a metal detector into overload. In the brief glimpse he’d already had, Luke had seen a ring through her lower lip, something in her nose and eyebrows and the ear that was currently visible had ornaments around its entire perimeter. Even through the tragus in the centre.
She was maybe sixteen years old? Young enough to be admitted to a paediatric ward in any case. Young enough to need protection. To deserve safety and assistance. If there was an angry man involved, he could hardly leave Amy and a bunch of vulnerable children to defend themselves, could he? As fiercely as Amy had just demonstrated she was prepared to defend the people she cared about, she was just a slip of a woman herself. Delicate…physically, anyway. There was certainly nothing delicate about this woman’s spirit.
The very thought of her having to defend herself physically was abhorrent. So much so that Luke had to take a deep breath to steady himself. He needed something else to focus on. Something real that couldn’t stir imaginary and therefore useless emotional reactions.
‘Can you get Zoe to sit down?’ he suggested. ‘We need to find out if she’s been hurt.’
‘I’m not hurt !’ The girl pulled back from Amy’s embrace. ‘Bernie wouldn’t hurt me .’ Luke could see eyes that seemed disconcertingly pale thanks to thick black make-up that hadn’t entirely run down the pale face. ‘And I’ve hidden Monty so he can’t do anything to him, either. Who’re you?’
‘This is Mr Harrington, Zoe,’ Amy said. ‘He’s a surgeon at Lizzie’s where I work.’
‘What’s he doing here?’ Zoe’s gaze flicked back to Amy. ‘Is he your boyfriend now?’
‘No!’
Did she have to sound quite that horrified? As though she wouldn’t consider dating him if he were the last man on earth?
And why had Amy’s face flushed so pink? Her eyes were so dark compared to the pale blue of Zoe’s. Luke stared back at the two female faces. Dark eyes were so much more attractive, he found himself thinking and in that same moment he was horrified at himself.
Not because he considered Amy’s eyes attractive but because something so shallow—so emotional —had actually distracted him so he wasn’t thinking of anything else. Just the kind of mental behaviour he had conquered long ago.
What the hell was going on here?
‘I’ll explain later,’ Amy told Zoe. ‘Are you sure you’re not hurt? Your jacket’s all ripped…’ She touched Zoe’s cheek and Luke could swear he felt that touch himself.
So gentle. So full of genuine concern. It tugged at something deep within Luke. Something disturbingly poignant.
‘I ripped the jacket on some wire in the shed. That’s where I hid Monty.’
‘It’s too cold to leave him in there. You’ll need to bring him inside.’
‘He can come here?’ Zoe’s face brightened. ‘You don’t mind?’
‘Of course not. We love Monty. We’ll…adopt him.’
‘What if Mum says you can’t?’
‘Do you think she would?’
‘Nah. She’d be glad to get rid of him.’ Zoe scrubbed at her nose and Luke winced at the thought of the metal spike in her nostril getting in the way. ‘She wasn’t that happy when I saved him from getting beaten up by those boys.’
‘He’s got a home here,’ Amy said firmly. ‘And you can visit whenever you want to. How much can it cost to feed one dog, after all?’ With another squeeze of Zoe’s shoulders and a discreet but anxious glance at her watch, Amy moved to the stove to pick up a kettle. ‘Hot chocolate coming up,’ she said cheerfully.
‘I’ll just go and get Monty,’ Zoe said. ‘And his blankets and stuff. Is that cool? I’ll only be a few minutes.’
‘Sure. But be as quick as you can. I can’t be late for work.’
The cold-water tap over the old porcelain sink was turned on and a ghastly, shuddering noise filled the kitchen.
‘Good grief,’ Luke said. ‘What is that ?’
‘Just air in the pipes,’ Amy said offhandedly. ‘It’ll come
She was maybe sixteen years old? Young enough to be admitted to a paediatric ward in any case. Young enough to need protection. To deserve safety and assistance. If there was an angry man involved, he could hardly leave Amy and a bunch of vulnerable children to defend themselves, could he? As fiercely as Amy had just demonstrated she was prepared to defend the people she cared about, she was just a slip of a woman herself. Delicate…physically, anyway. There was certainly nothing delicate about this woman’s spirit.
The very thought of her having to defend herself physically was abhorrent. So much so that Luke had to take a deep breath to steady himself. He needed something else to focus on. Something real that couldn’t stir imaginary and therefore useless emotional reactions.
‘Can you get Zoe to sit down?’ he suggested. ‘We need to find out if she’s been hurt.’
‘I’m not hurt !’ The girl pulled back from Amy’s embrace. ‘Bernie wouldn’t hurt me .’ Luke could see eyes that seemed disconcertingly pale thanks to thick black make-up that hadn’t entirely run down the pale face. ‘And I’ve hidden Monty so he can’t do anything to him, either. Who’re you?’
‘This is Mr Harrington, Zoe,’ Amy said. ‘He’s a surgeon at Lizzie’s where I work.’
‘What’s he doing here?’ Zoe’s gaze flicked back to Amy. ‘Is he your boyfriend now?’
‘No!’
Did she have to sound quite that horrified? As though she wouldn’t consider dating him if he were the last man on earth?
And why had Amy’s face flushed so pink? Her eyes were so dark compared to the pale blue of Zoe’s. Luke stared back at the two female faces. Dark eyes were so much more attractive, he found himself thinking and in that same moment he was horrified at himself.
Not because he considered Amy’s eyes attractive but because something so shallow—so emotional —had actually distracted him so he wasn’t thinking of anything else. Just the kind of mental behaviour he had conquered long ago.
What the hell was going on here?
‘I’ll explain later,’ Amy told Zoe. ‘Are you sure you’re not hurt? Your jacket’s all ripped…’ She touched Zoe’s cheek and Luke could swear he felt that touch himself.
So gentle. So full of genuine concern. It tugged at something deep within Luke. Something disturbingly poignant.
‘I ripped the jacket on some wire in the shed. That’s where I hid Monty.’
‘It’s too cold to leave him in there. You’ll need to bring him inside.’
‘He can come here?’ Zoe’s face brightened. ‘You don’t mind?’
‘Of course not. We love Monty. We’ll…adopt him.’
‘What if Mum says you can’t?’
‘Do you think she would?’
‘Nah. She’d be glad to get rid of him.’ Zoe scrubbed at her nose and Luke winced at the thought of the metal spike in her nostril getting in the way. ‘She wasn’t that happy when I saved him from getting beaten up by those boys.’
‘He’s got a home here,’ Amy said firmly. ‘And you can visit whenever you want to. How much can it cost to feed one dog, after all?’ With another squeeze of Zoe’s shoulders and a discreet but anxious glance at her watch, Amy moved to the stove to pick up a kettle. ‘Hot chocolate coming up,’ she said cheerfully.
‘I’ll just go and get Monty,’ Zoe said. ‘And his blankets and stuff. Is that cool? I’ll only be a few minutes.’
‘Sure. But be as quick as you can. I can’t be late for work.’
The cold-water tap over the old porcelain sink was turned on and a ghastly, shuddering noise filled the kitchen.
‘Good grief,’ Luke said. ‘What is that ?’
‘Just air in the pipes,’ Amy said offhandedly. ‘It’ll come
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