Jake slipped in the back of the church and watched the proceedings. Kitty was standing holding the bride’s bouquet. She looked amazing. She was wearing a blue V-neck satin dream of a tea dress that clung to her slim body like a glove. Her hair was in an up style that highlighted her elegant cheekbones. Her make-up was understated, but she still outshone the bride.
Quite frankly, he couldn’t see what the groom was thinking in choosing the bride over Kitty. The bride looked OK—well, more than OK if you had a thing for straight raven hair and strong features. Kitty, on the other hand looked delicate and dainty. She had a smile on her face that he could only hope was genuine.
A flood of doubts suddenly assailed him. What if she sent him packing? What if he made a complete fool of himself before all these toffee-nosed guests?
He started to picture it in his head. A top-notch security team would frogmarch him to the door, shoving him out into the cold …
But then Kitty shifted slightly and locked gazes with him. He saw the shock in her eyes. They opened wide, along with her mouth, but then, as if she suddenly remembered she had a role to play as maid of honour, she turned back to the proceedings and fixed a neutral smile on her face.
Jake glanced at the ushers either side of him at the back of the church. So far so good. He wasn’t identified as an interloper—yet.
The bride and groom kissed and then moved to the vestry to sign the register. Kitty went with the rest of the bridal party. Jake’s insides clenched when he saw the best man slide his arm around her waist in a proprietorial manner.
He wanted to punch the guy’s lights out.
The bride and groom were announced and began to make their journey back down the aisle. Jake waited patiently as Kitty went past. She sent him a sideways glance that made his heart race. Was that a smile he could see playing about her lips? Was it for the cameras or for him?
He had to wait twenty minutes or so to find out. Finally he cornered her in between photos. ‘Hi,’ he said. ‘Nice day for a wedding.’
‘You think?’ Kitty said with a wary look.
‘Personally I’d opt for a summer day at the beach, with a celebrant in bare feet,’ he said. ‘Just a few close friends and family. And a barbecue in the park to follow—a few beers, loads of cheap champagne.’
She angled her head at him. ‘No cucumber sandwiches?’
He grinned at her. ‘Maybe a couple, if that’s what you want.’
Her neat brows met over her eyes. ‘Are you …?’ She shook her head as if she was hallucinating. ‘God, I knew I shouldn’t have had that champagne with Sophie while we were getting our hair done. It’s gone straight to my head.’
‘I love you,’ Jake said. ‘I want to marry you.’
Kitty blinked. ‘I am never going to let alcohol pass my lips again. Ever.’ She made to move past him. ‘Excuse me. I have to join the others for the official photos. They’re waiting for me.’
‘Hey,’ Jake said, snaring her arm to bring her back to face him. ‘I’ve just travelled close to seventeen thousand kilometres to ask you to marry me. The least you could do is give me a straight yes or no.’
Kitty ran her tongue over her lips. ‘Is this a joke?’ she asked. ‘Are you doing this to make fun of me or something?’
He barked out a wry laugh. ‘You think I’d joke about something like this? I left everything to get over here to be with you. I’ll probably lose my job when the CEO finds out I’ve left the country. I just wanted to see you face-to-face. I’ve never asked someone to marry me before. I didn’t want to do it over the phone or with a text or on Skype. Telling someone you love them is a big deal—or at least it is in my book.’
Kitty felt a tremor of sheer joy judder through her body. ‘You love me?’
His sapphire-blue gaze softened. ‘How could I not love you?’ he asked, grasping her by the hands. ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Marry me, Kitty. Have babies with me. I’ll be a great dad. I’ve had loads of practice. I’m not sure what sort of husband I’ll make. I haven’t had a great role model. But I know I love you so much that I can’t bear the thought of spending another day of my life without you in it.’
Kitty was reeling from shock, surprise and happiness. ‘But I thought you never wanted to get married,’ she said. ‘You said you didn’t want to be tied down. That you were sick of being responsible for everyone.’
‘Loving someone is all about responsibility,’ Jake said. ‘As soon as you love someone you become responsible for them and they become responsible for you. I’ve been watching out for my family for so long that I didn’t realise I was part of the problem. My sisters and brother are so used to me being there for them that they’ve forgotten how to be there for each other. With me stepping away for these few days Rosie has turned to Jen for help. Robbie has chipped in as well.’
Kitty looked at him in wonder, still not sure if she was imagining him standing before her in person. ‘I can’t believe you came all this way,’ she said. ‘I keep thinking you’re going to melt away in a puff of smoke or something.’
‘Smoke?’ He looked at her incredulously. ‘Are you joking? I’m more likely to be frozen to the spot. How on earth do you live like this? It’s perishingly cold out here, and there you are with bare arms and shoulders. Do you want my jacket?’ He quickly shrugged himself out of it and draped it around her shoulders.
She smiled as she breathed in his scent and body warmth. ‘I just want you,’ she said.
He cupped her face in his hands and pressed a lingering kiss to her mouth. ‘God, I’ve missed you so much,’ he said, once he had raised his mouth off hers. ‘You are coming back, aren’t you? You still have six weeks to fulfil your term.’
Her eyes danced as they held his. ‘So I’m not on probation any more, Dr Chandler?’ she asked.
He tugged her up close, his eyes glinting down at her. ‘You never were,’ he said and captured her mouth beneath his.
CHRISTMAS WITH DR DELICIOUS
Sue MacKay
About the Author
With a background of working in medical laboratories and a love of the romance genre, it is no surprise that SUE MACKAY writes Mills & Boon® Medical Romance™ stories. An avid reader all her life, she wrote her first story at age eight—about a prince, of course. She lives with her own hero in the beautiful Marlborough Sounds, at the top of New Zealand’s South Island, where she indulges her passions for the outdoors, the sea and cycling.
Dear Reader
Welcome to Nikki and Fraser’s story. These two have their share of issues to resolve, stemming from those uncertain teenage years when they, like the rest of us, were finding out about themselves and putting their toes in the dating waters.
I’ve set this story around the ambulance service as I have a lot of admiration for the people who regularly face situations that would have most of us hiding under a blanket. The exacting standards of care and service are a credit to each and every member of the New Zealand St John Ambulance Service.
I personally spent time working with the crews at Blenheim Station, but for the purposes of this book have used fictitious characters and events.
But in the end this story is about Nikki and Fraser finding their way back to each other. I hope you enjoy it.
Until next time …
Cheers!
Sue
PS I’d love to hear from you, so drop me a line on [email protected] or visit my website at www.suemackay.co.nz
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to all my extended family.
You’ve always been there for me through all those blips life tosses up.
Love you all.
And to the Cancer Society of New Zealand, especially the Blenheim and Christchurch branches. You are awesome.
Thank you so much for your care and concern.
CHAPTER ONE
‘OKAY, everyone, listen up.’ Mike, the Blenheim Ambulance Base manager, strode purposefully into the staffroom and straddled a c
hair. ‘I’ve just been talking to the boffins in Nelson.’
Nikki lifted her head from her laptop where she had been engrossed in her studies. Any conversation between Nelson, where their overall boss worked from, and Blenheim stations usually had a direct effect on everyone. ‘What now?’ she asked with a grin. ‘Got to cut back on our coffee intake?’
Mike grinned back as he shook his head. ‘Nothing so drastic. We’ve employed a paramedic, starting in eight days’ time.’
Good news for once. ‘That’s going to lighten the workload for some of us.’ They had plenty of volunteers working as ambulance officers but few full-time paramedics and advanced paramedics, which meant she was always being called in to work extra shifts. Not that she minded most of the time. More shifts meant more pay to spend at the fashion shops.
Mike hadn’t finished. ‘Gavin, I intend putting the two of you together so you can mentor him as he trains for his Advanced Paramedic qualification. I think you’ll get on well with him. He comes across as confident and competent, as well as likeable.’
Gavin’s face turned thoughtful. ‘Why not Nikki? She’s just as capable as me.’
Unused to Gavin questioning anything, Mike looked taken aback. ‘She is, but at the moment this is how I want it to run. Okay?’
‘Sure.’ But Gavin looked worried.
To give him a break Nikki asked, ‘So who is this person? Anyone we know?’
‘I doubt it. He’s been in Dunedin for years, but has decided to move back home. His credentials were too good not to take him on immediately. He could get a job anywhere in New Zealand if he wanted.’
Nikki shivered. A guy returning home from Dunedin after years away. Why should that raise her antenna so quickly? Quite a few people from here had gone to university in Dunedin and not come back. She glanced up at Mike but saw nothing more than enthusiasm for his new staff member. Another shiver tripped through her. ‘Do we get a name for this guy?’
Mike’s gaze remained fixed on her. ‘Fraser McCall.’
The air left her lungs in a whoosh. The warning shaking her body had been right. ‘That doesn’t make sense. Are you talking about Fraser Ian McCall? Twenty-seven years old?’
‘The same man.’ Mike frowned. ‘Problem?’
Yes. A big one. Panic squeezed her, turned her skin icy. Fraser could not work here, in this station, with her. He could not. It was too small. They’d always be running into each other, even if they were on opposing shifts. Did he know she worked here? If he did then it was unfair of him to even contemplate joining up. Why had he? ‘He’s a doctor, not a paramedic.’
Mike stood up. ‘Wrong. McCall’s been working on the ambulances for three years.’
Really? Why? Five years ago Fraser had just finished his fourth year at med school so that left two years between then and now unaccounted for. Of course, she hadn’t heard anything about him since she’d returned home from Dunedin but he must’ve finished his studies at university in that time. Swallowing hard to push away the sudden blockage in her throat, she croaked, ‘What was he doing before he joined the ambulance service?’
‘You know I can’t give out confidential information about any of the staff, including you, Nikki.’ There was a warning, a message, in Mike’s eyes just for her.
Hadn’t Fraser mentioned to Mike he knew her? That they had history not easily dismissed? Hell, that they couldn’t possibly work together? For five long years Fraser had shown he didn’t give a damn about what had become of her. Why would he start now?
‘Does he know I work here?’
‘Yes. He seemed surprised. Said he knew you when you were a chef, and that you hadn’t had a medical thought in your head.’
She dipped her head in acknowledgement. ‘True.’ Unexpected pain lashed at her. Was that all he admitted to remembering about her? What about the part where he had been her fiancé? Or that they’d lived together for three years? Been high-school sweethearts?
Her brain ran into overdrive, trying to assimilate the one piece of news she’d never, ever expected to be told. Or wanted to hear. Her hands clenched in her trouser pockets. How could she work with the man who’d once sworn he loved her so much he’d broken his own vow and proposed before he’d finished his training?
The man who had not shown up for their wedding, leaving her looking a complete fool, shaking in her high heels and beautiful silk gown, clinging to her father’s arm as they’d stood on the top step ready to walk the aisle. To her love, her bright and exciting future.
They’d waited, and waited, she and her dad. Slowly her mother had joined them, then her four brothers had surrounded them, protecting her from the buzz of questions rising from the guests also waiting.
At the time she’d been frantic, thinking the worst, imagining him in a hospital bed after an accident, but he hadn’t been there. Or anywhere she’d called. It had been as though he’d vanished into thin air. Then late that night he’d called her from who knew where. It had been the call she’d have given anything not to receive.
‘Nik, I’m so sorry. About today, about everything. I won’t be marrying you. Not ever. I’m sorry.’ Fraser had choked and then the line had gone dead. As far as she knew, he hadn’t been seen in Blenheim since.
* * *
The pen in Nikki’s fingers shook, creating wonky lines as she filled in the weekly checklist for Blenheim One ambulance. Her teeth pressed into her top lip, inflicting a sharp pain. ‘What’s wrong with me this morning?’ She couldn’t blame the icy chill from the late winter frost blanketing Blenheim.
Fraser McCall. That’s what’s wrong.
‘I know.’ Her teeth dug harder.
So what are you going to say to him first? Hi, and welcome. Or, where’ve you been hiding for the past five years since you ran out on me?
‘Definitely not that. That’d be telling him how much I still care and that’s a non-starter.’
Since hearing from Mike that her worst nightmare was coming true she’d lived in dread of this day. Her stomach had been rioting continuously, barely tolerating even the tastiest food. The belt on her trousers was a notch tighter. Her mind had refused to shut down at night, giving a constant recital of all the reasons why she did not want to work with Fraser.
There’d been little sleep, causing her head to ache continuously. The headache pills she’d swallowed an hour ago hadn’t worked, as they hadn’t for the past eight days. And now her hands had started this crazy shaking that made her writing look like a two-year-old’s.
How challenging could working with Fraser be? How difficult was it to run a marathon over mountains with no preparation? Her hands shook harder. Mike had put them on the same four-day roster, and no amount of pleading had changed that. She’d even baked Mike’s favourite coffee and walnut cake, but had got zip, nada, nothing. At least she’d be working days while Fraser did the nights, and vice versa. Hopefully they’d only see each other at shift changeover. Still, far too often.
Toughen up. Use the opportunity to finally ask him why he left. Why he couldn’t face marrying you. Why he didn’t have the gumption to face up to you that day and tell you straight. Then you can tell him exactly how much you hurt at the time and that you’re now totally over him.
‘I am?’ Of course she was. ‘I’m older and wiser. I’ve learned not to trust as easily—which has to be a good thing, right?’ Whatever. But she did have her future all mapped out, which went to show how far she’d moved on from Fraser.
A lonely future without a husband or children of your own.
‘There’s a wee niece or nephew due in six months’ time. How cool’s that?’
Not the same as your own. True. One day she’d love to have a baby, to feel it grow inside her, to push it out into the world and then smother it in love.
‘Talking to yourself again?’ Mike asked from the internal garage door.
‘Only way to get a sensible answer,’ she quipped automatically, while bending down to check the tread on the rear tyres. She didn�
�t want Mike to see the pain and worry that must surely be swimming in her eyes.
‘You’re early. There’s fifteen minutes until you clock on at seven.’
‘I was up and ready so decided I might as well come in.’ She’d figured it would be better to already be working when Fraser arrived. That way she could acknowledge his presence and then immediately carry on with the job. She straightened up slowly, made a show of ticking another box.
‘Like you do that often.’ When she glanced across the garage, Mike’s calm, knowing smile beamed at her. ‘Our newest crew member’s also early.’
‘What?’ Fraser was here already? Shouldn’t she have sensed his presence? Breathe in deeply, breathe out. In, out. It was too soon to front up to him. She wasn’t ready. She’d never be ready. The next tick on the checklist skewed sideways. ‘Dang.’ She could do without this ridiculous thumping in her chest and the sudden lump blocking her throat. What did she say to him? It wasn’t as though they could ever become friends again. Could they? No, too much pain sat between them.
‘Nikki, you’ll be fine. Whatever your problem is with Fraser, you’re a very professional AP and I know you won’t let anything come between you and your job.’ Mike’s words soothed her a little. If he believed she could manage then she’d do her best to live up to his expectations.
‘I wish I was as confident as you.’ She’d even mentioned resigning to Mike a couple of days ago but he’d known it for the halfhearted gesture it had been. She loved working as an AP and this was the only full-time ambulance station within a hundred kilometres. Her plans for owning a catering business were for the future, not now when she could help so many people when they were ill or distressed.
Mike stepped closer, the concern in his eyes worrying. ‘Fraser’s in the tearoom. Come and have a coffee, break the ice while everyone’s around. You have to get past this moment, whatever’s causing it.’
Medical Duo - Dr Chandler's Sleeping Beauty & Christmas with Dr Delicious Page 16
