A Proposal to Remember

by Sarah Morgan

  She felt a wave of emotion swamp her and blinked several times to clear her vision. No matter how much time passed, she still missed her parents.

  ‘I remember that time. You walked around the whole holiday looking like a ghost.’ Sam watched her across the table. ‘That was a hard time for you, losing your dad and your mum so close together.’

  ‘Neither of them would have been any good without the other, so it was probably for the best,’ Anna said gruffly, turning her attention back to her plate, ‘and I got through. Your parents were brilliant.’

  ‘You’ve always been the daughter they never had.’

  Their gazes locked and Anna’s eyes narrowed as a thought entered her head. ‘McKenna, you don’t think— I mean, they wouldn’t…’

  He didn’t pretend to misunderstand her. ‘They’re as capable of matchmaking as everyone else in the village, so I suppose it’s possible.’

  She put her fork down with a clatter. ‘But they know us so well. They know that we clash, that we drive each other nuts—that we just couldn’t—’

  ‘Couldn’t we?’ He reached for the pepper, a strange light in his eyes as he glanced towards her. ‘Just as well they didn’t see that kiss the other night.’

  Her heart hammered her ribcage. ‘We agreed not to talk about that.’

  ‘Your rules, Riggs. I’m willing to talk about it any time you like. And go for a repeat performance.’

  Her pulse jumped and she took some sensible breaths. ‘That would be ridiculous.’

  ‘Would it? Why?’

  ‘Because we are completely and totally wrong for each other,’ she snapped, ‘and that kiss was a mistake.’

  ‘You didn’t enjoy it?’

  ‘What do you want me to say?’ She glared at him. ‘That you’re good at kissing? Yes, you’re good at kissing. Yes, I enjoyed it. But it wasn’t real.’

  ‘Felt real enough to me.’

  ‘Look, McKenna…’ She took a deep breath and struggled with her patience and the rush of unfamiliar feelings inside her. ‘We’d managed to get through a whole evening without killing each other, I’d drunk champagne, which always goes to my head, the atmosphere was gooey, it was dark…’ She ladled on the excuses and he studied her carefully.

  ‘You want me to kiss you in daylight when you’re sober, just to test that theory?’

  ‘You’re being deliberately annoying.’ She stood up and picked up the empty plate. ‘I’ll get the seafood pie.’

  Of course she didn’t want him to test the theory.

  She didn’t want him to touch her again.

  It was just too confusing.

  She didn’t like the man. He drove her nuts. Always had done, always would do. And just because he knew how to kiss a woman into a coma, it didn’t change that fact.

  * * *

  The situation grew more tense every day.

  It seemed that the more she tried to avoid him, the more their paths crossed. And wherever they were, Polly seemed to be filming.

  They had a meeting with a group of local teenagers and talked about how they could improve the health provision in the area. It was a lively, stimulating evening and it served to confirm to Anna that Sam had been right to suggest the idea. A teenage health clinic would work really well as long as they listened carefully to what was needed. The teenagers themselves, led by Katy, brainstormed ideas and decided to design the posters themselves.

  ‘I just love it when someone else does all the work.’ Sam leaned back in his chair and smiled at them. ‘Just as long as people know that this is an open clinic. No appointments needed. Anyone under the age of eighteen can just turn up and hang out. You can see the doctor, talk to the nurse or just mingle. And every week one of us will give a short talk.’

  ‘Can we talk about confidentiality?’ One of the younger girls bit her lip and went pink. ‘I mean, what you have to tell our parents and what can just be between us?’

  Sam nodded, his expression serious. ‘Of course. Good topic. Add that to the list, Katy.’

  Katy scribbled away and by the end of the session they’d produced a long list of topics and general ideas for the clinic.

  ‘We’ll put a poster up in the surf shop, that’s where most of the teenagers hang out,’ Katy said, making a few deft strokes with her pen and lifting up her pad. ‘What do you think of something like this for the design?’

  Anna blinked. ‘Katy, it’s brilliant.’

  Katy flushed. ‘I’m doing art at college. I love drawing. I can make it better than this. I’ll do it on the computer at home.’

  By the time they’d finished, they’d planned their clinic down to the last detail.

  ‘Go on.’ Sam turned to her as they locked up at the end of the evening. ‘Tell me I was right.’

  ‘It’s a good idea,’ Anna conceded, dropping the keys into her bag. ‘It remains to be seen if it will work.’

  ‘It will work. Katy was really joining in. Are you still seeing her?’

  Anna nodded, pausing by her car. ‘She keeps a food diary and we talk about it and she’s cut down on her exercise. I think she’s acknowledging that she has a problem, which is good.’

  ‘Unusual for someone with an eating disorder,’ Sam observed, juggling his keys in the palm of his hand.

  ‘Fortunately, I think Katy has only just developed a problem,’ Anna said. ‘It was a boy that she went out with. Kept telling her she was fat.’

  Sam rolled his eyes. ‘Teenage boys. Perhaps we ought to do something about body image in our clinic.’

  ‘Good idea.’

  He grinned. ‘Careful, Riggs. We’re agreeing on rather a lot at the moment.’

  ‘Nonsense.’ Suddenly flustered, she tugged open her car door and tossed her bag on the seat. The way he was looking at her made her feel hot. Aware of herself. So full of frustrated desire that her whole body felt ready to explode.

  She’d never felt like this before. Never wanted a man so badly.

  Especially one that she didn’t even like. It just didn’t make sense.

  It was that kiss, she decided crossly, sliding into her car and slamming her car door shut. If they hadn’t shared that stupid kiss then none of this would have happened. She could have carried on being irritated by him, finding him infuriating and aggravating. And she could have slept at night.

  As it was, she hadn’t slept properly for ages and the tension between them was building to almost intolerable levels.

  Every time they were in a room together the atmosphere sizzled and thrummed and Anna was reaching screaming pitch.

  She’d tried to bury sexual frustration in work, concentrating on her patients, helping Glenda, catching up with all the things that she’d been too busy to do with David ill. But none of it worked.

  They carried on for a few more days and in the end Sam took control, grabbing Anna by the arm and hauling her into the nearest consulting room.

  He closed the door firmly and pushed her against it, one arm planted either side of her head. ‘OK, Riggs, we’ve tried it your way and it isn’t working.’

  ‘What do you mean, it isn’t working?’

  ‘You said that if we both ignored it and pretended that it never happened, it would go away.’ He stepped closer to her, pressing her against the door. ‘It hasn’t gone away, Riggs. It’s still there.’

  She placed her hands on his chest and struggled to breathe.

  ‘I don’t know what you mean—’ She didn’t even finish the sentence before his mouth came down on hers and he showed her exactly what he meant.

  The explosion was instant.

  Fierce hunger exploded inside her and Anna lifted herself on her toes and pressed herself closer, moaning as he explored her mouth with erotic expertise.

  She’d never been kissed like this before.

  She’d never felt like this before.

  She felt the heat build in her body, felt the powerful throb of his arousal against her and the urgency of his mouth on hers.

  Compl
etely forgetting where they were, she gave herself up to sensation. Eyes closed, she breathed in the masculine scent of him, felt the strength and purpose of his hands as he touched her but most of all revelled in the skilled possession of his mouth as he kissed her.

  It was only when she felt the cool air brush her exposed breasts that she realised that he’d undone her blouse.

  Shocked by how fast things had moved, she placed her hands in the centre of his chest. ‘We’ve got to stop doing this.’ She groaned the words against his mouth and he lifted his head just enough to respond.

  ‘Or we could carry on.’

  ‘We can’t do that.’

  ‘Why not?’ His voice was husky and his eyes roved over her flushed face, revealing a considerable degree of masculine satisfaction.

  ‘Because sex would complicate things.’

  ‘We’re both single people.’ He bent his head and kissed her neck, his touch warm and seductive. ‘Who are we hurting?’

  She couldn’t reason or concentrate when he was this close. She just knew it wasn’t what she had planned for herself.

  She wasn’t ready for a relationship. At least, not yet. And when she was ready it wouldn’t be with a wickedly dangerous man like Sam McKenna. They clashed. They never agreed on anything. He irritated her beyond belief.

  But he knew how to kiss and he had the most incredible hands…

  She tried to talk sense into herself and failed, mostly because his mouth was still busy seducing hers. She moaned and kissed him back. Did it really matter if they weren’t exactly well matched? If they were totally unsuited in every way except physically? Why shouldn’t they just have some fun? As he had rightly pointed out, who would they be hurting?

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  SAM stood on the beach and tried to concentrate on what he was supposed to be saying.

  James, the sound man, was making various adjustments and Polly was talking to the cameraman. In a moment he was going to have to start talking about holiday health and all he could think about was Anna.

  He ran a hand over the back of his neck and the make-up girl sprinted forward with her box of tricks.

  ‘Standing in the sun for too long is making you sweat.’

  Sam surrendered to her ministrations and chose not to enlighten her. It wasn’t the sun that was making him sweat. It was thoughts of Anna. Her fabulous legs. Her amazing hair. The way her mouth and skin tasted. It came as a considerable shock to discover that Anna had the ability to seriously disturb his equilibrium. Who would have thought it?

  ‘OK, Sam, we’re ready.’ Polly walked towards him. ‘We’re going to use some shots of families on the beach doing normal things and then we’ll have you talking about sun protection. Are you ready?’

  Sam nodded. As ready as he’d ever be.

  The afternoon passed quickly while they filmed various shots and they were just finishing for the day, Polly finally satisfied, when there were shouts from the cliffs behind them.

  John swung his camera round. ‘Someone in trouble up there?’

  ‘Not up there.’ Polly caught Sam’s arm and pointed. ‘Out there.’

  He followed her gaze and saw a small rubber dinghy that had floated out past the rocks. There was one little girl in it and she was crying and waving. The sea was rough, the waves crashing around her and threatening to swamp the tiny dinghy. ‘Oh, hell, this beach is covered in warnings about the currents and the waves. Why do people ignore them?’

  Even as he started sprinting towards the sea, he could hear the screaming, see the sudden surge of people as they sensed drama and danger and moved in to watch.

  ‘Get the people away, Poll,’ he yelled, ‘and call the coastguard.’

  He dragged off his shirt as he ran, trying to identify the family of the little girl in the dinghy. ‘Do you know her?’ He sprinted past people, barking the question until finally he found the parents at the edge of the waves.

  The father was frantically wading into the water towards his daughter.

  ‘I’ll get her.’ Sam pulled him back and the man gripped his arm hard, panic visible in his eyes as he explained what had happened.

  ‘It’s not just her. My teenage son was in that dinghy. He’s fallen into the water—he’s not that great a swimmer.’

  ‘Stay here.’ Sam waded into the water and then turned as someone sprinted up beside him.

  It was Anna. Slender and poised in a black swimsuit, her gaze grimly determined. She didn’t waste time with words, just handed him a buoyancy aid and kept one for herself. He noticed that she was also carrying a life-jacket.

  ‘Let’s go.’

  He didn’t argue, pleased to have her help. Anna was a first-class swimmer and he knew she had a life-saving certificate.

  She dived into the waves with the skill of a dolphin, her strong overarm stroke powering her through the water towards the stricken dinghy. He followed swiftly, overtook her and reached the little girl first.

  ‘He fell in.’ The girl was hysterical, clinging to the edges of the tiny inflatable boat, which rocked precariously in the rough sea. It seemed ridiculously insubstantial. ‘He was being stupid, playing around, and then he fell in.’

  Anna surfaced next to Sam and swam around to the girl, one hand on the dinghy. ‘Try not to panic. We’ll find your brother. What’s your name?’

  The girl choked on a sob. ‘Lottie—’

  ‘Well, Lottie—’ Anna broke off and gave a gasp and a splutter as a wave broke over her head, almost swamping her and the tiny boat. Relieved that she was such a strong swimmer, Sam watched as she surfaced immediately and shook her head clear of the water. ‘Lottie, we’re going to get you somewhere safe.’ Her lashes were clumped together with seawater and she swept a hand across her face to clear her vision. ‘I want you to sit still in that boat of yours and hold on very tightly while we work out the best way to do this.’

  Her dark hair plastered to her head, as sleek as an otter, she kicked her legs fiercely and looked at Sam.

  ‘This thing is going to capsize,’ he said, scraping the water out of his eyes and treading water himself while he marshalled his thoughts. The sea was becoming rougher by the minute and he knew that the dinghy wasn’t going to offer protection for long. ‘Get a life-jacket on her while I see if I can find her brother.’

  She didn’t argue with him.

  ‘Lottie, I want you to put your arms in this and then we’re going to zip it up.’ Anna struggled as another huge wave hit them. She paused for a moment, waited for a lull and then helped the girl into the life-jacket. When she’d finished she turned and looked around her and realised Sam was gone.

  For a moment her heart jerked with panic and then she realised that he must have dived down under the water.

  Another wave crashed down on her and this time the dinghy was totally submerged. Relieved that she’d got the life-jacket on the girl in time, Anna kicked strongly and held the child above the water, trying to calm her each time a wave swamped them, her eyes flitting around frantically for signs of Sam.

  He’d been under too long.

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw the lifeboat arrive, but all she cared about now was Sam. Damn, he shouldn’t have dived. It was too much of a risk. The waves were too rough, the tide was too strong…

  And then he surfaced, right next to her, gasping for air, struggling to keep another body afloat.

  ‘You got him.’

  ‘He must have hit his head on a rock. But he’s been under for a while.’ Sam’s breathing was jerky as he gasped for air. Water clung to his lashes and the rough stubble of his jaw as he carefully held the teenage boy’s face above the water. ‘We need to get him out of here, fast.’

  The lifeboat crew, practised in rescues such as these, swung into action and Anna gladly relinquished the little girl into their capable hands before turning her attention to helping Sam.

  ‘We need to keep him flat—you know that. He has to be lifted out of the water in a prone position or we ris
k circulatory collapse.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘And we need to watch his neck.’ Sam yelled instructions to the lifeboat crew, who were preparing to lift the teenager out of the water.

  Through her watery vision, Anna spotted John Craddock at the helm.

  There was a clack-clacking sound overhead and the rescue helicopter arrived.

  ‘Thank goodness,’ Anna shouted, gasping as another wave broke over her head. ‘They can fly him straight to hospital. Are you OK?’

  ‘Never better.’ Sam managed a wry grin. ‘Apart from the gallon of seawater I’ve swallowed.’

  Finally the rescue was completed and Sam and Anna swam back to the shore, both of them cold and exhausted.

  ‘Have the parents gone?’ Sam accepted a towel gratefully from a bystander and wiped his face.

  ‘Someone gave them a lift to the hospital.’ Polly was standing next to him with the rest of the crew. ‘Well, I have to say, you two, you know how to give the viewers something exciting to watch. That was amazing.’

  Anna twisted her long hair round her hand and squeezed until water dripped onto the sand. ‘You were filming that?’

  ‘Every minute.’ Polly smiled and shielded her eyes against the sun. ‘Not just for our documentary—although for holiday health I think that was a pretty powerful message—but for the news as well.’

  Anna rubbed her hand over her face to clear her vision. ‘I can’t believe you filmed it.’

  ‘It’s my job.’ Polly handed her another towel. ‘Just as this is your job. Sort of.’ She pulled a face. ‘Actually, I don’t think it is your job to plunge into crashing waves and a cold sea to rescue someone who shouldn’t have been out in a dinghy anyway. People should think before they act. Now do you see the point of our programme?’

  Anna shivered despite the towel and the warmth of the sun. ‘I suppose if it stops someone taking blow-up craft into rough waves, yes.’ She rubbed her skin with the towel but her teeth continued to chatter.

  ‘For the record, the two of you were amazing.’ Polly glanced at the cameraman. ‘We got it all, didn’t we? Every adrenaline-pumping minute?’

  ‘Oh, yes.’ He grinned and tapped the camera. ‘I wasn’t missing that. I even got the frantic look on Anna’s face when she thought Sam wasn’t coming up again.’