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

‘Give her a ring,’ Oliver suggested, lifting Pippa confidently and giving the little girl a last cuddle. ‘Jenny has all sorts of tricks up her sleeve. She might be able to suggest something.’

‘I don’t want to be a bother.’

Oliver handed the baby back to her. ‘You’re not a bother, Lauren. You’re a tired mum. I think Pippa’s on the mend but if you’re at all worried you can take her straight back to the hospital. Or you can call me. You’ve got my mobile number.’

‘Stuck by my phone,’ Lauren confessed ruefully. ‘Thanks, Dr Hunter.’

They walked back to the car and Helen looked at him in amazement. ‘You gave her your mobile phone number?’

‘That’s right.’ Oliver slung his bag in the car. ‘It saves her having to call several numbers before getting through to me. It’s scary seeing your own baby fit. I didn’t want her to feel she was alone.’

‘None of the doctors I worked for would have given out their phone number,’ Helen muttered, and he lifted an eyebrow, clearly puzzled.

‘Why not?’

‘They would have been too afraid that someone might use it,’ Helen said dryly, and he laughed.

‘I would have thought that was the general idea, but I’m willing to believe that it’s different in London. I suppose, to be honest, I wouldn’t give it to any patient I wasn’t sure of, but they’re pretty good around here and I’ve known most of them for years.’

She looked at him curiously. ‘Did you always want to be a GP?’

‘Always. And so did Bryony. We used to play doctors’ surgeries when we were little.’

‘Not doctors and nurses?’

‘Doctor and doctor.’ Oliver glanced sideways and gave her a sexy wink. ‘But any time you want to play doctors and nurses, let me know. I’m a quick learner and it definitely sounds like my sort of game.’

Helen laughed. He was so open it was impossible to be offended. ‘You’re going to get yourself in trouble one day, Dr Hunter.’

‘Oh, I do seriously hope so.’ He chuckled and she rolled her eyes and changed the subject hurriedly.

The more she saw of Oliver Hunter, the more she liked him.

And she was starting to like him a lot.

‘Where now?’

‘Back home for some lunch and then to the mountain rescue base to check on some new equipment that was due to arrive yesterday.’ He drove steadily, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. ‘Then we’ll create something amazing in the kitchen for our dinner.’

‘But you’re on call.’

‘No I’m not. Time off for good behaviour.’

He flashed her a smile. ‘Ally is on call this weekend.’

Helen stared at him. ‘But you’ve been seeing patients.’

‘Not really. I just saw Hilda because I was worried about her, and I wanted to check up on Pippa because I knew Lauren would be worrying herself sick about her. They weren’t emergencies and I certainly wouldn’t expect either of my partners to make those calls. Now I’m going back to the Sunday papers.’

He cared enough to check on patients on his day off.

And now he felt he had to entertain her.

‘You could just drop me back at the cottage,’ she suggested, ‘and then you could do whatever it is you usually do on a Sunday.’

‘I’m doing what I usually do on a Sunday,’ he said easily, ‘only this time I have company.’

‘I can’t imagine you’re short of company,’ she said, with a wry smile in his direction. Women probably flattened each other in the race to get to him. Why he was wasting time with her was beyond her comprehension. Or maybe it wasn’t.