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She managed to find her voice. ‘Thank you,’ she accepted, pulling in a quick breath and adding, ‘I had no idea you worked here.’
‘No,’ he agreed. ‘I gathered that. Actually, I’m in charge of the accident and emergency unit.’
She sucked in a breath. So he was her boss? Things were getting worse by the minute. ‘You had the advantage over me,’ she said, unable to stop a tinge of indignation from creeping into her voice. ‘You must have known last night that I would be coming to work here today.’
‘I guessed as much.’ His eyes darkened. ‘It was the one thing that reassured me we would be seeing one another again before too long. I didn’t want to lose you so soon after meeting you.’ He switched on the coffee machine. ‘We needed a doctor to cover for our absent colleague, so I knew you must be her replacement. She’s gone over to the mainland on extended leave due to unexpected family circumstances.’
‘Yet you didn’t think to mention this to me last night?’
He turned towards her and raised a dark brow. ‘Perhaps I might have, but regrettably your brother came along and I think you’ll agree things seemed to go downhill fairly soon after that.’
‘Yes, unfortunately, they did.’ She sent him a troubled glance. Was it really too late to sort this out? Perhaps she ought to try to put things right between them, not only for Ben’s sake but because now it looked as though she would have to find some way to work with this man.
She said cautiously, ‘I’ve had some time to think about my reaction last night and … perhaps I was a bit too hasty. Maybe I should have tried to see things from your point of view a little more. After all, it must have come as a huge shock to you to arrive home and find that strangers had invaded your house. You had every right to be angry, I do appreciate that, and I understand how you must have felt … but it really wasn’t Ben’s fault. You have to understand—I love my brother and I know him through and through. I know he can be a bit wild at times and he has his faults, but he told me he hadn’t organised the party and I believe him.’
He made a faint smile. ‘He’s lucky to have a sister who is so ready to defend him. I hope he appreciates you.’ He pressed a switch and steaming hot coffee spilled into porcelain mugs. ‘Do you take your coffee white or black?’ he asked.
‘White, please.’
He used the steam wand to froth milk in a jug, topped up the coffees and then handed her a cup. ‘Help yourself to sugar.’
‘Thanks.’ He’d listened to what she’d said, but he wasn’t giving anything away. He probably still thought her brother was in the wrong.
She spooned golden sugar crystals into the coffee and then sipped the hot brew carefully, unable to look him in the eye just then. She needed to gather her thoughts.
He was being polite to her, but that didn’t mean he was prepared to forgive her for walking out on him last night. For all she knew, she could be out of a job by the end of the day. She wasn’t used to being wrong-footed, but where this man was concerned it was beginning to look as though it might be something of a natural hazard.
Annoyed with herself for being so reticent, she put down her mug and sent him a wary glance. ‘Am I going to lose this job because of what happened yesterday? I’d like to know where I stand.’
He studied her over the rim of his cup. ‘Maybe we should start again and try to forget what went on between your brother and me. After all, as I said to you before, my quarrel is with him, not with you.’
She acknowledged his concession with a slight nod. It was way more than she might have expected and she was thankful for the reprieve, but inside she was still smarting over the unfairness of the situation.
‘I was hoping you might have had second thoughts about keeping him on.’
‘Not so far.’ His tone was abrupt, his jaw clenching. ‘Shall we agree to put that subject aside for now?’
She nodded reluctantly. What choice did she have? He was unrelenting in his attitude, and that was upsetting because she’d hoped to break through his tough exterior and appeal to his sensitivities. Perhaps he didn’t have any where Ben was concerned.
At the same time, this job was important to her. It wasn’t full-time but, even so, her salary had to pay for the rent of the apartment she was sharing with Ben—a place he’d had to find quickly after he’d been turned out of their father’s house, and for the time being it would have to cover his expenses, too, until he managed to find some other work. ‘I suppose we’d better,’ she murmured.
‘Good.’ He frowned. ‘What exactly were you expecting to get from working here?’ he asked. ‘Yesterday you mentioned you wanted to gain experience before you decide on a specialty—I can see that—but what else? Why here? Were you just hoping to spend some time with your brother and your father?’
He was quizzing her as though this was an interview, but she didn’t see any point in being less than truthful. ‘I was, of course … it means a lot to me to be close to them … but I also wanted to learn something about tropical medicine.’
‘Yet you’re planning to go back to the UK at some point, I expect?’ He looked at her guardedly, as though her answer was important to him. This was only a three-month contract, but perhaps there was a chance it would be extended.
‘Well, yes … but what I learn here will still be useful. With travel opportunities opening up all over the world, it’s probably more important than ever to be able to diagnose unusual illnesses. And who knows, I might decide that I want to stay in the Caribbean.’
‘That’s true.’ He seemed to relax and smiled properly for the first time that morning. ‘I dare say you found yourself treading water in the deep end this morning,’ he remarked. ‘Did you have any idea what kind of poisoning you and Dr Lombard were treating?’
‘None at all,’ she answered. ‘I’d never heard of the manchineel tree—it sounds as though it’s very dangerous.’
‘Oh, it is. That’s why most of the trees are ringed with notices to warn people nowadays. Even touching the leaves can cause blistering, and if you’re unwise enough to park your car near its branches during a rainstorm, you could find the paint stripped from it.’
She looked at him in astonishment. ‘You’re joking!’
He shook his head. ‘I’m afraid not. In the past, the Caribs put their knowledge of the tree’s features to good use. They found a way of dealing with their enemies by poisoning their water supply with leaves from the trees … and they used the sap from the branches to poison their arrows so that their victims would suffer a lingering death.’
Jessie shuddered. ‘I’m glad we’ve managed to become a bit more civilised by now.’
He nodded. ‘So am I. But it wasn’t all bad. If any of the captives managed to escape they might survive if their tribe could treat them soon enough. They used to apply an arrowroot poultice to the wounds to draw out the poison.’
She made a face. ‘I can see how the fruit earned its nickname—but thankfully it looks as though it’s not always fatal. Tyrell will be all right, won’t he?’
‘Yes. He might have some discomfort for up to a couple of weeks, but I’m sure he’ll be fine.’
José put down his cup and became businesslike once more. ‘If you’ve finished your coffee, perhaps I should show you around the unit? It’ll make things easier for you if you get acquainted with the layout of the place from the beginning.’
He laid a hand on her elbow, stirring up all kinds of warring sensations inside her as he gently steered her towards the door. She was all too conscious of his nearness, of his guiding fingers heating her skin. A tingling sensation ran in waves along the length of her arm, leaving her flustered and unsettled. There was no knowing why this man had such a potent effect on her, but after her experience back home, she had to steel herself against him. She couldn’t risk letting herself be ensnared all over again. Besides, the man had sacked her brother. What on earth was wrong with her?
‘You’ve already met Amanda and Robert,’ José murmured, as they walked back into the treatment area. ‘One or other of them will always be around if you need help with anything. I’m usually here, too, unless it’s one of the days, like today, when I leave early to go and help out at the coral reef.’
She frowned. ‘I had it all wrong from the beginning. When Ben mentioned his connection with you and the reef I thought that’s what you did for a living—that you were a marine biologist or some such.’
He smiled. ‘No, nothing like that. I see to the health of the divers and make sure everyone involved in the conservation work is okay. It’s on a part-time basis, but I provide cover whenever I can. We actually need more people to fill in on occasion.’
‘Oh, I see. Ben talks about the conservation sometimes. I know he enjoys helping out at the reef in his spare time.’
He nodded. ‘He’s a good diver and he’s thorough in his research. It’s just a pity he lets things slide in other ways.’
She frowned. ‘He’ll still be able to work with the group, won’t he?’
‘Yes, of course. I’m not in charge of the project.’ His glance moved over her fleetingly. ‘If you were interested, I could show some of the work we do. It would be good to have you come along with me.’
She wasn’t sure how to react to his invitation. Would it be wise to get involved with him outside the hospital? Then again, maybe she could help sort things out for Ben by going along with him? ‘Possibly.’ She made a noncommittal shrug.
José didn’t seem too concerned by her response. Perhaps he felt sure enough of her to bide his time.
By now they had reached the main A and E unit, and he showed her where equipment was stored and where she would find all the necessary forms. Theatre scrubs were kept in the locker rooms, but for the most part the doctors wore their own clothes when treating the children. ‘It’s less frightening for them,’ he said.
Robert joined them a few minutes later as José was telling her about the daily routine in the department and their procedures for admitting patients.
‘Hi.’ He acknowledged José and gave Jessie a quick smile. He seemed preoccupied but said, ‘I have to go and deal with an adult trauma emergency, so I thought you might like to look in on one of my younger patients—she’s a three-year-old and has one of those tropical diseases we have to deal with out here every now and again. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the chikungunya virus?’
Jessie thought about it. ‘Isn’t it spread by the Asian tiger mosquito? It can cause some nasty, flu-like symptoms and a lot of joint pain but, as I understand it, so far there’s no cure.’
‘You’re right.’ Robert’s mouth curved. ‘You’ve obviously been reading up on it.’
‘Well, I thought I ought to do some research if I was going to come out here to work,’ she said quietly. ‘I hope there’s something we can do for the child?’
‘We’ll give her supportive treatment,’ José commented. There was a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. ‘It’s good that you’ve made an effort to get to grips with tropical medicine from the outset. Let’s go and see how she’s doing, shall we?’
‘Okay.’
Robert hurried away to go in search of his trauma patient while Jessie went with José to the paediatric treatment room, where a nurse was looking after the crying infant.
‘Perhaps you’d like to take the lead on this one?’ José suggested, and Jessie gave a cautious nod. This would be a testing time for her, and maybe he meant it to be that way. No matter that he was attracted to her, he was putting her through her paces to make sure he’d hired the right person for the job.
She’d heard of the virus, but she’d never treated anyone who had it, and certainly not a small child.
She spoke quietly to the child’s mother and then attempted to examine the little girl, conscious all the while of José looking on. The toddler was obviously poorly, breathing fast, feverish and irritable, and it took a while to persuade her to let her check her over. Jessie looked at her eyes and mouth, felt her glands and listened to her chest with the stethoscope.
‘She says her arms and legs hurt,’ the mother said, ‘even her hands … and she’s burning up. Her brother has the same virus, but he’s not ill like Marisha. She’s really tired, and short of breath.’
‘It can affect people in different ways,’ Jessie explained, pushing her stethoscope down into the pocket of her cotton jacket, ‘and Marisha does seem to have been unfortunate in her response. We can prescribe anti-inflammatory medication for the pain, though, and it should help to bring down her temperature.’ She turned to the nurse. ‘Would you set up an ECG, please? I’d like to see a printout of her heart rhythm.’
‘Yes, of course.’ The nurse quickly applied pads to Marisha’s chest and started the trace while Jessie took advantage of the distraction to take blood samples from the little girl.
José studied the printout with Jessie. ‘What’s the verdict?’ he asked in a low voice. He was assessing her, she was sure.
‘Her heart rate is too fast—we need to slow that down and that in turn should help slow down her breathing. I suspect the virus has inflamed her heart muscle, causing congestion, so I want to prescribe a cardiac glycoside to regulate the heartbeat, along with a diuretic to control her blood pressure. And she’ll need to have a low-sodium diet until she’s managed to fight off the virus. She needs to rest and build her strength, so with luck she won’t suffer any long-term effects.’
‘Excelente.’ José looked at her with renewed respect. ‘I’ll leave you to see to all that, then,’ he said. ‘She’s obviously in good hands.’ He started to walk away, but gave her a questioning glance. ‘Perhaps we should meet up at lunchtime in the hospital restaurant and you can tell me how things have been going? About one o’clock?’
It sounded like more of a request than a suggestion, and she nodded, watching as he left the room a moment or two later. It seemed she’d passed the test … and relief flowed through her.
‘How has the morning gone for you?’ Robert asked when she ventured into the upper-storey restaurant a couple of hours later. It was a little before one o’clock. He stood alongside her in the queue at the food counter, loading his tray with a dish of curry and rice, and adding a dessert of passion fruit.
‘Fairly well, on the whole, I think,’ she told him with a smile. ‘Amanda’s been helping me out by showing me where equipment is stored, and so on. José showed me a fair amount, but there were bound to be gaps.’
They found a table by a window and Jessie was overwhelmed by the stunning view. Beyond the rolling, green-clad hills away from the town, she glimpsed the glorious deep blue of the sea.
José came to join them after a minute or two. ‘I’m glad to see you’re eating a hearty meal,’ he said, looking with approval at Jessie’s chicken ragout. ‘You need to keep up your energy level in this job.’
He tucked into pork tenderloin with potatoes and root vegetables, listening as Robert and Jessie compared notes on the morning’s work and interjecting occasionally to add a comment.
‘How did you get on with our small patients?’ Robert asked. ‘I know you’ve had some experience in paediatrics.’
‘Oh, the children are lovely,’ she answered. ‘Even the little girl who pushed a bead up her nose and didn’t want to let me touch her.’
Robert chuckled. ‘That’s the only problem with treating youngsters—you need to get their cooperation or you’re stymied.’
‘I saw the girl who had the bead up her nose,’ José said. ‘I looked in on her as her mother was talking to the nurse. Her little brother pulled a pearl from the girl’s hair ornament and tried to copy what she had done. I managed to stop him in the nick of time.’
They chuckled, and the conversation turned to the wonderful view of the harbour and coastline. ‘Have you had a chance to explore any of the island yet?’ Robert asked.
‘Not really.’ She shook her head. ‘I stepped off the plane a couple of days ago and my brother showed me a beach nearby, but apart from that and a quick look around the area close by the apartment I haven’t had much of a chance to do anything more. I can’t wait, though. What I’ve seen is so lovely. I’m really looking forward to visiting different parts of the island.’
‘There’s a small cove not far from here. Perhaps I could show it to you after we finish work here?’ Robert suggested. ‘Unless you’ve made other plans, of course?’
Jessie opened her mouth to answer, but José intervened smoothly, ‘Actually, I was hoping Jessie might want to come along with me to the reef later this afternoon.’ He sent her a quick glance. ‘I thought you might be interested in the work I’m doing—you mentioned you might need to look for some other source of income to keep you going. This would perhaps be ideal for you.’
‘Oh … yes, that’s true, I did. I didn’t realize …’ So there was the chance of working at the reef? That hadn’t occurred to her. She’d been too busy worrying about the pitfalls of spending time with José outside work to see that there might be an advantage in it. ‘Perhaps …’ She looked at Robert. ‘I’d love to go to the cove with you some time,’ she said awkwardly, ‘but maybe I should take this opportunity to see if I would be able to do this? I could really do with the extra income it would bring in.’
‘Of course. I understand. Don’t worry about it,’ Robert said. It was clear he was disappointed, but he put on a cheerful face. ‘We’ll do it some other time.’
José frowned and Jessie sent him a thoughtful look from under her lashes. Had he hoped to stop her from spending time with Robert? Perhaps he had an ulterior motive in getting her to go with him?
Well, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. Wouldn’t this be the perfect chance for her to plead Ben’s case once more? After all, the man wasn’t made of stone, was he? ‘After work, then,’ she murmured.
José smiled. ‘Muy bien,’ he said.
CHAPTER THREE (#u89261f58-3574-544a-81be-345925a87952)
LATER THAT SAME DAY, José turned his open-topped car onto the winding coast road, heading towards the harbour. It wasn’t a long journey, but Jessie found herself loving every minute of it, watching the landscape change from the town with its pleasant market squares shaded by tamarind trees and palms, through forest-clad slopes and the gentle, undulating hills that led down to the clear blue waters of the marina. The sun was warm on her face and the soft breeze lifted her hair.
‘Is it far to the reef?’ she asked, after they’d reached their destination and he’d parked the car.
‘Just a few minutes once we’re on the boat,’ he murmured. He lifted a case from the boot and they started to walk along the quayside. There were boats of all sizes in the yacht basin, their paintwork gleaming in the bright afternoon sunshine.
They followed a wooden mooring platform until José came to a halt by a large yacht, the Bella Rosa, white painted, with glittering steel guard rails all around the deck. Jessie stared at it. She was stunned.
‘Is this yours?’
He nodded. ‘I bought it about three years ago so that I could cruise around the islands and travel to the reef whenever I wanted. She’s beautifully kitted out. I think you’ll like her. I hope you do. Come on board and see what you think.’ He opened up the deck gate and put out a hand to help her on board.
His grasp was strong and firm as he drew her along the ramp, keeping her close to him. He was long and lean, full of lithe energy, and as he helped her onto the deck, he was so near her that she could feel the warmth coming from his body. She felt the brush of his thigh against hers and her pulse quickened, heat rising in her. When he finally released her she felt almost disappointed.
She did her best to shake off those feelings. He was her boss and there was trouble between him and her brother—surely it was extremely unwise to be seduced into having such a strong awareness of him? She had to stop herself from being enticed into any kind of emotional attachment—she’d been hurt before, and who was to say José wouldn’t turn out to be exactly the same kind of man?
Now, though, she looked around the yacht in openmouthed wonder. Sun glinted on the polished, golden timbers of the deck, and glazed doors opened into a spacious salon that had been fitted out with sleek upholstered sofas and a low table. Wide, deep windows provided a panoramic view of the harbour.
Everything here was perfection, and she could imagine sitting here, taking in the air with an aperitif in hand. ‘Wow,’ she said, and couldn’t resist smiling. ‘Just … wow!’
He chuckled at her bemused expression. ‘Let me show you around below deck.’
They went down into the galley, where pale oak exteriors housed a variety of equipment. ‘There’s a cooker, microwave, fridge and freezer,’ he told her. ‘Pretty much everything you might need.’
The boat housed two cabins as well as the master suite, each one beautifully fitted out with the same pale oak that was the recurring theme throughout the boat. This was repeated in the main salon, where the woodwork gleamed faintly and luxurious fabrics added to the feeling of opulence. The room opened out into a dining area, and light poured in through windows all around.
‘It’s fantastic,’ she said. ‘I’m very impressed. I must say, this is a novel way to travel to work.’
He smiled. ‘I guess it’s the best there is.’
He took a bottle from the fridge in the galley before they went back on to the upper deck, and once there he produced a couple of long-stemmed glasses from a glazed unit in the cockpit.
‘This isn’t alcoholic, I’m afraid,’ he murmured, pouring sparkling wine into the champagne flutes, ‘as I have to pilot the boat and then be fit for work, but it’s refreshing … and you can drink as much of it as you like.’ He handed her a glass, then lifted his to hers with a gentle clink. His smoky gaze met hers over the rim. ‘Salud!’
