Mr. Right All Along

by Jennifer Taylor

  Dr. Right in front of her eyes…

  Pediatricians Eve and Ryan have not been having a relationship all the way back to their student days! They were firm friends, nothing more, because Ryan “never-short-of-a-date” Sullivan didn’t ever intend to get involved with anyone and Eve was waiting for Mr. Right. Then a playful kiss revealed a chemistry so explosive it sent them running in different directions!

  Now Eve’s new boss at Dalverston General is Ryan! Neither has forgotten that kiss, but Eve’s had her fingers burned by one “Mr. Right” and, no matter how gorgeous Ryan is, she still isn’t going to get involved with him…right?

  Eve’s eyes widened, her pupils dilating, as she found herself taking fresh stock of the crisp dark brown hair clipped close to his well-shaped head, the dark slash of his eyebrows framing equally dark eyes, the firm strength of his jaw.

  Her gaze swooped lower, running over the broad shoulders, a well-muscled chest, trim waist. He was wearing running shorts cut high at the sides and they made the most of his long legs, showing off well-developed thigh muscles and firm calves. He looked fit and healthy and so incredibly attractive, even to her jaundiced eyes, that she gulped.

  She didn’t need this! She had allowed physical attraction to dictate her actions once before and look how that had ended—with her life in tatters and her spirit shattered. All she wanted now was to pick up the threads and weave them together, attempt to get back what she had lost and by doing so find herself. No matter how attractive Ryan was she wasn’t going to get involved with him. Ever.

  She glanced deliberately at her watch and shrugged. “Is that the time? I’ll have to go.”

  “Me, too.”

  He treated her to one of his wonderfully warm smiles and Eve had to force herself not to respond. There was no point encouraging him, after all.

  “See you tomorrow,” she called, hurrying away.

  She rounded a bend in the path and slowed, aware that her heart was racing. The one thing she had never allowed for was that she would be attracted to another man, but there was no point denying it. She was attracted to Ryan and she had to keep well away from him….

  She groaned when it struck her how difficult it was going to be. Avoiding Ryan wasn’t possible when they had to work together, but somehow she had to keep a rein on her feelings. The thing she mustn’t do was make another mistake.

  Dear Reader,

  I had wanted to write this story for some time, but I just couldn’t seem to find the right characters who would be able to handle such an emotive tale. Then one day, when I was out walking my dog, Eve and Ryan suddenly appeared in my head and I knew they would be perfect.

  They both have major issues to contend with and they have both suffered in the past, making them afraid of what the future holds in store for them. However, when they meet up again and start to fall in love, they realize that they can help one another if they are willing to take a chance.

  I really loved writing this book. Eve and Ryan are two brave people who deserve to find happiness. If you would like to know more about the background to this book then do visit my blog: Jennifertaylorauthor.wordpress.com. I would love to hear your comments.

  Love,

  Jennifer

  MR. RIGHT ALL ALONG

  Jennifer Taylor

  Also by Jennifer Taylor:

  THE MOTHERHOOD MIX-UP

  THE REBEL WHO LOVED HER*

  THE SON THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE*

  THE DOCTOR’S BABY BOMBSHELL**

  THEIR BABY SURPRISE**

  THE GP’S MEANT-TO-BE BRIDE**

  MARRYING THE RUNAWAY BRIDE**

  THE SURGEON’S FATHERHOOD SURPRISE***

  *Bride’s Bay Surgery

  ** Dalverston Weddings

  *** Brides of Penhally Bay

  These books are also available in ebook format from www.Harlequin.com.

  Dedication

  To my nephews, Neil and Simon Burgess, who undertook the Three Peaks Challenge and not only raised a lot of money for charity but also saved their poor aunt from having to do it in the name of research!

  Thanks, boys. You are both stars!

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER ONE

  ‘BAA, BAA, BLACK sheep have you any wool? Yes, sir, yes, sir, three bags full.’

  Ryan Sullivan winced as he passed the door to Dalverston General’s High Dependency Paediatric Unit. Whilst he would never have claimed to possess a wonderful singing voice, at least he could carry a tune—which was more than could be said for whoever was murdering that nursery rhyme! He eased open the door, feeling surprise shoot through him when he saw Eve Pascoe sitting beside the bed. Apart from the fact that it was lunchtime and she should be taking her break, Eve was the last person he would have expected to be giving such a rousing performance.

  Ryan frowned as that thought sank in. He had first met Eve during his rotations—they’d been students together in London and had trained at the same hospital. Eve had been bright, witty, funny, warm…everything she wasn’t any more. What had happened to her in the past few years? he wondered, not for the first time. Why had she changed so much? Although she was always polite whenever he spoke to her, she was so distant these days and not just towards him either.

  Eve had been at Dalverston General for almost two months now yet she hadn’t made any attempt to join in the usual extramural staff activities. Invitations to curry nights and cinema trips had been politely refused without any reason being given. She had earned herself a reputation for being a bit of a snob, in fact, although Ryan didn’t believe that. Maybe Eve did come from a very wealthy background but he had known her before and there had been nothing snobby about Eve Pascoe then, he recalled, and wondered why the thought disturbed him so much. He might be intrigued to find out what had happened to her, but it was friendly curiosity, that was all. He certainly wasn’t romantically interested in her.

  Eve suddenly looked up and Ryan smoothed his face into a noncommittal expression. He didn’t do romance, didn’t do commitment, didn’t do anything that might cause anyone any grief. Love and all its attendant problems weren’t on his agenda now or ever.

  ‘I heard you singing,’ he said, returning to what had brought him into the room. He grinned when she blushed. ‘It was, well…different, shall I say.’

  ‘Daisy’s mother said it was her favourite nursery rhyme,’ Eve replied defensively, standing up.

  She bent over the bed where five-year-old Daisy Martin was lying curled up into a tight little ball and Ryan got another shock when he saw her smile at the child. She looked so like the old Eve when she smiled like that, happy and warm and caring. It made the change in her all the more marked so that his interest was piqued even more. He realised that he wouldn’t rest until he had found out what had happened to bring about such a massive change in her.

  ‘I’ll come back to see you later, sweetheart. Close your eyes and have a little sleep now. There’s a good girl.’ She gently smoothed back the child’s thick black curls then headed to the door, pausing when Ryan failed to move out of her way.

  ‘Sorry.’

  He stepped aside, automatically following her along the corridor although he had been heading to the canteen before he’d got sidetracked. Still, lunch could wait. He was more interested in finding out what had happened
to Eve in the past few years, although he wasn’t vain enough to think she would simply come out and tell him. Eve preferred to keep her own counsel these days and she would be as unlikely to open her heart to him as to anyone else.

  The thought stung just a little and far more than it should have done. Although they’d been friends—good friends too—they’d not had a relationship; Ryan had made sure of that. Oh, there’d been that one occasion after he had kissed her under the mistletoe when he had almost caved in but he had realised in time what a mistake it would be.

  Although Eve was extremely pretty with that long red-gold hair and those wonderful grey-green eyes, she was very different from the women he normally dated. He preferred women who were more worldly wise, women, like him, who weren’t looking for commitment, and Eve hadn’t fitted that bill. Even though she had ticked so many other boxes, he had never tried to turn their friendship into something more, especially after that kiss. He had realised that night how easy it would be to get involved with her and it had been the last thing he’d wanted.

  It had been a relief, in fact, when she’d started seeing one of the registrars a short time later because it had stopped him fantasising about what might have been. Eve wasn’t for him but even though he’d known that, it had been harder than he’d expected to get her out of his head after that kiss. However, once Damien Blackwell had appeared on the scene, everything had changed. Eve’s time had been taken up by Damien and she’d stopped spending so much time with him and their friends.

  Ryan had told himself he was glad that she was happy, and he had been too even though he had missed her. Their friendship had meant a lot to him so he’d been stunned when he had heard that she had dropped out of the training programme. Eve hadn’t told him what she was planning; one day she’d been there and the next she’d gone and that was the last he’d seen of her. Although he had often wondered why she had given up, he hadn’t tried to find her. He’d been wary of doing that, of getting involved. He had nothing to offer Eve so he had told himself that it was her decision and that was the end of the matter.

  Now, however, Ryan couldn’t help wondering if it was Damien who was responsible for the change in her, Damien who had taken away her sparkle, her warmth, her humour and turned her into the distant young woman she was today. He sensed it was true and a rare rush of anger swept through him. He couldn’t bear to think that Eve’s life had been blighted by the other man. It made his own decision not to get involved all the more valid. He didn’t intend to be responsible for ruining some poor woman’s life!

  * * *

  Eve brought up Daisy Martin’s file on the computer. The little girl had sickle cell anaemia, an inherited blood disease. Daisy’s red blood cells were abnormal resulting in a chronic and very severe form of anaemia. The youngest of three children born to Jamaican parents, Daisy was the only one to have inherited the condition. It had first presented itself when she’d been a baby, causing fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath and jaundice. Although Daisy had been fairly well for some time, she had recently suffered a crisis and had been admitted to HDPU as she required careful nursing. She was such a lovely child too, Eve thought sadly as she started to write up her notes. It didn’t seem fair that she should suffer this way.

  She typed in the time and the date, doing her best to ignore Ryan. She always felt uneasy around him, always on her guard, always wary in case she slipped up. After all, Ryan had known her in the old days, pre-Damien, and she was very aware that he must have noticed how much she had changed.

  She sighed, recalling her shock when she’d discovered that Ryan was working at Dalverston General. She had applied for the post specifically because she’d thought she would be unlikely to meet up with anyone she had known in the past. Her peers had moved on to bigger and better things and, like Ryan, were part way up the professional ladder now.

  Dropping out had set her back and she had a lot of ground to make up. She didn’t need the added stress of having to explain why she had given up her studies. She had explained it all to Roger Hopkins, the hospital’s manager, when she had been for her interview, and that had been difficult enough.

  Thankfully, it was only Ryan who knew what she had done and although people might wonder why she was still an F1 at her age, it was doubtful if they would ask, especially when she made a point of keeping them at arm’s length. If anyone questioned her, it would be Ryan so she had to be especially careful around him. Maybe they had been good friends but she didn’t want to admit to him what a fool she’d been and had no intention whatsoever of letting him know how ashamed she felt. She would feel even more humiliated if Ryan found out the truth.

  ‘Daisy’s definitely improving, isn’t she?’

  Ryan sat down on the edge of the desk and Eve flinched. She couldn’t help it. Although she had learned to deal with her fear of physical contact with regard to her patients, it still made her feel a little panicky whenever anyone got too close, especially a man.

  Not every man was like Damien, she reminded herself. Ryan wasn’t a bully or a control freak….or not so far as she knew. He had been warm and funny and full of good humour when she’d known him before and he didn’t appear to have changed, although she couldn’t be sure, could she? Damien had seemed very different in the beginning, before she had got to know him better and discovered what he was capable of.

  Panic rose inside her and she had to breathe in and out before she could reply. Even then her voice sounded strained and she hated it. She didn’t want to be like this, didn’t want to be a victim, but that’s what she was. She had allowed Damien Blackwell to take over her life, to take control of her. It would be a long time before she found her true self again, if it ever happened.

  ‘She is. She’s a lot brighter today.’ Eve quickly typed in the few sentences that were all that were needed to update the file and saved it. Standing up, she came around the desk and had to pause yet again when she realised that she couldn’t get past Ryan without touching him. Even though she was over the worst of her fears, the thought of feeling his skin brush against hers made her breath catch. She could cope with touching the children, could even manage to touch another adult if the occasion warranted it, but the thought of touching Ryan made her tremble for some reason.

  ‘Hey, are you all right?’ He leant forward, his dark brown eyes filled with concern. ‘You’ve gone really pale. Do you feel faint?’

  Eve struggled to get a grip. ‘I…I never had any breakfast,’ she murmured. Would she ever get over this fear completely, ever be able to enjoy a physical relationship again? She had tried everything, had had counselling, spoken to other victims of abuse, but the fear was so deeply rooted, the memories too clear: first the seemingly loving touch and then the violence…

  ‘Come on. I’ll treat you to lunch.’

  Ryan put his hand under her arm to lead her to the door and Eve freaked out. She pushed him away.

  ‘Don’t touch me!’

  He stepped back at once, his face set. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Maybe you should go and get something to eat. You obviously need it.’

  He spun round on his heel and stalked out of the door, making it clear that he was deeply offended. Eve sank down onto a chair, her whole body trembling as reaction set in. What a fool she was! Why on earth had she reacted that way? Now it would be all round the unit that she was unbalanced, unstable…

  Only she doubted if Ryan would tell anyone what had happened. From what she remembered, he wasn’t like that. He had been kind and supportive when she had known him before and she wanted to believe that he hadn’t changed even if she had.

  Eve took a deep breath, surprised by how important that idea was. Knowing that Ryan hadn’t changed made her feel better for some reason.

  * * *

  Ryan found it impossible to put what had happened out of his mind. All through afternoon ward rounds he found himself thinking about the way Eve had reacted when he had touched her. It wasn’t the usual response he
received: most women were more than happy to have him touch them and a whole lot more. However, there had been genuine fear in Eve’s eyes and he could only put it down to one reason: had she been subjected to some sort of physical abuse?

  The thought was more than he could stand and he knew that he had to find out the truth. If Eve had been in an abusive relationship, he wanted to help her. If he could. He sighed as he finished explaining to Rex Manning, their consultant, that he was hoping to discharge the patient they were examining the following day. Why on earth should Eve trust him, after all?

  ‘Good. This is what I like to see, my patients making rapid progress.’ Rex smiled charmingly at seven-year-old Alfie Hudson’s anxious parents. Alfie had been admitted with appendicitis, which had been successfully dealt with, and Rex was keen to enjoy the kudos even though it was Ryan who had performed the surgery. ‘An excellent result, wouldn’t you say, Mr and Mrs Hudson?’

  Ryan grimaced as the young couple immediately showered Rex with praise. Although Rex was a bit of a diva, he was excellent at his job and Ryan was prepared to cut him a lot of slack because of it. He caught Eve’s eye and winked and, amazingly, she winked back. It was such a surprise after her earlier rejection that it felt as though he was floating on air as they proceeded to the next bed, and it was unnerving to realise that she could have this effect on him. Maybe he did want to help her, but he couldn’t afford to get too involved in her affairs.

  He had his own agenda, things he needed to do, things that were too important to put off. He was the lucky one after all. He was still here, enjoying his life, doing what he wanted. His twin brother, Scott, hadn’t been so lucky. Scott hadn’t had time to make his mark on the world so he, Ryan, had to do it for him. The fact was that he didn’t have time to worry about Eve when he had so much else to focus on.

  Ryan knew it was true. It was what he had decided after Scott had died so tragically when they were seventeen. He had sworn then that Scott wouldn’t be forgotten and he had worked towards that aim for all these years. It was thanks to his efforts that the money for over thirty portable defibrillators had been raised. They had been placed in shopping centres, swimming pools, sports arenas and the next step was to get them into schools.