A Family Of Their Own

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 (#ulink_3fa9903e-053c-53a5-bfb6-78e652b881e3)

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.