Page 4 of Do Opposites Attract?

‘Thanks, but my personal life isn’t on today’s agenda,’ he told the group gruffly just as Stuart and Roger joined them. Stuart was the other doctor in the team, not long out of medical school. Young and single, what he lacked in experience he madeup for in enthusiasm. Roger was a huge, burly, no-nonsense individual who made a surprisingly gentle and caring nurse. He was married, but his wife seemed to tolerate his frequent stints abroad. Some speculated that was what made their marriage work.

‘So will it be on a future agenda then, boss?’ Dan, the last one in the team, grinned as he plonked himself on the remaining chair. Single and in his mid-twenties, he was handsome and he knew it; a total ladies’ man. Officially he was in charge of logistics. Unofficially he was also the unit’s entertainment co-ordinator, which usually meant locating the nearest available bar. A place they could unwind and, for a few hours at least, block out the misery they’d witnessed during the day.

‘My personal life will never be an agenda item. Not as long as I’m still breathing,’ Mitch muttered darkly, and they all laughed.

‘Sure thing, boss. You’re our man of mystery. You’re single, like to run and swim and enjoy an occasional beer. It’s all we need to know.’ Dan grinned again, flashing a set of even white teeth. ‘Speaking of which, I’ve located the nearest watering hole. Any chance of you joining us tonight?’

Mitch shook his head, surprising nobody. They always asked, but he rarely came. Thrust together under circumstances that made for real, lifelong friendships, Mitch remained a man alone. It wasn’t that he was unfriendly. Just that he didn’t allow anyone to get close to him.

‘Right, down to the real agenda,’ Mitch announced abruptly, determinedly steering the topic of conversation back to work. ‘Dan has managed to track down the rest of our supplies and they should be with us tomorrow evening. In the meantime, the stuff we have has been borrowed from the hospital in the next town. Use it wisely.’

His grim expression said all it needed to. They weren’t to waste it on patients who weren’t going to make it.

‘On a lighter note, we have a visitor, Brianna Worthington, joining us tomorrow for a week. As she’s the patron’s daughter, I guess that means we’ll have to be on our best behaviour.’ His wry grin caused his eyes to crinkle and the hearts of the women to flutter. ‘Without the money, we don’t exist.’

‘Better put me in charge of looking after her then,’ Dan interrupted cockily.

Mitch chuckled and his harsh features temporarily relaxed. ‘I can’t think of a man more suited for the job. I was going to say she’ll be in safe hands, but frankly with you, I’m not so sure.’

‘She might prefer the quieter, more sensitive type,’ Stuart interjected, a determined glint in his eye. ‘I think I should be responsible for showing her around.’

Mitch shook his head. ‘Come on, guys. The woman hasn’t even arrived yet and already she’s causing trouble. She might be fat and ugly for all you know.’

‘Yeah, but she’s going to be loaded,’ Dan replied sheepishly. ‘That would sure make up for any disappointment in the looks department.’

Rolling his eyes heavenwards, Mitch sighed. ‘Well someone has to pick her up from the airport tomorrow. Maybe you boys should flip a coin. Meanwhile go and make merry, but for God’s sake behave yourselves. Roger and I will hold the fort.’

Mitch watched them bustle out of the tent, their minds already on a well-deserved night off. Sometimes he wished he could be like that. It must be great to drink, relax and share experiences, but he hadn’t been made that way. He couldn’t do small talk. He couldn’t share confidences. Heck, he couldn’t even relax properly in the company of others, even those he knew well. All of which meant there were very few people in his life he had ever been close to. He had a couple of friends from the army but they were now married and he felt like such a spare part when they all hooked up, it seemed easier not tobother. Besides, he was happy with his own company. Frankly he preferred it to the effort of making conversation with others.

‘Sleep or ward duty?’ he asked Roger, who shrugged his massive shoulders. ‘Okay, toss you for it.’

‘Heads.’

Mitch flipped the coin, took a quick look and then thrust it back into his pocket. ‘Unlucky. You’re on duty.’

‘Hey, wait a minute. I didn’t see that.’

‘Calling me a liar?’

Roger chuckled — a sound quite incongruous with his big, brawny looks. ‘Sly and sneaky, yeah, but a liar? Nah. Heads it is. Enjoy your kip.’

While Roger went to take his turn on ward duty, Mitch made his weary way back to his tent. Luxurious it wasn’t. A camp bed, an oil lantern and a table and chair that doubled up as a desk when he needed to catch up with his paperwork. Something he’d fully intended to do when he’d called tails on a coin that had turned up heads. But the moment he spied the bed, exhaustion crept up on him and instead of sitting at the makeshift desk, he lay down. In this job he’d learnt to sleep whenever he got the opportunity.

Chapter Three

Brianna breathed a huge sigh of relief when the small plane finally touched down onto the tiny airstrip. Relief, because she’d finally reached her destination after twenty-four hours of travelling and relief that the churning motion of the little propeller driven plane had finally come to an end. That being said, she climbed down the steep steps with a great degree of trepidation. She’d seen from the air the devastation the recent tornado and subsequent flooding had caused. The affected area was vast and she wasn’t particularly looking forward to seeing the results close up. Hers had been a privileged existence so far. In all her twenty-six years the only hardship she’d witnessed had been on the television. This next week was going to be one heck of a giant step into the unknown, that was for sure.

The heat and the barrenness of the landscape hit her as she reached the cracked tarmac, a sharp warning of the discomfort that lay ahead. Part of her, the part that delighted in luxury, was already starting to regret her rash decision to come here. At this very moment she could be flashing her credit card round the Knightsbridge shops — a world away from where she was now. But that was the whole point, wasn’t it?

Looking up she caught sight of a tall, rangy man walking towards the plane. The long stride, loose-limbed gait and straight back bore the hallmarks of a man who was confident in his own skin. A man who knew where he was heading. Her eyes skimmed over his muddy desert boots, creased khaki shorts and plain white T-shirt. Was that the hint of a black tattoo on his bicep, creeping beneath the shirtsleeve? After acknowledging the pilot with a wave of his tanned arm, the man turned and strode towards her. Dark blond hair, in need of a good cut, surrounded a sun-bronzed, rugged face. It was a face tooharsh, too strong to be called handsome. But it made her look, nonetheless.

‘Brianna, I presume?’ He looked directly at her, his eyes cool and assessing, his voice deep and curt. It was a voice used to issuing commands, used to being in control.

Control was something Brianna was also familiar with. As was the fact that men usually came on to her when they were first introduced. That sounded vain, and it wasn’t something she encouraged, just something she lived with. Men seemed to want to flirt with her, whatever their age. Clearly this one was an exception. The fact that he couldn’t even muster a smile for her was intriguing. It didn’t upset her. Just made her determined to make him take notice. ‘You presume correctly,’ she replied, smiling broadly and holding out her hand. ‘Pleased to meet you.’

The man glanced at the offered hand, but ignored it. ‘Have you any bags in the hold?’

She muffled the gasp, but couldn’t prevent a sharp intake of breath. Her world might be very different to his, but surely simple courtesy had a place wherever you were? She couldn’t work out if he was simply as coarse as he appeared, or if he was deliberately trying to rile her. If it was the latter, he was succeeding. Clutching at manners ingrained in her from an early age, Brianna bit her tongue and continued to smile. ‘Thank you, yes. There’s my holdall and two boxes.’

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