Captivated by Her Runaway Doc
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Sue MacKay
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18,9K
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9
CHAPTER ONE
AT EIGHT FORTY-FIVE Mallory Baine turned up her bumpy drive and huffed a relieved sigh. ‘At long last.’ A soak in a hot shower, then into PJs and a thick robe to devour the pizza sitting on the seat beside her while she unwound over a crime show on TV along with it.
Except there was a light on in her living room.
And a car parked by the garage.
Her heart lurched. ‘Who the hell...?’ No one had said they were stopping by tonight. Scanning back for anyone she might’ve told to make themselves at home, her memory came up blank. Yet it had to be someone who knew she left a spare key in the meter box. Didn’t it? It isn’t an uncommon hiding place. So, who was inside?
Parking next to the gleaming 4WD she didn’t recognise, she snatched her phone from the console and shoved out to take a photo of the number plate. Just in case. She’d probably look like a fool when she learned who’d called in but, still, a girl had to be careful, even in Queenstown.
Woof, woof. Shade’s ‘Happy you’re home, Mum’ bark. Or it could be her ‘I’ve smelt the pizza’ bark. She obviously wasn’t concerned about their visitor. Though any of her friends would’ve let Shade out of her run to go inside with them.
Crossing to her pet, she unlatched the wire gate and rubbed Shade’s head, more for her own comfort than Shade’s. ‘Hey, girl. Who’s visiting?’
Wag, wag, lick.
Some of the tension growing between her shoulder blades backed off. Whoever it was couldn’t be all bad. Shade was savvy about people, though she was susceptible to meaty bribes. ‘Come on inside. We’ve got someone to check out.’
A suitcase stood on the small porch near the back door and the key was still in the lock. A relieved sigh escaped Mallory. Woo-hoo. Typical Maisie. No warning, no checking if Mallory would be around for the weekend, her best friend would just fly in and hope for the best. She’d been promising a visit for weeks and after today, with their other close friend ending up in hospital, there couldn’t be a better time. Mallory picked up the pizza and headed inside, down the short hall, calling out, ‘Maisie, I hope you’ve brought the wine.’ There wasn’t any in her fridge, likewise much in the way of fresh food. ‘Hello? Maisie? That you?’
A cough came from the sitting room. A masculine cough.
Mallory crashed to a stop in the doorway and reached down to hold Shade’s collar with her free hand. A man was unfurling his long body from her couch, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Had he been asleep? Tough. More important was, ‘Who are you?’ she demanded through the pounding in her chest.
He stood tall, his woollen jersey half hitched up one side, the linen trousers creased and rumpled, dark hair falling into dark eyes. ‘Hello.’
Hello? That was it? Not likely. Her hand slipped from Shade’s collar as she stood tall and straight, eyeballing him directly. He had no right to be here, no matter what he might think. ‘What are you doing here? How did you find the key?’ she snapped.
‘Your brother told me where the key would be and to let myself in if you weren’t home. He said you’d be back sometime tonight.’
He looked such a relaxed mess, and sounded so genuine, that her unease backed off a notch, only to be replaced by anger. This is my house. Not once had she come home to find a stranger lounging on her couch like he had every right to make himself comfortable. If he was a villain, he wasn’t very good at it, lying around as though he had all the time in the world. Though why would someone with evil intent wait in the house with lights on and his vehicle parked in full view? ‘I said, who the hell are you?’ she snapped, using the anger to cover concerns about not having a clue what was going on.
‘Josue Bisset.’
She stared at him. The tension began cranking up tighter. The name meant nothing. Neither did anything he’d said so far make sense. She kept staring at him.
He finally got the idea. ‘The doctor about to start work at the local hospital where you’re based as a paramedic? I’m going to board in your house until I find an alternative for the short time I’m here?’ Doubt was creeping into his accent, and he glanced around the room. Was he looking for an escape route because it was dawning on him he’d screwed up?
He had. Big time. Continuing to watch him, Mallory drew herself even taller, all of one point six metres, and dug for a don’t fool with me attitude. It came easily. No one did this to her. Her home was her sanctuary, her safe space. ‘I don’t have a brother.’ With his stunned gaze now locked on her, she continued. ‘I am not taking in a boarder. And I’m a helicopter pilot, not a paramedic.’
Something foreign escaped from his mouth.
French? The accent sounded similar to that of the girl from Avignon who worked in the bakery she frequented. ‘You mind translating?’ she demanded, not ready to play nice. ‘Now?’
‘I’d better not,’ he said. He even smiled. ‘It wouldn’t translate politely.’ He wasn’t acting as though he might be on the back foot here and he damned well should be. He was still a stranger who’d walked into her house uninvited, despite what he believed to be a valid reason for doing so.
Beside her, Shade stood straight and firm, her head pointed at their intruder, her muscles tense. But she didn’t seem too wary of Josue, more like questioning what was going on. Mallory resisted the urge to pat her because she’d probably relax, and she still knew nothing about this man and why he was in her house. She waited.
‘Désolé. I thought I’d come to the right address. It’s been a long journey from Wellington, crossing over on the ferry and driving all the way down here today.’
That was a helluva distance. Still, ‘Don’t you use a GPS?’
‘I do, and it led me here. I was going to Kayla Johnson’s house. Do you know her?’
One of my closest friends. All the air whooshed out of her lungs. Three hours ago, she’d flown out in the rescue helicopter to pick up Kayla from beyond the Cardrona ski field and taken her to the hospital in Dunedin because Queenstown’s hospital didn’t do major surgeries. Her paramedic friend had two broken legs and was suffering from a severe concussion, having been lucky to avoid a small avalanche from taking her to the bottom of a rocky gully.
When Mallory had held Kayla’s hand as she’d been unloaded at the hospital’s emergency landing pad, Kayla had been talking gibberish, probably because of the concussion, but she’d said something about a doctor coming from Wellington. Was this man really meant to be staying in her friend’s house? Was she supposed to go along and let him in because of a few whispered mutterings? It wasn’t happening. At least not tonight. Hold on.
‘GPSs are usually very accurate with street addresses. Kayla’s house is another two hundred metres up the road.’
‘Number 142. I have reached my destination,’ he said in a monotone as if imitating the voice of his GPS. There was a suspicious glint in his eyes like he was laughing. Yes, his mouth was definitely twitching.
‘Number 124. You have not reached your destination.’ She retorted in a similar monotone, trying not to glint or twitch. He was beguiling to say the least. Great. Just what she needed at the moment.
‘I must’ve muddled the numbers.’
‘I’d say so.’ It was getting harder by the minute not to give in to the smile trying to bust out from deep inside now that she was starting to relax. She didn’t intend on making him feel too comfortable. Not yet anyway. That’d mean losing the upper hand, if she even had it.
Josue Bisset smiled slowly and easily. ‘I’d better take my bags and get out of your way. I’ve caused enough trouble for one night.’ His face softened further, making his mouth even more delectable.
He was probably used to winning over obstinate women. He was built, tall and broad with looks to match. Women would lap up anything he said or did. But surely not a home invasion? Okay, a slight exaggeration now that she understood why he was here, but still. Still what? What to do next came to mind. Nothing. Let him get on his way and she could take that shower she’d been hankering for over the last hour. But she had yet to explain about Kayla.
Mallory walked through the sitting room to the double doors opening into her kitchen-dining space. ‘It’s not as straightforward as that.’ With Shade nudging the back of her leg, she dumped the pizza on the bench and opened the pantry. Shade seemed to have decided to ignore Josue, which gave her hope he was all he appeared to be, a friendly, honest man who’d made a genuine mistake. Hopefully Kayla had had him checked out before offering him a room in her house. Hadn’t he mentioned her brother?
‘I take it you know Dean?’ she called over her shoulder, and gasped when she saw Josue had followed her and was looking around the kitchen with something like hope.
He locked a steady gaze on her. ‘I worked with him in Wellington.’
Fine. Dean wouldn’t have sent him to his sister if he’d had any concerns. She filled Shade’s bowl with food and placed it on a mat beside the water bowl. ‘There you go, my girl.’
Her uninvited guest now stood with his hip against the kitchen counter, his nose crinkling as he breathed deep while looking at the pizza box. The mouth-watering smell of bacon and cheese and mixed herbs was probably getting to him. It was certainly reminding her how hungry she’d been before she’d seen the light on in here.
He said, ‘Dean and I get on very well, and he showed me around some interesting places during my time in the capital.’
It was a reference of sorts, Mallory supposed as she filled the kettle. It wasn’t her place to change the arrangements, except they might not be the same any more. Kayla’s parents would be on the road to Dunedin, if they hadn’t already arrived, and they’d surely have contacted Dean about what had happened. But then the last thing that would be on Dean’s mind would be the doctor moving into his sister’s house.
‘I know nothing about what you’ve organised but unfortunately things have changed. Kayla won’t be coming home tonight, or for some weeks.’ Kayla’s parents would insist she stay with them until she was up on her feet again, and who knew how long that would take? ‘She and two other people were caught on the edge of an avalanche this afternoon. Fortunately, they all survived but Kayla’s injuries are serious. Both legs broken and a severe concussion at the very least. I was part of the team that airlifted her off the mountain earlier. She’s now in a hospital in Dunedin.’
Shock filled those steady eyes. ‘That’s awful. I’m sorry to hear that. Have you heard any more about her condition since you returned to Queenstown?’
‘No, but I’m unlikely to until her parents find out more. The paramedic thought Kayla would need surgery on her legs. They were in a bad way. She’s going to hate being restricted by casts and crutches.’ So much for getting back on track and recharging her energy, which had disappeared since her husband had died. ‘Hopefully she’ll be fine once she gets past the shock.’ Mallory turned away to wipe a hand over her damp cheeks. Life was so unfair to some people. ‘She’s one of my closest friends.’
A light touch on her shoulder told her she wasn’t alone, that Josue understood she was upset. It felt good, and totally out of place. She might have become a little restless with her life, due to not having anyone special to make a future with, but this good-looking Frenchman who claimed he was only here temporarily wasn’t going to help one little bit. A short future was not what she intended next time she got involved with a guy. But it would have been good to download after today’s drama. Drama he’d added to, she reminded herself.
He must’ve sensed her tension because he stepped back, putting space between them, not being intrusive. ‘I do hope very much she’s going to be all right. Maybe Dean’s left a message to update me.’ He pulled out his phone and shook his head. ‘Nothing, but he’s probably on his way south and, to be fair, there’s no reason why I should be at the top of his list of people to tell.’
She was grateful for his small gesture of understanding and for not overdoing it. It made her feel she wasn’t dealing with this completely alone, which was silly as she could talk to Maisie any time. ‘I didn’t know about you coming to stay, though Kayla did try to tell me something before the medical staff whisked her inside the hospital. She wasn’t talking coherently and I’m only guessing it might’ve been about you.’ Now what? Did she offer a complete stranger a room for the night? It wasn’t in her to kick him out when he was new to town, though he could probably still go along the road to the other house.
‘It was a last-minute arrangement after the accommodation I’d organised was withdrawn due to someone else now not leaving.’ Doubt was filtering through the exhaustion coming off the man in waves. ‘Maybe I should go into town and find a hotel for the night. I don’t want to cause any more worries for Kayla or Dean.’ Again, he locked his gaze on her. ‘Or you. I am very sorry for this.’ His apology sounded genuine.
‘Don’t worry about it.’ She was shattered, her brain whirring all over the place. What were the choices? ‘It’s not up to me to say, but it sounds like there’d be no problem if you want to go to the house.’ The guy was dropping on his feet, and obviously hungry by the way he kept glancing at the cooling pizza. Just as well she’d ordered an extra-large one. There went tomorrow’s lunch. Shifting the box to the table, she collected plates and paper napkins, and nodded. ‘Let’s eat. Maybe you should try to get hold of Dean afterwards.’
‘I will.’ Hope was filling his eyes and lifting his drooping shoulders.
Mallory yawned, no longer able to hold herself upright, her whole body starting to sag with her own share of exhaustion. The need for a hot shower was becoming urgent, which was a normal response after a tricky rescue flight, especially when it involved someone she knew, something that happened quite often as she’d grown up here. Today’s trip, flying Kayla to the hospital, had been particularly gruelling. Her friend was barely getting her life back together and then this. Now Mallory just wanted to unwind, but there was a foreigner in her house who needed help. And a lock on the bathroom door in case he wasn’t as genuine as she’d begun to think.
Shade was happily chomping her way through her food, the tinny clicks against the bowl as she tongued up dried biscuits loud in the sudden silence. If she wasn’t perturbed by their visitor, Mallory believed she was safe. After closing the curtains in the lounge and kitchen-dining area, she flicked on the heat pump that she’d forgotten to pre-set that morning, and said, ‘Let’s eat before we do anything else.’
Josue pulled out a chair for her. ‘You are being so kind. As I said, I’m Josue, from Nice. I’m working at the hospital for two months before going home. I’m also joining the search and rescue outfit. Can I ask your name?’ He held out his hand.
She hadn’t told him? Of course she hadn’t. She’d been too busy asserting herself. Slipping her hand into his to give a friendly shake, she ignored the heat that spilled into her and said, ‘Mallory Baine.’ She studied his face more deeply and nearly gasped. Talk about being blind before, or perhaps she had been too focused on him as an intruder and not a man, because now she saw good looking didn’t begin to describe him.
A strong jawline, a hint of stubble darkening his chin and lower cheeks, generous lips and those big eyes that seemed to miss nothing. Wow. Then what he’d said dropped into her bemused head, and she tugged free of that warm grasp. ‘I volunteer for S and R. That’s why I was flying tonight.’ So this man would be on her patch over the coming weeks. Seemed they had been destined to meet, which shouldn’t be an issue, except for the sudden tapping going on under her ribs that wasn’t about finding a stranger in her house, and more about how he was waking up her stalled libido. It had been a while since her last fling, and she didn’t want another. These days she was more inclined to want the whole package. And Josue wasn’t going to be that. Apparently, he was here short term, while she was looking for someone to share the bed and mow the lawns. Someone to have a family with.
‘We’ll be seeing a bit of each other then,’ he replied, unknowingly agreeing with her earlier thoughts.
The accompanying smile went straight to her chest, spreading tendrils of warmth throughout the chill brought on by tiredness and the shock of finding a stranger in her house. Though she was getting used to him already. Tap, tap, went her pulse. Shut up.
‘I guess we will. S and R can be busy.’ This was getting out of hand. She’d met Josue less than fifteen minutes ago in the oddest situation and already he had her thinking about him in ways she didn’t usually consider men. Two particular horrors having hurt her in the past had, until recently, kept her only wanting the occasional fling. Lately, though, she’d started wanting to find that one person to live with and love and share everything, even when there wasn’t much time in her hectic life for a relationship, which was a deliberate ploy to keep her mind off what she didn’t have and on what she did.
When she wasn’t working, rescuing or keeping the property up to scratch, she was with her widowed mother at the dementia unit, painting her nails, combing her hair or searching for hidden possessions.
The worst thing Mallory had ever had to do in her life had been to admit her mother into full-time care. It had become necessary when she’d gone for a walk in the middle of the night last winter without a clue where she was. She’d been looking for Mallory’s father, the love of her life. Not a safe thing to do under the best of circumstances, and a wake-up call for Mallory about her mother’s mental state.
‘Have you done search and rescue before?’ she asked Josue, more to keep the conversation going than a serious need to learn anything about him.
‘Oui. In France and then in Wellington. I think it might be physically more challenging in the Wakatipu terrain than anything I’ve done before.’
‘The mountains are tough, the bush as dense as anywhere in the country and the rivers freezing even in summer.’ She nodded at her German shepherd now happily curled up on a dog bed. ‘Shade works the land searches.’
One brown eye opened at the sound of her name, and Shade thumped her tail.
Josue nodded. ‘She has the strong build required to spend hours walking in all sorts of weather and terrain.’
‘She loves it.’ Opening the box, she nodded at the pizza. ‘Help yourself. It won’t be very hot now. Do you want me to reheat it?’
‘Merci. This is good of you. I’m starving. It’ll be fine as is. By the time I arrived in Queenstown all I wanted was to get to the house, but I should’ve stopped to get something to eat. I must’ve given you a fright, being in your house.’ Again, that smile.
‘“Fright” was one word for it.’
‘What’s another?’ His smile widened. Used to charming his way through a woman’s doubts?
‘Disappointment.’ Her return smile was tired but cheeky.
One eyebrow rose. ‘Disappointment? You felt let down? How did I manage to do that by being inside your house uninvited?’ He was still smiling at her.
Mallory surprised herself by laughing. ‘I was shocked when I saw the lights on. I wasn’t expecting anyone, but when I saw that case on my porch, I hoped my other close friend had decided to surprise me with a visit.’ It would’ve been perfect timing after Kayla’s accident. They’d have talked half the night and convinced each other Kayla would be fine.
‘Instead you found a sleepy Frenchman on the couch who’d messed up putting correct directions into his GPS.’ He nodded. ‘Yes, I can understand your disappointment.’ His low laugh went straight to her blood, ramping up the pace and heat. ‘At least I didn’t scare you into considering doing something dangerous to me.’
‘You wouldn’t be sitting here munching on pizza if I’d had any serious qualms at all. Instead, Zac would be hauling you down to the police station by the scruff of your neck.’
‘Zac?’
‘A local policeman who lives around the corner.’ The advantage of knowing many people in this town was having their numbers just a touch away. ‘I’m thinking we shouldn’t bother Dean tonight. Obviously, you can go to Kayla’s house, but...’ She hesitated. What she was about to say seemed pointless when the other house was a minute away, but Josue was shattered and alone, and she knew from experience how debilitating that could feel. Rapidly squashing unwanted images, she drew a breath and said, ‘If you want to doss down here for the night and move along the road tomorrow, you’re welcome.’ Shade would be more than happy to sleep in her room, just in case she was completely wrong about him.
‘Doss?’
‘Grab a bed.’
‘You’d trust a stranger to stay in your house?’
‘If Dean’s okay about you staying with Kayla then it’s all right with me.’ Kayla would’ve quizzed her brother for hours about this man. She took no risks about her safety. Except today she’d obviously got that wrong, but nothing would’ve indicated she was about to be knocked out by an avalanche.
Mallory knew about bad luck. Hers had come about because of her choice in men. Jasper had been bad enough, but they’d been teenagers, and she’d had a lot to learn. Whereas she’d been twenty-four when she’d moved in with Hogan, who’d turned out to be a right scrounger who had been enough to make her think twice for a long time about getting caught up with another man. A man she could trust with her heart again.
She did want to take another chance, and sometimes wondered if she was like her parents and would find the right match when she was older. In the meantime, she was cautious in a friendly way. But the restlessness over not having her own family was growing harder to deal with as the months went by. A loving man and kids were all that was missing from her life.
Her gaze went to Josue, who was watching her as he munched pizza. Waiting for her to retract her offer? He looked honest and decent, and there was a twinkle in his eyes when he wasn’t yawning. Okay, so she might be too trusting, but better that than always being overly careful. Was Josue wondering how to answer her invitation? Had she put him on the spot somehow? ‘Would you prefer to stay here or go along the road to the other house?’
‘I’ll stay, merci. I think you’re right. It’ll be best to get in touch with Dean tomorrow.’
‘That’s settled.’ Taking a surreptitious look at her guest, she hoped she hadn’t gone and done the wrong thing. Fingers crossed he was as decent as he looked.
When Mallory got up to make tea, she glanced down at her overalls. She never wore them inside, and certainly not while she ate dinner, even at her most knackered. She still had her boots on! ‘I’ll show you the room you’ll use and then I’m taking a shower. There’s an en suite bathroom attached to your room.’
She’d grown up in this house and still used her original bedroom, which had been enlarged when she’d been a teen. Her dad had died five years ago, which had been the catalyst for her mum starting to become lost in her own little world. Her parents had been so close they’d only functioned 100 per cent when they’d been together. It mightn’t have caused the dementia, but her mum had never been the same since the day they’d buried Mallory’s dad at the cemetery near Lake Wakatipu.
Mallory knew she’d been a surprise for her parents and, going by the loving atmosphere she’d grown up in, a very welcome one. They’d doted on her, even when she’d messed up big time and become pregnant, then depressed when she’d lost her baby due to an ectopic pregnancy. A stark memory flared of the physical and mental pain of losing her baby, while her boyfriend could only say with relief that they were too young to be parents anyway and that the surgical procedure had not only saved her life but their individual futures.
Her mum and dad had devoted all their time to her until she was back on her feet and then when she’d gone looking for a new career. The nursing course she had enrolled for had no longer been appealing, with thoughts of dealing with other people’s pain dragging her down. Her mum had been disappointed as she’d wanted her daughter to follow in her footsteps, but she’d rallied and backed Mallory all the way when she’d decided on flying helicopters and, despite a fear of flying, had been Mallory’s first passenger when she’d been allowed to take people up.
Now it was Mallory’s turn to give her mother everything she could, including staying here in Queenstown for the foreseeable future, and spending time with her whenever possible. She’d already turned down with few regrets the dream job of flying rescue choppers in Nelson. Family came first, no matter what.
She led Josue to her parents’ old room. ‘Anything you want, just shout out.’ She turned away. Bring on the shower. Nothing like a long, hot soak to ease the kinks in her back. The wind had been strong on the mountain, and along with the worry over Kayla, the thought of starting another avalanche with the downdraught from the rotors had been high on her mind, even though where she’d flown there had been little chance. Exhaustion always came after the adrenaline rush.
As the water pummelled the ache between her shoulder blades, relief at getting Kayla to safety finally pushed out the negatives, giving her that sense of satisfaction she got after a positive retrieval. Not that her friend would be pleased with where she was right now, but better that than at the bottom of the gulley with tons of snow on top.
As Mallory’s body warmed, her mind wandered to the man down the hallway. Josue Bisset. Funny how Josue sounded sexier than Joshua. Softer, as though filled with hidden anticipation. And he was sexy, now that she had time to see him not as a problem but a man who had come to her district to work and help those in trouble out in the wilderness. Tall men with broad shoulders tapering down to narrow hips did it for her every time. Throw in a dazzling smile and vibrant eyes and she was a sucker for trouble.
Unreal how quickly she’d gone from anger to this unexpected curiosity about him. It was as though he was pushing buttons hidden deep inside her, reminding her it was time to have some fun again and to nudge the restlessness aside for a while. But to do that with her intruder? She grinned. That might become his name for his time in Queenstown. The Intruder. A darned sexy, interesting intruder at that. She didn’t throw herself at men and yet she felt she wouldn’t be averse to spending time with Josue. Then again, maybe not. He wasn’t staying here forever, and she was.
Having witnessed her parents’ deep love for each other, it was inherent to want the same, and so far she hadn’t come close. At thirty-two she was starting to wonder if she’d be waiting till her forties, like her mother. Not till I’m fifty as dad was, please. Her family had been close, so special, she dreamed of attaining the same for herself. Sometimes she wondered if she was just hoping for too much. She wanted another chance to have a baby and yet was terrified of a repeat of last time. What if she had another ectopic pregnancy? And what if she couldn’t conceive at all?
Hogan had accused her of being ungrateful for what they had, saying she wanted her dreams of love to come true when life wasn’t like that. He might’ve been right, but she wasn’t giving up yet. She’d gradually fallen out of love with him and he hadn’t taken kindly to that, saying she was selfish. When she’d asked him to leave the flat she’d paid for, he’d left the next day while she was at work, transferring online her savings to his account on the way. So much for trusting him.
The water ran cool. Damn, she’d forgotten to tell Josue not to have a shower while this one was in use. Turning off the shower, she reached for a towel. The system didn’t work properly when more than one hot tap was on at a time. She really should get around to having the plumber come by, except it seemed like an expense she didn’t need when mostly she was the only one living here. Josue was here for one night. He wouldn’t be causing problems with the system much longer.
Josue. She stared into the mirror. What did he see when looking at her? Freckles, green eyes, and wavy hair tied back out of the way for work. He’d seen her in her overalls so did that mean he missed the feminine side she kept out of sight while at work because she didn’t want the men treating her any differently? It never bothered her what anyone thought of her appearance in heavy duty boots and sensible clothes for all seasons, but when she wasn’t at work there was an array of soft blouses and tight trousers hanging in the wardrobe to relax into, shoes with heels and fashionable boots in bright shades of red and mustard and blue.
At home the hair came down to spill over her shoulders, blonde against the sky-blue satin PJs she was about to put on. They probably wouldn’t impress a classy Frenchman. His casual clothes might be messed up, but they were stylish. But again, so what? This was home and she was being herself, sexy Frenchman hanging about or not.
Slipping a thick white robe over the PJs, she unlocked the door and headed to the kitchen to make that tea she’d been hanging out for since pulling up to the house.
Josue pulled on loose sports trousers and a sweatshirt. He hoped Mallory wouldn’t mind if he made coffee. Being one of his bad habits from the years studying medicine, it didn’t keep him awake. Besides, he was exhausted after the long day travelling and needed a caffeine fix. He’d been so happy about coming to Queenstown he hadn’t bothered to stop for a night on the way down the South Island.
The scenery had been stunning, but then mountains always upped his pulse rate. They were magical, and dangerous, and he enjoyed any time spent on one. They were the reason he’d decided to spend the last months of his New Zealand trip down here. Getting more insight into search and rescue in such rugged terrain to take home to use if he found a doctor’s position at a skiing location, as he intended, was a bonus.
Looking at the bed, he knew he couldn’t go there yet. There was too much going on in his head. Mostly about the woman who’d looked ready to boot him out on his backside when she’d first strode into her house and found him on her couch. She’d been equally shocked and angry, and right away had appeared determined he wasn’t going to get the better of her. Not that he’d had any intention of trying to best her. He’d been the one in the wrong.
But, wow, she was something else, standing straight, her eyes fixed on him, her voice strong. Intriguing, to say the least. And gorgeous. Those freckles sprinkled across her cheeks she apparently didn’t try to hide under layers of heavy make-up like some women he’d known made him long to kiss her gently. They were like a sign saying there was a wonderful woman behind the stance telling him not to mess with her, and that there was another, softer side to her strength hidden away from prying eyes.
He’d messed up completely on arrival, but who’d have thought both women hid the keys to their houses in the same place? And that they were friends? Even then, he should’ve realised when he’d walked into the house and seen all those photos hanging on the wall he’d presumed were of Kayla and her parents. He’d been so taken with the love in everyone’s faces he hadn’t realised Dean was missing in the pictures. Mallory and who he now presumed were her parents looked so happy cuddled together that an old envy had filled his heart.
Growing up in foster homes, he’d never known anything like that. In fact, he often didn’t quite believe people who said they were so in love the world was permanently rosy, yet those photos told him different. Love could be real. But was it possible for the likes of him who’d been left on a doorstep at twelve months old?
Gabriel always insisted it was and he had shown him great affection since the day he’d taken Josue under his wing to help sort his life out. At fifteen, Josue had been going off the rails in the direction of a life of crime when the policeman who’d arrested him for theft had given him a talking-to like no other, basically saying he had two choices in life and not to blame anyone else for which path he took.
Gabriel and his wife had taken him in a few months later and had stood by him as he’d fumbled his way out of trouble and into study and work, eventually making it to medical school and into a career the boy whose mother had abandoned had never imagined. The policeman and Brigitte had been the first to love him unconditionally and he had given the same back, warily at first and then with all his being.
But he’d never found that kind of love with a woman. Perhaps because he always backed off before they could reject him, like most other people had in the past. He wasn’t counting casual friends. They came and went and that was fine. It was the ones who could have loved him, and hadn’t, that had him fearful of being hurt again. Gabriel and Brigitte had been the first to show him unconditional love and he had to learn to return it. Twice he’d started to get close to a woman before fearing they wouldn’t give him the love he craved and so he’d run.
Josue hauled air into his lungs and sighed slowly. It was an old story and he really should let it alone—especially now when he was in a wonderful country where he’d been welcomed with open arms and was having a great time. He didn’t have to juggle emotions over a relationship because he wasn’t getting into one.
Looking around, he sighed. This house wasn’t where he was meant to be, wasn’t number 142. A simple mistake with no serious consequences. If he had reached the right destination he’d probably still be lying on a couch, snoozing or awake, wondering where his hostess was. At least he had the answer to that question. He’d call Dean tomorrow to find out how his sister was and make sure her house was still available. If not, he’d look for somewhere else, no problem.
He took another glance around. It’d be great to stay here but Mallory wouldn’t want him hanging out in her space. She came across as independent and not needing company in the evenings while winter raged outside. Then again, she might be a complete softy on the inside. After all she had given him, a stranger, a bed for the night rather than sending him along the road to a cold, empty house.
He was daydreaming. At the moment he had arrangements in place and wouldn’t be changing them on a whim. A fascinating, gorgeous whim, though. Mallory hadn’t flinched when she’d found him in her house, hadn’t been fearful or stroppy. Not that he’d have wanted to push her good nature. He suspected she’d have had him on the floor with a foot on his back while she phoned the police if she’d had any doubts about why he’d come to be here. How embarrassing to be found in a stranger’s home, looking like he was meant to be there, though that was probably what had saved him from having his backside kicked.
Mallory might be small, but she was strong. Not once had her shoulders dropped while sussing him out, her gaze had never wavered, and her tone had pierced him with a warning that he’d better be genuine or watch out.
‘Josue,’ a gentle, kind voice called from the kitchen, showing yet another side to Mallory. She straightened up from petting Shade as he joined her. ‘I’m making tea. You want one?’
He gasped internally. Mallory wore pyjamas, the summer-sky shade making her eyes gleam. They drew him in. Dampness, no doubt from the shower, made her blonde hair darker. It fell in thick waves down her back and over her shoulders to her breasts. Her white robe was tied tightly around a tiny waist. Was this the same woman who’d been wearing shapeless overalls and thick work socks inside heavy boots? This version was feminine and lovely.
His breathing stuttered, as though his lungs were confused over taking air in or huffing it out. The other version had been gorgeous, but this Mallory? Gasp. Out of this world. His finger and thumb pinched his thigh. Reality returned through a sudden haze of lust. Why had he put the wrong damned number in the GPS? He was in for a sleepless night knowing this woman was in the same house.
‘Josue?’ Confusion scrunched her face. ‘Tea?’
Tea? What? Shaking his head, he finally got his act together. ‘Would you mind if I have coffee?’ He crossed his fingers. ‘As in real coffee?’ Glancing over the benches, he smiled. ‘It’s okay. I see you have some.’ Instant coffee was worse than none at all.
‘Help yourself.’
‘Merci.’ Mallory was already treating him as though he fitted right in, moving around him in the small space as she prepared her tea. It made him feel good, like he mattered in a relaxed way. Even though it was casual and not deep and meaningful, that warmed him throughout. It wasn’t something he’d had a lot of. None of the foster families he’d been placed with had been so quick to accept him, if they’d ever even got there. Only Gabriel and Brigitte had right from the get-go, and that had been massive as at the time he’d been the worst kind of brat possible. They were the reason he was heading home after this job, to be there when Gabriel had his heart surgery, to support both of them.
Yet, despite all they’d done for him, the memories remained of how every time he’d met a new family his hopes of being liked and cared about had been dashed. It was as though he had to prove himself every time he met someone, and as a kid he’d turned his anger to hurting others by stealing from them. Gabriel had soon talked sense into him, saying he was hurting himself more than anyone else. It was true, but he’d never quite got over being on edge when he first met someone.
Of course he mattered, as a man and as a doctor. He did believe it, but there was a hole inside that he just couldn’t fill. In the two instances when he’d thought he’d come close with women he’d cared for, Colette and Liza, he’d continually questioned his feelings and their reactions to him, eventually leading those relationships to failure. So why was he feeling like he mattered here with this woman in a way he’d not known before? As though he just might be able to find that settled life he craved? It was a foreign sensation. Because she’d shared her pizza? Offered him a room? Or because she wandered around her kitchen as though he’d always been there?
No doubt he was overreacting to her kindness, but a rare warmth was spreading throughout him, surprising and confusing him. Should he be pleased or worried? He obviously wasn’t having the same effect on Mallory. Which had to be good, he supposed, if he wanted to get to know her better, as he liked to do with locals wherever he was working. That way he learned more about the area, where best to ski, hike, eat and drink.
Right now he’d like to do all those things with Mallory. Already he knew that? Oui, he did, if that’s what this unusual sense of anticipation meant. But, like everything he did, if he acted on these sensations waking up his manhood, it would be short term. He knew too well that the itch to move on would strike, as it had done all his life, after going from one foster family to the next, a new school each time, new people to get to know and try to impress.
Gabriel and Brigitte were the people he returned to often and kept in constant contact with when away from Nice. As a teen he’d had his own room in their house, and it was still his. Only with them did he have a complete sense of belonging. There was no family history to hold on to.
The only information he had was that his father had died when he was twelve months old and his mother had never replied to any of the letters he’d written to her as a child. If she ever got them. He’d met her briefly when he was fourteen. She had told him she’d started taking drugs soon after he was born and by the time she’d left him, she’d got deeper into the criminal world to feed her habit.
She believed she’d done the right thing by her son and to have visited him at all would have been worse than staying away. After that meeting, she had gone again and not many months later he’d learned she’d died of an overdose.
Mallory brushed past him, steaming mug in hand, as she headed for the lounge.
He was being gloomy. His life had moved on, improved, and there were all sorts of opportunities out there if he let go of the past. Letting the coffee stand, he joined Mallory, settling into a large leather armchair. ‘Tell me about flying helicopters. What work do you do?’
A tired smile stretched her mouth wide and lit up her equally tired eyes. ‘My full-time job mostly involves flying sightseeing trips up to the snow slopes or around the mountains, out to Milford Sound. Sometimes there are other trips, taking business people to cities up and down the South Island. It keeps me busy, and volunteering for Search and Rescue is an added bonus. My boss is happy for me to help out, but it has to be in my free time.’
Josue could listen to her voice all night. The Kiwi accent was sharper than European ones, but he liked its clarity, especially mixed with Mallory’s softness. Careful, Jos. It was strange to be feeling a woman’s voice, looks, attitude as warm and encompassing so easily. Could he finally be moving past the doubts that usually blocked him from believing anything was possible? Yet he was still overthinking everything. Though he was feeling more relaxed and comfortable than usual, none of that meant he could suddenly settle into a stable life and always be there for a woman he might fall in love with.
‘As an S and R volunteer I also do some of the rescue flights, though I’m only the back-up pilot when others are unable to attend.’
‘Like today.’
Her mouth dropped, and she blinked rapidly. ‘Yes. Any rescue that involves seriously injured people, or worse, upsets me, and not only when it’s someone very close to me.’
He wanted to hug away that pain, but they didn’t know each other well enough. She might misinterpret the gesture. ‘I understand, but those sentiments are why we do the job in the first place.’ Was she completely relaxed with him? Why question it, Jos? Just accept Mallory for who she appears to be. His heart softened. Not many people in his past had been so accepting of him so fast. They’d wanted to know his history in other foster homes and schools before they’d asked if he liked eating beef, if they asked anything personal.
As an adult, he still looked for that reaction, and found it hard these days to accept that it was normal curiosity that had people asking questions about his job, family, past. His fault, but another old habit hard to let go. It stopped his expectations getting away from him, and stopped him from even beginning to wonder if he could be a good father if he ever got into a permanent relationship.
The TV remote Mallory had picked up remained still in her hand. ‘There’s also the adventure of heading out on foot into the bush or up a mountain to look for people who’ve got into trouble.’ She spoke faster, higher, and the spark was back in her gaze.
‘You’re an adrenaline junkie?’
Now a grin came his way. ‘As long as I operate safely and carefully, yes.’
He usually liked quiet women, not ones who attacked the world, but here he was, enjoying Mallory’s company a lot. Was he more tired than he realised? Or was this the attraction? ‘Remind me not to have an argument with you.’ He didn’t know if the adrenaline junkie ever took over from the careful, safe woman at the controls.
Her laughter filled the room, and his chest. ‘Think I’d toss you out of the chopper?’
‘Not a chance. I’m not going for a ride with you.’ His grin came automatically, as though he was totally at ease with Mallory. At this realisation, his mouth flattened and he went to pour his coffee, trying to stifle the sudden sense there was a storm coming his way, one that would pick him up and shake out the past, open the gates to hope and something far more foreign—happiness. And stability.
His over-tired mind was playing games with him. He really knew nothing about this woman, and certainly not enough to wipe away everything that had kept him strong and safe over the years. Glancing around, his gaze landed on one of the photos that had caught at his heart earlier. Mallory sitting on the sofa she was on now, with her maman and père beside her, smiles splitting everyone’s faces and love filling their eyes. Did she know how lucky she was? Lucky they had been there for her, had kept her with them and loved her so much?
For once he didn’t feel the bitterness that rose when he saw families together like this. The air of confidence clinging to Mallory suggested that her family’s love had made her strong and kind; the reasons he was staying here tonight and not along the road in an empty house. Envy touched him before it disappeared into a fragile happiness over being with a woman who demanded nothing of him he wasn’t prepared to give. Too early to be thinking that, maybe, but he couldn’t deny she was getting under his skin, touching him in a way that was foreign to him, but he still seemed to understand.
Tomorrow he’d wake up and realise he was an idiot and that this was all to do with exhaustion and wishful thinking. Not reality with a kind, sexy woman at the centre.
