Tempting Dr. Templeton

by Judy Campbell

  “I’m afraid I have to leave tomorrow.” Rosie smiled, almost with relief.

  Andy nodded, a questioning look in his eyes. “A pity. Responsibilities at home—is that it?”

  “I have a lot to do tomorrow, that’s all.”

  Rosie was darned if she was going to tell him her life story so soon! Perhaps it was the champagne kicking in, but quite suddenly she decided that tonight she wasn’t going to be a widow or a young single mother. She was going to be her own woman for once.

  Andy leaned toward her and looked at her engagingly. “Then we just have this evening to get to know each other, don’t we?”

  Dear Reader,

  I love writing medical romances because I have always been interested in the world of medicine. Exploring the relationships that develop between patients and the people who care for them is really fascinating. Some of the scenarios will be heartrending, while others can have a humorous aspect—hospitals and doctors’ offices provide a wonderful background for a romantic story about two people who love each other and how they deal with the everyday dramas of their worlds.

  The idea of writing Tempting Dr.Templeton arose from thinking about an acquaintance who had been widowed and who thought she would never meet anyone to love again. Eventually she did meet somebody quite unexpectedly—I thought it was a lovely story, and it illustrated how you can never tell what lies around the next corner!

  Happy reading!

  Judy Campbell

  Tempting Dr. Templeton

  Judy Campbell

  To George and Louis,

  with lots of love.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ONE

  ROSIE LOVEDAY clung tightly to the rope suspended down the cliff, and with a horrified shudder flicked a glance beneath her at the view. The sea glinted and sparkled in the sunshine, with small boats like butterflies skimming over the surface. Running alongside the blue curve of the water like a broad ribbon were the wide, white sands of the bay. It looked like an advertisement for some unimaginably exotic holiday resort—and mind-blowingly far away. One slip and she’d probably break every bone in her body—if not worse! She shut her eyes for a moment to block out the terrifying distance from where she was to the ground.

  ‘Keep going, Rosie—don’t just hang there!’ The instructor’s voice floated down to her, a cutting edge of authority in his tone. ‘It’s much more fun if you keep up the momentum! It’s a fairly small drop.’

  Rosie swallowed—small drop indeed! What she needed was an extremely large drop of something, preferably liquid and alcoholic—something that would give her a morsel of Dutch courage! She shot a look of resentment at the instructor above her. Couldn’t he see she was straining every sinew to get down? Did he imagine she liked dangling in mid-air while a small crowd of onlookers watched her endeavours with interest?

  She gritted her teeth with determination. He might be authoritative, but she had to concede that the man had an enthusiastic air of encouragement that made one want to do one’s best—and he made the activity seem interesting and fun. She’d only met him that afternoon. He’d asked to be called Andy, but the badge on his shirt read DR ANDREW TEMPLETON.

  ‘I’m doing my best,’ she squawked in a strangled voice. ‘Just having a breather!’

  ‘Well, keep it going steadily—trust me, I’m your anchor man!’

  ‘Why on earth did I volunteer for this?’ she muttered, lowering herself down a few more inches. ‘I thought it was supposed to be a medical conference, not an outward bound course!’

  She contemplated the crevassed rock a foot or two in front of her eyes and sighed. Of course she knew exactly why she was dangling on a fragile rope like a helpless parcel in mid-air. To impress the new practice—that was why! If they thought well of her, she might get a full partnership after a few months—and what a difference that would make to her and little Amy.

  Perhaps it was worth the sheer terror of this particular moment to show how calm she could be in a crisis, how well she could ‘bond’ with others in a team! The practice had asked her to go to this conference on ‘Basic Health in the Community’ because she was young. It was assumed she’d be able to participate in the physical activities which had been thrown in as added interest to this weekend. It wasn’t compulsory, but it looked better that she’d taken part, although she was beginning to wish she’d done something less testing, like swimming or country rambling. No wonder there were only two volunteers for this activity—her and another man!

  Risking a quick look up at Andy, Rosie could see his strong legs braced at the top, with the extra safety rope tied round his waist snaking down to where it was clipped to her harness.

  His strong voice cut into her thoughts. ‘Keep moving—you’re doing really well,’ he called down. ‘Bob’s ready to start behind you.’

  ‘I’m going as quickly as I can!’ she shouted back hoarsely.

  ‘Just keep your legs straight and lean back—push the rocks with your feet, feeding the rope through your grip in a controlled manner. The braking device on your harness won’t let you slip!’

  I’ll give him ‘controlled manner’, thought Rosie, gamely trying to do what he’d told her. Holding her breath, she gingerly lowered herself further, and with an unbelievable sense of relief she felt her feet on firm ground at last. Her knees wobbled like jelly, and her heart pounded—but she’d done it!

  With a sense of exhilaration she grinned up triumphantly at Andy’s tall figure at the top. Putting both hands up in the air, she yelled exultantly, ‘Yes!’

  She heard him give a deep chuckle. ‘Well done! That was fairly easy, wasn’t it? Next time we’ll do the steeper one…’

  ‘In your dreams,’ murmured Rosie to herself. In her estimation she’d demonstrated just how incredibly brave she could be. She was darned if she’d push herself any further. One could push one’s luck too far, and she had responsibilities, which included a two-year-old little girl, not to mention a mad dog and a slightly eccentric aunt! No, she was delighted to have achieved what she had, but now she’d been there, done that!

  She watched as Bob, a burly GP from London, began his descent behind her—he’d seemed impressively confident as they’d stood together at the top.

  ‘I’ve never done anything like this before,’ he’d informed Andy and herself breezily, ‘but I’m a natural sportsman, so I don’t think it will pose many problems. There’s nothing I enjoy more than throwing myself into a challenging situation!’

  ‘It doesn’t do to be over-confident—take it reasonably easily,’ Andy had warned. ‘I want you to enjoy this, but be aware of your limited experience in this activity—do what I say.’

  ‘Oh, don’t be an old woman!’ Bob had laughed easily. ‘Something like this doesn’t worry me in the least! I like to push myself a little. Shall I set off now?’

  For a second Andy’s eyes had locked with Rosie’s in amused exasperation. Then he’d said mildly, ‘Perhaps we’ll let Rosie go first. With your confidence you won’t mind waiting a few minutes.’

  And that was why Rosie was now safely on the ground and watching Bob scramble rather awkwardly over the top, his short legs scuttling against the sides of the cliff. He paused for a while before moving, looking down towards her, then after a long time he started to descend extremely slowly, inching his way along like a cumbersome snail and taking long halts with his helmeted head pressed against the cliff wall. Rosie was surprised. One would have
thought a man with his confidence would have let himself go a little more, not look as rigid and tense as he did!

  ‘You’re doing well, Bob,’ called Andy encouragingly. ‘Keep it going steadily.’

  Bob didn’t reply, but about eight feet from the ground he came to a complete halt and looked down at Rosie. His face was rather white and he was breathing rapidly.

  ‘Think I’ll jump down from here,’ he muttered, and started to unclip his harness from the rope.

  ‘Do you think that’s wise?’ said Rosie anxiously. ‘You’ve only a little way to go, but it’s still quite a big jump!’

  ‘I don’t like dangling on this rope thing—I want to get this over as quickly as possible. I’ll be OK.’

  From the top Andy’s voice bellowed down, ‘What the hell are you doing, man? Don’t be crazy—it’s too far to jump!’

  ‘I feel trapped in this damn harness—I’ve got to get off this cliff now!’

  There was an edge of panic in the man’s voice and Rosie ran towards him, forcing her voice to be calm and firm.

  ‘Now, Bob, you’re nearly there. Just let yourself out a little at a time, and you’ll be on the ground in no time.’

  He didn’t reply and she felt herself freeze in alarm as she watched him spring outwards from the rock and fall heavily to the sand below. He gave a gasp of agony and curled up, clutching his leg. Rosie gave a quick intake of breath, and then rushed towards his prone figure, squatting down beside him.

  ‘Keep still, Bob. Just tell me where it hurts,’ she said authoritatively, sweeping her eyes assessingly over the awkward position of his legs.

  Bob’s face was twisted in pain, his complexion grey. ‘I’ve done something pretty serious, I think,’ he grunted. ‘I felt it go as I landed—probably my left tibia. I did everything right—relaxed my ankles and knees to let them take the stress.’ He gave a little groan. ‘Normally I’m very light on my feet,’ he whispered.

  Not light enough, thought Rosie grimly, looking round about her. The crowds on the sands seemed to have melted away and the beach looked deserted. She pulled off the thin sweater she was wearing over her T-shirt and laid it over the man’s shoulders to keep in his body heat. She started to feel delicately round the top of his boot but didn’t undo the laces.

  She flicked her glance up to watch Andy’s athletic figure, which seemed to float down the hill in a matter of seconds. He sprinted towards them, pulling off his safety helmet and revealing a thick crop of russet hair over a pair of rather startling blue eyes.

  ‘At a guess, I’d say Bob’s fractured his fib and tib,’ she murmured to Andy as he knelt beside her. ‘I won’t touch his boot—I don’t want to risk any arterial damage from broken bones. I think it’s better to try and keep it stable and let them cut off the boot in hospital—he’s going to have to have an X-ray. What do you think?’

  ‘Good idea,’ he replied briefly. ‘And we’ll keep his helmet on as well in case he’s injured his spine in any way.’ He pulled his mobile phone out of his shorts pocket and punched out some numbers.

  ‘Dr Andy Templeton here,’ he said tersely into the phone. ‘I need an ambulance to stretcher a patient who’s had an accident at the base of Lowther Cliffs, in the little inlet. Broken leg indicated—possible Pott’s fracture of fibula, fracture of tibia, possible spinal injury.’ He turned to Bob. ‘Don’t worry—they should be here in five to ten minutes, so let’s try and keep you comfortable.’

  He went over to a rucksack which was lying on the sand near his abseiling equipment and pulled out a small folded rug, which he placed gently over the stricken man. He frowned at Bob’s leg, awkwardly flung in front of him, and looked at Rosie.

  ‘What do you think about using his other leg as a splint to immobilise his injury until the paramedics get here?’

  Rosie bit her lip doubtfully. ‘We’d have to bind it above the fracture site. We shouldn’t risk disturbing the injury.’

  Andy nodded. ‘We’ll have to be careful—I’ve got bandages here. I’ll hold the injured leg while you bind them on the upper thighs. Poor old Bob’s in shock—I don’t want to put him through more pain than he’s in already.’

  He watched as Rosie nimbly bound the two legs together above the knee, causing as little disturbance to the broken leg as possible, and placed a pad of bandages between the man’s knees.

  ‘Well done, Doctor,’ he murmured. ‘Just the right touch!’

  She grinned wryly at him. ‘To be honest, I didn’t think this was to be part of the afternoon’s activity!’

  A rather shamefaced look crossed Bob’s white face. ‘I’m sorry,’ he muttered. ‘I rather lost it then. I just froze somehow, and thought the only way I could get down was to jump. I didn’t mean to disobey orders.’

  Andy smiled reassuringly and patted Bob’s hand. ‘It can take people like that. People who are very athletic and used to pushing themselves sometimes react strangely when they’re letting themselves down from a height. You were doing really well until then.’

  Rosie flicked a quick look at Andy, appreciating his sensitivity in trying to boost Bob’s low morale and embarrassment by praising him instead of telling him how darned stupid he’d been!

  The ambulance wasn’t long in coming and Bob was carefully stretchered away with a collar supporting his neck to keep it stable. He looked mournfully at Rosie and Andy.

  ‘Thank you,’ he whispered. ‘You’ll tell my wife what’s happened, won’t you? She’s going to be furious with me—I did my Achilles tendon in only last year, playing tennis on holiday!’

  ‘I’ll come and see you at the hospital later when I’ve taken my gear back,’ said Andy. ‘Keep calm!’

  He watched Bob being carried to the ambulance and added dryly, ‘And I thought he was a great athlete—he never even mentioned he’d been injured last year as well!’

  Rosie gave a guilty laugh. ‘Poor old Bob. He seems to think he’s Superman until he actually has to perform! I feel really sorry for him, though—I guess he’ll be spending a long time in plaster.’

  She tugged off her helmet and her thick honey-coloured hair sprang out in a disordered way around her shoulders. She ran a hand through it and sighed. ‘What a shame to end the afternoon this way!’

  There was something akin to admiration in Andy’s eyes as he looked at her, and the firm lines of his face softened, making him look suddenly more boyish.

  ‘You know, you did a great job there, trying to keep Bob calm and assessing his injuries. I was really grateful someone sensible was down there with him and not a member of the general public, trying to rip off his boots or giving him brandy, or some such foolish thing!’

  He put his hands on her shoulders and his eyes twinkled ‘I could soon make a mountain rescuer of you. Obviously your medical skills are second to none, and you seemed to tackle the abseiling pretty well. Have you ever done any climbing before?’

  She smiled wanly. ‘Certainly not—wasn’t it obvious? I couldn’t even climb a rope in the school gym!’

  He raised his eyebrows in a flattering expression of surprise. ‘Great stuff, then! As you can see, occasionally people do seize up completely!’

  He smiled broadly at her, white even teeth contrasting with his tanned face, laughing blue eyes holding hers just slightly too long for comfort. Quite suddenly Rosie felt a curious sense of heightened awareness—the hairs on the back of her neck started to prickle without warning, and she did a double-take. She hadn’t realised, in her terror-induced state before the abseiling, that Andy Templeton was quite so amazing—he was gorgeous! It wasn’t just his unusual colouring, she decided, it was his expressive face, firm mouth and lively eyes that held her—not to mention over six feet of impressive bodywork!

  Somewhere within her, a sad little memory tugged, a memory of an equally dishy man, with a special smile only for her. The grief was beginning to fade now, but every so often something unexpected would happen that would trigger Tony back into focus and reinforce her acute feelings of
loneliness.

  She shook herself mentally. Dwelling on the past only made her sad, and didn’t help Amy. Her life had turned in a completely different direction since Tony had died and her uncle had left her the cottage in Cornwall. Miraculously she’d got a job with a local GP practice as an associate partner. It was exciting and a new beginning—but still left her as a single mother bringing up a baby by herself. Everywhere she went, even on this medical conference, people seemed to be in couples. It was hard not to feel the odd one out most of the time…

  Andy was regarding her wistful face with amused curiosity. ‘Ready for some more?’ he asked. ‘I do a good line in rock-climbing!’

  Rosie jerked herself back to the present and shook her head with a laugh. ‘I think I’ve had enough excitement for today. I have to make a phone call, and I’m going to have a soak in a hot bath before the dinner this evening. I feel a complete mess—in urgent need of complete reparation!’

  His eyes swept appreciatively over her tall, well-proportioned body. ‘I don’t think anything too radical is needed,’ he murmured. ‘Perhaps I’ll see you later, then?’ This time there was no mistaking the intimate way he looked into her eyes, and he gave a slow, devastating smile that sent an unaccustomed little shock through her body.

  Rosie bit her lip wryly. It must be the relief of having finished the abseiling exercise without actually killing herself that seemed to be making her particularly susceptible to this man’s undoubted attraction, as well as the competent way he had taken over when Bob had fallen. She knew that nobody ever could make her pulse race like Tony had done. She was convinced she would never meet anyone like him again, and that was why this…she searched for the right word…reaction was all the more extraordinary!

  Then she gave a rueful shrug. In her experience these days, there were plenty of men who would give her the come-on, hoping for a quick fling with no strings attached, but when they found she had a two-year-old daughter, they seemed to melt into thin air. She mustn’t let herself get too excited over a rather gorgeous instructor who happened to have compelling blue eyes and a winning grin!