Page 54 of Stranded with the Surgeon

Maybe she could at least find out whether what she had glimpsed was enough to hang any hopes for a future on. Whether something might change over the coming weeks or months. If there really was no hope, then she’d be stupid not to head home and put her emotional energy into securing the position that would challenge her enough to wipe out any dissatisfaction with her surroundings and disguise the loneliness in her life. Not to mention providing financial security for herself and her child.

There was no hint of any promise on Guy’s face when he strode through the door a short time later.

‘You’re up, then.’ He nodded. ‘Sleep well?’

‘No. Did you?’

‘Guess we could both use a coffee then,’ was Guy’s only response. He busied himself getting the coal range back into action. ‘What time does your plane leave?’

‘One o’clock. I’ve got a connection from Christchurch to Auckland at two-fifteen.’

‘What time is that interview?’

‘Four-thirty.’

‘Cutting things a bit fine, aren’t you? Maybe you could get an earlier flight.’

‘I don’t want an earlier flight. We still need to talk, Guy.’

‘There’s nothing left to talk about.’ Guy had the fridge open now, fishing out a carton of milk. ‘You might like to spend the extra time with some sightseeing in Queenstown, though. You didn’t get much of a chance the last time you were here.’

‘I don’t want to go sightseeing.’ Jennifer closed her eyes, but her weariness was more emotional than physical. ‘We can’t leave things like this, Guy. I meant what I said last night. I… I love you.’

It sounded desperate and pleading in the cold light of day, but she couldn’t prevent herself trying at least once more. ‘You said you had feelings for me. We’re having a baby. There has to be a way we could make this work.’

Guy abandoned his task, turning to face Jennifer. He shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, Jenna, I really am. Yes, I do have feelings for you. Strong feelings, and that’s what makes it all the more impossible. It’sbecauseof how I feel about you that I’m doing this. So thatneitherof us gets hurt. It just couldn’t work. It doesn’t matter how we feel about each other because no amount of love could put us on the same planet.’

‘But Itoldyou, I?—’

Jennifer broke off as the telephone rang and Guy raised his hand to silence her protest. She watched forlornly as he crossed the room to pick up the receiver. He thought she was the same person she had been when he’d met her. He didn’t believe she had changed, and why should he? People didn’t change something that fundamental. What he didn’t understand was that it had been there all along for her. She had just spent most of her life trying to bury it, probably thanks to the trauma of losing her mother so young.

The realisation was still fresh. It had started while picking the buttercups yesterday, strengthened when she’d seen how they had revived in their jam jar last night and had become crystal clear during the sleepless hours that had followed. Guy had lost everyone he had loved. After the disaster his marriage must have been, who could blame him for thinking she would never last the distance? The barrier he had in place seemed impenetrable and if she kept pushing, he would just fortify his defences. She would be well advised to admit defeat, at least for the moment, and try to find a different approach.

Suddenly, Guy’s voice cut through the spin of emotion governing her thoughts.

‘It’s pretty early to be visiting. He’s probably out seeing to the cattle or something first.’ He listened again.

‘If the ford’s impassable, that’ll be why he hasn’t made it. Maybe the phone lines are down.’

Jennifer watched as Guy rubbed his forehead and then squeezed his temples as though in pain. ‘Are they sure it’s a truck? How long before someone can get in the river and check it out?’

Then he was nodding. ‘I’m on my way.’ He put down the telephone and pulled a mobile phone from the charger beside it. ‘I have to go,’ he told Jennifer. ‘I have no idea what time I’ll get back. Don’t worry about locking the door.’

‘What’s happened?’

‘Phil rang Ellie after he left the pub last night. He said he’d be in first thing to visit them, but he hasn’t shown up and he’s not answering his mobile. Ellie called Maureen to see if he’d decided to stay at the pub because of the rain last night. Maureen alerted our local cop and he’s just spotted what looks like a set of tyres in the river.’

‘Oh, God!’ Jennifer breathed. ‘That ford! It was bad enough yesterday and it was raining quite hard again last night, wasn’t it?’

‘Our local search-and-rescue team has been activated. I’m the medic. We’re meeting at a point just down from the ford in fifteen minutes.’

‘I’m coming with you.’

‘You can’t. This could take hours.’

‘I don’t care.’

‘You might miss your flight.’

---