Their Baby Surprise (8 page)

‘I will.’

Robbie lay down, looking very sorry for himself. Matt wrote out a script for penicillin once he’d made sure the boy wasn’t allergic to it. He handed it to the parents along with a couple of sachets of the medicine which he happened to have in his case. At least Robbie wouldn’t need to wait until the morning when the prescription was filled before he started on the medication.

‘Thank you, Dr Thompson,’ Mrs Morris said gratefully. ‘And thank you for coming out as well. We’re really grateful, aren’t we, love?’

‘We are indeed,’ her husband agreed.

‘I’m only sorry that you had to wait so long,’ Matt told them as they saw him out. ‘I don’t know what went wrong tonight but I’ll get onto our on-call service and make sure it doesn’t happen again.’

‘Should I phone them and let them know we don’t need a doctor to call now?’ Mr Morris queried.

Matt shook his head. ‘There’s no need. I’ll do it.’

He went out to his car and put through a call to the on-call service. He explained that there was no longer any need for a doctor to visit the family then asked why there had been such a delay sending someone out. He sighed when he was briskly informed that it was due to a combination of the number of calls they had received and staff shortages. He hated to think that their patients might not be getting the service they deserved.

He drove home, making good time until he reached the outskirts of the town where a heavy layer of frost on the tarmac made him slow down. As he had told Rachel earlier, the practice couldn’t afford to have two of them injured. Thinking about Rachel immediately set loose a whole host of emotions. The temptation to go and see her when he got in was very strong, but he had to resist it. He simply couldn’t trust himself to be around her at the moment and not do something silly, although maybe it would be all right if he just made sure that she had everything she needed. It would take only a moment and he could retire to his bed, duty done.

Matt grimaced as he drew up outside the front door. He knew that he was merely looking for an excuse to see her, but admitting it wasn’t enough to deter him. He went straight to the annexe, pausing outside the door while he mustered his composure. The last thing he wanted was to make Rachel feel that he was coming onto her.

CHAPTER EIGHT

R
ACHEL
was about to switch off the bedside lamp when she heard Matt’s car turning into the drive. She hesitated, undecided what to do. Although he had told her not to wait up, she was tempted to go and see how he had got on. She sighed when she heard the front door open. Interested though she may be in their patients’ welfare, it wasn’t the real reason she wanted to see him, was it?

She reached for the switch but before she could turn off the lamp, there was a knock on the door. Rachel froze. Although a moment ago she had been longing to see him, the thought of seeing him now was suddenly giving her hot and cold chills. How could she hope to carry on a conversation when she was in this frame of mind?

‘Rachel, are you awake?’ His voice carried softly through the door and she knew that she had to answer. Matt must have seen that her light was on as he drove up and it would look very strange if she didn’t reply.

‘Yes, I’m awake,’ she croaked, groaning when she realised how strained her voice sounded. Matt would soon realise there was something wrong if she carried on like this. ‘Come in,’ she called firmly.

‘I spotted your light was still on,’ he explained as he came into the room. ‘I thought I’d better check that you have everything you need.’

‘Yes, thank you.’ Rachel returned his smile, hoping he couldn’t tell how on edge she felt. This was a whole new territory for her because she’d never entertained him in her bedroom before.

Nerves assailed her once more but fortunately he didn’t appear to notice her discomfort. Walking over to the window, he drew the curtains tightly together. ‘We may as well keep out any draughts. It’s bitterly cold out tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised if the temperature drops below freezing point.’

‘It’s been heading that way for the past few days,’ she agreed, although the state of the weather was the least of her problems. All night long she had kept returning to that moment before Matt had left but she still hadn’t decided if she’d been right to think that he had wanted her and the uncertainty of not knowing was the worse thing of all. If she knew how he felt then she might know what to do about it.

The thought made her heart lurch and she hurried on. ‘So how did you get on? Was it another case of meningitis?’

‘No, I’m glad to say.’ He came over to the bed. ‘It turns out that young Robbie managed to get himself bitten by a rat and has rat bite fever. A course of antibiotics will soon sort it out.’

‘Well, that’s good news. I’m sure his parents must be relieved.’

‘Oh, they are. I’m only sorry they had to wait so long for a doctor to turn up and set their minds at rest.’

‘Did you phone the on-call service to find out why there’d been a delay?’

‘I did. Sheer number of calls, apparently, plus they have a couple of their staff off sick.’

‘That wretched bug, no doubt,’ she said ruefully, and he nodded.

‘I expect so, although it’s not really good enough, is it? Patients shouldn’t have to wait so long for help to arrive. I was always uneasy about employing an on-call service before we signed up to it and this proves I was right to have my doubts.’

‘But we’ve never had a problem before,’ she protested.

‘Maybe not, but that’s no excuse. Our patients deserve a reliable service every single day of the year and it’s up to me to make sure they receive it.’

‘That’s ridiculous, Matt! It’s not your fault that they happen to be short-staffed when it’s a particularly busy night.’ Rachel could tell that he wasn’t convinced and leant forward, determined to make him see sense. ‘You can’t blame yourself for what happened tonight.’

‘No, but I intend to keep a closer eye on what’s happening from now on.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s only by the grace of God that it wasn’t another case of meningitis we were dealing with.’

He turned away but she caught hold of his hand. ‘Just because there was a glitch tonight, it doesn’t mean it will happen again,’ she countered, trying to ignore the tingles that were spreading up her arm. Matt’s hand felt so big and warm that she was loath to release it even though she knew that she should. ‘They’re a reliable firm and you have to trust them to get on with the job.’

‘Yes, ma’am!’ Matt said smartly. He eased his hand out from hers, making a great production of flexing his fingers, and Rachel laughed.

‘If you’re trying to make me feel bad about crushing your hand, forget it. There’s no way that I hurt you. I mean, look at the size of your hand compared to mine.’

Rachel laid her hand, palm up, on the quilt, feeling her heart jolt when Matt laid his on top of it. His hand was so much larger than hers that it completely engulfed it. She could feel the roughness of his palm against the smoothness of hers, the strength of his fingers, and shuddered. It had been a long time since a man had touched her like this, a long time since she had wanted this kind of contact either.

Her eyes rose to his face and her breath caught when she saw the expression it held. There was an awareness there that she understood only too well, but it was tinged with something else, something that made her blood heat. All of a sudden she knew that she hadn’t imagined what had happened before. Matt had wanted her then and he wanted her now, wanted her in every way a man could want a woman. Finally seeing the proof of that broke down the barriers she had erected around herself to guard against making any mistakes.

She reached up towards him but he was already bending down to her so that they met halfway. Rachel felt heat envelop her when their mouths met and she gasped, heard him gasp as well. The kiss could have lasted no longer than a second but she was trembling when they drew apart and could see that Matt was trembling too. Maybe they hadn’t planned on this happening but it was what they both desperately needed.

Matt looked at her for a long moment, his eyes grazing over her face before they came to rest on her mouth. ‘If you want me to stop, you only have to say so,’ he said, his voice grating in the quiet of the room.

Rachel took a quick little breath but her own voice sounded equally ragged when it emerged. ‘I don’t want you to stop, though. Really I don’t.’

He was reaching for her before she had finished speaking but she didn’t care. When he sat down on the bed and drew her into his arms, she went willingly, letting the soft curves of her body nestle against the hard contours of his. He held her close against him while he trailed fiery little kisses over her eyes, her nose, the line of her jaw, so that she was dizzy with need by the time he claimed her mouth again.

Rachel clung to him as she kissed him back, making no attempt to hide the hunger she felt. She wanted this so much, wanted Matt to kiss her, hold her, make love to her. When his hands went to the buttons on the borrowed pyjamas she wore, she helped him, working them free until the top fell open. She heard him take a shuddering breath as his hands went to the edges of the fabric. She could tell that he was struggling for control as he parted the jacket, and shivered. That Matt should want her this much was more than she had dared hope for.

‘You’re beautiful, Rachel, so very, very beautiful.’

His tone was reverent as he studied her lush curves. When he reached out and gently cupped her breasts in the palms of his hands, she closed her eyes and gave herself up to the sensations that were flooding through her. She had made love before but not once had she felt this way, filled with passion, overwhelmed by need. Making love with Matt was very different to anything she had experienced before.

He stroked and caressed her breasts until she could barely contain the desire that was building inside her. When he bent and placed his mouth over her nipple, she cried out. He drew back, his eyes intent as he searched her face and what he saw there obviously reassured him because he bent and kissed her other breast, drawing the rigid nipple into his mouth and suckling her.

Rachel gasped as a rush of desire flowed through her. Burying her fingers in his hair, she held his head against her, whimpering softly as he continued to lavish attention on her breasts before letting his mouth glide down her body. He kissed her waist, encircling her ribs with nibbling little kisses that made her twist and writhe with unbearable pleasure. Then when his tongue found her navel and dipped in and out, she groaned. Nothing had prepared her for how Matt made her feel.

His mouth retraced its route, stopping frequently to scatter more kisses over her body until Rachel could barely think. When he drew back and stood up, she could only murmur in protest, but he shook his head.

‘I’m not going anywhere, Rachel. Not unless you tell me to.’

‘I don’t want you to go,’ she said huskily.

‘Good.’ He dropped another deliciously sexy kiss on her mouth then stripped off her pyjama pants and his own clothes as well. Rachel just had a moment to marvel at the power and beauty of his aroused body before he lay down beside her and took her in his arms, holding her so close that she could feel his erection pressing against her.

‘You can still say no, Rachel,’ he whispered, his breath warm and sweet on her cheek. ‘If this isn’t what you want, we can stop right now.’

‘It is what I want, though.’ She looked deep into his eyes so there would be no mistake. ‘I already told you that, Matt, and I meant it.’

‘It’s what I want as well.’

His voice throbbed with need and she shuddered when she heard the hunger it held. Opening her arms, she welcomed him into her embrace, her body suffused with desire when he entered her in one swift, breath-taking thrust. They made love with a desperation that spoke volumes, then made love a second time with a pure unbridled joy that brought tears to both their eyes.

Rachel knew that she had never shared this kind of closeness with anyone before and never would. It was only with Matt that she felt secure enough to give herself so completely, to shed all the restraints and allow herself to feel each and every emotion. She trusted Matt and that made all the difference. For the first time in her life she felt safe, secure, wanted, although she shied away from the one word that would have made the experience perfect. Until she knew how Matt truly felt, she couldn’t claim that she felt loved.

Day came slowly, the darkness gradually fading as dawn crept in. Matt was already awake and had been awake for hours. He had been too keyed up to sleep and had spent the night listening to the sound of Rachel’s breathing as she had lain beside him. Now, as he studied the delicate beauty of her profile, he was assailed by doubts. Had he made a mistake by sleeping with her?

Last night he had been caught up in the throes of a kind of madness, his body demanding the release that only making love to her could give him. Now he’d had time to think and panic was setting in. He may have sated his hunger but at what cost? He would never forgive himself if he hurt Rachel, yet he was aware of how easy it would be to do so. After all, what could he offer her? One night of passion wasn’t enough, but he wasn’t able to offer her anything more. Not yet.

He rolled onto his back, feeling the emotions welling up inside him. Guilt and joy, sadness and elation were all mixed up together so that it was hard to know how he really felt. Had he betrayed Claire’s memory by making love to another woman?

Guilt swamped him even though his head rejected the idea, insisted that he had nothing to feel guilty about, that it was time he moved on and lived his life in the present instead of the past. However, it wasn’t the only issue, was it? There was Heather—how would she feel if she found out? Would she be upset that he had slept with another woman, especially when that woman was Ross’s mother? He knew that Heather liked Rachel but that wasn’t the point. By sleeping with Rachel, he may have made the situation even more difficult for his daughter. The thought made him feel even worse.

‘Don’t.’

Matt jumped when Rachel suddenly spoke. Rolling onto his side, he felt the maelstrom of emotions inside him shift once more when he saw the sadness on her face. Obviously, she had guessed that he had doubts about what they had done and it grieved him to know that he was hurting her this way.

‘I’m sorry.’ He ran the tip of his finger down her cheek in gentle apology, feeling the tremor that started in the pit of his stomach when he discovered all over again how wonderfully soft her skin felt. He may have caressed every inch of her beautiful body just hours before, but touching her now, it felt like the very first time. His breath caught as he was forced to acknowledge the truth: he may have doubts about what they had done but he still wanted her. That hadn’t changed.

‘We didn’t do anything wrong, Matt,’ she said quietly, her eyes holding his. ‘We’re both free agents, so don’t beat yourself up about last night. It’s over and done with, and now we can forget all about it.’

Was that what she wanted? he wondered in gut-wrenching dismay. To forget what they had shared and how magical it had been? He searched her face but could find nothing there to make him think that she hadn’t meant it. Rachel wanted to put the episode behind her and whilst he doubted if he could do that, if it was what she wanted then at the very least he had to try.

‘If that’s what you want, it’s fine by me,’ he said flatly, loath to admit how much it hurt him to comply. Last night had been a turning point in his life even though he wasn’t sure if it had been a turn for the better. However, evidently it hadn’t been the same for her.

Pain lanced through him and he tossed back the quilt, afraid that his feelings would become only too apparent if he remained there. ‘I’d better go and have a shower. Breakfast in ten minutes. OK?’

‘Fine.’

She gave him a quick smile but Matt didn’t linger. There was no reason to when she had made it clear that last night had been a one-off and there wasn’t going to be a repeat. The thought accompanied him back to his room, stayed with him while he showered, like a black cloud hovering over his head. He knew it was going to take time before he shrugged off the feeling of rejection and cursed his own stupidity.

He wasn’t a teenager, for heaven’s sake! He was a grown man and he’d had relationships before he had married. Granted, he’d not had any since Claire had died, but it had been his choice to remain celibate, just as it had been his choice to sleep with Rachel. Now he had to do as she had requested and put it behind him. It shouldn’t be that difficult. One night of passion wasn’t going to completely alter the course of his life. Maybe it had seemed like a milestone because it had been the first time he had slept with anyone in years, but it wouldn’t be the last time. Now he had taken that first step, it would be easier the next time.