The Rebel Who Loved Her

‘Right, let’s get you two home.’

Her father’s voice broke into her thoughts. Becky quickly settled her bag on her shoulder then took a deep breath before turning to Ewan. Maybe he did suspect that something wasn’t right but that was all it would ever be—a suspicion. She wasn’t going to tell Ewan the truth about the accident, wasn’t going to tell anyone, in fact. It was hard enough having to live with the guilt without everyone knowing what she had done.

‘Thank you again for all your help, Ewan. It really was kind of you.’

‘My pleasure.’

He smiled but his deep blue eyes were searching as they rested on her. Becky shifted uncomfortably. Maybe she didn’t plan on telling people the truth but if anyone could get it out of her, it would be Ewan. She had told Ewan things that she’d told no one else, not even Steve. Definitely not Steve.

He looked away and she breathed a sigh of relief, which was short-lived when she heard her father ask him if he wanted a lift. Although she knew it was selfish, she couldn’t face the thought of having to travel all the way back to Devon with Ewan in the car in her present frame of mind.

‘Thank you, but I’m staying in London with my brother until I can sort out my accommodation. Ryan and I plan to down a few beers and catch up on what’s been happening.’ He laughed. ‘Always assuming I manage to stay awake long enough, of course!’

He smiled at them, his gaze lingering a fraction longer on Becky, but she didn’t respond. Maybe he would think she was being churlish but it was better than allowing herself to be drawn into making a confession. When he bade them farewell, she didn’t make a fuss, certainly didn’t make any attempt to arrange to see him again. Meeting him like this had been a chance encounter. It wasn’t an excuse to resume their former relationship.

Becky knew she was doing the right thing, yet it didn’t explain the sense of loss she felt as she watched him wending his way through the crowd. Even though she knew it was foolish, she was going to miss him.

Ewan took a taxi to his brother’s flat and let himself in, using the key Ryan had left with a neighbour. He dumped his bag on the living room floor and flopped down onto a chair with a sigh that stemmed partly from weariness but mainly from frustration. What was wrong with Becky? Why had she behaved so warily towards him?

Closing his eyes, he tried to conjure up her image, surprised by how easy it was. He’d not thought about her in ages and yet—hey, presto!—there she was in his head: honey-gold hair, hazel eyes, that pert little nose. She had changed, of course, but she was still incredibly pretty. Although she was a shade too thin in his opinion, she had a very feminine figure with curves in all the right places….

He groaned as his body responded with predictable enthusiasm to that thought. He might be bone-tired but his libido was in fine fettle! Not that it should be a surprise because Becky had always had this effect on him. In fact, he couldn’t think of a single woman he’d dated in the past eight years who had aroused him the way Becky had done.

The thought was too near the knuckle. Ewan got up and went into the kitchen. Ryan had told him to make himself at home so he took him at his word as he set to and made himself a fry-up. Eggs, bacon, sausages—the plate was heaving by the time he finished. He sat down at the table and tucked in, but after a couple of mouthfuls was forced to admit defeat. He didn’t want food. He wanted answers. He wanted to know what was wrong with Becky and he wouldn’t rest until he found out, although he refused to delve too deeply into the reason why. Suffice it to say that Becky had meant a lot to him at one point. Even though that was all in the past, he hoped they could be friends.

He got up and scraped the uneaten food into the bin, trying to ignore the mocking little voice in his head. Friendship was all he wanted from her. Nothing more!

It was several days before Becky got over her jet-lag. Fortunately, Millie didn’t seem to be affected by it and soon settled down in their new home. Her parents had had her old room redecorated so it felt less like stepping back in time than it could have done. They’d also turned her brother’s room into a bright and cheerful nursery, complete with lots of colourful posters of Millie’s favourite cartoon characters.

Becky could tell they’d gone to a great deal of trouble to make her and Millie feel welcome and she was grateful, but it still felt odd to be living under their roof again. She made up her mind that she would find a place of her own as soon as she could, and that meant finding a job. Although she scoured the local papers each day, there were very few jobs available. As a highly qualified nurse practitioner, she had a lot to offer, but cutbacks in the health service meant there were few posts being advertised. All she could hope was that something would turn up eventually.

She was washing the breakfast dishes a week after she’d returned when her father poked his head round the kitchen door. Millie was helping her and the floor was awash with soap suds. ‘Mind you don’t slip,’ she warned him. ‘This little lady gets as much water on the floor as she gets on the dishes.’

‘I wonder who she takes after,’ Simon said, drolly. He stepped over the puddles and dropped a kiss on his granddaughter’s head. ‘You are doing a wonderful job helping Mummy, poppet.’

Millie smiled beatifically as she beat her small hands up and down in the water and Becky groaned. ‘It’ll be like Noah’s flood in here soon. We’ll need our very own ark!’

Simon laughed. ‘It’s only water, sweetheart. It will soon mop up. Anyway, seeing as Millie is happily occupied, can I have a word?’

‘Of course.’ Becky dried her hands on a towel, wondering what he wanted to speak to her about. ‘Nothing’s wrong, is there?’

‘No, no, not at all,’ Simon assured her. ‘It’s just that I have a proposition for you but before I tell you what it is, I want you to promise me that you’ll say no if you don’t like the idea.’

‘That sounds very mysterious,’ Becky said, laughing.

Simon smiled. ‘I suppose it does. It’s just that I don’t want you to feel that you’re under any sort of … well, obligation.’

‘Curiouser and curiouser. Come on, Dad, tell me what’s going on.’

‘All right. You know that Brenda Roberts took over as practice nurse at the surgery when Emily left to get married?’

‘Yes. Brenda came out of retirement so she could help you.’

‘That’s right.’ Simon sighed. ‘I was really grateful to her, too. Although we had plenty of interest when we advertised the post, we didn’t find anyone who we felt would fit in.’

‘It’s difficult to find the right person,’ Becky observed.

‘Exactly. Anyway, Brenda’s just informed me that she would like to leave at the end of the month. Apparently, her husband, Fred, is taking early retirement and they’ve decided to go and live in their apartment in Spain.’

‘What a shame!’ Becky exclaimed. ‘Not for Brenda and Fred of course, but it’s going to make life difficult for you and the rest of the team.’

‘It is. It will mean us having to advertise again and that will take time. That’s why I was wondering if you’d consider helping out?’

‘You want me to cover until you find someone?’

‘Yes. Or, better still, maybe consider taking the job on a permanent basis,’ Simon said quietly. ‘With all the changes we’re having to make now that we’ve been awarded health centre status, I need staff I can rely on. You fit the bill perfectly, darling, although I’ll understand if you feel it’s too much, living and working with your father.’

‘I’d never thought about it,’ Becky said slowly. ‘But it does make sense. I mean, I need a job and if I’m working here at the surgery then I’ll be on hand for Millie. I have to admit that I was worried about leaving her for long stretches, even if she was with Mum.’

‘So you’ll think about it?’ Simon said hopefully.

Becky smiled. ‘There’s nothing to think about. I’d be delighted to take the job if you think I’m suitable.’

‘Great!’ Simon gave her a hug then glanced at his watch. He grimaced. ‘I know this is a bit of cheek, but is there any chance that you could start right away? We’re overrun with patients needing BP checks this morning and it would really help to take the pressure off us if you would give Brenda a hand.’

‘Slave driver!’ Becky laughed. ‘Of course I can start immediately, so long as Mum will look after Millie.’

‘Oh, there’s no problem about that. Your mother is longing to have this little one all to herself for a couple of hours,’ Simon assured her. ‘I’ll just let her know what’s happening.’

Becky cleared up after her father left, feeling her spirits lift when it struck her that she’d taken her first step towards regaining her independence. Once she was earning regular money, she could look for a place of her own, somewhere she could turn into a proper home for her and Millie. Millie needed stability after all the recent upsets and Becky was determined she was going to give her that.

A shadow darkened her face as she lifted the little girl down from the chair and dried her hands. What had Steve said during their last fateful conversation, that he wished they’d never had a child? Her mouth compressed. No way was Millie ever going to find out that her father had wished she hadn’t been born! It had been a terrible thing to say even in the heat of anger. She couldn’t imagine Ewan even thinking such a thing, let alone saying it.

She sighed as once again she found herself thinking about Ewan. Although she had tried to blot out all thoughts of him, she hadn’t succeeded. Their chance encounter had affected her far more than it should have done and she could only thank her lucky stars that it was unlikely they would meet again. Their paths certainly wouldn’t cross when Ewan was working in London and she was living and working here.

‘Mrs Rose? I’m Ewan MacLeod, one of the registrars. I believe you took a bit of a tumble this morning.’

Ewan smiled at the elderly lady lying on the bed. It was midday and he hadn’t stopped since he’d arrived at six that morning. The emergency department of Pinscombe General Hospital was a very busy place. It served the communities of three major towns plus a number of smaller ones like Bride’s Bay.

His heart gave that all-too-familiar jolt it had started doing every time Bride’s Bay was mentioned, and he swallowed a sigh. He really was a sad case if the mere mention of the place where Becky lived had this effect on him. Drawing up a chair, he sat down beside the bed. It was time to concentrate on his patient.

‘Can you tell me what happened, Mrs Rose?’

‘It was so silly, really,’ the old lady replied. ‘I was carrying my washing out to peg it on the line when I tripped over Mog.’

‘Mog? Who’s that, then? Your dog?’

‘No, my cat, of course,’ Edith Rose said sharply, treating him to a frosty glare.