Читать книгу Small Town Marriage Miracle - Jennifer Taylor, Jennifer Taylor - Страница 9

‘EVERYTHING happened so fast that there was no time to arrange accommodation before I left London. I was going to sort something out when I got here, but Margaret insisted that I stay at the house.’

Daniel shrugged but he could tell from the frozen expression on Emma’s face that the news had come as a shock to her. ‘I can’t see that it will cause a problem, Emma, but if you aren’t happy with the arrangement then, of course, I’ll find somewhere else.’

‘There’s no need,’ she said stiffly. ‘If Aunt Margaret invited you to stay, I’m certainly not going to object.’

‘Fine. If you change your mind, though, just let me know.’

Daniel managed to maintain an outward show of indifference as he left the sitting room, but he sighed as he headed for the kitchen. Emma’s reaction to the news that they would be sharing the house was upsetting but what did he expect? It might have been different if her aunt and uncle had been there, but she probably didn’t relish the idea of them being on their own. All he could do now was monitor the situation and find somewhere else if it looked as though it was going to create friction.

It was the logical solution, although it didn’t make him feel good to know that he was persona non grata so far as Emma was concerned. He tried not to dwell on it as he made a start on dinner. He was just mashing the potatoes to go with the lamb chops and green beans he had cooked when Emma appeared.

‘I’ll set the table.’

She busied herself with place mats and cutlery, glasses for water and condiments. Daniel suspected that it was displacement activity, aimed at taking her mind off the thought of eating with him. He couldn’t help feeling sad as he remembered all the other meals they had shared—impromptu picnics in the country, lunches in one of the local pubs. It hadn’t mattered what they’d eaten or where because they’d always enjoyed it. Just being together had added extra zest to the food.

‘Remember that meal we had at the Golden Goose?’

Emma’s voice cut into his thoughts and he felt a tingle run through him. That she had been recalling the good times they’d had seemed too much of a coincidence, yet why should it be? It wasn’t the first time their thoughts had been so in tune. Maybe there was still some kind of connection between them.

Daniel hurriedly quashed that thought. He couldn’t allow himself to think like that; it was too dangerous. ‘Not really,’ he replied offhandedly.

He spooned mashed potato onto the plates, ignoring the flicker of hurt that crossed her face. He was doing this for her sake. They couldn’t go back and they couldn’t go forward either. Not together. Leaving aside the fact that Emma no longer loved him, the old objections were as valid today as they had been five years ago. He knew from what Jim had told him that Emma was determined to make consultant one day. If that was to happen then he knew that she needed to remain completely focused. If she failed to achieve her goal, she would regret it just as much as she would have done if she’d given up surgery all together.

Daniel’s heart was heavy as he carried the plates over to the table. Even if Emma was prepared to give them a second chance—which she wasn’t!—there was no future for them. ‘I hope this is all right for you. There’s no gravy, I’m afraid. I’ve never mastered the art of making decent gravy.’

‘It’s fine. Thank you.’

Her tone was painfully polite and it cut him to the quick to know that she was deliberately distancing herself from him. He didn’t react, however, as he pulled out a chair and sat down because there was nothing he could do that would help. Emma sat down as well and began to eat. Apart from the faint clatter of cutlery, the room was silent and Daniel could feel the tension mounting as the minutes passed. He searched his mind for something uncontroversial to say, but all he could come up with was work. Still, it was better than nothing.

‘How did you get on tonight?’

‘Fine, thank you.’ Emma forked a little potato into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed it then looked at him. ‘How about you?’

‘Oh, yes, fine. Thanks.’ Daniel inwardly groaned when he heard the stilted note in his voice. This was hardly the best way to improve the atmosphere, was it?

He cleared his throat and tried again. ‘I was surprised by how busy it was, to be honest. I know morning surgery had to be cancelled, but even so I didn’t expect that many patients to turn up. Did you?’

‘No.’ She scooped a little more potato onto her fork then hesitated. Daniel held his breath, hoping that she would find something else to say. If the next few weeks weren’t to be an ordeal for them both, Emma needed to meet him halfway.

‘To be frank, I don’t know how Uncle Jim copes on his own. It was obvious from the number of people we saw tonight that it needs more than one doctor to run this practice.’

Daniel felt like punching the air in relief, but managed to control the urge. Two sentences didn’t make a conversation. And they definitely didn’t make up for past hurts. ‘I agree. The workload is way too much for one person, especially when that person has health issues of his own,’ he agreed soberly, trying to ignore the pang of guilt he felt. He had never set out to hurt her, far from it. He’d done what was necessary to safeguard her happiness and he had to remember that, even though it was hard.

‘We have to find a way to make Uncle Jim understand that.’ Emma sighed. ‘It won’t be easy, though. You know how independent he is and admitting that he needs help will be extremely difficult for him. Then there’s the problem of finding someone suitable who’s willing to work here. That will be another major hurdle.’

‘Jim told me once that he’d not had much luck finding a replacement after his partner retired,’ Daniel said quietly.

‘No. There were very few applications when the post was advertised, so he wasn’t exactly spoiled for choice. And the couple of candidates he interviewed changed their minds when they discovered what the job actually entailed.’ She shrugged. ‘It takes a certain type of person willing to go out to a call at one of the farms in the middle of winter.’

‘Not many doctors are as dedicated as Jim is, but he has to face facts. He’s not getting any younger. Even without this operation, he would have had to think about at least scaling back even if he doesn’t intend to retire. Quite frankly, he can’t go on working as hard as he’s been doing.’

‘We know that, but convincing Uncle Jim is another matter. The practice means everything to him,’ she added worriedly.

‘I know it does, Emma, but somehow we have to make him see that he needs to think about himself for a change. And about your aunt, too. She must be worried sick about him.’

‘She is.’ Tears welled to her eyes and she looked away.

Daniel reached out and laid his hand over hers, hating to see her looking so upset. ‘We’ll work something out, Emma. Promise.’

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, his heart lifting when he felt her fingers curl around his for a moment before she pulled away. Picking up her cutlery, she started eating again and he knew that the all too brief moment of togetherness had passed. They finished the meal as it had begun, in silence. Daniel knew there was no point trying to draw her out again, even if he’d had the heart to try. Emma was deliberately shutting him out and although it hurt like hell, he understood why. She didn’t trust him after what had happened and he couldn’t blame her.

Emma refused both dessert and coffee. Her nerves were stretched so tightly by then that she would have been sick if she’d consumed anything else. She stacked her plate and glass in the dishwasher then went upstairs to her room. Daniel had mentioned something about watching television in the sitting room, but she had no intention of joining him. Dinner had been enough of an ordeal.

She sighed as she lay down on the narrow single bed. The thought of having to spend the next few weeks making stilted conversation wasn’t appealing, but what choice did she have? If she asked Daniel to find somewhere else to live it would only arouse her aunt and uncle’s suspicions that things weren’t right between them. Although Aunt Margaret and Uncle Jim knew that she and Daniel had spent a lot of time together five years ago, they had no idea just how serious the relationship had been or, rather, how much it had meant to her. As far as the older couple were concerned, it had been nothing more than a summer romance and she didn’t intend to disabuse them of that idea. She and Daniel would have to muddle through as best they could, although one thing was certain—if he tried to touch her again, she would make it clear that he was overstepping the mark.

Emma tried to ignore the tingle that shot up her arm as she recalled the warm grip of his fingers. She got up and went to the bookshelves, selecting a well-worn copy of Black Beauty, a childhood favourite. Curling up on the bed, she proceeded to reacquaint herself with the familiar characters. She must have drifted off to sleep at some point because the next thing she knew, the telephone was ringing.

She got up and hurried out to the landing, but Daniel had beaten her to it. He had already lifted the phone off its rest and was holding it to his ear. Emma felt her breath catch when she discovered that all he was wearing was a pair of pyjama pants resting low on his narrow hips. His chest was bare, the thick, dark hair outlining the solid strength of his pectoral muscles before it arrowed down to disappear tantalisingly beneath the waistband of his pants. It was only when he dropped the receiver back onto its rest with a clatter that she managed to drag her gaze away.

‘That was Harry Groves from High Dale Farm. Apparently, his wife has gone into labour and the midwife is at another call. Harry has phoned for an ambulance but it will be at least an hour before it gets there,’ Daniel explained. ‘I said I’d go over there straight away.’

‘High Dale Farm is right up in the hills. It’s a long drive even from here, so no wonder the ambulance will need time to get there,’ Emma agreed worriedly.

‘Is it marked on the map?’ Daniel asked, referring to the Ordnance Survey map they kept in the surgery.

It showed the location of every farm in their catchment area, with the roads leading to it marked in red.

‘It should be. It’s certainly one of the most difficult places to find if you don’t know the area.’ Emma hurried back into her room and slipped on her shoes. ‘I’ll fetch it while you get dressed.’

‘Thanks. Oh, and can you bring me a printout of Mrs Groves’s most recent notes? I don’t want to go unprepared.’

‘Will do.’

Emma ran down the stairs. There was a set of keys for the surgery on the hook by the door and she picked them up then snatched her coat off the peg. Although it was the end of March, the air felt frosty as she made her way to the surgery and let herself in. Once she’d turned off the alarm, she found the map and checked that the farm was marked on it. She groaned as she traced her finger along the route. As she’d thought, it was one of the most difficult places to reach.

After printing out a copy of Sarah Groves’s notes, she ran back to the house. Daniel had started his car and was ready to leave by the time she got there. Emma hurried round to the passenger side and opened the door. ‘Turn left as soon as we leave here, then right at the crossroads.’

‘You don’t need to come, Emma. So long as I have the map, I should be able to find the place.’

Emma shook her head as she slid into the seat. ‘You can’t map-read and navigate these roads. They’re little more than cart tracks in places.’

She fastened her seat belt, hoping that he wasn’t going to argue with her as she really didn’t feel like a confrontation at this time of the night. It was a relief when he put the car in gear and headed out of the drive.

‘Seeing as you’re here, can you read through Mrs Groves’s notes,’ he suggested as soon as they were on the road. ‘Her husband said that it had been a textbook pregnancy so far, but I’d like to be sure. There’s a torch in the glove box. You can use that instead of turning on the interior light.’

Emma nodded as she found the torch. It would make it easier for Daniel to see where he was going if he didn’t have to contend with the glare from the interior lights. She shielded the end of the torch with her hand as she quickly read through the notes that had been made when Sarah Groves had last visited the surgery.

‘There’s nothing here to indicate a problem,’ she told Daniel as they reached the crossroads and turned right. ‘She was seen last week and her BP was fine. Nothing showed up in her urine sample either, and there was no sign of oedema.’

‘How many weeks is she? I asked the husband but he was in such a state he couldn’t remember.’

‘Thirty-five,’ Emma told him, checking the woman’s chart.

‘That’s not too bad, is it? I know that technically a baby is considered premature if it’s born before thirty-seven weeks, but it should be a decent enough weight by this stage.’

‘I wonder why she’s gone into labour. Did the husband say if she was bleeding?’

‘No. I did ask him, but he was almost incoherent and didn’t seem to be taking much in. He just kept asking how soon I could get there.’ She felt him glance at her. ‘You’re wondering if there’s a problem with the placenta?’

‘Yes.’ Emma felt a shiver run down her spine when he correctly interpreted her thoughts. Once, the fact that they’d been so much in tune had delighted her, but now it filled her with alarm. She didn’t want to share that kind of closeness with him ever again.

‘It’s one of the causes of premature labour so we certainly can’t rule it out.’ He slowed down and peered through the windscreen. ‘There’s another junction coming up. Which way now?’

‘Straight on for about ten miles then we’ll need to turn off the main road and head into hills,’ she told him, checking the map.

‘That’s when the fun really starts, is it?’ he asked with a laugh as he picked up speed again.

‘It will be fine.’

‘Spoken like someone who’s used to tearing around the back of beyond. Jim told me that you’ve done several stints overseas in the last couple of years. How did you get into that sort of work?’

‘Richard suggested it. He worked for an aid agency when he was a junior registrar and said it was invaluable experience.’

‘Richard?’

‘Richard Walker, my boss,’ she explained.

‘You obviously get on well with him,’ he observed, and she frowned when she heard the edge in his voice.

She had the impression that something had displeased him, but had no idea what it could be.

‘Yes, I do,’ she said a shade defensively. ‘All the team think very highly of him, in fact.’

‘I see.’ He changed gear then glanced at her and there was no sign of anything other than friendly interest on his face. ‘Working overseas must be challenging, I imagine.’

‘Sometimes.’ She shrugged. ‘It all depends where you’re working. If you’re based at a clinic, like the one I’ve just worked in, then it tends to be easier. The facilities are better, and there’s usually more staff to help out than if you’re working at a field hospital.’

‘And do you enjoy surgery as much as you thought you would?’

Emma frowned. She had the strangest feeling that her answer was important to him and couldn’t understand why. Why should it matter to Daniel if she was happy or not? He certainly hadn’t cared about her happiness five years ago, had he?

The thought pierced a hole right through the protective shell she had built around her heart. It was an effort to respond when it felt as though it was in danger of cracking wide open. It was only pride that gave her the strength to carry on, pride plus a desire not to let him know how badly he had hurt her.

‘Yes, I do. It’s everything I hoped it would be.’ She laughed wryly. ‘I suppose I should thank you, Daniel. If you hadn’t been so committed to your own career, I might have turned down the chance to become a surgeon and that would have been a huge mistake. I don’t doubt that in time I would have come to regret my decision.’