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‘Bit of a handful, our Andrea, by all accounts.’ Kyla reached for a plate and held it while Ethan removed the prawns from the barbecue.
The tension in his body had lessened and Kyla watched as he shelled prawns and drank beer, chatting to Logan and occasionally tending the barbecue.
Had it been her imagination?
Maybe. Certainly he seemed fine now and he even handed Kirsty some bread to chew.
‘I had Sonia Davies from the library in my antenatal clinic today,’ Evanna said, speaking directly to Logan. ‘She really wants a home birth.’
The smile faded from Logan’s face. ‘I won’t do home births,’ he said gruffly, ‘you know that. Don’t even bother asking me.’
Evanna bit her lip. ‘It’s her second baby and she’s—’
‘I won’t do home births.’
‘Logan, she isn’t—’
‘She can go to the community maternity unit on the mainland. It has all the advantages of home births, with none of the risks. This is an island, Evanna. I know you’ll tell me that if something happens she can be transferred, but will it be fast enough? We do wonders here, but we have to be realistic. I can’t provide neonatal intensive care and neither can I perform uterine surgery on a woman with an uncontrollable haemorrhage.’ His tone harsh, Logan turned away and helped himself to another beer. Evanna glanced helplessly at Kyla, who gave a brief shake of her head to indicate that she should drop the subject.
They both knew what was behind Logan’s intransigence. Catherine.
Feeling awful for him, Kyla strolled over to her brother and put a hand on his arm. ‘Mum rang last night.’ She kept her tone neutral. Steady. ‘She’s thinking of coming back over for Dad’s birthday and spending a few days with her grandchild. They’re missing her terribly. They loved the last set of photos you sent, especially the one of her sitting in the laundry basket.’
He was silent for a moment and then he breathed out heavily and she saw his shoulders relax. ‘It would be good if they came. Kirsty loves to see them.’
‘Mum’s worried she’s missing all the best bits.’ Kyla gave his arm a gentle squeeze and then let go and helped herself to a baby tomato. ‘I just hope she’s here when Kirsty takes her first steps or we’ll never hear the last of it.’
Logan’s eyes settled on hers and she smiled gently, watching as some of the strain left his face. ‘I’m all right,’ he said roughly in Gaelic, and she gave a brief nod and replied in the same language.
‘I know you’re all right.’
And then she turned and caught Ethan looking at them, a curious expression on his handsome face.
He was a complex character, she thought as she strolled back over to Evanna. Deep. A real thinker. But that didn’t mean anything was wrong.
She thought back to the way he’d looked when he’d first seen Kirsty.
It had just been her imagination working overtime, Kyla decided, her face brightening as one of her aunts arrived along with two of her cousins. She’d spent too long listening to Evanna’s gloomy observations.
Ethan was a serious person, there was little doubt about that.
Some people were.
That didn’t mean he had demons.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE next two weeks passed so quickly that it seemed to Kyla that they hardly had time to breathe between patients.
Doug McDonald came home from hospital, very subdued and worried about doing anything, and Kyla called in every day to check on his progress and reassure him. She knew that Ethan had called several times, too, and was pleased that he’d bothered.
Two weeks had been enough to prove to her that he was an excellent doctor. He’d settled into the routine and seemed to have no problem handling even the trickiest of cases. Remembering how some previous locums had panicked at being confronted by such complex cases with no local hospital support, Kyla was impressed.
But she still didn’t feel she was any closer to knowing or understanding him.
He ran on the beach every morning as the sun rose, pounding hard across the sand and up onto the cliffs, pushing himself to the limit. Then he’d return to the cottage, shower and drive up to the village in time for morning surgery.
He was serious and committed but revealed absolutely nothing about himself to anyone.
