Ally didn’t trust the innocent look on Will’s face. And then she remembered that he’d met Jack for a drink, so he must have known about Sean…
‘We met on the fells.’ Sean was watching her closely, his dark eyes slightly narrowed. ‘She was giving me advice on my abseiling.’
Will chuckled and placed a tray of coffee on the low table. ‘I hadn’t considered how much the pair of you have in common. That’s excellent. It will make for a good working relationship.’
Good working relationship? Ally couldn’t see herself having a good relationship with this man if she lived to be a hundred. He was everything she avoided in a man. Arrogant, handsome, chauvinistic—and totally compelling. She suppressed a groan. Work with him? Never! He made her too aware of herself and the feelings she’d squashed down for so long.
Sean was still watching her closely, his eyes intent. ‘Have a sandwich, Ally.’
A sandwich? It would choke her!
‘I thought you didn’t approve of female doctors.’ Ally found her voice at last and took refuge in sarcasm as she sat down in the nearest chair with a thump. Her legs were threatening to go on strike. It was sit down or fall down. ‘Especially blonde ones.’
His appraisal was disconcertingly male. ‘On the contrary, I totally approve of female doctors, especially if they’re blonde.’
Ally ground her teeth and then caught the gleam of laughter in his eyes. Damn the man! He was winding her up again. Well, this time he wasn’t going to succeed. Determined to look relaxed, she reached for a sandwich and concentrated her attention on Will instead.
‘Sean’s agreed to help us out until we can find a replacement for Tim,’ Will said, looking more and more pleased with himself. ‘He’s just what we need in the team.’
‘Dr McGuire may disagree.’ Sean smiled slightly. ‘She thinks I’m a chauvinist pig.’
‘Well, I dare say you are a bit,’ Will said calmly. ‘All those years in the army, I suppose. But deep down women like a man to be a man.’
Ally ignored that bit. ‘In the army? You did your medicine in the army?’
‘No.’ Sean shook his head. ‘I trained after I left the army.’
She could see him in the army. Short, cropped hair and a slightly wonky nose which had obviously been on the receiving end of someone’s fist—although, from what she’d seen of Sean, the other guy would have come off worse.
‘So what’s your special interest?’
‘Trauma.’
Stupid question, Ally thought wryly, remembering his skill with Pete. That explained why he’d been so skilled and confident. And now she knew why Will wanted him.
‘He’s going to run our minor accident clinic?’
Will beamed. ‘Absolutely.’
Ally’s heart sank and then she gave a philosophical shrug. They did need someone badly and it wasn’t as if she’d have to work that closely with him.
‘Well, your trauma experience will be useful,’ she said briskly, proud of how matter-of-fact and calm she sounded. ‘We’ve been getting very busy since we agreed to see minor accidents here, instead of sending them all the way to the infirmary.’
Will nodded enthusiastically. ‘We’ll offer daytime cover for all minor emergencies, including weekends. People won’t have to travel so far—it makes for a much more comprehensive service. And you’re the perfect person.’
Sean’s eyes narrowed. ‘This is only temporary, Will…’
Will looked out of the window across the fells. ‘Of course it is.’
Sean’s mouth tightened for a moment and then he gave a short laugh. ‘You’re a manipulative old goat.’
Will smiled. ‘Absolutely. I’ll do anything to get what I want for my practice. And I want you, lad.’
‘I would have thought general practice would be a bit tame after trauma,’ Ally suggested, and Sean shrugged.
‘So did I until that rescue the other day. Now I think it might have distinct possibilities.’ He shot a warning glance at Will. ‘As a temporary measure.’
So he obviously wasn’t planning to stay for long. Thank goodness for that!
Ally sipped her coffee. ‘I phoned the hospital about Pete and he’s doing quite well.’
Sean helped himself to another sandwich. ‘More than he deserves, then, taking those sorts of risks.’
Ally thought of Pete and the problems he’d had to face in his young life, and her blood boiled. ‘Don’t judge until you know what you’re talking about,’ she said tartly. ‘People may have a good reason for taking risks.’
Like proving to themselves they could do it.
Sean shook his head, his tone cool and unemotional. ‘Those boys could have killed themselves out there.’
And, in fact, if it hadn’t been for Sean’s skill Pete would undoubtedly have died, but Ally still couldn’t bear him to make judgements about a person he didn’t know.
‘He was unlucky.’
‘He was a fool.’ Sean lobbed a crisp packet into the bin, his eyes hard. ‘He shouldn’t have been out in those conditions at all. And neither should you.’
‘I wasn’t taking risks, Dr Nicholson.’
‘No?’ His mouth tightened. ‘You’ve all the bulk of an elf and you’re roaming those hills in the middle of November on your own.’
‘It’s October,’ she said sweetly, wondering why Will looked so pleased with himself. They were arguing, for heaven’s sake! Shouldn’t he be looking worried? ‘And I don’t see how obesity would help me survive in the fells. It’s equipment and knowledge that count, not size. I know those hills and I don’t take risks. I was the one who told you the safest place to abseil, remember? Jack knew I was out walking and he had my route. I had the dog with me and I had basic survival gear.’
His jaw tightened. ‘If you were my woman I’d put a stop to it.’
Her heart tumbled in her chest and her breathing jerked.
‘Well, I’m not your woman, Dr Nicholson.’
She clamped her hands in her lap and hoped he wouldn’t see them shaking. What on earth was the matter with her? She didn’t want to be his woman. She didn’t want to be anybody’s woman. All the men she’d met in her life had just been bad news. Selfish and egotistical and, from what she’d seen, Sean was no different. Get a grip! she told herself firmly. Good-looking or not, he was still a man and that put him totally off limits. She’d had enough of men to last her a lifetime.
There was something in his eyes that she couldn’t interpret and it made her nervous. He turned to Will. ‘Did you know she wanders round the fells on her own?’
‘Ally?’ Will gave a philosophical shrug. ‘Well, yes. She’s lived here all her life and she knows these fells better than anyone.’
Sean frowned. ‘And you think that qualifies her to gallivant off on her own with no back-up or equipment?’
Will shrugged and spooned sugar into his coffee. ‘She’s sensible and she’s got Hero.’
Sean blinked. ‘Hero?’
‘Her German shepherd dog. She takes him everywhere.’
‘Hero?’ Suddenly Sean laughed out loud, his hard features softened by the smile. ‘You called the dog