Dr Cade Byfield, she read. Emergency Medicine Physician, Mountview Hospital, St Marie-Rose.
‘People know me around here,’ he said. ‘I make the trip to and from Martinique on a regular basis. Ask the officials at the end of the dock if you need reassurance.’
That sounded reasonable enough. She’d seen one of them acknowledge him with a nod a short time ago. ‘A doctor?’ she said quietly. ‘So you live out here?’
He nodded. ‘I have done for the last few years, anyway. I’m from Florida, originally, but my parents settled on the island some years ago.’ He glanced at her questioningly. ‘And you?’
‘I’m English—from a busy town in Hertfordshire.’
‘Ah, I thought I recognised the accent.’ He smiled fleetingly and waved a hand in the direction of the harbour wall. ‘My car’s parked over there. Shall we go? I promise you, you’ll be safe with me.’
‘Okay.’ As she nodded he placed the palm of his hand in the small of her back, sending small whorls of sensation eddying through her spine. She tried not to think about the touch of his warm, strong fingers on her body as she walked with him.
‘We could have done with your help as a doctor on the plane coming over here,’ she murmured as they set off along the quayside.
‘Really? Why is that?’
‘We had to divert to Martinique to drop off a man who was taken ill. He was sitting in the seat across the aisle from me when he collapsed. He looked dreadful—pale and waxy. The pilot had to radio for help and they made sure they had an ambulance waiting for him at the airport.’
He frowned. ‘It must have been serious if they had to do that. What was wrong with him? Do you know?’
She nodded. ‘He complained of chest pain radiating to his ears and gums, and then he lost consciousness. I felt for a pulse but there wasn’t one.’
He sent her a quick, concerned look. ‘Sounds like a heart attack. What happened?’
She pulled a face. ‘There was general panic all around me for a moment or two. Then I started chest compressions while a flight attendant rushed to get a portable defibrillator. We managed to shock his heart and establish a rhythm and restored blood flow to his vital organs.’ Her mouth flattened. ‘I thought he was going to be all right, but then things went wrong again and his heart went into an irregular rhythm and stopped for a second time.’
Cade sucked in his breath. ‘He was obviously in a very bad way—that must have been scary for you.’
‘It was worrying,’ she admitted. ‘But I’m a doctor, too, so I suppose the training kicked in. They had adrenaline on board in the aircraft’s medical kit, so I gave him intravenous doses until he started to recover.’
His eyes widened with interest. ‘Are you an emergency doctor?’
‘No. My specialty’s paediatrics.’
‘So, do you work in a hospital or general practice?’
By now they were approaching his car—a dark metallic red sports utility vehicle. It managed to look both sleek and sturdy at the same time, and she guessed it would be capable of managing most types of terrain.
She said quietly, ‘I was working in a neonatal unit, but actually I’m taking a break from medicine right now.’ How could she bear to go into work every day and be surrounded by babies, knowing she might never hold one of her own? It was like a pain deep inside her. ‘At least I thought I was taking a break until I stepped on the plane. My plans certainly went wrong after that.’
He opened the passenger door for her and ushered her inside. He was frowning again. ‘Obviously you weren’t heading for Martinique at the outset. Wouldn’t it have been easier to fly the rest of the way from there instead of getting the ferry?’
‘Probably.’ She was thankful he hadn’t asked about her reasons for having a break from her career, but maybe he assumed she was just taking a holiday. ‘There wasn’t another flight until tomorrow morning,’ she explained. ‘Once we stopped at Martinique the flight crew had worked their allotted hours, apparently. I didn’t want to mess about. I wanted to get here on time to be with my sister—and my luggage had already been taken off the plane.’ She pulled a face. ‘I’m not quite sure where it is at the moment … en route to Barbados, I think. I’ve filled in all the appropriate forms, so hopefully I’ll be reunited with it at some point.’
‘You’ve had an eventful journey.’ He slid into the driver’s seat and switched on the engine. ‘Let’s hope things go smoothly for you from now on.’
‘Yes, we should look on the bright side, shouldn’t we?’ She leaned back against the luxurious upholstery and felt the cool waft of a delicate breeze fan her cheeks as the air-conditioning kicked in. ‘Oh, that feels good.’
He gave her a sideways glance. ‘How long are you planning on staying over here?’
‘Three months to begin with—maybe longer, but if so I might need to find work of some sort. I’m not in a hurry to do that yet—I suppose I’m looking for a change of direction. I may even decide to go home when the three months is up. I just want to spend time with Emma—my sister. She’s over here on a temporary contract with the nursing directorate.’ She frowned. ‘She messaged me a short time ago when I was on the boat, to say she’d been called out on a job—some last-minute thing that cropped up. I’m just hoping she’ll be back before too long.’
His cool, thoughtful gaze swept over her before he turned his attention back to the road ahead. ‘Talking of jobs, it seems a bit strange for you to be taking time out so early in your career. You’re very fortunate if you can afford to do that. A lot of people would envy you.’
She winced inwardly. Was that a veiled criticism? After seeing her on the boat, getting on so well with his cousin, he probably thought she was a bored rich girl looking for thrills.
‘Perhaps they might. You’re right—it’s good to have enough money to be able to choose—but I don’t see myself as “fortunate”, really,’ she countered. ‘My parents died when I was twelve. They left money in trust for me and my sister, so we’re both comfortably off, but I’d much rather they were still around. We were brought up by an aunt and uncle. They’ve been good to us, but they had their own two little girls to care for. It can’t have been easy for them.’
‘No, I expect not. I’m sorry.’ He studied her briefly. ‘Does it bother you, leaving them behind to come here?’
‘Oh, yes—I’ll miss them all … especially my cousins. But we’re all older now, going our separate ways.’ She was pensive for a moment or two, lost in thought. ‘I suppose we were lucky that there was no rivalry or resentment bubbling away in the background because we were taking up the love and attention that should have been reserved for family. In fact we get on very well with one another. My aunt and uncle did a good job.’
‘Four youngsters must have made for quite a lively household?’
‘Yes, it was a bit rumbustious at times. We had a lot of fun … holidays and family picnics and generally hanging out together.’
‘I never had that experience.’ There was a slight thread of regret in his voice. ‘I was an only child—that’s probably what makes me value my cousin’s friendship all the more. We’re very close—a bit like brothers.’
She sent him a curious glance. ‘Really? I didn’t get that impression. You kept to yourself on the ferry and didn’t really have any contact with him—he said you’d been to Martinique on business and needed some space.’
‘That’s right. I had to go over there to talk to some clients—I have a plantation in the hills, a few miles from Tamarind Bay, so I make the journey to Martinique on a fairly