Do Opposites Attract? (Kathryn Freeman’s Irresistible Romcom Collection #5)

Chapter Thirteen

The time had finally come. Her last day at the camp. When she’d first set foot in this part of South America and seen for herself the grim reality of life here, the week had stretched ahead of her like an eternity. Now, incredibly, it was nearly over, leaving her with decidedly mixed feelings. She was desperate to get back to civilisation. A hot bath and television. A comfortable bed and wardrobe full of clean clothes. Those were the basics. Then there were the simple pleasures. A meal in a restaurant. A drink with her friends. Things she’d taken for granted, but now couldn’t wait to enjoy again. In fact, when she looked at it hard, there was actually only one reason why she didn’t want to go home. And that reason was currently sitting down in the camp dining room, eating breakfast.

‘Did you manage some sleep?’ she asked as she deliberately went to sit opposite him. He wore his intimidating look — unshaven and unsmiling — but it was water off a duck’s back to her now.

‘Some.’ He glanced up at her briefly, eyes hooded, then carried on eating his porridge.

‘Is there anything you need me to do today? Anything I can help with?’

He shrugged. ‘I’m not sure. You’ll need to check with Tessa and Stuart. I won’t be around much.’

Brianna felt a flare of intense disappointment. This man had feasted on her body last night. He had been more intimate with her than any man she’d ever known. And now he was spending her final day somewhere else. It hurt, as did the fact he couldn’t even be bothered to look her in the eye when he told her. ‘I see. You are aware this is my last day here. I go home tomorrow.’

Finally his eyes rested on hers, but they were anything but friendly. ‘We’re trying to save lives here. It doesn’t all stop just because you’re going home.’

Ouch. He knew how to hurt. ‘Yes, you’re right, I’m sorry.’ Ashamed she lowered her head and pretended an interest in her breakfast. She was being totally selfish, thinking only of what she wanted. His skill-set was rare and much in demand. If this week had taught her nothing else, it had taught her that.

Mitch cleared his throat. ‘Sorry, too. I do the jerk thing quite well.’

Her heart melted and she smiled. ‘Yes, you do.’

‘There’s been further chaos downstream and I’ve been asked to go and help, but before that I’m going to check on a suspected case of cholera in the camp. You can come with me, if you like. But I’m warning you now, it won’t be pretty. The main symptom is diarrhoea.’

‘With an invitation as appealing as that, how can a woman possibly refuse?’

His lips twitched, but he also shook his head, as if caught in two minds whether to laugh or cuss at her for being so flippant.

A short while later she was sitting in the truck next to him, bumping over the hard ground towards the back of the camp.

‘Do I have any instructions?’

‘Smile, stay out of the way and, for the love of God, don’t eat or drink anything offered.’

She huffed. ‘That’s it? You really do think I’m a waste of space, don’t you?’

He pulled the truck to a stop. ‘No. I think you’re bright, strong and determined, but your talents lie in a different direction than nursing.’

Slightly mollified, she climbed down from the truck. ‘You only said all that so I’d do as I was told.’

He tried to look offended, but the bugger was clearly having a hard time suppressing a smile. Funny, for most of her stay she’d wanted to make him smile. Now he was, she wanted him to take her seriously.

Mitch hauled his medical bag out of the back of the jeep and together they walked up to the large tatty tent. Even from a distance she heard the cries of a baby.

‘Here.’ He thrust some disposable gloves at her. ‘In case you ignore the stay out of the way instruction.’

Giving him a hard glare, she snapped on the gloves.

Mitch bit back a smile. Brianna looked so cute when she was in a huff. He’d fully intended not to see her at all today, figuring it would save them both the embarrassment. But she’d looked so hurt this morning when he’d ungraciously barked at her that somehow he’d ended up inviting her along.

And now here he was, feeling an almost overwhelming need to smile.

‘Médico.’

Abruptly he looked up to see the worried face of a woman beckoning to him from inside the tent. Time to get his head screwed back onto his job.

The smell was the first thing that hit him when he lifted up the tent flap. He was used to bad smells, but the stench of diarrhoea wasn’t one you wanted to hang around long in. He turned to the woman, clearly the mother, and started asking all his usual questions; who had diarrhoea, when had it come on, how many bowel movements, when he heard a muffled squawk from behind him.

Brianna appeared momentarily in the doorway. Her face went sheet-white, she gasped, croaked out ‘Oh . . . sorry,’ then threw a hand to her mouth and disappeared.

He found himself having to stifle another smile. ‘She’s not quite used to life in a refugee camp yet,’ he explained to the mother.

Not that she’d ever be used to it, he reminded himself as he started to examine the children. She was going home tomorrow. Back to her highly privileged, highly sanitised life. A fact he’d do well to remember.

There were four kids affected in all, and he quizzed the older child.

‘Where were you drinking from?’

He looked sheepish. ‘The lake.’

Mitch shook his head. It didn’t seem to matter how many times these kids were told not to drink from lakes and rivers, they did it anyway. ‘You know you only drink treated water.’ He grabbed another few packs of purifying tablets out of his bag and tossed them over to him.

‘Yes, Médico.’

It was exactly the same voice Mitch had used when he’d been that age and teachers had told him not to get into any more fights, not to get into trouble.

He delved into his bag and gave the mother some rehydration sachets. ‘You need to mix these in the water I’m leaving you and get the kids to drink lots of it.’ Then he explained, yet again, the importance of good hygiene. Washing their hands with soap after going to the toilet and before cooking or eating. Treating the water before drinking it. Finally he nodded over to the youngest. ‘Someone will come and collect him and take him to the hospital tent. He needs to be put on a drip for a while.’

‘Thank you.’

After saying his goodbyes, he went in search of Brianna. He found her sitting near a small clump of bushes, hugging her legs.

He nodded over to the bush. ‘Is that where your breakfast ended up?’

She stared resolutely past his shoulder. ‘Yes.’

Hunching down next to her, he smoothed back her hair. ‘Sorry. Bringing you here wasn’t one of my best ideas. I didn’t think.’

‘It’s not your fault I seem to have this propensity for throwing up at the drop of a hat.’ She nodded to his shirt. ‘At least you weren’t in striking distance this time.’

‘I guess I should thank the bush for taking the hit.’

Suddenly she let out a sob and thrust her face into her hands. ‘God, why am I so flaming useless?’

He felt a strange fluttering sensation in his chest and had to fight not to fling his arms round her. She was leaving tomorrow. He might have let his guard slip last night, but he had to shove it firmly up again now. ‘I told you, you’re not useless. Just not cut out for life in a refugee camp.’

‘I guess not.’ She glanced sideways at him. ‘Did you fix them?’

‘I’m not sure that’s the right terminology, but yes. They’ll be okay. If you catch it early enough, cholera is easily treated by rehydration.’

‘That’s it? No hour long operation? No fancy drug cocktail? Just drink some fluids?’

He chuckled. ‘A lot of what we do here is very simple.’

For a few moments they sat side by side, gazing out over the camp. Mitch was very much aware of her next to him, but not only as a woman. In every way they were diametrically opposite and yet . . . and yet he could sit here, next to her, and feel not just comfortable, but strangely content.

But that was dangerous. Because he didn’t want to feel any closeness towards her, Mitch suddenly jumped to his feet. ‘Right. I need to head on downstream. I’ll give you a lift back.’

* * *

Once more Brianna sat next to Mitch in the truck. It had been a strange morning. She’d humiliated herself again. Okay, nothing odd in that. At least not on this trip. But what had been odd had been Mitch’s attitude towards her when he’d sat with her by the bush. For a few wonderful moments he’d been warm, relaxed. Of course he’d quickly smashed whatever had started to grow between them, almost as if he’d been afraid of letting her get close.

‘Got any plans for your last night?’ They were the first words he’d spoken to her since they’d set off back to base.

‘No, I hadn’t thought of it.’ Liar. Images of Mitch making love to her all evening danced through her mind. She bit the inside of her cheek and went for broke. ‘Will you be around?’

‘I’m not sure. Maybe if I get back in time, we can drag a few of the others out and go for a farewell drink?’

Not exactly the images in her mind, but she was pathetically grateful for the offer nonetheless. ‘Sounds good, but if you go out twice in a week they’ll think you’ve had a knock on the head.’

At last he smiled at her. ‘When in truth, I’ve been corrupted by the patron’s daughter.’

‘I think it was you who did the corrupting last night.’

Mitch eyed her speculatively. ‘You didn’t look like you were complaining.’

She returned his gaze steadily. ‘I wasn’t. I’m not.’

The electricity crackled between them once more. They were poles apart when it came to background and personality, but when it came to physical attraction they were dynamite together. As his eyes darkened with desire, she knew at least on that front, they were in agreement.