“I wouldn’t ask any woman to share my life again. It wouldn’t be fair to her.”
Meg knew what he was saying, that he was warning her that they had no future, yet she couldn’t let it go without trying to make him see that he was wrong. “Not all women would react like Briony did, Jack.” She took a deep breath. “I wouldn’t.”
He smiled, and there was tenderness in his eyes when he looked at her. “I know that. However, it isn’t a risk I intend to take ever again.”
What could she say when he had made up his mind? Nothing. She couldn’t run from the pain she felt because it was locked inside her. Jack had said that he hadn’t compared her to Briony, but he was still judging her by the other woman’s actions!
I have always admired the bravery and dedication of those nurses and doctors who travel around the world doing medical aid work. Touched by Angels is my tribute to them, and I hope that I have managed to capture a little of the excitement, hardship and satisfaction that comes from doing this very taxing work.
This book tells the story of Meg Andrews, a nurse who decides to put her skills to good use by working for an overseas aid agency. She is thrilled when she is asked to join a team of aid workers that is being sent to the African state of Oncamba. The only problem is that the team leader, Jack Trent, makes it plain from the outset that he doesn’t believe she is cut out for this kind of work. Can Meg convince him that she has a lot to offer, both as a highly skilled professional and as the woman who can heal his broken heart?
The story is played out against the backdrop of Africa in all its beauty and cruelty. Although the state of Oncamba doesn’t exist, I hope that the characters will become as real and alive to you as they did to me.
My very best wishes to you all,
Jennifer Taylor
Touched by Angels
Jennifer Taylor
CONTENTS
‘I KNOW it’s short notice. Unfortunately, I only found out late last night that Yvonne wouldn’t be fit enough to travel. However, I do realise that forty-eight hours isn’t very much time to get ready, so if you feel that you can’t make it, please, say so.’
‘No, it’s fine. Really.’
Meg Andrews had heard the hesitation in his voice and frowned. Even at her interview she’d sensed that Jack Trent had reservations about taking her on as a member of the team. Why? Her references were excellent and the experience she’d gained in the surgical wards of Dalverston General Hospital made her ideally suited to the work so why should he have appeared so…reluctant to accept her?
She shrugged off the faint feeling of unease, realising that it was pointless wasting time by worrying about it. There were more important things to think about, like where they would be going, for instance. She felt a little thrill of excitement course through her as it hit her that it was really going to happen at last.
As soon as she’d seen the advertisement in one of the nursing journals for experienced nurses to join a leading overseas aid agency, she’d known that was what she wanted to do. Oh, she loved her job and derived a great deal of satisfaction from it, but it was time for a different sort of challenge.
After the interview she’d sat back and waited to hear where she would be sent, but it seemed to have taken months before this phone call had come out of the blue that morning. Now she could hardly wait to hear all the details.
‘So where exactly are we going?’ Meg asked, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror above the table where the phone was precariously balanced on top of a pile of textbooks, and grimaced when she saw the sparkle in her deep blue eyes.
She looked as excited as a sixteen-year-old being asked out on her first date rather than a mature, worldly woman of twenty-six being given details of her next professional assignment! She had to learn to contain her enthusiasm, but it was hard to maintain a calm front even though she sensed that Jack Trent would prefer that kind of approach…
‘Sorry?’ She suddenly realised that he’d said something, and hurried to get her thoughts back on track. It certainly wouldn’t reassure him if she started daydreaming!
‘Oncamba. I’m not surprised that you haven’t heard of the place. Not many people have. It’s a tiny state in south-eastern Africa, the merest pinprick on your map if you want to check out its location.’
Jack Trent’s tone was level as his voice flowed down the telephone line—cool, concise, impersonal, like the man himself. Meg had a sudden mental image of him sitting in his immaculately tidy office, and was glad that video phones were still very much in the future. She could just imagine how those chiselled lips would curl disdainfully if he got a glimpse of the chaotic state of her flat, not to mention the way she was dressed that morning.
She bit back a chuckle as she glanced down at the misshapen black T-shirt—a cast-off from her brother—that she was wearing with jeans which had holes in both knees, and mentally compared it with what Jack Trent had been wearing the one and only time they’d met. He’d been resplendent in a severely cut black suit and pristine white shirt, a soberly patterned tie adding the finishing touch to the picture of professionalism he’d presented.
The fact that the clothes had suited his austerely handsome looks had been more by accident than design, Meg suspected. Jack Trent certainly hadn’t struck her as a man who worried about his image, although admittedly he’d left a lasting impression