Her Holiday Miracle. Joanna Neil
in her suitcase, travelling between airports, she was having to rely on Emma to help her out. Luckily they were of a similar shape and size.
‘So what happened last night?’
‘We had to go to a rural area up in the hills.’ Emma frowned. ‘A couple of people have gone down with headaches and fever, and we’re not quite sure yet what we’re dealing with. We looked after them, made them comfortable, and sent blood samples and so on to the hospital. We shan’t know what’s wrong with them until we get the results back in a couple of days.’
‘So you’ll be going back there?’
Emma nodded. ‘I have to wait for a call from the chief nursing officer. They’ll send a Jeep to take me back to the village.’
The girls finished dressing, and Rebecca added a final touch of blusher to her cheeks just as a rapping noise sounded on the cabin’s front door. Her stomach muscles tensed. That would be Cade, of course. He was a few minutes early and she didn’t feel at all ready for him. She hadn’t had time to compose herself, but she didn’t know why that bothered her. Why was she nervous about meeting up with him again?
‘I’ll get it.’
Her sister left the room and Rebecca took a moment to quickly check her hair in the bedroom mirror. She’d pinned it up for the evening, doing her best to tame the unruly curls, though a few spiralling tendrils had escaped to frame her face. Satisfied that she looked okay, she smoothed down the dress. The silky material skimmed her hips lovingly and fell in soft folds almost to her knees.
Emma was already opening the door, greeting Cade with a cheerful, ‘Hi, there. You must be the man Becky’s been telling me about. Come in.’ There was a pause as he entered the cabin. Then, ‘She says you have a plantation up in the hills?’ Emma said. ‘That is so exciting! I’ve never met an estate owner before—or seen a cocoa plantation.’
‘You should come and visit, then,’ Cade answered cheerfully. ‘I’d love to show you and Rebecca around—you could come tomorrow, if you like?’
‘That sounds great.’
‘Good. It’s a date, then. Late afternoon would be best for me—I could pick you both up after I leave the hospital.’
‘You have to work at the weekend?’
‘I do, unfortunately.’
He hadn’t wasted any time in issuing the invitation, had he?
His deep voice sent ripples of tingling sensation coursing along Rebecca’s spine. She tried to shake it off. How did he manage to have this effect on her? She wasn’t looking for any kind of involvement or attachment, yet he’d figured constantly in her thoughts ever since she’d watched him drive away the evening before. It was disturbing. Hanging out with William would be one thing—his cousin was a different matter entirely. With Cade she sensed danger at every turn … Her nervous system had gone into overdrive and was sending out vigorous warning signals that she would ignore at her peril.
‘Hello again.’ She took a deep breath as she walked into the room, and knew a perverse sense of gratification as she saw Cade’s grey eyes widen in appreciation.
He said nothing for a second or two, but then his dark gaze swept over both girls and he commented softly, ‘It’s clear to see that you’re sisters. You have the same high cheekbones and perfect jawline. You both look lovely.’
‘Why, thank you!’ Emma laughingly touched his arm, her long chestnut hair fleetingly brushing his shoulder as she moved in close to him.
She was wearing a simply styled blue dress with thin shoulder straps, leaving her arms bare. As for Cade, he looked cool and immaculate in a freshly laundered shirt and pale-coloured trousers.
‘Just give me a minute to get my bag,’ Emma said, ‘and we can be on our way. I’ve been to Selwyn’s Bar before,’ she confided. ‘I love it there.’
Cade led the way to his car a few minutes later and saw them seated comfortably. Rebecca chose to sit in the back seat alongside Emma. It didn’t feel as though they’d had much time to talk, since Emma hadn’t arrived home until mid-afternoon, and she doubted they’d have much chance to confide in one another this evening. It was good to be together again, though.
‘How long have you been working out here, Emma?’ Cade asked as he turned the car on to the coast road.
‘A couple of months. I’m having a great time out here. The work hasn’t been too difficult up to now—mostly we’ve been running health clinics and visiting the more remote villages. We’ve been giving vaccinations and checking out the under-fives to make sure they’re okay.’
He glanced in the rearview mirror. ‘Is that the sort of thing you might want to do, Rebecca—work with the under-fives, I mean? Not now, obviously, but maybe later? You talked about wanting a change of direction.’
Rebecca’s face paled at the unexpected question. ‘Um … I’m not sure. It’s something I’d have to think about.’
‘I suppose in neonatal your work was much more specialised?’
‘Yes. Some of the babies were very ill. They might have been born prematurely, or they had heart defects or lung complaints and so on.’
‘Is that why you stopped doing the job—because it was too harrowing?’
She swallowed hard. ‘In a way, yes.’
She didn’t want to talk about this. Delving into the different aspects of her work was far too painful, and it brought up a host of reminders she would rather ignore. It had been so hard going back to work after her illness. She hadn’t been able to bear to hold those tiny babies in her arms when she might never have one of her own. She hadn’t realised how badly she had been affected until she’d cradled those sweet, frail infants.
Beside her, Emma shifted closer in a silent gesture of support. ‘Sometimes it’s good to do something different for a while—to explore other opportunities. But for the moment Becky’s taking time out to recharge her batteries. She’s worked really hard over the last few years, qualifying as a doctor and taking her specialist exams. She hasn’t really had much time for herself and she’s well overdue for an extended holiday.’
‘Of course. I understand.’
Seeing the reflection of his dark eyes in the rearview mirror, Rebecca knew he didn’t understand at all. How could he? As far as he was concerned she was young, energetic, on the cusp of life—why would she need to take time out? But she wasn’t going to explain her circumstances to someone she’d only just met. And talking about it was upsetting.
She hadn’t been able to discuss things much with Drew, because his negative, unhelpful reaction had made matters worse. Whatever future they might have contemplated had been wiped out when he’d realized there was a possibility she might not be able to have children. She’d been devastated by his response to her predicament.
As for now, she wondered if any man she met might respond in the same way? She couldn’t even think about her situation without feeling shaky and unhappy. It was too soon … the emotional wound ran too deep and was still too raw.
‘They do marvellous mojitos at Selwyn’s,’ Emma said brightly, changing the subject. ‘You’ll like them, Becky. They make them with white rum, fresh limes and a sprig of mint. Yum.’
‘Sounds good.’ Rebecca made an effort to pull herself together. She glanced at Cade once more. ‘What do you like to drink, Cade?’
‘I like rum, too—it’s the national drink out here in the islands—but mostly I drink lager. Maybe I’ll have a rum cocktail this evening, but after that I’ll stick with non-alcoholic lager because I’m on the early shift tomorrow at the hospital … And, of course, I’m driving.’
‘Ah … you drew the short straw.’ Emma chuckled sympathetically. ‘They serve food