Read Online Heart Surgeon in Portugal by Anna Ramsay - Free Book Online

physicians as Doctor, surgeons as Mister,’ he reminded her, his voice dangerously soft. ‘Hasn’t your brother taught you anything?’
    Damn! Walked into that one! Must be more careful … ‘Goodness – I quite forgot! Silly me!’
    ‘Indeed. I thought I told you to call me Rafe.’
    Ellie batted her eyelashes and said, ‘But have you ever, Rafe? Cut yourself, I mean.’ A bubble of laughter welled up in her throat and her eyes twinkled a warning that the keen-eyed Rafe Harland was not slow to miss. He hesitated thoughtfully and his eyes lingered on that teasingly curved mouth smiling up at him.
    ‘Nerves can make a junior surgeon’s hands shake a bit at the start. And there’s always the risk he’s going to nick your glove. Fortunately,’ the low voice was emphatic and the dark eyes held warning to anyone tempted to play games, ‘fortunately I have lightning reactions. As you know.’
    Ellie was recalling a tumbling black-leather briefcase. Which makes two of us, she thought with an inward smirk.
    ‘It would be just fantastic to watch you doing an operation,’ she gushed, quite forgetting that five minutes ago she had been declaring a blood phobia. Rafe Harland snorted with laughter. ‘My dear girl, you'd be out like a light at the first incision, getting under my feet, as usual. Pass me that sieve. And fetch me some ice-cubes.’
    ‘Don't you ever say please?’ muttered Ellie sotto voce . If I was your scrub nurse it would give me the greatest pleasure to drop these ice-cubes inside your rubber theatre boots!
    ‘OK put that in the fridge. Teaching session’s over. In half an hour bring me a jug and a couple of glasses and you’ll find out how good this tastes. Now I’ve got work to do.’
    Ellie cleared up all the mess he had made, wiped over the table top, then sat down with pencil and paper. Giovana finished cleaning upstairs and came in to say goodbye. ‘Obrigada, Giovana!’ With nods and smiles Ellie thanked her for the fresh supply of eggs and another of her deliciously crusty loaves. Seeing Ellie was writing out a shopping-list, Giovana plonked an almost empty bottle of floor cleaner on the table, and Ellie copied down what it said on the label. But she couldn’t leave for half an hour because of his lordship’s pesky lemonade chilling in the fridge. She tidied her bed and changed into jeans and a loose linen shirt ready for the drive to the outskirts of a little inland town where the supermarket stocked most of what was needed for the next couple of days. She took Rafe his glass of lemonade and told him she must go shopping but would be back in time to see to their lunch.
    Rafe had good and bad news for her on her return. ‘Don’t worry about supper,’ he said over his ham and tomato rolls, ‘I’m dining out tonight.’
    Ellie’s face registered surprise and curiosity but he didn’t enlighten her further.
    Evidently the arrangement had been made in her absence. Bad timing with pork in the fridge and fish planned for tomorrow night. She trailed back to the kitchen and tried to cheer herself up with the thought that the afternoon and evening were hers to do as she pleased – and that she wouldn’t be having to keep her mouth zipped so could make lots of calls home. Who was Rafe dining with? It was bound to be a woman.
    Drooping against the kitchen sink, Ellie sipped her lemonade and grudgingly had to admit it: in spite of those green lemons it was as delicious as he’d confidently predicted.
    She decided to lie out in the sun for an hour. Out of sight. And she’d found the perfect spot for some very private sunbathing.
    A flight of steps went from the terrace to an arched balcony giving on to the two upstairs suites. Only Giovana ever came up there, to sweep and wipe over the white plastic sunbed, the small table and the two chairs. With a thick, folded towel, Ellie made herself a mattress and discarded Jon’s old striped shirt with its fraying sleeves. Set the timer on her