Free The Courage to Love Her Army Doc by Karin Baine

every man he’d ever fought alongside—selflessly giving of herself without expecting anything in return. Unfortunately she didn’t recognise her own strengths, only her weaknesses. The sooner she found them herself, the sooner he’d be off the hook.
    â€˜You should. You’ll definitely earn your keep over the next two weeks. The community as a whole will make the most of having qualified medical personnel, even if there are a few too busy trying to make a living to visit.’
    â€˜The magimagi weavers?’
    â€˜And the rest of the arts and crafts community. The economy here is based on the sale of handmade goods such as wooden sculptures and woven mats. If you’re lucky you might get to try making some for yourself.’ He was counting on it. Okay, so his service to the community wasn’t as selfless as Emily’s. He’d been part of the scenery here long enough to know that taking her out to that part of the island would be another excuse for a social gathering.
    Not only was he spreading the word about the clinic by introducing her but it would certainly help them pass the afternoon. In company.
    * * *
    Emily knew exactly what Joe was up to. He was trying to get her out of his way, palm her off onto someone else. It was the only plausible explanation as to why he was so reluctant they return to what was supposed to be their base of operations. She didn’t totally buy this notion of extending personal invitations to her practice when news seemed to travel so quickly across the island anyway.
    The kava ceremony was supposed to have been her introduction to society and unless he was using this to ensure he had a dinner invitation too, it felt like a futile exercise. She was only going along with it so she could get a bearing on her surroundings and those she’d be potentially treating. Once she’d established her own list of patients and could manage a conversation without an introduction from her self-appointed leader, she could stop relying on him to get her through this. She wasn’t swapping one man-sized crutch for another. This was no journey of self-discovery if Joe was always there showing her the way.
    He was a man who craved excitement, thrived on it. The more he did for her, smoothed the way for her, the less interesting she would become to him. As they spent more time together the last thing she wanted was for him to find her just as boring as her husband had.
    She’d come here with the idea of reinventing herself as a fearless trailblazer, an inspiration to life’s other rejects too afraid to step back out into the sun, only to find herself falling into step behind Joe and following that safe path.
    With the warmth of the islanders she was beginning to shed her nerves. There’d been nothing but support for her so far and this morning’s drama, although traumatic, had proved her professional worth. The children had been wonderful too, and although another random house call could be seen as skiving she was kind of looking forward to it.
    Ten-minute appointments with patients passing through her office on a conveyor belt was frustrating to say the least. At least here she wasn’t restrained by time limits or budget; she was free to diagnose and treat anyone who needed her help.
    The way of life here was so fascinating and such a far cry from the frantic digital age where she spent more time on the phone or answering emails than getting to know the people she was treating. Time out here had a different meaning, more significance, and gave her extra opportunities to be the best doctor she could be.
    â€˜They do say hobbies are a great way to relieve stress. Perhaps I’ll find a new creative outlet for my frustrations and irritations.’ She batted her eyelashes and smiled a saccharine-sweet smile, enjoying Joe’s obvious bewilderment at her sudden compliance.
    When it came to interpreting her thoughts and feelings regarding her