Worth The Risk

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Ally opened her mouth to refuse for the final time and then caught the wistful look on Will’s face and closed it again. Oh, blow the man! How could he do this to her? He had been so good to her for so long. In fact, without him she didn’t know how she would have survived. She owed him so much and he made her feel churlish every time she avoided his attempts to liven up her life.

Maybe if she let Sean stay in her barn it would keep Will quiet. Stop his matchmaking. Prove to him once and for all that no matter how many men he paraded in front of her she wasn’t interested. It just wasn’t fair on Charlie. She needed constancy in her life, not a continual throughput of men who walked out when the going got tough. No, a lodger was all Sean would ever be, and even then it wasn’t as if they would really be sharing accommodation. The stable wing attached to her barn was quite self-contained. All she had to do was pass him on the driveway occasionally.

‘Do you mind sleeping in a stable?’ Her voice sounded unwelcoming but Sean just smiled.

‘Is the horse still in it?’

She gave him a withering look and the smile deepened.

Will stood up and deposited his mug and plate in the sink. ‘Ally’s stable is gorgeous—she’s spent a lot of money converting it.’

‘Has she now?’ Sean’s eyes meshed with hers and she forced herself to hold his gaze. ‘And doesn’t your husband mind having lodgers?’

‘Oh, Ally’s not married,’ Will said blithely. ‘Didn’t I mention it?’

Thanks, Will! Ally thought, feeling her colour rise. Thanks a lot. Now that he’d well and truly set the scene she didn’t know whether to laugh or kill him.

‘But she lives with someone,’ Sean murmured, giving her an odd look that she couldn’t interpret.

‘Lives with—? Well, yes, Charlie, but not…’ Will glanced at Ally with a frown, which deepened as he met her pleading look. His mouth tightened. ‘Oh, I see. Well, I’ve got calls to make so I’ll leave the two of you to sort out the details.’

With that he left the room, leaving Ally gaping after him, boiling with frustration, knowing she’d been totally outmanoeuvred.

Sean stood up and made himself another cup of coffee. ‘Subtle, isn’t he? More coffee?’

‘No, thanks.’ Ally felt swamped with embarrassment by Will’s obvious games. ‘I don’t know what’s come over him.’

Sean gave a wry smile. ‘Well, if that’s really the case then I go back to my first impression of dizzy blonde. He’s matchmaking, sweetheart, as you well know, and what I want to know is why he’s matchmaking when you’re already attached.’

Ally blushed furiously. ‘I don’t know.’

One dark eyebrow lifted. ‘No?’

‘No.’ She started to clear away the remains of the sandwiches to hide her awkwardness. ‘And, anyway, it’s totally irrelevant because I wouldn’t have a relationship with you if you were the last man on earth.’

Sean dropped into one of the chairs and stretched long legs out in front of him, his eyes amused. ‘Is that so?’

She warmed to her subject. ‘Yes, it is. You, Dr Nicholson, are the original male chauvinist pig who thinks that a woman’s place is in the home, keeping it warm for her man. I don’t suppose you’ve ever even heard of New Man, have you?’

Sean smiled politely. ‘New Man?’

‘Yes, you know—the sort of partner who respects women as equals, who doesn’t mind doing the ironing or the washing-up and who certainly wouldn’t stop me fell-walking if that’s what I chose to do.’

Sean looked interested. ‘You don’t think I qualify as New Man?’

‘You?’ Ally gave a snort of derision. ‘You’re a clone of the original Stone-Age version. The only difference is that you wear clothes instead of a loincloth.’

His eyes gleamed with unholy laughter. ‘Any time you want to see me in a loincloth, Dr McGuire, you only have to ask.’

Vivid images of Sean Nicholson with no clothes on flashed before her eyes and she coloured furiously. His smile deepened.

‘You’re the limit!’ Her tongue moistened dry lips and her breath caught as his eyes dropped to her mouth.

‘So why aren’t you married, Dr McGuire?’

Ally lifted her chin. ‘That’s none of your business.’

His eyes met hers. ‘Charlie obviously isn’t Mr Right, then.’

‘Let’s get one thing straight, shall we?’ Ally glared at him. ‘You can move into my barn if you so wish because it would please Will and, frankly, I haven’t the energy to argue, but don’t read any more into it. You’re my lodger. Nothing more.’

Sean raised an eyebrow. ‘Have I asked for more?’

Ally blushed. ‘Well, no, but—’

‘I never touch another man’s woman, and you’ve told me you’re already involved with someone.’ There was something benign about his expression that she didn’t trust an inch. ‘Aren’t you?’

‘Well, yes, but—’

‘So that’s that, then.’ He drained his mug and stood up, his powerful figure dominating the small room. ‘Of course, if you weren’t involved with someone then the situation would be entirely different.’

His eyes held hers for a long moment and she swallowed uncomfortably. Had he guessed? What was going to happen when he found out that the person she was involved with was her daughter? She gave herself a shake. Nothing was going to happen. Nothing. Because she would make sure it didn’t. She owed it to Charlie.

CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_f13b64e2-a608-534d-a781-54e06f7ac15a)

SURGERY was relatively quiet, courtesy of the extra pair of hands—a fact not missed by the patients.

‘I see there’s a new doctor!’ One of Ally’s regulars settled herself comfortably in the chair and looked expectant.

Ally suppressed a sigh of frustration. Some of her patients were wonderful but some of them were just downright nosy!

‘That’s right, Mrs Turner, we’re glad to have the help.’

Mrs Turner fiddled in her handbag and pulled out a handkerchief. ‘Will this one be staying longer than the last one, then?’

Ally forced a smile. She sincerely hoped not. With any luck he’d be moving on in a few weeks and she’d be able to breathe properly again.

‘Dr Nicholson is a locum doctor. He’s only temporary. Now then, what can I help you with today?’

The old lady looked momentarily baffled. ‘Well, nothing, dear, I—’

‘You came to see me, Mrs Turner,’ Ally reminded her gently, and was rewarded with a smile.

‘Of course! I remember now. My ears.’ She shook her head gingerly. ‘They’re popping all the time.’

Ally picked up her auroscope and examined both her patient’s ears carefully. ‘There’s nothing wrong, Mrs Turner, just a build-up of wax. Make an appointment with Sister to have them syringed. You need to put a few drops of olive oil into your ears for a few days before you see her.’

‘Wax! Is that all?’ The old lady looked at her suspiciously. ‘Did you get a proper look?’

Ally smothered her smile. ‘Wax can be very painful. If there’s no improvement after you’ve had them syringed, come back and see me.’

She watched Mrs Turner go with a wry smile, her mind only half on the job. The other half was on Sean Nicholson and how she was going to handle him. One thing was sure, he wasn’t an easy man to brush off. Once he wanted something he got it. And was that her? With a groan she rubbed her aching forehead with her slim fingers and then summoned up a smile as her next patient tapped on the door.

Mary Thompson was a nervous lady in her late forties whom Ally usually saw only rarely. Lately she’d been visiting the surgery every few weeks, each time with something minor. Ally had a growing suspicion that something else was wrong.

‘Hello, Mrs Thompson.’ Ally smiled at her gently. ‘What can I do for you today?’

The woman settled herself on the edge of the chair, her thin fingers twisting her gloves.

‘I’m so sorry to bother you but I’ve had a bit of a cough, Doctor.’

Ally nodded and reached for her stethoscope. ‘For how long?’

Mrs Thompson looked vague. ‘Oh, a couple of weeks, I suppose—hard to say, really. But it’s keeping me awake at night.’