Jessie had heeded Meagan’s advice and kept Effie in bed for a second day, although, judging by the child’s high spirits, she was going to be up and about as soon as she could. Like the day before, Jessie insisted that Meagan follow her to the kitchen for tea and ‘a wee bite to eat’. It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse, but she remembered what Cameron had said earlier in the day. Besides, she enjoyed Jessie’s easy company.
‘Well, Meagan—Dr Galbraith—you’ve certainly made an impact on your first few days on our island!’ Jessie said as she buttered pancakes. ‘First your near miss on the road and then saving the life of Katie White’s new baby. The phone lines were hot when the air ambulance was spotted arriving. We haven’t had this much excitement on the island since Donald Bhan’s bull chased a hapless tourist last year. I think I’m going to like having you around,’ Jessie chuckled.
Meagan smiled ruefully. ‘I keep forgetting how quickly news spreads on the island. Yes, we were lucky with Mrs White’s baby but that’s our job. It shouldn’t be made more of than that.’
‘Oh, don’t be so modest. Everyone says you and Cameron made a fantastic team. We are very lucky to have you here.’
‘Thanks Jessie,’ Meagan replied, deciding to accept the praise with good grace. ‘But, please, call me Meagan. And, besides, you are right—it was a team effort. Cameron really is an excellent doctor. The island is lucky to have someone with his level of experience with children here.’
‘And good-looking, too,’ Jessie added with a teasing look at Meagan.
‘Is he? I can’t say I noticed,’ Meagan lied, hoping that a tell-tale blush wasn’t staining her cheeks. The last thing she needed or wanted was speculation about her and Cameron.
‘Please, don’t get any ideas Jessie,’ she continued, more sharply than she had intended. ‘Cameron and I are colleagues and apart from the fact that I’m not looking for romance, I happen to think it’s a bad idea for colleagues to get involved. Anyway, I very much doubt if I am the kind of woman to interest Dr Stuart,’ she finished with a fleeting smile. ‘And what’s more, he and Rachel still seem involved.’
‘Ah, Cameron and Rachel. I guess you know that they were married. And that Ian’s their son?’
‘They still seem to be a couple. Doesn’t she still live here?’ Meagan tried hard to keep the curiosity from her voice.
‘Rachel lives in London most of the time. Ian lives here, with his father. Rachel comes back every couple of weeks to see Ian and naturally she stays here. There is no shortage of space after all.’
‘Why doesn’t Ian live with his mother?’ Meagan asked. ‘Wouldn’t that be the usual arrangement?’
‘Cameron feels he can provide a more stable environment for him here. Mrs MacLeod and I help look after him when Cameron’s at work. And, besides, all this will be Ian’s one day. It’s right that he’s brought up here. And anyway…’ She bit her lip as if she had started to say something and then changed her mind. ‘Hey, I thought you weren’t interested in Cameron.’ She grinned at Meagan.
‘I’m not,’ Meagan protested. Then, feeling as if she had been too forceful, she added, ‘Or at any rate, only to the extent anyone is interested in the people they work with. But, yes, let’s talk about something else. You, for instance.’
Apart from a perceptive look at Meagan, Jessie wisely changed the subject.
As they chatted like old friends, they arranged to meet up for a bar supper one evening. Jessie would get her mother to look after Effie so that she could enjoy a rare night out.
Meagan eventually returned home around eight that evening. She had wanted to ensure that all the notes were up to date and that the nurses had an opportunity to tell her about any patients who might call her out that night. Despite Cameron telling her that he’d take over the on-call when he returned from Glasgow, Meagan was sure he’d be too tired and had instructed the staff to direct all emergencies to her. She had also had to make a call on a young woman who had a suspected fracture. Meagan had dispatched her by road to the hospital for an X-ray and the cast that Meagan was confident she’d require.
She had just finished stoking up the fire and warming up the pan of stew with dumplings that Mrs Macleod had left for her when there was a knock on the door. Meagan opened it to find Cameron leaning against the doorframe. As she had suspected he was exhausted. Lines of tiredness etched his face.
Noticing her anxious appraisal of him and thinking it related to Katie, Cameron was quick to reassure Meagan. ‘I thought I’d call on my way home to let you know that mother and baby are doing well,’ he said, smiling his lopsided grin, ‘and to pick up the on-call report.’ He sniffed the air appreciatively. ‘Let me guess. Mrs MacLeod’s famous stew and dumplings?’
‘You guessed right. Please, won’t you join me? You couldn’t have had anything to eat for hours,’ Meagan offered, keen to build on the camaraderie that they appeared to be establishing.
‘Now, that’s an offer I can’t refuse,’ said Cameron, stepping through to the tiny kitchen. His broad frame seemed to fill the room. ‘Knowing Flora, she’ll have made enough to feed an army. And I am ravenous.’
As they sat and ate, they chatted comfortably about the day’s events. Having informed him she would remain on call for the night, Meagan brought him up to date on the evening surgery and the patient that she had sent to hospital.
As they drank their coffee they chatted companionably about work and Meagan found herself telling him about her experiences with Médecins Sans Frontières.
‘Of course,’ she admitted, ‘it wasn’t all success stories. We lost many patients we shouldn’t have, either through lack equipment or through lack of proper experience.’ Memories of the patients’ they had lost caused her eyes to fill momentarily with tears and she missed the look of compassion in Cameron’s eyes.
Cameron was finding the mixture of enthusiasm and sadness in the young woman who sat across from him aroused feelings that he hadn’t known for a long time. She was unaware that the passion she felt for her work showed in her face and gestures as she talked animatedly about her time abroad.
He also knew what it was like to lose a patient to inexperience. Even if that inexperience hadn’t been his, he had still felt responsible.
Almost without knowing what he was doing, he leant across and gently brushed a tear from her face. He’d like to banish the sadness from this woman’s eyes.
Cameron watched as the conflicting emotions chased themselves across Meagan’s face. Despite himself, he was still powerfully attracted to her. Mesmerised, he reached over to her and pulled her up and against him. For a long moment they gazed deeply into each other’s eyes before Cameron stood up and, muttering something in Gaelic, pulled her towards him, cupping her chin in one hand while tracing the contours of her mouth with the slender fingers of his other hand. Suddenly with a groan he covered her mouth with his, gently at first then, as he felt her response, more urgently. She felt his body grow hard with desire and she moulded her body to his. Time seem to stand still as they explored each other’s bodies with their mouths and hands. Cameron let his hands travel over her breasts down to encircle her narrow waist before they came to rest on her hips, pulling her ever closer. The part of Meagan’s mind that was still rational was shocked, but the other part had long ago thrown caution to the wind. All she wanted at that moment was for Cameron not to stop but to possess her completely, extinguishing the last shred of the hurt of Charlie’s betrayal.
Just then the shrill sound of the telephone cut through the air. Cameron released her reluctantly and for a moment they stood looking at each other and breathing deeply. Cameron’s eyes glowed almost black with passion
‘You better get that,’ Cameron suggested. ‘It could be someone looking for the on-call