Resisting Her Rebel Doc (10 page)

He frowned. ‘But then things happened... I started acting up, and after I turned eighteen I stayed away, just coming back to see David whenever I could. It seemed for the best.’ He raised his dark brows a fraction. ‘Maybe, after all this time, Dad might be able to come to terms with the circumstances and finally find acceptance, though I think that’s a tall order—for both of us.’

Caitlin mused on that. ‘He was never the easiest man to get along with. Not in later years, anyway. He’d come over here to buy produce from my mother, but he was often brusque, and wouldn’t want to stay and chat.’ She dipped her fork into delicious fried rice and said thoughtfully, ‘Have you tried to find your real father?’

He nodded. ‘There’s no father named on my birth certificate. Dad said he was a Londoner, someone who was setting up his own business, but he didn’t know his surname or very much about him. I think he and Mum made some kind of pact not to talk about him. So finding him has always seemed like a non-starter.’

‘I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what that must be like, not knowing your parents.’

‘You learn to live with it.’ He speared a tender shoot of broccoli and rolled it around in the spicy sauce. ‘There’s always a part of you that’s missing; when you do something or think something odd or slightly different from usual, you wonder if that’s come from your absent parent. Genetics suddenly seem ultra-important, but there’s not a thing you can do to find out the truth, so you have no choice but to bury the frustration inside.’

‘David says you can’t settle and you can’t move on—perhaps, like your dad, you need to find acceptance of some sort.’

He gave a short laugh. ‘That’s easy to say but not so easy to do in practice. David knows who he is, where he comes from. He’s content with his life as it is. It’s reasonably orderly and he doesn’t need to think too deeply about what he wants from life. He assumes he’ll have a great time now and settle down when he finds the right person. He seems to be fairly certain that will happen some day; I’m glad for him.’

‘But you’re not so clear about that for yourself?’

He shook his head. ‘I’ve seen how people mess things up—I’m a direct result of that—and I don’t want to be part of causing it to happen to anyone else. Perhaps I don’t believe in the happy-ever-after. I wish I did. I wish it was possible.’ He sent her a quick, almost regretful glance. ‘For myself, I think I prefer to live in the here and now, and take things as I find them. If I can have fun along the way, that’s great, but I don’t make any long-term plans because I don’t know what’s around the corner.’

‘That’s what you were trying to tell me the other day, isn’t it? I shouldn’t look for anything more from you.’ She studied him, her grey eyes solemn. ‘I’m sorry about that—I can’t help thinking it’s a pity you can’t put as much meaning into your personal life as you do into your work.’

He gave her a rueful smile. ‘You’re right. I do concentrate most of my energy in my work. That’s important to me.’ He frowned. ‘I can’t seem to help myself, Caitlin. Maybe I don’t want to think too deeply about anything else.’

‘I thought that might be the reason.’ Her mouth turned downwards briefly. ‘But I suppose all the hard work is paying dividends. I’ve seen what you’ve managed to achieve at the hospital. The patients are well looked after, the parents are fully involved in their care and the staff are focused. I’m not surprised you’ve become head of a unit so early in your career.’ She sent him a quizzical glance. ‘This won’t be your last stop, will it? You’ll do what you need to do here and then move on to improve things at some other hospital.’

His blue gaze meshed with hers. ‘I don’t know about that. Right now I’m concentrating on the job here.’

* * *

They finished their meal and went to check on Daisy. There had been no sound coming from the utility room but now, as they looked in on the dog, they heard soft licking noises.

‘Oh, my word, look at that!’ Caitlin gasped as she saw two wriggling, sleek little puppies suckling at their mother’s teats. Too busy to notice that she had visitors, Daisy was intent on licking them clean and only stopped when a third pup began to put in an appearance.

‘Well, who’s a clever girl?’ Brodie grinned as he knelt down beside the dog bed. ‘Look at you—you’ve managed it all by yourself.’ Caitlin crouched down beside him and he put his arm around her, drawing her close. ‘She’s a natural,’ he said. ‘And there was me thinking we might have to help out, or call the vet if she got into difficulties.’

Caitlin was overwhelmed as she watched Daisy deliver a fourth then a fifth puppy, all perfect, all hungry and vying for a place where they could suckle. ‘It’s wonderful,’ she said, thrilled to bits to see that they were all healthy and strong looking. She turned her head to look at Brodie and he smiled back at her.

‘It is,’ he agreed. He moved closer to her so that his lips were just a breath away from hers—then he kissed her, hard and fast, a thorough, satisfying kiss. She was so taken by surprise and caught up in the joy of everything that was going on that she kissed him back, loving the feel of his arms around her, loving the fact that they’d shared this momentous occasion together.

They kissed and held on to each other for what seemed like a blissful eternity, until there was a sharp rapping at the kitchen door and David was calling out, ‘Anyone at home? Caitlin? Brodie?’

They broke away from one another as they heard the outer door open; David stepped inside the kitchen and came looking for them. Sure that her cheeks were flushed with heat, Caitlin looked back at the dog and her wriggling pups.

‘We’re in here,’ Brodie said. ‘We’ve had some new additions to the family.’

‘Hey, that’s great.’ David came to look at the proud mother, kneeling down to stroke her gently and admire her offspring. ‘Well done, Daisy. Are you all done, now? Is that it...five altogether? Wow!’

They watched the tableau for a while and then David asked, ‘Is that Chinese food going spare in the kitchen? Only, I haven’t eaten for hours.’

‘Help yourself.’ Caitlin stood up. ‘I’ll get you a plate.’

‘Cheers. You’re an angel,’ David murmured. ‘Oh, and at the weekend, I thought you might want to play the part of a farm girl feeding the hens—Brodie can be hoeing the kitchen garden. I talked it over with the producer and he’s okay with that. You don’t have to say anything, just do the actions.’

Brodie followed them into the kitchen, frowning. ‘So what’s the scene all about?’

David took a seat at the table and helped himself to stir-fried noodles and chicken. ‘It’ll be mostly centred around the barn—the detective is looking for a suspect and asks the farmer if anyone’s been hiding out in the barn overnight. The farmer says no, but then they find a bloodstain in the straw and after that the forensic team is brought in.’

‘That’s it?’ Brodie raised his brows expressively.

‘Yeah. It’s an essential part of the drama. Someone was there, see, but the body has been moved.’

‘The plot thickens.’ Caitlin chuckled. ‘What does your father have to do in the scene?’

‘He’ll be delivering foodstuff for the animals—unloading it off a lorry. I suppose Brodie could go and give him a hand—yeah, that would be good. It’ll fit in with the red herring we planned: he looks like the man who drove the getaway car—our prime suspect.’

Caitlin smiled. ‘What a pity the drama spans the TV watershed; the youngsters in the children’s unit will be missing a treat—their favourite doctor on TV. Unless, of course, their parents let them stay up for the first half.’

Brodie’s eyes narrowed on her. ‘Please don’t tell them. I’ll never hear the last of it.’

She chuckled, but David said quickly, ‘I think most people roundabout will know, sooner or later. The press will be on hand for the filming—you know the sort of thing: “
Murder Mysteries
will be back on your screens for the autumn. Filming is taking place now in the peaceful, picturesque village of Ashley Vale, Buckinghamshire. Local doctors have given over their properties for the recording...”
’

Brodie groaned. ‘Why did I ever agree to this? We’ll have the local newshounds all over us as well as the national.’

Caitlin lightly patted his shoulder. ‘Look on the bright side: you’ll be out at work most of the time. Unless they follow you and find you there, of course...’

He groaned again, louder this time, and they laughed.

* * *

The film crew arrived early in the morning on Saturday to allow time for costume, make-up and setting the scene. David had the bright idea of putting Daisy and her puppies in a wooden feed trough in the barn. They would be written into the scene, he said—a means whereby the victim of the story was drawn to the barn. ‘It’ll be a sweet moment in the drama,’ he said, ‘Seeing them all golden-haired and snuggled together.’ They were certainly thriving, getting bigger every day.

Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, Caitlin duly went out to scatter corn for the hens. There was a moment of aggravation when the geese decided they needed to ward off the visitors, but after a few minutes of chasing about, she and Brodie managed to grab hold of them and shut them in one of the outhouses.

‘I’ll give them a feed of leftover vegetables and pellets to keep them happy,’ Caitlin said, breathless after her exertions. ‘I hope we haven’t disrupted the filming too much.’

‘I think they’re used to happenings like that on set,’ Brodie murmured. ‘Besides, it’s given you quite a glow—you’ll look great on camera.’

So she was flushed and harassed already—not a good start. One of the extras was wheezing heavily as he walked by the barn to the lorry but she decided perhaps that was the part he was meant to play. Anyway, Brodie was with him, unloading sacks of grain, his shirt sleeves rolled up, biceps bulging.

She looked away, her own lungs unexpectedly dysfunctional all of a sudden. She began to spread corn over the ground, trying not to show that she’d been affected in any way by his sheer animal magnetism.

For his part, Brodie’s father stood by the lorry and helped to unload the sacks. He and Brodie spoke briefly to one another in undertones as they worked, but their expressions were taut, businesslike. Brodie heaved another sack from the lorry and walked with it on his shoulder to the barn.

‘Okay, thanks, everyone. That’s a wrap on this scene!’ the director said after a while. He went over to the film crew. ‘We’ll move on down the lane in half an hour and do the accident scene. David, you need to come along with us—I’m not sure the script works too well where the policewoman finds the overturned car with the woman at the wheel. She’s on her way to meet her daughter at the farm but I’m not sure her feelings of anxiety are fully shown. Maybe you can tighten it up a bit.’

‘Okay.’ David winced briefly but he didn’t seem too bothered by the request and Caitlin guessed he was used to being asked to make last-minute changes.

‘An overturned car?’ Brodie shot David a piercing look. ‘You didn’t mention that part of the script when you told me about the episode.’

David pulled a face. ‘It was something the producer wanted written in to heighten the drama. There are only the main members of the cast involved, so I didn’t think you’d need to know the details.’

Brodie’s expression was taut. ‘Don’t you have any problem with it?’

David’s mouth flattened. ‘Of course I do—but it’s my job, Brodie. I don’t have a choice but to go along with things. You understand that, don’t you?’

Brodie didn’t answer. His jaw flexed and his eyes glittered, bleak and as hard as flint.

Caitlin watched them, two brothers deep in earnest conversation, and knew something was badly wrong. A car accident had featured heavily in their young lives—it had been the cause of major tragedy for both of them. Was that what was causing the tension between them now?

David glanced at her. ‘I should have said something before this,’ he murmured. ‘It was bound to come as a shock...a reminder of what happened. I’ve had time to get used to it because I’ve been working on the original script for some weeks.’ The director was on the move, briskly calling for the crew to follow him, and David looked back at his brother. ‘I have to go. Will you be all right?’

‘Of course.’ Brodie’s answer was curt but David clearly wasn’t convinced. Once more, he looked at Caitlin and made a helpless gesture with his hands.

She gave an imperceptible nod. ‘Brodie, let’s go and get a coffee, shall we? And I need to let the geese out of prison as soon as the crew have gone.’

‘They’re all packing up and moving out along the lane. It shouldn’t take them too long. I imagine it will be safe soon enough.’ He walked over to the barn, calling out, ‘I’ll get Daisy and her brood.’

His father had already left, Caitlin noticed, and she wondered if that bothered him too. She’d invited Colin to stay behind for coffee and a snack earlier, but he’d declined the offer, saying he had to get back to Mill House. He was having problems with his roof.

Brodie installed Daisy and the puppies—three male, two female—back in their new home in the utility room and then came into the kitchen. Caitlin poured coffee into a mug and slid it across the table towards him. ‘I see you let the geese out,’ she murmured, glancing through the kitchen window. ‘They’ve taken up position by the gate, just in case anyone tries to come back.’

He made a faint smile at that. ‘It’s good to know we don’t need a guard dog. I’m not sure Daisy would be up to the job right now.’

‘I don’t know about that. Wait till the pups are wandering about. I expect she’ll be very protective of them—the mothering instinct will take over.’

Brodie’s expression tautened and she quickly sat down opposite him at the table, placing her hand over his in a comforting gesture. ‘What’s wrong, Brodie? Do you want to tell me about it?’

‘Nothing’s wrong.’ He stiffened, sitting straight backed, his gaze dark.

‘Your mood changed as soon as you heard about the car scene. Perhaps it will help to talk about it.’

‘I don’t see how. Anyway, it was all a long time ago. It shouldn’t...’ His voice trailed off and Caitlin gently ran her hand over his.

‘Did you ever talk about what happened? This is about your mother, isn’t it? Why don’t you bring it out into the open once and for all? Tell me what you’re thinking. It might help.’