The Doctor's Rebel Knight by Melanie Milburne Page B

while she was here last.’
    ‘I can see why she loved it so much,’ Fran said, looking at the view. ‘It’s so…so peaceful.’
    ‘I’ve been doing a bit of work on it here and there. It needed a new kitchen and the floors needed sanding. All I have to do now is paint the spare bedroom and I’m done.’
    Fran looked around in awe. Even her do-it-yourself-expert father would have been impressed with the handiwork. The timber floors were smooth and shiny, covered here and there with woven rugs. The open-plan kitchen was decked out in stainless-steel appliances with glass splashbacks along the benches. It led to a dining and family room area that was expansive, the sweeping view of the ocean below making her stop and stare.
    ‘You can see right along the beach from here,’ she said. ‘It’s beautiful.’
    He came to stand beside her. ‘There’s a sea eagle’s nest up in those trees over there.’
    Fran could feel her senses spring to attention at his closeness. ‘Where?’ Her voice came out husky and soft.
    His shoulder brushed hers as he lifted his arm to point to a scraggly nest at the top of a gumtree. ‘There,’ he said. ‘Can you see that crooked branch up there? It’s just to the right of that.’
    ‘I see it…’ she said, barely able to breathe.
    He dropped his arm back down to his side. ‘I often see dolphins and about a month ago a couple of whales cruised past.’
    ‘Wow,’ she said, turning to look at him. Wow is right , she thought, her heart giving a little stammer as his ice-blue eyes met hers.
    She watched as his gaze slipped to her mouth, lingering there for a pulsing moment before moving back to mesh with hers.
    She could hear a clock ticking somewhere. It seemed to be measuring the silence, making each second swell with sensual promise.
    ‘Um…your cheek has opened up again,’ she said in a husky voice. ‘I meant to tell you earlier and I really must see to your arm.’
    He put a hand up to his face and grimaced when it came away streaked with blood. ‘Maybe I should have got you to dress it for me the first time,’ he said with a rueful half-smile.
    ‘I could do it now…I mean, if you would like me to. I mean, if you’ve got a first-aid kit…or something…‘ Fran knew she was prattling on like a gauche schoolgirl but she couldn’t seem to stop it.
    His eyes contained a hint of amusement. ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘The main bathroom is through here. I have a first-aid kit in there.’
    Fran concentrated on washing her hands and assembling the things she needed to dress Jacob’s arm rather than meet his gaze in the mirror. The bathroom was spacious, with a Balinese theme that was pure luxury, but she felt like she was working from inside a shoebox with Jacob sitting so close on a bath-stool.
    ‘This might sting a bit,’ she said as she bathed his burn with antiseptic, carefully wiping away some debris from the wound.
    ‘You have a very gentle touch,’ he said. ‘I can barely feel a thing.’
    Fran had attended to numerous burn patients during her years in A and E but never had one had such an overwhelming effect on her. Her senses were on overload, her nostrils flaring at his male scent, the skin on her face feeling tingly when his breath caressed her as he spoke. She had to work hard to concentrate on what she was doing, instead of staring into those dark-rimmed eyes of his that seemed determined to search for hers whenever he could.
    Once the dressing was in place, she put the used items in the bin near the basins. ‘Let’s have a look at that cheek of yours,’ she said, wishing she felt more like a doctor and less like a woman in danger of falling in love.
    He held his head at an angle for her to inspect the wound. ‘Will I be scarred for life?’ he asked.
    Fran’s hand trembled as she dabbed some Betadine on the wound. ‘Not noticeably so,’ she said. ‘I thought you were going to get a black eye, but apart from a little swelling you’ve not done too