by Annie O'Neil
“Right.” Brodie pulled the four-by-four in front of a low-slung stone building. “Here goes nothing!”
* * *
Moments later Brodie was pulling open a thick wooden door to reveal a picture-postcard pub. The Eagle and Ram was duck-your-head-under-the-beams old. Being short was an advantage here—unfortunately for Brodie. Kali took in stone walls as deep as her arm. A clientele who looked as though they’d known the place since the rafters were green. A landlady robust enough to turf out anyone who wasn’t playing by the rules.
She turned her head at the sound of male voices coming in from the back door. Nope. Scratch the chaps-only presumption. There was a varied clientele. A group of young men kitted out in all-weather gear were clustered round the bar, greeting the landlady familiarly, jokes and banter flying between them and the chaps with flat caps already at the bar. And a couple of ruddy-cheeked women elbowing past the rowdy crew to order drinks.
And then...a complete hush as all eyes lit upon Brodie.
“All right, lads?” Brodie stepped into the room with a broad smile. His physical demeanor looked relaxed, although Kali thought she could hear a tightness in his voice.
Her eyes flicked to a nearby table where a newspaper’s headline screamed out the poor nurse’s recurrence of Ebola.
A few of the men nodded and a couple of muttered “all rights” slid onto the floor and pooled around their ankles, as if weighing everyone down with the lack of truth in them. The atmosphere was tense. Quite the opposite of all right.
“I’ve brought the new GP along—Dr. O’Shea—to meet you. Thought I’d give her an Eagle and Ram welcome.”
Kali was half-hidden behind Brodie, and felt like hiding herself entirely behind his broad back. She hated the limelight. But something told her she needed to step up and be seen—no matter how much it frightened her. This moment wasn’t about her.
“Right you are, Brodie.” The fifty-something woman came out from behind the bar and stood between them and the ten or so men around the bar. “You’re looking well.”
“Thank you, Moira. I am feeling fit as a fiddle.”
“So I hear. It’s the English Health Authority, is it? Cleared you to come away back up to Dunregan?”
“That’s right.”
“The Scottish Health Council no good for you, then?” Her face was serious but her tone carried a teasing lilt.
Brodie nodded, clearly appreciative of what was going on. An impromptu public forum. With pints of beer.
“What do the Scots know about getting sick? Healthy as oxen—the lot of you.” His eyes scanned the crowd, then returned to Moira. “Excepting the odd run-in with a peat spade. I take it you’ve spoken with Anne, then?”
Ding! A lightbulb went on in Kali’s head. Moira bore an uncanny resemblance to Anne Donaldson.
“Oh, aye. She rang after she brought Dad back from the clinic. We heard all about it. And about Dr. O’Shea answering all of Anne’s questions.” The landlady’s words were loaded with meaning.
Brodie raised his eyebrows. “Well, good. Your father’ll heal up in no time. And there’ll be no mention of him coming to the clinic.” He tapped his finger on the side of his nose with a got it gesture. “That peat came in without incident, right?”
Moira nodded and grinned. “Understood. Good to see you looking so chipper...and healthy. Especially with all you’ve been through after your father passing and everything—right, boys?”
There was a fresh wave of murmurs and nods—and focus was realigned on what really mattered. To Brodie, at the very least.
“Now, what do you say you two go over by the snug and I’ll bring you some nibbles? The fire’s on.”
Kali followed Brodie’s gaze. The snug was way across the other end of the pub and could be closed off with a very thick door.
“I suspect you two’ll be talking business, and you won’t want us butting our noses in while you get to know each other a bit better,” Moira clarified.
Kali got a whiff of matchmaking about the suggestion rather than using the snug as an isolation room. What was it with these people and pairing her off?
“That’d be grand, Moira. After you, Kali.” Brodie stepped to the side and put out his hand for Kali to lead the way.
She felt her cheeks go crimson, with all pairs of eyes trained on her. Just smile! She forced her lips to tip upwards and met one or two sets of eyes. She received nods and a couple of hellos as she passed.
How could walking across a room take an eternity? Her eyes shifted to the floor. The thick wooden planks were covered every now and again with old tin signs. A brand of beer here. A vegetable vendor there. It felt like walking over history while making history. She had no doubt this moment would be talked about.
A headline popped into her head:
Ebola Doc Enters Pub for First Time with Blushing Bride...
Locum! Locum. She’d meant to say locum. In her head. Where she was busy lecturing herself in turbo speed.
She felt the color in her cheeks deepen as she scuttled to enter the snug ahead of Brodie. Being in the public eye wasn’t ideal when very inappropriate thoughts were charging through her head.
“Oh, look,” Brodie stage-whispered. “How romantic! We get it all to ourselves!”
It wasn’t until she whirled around to face him, a positively goofy smile of expectation lighting up her features, that she realized he was aiming the comment to the crowd of earwiggers over at the bar.
Now officially mortified, she sank into a cushioned bench seat across from the huge inglenook fireplace, feigning total absorption by the flickering flames. Looking into those crystal clear blue eyes of his just might tip her over the edge.
A bit prickly? Definitely. But his edginess had a depth to it. Like an errant knight slaying dragons only he could see.
“What can I get you to drink?”
Kali nearly jumped in her seat. “You’re going to go back out there?” Her fingers flew to her lips. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
“Absolutely.” Brodie gave a wide grin, as if energized by the thought of going back into the lion’s den. “Moira’s laid the groundwork for my reentry into society here at the pub. And I owe a debt of thanks to you for your handiwork at the clinic today, so no point in turning this into an ‘us and them’ situation, eh?”
She nodded. Absolutely right. The less acrimony, the better.
See? Errant knight. She gave a satisfied sniff of approval.
“Besides...” He dropped a duplicitous wink. “Now that you’ve seen all there is to see of the bright lights of Dunregan, I’m guessing the sooner you get back to civilization the better. Am I right?”
Hmm...okay. So he could do with a few tweaks.
“I’m sure I could bear to stay for the duration.” She had to force a bit of bravura to her tone. The thought of losing her job before she’d barely begun brought home just how many eggs she’d unwittingly put into the Dunregan basket.
All of them.
Brodie tilted his head, taking a none-too-subtle inspection of the impact of his words. “Easy there, tiger. I’m not doubting your staying power.” He laughed. “This is nothing to do with your GP skills. You’ve proved, beyond a doubt, you can hold your own at the clinic. I just can’t imagine why anyone would want to stay up here if they didn’t have to.”
She pasted on a smile.
It’s the first time I’ve felt safe in years.
“Hey...”
Brodie reached across the table, covering her hand with his. The warmth of his hand worked its way through hers, sending out rays of comfort.
“Honestly, Kali. It was just a joke. If you think I can go in there, order a couple of drinks and change the minds of all those knuckleheads in one night, you’re in for a surprise. Apart from being emotional Nea
nderthals, these folk are stubborn. They put mules to shame.”
She managed an appreciative snort. “Sounds like the voice of experience.”
“Who knows?” He withdrew his hand and shrugged. “They might take so much of a shine to the new GP you’ll be stuck here forever.”
Kali chewed on her lip, preventing too broad a smile from breaking out. “Would a wine spritzer be all right?”
“A few shots of whiskey would be more understandable after the day you’ve had,” Brodie intoned, his eyebrows doing an accompanying up and down jig.
“What? You mean sorting out the irascible Young Dr. McClellan? Child’s play.” She arched an eyebrow expectantly.
“Got it in one!” Brodie laughed appreciatively.
What was going on with her? She didn’t flirt. Or behave like a sassy minx. And yet...
Suffice it to say her tummy was alight with little ribbony twirls of approval.
“Hold that thought. I’ll just get the drinks. Wish me luck?”
He dropped another one of those slow-motion, gorgeous winks, sending the ribbony twirls into overdrive.
“Thank you.”
Oh, gross. Did you just coo?
Brodie quirked an eyebrow. “Not a problem.”
When he had safely disappeared out of the snug, Kali buried her head in her hands with a low groan. What was going on with her? She’d have to have a little mind-over-matter discussion with herself later on. All by herself in the dinky stone cottage she’d rented. The one that didn’t strictly have any heat. Or much in the way of windows. But there was a nice sofa!
Hey, she reminded herself, it’s home. For this month, at least, it’s home.
“So...” A wine spritzer slid across the table into her eyeline a few moments later. “Let’s hear it, then.”
She sat up, pleased to see Brodie looking unscathed by his trip to the bar.
“Hear what?” Kali took a sip of her spritzer.
“Your life story.”
She tried her best not to splutter, and if he’d noticed, Brodie gave nothing away.
“Oh, nothing much to tell.” She trotted out the practiced line whilst feeling an unfamiliar tug to tell him the truth.
“I doubt that,” Brodie retorted amiably.
“Nothing out of the ordinary,” she lied. “Childhood, medical school and now a locum position up here.”
It was staggering how much had happened in between each of those things. Her father’s vow to avenge the family’s honor when she’d backed out of the match he’d made for her. The terrifying flight for her life with a fistful of cash. So much...too much...for a young woman to carry on her shoulders. If it hadn’t been for the government’s ability to give her a new identity—
Enough.
Those were her stories to keep safely hidden away.
“Is that a bit of an Irish accent I detect?” Brodie wasn’t giving up.
“Yes.” She nodded. “I did my medical degree in Dublin.” That much was true.
“But you grew up in England?”
She nodded, taking a deep drink of her spritzer.
“No matter what I do, or what corner of the world I find myself in, I can’t seem to shake my accent.” Brodie shook his head as he spoke.
Why would he want to? Brodie’s accent was completely and totally gorgeous. Which she wasn’t going to tell him, so best change the subject.
“So...you’ve traveled a lot?”
“Some.” He nodded. “Lots, actually. Unlike everyone else who was born and raised here, I couldn’t wait to get off the island.”
“Why?”
“Is it so hard to believe?”
“Yes!” Kali nodded her head rigorously. “I think Dunregan’s great.”
“Aye, well...” His eyes shot off to that faraway place she couldn’t access. “You don’t have history here.”
Fair enough. She had her own history, and no one was going to pry that from her.
“Where have you traveled?” she asked.
“Everywhere I could at first.”
“At first?”
“My father always hoped I’d take over the clinic after medical school, but I...” He paused for a moment searching for the right words. “I struggled to settle here.”
There was a reason behind that. That much was clear. One only he would decide when to reveal.
Kali was about to say something, but clamped her lips tight when Brodie continued without prompting.
“I’d do stints here, to help relieve my father. The job is bigger than one man’s best. Especially during tourist season. But over the winter I kept finding myself volunteering abroad. Orphanages, refugee camps needing an extra pair of hands, villages without access to hospitals.” He laughed suddenly, his eyes lighting up. “I used up the paltry first aid kit the agency gave us in my first couple of weeks away! Got my dad to send more supplies along whenever I changed country...”
His eyes shifted to the fire, his brow crinkling as something darker replaced the bright acuity of the happy memory.
Kali pulled him back to the present with a question about his work in Africa. Then another. And before she knew it their conversation had lifted into something effortless and taken flight.
Time slipped away with stories shared and anecdotes compared as their mutual passion for medicine carried them away from whatever had encumbered them during the day into the undefinable giddy excitement that came from meeting a—a soulmate.
Kali froze at the thought, her gaze slipping to Brodie’s hands. His fingers loosely circled his pint, one index finger shifting along the dewy sheen of condensation as he told her about his grandfather and the crew of men he’d corralled into helping him build the stone clinic in exchange for some of his wife’s shortbread. It was how folk did things up here, Brodie was saying. Together. Always together.
And she’d spent her entire adult life alone.
Was a soulmate something she even deserved after leaving her mother and sister behind with her father?
“...and then, when he retired up to the mountains, the key was passed on to my father,” Brodie concluded with an affectionate smile. “I don’t know if I’ve told anyone the whole story in one go before. You must’ve bewitched me with your beguiling ways!”
Kali laughed shyly, her eyes flicking up to meet Brodie’s. When their gazes caught and meshed she felt her body temperature soar as the magnetic pull of attraction multiplied again and again, until she forced herself to look away and pretend it hadn’t happened.
“So, you coming back here to run the clinic is kismet, really, isn’t it?”
She saw him blink away something. A memory, perhaps. Or a responsibility he had neither asked for nor wanted.
She tried again. “Or was it more preordained?”
“Something like that.” He took another drink of his pint, eyebrows furrowing. “Look, Kali...while I’m on a bit of a very uncharacteristic ‘tell all’ roll, I think you should know something—something about me. Because you’ll no doubt hear it at some point while you’re here and I’d rather you heard it from me.”
Her heart lurched to her throat as her chin skidded off her hand. Had he felt it, too? The click of connection that made her feel as if she could find sanctuary in telling him who she really was?
She sat as still as she could, her fingers woven together in front of her on the wooden table as he began.
“When I was about ten I went out on a sailboat with my mother. Begged her, actually. She and I hadn’t been out since my kid brother had been born.” He cleared his throat roughly. “Long story short: the weather turned nasty. Our boat got overturned. I made it back. My mother didn’t.”
Kali’s fingers had clenched so tightly as he spoke her flesh had turned white with tension.
“Oh, Brodie. I am so sorry.”
He shook his head. “No, I didn’t tell you for your pity. I just want you to understand why sticking around this place isn’t top of my list.”
“Then why are you here? If there are so many bad memories?”
“A promise.” He circled his fingers round his pint, weaving them together on the far side and moving them back again. “To my dad. He loved it here so much and wants—wanted—the same for me. So he asked me to stay for a whole year. No trips, no inner-city assignments, a year solid on the island. And I think he wanted someone—family—to be here to look after Callum. My brother,” he added.
“And after the year is up—was he expecting you to close the clinic or hand it on to someone else?”
Was this where she came in?
“Ha! No.” Brodie smiled at her as if she were an innocent to the world of hard knocks, then his expression softened. “I suppose it was his not very subtle way of hoping I’d fall back in love with the place.”
“How’s that working out for you?” Kali chanced in a jokey tone.
“Absolutely brilliantly, Dr. O’Shea! Nothing like winning over the people you’ve kept at arm’s length all your life with a nice little Ebola scare.” He raised his glass and finished his pint in one long draught.
“You know...” Kali said after they’d sat for a minute in silence. “What’s happening here...with you, the islanders...it’s really quite exciting.”
* * *
Brodie couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve always got a positive spin on things, don’t you, Kali? Is this excitement you speak of manifesting itself in the way nary a soul would step foot in the clinic until you arrived, or in the way they’ve stuck us in this room where no one hardly ever goes except to read the paper in a bit of peace?”
“See—that’s where you’ve got it all wrong.”
Her green eyes shone with excitement, as if she had a huge secret she was about to share. If anyone else had told him he’d got it wrong he would’ve bridled. But coming from Kali...?
