A Doctor Beyond Compare Read online

  ‘Arrested?’ Holly stared at the older woman, her heart beginning to thud in alarm. ‘What for?’

  The receptionist shrugged casually. ‘It was basically a trumped up assault charge—a pub fight that got out of hand. The charges were dropped before it went to trial, thank God.’

  Holly couldn’t quite disguise a convulsive swallow. She knew a little too much about the legal system and what it could do to people. Her cousin Aaron was currently serving time for a crime he couldn’t even remember committing. A combination of alcohol and recreational drugs had seen him face an indefensible assault charge. His young life was ruined by a mistake that should never have happened and wouldn’t have happened if he’d been a little more careful in his choice of friends.

  ‘Don’t look so worried,’ Karen said. ‘Harry Winston’s not the one to be frightened of around here.’

  ‘Oh?’

  Karen gave her a conspiratorial look and lowered her voice to an undertone. ‘As of three days ago Baronga Beach now has a murderer living on the outskirts of town.’

  Holly stepped backwards in shock. ‘A murderer?’

  Karen nodded grimly. ‘Noel Maynard served twenty-five years for the murder of a local teenage girl. He’s just been released out on parole. No one is happy about it, of course, but what can you do? The prison psychiatrist has given him the all-clear and apparently he’s been a model prisoner so he was let out. He’s staying out on a property in the hills with his elderly mother. Of course, she’s always claimed he didn’t do it but then that’s part of being a mother, I guess. No one wants to think their child is capable of such a vicious crime.’

  ‘Yes…I suppose so…’ Holly frowned at the irony of it all. She’d thought by coming to a quiet country town she’d be well out of the way of the underbelly of crime that made working and living in inner Sydney so terrifying at times, never thinking she’d be rubbing shoulders with convicted criminals.

  ‘Tina Shoreham was my best friend,’ Karen said into the little silence, her expression immeasurably sad. ‘Not a day goes past that I don’t think of all she missed out on because of that creep. He cut her life short. Strangled her with his bare hands and stabbed her and left her to the crows to…’ She stopped and dabbed at her eyes for a moment before she continued. ‘Her parents, Grant and Lisa, have no other children, so there are no grandchildren to look forward to, no birthdays to celebrate—just raw, painful, relentless grief and anger at what Noel Maynard did.’

  Holly was uncomfortable with the older woman’s emotions on a subject that was obviously still very painful for her. What could anyone say to relieve that level of grief and suffering?

  Karen began to lead the way back to reception. ‘So you see, Harry is nothing to worry about at all. Besides, he’s too old to get up to too much mischief these days.’

  ‘Old?’ She stopped in her tracks to stare at the receptionist.

  Karen swivelled around to look at her. ‘What, you didn’t think he looked old?’

  ‘No…’ Holly frowned as she brought the man’s scruffy but undeniably handsome features to mind. ‘Well, at least not much more than his early thirties.’

  ‘You must have caught him on one of his good days, then,’ Karen said. ‘When he remembers to shave he can actually look quite presentable.’ She gave a little chuckle and added, ‘That car of his, however, is another story.’

  Holly’s mouth tightened. ‘His car—and I use that term very loosely—didn’t look roadworthy and certainly didn’t sound it. I had a few words with him but he was incredibly insulting.’

  Karen frowned. ‘Oh, dear, that doesn’t sound like Harry at all. He must have been having a very bad day. I’ll mention it to Dr McCarrick when he comes in. He should be here shortly. Why don’t you make a start since you’re here early? Erma will be busting a gut to be the first patient to see the new doctor in town.’

  A few minutes later Holly was sitting opposite the elderly Mrs Shaw, who had not drawn breath for the last ten minutes. She had given Holly a run-down on the town’s history, including that of her great-great-great-grandfather’s role in settling the town in the height of the timber-felling era.

  ‘It was tough in those days, Dr Saxby,’ Erma said. ‘No place for a woman. Of course, someone like you wouldn’t have lasted a day or two at the most.’

  Holly straightened in her seat. ‘What do you mean?’

  Erma gave her a look from beneath beetling brows. ‘You’re a city girl, they tell me.’

  ‘Um…yes…that’s correct.’

  ‘This is a rough sort of place for a city girl,’ the old woman said. ‘There aren’t any creature comforts this far down the coast.’

  ‘I’m sure I’ll manage to survive,’ Holly put in.

  The old woman leaned forward on her chair, her beady eyes very intent. ‘I suppose you’ve heard about Noel Maynard?’

  Holly opened her mouth to answer but Erma was already continuing in the same cautionary tone. ‘He killed once and he’ll kill again. Don’t have anything to do with him. He’s not to be trusted, especially around helpless young women. Let Dr McCarrick deal with him.’

  Holly wasn’t too happy about being automatically assigned a helpless female role although she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted a convicted murderer on her patient list, either.

  ‘Are you married?’ Erma asked before she could think of a suitable response.

  ‘Er…no…’

  ‘Boyfriend?’

  Holly hoped her cheeks weren’t showing the heat she could feel from the inside. ‘No…not at present.’

  ‘You won’t find one down here,’ Erma told her. ‘Not unless you take a fancy to the doctor, but let me tell you, he doesn’t have much time for city girls after what happened before.’

  Holly found herself leaning forward on her chair, her voice automatically lowering in response to her rising intrigue. ‘What happened before?’

  Erma pursed her lips for a moment as if considering whether or not to tell her. ‘It was a nasty business.’

  ‘It…it was?’

  ‘Oh, yes.’ Erma nodded gravely. ‘They were practically walking up the aisle when she ran off with another man.’

  Holly’s stomach caved inwards in empathy. Hadn’t she had the very same thing happen to her just a matter of weeks ago?

  ‘Oh…that’s awful…’

  ‘Too right, it was, and he took months to get over it,’ Erma informed her conspiratorially.

  ‘Is he…OK now?’

  Erma sat back in her chair. ‘He’s making some ground but we all keep a close watch on him. He’s really rather special to us all. We wouldn’t want to lose him.’

  Holly gave a mental gulp. What was Erma suggesting? That Dr McCarrick was somehow suicidal?

  Oh, what had she committed herself to?

  ‘Mind you, he could do with some help around here,’ Erma went on. ‘I hope you’re going to carry your weight, young lady, as he’s been running this town single-handedly for far too long.’

  ‘I am more than prepared to do my fair share,’ Holly said firmly. ‘Now, since you’re here to see me, is there anything I can do for you today? I’ve checked through your notes and it seems you’ve not long recovered from a cut on your leg which Dr McCarrick sutured for you. How is it going?’

  She was immensely relieved when the old woman lifted her skirt to show her the purplish scar on her leg. This was the sort of stuff she was trained to deal with, not intimate disclosures about the man she was going to be working alongside for the next twelve months!

  CHAPTER THREE

  HOLLY looked up at the clock at lunch time and wondered where the morning had gone. She still hadn’ t met Dr McCarrick but Karen had informed her he’d been called out for a home visit which had meant the rest of his patients had to be transferred to her instead.

  Holly had been more than pleased to help and had quite enjoyed working her way through the appointments, some of which had been quite challenging, but she felt pleased she’d
been able to handle them with increasing confidence.

  Once the last patient of the morning had left she stretched out her legs beneath the desk and sighed. There was a quick rap at the door but, before she could tell whoever it was to come in, the door opened and a man stepped into her consulting room.

  It was him!

  He had showered and shaved and his sea salt-encrusted hair was now shiny and clean and neatly styled. And instead of his well-worn and faded board shorts he was wearing clean blue jeans and an open-necked cotton shirt which highlighted his tan and made his eyes—this time—seem even more green than blue.

  Holly got stiffly to her feet and cast him a reprimanding look. ‘I’m afraid you have missed the morning’s consultation clinic. You’ll have to rebook for this afternoon’s session unless it’s an urgent matter.’

  ‘It’s not urgent, but I thought I should make myself known to you,’ he said with a smile lurking at the edges of his mouth.

  ‘I already know who you are,’ she said through tight lips. ‘Now, I suggest you leave my office and make a proper appointment with the receptionist.’

  He sauntered across the room to stand in front of her desk. ‘I don’t have to make an appointment. I usually come and go as I please.’

  Holly’s hands gripped the edge of the desk as she raised one finely arched brow imperiously. ‘You will have to do so in future if you wish to see me.’

  His blue-green eyes glinted as he looked down at her. ‘I thought you might make an exception for me. After all, we’re going to be neighbours.’

  ‘Look Mr…er, Winston—’ Holly perfected her best schoolmistress tone ‘—I’ve had a busy morning and I do not appreciate you barging in here without a proper appoint—’

  ‘McCarrick.’

  ‘—ment because it’s not fair on the other patients who have to wait to see either me or Dr Mc—’ She blinked at him for a moment as his smile widened.

  ‘Cameron McCarrick,’ he said, offering her a hand. ‘Dr Cameron McCarrick.’

  Holly gulped and gasped simultaneously. ‘You’re…you’re Dr McCarrick?’

  He inclined his head, his eyes dancing with obvious amusement. ‘Howdy pardner,’ he drawled. ‘Welcome to Baronga Beach Medical Clinic.’

  For once, the years of clinical training she’d endured didn’t come to Holly’s rescue. Her quick-flash temper completely overrode her usual professional calm and iron-clad control. Her eyes flashed indignant fire at him as she stood almost shaking with rage at the way he’d deliberately misled her about his true identity.

  ‘You b-b—jerk!’ she spluttered.

  He raised his brows slightly. ‘Not quite the greeting I was expecting from a smart city girl.’

  ‘It’s the greeting you deserve!’ she shot back. ‘You deliberately misled me. You damn well knew who I was from the word go and yet you played me for a fool every chance you could.’

  He folded his arms across the broad expanse of his chest as if preparing to wait out a childish tirade, which only goaded her into further incautious speech.

  ‘How dare you let me think you were a surfing layabout? Not to mention driving that ridiculous car and pretending to be one of the neighbours. You had numerous opportunities to set me straight, but no—you were waiting until I’d dug a hole big enough to bury myself in so you could have the biggest laugh at my expense. Men like you make me sick. You think you’re so smart but, let me tell you, I know how to handle jerks like you.’ She stopped for breath, her chest still heaving.

  ‘Are you done?’ he asked with implacable calm.

  ‘No, I am not done!’ She thumped her hand on the desk for emphasis. ‘I’ve got a good mind to report you. No wonder country towns have such trouble attracting competent medical personnel if this is the treatment they receive on arrival. What exactly is your motive? Or is this your idea of entertainment in lieu of a cinema or whatever else this town lacks?’

  ‘What this town lacks is a sense of humour in its new female doctor,’ he said with a touch of dryness.

  Holly let out a gasp of outrage. ‘I can’t believe men like you still exist. Just exactly where do you get off? I have a sense of humour but I’m afraid it doesn’t quite stretch to appreciating puerile practical jokes that at worst belong in a middle school playground, not at a medical clinic.’

  ‘You were the one to make the all-too-ready assumption that I was someone else,’ he pointed out.

  ‘How could I not make that assumption? You were driving like a maniac, you had a bottle of Jack Daniels under one arm and you were dressed like a homeless person. You didn’t look anything like a responsible country GP.’

  ‘I was driving a mate’s car back to town as I’d gone to Jandawarra in the ambulance with a patient. I admit Harry’s car isn’t exactly Wheels magazine car of the year, but it got me back where I needed to be. Besides, I was doing him a favour returning it to him. It’s been impounded for months.’

  ‘For drink-driving, I believe?’ She sent him a scathing look. ‘You know what they say about hanging around with convicted criminals; if you hang around stray dogs, sooner or later you’ll pick up fleas.’

  He shook his head, communicating his disdain. ‘Typical. You city girls are all the same. Appearances are everything. If a guy isn’ t wearing the right clothes or has the right hairstyle or driving the right sort of car or mixing with the right sort of people. Then…’ he gave his fingers a snap ‘…you move on to the next guy who might be closer to fulfilling your unrealistic expectations.’

  ‘Like your ex-fiancée did?’ Holly said before she could stop herself.

  The green went out of his eyes to be replaced by a steely blue. ‘I hardly think that is any of your business, Dr Saxby.’

  It was too late to take the words back but Holly was too angry to apologise. She decided some time out was probably the best way to go so, with a toss of her head, she made to brush past him. ‘Excuse me, I’m going to have some lunch.’

  A long, tanned, very strong arm suddenly blocked her path, the contracted muscles against her stomach communicating their strength through the thin raw silk of her blouse. Holly sucked in her stomach and dragged her eyes up to the glittering hardness of his.

  ‘If we are to work in any sort of professional harmony, Dr Saxby, I would suggest you refrain in future from mentioning anything whatsoever to do with my personal life. Is that understood?’

  Holly gritted her teeth. ‘I would suggest, Dr McCarrick, that you take away your arm before I forcibly remove it. Understood?’

  It annoyed her that he smiled. It really, really annoyed her. The brief flare of anger in his eyes had disappeared, to be replaced by a twinkling amusement which she could only assume was his usual response to every situation. Holly knew she had a tendency to take life a little too seriously at times, but she resented him stringing her along when at any point he could have introduced himself properly. She didn’t like being laughed at, nor did she like being on the receiving end of a practical joke which had made her seem both foolish and prejudiced. What did he hope to gain from it? She was already feeling a little out of her depth as it was, and having him play the clown all the time was not going to make her feel any more comfortable, especially as she would have to work so closely with him.

  She gave him another warning glare and after a few beats of holding her gaze he removed his arm and stepped aside, his mouth still tilted in obvious amusement. She threw him a fulminating look as she stalked past, only just resisting the temptation to slam the door as she left.

  Karen was in the tea room when she came in. ‘I’ve just boiled the kettle. How do you have your tea?’ She stopped mid-pour when she saw the expression on Holly’s face. ‘Is something wrong?’

  Holly folded her arms across her chest. ‘I just met Dr McCarrick.’

  ‘Finally,’ Karen grunted. ‘Poor darling’s been run off his feet this morning. I don’t know how he does it, really I don’t. A lot of doctors these days refuse to do house calls—too time co
nsuming—but he never says no. He’s an angel. There’s just no one like him.’

  Holly inwardly seethed. ‘No, I’m sure there’s not.’

  Karen handed her a cup and pushed the milk and sugar closer. ‘There are sandwiches under that tea towel. The nursing home kitchen staff send them each day but if you’d like something else there’s a milk bar two blocks away.’

  ‘No, this will be fine…I’m not all that hungry, anyway.’

  Karen gave an empathetic sigh. ‘First-day nerves. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. We’re really like one big happy family here, aren’t we, Cameron?’ she asked as he came in at that moment.

  He gave the receptionist a quick grin and reached for a sandwich. ‘That’s right, Karen. One big happy family.’

  Holly felt like rolling her eyes. She felt the weight of Cameron’s blue-green gaze as she nibbled ineffectually at a triangle of ham sandwich and, turning her head the other way, caught the tail end of Karen’s speculative look.

  ‘You don’t seem to be enjoying that sandwich, Holly.’ She passed the plate of sandwiches across. ‘Have one of the egg ones, they’re quite nice.’

  She took one to be polite. ‘Thank you.’

  Cameron took the chair opposite and reached for another sandwich with one hand and the newspaper with the other. He took a bite of the sandwich and, flicking the paper to straighten it, leaned back in his chair, one ankle crossed casually over his muscled thigh.

  The phone rang in reception and Karen bustled off to answer it. Holly listened to the occasional rustle of the newspaper and the protest of the chair when he leaned forward for another sandwich but she stalwartly refused to engage in idle chit-chat with him.

  Angel, indeed! She silently fumed. He was probably laughing at her right now behind that damned newspaper.

  ‘What star sign are you?’ he asked.

  ‘Excuse me?’

  He lowered the paper to look at her. ‘Let me guess…Scorpio, am I right?’