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They’d never been a demonstrative family, but his father’s grip told him more than the conventional words what it meant to him to have his son home. Guilt niggled at Morgan. Knowing of his father’s health issues, this homecoming was long overdue.
There was no time for more as Grace bustled them into the dining room, ablaze with the best silver and crockery. This was a welcome home with a vengeance. All his favourite foods, roast lamb and vegetables and apple crumble and custard for dessert.
‘You’re trying to fatten me up.’
Grace nodded. ‘I do think you’d be better to stay with us until the Maiden place is fixed up. You know I love to cook.’
‘I’m happy there. It’s not like I’ve been living in luxury these last years.’
He was grateful for the change of subject as his father asked him about the places he’d been working and the living conditions. By the time they were drinking coffee in the lounge, Grace seemed resigned to him being a neighbour, insisting he come home and eat the evening meal. ‘At least until you get properly settled.’
The anxious expression on his father’s face made him agree and he was rewarded by his look of quiet satisfaction.
He’d been back at his new home for an hour, after fighting with the gas hot water system for his shower, when it occurred to him that among all the people they’d reminisced about, Becca’s name had never been mentioned. Which seemed odd, considering they had to be aware she’d be working with him at the clinic. He went to sleep on the thought and entered into strange dreams that had haunted him for over a decade. Dreams where Becca smiled at him with the glow which had been noticeably absent on their first meeting after all those years.
Chapter 3
The waiting room overflowed with pensioners who’d come in late for their annual flu jabs, so it wasn’t a good time for a car accident to require the presence of a surgeon at the hospital. Not that any time was good for an accident.
In a small town, the tragedies seemed to hit home, creating ripples impacting the entire community. Becca sighed heavily as she prepared the treatment room for the onslaught. While the injections themselves only took a few moments, each and every one of the elderly patients would be ready for a chat.
Already the buzz circulating around town had the new doctor in its sights. The speculation about his marital status had been the first one to hit her as she assisted Laureen behind the desk only two days after he arrived in town. Rumours about a fatal disease he’d picked up in the Amazon.
‘No, Doctor Cavanaugh has recently come back from Central Africa.’
‘Yes, he would be the new consultant surgeon at the hospital replacing Doctor Farrell.’
‘No, they wouldn’t let him back into the country if he had anything contagious.’
And over and over again, as if they wanted to remind her, though most people didn’t know for sure about their relationship. ‘No, I don’t know if Doctor Cavanaugh is married.’
‘Yes, it’s true he bought the Maiden place.’
‘It is a large family home. But I’ve no idea of his plans.’
Beryl Harmsworth was there of course, her smug smile and curious gaze watching everything. It was a pity she hadn’t married and had children and grandchildren of her own to keep her occupied. She’d reminded Becca of Miss Gulch on her bicycle fromThe Wizard of Ozwhen she was growing up. It was hard to overcome her early prejudice, especially as Becca had proven the old lady’s predictions of coming to a bad end with her teenage pregnancy and no father in sight. The old woman had speculated quite loudly at the time. Only her fear of Grace Cavanaugh’s displeasure had kept her from actively naming Morgan as a potential culprit. Because Morgan had only been home during holidays in those last few years before the twins were born, the old gossip hadn’t been sure and Becca had kept out of her way as far as possible in those early years. Much as Becca hated the thought, she’d benefited from the big scandal around Brittany Smith’s death which allowed her to stay under the radar during her pregnancy. By the time the local gossips noticed Becca had somehow acquired two children Morgan was long gone and he hadn’t come back. Until now.
This morning, three days after his arrival, there would be more speculation, more curious questions. If someone asked her one more time if Morgan had a wife, or intended to get married, she’d probably scream. Already the muscles at the back of her neck and shoulders were tense, her stomach churning. He’d been in several times to see Doctor Farrell but she’d been out and about, at the pharmacy and up at the hospital mostly. One time she’d been out at old Bob McIntyre’s place, checking his blood sugar readings.
Knowing tomorrow Morgan would be in the office most of the day, learning the computer system and database, increased her tension exponentially. Familiarising himself with case files and the claims system would require her to spend a good percentage of her time with him, one on one. She could only hope his time spent on the fringes of civilisation hadn’t made him averse to adopting the latest technology.
Convincing Doctor Farrell to update the systems had been the work of years of persuasion on her part. He’d finally given in five years ago, on the grounds it would make the practice more appealing for a new doctor. The decision to retire had been made long before, but luring city doctors out from larger centres took more than selling them on fresh air and a country lifestyle. At least Morgan would reap the benefit of the upgrade.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t be the last achievement before Becca was out on her ear.
She was about to send the first of the flu jab appointments through to the treatment room when a prickle of unease alerted her to an arrival through the back entrance of the clinic. She didn’t need to look to know it was Morgan. It had been like this when she was an infatuated teenager, always sensitive to his presence. His warm breath was on her left ear, the heat of his body close behind her. It was fortunate she’d had plenty of practice not flinching.
‘Do you need some help? I left Doctor Farrell at the hospital.’
‘Is everyone okay?’
Her chest tightened waiting for the response. After all these years, she was automatically thrown back in time to the night Brittany Smith had died.
‘One girl was airlifted to Sydney with spinal injuries, but the rest were only minor cuts and bruises.’
She opened her mouth to ask who when a stir among the waiting patients distracted her.
Morgan made a choking noise. ‘Who the hell is that?’
