Soft brown eyes lifted to his. ‘Is that what you think this is? A set-up?’ Her eyes danced with laughter as she covered the dressing with a bandage and secured it firmly. ‘You think I have to pay for sex, Dr Sullivan? Do I look that desperate?’
Momentarily captivated by the thickness of her dark lashes, Mac felt a kick of pure lust in his groin. This girl undoubtedly had men dropping to their knees. He might have done so himself at one time had he not decided that it was all too complicated. Women wanted something that he wasn’t capable of giving.
‘I’m just saying I don’t need a blind date,’ he said tightly, and she laughed.
‘I know you don’t. But you need me. Look at the state of your kitchen.’
His gaze didn’t flicker. ‘I work twenty-two hours a day at the hospital.’
Her eyes softened with sympathy. ‘I know, and it isn’t good for you, but all that’s going to change now I’m here. A lot of things are going to change, starting with the state of your house,’ she said soothingly, closing the first-aid box and returning it to the cupboard. ‘I can do all that, Dr Sullivan. When I’m not working in A and E I can make your life more comfortable. You’ve got me for a month. Make the most of me.’
‘Are you seriously telling me you’re prepared to clear up my kitchen?’ Mac stood up and swayed. Damn. He was more tired than he’d thought. ‘Whatever happened to equal rights? I didn’t think women did things like that any more.’
She washed her hands and dried them. ‘Well, I just happen to like creating a home. It’s my hobby. And if I don’t clean up your kitchen, we’ll all die of something horrible so it’s in my own interests. Don’t worry. You’ll be pulling your weight. You can carve the turkey, I’m hopeless with knives.’ She frowned. ‘You look shattered. When did you last sleep?’
Sleep? Mac closed his eyes and tried to remember. He gave up. ‘Too long ago.’
‘Then go,’ she said calmly, giving him a little push. ‘Forget everything and just sleep. We’ll sort everything out when you wake up.’
Her smoky, gentle voice oozed over him, soothing his jarred emotions. He stared at her blankly, fatigue paralysing his normally sharp brain. ‘You expect me to go to sleep and leave you here?’
‘Dr Sullivan.’ Her eyes twinkled like lights on a Christmas tree. ‘I’ve never forced myself on a man yet and I don’t intend to start now. Neither do I intend to steal the silver. Go to bed. And don’t bother to lock your door. You’re perfectly safe.’
He stared down into those chocolate brown eyes and felt something shift inside him.
And he knew he wasn’t safe at all.
* * *
Louisa started in the kitchen.
Humming to herself, she filled three large bin bags with the rubbish and took them outside and then ran the dishwasher twice while she threw out piles of papers and scrubbed at the stubborn rings on the kitchen table.
Two hours later the surfaces and the floor were gleaming and the crockery was clean and neatly stacked away in the cupboards. Having checked the contents of the fridge and found them decidedly lacking, she was glad she’d had the foresight to stop at the supermarket on the way and stock up on emergency provisions.
She retrieved the bags from her little car and emptied them into the cupboards. Then she set about making supper.
Remembering the remains of the take-away on the kitchen table, she decided that her impromptu shopping trip had been inspired. She chopped, fried and stirred, filling the kitchen with delicious smells. Satisfied that the food would look after itself for a while, she took a last glance around the now gleaming kitchen, threw out some ancient newspapers and takeaway menus and gave a nod.
‘Much better. Now for the rest of the house.’ She strolled out of the kitchen with the intention of being thoroughly nosy. For a man living on his own, Mac Sullivan had a big house.
She opened the door to the living room and blinked. It looked as though the room had never been used. ‘Like something out of a magazine,’ she observed to herself, closing the door again and walking back into the hall. Two more huge reception rooms, an elegant conservatory with views of the sea and the downstairs cloakroom that had been her route into the house.
Unlike the kitchen, the rest of the house was tidy.
Unlived in.
She almost preferred the kitchen, she mused. At least it showed signs of life. The house felt cold and uninhabited. As if someone had given up hope.
Was that what had happened? she wondered.
Had Mac Sullivan given up hope when his wife had died?
She didn’t know much about it, of course. Only the little that Josh had told her, that his older brother had lost his wife in a car accident two years earlier. And that he’d done nothing but work ever since.
Noticing the footprints on the hall floor, Louisa gave a sigh and wandered back into the kitchen to retrieve the mop.
Mac Sullivan might be a dedicated doctor but he definitely needed some help with the rest of his life.
* * *
Mac slept without moving for three hours and then woke to find that it was already dark.
He lay for a moment, listening to the winter wind howling around the house and trying to work out what was different, and then he remembered Louisa.
Cursing his interfering brother, he grabbed some clothes and made his way downstairs.
There was no way she was staying. He’d find her somewhere in the village. And he’d find her somewhere tonight. Before she had the chance to mess with his life.
Bracing himself for an unpleasant scene, he pushed open the kitchen door and stopped dead.
His brother Josh was convulsed with laughter, his feet up on the kitchen table—the scrubbed, tidy kitchen table—while Louisa stood in front of the Aga, talking non-stop and stirring something that smelt delicious. Her dark hair spilled down her back and her cheeks were flushed from the heat.
She looked extremely happy and totally at home.
‘Hi.’ She broke off in mid-sentence and threw a smile at him, still stirring. ‘You slept well. Supper will be ready in five minutes if you’re interested. If you’re not then it will keep until later. I wasn’t sure when you’d be hungry.’
Mac opened his mouth to tell her that she had to leave and then the smell hit him again. He wavered, caught in a battle between his stomach and his brain. His stomach won. He’d eat and then he’d tackle the subject.
‘Fine.’ He sprawled in the nearest chair, noticing that the floor was gleaming and the bin was empty. In fact, if it hadn’t been in his house, he wouldn’t have known it was his kitchen. ‘It looks great in here,’ he said stiffly. ‘Thanks.’
‘You’re very welcome.’ She removed the pan from the heat and reached for a wooden board. Her hands moved quickly, chopping, slicing and mixing, and then bowls started appearing on the table.
Mac watched with something close to fascination. He’d never actually watched a woman cook before. Melissa had been a career-woman so on the rare occasions that they’d been in at the same time to eat, they’d lived on fast food and take-aways. And his mother had always had help in the house.
Watching Louisa was like watching an artist at work.
Josh sniffed and