The thought steadied her so that she was able to smile more naturally this time. ‘I’m just too tired from looking after a teething baby all night to appreciate Connor Mackenzie’s finer points.’
‘Then you must be the only woman in this hospital who feels that way.’ Sandra gave a little shudder. ‘Oh, this must be my lucky day. I was gutted when Connor left to work in the States. I never thought he’d come back to Dalverston once he’d had a taste of the good life. It must be fate is all I can say. Pure fate!’
Lucy laughed sceptically. ‘Or bad luck, you mean. Connor might be good-looking but he’s too wrapped up in his precious career to care about anything else. You could find yourself at the end of a long line of disappointed females who wish they’d never heard of the wonderful Dr Mackenzie!’
She looked up, expecting Sandra to refute that claim, and suddenly realised there was someone standing in the doorway. Her breath caught as she realised who it was. He gave her a thin smile as he came into the room but she could see the anger in his green eyes and a shiver raced through her. She wasn’t sure if it had been that disparaging comment that had upset him, but there was no doubt at all that Connor Mackenzie was furiously angry.
‘Obviously, you’re not my number one fan, Staff Nurse Adams. Whilst you’re perfectly entitled to your views, I do hope you’ll keep any remarks like that to yourself in future. I would prefer it if my staff at least pretended to show me some respect.’
Colour washed up Lucy’s face as she quickly stood up. Maybe Connor was within his rights to chastise her, but there was no way she was going to allow him to walk all over her. ‘I apologise, Dr Mackenzie. Obviously, that remark wasn’t intended for your ears. I shall be more careful in future.’
‘Thank you.’ His eyes bored into her as he narrowed the gap between them. ‘Harmony within my team is something I value very highly. If you have a grievance, I expect you to tell me about it. Is that clear?’
‘Perfectly,’ she retorted, her brown eyes blazing back at him. Maybe she couldn’t put her feelings into words but there was no way he wouldn’t understand the message she was trying to convey. He might be her boss now, not her lover, but she resented him pulling rank this way.
‘Good.’ An ironic smile curled his mouth. ‘It’s best to get things out into the open, I find. It saves a lot of confusion. Trying to keep secrets rarely works.’
Lucy wasn’t sure what he meant by that. To anyone listening, it would appear that he was laying down some ground rules before he took up the post as head of the paediatric unit. However, she sensed there’d been a deeper meaning behind the words and it worried her. Was Connor warning her that he’d found out about Izzy?
Panic swept over her at the thought of him knowing about her daughter and she turned away, terrified that he would see just how scared she was. She emptied the rest of her coffee down the sink and hurried to the door. Sandra was chatting to Connor now so with a bit of luck she should be able to slip away. She just needed a few minutes to calm herself down and then she’d be able to deal with whatever Connor threw at her.
‘Could I have a word with you before you go back to the ward, Lucy?’
She was almost out of the door when Connor called her back and for a moment she was tempted to ignore him. However, she knew it would create more problems if she did that. No matter how she felt about him personally, he was still her boss.
‘We’re short-staffed today,’ she told him crisply.
‘So I believe. I was informed at my interview that staffing levels are at an all-time low. It’s something I intend to rectify as soon as possible.’
He turned to Sandra and Lucy’s mouth pursed with distaste when she saw the dazzling smile he bestowed on the other woman. ‘I know you’re supposed to go off duty soon, but I really need to have a word with Lucy. Would you mind covering for her just this once?’
‘Of course I don’t mind, Connor—I mean, Dr Mackenzie,’ Sandra amended hastily.
‘Thanks. And Connor will do fine.’ He gave her another megawatt smile. ‘I can’t see the point of standing on ceremony when we’re all here for the same reason. Make sure everyone knows that, will you?’
‘Of course!’
Sandra glided out of the room, an expression of such bliss on her face that it made Lucy’s stomach churn. Something of what she was feeling must have shown on her face because Connor laughed.
‘A bit of charm works wonders, I find. It’s far more effective than rattling out orders.’
‘I’m sure you’re right.’ Lucy came back into the room although she didn’t sit down when he waved her towards a chair. ‘I prefer to stand, thank you. You did say this wouldn’t take long.’
‘It won’t.’ He closed the door and turned to face her. ‘What I have to say can be said in very few words, although I’m sure you would prefer it to be said in private.’
‘I can’t imagine what you and I have to talk about of a private nature,’ she countered. ‘Our relationship ended when you went to America. You made it very clear it was the end, too. What was it you said on our last evening together? Ah, yes, I remember now. There was no point keeping in touch because you preferred to make a clean break. You then told me to get on with my life and that you hoped I’d be happy. Well, I’m glad to say that I took your advice on both counts.’
‘So I believe.’ He leant against the door and there was something about the way he was looking at her that made a shiver run down her spine. ‘I bumped into Lisa Saunders a few weeks ago. She was in Boston for a seminar so we spent a couple of hours catching up. It was a surprise to hear that she and Will were married, although that wasn’t her only news, of course. She also told me that you were on maternity leave. Your baby is how old now…six months?’
Lucy nodded. She was too afraid to speak. She had the most awful feeling that she knew where this was leading and was terrified that she would say something to confirm his suspicions. That was all they were, of course—suspicions. Nobody apart from her knew the truth.
‘Did I ever tell you that maths was one of my favourite subjects at school? I used to enjoy working out all those problems the teachers set us.’ Connor’s tone was light and breezy, as though they were indulging in a pleasant little chat. However, the expression in his eyes told a very different story.
‘How fascinating,’ she replied curtly, desperate not to hear anything else. Even though she had no idea what his liking for maths had to do with the situation, it was unlikely that he was making small-talk for the fun of it. ‘Unfortunately, I don’t have time to listen to you reminiscing about your schooldays. I need to get back to work.’
‘Of course you do. As a single mother, your job must be very important to you. Babies are expensive, aren’t they? They need all sorts of things—nappies, clothes, toys—the list must be endless.’ He sighed. ‘It must be hard enough when the child’s father is around to share the burden but when you’re on your own—like you, Lucy—it must be a real problem.’
‘I manage,’ she snapped.
‘I’m sure you do. But why should you have to manage by yourself when the baby’s father should be doing his bit to help you?’ He stepped away from the door and there was something intimidating about the way he was looking at her now. ‘He does know about the baby, doesn’t he? I know you read about women who go off and have a baby without telling the father, but you wouldn’t do a thing like that, would you, Lucy?’
‘Isabel’s father has nothing whatsoever to do with you!’ she shot back, desperate to convince him that she was telling the truth.
‘Isabel. So that’s what you called her? Lisa couldn’t remember her name when I asked her what it was. She just knew you’d had a little girl.’ His voice had softened, the harshness