Kisses at Sunset

She frowned and reached for his right hand which was blackened and sore, turning it over to examine it. ‘This doesn’t look too healthy. You need to get it seen while you’re there.’

In the urgency of the situation she’d forgotten that he’d used his own hands to beat out the last of the flames.

Sean removed his hand from hers and grimaced. ‘It hurts like hell so it can’t be serious.’

Like him, Ally knew that very serious burns ceased to hurt because of damage to the nerve endings. If Sean could feel his hands then the chances were that the burns were fairly superficial.

‘I’d better go. Jack can give you a lift. Will said he’d run my car back when he’s finished here, so I’ll see you later.’ He gave her a brief nod and climbed into the ambulance which drove away as fast as the field and the crowd allowed.

By the time she’d collected Charlie, talked to Will and nabbed a lift home from Jack, it was getting late and she was tired. Fortunately Charlie was, too, and the bedtime routine was completed in record time, leaving her to collapse on one of the huge, squashy sofas which sat on either side of her fireplace. She stared into the flames, thinking first of the boy and his burns and then Mary Thompson. Poor Mary. No wonder she was in a state and worrying about her husband. If the Thompsons weren’t able to come up with a solution themselves, she’d give Mary a ring to discuss possible options.

The wheels of a car crunched on the gravel outside the barn and she sprinted to the door and tugged it open, biting her lip as she saw Sean climb out.

‘Are you OK? What happened?’

Sean shrugged and paid the taxi driver, his breath clouding the cold night air. ‘They’re going to transfer him to the burns unit but he’s in a pretty bad way. He’s going to be in for a lot of operations, grafting those burns.’

Ally stood back to let him in, frowning slightly as she saw how white and drawn he looked.

‘You look really tired. Come in and sit down for a moment.’

He raised an eyebrow, his expression wry. ‘I thought I wasn’t the flavour of the month.’

‘That’s just when you behave like a caveman.’ Ally gave him a tentative smile, feeling suddenly awkward. ‘When you’re tired and vulnerable you’re OK.’

Sean deposited his length on the sofa and closed his eyes with a groan. ‘Well, I’m certainly OK, then. God, I feel awful.’

‘They’ve dressed your hand.’

Sean gave a short laugh and studied the plastic bag over his hand. ‘Practical, isn’t it? How on earth am I going to see patients with my arm in a bin liner?’

‘Don’t exaggerate.’ Ally put another log on the fire and turned to find him watching her intently. Her heart missed a beat. ‘Did they smother it in Flamazine?’

‘Definitely.’ Sean examined it with wry humour. ‘If any bug enters this bag it will be instantly zapped.’

Ally settled herself down in front of the fire, her cheeks pink from the warmth of the flames.

‘You won’t need it for long and you don’t need to do practical things. You can just talk to the patients.’

‘Oh, great!’ He shrugged himself further into the sofa and stretched out his legs. ‘Sorry, Mrs Smith, I can’t examine you because I’ve got a bag on my hand.’

Ally bit her lip. ‘You were very brave.’

He raised an eyebrow and laughed. ‘Well, if I hadn’t done it, you would have so I thought I’d better get there first.’

Despite their earlier row, she had to laugh, too. ‘Protecting me again?’

‘Isn’t that what a man’s supposed to do to his woman?’

Her heart stumbled in her chest. ‘I’m not your woman.’

‘Give me time.’ His voice was husky and she shook her head slowly, every nerve in her body tingling.

‘You just don’t take no for an answer, do you?’

‘Never.’ His gaze was disconcertingly intense and she blushed awkwardly, picking at a piece of fluff on the rug. Maybe it would help if she changed the subject.

‘Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?’