'Honestly?' Lindsay bit her lip and shook her head. 'No. I'm really panicking. I know it's all going to go wrong.'
'Why should it go wrong?'
A deep male voice came from behind them and: Ellie turned in surprise and shock. For a brief moment she'd forgotten about the man in the car. When she'd left him at a run she'd assumed that he'd be driving back down the lane and out of her life. Instead, he was leaning against the doorway of the bathroom, surveying them both through slightly narrowed eyes.
Lindsay glanced at him and then back at Ellie, her expression bemused, 'I— Who are you?'
'A doctor. In the circumstances, I thought you might be glad of some help.'
Ellie gaped at him. He was a doctor? 'You don't look like a doctor.'
'You shouldn't be influenced by appearances.' His gaze mocked her as he reminded her of their earlier conversation and she gave a weak smile.
'Touché.'
Lindsay was staring at him. 'You're an obstetrician?'
'No.' His tone was clipped and businesslike. 'But I have delivered plenty of babies in the course of my career. Your cousin mentioned that she isn't a midwife so I thought I'd better check whether you needed help before I left.'
Ellie felt her body flood with relief. She'd been secretly terrified that she'd end up delivering the baby on her own. But he was a doctor.
He'd saved her life twice in one night.
'We need help,' she said firmly, 'most definitely, don't we, Linny?'
Lindsey looked apprehensive. 'But we don't know him, El.'
'I do. He's already rescued me once tonight already and it's only nine o'clock. Trust me, he's a hero. Cool, calm and totally in control. The perfect person to have around in a crisis. A bit tense, maybe...' Ellie's green eyes twinkled with laughter as she glanced at the stranger '...but he can't help that. I'll make him a bacon sandwich if I get a minute. I'm sure his blood sugar is low.'
'My blood sugar is fine. And I'm beginning to think I should have left you stranded by the side of the road.' He looked at her with exasperation and then his gaze flickered to Lindsey. 'Is she always like this?'
'Worse usually,' Lindsey informed him, a weak smile touching her lips despite her own predicament. 'She's totally irrepressible. Says what she thinks and always laughs at the wrong time.'
Ellie looked indignant. 'I don't see that there's ever a wrong time to laugh.'
Lindsay was staring at the doctor. 'What did you mean when you said you should have left her at the side of the road? Why was she at the side of the road?'
Ellie reached for a towel and started rubbing her hair. 'My car broke down.'
Lindsay's eyes widened. 'Why?'
'Who knows?* Ellie ignored the man's ironic glance. 'Anyway, this man saved me. And his name is—is...'
She broke off and stared at him blankly, suddenly aware that she hadn't even asked his name.
'Maybe you should have asked me that before you climbed into my car and stripped off,' he suggested softly, and Lindsay's expression was comical, her voice little more than a squeak.
'What does he mean, you stripped off?'
'I was soaking wet,' Ellie explained quickly, glaring at the man crossly. What was she supposed to have done? Stayed in her sodden clothes?
He watched her for a long moment and a ghost of a smile played around his mouth.
'I'm Ben MacAllister,' he said finally, turning his attention back to Lindsay. 'I can assure you that I've delivered babies on several occasions in conditions far more challenging than this.'
Ellie looked at her cousin. "There we are. Fate brought him to your doorway.'
Lindsay put a hand on hers and took a deep breath, clearly battling with a contraction. After about a minute she spoke again. 'I don't know. I...' She dropped her voice, clearly embarrassed. 'We don't know him, Ellie. And we don't really need him. You could do it if you had to.'