Page 5 of Do Opposites Attract?

Without a word the man swung round and marched over to the plane where he opened the cargo door and pulled out the items. As she watched, the biceps on his arms bunched and the tattoo became clearer; a black panther. An involuntary tremor ran down her spine and for the first time since she’d embarked on the trip, Brianna thought about her own safety. Here she was, in a foreign country thousands of miles from home and dependent on this man to take her to where she needed to go. A man who wore a bold tattoo and an air of . . . well, franklymenace. At the very least, he was pretty intimidating. A view that wasn’t altered when he thrust one of the boxes into her hands and strode towards the jeep without a backward glance.

Brianna had no choice but to follow. The alternative was to remain alone in an empty airfield in the middle of nowhere. Wordlessly he dumped the luggage into the back of the truck and went to sit in the driver’s seat. She stared in open-mouthed astonishment, the box she was left carrying nearly slipping from her hands. Whoever the heck this man was, he was certainly no gentleman. With a hiss of irritation she hoisted the darn package into the back and stalked to the passenger side. As she struggled to open the stiff, heavy door and climb up into the battered seat, she realised she’d taken for granted the charm and effortless good manners of the men she usually mixed with. Apparently opening the car door for a lady didn’t come instinctively to every man. Clearly not to the one who sat beside her, his eyes fixed forwards.

Perversely, the ruder he was, the more determined she became to show him the social skills he clearly lacked. ‘It’s kind of you to come and pick me up. How are things at the camp? Are they on top of the situation yet?’

Briefly the man paused in the action of starting the engine to give her a cold look. ‘Villages have been flattened, electricity and water cut off, families torn apart. We’re still pulling people out of destroyed buildings and flooded rivers. No, I don’t think you could say we’re on top of things.’

Bastard, Brianna thought angrily. How dare he talk down to her like that? She hadn’t meant anything by her simple question — just some small talk to ease the journey. ‘Thank you for your assessment,’ she replied frostily, deciding not to pursue any further conversation. She could only thank God she wouldn’t have much to do with this man when they arrived at the camp.He was clearly the driver. Hopefully the medical team would be friendlier.

* * *

Mitch watched the temper flare briefly in Brianna’s eyes at his reply and smiled to himself. He had no doubt she wasn’t used to being spoken to like that. She probably had a group of sycophantic friends who followed her around, hung on her every word, told her what they thought she wanted to hear. He guessed that was what it was like in the rich world she lived in. Of course he didn’t know. When he thought of the contrast between his own upbringing and hers . . . he shook his head in disgust. Even he could see the massive chip that sat firmly on his shoulder. The fact that it was still there and that it only took someone like Brianna to reveal it, annoyed the hell out of him. He’d done well for himself, achieved respectability. Where he’d come from shouldn’t matter. But it did, particularly when he met people like her. Which was why, instead of being polite and civil, things he knew he was quite capable of, the devil inside him made him act just the opposite. He became the rough, ill-mannered man synonymous with his upbringing. He hadn’t missed the look of shock on her face when he’d thrust the parcel at her. Nor had he missed her look of disdain when faced with having to open her own door. Well, this was his turf. While she was here she would have to learn to play by his rules. Which meant not being waited on hand and foot and not being mollycoddled. It also meant doing as she was told.

He smiled grimly to himself. It was going to be interesting to see how she’d cope with all that. He’d promised Margaret he’d show the patron’s daughter round and give her an insight into the work they did and he would. Just not cap in hand. If he had to babysit the woman for a week, she’d have to take him as she found him.

As the jeep bounced over the ruts in the road, he idly glanced over in her direction. One thing was for certain, she was trouble with a capital T. Dan and Steve had already argued so much about who was going to pick her up that in the end Mitch had snatched the keys and driven off himself. And that was before they knew she wasn’t a fat, ugly heiress. Jeez, when they found out she was actually a flaming beautiful one, they were going to be unbearable. With flashing green eyes, shiny brown hair and a curvaceous figure no man could ignore, and believe it, he was trying, she was one sexy lady. Not the type he wanted hanging round an overworked, increasingly stressed camp. Added to which, the flirtatious smile she’d first directed at him told him she was a lady used to enjoying the company of men. Used to wrapping them around her little finger.

It was going to be a very long week.

Their journey to the camp was conducted in an uneasy silence, Mitch very aware of Brianna quietly fuming next to him. He smiled grimly to himself. She could choose to sulk, or choose to listen. It made no odds to him.

‘Mitch!’ As he pulled up by the Medic SOS tents, Jane came hurrying out to meet him.

Brianna turned her head sharply towards him, astonishment written across her perfect features. ‘You’reMitch McBride? Well, it would have been nice if you’d bothered to introduce yourself.’

Before he could reply, Jane interrupted. ‘There’s an emergency, Mitch. You’re needed on the ward.’

As Jane hurried away, Mitch jumped down from the jeep. ‘Sorry, honey. I’ve got more important things to do than smooth your ruffled feathers.’ Midway to the tent, his mind already focused on the emergency, he paused and shot Brianna a brief look over his shoulder. ‘Stay in the jeep. I’ll get someone to come and sort you out.’

Brianna let out a snarl of sheer frustration. How bloody rude. Irritated, she deliberately climbed out. The sight that met her was awful enough to push her petty annoyance into the background. My God, the place looked stark. Row upon row of battered, makeshift tents in a huge muddy field. She shuddered, unable to stop the totally selfish thought that she wasn’t going to be getting a nice hot shower to ease away the discomfort of a day and night travelling. And, to top it all, the man she’d been assured would be happy to help her understand the work of the charity, seemed to be anything but happy. The words surly, rude and arrogant came to the top of her mind.

‘Brianna?’ A handsome young man approached her, a wide grin on his face. ‘Wow, we really hit the jackpot with you. First time we get a visitor and she’s drop dead gorgeous. Well, welcome to hell. I’m Dan and I’m here to look after you. Anything you need, just ask me.’

For the first time since she’d set out on this adventure, Brianna felt her shoulders start to relax. Here at last was an admiring man with a friendly face. ‘Great to meet you, Dan. I suppose a hot shower is out of the question?’ The words blurted embarrassingly from her lips but Dan simply laughed.

‘Well, it’s pretty basic and there might be a problem with hot water, but we can manage something resembling a shower. Come with me.’

‘Really, a shower?’ Right now she didn’t care what it looked like or if the water was freezing. Anything that removed dust and grime was okay with her.

‘Really.’

He plucked her holdall and both boxes out of the truck with an ease that reinforced her earlier impression; Mitch had been out to make a point when he’d made her carry one. Either that or he was a weakling. A clear image of taut, muscular biceps flooded her mind and she stumbled on the uneven ground.

‘Watch your step. Don’t want you banged up with a twisted ankle on day one.’

Dragging in a lungful of air, she focused on the man she was with. ‘What’s your role in the team then, Dan?’ she asked as they skirted the larger marquee-like tents that she guessed substituted for a hospital and made their way towards a cluster of much smaller ones.

‘Logistics,’ he replied, another quick-fire grin lighting up his face. ‘Which basically means I do everything that isn’t connected with the medical care. I sort out supplies, put up the medical tents and equipment, work with the other charities to make sure we get food and shelter for ourselves. Plus I look after any visitors,’ he added with a wink.

Brianna bet Dan knew all about looking after visitors, female ones in particular. He had a natural, easy charm and, together with his obvious good looks, it made him very attractive. But much as she was enjoying his attention, Brianna knew she wasn’t going to be one of his conquests. She preferred the slightly less obvious, the less easy. In truth, although she hated to admit it, Mitch was the one who’d grabbed her interest. Overbearing and ill-mannered he might be, but his surprising deep brown eyes drew a woman in, and his forceful personality made her sit up and take notice. Even though she might not want to.

Dan had moved ahead of her and was now unzipping the entrance to a tatty looking white tent she guessed she’d be calling home.

‘Here you go. It might not be much, but after a day around here, trust me, you’ll be glad to get back to it,’ he remarked as he placed her luggage on the floor. ‘There is a temporary shower just around the corner. The water’s cold, but it will definitely freshen you up. Alternatively, some of us go and bathe in the lake. It’s okay, as long as you watch out for crocodiles.’

Brianna shivered. ‘I think I’ll go for the shower.’

‘Probably a wise choice,’ Dan agreed with a grin. ‘I’ll leave you to sort yourself out. When you feel like some company, come to the main medical tent. There are sure to be a few of us around.’

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