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‘I should have guessed.’ Ally stared into the darkness, her face strained. ‘I should have guessed he might do something like this.’
Sean cursed as the car slewed across the road, turning into the skid and regaining control with admirable skill.
‘Don’t be ridiculous. You’re not clairvoyant.’ His eyes were fixed on the road, his face a mask of concentration as he battled with the awful driving conditions.
‘But I suspected he was depressed.’ Ally sighed and fastened her blonde hair securely, before tugging a woolly hat over her head.
Sean frowned and slowed down as they approached a junction, even though there was no traffic on the roads.
‘Forget it, Ally. You’re not responsible.’
Ally stared at his hard profile. ‘He’ll die of hypothermia if we don’t get to him soon.’
Sean’s mouth tightened and he eased the car up a gear. ‘Well, then, let’s hope we do.’
He pulled in to the car park and yanked on the handbrake, his breathing unsteady as he stared straight ahead. ‘Ally, I want you to wait here.’
Ally glanced at him in surprise. ‘What do you mean?’
‘The weather’s filthy.’ Sean turned to look at her and she saw the lines of strain around his dark eyes. ‘I don’t want you out there on a night like this.’
Her heart stumbled. He must care about her—surely, he must—then her shoulders sagged slightly and she pulled herself together. Of course he didn’t. He’d made that clear enough already. He was just too much of an original male chauvinist to recognise that she was capable of being part of the rescue team.
‘He’s my patient, Sean,’ she said quietly. ‘I have to go.’
She reached for the doorhandle but his hand closed over hers, his fingers biting into her flesh.
‘Dammit, no, Ally!’ His voice was urgent and there was a flash of something that looked like panic in his eyes. ‘I’m asking you not to. It isn’t safe.’
Ally gave him a wry smile. ‘Wasn’t this where we came in?’
He stared at her for a moment and his mouth twisted. ‘I suppose it was.’
‘You admitted you were wrong last time.’
‘Only under duress—because you called me a chauvinist.’ He shook his head and sat back in his seat, his eyes bleak and strained. ‘I’ll never be comfortable with you roaming the mountains on your own.’
‘Because I’m a woman?’
His eyes held hers for a long moment and he shook his head. ‘No. Not just because of that.’
Her heart thumped. ‘Why, then?’
He opened his mouth and closed it again, rubbing his temples with long fingers. ‘Oh, hell! I don’t know. I don’t know what I think any more. I just know I can’t let you do it.’
‘Why not, Sean?’ Her voice was urgent and her eyes begged him to say it. To say that he didn’t want her to go because he cared about her. Loved her.
‘Dammit, Ally!’ He swallowed, emotions chasing each other across his hard, male features. Then he took a deep breath and his eyes searched hers. ‘You know how hard this is for me—’
The door of the car was wrenched open and Jack stood there.
‘Are you two going to sit in here gossiping all night or are you coming?’
Brilliant! Full marks for timing. Ally gritted her teeth and managed to smile at Jack—just.
‘We’re coming. What’s the plan?’ Tearing her eyes away from Sean, Ally swung her legs out of the car and shivered as the freezing air folded itself around her.
Jack gathered the whole team together for a final briefing and Ally tried to concentrate on what was being said and not on the fact that Sean was standing conspicuously close to her.
