The Nurse's Wedding Rescue (Lakeside Mountain Rescue 2)

Oliver was silent for a moment. ‘No need to hire a car,’ he said finally, starting the engine and releasing the handbrake. ‘You can drive this one. I’ll drive my sex machine.’

Helen laughed. ‘But how will you get any work done with all those women throwing themselves at you?’

‘It’s a killer,’ he admitted ruefully, ‘but I’ll work it out somehow. I’m sure if I concentrate I can fit them into my busy schedule.’

Helen shook her head, still laughing. She loved his sense of humour. ‘It’s kind of you, but you’ve already done too much. I can’t steal your car as well.’

He shrugged. ‘Macho though I am, even I can’t drive two cars at the same time.’

‘But, Oliver—’

‘Just say yes.’

‘But—’

‘Do all townies argue as much as you?’ he growled, checking in his rearview mirror before pulling out. ‘Just say yes.’

She smiled. ‘Yes. Are all country guys as much of a bully as you are?’

‘We know how to treat our women.’ He grinned wickedly and it occurred to her that this man most certainly didn’t need a flashy car to pull women. He just had to smile.

‘So where are we going next?’

‘Into town. I want to check on a baby.’ He pulled onto the main road and drove towards town. ‘She had a febrile convulsion on Thursday. The mother was pretty shocked by it all.’

‘I’m not surprised. Did you admit the child?’

He nodded. ‘First febrile convulsion, so yes. We always admit any child under two who has a febrile fit, those with serious infections and those where we can’t find a cause for the fever. Otherwise, after the first one, we teach the parents to give rectal diazepam so that they can manage it themselves if the child has further febrile fits.’

He parked in the street and switched off the engine.

‘It says “No parking.”’ Helen peered up at the sign doubtfully, but Oliver just smiled as he pulled his bag from the back seat.

‘That’s for tourists, sweetheart.’

As if to prove his point, at that moment a female traffic warden wandered down the street and gave them a cheerful nod.

‘Good morning, Dr Hunter.’

‘Morning, Tracey,’ Oliver returned, locking his car. ‘How’s that ankle doing?’

‘Much better since I did those exercises.’ She looked at his car. ‘I’ll keep my eye on that for you, Dr Hunter. We’ve had some problems along this road in the last few months. Just kids, I suppose, but, still, you can’t be too careful.’

‘Thanks, Tracey. We’re just popping in to see little Pippa Dawson.’

The traffic warden tutted sympathetically. ‘I heard that the poor mite was in hospital. Give them my love.’

She gave them a cheery wave and walked on down the street, leaving Helen staring after her open-mouthed.

‘She’s a traffic warden?’ She shook her head in disbelief. ‘In London they have horns and tails. Scary.’

‘Oh, Tracey can be scary.’ Oliver laughed as they crossed

the road and walked along the snowy pavement. ‘You should see her in the summer. The cars are festooned with tickets.’

‘So why do you deserve special treatment, Dr Hunter?’

He winked at her. ‘That would be telling.’ He paused outside a small terraced house and rang the bell. ‘This shouldn’t take long.’