She was having Harry’s baby.
And in the absolutely worst-case scenario she could tell her baby she’d loved its daddy.
Therapeutic, in fact, to admit it. Accept the truth of it. Stop denying the truth. She loved annoying, frustrating, gorgeous Harry with every cell in her body. And now she was sharing cells with him as they created their baby.
And if she’d gathered Harry’s reaction correctly, he wasn’t devastated either. Which opened up a whole new amazing realm of possibility.
When Harry knocked on her door three minutes later she opened her eyes. She knew it was him. Could feel the awareness through an inch of wood. They certainly had some talking to do.
She opened the door and he stood there tall and almost relaxed, which was a first since he’d arrived in the centre. She lifted her brows. When he smiled at her it held all the light and brightness and excitement she associated with the man she’d met in Bali.
Drat the man. He had too many good angles that made her forget how much he could drive her mad. These were all reasons he could sweep her off her feet but it was the question behind his eyes that really clinched it for her.
The wonder of his new self-knowledge, the warmth of a man who could feel complete with the woman he loved—and wanted her to feel the same.
‘I’ve brought you a gift.’ He held open his hand and the little silver baby he’d given her in Bali lay in his palm. ‘I’d really love you to keep this.’ He looked at her. ‘Along with my heart.’
She knew she loved him, had done so since that magical night at his house in Bali, but he didn’t deserve things to be easy. ‘Do I have your heart, Harry?’
‘If you let me in, I could try to convince you.’
They were married at sunset on top of a red sand dune overlooking the Rock. A wedding dune, with white Balinese flags flying in a circle. Bernie was on the didgeridoo, playing haunting Aboriginal music, with a little dark-eyed girl in a white dress dropping white rose petals Harry had had flown in from Victoria.
Harry had flown down Bonnie’s friends from Darwin and his colleagues from the RFDS had done a fly-past with white ribbons in the sky.
The bride and groom exchanged solemn vows, eyes only for each other as they held hands, and Steve as celebrant, pronounced them man and wife. Later there would be another wedding in Ubud and another circle of friends would be there.
When the stars came out the astronomer from the Sounds of Silence Dinner wove dreamtime stories of ancient love between planets, myths of romance and the Greek gods, astrology and the attraction of opposite star signs, and Harry and Bonnie smiled at each other as they watched their guests’ rapt faces.
‘We need to do this once a year for our anniversary,’ Bonnie whispered. ‘I love learning about the stars and listening to the stories.’
‘And I love listening to you,’ Harry teased. ‘Even when I’m in trouble.’
Seven months later
Their car drew up outside the Uluru Birthing Centre. Bonnie breathed out the last of her contraction and put her hand on Harry’s arm. ‘Sacha can catch our baby.’
Harry looked across. ‘I’ll catch our baby.’
Bonnie raised her eyebrows. ‘And how are you going to do that and hold my hand at the same time?’
‘One-handed.’
Bonnie began to breathe as the next contraction built. ‘Harry, I need your hand.’
Harry smiled at this woman he adored more than life itself. ‘Sacha can catch our baby, my love. I knew your caseload midwifery would do me out of catching babies.’
‘You don’t really mind.’
He leant across and kissed her brow. ‘I’ll be the husband. I get the easy job. Have I told you lately that I love you?’
The pain eased and Bonnie sighed as she prepared herself mentally to stand up. ‘Not in the last half an hour.’
‘Sorry.’ Harry leant across and kissed her lips gently. ‘I love you.’ He opened his door. ‘Wait. I’ll help you.’
She watched him climb out fast but still with that effortless grace he’d always had. ‘I love you too,’ she said to the empty car, and smiled.
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II BV/S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
® and TM are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
First published in Great Britain 2011
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Fiona McArthur 2011
ISBN: 978-1-408-92482-2
Table of Contents
Cover
Praise
Excerpt
About the Author
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Copyright
Harry St Clair: Rogue or Doctor? Page 15
