‘Let me.’ Ethan held out his hand and for a moment panic flared in her eyes again and she gripped her keys tightly.
‘Yes... Sorry. Thanks.’ She handed the keys over and he opened the boot safe. Inside, he saw a small zipped bag which obviously held the drugs that she had been carrying.
He wished she’d stop apologising. And that she’d let him take her in his arms again so he could comfort her. He should tackle the first, as the second was a more selfish impulse.
‘This was why you fought him?’ Ethan put the bag into her hands and she clutched it to her chest, nodding.
‘I know I should have just let him take the car but I couldn’t bear to think that these would get into the wrong hands.’
She was twisting her mouth wryly, probably about to apologise again. Ethan cut her short.
‘You might have been a little too brave, but I can’t say I would have done any different. I don’t much like the thought of these getting onto the streets either.’ He’d seen the results of that, more than once. And, if he couldn’t entirely approve of a course of action that might result in Kate being hurt, he could understand her motives.
‘And you shouted for help.’ Ethan decided to concentrate on something that he could recommend entirely.
‘I...was just making a noise. I didn’t expect anyone to come. Thank you.’ She looked up at him and smiled suddenly. Really smiled, as if he were some kind of hero, and not just a man who had a chequered and uncertain history of being there when he was needed.
‘I’m just glad I was here to help.’ Ethan took the risk of putting his arm loosely around her shoulders again, and she nestled against him as he shepherded her slowly towards the main door of the surgery.
* * *
He didn’t seem to think anything of it. It was a big thing, running out of the surgery like that to help her. Ethan Conway was different from other men. Dependable, if ever she wanted to use that word again...
It was just the shock. The feeling that she wanted him to hold her and not let go would wear off, along with the tremor in her hands. He’d become just another guy, nicer to look at than most, but still easy to let go of.
But it seemed he wasn’t letting go of her. He walked with her to the drugs cupboard, waiting while she negotiated the series of locks that kept it secure. Then back into the consulting room, where Jeff was dozing in exactly the same pose as when she’d left Ethan and him.
‘I’ll take a look at Jeff and then I should call the police.’ Getting back to normal was what Kate needed to do now. She didn’t want to think about Ethan’s dark-blue eyes. Or the lilt of his accent, soft as the Yorkshire hills that could be seen from almost every part of this town.
‘No. I’ll make you a cup of tea. Then I’ll call the police.’
His suggestion sounded a lot better. But she’d already spent too much time wanting to lean on him. She didn’t want to compound the problem by showing him that she was hurt.
‘That’s okay, I’ll...’ Kate could feel her arm throbbing, from the elbow to the tip of her thumb. ‘Actually, a cup of tea might be really nice. Thank you.’
He raised his eyebrows at her sudden volte face. ‘Sure you’re all right?’
‘Yes, fine. I’d just really like a cup of tea. There’s a tea station behind the reception area.’ It would take him five minutes to make the tea and that would give Kate some time to inspect the damage. ‘Milk and three sugars, please.’
He nodded. ‘You feel dizzy?’
‘No, I always take three sugars in my tea.’ Kate looked up at him half-apologetically, and he nodded.
She waited until he’d closed the door to the surgery behind him and then carefully slipped her arm out of her jacket, rolling up the sleeve of her shirt. Her forearm was beginning to swell, and although the skin wasn’t broken it was an angry red. Kate turned on the cold tap, wincing as she let the cool water pour over her arm.
She could move all of her fingers and her thumb. Kate might be more conversant with animal physiology but a fractured bone didn’t look much different however many legs you had. This didn’t look like a fracture, and the swelling would probably go down by morning.
‘Don’t tell anyone, right?’ She whispered the words to Jeff as she carefully dabbed her arm dry with a tissue and rolled her sleeve back down. Sitting down next to him, she wriggled painfully into her jacket, and Jeff stretched, putting his head in her lap and drooling onto her trousers.
‘Yes, I know. I just don’t want any fuss.’ She’d bet that Ethan would make a fuss, and she didn’t want to feel how good it was to have him look after her.
He reappeared in the doorway, holding a cup of tea. Setting it down on her desk, he pulled the high-backed chair out. ‘Sit here. Jeff will be all right for a moment.’
Kate stared at him. No doubt Jeff would be all right. It was her own reaction to Ethan’s stubborn determination to look after her that she was worried about.
‘I’m a doctor. You took a nasty fall just now, and when the guy ran he caught you in the ribs with his boot. I’d like to make sure you’re okay.’
Damn it! When did doctors get to be blue-eyed, blond-haired handsome-hero material? Kate supposed that his profession must be in the notes that had been left on her desk somewhere, but at the moment she could barely think straight enough to remember her middle name.
‘If you’re thinking about telling me you’re all right again, then you should consider the possibility that adrenaline has a way of keeping the body going while you fight or fly.’
He had a point. Maybe she should have shown him her arm, to divert his attention from her ribs. But it was too late for that now, and mentioning any new aches and pains would only draw this out even further. Kate walked over to her desk, sitting down with a bump and wincing as pain shot up her back.
Ethan’s expression softened, and she tried to ignore the fact that the smile on his face was inspiring both confidence and an inappropriate wish to touch him. He pulled up a chair, sitting down opposite her.
‘What hurt you just then?’
‘My side. Where he kicked me.’ She brushed her hand across the spot, trying not to react to the pain that shot up her arm.
‘Okay. May I take a look?’
‘What kind of doctor are you?’ She made one last attempt at resistance.
‘The kind that knows the difference between a bruise and a cracked rib.’ He grinned at her. ‘Actually, I’m a trauma surgeon, so I’ve seen a fair number of both.’
‘Oh. Sorry.’ Kate felt herself redden.
‘That’s okay. Actually, everything’s okay, just in case you were thinking of apologising about anything else.’
This guy was a bloody dream. Relaxed, good-humoured, handsome. Her hero...
She had to get a grip. If she just did what needed to be done, one thing at a time, she’d be okay. Just draw the lines and stay within them. Forget about everything else. She slipped off her jacket and Ethan reached around to the spot she’d indicated, pulling her shirt up a little so he could see.
‘Lean forward a little more... That’s right.’
She felt the brush of his hands against her side. It had been a while since she’d shivered at a man’s touch against her skin and now wasn’t a good time to get reacquainted with the feeling. She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to imagine herself somewhere else.
‘Take a deep breath. In...’ She felt his fingers around her ribs. Kate filled her lungs with air and her head began to swim.
‘Out...’