by Anne Fraser
Imogen brushed herself off and stood up.
‘Did you hurt your wrist?’ Elizabeth asked. ‘Can I have a look?’
‘It’s nothing,’ Imogen said dismissively. ‘You want me to do it again, boss?’
When Kendrick nodded, Elizabeth couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
She took Imogen by the upper arm and studied her wrist. It was already beginning to swell. Probably a bad sprain, but she should get it X-rayed to be on the safe side.
‘I’m afraid no more stunts for you today. At the very least you need to get that X-rayed.’
Imogen winked at Kendrick.
‘Tell her, boss,’ she said.
‘It’s not broken. She can do it again,’ Kendrick said.
Elizabeth felt the slow burn of anger travel to her chest.
‘May I remind you that I am the doctor? You may have experience—first-aid experience—in the army, but there’s no way you are competent to make that diagnosis. I’m forbidding Imogen to do that scene, or any other scene, until I’m satisfied that her wrist isn’t broken.’
Before she knew it, Kendrick was hustling her away from Imogen. She tried to struggle out of his grasp but his grip was too strong. He waited until they were out of earshot of the others.
She rounded on him furiously. How dared he treat her like some sort of …? She couldn’t think of the right word. She was too angry.
‘What the hell do you think you’re doing? How dare you manhandle me? How dare you drag me away from my patient?’
‘How sure are you that Immy’s wrist is broken?’ Kendrick remained implacable in the face of her fury.
‘I don’t think it is, but I can’t know for certain. Any responsible doctor would insist on an X-ray.’
‘If Immy doesn’t think it’s broken then it’s not. Believe me, she’s had enough experience of being injured to know.’ He dropped his voice. ‘Stuntmen and women get paid by the gag they do. If you take her off the set now, just to satisfy your own need for reassurance, she’ll lose money.’
Elizabeth glared at him.
‘Hey, Kendrick, we need to get on,’ Philip shouted across. ‘Can’t you two leave any discussion for later?’
‘I’m not going to let her do it again,’ Elizabeth said. ‘It’s my decision.’
Kendrick looked at her for one long moment. Clearly he wasn’t used to being told what he could and couldn’t do. Then his face relaxed. ‘You are one stubborn woman. Tell you what, I’ll ask Josh if he’ll do the stunt. I’d do it myself except I’m too tall to pass for Tara. I suspect Josh won’t be too happy about dressing up as a woman but, hey, I owe him for that punch he landed on me. Will that keep you happy?’
He was putting her in a difficult position. If Josh hurt himself, she would feel responsible. She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off.
‘Lizzie, I’m not asking you. I’m telling you.’ Now it was his turn to frown at her.
Kendrick turned away and, after a quick word with Philip, Imogen left the set. Philip was drumming his fingers on the camera. ‘Can we get on, please? Will someone tell the doctor that she’s not here to get in the way of filming?’
A flash of annoyance passed across Kendrick’s face and he turned to Philip. ‘If the doc says someone’s not fit to do a stunt then we listen. Josh is going to do it instead.’
There was a moment when Philip and Kendrick faced each other, before Philip sighed loudly. ‘Could you at least make it quick?’
A small smile crossed Kendrick’s face. ‘I just need five minutes to persuade him and get him into the right clothes.’
As Kendrick turned away he winked at Elizabeth and she glared back. She didn’t want him running interference for her. She was perfectly able to stand up for herself.
‘It’s going to take time to get Josh organised.’ Philip’s look at Elizabeth left her in no doubt he held her responsible for the delay but she held her head high. What use was she to anyone if she let them push her around? She would rather pack her bags and leave than go against her professional judgement. Not that she wanted to leave, she realised with an unpleasant sinking feeling in her stomach. She liked it here. The last thing she needed or wanted right now was to be looking for a new job.
‘Let’s do the scene with Jack and Tara in the meantime,’ Philip continued, with a last baleful look at Elizabeth.
Tough. They could all glare at her as much as they liked. It wouldn’t change her mind. She crossed over to where Imogen was sitting, flexing her arm. From the movement Elizabeth knew it couldn’t be broken. Still, she wanted to get it strapped. In her peripheral vision she could see Kendrick and Josh talking. From the heated look on Josh’s face he wasn’t too happy at having to stand in for Imogen. However, after a final word from Kendrick, Josh turned on his heel and stomped off towards the dressing area.
Elizabeth turned her attention to the injured stuntwoman. ‘Hey, Imogen, you okay with me strapping your wrist?’
Imogen looked at her with a look of admiration. ‘You did a brave thing back there. We don’t usually see the medical support standing up to Philip. The only one who usually gets away with it is Kendrick. Philip knows he needs him, and us, to make the film look good.’
Elizabeth called to one of the production assistants for some ice. ‘Keep your arm high and we’ll put this ice pack on. It should alleviate most of the swelling. After that I’ll strap it and if it looks okay, you might be all right for tomorrow’s filming.’
‘Sure hope so. We’re doing some car-chase scenes and I need my wrist to be working. But I should tell you that this little bump is nothing compared to what I’ve worked through before. You’ll find out that most of us carry on unless we’re laid up in hospital. It’s the nature of the job.’
When Elizabeth was satisfied that Imogen’s wrist had been sufficiently iced, she took a bandage out of her medical bag and deftly strapped her affected limb. In the meantime, an unhappy-looking Josh, wearing a dress and red wig, strode back onto the set. Elizabeth and Imogen shared a smile.
‘Ready when you are, Philip,’ Kendrick called over. ‘How’s it going, Immy? That’s a pretty neat bandage you have there.’
‘The doc insisted,’ Imogen replied. ‘I did try to tell her it was nothing but a little bump, but she wouldn’t listen.’ She looked from Kendrick to Elizabeth. ‘I suspect our doc isn’t used to being told what to do any more than you are. That should make it interesting around here for the next few weeks.’
Elizabeth started. What did Imogen mean? Had she picked up on the tension between Kendrick and herself whenever they were together?
‘I feel ridiculous in this get-up,’ Josh complained. ‘Maybe we should have got the doc to stand in for Immy.’ He winked at Elizabeth to let her know there were no bad feelings. ‘But can we get this over and done with so I can get back to being a man?’
Everyone laughed and Kendrick punched Josh lightly on the shoulder. ‘I guess you’d better go and fall down some stairs to keep Philip happy. I’ll watch it on camera. Make a good job of it and you won’t have to do it again.’
Josh’s fall was a repeat of Imogen’s. Fortunately he seemed to survive his tumble unscathed. Nevertheless, it took another couple of attempts before Kendrick declared himself satisfied with the take.
‘Okay, that’s a wrap,’ Philip called, after Kendrick and his team had huddled around the camera, checking that they were satisfied with the shot. Elizabeth had noticed that it seemed to be as much to do with Kendrick as Philip when it came to deciding whether a stunt was good enough not to require repeating.
‘I need everyone back on set on Sunday lunchtime at the latest. I guess I’ll see most of you tonight.’
As cast and crew began to disperse, Kendrick walked across to Elizabeth.
‘How about I show you around?’ Kendrick asked. ‘I’m assuming you don’t want to spend the rest of the day back at your hotel.’
‘I’d planned to go and see Sunny at the hospital this afternoon.’
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‘So did I, so I checked with Sunny earlier. She asked if we could come for the afternoon visiting. Something about her having more than her quota for this morning.’
‘In that case, I do have the morning free.’
‘I could use one of the company’s helicopters and take you up the coast,’ Kendrick suggested.
Elizabeth gave a mock shudder. ‘I’d really prefer something a little less exciting.’
Kendrick gave her a lopsided grin and clasped a hand to his chest. ‘Hey, are you saying you don’t trust me? I’m a pretty good pilot, you know.’ He paused. ‘I know a great restaurant overlooking the Big Sur. We could go there for lunch and then go for a walk on the beach.’
That sounded too much like a date.
‘Maybe another time? I wouldn’t mind just going for a walk and having a look around. I’ve always wanted to see Venice Beach.’
‘Sounds good to me. I’ll meet you outside in five minutes,’ Kendrick said. ‘I just need to change into something more modern.’ Venice Beach was a place Elizabeth had heard about but never seen. The strange but pleasing thing about Los Angeles was that everything was exactly like how it was depicted in the movies. She was beginning to see how some people might feel that they were living on a film set. There were beautiful women in shorts and crop tops rollerskating and Elizabeth couldn’t help but notice that Kendrick’s eyes were swivelling as they walked. A little further on was Muscle Beach. This time it was Elizabeth’s turn to gawp at the bare-chested men lifting weights and lapping up the attention of the bystanders.
Along one side was a range of shops advertising the services of spiritual healers and psychics. There were even places offering therapy for pets. It made her smile. Only in California …
Leaving the promenade, they strolled onto the beach. The sun was high in a cloudless sky. Elizabeth slipped off her shoes, enjoying the sensation of sand between her toes. Neither said anything about their earlier difference of opinion. Elizabeth was sure Kendrick wasn’t a man to harbour a grudge.
As they walked, several of the bikini-clad wannabe starlets who were parading their toned and tanned bodies gave Kendrick interested looks. He seemed oblivious to their unabashed admiration. Elizabeth could have sworn that Kendrick wasn’t the type to pass up the opportunity to flirt. On the other hand, he was probably used to female attention.
‘Do you have a girlfriend?’ Elizabeth asked. The words were out before she could stop them. Great, he was bound to make some smart remark about why she wanted to know.
But to her surprise, instead of the usual flashing smile, a shadow crossed Kendrick’s face. ‘No,’ he said quietly. ‘Not any more.’
‘Not any more’ was an odd way to put it. Why not say ‘Not at the moment'?
Once more she had the feeling that there was more to Kendrick than his easygoing exterior.
‘Ever been married?’
‘No, and not likely to be,’ he said.
Elizabeth could have sworn something shifted behind his eyes. She had clearly touched a nerve. Perhaps he wasn’t quite as tough as he liked to pretend? She had the distinct impression that there had been someone and the relationship hadn’t ended well. But she valued her own privacy too highly not to respect his. If he wanted to tell her, he would. Nevertheless, she was intensely curious. She suspected that despite his playboy exterior Kendrick wasn’t a man who gave his heart lightly.
‘Are you ready for something to eat?’ Kendrick asked.
‘Sure. Where do you suggest? There appears to be a million restaurants and cafés.’
‘I know just the place. I have a cabin along at Malibu. It’s only a little further along the coast. It’s quieter. We could pick up a sandwich and something to drink from one of the delis and have it on the beach.’
Elizabeth’s heart kicked against her ribs. What was he asking? She was about to refuse when he turned his deep blue eyes on her.
‘I need to pick up something from there to give to Josh.’
She hesitated for the briefest moment then gave herself a mental shake. As Kendrick had said, it would only take a few minutes and she found herself intensely curious to see where he lived.
‘Lead the way,’ she said with a smile.
‘So this is where you live?’ Elizabeth said, surprised. Whatever else she had expected, it hadn’t been this small cabin perched on the edge of the beach. On the other hand, it was exactly where Kendrick would live. He would never do the conventional.
‘It belonged to my folks, way back when they got married. Before this part became fashionable. I bought it off them as soon as I was earning money.’
He took Elizabeth by the hand and pulled her up the wooden steps and onto the deck.
‘It’s so, so … cute. I love it.’ The small cabin was painted white with a picket fence and a deck overlooking the beach, which was only a short walk away.
‘Cute?’ Kendrick pulled a face. ‘I don’t want to live in a house that anyone calls cute.’
‘Doesn’t quite go with your image? Then I guess you shouldn’t have painted that adorable picket fence. You should have put up a steel fence—all barbed wire and spiky. Would that have been better? More in keeping with the owner?’
Kendrick grinned at her, a deep dimple appearing in each cheek. On any other man this might have made him look feminine. On Kendrick, however, it had the effect of making him look ten times sexier. As if he wasn’t sexy enough.
The air between them fizzed. Elizabeth could have sworn every hair on her body was standing up. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to come here after all.
She must have been staring because he winked at her. She didn’t want his swollen head getting any bigger.
‘It must be worth a fortune,’ she said, simply to say something.
Kendrick pretended to look shocked. ‘Didn’t think you were the type of woman who cared too much about that kind of stuff. Don’t tell me I’ve got you all wrong, Dr Morgan.’
‘Oh, I’m as venial as any other woman.’ She grinned back at him. ‘I need to be kept in shoes at the very least.’
Damn! That could definitely be construed as flirting, and Kendrick didn’t need any encouragement.
‘Can I see inside?’ she said quietly. She was dying to look for more clues about this man.
‘Help yourself, but there’s not much to see.’
To an extent he was right. Along one complete wall of the sitting room were a number of surfboards propped up against the wall. On the other side were what seemed like sails for a windsurfer and still more equipment. The absolute minimum amount of space was left for a couple of armchairs that had seen better days and a TV. Clearly Kendrick wasn’t home a great deal.
‘You surf?’ she asked, pointing to the boards.
‘Whenever I can. Don’t always get the right waves here, though. Sometimes I meet up with my cousin, Fabio, and go in search of the big ones.’
‘What else? Windsurfing, by the look of this stuff.’ She indicated the other side of the room with a sweep of her hand.
‘Kite-surfing. You use a kite as well as a surfboard. It lets you do tricks. I could teach you if you like.’
Elizabeth shook her head. ‘Oh, no, you don’t. You’ve already almost got me killed once.’
Kendrick drew his eyebrows together. ‘Almost got you killed? When?’
‘When you took me out on the horse.’
He threw his head back and laughed. ‘Believe me, you were in no real danger.’ His expression grew serious. ‘I would never let anything happen to you.’
The way he was looking at her was making her bones feel as if they were melting. She gave herself a little shake. She needed to remember Kendrick could no more not flirt than she could, what? Not be a doctor?
But it was as if there was a magnetic field surrounding him that drew her to him and her brain was sending wild thoughts to her heart. In this man’s arms she could forget.
He hooked his fingers into the waistband of her jeans and pulled
her into him.
She raised her head, meeting his eyes. They were as cool as the sea after the rain, and just as fathomless. Fathomless but she could tell that he wanted her. He looked at her for one long moment as her head continued to spin and she was powerless to stop him. She didn’t want to stop him. Although her head was screaming that she should, her body seemed to have developed a mind of its own.
He brought his mouth down on hers. His lips were warm, soft and hard at the same time. His hands grasped her hips and pulled her even closer.
His mouth on hers was like an electric shock. Her body sparked and a liquid warmth spread through her as she moulded her body to his.
His hands were plucking her shirt from the waistband of her jeans, the rough skin of his fingers on her back before his hands moved across her stomach, lightly, gently, feeling her skin, his mouth never leaving hers.
She heard a moan come from somewhere and realised with a shock that it had come from her.
He lifted his head and his eyes glittered down at her.
It was enough. She pulled away, conscious that her breath was coming in little gasps and all too conscious that her body was screaming out to be touched again.
‘No, Kendrick. Please. I can’t.’ She was aware the words were coming out in little, breathless gasps.
‘Why not?’ he said easily, reaching for her again.
She moved away from him, putting as much distance between them as possible. If she let him touch her again, she’d never be able to tell him to stop. Although she wanted the oblivion being in his arms would bring, it would be temporary. Giving in to him would lead to complications she didn’t need.
‘I just can’t.’
The look he gave her was inscrutable. ‘I would never force anyone. One day you’ll want me as much as I want you. I can wait for then.’
His arrogance was breathtaking. But, then, hadn’t she kissed him back with a passion that she’d never experienced before?
‘I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you,’ she said. ‘Some women can resist you, you know. Women who have a bit of pride. Women like me.’
She made a show of looking at her watch. ‘Isn’t it time we headed to the hospital?’
