LITMIR.BIZ

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Sarah made it through the kitchen door and went towards the visitor with her hand out. ‘Sarah Livingston.’

      ‘Charlie Drummond. I’m sorry about your accident, lass.’ Warmth emanated from his twinkling eyes.

      She shrugged. ‘Bit of a nuisance but nothing I can’t deal with.’

      ‘It changes everything.’ Dan frowned. ‘I’ve already told the nanny I’ll need her for at least a week.’

      Charlie shook his head. ‘Oh, no, you don’t. You’re on leave. That’s non-negotiable.’

      ‘For goodness’ sake, Charlie. There is no one else.’ Dan’s voice rose a few decibels. ‘Until Sarah’s back on her feet I’m your surgeon.’

      ‘I’ll ring around, see who I can find. Might don some scrubs myself.’

      ‘It took months to find Sarah. You haven’t got a chance in Hades of finding someone quickly, if at all.’

      Sarah winced. ‘Excuse me, but there’s nothing wrong with my hearing.’ She’d made a mess of things so she’d sort it. ‘Or my brain. I’ll be at work tomorrow.’

      ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Dan snapped.

      No one talked to her like that. ‘Maybe late in the morning but I will be there. Trust me.’ Sarah braced as a glare sliced at her, but when Dan said nothing she turned to the other man. ‘I’m really sorry this has happened but it won’t affect the board’s plans too much.’

      ‘Sarah, get real.’ Dan dragged a hand through his damp hair, making the thick curls stand up. Cute. Mouthwatering. Totally out of bounds.

      Parking her bottom against the edge of the table, Sarah repeated, ‘I’ll be at work tomorrow.’ She had to take control of the situation before Dan took over completely. ‘Is there any surgery scheduled?’

      Charlie smiled. ‘It’s a public holiday, remember? You’ve got a light week, emergencies not withstanding.’

      ‘I’d planned on taking you in to meet any staff on duty, check out the theatre, and go over patient notes.’ Dan shook his head in despair.

      ‘Then there’s no problem. We’ll decide how to deal with emergencies if and when they arise.’ Dan would be the last person she’d call for help. Having caused him enough trouble already, she was unusually contrite. ‘If I have to, I can operate sitting down. It won’t be easy but it’s possible. Let’s leave tomorrow’s plans as they stand.’

      And she could spend the night hoping she’d be fighting fit in the morning.

      There was a speculative look in Dan’s eyes as he regarded her, his arms folded over his thought-diverting chest.

      ‘What?’ How would it feel to curl up with him, her head lying against that chest? Protected and comforted? Huh! The last thing Dan Reilly was was comforting.

      He shrugged. ‘We’ll see.’

      ‘Sarah, I appreciate you coming down here at such short notice. I’m sure we can make this work until you’re fully recovered,’ Charlie said.

      Dan grunted.

      Sarah gripped the edge of the table tight as she sucked back a sharp retort. No need to aggravate Dan more than she already had. But hell if it wasn’t tempting.

      Dan was dog-tired. Every muscle ached. His head throbbed. He’d performed urgent surgery for a punctured lung following a car-versus-tree accident at three that morning. When he’d crawled into bed afterwards Leah had been grizzly so he’d had a squirming child to keep him awake for the remainder of the night. Then the nanny had been grumpy when he’d woken her for breakfast. Throw in a near-drowning, Sarah’s arrival and accident, and he was almost comatose.

      He peeped in on Leah. Lucky kid, dead to the world, unaware of the drama that had been going on and how it would affect the holiday he’d promised her.

      Sarah’s assumption that she’d be able to take over tomorrow wouldn’t work, but he was fed up with arguing. Women. When they were in the mood they knew how to be difficult. It came naturally, like curves and bumps.

      He sucked a breath. What was happening to him? He didn’t usually give women more than cursory glances. Truth, with most of them he wouldn’t even notice that they were female. But Sarah had woken him up in a hurry. He didn’t know how. He just knew she had. Why her, of all people? Because she was one damned desirable lady.

       She was one pain in the neck.

      They were opposites: syrup and vinegar.

       Opposites attracted.

      He shouldn’t be thinking about her except in her professional role. Not possible when they were going to be sharing such close living quarters. So how was a man to cope? How could he ignore what was right in front of him? Even with one foot strapped in that ugly moon boot she was more distracting than was good for him.

      ‘Daddy?’ Leah murmured in her sleep.

      Gorgeous, that’s what Sarah had called his little girl, and she was right. Beautiful, innocent, and in need of a mother figure. Someone special she could call hers; not all the aunts and cousins who were there for her. Someone to call Mummy. Someone he wasn’t ready to bring into their lives.

      ‘Go back to sleep, little one.’ He tucked the blanket over her tiny shoulder. When she was like this he believed himself capable of being a good dad. It was the bad times when she hurt or cried that undermined his confidence. He loved how Leah trusted and loved him without question. He certainly didn’t deserve it. Not when she spent most of her time in day care or with various other people while he ran around being busy and avoiding the issues that threatened to swamp him.

      ‘You’re so beautiful, my girl. Just like your mother. She’d be proud of you just for being so special and funny and adorable.’ But would Celine be pleased with the way her sister and mine are bringing you up for me? More like she’d be disappointed in the way I’ve ducked for cover every time the going’s got tough. He kissed Leah’s soft cheek, his throat tightening at the feel of her soft skin. ‘I love you.’

      He stood gazing down at his child, the most important person in the world, and his heart swelled to the point it hurt. He mightn’t have done much of a job of it yet but being a dad was so different from anything else he’d ever tried. Now he had to work hard to make up for lost time, learn to be there for Leah all the time. Where to start? What to do? Ask Bea and Jill. They wouldn’t hold back in telling him, or coming to his rescue. He shuddered. No, it was time to stand on his own two feet.

      Back in the lounge he dropped into a large armchair and studied the other female in his house. The enigmatic one. The more he saw of Sarah, the more she piqued his curiosity. Why had she been available to come here at such short notice? He’d read her CV, knew she held a partnership in some fancy, private surgical hospital with her father and some other dude. So why’d she been available?

      ‘Does Leah sleep right through the night?’ Sarah spoke in her lilting voice, now tinged with exhaustion.

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