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on any of my offers. I had the feeling he’d written me off as some kind of rich party boy.’
    â€˜It’s possible you may be right there.’ She glanced at him. She would have liked to ask him how he came to spend his days doing little of any importance, but the answer might disturb her too much. He might tell her he preferred things that way…and if he wanted her to know more, he would tell her, wouldn’t he?
    â€˜Seriously, though,’ she added, ‘Rob is a very private person, and it can be difficult to get to know him. I think that’s why he preferred to live out here in relative isolation. It’s only now that I’ve decided to come and live here that he’s had to think through his options, and he decided to move nearer to his family. I think the move will do him good.’ She frowned. ‘Of course, he’ll have to wait awhile to do that, now that he’s to be fitted with an implant. He’ll probably stay in the area until his medical problems have been sorted out. In fact, he’ll probably come back to stay at my place for a short time. He left quite a few of his belongings with me.’
    â€˜I expect he’ll be glad to do that.’
    By now they had reached her house and she halted by the door, hesitating a moment as she thought over the night’s events. She was drawn to Jake in more ways than she cared to imagine, but he was a definite threat to her peace of mind. He wasn’t like other men. There was something about him that set off warning bells in her head every time he was near. And tonight had beenno exception. He had plied her with food and drink until the world had taken on a rosy glow, and maybe that was why he had managed to slip through the cracks in her defences.
    â€˜I’ll say goodnight, then,’ she murmured. ‘Thanks for showing me around your house, and for walking me home.’
    â€˜You’re very welcome…any time.’ He moved closer to her, his voice a husky drawl. ‘If there’s anything you want…help of some sort, a friendly chat… me …you only have to call and I’ll be there in a second.’ Flame darted in his eyes as his glance trailed over her, and an imp of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
    A pulse started to beat heavily in her throat, and her whole body filled with heat. ‘I’ll bear it in mind,’ she said in a rough-edged voice, evading him as he sought to move closer. She turned her key in the lock. ‘Bye, Jake.’
    â€˜Bye.’ He left her, turning to walk back along the wharf, and only then did she begin to relax. She would try to put him out of her mind. A good night’s sleep was what she needed, and then maybe she could concentrate on what she knew to be safe—the tried-and-tested route of focussing on her work, or the diversion of getting in touch with friends and family.
    At least work would keep her busy and her mind occupied, and, sure enough, next day, at the hospital, it was as though the party had taken place a lifetime ago. There was no time here for reflection.
    She spent a couple of hours in the emergency room, treating people with breathing difficulties and variousfractures, and then when there was a bit of a lull she went to find out how Rob was doing.
    â€˜I’m feeling much better now that the medication has kicked in,’ he told her. ‘The consultant said he’ll do the implant later this morning.’
    â€˜I’m sure you’ll be fine,’ Lacey reassured him. ‘Once it’s in place, we can monitor what’s going on with your heart, and think about different ways to treat you. From the look of the ECG recordings, the electrical system that regulates your heartbeat has gone awry, and we need to find out which particular part is causing the problem.’
    Rob smiled wearily. ‘It all sounds very complicated to me, but I trust you. I know you’re doing your best