Her Hot Highland Doc

“That’s fine, dear. I’ve brought my knitting.”

“So people are just coming along and trying their luck?” Kali’s eyes widened.

“Something like that.” Caitlyn nodded. “No harm in trying, is there? Hey!” Her eyes lit up with a new idea. “I bet you’ll get in the paper!”

Kali felt a chill jag along her spine and forced herself to smile. “Well, I doubt me being here is that big a deal.”

“On this island? You’d be surprised what turns up in the paper. There was a notice put in when my hamster Reggie died.”

She pulled her chair back up to the window that faced the reception area and started tapping at the computer keyboard to pull up the next patient’s information.

Kali crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping that her arrival on Dunregan didn’t warrant more attention than a full waiting room. That she could deal with. Public notice? No. That would never do. So much for unpacking her bags and staying awhile.

“Oh! Dr. O’Shea—I’m such an airhead. Sorry. Would you mind seeing Mr. Alexander Logan first? He’s just come in and says it’s an emergency. He didn’t look all that well...”

“Absolutely.” Kali nodded.

Medicine. And keeping her head down. Those were her two points of focus. Time to get on with medicine.

CHAPTER THREE (#ua0e8bfaf-af6c-53e7-b9c3-bea3cc715b05)

“ALEXANDER LOGAN?” Kali swung open the door leading into the waiting room.

“Aye, that’s me.” A gentleman with a thick shock of gray hair tried to press himself up from the bench seat, flat cap in one hand, cane in the other. “And you are...?”

“Dr. O’Shea. I’m the new—the locum doctor.”

“With a name like O’Shea and those green eyes of yours I’m guessing you must be Irish.” He grinned at her, eyes shining.

Kali hoped he didn’t see the wince of pain his question had elicited. He wasn’t to know that her mother—her ballast—with her distant Irish connection was the only reason she was alive.

“My wife was Irish. Feisty.”

Just like her mother.

“She sounds like a great woman,” she replied with a smile, grateful to dodge the question about herself. “You all right there, Mr. Logan? Would you like a hand standing up?”

“Oh, no—well, a bit.” He looked up at her with a widening smile. “Yes, those eyes of yours remind me of Tilly, all right.”

Kali hooked her arm through his, relieved to feel him put a bit of his body weight on her arm. “Shall we try and work our way to the exam room?”

“Oh, sure. Not as quick on my—” He lifted his hand to his mouth, as if he were waiting for a sneeze to arrive. When the sneeze came, he stumbled forward, losing his grip on his cane as he fell, then let out a howl of pain.