The Nurse's Christmas Wish (The Cornish Consultants)

She loved him?

He gritted his teeth. ‘Louisa, you can’t love me. You’re mistaking sex for love. Believe me, it’s easily done.’

‘Maybe for some people.’ She took a sip of coffee. ‘But not for me.’

He gritted his teeth. ‘I was your first lover.’

‘And you were amazing,’ she said softly. ‘I feel sorry for every woman in the world who didn’t go to sleep curled around you last night.’

He closed his eyes. ‘You don’t know me. You don’t know the man I am.’

‘Well, I’m trying,’ she said lightly, ‘although it’s pretty hard because you don’t leave that many clues lying around, do you? You shut every piece of yourself away and don’t let anyone in. You scare everyone away because you pretend to be so remote and chilly. But that isn’t the way you are, is it? Not really. I’ve seen you with patients. I’ve seen you with your brother. You’re capable of great warmth and kindness.’

‘I don’t do relationships, Louisa.’ He had to be honest with her even though he knew he’d be hurting her. ‘Not any more.’

There was a long silence.

Then she gave a brave smile. ‘No.’ Her tone was wistful. ‘Of course you don’t. I understand.’

No, she didn’t. She didn’t understand anything.

For a brief, frustrating moment Mac wanted to smash his fist into the wall.

‘Louisa—’

‘Oh, no!’ She stood up suddenly, almost tipping the chair in the process, her eyes sliding round the kitchen.

He frowned. Now what? ‘What’s the matter?’

‘Where’s Hopeful?’ She raked tangled dark curls out of her eyes, her expression anxious as she searched under the table and behind the curtains. ‘We left him in here last night. I thought we shut the door.’

Mac thought for a moment and then groaned. ‘He rushed past me when I opened the door this morning.’

He hadn’t been concentrating. He’d other things on his mind.

Like the way she’d given all of herself to him. No holding back.

‘I hope he hasn’t been up to mischief.’ She hurried out of the kitchen and Mac followed her, biting his lip to prevent himself from pointing out that Hopeful’s entire life consisted of mischief.

She saw the best in everyone. Even the dog.

They found Hopeful in the sitting room, coughing up pieces of coloured paper over the polished floor, the Christmas tree lying full length across the room.

‘Oh, no, he’s knocked the tree over.’ In a second she was on her knees by the dog. ‘Did you have a fright, darling? Are you hurt?’

Mac looked at the debris over his sitting room and shook his head in disbelief. ‘Nothing would hurt that dog,’ he said dryly. ‘He’s indestructible.’

‘He’s eaten something, Mac.’ Louisa picked up some bits of shiny paper and then glanced at the tree. ‘He’s eaten the chocolate decorations. Including the paper.’

‘Not very discriminating, then.’

Louisa stuck her fingers in the dog’s mouth. ‘Spit it out, Hopeful,’ she urged. ‘Come on, darling, you can’t eat that.’

Mac looked at the mess on his floor. ‘I think he has already spat it out. All over my living room.’

Louisa didn’t even look up. ‘We need to take him to the vet again. All that paper might upset his insides.’

‘My credit card hasn’t recovered from the last visit.’