A Doctor Beyond Compare
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Melanie Milburne
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CHAPTER ONE
‘DON’T even think about it, buddy.’ Holly gritted her teeth with determination as the beat-up car behind her tried yet again to edge its way past her on the sinuous stretch of southern New South Wales coastal road.
The car, with a male driver, of course, she inserted cynically, had been tailing her since the Baronga Bluff turn-off, edging closer and closer, looking for an opportunity to overtake. The rusty vehicle had clung to her like a barnacle on the back of a boat, taking each tight curve with a roar of its impatient engine, but so far she’d managed to hold him off. She’d stayed just under the speed limit religiously, taking each of the savagely twisted curves with caution but competence.
The winding road began to even out ahead, the window of opportunity obviously not escaping the driver behind her, who once again revved his engine to make a move.
‘Put this up your exhaust and smoke it, you idiot,’ Holly said and put her foot down, the surge of two hundred and fifty horsepower instantly coming to her rescue.
However, her victory was very short-lived.
She had to ease back off the throttle when a lumbering farm vehicle turned into the road just ahead of her, its spluttering cough of blue smoke billowing out behind it as it prepared to laboriously climb the steep hill ahead.
Holly allowed herself one short sharp swear word. What was it about male drivers? City and country, they were all the same—arrogantly assuming the road was theirs and theirs alone.
She checked her rear-vision mirror once more and instantly began to seethe.
The driver behind looked like the typical surfing bum—the surfboard strapped to the roof-rack not the only clue. In one or two quick glances she could see he was well tanned with messy, salt-encrusted dark brown hair, the overlong ends bleached naturally by the sun, giving him the sort of highlights she had to sit in a hairdresser’s chair for an hour to achieve.
She couldn’t see his eyes—they were screened behind oneway sunglasses—but she caught a glimpse of his mouth and her fury ratcheted up another notch.
He was smiling.
The farm vehicle began to choke ahead of her, slowing to an excruciating crawl as she nudged it once or twice from behind.
Because she was tucked so close, the car behind had a much better view of the road ahead and the driver quite clearly knew the route well, for just as she prepared to pull out to check there was a great roar on her right and the old rusty car rocketed past, leaving a trail of exhaust fumes in its wake.
To add insult to injury, the young male driver waved to the older male driver of the farm vehicle as he sped past as if they were old friends.
‘Jerk,’ Holly muttered under her breath and then, forcibly brushing off her ire, concentrated on the rest of the journey into Baronga Beach, the small south coast town where she’d taken up a position as GP in a two-doctor clinic for a year.
The town was situated on a small bay, the sparkling blue waters coming into view as soon as she crested the last hill. The bay was fringed on one side by rolling hills dotted with cattle and horses, their shiny backs catching the summer afternoon light. She could even smell the sea salt in the air as she drove along the wide main street looking for the address she’d been given.
And there it was.
Baronga Beach Medical Clinic.
How easy was that? No rustling about for street directories or satellite navigation way down here. It was a block from the main drag, a small—by her Sydney standards—nursing-home-cum-medical clinic which served a population of close to fifteen thousand people.
The largest hospital was about two hours away by car, which meant services were somewhat limited but essential to the town’s survival. From what she’d read it wasn’ t exactly a popular tourist spot. The fishing, surfing and diving crowds tended to gather in the more resort type towns further along the highway. There were steep mountains nearby, but by the look of their craggy pinnacles they were not for the faint-hearted in terms of bushwalking.
Holly couldn’t help a tiny inward grimace at what she’d impulsively committed herself to. She’d been so keen to leave Sydney after her final GP training posting at the Mosman clinic, she’d taken the first position she’d seen advertised, the country post appealing to her for the very fact that it was exactly what her ex-fiancé would have scathingly described as a hick town.
She mentally chastised herself as Julian Drayberry’s blond and buffed features came to mind. How had she not seen the way their relationship had been wrong from the start? But from now on things were going to be different. What she needed now was space, and Baronga Beach was exactly the place to provide it.
Besides, what better way to heal a broken…no, strike that and replace with slightly cracked heart, she quickly amended, than a stint in a country town where hopefully work would take up every available space so she didn’t have to linger on the might-have-beens, could-have-beens, would-have-beens or should-have-beens?
Holly pulled into the clinic car park and found a space next to a colourful bed of bright pink pig’s face which was over-spilling its confines. She stepped out of the car and began to edge past the trailing plant when a voice growled at her from a few feet away.
‘You can’t park there! Get out of that space right this minute!’
She turned to see an elderly man limping towards her, waving a walking stick at her angrily.
‘Did you hear me, young lady? This space is reserved for army personnel only. Now move that vehicle immediately or there will be trouble.’
‘I’m sorry…’ Holly glanced to see if there were any signs she’d missed but there was nothing to suggest she’d parked illegally. She turned back to the elderly gentleman, who was glaring at her from beneath bushy white brows, but before she could think of something to say to quell his obvious ire another voice sounded from the front door of the clinic.
‘Dr Saxby? How wonderful to meet you. I’m Karen Pritchard, the receptionist.’ A woman of about forty came striding towards Holly and offered her hand. ‘Welcome to Baronga Beach Medical Clinic.’
‘Er…Thank you,’ Holly said with a nervous glance at the old man, who was making slow and considerably unsteady progress towards her.
‘Get out of here immediately!’ He tapped his stick on the ground for emphasis. ‘That’s an order!’
‘Now, now, Major Dixon,’ Karen, the receptionist, soothed as she took his arm and led him back towards the nursing home annexe of the clinic. ‘Isn’t it time for afternoon tea? Come on, let’s go and see if the mess hall is keeping to its strict timetable.’
Holly watched as Karen handed over the old man’s arm to a nurse who had appeared at the door, the amused glances exchanged between the two women speaking volumes.
‘Come on, Major,’ the nurse said. ‘What will Dr McCarrick say if he hears you’ve been disobeying his orders? You know he insisted on bedrest until that leg ulcer heals. He’ll have you stripped of your medals if you’re not careful.’
The old man mumbled something in reply but Holly didn’t hear it as Karen came back to her with a welcoming smile on her face. ‘Sorry about that. I hope he didn’t frighten you. He’s one of the nursing home residents.’
‘Is he really a major?’ Holly asked as she fell into step beside her as they walked towards the clinic.
Karen gave her a sideways grin. ‘No, but ever since he developed dementia we go along with it. It keeps him happy. Besides, at nine or ninety, what man doesn’t like a bit of power to wield from time to time?’
What man, indeed? Holly silently agreed as she recalled her recent encounter with the driver she’d tussled with on the road into town.
‘Well, here is the reception area, Dr Saxby,’ Karen said as they entered the building.
‘Please call me Holly.’
‘Holly, then.’ Karen smiled. ‘I’m sorry the welcoming committee is a bit thin on the ground but we had an emergency early this morning. I don’t think Dr McCarrick is back from the Jandawarra Community Hospital yet. He went in the ambulance with a road accident victim.’ She glanced at the clock on the wall. ‘He should be back any time soon.’
‘That’s all right,’ Holly said pleasantly. ‘I thought I’d just call in to say hello. I have to settle into the house, anyway.’ She rummaged in her bag for the address and, unfolding the piece of paper, asked, ‘Where exactly is Shelly Drive?’
‘It’s just a few blocks from here,’ Karen informed her. ‘It’s a lovely little semi-detached cottage. Dr McCarrick lives next door. He bought them both a couple of years ago and completely renovated the one you will be living in; now he’s working on the other one.’ She handed her a set of house keys and, giving Holly a rueful look, added, ‘I hope he doesn’t keep you awake at night with all that banging.’
Holly smiled as she took the keys. ‘I’m sure I won’t even notice. I’ve just spent three years living in one of Sydney’s busiest, noisiest inner suburbs. The sound of traffic and sirens just never stopped, night or day. I think this will be a nice change.’
‘It will certainly be a change,’ Karen agreed. ‘But it’s very quiet down here. Most of the action is further along the coast where the tourists head for the better facilities, but I’m sure it won’t take you long to settle in. You’ll like Dr McCarrick. He’s been such a wonderful boost to the local community. He’s been single-handedly holding the fort ever since Neville Cooper was forced to retire after a stroke. Cameron will be glad to have another pair of hands to ease the workload. He’s been going it alone for too long as it is.’
‘I’m sure we’ll get along just fine,’ Holly said, already mentally conjuring up an image of Dr Cameron McCarrick. She hadn’t been told much but she assumed he was the typical country GP—no doubt married with a family, comfortably settled in the community, a bit of a paunch starting from long hours on call, maybe even some hair loss which, if he was anything like her mother’s current husband, he would try to hide with the coffee scroll sort of comb-over that always made her giggle behind her polite smile.
Holly was certain they’d get along just fine.
‘I could give you a quick tour of the clinic now but you might want to catch the General Store before it closes,’ Karen advised with another quick glance at the clock. ‘You’re probably used to twenty-four hour services but I’m afraid things shut down here at five-thirty on the dot.’
‘Thanks,’ Holly said. ‘I’ve brought some basics with me but I need milk and fresh fruit.’
‘I’ll be here at eight so I can show you around then. See you tomorrow,’ Karen said. ‘Have a good night.’
‘I will,’ Holly said confidently and made her way outside.
The General Store was still open so she parked her sports car in one of the angled parking spaces and headed inside.
It was nothing like the huge supermarket complexes she was used to, but the food looked reasonably fresh and certainly the freezer compartment was well-stocked. She loaded up her basket with some low-carb, high-protein ready-to-heat meals, snatched up some low-fat milk on the way past, as well as some bananas and locally grown apricots, and made her way to the checkout at the front.
‘You new in town?’ the checkout girl asked, shifting a wad of chewing gum from one cheek to the other.
‘Yes…’
‘Nice car,’ the girl said, flicking her glance to where Holly had parked. ‘You staying long?’
‘About a year,’ Holly answered.
The girl shifted the gum again. ‘You must be the new doctor.’
‘I am.’
The girl scanned the items mechanically. ‘You know what you’re letting yourself in for living down here?’ she asked.
‘It looks like a nice place,’ Holly offered, not sure what else to say.
‘Yeah…’ The girl gave her a bored, can’t-wait-to-get-out-of-here look. ‘You could say that…’
Holly made her way outside to her car and, juggling her groceries on one hip and with her head down against the glare of the hot sun, activated the remote control to unlock the boot.
‘Nice car,’ a male voice spoke from just beside her.
Holly spun around to see a familiar, scruffy-looking man of about thirty-two or so smiling at her, his eyes shielded behind a pair of one-way sunglasses.
It was him.
He was leaning against the old car she’d seen him in earlier, his whole demeanour as he regarded her nothing less than indolent.
Holly fully intended to ignore him but when he pushed himself off the car to step closer she somehow found herself tilting her head to maintain eye contact.
He was a whole lot taller than he’d looked behind the wheel, she thought as she moistened her suddenly gravel-dry lips. And he was extremely good-looking in a casual, just-got-out of the surf or just-out-of-bed sort of way.
She wrenched her gaze away and purposely ran it over his disreputable vehicle in one dismissive glance.
She turned back to look at him and, wrinkling her nose in distaste, returned, ‘I wish I could share the same sentiment about your car but I find myself quite without a suitable adjective with which to describe it.’
He tipped back his head and laughed.
It was one of those strong male laughs that sent ripples of reaction to female stomachs if female stomachs weren’t adequately prepared.
Unfortunately Holly’s stomach hadn’t been prepared.
She felt the shockwaves roll through her, even the sensitive hairs on the nape of her neck standing to attention at the rich deep sound.
She tossed her groceries in the boot by way of avoiding that mocking smile, all her hackles rising as she turned back to face him.
‘I suppose you think it’s funny to play with other people’s lives the way you did?’ she asked, sending him one of her best full-of-reproach frowns as she closed the boot with a snap.
He took his sunglasses off and cocked one eyebrow at her, the edges of his mouth still curled upwards in what could only be described as a dangerously sexy smile.
‘You were hugging the centre of the road,’ he said, folding his arms across the expanse of his broad chest.
‘I was not!’
‘And you were well below the speed limit. You’ll get yourself driven over if you do that out here.’
‘Like you did to me?’ She angled her head at him accusingly, trying not to notice how very attractive his eyes were. They were predominantly blue but had a greenish tinge closer to the pupil which reminded her of the ocean. She was sorely tempted to flick her gaze to the blue-green water of the bay and back for a quick comparison, but somehow resisted the impulse.
‘I didn’t drive over you,’ he said. ‘I took the first safe available opportunity to pass you.’
‘You were on my tail for miles!’ she retorted hotly. ‘You almost drove me off the road. I should report you for dangerous driving. You could have caused an accident.’
‘I don’t think so,’ he said. ‘I know my way around cars.’
Holly gave his rusty vehicle an ironic glance. ‘You call that a car?’
He followed the line of her gaze and she heard him sigh as he addressed his car. ‘Did you hear that, Bluey?’ He stroked the crinkled and mottled bonnet affectionately. ‘This young lady just insulted you after all you’ve done for me today.’
She rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest primly. ‘Very funny.’
His blue-green eyes met hers, a small smile still playing around the sensual curve of his mouth. ‘It’s not such a good idea to insult people in a small country town,’ he cautioned. ‘You never know, it could very well come back to bite you.’
She let her brown eyes run over him slowly, taking in the bottle of Jack Daniels tucked under his arm, his faded board shorts, ragged T-shirt and thong-clad feet, before coming up to the lean line of his jaw, peppered with dark masculine stubble which looked as if it hadn’t seen a razor in thirty-six hours at the very least.
‘I think I’ll take a chance just this once,’ she said, straightening her shoulders as she glared at him. ‘I’ve met men like you before. The city I’ve just left is full of them. Petrol heads without the boost under the bonnet they need.’
His smile was teasing as he creaked open the door of his car, his lazy gaze sliding over her from head to foot, lingering a little too long on the up-thrust of her heaving breasts before he drawled back, ‘If ever you want to check under my bonnet to see if I’ve got the goods, sweetheart, you just let me know. I’d be more than happy to oblige.’
Holly was struck almost speechless at his insolence. How dared he look at her like that, as if he was undressing her with his eyes?
She opened her mouth to flay him but had to turn away with a gasping cough as he began to back out of the space, the choking fumes of his car making her eyes instantly water.
She turned back to mouth an insult at him as he drove away but she was almost certain he didn’t see.
He’d already disappeared into a cloud of thick blue smoke.
