developed a low,
seductive timbre. Her limbs started to melt as his words washed
over her. She shook her head, as much in denial as to shake off
their effect.
“Mrs Jenkins will be back in five weeks and
I’ll be leaving to take up my new position in Sydney. We’ll
probably never see each other again, so I can’t see any point in
discussing this further.”
Before he had a chance to reply she walked
out of the room.
In the privacy of her bedroom she tried to
gather her scattered emotions. Why had she allowed him to kiss her?
Why had she stayed there and let it happen? She should have known
what it would be like. That initial gut-wrenching attraction should
have warned her what it would be like in his arms. The last thing
she needed was to become involved with him. He was her boss, and
Jeff’s boss, and Caitlin’s uncle - all good reasons to keep her
distance. It had taken her a long time to mend the breaks in her
heart and she was determined to keep it whole.
Fleeting memories of her first love flooded
back. Her patient had been a small boy who had fallen when climbing
a tree. His father, a widower, had been attracted to Jenna from the
start and she had fallen in love with him. Unfortunately when the
long months of rehabilitation had ended so had the relationship.
Oh, he hadn’t been cruel, he was actually quite upset at having to
hurt her, explaining that what he thought he felt had turned out to
be gratitude, not love. The pain she had endured was the catalyst
for her overseas trip. She no longer felt the pain, but was
reluctant to risk her heart in the same manner again.
The job she had returned home for was a good
career move. She had been accepted as head of occupational therapy
in a large private hospital. She would miss working exclusively
with children but the career advantages would be worth it. Or so
she had told herself. The fact that the job entailed a good deal of
administration work which would allow her limited time to become
involved with patients and their families was something she had
glossed over in her mind. Now she was forced to admit that it had
been the deciding factor in her decision to accept the
position.
Had she really become such an emotional
coward? Was she running away from the one aspect of her job which
had previously meant the most to her because of her fear of being
hurt again? And was that fear of being hurt the real reason she had
run from Braden like a scalded cat? It was a hard lesson to learn
that all the maturity and confidence she had striven for could be
so easily destroyed by the fear of having her heart broken
again.
Before she had left Sydney two years ago her
mother had warned her to make sure she was leaving for the right
reasons. Running away from your problems never solved them, only
made them harder to face, she had said. Was that what she had done?
Run away? And was that what she was doing now with Braden? Was she
refusing to acknowledge their ‘obvious attraction’ because she was
afraid of becoming involved and thereby running the risk of being
hurt again?
Perhaps it was time to let down her guard and
see what eventuated. There was a possibility that this attraction
could lead to something more substantial.
Then why did the yellow traffic sign with
‘Caution’ printed on it keep intruding into her thoughts?
The next day Braden's attitude towards Jenna
was polite but remote.
In the afternoon Jenna and Caitlin played a
simple ‘match the pairs’ card game. Caitlin wasn’t laughing. She
wasn’t smiling. But she was relaxed and there was a sparkle in her
eyes. It made such a change to the thin pale face that Jenna had a
glimpse of what she must have looked like before the accident.
Braden emerged from his study and made
himself a cup of coffee. As he sipped the hot liquid he watched
them play, then suddenly asked if he could join in. At Caitlin’s
pleased look Jenna readily agreed.
To Jenna's surprise he pretended to be
completely ignorant about
seductive timbre. Her limbs started to melt as his words washed
over her. She shook her head, as much in denial as to shake off
their effect.
“Mrs Jenkins will be back in five weeks and
I’ll be leaving to take up my new position in Sydney. We’ll
probably never see each other again, so I can’t see any point in
discussing this further.”
Before he had a chance to reply she walked
out of the room.
In the privacy of her bedroom she tried to
gather her scattered emotions. Why had she allowed him to kiss her?
Why had she stayed there and let it happen? She should have known
what it would be like. That initial gut-wrenching attraction should
have warned her what it would be like in his arms. The last thing
she needed was to become involved with him. He was her boss, and
Jeff’s boss, and Caitlin’s uncle - all good reasons to keep her
distance. It had taken her a long time to mend the breaks in her
heart and she was determined to keep it whole.
Fleeting memories of her first love flooded
back. Her patient had been a small boy who had fallen when climbing
a tree. His father, a widower, had been attracted to Jenna from the
start and she had fallen in love with him. Unfortunately when the
long months of rehabilitation had ended so had the relationship.
Oh, he hadn’t been cruel, he was actually quite upset at having to
hurt her, explaining that what he thought he felt had turned out to
be gratitude, not love. The pain she had endured was the catalyst
for her overseas trip. She no longer felt the pain, but was
reluctant to risk her heart in the same manner again.
The job she had returned home for was a good
career move. She had been accepted as head of occupational therapy
in a large private hospital. She would miss working exclusively
with children but the career advantages would be worth it. Or so
she had told herself. The fact that the job entailed a good deal of
administration work which would allow her limited time to become
involved with patients and their families was something she had
glossed over in her mind. Now she was forced to admit that it had
been the deciding factor in her decision to accept the
position.
Had she really become such an emotional
coward? Was she running away from the one aspect of her job which
had previously meant the most to her because of her fear of being
hurt again? And was that fear of being hurt the real reason she had
run from Braden like a scalded cat? It was a hard lesson to learn
that all the maturity and confidence she had striven for could be
so easily destroyed by the fear of having her heart broken
again.
Before she had left Sydney two years ago her
mother had warned her to make sure she was leaving for the right
reasons. Running away from your problems never solved them, only
made them harder to face, she had said. Was that what she had done?
Run away? And was that what she was doing now with Braden? Was she
refusing to acknowledge their ‘obvious attraction’ because she was
afraid of becoming involved and thereby running the risk of being
hurt again?
Perhaps it was time to let down her guard and
see what eventuated. There was a possibility that this attraction
could lead to something more substantial.
Then why did the yellow traffic sign with
‘Caution’ printed on it keep intruding into her thoughts?
The next day Braden's attitude towards Jenna
was polite but remote.
In the afternoon Jenna and Caitlin played a
simple ‘match the pairs’ card game. Caitlin wasn’t laughing. She
wasn’t smiling. But she was relaxed and there was a sparkle in her
eyes. It made such a change to the thin pale face that Jenna had a
glimpse of what she must have looked like before the accident.
Braden emerged from his study and made
himself a cup of coffee. As he sipped the hot liquid he watched
them play, then suddenly asked if he could join in. At Caitlin’s
pleased look Jenna readily agreed.
To Jenna's surprise he pretended to be
completely ignorant about
Similar Books
