Playboy Doctor to Doting Dad

by Sue MacKay

  At the curtain Kieran turned and winked at her. Obviously he had. Picking up their mugs, she went to rinse them, determined her face would have stopped glowing by the time she got back.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ‘UNCLE KIERAN, why’s it called Rabbit Island?’ Olivia bounced around his legs, her face and body liberally smothered in sunscreen lotion. Her cute yellow swimsuit accentuated her black hair and blue eyes. So like her mother. His eyes switched to Seamus. Again the dark hair and blue eyes. His heart lurched.

  So like his dad.

  ‘Uncle Kieran, are you listening?’ She sounded just like her aunt.

  He crouched down on his haunches. ‘Yes, Princess, I am. Now, about this island that’s not really an island. I’m sure it’s called that because there are lots of rabbits here.’

  Olivia spun around. ‘I can’t see them.’

  ‘They’re hiding in their burrows, away from little girls who’d want to pat them.’

  ‘What’s a burrow?’

  ‘A rabbit’s house. They dig holes in the ground to race down when there’s danger about.’

  Olivia’s eyes widened. ‘Show me.’

  A sweet chuckle caught his attention, stirred his blood. Abby knelt on a blanket spread on the sand, plastering sunscreen on Seamus. ‘You’ll have to find one now.’

  Dressed in cut-off denim shorts and a bright red singlet top that barely covered her midriff, her hair swinging in a short ponytail, she looked like a teenager. The compassionate face of the exceptional nurse he knew her for had been replaced by that of a carefree, happy mother. He felt a tug at his heartstrings. The sort of tug any attractive woman caused. Yeah, right. Abby wasn’t just any woman. She was beautiful, on the inside and outside.

  Abby appeared so confident in everything she did, but he had seen that flicker of discomfort when he’d suggested dessert the other night. Did she believe she had to watch her weight? When her figure was superb? It didn’t make sense. Someone had to have made her think like that. Someone who had hurt her. Why would anyone want to hurt Abby? His teeth clenched. He’d like a moment with that person.

  ‘Ah, hello, Kieran?’ The woman in his mind waved at him. ‘We’re looking for a burrow, remember?’

  ‘Shouldn’t be too hard to find one close by. I’ve got reinforcements if I need them.’ He waved a hand at the staff members and their families sprawled over this area of the park, resting after an energetic game of cricket followed by an enormous barbeque lunch. He shook his head at how easily Abby distracted him.

  Seamus pushed Abby’s hand away and struggled to his feet. With arms outstretched, he stumbled towards Kieran. ‘Raabb.’ His foot tripped over a stick and he plonked down on his bottom. ‘Raabb.’ He put his hands down to push himself back on his feet.

  A piercing shriek filled the air. Kieran jumped. ‘Seamus?’ He reached for the boy, caught him up just as Abby got there. Immediately Kieran handed Seamus to her, but she shook her head.

  ‘Hold him still while I check him over.’

  ‘Abby.’ Panic rose in his throat. What had happened? One moment Seamus was fine, the next screaming his lungs out. Why? ‘I’m the doctor. You’re his mother. Take him and I’ll look him over.’ How was he supposed to sooth a screaming little boy? How did he calm his son? ‘Abby, take him.’

  ‘You’re doing fine. Just hold on.’ She gave him a tight smile.

  Was that supposed to reassure him? ‘Thanks a bunch.’

  ‘I think he’s had a bee sting.’ Abby took one arm, carefully searched the skin, turned his hand over, checked his palm.

  ‘A bee sting? Has he had one before? Is he allergic?’ Anaphylactic shock could kill Seamus, he was so tiny. Kieran stared around at his colleagues and shouted, ‘Have we got a first-aid kit with us?’

  ‘I’ll get it from my car.’ Pete bounded away, a slightly bemused look on his face.

  Kieran glared after him. Didn’t the idiot understand what could go wrong here? Seamus tensed in his arms. Kieran dropped his gaze to his son. Seamus’s face scrunched up as he sucked air for another scream. His eyes registered fury more than anything. His feet pushed hard into Kieran’s abdomen, giving him leverage to stretch his body.

  Kieran’s heart thumped. His boy was hurting, and Abby wouldn’t let him do anything about it. ‘Abby,’ he ground out. ‘Hold Seamus. I’ll look for the sting. He’ll calm down a lot quicker with you holding him.’ Seamus was never going to calm down for him.

  By now a circle of staff had gathered around them, all offering helpful advice. How much advice did anyone need to find a bee sting? Pete returned with the kit.

  ‘Found it. Hold him still,’ Abby muttered.

  Damn it, he was trying but who would’ve known how strong the little guy was?

  Abby raised her head. ‘There, the sting’s out. All better, sweetheart.’ And she plonked a kiss on Seamus’s cheek. ‘Now we’ll put some cream on to take away the itch.’

  I could do with one of those kisses. I deserve one, too. Kieran held Seamus out to her. ‘I’ll do that.’

  But Abby took the tube of cream Pete handed her and quickly smeared the red spot on Seamus’s hand with a good dollop. ‘No need. All done.’ And after another kiss on her son’s cheek, she looked directly at Kieran. ‘Just jiggle him up and down, give him a few kisses, and he’ll be right in no time.’

  ‘But I can’t.’ She’d turned away. ‘Abby.’

  Abby looked over her shoulder. ‘Yeah, you can. You’ve been brilliant so far.’ She lowered her voice so that no one else would hear her. ‘For the record you just acted like a parent and not a doctor.’ She winked at him. Then, damn it, she walked away.

  He stared after her. A parent? Him? No, she’d got it wrong. He was a doctor. What was she doing to him? Seamus twisted in his arms and Kieran peered down at him. Soothing a child was definitely not his territory.

  Seamus was hiccuping. Taking great gulps of air and building up to another shriek. Kieran felt a weird lurch in the region of his heart again. ‘Hey, little man. Take it easy.’

  Kieran jiggled his bundle as Abby had suggested, made soothing noises, and began walking around. ‘Come on, my boy. We can do this. We’ll show your mum we can put smiles back on our faces.’

  Doing exactly what she’d intended. Kieran knew that. Knew he was jerking on the end of her string. But, hey, what else could he do? Charge after her and shove Seamus into her arms, crying and distressed? No way. He’d prove he could manage.

  Just as she wanted. Cunning woman, he’d give her that. Then he stopped, looked down at his son gurgling and waving his hands around. Hell. I’ve done it. Quieted the boy. Made him smile again. Warm love, pure and simple, spread through Kieran and he sank to the ground, staring into the young eyes watching him. He glanced around and his eyes clashed with Abby’s. Triumph glinted back at him.

  Abby clapped and did a jig on the spot. She’d forced Kieran to look out for Seamus as a father, not as the doctor he automatically reverted to. And it had worked out perfectly. Another step towards being a parent achieved. The proud look on his face was worth the uncertainty she’d seen moments earlier, and which had had her wondering if she’d done the right thing. She had. End of story.

  A deep laugh had Abby turning her head.

  ‘I saw that, Miss Clever Clogs.’ Kieran stood beside her, so close she could smell the soap on his skin, see the flecks of black in his blue eyes. His mouth was mere inches away. She yearned to lean closer to kiss those lips. What was it about Kieran’s mouth that made her act out of character? Those lips sent heat flaring along her veins and scorched her heart. Her cheeks flamed. She scrambled backwards.

  ‘Time for a swim.’ Anything to cool off. She reached for Seamus and lifted him into her arms, using him as a barrier between her and the man now gazing at her solemnly.

  ‘Let me carry Seamus down to the beach, give you a break.’ The Irish lilt washed over her, like a cool, damp cloth on fevered skin.

  ‘Guess I’m used to it.’ She
clung to Seamus, suddenly unable to let him go, needing a shield from Kieran’s magnetism.

  ‘At least let me help while I’m here.’ His hands held Seamus’s waist, pressing against her bare arms, making her quiver.

  She definitely needed total immersion in the cool sea. Relinquishing her grip, she stepped away from Kieran’s touch. ‘Thanks. If I seem ungrateful it’s because I’m not used to people wanting to do things for me. I guess I tend to take over and push people away.’

  ‘No, people come to you because you’re so willing to help out. That’s how I see it. Others do, too. Who puts her hand up to stay late when a case overruns a shift? Who altered her sister’s dress last weekend?’

  Warmth slipped in under her ribs. ‘But those things are part of my job, of belonging to my family. No big deal.’

  Those were the things that mattered, the things that kept her grounded, helped her through the rare days she regretted having to give up her dream years ago. Anyway, what could be better than raising two of the most gorgeous children ever?

  Someone to share her life with. Kieran. Shock tripped her. Kieran? As if. She might desire him, but love him? Her skin prickled, her heart slowed. This was the second time that thought had bounded into her brain. She couldn’t afford love. Not with any man. She’d paid a huge price last time. Anyway, if she made the mistake of falling in love with Kieran, he’d never reciprocate the emotion. A cold weight of pain lodged in her stomach. She knelt down to place Olivia’s water-wings on her arms as Kieran continued down to the water with Seamus.

  Sally dropped onto the sand beside her. ‘Kieran’s spending a lot of time with the children.’

  ‘He’s just doing the uncle thing.’ Would Sally never give up?

  ‘But he’s not Seamus’s uncle, is he?’ Sally watched, her eyes narrowed, as Kieran coaxed Seamus to step into the shallow water. ‘You know, I’ve never noticed before how alike in colouring Olivia and Seamus are.’

  Abby’s stomach clenched and nausea soured her mouth. ‘That often happens with cousins.’

  Sally’s eyes turned to her, and her hand found Abby’s. ‘I agree. But why does Seamus look so much like Kieran?’

  Abby twisted away and stared out at the beckoning waters of Tasman Bay stretching for ever, at the smooth sand broken only by footprints.

  ‘It’s okay, your secret’s safe with me,’ Sally whispered. ‘I’ll stop trying to push you two together now I know about this. Though I still think he’s ideal for you if you’d give him a chance.’

  ‘He’s a playboy, Sally. Playboys break hearts easier than I can break glass.’ But it might already be too late for her. Somehow Kieran had managed to winkle in under her skin in a very short time. So she had to start acting sensibly, stop thinking about those electrifying kisses. Kieran may be her son’s father, but he could only be her friend. No matter what.

  ‘He hasn’t been behaving like one since he arrived and, believe me, there’ve been plenty of offers for a good time from the nurses.’ Sally sighed. ‘I heard talk last Saturday night he turned down two invitations to go clubbing. Hardly the act of a playboy.’

  ‘Saturday night? He went to a party with Steph and her boyfriend.’

  ‘According to Robyn, Kieran worked most of the weekend, including Saturday night.’

  Heat pooled in Abby’s stomach as relief poured through her. Kieran hadn’t gone to the party after all. Her eyes feasted on him now as he shucked out of his outer clothes in preparation for a swim. Again the overwhelming urge to kiss him hit her, rising so quickly it rocked her to the core.

  She needed a diversion before she acted on these dangerous impulses. She hauled her top off and popped the stud on her shorts, letting them drop to the sand where she stepped out of them. Across the beach Kieran stood staring at her, his face unreadable. But the flare of interest in his eyes as he took in her bikini-clad body was definitely unmistakable. He wanted her. Plain as day, Kieran wanted her.

  And she wanted him just as much. Prefect timing, Abby. Absolutely brilliant. On a family beach with two children and most of her colleagues, and she wanted to make love to this man. Why hadn’t she worn knee-length shorts and a baggy T-shirt?

  ‘Race me, Abby,’ Olivia yelled, inadvertently creating a much-needed diversion as she tore down the sand towards the water.

  Abby raced after her, not to win the dare but to be on hand should Olivia trip and fall into the water. Olivia had had swimming lessons and now knew how to float on her back and dogpaddle in a fashion, and, most importantly, not to panic if her head went underwater. But she was still only three years old and Abby would never let her go into the water alone.

  ‘I’m first.’ Olivia giggled. ‘Look, Uncle Kieran’s undressed Seamus.’

  ‘So he has.’ She watched Seamus, as naked as the day he was born, and Kieran, thankfully dressed in beach shorts and not Speedos, make their way in a more dignified manner into the sea.

  As Kieran stepped through the water, she watched the level creeping slowly up his firm calves, his muscular thighs, then. She swallowed. Turned away, focused on Olivia until she heard Seamus gurgling gleefully. Turning back, her face spilt into a smile. Seamus, held carefully by a squatting Kieran, was kicking the water into a frenzy while his tiny fists flew in all directions, putting Kieran’s head in danger.

  But what really grabbed her heart was seeing the look of amazement on Kieran’s face. He was enjoying himself as much as his son.

  Late afternoon the next day and the sun still blazed down fiercely. Kieran swallowed a glass of cold water. He enjoyed the heat, but couldn’t get his head around the fact that Christmas was less than two weeks away. There should be snow covering the lawn, not roses and lilies flowering in the garden.

  In her kitchen Abby had vegetables cooking for the children’s dinner. Olivia sat on the floor, reading her doll a story from a picture book. Seamus had opened the pot cupboard and had begun removing everything he could lay his hands on. Kieran leaned against the bench, savouring the scene. Until now he’d believed domesticity to be highly overrated, had thought his married friends had gone gaga.

  But what could be better than this? How could his parents not have given him the same sense of security that Abby gave these two? He thought his mother had but his memories of her were murky. Had his father not loved him enough to care how he felt? Eejit. You know he didn’t. His breathing hitched in his chest. He hadn’t been good enough to love. His father had always compared him to Morag, the golden girl. No argument there. Morag had been special, and he’d loved her. But why couldn’t his father have loved him, too? Surely he hadn’t been as bad as all that? The old bewilderment trudged through his brain, and he still didn’t have an answer.

  Dragging his hand through his hair, he shunted the unpleasant thoughts aside. No wonder Abby had been the nominated parent for Olivia. Abby knew what family was all about. But could he be a part of Seamus and Olivia’s lives? In some capacity?

  The thought of Seamus growing up believing his dad didn’t love him appalled Kieran. He would do his utmost to make sure both children knew how he felt about them. These days, with emails, Skype and digital cameras, it wasn’t difficult to stay in touch and keep a visual presence from afar.

  Clattering pots brought him back to the present. He found Abby watching him, a doubtful smile hovering on her soft lips.

  ‘You all right?’ she asked.

  ‘Couldn’t be better.’ His father may have let him down, but this family had begun to make up for his cold childhood. He felt as though he was coming out into the light after a long spell in the dark. Looking around, he drank in the simple things: food cooking, the radio playing in the background, the children. From somewhere deep inside he began to smile; a big, broad smile that he couldn’t stop.

  He moved to place a kiss on Abby’s cheek. ‘Thank you.’

  Her finger touched her cheek. ‘What for?’

  ‘For being you.’ For refusing to let him get away with his attempts to remain aloof. For ma
king him face up to learning what he was capable of. Right now, he believed he actually could be a father. Maybe even a good one.

  A thump on his shin stopped these thoughts. Looking down at Seamus pushing a pot lid along the floor, oblivious to obstacles, Kieran decided to join his son. Going down on his haunches, he picked up another lid and began ‘driving’ around the kitchen.

  And around Abby’s bare toes.

  Toes with pink toenails. Toes that curled under when he blew on them. The owner of those toes tapped the side of his head. ‘Remind me never to ride with you again. Your sense of direction is appalling.’

  He looked up and grinned. ‘Just following the leader.’ A light air tripped over his skin as those hazel eyes peered down at him, a hint of humour sparkling at their corners.

  ‘Typical. Blame the most inexperienced member of the team,’ the focus of his attention quipped.

  From his low crouching position her legs seemed to go on for ever. Something inside his chest squeezed. Excitement spun through him. It took all his willpower not to reach out and run his fingers over her smooth skin. Damn. He was supposed to be playing a game with his son, not ogling the kid’s mother.

  ‘Brrm, brrm.’ Seamus pushed his lid into Kieran’s leg. Focusing entirely on Seamus, he pretended to be unaware of Abby. At least, he tried really hard to ignore her. Impossible to do when his groin ached with need for her.

  Thankfully the vegetables were soon ready. Kieran didn’t know long he could’ve stayed on the small floor, ignoring Abby’s legs.

  ‘Do you want to feed Seamus?’ Abby asked.

  Absolutely, but he still wasn’t overly convinced about the fun of mealtimes. They seemed highly overrated.

  He must have shown some hesitancy because Abby laughed as she pushed the highchair forward. ‘It’s more about directing the spoon than anything else. Seamus loves feeding himself, which is why bathtime is after dinner.’

  Olivia scrambled up to the table. ‘I can feed myself. And I don’t make a mess of my clothes.’