‘I won’t look,’ he said, and Caitlin heard the laughter in his voice.
‘I don’t care what you say,’ Caitlin said fiercely. ‘I’m not getting out until I’m sure you’re nowhere in sight.’
‘Okay,’ he said lazily. ‘Then you’ll just have to stay there until I’ve finished my swim.’ He turned on his stomach and started swimming. Caitlin didn’t know what to do. It was ridiculous, being caught here in the pool, completely naked, while he swam up and down without a care in the world. What if Brianna returned with the children and found her in this intolerable situation? It just didn’t bear thinking about. Then, to her alarm, she heard the sound of a car pulling up in front of the house.
‘Andrew,’ she snarled. ‘Brianna and the children are back. Will you please get out and pass me a towel?’
Andrew looked at her and for a second Caitlin thought he was going to refuse, in which case there would be nothing for it except for her to take her chances and run for her clothes. But he seemed to take pity on her. He heaved himself out of the pool in one swift movement. As he did so, Caitlin was acutely conscious of his muscles bunching and the crease low on his back. He strode across to her lounger, grabbed a towel and passed it to her, turning his back as she got out of the pool. Wrapping herself in the towel, she had just enough time to snatch her clothes and make it to the downstairs cloakroom before she heard the sound of the children’s laughter as they came into the kitchen. As she closed the door she heard a splash as Andrew dived back in to the water. She would make him pay for this, she promised herself.
By the time she had made herself presentable, Brianna was in the kitchen, fixing supper. Andrew was nowhere in sight.
‘Niall’s plane arrived early,’ Brianna told her. ‘Andrew offered to go and collect him. He’s so sweet.’ Sweet was the last thing Caitlin would have called him, but she resisted the impulse to tell her sister exactly what she thought of the man they were so friendly with. ‘Don’t you think he’s lovely?’ Brianna went on, oblivious to Caitlin’s scowl.
Caitlin started chopping some chicken for the Caesar salad. ‘Mmm,’ she said. ‘He’s a little…’ She struggled to find the right word. ‘Too male for my liking.’ It wasn’t exactly what she meant, but it was the nearest she could think of without actually swearing.
‘Too male?’ Brianna said, looking amused. ‘Yes, I can see why you would say that, but he’s a real softy inside.’
Caitlin looked at her sister, perplexed. ‘Are all Australian men like him?’ she asked.
‘You’ll find Australian men are a breed unto themselves, but under that macho image, as you call it, they are real gents. And Andrew is no exception.’ Brianna looked at her sister, narrowing her eyes. ‘Hey, don’t tell me you’re falling for him.’
‘Of course I’m not falling for him.’ Caitlin laughed but even to her own ears the sound was hollow.
‘Good, because, as I told you, he is strictly out of bounds. And, Caitlin, although I would love to see you and Andrew together, I also know that he could break your heart. For all your medical competency, I don’t think you’ve ever had experience of a man like him.’ She arched her eyebrow at her sister. ‘He’s as unlike David as it is possible for him to be.’
Before Caitlin had a chance to reply, the children came running in wet from the pool. Siobhan wrapped her wet arms around Caitlin’s legs. ‘I’m so glad you’re here, Aunty Cat. Come and swim with me.’
Happily Caitlin was saved from having to disappoint her niece—having just washed her hair, she wasn’t ready for another dip—by the sounds of Andrew and Niall returning from the airport. Siobhan abandoned her aunt and flung herself into her father’s arms, competing with Ciaran for attention. Niall picked up both his children and leaned across and kissed his wife. Once again, Caitlin could almost feel the love that passed between them. Andrew stood to the side, watching closely. Caitlin thought she saw something move behind his eyes. What was it—sadness, envy?
Brianna insisted Andrew stay for supper and afterwards as the children watched TV, the adults moved out to the veranda with their coffee. Although the sun had long set, the air was still humid. Caitlin fanned herself with a newspaper she found on the table. ‘When does it get cooler?’ she asked.
‘I’m afraid it only gets hotter from now until after Christmas,’ Niall said, ‘but you’ll adapt to the heat eventually. Everyone does.’
‘What if we all go to the Green Mountains tomorrow and stay the night? I was telling Caitlin about O’Reilly’s the other day,’ Andrew suggested. ‘It’s much cooler up there, and Caitlin will get a chance to see a rainforest. It’s only just over an hour away from here.’ He sat back, looking pleased with his suggestion. Niall and Brianna exchanged glances.
‘Why don’t just the two of you go?’ Brianna suggested. Caitlin was horrified at the proposition. The last thing she wanted was to find herself alone with Andrew.
‘Oh, I don’t want to leave you on your own the first weekend,’ Caitlin protested.
‘Uh, Caitlin,’ Andrew said quietly. ‘I think Niall and Brianna might want a night on their own. After all, Niall has been away several days.’
Caitlin was mortified. She slid a look at her sister, who was blushing. ‘I’m sorry, Bri,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t thinking.’ She thought for a moment. ‘What if we take the children with us? If Andrew’s okay with that? It would give you and Niall a night on your own. A chance to sleep late. It will also give me some time with the children.’ It was a good idea, she thought. Brianna and Niall probably hadn’t many opportunities to spend time alone together. And taking the children along meant she wouldn’t be alone with Andrew, as well as giving her the opportunity to get to know them again. Besides, she was keen to see more of this fascinating country. She glanced at Andrew, but in the dim light she was unable to read his expression.
‘Sure, we can take the kids. You know I’m happy to help. If I remember, there’s a lot for children to do up there.’
Brianna smiled broadly, the tiredness that seemed to haunt her disappearing from her face. ‘Are you sure?’ she said. ‘That would be wonderful. I love my children, but they can be exhausting. Are you sure you two know what you’re letting yourselves in for?’
‘I think Caitlin and I can cope with most things,’ Andrew drawled. He stood to leave. ‘Well, that’s settled. If they have room for us, the four of us will go up tomorrow. We can stay the night and come back on Sunday. Much as I love your children, I think one night would be enough.’ He pulled out his mobile and searched for a number. After a few moments he was put through, and spoke for a few minutes. ‘Yep. They can take us,’ he said. ‘I’ll collect everyone about ten. Is that okay?’
‘I think you’ve forgotten something,’ Niall said, grinning. He looked pleased at the thought of having his wife to himself even for a short time. ‘There is no way you’re going to fit four people into your soft-top.’
‘I hadn’t thought that far,’ Andrew admitted.
‘You’ll take our car, naturally,’ Brianna said. ‘You’ll need it to cart the kids and all their gear.’
As they waved Andrew away, Caitlin found that the thought of a night away in Andrew’s company was having a very disturbing effect on her pulse.
True to his word, Andrew arrived at ten to pick up Caitlin and the two children. It had taken the whole of the morning to organise the children. They had rushed around the house in a frenzy of excitement, refusing to stop long enough to have their faces washed or their hair brushed. However, after finally being threatened with having the whole trip called off, they had allowed themselves to be made ready. Caitlin felt exhausted already. If this was what having children meant, she was more sure than ever that it wasn’t for her. Much better to have nieces and nephews who she could enjoy in small doses.
Seeing to the children had left Caitlin little time to get herself ready. In the end she had flung some walking boots, a bikini and a change of clothes into an overnight bag, adding a sweater at the last mi
nute when Brianna had insisted.
‘It gets cool in the mountains at night. You’ll be surprised.’ And so she would be. She was already beginning to feel like a washed-out rag in the heat. She couldn’t imagine any part of Australia being cool enough for her to need extra clothing.
Andrew, on the other hand, looked fresh and cool in light-coloured trousers and a short-sleeved white shirt. He was wearing sunglasses, but that didn’t stop Caitlin from noting his look of horror when he saw how much Brianna had packed for the night.
‘You and Niall aren’t planning to abscond while we are away?’ he said, and Caitlin could tell he was only half joking. ‘Because let me tell you, guys, as much as I am fond of your children there is no way I could survive more than one night with them.’
‘Hey,’ said Brianna, pretending to be affronted. ‘Would I ever want to be without my children?’ She smiled, but not before Caitlin saw a shadow flit across her eyes. Despite the brave way she was confronting her illness, she must inevitably think that there was always the possibility she wouldn’t be around to see her children grow up.
But she brightened up again as she and Niall, their arms around each other, watched their children pile into the car. Several trips back to the house for forgotten toys and musthave books later and they were heading out of Brisbane.
‘Only an hour late,’ Andrew said, glancing at his watch. ‘Not bad.’
‘Do you have nieces and nephews?’ Caitlin asked. ‘Coming from a large family, I have several.’
‘I’m an only child,’ Andrew replied. For a moment, Caitlin thought he was going to say something else but he seemed to change his mind.
‘I can’t imagine what that is like. With there being five of us, there was always so much activity in the house. It meant having to share, and often do without, as my parents weren’t very well off, but the bonus was we always had someone to play with. And now that we’re all older, we’re still close.’
‘Tell me about Ireland,’ Andrew said. ‘I’ve never been there.’
As they drove, Caitlin told Andrew about her life on the farm, how, when farming had become too difficult, her parents had changed direction and started breeding horses, which had turned out to be surprisingly successful. She told him about her three brothers and their families. Then, before she knew it, they were climbing the steep road into the mountains.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I must have bored you silly, going on like that.’
Andrew grinned at her.
The children, who had been listening to stories on a tape, perked up as they drove through the trees and emerged at the top of a mountain. Caitlin wound down the window and let the smell of eucalyptus waft in through the window. Flocks of vividly coloured parrots perched on every tree. Caitlin had never seen anything quite like it. As they got out of the air-conditioned car, Caitlin noticed that the air was noticeably cooler, and she sighed with pleasure. Within minutes they were surrounded by a gaggle of bush turkeys with their incongruous red and yellow necks. Gingerly Caitlin edged away from their pecking beaks as they scavenged for scraps.
Andrew laughed at her obvious discomfort as the children scampered away, shrieking with excitement.
‘Hey, kids, come back,’ Caitlin shouted. What if they fell down the steep slope in front of them? What if they hurt themselves? What if they got lost? She was beginning to regret that she had agreed to this trip. What did she know about looking after children? Although she loved her five nieces and nephews at home, their parents were always around to help. In fact, Caitlin realised with a pang of guilt, she had never taken time to do something with them. Tried to get to know them. She had always been too busy. It had taken something as serious as her sister’s illness for her to spend time with these two. But feeling guilty didn’t stop Caitlin feeling totally out of her depth.
As she started to run after them, Andrew caught her arm. ‘Relax,’ he said. ‘Let them blow some steam off after the journey. They’ll be fine.’
Feeling ridiculously out of her depth, she followed the children over to where the ground fell away. Beneath them she could see the canopy of the rainforest and in the distance the suspended walkway that Andrew had told her about. The one that would take them right across the top of the rainforest. Andrew unloaded their bags and joined her. The children, having lost interest in the rainforest, had discovered an adventure playground and had rushed off to join the children already there.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Caitlin breathed, taking in the view of the mountains in the distance. ‘We could be on our own small island here. It’s like nothing I have ever seen before.’
‘Come on,’ Andrew said, appearing delighted with her reaction. ‘Let’s check in and have some lunch.’
After checking in, they were shown to their rooms. Caitlin was to share the larger of the two with the children, while Andrew had a smaller double to himself. Both had decks overlooking the rainforest and fireplaces. Andrew’s even had a hot tub on his deck. Caitlin was glad she’d remembered to pack her bikini.
‘We’ll round up the children and then go for a walk,’ Andrew suggested. But the children were against that plan. They had made friends who were going to the children’s club and begged to be allowed to go too.
Caitlin hesitated. Would it be safe to leave them? After all, she was here to watch them and spend time with them. ‘I think you should come with Uncle Andrew and me,’ she said.
‘Do we have to?’ Siobhan moaned.
‘I want to stay here,’ Ciaran added, his mouth set in a mutinous line.
Once again Andrew intervened. He pulled Caitlin out of earshot. ‘Let them stay. The playground is supervised. The children need some time to have fun. I know they’re both too small to understand what’s going on with Brianna, but they are bound to have picked up that something isn’t quite right. Let them just have fun for a little while.’
‘Okay,’ Caitlin conceded. But she was thinking that it was unfair that this man, for all his machismo, seemed to have a better understanding of her niece and nephew’s needs than she did. Maybe it was something to do with being a paediatrician. He would have to be good with children to do his job well. In her speciality it was different. Once the babies were safely delivered, she had little to do with them. Hers was an adult speciality. Maybe she should trust his judgement. It was obvious to her he was far more relaxed around them than she was.
So after a very quick lunch, when the children hardly stayed still long enough to eat more than a couple of mouthfuls, she changed out of her shorts and into long trousers and hiking boots. Andrew had warned her about the insects on the forest floor. As soon as they had waved goodbye to Siobhan and Ciaran they set off down a steep track. As they descended the forest became denser, obscuring the sun. ‘That’s why they call it a canopy,’ Andrew informed Caitlin. They followed the stream, the sound of water becoming louder with every step. Soon they came into a clearing where a waterfall tumbled down mosscovered rocks into the stream. A sudden movement startled Caitlin and she grabbed Andrew’s arm. She found herself staring into the amber eyes of a brightly coloured toad, or frog—she didn’t know the difference.
‘You can let go now, if you like,’ Andrew suggested. ‘I don’t think we’re in any danger.’
Caitlin was mortified to find she was still clutching his arm. She could feel the heat of his skin under her fingers and the hard muscle of his forearm. She dropped her hand to her side.
‘I thought it was a snake or some other beastie,’ she apologised. ‘I don’t do those.’
‘They will be more scared of you then you of them, I promise,’ Andrew said.
‘It seems that whenever I’m around you, I act like some sort of pathetic female out of the nineteenth century.’ She laughed to cover her embarrassment.
‘I don’t think you’re pathetic at all,’ Andrew said. ‘In fact, I can imagine you more of a suffragette. Determined and tough, and not frightened of much, I would say.’ Something in the tone of his voice sent a sh
iver of electricity down Caitlin’s spine. The air crackled between them and she felt herself sway towards him. But then, just as quickly, the atmosphere changed. Andrew dropped his hand and moved away from her. Caitlin knew he was feeling whatever it was that lay between them. He was as attracted to her as she was to him. But she realised it was too complicated for them to start a relationship. They worked together, he was a family friend, godfather to her nephew, and then there was that strange comment from Brianna. The one about her not being Andrew’s type. All in all, whatever it was that lay between them was best left unexplored.
They walked for a couple of hours before turning round and strolling back the way they’d come. They chatted easily about work, and Andrew told her about his holiday cottage on the Sunshine Coast, just over an hour’s drive from Brisbane. ‘I try to go up at least twice a month,’ he said. ‘About the same number of times I do a clinic up there. You are welcome to use it whenever you like,’ he offered.
‘Thank you,’ Caitlin replied. ‘I might just take you up on the offer, if Brianna and the family would come too. You said I’ll be doing a clinic or two up there as well?’
‘We’ll probably do it at the same time. In many ways it’s sensible to have a paediatrician and obstetrician there together. It can save time and unnecessary trips for patients. In fact, I’m scheduled to do one next Friday. I can find out whether they’ve rostered an obstetrician in and ask if you can take their place. You can stay at the cottage as my guest. I could show you around on Saturday.’
Caitlin wasn’t at all sure whether a night in Andrew’s company on her own was a good idea. But she told herself not to be absurd. He was behaving just as she would expect a colleague who knew the family would. There was no reason to read anything more into it.
‘We’ll see,’ she said. ‘It depends on Brianna and Niall and their plans for the weekend. I don’t want them to feel abandoned. But whatever, I’d love to do the clinic if that’s a possibility.’
Hired: GP and Wife / The Playboy Doctor's Surprise Proposal Page 22
