Life Support: Escape to the Country, #3

By Nicki Edwards

A piece of you will always be left at home.

When emergency nurse Emma Chirnside's husband dies unexpectedly, she finds herself tangled in lies and secrets. The last thing she expected to receive from him was a heritage listed mansion in her home town of Birrangulla, but with her in-laws causing chaos, she flees to the country, hoping to rebuild her life. Fleeing, it turns out, creates new complications. The estate manager is none other than her teenage crush Tom Henderson.

Tom hasn't thought about Emma since high school. They'd always been friendly - like Emma, Tom knows how it feels to care for a sick mother from a young age - but as far as Tom was aware, they were nothing more than friends. He had no idea of Emma's feelings for him, or the way he'd once broken her heart.

When their worlds collide again, Emma realizes the depth of her feelings for Tom, and wonders if she's been given another chance to find true love. But Tom has demons of his own.

Will Tom's secrets drive them apart and break her heart again? Or will they both get their happy ever after?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicki Edwards
• Release date: Oct 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393540410

Nicki Edwards

Nicki Edwards : AUTHOR OF CONTEMPORARY, HEARTWARMING ROMANCE : Sweet stories set in small towns, filled with life, love and medical dramas. Nicki Edwards is a city girl with a country heart. Growing up on a small family acreage outside Geelong, she spent her formative years riding horses, hand rearing lambs and pretending the neighbour’s farm was her own. After spending three years in a regional city in New South Wales in her 20’s, her love of small country towns and rural life was further developed. ​For years Nicki dreamed of one day escaping to the country with her husband Tim where they would live on land surrounded by horses, dogs, cows and sheep. Unfortunately, that's not likely to happen, so instead Nicki continues to live vicariously through the lives of the characters in the books she loves to read and write. Nicki also dreams of living in Canada, but as that's also unlikely, she keeps visiting and setting some of her books in the country that stole her heart 30 years ago. A voracious reader, Nicki always wanted to be an author. After returning to university as a mature aged student in her mid-30’s to study nursing, she juggled full time study, part time work and raising four small children to achieve her dream of becoming a nurse in 2011. But her other dream - the dream to write - never left. In January 2014 Nicki wrote her first book and was published by Momentum, the digital imprint of Pan Macmillan Australia. Nicki now divides her time between working as a Critical Care Nurse in the Emergency Department or Intensive Care Unit at Epworth Hospital in Geelong or in a busy local General Practice where she works as a Practice Nurse. These are the places where many of Nicki’s stories and characters are imagined. Nicki and her husband Tim live in Geelong, Victoria. They have four young adult children, two spoiled border collies and a Burmese cat. Life is always busy, always fun and definitely exhausting, but Nicki wouldn’t change it for anything. Nicki loves to hear from readers and can be contacted via her website www.nickiedwardsauthor.com

Book preview

Chapter 1

In the darkness of a crowded Sydney bar, Emma Chirnside sat. Alone, lonely and eight hundred kilometres from home. She skimmed the room. Bars and nightclubs were not her thing – they were the places her girlfriends used to go to flirt with cute guys and dance their troubles away. So why was she sitting in one now, on her own, at nine o’clock on a Monday night, instead of tucked up in a warm bed where she belonged?

Her eyes travelled to the dance floor where women in stilettos and tiny slips of fabric swayed in time to the beating music. They looked young and carefree – as if they could dance all night and still make it to work the next day without dark circles beneath their eyes. The thought of dancing until midnight on a weeknight made Emma feel very weary. And very old.

‘What can I get you?’

It had taken ten minutes to get the bartender’s attention and now Emma’s mind drew a complete blank. She hesitated, knowing if all she asked for was a glass of water, she’d sound like an idiot. She pointed to the colourful drinks another bartender was serving a nearby group of girls.

‘I’ll have one of those please.’ Could he hear the waver in her voice?

He smirked. ‘You want a love potion.’

‘Excuse me?’ She folded her arms across her chest and willed him to lift his eyes higher than her breasts.

‘That cocktail,’ he explained. ‘It’s called a love potion. Is that what you’re after? Some lurve?’

She felt herself blushing, not liking what he was inferring. Warmth spread up her neck to her cheeks and she cursed her pale Irish skin. Despite the semi-darkened bar, he would have been able to see his words had hit their mark.

‘Yes. No. That’s fine. I’ll have one please,’ she stammered.

Emma knew she was pretty, but while it meant she invariably caught the eye of the opposite sex on many occasions, it didn’t mean she enjoyed it.

Needing something to do while she waited for him to make the drink, she pulled a lip gloss from her bag and touched up her lips. Moments later the bartender slid the drink across the sticky bar toward her and she handed over her credit card.

‘Check, savings, credit?’

She avoided his eyes. ‘Credit. Pay wave.’ Remembering her manners, she added ‘Please.’

He waved the card over the machine before handing it back. She slid the card back into her purse.

Once he’d received the I’m-not-interested-in-you message, he left her alone and went to serve another customer. She took a gulp of her drink and grimaced. What was I thinking? The sickly-sweet stomach-turning concoction was disgusting. She took another sip. Still disgusting. She rarely drank alcohol. In fact, at one point in her past, she’d been morally opposed to anyone who drank, so why was she doing so now?

She knew the answer to that.

She’d come to escape. To hide. She had come, hoping to be that anonymous woman having a quick drink before bed.

She’d ordered and sat, hoping alcohol would dissolve the memories of the past three years into a hazy fog.

Perched on the high stool at the bar, Emma moved one foot in time with the music while shredding a paper napkin and people-watching. If she stayed long enough, people would think she didn’t have a care in the world. Even better, she might convince herself.

It wasn’t working.

The brewing headache pulsating at her temples kept time with the deep thump of the bass. Like the sweet-smelling fog from a smoke machine, the sound of music swept across her in nauseating waves.

She shouldn’t be here. After the last session of the conference she should have gone back to her room, showered, crawled into her flannel PJ’s and emptied the minibar fridge of all its chocolate.

One song ended and the next began. A woman’s high-pitched twitter rang out in the pause in the music. Emma watched her flirt unashamedly with the man standing next to her. Her red-painted manicured nails touched the man’s suit jacket before curling like talons around his bicep and dragging him in for the kill. The man grinned at his mates before giving them the universal thumbs-up sign. He was in! The newly formed couple wobbled off together to a darker corner of the room.

Men!

Emma’s mind wandered to the email she’d received earlier that day from the lawyer. A bitter laugh slid silently down her throat as she took another swallow of her drink. It was final. Her two-year marriage was all but over. It was as easy as one, two, three. All that remained was for her to fill in the forms, sign on the dotted lines, and return the paperwork to Lleyton’s lawyer. If she chose not to fight for any of her husband’s considerable fortune, it would be even easier, and she wasn’t going to fight. She didn’t want anything from Lleyton Chirnside other than to gain her life back.

As she was thinking these not-so-happy thoughts, she caught sight of a tall, well-built man standing on the opposite side of the bar. He wore his hair styled short and had a thick beard. Emma didn’t typically like beards, but this one suited him. When their eyes met briefly, a frisson of surprise shot through her. Was that Tom Henderson? She tried to look away, but like a rabbit caught in headlights, she stared back, transfixed.

She hadn’t seen Tom in years – not since that night when they were teenagers. A funny little shiver danced down her spine. How many years had it been since she’d even thought about him? Four? Five? Longer? It was funny how falling in love with Lleyton had caused her to forget all about her silly teenage infatuation.

She leaned slightly to the left and peeked again. Maybe it wasn’t Tom. But if not, the man on the other side of the room could have been his older brother. Except Tom didn’t have a brother.

Another flirting couple, lips locked, jostled past. Emma’s drink spilled down her hand.

‘Watch it!’

They didn’t even notice her.

Emma looked over at the man again and allowed her thoughts to race backward like a video on rewind. Back a decade, to the last time she’d seen Tom. He’d recently turned eighteen and it was muck-up day – his last day of school. She was sixteen, going on seventeen, and head over heels in love with him. Of course, it wasn’t love, it was lust and infatuation, but that hadn’t stopped Emma from dreaming of a happy-ever-after ending with him. He barely knew she existed.

Tom Henderson.

The quintessential all-Australian country boy. The country boy with sexy good looks, an athletic body and a smile that melted hearts. He was the best-looking guy at school – an opinion well-shared by all the girls. School captain, the stroke of the first eight rowing crew, captain of the rugby team. Tick, tick, tick. Every girl wanted to be the object of his attentions, but, much to Emma’s frustration, it was Kim Cameron, his on-again off-again girlfriend, who kept him from noticing anyone else.

Unexpected pain spiked her chest as hidden memories came into focus. Tom’s smile had melted the heart of every woman he met, but it had broken hers. And he had no idea he was to blame. Because of Tom, Emma had wallowed in self-pity until the day Lleyton Chirnside waltzed into her life and everything changed – in hindsight, not necessarily for the better.

What would Tom be up to these days? Was he single? No, that was highly unlikely. Heaven knew there’d been more than enough girls to fill Kim’s spot when she dumped him. Knowing Tom, he almost certainly had a gorgeous wife, two cute kids and a golden retriever. Emma sighed inwardly. Such was life.

The man on the other side of the room turned sideways, his profile backlit. Disappointment surged through her. He was exceptionally good looking, but he wasn’t Tom.

She peered over the rim of her glass and took another sip. He glanced her way again and when she pulled another face at the taste of her drink, his mouth twitched twice before he grinned, one side of his mouth curling upward before pulling the other side with it. He looked straight at her, as if he recognised her. As if he knew her from somewhere. As if they were already friends. A sudden shiver sizzled through her.

Perhaps he was short sighted and had her confused with someone else. If so, he would take another look and realise he didn’t know her. She snuck another glimpse and saw his eyes crinkle with restrained laughter. Once again, she was hit by that uncanny similarity to Tom. She played with a strand of her ponytail, wrapping it tightly around her index finger before letting it unwind.

She wore her naturally blonde hair up. Other than tinted moisturiser and mascara, she wore no other makeup, subscribing to the ‘less is more’ principle. She was surprised the man on the other side of the bar had even noticed her amongst the more dolled-up women in the room.

All common sense fled. She licked her lips, took a deep breath and against her better judgment, met his gaze head-on. She waited for him to blink, to look away, to turn around; to realise he’d been staring at her too. But he didn’t. She kept her eyes fixed on his, aware her breathing was shallow. A warmth slowly spread down her body. It had been a long time since any man had caused this type of visceral response in her and the intensity of it surprised her.

Still holding her gaze, the stranger moved slowly and deliberately in her direction. Emma watched, spellbound, as he unhurriedly weaved his way between the throng of people. His eyes never left hers. When he rounded the corner of the bar, she saw him in full. Emma’s eyes took everything in as he slowly approached. As fast as her gaze travelled downward, they snapped back. He was still smiling.

And he still reminded her of Tom.

She had to get a grip, but it was too late. He was there, standing before her.

He leaned against the bar, not too close she felt uncomfortable, but close enough she caught the scent of his aftershave swirling around him.

‘May I buy you a drink?’

His voice was deep and husky, as she imagined it would be. She didn’t care that it was the least original pick-up line ever. He even sounded sexy.

‘I already have a drink thank you,’ she said primly, casting her eyes down and swirling the near-empty contents of her glass with a straw. Partially melted ice cubes clinked together.

‘But you’re not enjoying it.’

A small smile played around the corners of his mouth. Heat rushed through her.

She hooked her legs through the rung of the barstool to stop them from shaking. ‘How do you know that?’

‘I’ve been watching you since you came in. Every time you take a sip of your drink you pull a funny face.’

Emma’s jaw dropped. Why was he watching her? Lucky she wasn’t standing. She was certain her legs would have folded beneath her. She closed her mouth and chewed at her bottom lip. A bad habit she’d picked up which Lleyton hated. She stopped doing it immediately.

He held out his right hand, palm facing slightly upward, and his eyes drilled deep wells. ‘I’m Josh.’

‘Emma,’ she said, slipping her own hand in his. She gulped. Who had stolen her inhibitions?

His large, smooth hand was warm in hers and she glanced at it. No wedding band. She dragged her eyes back to his. This had to stop. This had to stop right now. No matter the suggestive tone of his voice, no matter the way he was looking at her, no matter the way he made her feel, he was exactly the type of guy she didn’t need. In fact, she reminded herself sternly, she didn’t need any guy, especially not one so self-assured, like Lleyton.

‘So, can I get you another drink?’ he repeated.

‘Sure.’ The word was out before she could clamp her lips together. The last thing she needed was more alcohol.

Josh lifted his hand and the barman came straight over. Emma wasn’t surprised. She’d noticed it straight away. There was something about him – a presence – like Tom had.

‘Two glasses of champers please.’

Emma scrunched up her nose. ‘Really? Champagne? That’s usually reserved for celebrations isn’t it?’

Josh’s mouth curled into a smile. ‘Well then Emma, let’s celebrate.’

She swallowed and licked her dry lips. ‘And what exactly are we celebrating?’

Her voice sounded tight and tinny, higher than normal. She tried to swallow again. She’d changed her mind. Right now, another drink sounded like a perfectly good idea.

He leaned closer and her chest tightened.

‘I’m celebrating meeting you,’ he murmured.

Before she had time to work out whether he was a sleaze or a shameless flirt, two tall flutes magically appeared. Josh picked them both up and handed one to her. She took it from him, her hands trembling.

He lifted the glass high before clinking it gently against hers. ‘Here’s cheers,’ he said softly, his eyes never leaving hers. ‘And here’s to meeting new people.’ He took a small sip.

‘Cheers,’ Emma repeated before bringing her own glass to her lips. The bubbles tickled her nose. ‘So, Josh, are you here on business?’

She hated the way her voice shook. It made her sound like a little girl, but she needed to say something – anything. The sexual tension enfolding them was not a figment of her over-active imagination.

He took a slow sip of his drink, his eyes still fixed on hers. ‘Yes. I’m here all week for a nursing conference.’

Surprise rippled through her. ‘You’re a nurse?’ He didn’t look like a nurse.

‘No,’ he said with a laugh. ‘I’m a doctor. I’m presenting a session on recognizing the deteriorating patient in the emergency department setting.’

No! She banged down her drink with more force than she intended. She needed to leave now. In her experience, doctors stuck together in their own secret little club. Josh looked a few years younger than her husband – soon-to-be ex-husband she quickly corrected herself – but it was a small profession. It would be her bad luck the two men knew each other. The last thing she needed was Lleyton hearing via the grapevine she’d been picked up by a guy in a bar! Oh, she’d never live it down.

Josh didn’t notice her distraction, or if he did, he was ignoring it. ‘What about you? What brings you here tonight?’

‘I’m a nurse. I work in emergency.’

His eyebrows rose slowly and his mouth twitched slightly as if this amused him.

She offered him a tight-lipped smile. ‘And I’ll be attending your presentation tomorrow.’

She’d considered lying, but it was a small conference and Josh would pick her out in a crowd immediately.

Josh grinned. ‘What a coincidence. That means I’ll get to see you again after tonight.’

There was no mistaking his hidden meaning. He leaned closer and lowered his gaze.

She shifted position on the stool as his look did something unexpected to her insides. When was the last time she’d felt this way?

‘Where are you from, Emma?’

She reined in her scattered thoughts. ‘Melbourne.’

He looked around. ‘And are you here on your own?’

‘Yes.’

‘No one will worry if you stay out late?’ His gaze lingered.

Her heart pounded as her stomach flipped. She had never looked at another man the whole time she’d been married. Shame she couldn’t say the same about Lleyton.

‘Would you like to go for a walk? The harbor is stunning at this time of year. We can take a walk down to Circular Quay or go up past the Opera House and head up to the gardens – find somewhere more private. I’m sure you’d love to get away from all these people and all this noise.’

Emma hesitated. Their gazes locked. She inhaled sharply. She knew what she should do. She should count to three, push all thoughts of this sexy stranger who reminded her of Tom out of her mind and walk away. It was late, she was tired, and the cocktail was clouding her usually sensible judgment. She’d learned the hard way that alcohol and longing didn’t mix.

‘Trust me.’ He grinned. ‘I’m a doctor.’ Reaching out, he took the champagne flute from her trembling hand and placed the still-full glass on the bar. His eyes flickered and shone. ‘We can finish our celebratory drink another time.’ Josh’s arm briefly touched hers and electricity coursed between them. ‘Come on.’

Her breathing sped up and any further rational thought fled. In the dark recesses of Emma’s head, a voice of reason screamed, yet she slid off the stool and followed him past the dancing girls and out the exit into the cold night air.

Against everything she knew to be wise, Emma Chirnside left the bar with a total stranger.

Chapter 2

Outside the overheated stuffiness of the hotel, the evening air felt icy against Emma’s skin, jolting her back to reality. She shivered involuntarily. She’d left her jacket back in her room at the hotel and in her thin shirt she felt semi-naked.

What am I doing?

This was crazy. She forced herself to relax despite the fact every one of her senses was switched to high alert. Josh was ahead of her and she hurried after him, inhaling deeply, filling her lungs with the slightly salty Sydney air. When she caught up to him, he grasped her hand, lacing his fingers with hers, pulling her closer. They chatted about the weather, the people, the views over the water – anything except the sensual tension surging between them.

Shadowing the crowd, they headed toward Circular Quay and the ferry terminals. It was a weeknight in the middle of winter, but the place was still crowded. As Josh shepherded her through the throng of people weaving their way toward the Opera House, she shivered again, from the unpleasant memories of Lleyton, from the way Josh was making her feel, from the cold breeze whipping whitecaps across the water.

‘You must be freezing.’ He shot her an apologetic look and shrugged out of his black woollen coat, gently placing it across her shoulders.

She felt the bulky warmth of the wool and smelled his aftershave. ‘Thank you.’

He spun her to face him and silently began to button the coat up.

Emma stared at his long fingers slowly working the buttons through the buttonholes from the bottom upward. She trembled when he reached the final button at her throat, his fingers brushing her jaw before running across her neck as he pulled her long ponytail loose from the collar.

‘Is that better?’

She nodded and they started walking again. Josh draped his arm across her shoulders, pulling her sideways toward him and closing the distance between them so their hips bumped together as they walked. Neither spoke.

Emma stared up at the iconic Harbour Bridge as cars raced overhead. As a Melbournian, she loved coming to Sydney for the views and atmosphere. They passed late night diners shivering beneath outdoor heaters and rounded the pointy end of the Opera House. Crowds spilled out of the open doors into the cold after a night of entertainment. Ignoring Emma and Josh, they huddled beneath their own coats, chatting animatedly as they zoomed past in the opposite direction. A ferry chugged past, its horn echoing through the darkness. All around them lights glimmered and twinkled and sparkled.

Josh suddenly stopped, drawing her into the shadows. They didn’t even earn a glance from the few passers-by braving the chilly night. When he pressed her gently back against the cold metal railing of the harbor wall, Emma’s heart nearly stopped.

She gazed into his eyes and worked at her bottom lip as a funny fluttery feeling exploded in her chest.

Running his hands up her back, he slowly massaged the muscles in her neck. ‘God you’re beautiful Emma.’

Emma’s breath caught. How long had it been since Lleyton had told her she was beautiful?

Josh slowly undid the buttons of the coat until it hung open across her shoulders. Sliding his arms beneath the fabric, he wrapped them around her body. She trembled again as he moved closer. Radiant heat burned through his clothes. Their lips parted at the same time, heads tilted as though they’d done this a thousand times before. Emma closed her eyes and held her breath before his mouth crashed into hers. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and his coat fell to the ground, forgotten. She didn’t care. Josh’s fingers found the clasp that held her ponytail in place, and he undid it. The plastic clinked as it hit the concrete.

Behind Josh’s back, the skyline was alive with lights. The view was magnificent, but she didn’t allow her gaze to linger. She dragged her attention back to his face. In the distance, the horn of another ferry cut through the night and somewhere nearby a woman’s tinny laughter rang out, but they were background noises. She closed her eyes and leaned in, ready to kiss him again, to savour the taste of him, to inhale the smell of him.

‘Emma?’

The high-pitched nasal voice cut through Emma’s trance. It took two long moments to register it was her name being called.

In slow motion, she pulled away from Josh and faced an older couple standing in the shadows. Her mouth went dry, her heart lurched, and her stomach dropped.

Her in-laws.

As though someone had dumped a bucket of icy cold water over her, the heat of Emma’s desire was instantly extinguished. Her skin tingled with shock. She dropped Josh’s hand and untangled herself from his embrace. It was too late to pretend she hadn’t heard them. Too late to pretend she hadn’t seen them. And way too late to hope they hadn’t seen what she was doing. A sickening sense of dread flooded her body. She fixed a smile on her face and lifted her hand in a half-hearted wave.

As they approached, Emma cursed steadily under her breath. Lleyton’s mother, Mary-Margaret, offered both cheeks for an air-kiss. Emma complied and Mary-Margaret’s overpowering musky perfume invaded her nostrils, threatening to choke her. Lleyton’s father Winston kept his usual distance, hands in pockets, his permanent derisive look firmly fixed in place. Emma had never been good enough for Win Chirnside’s only son. Now it appeared she’d just given him one more reason to believe it was true.

‘Lleyton didn’t tell us you were in Sydney,’ Mary-Margaret said. She managed to make it sound exactly like an accusation – which is exactly what it was.

Emma bit her lip. There were many things Lleyton didn’t tell his mother.

‘What are you doing here, darling? And who is this lovely man?’

Emma cringed. Referring to Josh as ‘lovely’ was her mother-in-law’s pseudo-polite way of asking who the hell he was. Mary-Margaret Chirnside was far too cultured to publicly ask why her daughter-in-law was hiding in the shadows with a man who wasn’t her husband.

‘Er, Mum, this is a colleague of mine. Josh. Dr. Josh—’ To her horror, too late, she realised she didn’t know his last name.

Josh extended his hand, closing the gap and the awkward pause in one graceful movement. ‘Dr. Joshua Spencer. I’m an ED consultant here in Sydney. Nice to meet you.’

‘A pleasure to meet you. I’m Mary-Margaret Chirnside. This is my husband, Dr. Winston Chirnside.’ Her mother-in-law’s features remained set like shiny marble, her thin lips barely moving. She swung around to face Emma. ‘And what exactly are you and Dr. Spencer doing in Sydney, dear?’

Emma frowned. Maybe she was safe. With any luck Mary-Margaret might not have seen them kissing. Before she had a chance to reply, Mary-Margaret turned back to Josh.

‘Tell me Dr. Spencer, do you work with our son Lleyton?’

Emma’s head was spinning so fast she was giving herself whiplash. She wanted to run. Or collapse on the ground. Or cry. Or all three, simultaneously. She stared at her feet and hugged herself tightly, trying to get warm. What a disaster. Josh wouldn’t have a clue who Lleyton was. If only she’d left the bar five minutes earlier and answered the minibar’s call. If she had, she’d be tucked up in the hotel room watching late night news instead of facing off against her dreaded in-laws. She sighed inwardly. She had only herself to blame for her current predicament. High on her list of things to see and do in Sydney was not bumping into the Chirnsides. What were they doing there anyway? It was the first week in June and they usually headed north to spend the entire winter in Noosa.

Josh didn’t appear to have noticed the new chill in the air. ‘No, we’ve never worked together, although I’ve heard good things about him from Emma.’

Emma’s head snapped up to look at him. Why was he covering for her? She hadn’t mentioned Lleyton once. She scowled as a new thought hit her. Was this some sort of sick joke? Had Lleyton set her up? She scrutinised Josh’s face, but the relaxed smile was still there. Arms loose at his sides, like he didn’t have a care in the world. Unlike Emma, who wanted to scream until she lost her voice.

His face was deadpan, his eyes giving nothing away. She didn’t know him well enough to know if he was faking, or whether he was genuinely clueless about the web he’d fallen into or why he was covering for her.

‘You still haven’t explained why you’re in Sydney, dear? I would have invited Lleyton to join us if I had