though she hadn’t realised that the track had finished. But then she jerked back. She met his gaze for only a heartbeat but it was long enough for Connor to see the way she refocused and actually saw him .
The way her eyes darkened with unmistakeable fear.
Terror, even?
‘I...have to go.’ The words came out in a whisper.
And then she turned and all but fled from his side. She disappeared amongst the crowd of people and Connor was far too slow in trying to follow.
By the time he made it off the dance floor and went looking for her, Kate had apparently left the building.
CHAPTER FOUR
I T WAS not his problem.
OK. Someone, some time had obviously done a number on Kate Graham and made her afraid of men.
But it wasn’t him , dammit, so it had been totally undeserved to have her look at him like that. As if he was some kind of monster, for God’s sake, like a murderer or rapist.
Well, he wasn’t going to let it happen again. It had been easy enough to avoid her at work in the last few days since that fundraising fancy-dress ball. She didn’t have to work most weekends and he’d kept strictly to his expected areas of the hospital since then. His path had crossed with Bella’s up in the theatre suite but that hadn’t been a problem. He’d simply avoided talking to Kate’s niece as well. Apart from that he’d attended an outpatient clinic or two and spent the rest of his time in the wards.
He was heading for one of those wards right now to see thirteen-year-old Estelle Montgomery, who’d been admitted after breaking her leg very early that morning.
Tall for her age, Estelle had the tanned skin and bleached blonde hair of someone who spent more time on a beach than anywhere else. Her mother was also in the room and they were both flicking through a magazine. The pages seemed to be a feature on bikinis.
Nice. Connor stopped himself from making any appreciative sounds, however. Instead he smiled.
‘Hi. I’m Connor Matthews.’
‘Oh...’ The magazine slid from her hands and Estelle’s mother swallowed visibly. ‘You’re the orthopaedic surgeon Stella’s been admitted under.’
Connor nodded. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to say hello before this but I hope my registrar and the rest of the staff have been looking after you well?’
It was Estelle who nodded. ‘Everyone’s been cool. I asked if I could get a proper cast on and go home but they said I had to wait for you to come and see me.’ She glanced towards the window of her room. ‘It’s a great day. I know it’ll be a few weeks before I can get wet but if I got out now and didn’t have to go to school, I could at least go and watch the others.’ Her chin wobbled slightly as she looked at her mother. ‘Couldn’t I? You wouldn’t mind an hour or two on the beach, would you, Mum? Shane’s practising for the competition next weekend and...’
Her mother’s smile was strained. ‘Let’s see what Dr Matthews has to say first, Stella.’
Connor was looking at the long, tanned leg, which had been left free of the bed cover. Cradled in a plaster shell, the malformation of the fracture was clearly visible halfway down the shin.
‘How’s the pain?’
Estelle shrugged. ‘It’s fine if I don’t move.’
Her mother sighed. ‘She doesn’t admit to anything that might stop her getting near the sea. She dislocated her elbow a couple of years ago and still went back to catch another wave.’
Connor smiled at Estelle. ‘Surfing, huh?’
Estelle’s face lit up. ‘I won the thirteen and under section that year. That’s why I was up so early today. The waves are always good at dawn and I’m practising for this year’s competition.’
‘Wow.’ Connor shook his head. ‘The longest I’ve managed to stay upright on a surfboard was about ten seconds.’
‘It just takes practice. And good balance. Learning to dance helps. I started when I was about three and I still do classes whenever I can. Can you
The way her eyes darkened with unmistakeable fear.
Terror, even?
‘I...have to go.’ The words came out in a whisper.
And then she turned and all but fled from his side. She disappeared amongst the crowd of people and Connor was far too slow in trying to follow.
By the time he made it off the dance floor and went looking for her, Kate had apparently left the building.
CHAPTER FOUR
I T WAS not his problem.
OK. Someone, some time had obviously done a number on Kate Graham and made her afraid of men.
But it wasn’t him , dammit, so it had been totally undeserved to have her look at him like that. As if he was some kind of monster, for God’s sake, like a murderer or rapist.
Well, he wasn’t going to let it happen again. It had been easy enough to avoid her at work in the last few days since that fundraising fancy-dress ball. She didn’t have to work most weekends and he’d kept strictly to his expected areas of the hospital since then. His path had crossed with Bella’s up in the theatre suite but that hadn’t been a problem. He’d simply avoided talking to Kate’s niece as well. Apart from that he’d attended an outpatient clinic or two and spent the rest of his time in the wards.
He was heading for one of those wards right now to see thirteen-year-old Estelle Montgomery, who’d been admitted after breaking her leg very early that morning.
Tall for her age, Estelle had the tanned skin and bleached blonde hair of someone who spent more time on a beach than anywhere else. Her mother was also in the room and they were both flicking through a magazine. The pages seemed to be a feature on bikinis.
Nice. Connor stopped himself from making any appreciative sounds, however. Instead he smiled.
‘Hi. I’m Connor Matthews.’
‘Oh...’ The magazine slid from her hands and Estelle’s mother swallowed visibly. ‘You’re the orthopaedic surgeon Stella’s been admitted under.’
Connor nodded. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to say hello before this but I hope my registrar and the rest of the staff have been looking after you well?’
It was Estelle who nodded. ‘Everyone’s been cool. I asked if I could get a proper cast on and go home but they said I had to wait for you to come and see me.’ She glanced towards the window of her room. ‘It’s a great day. I know it’ll be a few weeks before I can get wet but if I got out now and didn’t have to go to school, I could at least go and watch the others.’ Her chin wobbled slightly as she looked at her mother. ‘Couldn’t I? You wouldn’t mind an hour or two on the beach, would you, Mum? Shane’s practising for the competition next weekend and...’
Her mother’s smile was strained. ‘Let’s see what Dr Matthews has to say first, Stella.’
Connor was looking at the long, tanned leg, which had been left free of the bed cover. Cradled in a plaster shell, the malformation of the fracture was clearly visible halfway down the shin.
‘How’s the pain?’
Estelle shrugged. ‘It’s fine if I don’t move.’
Her mother sighed. ‘She doesn’t admit to anything that might stop her getting near the sea. She dislocated her elbow a couple of years ago and still went back to catch another wave.’
Connor smiled at Estelle. ‘Surfing, huh?’
Estelle’s face lit up. ‘I won the thirteen and under section that year. That’s why I was up so early today. The waves are always good at dawn and I’m practising for this year’s competition.’
‘Wow.’ Connor shook his head. ‘The longest I’ve managed to stay upright on a surfboard was about ten seconds.’
‘It just takes practice. And good balance. Learning to dance helps. I started when I was about three and I still do classes whenever I can. Can you
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