Falling for the Brooding Doc

‘Dislocated shoulders.’ Laurie grinned. She’d be very happy to inspect Ross thoroughly for bruises as well.

‘Yes, dislocated shoulder.’ Sam nodded sagely. ‘That’s a good one.’

‘Sorry.’ Ross chuckled. ‘Looks as if the egg’s the only casualty.’

‘And the chicken.’ Sam pulled the chicken mask out from under Laurie’s knee, disturbing a small cloud of loose feathers as she did so. ‘Think we’ll get a gold medal for making the most mess?’

Ross nodded. ‘Yeah. We came first on that one, at least.’

* * *

It was just as well that Laurie had thought to bring a pair of jeans along, in case she needed to change. Ross had fetched them from the car, along with his own change of clothes, and Laurie emerged from the changing tent with the remains of the chicken costume in a plastic rubbish bag, heartily glad to be rid of the feathers.

Ross was standing a few feet away, and the body language of the couple he was with screamed that now they had him in conversation, they weren’t going to let him get away. He was nodding and listening, his smile fixed, and Laurie wondered whether she should go and rescue him. Then the man looked straight at her.

‘Excuse me. Are you...?’ He frowned, clicking his fingers as if he was trying to place her. ‘The rower...’

No. She didn’t want to be Laurie Sullivan the rower today. She’d been having too much fun. Ross turned and must have seen the dismay on her face.

‘Laurie’s on my medical team at the clinic.’ He interjected quickly.

‘Ah. I could have sworn...’ The man frowned at her, and his wife shook her head.

‘Don’t, Brian.’

Okay. Maybe she was nothing like a winner today. Laurie gave a little shrug. ‘It’s okay. I get that a lot.’

‘About your son...’ Ross was steering the couple away now, and the thumbs-up gesture he made to Laurie behind his back told her that he had everything under control.

‘All the usual questions, I see.’ Laurie turned to find Jo, the headmistress, standing beside her.

‘Usual questions?’

Jo nodded. ‘Yes. Mr and Mrs Marshall have an older boy, nice lad, he’s in the senior school now. He’s very good at football, and when he was here they were very keen for me to get a special trainer along to the football club for him.’

‘He’s a little young for that, isn’t he?’ The children here were all aged from five to seven.

‘I thought so. But they wouldn’t listen so I called in my secret weapon.’ Jo smiled, nodding towards Ross. ‘Ross’s reputation meant that they accepted his advice a bit more readily.’

‘Not to be so pushy?’ Laurie wondered what her own teachers had thought of her father. What might have happened if someone had shown the good sense that Jo had

, and had called in someone like Ross. Nothing, probably. Her father didn’t listen to anyone.

‘Football’s a very lucrative career.’ Jo mused. ‘But at this age, our aim is to give pupils a broad range of basic skills that they can carry forward and that gives them choices. Ross has helped us to structure a good sports programme, and he’s worked with a number of our children who have special needs. And he’s very good with the odd pushy parent.’

‘He understands the issues?’ Maybe Ross understood her better than she’d thought.

‘Yes. And he’s very committed to giving the children a good start.’

‘I thought...’ Laurie smiled. ‘I thought we were here just for fun.’

Jo laughed. ‘Well, you are. But it doesn’t do any harm to let the parents meet him in a less formal setting. I liked your double act on the obstacle course.’

Double act? Laurie wondered if her growing friendship with Ross was that apparent. But that had just been a bit of fun, too.

‘Miss... Miss...’ A little girl was tugging at Jo’s dress and she shot Laurie an apologetic look.

‘What is it, Lisa? I’m talking...’