‘Could everybody who can walk please come over here?’ Hanna called, her voice loud and clear. ‘Stay in this corner until somebody comes to see you.’

  And, just like that, the scene became more manageable as at least ten people removed themselves. Hanna could now start her run, knowing that she wouldn’t be wasting time on patients that weren’t critical.

  Mac followed her. He wasn’t about to let her know how impressed he already was, which was just as well as he only became more impressed within the next minutes.

  Victim number One was unresponsive and Hanna immediately tilted his head back to open his airway.

  ‘No spontaneous breaths,’ Mac told her.

  Hanna gave a single nod, put a black label on the victim and moved on only seconds after she’d arrived. Victim number Two was groaning. The moulage to present the look of an injury had been excellent and this person appeared to have his femur protruding through the skin of his thigh. The artists had also been generous with the fake blood.

  Hanna felt for a radial pulse.

  ‘No radial pulse,’ Mac said instantly.

  ‘Respiration rate?’

  ‘Twenty-eight.’

  ‘Do I see active bleeding from the open fracture?’

  ‘Yes. Active, pulsatile bleeding.’

  Hanna opened her kit, pulled out a tourniquet and slipped it around the top of the man’s leg. She fed the end of the strap through the buckle but only tightened it a little and didn’t twist the rod.

  ‘Bleeding has stopped.’ Mac nodded.

  ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can.’ Hanna smiled at her patient as she gave him a red, immediate attention required label. ‘I promise...’

  She was already on her way, actually running to cover the space between this person and the next in the shortest time possible. Mac followed, noting the smile on the face of the volunteer and the thumbs-up signal that Hanna had missed. This might only be pretence, but he had appreciated the reassurance and, if this scenario was real, that could have made all the difference to someone who was in severe pain and terrified.

  She dealt with another half a dozen patients just as efficiently. Someone who was sitting, holding their head but apparently too dizzy to walk, received a yellow, priority two label. The person who was loudly calling for help and crying with pain, who had a fracture/dislocation of their elbow, was encouraged to get to their feet and join the other mobile patients in the green category.

  Hanna got through the whole scenario in less time than the doctors Mac had previously accompanied, and her triage labelling had been faultless, but he wanted to push her further.

  ‘Why did you re-categorise patient number eight who had no visible injuries from the bomb blast and a good radial pulse?’

  ‘Because he didn’t make it to the green category area. He had to sit down due to chest pain and needed to be seen soon so that a heart attack could be ruled out so I changed him from green to yellow.’

  ‘And the woman with the baby who had been able to walk? Why did you change her?’

  ‘Because of the baby. Any child under twelve months old is automatically a priority one and needs a red label, don’t they?’

  Mac had another half a dozen questions on the tip of his tongue but found himself shaking his head as he smiled.

  ‘You’ve done this before, haven’t you?’

  Hanna also shook her head. ‘I’ve had some training in triage but I’ve never done a scenario like this.’ Her face lit up. ‘It was brilliant.’

  ‘You were brilliant,’ Mac finally had to tell her. ‘I’d have you on my response team anytime.’ And, just like that, the boundary between professional and personal evaporated.

  ‘I’m in,’ Hanna said. ‘After this, I’ll have far more confidence if I ever have to do it for real. I’m so glad I came.’

  So was Mac. He was still holding Hanna’s gaze. Until someone called from the other side of the space.

  ‘Reset completed. We’re ready to go again.’

  ‘No rest for the wicked.’ He smiled. ‘Maybe I’ll see you again tonight at the conference dinner?’

  The volunteers were in place and had started their groaning and calling as Hanna turned to leave. The smoke machine was puffing out another, realistic addition to a post-explosion scenario. And Hanna smiled back.

  ‘See you there.’

  * * *

  The glow of having Dr Hamish MacMillan tell her that she had met the challenge of the disaster response scenario so well—that she was brilliant, in fact—was still with Hanna as she arrived for the gala dinner that evening, having paid somewhat more attention to her attire and makeup than usual. When she saw Mac, at the centre of a group across the elegant venue that was part of Prague Castle itself, that glow got ramped up to a heat that had the potential to melt her bones.

  ‘Ooh...’ Jo was right beside Hanna. ‘That’s your personal tour guide over there, isn’t it?’

  ‘Mmm...’

  She couldn’t look away. Mac had been gorgeous in his crisp, white shirt and chinos yesterday, immaculately professional in the suit he’d been wearing this morning but dressed up in a formal, black-tie outfit, he looked more than ever like the hero of a Bond movie.

  He also looked as if he was excusing himself from the group of people around him. Hanna watched him make a beeline for one of the waiters balancing flutes of champagne on silver platters, but she only realised he had spotted her entrance when he turned to come in her direction, holding the two glasses he had picked up. People were turning to see who had caught his attention and Hanna felt suddenly, uncharacteristically, shy. Thank goodness she hadn’t known how famous Mac was when she’d first met him.

  She took a steadying breath as she accepted the glass he offered. ‘How did you guess I like champagne?’

  ‘Everybody likes champagne, don’t they?’

  It looked as if it had taken an effort for Mac to drag his gaze away from hers. To not sink into the reminder of what the offer of champagne had led to last night. He turned towards Jo.

  ‘I’m so sorry. I would have brought you a glass as well but there didn’t seem to be a non-alcoholic option.’

  ‘No worries. Cade’s gone to find me a sparkling water,’ Jo said. She seemed to be fighting an urge to smile as she shifted her gaze to Hanna. ‘I might just go and see where he’s got to.’

  ‘Did I chase her away?’ Mac dipped his head so that he could lower his voice and still be heard. ‘I’d say “sorry” but...’ His voice was a low growl now. ‘But I’m not really sorry. I much prefer to have you all to myself.’

  Okay... Hanna was definitely melting now. She struggled to find something coherent to say. ‘I had no idea you’re so famous,’ she confessed. ‘I had a bit of a cheek expecting you to become a private tour guide, didn’t I?’

  ‘It could become my new hobby,’ Mac said. ‘Perhaps I should take notes on how the professionals do it this week. I’m booked on a tour across Germany.’

  ‘Oh? Apart from a visit to Berlin a long time ago, I’ve never spent much time in Germany.’

  ‘Neither have I. I chose this tour because it was an exact fit for the time I have available and it starts right here in Prague. I can miss the first day tomorrow but join the group in the evening. On Monday, we head to Lauf, in Bavaria and then it’s Würzburg, Frankfurt and numerous other highlights before the trip ends in Amsterdam. From there I can fly straight to a conference in Paris where I’m presenting some of my research results.’

  With a national reputation for less than flexible organisation, Germany was still not on Hanna’s radar as a preferred destination. She could imagine Mac enjoying it, however.

  ‘I’m heading off tomorrow as well,’ she told him.

  ‘Where to?’

  ‘I have no idea. I’ll get onto one of those “last minute” or “grab-a-seat” websites and see what’s available. Or I might just head for the train station or the airport and see what fate has in store for me.’

  Mac nodded. ‘I remember you saying that you liked to follow your nose rather than booking things.’

  ‘Because you find the best adventures that way,’ Hanna agreed.

  ‘That sounds like a more exciting hobby than being a tour guide.’

  ‘This trip is certainly proving memorable so far.’ Hanna took a rather large gulp of her drink. ‘Perhaps I should consider making holiday flings my new hobby?’

  Mac blinked. The commendable speed with which he caught up on her train of thought was unsurprising in someone of his intelligence, but his next words took Hanna completely by surprise.

  ‘It might be possible to combine our new hobbies,’ he said. ‘In order to test whether they are worth pursuing?’

  Hanna’s gaze was fixed on his, her eyebrows lifting in a silent query.

  ‘I have double rooms booked for my tour across Germany and I happen to know that there is an empty seat on the bus beside me. I’m sure I could arrange a ticket for you. Entirely my treat. And, if we’re both doing something new, that could also be an adventure, yes?’

  ‘But what would be new for you?’ Hanna asked. ‘Apart from getting tips on being a tour guide?’

  ‘Having my first “holiday fling”,’ Mac told her. His slight hesitation was telling. ‘Having company...’

  Oh...

  Was having company an unusual thing for him? Did Dr Hamish MacMillan, internationally acclaimed emergency specialist and sought-after conference speaker, have a gap in his personal life that meant he was lonely?

  The fleeting image of a small boy transfixed in front of a television screen, those dark eyes as big as saucers as he soaked in technical information about an historical clock because he’d fallen in love with its complexity reminded Hanna that this man had already captured a little part of her heart.

  The poignant tug on her heartstrings at the idea that he might be lonely, even if it was a personal choice, for whatever reason, to be single had just captured an even larger part of her heart. This might not be wise, but it was definitely irresistible.

  Hanna drained her glass of champagne as a waiter went past. She put her empty glass on his tray. She met Mac’s gaze over the rim of the full glass she had exchanged it for and it looked as though she was taking a deep breath at the same time.

  ‘Okay,’ she said. ‘I’m in.’

  CHAPTER FIVE

  HANNA CAME CLOSE to changing her mind about the bus trip through Germany when she arrived at the meeting place to catch the bus on Monday morning and found a young German tour guide, glaring at her.

  ‘This is most unusual.’ According to her name badge, the guide was called Katarina. ‘To have one person join a tour a day late is unsettling for everybody else. But...two people? One who is not even on my manifest?’

  Hanna eyed the queue of people outside this hotel, who were waiting to board the bus. They looked as if they had a lot in common with each other, and having had a day to explore Prague they gave the impression they had clearly bonded as a group intending to have a wonderful holiday together. They were all at least a generation older than herself. Some looked old enough to be her grandparents and she could tell that her jeans with their frayed cuffs and her smocked top were being deemed to be on the scruffy side. She caught the moment they relaxed a little and, to her amusement, found that it was because Mac had arrived. Looking as tidy as ever and totally responsible, he was making it clear that Hanna was here with him.

  ‘She’s a good friend, Katarina,’ he said, giving the tour guide one of those crinkly-eyed looks, along with that charming smile of his. ‘We found, quite by chance, that we were attending the same conference and I bought another ticket for her because...well...’ Mac lowered his voice and Hanna knew the effect it was probably having on a woman who was younger than she was. ‘You know how it is when you don’t want to say goodbye to someone too soon?’

  Katarina might have fallen under Mac’s spell, but it was only long enough to accept Hanna’s presence with a resigned nod.

  ‘Please get on the bus immediately,’ she instructed, as she made a note on her clipboard. ‘We depart in exactly three minutes. The driver will attend to your luggage.’

  Katarina stood at the front of the bus, holding a microphone, as it pulled away exactly three minutes later.

  ‘Our first stop will be at Amberg,’ she told the group. ‘We will visit the Sanctuary of Maria Hilf, which is a notable cathedral. You will be able to enjoy this attraction at your leisure for forty-five minutes. For the benefit of today’s newcomers, I ring a bell when it’s time to get back on the bus. Please do not be late as it will disrupt our itinerary for the rest of the day.’

  Hanna bit her lip, her gaze flicking up to meet Mac’s. She didn’t have to say a thing and a quirk of his eyebrow told her that he knew perfectly well that her inner rebel had just been triggered. The look also suggested that she should go with the flow and might even find she was enjoying herself.

  Like the way he’d looked at her as he’d trapped her hands late last night, when they’d finally escaped the dinner to get back to his room. She’d been putting her arms around his neck so that she could kiss him senseless but he’d caught her wrists and held them above her head as he took firm control of this private greeting. Hanna had stepped back to find herself against the wall, her hands still above her head as Mac proceeded to kiss her senseless and it had been the start of another, astonishing physical encounter. Hanna could feel herself melting inside just thinking about it and she knew that her gaze was softening. Giving in. Agreeing that ‘going with the flow’ might be a good thing in this new adventure.

  ‘A delicious morning tea will be provided in a nearby restaurant,’ Katarina continued. ‘After that, we will travel to Lauf an der Pegnitz for a tour of the picturesque capital of the Nürnberger district, in Bavaria. Lunch will be provided there, and I will tell you about the afternoon’s activities at that point. Please sit back and enjoy the ride. I have many interesting things to tell you about along the way.’

  Mac had insisted that Hanna take the window seat so there were many interesting things for her to see along the way. She didn’t turn her head again, but she moved her hand to where Mac’s was resting on his thigh. She slid her hand beneath his and curled her fingers over his. She could feel both his initial surprise and then, a softening on his part as well. Perhaps he was giving in to the experience of having company.

  Someone to share an adventure with. This might be only going to be a brief, holiday relationship but Hanna wanted it to be something special for both of them. And she was going to make sure that Mac never felt lonely.

  * * *

  Nobody had ever, ever held Hamish MacMillan’s hand.

  Not when he was a child and certainly not as an adult.

  He almost pulled it free but something stopped him, and within a very short period of time he was very glad he hadn’t. To outward appearances, Mac was looking through the window and enjoying the same scenery that Hanna was. In actual fact, he was barely aware of the countryside they were travelling through because the warmth of that human touch that had nothing to do with anything sexual was stealing through his entire body, stirring up an emotional response that was initially so difficult to define that he gave up trying and decided to simply enjoy another new experience.

  It wasn’t until Hanna withdrew that apparently casual link between them, as they climbed off the bus at their first stop, that he realised how deep that response had actually been.

  Because he could feel the absence of it even more than its presence?

  Because it made him feel lost? Abandoned, even? Was it possible he had memories he’d never known he had, from being rejected as an infant and given away to be raised by people with whom he had no biological link? When he’d been separated from the sister he’d been able to touch since he was aware of being alive? Perhaps he’d held hands with his twin sister when they’d been in their mother’s womb, like he’d seen photographs of unborn twin siblings doing.

  And, perhaps, that was what made holding hands with Hanna feel like he’d found his way home...

  Mac shook off the notion as being no more than an overreaction to a different physical experience as he followed the group to gather in front of the church. Katarina was holding up a large, artificial sunflower.

  ‘You will be able to see this—my favourite flower—at all times,’ she said, looking directly at Mac and Hanna. ‘The rest of the group had practice yesterday, but this is new for you both. Please stay close, so you will be able to hear all the information I have to share.’

  Hanna tilted her head to speak in a whisper to Mac even though the group was already climbing the stone steps to the entrance. ‘What about the forty-five point seven minutes for us to enjoy this notable attraction at our own leisure?’ She looked as though she was trying not to laugh aloud. ‘Before the bell rings to make us get back on the bus.’

  ‘Or possibly salivate?’ Mac whispered back.

  That did make Hanna laugh. The sound made Katarina turn and even from this distance they could see that they were the subject of a disapproving look. Churches were clearly not the place to be laughing aloud but the reprimand made Mac feel defensive on Hanna’s behalf. Why would anyone want to stifle the sheer joie de vivre with which Hanna approached life—the kind of positive energy that made her such a delightful companion?

  He found himself hanging back, reluctant to follow the group inside and contribute to stifling anything and it seemed that the universe agreed as a raised voice nearby caught both Mac’s and Hanna’s attention.

  ‘Lucy...stop that right now. Do not push your brother.’ A mother had two small children who were fighting over something. The girl was obviously not taking any notice of the instruction and, moments later, the younger boy was taking a tumble down the long flight of stone steps. He landed with a bump and, after a beat of shocked silence, let out a piercing shriek.