by Amy Ruttan
Escaping the big city...
For love under Icelandic skies
When surgeon Betty Jacinth’s heart is broken once again, she takes a job in Iceland for a change of scenery. She expects cold weather—but not the frosty welcome she receives from gorgeous but brooding Dr. Axel Sturlusson! Now father to his orphaned niece, Axel gradually thaws, and a flame ignites—but when Betty’s ex begs her to return, can she make the right choice for love?
“It’s kind of moving.”
“I think it’s sweet that you’re crying.”
“You do? Surgeons don’t cry, though. That’s what I was told by my father.”
Axel touched Betty’s cheek, wiping a tear away with his thumb. “I think it shows more humanity when a surgeon cries.”
Her heart was pounding like a jackhammer, her pulse thundering in her ears as she stared into his eyes, the aurora dancing above them. It was just the two of them in the cold darkness. Usually that would freak her out, but for some reason in this moment, with his arms around her, she felt safe.
She felt at peace.
She felt like herself.
And before she could react, Axel cupped her face, leaned in and kissed her. Tenderly at first, before it deepened. His mouth on hers, his hand cupping the back of her head as he kissed her with passion she’d never felt before.
It scared her, but thrilled her, too.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he broke off the kiss.
“Don’t be sorry,” she said breathlessly.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for picking up a copy of NY Doc Under the Northern Lights.
This book is special to me because it’s my 20th Harlequin Medical Romance. I can’t believe it’s number twenty. This couldn’t have been possible without the awesome editors at Harlequin and my readers!
I love the northern lights, everything about them, and I wanted to set my story in another country that gets to experience the aurora.
Axel doesn’t believe he deserves love. Not when he survived a tragedy at sea and his brother was lost. All he wants to do is give his brother’s child the best life she deserves and save as many lives as he can. He wasn’t expecting love. Especially not from a visiting American surgeon!
Betty is trying to escape a coworker who broke her heart. So she accepts her late father’s friend’s invitation to work in Reykjavík, which is a world away from New York. She’s trying to find herself, and the last thing she was expecting to find was romance, especially under the northern lights.
I hope you enjoy Axel and Betty’s story.
I love hearing from readers, so please drop by my website, amyruttan.com, or give me a shout on Twitter, @ruttanamy.
With warmest wishes,
Amy Ruttan
NY Doc Under the Northern Lights
Amy Ruttan
Books by Amy Ruttan
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This book is dedicated to the people who helped get me to my 20th. My husband, my kids, my parents. I couldn’t do this without your faith in me.
Praise for Amy Ruttan
“From start to finish, this book was entertaining.... The instant chemistry these two have from the moment they’re introduced together into the story sets the fast pace of the book.”
—Harlequin Junkie on His Pregnant Royal Bride
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—Goodreads
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
EPILOGUE
EXCERPT FROM THE SHY NURSE'S CHRISTMAS WISH BY ABIGAIL GORDON
CHAPTER ONE
WHERE IS HE?
Dr. Betty Jacinth’s eyes burned. She’d forgotten to take out her contact lenses on the plane when she took the red-eye from Newark to Keflavik Airport, so she was squinting as she pulled her bag through the baggage claim, looking in vain for Dr. Sturlusson, who was supposed to be picking her up.
Dr. Sturlusson was an older physician and friend of her late father, whom he’d met when he’d traveled to Iceland to do a series of lectures before Betty was born. The two had stayed in touch, first through letters, then email, and Betty had only seen her father’s friend for the first time on a video call three months ago. When her father died Dr. Sturlusson had sent Betty a card, expressing his condolences and offering her the chance to work for three months in Reykjavik, whenever she wanted.
As her father had done before her.
She had put it off for a long time, but now she was glad to go.
Her ex, Thomas, had married the woman he had cheated on Betty with, and so Betty was definitely overdue for a change of scenery.
Out of sight and out of mind!
She should have left ages ago, but she didn’t want Thomas and his newfound bliss to drive her away from her work. The problem was, if she didn’t go, then he would always have a hold on her.
Thomas had been her Attending when she was a resident. He’d been there for her when her father died. He’d taught her everything she knew. And she’d thought he’d loved her.
Then she’d found out he’d been seeing someone else. She’d broken it off but Thomas had still been her boss, still overseeing all her surgeries. She’d been stuck in a destructive cycle, her heart broken, her father gone and just paralyzed by self-doubt.
Thomas had used her.
She was a fool.
Yet, as she searched the airport, not understanding a word over the PA system, she wondered if she was an idiot for dropping her work in New York at one of the most prestigious hospitals on the eastern seaboard, to come to Reykjavik.
No. This is good. Then you won’t have to face Thomas right after his marriage to Susan.
She glanced at the big windows and saw a vast, flat nothing and that nothing was covered with white. What had she gotten herself into? She wasn’t even sure what day it was. Was it Tuesday, yeah it must be Tuesday.
She could always turn around and go back to Manhattan. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. No, there was no way she could head back. There was no one
to go back to. Her father was gone and he’d been her only family. There was nothing left for her there except her job.
A job under Thomas’s thumb.
She bit back the tears stinging her eyes. She could do this. She would just have to hire a car and figure out how to drive herself into Reykjavik and the small vacation home she’d rented. Dr. Sturlusson didn’t seem the type to leave her high and dry, but perhaps something unavoidable had happened and he hadn’t been able to contact her.
She should’ve told him not to bother picking her up and she should’ve gone with the car-rental plan in the first place.
Betty glanced up at the signs overhead, trying to figure out where to go to rent a car when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye.
She looked over her shoulder and her mouth hung open a little as an over-six-foot Viking of a man came marching toward her. Quickly.
His eyes were trained on her and her knees instinctively weakened, because even from a distance there was an air of command about him. His hair was a dark blond and he had an athletic build. She was pretty sure that he could easily pick her up and toss her a long distance, despite the fact that she was pretty tall herself at five feet nine.
He stopped a few feet from her, those piercing blue eyes settling on her as his gazed briefly raked over her form, assessing her. It sent a shiver down her spine, but not one of fear. His assessment of her was something else, something almost sensual. He didn’t smile, his lips pressed together firmly, his strong jaw clenched.
She knew from his posture that he wasn’t happy about being here and that got her back up a bit. Why was this stranger staring at her with annoyance? It wasn’t as if she were blocking his way, but then again maybe most people made more of an effort to get as far out of his way as possible.
Betty narrowed her eyes and stared back at him, holding her ground.
“Dr. Jacinth?” he asked, almost in disbelief, his voice deep and rumbling.
“Yes. And who might you be?”
“Dr. Sturlusson,” he snapped back in annoyance. “I thought that would be obvious.”
“No, it’s not obvious. I’ve seen Dr. Sturlusson and he’s at least seventy. Are you telling me you’re seventy?”
He rolled his eyes. “You mean my father. I am Dr. Axel Sturlusson, his son.”
“I see. I thought your father was meant to pick me up.”
“He was, but something came up and I’ve come to collect you.” He sounded annoyed by the prospect of taking her into the city.
“Well, if it’s too much trouble I can rent a car and drive myself. I wouldn’t want to burden you.”
“I am here now and you will come with me.”
It wasn’t ‘will you come with me?’ It was you will come with me and that irked her even more. Dr. Sturlusson was pleasant and polite. His son Axel was a bit of an arrogant jerk.
She should argue with him further, but truth be told she was tired and she was glad to not have to drive.
“Fine,” she said. “Lead the way.”
He looked down at her shoes. “You do know this is Iceland in winter?”
“I’m aware.”
“You’re wearing ridiculous heels.”
She glanced down at her boots. “They’re boots.”
“It’s icy outside,” he stated gruffly.
“Oh, I’m surprised to hear that a place called Iceland is icy,” she snapped back. She was too tired to be bandying words about with a gigantic behemoth of a Viking in the middle of the airport.
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t appreciate the sarcasm.”
“And I don’t appreciate your tone, either. I assure you, if I can navigate the likes of Manhattan during rush hour I can get myself to Reykjavik intact.”
A small smile flitted at the corner of his mouth and there was a sudden twinkle in his eyes. “Is that so?”
“It is. And I can do all that in heels.”
He was openly amused. “Well, my apologies, then, but since I am here already perhaps you’ll let me drive you anyways?”
“Thank you.”
Axel held out his arm, gesturing in the direction to the terminal doors, and she followed him, pulling her suitcase behind her. She was very aware of the sound of her heels against the airport floor, but she wasn’t going to back down to Axel Sturlusson. She hadn’t got where she was as a surgeon by backing down. She’d learned how to stand her ground.
Except when it came to Thomas. She’d let Thomas walk all over her and she hated herself for that.
They stepped outside and she was met with a blast of cold, icy air completely foreign to the temperatures she was used to in Manhattan and back home in Tennessee. Her teeth chattered.
Axel turned. “You stay here and I’ll pull the car up.”
Betty nodded. She wasn’t going to argue as she opened up her carry-on bag and dug out an ugly knitted cap and the matching mitts she’d bought at an outdoor store. Fashion be damned, she was freezing her keister off.
It wasn’t long before his SUV pulled up and he got out. In a couple of strides he was beside her, picking up her suitcase and her carry-on and stowing them in the back.
Betty took a step toward the car, but her ankle twisted and she lost her balance.
Before she could hit the cold, unforgiving ground, two strong arms came around her, holding her gently. She looked up into Axel’s startling blue eyes. She’d thought they were darker, but up close she could see how deep a blue they were.
And her heart skipped a beat. It was as if those eyes had pierced her very soul. It was unsettling how much the intensity of his gaze affected her.
“I told you those were ridiculous boots. I knew that you were going to slip,” he grumbled as he set her upright.
“I didn’t see the ice,” she said, but she still clung to him.
“Well, you’re going to kill yourself walking around in those.”
Before she had a chance to respond or react Axel bent over and scooped her up, depositing her over his shoulder, as if he were carrying her from a fire. Upside down she had a good view of his butt. Which wasn’t a bad thing, just unexpected for a first meeting. Especially in light of the fact that she was going to be working with him at the hospital. It wasn’t the best first impression, but it also wasn’t the worst.
“Excuse me!” she hollered, but didn’t bother struggling because that would just make things worse.
“What?” he asked, moving toward the SUV, his hand firmly planted on her backside.
“Put me down!” she said.
“I will. Once you’re out of harm’s way.” He stated a matter of fact.
“Look, you great big Viking...you can’t treat me like this.”
He moved her and then set her down in the front seat of his SUV. There was a condescending, smug smile playing on his face.
“Treat you like what? I got you to the vehicle safely. This way you won’t be laid up with a broken ankle during your first month of work in Reykjavik. My father would not be happy if I let harm come to you.” He motioned for her to slide her legs into the foot well so he could shut the door.
Fuming, Betty begrudgingly did as he asked, her eyes tracking him as he climbed into the driver’s side and buckled in. He glanced at her.
“You should buckle up.”
“Do you always manhandle people like that?” she muttered as she reached for her seat belt.
“Only people who don’t know how to appropriately dress in icy weather and may be susceptible to a nasty fall.”
Betty’s anger melted away and she tried to fight the amused smile that was threatening to erupt on her face.
“I have better boots, but they’re in my luggage.”
“I do hope so. If not, there is a store not far from your rental where you can purchase a good sturdy pair. You’re not far from the
hospital, but as that part of town is close to the sea, it can get dangerously icy at times,” Axel stated calmly as he drove away from the airport and headed toward the city.
“How do you know where I’m staying?” she asked.
“My father helped you find it. And as I said, he gave me the task of making sure that you are settled. He’s quite overloaded with some work at the hospital, so I’ve been the one dealing with it all.”
The last few words were said cautiously and she could see his jaw clench under the stress. She almost wondered if Dr. Sturlusson Sr. was sick rather than overworked and if Axel was hiding it. She knew that look well. She knew the pain and the pressure one carried when a parent was dying. Her mother died when she was young and it had just been her and her father for so long. Then he got sick and it was just her caring for him while trying to do her first year as a resident.
“I’m sorry to hear that your father is ill,” she said gently.
“Who said he was ill?”
“Your expression. Your tone of voice. I thought—”
“He’s a busy man,” Axel snapped.
“Okay.”
“He doesn’t have time for much,” Axel muttered darkly. He didn’t elaborate. He just kept his eyes on the road, his jaw clenched and those blue eyes dark and serious.
“Sorry for making an assumption. I lost my father some time ago and I know they were about the same age.”
“It’s all right,” he said gently. “And I’m sorry. My father spoke highly of your father.”
“Thank you.”
Betty turned and gazed out of the window, her eyelids becoming heavy as the exhaustion that had been pestering her finally caught up with her.
* * *
Axel could hear her deep, even breathing and he glanced over at her. Her head was pressed against the window and she was fast asleep. She was quite beautiful. He hadn’t been expecting that. He didn’t know what he had been expecting, to be honest, but he hadn’t been expecting her.
Blonde hair, brown eyes and a pixie-like face. She was tall, or at least taller than the women he was used to dating. Although it was hard to tell because of the heels. She seemed to have a bit of fire in her, but one that she was suppressing and he couldn’t help but wonder why.
