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‘Lucky for you that the opportunity came your way,’ she murmured.
He nodded. ‘It’s a substantial property—an investment project, possibly—and I thought it would be interesting to do up the house and sort out the land that goes along with it.’
‘An investment project?’ It didn’t sound as though he was planning on staying around for too long once the place was renovated. ‘Does it mean you might not be staying around long enough to make it a home?’
He shrugged negligently. ‘I haven’t really made up my mind. For the moment, I’m fed up with living in rented accommodation and wanted something I could renovate.’
‘I see.’ She picked up one of the golden-brown oatcakes and bit into it, savouring the taste. ‘I didn’t get to eat breakfast this morning,’ she explained after a moment or two. ‘Someone emptied the cupboards of cereals and bread.’ She spooned brown-sugar crystals into her cup and sipped tentatively, all her regrets about missing the first coffee of the morning finally beginning to slip away. He watched her curiously.
‘You were right,’ she murmured at last. ‘I needed that.’ She told him about her flatmate drinking the last of the milk. ‘It had to be Mike who was the culprit. Neither of the girls I share with would do something like that. He probably finished off the cornflakes as well.’
Brodie grinned. ‘I guess he’s down for a tongue lashing at some point.’
Her mouth twitched. ‘Definitely, if only so I can vent … not that he’ll take any notice. He never does—why should he when he leads a charmed life?’ She took another sip of coffee. It was reviving and she savoured it for a moment or two before her thoughts shifted to her mother once more. ‘Can you tell me anything about what happened this morning with my mother? I’m guessing you must have been outside with her when she fell.’
He nodded. ‘I was about to head off for a meeting. Your mother usually feeds the hens first thing, and then checks up on the rabbits, and we say hello and chat for a minute or two. Today she seemed a bit preoccupied—she was worried a fox might have been sniffing around in the night—so she didn’t say very much. She started to pull a few weeds out of the rockery and I went to my car. Then I heard a shout and when I looked around she had fallen on to the crazy paving. I think she must have lost her footing on the rocks and stumbled.’
Caitlin winced. ‘I’ve told her to leave the rockery to me. I see to it whenever I’m over here. This is why I worry about leaving her on her own for too long. She’s not so nimble on her feet these days, but she’s always been independent, and if something needs doing she’ll do it.’
‘You can’t be here all the time. You shouldn’t blame yourself.’
She sighed. ‘I do, though. I can’t help it. I love her to bits and I often think I should never have taken the job in Hertford. It seemed like such a good opportunity at the time.’
He nodded agreement. ‘Jane told me you’re a children’s doctor; she’s always singing your praises. She’s very proud of your achievements, you know.’
Caitlin smiled. ‘She’s always been the same. She sees the best in everyone.’
‘Yeah.’ Brodie gave a wry smile. ‘She was the only one who ever saw any good in me. Of course, she’d been friends with my mother since they were at school together, so that must have helped.’
‘Yes, I expect so.’ Sadly, Brodie’s mother had died in a car accident when he was a teenager. That was probably another reason why Jane Braemar had taken him under her wing. Caitlin had lost her father and there had been an immediate bond between her and Brodie because of their shared circumstances. They had each understood what the other had been going through, and in their own way had tried to comfort one another. It had given them a unique closeness, and it had also been good, a source of consolation, that her mother had looked out for Brodie in his darkest times. She’d stood by him all through his unruly, reckless phase.
She hadn’t been able to do anything to stem the tide of hostility that had grown among the locals with Brodie’s exploits, though.
After a whirlwind period of rebellion—of cocky, arrogant defiance, trespass, petty vandalism, and a ‘love ‘em and leave ‘em’ way with girls—even Brodie must have realised he’d gone too far and that he’d worn out any vestiges of goodwill people might have felt for a motherless boy. He’d finally used up all his chances. On his eighteenth birthday, his father had kicked him out of the family home and Brodie had had to hunt around for somewhere to live. He’d stayed with various friends, Caitlin recalled, before he’d left the village a year or so later. At the time, she’d been broken-hearted. She’d suddenly realised she didn’t want him to leave.
Her phone trilled, breaking into her thoughts and bringing her sharply back to the present day. ‘My mother’s back on the ward,’ she told Brodie after a second or two. ‘The nurse said she’s a bit drowsy from the pain medication but I can go and see her.’
‘That’s good. It might help to put your mind at rest if you can spend some time with her.’
She nodded. ‘Thanks again for looking after her,’ she said softly, her grey eyes filled with gratitude. ‘I owe you.’
‘You’re welcome any time, Caitlin.’ He stood up with her as she prepared to leave. He reached for her overnight bag. ‘Let me help you with that,’ he said.
‘Thank you.’ She watched him lift the heavy bag effortlessly. In it, she’d packed everything she thought she might need over the next few days, including her hairdryer, laptop, make-up bag and several changes of clothes.
‘Have you thought about what will happen when your mother leaves hospital?’ he asked as they set off for the orthopaedic ward. ‘She’ll need a lot of help with mobility. Perhaps she could go to a convalescent home for a few weeks?’
She shook her head. ‘That won’t be necessary. I’d planned on coming back to live in the village in the next week or so—this has just brought it forward, that’s all.’
He frowned. ‘You’re leaving your job?’
‘Yes. I’ll have to find something else, of course, but I’d made up my mind that it was something I needed to do.’
‘Are you doing this for your mother’s sake or for some other reason?’
‘A bit of both, really.’ He was astute—she should have known that he would suspect an ulterior motive. ‘I have some personal reasons for wanting to leave.’
‘There wasn’t a problem with the job, then?’
‘Heavens, no.’ She looked at him wide-eyed. ‘I love my work. I just hope I can find something as satisfying to do here.’
They approached the lift bay. ‘Hmm. Maybe I could help you out there,’ he said. ‘No promises, but I’ve just taken over as head of the children’s unit here and I’m fairly sure I’ll be able to find you a position.’
She stared at him in disbelief. ‘You’re a doctor?’ Not only that, he was in charge of a unit. How could that be?
He nodded, his mouth quirking. ‘I know that must seem strange, with my background, but thankfully I managed to get my head together before it was too late. I used a legacy from my grandfather to put myself through medical school. I didn’t know anything about it until the lawyers contacted me but as far as I was concerned it came in the nick of time.’
She was stunned. ‘I can’t get used to the idea—you were an unruly, out-of-control teenager. You were always playing truant, going off with some friend or other to spend time in the woods.’ She shook her head. ‘Are you making this up?’
He laughed. ‘No, it’s all true. I took stock of myself one day and realised I was going nowhere fast. For all that I missed out on some of my schooling, I managed to get through the exams without too much bother, so when I made up my mind what I wanted to do it wasn’t too difficult for me to get a place at medical school.’
They stepped inside the lift. ‘What made you decide you wanted to be a doctor?’ She still couldn’t get her head around it.
His mouth flattened. ‘I think my mother’s accident had something to do with it, although I didn’t consciously think of it in that way until some years later. I did some work with troubled teenagers and then I spent some time helping out in a children’s home, supervising leisure activities and so on. I suppose that’s what guided me towards a career working with young children. They aren’t at all judgemental and I think that’s what I liked most. They accept you for what you are; I find I can get along with them.’
The lift doors pinged and opened out on to the floor where the orthopaedic ward was housed. Brodie walked with her to the doors of the ward and then handed over her bag. ‘I’ll leave you to go and spend some time with your mother,’ he said. ‘Perhaps you’ll think over what I said about the job? We always need paediatricians and even though I’m fairly new to the hospital I’m sure the bosses will accept my judgement on this.’
‘I will give it some thought, of course—though I can’t help thinking you’re taking a bit of a risk offering me something like that when we’ve only just met up.’
‘I suppose some might think that. Actually, though, I know your boss in Hertford. Jane told me you were part of his team and I knew then you must be good at your job. He’s a decent man; he picks out good people.’
Her mouth curved. ‘It sounds as though my mother has been giving you my life history.’
‘Like I said, she thinks the world of you.’ He scanned her face briefly. ‘In fact, your boss actually mentioned you to me once. He said he had this dedicated young woman, Caity, working with him—though at the time I didn’t realise he was talking about you.’ He was thoughtful for a moment or two, then added, ‘If you like, if you’re stuck for something to do while your mother’s in Theatre, you could maybe come over to the children’s unit? The surgery will take a few hours and rather than you waiting about I could show you around. I’m on duty, but you could tag along with me, if that doesn’t sound too off-putting?’
She nodded cautiously. ‘It sounds fine to me. Perhaps I’ll do that.’
He smiled then turned and walked away down the corridor. She watched him go. He was tall, straight backed and sure of himself. He’d always been that way, but whereas once there had been a brash recklessness about him it seemed to have been replaced with a confident, shrewd perception.
He’d made up his mind quickly about her and decided she would be capable of doing the job. She had accepted his explanation but perhaps his decision also had something to do with knowing her from years before.
She didn’t know what to make of him. He seemed calm, capable, efficient and friendly—all good attributes. But could he really have changed so completely? Were there still vestiges from the past lurking in his character?
He was certainly impulsive. Was he still the same man who had girls clamouring for his attention? He’d enjoyed playing the field back then; he and his younger brother had caused havoc among the village girls.
She remembered one girl in particular, Beth, who’d been upset when Brodie had broken off their relationship.
He’d told her things were getting too heavy between them. He didn’t want to settle down, wasn’t looking for anything serious. He was still young and the world was his oyster. He wanted to get out there and explore what was on offer.
Caitlin frowned as she pushed open the door to the ward. What was she to think? Could she work with a man like that?
His personal life shouldn’t matter to her, but she couldn’t help wondering about him. Was he still the same man at heart—a man who could turn on the charm, make a girl desperate to be with him and then when someone more interesting came along simply cut things dead?
Wasn’t that exactly what Matt had done to her when Jenny had arrived on the scene? It had hurt so badly to be treated that way. She had never thought it possible that he could do such a thing.
The truth was, she simply didn’t trust men any more. From now on, she would keep her independence and wrap herself around in an impermeable, defensive coat to ward off any attempt to break her down and make her vulnerable again. That way, no one could hurt her.
Even so … she thought about what Brodie had said. A job was a job, after all, and that had to be top of her priorities right now, didn’t it? She’d be a fool to turn down his offer, wouldn’t she? Maybe she would talk it through with him in a while.
A small shiver ran through her. Right now, all these years later, he seemed like a good man, someone great to have around in a crisis, but you could never tell, could you? Agreeing to come and work with him would be a bit like making a date with the devil … albeit a devil in disguise, maybe. Would she come to regret it before too long?
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_745197b2-07b1-5e4a-8573-99698d9677b4)
‘HOW ARE YOU FEELING, Mum? Are you in any pain?’ Caitlin sat by the bedside and reached for her mother’s hand, squeezing it gently. It upset her to see how pale and drawn she looked.
‘I’m okay, sweetheart. They gave me something for the pain. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m just so glad to see you, but I’m sorry you were pulled away from your work.’ Her mother tried to stifle a yawn and closed her eyes fleetingly. ‘I don’t know what’s happening to me … I’m so tired.’
Caitlin smiled reassuringly. ‘I expect there was a sedative in the injection you had. The nurse told me it won’t be too long now before you go for your operation. That’s good—they seem to be looking after you really well. I’m very pleased about that.’
Her mother nodded, causing the soft brown waves of her hair to flutter gently. ‘They’ve all been so kind, explaining everything to me, telling me to take it easy and saying how I shouldn’t fret. I can’t help it, though—I keep thinking about the animals back home.’ She frowned and Caitlin could see that she was starting to become agitated. ‘They need to be fed and the crops have to be watered. It hasn’t rained for a couple of days. With this warm, sunny weather everything will dry out.’
‘I’ll see to all of that,’ Caitlin promised. ‘You don’t need to stress yourself about any of it. All you have to do is concentrate on getting better.’
‘Oh, bless you—but there are so many things …’ Her mother’s brow creased with anxiety. ‘You don’t know about Ruffles’ sores. He’s the rabbit—someone brought him to me after they found him wandering in their garden.’ She sighed. ‘He needs a special lotion putting on his back. I should have collected it from the vet—I forgot to bring it home with me the other day. And the quail needs his claws clipping—he’s another one a neighbour brought to me in a bit of a state. I was going to see to the clipping today—’ She broke off, her breathing becoming laboured.
‘It’s all right, Mum,’ Caitlin said in a soothing voice. ‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll see to all of it and if anything else comes up I’ll deal with that too.’ She couldn’t help but respect her mother for the way she coped with the smallholding, seeing to repairs, harvesting the crops and looking after various animals. Her mother had had a lot to cope with since she’d been widowed when Caitlin was a teenager, but she’d accepted the way things were, set to and got on with it. She was an incredible woman. ‘Trust me,’ Caitlin murmured. ‘I just need to know that you’re all right. Everything else will be fine.’
Her mother smiled wearily but she seemed comforted. ‘I’m so glad you’re home, Caity. I mean, I’m sorry for the reason for it—for this trouble with Matt, that must be so hard for you—but it’ll be wonderful to have you close by.’
Caitlin patted her hand. ‘Me too. I’m glad to be with you.’ Even so, a faint shudder passed through her at the mention of Matt’s name. She didn’t want to think about him, and did her best to push him from her mind, but it was difficult.
She watched her mother drift in and out of sleep. It was worrying, not knowing how the surgery would go … It was a big operation … She’d already lost her father to a heart attack and she didn’t want to lose her mother too.
She shook off those unreasonable fears. After the surgery her mother would need physiotherapy and would have to use crutches or a walker for some weeks or months.
‘Oh, is she asleep?’ A young porter came over to the bedside and spoke softly, giving Caitlin a friendly smile.
‘She’s drowsy, I think.’
‘That’s okay. It’s for the best. It’s time to take her to Theatre.’
Caitlin nodded and lightly stroked her mother’s hair. ‘I’ll be here when you wake up,’ she murmured, and the young man carefully wheeled his patient away.
‘The operation could take up to three hours,’ the nurse told her. ‘You might want to take a walk outside, or go and get something to eat, if you don’t want to go home. I can give you a ring when she’s back in the recovery room, if you like?’
‘Oh, thanks, that’s really kind of you. I do appreciate it,’ Caitlin said. She thought for a moment or two. What should she do? There might be time to go home. But perhaps she ought to follow up on Brodie’s invitation … It was important that she found work quickly, though how she would manage her mother’s day-to-day care when she was back home was another problem.
Decision made, she glanced at the nurse once more. ‘Actually, I think I’ll go over to the children’s unit for a while. Dr Driscoll—the man who came in with her—said he’d show me around.’
‘He’s a doctor?’ The girl’s eyes widened. ‘He must be new around here. I thought I knew most of the staff in the hospital. Wow! Things are looking up!’
Caitlin smiled. That was probably a fairly typical reaction from women where Brodie was concerned. He’d always turned heads. Perhaps she’d better get used to seeing that kind of response all over again. Of course, she knew how these women felt. Try as she might to resist him, she wasn’t immune to his seductive charm.
She made her way to the children’s unit, uneasily conscious of the quivering in her stomach now that she was to see him again. It was hard to say why he had this effect on her, but it had always been the same. There was something about him that jolted all her senses, spinning them into high alert the minute she set eyes on him.
The children’s wards were on the ground floor of the hospital, a bright and appealing place with colourful walls, decorative ceiling tiles and amusing animal designs on the floor. There were exciting murals created to distract the children from the scariness of a hospital environment, and she noticed that the nurses were wearing patterned plastic aprons over their uniforms.
‘Hi there.’ The staff nurse came to greet her as she walked up to reception. ‘I saw you admiring our wall paintings. They’re very recent additions—Dr Driscoll brought in artists to do them the first week he started here.’
‘Really?’ Caitlin was astonished by that piece of news. ‘My word, he doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet, does he?’
‘Too right. I heard he’d been talking with designers while he was working out his notice at his previous hospital. We all love the changes he’s made. It’s only been a few weeks and everything’s so different here.’ She paused by the entrance to the observation ward. ‘You must be Caitlin,’ she said with a smile. ‘Am I right?’
‘Well, yes …’ Puzzled, Caitlin frowned. ‘How did you know?’
The nurse’s bright eyes sparkled. ‘Dr Driscoll asked me to look out for you—he said I wouldn’t be able to miss you. You had glorious hair, he said, beautiful auburn curls, and he told me what you were wearing. He’s with a patient in Forest right now but he said to send you along.’ Still smiling, she led the way. All the wards, Caitlin discovered, were divided into bays with names derived from the environment, like Forest, Lakeside, Beechwood.
‘Ah, there you are,’ Brodie murmured, looking across the room, his mouth curving briefly as Caitlin entered the ward. ‘I’m glad you could make it.’
She smiled in acknowledgment. He looked good, and the muscles in her midriff tightened involuntarily in response. He was half sitting on the bed. One long leg extended to the floor, the material of his trousers stretched tautly over his muscular thigh; the other leg was bent beneath him so as not to crowd out his small patient, a thin boy of around two years old.
‘This lady is a doctor like me, Sammy. She’s come to see how we’re doing.’
Sammy didn’t react. Instead, he lowered his head and remained silent, looking at the fresh plaster cast on his leg. Brodie sent him a quizzical glance. He silently indicated to Caitlin to take a seat by the bedside.
‘His mother’s with the nurse at the moment,’ he said quietly. ‘She’s talking to her about the break in his leg bone and advising her on painkillers and so on.’
Caitlin nodded and went to sit down. She felt sorry for the little boy. With that injury perhaps it was no wonder the poor child didn’t feel like responding.
Brodie turned his attention back to Sammy. ‘Do you want to see my stethoscope?’ he asked, showing it to the infant, letting him hold the instrument. ‘If I put the disc on my chest, like this, I can hear noises through these earpieces … see?’ He demonstrated, undoing a couple of buttons on his shirt and slipping the diaphragm through the opening. The little boy watched, his curiosity piqued in spite of his anxieties.
‘Oh,’ Brodie said, feigning surprise, ‘I can hear a bump, bump, bump. Do you want to listen?’
The boy nodded, leaning forward to allow Brodie carefully to place the earpieces in his ears.
His eyes widened. Brodie moved the diaphragm around and said, ‘Squeaks and gurgles, gurgles and squeaks. Do you want to listen to your chest?’
Sammy nodded slowly and, when Brodie carefully placed the disc on the boy’s chest, the child listened, open-mouthed. He still wasn’t talking but clearly he was intrigued.
‘Do you think I could have a listen?’ Brodie asked and he nodded.
Brodie ran the stethoscope over Sammy’s chest once more. ‘Hmm. Just like me, lots of funny squeaks and crackles,’ he said after a while, folding the stethoscope and putting it in his pocket. ‘Thanks, Sammy.’ He picked up the boy’s chart from the end of the bed and wrote something on it, getting to his feet and handing the folder to the nurse who was assisting.
A moment later, he glanced back at the child. ‘The nurse will help you to put your shirt back on and then you can lie back and try to get some rest. Your mummy will be back soon. Okay?’
Sammy nodded.
Caitlin followed as Brodie walked away from the bed and spoke quietly to the nurse. ‘There’s some infection there, I think, so we’ll start him on a broad-spectrum antibiotic and get an X-ray done. He’s very thin and pale,’ he added. ‘I’m a bit concerned about his general health as well as the injury to his leg—I think we’ll keep him in here under observation for a few days.’
