A Mother's Secret. Scarlet Wilson
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were poised outside, waiting to try and fit her sofa through the window.
She placed her hands on her hips as she took a few steps down the corridor. The place really wasn’t too bad. It just needed freshening up. ‘I suppose it’s not the end of the world to wait a few weeks. I guess Harry will need around six weeks to make a full recovery. But I don’t want him to be pressured into working before he’s ready. Maybe it would be less pressure on him if he knew someone else had done the job?’
He understood her reasoning. It was rational. It was also considerate. But this woman had obviously never met Harry Burns.
He shook his head; he couldn’t help a smile appearing on his face. ‘Actually, if I tell Harry someone else is doing it, his blood pressure will probably go through the roof and he’ll have another heart attack.’
She smiled. A genuine smile that reached right up into her warm brown eyes. ‘Well, I guess that would never do, then, would it?’
He shook his head. She was mellowing. She seemed a little calmer. But then again, she’d just moved house—one of the most stressful things to do. That, along with the fact she was about to start a new job, meant her own blood pressure was probably through the roof. He was leaving out the most obvious fact. The one that it seemed highly likely she was a single parent.
There was no sign of any man. And all the clothes packed into the back of the little red car were obviously hers and her daughter’s.
His curiosity was definitely piqued. But he couldn’t show it—not for a second. On an island like Arran they’d have him huckled up the aisle in the blink of an eye and all his mother’s cronies would have their knitting needles out and asking about babies.
‘About work...’ he started. That was better. That was the reason he was here.
‘What about it?’ she said absentmindedly, as she opened a drawer and started emptying a bag of little-girl underwear into it. ‘I think I’m supposed to meet Sam Allan next Tuesday. He’s the head of the practice, isn’t he?’
‘Normally, he is.’ Logan chose his words carefully and let the statement sink in.
Her eyes widened and she turned around. ‘Oh, no, what are you about to tell me?’ He could tell from the tone of her voice that she knew exactly where this conversation was headed.
‘About Sam...’
‘What about Sam, Dr Scott?’ She folded her arms across her chest.
He almost laughed out loud at the expression on her face. Did she have any idea how identical her daughter was to her? Even though the hair and eye colour was obviously different, their expressions and mannerisms were like mirror images of each other.
‘I think you should start calling me Logan. We’ll be working together enough.’
He could see her take a deep breath. He liked this woman. And as soon as he had a minute he was going to go back to the surgery and read her résumé. He could only hope that her paediatric skills would be transferable to their GP practice.
‘Sam Allan managed to fall down Goat Fell earlier today. It’s about the hundredth time in his life, but this time he’s been a little unlucky.’
Her eyes narrowed. Goat Fell was the highest peak on the island. ‘How unlucky?’
‘Unlucky enough to break his leg.’ He couldn’t keep the sound of regret from his voice. Sam Allan was one of his greatest friends. ‘Sam’s problem is he’s nearly seventy but thinks he’s still around the age of seventeen.’
Her words were careful, measured. ‘Then, Logan, I guess it will be you I’ll be meeting next Tuesday instead.’
Logan scratched his chin. Stubble. He still hadn’t had time to shave. That must be around two days now. He must look a sight. Time for the bombshell.
‘Actually, I was kind of hoping you could start now.’
CHAPTER TWO
‘YOU ARE JOKING, right?’
He shook his head and lifted his hands. ‘Nothing like the present time to get started.’
She looked at him as if he was crazy. ‘Look around you, Logan. Do I look like I’m ready to do any kind of GP surgery right now?’ She pointed at the cottage. ‘I haven’t unpacked a thing. My removals men are still here. I’ve got a broken window. And I haven’t even started to look for childcare for Isla.’ Her hand lifted up to her face. ‘Oh, no.’
‘What?’
‘Sam Allan was going to put me in touch with some people who might have been able to help with Isla. He’s not going to be able to do that now.’
Logan felt a little twist in his gut. He could picture in his head exactly who Sam might have had in mind. And he wished he’d talked to him about it first.
Logan’s mum was as desperate to be a grandparent as his sister was desperate to be a mother. He didn’t have a single doubt that Sam would have volunteered her as a surrogate granny for Isla.
And, after having met Isla, he knew instantly they would be a perfect match. His mother would love the little girl who had an old head on her shoulders. And Isla would love the fact that she could have his mother’s undivided attention.
So, why did it make him squirm a little?
His mother had been lonely these last few years. The unexpected death of his father ten years ago had been a bombshell for them all. One moment playing golf on a summer’s day, next moment an aortic aneurysm had killed him instantly. Logan had just completed his first year as a junior doctor and taken up a post in a medical unit in Glasgow. Guilt had plagued him.
If only he’d come home the week before, the way he’d been supposed to. Maybe he would have noticed some minor symptoms that could have alerted him to his father’s condition. The looks on the faces of his mother and sister as they’d met him from the boat would stay with him for ever. He hadn’t been there when his family had needed him most.
He’d always put his dad on a pedestal, and even to this day he still missed him. He’d been a fantastic father. Smart, encouraging, with a big heart and an even bigger sense of humour. Filling his shoes as the island GP had been a daunting task. Even now, some of the older patients referred to him as ‘young Dr Scott’.
His mother had probably always imagined she would have a house full of grandchildren at this point. Something to fill her days, keep her busy and keep her young.
But things just hadn’t worked out that way for Claire, or for him.
He’d been an ‘almost’. He’d seriously dated a woman with a gorgeous little boy for six months a few years back. All his fears about doing as good a job as his dad and having enough hours in the day had almost been pushed aside. Until Zoe had decided island life wasn’t for her and she was leaving. Saying goodbye to little Ben had ripped his heart out. And he’d never dated a woman with children since.
Too difficult. Too many risks.
At least with introducing Isla it would take the pressure off him for a while. And it might even take the pressure off his sister Claire. Seven failed IVF attempts had just about finished her, and now the strain of the adoption process wasn’t helping.
It should be a perfect solution all round. Only it just didn’t feel that way.
He took a deep, reluctant breath. ‘Don’t panic. I think I might know who Sam was going to recommend.’
‘Who? Is it someone reliable? Someone safe? I can’t just leave my daughter with a perfect stranger. And I’m not sure how quickly I’d want to do it anyway. I was only supposed to be working one day in the surgery. We should have some time to settle in together. Have some time to meet the person and make sure I think they are suitable. Will I get references for childcare?’
She was