Christmas with Her Daredevil Doc

by Kate Hardy

  ‘Goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow,’ he said. ‘I’ll meet you here at nine—if that’s not too early?’

  ‘That’s perfect,’ she said.

  And she couldn’t wait.

  CHAPTER THREE

  ON WEDNESDAY MORNING, Hayley walked out of her hotel at nine on the dot to see Sam walking towards her from his car.

  ‘Perfect timing,’ she said with a smile.

  ‘Absolutely,’ he agreed.

  Hayley tingled right down to her toes. Crazy how this man made her feel like a teenager. It had been a long, long time since she’d felt butterflies in her stomach just at the sight of someone.

  ‘Before we go,’ she said carefully, ‘I think we ought to talk about last night.’

  He nodded. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you.’

  This was the crunch moment. ‘I’m not sorry,’ she said, and watched his eyes darken. ‘We’re both single.’

  ‘So are you saying...?’

  That maybe, just maybe, a holiday romance would be good for both of them. No strings, no consequences, no promises. And no depth, so saying goodbye would be easy. ‘You’re getting over a bad break-up. I’m getting over my partner’s death. We’re both...a bit stuck where we are, I guess. Neither of us wants anything permanent right now.’

  He seemed to be following her thought processes exactly. ‘But a holiday romance might help us both move on,’ he said.

  She nodded. ‘With an end date. I’m only here for a couple more days.’ Neither of them would get hurt in such a short space of time.

  ‘Just so you know, I don’t do this with every woman I meet,’ he said. ‘You’re the first woman I’ve kissed since Lynda and I split up.’

  ‘You’re the first man I’ve even noticed since Evan died,’ she said softly. ‘And I think my years in emergency medicine have made me a reasonable judge of character. I’d already worked out that you’re not one of these men who have notches carved on their bedposts. You’re one of the good guys.’

  He inclined his head. ‘Thank you. Though I wasn’t fishing for compliments.’

  ‘I didn’t think you were.’ She smiled. ‘So where are we going today?’

  ‘I think,’ he said, ‘given what you’ve just said, I’d like to start by kissing you hello.’

  ‘Sounds good to me.’

  He took a step forward, rested his hands on her shoulders, and brushed his mouth lightly against hers. The butterflies in her stomach started doing a stampede; then he slid his hands down her arms, wrapped them round her waist, and kissed her more thoroughly.

  Her knees were weak by the time he broke the kiss.

  ‘Good morning,’ he said.

  She smiled. ‘It is now.’

  He stole another kiss. ‘We’re going to start at Reynisfjara, to see the beach with black sand and the basalt columns,’ he said. ‘And then we’ll go to see a glacier and your waterfall.’

  ‘That sounds perfect,’ she said.

  Once he’d parked at Reynisfjara and they were out of the car, he looked at her and held out his hand. She took it with a smile, and they walked hand in hand onto the beach. The sand was black and slightly pebbly, in sharp contrast to the turquoise blue of the Atlantic, and Hayley stood watching the waves crash onto the shore.

  ‘The sea’s pretty calm right now,’ Sam said, ‘but in the winter the Atlantic rollers can get absolutely huge.’

  She could just imagine the massive waves thundering in.

  ‘And right at this point there’s nothing but ocean between you and the Antarctic.’

  She blinked. Was he teasing her? ‘Seriously?’

  ‘Seriously.’ He led her over to the cave with the hexagonal basalt columns.

  ‘It reminds of me of Giant’s Causeway in Ireland,’ she said. ‘And it’s definitely like the church in Reykjavik.’

  Tourists were standing on the shorter columns, posing for photographs. ‘When in Rome—or, rather, Reynisfjara,’ he quipped, and helped her climb onto the columns so he could take a photo with her camera. The touch of his hands, even through the material of her T-shirt, sent a thrill right through her.

  Once she’d climbed down again, he pointed out the colony of puffins above; the tiny birds with their distinctive orange beaks moved incredibly fast, and Hayley had to admit defeat when she’d tried to take ten photographs of them and all had failed.

  They walked hand in hand back to the car, then he drove them up a steep, winding track to the Dyrhólaey promontory, where they had a clear view of the rock with a ‘door’ in it that gave its name to the area. Sam stood with his arms wrapped round her waist. Up here where the wind was keen and the air was clear, she felt almost as if she were on top of the world.

  ‘So what are those rocks jutting up over there?’

  ‘Basalt stacks,’ he said. ‘The Reynisdrangar. Local legend says they were trolls who were trying to drag a ship from the sea onto land—but then the sun rose and the light turned them to stone.’

  A land of legends, ice and fire.

  A land that was going to start to heal her heart.

  ‘Bucket list time,’ he said. ‘We’re going to Solheimajökull—you can actually get up close to the glacier and touch it.’

  When they parked, she could see a lake, and immediately behind it was the glacier.

  ‘But it’s dark grey,’ she said. ‘Aren’t glaciers white or blue?’

  ‘The grey’s from sediment,’ he said, ‘and the white bits are snow and fresh ice.’

  She peered up at the glacier. ‘And are they people over there, walking on top of the glacier?’

  He nodded. ‘That’s the kind of thing my brother Martin’s company offers—though it’s not safe to walk on a glacier without a guide who knows the area and can tell if there are sinkholes.’

  ‘And you’re qualified to do the guided walks?’

  ‘Yes. I was part of the mountain rescue team when I worked in Manchester—we’re not far from the Peak District or the Lakes. Actually, I was part of the team well before I qualified as a doctor, because I grew up in the Peak District. I’m also a qualified diver,’ he said.

  Mountain rescue and diving. Both of which were really dangerous. Both of which meant putting your life on the line. A chill went down Hayley’s spine. It was just as well they’d agreed this would be only a holiday romance. She didn’t want to be in another situation where she fell in love with someone who put himself in danger on a regular basis. She really couldn’t bear to lose someone else the same way she’d lost Evan.

  ‘Do you want to walk on the glacier?’ he asked. ‘I brought some kit with me, just in case.’

  Under the rules of her agreement with Danielle, Hayley knew she ought to say yes. Instead, still thinking of the danger of his work on the mountain rescue team, she asked, ‘Are you sure it’s safe?’

  He smiled. ‘I know the area so, yes, it’s safe. I wasn’t sure of your shoe size, so I brought a few different pairs in case your hiking shoes weren’t sturdy enough.’ He glanced at her feet. ‘Actually, if we do it, I’d really prefer you to wear the boots I brought with me. Not that there’s anything wrong with your hiking boots,’ he hastened to add, ‘but ice walking needs a little bit extra.’

  ‘If you’re sure it’s safe,’ she said, ‘then OK.’ Walking on a glacier would be even better than touching one.

  She put the shoes on and he fitted the crampons for her. ‘These are to make it safer for you to walk on the ice,’ he explained. He also gave her a helmet, ice axe and a walking pole. ‘This will help to stabilise you and help you get a grip when you need to,’ he said, ‘as well as help you test the ice to make sure it’s solid before you set foot on it.’

  After a safety briefing, he showed her how to walk on the ice. ‘You need to stamp down to
get a good grip,’ he said.

  ‘I’m glad now that I didn’t go for a run this morning before breakfast,’ she said.

  ‘As part of your training for the charity race, you mean?’ He smiled. ‘You’ll definitely get a good workout here. It won’t do much for your speed, but it’ll be good for stamina.’

  They went along the path that led to the glacier, and then they were walking across the ice. Hayley could hear crunching sounds with every step. Part of her was terrified, part of her was thrilled and part of her was awed at the sheer beauty of the ice landscape. ‘The way the snow lies on the dark ice, all rippled—it’s a bit like the way a sandy beach looks when the tide goes out,’ she said. ‘I thought glaciers would be just white or blue, nothing like this. With all that dark veining going through it, in places it looks like marble.’

  ‘The veining is caused by ash from previous eruptions,’ he said. ‘I love the sheer wildness of the landscape out here.’

  It showed in his voice and his eyes. And he really looked in his element out here, strong and confident, knowing exactly what he was doing. He wouldn’t have looked out of place in an ad in a glossy magazine, tall and muscular and utterly gorgeous.

  Hayley gained in confidence as she walked beside him, until she felt one foot start to give way. ‘Sam!’

  He grabbed her immediately, and drew her over to a safer part of the ice. ‘OK?’ he asked.

  ‘A bit shaky,’ she admitted, ‘but I’m not going to stop.’

  ‘You’re doing fine,’ he said, and took her hand.

  It took a while for her heart to slow down again after the near miss, but having him holding her hand gave her more confidence, to the point where she was happy to stop and take photographs again.

  When they’d gone back over the ice sheet to the start of their walk, she returned the ice pick and walking pole, took off the crampons and changed back into her own hiking shoes.

  ‘That,’ she said, ‘was amazing. Thank you.’

  ‘My pleasure.’

  They took a swift lunch break at a small café, and then he drove them to the waterfall she’d so wanted to see, Seljalandsfoss.

  ‘It’s a bit slippery in places,’ Sam warned, ‘and the path is actually a collection of boulders, so watch your step.’

  ‘Hey. I just walked on ice. I can do this.’

  Walking behind the curtain of water was magical. As she’d expected, there was a lot of spray; and the noise as the water shot down into the pool was almost deafening. Watching the world from behind a waterfall was like nothing she’d experienced before, and she loved it.

  ‘This is incredible,’ she said, squeezing Sam’s hand.

  He smiled, and kissed her lightly; she tingled all over. It was the most romantic place she’d ever been kissed, behind a wall of water.

  Then he helped her up the steep boulders to the other side of the waterfall.

  ‘Today’s been amazing,’ she said when they got back to the car. ‘I mean, how many times do you walk on a black-sand beach, on a glacier, and behind a waterfall all in the same day?’ Then she grimaced. ‘Sorry. I sound like a tourist.’

  ‘No, it’s nice that you recognise how special this place is,’ Sam said.

  ‘Can I buy you dinner tonight?’ she asked.

  ‘I was thinking, maybe I could cook for you,’ he suggested.

  ‘That’d be nice, but can I at least contribute wine and a pudding?’

  ‘No need,’ he said. ‘And actually it’ll be nice to cook for someone else, as well.’

  Hayley could understand that; sometimes it just didn’t feel worth the effort, cooking for one. Nowadays she relied on supermarket ready meals or a bowl of cereal.

  Back at his apartment, Sam said, ‘I rented this place for the summer. There’s not exactly a lot to show you round—the kitchen’s here, the bathroom, the living room, and through there’s my bedroom.’

  ‘Small but perfect for city living,’ she said. She wondered why he wasn’t staying with his brother, but it felt too intrusive to ask. The flat was very neat and tidy, and looked more like a show flat than a home, though there were a couple of photographs held onto the fridge with magnets. When she took a closer look, the photographs were of Sam and another man who looked enough like him to be his older brother, both standing on the top of an ice ridge.

  ‘That’s Martin. My brother,’ Sam confirmed when he saw her looking at the photographs.

  ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ she asked.

  ‘Nope.’ He made coffee and handed her a mug. ‘Go sit down and chill out. The best bit about this place is the view—you don’t need TV or anything when you have that,’ he said.

  As he’d promised, the view from his living room across the bay to the mountains was stunning, and Hayley found herself absorbed in it until he came to tell her that dinner was ready.

  She joined him in the kitchen, where he’d set the small pine table for two.

  He’d made a simple prawn salad for starters. ‘I’m afraid it’s bottled sauce rather than home-made,’ he said.

  She smiled. ‘That’s fine. It still tastes good.’

  ‘So are you a cook?’ he asked.

  Once. ‘When I get time. I’m often guilty of buying ready meals at the supermarket,’ she admitted, ‘but I guess it goes with the territory of working in emergency medicine.’

  The main course was simple grilled fish, with new potatoes and asparagus—plus Hollandaise sauce, which he also admitted was ready-made.

  ‘No need to apologise. I wouldn’t have a clue how to start making it,’ she said.

  After dinner, he suggested going for a walk along the harbour to one of the coffee shops. Hayley thoroughly enjoyed walking there hand in hand with him, and watching the sun setting. When they walked back to his apartment, he slid his arm round her shoulders and hers fitted naturally round his waist. She felt closer to him than she’d ever been; and when he stopped to kiss her in the soft light that wasn’t quite twilight, desire thrummed through her.

  Outside his apartment building, he stopped and looked at her. ‘I can drive you back to your hotel now—or maybe you’d like to stay tonight?’

  Stay tonight.

  Sam only had one bedroom, so Hayley knew what he was asking. Stay the night—and make love with him.

  Part of her wanted to say yes. She’d enjoyed her day so much, everything from the sheer exhilaration of the ice walk through to the romantic stroll across the black sand beach. Yet he would be the first since Evan; part of her wondered, was she really ready for this or did she need more time?

  ‘No strings,’ he said, ‘and if you say no, it’s absolutely OK. We’ll still go out exploring tomorrow.’

  But it was the Year of Saying Yes.

  And every time today they’d held hands or he’d put his arm round her or kissed her, she’d wanted more.

  It was time to move on.

  And Sam Price was the man who’d help her to do that. No strings. No commitments. Just these few days. A holiday fling with no complications for either of them.

  ‘Yes,’ she said.

  ‘Is there anyone you need to call, to let them know where you are?’ he asked.

  ‘Maybe the hotel, as they’re expecting me?’

  ‘Sure,’ he said.

  She made the call quickly to explain she was staying with a friend for the night; and then she took his hand and drew it up to her lips. ‘Ready,’ she said.

  Without comment, Sam took her hand and led her up to his flat.

  Once inside, he kissed her, this time with more urgency than he’d kissed her by the waterfall. She slid her fingers under the edge of his long-sleeved top, and gently tugged upwards.

  He took a step back and lifted his arms, letting her take it off completely.

&
nbsp; She sucked in a breath as she took in the view: he was bare-chested, slightly dishevelled from where she’d just removed his top and utterly sexy. It made her want to touch him, especially because he had perfect musculature: well-toned arms, a broad chest and a six-pack leading down to a narrow waist. Sam had told her he’d worked with the mountain rescue team as well as in emergency medicine, and she could see he’d kept himself fit since he’d been in Iceland.

  ‘So do I pass muster?’ he asked lightly.

  ‘Just about,’ she teased.

  ‘Good.’

  ‘Not a gorilla,’ she said with a smile, brushing the light sprinkling of hair across his chest, ‘but also not looking as if you’re so vain that you wax.’

  ‘I had my back waxed, once.’

  She waited, knowing there was more to this story: from what she’d learned about Sam so far this week, she knew he wasn’t vain.

  ‘It was to raise money for equipment for the mountain rescue team,’ he admitted. ‘I got people to sponsor me per strip. They paid me double if they wanted to take the strip off themselves.’

  ‘Sounds painful. Having my eyebrows done is bad enough,’ she said.

  ‘It was for a good cause. Like you doing the running for your friend Dani.’ He traced the curve of her eyebrows with the tip of his finger. ‘You’re beautiful.’

  ‘So are you,’ she said, and splayed her fingers across his chest.

  ‘And you’re wearing too much.’

  ‘Do something about it,’ she invited.

  He peeled off her top, then traced the curve of her collarbones, making a shiver of pure desire run through her. Then he drew one finger slowly down her sternum until he reached the V between her breasts. ‘Your turn,’ he said, his voice husky.

  Her hands shook slightly as she undid the button at the waistband of his hiking trousers, then took the tab of his zip and drew it down. She could feel the heat and hardness of his erection as she pulled the zip downwards, and it made her catch her breath. She pushed the material downwards, and let it pool around his ankles. He pulled off his hiking boots so he could step out of his trousers and she was amused to note that he removed his socks at the same time.