had a pretty good idea what she’d been thinking in the supply room.

‘You have?’ He cleared his throat when he heard how rough his voice sounded. He couldn’t afford to think about that now, but it was hard not to. Knowing that Leanne had wanted him as well gave him hot and cold chills. ‘You’re sure about that?’

‘Quite sure. It’s a tsetse fly bite.’ She turned to the patient and smiled. ‘I take it that you didn’t get this in London, Mr Jacobs?’

‘I most certainly didn’t,’ Ian Jacobs replied with a laugh.

Nick held himself rigid when he saw the appreciation in the older man’s eyes as he looked at Leanne. There was no way that he would allow himself to feel jealous! But telling himself that didn’t seem to make a scrap of difference.

‘So you were in Africa, I take it? Which part?’ she continued.

‘On the west coast.’ Ian Jacobs frowned. ‘Why did you both ask me that? Isn’t the disease prevalent all over the continent?’

‘Yes, it is, but there are two different forms of trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness as it’s more commonly called,’ she explained. ‘The strain which is found in the east of the continent mainly affects cattle, although it can be transmitted to people. It’s a far more aggressive strain and develops in weeks rather than months. You may find this hard to believe, but if it is sleeping sickness, you’re lucky that you caught it in the west.’

‘Really?’ Ian sounded shocked. ‘Exactly how much damage can it cause? I’ve heard about it, of course, but I’m rather vague as to the details.’

Nick took over then when Leanne glanced at him. He guessed that she wanted him to decide how much to tell the man. They weren’t in the business of lying to people, but it would be wrong to scare him.

‘The west and central strain of the disease is fairly slow running. Once the parasites have got into your bloodstream then it can take months or even years for the disease to develop fully. Fortunately, you will be receiving treatment immediately so that won’t be a problem. The heart and the brain are both severely affected if sleeping sickness is allowed to run its course, but it can be cured with the right combination of drugs.’

‘There’s no chance of it having affected my heart and brain, is there?’ Ian demanded, anxiously.

‘It’s most unlikely at this early stage,’ Nick assured him. He glanced at Leanne. ‘How did the patients you treated fare?’

‘They made full recoveries,’ she said immediately, but he could tell that she was glossing over the facts. Although it was true that a cure could be effected with the right drugs, they were known to have unpleasant side-effects. Obviously, Leanne knew that but didn’t want to worry the patient by telling him so.

He sighed because it brought it home to him once again how aware of her he was. Robert didn’t appear to have noticed that she’d been somewhat economical with the truth and neither had Ian.

She excused herself soon afterwards and Nick concentrated on explaining to Ian what would happen next. The man would be referred to a specialist at a nearby hospital, who would be able to start him on the most appropriate form of treatment.

Ian was eager to make the appointment that day so Nick went to his office and put through a call. It all took some time, plus a little gentle persuasion on his part, but eventually everything was arranged. Ian was despatched by taxi to the hospital.

It was lunchtime by then, but Nick didn’t bother going out for anything to eat. He still had the report to finish and he would be hard-pressed to get it done on time. He looked up when he heard footsteps pausing outside his door and felt his heart perform the strangest manoeuvre when he saw Leanne in the doorway. It was an effort to act as though there was nothing wrong when it felt as though his pulse was trying for a new Olympic record.

‘Are you off now?’

‘Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ She started to leave, stopped, glanced back then shrugged. ‘Bye.’

‘Bye,’ he repeated, because it was easier than thinking up anything more witty.

He took a deep breath as she hurried away and held it for a count of ten. It didn’t help. His pulse was still hammering at high speed. Whichever way he looked at it, working with Leanne was going to be a challenge.

CHAPTER THREE

LEANNE was up before six the following morning. She hadn’t slept well and it had seemed easier to get up rather than lie in bed, staring at the ceiling.

She had spent the previous afternoon trying to find out more about her mother. According to her birth certificate, the woman’s name was Mary Calhoun. However, when Leanne had tried to find the address that was given on the certificate, she had drawn a blank. The street where her mother had lived had been demolished and there was now a supermarket on the site.

It was rather depressing to have come up against an obstacle at such an early stage, but she tried not to let it get her down as she showered and dressed in her new uniform. She made herself some coffee and toast then set off for work even though it was really too early to leave. She would just have to wait if there was nobody at the clinic to let her in.

She’d found a poky little flat close to Euston station when she’d arrived in London so she didn’t have far to walk to catch the tube. The weather was grey and dreary, gusts of rain sweeping along the street. As she joined the long line of commuters waiting to get on the escalators she found herself thinking wistfully about the weather back home in Sydney. At this time of the year—early November—the days would be hot and sunny.

‘Fancy running into you. I didn’t realise you lived round here.’

She jumped when a familiar voice suddenly spoke in her ear. She felt her heart jolt when she turned and found Nick walking alongside her. She had carefully attributed her sleeplessness to disappointment at not having made any headway in her efforts to trace her mother, but it wasn’t as easy to lie to herself when Nick was standing right there beside her. More than once she’d found her thoughts returning to him during the night and at one point, when she’d dropped off to sleep, it had been Nick she’d been dreaming about.

‘What are you doing here?’ she exclaimed, feeling herself blush. She could scarcely believe that she’d had such erotic dreams about someone who was a virtual stranger to her. She couldn’t recall ever dreaming about Michael that way.

It was an unsettling thought and she hurried on. ‘Silly question! Obviously you’re doing the same as me and catching the tube to work.’

‘Got it in one!’ Nick laughed as he stepped onto the escalator then turned to face her. ‘So, whereabout do you live, then?’

Leanne willed her racing heart to calm down, but it wasn’t easy to control it. It didn’t help that Nick was standing on the step below her so that they were on eye level. She found herself suddenly entranced by the green flecks in his velvety brown eyes, by the way his thick, black lashes cast shadows onto his cheeks. It was an effort to focus on the question he’d asked her.

‘Penkworth Street. I’m renting a flat there, well, if you can call one tiny room with a sofa bed and a cupboard for a kitchen a flat.’

‘It’s amazing what passes for a flat in London.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘I’ve not yet decided if estate agents are actually dishonest or if they suffer from rose-tinted-spectacle syndrome. Maybe it is an illness which makes them describe ten square feet of living space in such glowing terms.’

Leanne laughed. ‘I think you are being far too kind. And if you saw my flat, you would most certainly agree with me!’

‘Ditto my own less than salubrious accommodation,’ he replied easily.

The escalator reached the bottom and he paused to wait for her. Leanne shivered when he put a steadying hand under her elbow as she stepped off.

His manners were impeccable, she thought as he led the way to the next in the series of escalators which would carry them down into the bowels of the underground railway system. Michael had never bothered opening doors for her or helping her off escalators so she appreciated the small courtesies all the more, then wondered why she kept comparing the two men all the time.

Nick was just a colleague whereas Michael had been her fiancé. It was silly to keep weighing up one against the other and alarming to discover that Nick kept coming out on top.

‘So where do you live?’ she said quickly, not wanting to go any further along that avenue.

‘Sandwell Gardens.’ Once again he turned to face her and grinned. ‘And before you get the wrong idea, the name sounds far grander than the actual place is! The said gardens boil down to a scrubby bit of grass and a few pathetic trees.’

‘But at least you do have grass and trees,’ she said tartly. ‘The only thing I can see from my window are the houses across the road. The view is less than inspiring, I assure you.’

‘In other words, count my blessings, eh?’

His gaze was warm, far warmer than it should have been bearing in mind the short time they’d known one another. Yet it didn’t feel as though it had only been a matter of hours since she’d met him, she realised. It felt as though she’d known him for ever. Maybe she had in a way because Nick was the living, breathing embodiment of the man she’d always dreamed of spending her life with.

The thought shocked her so much that she gasped, and she saw his eyes darken with concern. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Yes, fine.’ She hunted for an explanation because telling him the truth was out of the question. Nick would run a mile if he found out that she’d decided he was the blueprint of the man she had always wanted to marry.

‘I just remembered that I meant to phone my father last night,’ she said, using the first excuse she could think of. ‘I promised to let him know how my first day at work had gone and it completely slipped my mind.’

‘He’s probably worried sick that you’ve been abducted by slave traders,’ Nick said lightly, but she was relieved to see that he seemed to have accepted her story.

They reached the platform and Leanne followed as he made his way through the crowds of people who were waiting for the next train to arrive. He turned to her when they reached a relatively quiet spot.

‘Why don’t you phone him from the clinic? You can always reimburse the company for the call so it isn’t a problem. I know what my dad is like when my sisters are away—he worries himself to death in case something has happened to them.’

‘No, it’s OK. I’ll do it tonight,’ she assured him, then frowned as she mulled over what he’d said. ‘I thought you had just the one sister, the one who was a nurse at your parents’ practice.’

‘I’ve a younger sister as well. Penny is the baby of the family. She’s just been accepted as a junior houseman at Bart’s. She’s also getting married in two weeks’ time, which is why I came back to England.’

‘You are lucky!’ she exclaimed wistfully. ‘I can’t imagine what it must be like, being part of a big family like that. I always longed to have brothers and sisters.’

‘It has its ups and downs. It isn’t all good.’

‘What do you mean?’ She looked at him curiously, unable to ignore the pain she had heard in his voice. Without stopping to think, she laid her hand on his arm. ‘Nick, tell me.’

She heard him take a deep breath and when he spoke she felt her eyes prickle with tears because of the sadness in his voice. ‘I had another brother as well—my twin, Matt. He died when he was twenty-six.’

‘I am so sorry! I don’t know what to say apart from that…’ She felt her throat clog up with emotion and turned away because she didn’t want him to see how much it had upset her. She couldn’t begin to imagine how it must feel to lose someone as close to you as a twin brother.

Their train arrived just then and in the scramble to squeeze into the carriage there was no chance to say anything else. Nick stood beside her as the train roared through the tunnel. They were packed so tightly together that she could feel the heat from his body all down her side, but she didn’t try to move away.

Maybe it would help to lessen his grief if he knew she was there for him, she thought wistfully. She might be reading too much into a situation she knew very little about, but she sensed that his brother’s death still affected Nick. If there was any way that she could help him, she would do so. It might be only hours since they had met but she cared about this man. She really did.

Nick was glad when the journey was over. Standing so close to Leanne in the crowded carriage had been a test of endurance he could have done without. Talking about Matt’s death always upset him, but it wasn’t only thoughts of his brother which had plagued him.

Every time the carriage had swayed, he had felt Leanne’s breast pressing against his arm, her thigh making the most fleeting yet tantalising contact with his own. Frankly, he was a bundle of nerves by the time they reached St Stephen’s station and couldn’t wait to alight. Being that close to Leanne had tested his self-control beyond any reasonable limits, but he couldn’t afford to forget the rules by which he’d lived for the past ten years.

It was a depressing thought but he tried not to show how much it upset him as they stepped off the escalator into the station’s concourse. Nick paused and looked round, wondering what he should do. He had left home early with the express intention of having breakfast at one of the station’s numerous cafés, and it had suddenly occurred to him how rude it would be not to invite Leanne along.

‘I was going to stop for coffee and something to eat,’ he explained, turning to her. He felt his heart bump painfully when she looked around and he saw the concern in her beautiful grey eyes.

Had she guessed how upset he always felt whenever he spoke about Matt? he thought wonderingly. Was that why she looked so sad all of a sudden, because she cared that he was hurting?

He sensed it was so and it was both a pleasure and a pain to realise it because he couldn’t afford to wallow in the comfort she could offer him. He had to stick to the decision he’d made all those years ago. He could never ask a woman to commit herself to him when he had nothing to offer her.

‘How do you fancy joining me for breakfast? My treat.’ It was an effort to behave naturally when his mind was suddenly awash with desires which he had thought he’d put behind him a long time ago.

‘Oh, that’s very kind—’ she began, and he found himself interrupting when he sensed that she was going to refuse. Maybe he was playing with fire, but the thought of spending a little more time on his own with her was too tempting to resist.

‘Say that you’ll come,’ he coaxed. ‘Just a quick cup of coffee and maybe a roll if you’re not very hungry? I hate eating on my own so you will be doing me a favour.’ He smiled appealingly at her, watching the rapid play of emotions that crossed her face before she shrugged.

‘Why not? A cup of coffee might help to warm me up.’ She gave an exaggerated shiver. ‘I still haven’t acclimatised to the British weather.’

‘Even we British haven’t acclimatised to our weather, which is why it’s such an endlessly fascinating topic of conversation!’

He quirked a brow when she chuckled, trying to disguise how pleased he felt that she had accepted his invitation. Frankly, he couldn’t understand why it should mean so much to him. All they were going to do was share coffee and a snack, hardly an earth-shattering moment in anyone’s life.

‘I’m not kidding. Put two Brits together and they’ll spend most of their time discussing the vagaries of the weather. You’ll never be at a loss for something to say if you stick to the weather as a topic.’

She burst out laughing. ‘If I’d said that you would claim I was being racist!’

‘Probably. But the one thing we British are good at is not taking ourselves too seriously. Right, two large cups of coffee coming up. And how about some bacon sandwiches to go with them?’

‘No way! Think of all that cholesterol.’ She shook her head so vigorously that a wisp of dark red hair broke free from its restraining pins.

Nick’s hands clenched because he wasn’t sure that he would be able to resist smoothing it back into place if he didn’t get a grip on himself. How would she feel about that? he wondered, then cut short the answer because he didn’t want to hear it. Even allowing himself to imagine that Leanne might not be averse to him touching her hair—or other parts of her beautiful body—was too big a test of his self-control.

‘All right, then, no bacon. The sausage is pretty good, though, especially if you add lots of brown sauce…That’s a thought. Do you Aussies appreciate the finer points of brown sauce? If not, your taste buds are in for a treat.’

He breathed a sigh of relief when she laughed. All things considered, he hadn’t handled things too badly, he decided as they made their way to the nearest café. He’d kept his cool and hadn’t made a complete idiot of himself. Great! Now all he had to do was keep it up for the next three months while Leanne worked at the clinic and he was home and dry.

Is that all? a small voice whispered. A mere twelve weeks of pretending that Leanne doesn’t have the power to turn your life inside out? You have nothing to worry about, then, do you?

Nick swallowed a groan. Who was he kidding? Nothing about this situation was going to be easy. All he could do was pray that he had the strength of mind to stick to what he knew was right. No matter how much he liked Leanne, nothing could ever come of it.

‘Just coffee and one of those rolls, please.’

Leanne pointed to a tray of sugary rolls at the back of the counter, nodding when the assistant asked if she wanted jam with it. ‘Please.’

She took the plate and followed Nick to the checkout. Even at this early hour of the day, the café was crowded, but she spotted a couple getting up from a table in the corner and pointed towards it. ‘I’ll snag that table for us. OK?’

‘Fine.’ Nick gave her a quick smile then hunted some money out of his pocket to pay the cashier.

Leanne made her way to the table, edging aside the debris left by the previous diners so that she could put her tray down. She unloaded her cup and plate then piled the dirty dishes onto the tray and handed them to the young man who had arrived to clear up. By the time Nick arrived, the table had been wiped clean and she had managed to find paper napkins and silverware.

‘How very organised you are, Miss Russell. I usually end up bobbing up and down, fetching all the things I’ve forgotten.’ He unloaded his tray then grinned when he spotted the small packets of brown sauce propped against the salt cellar.

‘You get extra points for those!’ he said, laughing at her. ‘Were you a Guide, by any chance? You seem to be very well prepared.’

‘It comes from waiting on tables at my parents’ restaurant, although brown sauce isn’t something my dad normally offers his clientele,’ she explained with a grin.

Nick’s brows rose. ‘Clientele, eh? I take it that your dad doesn’t run a greasy-spoon café, then?’

‘You take it right.’ She ripped open a packet of sugar and poured it onto the frothy white bubbles floating on the surface of her cup of cappuccino. ‘Dad caters for the top end of the market. The restaurant overlooks Sydney harbour and the people who go there expect—and get—the very best cuisine.’

‘Sounds a great spot to dine,’ he observed, cutting his sandwich in half. ‘I spent six months in Sydney a few years back and fell in love with the place. The waterfront is stunning.’

‘Melanie told me that you’ve travelled extensively,’ she said, breaking off a piece of roll and liberally spreading it with strawberry conserve.

‘I have.’ He ate some of his bacon sandwich then wiped his mouth on a paper napkin before continuing. ‘India, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, plus all kinds of places in between too numerous to mention.’

‘Really? I’d never been out of Australia before I came to England,’ she said. ‘Did you always want to travel from way back when you were young?’

‘Not at all.’ He picked up his sandwich again and stared at it as though lost in thought.

‘So what made you change your mind?’ she prompted, because it seemed strangely important that she find out what his reasons had been.

‘Oh, this and that, you know how it goes.’ He bit into the bread and Leanne couldn’t fail to see the sudden reserve in his eyes as he chewed it. ‘So what made you decide to come to England, then?’