The pageboys and flower girls were being rounded up from their game of chase between the empty pews. They were holding plastic beach buckets as a prop to represent the baskets of petals they would hold tomorrow. Sophia herded them into place and repeated instructions they had apparently misheard on the first rehearsal.
‘Gently!’ she insisted. ‘You are throwing rose petals, CJ, not sticks for Rudolf!’
Maria was examining her nails. ‘They’re full of silver paint,’ she complained. ‘I never want to see another chicken bone in my life.’
‘What’s with the chicken bones?’ Hannah queried. ‘I heard Mike saying something about them as well.’
‘Wishbones.’ Emily was moving to take her place in the foyer. ‘Painted silver. Sophia’s planning to attach them to the little bags of almonds the guests will be given. Not that anyone’s found time to put the almonds in the bags yet, let alone attach the wishbones.’
‘They’re for fertility,’ Maria added. ‘The almonds, that is. And boy, do I wish they hadn’t been scattered around at my wedding. Watch out for the ones in your bed, Em. I’d sweep them out if I were you or you might end up like me, with four little monsters under five.’ She was peering anxiously past Hannah to see if her small children were doing what they were supposed to on reaching the end of the petal-throwing procession.
‘Uncle Mike!’ one of them shrieked. ‘Did you see me pretending to throw petals?’
Mike swept the small girl into his arms and kissed her. Ryan held out his hands and got high-fives from two small boys—a gesture that was clearly well practised. Then he pulled them in, one on each side of his body, for a one-armed hug.
‘Good job, guys,’ Hannah heard him say.
When did Ryan get to spend enough time with young children to be that at ease with them? Did he have a big family with lots of nieces and nephews? Maybe he’d been married already and had his own children. The notion was quite feasible. It would explain his frequent trips back to Sydney. Not that it mattered to Hannah. She was just aware of how little she knew about her colleague. Aware of a curiosity she had no intention of satisfying.
‘I hope the aisle’s going to be wide enough.’ Emily had come back to her cluster of bridesmaids. ‘My dress is huge. A giant meringue. Do you think there’ll be room for a wheelchair beside me?’
‘A wheelchair?’ Hannah was glad she’d paid attention to Susie’s emails. ‘Is Charles Wetherby giving you away?’
‘Yes. He’s the closest thing to a father figure I’ve got.’
Reading between the lines of those emails, Hannah had the impression that Charles was a father figure to more than just Emily. With an ability to know more about what was happening within the walls of the hospital he directed than his staff were always comfortable with. A man with a quiet strength and wisdom that provided the cement for a remarkable small community of professional medics. A community that her sister was very much a part of now.
‘I’m sure there’ll be room,’ she said confidently.
‘Susie!’ Sophia was sounding flustered. She was waving frantically from the altar end of the aisle. ‘Pay attention, darling!’
‘It’s Hannah, Ma, not Susie,’ Maria shouted.
‘I knew that. You know what I mean. Come on, girls. In your pairs.’
Hannah and Maria were first. They walked along the red carpet beneath the elaborate chandelier, the gilt frame of which had miniature copies of the paintings of various saints that decorated the walls of this church between the stained-glass windows. The tiny crystals tinkled musically overhead as another gust of wind managed to shake the solid brick building.
Maria glanced up at the chandelier and muttered something under her breath that could have been either a curse or a prayer. Maybe a bit of both, Hannah decided, as Mike’s sister flashed a grin at her.
‘It’s going to be a wild wedding at this rate!’
Hannah nodded agreement but found herself swallowing a little nervously. Even if Willie was out to sea and moving in a safe direction, this was still as close to a tropical cyclone as she felt comfortable with.
The first rehearsal made it easy to remember what to do this time. Hannah and Maria climbed to the top of the three steps and then waited until the other pairs of bridesmaids were on the lower steps before they all turned gracefully in unison to watch the bride’s entrance.
Hannah felt a complete fraud. If only Emily and Susie weren’t so set on her standing in. She couldn’t even follow someone else’s lead. She was the chief bridesmaid. It was up to her to make sure all the others did the right thing at the right time. There was a point when she would actually be a closer part of this ceremony, too. When the bride and groom were wearing the matching orange-blossom wreaths on their heads that were joined by satin ribbons, they would take their first steps as man and wife with a tour three times around the altar. It would be Hannah’s job to hold up the train of Emily’s dress and keep her veil in order. As best man, Ryan would be right beside her, holding up the ribbons joining the wreaths.
He would be wearing his tuxedo and Hannah would be so dressed up and groomed she wouldn’t even feel like herself. She would have to be Ryan’s partner in this ceremony and probably at the reception. She might even have to dance with him, and she was going to feel so uncomfortable she would be hating every minute of it.
And you’ll look miserable, a small voice at the back of her mind warned. You’ll make Susie miserable and probably Emily and definitely Ryan, and they’ll all wish you’d never been invited to this wedding. Hannah noticed the nudge that Mike gave his best man by bumping shoulders. There was a whispered comment and then a frankly admiring stare from both men as the girls behind Hannah proudly arranged themselves on the steps. The men grinned approvingly. The girls giggled. They were all enjoying every moment of this circus.
And why not? It was going to be a huge party. The wild weather would probably only enhance the enjoyment of those safely tucked away inside. It was play time, not work time. Why couldn’t she just relax and have fun, like they were?
Everybody thought she was boring. Too focussed on her career. Too ready to troubleshoot problems before they even occurred. It should, and probably did, make her a very good doctor, but too many people had criticised that ability in the last few days. Jennifer thought she had no life of her own outside work. Ryan thought she was dull. Even her own sister had commented on her lack of spontaneity or willingness to reap the rewards of taking a personal risk.
Hannah had never allowed sheer physical attraction to be the deciding factor when it came to men. Or slept with someone on a first date. Not that she intended to jump Ryan’s bones, of course. Or fall in love with him because of a look, or, in his case, more likely due to the kind of smile she’d experienced in the plane that morning. The kind her junior bridesmaids were enjoying right now.
She could, however, throw caution to the winds for once, couldn’t she? Given the current weather conditions in Crocodile Creek, it would be highly likely to be blown a very long way away, but would that be so terrible?
For the next twenty-four hours or so, she was going to have to pretend to be Susie. Someone with a rather different perspective on life and taking risks. This could be the perfect opportunity to step outside her own comfort zone. To really let her guard down and simply enjoy the moment, without trying to see down the track to locate potential hazards.
What did she have to lose? On Sunday she would get on a plane again to go home. Back to being herself. Back to working hard enough to ensure the success she craved. Hopefully, back to a new position as an emergency department consultant. And how much time would she get to have fun after that? This weekend could be seen as a kind of hens’ party really. A final fling before Hannah became wedded to a new and intense phase of her career.
And it wouldn’t hurt to show Ryan Fisher that she did know how to enjoy herself. That she wasn’t all work and no play and as dull as ditchwater.
Yes!
Hannah hunc
hed her shoulders and then let them drop to release any unconscious tension.
And then she smiled at Ryan. Really smiled. Here we are, then, her smile said. Let’s have fun!
Good grief!
What had he done to deserve a smile like that? One that actually touched Hannah’s eyes instead of just being a polite curve of her lips.
Ryan had to fight the urge to glance over his shoulder to see whether the real recipient of the smile was standing nearby.
Hell, she was gorgeous. It was going to be more than rather difficult to stick to his resolution if she was going to do things like smile at him like that. Almost as bad as discovering it had been Hannah and not Susie wearing that frilly skirt. The one that the wind had whipped up to reveal a pair of extremely enticing legs as he and Mike had driven up to the hospital earlier that afternoon. He’d never be able to see her wearing scrubs trousers in the ED again without knowing what lay beneath the shapeless fabric.
Mind you, that hadn’t been half as disconcerting as what had happened later. Ryan had been entertaining hopes of finding Susie’s company perfectly enjoyable. Of maybe being able to learn why his attractive colleague was so uptight and had taken such an instant dislike to him.
To have Susie incapacitated and Hannah stepping in to fill the breach had been a cruel twist of fate. Not that he’d allowed his disappointment to show, of course. Not when Emily had looked so happy. When Emily looked that happy, Mike was happy. And if his best buddy was happy, Ryan certainly wasn’t going to do anything to tarnish the glow.
He’d go through with this and he’d look as if he was enjoying every moment of it. It would be hard not to enjoy it, in fact, and if he could only make sure his resolution regarding Hannah Jackson didn’t go out the window, he could be sure he wouldn’t spoil that enjoyment by getting some kind of personal putdown.
But it would help—a lot—if she didn’t smile at him like that. As though she had put aside her preconceived and unflattering opinions. Opened a window in that wall of indifference to him and was seeing him—really seeing him—for the first time.
She did look a bit taken aback when he offered to take her home after the rehearsal but she rallied.
‘Sure. I guess it’s on your way, seeing as you’re staying in the doctors’ house. I might even go as far as the hospital and check on Susie.’
‘It’s good that she decided she would stay in overnight and get that intensive RICE treatment. It should help a lot.’
‘Mmm.’ Hannah’s tone suggested that nothing would help enough unless, by some miracle, Susie awoke after a night of compression bandages and ice and elevation to find her foot small enough to wear her shoe and the ability to stand and walk unaided, which was highly unlikely. ‘I need to stop at her house and collect a few things she might need, if you’re not in too much of a hurry.’
‘Not at all.’ Ryan lowered his voice. ‘With a bit of luck, I’ll arrive at the Athina after all the potatoes are peeled.’
Hannah made no response to that and Ryan kicked himself mentally. What was he trying to do here? Prove how shallow and lazy he was?
‘Tell Susie I’ll be up to see her later,’ Emily said as they left the church. ‘If she can’t come to the hens’ party, we’ll just have to take the party to her.’
‘I think Jill might have something to say about that,’ Mike warned. ‘She’s not big on parties happening in her wards.’
‘Yeah.’ Emily nodded sadly. ‘She’d say that I should know the R in RICE stands for rest. Tell Susie I’ll come and get her later in the morning, then, so she can come and supervise. Kylie can still do her hair and make-up.’
To Ryan’s disappointment, Hannah was ready for the wind when they stepped outside. She had wrapped her skirt firmly around those long brown legs and was holding it in place. On the positive side, the action affected her balance and a good gust sent her sideways a few moments later to bump into Ryan. She could have fallen right over, in fact, if he hadn’t caught her arms.
Bare arms.
Soft skin.
Enough momentum in the movement for Ryan to feel the press of her breasts against his hands. It wasn’t the first time he had touched her skin but the tension of that incident in the plane hadn’t really afforded an opportunity to analyse the effect. It was, quite simply, electrifying. Or was that because this contact had come about so unexpectedly?
No. He’d known, all along, that there would be something very different about touching this woman.
Something very special.
He didn’t want to let go. The urge to pull her even closer and kiss her senseless was as powerful as what felt like hurricane-force winds funnelling through the church car park, whipping their hair and buffeting their bodies.
Simply irresistible.
Oh … God!
The strength of the grip Ryan had on her arms was sending shock waves through Hannah, not to mention the delicious tingle of what had to be that latent lust kicking in.
And he looked … as though he wanted to kiss her!
Even more shocking was the realisation that she wanted him to.
Letting her hair down and being prepared to enjoy this weekend was one thing. Making out with Ryan Fisher in a church car park was quite another. And quite unacceptable.
Hannah wrenched herself free. ‘You’ve got Mike’s car?’
‘Yes. That Jeep over there.’
The vehicle was vaguely familiar. Hadn’t that been the one that had hooted when her skirt had blown up around her neck on that walk around the cove? Had it been Ryan getting a close-up view of her legs?
The tingle became a shaft of something much stronger that was centred deep in Hannah’s abdomen but sent spirals all the way to the tips of her fingers and toes. Battling with the door of the Jeep so it didn’t catch in the wind and fly outwards was a welcome diversion. Why was she feeling like this? Had she somehow flicked a mental switch back there in the church that could lead her rather too far into temptation?
How inappropriate.
But intriguing.
Ryan wouldn’t think twice about following his inclinations, would he? Sleeping with someone on a first date or having a little weekend fling? Hannah couldn’t help casting a speculative glance at her companion as he started the Jeep and they moved off. His hands gripped the steering-wheel with enough strength to keep the vehicle straight despite the strong winds but they didn’t look tense. Strength and a capacity to be gentle. What had Susie said about bad boys and getting the best sex you ever had?
Maybe her thoughts were too powerful. Something made Ryan turn his head. He held her gaze for only a heartbeat and then gave her one of those smiles.
Oh … help! Hannah spent the next few minutes until they were driving over that rickety bridge wondering if Ryan was discreet. Whether what happened on camp would stay on camp. Seeing as she’d never actually heard any firsthand gossip about his previous conquests, it seemed likely that the answer was yes. The added bonus of dealing with that distracting attraction as well as proving she could be fun might well mean that her working relationship with Ryan could be vastly improved. Even when she got the consultancy position and, effectively, became his boss.
It was quite difficult to rein in her thoughts and focus on her immediate intentions.
‘I might change my clothes before I go and visit Susie.’ Thinking out loud was partly to ensure Ryan didn’t know what she’d really been thinking about. ‘I’ve still got my bikini on under this and it’s not as if I’m going to get a chance to swim.’
‘That’s a shame. The pool’s great. Very refreshing.’
‘It has been a long day, hasn’t it?’ Hannah agreed. ‘Feels like for ever since we left Auckland.’ A different time. A different place. Different rules were definitely allowable.
‘You could have a swim after you’ve been visiting.’
‘I’d still need a change of clothes and, besides, it gets dark early here, doesn’t it?’
‘About eight, I think. But
there are lights around the pool. People often swim at night over summer from what Mike was telling me.’
‘Tempting. I might just do that. This heat is really getting to me.’ It wasn’t the first time that day that Hannah had lifted the weight of hair off her neck to try and cool down a fraction. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever felt this hot in my life.’
‘Mmm. You look pretty hot.’ Ryan’s grin suggested that he was commenting on her sexual appeal rather than her body temperature but, for once, Hannah wasn’t put off. Was that because the flirtatious comment was acceptable under the new rules that seemed to be forming?
She laughed. ‘You’re hopeless, Ryan.’ Then she pointed ahead. ‘Stop here—that’s Susie’s cottage.’
Ryan followed her as far as the veranda. When Hannah emerged a few minutes later, wearing light cargo pants and a shirt over her bikini and with a towel and underwear and things for Susie in a carry bag, he was lounging against one of the posts framing the steps. Strands of bougainvillea snapped in the wind and a shower of dark red petals had left blooms caught in the dark waves of his hair.
‘Why am I hopeless?’
Had he been stewing over the casual reprimand the whole time he had been waiting for her?
‘Because you’re an incorrigible flirt,’ Hannah informed him. ‘You can’t talk to women without …’ She had to leave the sentence unfinished. ‘Without making them feel like you’re attracted to them’ had been the words on the tip of her tongue but what would happen if he responded by saying he was attracted to her? In theory, letting her hair down was great, but this was actually quite scary. What if he said she had nothing to worry about because there was no way he could be attracted to her? Hannah’s mouth felt oddly dry.
The Australian's Proposal (Mills & Boon By Request): The Doctor's Marriage Wish / The Playboy Doctor's Proposal / The Nurse He's Been Waiting For Page 25
