The Surgeon and the Princess Karin Baine (websites to read books for free .TXT) 📖

ploy to keep her mind off what she didn’t have and on what she did.

When she wasn’t working, rescuing or keeping the property up to scratch, she was with her widowed mother at the dementia unit, painting her nails, combing her hair or searching for hidden possessions.

The worst thing Mallory had ever had to do in her life had been to admit her mother into full-time care. It had become necessary when she’d gone for a walk in the middle of the night last winter without a clue where she was. She’d been looking for Mallory’s father, the love of her life. Not a safe thing to do under the best of circumstances, and a wake-up call for Mallory about her mother’s mental state.

‘Have you done search and rescue before?’ she asked Josue, more to keep the conversation going than a serious need to learn anything about him.

‘Oui. In France and then in Wellington. I think it might be physically more challenging in the Wakatipu terrain than anything I’ve done before.’

‘The mountains are tough, the bush as dense as anywhere in the country and the rivers freezing even in summer.’ She nodded at her German shepherd now happily curled up on a dog bed. ‘Shade works the land searches.’

One brown eye opened at the sound of her name, and Shade thumped her tail.

Josue nodded. ‘She has the strong build required to spend hours walking in all sorts of weather and terrain.’

‘She loves it.’ Opening the box, she nodded at the pizza. ‘Help yourself. It won’t be very hot now. Do you want me to reheat it?’

‘Merci. This is good of you. I’m starving. It’ll be fine as is. By the time I arrived in Queenstown all I wanted was to get to the house, but I should’ve stopped to get something to eat. I must’ve given you a fright, being in your house.’ Again, that smile.

‘“Fright” was one word for it.’

‘What’s another?’ His smile widened. Used to charming his way through a woman’s doubts?

‘Disappointment.’ Her return smile was tired but cheeky.

One eyebrow rose. ‘Disappointment? You felt let down? How did I manage to do that by being inside your house uninvited?’ He was still smiling at her.

Mallory surprised herself by laughing. ‘I was shocked when I saw the lights on. I wasn’t expecting anyone, but when I saw that case on my porch, I hoped my other close friend had decided to surprise me with a visit.’ It would’ve been perfect timing after Kayla’s accident. They’d have talked half the night and convinced each other Kayla would be fine.

‘Instead you found a sleepy Frenchman on the couch who’d messed up putting correct directions into his GPS.’ He nodded. ‘Yes, I can understand your disappointment.’ His low laugh went straight to her blood, ramping up the pace and heat. ‘At least I didn’t scare you into considering doing something dangerous to me.’

‘You wouldn’t be sitting here munching on pizza if I’d had any serious qualms at all. Instead, Zac would be hauling you down to the police station by the scruff of your neck.’

‘Zac?’

‘A local policeman who lives around the corner.’ The advantage of knowing many people in this town was having their numbers just a touch away. ‘I’m thinking we shouldn’t bother Dean tonight. Obviously, you can go to Kayla’s house, but...’ She hesitated. What she was about to say seemed pointless when the other house was a minute away, but Josue was shattered and alone, and she knew from experience how debilitating that could feel. Rapidly squashing unwanted images, she drew a breath and said, ‘If you want to doss down here for the night and move along the road tomorrow, you’re welcome.’ Shade would be more than happy to sleep in her room, just in case she was completely wrong about him.

‘Doss?’

‘Grab a bed.’

‘You’d trust a stranger to stay in your house?’

‘If Dean’s okay about you staying with Kayla then it’s all right with me.’ Kayla would’ve quizzed her brother for hours about this man. She took no risks about her safety. Except today she’d obviously got that wrong, but nothing would’ve indicated she was about to be knocked out by an avalanche.

Mallory knew about bad luck. Hers had come about because of her choice in men. Jasper had been bad enough, but they’d been teenagers, and she’d had a lot to learn. Whereas she’d been twenty-four when she’d moved in with Hogan, who’d turned out to be a right scrounger who had been enough to make her think twice for a long time about getting caught up with another man. A man she could trust with her heart again.

She did want to take another chance, and sometimes wondered if she was like her parents and would find the right match when she was older. In the meantime, she was cautious in a friendly way. But the restlessness over not having her own family was growing harder to deal with as the months went by. A loving man and kids were all that was missing from her life.

Her gaze went to Josue, who was watching her as he munched pizza. Waiting for her to retract her offer? He looked honest and decent, and there was a twinkle in his eyes when he wasn’t yawning. Okay, so she might be too trusting, but better that than always being overly careful. Was Josue wondering how to answer her invitation? Had she put him on the spot somehow? ‘Would you prefer to stay here or go along the road to the other house?’

‘I’ll stay, merci. I think you’re right. It’ll be best to get in touch with Dean tomorrow.’

‘That’s settled.’ Taking a surreptitious look at her guest, she hoped she hadn’t gone and done the wrong thing. Fingers crossed he was as decent as he looked.

When Mallory got up to make tea, she glanced down at her overalls. She never wore them inside, and certainly not while she ate dinner, even at her most knackered. She still had her boots on!