Rescued by Her Mr. Right Read online

  What she would never have expected was to be addressed as if this paramedic knew her.

  ‘Harry? How did you end up on this ledge?’ He pushed up the visor of his helmet as he unhooked the gear and then held the winch line clear, giving the winch operator the ‘thumbs up’ sign to retrieve the hook. ‘I thought the job had been called in from up at the track.’

  ‘Oh, my God...’ Harriet’s jaw dropped. ‘When did you start working on the choppers, Jack?’

  ‘Months ago.’ His tone was clipped. Cold, even? ‘Fill me in, Harry.’

  ‘This is Eddie Denton. He’s sixty-three. He slipped and fell after trying to get his dog out of trouble.’

  There was a nagging voice at the back of her head telling her that she deserved the brush-off. How many times had she done that to Jack after the accident, when he’d tried to visit her?

  But not being part of the team any more had made it too painful to be reminded of how devastating the loss of this part of her life had been. And he’d given up eventually, just the way everybody else had stopped talking about it. Harriet couldn’t actually remember the last time she’d heard Jack’s name mentioned.

  ‘Hiya, Eddie. I’m Jack Evans. I’ve come to get you out of here, mate. How are you feeling?’

  ‘Gotta sore leg.’

  ‘Fractured mid-shaft femur,’ Harriet put in. ‘Limb baselines are intact.’

  ‘Anything else I should know about?’

  ‘Head injury. I’m pretty sure he was unconscious when I arrived on scene and he’s been complaining about a headache.’

  ‘And that arm?’

  ‘I don’t think it’s fractured but it’s badly bruised and there’s a fair bit of skin missing. Blood loss was minimal as far as I can tell.’

  It could have been worse. If Eddie had been bleeding badly, she could have stopped that. Did that justify her putting herself in so much danger and giving the rescue crew another person to manage? She hadn’t really thought about the consequences when she’d started that climb down, had she?

  Instinct had overridden sense.

  Or maybe it was because she hadn’t been able to resist the pull of being that person again. The one that did the dangerous stuff because she could potentially save a life.

  ‘Can you find some dressings in that pack? I’d like to get an IV in and some pain relief on board before we get a traction splint on that leg.’

  It wasn’t just Eddie who had a sore leg. The jolt of pain as Harriet moved to open Jack’s pack was almost enough to make her stumble. Maybe it was a good thing that they were on a relatively narrow ledge above a dangerous drop so it was a perfectly normal thing to do to crawl carefully from one point to another.

  Jack wouldn’t have even noticed.

  ‘You okay, Harry?’

  The swift glance from those dark eyes and the furrow between them told Harriet that he’d noticed her wincing, all right. She broke the eye contact abruptly. She didn’t want anybody’s pity but to be pitied by Jack was worse, somehow. He was one of the younger members of the SDR team and one of the best. He was going places, young Jack Evans, but he wasn’t cocky about it. He was, in fact, one of the nicest people Harriet had ever known.

  In her old life...

  ‘Be careful,’ was all Jack added. ‘We’re a long way up. Hand me that IV roll, would you?’

  She handed over the roll that contained everything Jack needed to insert an IV. The wipes, cannulas, Luer plugs, flushes and adhesive covers. She didn’t need reminding of how far above sea level they were. Every few seconds, even given the sound of the helicopter hovering nearby, she could hear the rolling crash of a huge wave below.

  ‘Sharp scratch, Eddie. There you go... Are you allergic to anything that you know of?’

  ‘Nah...not that I know of.’

  Harriet had all the sterile dressings and a bandage in her hands so that she could cover the raw wounds on Eddie’s arm but she stayed by the pack for a moment longer. Jack was going to need a giving set and a bag of saline to set up fluids that would keep Eddie’s vein open in case he needed more intravenous drugs. The morphine would definitely be helping his pain level within the next few minutes.

  ‘What score would you give your pain now, Eddie? Out of ten, like before?’

  ‘I reckon it’s only a five now. Maybe even a four.’

  ‘Good man. We’re going to get that splint on your leg in a tick. And then I’m going to get you up into our nice comfy chopper.’

  ‘But what about Harry?’

  ‘We’ll take her, too, don’t you worry. I’m not about to let her try climbing up this cliff by herself. God knows how she managed to get down to you in the first place.’ Jack was waiting for Harriet to look up as she snagged the bandage she’d wound around Eddie’s arm with a crocodile clip to keep it secure. ‘Good job,’ he added as he finally caught her gaze.

  He sounded impressed. And not the least bit cold. Quite the opposite, in fact.

  ‘No.’ Eddie shook his head. ‘I meant Harry—my dog...’

  ‘Oh...right...’

  ‘He’s a hero,’ Harriet said. ‘I wouldn’t have found Eddie if it hadn’t been for Harry. He came and got me and made me follow him.’

  Jack grinned. ‘Like Lassie, huh?’

  Harriet found herself smiling back. ‘Just like Lassie.’

  The shared smile broke whatever odd tension she had been aware of ever since Jack had touched down on this ledge. It was a link back to the very real friendship they’d shared during their time together with the SDR team. A friendship that Harriet couldn’t deny she’d shunned since her accident because it was such an integral aspect of the part of the life she’d lost for ever.

  But maybe there was a way back? To a small part of what she’d lost, anyway.

  And that felt good.

  ‘In that case, I’ll call the crew.’ Jack nodded, reaching for his radio. ‘We’ll get someone to head up the track and find him. Don’t you worry, Eddie. He’ll be well looked after until we can get him home for you.’

  Whether it was the relief of knowing his pet would be rescued, or the effects of the narcotic pain relief, Eddie seemed to relax into the care they were giving him. It was painful to get the traction splint locked into place and doing its job but, for this kind of fracture, it was essential to get control of any internal bleeding and added pain of the movement that would be happening very soon.

  ‘I’ll take Eddie up on the stretcher and then I’ll come back down for you and the pack.’ Jack raised his arm to signal the crew in the hovering helicopter that he was ready for the winch line to be lowered again. ‘Okay?’

  Harriet nodded.

  For several long minutes, she was alone on the ledge, watching Jack control the swinging of the stretcher Eddie was strapped onto as it was lifted skywards. And then she saw it being tipped and dragged into the cabin of the helicopter. It seemed to take a long time until Jack was standing on the skid again, ready for his second descent, but she watched him coming down with an increasing sense of relief.

  There was no way she could have climbed back up that cliff.

  It was no wonder that Jack had been impressed that she’d managed it at all. The last time he’d seen her, her leg had been skewered with long pins and encased in the rods of external fixation for a fracture that had been bad enough for her to have had to give consent to amputation if that had been deemed the best option during her surgery.

  He’d been so determinedly cheerful, she remembered. He’d brought a brand of chocolate she’d once announced was her all-time favourite and some magazines, but the choice had been unfortunate, including the latest edition of an emergency medicine journal. And, okay, maybe that publication had also previously been favourite reading material but it had been the last thing she’d wanted to see then.

  The visit had been awkward. What did they have
in common other than the team callouts, training sessions and rare social occasions? Jack was a good six years younger than Harriet. Just a mate.

  At least he hadn’t been around to see her limping return to work at Bondi Bayside. If he was with the helicopter crew he wouldn’t even be spending time in the emergency department, although he might still make an occasional visit to the intensive care unit if he wanted to follow up on a patient. Not that Harriet was working there any more—not when that environment needed people who could be quick on their feet when needed and in no danger from being distracted by pain or fatigue.

  An echo of the awkwardness that had only increased between them until Jack didn’t come to visit her any more reared its head as he arrived back on the ledge and helped Harriet into the ‘nappy’ harness that would hold her close to his body as they were winched back into the helicopter. Maybe it was a good thing that it was noisy and scary and there was no need to say anything other than to confirm she understood all the instructions.

  The scariest part was when her feet lost contact with the relative safety of that ledge and she was dangling in mid-air, with the rocks of the cliff looking alarmingly close and the roiling surf a terrifying drop below.

  Oddly, she felt safe at the same time.

  Jack was big. Tall and muscly. Not with the kind of muscles that her ex-boyfriend Pete had nurtured in his gym sessions, though. Just like his looks were a complete contrast to the sun-streaked, surfer vibe that had attracted her to Pete in the first place. It felt like Jack had just been born that way, and maybe he had. The young paramedic had island heritage—Maori or Samoan—with the dark eyes and black hair that went with his olive skin. He had the gentleness that could come as such a pleasant surprise in a big man but he also had strength and that was what Harriet could feel surrounding her now as they rose slowly in this vast sky.

  How long had it been since she’d felt a man’s arms around her like this? Making her feeling safe. Cherished, almost.

  Maybe that foolhardy challenge of climbing down that cliff had been worth it.

  Just for this...

  CHAPTER TWO

  FUNNY HOW MANY thoughts could flash through your brain when you were dangling in mid-air. Even when most of your concentration was so focused on keeping both yourself and the person you were holding safe.

  But the thoughts were there. Drifting past like fragments of a half-forgotten dream.

  Because he had dreamed of this. Once upon a time.

  Holding Harriet Collins in his arms...

  Part of his soul had recognised her as the perfect woman the first time he’d met her, back when they had both been new and on their very first training session for the SDR team. Everything about her had been fascinating. Those shiny, auburn curls that bounced when she moved her head. The cute freckles that dusted her milky skin. Hazel eyes with the sparkle of sheer joie de vivre. That easy smile and the contagious gurgle of her laughter. How nice she was. Warm and open and friendly.

  It had taken a long time to screw up the courage to ask her out on a date. He’d had to fight the doubts about how unlikely it was that she could be as interested in him. She was years older than he was. Older and wiser and with a circle of friends that were part of a very different world but the attraction was so strong, he’d had to try.

  The sheer delight that she seemed to think it was a great idea had been short-lived. She’d seen it as no more than a mate suggesting a team outing, in fact, because she’d shared the invitation with those around them, including the new guy who’d just joined the team—a good-looking firie by the name of Pete Thompson.

  And it had been that very night—that had been supposed to be his first date with Harriet—that the spark had been ignited between her and Pete. Jack had felt every jolt of electricity that had passed between them and every one of them had been tipped with the flame of rejection. Of not being good enough. Of not having the kind of charisma that blokes like Pete Thompson had. He knew that that charisma often came with a price. That they were often shallow, egotistical people.

  But there’d been nothing that he could do, other than watch it happen. And accelerate. And he’d got over it. So Harriet wasn’t for him? It didn’t matter. They were still friends and he’d find someone else who made him feel this way—without those doubts that he’d made the mistake of ignoring. One of these days, he would experience that ‘falling in love’ business. Preferably with someone that he knew he would want to spend the rest of his life with.

  Someone like Harriet Collins maybe, but with some island blood so that she could embrace being part of an extended family that could sometimes smother you with the responsibilities of belonging but would never tolerate being shut out of any dark times in your life.

  The way Harriet had shut him out.

  It still hurt, Jack realised, as they got close enough to where his crewmate, Matt, was leaning out of the chopper door, ready to pull Harriet to safety and unclip the nappy harness. It was almost a relief when he couldn’t feel the shape of her body against his any longer.

  He’d wanted to hold her in his arms so much, that day, when he’d gone to see her after the accident, still reeling from the shock of witnessing that rockfall on their team day out in the Blue Mountains with a day of abseiling training underway. He’d seen that rock hit Harriet and the fear that she’d been killed had made it seem like the ground had been opening up beneath him. A world without Harriet Collins could never be quite the same. He’d had to swipe tears of relief from his face when he’d heard that she’d come through the surgery and still had her leg but he’d known the moment he’d walked into her room for that first visit that even getting close enough to touch her wasn’t going to be welcomed.

  She’d put up a barrier that might have been transparent but it was impenetrable. And, from what Jack had heard over the last months, he hadn’t been the only person who’d been relegated to the other side of that barrier. Harriet’s life had fallen apart after the accident but it had been deemed none of his business, however much he might have wanted to try and help.

  But she had needed his help today.

  Welcomed it, in fact.

  And it almost felt like that barrier had somehow evaporated—on her side, anyway. Perhaps he’d put up one of his own, to protect himself from having his friendship rejected again. From the reminders of that even more painful rejection of something that he’d believed could have been a whole lot more than simply friendship.

  She was watching him now, as he and Matt made sure that Eddie was as comfortable as possible, monitored his vital signs and tried to check him out for any significant injuries that might have been missed. It was only a short flight to the nearest hospital so it was a busy time but Jack’s glance caught Harriet’s on more than one occasion—like when he’d tightened the loop anchoring the nasal cannula for oxygen and moved to attach the end of the tubing to the on-board supply. And when he reached up to change the flow rate on the IV fluids they were administering to stabilise Eddie’s blood pressure.

  What was so different about her?

  She was a bit thinner, which was hardly surprising given the physical ordeal she’d been through. Her skin was paler. Because she wasn’t outside every free moment she could find—doing fun runs or surfing or something? Her freckles had faded too but the change he was trying to identify wasn’t anything negative. Quite the contrary. It was...a bit of a spark, that’s what it was. As if a glimmer of the woman he’d admired so much had returned. A woman who’d all but vanished within weeks of that terrible accident.

  The last time Jack had gone to visit her in hospital, she’d been fighting an infection that had again raised the awful possibility that her lower leg might have to be amputated. She had been feeling very unwell, lying there with intravenous antibiotics dripping into her arm, and the visit had been more than awkward. Jack had felt helpless and hated it.

  Harriet had l
ooked...hopeless, which had been even worse.

  She hadn’t wanted to see him. She certainly hadn’t wanted to talk about the SDR, which was pretty much the only thing they had in common. And when she’d looked directly at him—just before she’d said it might be better if he left—her eyes had been like nothing he would have ever associated with Harriet. So dark. So flat you wouldn’t know there were little golden flecks in that hazel warmth.

  That was it in a nutshell. The sparkle was back. Not the way it had been but it was there in the interest she was showing in the information being recorded on the ECG monitor and the new set of limb baselines Matt was doing to check on the blood supply to Eddie’s leg below the level of the fracture.

  It had been there, as part of that smile, when he’d made that lame joke about Lassie.

  As they came in to land at one of Sydney’s larger hospitals, a long way from Bondi Bayside, Jack leaned close and raised his voice.

  ‘Stay on board when we land. I’m off duty once we get back to base and I can take you home.’

  ‘I left my car,’ Harriet told him. ‘Back at the cliffs.’

  ‘No worries. We’ll sort it. We can check that Lassie’s been rescued, too.’

  Her eyes widened as if she was surprised he was worried about his patient’s pet but then her face softened as if she was remembering that it wasn’t out of character at all. It was the kind of person he’d always been.

  Her smile—and her nod—told him that she liked that.

  ‘Sounds great.’ Harriet leaned close to Eddie as they were unhooking the stretcher ready to wheel him towards the waiting staff members on the far side of the helipad. ‘I’ll come and see you as soon as I can. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Harry’s okay.’

  She would, too, Jack thought as he bent to move under the still moving rotors of the helicopter that would take them back to base very soon. She was that kind of person as well.

  And he’d always loved that about her.

  * * *

  It felt like the old days.