And he knew damned well that she disliked him, pure and simple.
And it was a wonder she hadn’t managed to get rid of Caer yet.
He went into the kitchen to assure Clara that they had no idea of who was really to blame, and then he headed out.
He opened the garage door, and then, before he got into the car, he walked out onto the lawn and looked around.
It was a cool, crisp morning, and the wind had died down.
In fact, it had stopped. There didn’t seem to be so much as a flutter in the air. It was amazing.
As he drove toward the police station, he found himself wondering about Caer again. Sean had said that she would be staying until after Christmas. He had the feeling Sean had told Amanda that she was staying, and that was that.
Strange.
Why? he taunted himself. He had brought her with him when he should have gone out alone to the island, and he had told her what he wasn’t telling anyone else, other than Sean or the cops. He already missed the sight of her when he was away from her. He found himself searching her out when he could.
Hey, he warned himself, watch it, or you’ll be imagining a whole lot more about her. Those eyes. That hair. Those impossibly long legs. Wrapped around you.
He groaned aloud.
And drove.
First things first, Caer thought. Sean was getting stronger by the day, but she still sat in the chair in his room while he showered and dressed.
He had an appointment with his cardiologist that morning, and Tom was going to drive them.
To her surprise, Amanda opted not to go.
Along the way, Sean pointed out some of the most famous mansions. “You need to go, young lady. They’re all decked out for Christmas.”
“I’m working,” she reminded him.
“Yes, you are. But I’m doing quite well, and no one works all the time.”
“I’ve barely been here, and I’ve already been out on one of your boats.”
Sean just smiled. He was charming, and quite handsome, especially when he smiled. Maybe it wasn’t so odd that he had attracted such a young wife.
Actually, it wasn’t odd that he would attract anyone; what was odd was that he had chosen Amanda.
Caer pushed that thought from her mind. They were nearing the doctor’s office, and anyway, Sean’s marriage was none of her business.
Tom opened the car doors, but when he would have helped Sean out, the older man said, “Tom, I appreciate the offer, but I can walk in on my own, and I need to do so.”
Tom looked at his boss with real affection and concern, then nodded and said that he would stay in the car.
A little while later, Caer accompanied Sean into the exam room, where a nurse took his blood pressure and listened to his heart, then took his temperature. The cardiologist, a Dr. Rankin, came in then and asked Caer about Sean’s medications. She just smiled and said that he should ask Sean, who rattled off the names of everything he was taking, how much and when.
Sean went for a scan of his veins, and Caer went out to the waiting room.
A woman there was reading the newspaper, and Caer saw that there was a picture of Eddie still on the front page, though it was smaller than it had been. The caption read Local Man Still Missing in Bizarre Mystery.
While Sean was still in the middle of his procedure, the doctor sat down with her in his office and asked her about everything that had gone on in Ireland. She was glad that she’d been in the emergency room as she described everything that had happened and everything they’d done.
Dr. Rankin shook his head. “And they suspected food poisoning?”
“Yes.”
“But they couldn’t find anything?”
“I assure you, the testing in Ireland is thorough,” she told him.
She must have sounded a little indignant. He tried to hide a smile. “I believe you. I’m just completely baffled.”
“They were baffled, too,” she admitted.
“And you have no idea?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“He’s doing well now, right?” she asked.
“Yes, I’ve checked his heart, his veins, and given him a low-level stress test. Mr. O’Riley’s in excellent health overall, thank God. But no one lives forever. We age. And the body reacts to the kind of stress he’s just been through. But he’s doing well. I understand you’ll be with him until New Year’s?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good. Keep a close eye on him.”
She hesitated. “Is he healthy enough to get back to, uh…normal relations with his wife?” she managed, looking away at the last. Hell. She was his nurse. This was all matter-of-fact stuff.
To her surprise, Dr. Rankin hesitated. “Medically?” he asked her.
“Of course,” she said.
He looked probingly at her. “She was with him when this happened, right?”
“Yes.”
“Sean told me he’s down on the first floor and she’s still upstairs. Let’s just keep things that way for a bit.”
“Mrs. O’Riley won’t be happy.”
“Mrs. O’Riley should want to play it safe,” Rankin said.