Buch lesen: «The Playboy Doctor»

CHAPTER ONE

JOANNA WESTON pulled up outside a row of small, terraced cottages and switched off the car engine.

She felt exhausted. Totally and utterly exhausted. Her head was thumping and her eyes felt gritty from lack of sleep. Even blinking seemed to require a monumental effort.

To cap it all, she’d turned on the car radio in time to hear the weather forecaster cheerfully announce that it was the hottest June on record and the sun beating down relentlessly through the windows of her car just increased her drowsiness.

For a brief moment her eyes closed and she struggled against the overwhelming desire to sleep. She didn’t have time to sleep. Not yet. Maybe tonight, if she was really lucky and everyone managed to stay healthy until the morning...

In the meantime, she had one more house call to make and then a busy evening surgery.

Forcing her aching, complaining body into action, she climbed out of the car and walked down the path towards the house at the end of the row.

The door opened before she’d had a chance to knock and she smiled at the old lady standing in the doorway.

‘Hello, Alice. Sorry I’m a bit late. I had more calls than usual. How’s that chest of yours?’

‘It’s much better.’ Alice James stood to one side to let Joanna in, gesturing towards the kitchen. ‘The kettle’s just boiled and you look as though you’re in need of some sustenance. Come and sit down.’

Sit down?

It was tempting, but Joanna had a suspicion that if she sat down she might never get up again.

‘I shouldn’t really.’ She glanced at her watch doubtfully. ‘Surgery starts in half an hour and I don’t want to be late.’

Alice ignored her and spooned tea into a large blue teapot. ‘The people in this village will be more than happy to wait an extra five minutes. We all know that you’re working far too hard at the moment. I gather you were up half the night with Ted Rawlings...’

Joanna looked at her in astonishment as she put her bag down by the table. ‘How did you know that?’

‘I heard it from Doris in the newsagent.’ Alice added boiling water to the tea. ‘And she heard it from Geoff Forrest, the postman, whose mother lives next door to Ted and saw the ambulance in the night.’

Joanna gaped at her, temporarily speechless. She’d lived in this small, rural community for three years now and she was still surprised by the speed with which news travelled.

‘Is anything ever private around here?’

‘Not much.’ Alice put the teapot in the middle of the scrubbed kitchen table and reached for two bone china cups. ‘And you should be thankful for that. It was Geoff’s mother who called you because she heard Ted moaning through the wall and was worried. If she hadn’t, goodness knows what might have happened. So how is he now?’

‘You mean to tell me that the jungle drums haven’t given you the answer to that one yet?’ Joanna’s tone was dry. ‘You know I can’t discuss other patients with you, Alice. I’m probably the only person in the village who can’t.’ She reached into her bag and pulled out a stethoscope. ‘Now, stop gossiping and let me listen to that chest of yours.’

Alice unbuttoned her blouse and made a tutting noise. ‘You’re not in London now, young lady. This is rural Devon, remember? It’s not about gossiping. It’s about being neighbourly. We all know everyone else’s business here. You’ve been around long enough to know that. If you won’t tell me what’s going on then there’s other folks that will.’

‘I’m sure they will, Alice,’ Joanna said calmly, placing her stethoscope on the woman’s chest, ‘so there’s no need for you to put me on the spot. Anyway, I don’t know why you’re asking me. I seem to know less than anyone around here. I’m only the doctor. Deep breath in for me...and again... Great. Now, your back...’

She examined the old lady carefully and then unhooked the stethoscope and tucked it back into her bag. ‘Well, that sounds a lot healthier than last time. Your chest is clear.’

‘And about time! I seem to have been coughing for the whole winter and most of the spring, too.’ Alice buttoned up her blouse and poured the tea.

Joanna looked at the steaming cup longingly and wrestled with her conscience. ‘I haven’t really got time for this, Alice...’

‘Nonsense. You need a break after the week you’ve had,’ Alice said briskly. ‘Doris and I were talking about it only yesterday, and according to our calculations you haven’t had an undisturbed night’s sleep for two weeks! On Monday it was poor old Chris Rogers, then on Tuesday you were up with the little Blake twins, on Wednesday you—’

‘Are you having me followed?’ Joanna sank onto one of the kitchen chairs and started to laugh. ‘You and Doris know more about my life than I do! If I ever forget where I’m meant to be, I’ll give you a ring.’

‘You may laugh, but that’s what a community is all about,’ Alice said firmly, opening a large cake tin and picking up a knife. ‘Keeping an eye out for each other. Talking of which, we’re all terribly worried about Paula and Nick since the accident.’

‘Accident?’ Joanna stared at her. ‘What accident?’

Alice sighed. ‘That precious little dog of theirs was killed on the road yesterday. He slipped his lead apparently and there was nothing Paula could do.’

‘Oh, no.’ Joanna felt a rush of sadness. She knew just how much that dog had meant to Paula. ‘Alice, that’s awful news.’

‘Yes.’ Alice nodded agreement and lifted the cake out of the tin. ‘They adored that dog.’

‘I know,’ Joanna said gruffly, making a mental note to call on the family to check on them. She knew that they’d be feeling totally bereft.

‘Anyway, enough of our problems,’ Alice said briskly, pushing Joanna’s cup towards her to remind her to drink it. ‘It’s you we’re all worried about.’

‘Me?’ Joanna looked startled, and Alice nodded.

‘Yes, you. Doris and I have decided that it’s time we all looked out for you a bit more. You’ve been working all hours since Dr Mills went off to Australia, leaving you to cope on your own. You look shattered, pet.’

‘Well, I am a bit tired,’ Joanna admitted, giving a wry smile as she listened to herself. A bit tired? That had to classify as the understatement of the year! The truth was that she felt so weary she could barely stay upright...

Alice cut two large wedges of chocolate cake and passed Joanna a slice. ‘You’re overworked, Dr Weston, and we all know it. There are too many patients here for one doctor. It isn’t right that you’ve been left to cope on your own. Dr Mills is the senior partner. He had a responsibility to check that you were all right before he took himself off.’

‘Alice, I can’t possibly eat all that,’ Joanna protested weakly as she stared at the huge piece of cake in front of her. ‘I’ll pop. And Dr Mills didn’t just take himself off—he arranged a locum to cover while he visited his son in Australia. He didn’t know there was going to be an emergency and that he’d end up staying. He only booked the locum for two weeks because he only planned to stay that long.’

And a total waste of space that locum had been, too! Alice obviously agreed if her derisive snort was anything to go by.

‘Him?’ Alice’s mouth tightened disapprovingly. ‘If he’d spent less time on the beach, surfing, and more time doing surgeries, you might have lost those dark circles around your eyes.’

Joanna didn’t even bother trying to defend him. Alice was right. The man had been almost useless.

‘Yes, well, he’s gone now.’ She took a bite of cake and gave a moan of pleasure. ‘Oh, Alice, this is sublime. You must give me the recipe.’

‘And when do you have time to cook?’ Alice handed her a cup of tea. ‘Now you’re without a locum, I shouldn’t think you have time to breathe, let alone cook. Are you eating properly?’

Joanna smothered a grin, thinking that Alice sounded more like her mother than her patient.

‘Of course I’m eating properly,’ she lied, pushing aside a mental vision of her empty fridge at home. The truth was she hadn’t had time to think about food.

‘Humph!’ Alice’s frown showed that she wasn’t convinced. ‘Well, the first thing to do is get you some help. Any sign of a replacement for Dr Wetsuit?’

Joanna laughed out loud at the nickname, knowing it was well deserved. The locum had spent every available minute surfing and had been next to useless as a temporary partner in the practice.

‘To answer your question, yes, I am getting a replacement. Dr Mills phoned me last night to tell me he’d found another doctor to help me out until he can come home.’

Alice frowned and poured another cup of tea. ‘And when’s that going to be? The man’s worked in this practice for thirty years and he’s never been away for more than a week at a time!’

‘These are exceptional circumstances,’ Joanna reminded her gently. ‘His new grandchild arrived early. You can hardly expect him to come dashing home. His priority now is his son and their new baby. They need him.’

Joanna knew how worried the senior partner was about his new grandson. The last thing on his mind was returning to England.

‘I know and I’m not blaming him.’ Alice sighed. ‘Poor Dr Mills. And poor Mrs Mills! Nancy must be terribly worried about it all. This was their dream trip—a visit to their son and his family in Australia. No one imagined that Melissa would have the baby early.’

‘No, it was a terrible shock,’ Joanna agreed, removing a cake crumb from her lap. ‘But in a way it was a good job it happened while they were there. If Dr Mills hadn’t been there, who would have looked after little Harry while his parents were at the hospital? He’s only two, remember, and having the grandparents there has at least meant that Melissa and Sam can concentrate on the new baby without having to worry about him.’

‘And how is the little scrap?’ Alice sipped her tea. ‘Any news?’

Joanna shook her head. ‘Not since last week. But he wasn’t too well last time I spoke to them. Twenty-seven weeks is very premature. He’s got all sorts of problems, but hopefully he’ll fight back.’

‘Yes, well, if he’s anything like his father he certainly will. Sam was always a plucky one,’ Alice said, her eyes shining with memories. ‘I remember him as a toddler, scrambling up the valley, playing in the river, running over the moor...’ She gave a sniff. ‘Crying shame they moved to Australia. It’s too far away if you ask me.’

‘He was offered a good job,’ Joanna said, finishing her tea and glancing at her watch as she stood up.

‘Humph! With a law firm? He should have been a doctor. Followed in his father’s footsteps.’ Alice stood up too and patted Joanna’s arm. ‘Mind you, then we wouldn’t have had you as our doctor and that would have been a great pity. You’re a very kind, very warm person, Dr Weston, and the best thing that has happened to this community for a long time.’

‘Oh, Alice...’ Joanna blushed and bit her lip, totally flustered by the praise. ‘You’re talking rubbish.’

‘Not at all,’ Alice said calmly. ‘I’m just repeating what other folks are saying. Now, have some more cake.’

Joanna declined quickly. ‘It was delicious but I couldn’t possibly! I’ll be the size of a house.’

‘You? I don’t think so somehow.’ Alice squinted at her. ‘You’ve got a lovely figure, dear, although if anything I’d say you’ve lost some weight lately.’

Courtesy of the empty fridge, Joanna thought wryly.

Impulsively she stooped to hug the old lady. ‘Thank you for the tea and cake, Alice. I’ll see you soon. Call me if you have any problems.’

She turned and walked towards the door and Alice followed her.

‘So who is this new locum that Dr Mills has arranged? When is he starting?’

‘He’s meant to be arriving tonight,’ Joanna told her, shifting her bag into her other hand as she reached to open the front door. ‘As for who he is, I have no idea. I didn’t ask. Dr Mills just said that he was a friend of the family and very well qualified.’

She didn’t really care who he was as long as he didn’t mind hard work.

Suddenly Alice looked interested. ‘And he’ll be living with you?’

‘Well, not with me, Alice,’ Joanna murmured, a trace of humour in her voice. ‘But in the house, yes. Goodness knows, it’s big enough. I’m rattling around in it on my own.’

And she hated it! Not that she’d ever admit that to anyone. An intelligent, adult woman wasn’t supposed to have irrational fears, especially about something as foolish as being on her own in the dark. All the same, she’d lost count of the number of times she’d glanced nervously over her shoulder when she’d heard a creak, and she found herself double-checking the locks before she could sleep at night. Frankly she would be relieved to have someone else living there with her.

‘Well, who knows, maybe he’ll be handsome and eligible.’ Alice’s face suddenly brightened. ‘You could do with a bit of romance in your life, Dr Weston.’

Romance? Hardly!

‘I don’t think so, Alice.’ Joanna forced a smile, hoping it didn’t look as false as it felt. ‘Romance is the last thing on my mind at the moment.’

‘Well, it shouldn’t be.’ Alice folded her arms across her chest and looked at her sternly. ‘A young thing like you should be thinking of getting married and having babies...’

Babies.

Suddenly Joanna felt as though she’d been showered with cold water. It had been years, but it took so little to bring it all rushing back.

Once she’d hoped, believed...

But she’d been a gullible fool and she’d long ago resigned herself to the fact that she wasn’t the sort of woman that men fell for. Marriage and babies were things that happened in dreams and to other people. Never to her.

Never.

Aware that Alice was looking at her curiously, Joanna struggled to produce another smile. She didn’t want the old lady guessing that anything was wrong.

‘I don’t care whether the locum is handsome or not,’ she said briskly. ‘I just want him to be a good doctor.’

‘Let’s hope he turns out to be better than the last chap,’ Alice said, and Joanna gave a nod of agreement as she stepped out into the bright sunshine.

‘Let’s hope so indeed...’

By the time she arrived back at the surgery it was gone four o’clock and the waiting room was already full.

‘I’m so sorry, everyone.’ She gave them an apologetic look and shrugged out of her coat. ‘I had more calls than usual so I’m running a little late.’

‘Don’t you worry, Dr Weston.’ Doris Parker, who ran the newsagent, gave her a warm smile. ‘We’re happy just sitting here, catching up on the latest news, until you can get round to us.’

Joanna hid a smile, thinking how fond she was of them. Why would anyone want to work in an anonymous, faceless surgery in inner London when they could have this? It had its disadvantages, of course. Keeping a secret was impossible and everyone knew what everyone else was doing, but working in a semi-rural practice was so rewarding. This little village on the edge of Dartmoor was so much a community that you might have thought they’d invented the word...

Their kindness and understanding gave her a sudden burst of energy and she walked briskly through to her surgery and switched on her computer. She’d really try to keep the chat to the minimum, she told herself firmly as she called her first patient. It was the only way she stood a chance of getting through her list.

She worked her way through a steady stream of coughs, ear infections and rashes, and she’d just seen her last patient when Laura, her receptionist, popped her head round the door, her pretty face flushed with excitement.

‘Dr Weston, look out of the window quickly—you have got to see this car that’s just pulled into our car park.’

Joanna didn’t glance up from her computer. ‘I’m not that interested in cars, Laura.’

Especially not at the moment when she still had mountains of work to do.

‘You’ll be interested in this one,’ Laura breathed. ‘It’s gorgeous. I’ve never seen one like it before. Except in the movies.’

Realising that the quickest way to be allowed to get on with her work was to look at the car, Joanna dutifully swivelled in her chair and adjusted the blinds so that she could see out of the window. A low, dark blue sports car had pulled in at the far end of the car park.

‘Oh, yes. Very nice, Laura,’ she murmured, wondering what it was about cars that got people so excited. For her they were just a means of getting around. And not always a very reliable means!

Laura walked across the room and stood next to her, peeping through the blinds like a naughty child.

‘Nice? You think the car is nice? Dr Weston, that car cost a fortune. It’s a—’

‘I really don’t care what sort of car it is,’ Joanna admitted, interrupting her receptionist in mid-flow. ‘A car is just a car as far as I’m concerned.’

‘Well, that may be true normally,’ Laura muttered faintly, ‘but that’s not any old car, it’s a—’

‘Laura, I’m really very busy,’ Joanna hinted tactfully, watching with half an eye as the door opened and the driver stepped out of the car. He flexed broad, muscular shoulders and stood for a moment, taking in the surrounding scenery.

‘Oh, wow!’ Laura gave a squeak. ‘Look at that body! The driver’s as gorgeous as the car.’

Was he? Trying to hide her total lack of interest, Joanna stared at the stranger and wondered why she never felt the things other women seemed to feel when she looked at men. Was he gorgeous? He was too far away for her to be able to see his features clearly, but even distance couldn’t conceal his powerful physique and the slightly arrogant tilt of his dark head as he stared at the sunlit moor. Then he turned, and in one smooth movement he reached into the car and retrieved a black leather jacket. Locking the car with a casual flick of his wrist, he slung the jacket over his shoulders and strolled across the car park towards the surgery.

‘Pinch me.’ Laura sighed, her expression dreamy. ‘Pinch me quickly. No one looks like that in real life. At least, not on Dartmoor.’

Totally unaffected by what she’d seen, Joanna turned back to her computer, itching to get on with her work. ‘You shouldn’t talk that way about a patient, Laura.’

Laura looked at her as if she’d suddenly grown horns. ‘A patient? He can’t possibly be a patient. You can tell that man has never had a day’s ill health in his life just by looking at him.’ She glanced out of the window again and gave an audible gasp. ‘Oh, Dr Weston, look at him close up! He looks like a film star. I’d better go and see what he wants. He’s probably just lost and needs directions.’ She straightened and hurried towards the door, pausing to throw a saucy wink in Joanna’s direction. ‘I may be some time. If he needs to know the way to paradise, I’ll have to show him personally.’

Joanna shook her head with a smile as the receptionist left, relieved to be allowed to get on with her work. She was too busy to waste time gazing at strange men, even if they were supposedly handsome. Anyway, handsome men were bad news.

She was totally immersed in a stack of results when there was a tap on the door and Laura entered again with a flourish, her cheeks slightly pink.

‘Dr Weston, there’s someone to see you.’ Excitement mingled with admiration in her voice. ‘A Dr Macaulay.’

Macaulay?

She looked up and blinked twice, just to make sure she was seeing straight.

Dr Macaulay. Sebastian Macaulay.

Here.

In her surgery. Lounging with careless arrogance against the doorway as if he owned the place. Which was entirely possible, she thought with a touch of irony. If memory served her right, the Macaulay family owned half of Britain. Which explained the flashy car in the car park, of course.

The question was, what was he doing here? The last thing she’d heard, he’d been spending his time jetting between Caribbean islands and other exotic locations. She couldn’t imagine for a moment that rural Devon was on his list of desirable places to visit.

As their eyes met she saw recognition flicker in those blue depths and she braced herself for his reaction.

‘Well, well, it’s Joanna Weston...’ His voice was a soft, cultured drawl and Joanna glanced quickly at Laura, her face expressionless.

‘Thank you, Laura. I’ll call you if I need you.’

Whatever derogatory comment Sebastian Macaulay was about to make about her, she didn’t want him doing it in front of Laura.

Laura hovered, clearly wanting to stay around. ‘Shall I get you some—?’

‘I’ll call you,’ Joanna snapped, and Laura gave her a puzzled look, clearly taken aback that her normally mild-mannered, kind boss was behaving so uncharacteristically.

Joanna sighed, feeling instantly guilty. It wasn’t Laura’s fault. ‘Thank you, Laura. If we need you, we’ll buzz.’

Laura stared at her for a moment before turning and leaving the room, closing the door firmly behind her.

Sebastian Macaulay...

For a moment Joanna just stared at him and then she pulled herself together.

‘Well, this is a surprise.’

‘It is indeed.’ His blue eyes sparked with wry humour. ‘Although I suppose I should have guessed that it would be you. When I was told that this place was being run single-handed by a female GP, I was intrigued as to what sort of woman would want to bury themselves in the middle of nowhere.’

Nowhere? Joanna felt herself bristle. He thought this was nowhere? Well, someone like him probably would of course. She counted to ten and forced herself to be civil. She was not going to let the man wind her up.

She lifted her chin and gave him a cool look. ‘I’m not buried, Dr Macaulay, and I choose to live and work here because the people are lovely and the countryside and the beaches are wonderful. Although this might surprise you, I consider this village to be somewhere, rather than nowhere. But I can understand how someone of your...’ she paused for emphasis ‘...sophisticated tastes might consider this to be nowhere. Which leads us to the question of what you could possibly be doing in this area.’

Instead of answering immediately, he strolled round her consulting room, pausing to examine pictures, posters and photographs.

Personal photographs!

She felt a flash of anger and forced herself to calm down and analyse her feelings.

What on earth was the matter with her? How could someone she hadn’t seen for at least six years provoke such hostility in her? She was confused and puzzled by her own reaction. She didn’t normally respond that way to people. Normally she was placid and gentle, a real peacemaker. But Sebastian Macaulay had always brought out aspects of her character that she had trouble identifying. Just being in the same room as him made her insides boil and churn.

It was just because they were so different, she reasoned. Not just in terms of background—although that too, of course, because she knew for a fact that Seb Macaulay was wealthier than even Laura was probably imagining—but in terms of personality and attitude. How could she ever expect herself to have anything in common with a man who approached life as a game to be played and enjoyed, a man who shunned commitment and responsibility in favour of short-term pleasure?

No, she assured herself, her hostility towards him came from the simple fact that she disliked the man. She disliked the flippant way he approached life, the way people fell at his feet, his flashy lifestyle...

She bit her lip, forcing herself to face the truth. What she disliked most of all was the fact that he reminded her of—

Instantly she closed her eyes and pushed the thought away. She wasn’t going to drag the past up now. Not twice in one day. First with Alice and now with Seb Macaulay. For years she’d managed to keep those hurtful, uncomfortable feelings totally buried. She was happy and she didn’t want anyone or anything disturbing that.

Anyway was the man ever going to tell her what he was doing here? ‘I’m very busy, Dr Macaulay.’

‘So I hear.’ There was a pause as he leaned closer to study a favourite of hers, a painting of the moor on a wild, winter day, and Joanna curled her fingers into her palms.

‘Look.’ She cleared her throat and kept her tone businesslike. ‘Why don’t you just tell me what I can do for you?’

He turned, subjecting her to the full force of his gaze. She stiffened, forcing herself not to react. She’d never met a man with eyes as blue as his. Just one flash of those killer eyes and women had fallen over themselves in their undignified haste to climb into his bed. Except her, of course.

‘What you can do for me?’ The corners of his firm mouth tilted slightly as if she’d just said something funny. ‘It’s more a question of what I can do for you.’

‘What you—’ She broke off, temporarily rendered speechless by his careless arrogance. ‘Offhand I can’t think of a single thing that you could possibly do for me except leave me in peace and allow me to get on with the mountain of work I have to do.’

His smile widened. ‘That’s the Joanna I remember,’ he murmured softly. ‘Work, work and then more work. Nice to know you haven’t changed.’

His eyes left her face and wandered lazily over her body, starting with the flat, comfortable shoes, moving up past the sensible skirt, the crisply laundered blouse with the high neckline and finally resting on the severe hairstyle which she’d favoured since her second year at medical school.

She lifted her chin, his casual scrutiny making her hot and uncomfortable. She didn’t need to see his slightly ironic blue gaze to know that he found her lacking as a woman. She knew that she wasn’t his type. And she didn’t care. She didn’t want to be anybody’s type.

‘I’m very busy, Dr Macaulay.’

‘So you keep saying. Which brings us back to the reason I’m here.’ His tone was still amused as he walked over to the window by her desk and moved the blinds aside with one long finger. ‘Nice views.’

‘I’m not interested in what you think of the views. What has me being busy got to do with you being here?’ Her tone was sharp and she frowned as he let the blinds drop and turned to face her.

‘Rumour has it that you’re in the middle of a crisis and you need a locum.’ His eyes locked with hers. ‘I know that you’ll be delighted to hear that I’m that locum.’

She stared at him in stunned silence.

When she finally found her voice it cracked slightly, as if it had been kept in a dusty room for a month. ‘You? You can’t be my locum. There’s been a misunderstanding,’ she croaked, licking dry lips and rummaging round in her numbed brain for some sort of reasonable explanation. ‘Dr George Mills, the senior partner, has made arrangements—’

‘He has indeed.’ Seb inclined his head in agreement. ‘Me. He called me and I agreed to help out.’

‘You?’ Joanna shook her head slowly. ‘No. That’s not possible...’

He shrugged. ‘Why not?’

‘Because...because...’ How could she put it without sounding horribly rude? ‘Lots of reasons. You’re not—I mean you don’t—This isn’t the sort of surgery for a man like you,’ she finished lamely, wishing that he didn’t always make her feel so tongue-tied.

‘A man like me?’ He threw back his head and laughed in genuine amusement. ‘And you are such an expert on men, of course. Your specialist subject, if I recall.’

Joanna flushed at his none-too-subtle reminder that she’d barely socialised as a student.

‘So go on.’ He was still laughing, his eyes bright with humour. ‘I’m intrigued to hear your opinion. What sort of man am I, Dr Weston? Do tell me. This should be worth hearing.’