The Rebel Surgeon's Proposal (9 page)

High praise from Sally, Francesca knew. ‘If he wants to,’ she murmured, embarrassed and unsure how to respond.

‘I definitely want to,’ Luke admitted, sharing what looked like a conspiratorial smile with Sally.

Puzzled, Francesca said her goodbyes and led the way outside, glancing up at the darkening clouds moving in over the distant hills. ‘It looks like rain.’

‘Sure does,’ Luke agreed, unlocking the doors to his four-by-four. ‘Hop in.’

Having promised herself she would spend some time away from Luke, she felt contrarily let down when the short drive to her flat was completed and he showed no sign of getting out of the car.

‘Thanks for today,’ she said, masking her unwanted disappointment as she unfastened her seat belt and opened the door.

‘Thank
you,
Chessie. I had a lovely time.’ Luke’s hand on her arm prevented her leaving. ‘Have you thought any more about tomorrow?’

She had, despite trying not to. She’d been shocked over breakfast when Luke had asked her to go with him to Glentown-on-Firth, a village to the west of Strathlochan. He had to deliver something on behalf of his former boss, Professor James Fielding-Smythe, he’d said, and had been asked to lunch with local GPs Conor and Kate Anderson. She’d never met the Andersons, having avoided the twice-yearly, fundraising get-togethers arranged for all the region’s health, fire, police and rescue services, but their names were familiar from request forms referring patients for X-rays, scans and other investigations.

‘Um…’ she hedged, undecided. Not only did the thought of meeting strangers daunt her, but she knew she should say
no and keep some distance between Luke and herself. The trouble was, a traitorous part of her yearned to be with him. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Please, Chessie. I’d really like you to come and keep me company. It would mean a lot to me.’

Oh, hell! How could she resist him when he used that low husky voice and turned that seductive, sultry green gaze on her? ‘OK.’ Her whispered agreement was out before she could halt it.

‘Great!’ Luke’s smile sucked all the air from her lungs and turned her insides to mush. ‘You’re a star.’

He leaned across and pressed a chaste, all-too-brief kiss on her lips before moving away. Bemused, she slipped out of the car, finding her legs decidedly shaky.

‘I’ll pick you up at eleven in the morning,’ Luke promised, restarting the engine. ‘Bye, Chessie.’

‘Bye.’

She closed the car door and headed up the path, turning to wave when she realised Luke was waiting to see her safely inside. He waved back. Even across the distance separating them she felt the potent touch of his gaze. Then he was pulling away from the kerb and she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

The flat felt empty and unwelcoming as she walked restlessly around, changing her clothes and heading to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. There were still traces of Luke—the empty bakery bag left on the kitchen counter, the remains of the delicious local honey, the mug he had used for his coffee, washed and upturned on the drainer to dry.

A shiver rippled through her and Francesca wrapped her arms around herself. She wasn’t cold. She was scared…
scared that Luke was becoming far too important a fixture in her life.

Now she had agreed to spend the day with him tomorrow.

What was she doing?

And where was it all going to end?

F
RANCESCA
was no closer to answering any of her questions the next day. She sat beside Luke as he drove west towards Glentown-on-Firth, unable to make sense of her own warring feelings.

Telling herself that she wanted nothing more from Luke than friendship hadn’t stopped her feeling horribly disappointed that he hadn’t kissed her again. No more than a brief brush of his lips across hers as he had greeted her on arrival before he had introduced her to their unexpected travelling companion—an enormous cuddly elephant, who took up much of the backseat. The soft toy was the reason for their trip, she discovered, being Professor James Fielding-Smythe’s present for Conor and Kate Anderson’s daughter, Rebecca, whose third birthday was in a few days’ time.

‘Why an elephant?’ she had asked, unable to help smiling.

‘Apparently Conor and Kate were given sponsorship of an orphaned baby elephant in Kenya as a wedding present. They visited the elephant orphanage on their honeymoon and have continued to foster ever since,’ Luke had explained, surprising her with the story. ‘I gather Rebecca has always been fascinated with “their” baby, and elephants in general, and the prof knew she would love this toy.’

‘It’ll be bigger than she is!’

Luke’s chuckle had filled her with warmth and a secret longing she had tried hard to ignore. ‘More than likely’

Overnight rain had left things fresh but after a cool start the April day was turning warm and sunny. As they left Strathlochan behind, Francesca sat back and enjoyed the countryside, acknowledging that Luke had been right…it was good to get out and have a change of scenery. She glanced back at the fluffy elephant and smiled again. The toy was going to swamp a three-year-old. Luke, ever thoughtful, had bought a card and a couple of storybooks for Rebecca’s birthday and had invited Francesca to sign the card. It had felt strangely intimate to put her name next to his. He had also picked up a bottle of wine and some flowers for Conor and Kate.

They talked of neutral topics for most of the journey but Francesca found herself becoming more tense the closer they came to their destination. She knew little about the Andersons, so she asked Luke to fill her in before they arrived.

‘I’ve only met them once myself.’ His admission surprised her. ‘They were in London for some reason a year or two ago, and stopped by the hospital to see the prof,’ he continued. ‘Kate Fisher, as she was when once a trainee on his team, left to follow her first love—general practice. He was very disappointed that she gave up surgery and, much to Kate’s embarrassment, she was introduced to those of us working for him as the ideal we could never hope to emulate!’

‘So how did she end up here—and still in touch with the professor?’

Luke glanced across and smiled. ‘Now, there’s a tale.’

‘Go on,’ she invited, intrigued.

‘Kate volunteered for aid work in Africa. On her last stint she was caught up in some kind of civil war. Her brother was
a freelance photojournalist working over there, too. I don’t know all the details,’ Luke admitted, his tone reflecting the seriousness of the situation, ‘but Kate was alone and having to deal with unimaginable casualties. Her brother was killed. And then Kate was hurt herself but kept working. By the time she was found and evacuated, she was in bad shape.’

Shocked, Francesca was silent for a moment, wondering how on earth Kate had coped in such dreadful and frightening circumstances. ‘What happened then?’

‘I think Kate went through a crisis of confidence, unsure if she could still be a doctor.’ Luke paused at a crossroads, checking the directions before making the turn down a quiet country lane. ‘The prof has an old friend in Glentown-on-Firth and he comes up here once a year to see Fred. The pair of them go salmon fishing,’ he continued with affectionate amusement. ‘Anyway, he arranged with Fred for Kate to come here and do some locum work to ease her back in and give her a quiet environment in which to recover.’

‘And it worked, obviously.’

‘Absolutely.’ Again Luke chuckled. ‘Conor was—is—Fred’s partner in the practice. He and Kate fell in love. It took time, but Conor helped Kate conquer her demons and regain her confidence. They married not long afterwards and Kate settled here as another partner, allowing Fred to reduce his hours.’

It was a heart-warming story and Francesca couldn’t help but be moved by it. Whilst she was interested in meeting the couple, she felt intimidated, too. She really wasn’t good with people on a social level. She glanced down at what she was wearing, still uncertain about her outfit. It wasn’t often that she wore dresses or skirts, but she had wanted to make an effort for the Andersons—and for Luke. From her eclectic wardrobe she had chosen a floaty patterned skirt in a mix of greens and blues, teaming it with a long-sleeved white top and
flat shoes because of her height. She had tied her hair back in a loose ponytail, her wayward bouncy curls fanning down her back to her waist. From the appreciation in Luke’s eyes when he had seen her—the memory of which still made her tingle—she looked OK.

Without the shield of her work persona, however, Francesca felt nervous. ‘Conor and Kate won’t mind me coming with you, will they?’ she fretted, her fingers fiddling with the catch of her bag which rested in her lap.

‘Of course not. Don’t worry, Chessie. They’re looking forward to meeting you.’

Luke’s comments did nothing to calm the flight of butterflies conducting aerobatic manoeuvres in her stomach. He surprised her then, reaching out to take one of her hands in his, holding it against the firmness of his thigh so she could feel the heat of him and the play of muscle through the cotton of his chinos. He gave her fingers a squeeze before returning his hand to the steering-wheel and it was a moment before she realised she had allowed her own fingers to linger on his thigh. Hastily, she snatched her hand back, disturbed by how much she wanted to touch him. All over.

‘They’ll love you,’ he reassured her, voice low and husky. ‘How can they not?’

She felt both warmed and unsettled by his words but she had no more time to dwell on them—or on her own salacious thoughts—because they were pulling into the gravelled drive of Conor and Kate’s house. On the edge of the village and hidden from view by a high hedge, it was set back from the road and on a slight rise, allowing great views over the Solway Firth to the south and the Galloway hills to the north. Built of granite, the house was mostly long and low with a white-painted, two-storey addition at
one end with a pitched slate roof and two chimneys. It was a gorgeous place, and even as she climbed out of the car she was admiring the large verdant garden stretching away from the house.

Before Francesca had time to catch her breath, Luke had taken her hand and was leading her forward. The front door opened before they reached it and a smiling woman, wearing a mulberry-coloured jersey dress, stepped out to greet them. In her mid-thirties, Francesca judged, Kate Anderson was beautiful. Her glossy walnut brown hair fell to her shoulders, while her dark brown eyes were warm with welcome.

‘Luke, it’s lovely to see you again.’

‘You, too, Kate.’

Francesca felt a knot in her stomach as Kate kissed Luke on both cheeks and then turned to her with a smile, the unexpected hug taking her by surprise. ‘And you must be Francesca. I’m so delighted to meet you and put a face to the name after all this time. Our patients always come back from the hospital after scans and X-rays saying how marvellous you have been and we appreciate that you take such good care of them.’

‘Thank you,’ Francesca managed, feeling overwhelmed, conscious of Luke stepping closer and resting a reassuring hand at the small of her back, as if he was aware how nervous she felt.

‘Conor will be back shortly…he was called to see a patient. We were out late last night seeing friends—Kyle and Alexandra Sinclair. You might know of them, they work at the Rigtownbrae practice,’ Kate added as an aside, and Francesca nodded, again recognising Kyle’s name from hospital paperwork. Kate smiled and continued. ‘Rebecca stayed with her grandparents. My dad retired up here and married Aileen, our practice manager. Conor is collecting Rebecca on his way home.’

‘I’ll sneak her present in now, then,’ Luke decided, return
ing to the car and manoeuvring the huge plush elephant out after a bit of a struggle.

‘Oh, my! It’s twice the size of Rebecca!’ Kate exclaimed. ‘Where on earth are we going to hide it? The prof is an idiot!’

‘It was his last act of revenge because he couldn’t talk me out of leaving. Can you imagine how I felt, carrying this through the hospital from his office? I was teased mercilessly,’ Luke moaned, pulling a face and making them both laugh.

‘You poor thing! Still, Rebecca
is
going to adore it,’ Kate admitted, giving the squishy trunk a squeeze. ‘The trouble is she’ll want to take it everywhere!’

Carrying the wine, flowers and present for Rebecca, Francesca followed Luke and Kate into the house. As she waited while a hiding place was found for the jumbo-sized jumbo, Luke’s remark reminded her that she still hadn’t discovered his third reason for giving up his promising career in London to return to Scotland.

Inside, the house proved to be just as lovely as the outside suggested, with a warm, welcoming feel. Kate, open and friendly, took them through to the large farmhouse kitchen and while their hostess, delighted with the gifts, put the flowers in a vase, both Francesca and Luke made a fuss of the Andersons’ two beautiful grey cats, Smoky and Willow.

‘So, how is the prof?’ Kate asked a few moments later, pouring them each a glass of home-made lemonade and inviting them to sit at the scrubbed pine table. ‘Terrorising the junior doctors as usual?’

‘Absolutely. I was petrified when I first joined his team,’ Luke admitted.

Kate chuckled. ‘Me, too. Then you find out his bark is worse than his bite.’

‘You must have tamed him.’ Luke’s smile was teasing. ‘All we heard was Kate this and Kate that.’

‘It’ll be you now,’ Kate riposted, teasing him back. ‘You’re the new golden boy and a whole new generation of junior doctors will have your example to live up to!’

Luke groaned. ‘Don’t.’

That Luke had been a rising star on Professor Fielding-Smythe’s orthopaedic team hadn’t escaped Francesca. The professor was a renowned, eminient surgeon with a reputation for being a hard taskmaster and someone who didn’t suffer fools gladly. That he hadn’t wanted Luke to leave said much about Luke’s skill and promise. So why
had
Luke turned his back on London? What was it that had brought him back to Strathlochan?

She was pondering the question when the sound of another car arriving in the driveway outside announced the return of Conor and Rebecca. Once more the butterflies in Francesca’s stomach took flight, increasing her nervousness. She glanced up as the back door opened and a handsome man of similar colouring to Luke stepped into the kitchen. He had an overnight bag and a teddy bear in one hand, while his other arm supported his daughter on his hip. The little girl’s legs were wrapped around his waist as she clung to him like a limpet. Francesca could see straight away that Rebecca was a miniature copy of her mother. She was also shy. Seeing strangers in her home, she buried her face in her father’s neck.

‘Everything OK?’ Kate asked, rising to her feet.

Smiling, Conor set the bag and bear down on the table, giving Kate a kiss before handing over their daughter. ‘Fine.’

‘Hi, pumpkin,’ Kate greeted Rebecca, hugging the child before setting her down. ‘Did you have a good time?’

Rebecca nodded, clinging to her mother’s skirt and partially hiding behind her leg, watching with big, solemn eyes as Conor introduced himself.

‘Hello, Luke, thanks for coming.’ The two men shook hands
and Francesca felt almost as shy as Rebecca as Conor turned to her, taking her aback as he gave her a kiss on both cheeks. ‘Welcome, Francesca. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.’

‘And you,’ she murmured politely.

Francesca had a few moments to pull herself together as Conor quizzed Luke on his car…something about it being voted top in the Green Awards for low carbon emissions and good fuel economy.

‘Boys and their toys,’ Kate murmured, rolling her eyes. ‘Come on through, Francesca, and let me show you the rest of the house. I’m sure Conor will call us when the food is ready.’

‘It’ll be ten minutes,’ her husband confirmed, checking the oven before setting about laying the table, surprising Francesca that he should be responsible for cooking what smelled like a delicious lunch.

‘I only married Conor for his fish pie,’ Kate confided, leading her out of the kitchen.

Conor’s response followed them. ‘I heard that. I think I have one or two other talents you appreciate,’ he called suggestively, making Kate blush and laugh again.

Francesca enjoyed her tour of the beautiful house, but a short time later they returned to the kitchen and took their places at the table. Rebecca sat on a booster cushion next to her father, still silent as she made up her mind about the strangers.

‘This is amazing,’ Francesca praised after her first couple of mouthfuls of the wonderful fish pie.

Kate grinned. ‘I told you!’

‘You’ll have to give me the recipe, Conor,’ Luke suggested, and Francesca felt warm at the intimate look he sent her. ‘I got lazy when Ma was staying with me in London as she insisted on doing the cooking while I was working. Living alone after she returned to Strathlochan, I’ve been slowly widening my repertoire.’

Knowing that Luke had lived alone and that there was no woman pining for him in London brought far too much relief and satisfaction. Alarmed at the direction of her thoughts, Francesca was relieved when the conversation moved on.

‘How is Annie doing?’ Kate asked.

‘Very well,’ Francesca was delighted to reply. ‘She’s hoping to get back to work soon. At the moment she and Nathan are away on holiday. They took up the invitation to stay for a week at Seb Adriani’s family villa on Elba.’

‘How lovely! We met Seb and Gina through Nic and Hannah in Lochanrig,’ Kate explained, confirming once more how close-knit the medical community was in the area.