Bride for Glenmore Read Free Page A

to family planning. Are you serious? Is the school under threat of closure?’
    ‘No, not yet.’ She glanced towards him with a quick smile. ‘Actually, this is a thriving, busy island and we’re doing all right. But populations dwindle. It’s a fact in rural areas like this. People find the life hard and they leave for the bright lights of the big cities. And they don’t come back. They marry a mainlander like you and have their babies somewhere else.’
    She changed gear and took a corner at an alarming speed.
    ‘Do you always drive this fast?’
    ‘I do everything fast. It means I can get through twice as much in the day, which is a definite advantage in a place like this. But that’s enough about me. What brings you here? What are you running from, Dr Walker?’
    He felt his body tense. ‘Why would I be running from anything?’
    ‘Because mainlanders don’t generally choose to spend their summer up here in the wilds unless they’re running from something,’ she said cheerfully. ‘Unless they’re locals, people come here for space and to regroup. Was it work or something more personal? Love?’
    His head started to throb. He’d expected questions. He just hadn’t expected them this quickly. And he hadn’t prepared his answers. ‘Are you always this direct?’
    ‘On an island, it’s impossible to keep secrets.’ She opened the window a crack and the breeze blew in and lifted her hair. ‘They have a habit of following you. Better to get it all out in the open.’
    Ethan stared at her profile and then turned his head away to stare out of his own window. If she knew his secret, she’d probably stop the car and push him off the cliff. ‘I’m not in the habit of talking about my sex life.’
    ‘Right.’ She shifted her grip on the steering-wheel. ‘But I wasn’t asking about your sex life, I was asking about your love life.’
    It occurred to him that she would have got on well with his last girlfriend. You don’t have a heart, Ethan. You’re not capable of intimacy.
    ‘I’m here because you advertised for a doctor. Logan told me he needed help.’
    ‘He does need help. But that wouldn’t be enough to attract a mainlander to a place like Glenmore. And Logan told me that you’re a hotshot. First in everything. Top of your class.’
    ‘Being a good doctor isn’t about exam results.’
    ‘Well, it’s good to know we agree on something.’ She shifted gear and slowed down to take a corner. ‘Anyway, we’re just pleased to have you here. It’s been a tough few months. I don’t know whether Logan mentioned it but he lost his wife almost a year ago.’
    Ethan stiffened and the throb in his head intensified. ‘Yes,’ he said quietly, forcing his body to relax. ‘He mentioned it.’
    ‘It was a hideous time.’ Kyla’s voice was soft and her hands tight on the wheel. ‘Awful.’
    Ethan felt the sickness rise inside him. ‘How did she die?’
    ‘Having the baby.’ Kyla shook her head slowly. ‘It seems so wrong, doesn’t it? In this day and age to die having a baby. You read about maternal mortality rates but you don’t actually think it’s going to happen to anyone you know. You think that if you monitor carefully, everything will be all right. But it wasn’t all right. And I know Logan still blames himself even though he did absolutely everything that could have been done. She had an undiagnosed cardiac condition.’
    Ethan took a deep breath. ‘And how’s he managing with the little girl? It must be difficult.’
    ‘How did you know they had a girl?’ She shot him a surprised look, her blue eyes narrowed. ‘Did I mention it?’
    ‘Logan mentioned it,’ Ethan said, correcting his mistake swiftly. ‘Kirsty. Eleven months.’
    ‘That’s right. She’s a sweetie. She isn’t walking yet but her crawling could earn her a speeding ticket and she’s into everything. Gives us all grey hairs. And Logan manages. He’s a great father and he has a lot of help from the