Ann McIntosh - The Nurse's Christmas Temptation / A Mistletoe Kiss For The Single Dad

The computer beeped, the cursor flashed, waiting for him to put in his password. Doing so absently, Cam found himself remembering Harmony’s sadness when she’d spoken about how much she missed her grandmother.

He understood, completely. The first Christmas after Grand-Da died had been the hardest of Cam’s life. Only the fellowship of the islanders, who missed the old man as much as Cam did, had eased the pain. It was a shame Harmony and her mother wouldn’t be together to remember the old lady and all the good times the three had shared.

Then he frowned as the first notification to pop up on his screen was an email from Dora entitled To-Do List.

“Really?” he muttered to himself. “Don’t you think that after four years I know what needs to be done?”

Yet still he opened it, and sat running through the various points until the phone rang.

Since Harmony was in the back, he called out, “I’ve got it!” and picked up the receiver.

“Cam MacRurie speaking.”

“Cam? Are you coming by today?”

“Hello, Hillary,” he said, noting the strain in the woman’s voice. “Is everything all right?”

“Oh, yes, of course. I just wondered…”

“My new nurse, Harmony, is scheduled to come out and see you, Hill,” he said gently. “Will that be okay with you?”

“Oh, yes, of course,” she replied, and the automatic answer told him more than her words. “It’s just that I don’t know her. How will I know it’s her? And I haven’t had a chance to tidy up…”

“Don’t worry about it, Hill. I’ll come out with her and introduce her properly. That way next time you’ll know who it is. Will that suit?”

“I… I…”

She faltered, and Cam waited, guessing she was trying to gather her thoughts.

“So you’ll come, then?”

“Yes, Hill. I will.” He infused as much of a soothing tone into his voice as he could. “I’ll see you in a little while.”

“Thank you.” The relief in her voice was patent. “Thank you, Cam.”

After he’d hung up the phone, Harmony, who’d come to the door, asked, “Her anxiety getting the best of her?”

Cam nodded, pleased that she’d picked up on that from the file. Hillary Carstairs had been born with spina bifida, yet had lived life to the fullest, getting around with leg braces and a cane until her later years. She had two children, one of whom still lived at home and helped his father on the farm.

Now confined to a wheelchair, Hill had developed agoraphobia and an anxiety disorder, which made her increasingly isolated. He’d prescribed antianxiety medication, which she’d refused to take, and offered to refer her to a specialist, but again she’d refused—perhaps because of having to go to the mainland for appointments.

It was at times like this when Cam felt the restrictive nature of the island keenly, and chafed at not being able to provide what was necessary.

“I’ll ride out with you,” he said to Harmony. “It’ll allay some of her stress, and hopefully she’ll be okay with you coming alone the next time.”

“Okay, but it seems a shame to interrupt your day that way. No doubt you have scads of stuff to do.”

Cam happily closed the email from Dora and grinned. “It’s not an issue. Hill’s health is the most important.”

Besides, Hillary and Gavin’s farm was in one of his favorite parts of the island, and showing it to Harmony suddenly seemed like a great idea. In fact, there was nothing he’d like more—although why that was wasn’t something he wanted to think about too deeply.

THE CARSTAIRS’ FARMHOUSE was filled with the evidence of Hillary’s weaving business, although Harmony had seen no sign of the alpacas when they drove up, which was disappointing.

Hillary Carstairs was stressed and apologetic, but Harmony was adept at handling patients with anxiety disorders, and had her calmed down in a fairly short time. Hillary even agreed to allow Harmony to do her examination and change her catheter.

“Everything looks good,” Harmony told the older lady as she helped her back into her wheelchair. “But I see from your chart that you’ve refused treatment for your anxiety disorder and agoraphobia. May I ask why?”

Hillary’s eyes shifted away and she knotted her fingers together. For a moment Harmony thought she didn’t intend to answer. When she finally spoke there was an air of surrender in the words.

“I’ve been poked and prodded and I’ve taken medication my entire life. Why would I add even more? Besides, going anywhere in this contraption takes so much effort. It’s not fair to Gav.”

Harmony tweaked the ends of Hillary’s skirt so it lay flat, thinking through her answer before saying, “You realize what an anomaly you are, right?”

Hillary frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you’ve lived to be in your sixties with spina bifida. Had two children and a full life. It’s only in the last few decades that spina bifida has been considered something other than a childhood disorder, since people diagnosed with it weren’t expected to live very long. Why give up now?”

Hillary shrugged, but she was obviously listening, her gaze steady on Harmony’s face, so she continued speaking.

“You already have some limitations placed on you by your disorder. Why not deal with what you can, so you can continue enjoying your life to its fullest?”

There was no reply, but as Harmony packed up her kit she left it at that, hoping she’d given her patient some food for thought.

They left the bedroom and found Cam and Gavin, Hillary’s husband, in the large farmhouse kitchen, leaning on the counter, sipping from teacups.

Gavin was a short, stocky redhead with an infectious grin, who asked, “All right, then, love?”

“Yes,” Hillary said, smiling back at him. “Everything is fine.”

But Harmony found herself the recipient of a piercing interrogatory glance from Gavin, who only visibly relaxed when Harmony nodded her agreement.

“Good, good… Want a cup of tea, ladies?”

At their affirmative responses he set about pouring cups for them from the pot, while a black-and-white collie came over to say hello to Harmony. She bent to pet it, getting a lovely cold nose in her neck and a couple of licks before the dog slunk off in typical collie style to flop down on a cushion in front of the fireplace.

Gavin said, “I was just telling Cam that I’ve moved the flock up to the old croft, which is why they weren’t hanging over the fence watching to see who was arriving.”

“They’re a nosy lot,” Hillary said. “I miss seeing them when I look out the window.”

“I was hoping to get a glimpse of them when we arrived,” Harmony said, adding a murmur of thanks as she took the cup from Gavin.

“Cam can take you up to get a look,” he replied, turning to Cam as he continued. “Take the four-wheeler.”

“I will,” said Cam.

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Harmony said, at the same time.

Cam laughed. “I think it’s a grand idea. And, if you don’t mind, I’d like to show her Ada Tor.”

“Go right ahead,” Gavin replied, resting his hand on his wife’s shoulder as he passed. “I don’t need the UTV again until later this evening.”

Everyone else looked pleased as punch at this idea, and Harmony realized she’d look churlish and ungrateful by refusing, so she plastered a smile on her face. But she wondered what kind of vehicle it was they’d be taking, what kind of terrain they’d be traversing, and if any of this was safe.

She got her answer after they’d finished their tea. While she stowed her bag in True Blue, Cam and Gavin went into the barn. After a short time there was the clatter of an engine, which sounded like a large lawn mower, and a small four-wheeled vehicle came stuttering out. It had two seats, a flatbed in the back, no doors, and it bumped across the farmyard as though it had a complete lack of shocks.