CAROL MARINELLI - The Consultant's Accidental Bride

Oh, it was all very well to blame Glynn, all very well to point the finger and insist she truly hadn’t known it was necessary to confirm her flight, but what would be the point?

Burying her head in her hands, Leah let out a low moan. Never in a million years would she deliberately have hurt Kathy. Never in a million years would she have wanted to miss her best friend’s wedding, but when they had arranged it, when Kathy had first told her of her plans, a year had seemed such a long way off.

The wedding of the century, Kathy marrying her delicious Australian and heading back to London for a prolonged honeymoon, with Leah just a day behind.

The perfect end to the perfect year.

And what a year, Leah thought with a fond smile. She’d climbed Ayer’s Rock, snorkelled her way along the Barrier Reef, swum with dolphins and packed so many memories into twelve months it was almost impossible to fathom. But all good things must come to an end, Leah thought sadly. This time next week she’d be back in Emergency, this time next week she’d be pulling on her uniform and picking up where she’d left off, and the thought truly terrified her.

She didn’t want to go back.

Maybe missing the flight had been some sort of unintentional Freudian slip, maybe it hadn’t been entirely an accident.

‘Miss Jacobs?’

Looking up, Leah hastily wiped a stray tear, determined to apologise for giving Glynn such a hard time. A hotel and free meal sounded just about the order of the day.

‘I’ve spoken to my supervisor and, given the fact you’ve only got hand luggage…’ Holding out his hand, he gave her what looked suspiciously like a boarding card, imparting his first genuine smile as Leah stared at him blankly ‘If you run you should just make it. The plane’s departing from Gate Four.’

‘I was just getting used to the idea that I’d missed it,’ Leah admitted. ‘Would it be terribly bad if I told you I’d changed my mind?’

Glynn laughed, actually laughed. ‘I knew there was a reason I swore off women.’ This time his smile really was sympathetic. ‘Having second thoughts about going home, huh?’

Leah nodded. ‘And third and fourth.’

‘Would it help if I told you you’re flying business class?’

Blinking at the boarding card, a smile inched over her face.

‘And that that gorgeous specimen of a man that checked in a few minutes ago will be sitting in the next seat?’

‘Possibly.’ Leah grinned, picking up her backpack and slinging it over her shoulders, and even though it was probably way down on Glynn’s list of must haves he got it anyway.

Leaning over, she kissed his smooth tanned cheek.

‘Thanks, Glynn.’

‘Send me a postcard!’

Running along the empty corridor, dodging the occasional buggy loaded with domestics, she just made it. Pushing her boarding card through the machine, Leah ran down the carpeted aisle, ignoring the pursed lips of the cabin crew as she handed over her card.

‘To the left, third row from the front.’

Finally!

Finally she’d see what went on behind those smart navy curtains that were pulled as the plane taxied along the runway, finally she’d find out if the chairs really did go all the way back and if the drinks really were free!

Biting on her lip as an air steward relieved her of her backpack, Leah took a deep breath and slipped into her seat.

OK, it was only the first leg of the journey, but finally she was on her way home.

‘YOU made it, then?’

Slipping into her seat, Leah let out a long, exaggerated sigh before turning to her travelling companion. Glynn hadn’t been exaggerating. He really was heavenly. Superbly cut straight black hair, smoothed back from his tanned face, those stunning navy eyes, smiling as he looked over. To say he was well groomed would be an overwhelming understatement. He’d discarded his jacket, but his cotton shirt was still crisp, and his tie, though loosened, certainly hadn’t been thrown on and Leah felt like a charity advertisement in comparison.

‘I thought I’d missed it,’ Leah admitted. ‘I really thought the plane was leaving without me. I can’t believe they actually let me on.’

‘It must be because you travel light.’

Leah laughed. ‘That’s a first! Normally I need a tow truck for my backpack, but I sent a massive parcel home by sea mail yesterday, otherwise I’d undoubtedly have been on the next flight and paying excess baggage to boot.’

‘Cole Richardson.’ Even his hand was immaculate, Leah thought, beautifully manicured, the glint of a heavy gold watch under a crisp white cuff. But extremely disappointingly, Leah realised as she held out her rather scrawny nail-bitten offering, was the heavy gold band on his ring finger.

‘Leah Jacobs.’ She smiled, mentally scolding herself. As if a guy as effortlessly divine as Cole wouldn’t be taken. Not that she was on the lookout for romance, it was just the mental checklist every half-respectable single girl did when they met a halfway decent man for the first time. Despite her internal sigh, the fact he was wearing a wedding ring actually helped. There was nothing worse than, a few hours in, finding out that the man you’d actually started to like had a wife and nine children at home or even an LSG, as Kathy and she had abbreviated longstanding girlfriend to.

Or in Glynn’s case, a significant other.

No, far better to know from the outset that this was one tree it definitely wasn’t worth barking up.

‘From your accent, I take it you’re from England.’ When she nodded he carried on, ‘So how long have you been in Australia?’

‘A year,’ Leah answered. ‘I’m heading back on Sunday. How about you? Are you on your way home?’

Cole nodded. ‘I’ve been at a medical conference in Cairns.’

‘Ah, yes.’ Leah grinned. ‘Dr Richardson. And from what I remember, you didn’t confirm your flight either.’

She was sure they would have carried on talking but the plane, which had been gently taxiing along the runway, suddenly sprang into life, the lights dimming as the engines started to roar.

‘I hate this bit,’ Leah admitted. ‘I mean, I know it’s the safest form of transport, I know I’ve got more chance of being killed crossing the road and all that.’ She was gabbling now, words spilling out of her mouth as she tried not to think about what was going on. ‘I’m fine once it’s up, it’s just the take-off and landing that sends me into a spin.’

He nodded, turning those lovely eyes to hers, and she waited for a few soothing words to calm her, some tranquil platitude about how he flew all the time, how there was nothing to it, that if the stewards weren’t worried then neither was he…

‘Take-offs and landings are the most dangerous part.’

She blinked back at him, momentarily taken aback by the callous insensitivity of his statement.

‘It’s the truth.’ Cole shrugged, his eyes idly drifting to the window as Leah shrank back in her seat, screwing her eyes closed as the plane lifted into the late afternoon sky.

‘Remind me not to get sick when you’re around,’ Leah muttered, but he must have had ears on elastic because he turned sharply.

‘Excuse me?’

‘We’ll, you’re not exactly sensitive. I bet you’re one of those doctors who reel off every last possible complication before you allow a patient to sign a consent form. I bet you list off all the possible side effects before you hand over a script and are only too happy to remind people about the errors of their ways.’

‘It’s my job.’ Cole shrugged again, then gave a rather tight smile. ‘Why shouldn’t people be informed? Mind you, being an emergency consultant, most of the damage has usually been inflicted long before a patient comes into my care. Still, there’s normally a chance for a bit of patient education.’