In the middle of a conversation. In the middle of the first intimate exchange they’d ever shared. She’d been about to smile at him. For the first time since he’d met her eight months earlier, she’d almost acknowledged the connection between them. And then it had snapped. She’d snapped it.
It was like trying to tame a wild animal, he thought. You just had to be patient and let them come to you.
Shame that he wasn’t that patient.
‘Your Jamie is a great boy.’ He stuck to a safe subject. ‘He loves cars so much. I was the same at his age.’ He’d expected her to relax, but instead the mention of her son seemed to increase her tension.
‘Thanks for indulging his interest and letting him sit in your Lamborghini.’ She was stiff and polite. ‘That was kind of you when you must have had a million better things to do with your time.’
What was it about him that scared her? ‘I wasn’t being kind. I like his company. He’s a great kid. You’re a great mum. He’s lucky.’
She stared at him for a moment and suddenly, out of nowhere, a sheen of tears veiled her eyes. Without saying anything, she jerked her shoulder away from his grasp and started walking again.
Cursing in Italian, Dino followed her. ‘Accidenti, will you stand still for one moment? Mi dispiace, if I upset you, I’m sorry, but I don’t understand how. Jamie is a great kid and you are a great mum.’ He blocked her path and she wrapped her arms around herself and stared past him, not meeting his eyes.
‘Thanks.’ She was all rigid formality. ‘Is that what you wanted to say? Because I have to—’
‘No.’ He ignored the fact that they were standing in a busy corridor with half the hospital staff hurrying past. ‘Why do you always run from me, Meg? I know you’re not a coward. You were out there last night in howling winds, staring down at a vertiginous drop and you didn’t even quiver.’ He was still stunned by how well she’d handled the conditions on the mountain the previous night. But now there was no sign of the guts and bravery she’d shown in a blizzard. She looked jumpy and distracted, as if she had a thousand problems on her mind and no idea how to handle any of them. ‘If we’re talking about work or mountains, you have plenty to say, but when I change it to something more social, you clam up. Why?’
‘Sorry. I’ll try to be more sociable.’ Her smile was false. ‘It looks like we might have more snow. I do hope that won’t make your drive to work difficult, Dr Zinetti.’
Curbing his exasperation, Dino stared down at her, studying the smooth skin of her cheek and the way her lips curved. ‘I don’t want to talk about the weather.’
‘Sorry. We’ll talk about something else. How did you like my mother’s soup?’
‘The soup was delicious. She obviously knows what hungry climbers need when they come home.’
She relaxed slightly. ‘She ought to. Both my dad and my grandfather were in the mountain rescue team.’
He already knew that from the other guys, but he didn’t say so. Instead he felt a buzz of triumph that reserved, buttoned-up Meg Miller had finally revealed something personal about herself. ‘So it’s in the family.’ Dino moved to one side as the chief pharmacist hurried past. ‘Same with me. My dad used to be a mountain guide. He took people up the Matterhorn.’ Give something back. Conversation. To and fro. Try and get her to relax.
Her brow furrowed. ‘The Matterhorn is in Switzerland.’
‘Part of it is in Switzerland. The best part is in Italy. You’re lucky you have your mum to help you. Jamie’s lucky to have such close family.’ He hesitated, wondering how far he dared push it. ‘Does he ever see his father? Are you still in touch?’
He watched, cursing himself as her expression changed and her body tensed.
‘No. All he has is me. So he’s not that lucky, is he? And I really don’t understand why everyone is taking this sudden interest in my love life.’ Her voice rose and he saw the sudden flare of anguish in her eyes, which was rapidly replaced by horror that she’d revealed so much. Within seconds it was masked and she was businesslike. ‘I really have to go.’ Dodging him, she hurried along the corridor towards the emergency department, leaving Dino standing in silence, regretting bringing up the subject of Jamie’s father.
He’d touched a nerve.
And he still hadn’t asked her what he wanted to ask her. He’d had the tickets in his office for six months and he’d known instantly who he wanted to take. And he’d been waiting for the right moment to invite her.
A wry smile touched his mouth and the smile was at his own expense because this was the first time in his life he’d ever had to ask a woman a question and not been sure of the answer.
Determined to catch up with her and finish the conversation, he strode into the department and was immediately met by Ellie, one of the sisters in charge of the emergency unit.
‘Oh
, thank goodness!’ She grabbed his arm and pushed a set of notes into his hand. ‘Three-month-old baby with severe breathing difficulties—I’ve taken her into Paediatric Resus. Mum’s demented with worry. Meg’s already there because you know how good she is with babies and worried mothers.’
So there would be no chance to finish their conversation for the next hour or so, Dino thought grimly as he strode towards Resus. But later…
He pushed open the door and immediately picked up the tension in the atmosphere. Meg had already attached the baby to a cardiac monitor and a pulse oximeter and was giving oxygen. Despite the obvious crisis, her voice was gentle and soothing as she talked to the mother, explaining what she was doing. For a fraction of a second Dino watched her, transfixed by the change in her. There was no sign of the prickly, defensive exterior she showed to the world. With the baby and the mother, she was gentle and warm. Infinitely reassuring. If he’d been brought in to the department injured, he would have wanted Meg by his side. Once again he remembered how good she’d been with Harry. It was as if she lowered her guard around people who were vulnerable while the rest of the time she hid behind layers of thick armour plating.
‘It happened to me,’ she was saying. ‘My Jamie was exactly three months old, just like Abby here. The oxygen levels in Abby’s blood aren’t quite as high as we’d like and she’s really having problems with her breathing, poor thing, that’s why I’m giving her some oxygen right now.’
‘Did your son recover?’ The mother’s voice wavered and Meg reached across and gave her shoulder a squeeze.