‘And I value my sanity far too much to see her, so both of us are happy. If her health is that good, she doesn’t need a doctor anyway. So I’m spared.’

‘It’s not funny.’ Ignoring the amusement in his eyes, Flora kept her head down and put a box of vaccine back in the fridge. ‘You have no idea what things are like here! We’re overwhelmed with work and every day the ferry brings more tourists. Logan needs help. He’s barely had time to see his wife and daughter since Ethan left and the baby is due in a few weeks. He needs someone he can trust.’

‘And you think he can’t trust me?’

‘I don’t think that’s relevant.’ Desperate to make him understand, she turned to face him. ‘If the patients won’t see you, then it doesn’t matter what Logan thinks.’

‘Relax. The tourists will see me. I’ll talk to Janet and make sure she allocates me a surgery full of patients who know nothing about my wicked past.’

‘Conner—’

‘I wasn’t expecting a hero’s welcome, Flora.’ He gave a faint smile. ‘And now you’ll have to excuse me. There’s a bit of a rush on. Patients are fighting to see me and I don’t want to disappoint them.’

Her heart bumped against her chest and she didn’t understand it. She couldn’t possibly find him attractive. It was ridiculous to find him attractive. So why were her legs shaking so much she needed to sit down?

CHAPTER FOUR

‘GLENMORE is in an uproar. Eight patients refused to see him this morning and insisted on waiting for Logan.’ In the café near the harbour, Flora leaned across the table and helped herself to one of Evanna’s sandwiches. ‘These are delicious. Why aren’t you eating them?’

‘Because there’s no room in my body for anything except the baby.’ Evanna shifted in her seat, obviously uncomfortable. ‘They refused to see him? Really? Oh, poor Conner, that’s dreadful. Were his feelings hurt, do you think?’

‘Does he have feelings?’ Flora glanced out of the window, watching idly as groups of tourists walked from the ferry towards the beach. ‘Since when did Conner MacNeil care what people think of him? He is Mr Tough Guy.’

‘Deep down, I’m sure he cares.’

‘If he cared he wouldn’t have done his surgery wearing black leather and half an inch of stubble.’ Flora winced as a toddler tripped over a fishing rod and fell hard onto the pavement. She watched the mother scoop up the child and offer comfort. ‘Believe me, he has no intention of modifying his behaviour to please anyone. He was as defiant and confrontational as ever.’ And sexy. Indecently sexy.

‘If he didn’t care, he’d be living in his parents’ old house up on the cliffs.’