The Surgeon and the Princess by Karin Baine (ebook reader with android os .TXT) 📕

field and taken her to the hospital in Dunedin because Queenstown’s hospital didn’t do major surgeries. Her paramedic friend had two broken legs and was suffering from a severe concussion, having been lucky to avoid a small avalanche from taking her to the bottom of a rocky gully.

When Mallory had held Kayla’s hand as she’d been unloaded at the hospital’s emergency landing pad, Kayla had been talking gibberish, probably because of the concussion, but she’d said something about a doctor coming from Wellington. Was this man really meant to be staying in her friend’s house? Was she supposed to go along and let him in because of a few whispered mutterings? It wasn’t happening. At least not tonight. Hold on.

‘GPSs are usually very accurate with street addresses. Kayla’s house is another two hundred metres up the road.’

‘Number 142. I have reached my destination,’ he said in a monotone as if imitating the voice of his GPS. There was a suspicious glint in his eyes like he was laughing. Yes, his mouth was definitely twitching.

‘Number 124. You have not reached your destination.’ She retorted in a similar monotone, trying not to glint or twitch. He was beguiling to say the least. Great. Just what she needed at the moment.

‘I must’ve muddled the numbers.’

‘I’d say so.’ It was getting harder by the minute not to give in to the smile trying to bust out from deep inside now that she was starting to relax. She didn’t intend on making him feel too comfortable. Not yet anyway. That’d mean losing the upper hand, if she even had it.

Josue Bisset smiled slowly and easily. ‘I’d better take my bags and get out of your way. I’ve caused enough trouble for one night.’ His face softened further, making his mouth even more delectable.

He was probably used to winning over obstinate women. He was built, tall and broad with looks to match. Women would lap up anything he said or did. But surely not a home invasion? Okay, a slight exaggeration now that she understood why he was here, but still. Still what? What to do next came to mind. Nothing. Let him get on his way and she could take that shower she’d been hankering for over the last hour. But she had yet to explain about Kayla.

Mallory walked through the sitting room to the double doors opening into her kitchen-dining space. ‘It’s not as straightforward as that.’ With Shade nudging the back of her leg, she dumped the pizza on the bench and opened the pantry. Shade seemed to have decided to ignore Josue, which gave her hope he was all he appeared to be, a friendly, honest man who’d made a genuine mistake. Hopefully Kayla had had him checked out before offering him a room in her house. Hadn’t he mentioned her brother?

‘I take it you know Dean?’ she called over her shoulder, and gasped when she saw Josue had followed her and was looking around the kitchen with something like hope.

He locked a steady gaze on her. ‘I worked with him in Wellington.’

Fine. Dean wouldn’t have sent him to his sister if he’d had any concerns. She filled Shade’s bowl with food and placed it on a mat beside the water bowl. ‘There you go, my girl.’

Her uninvited guest now stood with his hip against the kitchen counter, his nose crinkling as he breathed deep while looking at the pizza box. The mouth-watering smell of bacon and cheese and mixed herbs was probably getting to him. It was certainly reminding her how hungry she’d been before she’d seen the light on in here.

He said, ‘Dean and I get on very well, and he showed me around some interesting places during my time in the capital.’

It was a reference of sorts, Mallory supposed as she filled the kettle. It wasn’t her place to change the arrangements, except they might not be the same any more. Kayla’s parents would be on the road to Dunedin, if they hadn’t already arrived, and they’d surely have contacted Dean about what had happened. But then the last thing that would be on Dean’s mind would be the doctor moving into his sister’s house.

‘I know nothing about what you’ve organised but unfortunately things have changed. Kayla won’t be coming home tonight, or for some weeks.’ Kayla’s parents would insist she stay with them until she was up on her feet again, and who knew how long that would take? ‘She and two other people were caught on the edge of an avalanche this afternoon. Fortunately, they all survived but Kayla’s injuries are serious. Both legs broken and a severe concussion at the very least. I was part of the team that airlifted her off the mountain earlier. She’s now in a hospital in Dunedin.’

Shock filled those steady eyes. ‘That’s awful. I’m sorry to hear that. Have you heard any more about her condition since you returned to Queenstown?’

‘No, but I’m unlikely to until her parents find out more. The paramedic thought Kayla would need surgery on her legs. They were in a bad way. She’s going to hate being restricted by casts and crutches.’ So much for getting back on track and recharging her energy, which had disappeared since her husband had died. ‘Hopefully she’ll be fine once she gets past the shock.’ Mallory turned away to wipe a hand over her damp cheeks. Life was so unfair to some people. ‘She’s one of my closest friends.’

A light touch on her shoulder told her she wasn’t alone, that Josue understood she was upset. It felt good, and totally out of place. She might have become a little restless with her life, due to not having anyone special to make a future with, but this good-looking Frenchman who claimed he was only here temporarily wasn’t going to help one little bit. A short future was not what she intended next time she got involved with a guy. But it would have been good to download after today’s drama. Drama