Читать книгу Re-Awakening His Shy Nurse - Annie Claydon, Annie Claydon - Страница 9

KATYA HAD BEEN expecting something approaching an induction session on her first day. Or, if anything as grand as a session didn’t seem like Luke’s style, maybe a half-hour chat to give her an idea of where to start with the schemes and ideas they’d talked about. When she arrived at the reserve at eight o’clock sharp, the note on the door of the newly finished barn was distinctly underwhelming.

Meet me by the old bridge.

A hastily drawn map showed the location.

Bring waterproofs if you have them.

She had wellingtons in the boot of her car. Katya had fondly supposed that she might be accompanying Luke on a tour of the reserve and had come prepared. The bridge looked to be on the road that ran along the west side and Katya sighed, getting back into her car.

The old bridge turned out to be a single-lane section of road, which spanned a small river. Luke’s truck was parked nearby, and Katya pulled off the road and tucked her car into the space next to it. ‘Luke. Luke! Are you there?’

‘Under here.’ His voice echoed out from under the bridge, an edge of annoyance to it that was so unlike Luke that she hardly recognised it. His head and shoulders appeared from the shadow beneath the brick arch and when he caught sight of her his eyes, dark with rage, softened a little. ‘Hey, there.’ He stood up straight and pulled off one of his heavy work gloves, running one hand through his hair. ‘Welcome.’

That might have been a smile, but then again it might not. Katya gave him the benefit of the doubt. ‘Thanks. I got coffee from Olenka’s. As it’s my first day.’

Now, that was a smile. ‘Thanks. I could do with one.’ He began to climb the riverbank towards her.

‘What’s going on?’

The shake of his head told her that this was one of those situations where words were pathetically inadequate. Taking the cardboard beaker that Katya had fetched from her car, he took a swig. ‘Some idiot’s been dumping stuff.’ He gestured towards the far side of the bridge, where water was building up, haemorrhaging out into the grassland on either side of the stream. On the near side, water was spilling sluggishly through the blocked opening.

‘What’s down there?’

He rolled his eyes. ‘Two old mattresses. Someone must have stopped on the bridge and just tipped them over the side. The water’s taken them under the bridge and they’ve stuck there. I’ve been trying to shift them, but they’re waterlogged and that makes them heavy.’

‘Perhaps we can do it between us. You push and I’ll pull.’ Katya grinned at him. He might have skipped the induction session but there was no doubt that they were working together now.

The lines of tension melted into a smile. ‘Yeah. Perhaps we can. Have you got waterproofs?’

‘I’ve got wellies.’ Katya reached into her car and brought out the new pair of dark blue wellingtons.

‘Very smart. I like the polka dots.’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t think they’ll do the job.’

‘No. Probably not.’ Her own boots looked like a fashion accessory next to Luke’s workmanlike waders. Katya shifted uncomfortably. Did it look as if she was just playing at this?

‘Never mind.’ He grinned at her. ‘They’ll be great for day-to-day stuff, around the reserve.’

They matched the shirts as well. Katya decided this wasn’t the moment to mention that. ‘So what are we going to do? Is there someone we can call?’

‘We could try towing them out …’ He gestured towards the tow bar on the back of his truck. Katya followed his drift. They could position the vehicle on the path by the river and she could ease it forward, while Luke guided the mattresses out, making sure that they didn’t catch on anything. But he was waiting for her to approve the plan first.

‘Yes. I’ll get to keep my feet dry in your truck.’ He nodded. ‘Let’s give it a go.’

It took half an hour, but the extra leverage as Katya inched the truck forward made all the difference. Once the mattresses were out of the water, Katya joined Luke, helping him push them up the sloping riverbank.

‘One last push!’

She was trying not to notice the way he encouraged her. How he praised her for jobs well done and egged her on to do more. He was way stronger than her but he made her feel like an equal partner, the extra bit of strength that made all the difference, and when he swung the mattresses onto the back of his truck, it felt like her achievement as well as his.

Katya had been trying not to notice him either. Or the muscles in his arms and shoulders, swelling to meet the challenge of the waterlogged mattresses, which twisted and buckled every time you tried to get a grip on them. Or how there were few things more beautiful than the lines of a male body when it was in good shape. And Luke was in very good shape.

‘Nice job.’ He inclined his head towards the river. ‘See, it’s already back to its usual flow.’ The gush of water that had surged under the bridge when they had dislodged the second mattress had soaked him.

He wasn’t just perfect, he was wet and perfect, and now that she wasn’t giving all her energy to shoving as hard as she could, it was difficult not to look at the way his wet shirt stuck to his skin.

He held out his hand as she scrambled up the sloping riverbank, and Katya ignored it. It would be foolish to get any closer to him than necessary at this point.

‘Careful!’ Almost before she realised that her foot had slipped in the mud and she was falling, he had hold of her. Instinctively she tried to twist away, but he had one arm around her waist, pulling her up and towards him. Her chest hit his with a slight squelch, and all she could feel was his warmth and the safety of his all-too-solid arms around her.

If he’d had the chance to think about it Luke would have hesitated before he’d grabbed her and stopped her from falling, but there had been no time. And she’d been about to careen backwards down the muddy slope of the riverbank and onto the rocks below. Instinctively, her arms had flown outwards, searching wildly for something to hang on to, and instinctively he’d reached out for her and pulled her into his arms.

‘I’m … I’m sorry.’ Sorry for touching you. Sorry for intruding into that well-guarded space you keep around yourself.

She moved against him and it was only by a superhuman effort of will that Luke managed to loosen his arms around her, rather than pull her closer. She was trembling, and Luke wondered if it was from the shock. He’d better let her go before she realised that he was trembling, too. As he did so she stumbled slightly, as if her legs weren’t quite ready to hold her yet, and he steadied her. ‘Careful. Are you all right?’

‘Yes, I’m fine. Just a bit dizzy. Give me a moment.’

Just one? She could have more if she liked.

He let her lean against him, holding on to his shoulder. Wherever she touched, his skin seemed to warm slightly, defying the chill of the morning breeze on his wet shirt. Luke hoped against hope that she wasn’t aware of what she was doing to him.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to grab at you like that.’

‘It’s all right, Luke. You can touch me.’ She tipped her face up towards him, her emerald eyes clouded in thought.

He didn’t know what to say. Wasn’t quite sure what she meant by that. If this had been any other woman he would have kissed her right there and then, and he was pretty sure that she would have kissed him back. But if this had been anyone other than Katya, he probably wouldn’t have wanted to kiss her.

Luke decided to concentrate on the practical. ‘Feeling better now?’

‘Yes, I’m fine.’ She didn’t move. Then, suddenly, she stepped away from him, as if what she was about to say needed a little distance. ‘I’m a bit jumpy at the moment.’

‘Yeah. I guessed that.’ He grinned at her, as if to say that it was okay. He knew that she didn’t like him getting too close, and he could handle it. Probably far better than he had handled having her cling to him just now.

‘I’m dealing with it. Sometimes better than others.’ She shrugged, as if it was really nothing to do with her but something that had been foisted on her. ‘It’s not you.’

Luke’s heart thumped in his chest. Most people wouldn’t have bothered to think about what this was doing to him. How hard it was to have someone shy away from him when he knew that he could never do her any harm. But Katya wasn’t most people. She wanted to reassure him.

‘Thank you for saying that.’ He held his hand out to her and she took it, squeezing it slightly before letting it drop. ‘I wish I could own my fears as well as you do.’

He respected her for that. When Tanya had left, he’d carried on as if nothing had happened. Let the emotions eat away at him, without ever speaking of them or letting anyone know that he was broken. Maybe that was why it seemed inconceivable now that he would ever mend.

Katya was smiling at him. Her eyes never quite lost their troubled look, but there were times when she hid it well. ‘I don’t know about that. I hope you’re not regretting taking me on already.’

Luke gave that comment the contempt it deserved. ‘I’m lucky to have you.’ He reached out and removed a piece of green stuff from the river, which had transferred itself from his shirt to hers. ‘I don’t suppose you have a clean top to wear for this afternoon? We’re due at the hospital at half-three for a short meeting with the administrator.’

‘I’ve got the reserve tops I ordered in the car. The guy dropped them off on Saturday.’

‘That’ll be fine.’ He grinned at her. ‘Show them that we mean business.’

Luke was already late for his morning surgery by the time they got back to the barn, and he went to his cabin to change his clothes, then left almost immediately. Just pointed her towards her desk in the corner of the vast office space, impressed on her the need for keeping the doors locked while he was gone, and asked if Bruno could keep her company for the rest of the morning.

When he returned, he seemed in no less of a hurry. Katya and Bruno were hustled towards his car, and they were already out onto the main road before she got a chance to ask the obvious question.

‘I thought we weren’t due at the hospital until three-thirty. We’re a little early, aren’t we?’

‘I thought you might like a chance to have a look around before our meeting.’

‘Yes, I would. Thanks.’ Katya swallowed hard. So what if she hadn’t been back to a hospital since she’d been discharged after the attack? She’d had no particular reason to, other than her follow-up appointment, and a home visit from the district nurse had been a perfectly good substitute.

He didn’t utter another word until they drove in through the hospital gates, and neither did Katya. Luke was obviously on a mission, and she already knew better than to try and divert him. The place was quite different from the hospital that Katya still thought of as hers, sprawling outwards instead of upwards, with grass, trees and flower-beds in between an assortment of buildings that looked as if they ranged in age between a hundred years old to only just finished.

‘This looks like a nice place.’ It did. Apart from the fact that her heart was thumping so loudly that Katya was surprised it didn’t drown out the car radio.

‘Yeah. There are a lot of good people here. The new paediatric unit is intended to serve the whole county.’ He waved his hand towards the large, modern block.

‘Looks big enough.’

‘Yeah.’ He stopped the car at a pedestrian crossing and shot her a glance. ‘You okay?’

‘Why wouldn’t I be?’ Katya bit her tongue. A smile and confirmation would have been perfectly adequate.

‘You tell me.’ He motioned with a grin towards a small group of nurses crossing the road in front of him. ‘Do you miss it?’

Yes, she missed it. Being able to go home, feeling that she’d done something that mattered at work that day. Meeting the challenges. ‘On my first day of a new job, the tactful answer would be no.’

He nodded. ‘And on the second day?’

‘Wait and see.’ At least she’d have twenty-four hours to think up something that approximated to an answer. ‘So the dogs are initially going to be visiting one of the hospital gardens?’

‘Oh. Yeah.’ Luke seemed to focus back onto the real purpose of their visit with some difficulty. ‘One of them, there are three. The one they’re proposing is down there, that’s where the hospital administrator says she’ll meet us.’ He pointed past the main building to a group of newer buildings, arranged in a U-shape around a pretty garden. ‘I’ll park the car and we can take Bruno for a walk around the place. Give him some exercise so he’ll settle when we meet Laura.’

That was an excuse if ever she’d heard one. Bruno was a consummate professional, and he didn’t need a walk to settle down, just one gesture from Luke. Katya, on the other hand, did need to calm her nerves. ‘Good idea. I’d like to have a look around, too.’

‘Good.’ His smile broadened. ‘Will you get Bruno’s lead? It’s in the glove compartment.’

Luke and Bruno were clearly working together, and seamlessly fell into maximum protective mode, Luke strolling on one side of her with Bruno so close on the other that Katya’s hand brushed against his collar as she walked. Luke took a circular path around the site, pointing out the various departments as they went and stopping some yards from the entrance to the A and E department.