The Doctor's Double Trouble

by Lucy Clark

  Her taste combined with her glorious scent was a heady combination and one he knew he was fast becoming addicted to. When he opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, she came with him for the ride, matching him in intensity as slowly they began to explore further.

  He had no idea where this might take him, where it might lead them, what the future held for either of them, but at the moment nothing mattered other than being with Abbey, and for the first time in a very long time Joshua started to get a sense of belonging. Holding Abbey, being with her, was enough to rock his world and in a blinding flash he realised he couldn’t imagine his life without her in it.

  As his mouth worshiped hers, he started to wonder just how he could keep Abbey here in Yawonnadeere Creek when her six-month locum came to an end.

  Chapter Ten

  FOR the next week, Abbey wasn’t sure exactly what was happening between her and Joshua but it was definitely an improvement on where they’d been before their last kiss.

  As though following an unspoken rule, both of them weren’t flaunting their intense attraction to each other but neither were they hiding it. Little touches here and there, looks shared across a crowded pub, eating lunch at the bar. All of these things weren’t out of the ordinary as far as everyone else in the town was concerned but for the two of them it was definitely new.

  It was as though they both needed to get used to moving out of their comfort zones, taking that scary step forward from the lives they’d wrapped themselves in as protective shields. Change was never easy but Abbey knew that coming here, being a part of this town, loving Joshua as she did was a change she was willing to accept. The scary part was trying to figure out just how Joshua felt about her.

  He hadn’t made any effort to kiss her again, even when they’d been alone after finishing their clinics the other day, but he was more than happy to sit with her over a cup of herbal tea, to just talk and get to know her better.

  He would put a hand on her shoulder and give it a little squeeze whenever he said goodbye of an evening. He would lean closer to say something near her ear, his breath floating over her neck causing goose bumps to break out down her spine.

  The other big change he’d made to his life was to spend more quality time with his children, just as Abbey had suggested. Just yesterday, they’d all been lying on the floor in the back room at the pub, colouring in and sharing pencils. Spending more time with Becka and Jimmy had also freed up a bit of time for Rach to continue looking after her husband, whose hand was heeling nicely.

  Every night when Abbey went to sleep, she would stand at the window in her front room, looking over at Joshua’s house, the twinkle fairy lights still strung beautifully around the front, the twins demanding the lights stay. It did look as though another world was just beyond those eaves, another world where Joshua and his children lived, children who had become as much a part of her heart as their father.

  Abbey would blow three kisses towards the house, one for each occupant, and then she’d head to her bedroom, lying beneath the ceiling fan, dreaming of a time when she might also be included in the gorgeous family who made her feel so incredibly happy.

  This is it, she realised on Monday morning, one month after arriving in the outback. You’ve found your new life. She jiggled a teabag in the cup and took a sip, surprised to realise her search was over. She loved Joshua, she loved the twins and she desperately wanted to be a part of their lives.

  Would they let her merge? Let their lives intermingle? She knew the twins wouldn’t mind but would Joshua? Would he be able to trust himself enough to enter the world of marriage once more, especially as his previous marriage hadn’t been one built on a solid foundation? They’d talked a lot over the past week and he’d admitted to her that his relationship with Miriam hadn’t been all that strong, that Miriam had baulked at having children but had only given in because he’d insisted.

  ‘I’ve realised, quite recently, that even if she hadn’t died, we wouldn’t have made it. Our marriage would have ended in divorce and I would still be here in Yawonnadeere, raising the twins on my own.’ It had been a sobering admission but with it he could move his life forward—at least, that’s what Abbey was secretly hoping—and she wanted him to move it forward with her by his side.

  ‘Abbey?’

  She was startled from her reverie at the sound of Joshua’s voice, calling loudly to her. She quickly put the cup down and hurried to the front of her house.

  ‘Abbey?’ Joshua was standing on his own verandah, holding open the front door to the surgery. A car was out front with a concerned mother weeping on Giselle’s shoulder. Mark carried a boy of about eight through the open surgery door.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked, rushing across the road, both of them heading in after Mark.

  ‘Eight-year-old boy having an asthma attack,’ he explained.

  Abbey frowned and shook her head. ‘Third one in the past two days. Put him in my clinic room, Mark. I’m all set up.’

  The distraught mother was coming in the door, calling for her son. Giselle could be heard trying to keep the mother back and out of the way.

  ‘Arthur? Arthur? Is he all right? Is he…?’ She covered her mouth with her hands as she saw her son sitting up on the examination couch, Abbey fitting an oxygen mask over the boy’s face as Joshua adjusted the cylinder for the correct dose. The boy rasped the air in.

  ‘He’s going to be all right, Janice,’ Joshua soothed. ‘Go with Giselle and let us look after him.’

  ‘Bronchodilator,’ Abbey was saying, Joshua and Mark helping her.

  ‘Set oxygen saturations to ninety-five per cent.’

  ‘Deep breaths for me, Arthur.’

  ‘Pass me that stethoscope.’

  ‘That’s it. Nice and deep. Good boy.’

  ‘We’ll get you all sorted, Arthur.’

  ‘That’s it. Nice deep breaths.’

  Between the three of them, it didn’t take too long to calm the boy down and soon he was reunited with his mother.

  ‘You did the right thing, bringing him in when you did,’ Joshua said.

  ‘I nearly sent him to school this morning. He was coughing through the night but with all the dust we’ve had around lately, I didn’t think anything of it. Then he started making these gasping, choking noises and…’ She shook her head again, her hands starting to tremble.

  ‘You did the right thing,’ Joshua reiterated, knowing they needed to keep the mother calm so the son also remained calm. As a parent, it hadn’t taken him long to realise that children could easily pick up on an adult’s emotions and that was enough sometimes to set them off at an unhappy tangent.

  He glanced across at Abbey. Could she pick up on his emotions? The ones that were saying he didn’t want her to leave Yawonnadeere in five months’ time? That he wanted her to stay here as his medical partner? To be a part of his life?

  He had no idea how to tell her what he was feeling, mainly because he wasn’t quite sure himself just what he felt for Abbey. The fact that the emotions were very different from the ones he’d felt for Miriam were a given, but after one bad marriage caution was now his friend. Besides, he had the twins to consider. Would making Abbey a permanent part of their lives be good for them?

  The fact that the little mischievous three-year-olds needed a mother was also true and they certainly adored Abbey. Abbey, in turn, adored his twins and he could see, just by watching them all together, how incredible she would be as a mother.

  Although they’d started being more open with each other, the one part of his life Joshua had kept off limits was his house. Apart from the evening of the twins’ birthday, when she had carried Jimmy inside and put him into his cot, he hadn’t invited Abbey over.

  It had been a strategic move because he could picture her all too clearly in his house, in his life, in his arms. Change wasn’t an easy thing for him to accept or deal with but the thought of Abbey leaving, of him enduring his life without her in it, was starting to become an unacceptabl
e scenario.

  As he watched her monitoring Arthur, soothing Janice and making arrangements for Mark to monitor Arthur overnight, Joshua decided that tonight would be the night. He’d ask Abbey to come over for dinner, to see just how well she fitted into his home. His heart pounded at the enormous step forward he was taking but he knew that sometimes you had to be brave and bold to get what you wanted.

  After she’d finished writing up the medical notes, she looked up and smiled at him and it was all he could do not to close the distance between them and haul her back into his arms. In fact, it was becoming more and more difficult to keep his distance but he was determined to take things more slowly this time around, to make absolutely sure he wasn’t making a mistake. If he could have Abbey in his life and keep his heart safe at the same time, he might finally stand a chance at being happy.

  The rest of the day seemed to tick by very slowly. Joshua tried a few times to ask her over for dinner that night but each time something cropped up to stop him. For a change, the day had been rather busy, plenty of people needing medical attention, and it wasn’t until they were in the pub, enjoying a relaxing glass of wine, that Joshua had his opportunity.

  ‘You would think I’d know this menu off by heart,’ Abbey said, smiling at him over the top of the piece of laminated paper. ‘Still, I can’t seem to decide what I’d like for dinner tonight.’

  ‘Uh…about that.’

  ‘Yes?’ She put the menu down and looked at him, sipping her drink.

  ‘Well, would you like to join me for something to eat?’

  ‘Sure. You don’t usually eat here on a Monday night. In fact…’ she glanced at her watch. ‘…isn’t it past the twins’ bedtime?’

  ‘I didn’t mean eat here, Abbey. I’m asking you over for dinner.’

  ‘Oh.’ Her eyes widened in surprise while inside she was jumping up and down like an excited three-yearold. She hadn’t pushed Joshua at all, wanting him to take his time before he asked her over but to say she’d been getting impatient for it to happen was an understatement. ‘Can I help you get the kids ready for bed?’

  Joshua smiled. ‘Why do you think I’m asking you? Those two are like streakers after their baths. I just get one wrestled to the floor when the other starts. They can both climb out of their cots, so I just leave the sides down now.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s as though since they’ve turned three, all of the rules have changed, except no one told me.’

  Abbey laughed as she picked up her hat. ‘Oh, poor old dad.’

  ‘Hey, enough of the old,’ he remarked as the twins chose that moment to run over to him. Seizing the opportunity, he picked one up in each arm and stood. ‘Time to go home, monkeys.’

  ‘No,’ they both chorused together.

  ‘Abbey’s coming with us,’ he added.

  ‘To my house?’ Becka was completely surprised.

  ‘To my house?’ Jimmy repeated.

  ‘Yes and yes,’ Joshua said, placing kisses on the tips of their noses. Thanks to Abbey, his relationship with his children couldn’t be better, despite the rules having been changed. He now made sure that every day, even if it was an extra cuddle at night or a game of hide and seek before starting his morning, he spent quality time with his children.

  ‘Let’s go,’ Abbey said, holding out her hands to Jimmy who went willingly into her arms. That night, they trooped out of the pub looking very much like a family and Abbey’s hopes started to rise once more. This was a good thing, right?

  ‘She’s definitely a daddy’s girl,’ Abbey remarked as she started running the bath. Little Becka was resting her head on her father’s shoulder, her arms firmly around his neck.

  ‘You think?’ Joshua’s own hands were protective as he held his daughter, relishing the affection she was giving him. ‘Or am I a girl’s daddy?’

  Abbey laughed. ‘Either way, the two of you are adorable together. Hold onto her while I get Jimmy.’ The little boy was currently running up and down the hallway, going from one end of the house to the other, laughing and stomping on the wooden floorboards as he went. He was certainly a fast runner but Abbey didn’t think he was any match for her.

  ‘Good luck with that,’ Joshua said as he took Becka into the bathroom, getting her ready.

  ‘Where does he get all his energy?’ Abbey called up the corridor.

  ‘Well, he gets to have an afternoon sleep, has all his meals prepared for him, has all his laundry done for him and spends most of his time playing and not caring about anyone else in the world but himself.’

  Abbey laughed at this answer. ‘Oh, if only life were that simple for the rest of us.’ Then she headed off to catch the little boy.

  Joshua undressed Becka, making sure her pretty curls were tied up off her shoulders and out of the way before putting her into the warm bath, kneeling down beside her as she started to play with her toys.

  Becka splashed the bathwater and laughed, her blue eyes bright with delight as her father reacted.

  ‘Hey. No splashing, missy.’ Joshua quickly rolled up his sleeves and tickled her tummy. ‘You are a cheeky monkey, aren’t you?’

  Becka giggled and splashed again. ‘Daddy wet.’

  Her laughter, her words, her big sparkling eyes reiterated just how much he loved her and just how much she needed a mother. He turned at a sound in the doorway and saw Abbey walking in with a wriggling, naked Jimmy wrapped up in a towel.

  He instantly stood. ‘Come here, matey.’ He took the squirming boy from Abbey and plonked him in the bath next to his sister. It took only a second for the two to settle down and start playing together—friends for ever they would be, such was the bond between the twins.

  As he stood there, watching his children interacting, a lump rose in his throat. Abbey was standing beside him and it seemed the most natural thing in the world to slip his arm about her shoulders. She didn’t shy away from the contact, closing her eyes and committing this moment, these sensations of warmth and contentment to memory.

  ‘Abbey?’ His voice was deep, his tone intent, and as she looked at him, her heartbeat tripled in a matter of seconds. He took one of her hands in his free one and raised it to his lips, brushing a feather-light kiss across her knuckles. ‘Thanks for coming tonight.’

  Abbey’s mouth went dry at his touch, at his caress, at the kisses he was pressing to her hand. Slowly, she uncurled her fingers and tenderly touched his cheek, loving the fact that he was allowing this. ‘Thank you for asking me,’ she returned.

  ‘I’ve wanted to ask you for some time now but—’

  ‘Shh.’ She put a finger to his lips. ‘You don’t have to explain anything to me.’

  As he looked down into her face, her saw that her eyes were conveying just how much she’d wanted to be this close to him again. He turned her slightly so that she was facing him, his arms slipping around her waist, urging her a little closer. She stepped forward and slid her hand around his neck, the warmth of his skin causing her own to tingle with excited anticipation. The look in his eyes was the same as before, deep and dark with repressed desire. He wanted her, of that there was no doubt. He wanted to kiss her and the way his gaze flicked from her eyes to her parted lips and back again only added fuel to the fire that was burning within her.

  ‘I love your neck,’ he murmured, dipping his head and pressing his lips to her carotid pulse.

  ‘So I’ve gathered,’ she replied, her hands sliding into his hair. She’d been unable to stop dreaming about him, to stop craving him, to stop loving him.

  ‘What does this mean?’ she whispered in his ear.

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Joshua?’

  ‘I can’t stop thinking about you. I’ve tried, Abbey. I’ve really tried but I can’t.’ He rubbed his hands up and down her back. ‘I want to spend time with you, to hold you, to touch you. I want to kiss you over and over again. There’s a powerful attraction between us, Abbey, and I’ve never felt anything like it before. I want to understand why I’m feeling
this way, why I need you so much.’ His words were intense, gut wrenching and almost pleading.

  ‘It’s as though this…thing between us has just risen up and slapped us both in the face,’ she agreed.

  She felt him smile before he lifted his head and look down into her smiling face. ‘You have a way with words, lady. I like that about you. You’re open, you’re honest and you speak the truth from your heart.’

  ‘Are you sleepy, Daddy?’ Jimmy wanted to know, and it was then that both adults seemed to realise where they were. Joshua looked at his son.

  ‘A little bit sleepy, mate.’ With great reluctance, he let Abbey go, both adults feeling a bit self-conscious being caught out by a couple of three-year-olds.

  ‘I want to west my head on Abbey’s shoulder, too,’ Jimmy said, and then yawned as if to prove his point. ‘I’m sleepy, too.’

  ‘I know you’re sleepy, matey, which is why we need to get you clean, get you fed and get you into bed.’

  ‘I’ll go see if I can find the twins’ pyjamas.’ She walked out of the bathroom and into the children’s bedroom and it took her a moment to realise that something had changed since she’d last been in there.

  It was then she saw them. Framed on the wall, above the children’s cots, were the pictures she’d drawn them for their birthday. Joshua had put them up, giving them pride of place. A lump formed in Abbey’s throat as she realised a part of her would always be with the twins, no matter what happened between her and their father.

  Every time they met, every time they were together, every time he looked into her eyes, all she wanted was to rush forward into his arms, close her eyes and rest her head. She needed someone to hold her, to comfort her, to be there for her, and she wanted that someone to be Joshua.

  She was tired and she’d been through so much of her own personal trauma. She was working hard at coping with her bleak future. She knew she had a gift for caring, for being there to help others. She was a giver and she always had been. Her positive attitude had served her well throughout her trials and tribulations but there were times when she had no energy, when she felt like giving up, when she needed someone else to care for her.