Almost before he’d realised what was happening, Daniel had fallen in love with her and she with him. It had been a gloriously blissful time for them both until Emma had announced one day that she had changed her mind about going into surgery. She no longer wanted such a demanding career, she’d claimed. She wanted a private life, time for them, so she would stay in England and train as a GP instead. That way they could be together.
Daniel had realised immediately that he couldn’t allow her to sacrifice her dreams for him. Although she might truly have believed that she was happy to give up her plans to become a surgeon, he knew how much it meant to her and that it would drive a wedge between them eventually if she didn’t fulfil her goals. He had seen it happen to his own parents, watched as his mother’s resentment at forsaking her career had eaten away at their marriage, and he had sworn the same thing would never happen to him.
For Emma to succeed in her chosen field, Daniel knew that she would need to focus all her attention on her training for the next few years. Even though he could have found a job in Scotland easily enough, he realised that it wasn’t the answer. She would be working long hours and wouldn’t have time to devote to a relationship. He would be a distraction for her, a hindrance, and he couldn’t bear the thought that she might fail because of him. Although it was the hardest decision he had ever made, he decided that he had to give Emma up rather than run the risk of her ending up hating him.
He sighed as he recalled her shock when he had told her curtly that he had no intention of making a commitment at that stage in his life. He had plans for the future and they were far more important than their relationship. The contempt in her eyes as she had told him that she understood had devastated him. He had almost weakened at that point and admitted that he’d lied, but somehow he had managed to hold back. She had packed her bags and left that same night and he hadn’t seen her again until today.
The sound of footsteps made him look round and he felt pain stab his heart when he saw her coming along the corridor. She must have come straight to the hospital from the airport because her clothes were crumpled after the long flight, her red-gold hair lying in tangled waves around her shoulders, but that didn’t matter. She was still the most beautiful and most desirable woman he had ever seen. It was only when she drew closer that Daniel could see the lines of strain that tugged down the corners of her mouth.
He knew from what Jim Haynes had told him that she’d been working overseas for the past six months and could imagine how hard it must have been, working under the most gruelling conditions. However, he also knew that it wasn’t the work or the shock of learning that her uncle was ill that made her look so drawn. It was seeing him again that was the problem. In that second Daniel realised that he had to make the situation as easy as possible for her. He couldn’t bear to think that he might end up hurting her again as he had hurt her once before.
Emma took a steadying breath as she stopped in front of Daniel, but she could feel her heart racing. Seeing him again had been a shock—she had admitted that—but she could handle it. She certainly didn’t intend to go to pieces just because the man she had once mistakenly thought she’d loved had reappeared in her life.
‘Aunt Margaret has gone in to see Uncle Jim,’ she said coolly. ‘They’ll be doing the bypass later today and she wants to sit with him until it’s time for him to go to Theatre.’
‘The sooner it’s done, the better.’
There was a roughness to Daniel’s voice that troubled her until she realised how stupid it was to let it worry her. Daniel Kennedy was part of her past, nothing more than a memory she had long since relegated to the darkest reaches of her mind.
‘Definitely.’ She glanced along the corridor, giving herself a moment to absorb that thought. When she turned to face him again, she was pleased to discover that she didn’t feel a thing. ‘I’m not sure how long it’s going to take, but there doesn’t seem any point you hanging around here.’
‘It isn’t a problem.’ He checked his watch and shrugged. ‘I don’t need to get back to the surgery for another couple of hours yet, so I’ll stay a bit longer.’
‘There’s no need. Aunt Margaret will be fine.’ Emma stood up straighter, determined to get her own way. ‘I’m more than capable of looking after her.’
‘I’m sure you are.’ He smiled, his hazel eyes skimming over her face before they came to rest on her mouth, and despite her resolve, Emma felt a little flutter of awareness in the pit of her stomach. She took a quick breath, determined that it wasn’t going to grow into anything bigger. The days when one of Daniel’s smiles could turn her insides to jelly were long gone!
‘You always were very good at looking after other people, Emma, but you need to think about yourself for once. You’ve had a long journey to get here and you must be tired. Why not let me stay with your aunt while you go home and get some sleep?’
‘I don’t need you to tell me what to do!’ she shot back, terrified by the speed of her response. One minute she’d had herself under control and the next …
She shivered as a wave of fear swept over her. She couldn’t bear to think that Daniel still had an effect on her. Five years ago she would have done anything for them to be together, but he had made it clear that all he’d cared about was his career. It had been a devastating blow but it had taught her a valuable lesson: she would never make the mistake of falling in love again.
‘I am not trying to tell you what to do. I’m just making a suggestion. It’s entirely up to you whether you stay here or go home.’
His tone was reasonable in the extreme and she felt her face heat. She knew she was overreacting and she hated to think that Daniel might read anything into it. She didn’t care about him any longer, but if she carried on this way, he would never believe that.
‘I apologise. I shouldn’t have jumped down your throat like that.’
He shrugged. ‘It doesn’t matter. It’s little wonder that you’re stressed after everything that’s happened. All this coming on top of the journey you’ve had would be a lot for anyone to cope with.’
It was on the tip of her tongue to deny it until she realised that she was in danger of digging an even deeper hole for herself. Did she really want to admit that it was seeing him again that was causing her to behave so irrationally?
‘Probably.’ She glanced at her watch and came to a swift decision. ‘If you’re happy to stay then maybe I will go back to the house. I need to unpack and get settled in.’
‘It’s fine by me,’ he agreed equably.
‘Right, that’s what I’ll do, then. I’ll just let Aunt Margaret know what’s happening first.’
‘I’ll come with you.’ He shrugged when she glanced sharply at him. ‘I’d like to see Jim before he goes down to Theatre, set his mind at rest that the practice is in safe hands. You know what a worrier he is.’
‘That’s true.’ Emma headed back along the corridor, very conscious of the fact that Daniel was just a step behind her. She paused outside the door to the private room where her uncle had been taken and glanced at him. ‘It would be best if Uncle Jim didn’t have to worry about anything at the moment, so I suggest we call a truce.’
‘That’s fine by me.’ He smiled at her and Emma felt her breath catch when she saw the warmth in his eyes. She had never expected him to look at her that way and it threw her for a moment. It was an effort to concentrate when he continued. ‘I don’t want to fight with you, Emma. It’s the last thing I want, in fact.’
‘Me too,’ she replied stiffly.
‘Then we’ll agree to set our differences aside, shall we?’
‘Yes.’
She