Their Christmas Vows
Their Christmas Vows
Margaret McDonagh
Praise for Margaret McDonagh …
‘Margaret McDonagh writes with plenty of warmth, charm and sensitivity.’
—Cataromance on The Italian Doctor’s Bride
‘Complex, believable and nuanced characters bring this tale to life, creating scenes that are unbelievably moving.’
—Romance Reviewed on
A Doctor Worth Waiting For
About the Author
MARGARET MCDONAGH says of herself: ‘I began losing myself in the magical world of books from a very young age, and I always knew that I had to write, pursuing the dream for over twenty years, often with cussed stubbornness in the face of rejection letters! Despite having numerous romance novellas, short stories and serials published, the news that my first “proper book” had been accepted by Harlequin Mills & Boon for their Medical
line brought indescribable joy! Having a passion for learning makes researching an involving pleasure, and I love developing new characters, getting to know them, setting them challenges to overcome. The hardest part is saying goodbye to them, because they become so real to me. And I always fall in love with my heroes! Writing and reading books, keeping in touch with friends, watching sport and meeting the demands of my four-legged companions keeps me well occupied. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I loved writing it.’
www.margaretmcdonagh.com
margaret.mcdonagh@hotmail.co.uk
Look out for Margaret McDonagh’s new novels, in Mills & Boon Presents … in April 2008 andVirgin Midwife, Playboy Doctorin July 2008, available from M&B
and Mills & Boon
Medical
respectively.
Their Christmas Vows
Margaret McDonagh
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To Sheila and Joanne … for giving me this chance and for believing in me
And to the usual suspects for their continued friendship, encouragement and support
Dear Reader,
It was such an honour to be asked to contribute to this Christmas Weddings anthology.
If you are new to Medical
romances and new to my books, then I hope you will enjoy stepping into the fictional world of Strathlochan, around which many of my books are set – on this occasion meeting Frazer and Callie.
Callie has a difficult journey to make, not only due to her frightening brush with illness, but also because the impact of her past experiences makes it hard for her to trust. In Frazer, has she found a man she can believe in? Can she trust him – and herself – and step towards a happy and loving future?
Most of us know of someone whose life has been touched by breast cancer. It makes us all stop and think. And remember the things that are most important … like those special in our lives who give love and support no matter what. I hope I have captured some of those feelings in my story.
Thank you for reading this anthology. I hope you will come back and enjoy more of my books in future. Encouraged by my wonderful editor, I am currently working on some exciting new projects, but I hope to be back in Strathlochan telling Annie’s story very soon.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a new year filled with good health, good friendships and happy-ever-afters.
Best wishes,
Margaret
www.margaretmcdonagh.com
CHAPTER ONE
TODAY was the first day of the rest of her life, and Callie Grogan was determined that nothing would go wrong.
On the cusp of dawn she left her car in the parking area and stood to stare across at the hangar looming adjacent to the building which housed the air ambulance base on the outskirts of town. Streamers of mist whispered low over the icy ground, while frost edged the fences and the bare branches of the trees and bushes around the perimeter. A line of mini-icicles hung off the gutters along the roofline of the single-storey building. Her breath misted the air and she stamped her feet, wishing she had pulled on an extra pair of socks before putting on her boots. As it was, she was wearing thermal underwear, a pair of jogging bottoms and a long-sleeved fleece under her flight suit. Yes, it was winter in Scotland, but she hadn’t expected Strathlochan to be this cold.
A grey, wet November had given way to a December which had brought with it a blast of unexpected cold. Winter had taken a firm grip, with hard frosts, fog, ice and even the threat of early snow. Not ideal conditions for flying, but ones that increased the need for emergency care with an upsurge in accidents and weather-induced incidents.
Under a lowering sky, the hangar doors peeped open, and as she approached the building she could see the engineering crew, who had worked on routine maintenance overnight, preparing the helicopter for the day’s work. When the threat of ice lifted, they would steer it out onto the forecourt, from where they could take off within a couple of minutes of an emergency call coming in.
Callie felt a renewed burst of excitement. She couldn’t wait to begin her shift. After a terrible eighteen months, this was her chance for a whole new life. She was healthy. She’d thrown herself into work, determined to be the best she could possibly be. She was also alone. But that was nothing new. Aside from the brief misjudgement with Ed, she had always been alone. From now on she always would be. It had taken time, she had been at her lowest ebb, but she had put her life back together. Now she planned to make the most of the unexpected opportunity moving to Strathlochan had given her.
She had been working as a paramedic in Glasgow when she had learned of the new air ambulance base opening further south, and she had lost no time in applying for a position. Having completed her additional training and safety courses to work on the helicopter, she had imagined she would have to spend time on the road ambulances before a vacancy became available. The news that she was top of the list and headed for the flight team straight away had delighted her. Until she had arrived in town and heard all about the playboy doctor who was to be her flight partner. Frazer McInnes.
Callie had been in Strathlochan for a week now. A week that had thankfully coincided with Dr McInnes’s holiday. A week which had been full of learning, orientation and finding her feet. Several times she had been out on flights as an observer. She had spent time with the land ambulance crews, whose base was combined with that of the fire rescue service and was situated a few hundred yards along the road from the air base, with easy access to the town and the motorway. After learning her way around the area with them, she’d visited the hospital, especially the A and E department, familiarising herself with the layout so she would be prepared when delivering a casualty for urgent treatment.
She had known what a long and fine tradition the Scottish ambulance service had in providing medical air cover throughout the country, both to the mainland and the islands, with helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. How the new air ambulance base in Strathlochan had come into being was something she had discovered from her new boss, Dr Archie Stewart, during their first detailed briefing.
‘The publicity surrounding Sir Morrison Ackerman’s funding of the new self-harm and eating disorders clinic near the town sparked local campaigns for further investment in Strathlochan’s medical facilities,’ Archie had explained. ‘Strathlochan has grown immensely over the years, and serves a large rural population scattered over a vast area, not to mention the busy motorway, road and rail links that pass through. The region is on the edge of the existing air services, which means having a helicopter based here significantly cuts down response times. It has been running for six months now, and has paid for itself time and again, saving umpteen lives.’ Archie Stewart’s pride in the achievement of his staff had been evident. ‘Our operation is affiliated to, yet separate and run slightly differently from, the main air service in the rest of Scotland. We have our own shift patterns and we’re crewed along the lines of the successful HEMS unit in London, with a pilot and a flight trauma doctor teamed with a specially trained flight paramedic.’
Callie had learned that there were three full-time crews who worked three days on, three nights on and then had three days off—night work and bad weather seeing crews using the all-terrain road vehicle rather than the helicopter. There was a relief crew, and individual relief staff, who filled in for holidays, illness and emergencies.
‘The helicopter can fly at night, but landings are dangerous if the pilot cannot see obstacles, cables and so on, so we tend to avoid it unless absolutely necessary,’ Archie had explained. A smile had creased his weathered face. ‘You’ll find we’re a good team here—like a second family … We work together, watch out for each other, socialise together. You’re a part of that now, Callie.’
A second family. Except she didn’t even have a first family. She never had done. Having always been alone, on the outside looking in, this was a chance to experience what it was like to belong. If only she could let down some of her protective barriers. That was easier said than done—especially after Ed, and all she had been through these last months—but she knew she needed to try and be more social, to make an effort to fit in to her new home in Strathlochan. So she had gone out one evening last week, enjoying a drink with her new workmates and meeting up with colleagues from the hospital and other emergency services at their favourite hangout, the Strathlochan Arms. The banter had been friendly, the welcome warm.
Despite her wariness with people, she had particularly bonded with Annie Webster, one of the A and E doctors. It gave Callie hope that she had been right to come here, putting her troubled past behind her. However, the gossip about Frazer McInnes, the doctor Archie had paired her with, worried her. One hungry-looking casualty nurse had been outspoken on her views of the alleged romeo, but her unsubtle comments about Frazer’s supposed prowess and love-them-and-leave-them lifestyle had made Annie roll her eyes in distaste.
‘Take no notice of Olivia and her claimed conquests, Callie. She has her eye on every man around here under sixty, but that doesn’t mean they return her interest. Frazer may be one of Strathlochan’s most sought-after bachelors, and he certainly enjoys a good time, but he’s a lovely guy. He’s also a great doctor,’ Annie had reassured her.
At least, Callie assumed the words had been meant as reassuring. They just hadn’t entirely had that effect. Everything she had heard about Frazer McInnes made her nervous and brought fresh waves of doubt. But she would keep up her guard and reserve judgement until she met him. And today was the day. All her struggles and preparations had led her here, to the moment she would begin her exciting, long-dreamed-of new job as flight paramedic, when all the extra training and hard work she had done would pay off. Professionally. Personally she still had a very long way to go.
Hesitating outside the entrance, she twisted the narrow gold band on her ring finger before sliding it off and fixing it to a chain around her neck, out of the way for work. She didn’t like what it said about her, the fact that she was insecure enough to wear it, using it as an emotional shield, a protective screen. She’d hoped she had come further than that these last eighteen months. Apparently not. A shiver—one that had nothing to do with the cold—rippled down her spine.
Hearing noises in the hangar, she pulled herself together and sucked in a steadying breath, trying to calm the nerves that were rampaging inside her. Time to head inside and prepare for her first proper shift. And face her first meeting with the man who would be her work partner for the foreseeable future.
Dr Frazer McInnes jogged across the frosty car park towards the base, his Border terrier, Hamish, trotting at his heels. If the forecast was to be believed—and from the icy blast that had greeted him this morning it was—he had arrived back in Strathlochan after ten days in Perthshire, climbing Monroes with friends, just in time. He loved this time of year—the run up to Christmas, the festive spirit, the parties, the fun—but it also brought a lot of hard work, and the extra-harsh weather this December was a warning that there could be even more problems than usual ahead of them. Not that hard work bothered him.
He loved it. Loved what he did. The buzz of being a flight doctor, of never knowing what was going to happen next, always brought a burst of adrenalin. It was what everyone said about him—that he worked hard and played hard. As far as he was concerned life was for living, and he always planned to live it to the fullest.
The holiday had been great, but he had a smile on his face as he pushed through the door, anticipation at being back with the team and getting on with the job bubbling inside him. Hearing chat and laughter coming from along the corridor, he stowed his belongings in his locker and then made his way to the crew room, where the team going off-shift were preparing to hand over to his own before heading for home. He paused for a moment, soaking up the atmosphere, sketching a wave to his pilot, Craig Dalglish, who was helping himself to a mug of coffee in the refreshment area which housed food and drink supplies, a fridge-freezer and a microwave. The rest of the large but comfortable room was filled with easy chairs, sofa, tables, a work space, a small pool table, a piano, shelves of books and a TV with assorted DVDs.
As Hamish, unofficial base mascot, made himself the centre of attention and reacquainted himself with his adoring public, Frazer glanced around the room, his smile broadening as he spied his quarry. In her forties, married with two teenage boys, Mel Watson was his friend and colleague. They had a great working relationship and were always playing pranks on each other. In fact, he owed her for that last practical joke before his holiday, and with her rear end pointing straight at him as she bent over to reach something, he’d been gifted with the perfect opportunity to get his own back. It was way too much temptation to resist.
Silently, he moved up behind her and teasingly fondled her shapely curves. For a millisecond unease nudged his brain that the delectable feminine form beneath his hands wasn’t as familiar as it should have been. The next moment …
Bam!
The blow caught him unprepared. Delivered with surprising force and accuracy, it drove all the air from his lungs and dropped him like a sack of potatoes. Stunned, he landed on his backside, a grunt of shock escaping as he sprawled unceremoniously on the floor. His assailant—not Mel, he registered now it was far too late—spun round and glared at him, fists clenched at her sides, her feet planted hip-width apart as if readying for battle. Wow! If he had managed to regain any breath at all, he would have lost it all again just looking at the unknown woman. In her late twenties, she couldn’t be more than five feet four, and that was being generous, so how on earth could her legs possibly seem to go on for ever? The yellow Nomex flight suit she wore was a good two sizes too big, masking the female shape he had all too briefly felt beneath his hands and swamping her small frame. Short dark brown hair, layered and feathery, framed delicate features, a cute nose and lush, rosy lips, while the most amazing eyes he had ever seen—surely they couldn’t really be purple?—fizzed with fire and fury.
Silence descended on the room for several drawn-out moments. Then his colleagues laughed uproariously at his plight. Their reaction, however, made the woman even more angry, and he regretted the flash of humiliation he could see in her eyes. He’d never do anything to show someone up. This had all been a ghastly mistake. His hand went to the point of pain at his midriff, where her elbow had delivered the killer blow, and he tried to suck some much-needed oxygen back into painfully starved lungs so he could speak.
But she didn’t wait around to concern herself with his apology … or his recovery. Instead, she stepped around him, giving him a wide berth, then marched from the room. It was an impressive march, too, for such a tiny thing. Now he had seen the whole impressive package, he couldn’t understand how he had ever mistaken the stranger for the taller, more robust Mel, who was also a decade or more older than the firebrand who’d just decked him. As he sat there, bemused and bewildered, his friends’ merriment continued at his expense. Only Hamish came to check on his well-being. Thankful for at least one display of loyalty, Frazer scratched the dog behind the ears, his fingers sinking below the harsh outer coat to the softer one below.
‘Trust you to make such a great first impression, Frazer,’ Craig, the pilot on his flight team, tormented him.
‘Yeah, I wish I wasn’t going home,’ Rick Duncan, a paramedic coming off-shift, added with evident enjoyment. ‘I’d love to be around for the fireworks to come. You’ve met your match now, buddy.’
Still winded, Frazer frowned. ‘Who was that?’
‘The new flight paramedic.’
A sick feeling of dread settled inside him at Craig’s grin. ‘Whose?’
‘Yours!’
‘Damnation.’ Groaning, he levered himself up off the floor, his dignity well and truly shot to pieces.
Rick’s smile was distinctly unsympathetic. ‘That’ll teach you. See you guys in three days—if you’re all still alive!’
‘Welcome back, Frazer,’ Craig chuckled as Rick and the others left. He poured a second mug of coffee and handed it over. ‘Here, you’re going to need it. Archie wants to see you.’
Frazer gratefully accepted the caffeine fix, and wondered what their boss, a former flight doctor himself, and now base director, would have to say. ‘Where’s Mel? What’s been going on around here? I’ve only been away ten days.’
‘Archie will explain.’
‘Terrific.’
He took a slug of hot coffee, wincing at the burn on his tongue and down his throat. He had the distinct feeling he was not going to like whatever news was to come … and that the mistake he had just made with the new paramedic was going to return to haunt him. A few moments later he walked along to the office to learn his fate and rapped on the door.
‘Come on in, Frazer,’ Archie called. The older man looked up with a smile, running one hand across his receding hairline. ‘How was the holiday?’
‘Wonderful. But it’s good to be back.’
Archie nodded. ‘Good to have you back. Take a seat.’
‘So what’s the story with Mel?’ he asked, pulling a chair up to his boss’s desk.
‘She’s grounded, Frazer. Health reasons.’
Another dart of shock stabbed him. ‘What? But she just had a touch of flu when I left.’
‘That’s what we all thought.’ Archie shook his head. ‘Turns out Mel has an inner ear problem. She was poorly for several days, and the medical advice is that she shouldn’t fly again. At least not in the foreseeable future.’
‘Damn. Poor Mel. How is she? What’s she going to do?’
‘She’s philosophical about it—says she was getting a bit long in the tooth to go on.’
‘Rubbish.’ Frazer swore, bringing a grin to his boss’s face. ‘I’ll talk to her.’
His smile fading, Archie watched him a moment. ‘She’ll be delighted to see you, of course. But her mind is made up, Frazer. This has just brought forward her decision, that’s all. Be pleased for her. She’s looking forward to working part-time with a land crew when she feels up to it, and spending more time with John. He’s taking early retirement next year and they have plans.’
‘I see.’
He didn’t. This was all news to him. And it hurt that Mel had never confided in him that she was thinking of taking a back seat. They had formed a close friendship and working partnership these last six months, and Mel had given no sign that things would change.
‘I know it isn’t the situation you expected to come back to,’ Archie said now, shuffling some papers, sympathetic understanding in his hazel eyes. ‘But Callie Grogan joined us a week ago from Glasgow and you’ll be partnering her from now on.’
‘Great,’ he muttered, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. And not just because he had made the worst first impression on his new flight paramedic. He had a nasty feeling his working relationship with Callie was not going to be as smooth and light-hearted as the one he had enjoyed with Mel.
‘She’s good, Frazer. This is her first posting with a flight crew, but she is dedicated, committed and extremely qualified. And she’s taken every additional course available to enhance her all-round skills. Callie topped the shortlist in every way, and her orientation week here impressed us all.’
Frazer tried to concentrate as his boss sang Callie’s praises, but all he could think about were those eyes, and the anger and disdain in them when she had looked at him.
‘Callie’s new to Strathlochan. I want you to take her under your wing, help her settle in.’
He stifled a groan at Archie’s direction, not at all sure that his new charge would welcome his input. ‘I’ll do my best.’ The promise was reluctant and full of misgivings.
‘I’ll have her join us and introduce you—give you a few moments to get acquainted before any calls come in.’ Having sent for Callie, Archie leaned back and continued, ‘We need to keep our wits about us; I have a bad feeling December is going to be a difficult month.’
Just as the office door opened and his new team member stepped in, glancing at him as if he was something she’d scrape off her boots, the emergency alarm sounded, letting them know they had a call-out. Frazer rose to his feet, focusing on Archie, who was taking the sheet of paper that clattered out of the printer with the first basic details of the incident.
‘What do we have, boss?’
‘Three-car pile-up on the motorway. Northbound, ten miles south of us. Off you go. We’ll have our welcome chat and briefing later on.’
Frazer caught up with Callie in the supply room, where their emergency packs and drugs were stored. He grabbed his pack, pausing to smile at her and see if she needed any assistance, only to be met with an expression of cold indifference. Gee, welcome back. Scowling, he followed as Callie turned away from him and ran for the hangar. So much for the festive season, peace and goodwill to all men. Yeah, right!
The yellow helicopter was being rolled from the hangar, the icy conditions still treacherous outside. Craig was already aboard, doing his pre-flight checks, and Frazer moved up beside Callie as they waited for the all-clear to join him.
‘Everything OK?’ he asked, attempting another conciliatory smile, concerned she might be nervous about her first official flight.
Callie glanced at him with an expression as chill as the wintry weather. ‘Fine.’
‘Look, Callie, we started off on the wrong foot. I made a mistake. I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else.’
He paused, filled with the sense that he was digging himself deeper into a hole. Not a flicker of interest or thawing showed in eyes that were the most unusual colour he had ever seen. They really were a true purple. He frowned, trying to reject an unexpected surge of attraction and get himself back on track. This apology apparently wasn’t working. Disconcerted, he was unable to remember a time when he had not been able to talk a woman round.
‘What’s the matter?’ she snapped at him, and he realised he had been staring.
‘Nothing.’ He gave himself a mental shake, drawn back to reality as the technicians cleared the aircraft and one of the guys opened the door for them. ‘I’ve just never met anyone with such amazing eyes.’
‘Oh, please. You don’t really find that kind of line works, do you?’
‘It wasn’t a line,’ he protested, cut by her scorn.
‘Shall we get on, Dr McInnes?’
Out of sorts, Frazer followed as Callie moved forward. Instinctively, he went to help her, but she batted his hands away.
‘I’m quite capable, thank you. I don’t need you pawing me.’
‘I wasn’t!’
She swung to face him, cold anger evident. ‘Let’s get something straight. Keep your hands and your corny chat-up lines to yourself and we’ll get on with our work just fine.’
Simmering at the injustice of it, Frazer tried to ignore her as they took their places. The helicopter came to life with a characteristic whine, the rotor blades picking up speed, and he had to focus on the emergency call that lay ahead. But he had a sinking feeling that being partnered with feisty, prickly and intriguingly attractive Callie Grogan was never going to work.
CHAPTER TWO
‘HELI-Med Echo-Two-Seven, clear to go.’
Craig’s voice, confirming take-off and their course to the map reference of the accident site, sounded through her earpiece as Callie strapped herself into her seat on board the helicopter and put on her helmet. She tested to ensure her microphone was functional. In flight it was noisy, and they needed the system to communicate with each other and the ground. The helicopter was new and state-of-the-art, complete with a comprehensive medical bulkhead with everything they would need to hand. There was also more internal space, so they could work on the patient during a flight and give them whatever treatment and monitoring was necessary. Callie forced herself to concentrate on double-checking equipment and supplies—anything but think about wretched Frazer McInnes, who had turned out to be every bit as bad as she’d expected.
‘Frazer might look like a playboy, he might evenact like one sometimes, but I’ve never met a better doctor or a more loyal friend. There is no one else I would rather have on my side if I was injured, ill or in a tight spot.’
Quite an endorsement, Callie recalled, and she didn’t imagine Archie Stewart suffered fools gladly. But her own impressions of Frazer had confirmed all her worst fears about the man. Wicked. That was the first word that had come to mind when she had looked at him and been subjected to that practised, lethal smile. It was a smile that promised every kind of sensual sin and carved twin dimples in his lean cheeks. There was no doubt about it. By any standard Frazer was stunningly, impossibly gorgeous. He oozed charm and the kind of smouldering sexuality that made female knees weaken at fifty paces. His hair was cut short, the thick, lustrous strands having a silky black sheen, while the mischievous gleam in eyes the colour of melted dark chocolate was dangerous to any woman’s well-being. She didn’t even want to think about his mouth, or what those perfectly shaped mobile lips could do to a woman, how they would feel, how he would kiss, how … Stop it!
Callie was furious with the man. But she was even more furious with herself and her own inexplicable reaction to him. Those few heart-stopping moments when the unknown masculine hands had touched her had fired a shocking response through her body, stirring things—deep, surprising, scary things—she had not felt before. How could that be? Not only was the man a stranger, and reputed to go through women the way other people went through hot dinners, but she had assumed herself resistant, uninterested, immune. It must have been the surprise of the moment that had made her pulse race like a mad thing and caused an ache to knot low inside her, Callie reassured herself. Any other explanation was impossible—and far too frightening to consider.
‘ETA one minute,’ Craig informed them, drawing her from her disturbing thoughts.
An unwanted tingle raised the hairs on the back on her neck when Frazer’s throaty voice responded. ‘Any update on casualties?’ he asked, and she sneaked a glance at him. How could he sound sexy just asking a simple work-related question?
‘There are four reported, one with serious injuries.’ Craig paused a moment as he flew over the scene of the crash and looked for a safe place to land, bringing the aircraft down on the area of carriageway that had been cordoned off for them as close as possible to the site. ‘The fire service are cutting out a middle-aged woman now. You’re needed there.’
As the helicopter landed, Callie unstrapped herself and grabbed her pack, feeling a rush of adrenalin spill through her veins as she faced her very first call. Too bad it had to be in the company of Frazer McInnes, she groused to herself, following close on his heels as he ran towards the tangled wreckage. Her new boots, protected with steel toecaps and ankle supports, still felt cumbersome, while the full pack she carried was heavy, but she kept up as they were directed by a waiting policeman towards the worst of the injured. The other, less serious casualties, were already being assessed and taken to hospital by road.
‘Hello, Rory, what do we have?’ Frazer enquired as they came to a halt beside the mangled remains of a car.
‘Hi, Doc,’ the paramedic on scene greeted him, giving basic details of the patient and her condition, while his partner, Tim, remained in the car to monitor her as the firefighters worked. ‘Her name is Barbara Allen, fifty-one years old. We have a neck collar on her as a precaution and she’s receiving oxygen. She’s conscious, but having difficulty talking and breathing, and she’s complaining of chest pains. No head injury, and as far as we can tell her legs are clear. The problem was the buckling, and the way the steering column caved in to her chest and abdomen.’
Fearing internal injuries, Callie set out their packs and readied herself, waiting for their casualty to be freed. Another few moments and the firefighters had gently and skilfully removed the woman from her car, a backboard in place as a precaution. Frazer knelt opposite her, speaking reassuringly as he carried out his preliminary assessment.
‘Can you hear me, Barbara? My name’s Frazer, I’m a doctor, and this is Callie, a paramedic. I know you are scared, and in pain, but we’re going to do all we can to make you more comfortable and get you off to hospital,’ he told her, his voice calm, instilling confidence. Callie held Barbara’s hand, feeling the slight squeeze of her fingers as Frazer continued. ‘Are you hurting anywhere else but your chest, Barbara? Any pain in your tummy?’
‘No.’ The response was weak, and plainly the woman was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Callie smiled at Rory as the other paramedic took over monitoring the oxygen flow and saturation, replacing the mask over Barbara’s face, leaving Callie free to carry out her own observations and do what needed to be done.
‘Airway is clear, saturation ninety-two per cent on oxygen, respirations twenty-one, pulse one-twenty, blood pressure one-ten over seventy-five, pupils even and reactive to light,’ she informed Frazer when he had finished listening to the patient’s chest.
‘Unequal air entry,’ he reported with a frown. ‘Her left lung sounds clear, but she has broken ribs on the right and her right lung is hyper-resonant, no breath sounds.’
‘Pneumothorax?’
Frazer nodded, sparing her a glance from those rich dark eyes—one that might have been brief but still had the effect of a physical touch, sending a prickle of unwanted awareness along her spine.
‘Let’s get to work.’
Callie was thankful to snap herself out of her moment of madness and follow Frazer’s decree.
Impressed by Callie’s quiet efficiency, Frazer noted that she had already inserted one large-bore cannula and was running the colloid infusion he had requested before obtaining a second IV access. He gave the order for analgesia, confirming the correct dosage before it was administered. While he prepared to decompress the pneumothorax, giving local anaesthetic to ease the patient’s distress, Callie spoke quietly to Barbara, reassuring her.
When he was ready to proceed, Callie had a sixteen-gauge cannula waiting for him, and he felt for the intercostal space between the second and third ribs in the mid-clavicular line before inserting it, satisfied when he heard the hiss of gas as he withdrew the needle. Tape was prepared for him without the need to ask, along with all he required to insert a chest drain on the affected side. He made the incision above the sixth rib and spread the tissues down to the pleural space. After puncturing the pleura with artery forceps, he felt with a gloved finger to make sure the passage was clear before inserting the drain, connecting it to the seal and securing it in place. Taking his stethoscope, he listened again to his patient’s chest and nodded.
‘OK, I’m done. Everything set?’ At Callie’s confirmation, and after another run-down of Barbara’s obs, they began packing up and readied their patient for transfer. ‘Let’s get you off to hospital, Barbara.’
Willing hands aided them as they hurried the stretcher back to the helicopter, where Craig was waiting, and Frazer thanked paramedics Rory and Tim for their valuable help. Once on board, he was impressed with the way Callie held Barbara’s hand, her gaze alert as she constantly checked the monitors for any change in observation readings or condition, while still finding time to spare some reassuring words.
Thankfully it was a short flight to Strathlochan Hospital, and within minutes they were wheeling the stretcher into A and E to be met by Will Brown, one of the duty doctors, who whisked the injured woman straight into Resus, where the waiting team set to work.
Conscious of Callie’s presence beside him, the faint hint of her sexy coconut scent teasing him, he stepped away, disturbed by his awareness. Forcing himself to concentrate, Frazer gave full details of the treatment given and the state of Barbara’s condition at the scene of the accident and on the journey.
‘Good job, Callie.’ He smiled at her as they wheeled their stretcher back to the helicopter, keeping his praise understated as he sensed her unease now the emergency situation was over. ‘Thank you—you did well out there.’
A brief nod was her only response before she climbed aboard and strapped herself back in. Frazer sighed. He had been pleasantly surprised at finding Callie calm, knowledgeable and efficient, not to mention caring of their patient. She might look as if a gust of wind would knock her over, but she had shown surprising physical strength, and mentally she appeared as tough as nails. And not remotely ready to forgive him. Clearly things were not going to run smoothly with the rest of their working relationship, and he would have a job on his hands to mend fences and make up for their unfortunate start.
They had hardly arrived back at base, taking time to restock the emergency packs, check the drugs and fill in the required paperwork, before they were called out again. It set the pattern for the rest of the day. They had a rushed lunch on the run, and there wasn’t even time for their chat with Archie Stewart.
The freezing weather had brought with it an upsurge in road traffic collisions, as well as other incidents, and on top of these there was a call-out to a woman suffering a heart attack, and to a teenager at an outlying farm whose GP, Conor Anderson, had diagnosed a burst appendix and who needed to get to hospital as swiftly as possible for an urgent operation.
Now they were on their way back to Strathlochan after their last job of the day: transferring a patient with a nasty head injury to the neurological unit in Glasgow. His condition had given cause for concern on the flight, and Frazer had been relieved to have Callie’s expert help before they handed the patient over to the specialist team who would care for him.
Frazer glanced across at Callie, her eyes closed as she relaxed on the flight home. Throughout an inordinately busy day he had kept a surreptitious eye on his new partner, finding himself more and more intrigued by all her contradictions as time went on. He had discovered that Callie was most comfortable when she was occupied in her role as paramedic. Her unease was only apparent in personal situations. While she projected most of the chill onto him, she was reserved with everyone outside a work setting, and unwilling and awkward when asked questions about herself. Yet she was warm and friendly to patients and any colleagues working with her. Once the incident was over she closed in on herself again. Interesting. He sensed there was much beneath the surface that Callie was hiding from the world.
Given their disastrous start, Frazer had expected working with Callie to be torturous. But nothing proved further from the truth. He’d rarely had to ask for anything. Callie was an amazingly competent paramedic and seemingly unflappable. He was stunned at how quickly she seemed to anticipate everything he needed, from equipment to medications. It was as if she was inside his head, interpreting his thoughts before he’d even registered them. Whatever difficulties they had getting along on a personal level, they’d made a uniquely special team on the job—something that usually took weeks or months to build. He’d never worked with anyone so attuned to him … and certainly not in the space of a day. Which was a bit scary, too.
He was thinking far, far too much about Callie Grogan.
It was dark by the time they came to land at the base in Strathlochan, and the temperature was dropping even further, signalling another icy night to come. While Craig did his own checks of the aircraft, and talked to the technicians who would work on it overnight, Frazer accompanied Callie to the supply room, restocking the packs and checking the drugs, making sure all was in order for the crew who would be taking over from them.
‘Tired?’ Frazer asked, looking up with an understanding smile as she stifled a yawn.
‘A bit.’ She’d gone all stiff and awkward with him again, he noted. ‘I enjoy the work, though.’
Frazer nodded, filling in an incident report form, watching her out of the corner of his eye. ‘I can see that. You were excellent today.’
‘Thanks.’ Was that a faint tinge of colour staining her cheeks at his approval?
‘Fancy coming out for a drink?’ he asked casually, hoping to end the day on a lighter and more friendly note after the unfortunate way it had begun. ‘We’re going to be working closely together, and it’s been so busy today we haven’t had a chance to get to know each other.’
The minuscule hint of warmth she had shown was replaced with wariness, her whole body tensing, dark shadows forming in those incredible purple eyes. ‘No, thanks.’
‘Callie, I really want to make amends for earlier.’ He tried another smile, but she moved towards the door, putting distance between them.
‘I have other things to do.’
He watched as she took a ring off the chain around her neck and slipped it on her finger. Frazer stared at the simple gold band, confused at the feelings churning inside him. ‘You’re married?’ The question popped out, and he cursed the tell-tale shock in his voice.
‘Mmm.’
‘I didn’t realise.’ That wasn’t a sickening sense of disappointment chilling him. No way. He didn’t even know her—didn’t like her. She was prickly and difficult. No, he wasn’t interested in Callie Grogan in any way other than establishing a comfortable working relationship.
‘What’s the matter? Afraid my husband will be upset when he hears about the way you “introduced” yourself this morning?’
His jaw tightened at the mocking sarcasm in her voice. ‘No.’
‘I don’t imagine disgruntled husbands are entirely new to you.’
‘What the hell does that mean?’ he gritted, banking down a flare of anger.
She gave a dismissive shrug. ‘In the short time I’ve been here, everyone has seemed intent on filling me in on your legendary reputation … Apparently they can’t see how uninteresting that is. Excuse me. I have a home to go to.’
And a husband waiting for her to get there. Frazer wanted to growl out loud. That or throw something. Bloody woman. She’d got under his skin. Not in a good way, but like an annoying, persistent grass seed, worming its way into his flesh, irritating him and resisting all efforts to remove it. He’d always laughed off his exaggerated reputation, but the scathing way Callie had looked at him had stung. He wasn’t the kind of man she thought he was. Damned if he knew why it should matter what she thought of him, but it did. And that made him madder than ever.
Hamish nuzzled against him, and Frazer scratched the loyal little dog behind the ears. At least he could count on somebody. To hell with Callie Grogan. She was nothing to him. It was a bonus that they worked well together, but it was clear that any friendship or understanding beyond that was never going to happen. So be it. If that was the way she wanted things, it was fine with him. He wouldn’t give the infuriating woman another thought.
A low woof drew him from his reverie.
‘You’re right, Hamish. Life is too short. Let’s get out of here and have some fun.’
The dog trotting at his heels, he went to complete the hand-over to the shift coming on for the night, left a pile of paperwork on Archie’s desk and, after phoning the hospital to check on the condition of the casualties they had seen that day, feeling pleased all were stable, went to collect his things before heading for home. He’d pick up some flowers and pay a visit to the one woman who always gave him a warm welcome. His grandmother, Lily. The decision made, he slipped out his cellphone and pressed the key for one of the few numbers he had on speed dial.
‘Hi, sweetheart, it’s me,’ he greeted, smiling at the sound of the familiar voice.
‘How’s my favourite woman? No, I’m leaving now. I thought I’d pick something up and spend the evening with you. Of course! You know I’d do anything for you! See you soon.’
Frazer’s sexy voice and intimate words rang in Callie’s ears. She ducked back into the female locker room, cursing herself for eavesdropping, even if it had been accidental. And to think she had considered apologising for turning down Frazer’s invitation. It hadn’t taken him long to line up another date for the evening with one of his many women, had it? How foolish of her to ever think he had been sincere, genuine. Collecting her things, thankful to avoid seeing him again, she made her escape, fretting all the way home to the small house she had rented in town.
She’d baited Frazer on purpose, and even though she was annoyed at the way he had reacted, turning swiftly to one of his women, she now felt bad about her own actions. Mostly because her reasoning was so skewed. She’d been scared of weakening, so she had deliberately created more of a barrier between them—just as she had used her wedding ring as an emotional shield, slipping it back on her finger in front of Frazer as a statement. It certainly wasn’t because she wanted any reminder of feckless, uncaring Ed, the man who had done a runner after a few months of marriage, rejecting her the moment things had become remotely tough. A cynical smile twisted her lips as she thought of the vows they had made at the register office. For better or worse, in sickness and in health. Yeah, right. Bastard.
Once home, she felt the tension of the day drain out of her. She was exhausted—they had been manically busy—and yet the exhilaration of the job was everything she had imagined it would be. The buzz, the adrenalin rush, never knowing what was going to happen next. If only it was all like that, with none of the difficult moments with Frazer in between, or Craig and the others asking questions about her that she didn’t want to answer.
Eyes watched her as she flopped down on the sofa.
‘You want to know about my day?’ she asked of her silent audience, thankful to have someone with whom she could let off steam. ‘I made an idiot of myself. The work part was good, though. More than good. I loved it. But meeting Frazer McInnes was an experience I’ll never forget.’
Frazer. Just thinking about him brought a mix of unsettling sensations. She could still remember the feel of his hands on her for those brief moments, the awareness that had rippled through her, the needy response of her body. It had shocked her. The last thing she had expected was to be attracted to him. And however much she wished to deny it—and she would never admit it to another living soul—Frazer was the most deliciously sexy man she had ever met. No wonder he had women falling over themselves to catch his attention. That brought a return of her scowl as she wondered who he was with that night, who had filled the gap after she had turned down a drink with him. Not that she was interested.
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Margaret McDonagh
Praise for Margaret McDonagh …
‘Margaret McDonagh writes with plenty of warmth, charm and sensitivity.’
—Cataromance on The Italian Doctor’s Bride
‘Complex, believable and nuanced characters bring this tale to life, creating scenes that are unbelievably moving.’
—Romance Reviewed on
A Doctor Worth Waiting For
About the Author
MARGARET MCDONAGH says of herself: ‘I began losing myself in the magical world of books from a very young age, and I always knew that I had to write, pursuing the dream for over twenty years, often with cussed stubbornness in the face of rejection letters! Despite having numerous romance novellas, short stories and serials published, the news that my first “proper book” had been accepted by Harlequin Mills & Boon for their Medical
line brought indescribable joy! Having a passion for learning makes researching an involving pleasure, and I love developing new characters, getting to know them, setting them challenges to overcome. The hardest part is saying goodbye to them, because they become so real to me. And I always fall in love with my heroes! Writing and reading books, keeping in touch with friends, watching sport and meeting the demands of my four-legged companions keeps me well occupied. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I loved writing it.’
www.margaretmcdonagh.com
margaret.mcdonagh@hotmail.co.uk
Look out for Margaret McDonagh’s new novels, in Mills & Boon Presents … in April 2008 andVirgin Midwife, Playboy Doctorin July 2008, available from M&B
and Mills & Boon
Medical
respectively.
Their Christmas Vows
Margaret McDonagh
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To Sheila and Joanne … for giving me this chance and for believing in me
And to the usual suspects for their continued friendship, encouragement and support
Dear Reader,
It was such an honour to be asked to contribute to this Christmas Weddings anthology.
If you are new to Medical
romances and new to my books, then I hope you will enjoy stepping into the fictional world of Strathlochan, around which many of my books are set – on this occasion meeting Frazer and Callie.
Callie has a difficult journey to make, not only due to her frightening brush with illness, but also because the impact of her past experiences makes it hard for her to trust. In Frazer, has she found a man she can believe in? Can she trust him – and herself – and step towards a happy and loving future?
Most of us know of someone whose life has been touched by breast cancer. It makes us all stop and think. And remember the things that are most important … like those special in our lives who give love and support no matter what. I hope I have captured some of those feelings in my story.
Thank you for reading this anthology. I hope you will come back and enjoy more of my books in future. Encouraged by my wonderful editor, I am currently working on some exciting new projects, but I hope to be back in Strathlochan telling Annie’s story very soon.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a new year filled with good health, good friendships and happy-ever-afters.
Best wishes,
Margaret
www.margaretmcdonagh.com
CHAPTER ONE
TODAY was the first day of the rest of her life, and Callie Grogan was determined that nothing would go wrong.
On the cusp of dawn she left her car in the parking area and stood to stare across at the hangar looming adjacent to the building which housed the air ambulance base on the outskirts of town. Streamers of mist whispered low over the icy ground, while frost edged the fences and the bare branches of the trees and bushes around the perimeter. A line of mini-icicles hung off the gutters along the roofline of the single-storey building. Her breath misted the air and she stamped her feet, wishing she had pulled on an extra pair of socks before putting on her boots. As it was, she was wearing thermal underwear, a pair of jogging bottoms and a long-sleeved fleece under her flight suit. Yes, it was winter in Scotland, but she hadn’t expected Strathlochan to be this cold.
A grey, wet November had given way to a December which had brought with it a blast of unexpected cold. Winter had taken a firm grip, with hard frosts, fog, ice and even the threat of early snow. Not ideal conditions for flying, but ones that increased the need for emergency care with an upsurge in accidents and weather-induced incidents.
Under a lowering sky, the hangar doors peeped open, and as she approached the building she could see the engineering crew, who had worked on routine maintenance overnight, preparing the helicopter for the day’s work. When the threat of ice lifted, they would steer it out onto the forecourt, from where they could take off within a couple of minutes of an emergency call coming in.
Callie felt a renewed burst of excitement. She couldn’t wait to begin her shift. After a terrible eighteen months, this was her chance for a whole new life. She was healthy. She’d thrown herself into work, determined to be the best she could possibly be. She was also alone. But that was nothing new. Aside from the brief misjudgement with Ed, she had always been alone. From now on she always would be. It had taken time, she had been at her lowest ebb, but she had put her life back together. Now she planned to make the most of the unexpected opportunity moving to Strathlochan had given her.
She had been working as a paramedic in Glasgow when she had learned of the new air ambulance base opening further south, and she had lost no time in applying for a position. Having completed her additional training and safety courses to work on the helicopter, she had imagined she would have to spend time on the road ambulances before a vacancy became available. The news that she was top of the list and headed for the flight team straight away had delighted her. Until she had arrived in town and heard all about the playboy doctor who was to be her flight partner. Frazer McInnes.
Callie had been in Strathlochan for a week now. A week that had thankfully coincided with Dr McInnes’s holiday. A week which had been full of learning, orientation and finding her feet. Several times she had been out on flights as an observer. She had spent time with the land ambulance crews, whose base was combined with that of the fire rescue service and was situated a few hundred yards along the road from the air base, with easy access to the town and the motorway. After learning her way around the area with them, she’d visited the hospital, especially the A and E department, familiarising herself with the layout so she would be prepared when delivering a casualty for urgent treatment.
She had known what a long and fine tradition the Scottish ambulance service had in providing medical air cover throughout the country, both to the mainland and the islands, with helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. How the new air ambulance base in Strathlochan had come into being was something she had discovered from her new boss, Dr Archie Stewart, during their first detailed briefing.
‘The publicity surrounding Sir Morrison Ackerman’s funding of the new self-harm and eating disorders clinic near the town sparked local campaigns for further investment in Strathlochan’s medical facilities,’ Archie had explained. ‘Strathlochan has grown immensely over the years, and serves a large rural population scattered over a vast area, not to mention the busy motorway, road and rail links that pass through. The region is on the edge of the existing air services, which means having a helicopter based here significantly cuts down response times. It has been running for six months now, and has paid for itself time and again, saving umpteen lives.’ Archie Stewart’s pride in the achievement of his staff had been evident. ‘Our operation is affiliated to, yet separate and run slightly differently from, the main air service in the rest of Scotland. We have our own shift patterns and we’re crewed along the lines of the successful HEMS unit in London, with a pilot and a flight trauma doctor teamed with a specially trained flight paramedic.’
Callie had learned that there were three full-time crews who worked three days on, three nights on and then had three days off—night work and bad weather seeing crews using the all-terrain road vehicle rather than the helicopter. There was a relief crew, and individual relief staff, who filled in for holidays, illness and emergencies.
‘The helicopter can fly at night, but landings are dangerous if the pilot cannot see obstacles, cables and so on, so we tend to avoid it unless absolutely necessary,’ Archie had explained. A smile had creased his weathered face. ‘You’ll find we’re a good team here—like a second family … We work together, watch out for each other, socialise together. You’re a part of that now, Callie.’
A second family. Except she didn’t even have a first family. She never had done. Having always been alone, on the outside looking in, this was a chance to experience what it was like to belong. If only she could let down some of her protective barriers. That was easier said than done—especially after Ed, and all she had been through these last months—but she knew she needed to try and be more social, to make an effort to fit in to her new home in Strathlochan. So she had gone out one evening last week, enjoying a drink with her new workmates and meeting up with colleagues from the hospital and other emergency services at their favourite hangout, the Strathlochan Arms. The banter had been friendly, the welcome warm.
Despite her wariness with people, she had particularly bonded with Annie Webster, one of the A and E doctors. It gave Callie hope that she had been right to come here, putting her troubled past behind her. However, the gossip about Frazer McInnes, the doctor Archie had paired her with, worried her. One hungry-looking casualty nurse had been outspoken on her views of the alleged romeo, but her unsubtle comments about Frazer’s supposed prowess and love-them-and-leave-them lifestyle had made Annie roll her eyes in distaste.
‘Take no notice of Olivia and her claimed conquests, Callie. She has her eye on every man around here under sixty, but that doesn’t mean they return her interest. Frazer may be one of Strathlochan’s most sought-after bachelors, and he certainly enjoys a good time, but he’s a lovely guy. He’s also a great doctor,’ Annie had reassured her.
At least, Callie assumed the words had been meant as reassuring. They just hadn’t entirely had that effect. Everything she had heard about Frazer McInnes made her nervous and brought fresh waves of doubt. But she would keep up her guard and reserve judgement until she met him. And today was the day. All her struggles and preparations had led her here, to the moment she would begin her exciting, long-dreamed-of new job as flight paramedic, when all the extra training and hard work she had done would pay off. Professionally. Personally she still had a very long way to go.
Hesitating outside the entrance, she twisted the narrow gold band on her ring finger before sliding it off and fixing it to a chain around her neck, out of the way for work. She didn’t like what it said about her, the fact that she was insecure enough to wear it, using it as an emotional shield, a protective screen. She’d hoped she had come further than that these last eighteen months. Apparently not. A shiver—one that had nothing to do with the cold—rippled down her spine.
Hearing noises in the hangar, she pulled herself together and sucked in a steadying breath, trying to calm the nerves that were rampaging inside her. Time to head inside and prepare for her first proper shift. And face her first meeting with the man who would be her work partner for the foreseeable future.
Dr Frazer McInnes jogged across the frosty car park towards the base, his Border terrier, Hamish, trotting at his heels. If the forecast was to be believed—and from the icy blast that had greeted him this morning it was—he had arrived back in Strathlochan after ten days in Perthshire, climbing Monroes with friends, just in time. He loved this time of year—the run up to Christmas, the festive spirit, the parties, the fun—but it also brought a lot of hard work, and the extra-harsh weather this December was a warning that there could be even more problems than usual ahead of them. Not that hard work bothered him.
He loved it. Loved what he did. The buzz of being a flight doctor, of never knowing what was going to happen next, always brought a burst of adrenalin. It was what everyone said about him—that he worked hard and played hard. As far as he was concerned life was for living, and he always planned to live it to the fullest.
The holiday had been great, but he had a smile on his face as he pushed through the door, anticipation at being back with the team and getting on with the job bubbling inside him. Hearing chat and laughter coming from along the corridor, he stowed his belongings in his locker and then made his way to the crew room, where the team going off-shift were preparing to hand over to his own before heading for home. He paused for a moment, soaking up the atmosphere, sketching a wave to his pilot, Craig Dalglish, who was helping himself to a mug of coffee in the refreshment area which housed food and drink supplies, a fridge-freezer and a microwave. The rest of the large but comfortable room was filled with easy chairs, sofa, tables, a work space, a small pool table, a piano, shelves of books and a TV with assorted DVDs.
As Hamish, unofficial base mascot, made himself the centre of attention and reacquainted himself with his adoring public, Frazer glanced around the room, his smile broadening as he spied his quarry. In her forties, married with two teenage boys, Mel Watson was his friend and colleague. They had a great working relationship and were always playing pranks on each other. In fact, he owed her for that last practical joke before his holiday, and with her rear end pointing straight at him as she bent over to reach something, he’d been gifted with the perfect opportunity to get his own back. It was way too much temptation to resist.
Silently, he moved up behind her and teasingly fondled her shapely curves. For a millisecond unease nudged his brain that the delectable feminine form beneath his hands wasn’t as familiar as it should have been. The next moment …
Bam!
The blow caught him unprepared. Delivered with surprising force and accuracy, it drove all the air from his lungs and dropped him like a sack of potatoes. Stunned, he landed on his backside, a grunt of shock escaping as he sprawled unceremoniously on the floor. His assailant—not Mel, he registered now it was far too late—spun round and glared at him, fists clenched at her sides, her feet planted hip-width apart as if readying for battle. Wow! If he had managed to regain any breath at all, he would have lost it all again just looking at the unknown woman. In her late twenties, she couldn’t be more than five feet four, and that was being generous, so how on earth could her legs possibly seem to go on for ever? The yellow Nomex flight suit she wore was a good two sizes too big, masking the female shape he had all too briefly felt beneath his hands and swamping her small frame. Short dark brown hair, layered and feathery, framed delicate features, a cute nose and lush, rosy lips, while the most amazing eyes he had ever seen—surely they couldn’t really be purple?—fizzed with fire and fury.
Silence descended on the room for several drawn-out moments. Then his colleagues laughed uproariously at his plight. Their reaction, however, made the woman even more angry, and he regretted the flash of humiliation he could see in her eyes. He’d never do anything to show someone up. This had all been a ghastly mistake. His hand went to the point of pain at his midriff, where her elbow had delivered the killer blow, and he tried to suck some much-needed oxygen back into painfully starved lungs so he could speak.
But she didn’t wait around to concern herself with his apology … or his recovery. Instead, she stepped around him, giving him a wide berth, then marched from the room. It was an impressive march, too, for such a tiny thing. Now he had seen the whole impressive package, he couldn’t understand how he had ever mistaken the stranger for the taller, more robust Mel, who was also a decade or more older than the firebrand who’d just decked him. As he sat there, bemused and bewildered, his friends’ merriment continued at his expense. Only Hamish came to check on his well-being. Thankful for at least one display of loyalty, Frazer scratched the dog behind the ears, his fingers sinking below the harsh outer coat to the softer one below.
‘Trust you to make such a great first impression, Frazer,’ Craig, the pilot on his flight team, tormented him.
‘Yeah, I wish I wasn’t going home,’ Rick Duncan, a paramedic coming off-shift, added with evident enjoyment. ‘I’d love to be around for the fireworks to come. You’ve met your match now, buddy.’
Still winded, Frazer frowned. ‘Who was that?’
‘The new flight paramedic.’
A sick feeling of dread settled inside him at Craig’s grin. ‘Whose?’
‘Yours!’
‘Damnation.’ Groaning, he levered himself up off the floor, his dignity well and truly shot to pieces.
Rick’s smile was distinctly unsympathetic. ‘That’ll teach you. See you guys in three days—if you’re all still alive!’
‘Welcome back, Frazer,’ Craig chuckled as Rick and the others left. He poured a second mug of coffee and handed it over. ‘Here, you’re going to need it. Archie wants to see you.’
Frazer gratefully accepted the caffeine fix, and wondered what their boss, a former flight doctor himself, and now base director, would have to say. ‘Where’s Mel? What’s been going on around here? I’ve only been away ten days.’
‘Archie will explain.’
‘Terrific.’
He took a slug of hot coffee, wincing at the burn on his tongue and down his throat. He had the distinct feeling he was not going to like whatever news was to come … and that the mistake he had just made with the new paramedic was going to return to haunt him. A few moments later he walked along to the office to learn his fate and rapped on the door.
‘Come on in, Frazer,’ Archie called. The older man looked up with a smile, running one hand across his receding hairline. ‘How was the holiday?’
‘Wonderful. But it’s good to be back.’
Archie nodded. ‘Good to have you back. Take a seat.’
‘So what’s the story with Mel?’ he asked, pulling a chair up to his boss’s desk.
‘She’s grounded, Frazer. Health reasons.’
Another dart of shock stabbed him. ‘What? But she just had a touch of flu when I left.’
‘That’s what we all thought.’ Archie shook his head. ‘Turns out Mel has an inner ear problem. She was poorly for several days, and the medical advice is that she shouldn’t fly again. At least not in the foreseeable future.’
‘Damn. Poor Mel. How is she? What’s she going to do?’
‘She’s philosophical about it—says she was getting a bit long in the tooth to go on.’
‘Rubbish.’ Frazer swore, bringing a grin to his boss’s face. ‘I’ll talk to her.’
His smile fading, Archie watched him a moment. ‘She’ll be delighted to see you, of course. But her mind is made up, Frazer. This has just brought forward her decision, that’s all. Be pleased for her. She’s looking forward to working part-time with a land crew when she feels up to it, and spending more time with John. He’s taking early retirement next year and they have plans.’
‘I see.’
He didn’t. This was all news to him. And it hurt that Mel had never confided in him that she was thinking of taking a back seat. They had formed a close friendship and working partnership these last six months, and Mel had given no sign that things would change.
‘I know it isn’t the situation you expected to come back to,’ Archie said now, shuffling some papers, sympathetic understanding in his hazel eyes. ‘But Callie Grogan joined us a week ago from Glasgow and you’ll be partnering her from now on.’
‘Great,’ he muttered, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. And not just because he had made the worst first impression on his new flight paramedic. He had a nasty feeling his working relationship with Callie was not going to be as smooth and light-hearted as the one he had enjoyed with Mel.
‘She’s good, Frazer. This is her first posting with a flight crew, but she is dedicated, committed and extremely qualified. And she’s taken every additional course available to enhance her all-round skills. Callie topped the shortlist in every way, and her orientation week here impressed us all.’
Frazer tried to concentrate as his boss sang Callie’s praises, but all he could think about were those eyes, and the anger and disdain in them when she had looked at him.
‘Callie’s new to Strathlochan. I want you to take her under your wing, help her settle in.’
He stifled a groan at Archie’s direction, not at all sure that his new charge would welcome his input. ‘I’ll do my best.’ The promise was reluctant and full of misgivings.
‘I’ll have her join us and introduce you—give you a few moments to get acquainted before any calls come in.’ Having sent for Callie, Archie leaned back and continued, ‘We need to keep our wits about us; I have a bad feeling December is going to be a difficult month.’
Just as the office door opened and his new team member stepped in, glancing at him as if he was something she’d scrape off her boots, the emergency alarm sounded, letting them know they had a call-out. Frazer rose to his feet, focusing on Archie, who was taking the sheet of paper that clattered out of the printer with the first basic details of the incident.
‘What do we have, boss?’
‘Three-car pile-up on the motorway. Northbound, ten miles south of us. Off you go. We’ll have our welcome chat and briefing later on.’
Frazer caught up with Callie in the supply room, where their emergency packs and drugs were stored. He grabbed his pack, pausing to smile at her and see if she needed any assistance, only to be met with an expression of cold indifference. Gee, welcome back. Scowling, he followed as Callie turned away from him and ran for the hangar. So much for the festive season, peace and goodwill to all men. Yeah, right!
The yellow helicopter was being rolled from the hangar, the icy conditions still treacherous outside. Craig was already aboard, doing his pre-flight checks, and Frazer moved up beside Callie as they waited for the all-clear to join him.
‘Everything OK?’ he asked, attempting another conciliatory smile, concerned she might be nervous about her first official flight.
Callie glanced at him with an expression as chill as the wintry weather. ‘Fine.’
‘Look, Callie, we started off on the wrong foot. I made a mistake. I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else.’
He paused, filled with the sense that he was digging himself deeper into a hole. Not a flicker of interest or thawing showed in eyes that were the most unusual colour he had ever seen. They really were a true purple. He frowned, trying to reject an unexpected surge of attraction and get himself back on track. This apology apparently wasn’t working. Disconcerted, he was unable to remember a time when he had not been able to talk a woman round.
‘What’s the matter?’ she snapped at him, and he realised he had been staring.
‘Nothing.’ He gave himself a mental shake, drawn back to reality as the technicians cleared the aircraft and one of the guys opened the door for them. ‘I’ve just never met anyone with such amazing eyes.’
‘Oh, please. You don’t really find that kind of line works, do you?’
‘It wasn’t a line,’ he protested, cut by her scorn.
‘Shall we get on, Dr McInnes?’
Out of sorts, Frazer followed as Callie moved forward. Instinctively, he went to help her, but she batted his hands away.
‘I’m quite capable, thank you. I don’t need you pawing me.’
‘I wasn’t!’
She swung to face him, cold anger evident. ‘Let’s get something straight. Keep your hands and your corny chat-up lines to yourself and we’ll get on with our work just fine.’
Simmering at the injustice of it, Frazer tried to ignore her as they took their places. The helicopter came to life with a characteristic whine, the rotor blades picking up speed, and he had to focus on the emergency call that lay ahead. But he had a sinking feeling that being partnered with feisty, prickly and intriguingly attractive Callie Grogan was never going to work.
CHAPTER TWO
‘HELI-Med Echo-Two-Seven, clear to go.’
Craig’s voice, confirming take-off and their course to the map reference of the accident site, sounded through her earpiece as Callie strapped herself into her seat on board the helicopter and put on her helmet. She tested to ensure her microphone was functional. In flight it was noisy, and they needed the system to communicate with each other and the ground. The helicopter was new and state-of-the-art, complete with a comprehensive medical bulkhead with everything they would need to hand. There was also more internal space, so they could work on the patient during a flight and give them whatever treatment and monitoring was necessary. Callie forced herself to concentrate on double-checking equipment and supplies—anything but think about wretched Frazer McInnes, who had turned out to be every bit as bad as she’d expected.
‘Frazer might look like a playboy, he might evenact like one sometimes, but I’ve never met a better doctor or a more loyal friend. There is no one else I would rather have on my side if I was injured, ill or in a tight spot.’
Quite an endorsement, Callie recalled, and she didn’t imagine Archie Stewart suffered fools gladly. But her own impressions of Frazer had confirmed all her worst fears about the man. Wicked. That was the first word that had come to mind when she had looked at him and been subjected to that practised, lethal smile. It was a smile that promised every kind of sensual sin and carved twin dimples in his lean cheeks. There was no doubt about it. By any standard Frazer was stunningly, impossibly gorgeous. He oozed charm and the kind of smouldering sexuality that made female knees weaken at fifty paces. His hair was cut short, the thick, lustrous strands having a silky black sheen, while the mischievous gleam in eyes the colour of melted dark chocolate was dangerous to any woman’s well-being. She didn’t even want to think about his mouth, or what those perfectly shaped mobile lips could do to a woman, how they would feel, how he would kiss, how … Stop it!
Callie was furious with the man. But she was even more furious with herself and her own inexplicable reaction to him. Those few heart-stopping moments when the unknown masculine hands had touched her had fired a shocking response through her body, stirring things—deep, surprising, scary things—she had not felt before. How could that be? Not only was the man a stranger, and reputed to go through women the way other people went through hot dinners, but she had assumed herself resistant, uninterested, immune. It must have been the surprise of the moment that had made her pulse race like a mad thing and caused an ache to knot low inside her, Callie reassured herself. Any other explanation was impossible—and far too frightening to consider.
‘ETA one minute,’ Craig informed them, drawing her from her disturbing thoughts.
An unwanted tingle raised the hairs on the back on her neck when Frazer’s throaty voice responded. ‘Any update on casualties?’ he asked, and she sneaked a glance at him. How could he sound sexy just asking a simple work-related question?
‘There are four reported, one with serious injuries.’ Craig paused a moment as he flew over the scene of the crash and looked for a safe place to land, bringing the aircraft down on the area of carriageway that had been cordoned off for them as close as possible to the site. ‘The fire service are cutting out a middle-aged woman now. You’re needed there.’
As the helicopter landed, Callie unstrapped herself and grabbed her pack, feeling a rush of adrenalin spill through her veins as she faced her very first call. Too bad it had to be in the company of Frazer McInnes, she groused to herself, following close on his heels as he ran towards the tangled wreckage. Her new boots, protected with steel toecaps and ankle supports, still felt cumbersome, while the full pack she carried was heavy, but she kept up as they were directed by a waiting policeman towards the worst of the injured. The other, less serious casualties, were already being assessed and taken to hospital by road.
‘Hello, Rory, what do we have?’ Frazer enquired as they came to a halt beside the mangled remains of a car.
‘Hi, Doc,’ the paramedic on scene greeted him, giving basic details of the patient and her condition, while his partner, Tim, remained in the car to monitor her as the firefighters worked. ‘Her name is Barbara Allen, fifty-one years old. We have a neck collar on her as a precaution and she’s receiving oxygen. She’s conscious, but having difficulty talking and breathing, and she’s complaining of chest pains. No head injury, and as far as we can tell her legs are clear. The problem was the buckling, and the way the steering column caved in to her chest and abdomen.’
Fearing internal injuries, Callie set out their packs and readied herself, waiting for their casualty to be freed. Another few moments and the firefighters had gently and skilfully removed the woman from her car, a backboard in place as a precaution. Frazer knelt opposite her, speaking reassuringly as he carried out his preliminary assessment.
‘Can you hear me, Barbara? My name’s Frazer, I’m a doctor, and this is Callie, a paramedic. I know you are scared, and in pain, but we’re going to do all we can to make you more comfortable and get you off to hospital,’ he told her, his voice calm, instilling confidence. Callie held Barbara’s hand, feeling the slight squeeze of her fingers as Frazer continued. ‘Are you hurting anywhere else but your chest, Barbara? Any pain in your tummy?’
‘No.’ The response was weak, and plainly the woman was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Callie smiled at Rory as the other paramedic took over monitoring the oxygen flow and saturation, replacing the mask over Barbara’s face, leaving Callie free to carry out her own observations and do what needed to be done.
‘Airway is clear, saturation ninety-two per cent on oxygen, respirations twenty-one, pulse one-twenty, blood pressure one-ten over seventy-five, pupils even and reactive to light,’ she informed Frazer when he had finished listening to the patient’s chest.
‘Unequal air entry,’ he reported with a frown. ‘Her left lung sounds clear, but she has broken ribs on the right and her right lung is hyper-resonant, no breath sounds.’
‘Pneumothorax?’
Frazer nodded, sparing her a glance from those rich dark eyes—one that might have been brief but still had the effect of a physical touch, sending a prickle of unwanted awareness along her spine.
‘Let’s get to work.’
Callie was thankful to snap herself out of her moment of madness and follow Frazer’s decree.
Impressed by Callie’s quiet efficiency, Frazer noted that she had already inserted one large-bore cannula and was running the colloid infusion he had requested before obtaining a second IV access. He gave the order for analgesia, confirming the correct dosage before it was administered. While he prepared to decompress the pneumothorax, giving local anaesthetic to ease the patient’s distress, Callie spoke quietly to Barbara, reassuring her.
When he was ready to proceed, Callie had a sixteen-gauge cannula waiting for him, and he felt for the intercostal space between the second and third ribs in the mid-clavicular line before inserting it, satisfied when he heard the hiss of gas as he withdrew the needle. Tape was prepared for him without the need to ask, along with all he required to insert a chest drain on the affected side. He made the incision above the sixth rib and spread the tissues down to the pleural space. After puncturing the pleura with artery forceps, he felt with a gloved finger to make sure the passage was clear before inserting the drain, connecting it to the seal and securing it in place. Taking his stethoscope, he listened again to his patient’s chest and nodded.
‘OK, I’m done. Everything set?’ At Callie’s confirmation, and after another run-down of Barbara’s obs, they began packing up and readied their patient for transfer. ‘Let’s get you off to hospital, Barbara.’
Willing hands aided them as they hurried the stretcher back to the helicopter, where Craig was waiting, and Frazer thanked paramedics Rory and Tim for their valuable help. Once on board, he was impressed with the way Callie held Barbara’s hand, her gaze alert as she constantly checked the monitors for any change in observation readings or condition, while still finding time to spare some reassuring words.
Thankfully it was a short flight to Strathlochan Hospital, and within minutes they were wheeling the stretcher into A and E to be met by Will Brown, one of the duty doctors, who whisked the injured woman straight into Resus, where the waiting team set to work.
Conscious of Callie’s presence beside him, the faint hint of her sexy coconut scent teasing him, he stepped away, disturbed by his awareness. Forcing himself to concentrate, Frazer gave full details of the treatment given and the state of Barbara’s condition at the scene of the accident and on the journey.
‘Good job, Callie.’ He smiled at her as they wheeled their stretcher back to the helicopter, keeping his praise understated as he sensed her unease now the emergency situation was over. ‘Thank you—you did well out there.’
A brief nod was her only response before she climbed aboard and strapped herself back in. Frazer sighed. He had been pleasantly surprised at finding Callie calm, knowledgeable and efficient, not to mention caring of their patient. She might look as if a gust of wind would knock her over, but she had shown surprising physical strength, and mentally she appeared as tough as nails. And not remotely ready to forgive him. Clearly things were not going to run smoothly with the rest of their working relationship, and he would have a job on his hands to mend fences and make up for their unfortunate start.
They had hardly arrived back at base, taking time to restock the emergency packs, check the drugs and fill in the required paperwork, before they were called out again. It set the pattern for the rest of the day. They had a rushed lunch on the run, and there wasn’t even time for their chat with Archie Stewart.
The freezing weather had brought with it an upsurge in road traffic collisions, as well as other incidents, and on top of these there was a call-out to a woman suffering a heart attack, and to a teenager at an outlying farm whose GP, Conor Anderson, had diagnosed a burst appendix and who needed to get to hospital as swiftly as possible for an urgent operation.
Now they were on their way back to Strathlochan after their last job of the day: transferring a patient with a nasty head injury to the neurological unit in Glasgow. His condition had given cause for concern on the flight, and Frazer had been relieved to have Callie’s expert help before they handed the patient over to the specialist team who would care for him.
Frazer glanced across at Callie, her eyes closed as she relaxed on the flight home. Throughout an inordinately busy day he had kept a surreptitious eye on his new partner, finding himself more and more intrigued by all her contradictions as time went on. He had discovered that Callie was most comfortable when she was occupied in her role as paramedic. Her unease was only apparent in personal situations. While she projected most of the chill onto him, she was reserved with everyone outside a work setting, and unwilling and awkward when asked questions about herself. Yet she was warm and friendly to patients and any colleagues working with her. Once the incident was over she closed in on herself again. Interesting. He sensed there was much beneath the surface that Callie was hiding from the world.
Given their disastrous start, Frazer had expected working with Callie to be torturous. But nothing proved further from the truth. He’d rarely had to ask for anything. Callie was an amazingly competent paramedic and seemingly unflappable. He was stunned at how quickly she seemed to anticipate everything he needed, from equipment to medications. It was as if she was inside his head, interpreting his thoughts before he’d even registered them. Whatever difficulties they had getting along on a personal level, they’d made a uniquely special team on the job—something that usually took weeks or months to build. He’d never worked with anyone so attuned to him … and certainly not in the space of a day. Which was a bit scary, too.
He was thinking far, far too much about Callie Grogan.
It was dark by the time they came to land at the base in Strathlochan, and the temperature was dropping even further, signalling another icy night to come. While Craig did his own checks of the aircraft, and talked to the technicians who would work on it overnight, Frazer accompanied Callie to the supply room, restocking the packs and checking the drugs, making sure all was in order for the crew who would be taking over from them.
‘Tired?’ Frazer asked, looking up with an understanding smile as she stifled a yawn.
‘A bit.’ She’d gone all stiff and awkward with him again, he noted. ‘I enjoy the work, though.’
Frazer nodded, filling in an incident report form, watching her out of the corner of his eye. ‘I can see that. You were excellent today.’
‘Thanks.’ Was that a faint tinge of colour staining her cheeks at his approval?
‘Fancy coming out for a drink?’ he asked casually, hoping to end the day on a lighter and more friendly note after the unfortunate way it had begun. ‘We’re going to be working closely together, and it’s been so busy today we haven’t had a chance to get to know each other.’
The minuscule hint of warmth she had shown was replaced with wariness, her whole body tensing, dark shadows forming in those incredible purple eyes. ‘No, thanks.’
‘Callie, I really want to make amends for earlier.’ He tried another smile, but she moved towards the door, putting distance between them.
‘I have other things to do.’
He watched as she took a ring off the chain around her neck and slipped it on her finger. Frazer stared at the simple gold band, confused at the feelings churning inside him. ‘You’re married?’ The question popped out, and he cursed the tell-tale shock in his voice.
‘Mmm.’
‘I didn’t realise.’ That wasn’t a sickening sense of disappointment chilling him. No way. He didn’t even know her—didn’t like her. She was prickly and difficult. No, he wasn’t interested in Callie Grogan in any way other than establishing a comfortable working relationship.
‘What’s the matter? Afraid my husband will be upset when he hears about the way you “introduced” yourself this morning?’
His jaw tightened at the mocking sarcasm in her voice. ‘No.’
‘I don’t imagine disgruntled husbands are entirely new to you.’
‘What the hell does that mean?’ he gritted, banking down a flare of anger.
She gave a dismissive shrug. ‘In the short time I’ve been here, everyone has seemed intent on filling me in on your legendary reputation … Apparently they can’t see how uninteresting that is. Excuse me. I have a home to go to.’
And a husband waiting for her to get there. Frazer wanted to growl out loud. That or throw something. Bloody woman. She’d got under his skin. Not in a good way, but like an annoying, persistent grass seed, worming its way into his flesh, irritating him and resisting all efforts to remove it. He’d always laughed off his exaggerated reputation, but the scathing way Callie had looked at him had stung. He wasn’t the kind of man she thought he was. Damned if he knew why it should matter what she thought of him, but it did. And that made him madder than ever.
Hamish nuzzled against him, and Frazer scratched the loyal little dog behind the ears. At least he could count on somebody. To hell with Callie Grogan. She was nothing to him. It was a bonus that they worked well together, but it was clear that any friendship or understanding beyond that was never going to happen. So be it. If that was the way she wanted things, it was fine with him. He wouldn’t give the infuriating woman another thought.
A low woof drew him from his reverie.
‘You’re right, Hamish. Life is too short. Let’s get out of here and have some fun.’
The dog trotting at his heels, he went to complete the hand-over to the shift coming on for the night, left a pile of paperwork on Archie’s desk and, after phoning the hospital to check on the condition of the casualties they had seen that day, feeling pleased all were stable, went to collect his things before heading for home. He’d pick up some flowers and pay a visit to the one woman who always gave him a warm welcome. His grandmother, Lily. The decision made, he slipped out his cellphone and pressed the key for one of the few numbers he had on speed dial.
‘Hi, sweetheart, it’s me,’ he greeted, smiling at the sound of the familiar voice.
‘How’s my favourite woman? No, I’m leaving now. I thought I’d pick something up and spend the evening with you. Of course! You know I’d do anything for you! See you soon.’
Frazer’s sexy voice and intimate words rang in Callie’s ears. She ducked back into the female locker room, cursing herself for eavesdropping, even if it had been accidental. And to think she had considered apologising for turning down Frazer’s invitation. It hadn’t taken him long to line up another date for the evening with one of his many women, had it? How foolish of her to ever think he had been sincere, genuine. Collecting her things, thankful to avoid seeing him again, she made her escape, fretting all the way home to the small house she had rented in town.
She’d baited Frazer on purpose, and even though she was annoyed at the way he had reacted, turning swiftly to one of his women, she now felt bad about her own actions. Mostly because her reasoning was so skewed. She’d been scared of weakening, so she had deliberately created more of a barrier between them—just as she had used her wedding ring as an emotional shield, slipping it back on her finger in front of Frazer as a statement. It certainly wasn’t because she wanted any reminder of feckless, uncaring Ed, the man who had done a runner after a few months of marriage, rejecting her the moment things had become remotely tough. A cynical smile twisted her lips as she thought of the vows they had made at the register office. For better or worse, in sickness and in health. Yeah, right. Bastard.
Once home, she felt the tension of the day drain out of her. She was exhausted—they had been manically busy—and yet the exhilaration of the job was everything she had imagined it would be. The buzz, the adrenalin rush, never knowing what was going to happen next. If only it was all like that, with none of the difficult moments with Frazer in between, or Craig and the others asking questions about her that she didn’t want to answer.
Eyes watched her as she flopped down on the sofa.
‘You want to know about my day?’ she asked of her silent audience, thankful to have someone with whom she could let off steam. ‘I made an idiot of myself. The work part was good, though. More than good. I loved it. But meeting Frazer McInnes was an experience I’ll never forget.’
Frazer. Just thinking about him brought a mix of unsettling sensations. She could still remember the feel of his hands on her for those brief moments, the awareness that had rippled through her, the needy response of her body. It had shocked her. The last thing she had expected was to be attracted to him. And however much she wished to deny it—and she would never admit it to another living soul—Frazer was the most deliciously sexy man she had ever met. No wonder he had women falling over themselves to catch his attention. That brought a return of her scowl as she wondered who he was with that night, who had filled the gap after she had turned down a drink with him. Not that she was interested.
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Margaret McDonagh
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современная зарубежная литература
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
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О книге: Their Christmas Vows, электронная книга автора Margaret McDonagh на английском языке, в жанре современная зарубежная литература