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Rescued By Her Mr Right
Alison Roberts


Dancing in the best man’s arms……is her biggest risk of all!In this Bondi Bay Heroes story, injured nurse Harriet Collins agrees to let hunky paramedic Jack Evans get her fighting fit and back on the Specialist Disaster Response team. After all, it’s purely platonic…right? Plus, she’s already nursing a broken heart. But when she’s the bridesmaid and Jack’s the best man at their teammates’ wedding, Harriet wonders if it could be more…







Dancing in the best man’s arms...

...is her biggest risk of all!

In this Bondi Bay Heroes story, injured nurse Harriet Collins agrees to let hunky paramedic Jack Evans get her fighting fit and back on the Specialist Disaster Response team. After all, it’s purely platonic, right? Plus she’s already nursing a broken heart. But when she’s the bridesmaid and Jack’s the best man at their teammates’ wedding, Harriet wonders if it could be more...


ALISON ROBERTS is a New Zealander, currently lucky enough to be living in the South of France. She is also lucky enough to write for the Mills & Boon Medical Romance line. A primary school teacher in a former life, she is now a qualified paramedic. She loves to travel and dance, drink champagne, and spend time with her daughter and her friends.


Also by Alison Roberts (#u1567b91c-0c56-51ee-96d2-ba4344b41659)

Sleigh Ride with the Single Dad

Rescued Hearts miniseries

The Doctor’s Wife for Keeps

Twin Surprise for the Italian Doc

Bondi Bay Heroes collection

The Shy Nurse’s Rebel Doc

Finding His Wife, Finding a Son by Marion Lennox Healed by Her Army Doc by Meredith Webber Rescued by Her Mr Right

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).


Rescued by Her Mr Right

Alison Roberts






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


ISBN: 978-1-474-07530-5

RESCUED BY HER MR RIGHT

© 2018 Alison Roberts

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


For Linda and Meredith, with much love.


Contents

Cover (#ua255cbc9-e635-5f0a-a5a1-599d92bfb6f4)

Back Cover Text (#ud2878484-d7c7-52cf-8b4f-589718e94d91)

About the Author (#u6a710478-47f8-5788-843c-39095d3dde02)

Booklist (#ud62a71dd-a901-5d67-abde-02ad3e460e7e)

Title Page (#u2d4d1b1d-7e4c-587f-9ec1-1f8c5b9fc507)

Copyright (#u59b05727-e841-5104-8507-6f8f6767b5fb)

Dedication (#u238aa1f1-46f6-5f33-bf88-3c4e7183cb6d)

CHAPTER ONE (#u9eeccb98-be07-576a-bcf4-961c6273d0df)

CHAPTER TWO (#u36001b00-4f45-5bc9-9607-eada3c826d94)

CHAPTER THREE (#u262817ff-3b17-5c74-9ed9-1e8e9cc69133)

CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)

EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)


CHAPTER ONE (#u1567b91c-0c56-51ee-96d2-ba4344b41659)

SHE HAD BEEN aware of the sound for longer than she’d realised.

It wasn’t until Harriet Collins had finally reached the flat part of this cliff walk that her focus relaxed enough to acknowledge the sound.

A dog barking.

It had just been part of the background for what felt like a long time. A background that included the warmth of a late Australian spring day and the sound of waves rolling onto the rocky shore far below where she was now. Her concentration had been on more important things. Like the occasional uneven steps and rough stony patches on this clifftop walkway.

Like the pain in her leg that had reached an intolerable level a while back but hadn’t been allowed to do more than slow her down because Harriet needed to find out how far she could push it before it let her down completely and refused to keep her upright—as it had so many times over the long, long months of her rehabilitation so far.

Someone else must be walking this track, she decided, as she paused long enough to fish her water bottle from the mesh side pouch of her small backpack. She could feel other lumpy shapes inside the pack as she slotted the bottle back into place.

Exciting lumps. She had chosen this walk to try out her new camera for the first time. And that expensive zoom lens. When she found the right spot, she could wait until the sun was starting to set and hopefully capture some amazing shots of the waves crashing on those fearsome rocks at shore level. She had a headlamp tucked inside as well, which should make it safe enough for her to get back down the track to where she’d parked her car when daylight was fading.

It did seem odd, though, that this dog was being so vocal. And the sound wasn’t getting any fainter, which you would expect if an overexcited pet was running ahead of its person on a long walk. If anything, it was getting louder, as Harriet started walking again.

Her limp was more pronounced than it had been for some time but that was only to be expected after that long uphill stretch. The paracetamol she had swallowed along with that drink of water should kick in soon and, by the time she’d had a good rest while she took her photographs, she should be ready to tackle the return trip.

The barking got louder and Harriet stopped in her tracks when she saw the dark shape rushing towards her.

A beat of fear stopped her inward breath.

A dog attack? Really? After so many months of fighting to get her life approaching anything like normal, was she about to get sent back to square one by being mauled by a big dog? To be even more disfigured than she was already?

No way...

The sound that Harriet let out was a half-scream merged with an angry growl that expressed quite a lot about the struggle she’d been through and her desperation to not allow any new setbacks.

It seemed to work. The dog stopped in its tracks, too. And it stopped barking. It stared at Harriet.

Harriet stared back.

It was a black Labrador but not nearly as fat as most Labs she’d met. Maybe it got a lot of exercise running along these clifftop tracks with its owner.

Where was its owner? When he or she appeared, Harriet might have something to say about letting their dog run loose and frighten people. What if she’d had children with her?

The dog started barking again. It turned, ran a few steps and then stopped to look back at her. This time the barking felt like an attempt to communicate something.

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake,’ Harriet muttered aloud. ‘You’ve seen too many Lassie movies.’

But it felt right to follow the dog. Cautiously, because it was taking her off this well-marked and relatively flat pathway. Through long grass and big boulders towards the edge of the cliff. The dog didn’t stop until it seemed to be standing on the very edge. It peered down the cliff and then turned back to Harriet. Its barking sounded more urgent now.

One step and then another brought Harriet nearer the dog.

‘What is it?’ she asked. ‘What’s wrong?’

A tail wagged encouragement and the dog sat down as Harriet got within touching distance. It nudged her hand and licked her.

‘At least you’re friendly,’ she said. ‘What’s your name?’

There was a collar with a disc on it. ‘Harry? Are you kidding me? That’s my name.’

Harry the dog nudged her again and then stood up to peer over the edge again.

‘Okay...’ Harriet lay down, just to be safe, and inched forward.

It wasn’t a straight drop but it was steep enough to be dangerous with areas of loose scree amongst boulders and weathered shrubs that were clinging to life. At the point where the intermittent vegetation gave up, there was a drop onto a ledge. She couldn’t see the whole ledge but what she could see made a shiver run down her spine.

Legs.

And one of them was twisted at a very unnatural angle.

‘Hey...’ she yelled. ‘Can you hear me? Are you conscious?’

There was no answering call. No flicker of movement from the legs.

‘It’s okay,’ Harriet yelled again. ‘I’m going to call for help.’

She hauled her mobile phone out of the pocket of her cargo pants and then punched in the emergency three-digit number, giving a curt response of ‘Ambulance’ when she was asked what service she required.

‘I’m at the top of the Kookaburra walkway,’ she told the call taker in the communications centre. ‘There’s someone who’s fallen from the cliff. He’s on a ledge about a hundred metres from the top and...and he’s not responding to calls. I can see from here that he’s probably got a badly fractured leg.’

‘No...’ she said a minute later. ‘There’s no access from the top unless it’s by abseiling. I think we’re going to need a helicopter.’ She listened for a few seconds and then interrupted the young woman she was speaking to.

‘Look...my name is Harriet Collins. I’m an intensive care nurse at Bondi Bayside Hospital but I’m also a member of the Specialist Disaster Response team based there.’

It wasn’t exactly true. Not now... But they hadn’t yet officially removed her from the membership list, had they?

‘I know what I’m talking about, okay? We need a helicopter. This is a winch job. Anything else is going to take too long.’

And that was that. Help was on its way and there was nothing more that Harriet could do other than sit and wait and maybe signal the helicopter crew when they got close.

Harry the dog didn’t think so. He nudged her elbow and his whine was an easily interpreted plea.

Harriet peered over the edge of the cliff again.

The dog walker had trainers on his feet. And socks. And...yes...the foot on the leg that looked normal was moving.

‘Hey...’ Harriet could hear the alarm bell going off in her head. She yelled even louder this time. ‘Don’t move, okay? You’re safe where you are and help’s coming. But...just don’t move...’

If he’d been unconscious, he might have a head injury and not be thinking clearly. What if he managed to drag himself right off that ledge? There’d be no chance of survival if he finished the drop to where the surf was roiling around those black, jagged rocks.

Had she been wrong in saying that ledge was a hundred metres from the top of the cliff? It looked more like fifty at second guess. And maybe it wouldn’t have needed abseilers to get down. There were enough protruding rocks to provide good footholds and those scrappy little trees would give handholds for balance if you didn’t trust them with your whole body weight.

It didn’t need another nudge from Harry the dog to trigger Harriet’s decision. It didn’t seem to need any conscious thought at all. If she had stopped to think, she would have known how crazy this was. That her bad leg couldn’t possibly cope with this challenge.

But Harriet didn’t think. She just sat on her bottom, holding a branch of the nearest shrunken tree and let herself slide, very slowly, until her feet reached the first rock below her. The foot of her bad leg touched it first and a spear of pain lanced upwards to reach her thigh but her leg didn’t crumple and, as soon as she transferred to her weight to her good foot, the pain receded. When she did it again, she made sure it was her strong leg that found a solid object first. Now she was several metres below where Harry had started running back and forth on the flat area, barking encouragement, and the enormity of what she’d started was enough to make her head spin for a moment or two.

At least this incarnation of Lassie was someone to talk to.

‘I’m not sure that this was such a good idea,’ she told him. ‘I’m going to have to crawl sideways to reach that next tree. Do you reckon it’s got strong roots?’

Harry the dog seemed to think so.

She had to cling to the next rock for a minute, to get over the fright of her foot slipping a little in the scree. She didn’t look down. Instead, she looked up at the black head that was getting smaller every time she looked.

‘What you don’t know,’ she said casually, ‘is that until very recently I was wearing a pretty hard-core brace on my leg. Because I had a rock that landed on it a while back and it was so squashed they almost had to chop it off. Yeah... I know dogs can manage quite well without one of their legs but it’s a bit more of a problem for a person.’

The sound of the waves was getting louder and Harriet knew perfectly well that the dog couldn’t hear what she was saying and wouldn’t understand if he could but it seemed to be helping her.

‘But look at me right now... It almost feels like I’m back in the SDR team and I don’t mind telling you that that’s the thing I miss the most about my old life.’

Except that if this was a team callout, she’d be appropriately dressed in heavy-duty overalls and with a hard hat and gloves for more protection. And she’d be on the end of a rope with people who knew what they were doing holding the other end to prevent a fall that would have meant two victims instead of only one.

If she’d done anything this irresponsible as a team member, their leader, Blake Cooper, would have probably sacked her, and Kate and Sam would have been watching her with horror. But she wasn’t a team member any more and she never could be, with the disability that was highly likely to be permanent now. A weak leg. Pain levels that could be hard to manage. A mindset that was very different from the passionate and adventurous person she’d been all those months ago.

Maybe she was going to get stuck herself and the rescue crew would have to winch two people off this cliff and she’d cop an awful lot of flak. But...

But the fact that she was even trying to do this—that she wanted to do this so much—made her feel like the real Harriet Collins had finally stepped out from the black mist she’d been shrouded in for so long.

And she was more than halfway down now. That ledge was starting to look bigger and hiding the terrifying drop below it. Another controlled slide on her bottom, a careful climb over a tumble of rocks without trusting her weight to her bad leg and then a downward, sideways crawl and she could almost stand up to push her way past rough bunches of tussock and through the stunted trees onto the ledge.

Harry’s owner was probably in his sixties, his grey hair matted with a stain of blood and a badly bruised and grazed arm. And he was groaning.

‘Hey...’ Harriet crouched beside him, picking up his hand and then feeling for his pulse. ‘My name’s Harry. Same as your dog...’

The man’s eyes opened. ‘Harry...’

‘He’s fine. He’s up on top of the cliff. He came to find me and get help for you. Just like Lassie.’

The man’s eyes closed but his lips twisted into a smile. ‘Not so much. It was Harry who went over the edge. Got...stuck on a rock and I went down to help. I lost my footing and...argh...that really hurts...’

‘Your leg? Or is it something else?’

‘My leg...and...and my head doesn’t feel great.’

‘What’s your name?’

‘Eddie. Eddie Denton.’

‘Okay, Eddie. Take a deep breath for me. Does that hurt?’

‘No. Feels okay...’

‘That’s great. We don’t need to worry about your breathing then. And you’ve got a good pulse so that means your blood pressure’s still okay.’

‘You a doctor, Harry?’

‘No, I’m a nurse. I worked in the Intensive Care Unit at Bondi Bayside, although I’m somewhere else at the moment. But I’m also a member of a specialist rescue team there.’

She was checking Eddie out as she kept talking. ‘I’m just going to have a feel of your tummy, okay? Does that hurt?’

‘No. It’s just my leg.’

The pain from an obvious femoral fracture could well be masking something happening internally but there was nothing Harriet could do other than keep Eddie company and make sure he didn’t move and fall further. There was no time to do anything else, anyway. She could see the dot of the approaching helicopter now and only seconds later the sound of the rotors drowned out the faint barking she could still hear from the top of the cliff.

This was one of the bright red and yellow helicopters of the ambulance service here in Sydney and the crew member she could see leaning out from the skid and preparing to be winched down would be one of the elite, intensive care paramedics that dealt with calls like this. It was a relief to see the big pack of gear being attached to the winch line along with a stretcher but she expected nothing less from a team who were well used to dealing with emergencies on the shorelines of this huge coastal city.

What she would never have expected was to be addressed as if this paramedic knew her.

‘Harry? How did you end up on this ledge?’ He pushed up the visor of his helmet as he unhooked the gear and then held the winch line clear, giving the winch operator the ‘thumbs up’ sign to retrieve the hook. ‘I thought the job had been called in from up at the track.’

‘Oh, my God...’ Harriet’s jaw dropped. ‘When did you start working on the choppers, Jack?’

‘Months ago.’ His tone was clipped. Cold, even? ‘Fill me in, Harry.’

‘This is Eddie Denton. He’s sixty-three. He slipped and fell after trying to get his dog out of trouble.’

There was a nagging voice at the back of her head telling her that she deserved the brush-off. How many times had she done that to Jack after the accident, when he’d tried to visit her?

But not being part of the team any more had made it too painful to be reminded of how devastating the loss of this part of her life had been. And he’d given up eventually, just the way everybody else had stopped talking about it. Harriet couldn’t actually remember the last time she’d heard Jack’s name mentioned.

‘Hiya, Eddie. I’m Jack Evans. I’ve come to get you out of here, mate. How are you feeling?’

‘Gotta sore leg.’

‘Fractured mid-shaft femur,’ Harriet put in. ‘Limb baselines are intact.’

‘Anything else I should know about?’

‘Head injury. I’m pretty sure he was unconscious when I arrived on scene and he’s been complaining about a headache.’

‘And that arm?’

‘I don’t think it’s fractured but it’s badly bruised and there’s a fair bit of skin missing. Blood loss was minimal as far as I can tell.’

It could have been worse. If Eddie had been bleeding badly, she could have stopped that. Did that justify her putting herself in so much danger and giving the rescue crew another person to manage? She hadn’t really thought about the consequences when she’d started that climb down, had she?

Instinct had overridden sense.

Or maybe it was because she hadn’t been able to resist the pull of being that person again. The one that did the dangerous stuff because she could potentially save a life.

‘Can you find some dressings in that pack? I’d like to get an IV in and some pain relief on board before we get a traction splint on that leg.’

It wasn’t just Eddie who had a sore leg. The jolt of pain as Harriet moved to open Jack’s pack was almost enough to make her stumble. Maybe it was a good thing that they were on a relatively narrow ledge above a dangerous drop so it was a perfectly normal thing to do to crawl carefully from one point to another.

Jack wouldn’t have even noticed.

‘You okay, Harry?’

The swift glance from those dark eyes and the furrow between them told Harriet that he’d noticed her wincing, all right. She broke the eye contact abruptly. She didn’t want anybody’s pity but to be pitied by Jack was worse, somehow. He was one of the younger members of the SDR team and one of the best. He was going places, young Jack Evans, but he wasn’t cocky about it. He was, in fact, one of the nicest people Harriet had ever known.

In her old life...

‘Be careful,’ was all Jack added. ‘We’re a long way up. Hand me that IV roll, would you?’

She handed over the roll that contained everything Jack needed to insert an IV. The wipes, cannulas, Luer plugs, flushes and adhesive covers. She didn’t need reminding of how far above sea level they were. Every few seconds, even given the sound of the helicopter hovering nearby, she could hear the rolling crash of a huge wave below.

‘Sharp scratch, Eddie. There you go... Are you allergic to anything that you know of?’

‘Nah...not that I know of.’

Harriet had all the sterile dressings and a bandage in her hands so that she could cover the raw wounds on Eddie’s arm but she stayed by the pack for a moment longer. Jack was going to need a giving set and a bag of saline to set up fluids that would keep Eddie’s vein open in case he needed more intravenous drugs. The morphine would definitely be helping his pain level within the next few minutes.

‘What score would you give your pain now, Eddie? Out of ten, like before?’

‘I reckon it’s only a five now. Maybe even a four.’

‘Good man. We’re going to get that splint on your leg in a tick. And then I’m going to get you up into our nice comfy chopper.’

‘But what about Harry?’

‘We’ll take her, too, don’t you worry. I’m not about to let her try climbing up this cliff by herself. God knows how she managed to get down to you in the first place.’ Jack was waiting for Harriet to look up as she snagged the bandage she’d wound around Eddie’s arm with a crocodile clip to keep it secure. ‘Good job,’ he added as he finally caught her gaze.

He sounded impressed. And not the least bit cold. Quite the opposite, in fact.

‘No.’ Eddie shook his head. ‘I meant Harry—my dog...’

‘Oh...right...’

‘He’s a hero,’ Harriet said. ‘I wouldn’t have found Eddie if it hadn’t been for Harry. He came and got me and made me follow him.’

Jack grinned. ‘Like Lassie, huh?’

Harriet found herself smiling back. ‘Just like Lassie.’

The shared smile broke whatever odd tension she had been aware of ever since Jack had touched down on this ledge. It was a link back to the very real friendship they’d shared during their time together with the SDR team. A friendship that Harriet couldn’t deny she’d shunned since her accident because it was such an integral aspect of the part of the life she’d lost for ever.

But maybe there was a way back? To a small part of what she’d lost, anyway.

And that felt good.

‘In that case, I’ll call the crew.’ Jack nodded, reaching for his radio. ‘We’ll get someone to head up the track and find him. Don’t you worry, Eddie. He’ll be well looked after until we can get him home for you.’

Whether it was the relief of knowing his pet would be rescued, or the effects of the narcotic pain relief, Eddie seemed to relax into the care they were giving him. It was painful to get the traction splint locked into place and doing its job but, for this kind of fracture, it was essential to get control of any internal bleeding and added pain of the movement that would be happening very soon.

‘I’ll take Eddie up on the stretcher and then I’ll come back down for you and the pack.’ Jack raised his arm to signal the crew in the hovering helicopter that he was ready for the winch line to be lowered again. ‘Okay?’

Harriet nodded.

For several long minutes, she was alone on the ledge, watching Jack control the swinging of the stretcher Eddie was strapped onto as it was lifted skywards. And then she saw it being tipped and dragged into the cabin of the helicopter. It seemed to take a long time until Jack was standing on the skid again, ready for his second descent, but she watched him coming down with an increasing sense of relief.

There was no way she could have climbed back up that cliff.

It was no wonder that Jack had been impressed that she’d managed it at all. The last time he’d seen her, her leg had been skewered with long pins and encased in the rods of external fixation for a fracture that had been bad enough for her to have had to give consent to amputation if that had been deemed the best option during her surgery.

He’d been so determinedly cheerful, she remembered. He’d brought a brand of chocolate she’d once announced was her all-time favourite and some magazines, but the choice had been unfortunate, including the latest edition of an emergency medicine journal. And, okay, maybe that publication had also previously been favourite reading material but it had been the last thing she’d wanted to see then.

The visit had been awkward. What did they have in common other than the team callouts, training sessions and rare social occasions? Jack was a good six years younger than Harriet. Just a mate.

At least he hadn’t been around to see her limping return to work at Bondi Bayside. If he was with the helicopter crew he wouldn’t even be spending time in the emergency department, although he might still make an occasional visit to the intensive care unit if he wanted to follow up on a patient. Not that Harriet was working there any more—not when that environment needed people who could be quick on their feet when needed and in no danger from being distracted by pain or fatigue.

An echo of the awkwardness that had only increased between them until Jack didn’t come to visit her any more reared its head as he arrived back on the ledge and helped Harriet into the ‘nappy’ harness that would hold her close to his body as they were winched back into the helicopter. Maybe it was a good thing that it was noisy and scary and there was no need to say anything other than to confirm she understood all the instructions.

The scariest part was when her feet lost contact with the relative safety of that ledge and she was dangling in mid-air, with the rocks of the cliff looking alarmingly close and the roiling surf a terrifying drop below.

Oddly, she felt safe at the same time.

Jack was big. Tall and muscly. Not with the kind of muscles that her ex-boyfriend Pete had nurtured in his gym sessions, though. Just like his looks were a complete contrast to the sun-streaked, surfer vibe that had attracted her to Pete in the first place. It felt like Jack had just been born that way, and maybe he had. The young paramedic had island heritage—Maori or Samoan—with the dark eyes and black hair that went with his olive skin. He had the gentleness that could come as such a pleasant surprise in a big man but he also had strength and that was what Harriet could feel surrounding her now as they rose slowly in this vast sky.

How long had it been since she’d felt a man’s arms around her like this? Making her feeling safe. Cherished, almost.

Maybe that foolhardy challenge of climbing down that cliff had been worth it.

Just for this...


CHAPTER TWO (#u1567b91c-0c56-51ee-96d2-ba4344b41659)

FUNNY HOW MANY thoughts could flash through your brain when you were dangling in mid-air. Even when most of your concentration was so focused on keeping both yourself and the person you were holding safe.

But the thoughts were there. Drifting past like fragments of a half-forgotten dream.

Because he had dreamed of this. Once upon a time.

Holding Harriet Collins in his arms...

Part of his soul had recognised her as the perfect woman the first time he’d met her, back when they had both been new and on their very first training session for the SDR team. Everything about her had been fascinating. Those shiny, auburn curls that bounced when she moved her head. The cute freckles that dusted her milky skin. Hazel eyes with the sparkle of sheer joie de vivre. That easy smile and the contagious gurgle of her laughter. How nice she was. Warm and open and friendly.

It had taken a long time to screw up the courage to ask her out on a date. He’d had to fight the doubts about how unlikely it was that she could be as interested in him. She was years older than he was. Older and wiser and with a circle of friends that were part of a very different world but the attraction was so strong, he’d had to try.

The sheer delight that she seemed to think it was a great idea had been short-lived. She’d seen it as no more than a mate suggesting a team outing, in fact, because she’d shared the invitation with those around them, including the new guy who’d just joined the team—a good-looking firie by the name of Pete Thompson.

And it had been that very night—that had been supposed to be his first date with Harriet—that the spark had been ignited between her and Pete. Jack had felt every jolt of electricity that had passed between them and every one of them had been tipped with the flame of rejection. Of not being good enough. Of not having the kind of charisma that blokes like Pete Thompson had. He knew that that charisma often came with a price. That they were often shallow, egotistical people.

But there’d been nothing that he could do, other than watch it happen. And accelerate. And he’d got over it. So Harriet wasn’t for him? It didn’t matter. They were still friends and he’d find someone else who made him feel this way—without those doubts that he’d made the mistake of ignoring. One of these days, he would experience that ‘falling in love’ business. Preferably with someone that he knew he would want to spend the rest of his life with.

Someone like Harriet Collins maybe, but with some island blood so that she could embrace being part of an extended family that could sometimes smother you with the responsibilities of belonging but would never tolerate being shut out of any dark times in your life.

The way Harriet had shut him out.

It still hurt, Jack realised, as they got close enough to where his crewmate, Matt, was leaning out of the chopper door, ready to pull Harriet to safety and unclip the nappy harness. It was almost a relief when he couldn’t feel the shape of her body against his any longer.

He’d wanted to hold her in his arms so much, that day, when he’d gone to see her after the accident, still reeling from the shock of witnessing that rockfall on their team day out in the Blue Mountains with a day of abseiling training underway. He’d seen that rock hit Harriet and the fear that she’d been killed had made it seem like the ground had been opening up beneath him. A world without Harriet Collins could never be quite the same. He’d had to swipe tears of relief from his face when he’d heard that she’d come through the surgery and still had her leg but he’d known the moment he’d walked into her room for that first visit that even getting close enough to touch her wasn’t going to be welcomed.

She’d put up a barrier that might have been transparent but it was impenetrable. And, from what Jack had heard over the last months, he hadn’t been the only person who’d been relegated to the other side of that barrier. Harriet’s life had fallen apart after the accident but it had been deemed none of his business, however much he might have wanted to try and help.

But she had needed his help today.

Welcomed it, in fact.

And it almost felt like that barrier had somehow evaporated—on her side, anyway. Perhaps he’d put up one of his own, to protect himself from having his friendship rejected again. From the reminders of that even more painful rejection of something that he’d believed could have been a whole lot more than simply friendship.

She was watching him now, as he and Matt made sure that Eddie was as comfortable as possible, monitored his vital signs and tried to check him out for any significant injuries that might have been missed. It was only a short flight to the nearest hospital so it was a busy time but Jack’s glance caught Harriet’s on more than one occasion—like when he’d tightened the loop anchoring the nasal cannula for oxygen and moved to attach the end of the tubing to the on-board supply. And when he reached up to change the flow rate on the IV fluids they were administering to stabilise Eddie’s blood pressure.

What was so different about her?

She was a bit thinner, which was hardly surprising given the physical ordeal she’d been through. Her skin was paler. Because she wasn’t outside every free moment she could find—doing fun runs or surfing or something? Her freckles had faded too but the change he was trying to identify wasn’t anything negative. Quite the contrary. It was...a bit of a spark, that’s what it was. As if a glimmer of the woman he’d admired so much had returned. A woman who’d all but vanished within weeks of that terrible accident.

The last time Jack had gone to visit her in hospital, she’d been fighting an infection that had again raised the awful possibility that her lower leg might have to be amputated. She had been feeling very unwell, lying there with intravenous antibiotics dripping into her arm, and the visit had been more than awkward. Jack had felt helpless and hated it.

Harriet had looked...hopeless, which had been even worse.

She hadn’t wanted to see him. She certainly hadn’t wanted to talk about the SDR, which was pretty much the only thing they had in common. And when she’d looked directly at him—just before she’d said it might be better if he left—her eyes had been like nothing he would have ever associated with Harriet. So dark. So flat you wouldn’t know there were little golden flecks in that hazel warmth.

That was it in a nutshell. The sparkle was back. Not the way it had been but it was there in the interest she was showing in the information being recorded on the ECG monitor and the new set of limb baselines Matt was doing to check on the blood supply to Eddie’s leg below the level of the fracture.

It had been there, as part of that smile, when he’d made that lame joke about Lassie.

As they came in to land at one of Sydney’s larger hospitals, a long way from Bondi Bayside, Jack leaned close and raised his voice.

‘Stay on board when we land. I’m off duty once we get back to base and I can take you home.’

‘I left my car,’ Harriet told him. ‘Back at the cliffs.’

‘No worries. We’ll sort it. We can check that Lassie’s been rescued, too.’

Her eyes widened as if she was surprised he was worried about his patient’s pet but then her face softened as if she was remembering that it wasn’t out of character at all. It was the kind of person he’d always been.

Her smile—and her nod—told him that she liked that.

‘Sounds great.’ Harriet leaned close to Eddie as they were unhooking the stretcher ready to wheel him towards the waiting staff members on the far side of the helipad. ‘I’ll come and see you as soon as I can. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Harry’s okay.’

She would, too, Jack thought as he bent to move under the still moving rotors of the helicopter that would take them back to base very soon. She was that kind of person as well.

And he’d always loved that about her.

* * *

It felt like the old days.

The time when life had been full of excitement and promise. Before it had all come crashing down around her in such spectacular fashion.

The climb down that cliff face. Treating someone with traumatic injuries. Being winched into a helicopter and then flying over the city she loved so much. Somehow, in recent months she’d forgotten how gorgeous it was.

Being with Jack was another link to her past life and, oddly, she didn’t have a compelling urge to push it away in order not to add weight to the miserable shroud of what she’d lost. Today, it didn’t feel quite so lost and the reminder of what it had been like was poignant but also precious.

Jack’s car was parked at the back of the air rescue base, far enough away from where they’d landed to make Harriet very aware of how far she’d pushed her new boundaries today.

‘You okay?’ Jack’s sideways glance was casual. ‘You could wait here while I get the car.’

Harriet didn’t meet his gaze. ‘I’m good. This is what I do now, Jack. I limp.’

The silence made her realise that she’d slipped back into that defensive mode that made her tone too sharp and pushed people away.

‘Sorry,’ she muttered. ‘But I think I can make it. I need to try.’

‘I’m sure you can make it. You climbed down a cliff today, didn’t you? And you don’t need to apologise. I understand...’

People said that a lot, with the best intentions, but it was never true, was it? You couldn’t really understand unless it had happened to you.

But it felt like maybe Jack did understand. More than others, anyway.

‘It will get better,’ she told him. ‘It’s just that I’ve only been out of my brace for a week or so. And I probably did more today than I should have, even before I climbed down the cliff.’

‘What were you doing up there? Testing yourself? Might be a good idea not to do stuff like that by yourself, you know.’ His smile was crooked. ‘Just sayin’...’

‘Yeah, yeah... It was a bit of a test, I guess, but the real reason was to try out my new zoom lens. I wanted some shots of surf crashing on rocks, preferably as it got close to sunset when the light gets awesome.’

‘You’ve really got into photography, haven’t you? I saw you taking all the photos at Kate and Angus’s wedding.’

She’d noticed him there as well. Not that she’d made any attempt to go and talk to him. She’d stayed behind that camera the whole time and had left as early as she could without being rude. It had been hard, being there but not being one of the team any longer.

‘I really have.’ It was a relief to reach the car and take the weight off her leg. A quick glance at her watch told Harriet that she could take some more painkillers soon. As soon as Jack wasn’t around to notice because those sharp of eyes of his didn’t miss much. Had he been aware that she’d avoided talking to him at the wedding?

‘It started because I was taking photos of my leg, actually,’ she found herself saying quietly as the car pulled out onto the road. ‘I wanted a record so that, on bad days, I could remind myself that things were improving. And then I started taking photos of other stuff and I got hooked. Not only did I have a topic of conversation that had nothing to do with my leg but I could kind of hide behind the camera when I was out with other people. Win-win.’

She’d never admitted that to anyone. She’d kept people at a distance by being distant herself with a forced cheerfulness or, shamefully more often, a bad-tempered snappiness. Jack hadn’t seen the worst of it but she knew she’d hurt him by rejecting his support early on. Opening up, just a little, was a kind of peace offering and, judging by the intensity of the swift glance he gave her, he realised that it was a big thing.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said softly. ‘I can only imagine how rough it’s been for you.’

‘Actually, I think it’s me that should be apologising.’

‘What on earth for?’

‘I was horrible to you. When you came to visit. You didn’t deserve that.’

Jack shrugged. He seemed to be concentrating on the road ahead. ‘It was no big deal. You had your friends around.’

‘You’re one of my friends,’ Harriet said. Then her voice trailed away. ‘Or...you were...’

This time Jack turned his head. ‘I still am, Harry.’ But his tone held a note of wariness. ‘If you want me to be, that is.’

For a long minute, Harriet stared, unseeing, at the industrial buildings they were passing. She could hear echoes of the laughter of shared jokes and the teasing that Jack had been such a master of. She could feel the warmth of the kindness that was so much a part of him. Like the way he would always make sure that others were being cared for during any breaks on an exhausting disaster response and getting some rest and food and water.

And it hadn’t been just his teammates or other people he cared about.

‘Do you remember that last callout we were on together?’

‘The bush fire?’ Jack blew out a breath. ‘Sure do. That was a tough one, wasn’t it? A whole town lost. So many people killed or injured.’

‘And the animals. You found that dog with burnt paws and you carried him all the way back to base.’

‘If I’d known what was going to happen, I would have made you carry him.’

Harriet grinned. ‘You mean that photograph of you that went viral?’

Jack shook his head. ‘The attention was ridiculous. I started getting emails from all over the country. Girls who’d never met me but wanted to marry me, for God’s sake.’

Harriet was still smiling. ‘Of course they did. You were a hero. Young, gorgeous and single. And you love dogs. What more could a woman want?’

Jack was concentrating on changing lanes on the motorway that was leading them out of the city. He made a sound that could have been embarrassment at her singing his praises. Or it could have been disagreement.

‘You mean you don’t like dogs? Or you’re not still single?’

‘I like dogs,’ Jack muttered. ‘And, yeah...if you must know, I’m still single.’

Weird, Harriet thought. There must be an unlimited number of gorgeous young women who would love to catch his attention.

Then she sighed into the silence. ‘Me, too...’

Jack didn’t say anything for quite a while and Harriet could feel a tension that made her wish she’d kept her mouth shut. A lot of it was probably being internally generated, mind you. The rejection of having Pete walk out on their relationship had been soul destroying. She was damaged now. Unattractive. Unlovable, even?

Yeah...she was single and that wasn’t about to change. Maybe it never would.

‘I heard that Pete transferred to a Melbourne station,’ Jack finally said. His tone was laced with disapproval.

Was that what some of the tension was about? Jack had been friends with Pete. Everybody had been.

‘Mmm...’ Harriet tried to keep her tone casual. ‘I think he wanted a fresh start. With Sharleen.’

Jack shook his head. ‘Yeah, I heard about that too. I can’t believe he walked out on you. What a moron.’

‘It’s okay,’ Harriet said. Though the aftermath of that breakup had been agonising, she’d refused to let it drag her down further. ‘Everything we’d had in common was gone and he just couldn’t handle it. And then there was Sharleen. With two good legs. A top surfer. A gym bunny. That was where they met—at the gym.’

Jack took the exit that was signposted for the Kookaburra park and walkway. ‘You’ve still got two legs,’ he said, matter-of-factly. ‘And, from what I heard, that was a pretty big deal.’

‘Yeah...’ Suddenly the fierce ache in her leg seemed much more bearable. ‘I know. I was lucky.’

‘And they must be pretty good legs if you got yourself down that cliff today. I would have thought twice about attempting that.’

‘You don’t know how dodgy it was. And I’ll probably be reminded of it for a few days now, I expect. I might have to admit defeat and use my brace again at work for a while.’

‘You didn’t even have a rope.’ Jack’s glance was one of admiration. ‘Weren’t you scared?’

‘I didn’t give myself time to think about it. I just looked one step ahead for a foothold or for the next branch that might give me a safe handhold. And then I was past the halfway point and it would have been just as hard to go back as it was to keep going.’

‘But you chose to keep going.’

‘I was worried that Eddie might start moving and roll off the ledge.’

‘So you gave yourself the biggest physical challenge you’ve had in a long time and put yourself in danger to save someone else.’

Harriet tried to smile but she could feel her lips wobble. ‘It made me feel like...like I was still part of the team.’

Jack was slowing the car now to pull into the parking area at the park, which was the entry point to the cliffside walkway. He stopped, turned off the engine and then turned to give Harriet a very direct look.

‘You are still part of the team.’

‘Don’t be daft.’ The fact that his words opened an emotional wound that had barely begun to close up made her tone sharp again. ‘That’s never going to happen and you know it.’

She could hear the edge of bitterness souring a moment that should have been a reconnection. A step back into a friendship that could be an important bridge between her old life and this new, difficult one.

‘Sorry.’ The apology came out as a sigh. ‘There I go again, being not nice to be around.’

Jack shrugged. ‘You’re allowed to be angry. I get it.’

‘I’m dealing with it. I hope... And I’ve got my next goals. Two of them, in fact.’

He nodded. ‘Like going down the cliff, huh? Just look as far as the next step or a safe handhold?’

‘Something like that.’

‘So what are they—these goals of yours?’

‘Well, you know that Blake and Sam are getting married, right?’

‘Yeah...’ Jack grinned. ‘So much for Blake’s rules about team members not hooking up. He’s changed, hasn’t he?’

‘He’s in love. They both are. Sam’s my best friend and I’m thrilled for her. I offered to take photos at their wedding but it turns out that I’m going to be her bridesmaid. So that’s my first goal. I don’t want to be taking any attention away from her by limping down the aisle.’

‘The aisle?’ Jack’s eyes widened. ‘They’re getting married in a church?’ His grin widened. ‘I don’t believe it. Our maverick ED consultant who wears cowboy boots and a ponytail to work is going to do something as conventional as getting married in a church?’

‘They haven’t decided where yet. It was a figure of speech. It might happen on a beach and sand is even harder to walk on.’

‘How long have you got to train for it?’

‘I don’t know that either.’ The parking area around them was dark now but Harriet could see some people moving off to one side. ‘You’ll be coming to the wedding, won’t you?’

‘If I get an invitation, sure.’ Jack had turned to look in the same direction as Harriet. ‘So what’s your other goal? You said you had two.’

‘I want to get back to my old job. In intensive care.’

‘Where are you now?’

‘Geriatrics.’ Harriet screwed up her nose. ‘I mean, I love the oldies. I hear the most amazing stories every day but I really miss the ICU.’

‘Why can’t you work there again now?’

‘My leg’s not strong enough. Imagine if there was an emergency and I turned to grab a defibrillator or something and I ended up falling over.’

‘Hmm...’ But Jack seemed distracted. ‘There are cops over there. With a dog...’

‘Oh...’ Harriet wrenched at her door handle. ‘It must be Harry the dog. Let’s go and check that he’s okay.’

The two police officers were about to load Harry the dog into their car but were happy enough to stop and chat when they learned of Jack and Harry’s connection to the unusual job they’d been dispatched to.

‘You never know what’s going to happen on a shift,’ the young officer said. ‘We get a good hike up a hill in a glorious sunset and we’re getting paid for it. How great is that?’

‘Was he hard to find?’

‘No. He was just lying there, with his nose on his paws, right on the edge of the cliff.’

‘Oh...poor Harry.’ Harriet crouched down to hug the dog. ‘It’ll be okay,’ she told him. ‘Someone’s going to look after you.’

‘He’s going to the pound,’ the older officer told them. ‘We’ve tried to find a family member to take him but there doesn’t seem to be anybody.’

Harriet felt the nudge of a cold, damp nose against her hand. He was good at communicating, this dog.

‘I’ll take him,’ she heard herself saying. ‘I don’t want him to go to the pound. How scary would that be? He’d think he was being totally abandoned.’

‘If you want to.’ The police officers exchanged a glance. ‘Can’t see a problem with that as long as we get all your details.’

‘Are you sure?’ Jack sounded concerned. ‘He’s a big dog. He’ll need a lot of exercise.’

Harriet straightened. ‘A lot of exercise is exactly what I need, too, if I’m going to get to where I want to be.’

‘Are you allowed dogs in your apartment?’

She shrugged. ‘Sometimes it’s better to apologise later than ask for permission first. I think this is one of those times.’

Jack’s gaze was thoughtful. ‘I could help, maybe. With the exercising?’

‘Sure.’ This time, Harriet wasn’t going to brush off Jack’s offer to help. It was like another peace offering. ‘That’d be great.’

A few minutes later, Harry the dog was installed on the back seat of Harriet’s car and she was ready to drive home as soon as Jack let go of her door so that she could close it.

‘I’ll be in touch,’ he said. ‘We can make up a roster and I can give him a good run on the beach or something.’

‘Okay. I’d better get going, though. I need to get to the supermarket and stock up on some dog food and stuff.’

Jack closed her door but he was still standing there so Harriet rolled the window down.

‘What?’

He shrugged. ‘Nothing. Just that I reckon you could add a third goal to that list.’

‘Oh?’

‘Yeah...’ He threw a smile over his shoulder as he walked away. ‘Getting back on the team for real. Reckon you could do it if you really wanted to.’


CHAPTER THREE (#u1567b91c-0c56-51ee-96d2-ba4344b41659)

‘SAM...WHAT ARE you doing here?’

‘I had to come and find you. They told me on the ward that you’d brought someone to X-Ray.’

‘Yes.’ Harriet glanced sideways to where the patient she was accompanying was already snoring gently. ‘Poor old May fell out of bed during the night. She’s not complaining but it looks like she’s fractured her neck of femur. We’ve got a bit of a wait, though.’ She raised her eyebrows at her friend. ‘Why did you have to come and find me? Have you set a date for the wedding or something?’

Sam shook her head, flopping into the seat beside Harriet. ‘No...it was too late to ring you by the time I got home last night. There was an SDR meeting and I heard all about your cliff rescue. Oh, my God, Harry...what did you think you were doing?’

There was only one person who could have been spreading that news but Harriet wasn’t entirely sure whether she was disappointed in Jack for talking about her behind her back or quietly pleased that the team now knew all about it.

‘Jack said it would have been an astonishing thing for anyone to do but for you to do it was just mind-blowing.’ Sam was looking down at Harriet’s leg. ‘Are you okay? You’re wearing your brace again.’

‘Just a precaution.’

‘Maybe you should have an X-ray after May.’ Sam glanced at the elderly woman and then caught Harriet’s gaze. There was amusement at the snoring but also sympathy. To sit and wait without even conversation was so very different from the challenges of nursing in the intensive care unit.

‘I’m fine. Honestly.’

‘Better than fine, from what I heard. Jack reckons you should be back on the team.’

Harriet shook her head sharply. ‘Not going to happen.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because I couldn’t do it, that’s why. You know the kind of things that go with a callout. Tramping miles into the scene of something like a flood or a landslide. And remember the Urban Search and Rescue course that you did? I still have enough trouble walking on a flat surface. I couldn’t climb over a pile of rubble after an earthquake if my life depended on it.’

‘You just climbed down a cliff and it was only someone else’s life that was depending on it.’

‘But I couldn’t be depended on and that’s like the number one requirement of an SDR team member.’ Harriet wanted to change the subject. ‘So, have you set a date for the wedding yet?’

Sam groaned. ‘We mentioned that we might prefer a beach wedding and now my dad wants to fly everybody off to a tropical island up north. Hamilton or Fraser Island, maybe.’

‘Wow... How cool would that be?’

‘It would be outrageous.’

‘I’ll bet Blake hated the idea.’

‘My dad’s not stupid.’ Sam shook her head. ‘He offered to donate the same amount of money he would spend on the wedding to Médecins Sans Frontières because he knows how passionate Blake is about helping to provide medical care in developing countries. Did I tell you that we’re thinking of getting a posting next year? Just for three months or so. Maybe in Africa.’

But Harriet was distracted by the idea of a luxurious island holiday that would be a part of her bridesmaid’s duties.

‘So it might happen, then? An island wedding?’

‘Well, Blake did have a funny look on his face when he said that his mum had never had a tropical island holiday in her life.’

‘What’s his mum like?’

‘Lovely. Tough. She’s still struggling to come to terms with her limitations after the stroke.’

‘We’d have a lot in common then.’

Sam’s face creased into serious lines. ‘You’re doing amazingly well, Harry. Better than anyone expected. Better than you expected, I would think. Could you have imagined yourself scrambling down a cliff a few months ago?’

‘No way...’

‘You should have heard Jack singing your praises. He really does think that you could come back on board. If you want to, that is...’

Harriet shrugged, turning to check on her patient. She smoothed white, fluffy hair back from May’s face and the old woman stirred and groaned softly.

Being part of the team wasn’t an option, she knew that. But, oh...the pull was there, wasn’t it? The longing...

‘Maybe one day,’ she murmured. ‘When I’m capable of doing everything that I could do before the accident.’

Which would be never.

‘Perfection is overrated,’ Sam said. ‘We’re a team and everyone brings something a bit different to the overall performance. You could still contribute a lot more than you’re giving yourself credit for.’ She was chewing her lip now. ‘And...and you wouldn’t have to worry about seeing Pete there any more.’

‘I’m not worried. I don’t hate him, Sam. I understand that it would never have worked out.’ Harriet managed a smile. ‘Turns out that broken hearts heal faster than broken legs. Who knew?’

‘Mmm... Still, I couldn’t believe it when I heard what you’d done. You must be so proud of yourself.’

‘You know what? I think I am.’ The warmth of the internal glow she was still aware of wasn’t just due to hearing that Jack had been singing her praises. Harriet was proud of herself. Proud of her leg standing up to the challenge and of overcoming her fears enough to challenge herself that much.

‘I just wish someone had got a photo of that.’

Harriet laughed. ‘Maybe I should have fished my new camera out and taken a selfie halfway down the cliff.’

‘Oh, my God...’ Sam’s jaw dropped.

‘What?’

‘I’ve just had the most brilliant idea.’

‘What’s that?’

‘That could be your contribution to the team—until you’re ready for the whole deal. You could be our official photographer.’

‘No...’ The suggestion made Harriet cringe more than a little. ‘That would be like going on a ride-along in an ambulance. Being a thrill seeker who just gets in the way.’

‘Didn’t sound like you got in the way on that ledge. Jack said you were right back in the swing of things, helping with the gear and the splint and everything.’ She was looking thoughtful now. ‘Bet he would have loved a photo of winching that guy up to the chopper.’

A distressed sound made Harriet’s head turn swiftly. May’s pale blue eyes were wide open. And frightened.

‘Oh, where am I?’ Her words were trembling. ‘What’s happened?’

‘It’s okay, May.’ Harriet took hold of her hand and stroked it with her thumb. ‘We’re in X-Ray. You’ve hurt your leg and we need to find out if something’s broken. I’m here with you. You’re safe.’

‘I hurt my leg? How did that happen?’

Sam was looking at her watch. ‘I’ve got to run. My lunch break’s over in two minutes.’

Harriet could see an X-ray technician heading towards them. ‘And it looks like it might be our turn. I’ll call you later.’

‘Yes...do that. I haven’t even asked about the dog yet. Is it true that you’ve sneaked him into your apartment?’

‘Shh...it’s a secret.’

‘Don’t think it’ll stay that way. Kate already knew.’

‘That’s because her great-aunt Alice is letting him out for me when I’m at work. And she and Angus took him out yesterday because they had a day off.’

Sam was on her feet and already heading for the doors of the X-Ray waiting area. ‘Just yell if there’s anything I can do to help. Like taking him for a run.’

‘Thanks, but Jack’s coming to give him a good run on the beach tonight. It’s all good.’

‘We’re going to the beach?’ May sounded thoroughly confused now. ‘I don’t mean to be rude, dear, but I don’t like sand.’

Harriet smiled, standing on the pedal to release the lock on May’s bed. ‘Don’t worry, May. Not you. It’s Harry the dog who’s going to the beach.’

She could see that she’d confused her elderly patient even more now but fortunately she didn’t have to explain the odd coincidence of having the same name as the dog. The X-ray technician was holding May’s hand to check her ID bracelet.

‘Just the person we’ve been waiting for.’ His smile was cheeky. ‘Are you ready for your photoshoot, Mrs Greene? You look like you’re ready to start your modelling career.’

May perked up and seemed to become far more aware of her surroundings. Was she actually batting her eyelashes?

‘I like that young man,’ she whispered to Harriet as he went ahead to open the doors to the X-ray room.

Harriet grinned. ‘I think he’s a bit young for you, May.’

May tutted. ‘When you’re as old as me, dear, you’ll realise that it doesn’t matter. Age is just a number.’

Harriet was still smiling as she pulled on a lead apron so that she could stay close to May and make sure she didn’t move. She might be determined to get back to her more exciting position in the ICU but moments like these—when you got a glimpse of the personalities within these frail old bodies—were a joy.

* * *

Harry the dog clearly adored the beach.

As soon as he was let off his leash, he ran straight into the surf, barking in excitement. Jack had a moment of alarm when the black head vanished beneath the foam of a breaking wave but then he reappeared to bound out of the water, pausing only to shake himself vigorously before heading back in.

‘I’m tempted to have a swim myself.’

‘Go on, then.’

‘Will you come in, too?’

‘Are you kidding? I’m not in my bathers.’

‘You’re in shorts, same as me. I reckon they’d be pretty much dry by the time we walk back to your apartment.’

‘I only came to watch. And to see how hard it is to walk on the sand. This is the first time I’ve been on a beach since the accident.’

They’d already come through some soft sand after the grassy area with its picnic tables and barbecue areas that separated this small beach from the road that led back to her apartment block.

‘How hard is it?’

Harriet didn’t meet his gaze. ‘The jury’s still out. If you go and have a swim, maybe I’ll take my brace off and see how I go.’ She flashed him a wry smile. ‘That way, you won’t see if I fall flat on my face.’

There was something more than trepidation in that smile. It was more like...embarrassment? About being seen to try something and fail, or was it more than that? Whatever it was, Jack could read the signal.

‘You’re on.’ He kicked off his jandals and stripped off his T-shirt, leaving them beside where Harriet was sitting. Then he strode towards the water, pausing only to pick up a stick of driftwood that looked like something a dog like Harry would love to chase.

He’d been astonished to hear that admission that this was the first time Harriet had been on the beach since her accident. Even during the period that she’d relied on crutches, the distance between here and her apartment would have been manageable.

Everybody knew how much she loved the beach. She hadn’t been a competitive surfer, like Pete, but he’d seen the way her face used to light up when she talked about the thrill of riding waves. And she’d been part of the surfing community. Competition days had been exciting events on her social calendar and she’d been very supportive of Pete’s ambitions.

Maybe that was it. Maybe she’d been avoiding the beach all this time because it reminded her of the man she’d obviously been head over heels in love with. Why hadn’t he thought of that? How insensitive had he been to suggest that she come with him and Harry the dog this evening? Everybody had known how much she’d adored Pete. She’d made light of the breakup of that relationship the other evening but he wasn’t convinced that she was over it that well.

How could she be? She’d been living with the guy, for heaven’s sake. Committed. He’d been crushed enough when she’d rejected his offer of a date. How much more devastating would it be to have the offer of a lifetime commitment thrown back at you? Did you ever really get over that kind of a blow? Enough to trust anyone with your whole heart again?




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