Love By Moonlight: A Small Town Grumpy Sunshine Romance (Solhaven Forevers Book 2)

Claire came round to find herself on the settee with Doctor Tranter taking her pulse. She’d known the doctor since she was small. She smiled at him weakly.

‘That’s better,’ he said approvingly. He remained silent for a few seconds, then released her wrist and lifted his stethoscope to her chest.

‘So,’ he said, ‘what have you been up to? What on earth were you doing?’

‘Trying to get somewhere in too much of a hurry,’ Claire answered wryly, ‘and as a result, achieving nothing.’

‘Mmm, well, I wouldn’t say that.’ Doctor Tranter leaned over the settee and gently probed the cut on her forehead. ‘You’ve achieved some very spectacular damage. Let’s have a look at your leg.’

Daniel had obviously given the doctor a comprehensive run-down on all her injuries. Silently, Claire hitched herself up and leaned back on the cushions before pushing down the duvet. She noticed abstractedly that someone, Daniel again, she assumed, had attempted to clean her up, and was probably responsible for the duvet, as well.

‘Mmm, ouch,’ the doctor murmured. He looked at her over his glasses. ‘Pity you were wearing shorts. I can glue your head wound, but after I clean up your knee, I’m going to put a couple of stitches in it. I’ll give you a local anaesthetic, but you’ll not feel so happy later on. How long’s the boyfriend staying?’

‘He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just a friend,’ Claire said reluctantly. ‘He’s the one staying here, and I’m up at the hostel. He’s only here for the summer because he needed a place to stay. He brought me here because it was the closest, but as soon as you’ve sorted me out, I’ll take myself up to the hostel.’

The doctor looked up from his bag. ‘Mmm. He seemed upset when he met me at the door.’

‘Upset?’ Claire queried. Well, maybe. They’d got on well enough yesterday, and she knew from their walk back here earlier that despite the control he exerted over his emotions, he wasn’t completely unmoved by her. Although now she understood he didn’t want an involvement.

‘Yes, my dear. Quite agitated. I assumed, wrongly it seems, that he was your boyfriend and would be here to look after you for the rest of the day. I wonder… perhaps it might be better if you went into hospital for the night? Those hostel rooms aren’t suitable if you’re alone. You need someone to monitor you for the rest of today and tonight, most of tomorrow as well.’

‘Whatever for?’ Claire felt confused, looking at the doctor questioningly. She hated to be shut in, unable to get outside in the fresh air and take at least a small amount of exercise. ‘I certainly don’t need to go to hospital. I’ve only fallen over! How many times does that happen when you’re a child? You don’t get carted off to hospital just for that.’

There was a knock at the door.

‘Yes?’ Claire called distractedly, still trying to take in what the doctor had said.

Emily came into the sitting room. ‘How are you feeling now?’ she asked kindly.

‘Perfectly all right,’ Claire said heatedly. ‘And there’s no reason at all to go to hospital! I’ve only fallen over!’

‘When you fall as a child, you’re small and you bounce easily. The damage you do isn’t very great because of the lightness of your body. Falling as an adult is more painful. You fall a greater distance because you’re taller and you fall harder because your bodyweight is greater.’ Doctor Tranter was writing on a prescription pad as he spoke. He laid down his pen and directed his firm gaze at Claire. ‘If there was going to be someone with you, then yes, you could stay at the hostel, but I want to stitch your leg and you’ve knocked your head badly. And on top of all that, you fainted—’

‘That wasn’t anything to do with the accident! Most likely because I didn’t have any breakfast.’

‘You fainted, and maybe it was not having breakfast, but maybe it was shock,’ the doctor replied firmly. ‘I don’t want to leave you left alone in case you faint again. You might have a mild concussion, and you won’t feel any better by the time I’ve stitched this up.’ He patted her leg. ‘I’ve also got to give you a tetanus shot unless you can swear to me you know your shots are up to date? Especially now you’re working in the gardens.’

‘Umm…’ Claire murmured vaguely.

‘Quite!’ Doctor Tranter exclaimed.

‘But there’s really no need… I’ve got my mobile and Jake and Emily are just across the courtyard and will pop in every now and again, won’t you, Emily? Or I could come and stay with you?’

Out of the corner of her eye, Claire saw Daniel slip in and lean against the wall.

‘Both would normally have been possible, but don’t you remember? Jake and I are heading to Birmingham for the Hospitality Fair at the exhibition centre. We’re setting off this morning, and not back until late Wednesday, so no, we can’t look after you.’ Emily looked concerned. ‘Does she really need a night in hospital, Dr Tranter?’

‘Not if there’s someone around to monitor her. Just for twenty-four hours.’

‘Oh, this is silly!’ Claire said angrily, dropping her face to rest on her hand, ashamed of the weakness of her easy tears. ‘How about mum and I stay in your flat, Emily? Or I could go to hers? Yes, of course. That’s the answer. I can stay at mum’s.’

‘Your mum’s coming with us. There are things we thought she’d be interested in, and she’s worked so hard, getting such a wonderful staff together. It’s a bit of a treat for her.’ Emily shrugged and spread her hands in apparent apology.

‘Claire,’ the doctor said gently, ‘I’ve explained why I’d prefer it if there was someone to monitor you, and you’re an intelligent woman. It’s a risk I neither want to take for your sake, nor can take from a professional point of view. Now I may as well wait until we get to the hospital before I stitch you up. You can come in my car and—’

‘Do I understand Claire has to go into hospital simply because there’s no-one round to keep an eye on her?’ Daniel interrupted in a cool voice.

The doctor nodded.

‘And she doesn’t want to?’

They both looked at Claire, who kept her face hidden and shook her head.

Daniel shrugged. ‘She could stay here if that’s what’s needed,’ he said slowly. ‘The bedroom upstairs is empty, and it seems a fair repayment for Claire giving up her new house for me, even if only temporarily. It would actually make me feel better about it, if you want the truth.’ He leaned one shoulder against the wall, his hands thrust into his jeans’ pockets.

As he calmly offered to let her stay, she wondered how she could maintain the outward appearance of friendship when the more she got to know him, the more they talked together, the greater were her feelings? Could she keep those feelings to herself if they shared the house for a day or two? If she couldn’t, she might shatter this new-found bond between them. Intuitively, she recognised Daniel could manage her as a friend, and she didn’t want to push things too much and cause him to retreat.

So even as she accepted it was a crazy idea, Claire raised her head, hope dawning in her eyes. ‘Would you?’ she asked softly. ‘Would you really let me stay here? I’d be very grateful. There’s no need for me to be fussed over, but if it’s going to worry Doctor Tranter, then I’ll have to do as he says.’ Claire’s eyes fixed pleadingly on Daniel.

The doctor snorted. ‘Silly girl.’

Daniel pulled himself away from the wall, his hands coming out of his pockets. ‘She can stay, then. If Emily will show me what’s needed, I’ll get a few things together from your hostel room, Claire. Back in half an hour at the most, okay? Hand on heart, I’ll look after you carefully and you can head back to the hostel late tomorrow.’

‘Hell, yes,’ Claire muttered. ‘I need to get to work.’

‘Not in the garden doing anything physical. You can do some office work,’ Emily said sharply. ‘Plant orders, looking over the old plans, things like that. You hear me?’

Resigned, Claire nodded.

Daniel looked thoughtful. ‘You said yesterday you’d show me the plans? Maybe not today, but something we could do tomorrow if you feel well enough?’

Claire brightened, a faint smile on her lips. ‘Sounds like a great idea. Emily, can you show him where they are?’

‘Indeed I will. Now do as you’re told or else I’ll have Jake and Annie cross with me!’

The door closed behind Daniel and Emily as Doctor Tranter looked at Claire, one eyebrow raised, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. ‘Mmm, yes, well. I agree he gave little away just then, but he was very concerned before. Have you known him long?’

‘No, I haven’t known him at all long.’ She winced as the doctor carefully inserted the anaesthetic in her leg. ‘Anyway, we’re just friends for the moment. That’s enough for him, because I think he’s had a bad time recently and needs time to sort things out. It’s weird, but I kind of fell for him when I first saw him.’

‘It can happen like that sometimes,’ the doctor answered. ‘No rhyme or reason, nothing to explain it. Nothing you can do. Let nature take its course.’

‘Nothing else I can do,’ Claire said wistfully, thinking of the moments they’d shared. The time they’d both first seen each other and how their eyes had met and held in an enthralled attraction which had affected them both. The kiss, begun in anger and finished in tenderness, from which he’d fled, denying the desire that flared between them. And this morning, their mutual reluctance to be close, which on her part was because she knew it would be hard to hide how she felt. On his part, she could only guess it was because he still wanted to avoid emotional entanglements.

‘Let nature take its course,’ the doctor repeated soothingly, a twinkle in his eyes. ‘You’re a beautiful young lady, Claire, and a kind and understanding one as well. He’d be a fool if he couldn’t recognise what was under his nose.’

Claire blushed.

‘Right, I’m going to let that anaesthetic work. I’ll clean up your head and glue it together while we’re waiting. It’ll hurt,’ he warned, slipping out of his jacket and rolling up his sleeves.

Daniel returned as the doctor was putting a dressing over the cut on her forehead. He slid silently into the room and took up the same position, leaning against the wall.

‘Hello, young man,’ Doctor Tranter smiled over his shoulder. ‘Do you know the signs of concussion?’

‘Dizziness, disorientation, sickness?’

‘Throw in headaches, brain-fog and double vision. It doesn’t matter if she sleeps, but if you could check on her a couple of times in the night, just see if she stirs, you know?’

Claire made a gesture of repudiation.

‘That’s okay. I’ll do that.’

‘And if she faints, do you know what to do?’

‘Umm… legs higher than her head, or recovery position?’

‘If she’s totally out, the recovery position. If she’s just dizzy, legs higher than her head. You’ll do.’ The doctor turned back and started work on her knee, gently cleaning and disinfecting the nasty cut before inserting some stitches.

‘Not the best of sewing, but it’ll hold it together. They’ll dissolve. No need to come and see me to have them taken out.’

As he worked, Claire stared with grim determination out of the window until he straightened up, satisfied, a clean dressing covering the damage.

‘That should do. Right, young man. Out now. She needs tetanus and antibiotic shots. I’ll drop a prescription in at the chemist for painkillers and some more antibiotics, and no doubt they’ll get it up to you by tonight.’

The doctor completed his injections and tidied away his things. Finally, he stood by the settee and looked down at her. ‘How are you feeling now?’

‘Okay,’ Claire smiled shakily.

‘Liar. But then you always were a plucky little girl, trying to keep up with young Jake. Take it easy today,’ he advised, ‘and take some painkillers. That leg will hurt and your head will ache if it isn’t already, okay? Have you got any to be going on with until the prescription arrives? I’ve put some on it as well as the antibiotics.’

‘I’m sure Emily will have sent some down,’ Claire said vaguely. ‘Thank you, Doctor Tranter. I’m really grateful to you.’

She lay back on the cushions and her eyes closed. The doctor pulled the duvet up gently round her shoulders before quietly leaving the room.

Claire certainly didn’t feel well. She was cross with herself for her carelessness in running along a path she knew had all kinds of pitfalls—rocks, loose sand, and gravel. She felt guilty about the unintentional time off she was being forced to take from work when she’d only been in the job for two or three weeks. And her family… somehow, she felt like they were deserting her, although of course she’d known about the exhibition. She was being completely illogical. She was more than fine here with Daniel until tomorrow evening at least.

The rest of today and most of tomorrow. A few tears of self-pity crept out from under her closed eyes and trickled down to catch on her lip, where she caught them on her tongue and tasted their weak saltiness. Would Daniel be friendly and relaxed like he’d been yesterday, or would he be withdrawn and suspicious of her motives again? Maybe under normal circumstances she’d like to add in something physical to their tentative friendship, but that was something she’d need to keep in the background. As long as he was friendly. Yes, as long as he was friendly, then she’d probably cope.