Joanna Neil - His Summer Bride

Nick began to pour coffee for both of them. ‘It isn’t just about my own heritage. At the same time I believe we have to give of our best to the local community. That’s why what happened this morning concerns me so much. We hold a certain position of trust out here. People look to us to set standards.’

He offered her a plate and napkin. ‘Please, help yourself to food.’

‘Thank you. It looks delicious.’ She gazed at the tempting choices before her. There was prosciutto, a dry-cured Italian ham, cut in paper-thin slices, along with sun-dried tomatoes, gnocchi and a crisp salad.

She added a little of each to her plate. ‘I wish I could be of more help,’ she said quietly, ‘but until Mrs Wyatt recovers enough to tell us what happened, we can only wait for the test results to come back from the hospital and hope that they will give us some clue.’

‘Was there any head injury?’

‘Not that I could see. Of course, that doesn’t always mean there’s nothing to be concerned about. Any kind of extreme jolting movement within the skull can cause problems that might develop later.’

He tasted a portion of the ham. ‘I’ll go and see her just as soon as the doctors have had time to treat her shoulder. In the interim I’ve sent the under-manager along to the hospital to see if we can do anything to make her stay more comfortable.’ He frowned. ‘It’s a dilemma. We generally make sure that the rugs in the rooms are in good condition, not easily rucked. If it was the case that she tripped, I’ll have to think about having them removed.’

Katie glanced at him across the table. His concern seemed genuine, and she wondered if there was any comfort she could offer.

‘It’s always possible that she might have a health problem that caused her to fall—something quite unrelated to the hotel. She might have suffered a dizzy spell, for instance.’

‘Or a TIA, perhaps.’

Transient ischaemic attack… Katie gave him a considering look, and slid her fork into succulent, sauce-covered potato gnocchi, giving herself time to think. ‘That’s a definite possibility. Any restriction of the blood supply to the brain could cause a temporary loss of consciousness.’

‘Or stroke-like symptoms.’

She nodded. ‘It sounds as though you have some experience of the condition. Has someone in your family had problems with TIAs?’

‘No, nothing like that.’ His gaze meshed with hers. ‘As it happens, I’m a doctor, like yourself. I suppose that’s why I didn’t think twice about rushing in on you when you were examining Mrs Wyatt. I’m so used to tending these medical emergencies that it didn’t cross my mind to steer clear.’

She gave a soft gasp. ‘I had no idea.’ She studied him afresh, a small frown indenting her brow. ‘I can’t imagine how you find time to practise medicine when you have a vineyard and a hotel to run.’

He laughed. ‘I guess it would be difficult if I tried to do all three…but the fact is, I have managers to do the day to day work for me. They let me know if any problems arise that need my attention—like today, for instance. Jenny called me. Otherwise, I make regular checks to make sure that everything’s going smoothly, but for the most part I work in the emergency department at the hospital.’

Her eyes widened. ‘That must take some dedication. After all, you could have chosen to stay in the valley and reap the benefits of years of grape cultivation. Your wines are internationally famous, according to my mother.’

‘That’s true. But I’ve always wanted to be an emergency physician. When I was a teenager, I saw one of my friends injured in a traffic accident. It was horrific…and for a while it was touch and go as to whether he would survive. Thankfully, he had the best surgical team looking after him, and he made it in the end. It left a huge impression on me. So, you see, I’m passionate about my work, and I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do. After all, saving lives is a job that’s definitely worthwhile. It gives me more satisfaction than I could ever get from gathering in the grape harvest.’

‘I can see how you would feel that way but, then, I’m biased.’ She gave a faint smile. ‘I have to admit, though, there are times when I’m tempted to swap it all for the kind of life I see out here… lazy days in the sunshine, a trip down to the beach to watch the surfers ride the waves… but then I come back to reality. I couldn’t give up medicine. It’s part of me.’

He nodded, his glance trailing over her. ‘I was surprised to see you here. I remember you said you were a paediatrician… but you did a pretty good job of taking care of Mrs Wyatt, as far as I could see. She didn’t appear to be in any pain, there was an IV line already in place, and you had her on oxygen. No one could complain at the standard of treatment she received.’

‘Let’s hope not, anyway.’ She guessed he was still thinking about the repercussions of that morning’s accident, and how it might affect him as a proprietor. ‘I do work as a paediatrician most of the time, but I’m on call two days a week. During my training, I specialised in both paediatrics and emergency, and I wanted to keep up my skills in both those fields. This job was ideal.’

‘I can imagine it would be.’ He smiled, his gaze slanting over her, and then he waved a hand towards a platter. ‘Won’t you try our Burrata cheese? I think you’ll find it’s out of this world.’

‘Thanks.’ She helped herself to one of the cheeses, a ball wrapped in mozzarella, giving it a springy, soft texture. As she bit into it, she savoured the buttery texture of the centre, a mixture of cream and shredded mozzarella. ‘Mmm,’ she murmured. ‘It’s like a little taste of heaven.’

He chuckled, his gaze moving over her, flame glimmering in the depths of his blue eyes. ‘Your expression said it all.’ His glance slid to the soft fullness of her mouth and lingered there. ‘What I wouldn’t give to have savoured that with you,’ he said on a husky note. ‘You have the lips of an angel…soft, ripe and exquisitely sensual.’

She stared at him, her green eyes widening in confusion. His words took her breath away, and a tide of heat rushed through her body. ‘I… Uh…’ She didn’t know what to say to him. She wasn’t prepared for his reaction and his comment was unexpected, disarming, leaving her completely at a loss.

Nervously, she swallowed the rest of her coffee then ran the tip of her tongue over her lips, an involuntary action to make herself feel more secure, to help her to know that all was as it should be, and he made a muffled groan.

‘Don’t…please...’ he said, his tone roughened, his gaze darkening to reflect the deep blue of the ocean. ‘That just adds to the torment.’

Katie’s pulse began to thump erratically, and a torrent of heat rushed to her head. Panic began to set in. Why was he having this strange effect on her? Hadn’t she come all the way out here to start afresh? She didn’t want any entanglements, and yet Nick seemed to be constantly in her face, a powerful, authoritative man, someone it was hard to ignore. He wasn’t like other men she had met, and she was finding she couldn’t trust her instincts around him. At the first foray into dangerous territory she was conscious of the ground sliding out from under her feet. She couldn’t let him do this to her.

She straightened, leaning back in her chair. ‘Perhaps I should leave,’ she said distractedly, her thoughts spiralling out of control. He was altogether too masculine, too hot-blooded for a girl like her. With just a word, a touch he had her senses firing on overdrive.

‘Surely not?’ he murmured. ‘Please, stay a while longer.’

She shook her head. Her bewildered mind searched for options, rocketed from one impossible scenario to the next and collapsed in a panicked heap. ‘I’ve probably spent way too much time here already,’ she managed. ‘It was good of you to offer me lunch. Thank you for that, but I should be on my way now.’