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She knew everyone who lived on the island. She was used to men who were safe and predictable. And she sensed that Ethan Walker was neither.
When her brother had given her the lowdown on the new island doctor, she’d conjured up a vision of a bespectacled, wiry academic who’d spent his life looking down a microscope and seeing patients from the other side of a large desk.
She hadn’t expected to be knocked off her feet by the sight of him.
It wasn’t just the handsome face and the athletic body that made it hard not to stare at him. It was the air of quiet confidence and the dark, almost brooding quality that surrounded him. She sensed that his emotions were buried deep inside him. Were those emotions responsible for the hard, cynical gleam in his eyes?
And what was he doing up here in the wilds of Scotland?
He’d evaded her question but she wasn’t a fool. If Logan was right, then Ethan had been on the fast track. Hadn’t he said that Ethan had been the youngest consultant they’d ever had in the hospital? A single-minded, ambitious over-achiever? Why would a man with that sort of career ahead of him suddenly leave it to work in a backwater?
It had to be something to do with his love life.
Hadn’t he ignored the question when she’d asked it? Which was entirely typical of a man, she thought to herself, because since when did men ever talk about their feelings? They were all completely hopeless.
She slammed the boot shut, deciding that it would be interesting to get some answers. And interesting to spend some time with him.
The thought surprised her because it had been a long time since she’d found herself wanting to spend time with a man.
The problem with island life, she reflected as she slipped the postbag onto her shoulder, was that she knew absolutely everyone. There were no surprises. She wasn’t suddenly going to look at Nick Hillier, the island policeman, and feel a hot flush coming on. She wasn’t going to go to bed dreaming of Alastair and his fishing boat. She knew everyone on the island as well as she knew her family.
But Ethan—Ethan was a surprise. A surprise that promised to make the long days of summer more interesting than usual.
Her mouth curved into a smile as she anticipated the days ahead.
It would be interesting, she decided, to find out more about him.
She pushed open the surgery door.
Her brother was sprawled in a chair at the reception desk, hitting keys on the computer. ‘I’ve a full list here, Kyla. Did you book these in?’
‘And good morning to you, too.’ Her eyes scanned her brother’s face, looking for signs of strain. Tiredness. Logan was the toughest person she knew but all the same she worried about him. He was doing all right, she decided. She was proud of him. ‘Have you been here all night?’
‘It certainly feels like it.’ He pushed the chair away from the computer and stretched. His hair was dark and touched the edge of his collar, but his eyes were as blue as hers. ‘I need every second of the day to see these patients. We have to stop booking them in.’
Kyla threw him an exasperated look. ‘Well what do you expect me to do, you idiot? Tell them to go away and pick another day to be ill?’
‘Nice to get some proper respect around here,’ Logan drawled, but there was a twinkle in his eyes. ‘I’m just pointing out that there’s only one of me and at the moment I’m spread rather thinly.’
Kyla slammed the post down on the reception desk. ‘Well, despite what you may think, I don’t spend my time going round the Island drumming up business for your surgeries. Can I help it if people think you’re the answer to their problems? Anyway, there isn’t just one of you any more.’ She turned with a wave of her hand. ‘I brought you reinforcements from the ferry, Dr Ethan Walker. I expect you already know that because he’s the only stranger that stepped off the ferry this morning so I dare say the jungle drums have been beating for the last half an hour. Treat him well and perhaps he’ll help you with your surgery.’
‘Ethan—pleased to meet you.’ Logan straightened and the two men shook hands while Kyla tilted her head to one side and studied them both. They had a similar physique and yet they were entirely different. Both dark, both tall, both broad-shouldered, but the resemblance ended there. While her brother looked rough and rugged, as though he’d just strode off the hills, Ethan was smooth and slick. City slick, Kyla thought as she turned away and started stacking the post neatly for Janet, their receptionist, to open later. He was a man who looked … she searched for the right term … expensive.
And he probably wasn’t going to last five minutes in a place like Glenmore.
The two men were deep in conversation when the phone rang. Reaching over the desk, Kyla lifted the receiver, her hair falling forward.
‘Glenmore Medical Centre.’ Her voice was bright and friendly and she ignored a look from Logan that warned her that trying to cram another patient onto his morning list would put her life at risk. ‘Hello, Janet! How are you doing?’ She straightened and pulled a face. ‘Oh, no—that’s awful! I’m so sorry to hear that. Don’t move her. Logan will be right over.’
She replaced the receiver to find Logan gazing at her in disbelief. ‘Remind me to fire you and replace you with a moody, scary battleaxe who frightens away patients. If you’ve booked me a house call two minutes before my morning surgery starts then I’m going to strangle you with my bare hands,’ he growled. ‘What do you think I am? Superhuman?’
‘A good doctor.’ Kyla scribbled the details on a scrap of paper and then walked across and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. ‘A good but exceptionally moody doctor. That was our Janet. She popped round to check on her mum this morning and found her collapsed on the floor.’
‘Gladys?’ Logan’s frown changed to a look of concern and Kyla thrust a piece of paper into his hands.
‘You see? You care really, you know you do. You ju
st hide it well. This isn’t going to wait, Logan. She needs to be seen right away.’
