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Greg had shielded her face with his hand, holding her as the final agonising manoeuvres removed the metal that was trapping her legs. And then, at last, she was out.
CHAPTER FIVE
TINA WAS FREE of the twisted wreckage. Her leg was badly broken and she had a few nasty cuts, but she was comfortable and on her way to hospital. Greg smiled to himself as he watched The blue lights disappearing over the brow of a hill. He couldn’t ignore the buzz. The excitement of meeting a challenge. The feeling that he’d helped make the biggest difference of all to someone.
It was starting to sleet, and when he turned, Jess was standing behind him. Little shards of ice were beginning to stick to her hair, and one glistened on her eyelashes. The temptation to brush it away hit him hard and twisted remorselessly in his chest.
‘Good job.’
She was smiling at him. Greg wondered whether it was her smile or her words that meant the most to him. Perhaps they were inseparable.
‘This is what you were meant to do, Greg.’
He didn’t want to get into that at the moment. He was tired and Jess was beginning to shiver. ‘Is Ted ready to go?’
‘Yes, he’s in the car.’ She gestured towards the SUV.
‘Let’s make tracks, then.’
Greg stayed long enough to see Ted tip himself into an armchair and then borrowed his mother’s car keys to take Jess home. She was wet, cold and dirty. Lovely beyond any accepted sense of the word.
‘I think I need a shower.’ She grinned at him, half-apologetically.
‘Yeah. Me too.’ Greg saw her flush slightly and elaborated quickly. ‘Your room has an en suite bathroom.’ Therefore his did too. Two geographically separate showers. ‘I’ll get the fire going in the living room and heat up some soup.’
‘Sounds fabulous.’ She gave him a smile and made for the stairs.
The house didn’t do sunny at all. It didn’t really do welcoming, and Greg was aware that although he’d stopped noticing that a long time ago, Jess hadn’t failed to. What it did do tolerably well was long winter evenings, curled up in front of the fire. Greg lit the firelighters in the grate, and arranged a couple of easy chairs close enough to catch the heat when the blaze got going.
She took her time upstairs. Greg had showered, heated the soup and bought a tray through to the living room before some sixth sense alerted him of her presence behind him.
‘What have you been doing up there?’ He turned and almost dropped the mug of soup that he was holding. She looked like cotton candy. Pink cheeks and a thick, white towelling robe that she’d found in the bathroom, with pink pyjamas on underneath. Thick socks on her feet. Wet hair, combed back from her face. Greg nearly choked with desire.
‘Is it okay to use this?’ She tugged at the robe.
‘Of course. That’s what they’re there for.’ He didn’t even know were they came from. They were just there, and the housekeeper who came in three times a week made sure that they were laundered and fresh in all the guest rooms. ‘Come and sit down.’
‘Thanks.’ She sat, tucking her legs up beneath her. Greg handed her a mug of soup and she rewarded him with a smile of complete happiness.
He stoked the fire until flames began to crackle in the grate. Sat back down in his chair and allowed himself to watch her. Relaxed, curled up in an armchair, revelling in the heat of the fire.
‘Can I ask you a question?’ Her gaze was steady on his face and Greg almost flinched.
‘Of course.’
‘What did you feel? When you got that woman out of the car.’
That sounded like a trick question. ‘You know what I felt.’
‘Yes, I do. I just wanted to make sure that… ’ She paused, studying the flames. ‘That you hadn’t lost that feeling. Or reconsidered it. Anything like that.’
What had Ted been saying to her? Or perhaps his mother had dragged her off into a corner somewhere for one of those woman-to-woman chats. But Ted and his mother knew no more than Jess did. Perhaps he was just not as good at hiding it as he’d thought.
‘It doesn’t get old. You saw Ted, he’s been a doctor for thirty years and he still gets a thrill out of what he does.’
‘Good. That’s good.’ She was watching the fire as if it contained the answer to everything. As if she could see her dreams reflected in it, if she only looked hard enough. ‘When you were away… ’
‘Not tonight, Jess. Please.’
