The Secret Doctor (7 page)

‘Believe it.' He sent her an oblique look. ‘I've had a great time spending the day with you. And we still have a good half an hour or so left before we arrive back home…maybe that will be time enough for me to persuade you that you could benefit from selling to me.'

She frowned. ‘You're avoiding the subject.'

‘I'd rather talk about you. Just think what you could do with the money if you let the house go. You could buy a place nearer to your sister and her family and furnish it throughout. There would even be enough left over for a holiday, or whatever takes your fancy.'

Lacey didn't answer. Why was he doing this? Jake was a man of hidden depths and she simply didn't know what to make of him. He was fun to be with, and there was no denying she could easily fall for him big time. He was sexy with a bone-melting charisma, and above all he made it clear that he was attracted to her and seemed to genuinely want to be with her.

Even so, she was beset by doubts. Underlying all that was the knowledge that he kept coming back to this same issue…he wanted her house and land. He put the question to her whenever the opportunity arose.

Was this the real reason he had brought her out here today?

‘S
O YOU
went with Jake out to the reef?' Rob was clearly disgruntled. ‘I'll bet he couldn't wait to show you the boat. He's been working on it for ages. Heaven knows why he wants another one, though. He'll soon be able to start his own fleet at this rate.'

Lacey chuckled. ‘I can see you're in fine form today. It's just envy, you know. Maybe we'd all like a little of what he has.' She glanced at Rob's chart. His heart rate had settled to a normal rhythm, and his temperature and pulse were steadily reverting to a satisfactory reading. His blood pressure was still a little high, but with any luck the consultant would allow him to go home tomorrow.

‘I don't know about that. I never envied anyone anything. Well, not to any great extent.' Rob grimaced. He was sitting in a chair by the bed, and she could see that he'd been reviewing some of his video footage from the trip to the Everglades. Even in hospital he couldn't stop working. No wonder he was having trouble with his blood pressure.

‘It's all acquisition with him, isn't it?' he said. ‘I
expect he's been badgering you to sell the house to him, as well…he was always interested in it, I know. I used to see him eyeing up the boundary lines, as though he was mentally taking stock. He did say it was a prime site for oranges and limes, and even avocados, but he always seemed to me to be more interested in the house. Why would he want that when he lives in that grand place next door?'

‘That's what I asked…but it seems there's a family connection to my house. His grandfather built it, and I think he feels emotionally attached to the place.'

Rob made a face. ‘So do you, I imagine. It was your parents' holiday home, wasn't it? You must have lots of memories of you and Grace spending summers there.'

‘I do, and that's what I told him. We spent such happy times together. My parents were so easygoing, allowing us enough freedom to spread our wings and try new things, but at the same time keeping an eye on us to make sure we were safe.'

Her expression was sad. ‘I really miss them. I miss being able to ring them up and have a chat at any time, or drop by their house for Sunday lunch. Now that's all changed, and this is the only place I have to remember them by. With Grace living here in the States, it seemed the best option to keep this property rather than the one in the UK.'

She stopped to forage in her bag. ‘I brought some reading for you.' She placed some fresh newspapers on the table at the end of his bed. ‘It's a difficult situation, and in a way I feel guilty about holding out against
Jake, but I don't want to give up the house. After all, it's not as though he's far removed from his birthplace, is it? He sees it every day.'

‘You should stick to your guns. You have as much reason to be there as he does.'

She nodded. ‘I tried to make him see that, but I'm not sure he was convinced.' She straightened, and braced herself, getting ready to leave. ‘Anyway, I must get back to work. Just remember to give me a call when the consultant says you can go home, and I'll come and fetch you. I've made your old room ready for you so you can stay there until they sort out what's going on with your heart and what needs to be done about it.'

‘Thanks, Lacey. You're an angel.'

‘Yeah, sure I am.' She grinned and left the room, getting ready to finish her stint in the emergency department.

It was business as usual. ‘Non-stop trauma all day,' Emma greeted her, with a frown. ‘You'd think people would take more care, wouldn't you…? But, no, we have traffic accidents, industrial accidents and disasters at sea, day in and day out.' She handed Lacey a chart, along with an X-ray film. ‘Broken ribs in treatment room two. His breathing's poor and he's very uncomfortable. Shall I call a surgeon to consult?'

Lacey flipped the film into the light box. She nodded. ‘Yes, call the surgeon. It looks like a flail chest, where a segment of the rib cage has come adrift, and it seems there's some damage to the lung underneath. In the meantime, I'll need to put in a chest tube to clear the
blood that's accumulating and help him to breathe more easily. Will you be free to help me with that?'

‘Yes, I will. I'll go and set up the equipment.' Emma glanced at Lacey before leaving. ‘I hear you rescued a woman the other day out on the reef. She's recovered well by all accounts.'

‘So I heard, though actually it was my neighbour, Jake, who did the rescuing. He was brilliant from start to finish, taking the situation in hand and saving the day. He didn't even stop to think, but everything he did was smooth and efficient and made a real difference to the final outcome.'

‘Jake Randall, is that right? I know him. He used to work here. He was a great doctor, one of the best, but he quit at the end of the year and didn't come back, and I was so sad when he left. He got on well with everyone.' She made a faint smile. ‘There were some broken hearts among the female staff around here, I can tell you.'

‘I can imagine. He seems to have that effect on people.' Lacey didn't want to think about how many women had fallen for Jake. It was his easygoing manner, his inherent charm and dry sense of humour, perhaps, that caused the domino effect, and she was certainly not immune. Still, it was interesting to learn that he had worked here.

She removed the X-ray from the light box and went with Emma to tend to her patient. Keeping busy was the best thing to do. That way her head wasn't being constantly overloaded with thoughts of Jake and his exploits. Fortunately, too, it meant that the rest of the day rushed by until finally her shift came to an end.

‘I won't be in tomorrow,' she told Emma. ‘I have a four-day break and when I come back I'll be on the early shift. In the meantime, Dr Mayfield will be in charge. If there are any problems with any of my patients, refer them to him, or to Mike, the attending physician…but you have my number in case of any queries, don't you?'

Emma nodded. ‘We'll be fine.' She smiled. ‘It's great having you around, Lacey. You've slotted in here as though you've been here all your life.'

‘It feels that way sometimes.' Lacey grinned. ‘See you.'

She drove home along the main highway, contemplating the day's events. It was deeply satisfying working in Emergency, and as each day ended she was tired and ready to fall into a deep sleep. She was looking forward to these few days off, though. Grace was coming over with the children, and it would be great to get together again as a family.

Once she was home, she went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee and a toasted sandwich. She took them out onto the deck and sat looking out over the garden, which was dimly lit in the moonlight. Beyond the garden were several acres of land that belonged to her, land that was still in its natural state, bounded by woods and mangrove swamps. It was eerie in the darkness, even though the lamp on the deck sent out a golden pool of light.

She could just make out shadows of the shrubbery, and in the distance the trees of the orange grove. Their scent wafted faintly on the air. Earlier in the day she had plucked grapefruit, mangoes and oranges, and her fridge
was filled with fruit that would refresh her throughout the following week. Being here was like living in paradise, with nature providing everything she might need.

Now, though, her thoughts were distracted by an odd sound coming from somewhere in the far reaches of the property. She couldn't quite make it out. There were muffled thuds and an odd scraping sound like a shovel breaking into earth or faintly clanging against tree bark. Then the tree branches in the distance seemed to move, and in a break in the undergrowth a black shadow flitted against the skyline.

‘Jake, is that you?' She called out into the darkness. Why would Jake be roaming the boundaries of her land? ‘Jake?'

There was more rustling. She thought she heard a muffled curse, and then there was the crackle of vegetation underfoot. ‘Jake? Are you out there? What's going on? What are you doing?'

Silence. Nothing stirred and then a bird startled her, flapping its huge wings as it took off from a mangrove tree, making a stark silhouette against the night sky.

Lacey's heart was beginning to pound. Why wasn't Jake answering? Who was out there? If it wasn't Jake, why were they on her land? Ought she to go and take a look?

For the first time she was truly conscious of how far she was from the nearest property. Jake's was the only house for at least a mile, and he wasn't answering her. How would she protect herself if anyone meant to do her harm?

She picked up her phone from the table and hesitated. It was one thing to face up to an intruder in an area that
was well lit, but darkness gave the venture a very different perspective and she didn't want to blunder about in the shadowy undergrowth, not knowing where she was going or what she might run into.

A shiver ran the length of her spine, and she realised that her hands were shaking. What was the matter with her? Surely, she was imagining things? It must have been a simple night noise, an animal, a deer, perhaps, that had been wandering about in the woods and had blundered onto her land.

Anyway, if there really was an intruder, she could ring Jake at home, couldn't she? Hearing his voice would at least put her mind at ease. He would probably think she was being foolish, but that didn't matter too much, did it?

He wouldn't hesitate to come and help out, she was certain, and with him by her side she could face up to anything. Between them they could find out what was going on.

She dialled his number and waited. The phone rang for some time, but there was no answer, and tension began to build up inside her. She frowned. Was he out? Suddenly, she felt truly alone.

In the end, she cut the call and went inside the house, locking all the doors and making certain that everything was secure. She would check the fences in the morning. Her nerves were a mess. Perhaps it came from drinking too much coffee, and the fact that she had been at work all day, and her thoughts were taken up with this business of the house. She was overtired and her mind
was playing tricks on her. What she needed was a good night's sleep.

It was just as well she had come inside the house, she decided. She wasn't up to dealing with problems right now. She felt apprehensive, insecure and totally unlike her usual self. Even in bed she was haunted by night terrors.

Her slumber was fitful, her dreams filled with shadowy figures and feral screeches, and in the morning, when she clambered out of bed, she felt decidedly rough.

A shower didn't help very much, neither did her first cup of coffee of the day, but she had promised that she would go and fetch Rob from the hospital at the earliest opportunity so she steeled herself to get organised. She made do with a cereal bar for breakfast, not wanting to keep him waiting. Knowing Rob, he would be packed and ready and chafing at the bit to get out of there.

He was in much better spirits than she might have expected when she arrived at the hospital. ‘It's just so great to be getting out of this place,' he said. ‘No offence, but hospitals freak me out. I don't like being cooped up, and I can't stand the smell of antiseptic.'

‘A lot of people feel the same way,' Lacey conceded. ‘Still, if it saves your life or puts your health back on track, who's to complain?'

‘Me?' He grinned, raising a brow in query. ‘I know I've been grumbling a lot lately. It's just that I have strong opinions and I like to be on the move, so being stuck in hospital brought out all my frustration and turned me into a grouch. I shouldn't do it. I know it isn't
fair…especially when you've been so great, coming to visit, and now you're having to act as a taxi service.' He glanced at her, his eyes narrowing a fraction. ‘Actually, you're looking a bit peaky. Are you okay?'

‘I'm fine,' she said. ‘I've a bit of a headache, that's all. Anyway, let's head for home and you can edit your films to your heart's content. Everything's ready for you in the guest bedroom.'

‘That's great. You don't know how much it means to me to be able to come back to your place for a while. The consultant wanted me to stay local until this problem with the heart is diagnosed properly… And, of course, that means monitoring what's happening. It's like finding an intermittent fault in an electrical system…until the unit fails, you don't know where the problem lies. At least, that's how he explained it to me.'

‘Not that we're expecting your heart to fail.' She laughed. ‘It's just that the wiring seems to be a little faulty right now.'

‘True.' He settled back in the seat of her car and watched the scenery go by. The journey didn't take long, and soon they were back at the house.

She poured cold drinks from the fridge, and they talked for a while in the living room, until Rob asked, ‘Do you mind if I go along to my room and sort through my work stuff? I'll come and join you in a while, but there are one or two jobs I need to get on with. I haven't had access to a decent computer for a while and it's been driving me crazy.'

‘You go ahead,' she told him. ‘I can see you're itching
to get back to work, and I have lots of things to do. I'll give you a shout when lunch is ready.'

‘Thanks, Lacey.' He hurried away to the bedroom, leaving Lacey to catch up with chores around the house. She wanted to prepare the other two bedrooms for Grace and the children. They should be arriving later on today, and she was keen to have everything ready for them.

A couple of hours later, she was back in the kitchen, trying to decide what she should prepare for lunch. Tiredness was rapidly getting the better of her, and she realised it was probably lack of food that was contributing to her lacklustre manner.

Rob, sitting at the kitchen table, leafing through a camera magazine, was no help at all.

‘Anything would be good after hospital food,' he said. ‘When I lived here on my own, I survived on pizza and takeaways and whatever convenience foods I could find stashed in the freezer.'