The Midwife's Child

Was she? Only because she was trying to avoid Jed Matthews. Sooner or later he was going to see her without the mask and she’d rather it was later—

Even as she thought it that deep, male drawl came from behind them. ‘Anyone free to give me a hand?’

Brooke closed her eyes and kept her back to him. Let Suzie do it. Please?

‘I’ve got to get back to my lady.’ Suzie closed the book with a snap. ‘But you’ll help, won’t you, Brooke?’

What choice did she have?

Taking a deep breath, Brooke turned slowly, carefully avoiding looking at him. ‘Of course. What did you need, Mr Matthews?’

There was a long silence and when she dared glance at his face their eyes locked and her heart turned over. Dear God, he’d recognised her, she could see it in his eyes. Something connected between them, something so powerful that she wasn’t able to break the contact.

His gaze lifted to her hair and then returned to her eyes, the tension between them so great that Brooke could hardly breathe.

‘What did you need me for, Mr Matthews?’

Her words broke the spell and he straightened slightly, his voice rough and very, very male. ‘There’s a woman in the admissions suite complaining of severe abdominal pain. I need to examine her and I’d like a chaperone, please.’

‘Of course.’ It was common practice for male doctors to use a chaperone when they examined a patient. ‘How pregnant is she?’

With one final glance at her hair Jed Matthews turned on his heel and strode down the corridor. ‘Thirty-three weeks. We’ll need to examine her and scan her.’

As they walked down the corridor Brooke increased her pace to keep up with his long, easy stride, painfully aware of his closeness. Seeing him again brought back memories that were so vivid they threatened to choke her. He was just how she remembered him. Tall—she guessed him to be about six feet two—with sleek, dark hair swept back from his forehead, and deep blue eyes that were both sexy and sharply observant at the same time. In many ways he was just the same and yet she sensed subtle changes in him. He had an air of authority and calm self-confidence that she didn’t remember from their last encounter. Oh he’d been strong even then, but approachable and warm. But now… She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath to calm herself. Now she found his cool confidence and overwhelming masculinity almost intimidating.

Brooke followed him into one of the rooms in the admissions suite and stood to one side while he introduced himself to the young mother.

‘And when did the pains start, Jane?’

‘Midnight.’ Jane Duncan bit her lip. ‘I haven’t been able to lie down or sleep. It’s agony, frankly.’

Jed listened carefully and then questioned her further. ‘You’ve had a baby before so you’re familiar with the type of pain that goes with labour. Does it feel like labour to you?’

‘No.’ Jane shook her head. ‘Definitely not. Was I wrong to come in?’

‘You were absolutely right to come in.’ Jed gave her a reassuring smile and walked over to the sink to wash his hands. ‘Any pain that keeps you awake all night is worth investigating. I’ll examine you internally first and then we’ll scan you and fix you up to the monitor for an hour or so to see if it picks anything up. Can I have some gloves, please, Brooke? Size 10.’

Brooke opened the packet and helped settle Jane in the right position.

‘Is the baby coming early?’ Jane asked, and then winced as Jed examined her.

‘Am I hurting you?’ He frowned slightly. ‘Am I causing the same pain you’ve been feeling all night?’

‘No.’ Jane flushed slightly and grabbed Brooke’s hand. ‘It’s a different pain.’

‘OK, I’ve finished.’ Jed straightened and gave her an apologetic smile as he ripped off the gloves. ‘Sorry to hurt you but I needed to feel your cervix. You’re not in labour, Jane. I’m going to scan you now, just to have a look at the baby.’

Brooke wheeled the portable machine to the side of the bed and watched while Jed scanned Jane’s abdomen, his gaze fixed on the screen.

‘That all looks fine, too, Jane. Baby’s heart is fine and he’s the right size. Have you felt plenty of movements?’

Jane pulled a face. ‘I did until last night. They seemed to tail off but that may have been because I was in too much pain to notice.’

Jed examined her abdomen carefully, palpating the position of the foetus, and then he raised an eyebrow at Brooke.

‘Can we put her on the monitor for an hour to see if it shows anything, please?’ He turned back to Jane. ‘If that looks fine then we’ll keep you in for a few hours and then send you home. But come straight back if the pain starts again.’

‘I’m not in labour, then?’

He gave her a brief smile. ‘Well, not at the moment, but that doesn’t mean you’re not about to go that way.’

‘But it’s too early!’ Jane’s eyes were worried and Jed gave her shoulder a squeeze.

‘I’m paid to worry about that, not you. For the time being you’re fine.’ He walked towards the door and then turned, his eyes on Brooke. ‘When you’ve finished, can I see you in my office, please?’

Brooke nodded, her hands shaking as she attached the various leads to the machine and checked that it was all working.

‘There we are.’ She managed a smile at Jane. ‘That’s measuring your baby’s heart and any uterine activity. Just relax and read some magazines and I’ll be back to check you in about twenty minutes. If you’re worried before then, just press the buzzer.’

She left the room and walked towards the consultant’s office, her legs shaking. She didn’t want to do this, didn’t want to see him, but what choice did she have? Judging from the look on his face, if she didn’t go voluntarily he’d drag her there himself, and she didn’t want to risk a public display.

Tapping on the door, she took a deep breath and tried to control her thumping heart.

He was standing with his back to her, staring out of the window across the wide lawns of the hospital towards the rolling, snow-covered fells beyond.

‘Come in, Brooke, and close the door behind you.’

She hesitated and then did as she was told, her hands shaking and her emotions so tangled that she couldn’t think clearly. Taking a long, deep breath, she forced herself to calm down. She could handle this. She was an intelligent woman who was more than capable of dealing with the fallout from one crazy night. For a start, he couldn’t prove it was her…

‘I’ve put Mrs Duncan on the monitor and she’s—’

‘I don’t want to talk about Mrs Duncan.’ He turned to face her, his eyes flickering to her hand which was within easy reach of the doorknob. An ironic smile touched his handsome features. ‘And you can stop hovering by the door, Brooke. This time you’re not going anywhere until we’ve had a talk.’

CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_278aa0cd-d9fc-5278-888f-823064556bd7)

TALK?

Jed wanted to talk? She could barely breathe, let alone talk. Just being in the same room as him, almost within touching distance, was more than her will-power could bear. Over the years she’d berated herself repeatedly for her total lack of self-control that night. Never, before or since, had any man made her lose her head the way he had, and in the clear light of day, well away from the burning memories of their shared night, she hadn’t been able to understand what had happened to her.

But seeing him now, powerfully male and extravagantly handsome, she could only marvel that she’d managed to walk away from the man at all.

Raising her chin slightly, she gave him a cool smile, relieved that she was wearing trousers. At least he wouldn’t be able to see her knees shaking. ‘What did you want to talk about, Mr Matthews?’

‘Us, Brooke.’ His voice was suddenly soft, almost threatening. ‘I want to talk about us.’

Her eyes flew to his and she was immediately defensive. She had to protect herself. And not just herself.

‘I don’t think I understand you, Mr Matthews.’