A Baby to Care for (Mills & Boon Medical) (11 page)

‘Iris.’ He edged back again, sucking in oxygen from the warm evening air, the summer sun now almost set. ‘Iris. We need to talk.’

Her answer was to urge his head back to hers. Dex kissed her again but this time managed to pull superhuman strength from somewhere and temper his need. His mouth wasn’t as hard on hers as before yet hers was, urging him forward, wanting him back where they’d both just been.

‘Iris.’ This time when he spoke her name she stopped and pulled herself from his arms, her breathing as erratic as his.

‘Talk. Right. We…uh…need to talk.’ Her words came out in gasps as she desperately tried to get herself under control.

‘We do.’ He indicated the door behind her. ‘Do you want to go inside?’

‘To talk?’ She looked at him as though he’d just grown an extra head. ‘After
that
kiss?’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea, Dex. Besides, you obviously have something to say, so I think you should come right out and say it.’

‘It’s not that I…want to say…’ He stopped and raked a hand through his hair, his body still on fire from the best kiss of his life. ‘I just think we need to talk about what’s going on between us. That’s all.’

‘Why? Because you don’t want it?’ She shook her head. ‘You don’t have to worry about that because I don’t want it, either. I’m only in Didja until the middle of the year and then I leave. I have another job lined up, remember?’

‘I remember. Listen, it’s not that I don’t find—’

‘It’s clear we have an attraction but we’re also mature enough not to let it rule us…as it did just now. We’ll be stronger. Better able to be around each other at work and avoid each other everywhere else. Deal?’ Iris had collected her bag which had dropped unnoticed to the ground when she’d
been unable to control the urge to kiss Dex. Now she had her keys in her hand and inserted the key into the lock, pleased her hands weren’t trembling as much as the rest of her body.

‘Iris—’

‘Good,’ she said, answering her own question, and without giving him the opportunity to respond any further she opened her door and slipped inside.

Dex was once more left standing outside her apartment, looking at the closed door, knowing it was for the best but for some reason not liking it one little bit.

T
HREE
days later, Iris had just finished up her Friday clinic and was getting ready to lock up her consulting room when the phone rang. She automatically picked it up.

‘Dr Tennant.’

‘Is that Dr Iris Tennant?’ It was a woman’s voice on the other end of the line and one Iris didn’t recognise.

‘Yes.’

‘I’m calling from Missionary World Aid. I’m afraid I have some rather bad news.’

Iris’s mouth went dry and she sank down into her chair as she listened to what the woman had to say. Her friends Nigel and Francie, who had been working as missionaries in Tarparnii, had been killed in a car accident. Their eight-month-old daughter, Anya, however, was fine as she hadn’t been in the car with them.

‘As the registered guardian for little Anya, we were wanting to arrange a meeting to sign the necessary documents.’

Guardian? Documents? Iris’s mind went completely blank for a second before she snapped back into professional mode. ‘Where is Anya?’

‘She’s currently at a foster-home in Perth.’

Iris took notes. Wrote things down but was completely numb. When she replaced the phone, she sat there, looking
out into nothingness. When a knock came at her door, she didn’t flinch, she didn’t say a thing. A moment later, the door opened and Dex stuck his head around.

‘You are in here. Good. Do you have David Toonamon’s notes?’ Dex walked further into the room and frowned. ‘Iris?’ The look on her face was one of shocked incredulity mixed with a healthy portion of pain. He knew the look well because he was sure he’d had an identical one on his face when he’d first discovered he was adopted. It didn’t matter what was or wasn’t happening between them. Iris needed a friend and he still prided himself on being that. ‘Iris, what’s happened?’

‘They’re dead.’

It wasn’t what he’d expected her to say. He walked around her desk and swivelled her chair so she was facing him. Melissa and Joss were out doing house calls again and a strange dark sensation started curling in the pit of his stomach. They were due back any minute and Dex held his breath as he looked intently into her green eyes. ‘Who? Iris? Tell me who?’

‘Francie and Nigel.’

Dex slowly released the air which had built up in his lungs. Not Melissa and Joss. Now he could step back and help Iris. ‘Friends of yours?’

‘Yes. Missionaries. Tarparnii.’ She was looking straight ahead, unable to focus properly. She was in shock even though her brain was probably ticking over too fast to process everything clearly.

‘What happened?’

‘Car accident. Both dead. No foul play. Both dead.’ She shook her head. ‘Why does this happen to me? The people I love, the people I care about.’ Iris swallowed, waiting for the tears to fall, but they didn’t come.

Dex remembered her mentioning these people before. Not their names but on her first day here, at the fair, she’d mentioned
her missionary friends. She also said they had a small baby. ‘What about their baby?’

The look she gave him was one of blankness. ‘The baby?’

‘Didn’t they have a child? A young baby? You bought a present for her. A soft toy. Remember?’

Iris slowly closed her eyes as though the pain was just too much to bear. ‘Anya. She wasn’t in the car. She’s in Perth.’ Iris opened her eyes and Dex saw fear reflected there. ‘They want me to go and get her, Dex.’

‘Why?’

‘I’m her guardian.’

‘You’re her…’ He stopped and stood back, breathing out slowly.

‘Guardian. I have guardianship of a baby.’ Her eyes were wild. ‘What am I supposed to do, Dex?’

‘You’re her…’ Even he was having trouble saying the words.

‘Guardian.’ Iris shook her head, her breathing starting to become uneven. ‘I can’t look after a child. I’m not qualified for that.’

‘You’re a paediatrician, Iris,’ he felt compelled to point out. ‘You know how children work.’

‘Yes. How they work. Exactly. I know how to fix them, to mend them when they’re broken, to give them back to their parents.’ She spread her arms wide. ‘I don’t have the first clue about how to raise one, how to do…things with them.’ She shook her head. ‘I can’t do this. I can’t do this.’

Her breathing had increased and he realised she was starting to hyperventilate. Dex immediately pushed her head between her knees. ‘Breathe. Just breathe. It’s OK. It’ll be OK.’

She raised her head to look at him. ‘Which part of this is OK?’

‘Shh.’ He put her head back down. ‘Just…concentrate on your breathing for now. You just need to calm down and think things through. Everything’s just a bit of a shock right now.
That’s all. You’re a strong woman. You can do this. You’ll figure it out.’

Iris closed her eyes, allowing his soothing words to wash over her. His voice was so nice, so rich, so calming.

‘Just breathe.’

She sucked in air and slowly her breathing began to return to a more normal pace, the immediate anxiety starting to dissipate. Lifting her head, she looked at Dex who was crouched down next to her chair.

‘There. Better.’

‘You have the most calming voice. So soft and smooth. Like silk. It just washes over you.’

They were close. Close enough that if he were to lean forward a touch, he’d be able to kiss those luscious lips of hers. He stared at her mouth, wanting to feel those same sensations he’d experienced last week. ‘You shouldn’t say things like that.’

‘It’s the truth.’

‘I’m trying to keep my distance here, Iris. I’m trying to figure out what on earth it is that I feel for you, why I’m finding it increasingly difficult to get you out of my mind, and you certainly don’t make it any easier when you say things like that.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Her eyes were filled with sincerity. ‘About last week. About everything. I was rude. I treated you badly. Not just once but twice. I’m sorry, Dex.’

Dex stood, needing to put distance between them because if he didn’t he wasn’t sure he’d be able to control himself at all. The way her eyes intensified with green warmth when she spoke like that, the way her own sultry tones filled him with anticipation, the way her fresh, springtime scent wove its way into his senses. The woman was undeniably gorgeous and resisting her was becoming one of the daily battles he faced.

During the last few days Iris hadn’t spoken to him unless
it had been in direct relation to a patient or something to do with the running of the clinic, and he’d decided to respect her decision and follow her lead. They were like chalk and cheese and were better off remaining simply colleagues.

But now this had happened.

Dex had happened on her only a moment after she’d received such terrible and distressing news and that was why she was now saying what she was saying. She was grateful for his assistance and, therefore, she needed to put things right between them. She’d had a shock and sometimes a shock could help your perspective to shift, just a touch, so you could see the world in a completely different light. When she figured out what she wanted to do, she’d probably regret apologising to him, regret showing so much of her soul. She’d made it clear that she only thought of him as the town’s resident playboy and she was here for less than five more months. She had her next job all lined up and come the end of July, she would leave Didja.

Now, though, it appeared her life was once again to be thrust into turmoil. She’d just discovered she was guardian to a small baby. Even he was having trouble wrapping his head around the concept so it must be infinitely more difficult for Iris. Not only that, her good friends had passed away and death was never easy to deal with.

Her life was changing and even if for one solitary moment he’d contemplated being a part of it, he realised as he looked at her that it could never be. Not now. She would have a child to care for. He would support her in a professional capacity, he’d be polite and helpful, but apart from that, Iris Tennant was now officially off-limits to him.

He walked around to the other side of her desk, needing even more space, to put more physical as well as mental distance between them. ‘What are you going to do?’

Iris looked away from him. She’d been trying to apologise
for her bad behaviour, for allowing her neuroses to rule her life. She’d been so wrapped up in her own problems that she’d forgotten that there was a bigger picture out there. Well, if he didn’t want to accept her apology, that was fine. She would just move on. Take the next step. Figure out what to do now.

‘I guess I’ll go to Perth. Meet with the foster-mother and the solicitors.’ She shook her head again. ‘I’m a guardian. It sounds so strange to say it out loud. I simply never thought it through, you know. When they asked me to be guardian, to be Anya’s godmother, of course I accepted. I mean, I love Francie. She’s a good friend of mine and so is Nigel. But I never expected them to…’ She stopped, still unable to get her head around the fact that they were gone. Gone from her life. Gone from their daughter’s life. Just like that.

‘You’ll need to go to Perth.’ Dex started to pace the room. ‘Do you have anywhere to stay when you get there?’

Iris frowned. ‘Hotel.’ She shrugged. ‘I’ll just get a room somewhere. The other thing I’m not sure of is how long all of this is going to take. I mean, I don’t want to leave Joss in the lurch, or the people of Didja. This community has been so welcoming to me.’ Iris turned in her chair, unable to look at him, unable to think about leaving this warm outback township so soon.

‘Don’t go fretting about the clinic, and you do have a six-month contract, Iris. We won’t let you break it that easily.’

‘We?’

Dex stopped pacing and put his hands into his pockets. ‘Joss and myself.’

‘What about Melissa?’

‘Well, I’m sure she’d want you to stick around too, but I mean from a contractual point of view. This is what small clinics are like. We can work around each other’s needs.’

‘You keep saying “we”.’

Dex frowned for a second. ‘You do know that Joss and I own the clinic. We’re partners. Financially as well as professionally.’

‘Wha…?’ Iris knew her mouth was hanging open but within a split second she had recovered. ‘No. Actually, I didn’t know that.’ Again it showed her another side to Dex. One of responsibility, of giving to the community, of being a businessman. ‘I’m sorry. I thought Joss owned the clinic.’

‘Joss started the clinic but not long after I arrived here, he wanted to expand so I invested. Joss is much better at the day-to-day running of everything, taking command of the ship, so to speak, so I just leave him to it.’

Now it all made perfect sense as to why Dex had read her résumé. Why he’d been able to discover her marital status. It also meant he’d be able to help her out in this situation.

‘Are you saying, then, that you don’t want me to break my contract, that you’re more than happy for me to take some time off, to go to Perth to sort this out and then bring a small baby back here and continue with my contract of providing paediatric care to Didja’s community?’

Dex grinned and nodded. ‘That’s exactly what I’m saying.’

‘You’d…do that?’ Especially after the way she’d treated him? Iris was astounded at the immediate generosity of the man before her.

‘Hey. You’ve got to sort your life out somewhere and Didja is as good a place as any. Besides, do you have any idea just how Bub will feel about having to look after a little baby whilst you consult? She’ll be beside herself with joy.’

‘Oh.’ Iris frowned. ‘I hadn’t even thought that far.’ She shook her head. ‘It’s all happening too fast. My mind is a blur. My thoughts are all jumbled, jumping over each other, trying to be the one I listen to first.’

‘Sounds like sheep at drenching time.’ Dex chuckled but then quickly sobered. What they were discussing here was important and could well affect the rest of Iris’s life. He started to pace the floor again but they were interrupted by the arrival of Joss and Melissa. They both came into Iris’s consulting room.

‘What are you two both doing here at this time of night? There are no patients in the waiting room and Areva’s about to close up shop,’ Melissa remarked.

‘How were house calls?’ Dex asked, although he didn’t sound as though he was at all interested in the answer.

‘Fine. No dramas. Lots of pregnant women. All healthy with growing babes inside them.’ Melissa smiled brightly at them both. ‘And what’s been going on here today? Anything of interest?’

Iris nodded slowly and met her friend’s gaze.

‘What is it?’ Melissa was instantly alert, looking from Iris to Dex and back again.

‘It’s Francie and Nigel.’ Iris slowly explained what she’d just been told on the phone and after Melissa had hugged her tightly and Joss had offered his condolences, he shifted straight into business mode.

‘Dex is right. You must go to Perth and sort this out. Tomorrow.’

‘But, I’m supposed to do—’

‘We can cover whatever clinics, whatever patients you might have needed to see,’ Melissa soothed. ‘This community rallies around its own and no one will mind waiting a bit longer for their children to see you.’

‘We’re a family,’ Joss reiterated. ‘We stick together.’

‘Yeah,’ Dex chimed in. ‘And when you’re in Perth, you could even stay with Joss’s parents. That way, you’re not facing these big decisions on your own or going back to an impersonal hotel room.’

‘Dex is right.’ Joss nodded. ‘My parents would be only too happy to help…’ He stopped and shook his head. ‘Actually. No, they won’t. I was speaking to my dad only last night and he has really bad summer flu. Hasn’t been well for weeks and neither of them told me. Not good for you or a small baby.’

‘It’s all right. I don’t mind the hotel. That way I’m not
putting anyone out,’ Iris ventured, although she knew she could really do with some support during this traumatic and emotional time. Still, she’d come through worse on her own and she would soldier on through this.

‘No.’ Melissa shook her head. ‘You need support. This is too big for you to face on your own.’ She thought for a moment. ‘I know, why don’t you stay with Dexter’s parents?’ Melissa ventured.

‘What?’ Dex was stunned at this suggestion.

‘It makes sense.’ Joss stepped protectively next to his fiancée and placed his arm about Melissa’s waist. ‘Your parents have been through similar circumstances. They’d probably be able to give Iris a helping hand with the decision-making process.’