The Midwife's Child

A hint of a smile touched his firm mouth. ‘You understand me perfectly, and before you say anything more you should probably know that in certain circumstances I’m not renowned for my patience.’

That wasn’t how she remembered it. He’d shown endless patience on that night, taking things as slowly as she’d needed, showing a touching amount of care for her needs.

‘Mr Matthews—’

‘My name is Jed.’ He spoke slowly, with deliberate emphasis, his eyes never leaving hers for a moment. ‘But, then, you can hardly be expected to know that, can you? We didn’t exactly spend the night conversing.’

Hot colour seeped into her cheeks. ‘I really haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about.’

‘You’re a lousy liar.’ He covered the short distance between them in two easy strides and suddenly he was standing right in front of her, six feet two of powerfully built, very determined male. Startled, Brooke backed away but stopped dead as her shoulders hit the cold, solid wall.

‘Nervous?’ His eyes lit with grim amusement. ‘With good reason. This time there’s nowhere to run to. At least, not until I choose to let you. You owe me an explanation.’

‘I don’t owe you anything.’ This time her voice nearly gave her away, and she flinched as his eyes trapped hers.

‘Don’t play games with me!’ His voice was impatient. ‘Why did you do it, Brooke? Why did you creep away while I was still asleep? Why did you leave without a word after what we shared that night?’

Suddenly she found she couldn’t breathe very well and pushed at his broad chest in an attempt to get herself some space. He didn’t budge. She was totally cornered.

‘We didn’t share anything.’ She made one last try, knowing it was futile. This man had a mind like a razor. There was no way she would ever be able to persuade him that he was mistaken. He’d probably never made a mistake in his life. ‘It was someone else—’

‘You’re suggesting I don’t know who I’ve been to bed with?’ He raised one dark eyebrow and an ironic smile played around his firm mouth. ‘Are you questioning my morals or my memory?’

‘Neither.’ Her eyes flashed defensively and the panic threatened to choke her. ‘I’m just telling you you’re mistaken, that’s all.’

There was a heavy silence and a muscle worked in his hard jaw.

‘Are you seriously trying to convince me that it wasn’t you?’ He stared at her for a moment and then he started to laugh, a full, masculine sound that made her nerve endings tingle. ‘You are hardly easy to forget, Brooke. If you really want to blend into the rest of the female population then you’ve got some serious work to do.’

Self-consciously she lifted a hand to her dark hair, the wildness of which was still severely curbed by the tight knot she’d constructed that morning. ‘I probably just look like someone—’

‘Believe me, you don’t look like anyone except yourself.’ His tone was dry as he reached out and wound a lock of that same dark hair around his fingers.

With a sigh he lifted her stubborn chin with his free hand, forcing her to look at him. ‘I’ve only seen hair like this once in my lifetime. Stop playing games, Brooke.’

She was silent for a moment, her breathing rapid and her mind in a tangle. Suddenly she felt utterly defeated and her slim shoulders sagged. It was too much. On top of everything else it was just too much.

‘What are you afraid of?’ His voice was suddenly gentle. ‘I’m not going to force anything on you that you don’t want. I’m not going about to broadcast our relationship around the unit or embarrass you in any way. I just want you to admit the truth.’

And the truth was the one thing she couldn’t tell him. She’d decided that six years previously when she’d been forced to face the consequences of their night together…

She made a final attempt, her voice a feeble croak. ‘I don’t remember you.’

There was a long silence and he gave a soft laugh. ‘Shall I tell you something? After that night, my brother Tom was convinced you were Cinderella. Kept trying to persuade me to chase round the hospital on my white charger with a glass slipper tucked under my arm.’

‘Well, I’m glad you didn’t waste your time.’ She pulled herself together with a huge effort and managed a cool smile. ‘I can tell you now that it wouldn’t have fitted me, Mr Matthews. You’ve got the wrong woman.’

‘We’ll see about that, won’t we?’ His low drawl was intensely masculine and she struggled to control her breathing as he moved closer. Why did he affect her like this? Why?

‘You’re telling me you found a glass slipper?’

He shook his head slowly, the expression in his eyes making her breath jam in her throat. ‘I never looked. I had a much more reliable method of identification up my sleeve.’

His firm mouth hovered tantalisingly close to hers, but before he could move there was a sharp rap on the door and Jed sighed and released her reluctantly, his expression one of mild irritation as he strolled over to the door.

‘Yes? Oh, Gill, come in.’ He stood to one side as the unit sister walked into his office. ‘What can I do for you?’

How could he be so calm and self-contained? Brooke was a nervous wreck and certainly couldn’t bring herself to look at her superior. Jed, on the other hand, didn’t seem remotely uncomfortable, listening carefully as Gill outlined a problem with one of the patients.

He offered no explanation for Brooke’s presence in his office, probably because he knew he wouldn’t be questioned, Brooke thought bitterly as she took the chance to slip away, her heart still thumping wildly. Who would question a man like Jed? And it wasn’t just because he was the consultant.

Battling for control, she leaned against the wall for a moment, her eyes closed, still seeing the look in his eyes as he’d bent his head towards her.

He’d been about to kiss her. Dear God, if Gill hadn’t turned up when she had—

‘Are you OK?’ Suzie passed her in the corridor and paused. ‘You look stunned by something.’

That was an understatement. ‘I’m fine.’

‘So, what was it like, working with the heartthrob?’

‘Heartthrob?’ She frowned and Suzie laughed.

‘Oh, come on, Brookie! Even you can’t be immune to his charms. He’s stunning.’

She wasn’t immune to his charms, that was the problem. And she never had been.

‘If you mean Jed, he’s not my type,’ she muttered, walking along the corridor to the admissions suite to check on Jane Duncan.

‘Not your type?’ Suzie stared at her and then smiled slowly. ‘Oh, right. Sure. You’re one of those women who hate stunningly handsome, rich, successful men—I’ve read about them, but I’ve never actually believed they existed until now.’

Brooke gritted her teeth. ‘Just leave it, Suzie—’

Suzie opened her mouth and shut it again, her kind eyes suddenly puzzled. ‘OK. Sorry.’

‘No.’ Brooke took a deep breath and gave her friend an apologetic smile. ‘I’m the one who should be saying sorry. You’re so good to me and I’m a cross-patch. It’s just that I’m having a really lousy day.’

Suzie glanced up the corridor and gave her a quick hug. ‘What you need is a rich, handsome man who will write a huge cheque and solve all your problems.’

With that she darted off towards one of the delivery rooms, leaving Brooke staring after her.

‘No, Suzie,’ she murmured softly, tears pricking her dark eyes, ‘that is the last thing I need.’

* * *

‘Well, that looks fine, Jane.’ Jed ran his eye carefully over the trace Brooke had handed to him. ‘You’re not in labour at the moment and there’s no point in us keeping you in if the pains have gone.’

‘I feel OK now,’ Jane admitted. ‘What if it happens again?’