Margaret McDonagh – Their Christmas Vows (страница 3)
Another dart of shock stabbed him. ‘What? But she just had a touch of flu when I left.’
‘That’s what we all thought.’ Archie shook his head. ‘Turns out Mel has an inner ear problem. She was poorly for several days, and the medical advice is that she shouldn’t fly again. At least not in the foreseeable future.’
‘Damn. Poor Mel. How is she? What’s she going to do?’
‘She’s philosophical about it—says she was getting a bit long in the tooth to go on.’
‘Rubbish.’ Frazer swore, bringing a grin to his boss’s face. ‘I’ll talk to her.’
His smile fading, Archie watched him a moment. ‘She’ll be delighted to see you, of course. But her mind is made up, Frazer. This has just brought forward her decision, that’s all. Be pleased for her. She’s looking forward to working part-time with a land crew when she feels up to it, and spending more time with John. He’s taking early retirement next year and they have plans.’
‘I see.’
He didn’t. This was all news to him. And it hurt that Mel had never confided in him that she was thinking of taking a back seat. They had formed a close friendship and working partnership these last six months, and Mel had given no sign that things would change.
‘I know it isn’t the situation you expected to come back to,’ Archie said now, shuffling some papers, sympathetic understanding in his hazel eyes. ‘But Callie Grogan joined us a week ago from Glasgow and you’ll be partnering her from now on.’
‘Great,’ he muttered, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. And not just because he had made the worst first impression on his new flight paramedic. He had a nasty feeling his working relationship with Callie was not going to be as smooth and light-hearted as the one he had enjoyed with Mel.
‘She’s good, Frazer. This is her first posting with a flight crew, but she is dedicated, committed and extremely qualified. And she’s taken every additional course available to enhance her all-round skills. Callie topped the shortlist in every way, and her orientation week here impressed us all.’
Frazer tried to concentrate as his boss sang Callie’s praises, but all he could think about were those eyes, and the anger and disdain in them when she had looked at him.
‘Callie’s new to Strathlochan. I want you to take her under your wing, help her settle in.’
He stifled a groan at Archie’s direction, not at all sure that his new charge would welcome his input. ‘I’ll do my best.’ The promise was reluctant and full of misgivings.
‘I’ll have her join us and introduce you—give you a few moments to get acquainted before any calls come in.’ Having sent for Callie, Archie leaned back and continued, ‘We need to keep our wits about us; I have a bad feeling December is going to be a difficult month.’
Just as the office door opened and his new team member stepped in, glancing at him as if he was something she’d scrape off her boots, the emergency alarm sounded, letting them know they had a call-out. Frazer rose to his feet, focusing on Archie, who was taking the sheet of paper that clattered out of the printer with the first basic details of the incident.
‘What do we have, boss?’
‘Three-car pile-up on the motorway. Northbound, ten miles south of us. Off you go. We’ll have our welcome chat and briefing later on.’
Frazer caught up with Callie in the supply room, where their emergency packs and drugs were stored. He grabbed his pack, pausing to smile at her and see if she needed any assistance, only to be met with an expression of cold indifference. Gee, welcome back. Scowling, he followed as Callie turned away from him and ran for the hangar. So much for the festive season, peace and goodwill to all men. Yeah, right!
The yellow helicopter was being rolled from the hangar, the icy conditions still treacherous outside. Craig was already aboard, doing his pre-flight checks, and Frazer moved up beside Callie as they waited for the all-clear to join him.
‘Everything OK?’ he asked, attempting another conciliatory smile, concerned she might be nervous about her first official flight.
Callie glanced at him with an expression as chill as the wintry weather. ‘Fine.’
‘Look, Callie, we started off on the wrong foot. I made a mistake. I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else.’
He paused, filled with the sense that he was digging himself deeper into a hole. Not a flicker of interest or thawing showed in eyes that were the most unusual colour he had ever seen. They really
‘What’s the matter?’ she snapped at him, and he realised he had been staring.
‘Nothing.’ He gave himself a mental shake, drawn back to reality as the technicians cleared the aircraft and one of the guys opened the door for them. ‘I’ve just never met anyone with such amazing eyes.’
‘Oh, please. You don’t really find that kind of line works, do you?’
‘It wasn’t a line,’ he protested, cut by her scorn.
‘Shall we get on, Dr McInnes?’
Out of sorts, Frazer followed as Callie moved forward. Instinctively, he went to help her, but she batted his hands away.
‘I’m quite capable, thank you. I don’t need you pawing me.’
‘I wasn’t!’
She swung to face him, cold anger evident. ‘Let’s get something straight. Keep your hands and your corny chat-up lines to yourself and we’ll get on with our work just fine.’
Simmering at the injustice of it, Frazer tried to ignore her as they took their places. The helicopter came to life with a characteristic whine, the rotor blades picking up speed, and he had to focus on the emergency call that lay ahead. But he had a sinking feeling that being partnered with feisty, prickly and intriguingly attractive Callie Grogan was never going to work.
CHAPTER TWO
‘HELI-Med Echo-Two-Seven, clear to go.’
Craig’s voice, confirming take-off and their course to the map reference of the accident site, sounded through her earpiece as Callie strapped herself into her seat on board the helicopter and put on her helmet. She tested to ensure her microphone was functional. In flight it was noisy, and they needed the system to communicate with each other and the ground. The helicopter was new and state-of-the-art, complete with a comprehensive medical bulkhead with everything they would need to hand. There was also more internal space, so they could work on the patient during a flight and give them whatever treatment and monitoring was necessary. Callie forced herself to concentrate on double-checking equipment and supplies—anything but think about wretched Frazer McInnes, who had turned out to be every bit as bad as she’d expected.
Quite an endorsement, Callie recalled, and she didn’t imagine Archie Stewart suffered fools gladly. But her own impressions of Frazer had confirmed all her worst fears about the man. Wicked. That was the first word that had come to mind when she had looked at him and been subjected to that practised, lethal smile. It was a smile that promised every kind of sensual sin and carved twin dimples in his lean cheeks. There was no doubt about it. By any standard Frazer was stunningly, impossibly gorgeous. He oozed charm and the kind of smouldering sexuality that made female knees weaken at fifty paces. His hair was cut short, the thick, lustrous strands having a silky black sheen, while the mischievous gleam in eyes the colour of melted dark chocolate was dangerous to any woman’s well-being. She didn’t even want to think about his mouth, or what those perfectly shaped mobile lips could do to a woman, how they would feel, how he would kiss, how … Stop it!
Callie was furious with the man. But she was even more furious with herself and her own inexplicable reaction to him. Those few heart-stopping moments when the unknown masculine hands had touched her had fired a shocking response through her body, stirring things—deep, surprising, scary things—she had not felt before. How could that be? Not only was the man a stranger, and reputed to go through women the way other people went through hot dinners, but she had assumed herself resistant, uninterested, immune. It must have been the surprise of the moment that had made her pulse race like a mad thing and caused an ache to knot low inside her, Callie reassured herself. Any other explanation was impossible—and far too frightening to consider.
‘ETA one minute,’ Craig informed them, drawing her from her disturbing thoughts.
An unwanted tingle raised the hairs on the back on her neck when Frazer’s throaty voice responded. ‘Any update on casualties?’ he asked, and she sneaked a glance at him. How could he sound sexy just asking a simple work-related question?
‘There are four reported, one with serious injuries.’ Craig paused a moment as he flew over the scene of the crash and looked for a safe place to land, bringing the aircraft down on the area of carriageway that had been cordoned off for them as close as possible to the site. ‘The fire service are cutting out a middle-aged woman now. You’re needed there.’