Gift of a Family

‘It’s August,’ Hannah reminded him cheerfully. ‘And actually there are only three of them because most of the old lot are staying on, as you’d remember if you could put your mind to anything other than sailing and surfing.’ She gave a careless shrug. ‘Can’t think why they’ve chosen to stay on, personally. Given the chance, I’d be out of this place like a shot. Talking of which, how’s Louisa?’

‘Very pregnant,’ Josh drawled, ‘and Mac is driving me nuts. He’s totally lost his sense of humour.’

‘He’s certainly worried about her,’ Hannah agreed, ‘and I miss working with Louisa. She’s such a great nurse.’

‘She’s also a great cook, so at least one of her skills is still in use,’ Josh observed, thinking of the delicious lunch his sister-in-law had prepared for him the day before. ‘All right, I’ll grab the SHO, brief her and then we start the day. I hope she’s competent. Have a good sleep.’

Josh strolled down the corridor to his office, suppressing a yawn as he pushed open the door.

A girl stood looking out of the window, but she turned as he entered the room and Josh stopped dead.

Yesterday she’d been wearing a wetsuit and today she was wearing the light blue scrub suit worn by all the A and E staff, but there was no mistaking those incredible green eyes and the fiery hair, twisted on top of her head.

‘Well, well…’ His voice was soft as he let the door swing shut behind him. ‘The girl with the green eyes and the sharp tongue.’ And the perfect body. ‘You ran off yesterday before we could be properly introduced. I’m Josh Sullivan. Pleased to meet you.’

He walked towards her, his hand outstretched, and after a moment’s hesitation she slid her hand into his.

Her fingers were slim and cool. Delicate, like the rest of her, he mused, watching with interest as she quickly removed her hand from his. Did she know that she’d just taken a step backwards?

‘I’m Kat O’Brien.’ Her voice was steady, professional and more than a little chilly. ‘And I didn’t run off.’ Her eyes flashed slightly at the suggestion, and he smiled.

‘Well, you didn’t exactly hang around to chat.’ He cast her a speculative look. ‘O’Brien? A good Irish name. Does it come with a good Irish temper?’

Her eyes held his, accepting the challenge. ‘When provoked.’

His smile widened. ‘I look forward to seeing that.

What about the Kat part? Short for Katy? Kathleen?’

‘Katriona.’

He nodded. ‘Pretty name. Well, Katriona, welcome to Cornwall and A and E. As you’re obviously going to be my new SHO, we’re going to have plenty of time to get to know each other better.’

Was it his imagination or did her fingers curl into her palms?

‘You’re the A and E consultant?’

He nodded. ‘One of them. And you’re on my team.’

Her eyes slid towards the door as if she was expecting someone else to appear at any moment. ‘But I suppose I’ll be working mostly with your senior registrar.’

Josh gave a rueful smile. ‘You would if I had one, but unfortunately we’re a bit down on numbers at the moment, so you’re going to be landed with me. I hope you like hard work.’

She licked her lips. ‘We’re going to be working together?’

‘Well, if you want to learn something about working in A and E, that is the general idea,’ Josh said gently, wondering why she was so tense. ‘Although judging from your performance on the beach, you obviously know quite a bit already. Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?’

‘What do you want to know?’

Suddenly Josh discovered that he wanted to know everything there was to know. He wanted to know whether she was always so tense and what it took to get her to relax. He wanted to know what made her laugh and what made her cry. He wanted to know what made her happy. He wanted to know what her legs looked like under the scrub suit…

He pulled himself together with an effort. ‘Why don’t you start by telling me where you worked last? Obviously this isn’t your first A and E job.’

She shook her head. ‘No. I did A and E and then a stint in Obstetrics but I missed the buzz of Emergency so I decided to apply for this job.’

‘I’m not surprised. Patching up drunks beats delivering babies any day in my book.’ He gave a mock shudder. ‘So where did you work?’

‘London.’ She named one of the prestigious teaching hospitals and Josh nodded.

That would explain why she’d known what she’d been doing. ‘Obviously good experience. You did well yesterday afternoon.’

She shrugged. ‘The guy just had a banged head.’

‘He’d also been drinking and, as you well know, drinking and head injuries don’t go well together,’ Josh said mildly, strolling over to his chair and sitting down. ‘I was impressed. So was my brother and, believe me, that takes some doing. He runs this department so you’ve got yourself off on the right foot.’ He watched the faint rise of colour in her cheeks. ‘Have a seat. You’ll probably find some of our cases a little different from London, but not much. Did you see any gunshot wounds?’

She perched on the edge of the only chair that wasn’t covered in papers, as if she was preparing to escape if she had to. ‘A couple. They were gang shootings. Just kids, actually.’ She frowned at the memory. ‘They looked as though they should have been in school.’

‘They probably should have been. I’ve only seen one gunshot wound since I’ve been here,’ Josh told her, ‘and that was a farmer who had an accident with his gun. We have quite a few diving-related accidents and, of course, reckless surfers who head-butt the board. Apart from that, it’s the usual round of fractures, road traffic accidents, heart attacks—and that’s just among the tourists. So what brought you to Cornwall, Dr O’Brien?’

Her face was suddenly shuttered. ‘I like surfing.’

Josh was left with a powerful feeling that she’d practised that answer. ‘Where are you living?’

‘I’ve rented somewhere.’ Her tone didn’t encourage further questioning.

Knowing when to probe and when to back off, Josh backed off, making a mental note to watch her interaction with the staff. Working in A and E was a stressful experience at the best of times, but one of the things that lessened the stress was the support that the medical and nursing staff gave each other. Would Kat fit in? Hannah had obviously liked her immediately…

Was it just him she was chilly with?

‘Right. Well, let’s give you the tour.’ He rose to his feet and lifted a couple of files off his desk. ‘I need to drop these with the girls on Reception so we might as well start there. Welcome to Cornwall, Kat.’

* * *

First days were always so nerve-racking.

Not knowing the people, not knowing your way around or the routine. Not that there was much routine in A and E, Kat acknowledged as she followed Josh through to Reception, trying to keep up with his long stride.

Part of her just wanted to get stuck straight into a challenging trauma case. At least then she’d feel comfortable.

Or maybe she’d never feel comfortable working with a man like Josh.

Why did it have to be him?

She thought she’d done well yesterday. Every time he’d come into her thoughts she’d resolutely pushed the memory away, assuring herself that she was never going to see him again. He’d just been a guy on a beach. Probably on holiday, she’d told herself. And now here he was, virtually her boss. And he was going to be under her nose every day.

She almost groaned aloud at the thought.

He was a man designed for maximum impact. Staggeringly handsome and more than a little disturbing. With that glossy dark hair and that wicked smile, he reminded her of a pirate. She could imagine him standing on the deck of a ship, planning daring escapes, plunder and the seduction of women. And as for those blue eyes—the way he looked at her made her insides feel funny.