Marion Lennox - Prescription-One Bride

She sat on the sand and watched the surf run in and out while she tried to force her wounded mind to think.

It was like she’d been beaten.

Two men…

She’d given her heart to two men and one had turned out to be a murderer and the other…

He’d used a little girl to get a vineyard.

What lies had he told her?

Had he known of Paige’s existence before? Who knew? It was likely that he had, Jess thought bitterly, but had only acknowledged it when his precious winery was at stake. The Mountmarche wine.

So he’d brought his puppet owner back to Barega along with Hugo to do the work-and then he planned to head back to England. The family would be wealthier and he could get back to his precious career.

And Jess?

Jess tried hard to make herself think logically.

Why would he want her? Why not a nanny?

She licked dry lips, the answer being so darned obvious that it hurt.

Paige was a wealthy little girl. If Karen reclaimed her…

Karen had deserted her child when Paige needed her most. Any judge would look favourably on Niall’s custody claim-especially if he’d provided her with a stable stepmother.

If Jess took over that role then it would leave Niall free to do what he liked.

Men!

Jess stood up and walked down to the water. She stood in the shallow breakers, kicking sand and foam up in a vicious spray before her.

‘I should have known,’ she whispered. ‘I’m no better than Ethel. The victim syndrome…No man I want is any good. No man…’

So where did that leave her?

Right back where she’d started. Alone.

Only this was worse than being alone. What she’d felt for John Talbot-the fledgling feelings of admiration and love-were nothing to what she’d felt for Niall Mountmarche.

It was as if part of her was shrivelling inside-and she knew that it could never grow again.

The end…

‘So, it’s back to your animals,’ she told the sea bleakly. ‘They need you…’

And what about Paige?

Her heart went out to the lonely little girl living with the two men-men who saw her as a tool to get what they wanted.

Paige had to stay on the island. Her family’s plans dictated that.

‘I can be close to Paige when Niall’s not on the island,’ Jess whispered to herself.

And for the next few months? The time Niall had promised to be medical superintendent for the island? They had to keep some sort of professional relationship.

Heaven knew how.

Jessie’s heart was like stone. She glanced at her watch and was stunned to see how late it was.

She had to organise Kiro before six…

‘OK, Jess,’ she said bleakly as if someone was listening. ‘Get on with the rest of your life. A life without Niall Mountmarche…’

Why did it seem like no life at all?

Kiro at least was delighted to see her.

The dog wriggled his pleasure. Jess fed him and took him for a swift run at the nearby beach before tying him up for the night.

In the morning she’d take him to the hospital and kennel him in the unused chook run. If she took him to a strange place tonight he might howl the hospital down while he became accustomed to new surroundings.

She radioed Sergeant Russell briefly to assure herself that Barry would be locked up until then.

‘He’ll be in for at least another couple of days,’ the policeman said with satisfaction. ‘Ethel lodged a formal charge before she left for Sydney and there’s not a lot of folk round here ready to provide Barry with bail.’

‘Ethel’s gone…?’

‘Doc Mountmarche arranged an air ambulance transfer this afternoon. I helped take her down to the airstrip.’ He hesitated. ‘You know who else did?’

‘Who?’

‘Ray Benn and a couple of the Benn kids. They came to see her to tell her how happy they were with the horse. Dunno who howled the most. Ethel or Ray.’

Jess heard the smile in the big policeman’s voice and a tiny light lit up inside her. There were still glimmers of happiness left to her.

Embers instead of flames.

‘What am I going to do, Kiro?’ she whispered but the big dog had no answers.

He reckoned he had problems of his own.

‘Yours will be over soon,’ Jess told him, giving the dog a fierce hug. ‘Someone still loves you. We’ll send you to Sydney to be with your mistress as soon as we possibly can.’

If only someone could magic Jessie away as well…

There was no one. Of course there was no one. No one for ever…

She left Kiro looking mournfully after her and drove back to the hospital.

The hospital held little appeal as a destination. At a guess, the place would be empty. If Ethel had gone and no more patients had been admitted then the hospital side would simply close down until needed. The staff could take three deep breaths and a holiday.

Niall Mountmarche wasn’t on holiday.

The island’s medical superintendent was waiting for her, sitting on a fallen log behind the hospital car park. Heaven knew how long he’d been there. He had the air of a man in no hurry at all.

As she pulled to a halt he rose and walked slowly towards her.

Niall stopped at the car-park barrier.

‘Jess…’ His voice was a caress.

Jess closed her car door with a bang and locked it with careful deliberation. ‘I don’t want to see you,’ she said, her back turned to him.

‘Why not?’

‘If you don’t know, you should.’ She took a deep breath and turned, bag in hand, to walk down the path into the building. Niall blocked her path.

‘Jess, Hugo told me…’

‘Told you what?’ Jess stopped dead, cold anger welling through. She felt so betrayed that it made her feel sick. ‘That I was upset? Did he tell you that he told me the truth? And I didn’t like it?’

‘Jess, let me explain.’

‘There’s nothing to explain. Let me past.’

He gripped her shoulders and stopped her pushing by. She was no match for his strength. One hard shove told her that. Finally she stopped pushing-instead, standing still and rigid-steeling herself not to respond to him.

‘I think there is.’

‘No.’ She fought back stupid, betraying tears of weakness. ‘Dr Mountmarche, does or does not the vineyard belong to Paige?’

‘Yes, it does. But…’

‘The whole island believes it’s yours. And you let them believe that.’

‘It was easier that way,’ Niall told her. ‘Jess, it’ll create problems for Paige…If her mother finds out…’

‘You mean it’ll create problems for you,’ Jess spat. ‘Maybe even a custody battle. Was I to be the insurance?’

His face stilled. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

‘It’ll be easier to keep Paige-keep the vineyard-if you have a nice docile little wife living on the island,’ Jess whispered. ‘Wouldn’t it?’

His face darkened with incredulity. ‘I didn’t think that.’ His grip tightened so much it hurt. ‘Not for a moment. Jess…’

‘You want to go back to England?’

‘I don’t know,’ he told her. ‘My medicine’s important to me and with two doctors already on the island I can’t see any permanent place for me here. I can write but I don’t want to lose my medicine completely. But Paige is important, Jess. Once she’s settled and happy, if I have to go then she’ll come with me. And I hope…Jess, I hope you, too…I won’t leave you.’

‘Pull the other leg,’ Jess said crudely. ‘It plays “Jingle Bells”. Let me past, Niall Mountmarche. I want nothing to do with you or your corrupt little schemes.’

‘You have to believe me, Jess.’

‘I don’t,’ Jess said bluntly.

She met his look and anger met anger.

The incredulous expression in Niall’s eyes was slowly hardening to a cold, hard contempt.