‘Flora! I’ve never heard you speak to anyone like that before. Usually I have to drag a response from you. What is the matter with you?’
‘I don’t know. I—Nothing.’ Flora’s cheeks were scarlet and she blinked several times and adjusted her glasses. She didn’t know what was the matter. She didn’t know what had come over her. She didn’t know why she felt so hot and bothered. ‘Sorry. I apologise.’
She felt miserably uncomfortable and mortified that she’d embarrassed Logan. The only person who didn’t seem remotely embarrassed was Conner himself. He simply laughed.
‘Don’t apologise. I much prefer to be around people who say what they think. I’m sure most of the inhabitants of Glenmore will share your sentiments and express them far more vociferously.’ He turned to Logan. ‘I did warn you that this wouldn’t work. It isn’t too late to change your mind.’
‘Of course I’m not going to change my mind.’ Logan sounded exasperated. ‘Flora, Conner’s credentials are—’
‘Irrelevant,’ Conner interrupted smoothly, and Flora bit her lip.
She knew she ought to say something nice and welcoming, but her brain just didn’t seem to be working with its normal efficiency. Seeing Conner again without warning was shocking, confusing and—thrilling?
Horrified, she quickly dismissed that last emotion and pressed her fingers to her chest, wishing that her heart would slow down. It was not, definitely not, thrilling that he was back on the island. If she’d been asked to choose the least suitable man to be a doctor on Glenmore, it would have been Conner MacNeil.
Over the years, she’d thought of him often.
Too often.
She’d wondered where he was and what he was doing. She’d imagined him languishing in some jail, maybe in a foreign country; she’d imagined him sitting by a pool in a tax haven, having made piles of money by some unspeakably dubious means.
Never, in her most extravagant fantasies, had she imagined him training as a doctor and never, in those same dreams, had she imagined him returning to Glenmore.
One thing she knew for sure; the calm, tranquil routine of Glenmore Island was about to be overturned.
She didn’t know what sort of doctor Conner was going to prove to be, but she knew it wasn’t the sort that the islanders were used to seeing.
CHAPTER TWO
CONNER buzzed for his first patient and braced himself for the reaction.
He wasn’t disappointed.
The first man who walked through his door took one look at him, gave a horrified gasp and immediately backed out, muttering that he’d ‘wait for the other doctor’.
Conner watched him leave, his handsome face expressionless. Clearly people had long memories and he understood all about that. He hadn’t forgotten a single minute of his time on Glenmore.
With a dismissive shrug, he buzzed for the next patient and the moment Susan Ellis walked through the door, he prepared himself for a repeat performance. If he had any supporters among the islanders—and he was beginning to doubt that he had—this lady wouldn’t be among them. She ran the shop at the harbour and she had reason to know him better than most.
‘Good morning, Mrs Ellis.’ He kept his tone suitably neutral but her face reflected her shock at seeing him.
‘Conner MacNeil! So the rumours are true, then.’ She glanced behind her, obviously wondering if she’d wandered into the wrong building, and Conner lifted an eyebrow.
‘Is there something I can help you with, Mrs Ellis?’ Perhaps this wasn’t going to work after all.
‘I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it.’
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her to think quickly because there was a queue of patients waiting but then he realised that the queue was probably dwindling by the second so a slightly longer consultation wasn’t likely to matter.
‘If you’d rather see Logan, go ahead. My feelings will remain intact.’
‘I’m not thinking about your feelings,’ she said tartly. ‘I’m thinking about my health. I assume Logan knows you’re here?’
‘You think I broke a window and climbed in? Looking for drugs, maybe?’
She gave him a reproving look. ‘Don’t give me sarcasm, Conner MacNeil. I’m not afraid to admit that you wouldn’t leap to mind as someone to turn to in times of trouble.’
Clearly recalling the details of their last encounter, Conner relented slightly. ‘I don’t blame you for that.’
She studied him from the safety of the doorway, her mouth compressed into a firm line of disapproval. ‘So you’ve mended your ways. Are you really a doctor?’
‘Apparently.’
‘There’s plenty on this island who will be surprised to hear that.’
‘I’m sure that’s true.’ Conner kept his tone level. ‘Are you going or staying? Because if you’re staying, you may as well sit down. Or we can carry on this consultation standing, up if that’s what you would prefer.’
‘Not very friendly, are you?’
‘I presumed you were looking for a doctor, not a date.’
Susan Ellis gave a reluctant laugh. ‘You always were a sharp one, I’ll give you that.’ After a moment’s hesitation she closed the door and sat down gingerly on the edge of the seat, as if she hadn’t quite decided whether she was going to stay or not. ‘I’m not sure if I can talk about this with you.’
Conner sighed. It was going to be a long day. ‘As I said, if you’d rather see Logan, I quite understand.’
She fiddled with the strap of her handbag and then put it on the floor in a decisive movement. ‘No,’ she said firmly. ‘I’ve never been one to live in the past. Times change. People change. If you’re a doctor then—I don’t suppose you’ll be able to help me anyway.’
‘Try me.’
‘It’s hard to put a finger on when it all started, but it’s been a while.’ She glanced at Conner and he sat in silence, just listening. ‘Probably been almost a year. I’m tired, you see. All the time. And I know doctors hate hearing that. You’re going to say it’s just my age, but—’
‘I haven’t said anything yet, Mrs Ellis. You speak your lines and then I’ll speak mine.’ He could have been wrong but he thought he saw her shoulders relax slightly.
‘Fair enough. Well, I feel washed out and exhausted a lot of the time. It doesn’t matter how well I sleep or how much rest I take, I’m still tired.’ She hesitated and then sighed. ‘And a little depressed, if I’m honest. But that’s probably because I just feel so…slow. If this is getting old, I want none of it.’
‘Have you gained weight?’
She stiffened. ‘Are you going to lecture me on my eating?’
‘Are you going to answer the question?’
Susan shifted self consciously, automatically pulling in her stomach and straightening her shoulders. ‘Yes, I’ve gained weight, but I suppose that’s my age as well. You just can’t eat so much when you get older and it’s hard to change old habits. Aren’t you going to make notes? Logan always keeps meticulous notes.’
‘I prefer to listen. I’ll do the writing part later.’ Conner stood up and walked towards her, his eyes concentrating on