Unable to resist him, she bent to kiss her son one more time. ‘Sailing is pretty expensive,’ she said softly, ‘but we’ll see what we can do, I promise.’
What she needed was to save the life of someone with a boat, she thought as she left the room. Maybe a boat trip would suffice. She’d read somewhere that there were basking sharks off this part of the coast. Maybe they could take a trip and see some sharks.
Resolving to look into it as soon as she had a free moment, she walked downstairs to the tiny kitchen that overlooked the back of the house. She almost laughed out loud with delight. She still couldn’t believe that she could actually see the beach from her kitchen! And to think that only a few days ago the only view she’d had been of peeling paintwork and grimy London, a view that could have been described as nothing short of uninspiring.
Despite the fact the sun was about to go down, the beach was still surprisingly crowded. Wondering whether they were locals or tourists, she filled the kettle and reached for a mug. Next to her cottage she could see the converted lifeboat station, but there were no signs of life. She stared at the building with an emotion nothing short of envy. What sort of person owned a house like that? Obviously someone who loved all things nautical and couldn’t bear to be far from the sea.
As well as the boat on the slipway, there were several surfboards propped casually against a wall and something that looked like a mast lying nearby. Whoever owned it was obviously very trusting, she reflected, wondering why he or she wasn’t worried about theft. Her stomach rumbled again and she reached for a loaf of bread.
Toast.
It was all she seemed to eat these days, she thought regretfully as she dropped two slices into the toaster. Either that or fish fingers, if she happened to be cooking for Archie. Whichever way you looked at it, her food certainly couldn’t be described as gourmet.
She made herself tea, buttered the toast and sat down at the little table that she’d bought for the kitchen. A book of accident and emergency medicine lay open from earlier that morning, and she reached for it and flipped through the pages.
She wasn’t a complete rookie when it came to A and E but still she’d felt slightly out of her depth that day. When that teenager had come in semi-conscious it wouldn’t have occurred to her that drugs might have been involved. First day, she reminded herself, taking a bite of toast and flicking to the chapter on poisoning, determined to read more about the effects of MDMA. She wanted to understand why Josh had ordered the tests he’d ordered and made the decisions he’d made.
He was a good doctor. She took another bite of toast and scanned the book, taking in everything, making a mental note of the questions she wanted to ask Josh the next day.
Josh.
She finished her toast and sat back, allowing herself to think of Josh Sullivan for the first time since she’d arrived home.
Over the years she’d trained herself not to notice men. Not to react or respond. It was a part of herself that she’d shut away. But with the best will in the world it was impossible not to notice Josh. He was a man born to be noticed by women. And it wasn’t just because of the amazing body, she thought, remembering the moment when he’d tugged off his shirt on the beach. She gave a faint sigh that was entirely feminine. If it hadn’t been for years of training and self-discipline in the area of masculine attraction, she would have swallowed her own tongue. No, it was more than the body. It was the whole man. The wicked blue eyes, the dangerous smile, the curve of his mouth, the casual self-confidence…
And he knew how to talk to women. He had that way of giving his whole attention, a way of making a woman feel as though she was the only person in the room, the only person that mattered.
Kat shook herself mentally and picked up her empty plate. What was wrong with her? She was far too experienced and cynical about the male sex to be taken in by a handsome face and a killer smile. They’d been standing in Resus for most of the day, probably in the most sterile atmosphere it was possible to find. And if she thought that was even close to romantic then she had too much time on her hands. She needed to keep busy. It was the one thing she did really well and fortunately Archie was more than willing to help. No mother of an active six-year-old boy could be anything but busy.
Her life was sorted.
It was tidy. It was neat. She was the one in control.
No way was she going to risk spoiling all that for a man.
* * *
The next day was just as busy.
Kat dropped Archie with Mary, the woman she’d found to mind him before and after camp, had a brief chat and then drove the short distance to the hospital. She still couldn’t believe that l
ife was being so kind to her. She had a job, she had a cottage that was perfect, if on the small side, and she had found a wonderful woman to help care for Archie. Like all working mothers, she found the issue of reliable childcare a problem and the fact that someone like Mary was prepared to help her out had relieved her load considerably. She was a remarkably young grandmother with time on her hands, and once Archie was at school in September, she would be the one to pick him up on the days when Kat was working. All in all, it was an excellent arrangement and a load off Kat’s mind.
A and E was already heaving when she walked though the doors.
‘Kat, you’re needed in Resus,’ Josh barked as he strode away down the corridor.
Kat blinked, wondering whether the guy ever went home. Certainly no one could ever accuse him of shirking, she thought as she dumped her bag in her locker and quickly changed into the theatre scrubs that they all wore for work. If she’d thought Cornwall would be a rest after working in a busy London A and E department, she was fast revising her ideas.
Less than a minute later she hurried into Resus and was handed a lead apron.
‘Put this on,’ Josh ordered. ‘We’re just X-raying her chest and pelvis.’
Kat did as he instructed then dragged on some gloves and stuck close to Josh.
He turned to her, his blue eyes sharp and alert. ‘Are you confident intubating a patient?’
Kat bit her lip. ‘I’ve never done it. Well—only on a mannequin.’