Authors: Meredith Webber,Alison Roberts
‘Because he reminds me of that bastard that Mum fell in love with when she’d finally got over Dad’s death.
And
the creep who dumped you just before you went to Brisbane. He’s a certain type. Skitters through life having a good time and not worrying about hurting anyone along the way. A flirt.’
‘I’ll bet he doesn’t have any trouble getting a response.’
‘He drives a flashy car. A BMW Roadster or something.’
‘Nice. Soft top?’
Hannah ignored the teasing. ‘He knows I can see right through the image. He hates
me
, too.’
Susie finally moved, leading the way into one of the bedrooms at the front of the cottage. ‘I didn’t get that impression from the way he was staring at you at the airport.’
‘He was probably staring at you. At
us.
Wondering how he could be unlucky enough to be partnered with my clone.’
‘That bad, huh?’
‘Yep.’ Hannah threw her suitcase onto the bed and snapped it open. ‘No time for a shower, I don’t suppose?’
‘Not really. Sorry. Put your togs on under your clothes and take a towel. You can swim while I do my patient visits.’ Susie made for the door. ‘I’d better throw a shirt over this top so I look more respectable to go to work. It’s lucky we don’t stand on ceremony much around this place.’
It was blissful, pulling off the denim and leaving Hannah’s legs bare beneath the pretty, ruffled skirt that she chose. The lacy camisole top was perfectly decent seeing as she was wearing her bikini top instead of a bra. Hannah emerged from the room a minute later to find Susie looking thoughtful.
‘I just can’t believe that the guy Emily was telling me about is the same guy you’ve been describing. As far as Mike’s concerned, he’s a hero. Practically a saint.’
Hannah dampened the image she had of Ryan when he was about to ignore the captain’s direction to stay safely seated during severe turbulence to go and help where he was needed. He certainly had the courage that provided hero material. But a saint? No saint could get away with emitting that kind of sexual energy.
‘Mike’s not a woman,’ she said firmly. ‘I doubt there’s a saintly bone in that body.’
‘You could be right.’ Susie’s forget-me-not blue eyes, the exact match of Hannah’s, were still dreamy. ‘He’s got that “bad boy” sort of edge, hasn’t he?’
‘I wouldn’t say it like it’s a compliment.’
Susie closed the front door behind them. ‘Shall we walk? It’s only a few minutes if you don’t mind being blown about.’
‘Yes, let’s blow the cobwebs away. I could do with stretching my legs after all the sitting in planes.’
With a bit of luck, the wind might blow the current topic of conversation away as well.
No such luck.
‘You have to admit, it’s attractive.’
‘What is?’
‘That “bad boy” stuff. The idea that some guy could give you the best sex you’ve ever had in your life because he’s had enough practice to be bloody good at it.’
Hannah laughed, catching her skirt as it billowed up to reveal her long legs. A car tooted appreciatively as it shot past. Thank goodness she was wearing a respectable bikini bottom instead of a lacy number or a thong and that her summer tan hadn’t begun to fade yet. Despite being blonde and blue-eyed, she and Susie both tanned easily without burning.
‘I don’t do one-night stands or even flings,’ Hannah reminded Susie. ‘You know perfectly well the kind of trouble they lead to.’
‘Yeah.’ But Susie seemed to have finally got over her last heartbreak. ‘But you always think you might just be the one who’s going to make them want to change. And they’re such
fun
at the time. To begin with, anyway.’
They walked in silence for a minute and Hannah looked down the grassy slope dotted with rocks and yellow flowers that led to the beach. A quite impressive surf from the murky sea was sending foamy scum to outline the distance up the beach the waves were reaching.
‘You’ve never done it, have you?’ Susie asked finally. ‘Let your hair down and gone with sheer physical attraction? Slept with someone on a first date or fallen in love just because of the way some guy
looks
at you.’
‘Never.’ If she said it firmly enough she could convince herself as well, couldn’t she? She couldn’t admit, even to Susie, how often Ryan infiltrated her thoughts in the small hours of the night. It was lust she felt for the man. Nothing more.
Or should that be
less?
‘Sometimes I wish I were as strong as you,’ Susie said wistfully.
‘Someone had to be, in our family. The voice of reason, that’s what I was. The devil’s advocate.’
‘You were always good at picking out what was wrong with the men Mum brought home.’
‘Just a pity she never listened to me. She lost the house because she went ahead and married that slimeball, Richard the first.’
‘Yeah. At least she’s happy now. Or seems to be. Jim adores her.’
‘And he’s comfortably off and perfectly sensible. I’m sure Mum’s learned to love fishing.’
‘Hmm.’
Hannah couldn’t blame Susie for sounding dubious. She made a mental note to ring her mother as soon as she got home.
‘Come this way.’ Susie pointed away from the signs directing people to the emergency and other departments of Crocodile Creek Base Hospital. ‘We’ll cut through the garden to the doctors’ house and I can show you the pool and then shoot off and see those patients. Might be better if we leave the hospital tour until Sunday. Your flight doesn’t leave till the afternoon, does it?’
‘3 p.m.’
‘Bags of time. I’ll be able to introduce you properly to every hungover staff member we come across instead of confusing you with too many names.’
‘I’ll meet them at the wedding in any case.’
‘You’ll meet a few of them tonight. We’re hoping to whisk Emily away after the rehearsal and take her out to dinner to give her a kind of hens’ night. Which reminds me, I need to pop into the house and see who’s going to be around. Gina might be there and Georgie should be back by now.’
‘Is the dinner going to be at the Athina?’
‘Heavens, no! Sophia already has the tables set up and about three thousand white bows tied to everything. She’ll be making the family eat in the kitchens tonight, I expect—or they’ll be roasting a lamb on a spit down on the beach. Such a shame about this weather.’
The lush tropical garden they were entering provided surprisingly good shelter from the wind thanks to the thick hibiscus hedges, and Hannah found she was too hot and sticky again. Her head was starting to throb as well, probably due to dehydration.
‘Any chance of a glass of water?’
‘Sure. Come up to the house with me.’
Skirting a sundial in the centre of the garden, Hannah could hear the sound of laughter and splashing water. An irresistibly cool, swimming pool sort of sound. The pool was behind a fenced area, screened by bright-flowered shrubs that smelt gorgeous, but Hannah didn’t get time for a proper look because Susie was already half way up a set of steps that led to the wide veranda of a huge old two-storey building. Following her, Hannah found herself in a large kitchen and gratefully drank a large glass of water while Susie dashed off to see who was at home.
‘There’s nobody here,’ she announced on her return. ‘Come on, I’ll bet they’re all in the pool as it’s still lunchtime.’
The air of too much to get done in the available time was contagious and Hannah hurriedly rinsed her glass and left it upside down on the bench amongst plates that held the remains of what looked like some of Mrs Grubb’s legendary chicken salad sandwiches. Susie was a woman on a mission as she sped out of the house and she was only momentarily distracted by the bumbling shape of a large, strangely spotty dog that bounded up the steps to greet her.
‘Rudolf!’ Susie put her arm out as though she intended to pat the dog, and Hannah had no idea what happened. A split second later, Susie was tumbling down the steps with a cry that was far from the delighted recognition of the dog and then—there she was—a crumpled heap at the bottom.
‘
Susie!
Oh, my God! Are you all right?’
Hannah wasn’t the only one to rush to her sister’s rescue. More than one dripping figure emerged through the open gate in the swimming-pool fence.
Two men were there almost instantly. And one of them was Ryan.
‘What’s happened?’
‘She fell down the steps. There was this dog.’
‘Damn, who left the gate open?’ Another dark-haired man with a towel wrapped around his waist appeared behind the others. ‘CJ, you were supposed to be watching Rudolf.’
‘I was being a
shark!’
A small wet boy wriggled past the legs of the adults to stare, wide-eyed, at Susie. ‘I had to be underwater,’ he continued excitedly. ‘With my fin on top—like this.’ He stuck a hand behind his neck but no one was watching.
‘It wasn’t Rudolf’s fault.’ Susie was struggling into a sitting position. ‘It’s all right. I’m all right.’
‘Are you sure?’ A man with black curly hair and a gorgeous smile was squatting in front of Susie. ‘You didn’t hit your head, did you?’
‘No. I don’t know what happened, Mike. I just … Oh-h-h!’
‘What’s wrong?’ Ryan moved closer. ‘What’s hurting?’
‘My ankle,’ Susie groaned. ‘I think it’s broken.’
‘Just as well Luke’s here, then,’ Mike said, turning to another man who had approached the group. ‘And they say you can’t find an orthopaedic surgeon when you need one?’
‘I
don’t
need a surgeon,’ Susie gulped. ‘I hope.’
‘I’ll just be on standby,’ Luke assured her. ‘I am on babysitting duties after all.’
‘
I’m
not a baby,’ CJ stated. His hand crept into Luke’s. ‘You said I was your
buddy.
’
‘You are, mate. You are …’
‘Let
me
have a look.’ Ryan’s hands were on Susie’s ankle. He eased off her sandal before palpating it carefully. ‘I can’t feel anything broken.’
‘Ouch!’
‘Sorry. Sore in there, is it? Can you wiggle your toes?’
There was a small movement. ‘Ouch,’ Susie said again. She looked close to tears and Hannah crouched beside her,
putting an arm around her shoulders. ‘I don’t believe this. How could I have done something this stupid?’
‘Accidents happen,’ Ryan said calmly. He laid his hand on top of Susie’s foot. ‘Can you stop me pushing your foot down?’
‘No. Oh, that
really
hurts.’
‘It’s starting to swell already.’ Hannah peered anxiously at Susie’s ankle. She might not have been very impressed if this injury was in front of her in the emergency department, but this was no professional environment and this was her sister. And Ryan looked nothing like he did in the ED. Hannah’s gaze swung back to her colleague for a moment. He was practically naked, for heaven’s sake. Tanned and dripping and … gorgeous. And giving Susie that killer smile.
‘I think it’s just a bad sprain but we’ll need an X-ray to be sure. At least you chose the right place. I believe there’s an X-ray department not far away.’
‘It’s not funny,’ Susie wailed. ‘I’ve got to wear high heels tomorrow. Little white ones with a rose on the toe. My dress is nowhere long enough to cover an ankle the size of an elephant’s. I need some ice. Fast.’ Susie leaned down to poke at the side of her ankle. ‘What if it’s broken and I need a cast? Oh, Mike, I’m so sorry! This is a
disaster!
’
‘Forget it,’ the curly haired man told her. ‘The only thing that matters right now is making sure you’re all right. Let’s get you over to A and E.’
‘I’ll take her,’ Ryan offered. ‘Isn’t Emily expecting you back at the Athina?’
Mike glanced at his watch and groaned. ‘Ten minutes ago. And I’m supposed to have all the latest printouts from the met bureau. The women are all petrified that Willie’s going to turn back and ruin the wedding.’
‘As if!’ Luke was grinning. ‘There’s no way Sophia’s going to let a bit of weather undermine a Poulos wedding.’
Hannah could feel an increasing level of tension curling inside her. This was no time to be discussing the weather. Or a wedding. Susie needed attention. Her sister’s face was crumpling ominously.
‘I’m
ruining the wedding,’ she wailed forlornly. ‘How could I have been so
stupid?
’
Hannah glared at Ryan. If he made even one crack about anything blonde, he would have to die!
Ryan’s eyebrows shot up as he caught the force of the warning. Then he looked away from Hannah with a tiny, bemused shake of his head.
‘Nothing else hurting?’ he asked Susie. ‘Like your neck?’
She shook her head.
‘Right. Let’s get this sorted, then.’
With an ease that took Hannah’s breath away, Ryan took charge. He scooped Susie into his arms as though she weighed no more than the little boy, CJ. ‘Emergency’s that way, yes?’
‘Yes,’ Luke confirmed. ‘Through the memorial garden.’
‘Can I go, too?’ CJ begged. ‘I want to watch.’
‘No,’ Luke said. ‘We told Mom we’d be waiting here when she got back.’
Mike was grinning broadly. ‘You sure you want to go in like that, mate?’
‘No time to waste.’ Ryan was already moving in the direction Hannah had approached earlier. ‘We need ice. And an X-ray.’
Hannah was only too pleased to trot behind Ryan. This was exactly the action that was required and there was no way she could have carried Susie herself.
‘I’ll bring your clothes over,’ Mike called after them. ‘I’ll just call Emily and let her know what’s happening.’
What was happening was a badly sprained ankle.
Despite ice and elevation and firm bandaging, Susie’s ankle was continuing to swell impressively and was far too painful to put any weight on at all.
‘Crutches.’ An older and clearly senior nurse appeared in the cubicle Susie was occupying nearly an hour later. ‘At least I won’t need to give you a rundown on how to use them, Susie.’
‘Thanks, Jill.’ But Susie took one look at the sturdy, wooden, underarm crutches and then covered her face with her hands as though struggling not to burst into tears.
There was a moment’s heavy silence. The cubicle was quite crowded what with Hannah standing by the head of Susie’s bed, Ryan—now dressed, thankfully—and Mike leaning on the wall and Jill at the foot of the bed, holding the horrible accessories Susie was not going to be able to manage without.