Read Online The Doctor Claims His Bride by Fiona Lowe - Free Book Online Page B

than expected, dreaming about a cool shower followed by a tall iced drink of soda water and lemon. But she knew that the daydream was as close as she was going to get to either of them for a few hours. Although it was Saturday, she was behind in the stock take and ordering, and if she was to have the drugs she needed come Monday, she had to fax the order to Darwin today. Then she had to mow the clinic grass, grab a shower and be at the church by four for Susie’s eldest daughter’s wedding.
    She glanced down, grimacing at the mess that was her clothes and was thankful it was Saturday and no one was around. She ducked into the staff entrance. Flynn wasn’t due in for an hour, not that time meant anything to him but she could be pretty certain that he wouldn’t be early. The second clinic truck was still parked so his plane hadn’t landed.
    She pulled open the door, crossed the threshold and walked straight into a solid wall of muscle.
    Flynn.
    Her hand shot out and gripped his upper arm, as much to stop her knees from buckling as to steady herself.
    ‘Hello.’ His smiling greeting vibrated with deep laughter as his keen hazel gaze roved lazily from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. ‘You’ve been having some fun, lying around. When did you dye your hair red?’
    Mini-explosions of heat detonated inside her as his stare touched and torched every part of her. Every red-dust-covered part. Heat morphed into a fire of longing which streaked through her, pooling deep inside her,stalling her brain and reducing her leg muscles to quivering jelly.
    ‘Someone took the tarpaulin out of the truck and I had to change a flat tyre out on the Bathurst road. The only way I could get to the spare tyre was to crawl under the truck.’ She tossed her dust-impregnated hair in her best attempt at a haughty look, but her lips twitched in a smile. ‘Only a man could decide it was a great idea to put a spare tyre under a car where it gets covered in filth.’
    Dimples carved into the dark stubble on his cheeks. ‘At least it isn’t the wet season, although they tell me mud is great for the skin.’ His voice dropped to a low rumble. ‘People pay to get covered in the stuff.’ He leaned forward and pulled a twig from her hair, his fingers gently brushing her scalp.
    White lights flickered in front of her eyes and an image of Flynn, naked and covered in mud, stole all coherent thought. Somehow she made her feet step back, away from his aura, away from his scent of sunshine and soap, and away from temptation.
    ‘I’m off to mow the grass so I’m just going to wash off a bit of dust so I can put on sunscreen.’
    He grinned. ‘Oh I don’t know, the locals will just think you’re ready for a ceremony and you overdid it on the red.’
    She put her hands on her hips in mock indignation. ‘Ha-ha, very funny, turtle man. I believe the indigenous ceremony is tomorrow after the church service.’
    His easygoing grin slid off his face and his cheekbones suddenly seemed stark and pointed, giving him a hard look. ‘What church service?’
    She couldn’t hide the disbelief in her voice and she knew her expression must be one of stupefaction. ‘Susie’s daughter’s wedding.’ She threw up her hands. ‘I swear blokes just tune out. How could you have forgotten? It’s all Susie’s been talking for the last few weeks. That’s why you’re back this weekend, right, instead of being on Barra?’
    A muscle twitched in his neck and then he smiled, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘That’s right, it’s at four o’clock. I was just testing you.’
    Testing she’d remembered? A spasm of fear gripped her before her rational brain overruled it. No, surely not. He had no idea about her mother and inherited fronto-temporal dementia. He was probably just covering for his own memory lapse.
    ‘You better get going, then, if you want to beat the bride to the church.’ The words came out crisp and efficient before he turned