"
You didn't." Kate finished her coffee,
moving to the sink to wash her cup. "And to answer your question,
no, there's no significant other. No other of any kind, in
fact."
There was a lengthy pause. Kate sensed
rather than saw Kevin's apologetic shrug. "But, you would like
there to be."
Against her will Kate's thoughts filled
with Spencer. It wasn't doing her any good to dwell on what could
never be. She managed to shrug aside Kevin's concern. "Perhaps, but
I guess it's not in my stars."
Kevin sighed. "Sometimes I forget the
world isn't as happy go lucky as me," he said sincerely. "I'm
sorry, Kate."
"
It's okay, Kevin." Kate washed, then dried
her cup and replaced it on the shelf. "I like my own
company."
"
Okay then, ready to go back into combat?"
He gave her a lopsided grin.
"
Lead the way." Kate pushed him in the
small of his back, propelling him forward towards the kitchen door
before he said anything more than could cause her to break down and
confess.
No. Not now, not ever.
A steady stream of patients kept
Kate busy until her stomach signaled it was past time for lunch.
Dropping her stethoscope onto her desk, she collected a bottle of
mineral water and the plastic wrapped package of sandwiches
she'd made that
morning and took her meal outside into the bright
sunshine.
She looked about her with pleasure,
breathing in the sunshine. The surgery grounds backed onto wide
parkland filled with native trees and flowers. Birds called from
the canopy overhead as Kate sat down on a rustic bench against the
back fence to unwrap her food. A small flock of sparrows
immediately began arriving to perch further along the fence, their
sharp little eyes looking for any crumbs.
Kate shredded the crust from her sandwich
before tossing the pieces over the fence onto the grass. She
unscrewed the cap from her bottle of water and drank several
mouthfuls before eating the sandwich and picked up a second. She
watched the sparrows hopping about her feet, their bright chirps
begging for more.
"
Is taking care of the wildlife another
intense passion of yours?"
Kate gasped, looking up from her meal to
find Spencer standing a short distance away holding a large mug of
coffee in his hand. The sun's reflection on the lenses of his
glasses shielded the expression in his eyes, but his jaw was set in
hard, uncompromising lines.
Kate sighed. "I felt the need for some
fresh air." A renewed sense of frustration curled through her. "The
wildlife was an extra bonus."
She disliked not being able to see what his
eyes might reveal of his thoughts. But she also noted, with a small
dash of satisfaction, that he still looked slightly wrecked.
Maybe he hadn't been sleeping well lately
either. It modified her response to think he could also be
suffering from some kind of post-kiss trauma. "I've never been able
resist a soft sell. These sparrows look half starved."
"
Somehow I doubt that." Spencer came
closer. "The staff around here keep them well-fed. Is this spot
taken?" He indicated the far end of the bench. "Or do you want to
be alone?"
What is he
asking
? Kate
couldn't decide. Her headache made clear thinking difficult. Again
he looked as if he had something to tell her, but couldn't find the
right words to begin. The possibilities—none of them good—zipped
through her tired brain.
"
No, it's not taken," she replied tersely,
dropping her eyes back to her crust shredding as he sat down beside
her. The sparrows inched closer, snatching at the food and flying
away into the trees with their prize.
Kate shredded another crust. She kept her
eyes on her task, finding she couldn't eat under his close gaze.
She saw she was mangling the sandwich and relaxed her fingers. Her
heart pounding, she waited for him to say what was on his
mind.
After a tense silence Spencer leaned back.
"So, tell me, Kate, how's your day been so far? Nothing you
couldn't handle?"
"
Nothing out of the ordinary." Kate looked
up, frowning at the deliberate flatness of his tone.
His face was set and remote. Her heart went
into overdrive. So any mention of their shared kiss was off
limits?
Her eyes dropped to his mouth, her mind
replaying images and sensations that made her fingers tremble. It
had been an incredible kiss, everything she had ever dreamed a real
kiss could be.
It was so awful not knowing what he was
thinking or feeling. What he wanted to say. She couldn't ask; that
would be fatal to her fragile sense of equilibrium. Distance and
perspective, why had they deserted her, when she needed them the
most?
"
Earth to Kate?" His mouth thinned with
impatience. It registered then he'd been speaking to
her.
"
Sorry?"
"
I said thanks again for helping out with
Pat O'Neill's brood. I was also asking about your other
cases."
"
You're welcome." She drew a careful
breath. Keeping her eyes down, she briefly outlined her extensive
patient list. He questioned her for a few minutes, seeming
satisfied with her responses. Kate knew a brief moment of pleasure
as if she had just passed some kind of test.
"
It sounds like you're coping well."
Spencer finished his coffee in a long swallow, before tipping his
head back and closing his eyes against the sun. "Remember, it's my
job to look after you. Anything you need, just ask." His tone said
he no longer wanted the task.
Anything I
need
...Kate
shifted her eyes away from the long muscular length of his thigh as
he stretched out beside her, easing the tension from his muscles
with a deep sigh. He stripped off his glasses, holding them in his
fingers as he pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and
forefinger.
Kate's
mouth tightened with chagrin.
Don't go there, not
again
. What
she wanted wasn't on offer, even if she was foolish enough to think
about it. And she wasn't about to forget that bleak fact a second
time.
"
I'll keep it in mind," she replied
throatily. "If I ever need anything, I'll make sure I let you
know."
"
Excellent." Spencer pushed his fingers
through his hair before he replaced his glasses.
He turned to look at her. She appeared
nervous, acting like the proverbial cat on hot tin. He glanced
down. The rest of her sandwiches lay untouched on the seat beside
her. He'd been in two minds about approaching her at all. He wanted
to explain about the other night, rationalize it in his own mind,
but he didn't know how to begin.
Kate withdrew her attention to
watch the sparrows. Spencer studied her averted profile.
Is she remembering
the kiss we shared?
The unguarded sweetness of her response had kept him awake
all that night, even after the cold shower. He'd been too wound up
to escape into sleep.
As a direct consequence he'd been short
with Jamie the next day and that wouldn't do. That kiss was the
beginning and the end of anything between them. It simply couldn't
go any further, as much as his body wanted it to happen. The
rational dictates of his mind knew better.
She'd
been involved with a married man.
Broken up a committed relationship for her own selfish ends. That
told him everything he ever needed to know about her. So why was it
so hard to get her and her soft mouth out of his mind?
He couldn't afford to take the chance on
her and then watch her walking out on him and Jamie when she got
restless. And a city girl like her would soon get itchy feet. That
was a given.
Consumed in his thoughts he felt her
shifting restlessly beside him. Like she wanted to be anywhere else
but here beside him, but was too polite to just get up and walk
away. "I have patients waiting to be seen," she said finally,
getting abruptly to her feet.
He watched her toss the remains of her
sandwiches to the flocking sparrows. He noted that she had hardly
eaten anything. It concerned him when she seemed so edgy. He hadn't
meant to interrupt her meal.
He felt a flare of irritation that he might
be the cause of her loss of appetite. He needed to mend the
professional relationship between them. He should try and make
amends, make her feel she could be easy around him.
That he wasn't going to compound his error
by trying to kiss her again. That he wouldn't again put their
working relationship at risk by getting too close.
"
How about Saturday?"
"
I'm sorry?" Kate took several steps away
before looking back.
"
I asked, how about my place on Saturday
afternoon." Spencer lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the sun
behind her. He watched her reaction from beneath the flat of his
palm. "We have a local race meeting Friday morning. I thought you
might like to join in."
"
Join in?" Kate fought the sensuous pull of
his attraction, trying to make sense of what exactly he was asking
of her.
"
Horses, Kate," Spencer replied flatly.
"Everyone will be there. We always make a day of it after the races
and then parade the horses around the back garden on Saturday
morning. You'll be quite safe with me."
Kate frowned, wondering who exactly would be
there. A short strained silence fell between them, underscored with
bird song. She took another couple of steps towards the
surgery.
The birds' chatter sounded suddenly
strident in her ears. "I'll have to check the roster. I may be on
call."
"
No problem if you are." Spencer climbed to
his feet. "The cell phones work just as well at my place. You need
to relax, Kate, you work too hard."
And whose fault is
that
? Kate
backed up. "I'll check, let you know how I'm placed by the end of
the week."
"
Fine." Spencer's arm moved past her, his
hand reaching to open the door. The warm masculine essence of him
filled her nostrils and senses to exclusion. She couldn't move
away.
He dropped his head to look down at her,
trapping her against the warm bricks at her back. "Don't worry; I
have every intention of controlling myself from now on. Maintain
our professional relationship at all times. It's for the
best."
"
For the best." Kate nodded jerkily;
looking up into the clear dark blue of his unsmiling eyes and
feeling her heart dip to her toes.
It was what she wanted, wasn't it? Spencer
Stelanos to keep away from her, allow her space to breathe and work
without constant vigilance? She moved passed him with a small nod
of thanks and went inside. Why then did the idea make her feel so
dissatisfied?
Stepping inside out of the bright sunlight,
she was momentarily blinded. She almost walked into Jake Morgan as
he was coming out of the emergency room.
He put a steadying hand on her arm. "Kate.
I've been meaning to catch up after last weekend. Is Spencer
looking after you?"
"
I don't really need looking after, you
know."
"
I know." Jake's swift grin disarmed her
rising sense of indignation. "You're a big girl and I'm an old
fool."
His dark eyes studied her for a long moment.
Suddenly Kate wished he would tell her what he saw in her face. He
looked as if he wanted to say more. What was holding him back she
had no idea.
Deciding she wasn't going to receive a
confession this time either she finally shrugged her
dissatisfaction. "Was there something else you needed me for, Dr.
Morgan?"
Jake hesitated before he said, "I just
wanted you to know I've been thinking and I should tell you that
I—"
"
Got a minute, Jake?"
Kate spun around to find Spencer standing
right behind her. He must have followed her inside. His eyes were
on his partner's face; his heavy frown almost looked like a
warning. His closeness at her back felt like a solid wall of
denial. There seemed no way for her to push through to the
truth.
"
Of course, Spencer." Jake nodded quickly,
looking relieved. He glanced back at Kate. "I'll let you go then.
Glad to know everything is working out. Come and see me at three
o'clock. I'm free then. There are a couple of your cases I want to
fill you in on. The Pigott child for one. I had to admit her to
hospital on Saturday night and things don't look too
good."
Kate opened her mouth, started to speak,
then closed it again and simply nodded. "Thank you. I'll be
there."
The two men walked away, deep in
conversation. Kate ran a questing hand over her face and shook her
head. She was in no mood for puzzles, but the idea she was somehow
missing something important remained to torment her like an itch
she couldn't reach. The next time she managed to get Jake alone,
without the frequent interruptions of their working day, she was
going to demand the truth.