Children’s Doctor, Christmas Bride

by Lucy Clark

  She looked at Jason, who was teaching Tommy how to cut out paper Santas, and her heart swelled with love.

  Her son was so happy, so relaxed, and she knew a lot of it was to do with the easy acceptance given by Jason. Jason—who had not only accepted Tommy but had accepted her as well.

  Easy acceptance. The people here, those she worked with, liked her for who she was—not for her family name. She was simply Summer, and it had been far too long since she’d felt that way.

  Jason had figured it out, though. He knew of the Hoyts family, knew of their influence, and yet it hadn’t fazed him one bit. He was caring and sincere. Helpful and honest. It was no wonder she was falling in love with him. It also helped that he was drop-dead sexy. She smiled to herself, acknowledging the extent of her feelings for him. For some reason it didn’t bother her. She was falling in love, and although it was terrifying it was addictively exhilarating at the same time. And it made her feel…truly alive.

  Lucy Clark is a husband-and-wife writing team. They enjoy taking holidays with their children, during which they discuss and develop new ideas for their books using the fantastic Australian scenery. They use their daily walks to talk over characterisation and fine details of the wonderful stories they produce, and are avid movie buffs. They live on the edge of a popular wine district in South Australia, with their two children, and enjoy spending family time together at weekends.

  Recent titles by the same author:

  CITY SURGEON, OUTBACK BRIDE

  A WEDDING AT LIMESTONE COAST

  HER VERY SPECIAL BABY

  HIS CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL

  CHILDREN’S DOCTOR, CHRISTMAS BRIDE

  BY

  LUCY CLARK

  WWW.MILLSANDBOON.CO.UK

  To Dustin. Welcome to the family!

  Psalm 111:1

  CHAPTER ONE

  SUMMER HOYTS held her son’s hand as they made their way through the crowded, open-air shopping mall. The cool breeze certainly helped, given the amount of people who had turned out on a Saturday evening to see the enormous Christmas tree positioned in the centre of the complex.

  This would be their first Christmas in Ballarat. Their first Christmas away from the pressures of their old life in Sydney. Had she done the right thing? Not for the first time since they’d boarded the plane two days ago and arrived in their new town, Summer had a twinge of apprehension. She’d uprooted both herself and her son from the pretentious life they’d been forced to live in Sydney.

  Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she told herself she’d done the right thing. She’d been given full custody of her son and it was now time to make a new life for themselves, away from her power-hungry in-laws. A job had been going in Ballarat for a new paediatrician and she’d jumped at the chance.

  Her seven-year-old son, Tommy, had lived all his life in their large inner-city penthouse in a prominent part of Sydney’s social society and now they were here, in rural Ballarat. It was certainly a change but she hoped, given his age, it wouldn’t take him too long to adapt to a different style of life.

  ‘Mum?’ Tommy tugged on her hand. ‘I’m thirsty. May I have my drink, please?’

  ‘Just give me a second to find somewhere to sit. I didn’t expect there to be so many people.’

  It didn’t matter whether other people thought she’d done the right thing or not—the fact was, she’d done it. Against the advice of her friends—or those that she’d called her friends for the past ten years—she’d made the move and today she was determined to bring a little bit of Christmas cheer into their lives by attending the town’s first Christmas event—the lighting-up of the large artificial Christmas tree.

  ‘We’ll try over there.’ She pointed so Tommy would know in which direction she wanted to head. ‘I think I saw an empty bench seat.’

  ‘It’ll be taken. We should have got here earlier. If we were in Sydney, we would have sent the maid to reserve our seat hours ago.’

  ‘We don’t have maids any more, Tommy,’ she reminded him gently, trying to ignore the hint of bitterness in his voice. He hadn’t wanted to leave Sydney but that was because he hadn’t ever known anything different.

  Summer held his hand firmly and continued to head through the crowd, trying to avoid crying toddlers, mothers with strollers and the rest of the shoppers who were out to enjoy the festivities. To be honest, she hadn’t expected so many people to be here. This was a small town, not a big city! As they drew closer to the bench she realised someone was already sitting there.

  A man, who she judged to be in his late thirties, was leaning forward to talk to a child in a wheelchair which was parked beside the bench. He pointed up at something and the child slowly turned his head and looked. The patch on the boy’s eye made Summer realise he’d not long ago had eye surgery.

  She stopped and watched as a smile crossed the boy’s face. The man was smiling, too, and Summer’s breath caught in her throat at the sight. He had dark brown hair, twinkling brown eyes and a smile which made her heart skip a beat. She closed her eyes for a second, getting her mind back on track. She hadn’t come here to ogle strange men.

  She gave Tommy’s hand a little squeeze as she once more scanned the crowd to try to find a place where they could watch the event.

  ‘Are you looking for someone?’

  Summer turned her head at the deep, rich voice and knew it belonged to the stranger. ‘Sorry?’ She met his eyes and realised that they weren’t just a run-of-the-mill, everyday brown. Instead they were flecked with yellow and gold as well and radiated warmth and friendliness.

  ‘Are you looking for someone?’ He repeated his question.

  ‘No. I’m trying to find somewhere my son and I can sit.’

  He shifted along to the end of the bench. ‘You can sit here. There’s plenty of room.’

  Wariness prickled along the back of her neck. Should she accept? As she looked around at the crowds, she realised if they wanted to get a decent view, she really had no option. ‘Oh. Uh…thank you.’ Summer headed closer and let go of Tommy’s hand as he sat down. ‘That’s very kind.’ Polite. All she had to be was polite.

  ‘You’re welcome.’ He stuck out his hand. ‘I’m Jason Daniels.’

  ‘Summer Hoyts.’ His handshake was firm and she appreciated that, although his grasp seemed to linger a little longer than was usually polite. Then again, perhaps that was just one of those differences between big city and country town. She forced a smile as she let go. ‘This is my son, Tommy.’

  ‘Hi.’ He gave Jason a brief wave. ‘Mum! Water? Please?’

  ‘I know.’ She quickly took the backpack from her shoulders, pulled out a water bottle and handed it to her son.

  ‘Thanks, Mum,’ he said, before taking a drink.

  ‘It’s a hotter day than usual for October,’ Jason said conversationally as he swatted at a fly. He turned to look at the boy in the wheelchair, making sure the boy’s hat was on tight. ‘You all right, Bradley?’

  ‘Yep. JD? When are the others getting here?’

  ‘Soon. They left after us, remember. At least we have priority parking.’

  ‘Others?’ Summer asked, surprised the boy hadn’t called him ‘Dad’. ‘Will there be enough room for them?’

  Jason immediately waved away her concern. ‘Of course. There aren’t that many. Three more children and two more adults. We can all squish onto the bench together.’ He glanced over his shoulder and then waved at someone in the crowd. ‘And here they are.’

  Summer turned and looked in the same direction. There were two women in nursing uniforms heading towards them. One was pushing a child in a wheelchair whose legs were secured in a hip spica cast, and the other had a
toddler on her hip and was holding the hand of a little girl.

  ‘They’re from the hospital!’ Summer was surprised.

  ‘We thought we’d give them a bit of respite from the four walls they’ve been confined to. Especially the twins.’

  ‘You’re a doctor?’

  ‘I am.’ As his friends came over, Jason introduced them. ‘Summer, I’d like you to meet Alyssa and Rhonda—two of my fellow colleagues—and this is Katy…’ He pointed to the toddler in Rhonda’s arms and then to the identical twin girls. ‘And Sally and Sasha.’

  ‘Hello.’ Summer smiled at the girls. Sasha was the girl in the wheelchair, her legs secured in a pink cast with a metal bar between the legs to ensure her bones would heal in the correct position. Little Katy had a bandage around her head, covering one ear. As far as Summer could see, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with Sally but, then, that was only from outward appearances.

  She bent down so she could talk to Sasha after the wheelchair had been parked at the other end of the bench. ‘Glad to be outside?’ she asked the child.

  ‘Oh, yes,’ she said with a very firm nod, her eyes wide with excitement. Sally came over and leant on the wheelchair next to her sister.

  ‘Sashy broke her legs.’

  ‘I can see that. It must have hurt.’

  ‘It did. I was berry brave. I only cried a bit.’

  ‘That’s true,’ Jason interjected as he came over to them. Rhonda and Alyssa were settling Katy and checking on Bradley. ‘When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Sasha was the bravest four-year-old I’ve seen in ages.’

  ‘I didn’t get hurt, did I, Dr JD?’ Sally said. ‘But I was really sad for my twinny.’

  ‘I’m glad you didn’t get hurt, too,’ Summer agreed, but also couldn’t help noticing the admission band on Sally’s wrist. ‘Did you get a wristband like your sister?’

  ‘I’m staying at the hopsital, too. Sashy and I sleep wiff our beds pushed together. Dr JD said we could.’

  Summer stood and looked at Jason. ‘Separation anxiety?’

  He blinked once and then nodded, a little surprised at the question. ‘Yes. It’s assisted Sasha’s recovery no end, having Sally with her all the time.’

  Summer nodded. ‘She must have undergone a severe trauma to be in a hip spica.’

  Jason gave her a quizzical look. ‘Are you a medic?’

  ‘I am. I assume you’re from Ballarat hospital?’

  ‘You assume correctly.’

  Summer nodded. ‘Paediatrics?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Short-staffed? Hired any new paediatricians from Sydney lately?’

  Jason’s brown eyes widened as he continued to look at her. ‘Well, I haven’t personally, but the hospital has. I take it you’re our new paediatrician due to start on Monday?’

  ‘You take correctly, Dr Daniels.’

  ‘Brilliant.’ He stuck out his hand again and shook hers even more heartily than before. ‘Welcome, welcome, welcome.’ This time, he put his other hand around hers, enveloping her hand so enthusiastically Summer was overcome by his genuine warmth. Here was a man who had a terrific smile. He was probably another charming smooth talker and she knew just how dangerous that type of man could be. She should do. She’d been married to one.

  However, this accidental meeting at least took care of one stress factor. She no longer needed to worry about meeting her colleagues on Monday, given that she’d just met three of them now.

  ‘We can’t wait until Monday.’ He leaned a little closer and said quietly, ‘Don’t want to start tomorrow instead?’ Before she could answer, he’d straightened and called to his colleagues. ‘Hey, Rhonda, Alyssa.’ He turned to tell the nurses about this new discovery and where Summer had expected him to let go of her hands, she was surprised when he didn’t.

  The feel of her hand within his was starting to make her feel highly self-conscious, especially given that Jason’s simple touch was, for some reason, making her heartbeat increase. It was ridiculous. It had to be the mild heat of the day, the crowds, the fact that she’d discovered the man who’d offered to share the bench with her would also be her new colleague. That was the reason her body was behaving in this ridiculous manner. That was all.

  Jason was now looking at her again. ‘That position has been advertised for the best part of the year and while the year is almost nearing its end, I was thrilled when Admin told me they’d managed to fill the position. We’re happy to have you on the team.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She glanced down at their hands, then looked pointedly back at him, arching an eyebrow. He was being far too familiar for her liking. Jason followed her eyes and then quickly let go, as though he hadn’t realised he was still touching her.

  ‘Sorry.’ He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Why did he feel as though an icy chill had just passed through him? The way she’d looked at him had been a cut-down.

  ‘Thank you. I’m feeling very…welcomed.’ Again her words were polite, what you’d expect anyone to say, but there was something reserved, detached about the way she’d said them that made Jason wonder if he was facing another high and mighty princess, such as he’d dealt with in the past.

  ‘Good.’ She didn’t sound too happy about it but perhaps she was one of those doctors who didn’t like to mix the professional and personal, and being here right now definitely mixed them.

  ‘I have to say I’m a little stunned that we should just run into each other in the street like this.’

  ‘You shouldn’t be. This is Ballarat, not Sydney. We’re a smaller community here. Rhonda, Alyssa and I have known each other since high school. Bradley and Katy here are cousins.’ He indicated the children. It was then he realised that Tommy, who was dressed rather formally in a pair of summer trousers with a short-sleeved white shirt, had gone to talk to Bradley. ‘Sally and Sasha’s parents are the chefs at the hospital’s cafeteria, Bradley’s mum is a nurse in the surgical department and Bradley’s dad and I used to play on the same cricket team when we were eight.’

  ‘Interesting.’ She paused and then spoke in a sort of wistful tone, one Jason hadn’t expected. ‘I don’t see anyone I went to high school with and as far as the girls I used to do ballet with, I wouldn’t have a clue where they are.’ Summer glanced at her son, not surprised he’d gone to talk to Bradley. Tommy had been groomed in the art of making small talk and conversation at an early age. Talking to the boy in the wheelchair, who looked to be about the same age, was the polite thing to do, and Tommy always did the polite thing.

  ‘You dance?’

  ‘I danced when I was a child, yes. I don’t do classical any more.’

  Jason nodded. There was that icy chill again and he wondered if she was cross with herself for revealing too much. ‘Who has any time for anything except working?’

  ‘And taking sick children to watch Christmas lights being turned on.’

  ‘Well…that’s working. I have my patients’ interests and well-being at heart. An outing like this will lift their spirits and assist with mental and emotional healing which—as we all know—is just as important as physical healing.’

  ‘True. Very true, Dr Daniels.’

  ‘Thank you, Dr Hoyts.’

  As she looked away, she was amazed at how such a simple conversation had helped to reassure her that the upheaval would be worth it. Her new colleague appeared quite easygoing and she hoped she’d be able to settle into her new working life with ease. At least that would be one aspect of her life where she wouldn’t need to be concerned. Hopefully, here, in this little community, she and Tommy would be able to heal the emotional wounds from their past and move forward into a brighter future because after everything that had taken place, both before and after her husband’s death, Summer was desperate to find peace.

  ‘Hey, JD,’ Bradley called. ‘Guess what?’

  ‘What?’ he responded.

  ‘Tommy’s going to go to the same school as me! Of course, I won’t be there o
n Monday when he starts because I’ll still be in hospital.’ Bradley sounded rather despondent at the realisation. ‘But we can be friends as soon as I’m back,’ he added with enthusiasm.

  ‘Great news,’ Jason replied. ‘At least Tommy will have one friend at his new school.’ He half expected Tommy to be more excited at this but instead the boy maintained a polite smile and nodded rather formally. He seemed a bit…stiff. A bit…hesitant, and Jason thought, ‘Like mother, like son.’

  ‘Bradley’s had an eye operation,’ Tommy remarked to his mother.

  ‘So I can see.’ Summer sidestepped Jason so she could give Bradley her attention. Jason watched as she interacted easily with the young boy, knowing what sort of questions to ask him. Well, why wouldn’t she? She had a son the same age. Of course she knew what seven-year-old boys were interested in.

  She was certainly a beautiful woman. It was the first thing he’d noticed about her when she’d been scanning the crowd for somewhere to sit. She was dressed in a pair of black trousers and a long-sleeved designer shirt which fitted her slim shape. The top few buttons were undone to reveal her slim neckline with the slightest hint of décolletage. She wore a gold cross around her neck and small diamond earrings which sparkled brightly in the artificially lit shopping mall. There was nothing at all overpowering about her ensemble but it screamed class, breeding and elegance.

  The whole outfit, from her flat leather shoes to the way she wore her blond hair pulled back into an easy yet effective style with a rhinestone clip, reminded him of Amanda. And he didn’t want anyone or anything to remind him of his ex.

  It was true that while he could quite easily picture Summer and Amanda chatting about the latest fashions together over a tall decaf cappuccino, he knew he shouldn’t tar her with the same brush. However, given her cool and overly polite attitude, he would be wise to be wary. At least she appeared to be able to converse easily with the children and at the moment that was all he really needed to care about. A doctor who could relate to the patients and take some of the workload from his shoulders.