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Mack was still smiling at Dougal’s comment as he turned back to Alex. “Would you like to assist me?” he asked.

Alex hadn’t realized until that moment how much a man’s face could be transformed by a smile. Her stomach gave a little flip-flop of surprise and it was a second or two before she could get her voice to work. “Um...yes...that would be good...” she said and followed him into the treatment room with the patient.

She stood to one side as Mack set up the X-ray machine, positioning Dougal’s arm across the plate.

“Hold that arm steady for a moment while I take the pictures,” Mack said as he joined Alex behind the radiation protection screen.

A few minutes later he held up the X-ray to the illumination machine on the wall.

“So what’s your diagnosis, Dr MacDonald?” he asked.

Alex stared at the X-ray trying not to notice how close his broad shoulder was to hers. His light but tangy aftershave drifted towards her, the subtle grace notes reminding her of sun-warmed lemons. His left arm was still holding the X-ray to the board; the cuffs were rolled back past his wrists revealing lean but strong forearms, the deep tan of his skin and the pepper of dark masculine hair making her stomach give a little wobble of womanly reaction.

“You have seen a broken wrist before haven’t you, Dr MacDonald?” he asked into the palpable silence.

Alex swiveled her head to meet his sardonic look. “Yes of course,” she said, pulling her mouth tight. “That’s a classic Colles fracture, with about ten degrees of forward angulation.”

His eyes went to her mouth and she felt her stomach shift sideways again. “Do you want to reduce it or administer the sedation?” he asked as his eyes came back to hers.

Alex rolled her lips together to moisten them. “I’ll do the sedation.”

“Right then, Dougal,” Mack said as he turned to where the patient was waiting. “What we’ve got here is a relatively simple fracture but 10mg IV midazolam will take the edge off the pain. Dr MacDonald will administer that to you while I straighten the fracture and set the arm in plaster. It will make you feel a bit sleepy for an hour or two so I don’t recommend you drive or operate machinery until tomorrow.”

Alex applied the tourniquet, found a suitable vein and inserted a canula, and then administered the midazolam. Within seconds Dougal relaxed enough for Mack to pull on the arm and manipulate it back into line.

Dougal’s wife Ruby arrived soon after Mack had plastered the arm and supported it in a sling. She was accompanied by three young children, one of them not much older than six months.

After brief introductions Ruby said, “I’m so glad we’ve finally got a female doctor at Kingfisher Crossing. No offence to you, Dr Mack but what this place needs is a feminine perspective.”

“It hasn’t yet been established whether or not Dr MacDonald will be staying any longer than the weekend,” Mack said sending Alex a challenging look.

Alex managed to scowl at him and lift her chin at the same time. “I’m staying,” she said and added silently: you just try and stop me.