‘It would be wonderful to have a dog,’ Jenna said wistfully, and then sat up straight, slightly shocked by herself. A dog? Where had that thought come from? Why on earth would she want a dog?
‘Maybe you could give this one a home?’
Jenna automatically shook her head. ‘We can’t have a dog. Cl—’ She was about to say that Clive hated animals, but then she remembered that she wasn’t married to Clive any more. His opinion didn’t matter.
Glancing down at her left hand, she stared at the pale line on her finger that was the only remaining evidence that she’d once worn a ring. It still felt strange, seeing the finger bare. And it still brought a sting to the back of her throat.
‘Something wrong?’ His question made her jump.
‘No. I was just thinking about your little asthma patient and the dog.’
‘Right.’ His gaze locked onto hers and she looked away quickly, thinking that Ryan McKinley was nothing like the men she usually met during her working day. For a start he was about two decades younger than the GPs she’d worked with in her last practice. She tried to imagine any of them extracting a seriously injured girl from the wreck of a car during a storm without the help of paramedics—and failed. Ryan McKinley was a different breed of doctor. And then there was the fact that he was indecently good-looking. Sexy.
A different breed of man.
‘You look really stressed out.’ Ryan spoke quietly. ‘Is that Mrs Parker’s doing? Or is it being thrown in at the deep end?’
‘No! Not at all.’ Oh, God, he’d noticed that she was stressed. And the one thing she absolutely couldn’t afford to do was put a foot wrong in this job. ‘I love being thrown in at the deep end. Anyway, I didn’t ask why you were here. Did you want to talk to me? Is there something I can help you with, Dr McKinley?’ Please don’t let him say he’d changed his mind about hiring her.
‘I wondered if you could take some bloods for me.’ Ryan handed her a form, his eyes still on her face. ‘Callum is fifteen and he’s showing all the signs of glandular fever. I know you already have a full clinic, but I really need these results as soon as possible.’
‘Of course you do.’ As she took the form from him, Jenna’s fingers brushed against his. She immediately snatched her hand away, feeling as though she’d touched a live wire. ‘I’ll do them straight away.’ Without thinking, she rubbed her fingers, wondering whether she was doomed to overreact around this man.
‘He’s in the waiting room with his mum.’ Ryan was looking at her fingers, and Jenna swallowed and dropped her hands into her lap.
‘Fine. Great. I’ll call him.’
‘I appreciate it.’ There was a tension about him that hadn’t been there before. ‘Your bikes have been delivered, by the way. I had them taken straight to the cottage. They’ll be safe enough outside your front door.’
‘Bikes?’ Jenna had to force herself to concentrate. ‘Bikes. Yes, of course. Evanna told me about this place that hires them for the summer, so I rang them. I thought it would be good for both of us to cycle.’
‘I’m impressed. It’s a good example to set to the patients.’
‘So you’ll try not to knock me off my bike when you’re accelerating past in your Porsche?’
He gave a faint smile as he strolled towards the door. ‘Are you accusing me of speeding or being a couch potato?’
‘Neither. I’m sure you’re very fit.’ Her eyes slid to the hard muscle of his shoulders, clearly outlined by the smooth fabric of his casual shirt. Damn, she shouldn’t have used the word fit. Wasn’t that the word Lexi used when she found a boy attractive? ‘I mean, you’re obviously athletic—I mean, health-conscious—sorry, just ignore me…’ Jenna had the distinct impression that he was laughing at her, but when she looked at him his expression was unreadable.
‘Why would I want to ignore you?’
‘Because I’m talking nonsense—’ And he was super-cool, hyper-intelligent and nothing like the men she usually dealt with. She had no trouble believing Mrs Parker’s assertion that he was a top doctor. He had an air of authority and command that she found mildly intimidating. ‘The bikes will be great.’
‘Does Lexi know you’ve ordered bikes?’
‘Not yet.’ She didn’t know which impressed her more, the fact that he’d remembered her daughter’s name or his uncannily accurate assessment of her character. ‘Light the touch paper and stand well back. Which reminds me; I owe you an apology for her behaviour earlier.’
‘What do you have to apologise for?’
‘Lexi. She—’ Jenna didn’t want to reveal personal details, but she was unable to bear the thought he might think badly of her daughter. ‘She’s very mixed up at the moment. She didn’t want to move from our home in London. It’s been hard on her.’
He was silent for a moment, considering her words. She had a nasty feeling that he knew just how close to the edge she was. ‘Glenmore has a very calming effect on people. It’s a good place to escape.’
‘Lexi didn’t want to leave London.’
‘Perhaps your needs are greater than hers at the moment,’ he said gently. ‘Does Lexi know you’re living in a cottage on the beach?’
‘No. There’s only so much bad news that she can take at one time. She’s going to hate me for not renting a house in the village.’
‘That’s not exactly a hub for entertainment, either.’ He opened the door. ‘When you’ve finished your clinic, knock on my door. I’ll take you and your luggage over there.’
‘I don’t expect you to do that. If you have any spare time, you need to sleep.’
‘I’ll give you a lift.’ He hesitated, his hand on the door. ‘Give it a few weeks before you buy that ferry ticket. I predict that in no time this place will feel like home.’
He knew.
He knew how bad she felt. She’d done a lousy job at hiding her feelings. He knew she was panicking and having second thoughts.
Horrified that he was clearly aware of how close she was to breaking, Jenna just sat there, not trusting herself to speak. Their eyes held, and then he gave a brief nod.
‘Welcome to Glenmore, Jenna. We’re very pleased to have you here.’
Ryan stood in front of his colleague, legs spread, hands dug in his back pockets. ‘Tell me about Jenna.’
‘Jenna?’ Logan McNeil signed a prescription and glanced up, his expression interested. ‘Why? Was it love at first sight? Your eyes met across a crowded ferry ramp?’
Remembering the flash of chemistry, Ryan rolled his shoulders to ease the tension. ‘Just give me the facts, Logan.’
Logan put his pen down. ‘She’s been working as a practice nurse in England for the past six years, but I’m not holding that against her. Why are you asking? Has she killed a patient or something?’
‘I’m worried about her.’
‘Isn’t that a little premature? She’s been here for five minutes.’
And he’d been worried about her within thirty seconds of meeting her. She’d looked fragile and battered, as though she’d emerged from a terrible storm. ‘Evanna asked me to meet her, remember? She looks as though she’s holding it together by a thread.’
Suddenly Logan wasn’t smiling. ‘You’re worried about her ability to do the job?’
‘No. She handled Mrs Parker, which proves she’s more than capable