Festive Fling with the Single Dad

by Annie Claydon

  This had been Aksel’s dream project, and Flora had fallen in love with it too. The small parcel of barren land, right on the edge of the estate, was no good for anything other than being ideally situated to build. Charles had sold it for a nominal amount, after Aksel had approached him with his plans for an adventure centre for people with disabilities.

  ‘So it’s a reality. That’s fantastic!’ Flora hugged him tight.

  ‘Charles is as excited about it as I am. He offered to make a contribution towards the building costs, but I told him that if he wanted to do something, he could turn up and help dig out the foundations. He liked that idea much better.’

  ‘I’m glad you decided that you weren’t going to entirely give up on exploring. Even if these trips will be a little different.’

  ‘They’ll be even more challenging.’ Aksel took her hand, pressing her fingers to his lips. ‘And I’ll never be away from my family for too long.’

  ‘Well, maybe your family will just pack their bags every once in a while and come with you.’

  He grinned. ‘You know I’d love that.’

  ‘I have something for you as well.’ Flora reached under the pillow, giving him the small, carefully wrapped package.

  ‘Am I supposed to open this now?’ He grinned at her.

  ‘Yes.’ She watched as he tore the paper, then turned the little fabric crocodile with sharp embroidered teeth over in his hands.

  ‘All right. You’ve given me a crocodile to wrestle...?’ He’d got the message and he was smiling at the thought of whatever challenge she was going to present him with now. ‘Whatever it is you have in mind, the answer’s yes.’

  Flora nudged him in the ribs. ‘You don’t know what the question is yet.’

  ‘It’ll be Christmas Eve soon. And I trust you...’

  It was his trust that had brought Flora to this point. They’d talked about this, and he’d told her that she’d know when the time was right. And she did know.

  ‘You said that when we decided to start a family, we’d both take the test for the cystic fibrosis gene. Together...’

  A broad grin spread across his face. He knew now exactly what she wanted.

  ‘Yes. I did.’

  ‘Are you ready, Aksel?’

  He nodded. ‘I’ve been ready for a long time. You?’

  ‘I’m ready. If it turns out that we both carry the gene we have lots of options. Would it be irresponsible of me to say that we don’t need to decide anything now? We’ll know what to do if and when we find ourselves in that situation?’

  ‘Nope. Life’s one big exploration. You can’t know what’s ahead of you, but if you’re travelling with someone you trust, you can be sure that you’ll face it together.’

  This felt like the first step in a journey that Flora couldn’t wait to make. She kissed him, nestling into the warmth of his arms.

  ‘So I’m going to be a dad again.’ Aksel hugged her tight. ‘I’m not going to miss a moment of it this time. I’ll find someone else to lead the trips...’

  ‘Whatever happens, it won’t be for a little while. And when it does, you can have both, Aksel, you don’t have to choose.’ Sometimes she still had to remind him of that.

  ‘How do you do it, Flora? Every time I think that I’m about as happy as it’s possible to be, you manage to make me happier.’

  ‘Trust me Aksel. There’s a lot more to come, for both of us.’

  He laughed, pure joy spilling out of him. ‘Oh, I trust you. Always.’

  * * *

  Welcome to the Pups that Make Miracles quartet!

  Highland Doc’s Christmas Rescue

  by Susan Carlisle

  Festive Fling with the Single Dad

  by Annie Claydon

  Available now!

  And next month, look out for

  Making Christmas Special Again

  by Annie O’Neil

  Their One-Night Christmas Gift

  by Karin Baine

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A Christmas Kiss with Her Ex-Army Doc by Tina Beckett.

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

  Other ways to keep in touch:

  Harlequin.com/newsletters

  Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

  Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

  HarlequinBlog.com

  A Christmas Kiss with Her Ex-Army Doc

  by Tina Beckett

  PROLOGUE

  THE FUNERAL MADE her squirm, her grief and tears for her husband having already been spent long ago. The second the news had reached her that Jacob’s chopper had been shot down in a remote part of Afghanistan, Hollee Cantrell had instinctively known he hadn’t survived. But protocol demanded he be listed as MIA until the helicopter and his body were found.

  A year later, both had been.

  It was official. She was a widow. The ache in her heart bloomed to life all over again.

  She stood on the plush lawn of the cemetery beside her parents as guns fired one blistering shot after another until all she wanted to do was press her hands to her ears and muffle the sound.

  Instead she stood frozen in place.

  The military salute ended and almost against her will her eyes shifted to a spot to her right.

  He was watching her. Again.

  When he mouthed, Are you okay? her eyes filled with hot tears.

  All she could think about was herself, and here was Jacob’s best friend—looking as handsome as sin in his dress blues—asking her if she was okay. He’d separated himself from their little band of friends before she and Jacob had started dating, deciding that playing the field was a lot more fun than hanging out with them. So she was surprised to actually see him here. And even more surprised that he cared about how she felt. If only he’d known all those years ago that, given the choice, she would have chosen...

  No, it would have changed nothing.

  She forced herself to give an imperceptible nod, even though she wasn’t okay. Not at all. What she felt was numb.

  Her dad put an arm around her shoulder and dropped a kiss on her head, which made her tears come even faster.

  Using her fists, she rubbed them away and prayed neither Clancy, his sister nor his mother came over to speak to her after it was all over.

  She felt the worst sort of traitor. She’d married Jacob and only a couple of years later had she realized she’d made a mistake. But there’d been no going back, even as the ring on her finger had become a noose she had been desperate to escape. She’d planned on having a long talk about their future once he came off deployment. Only he’d never come home.

  And now she was done with love. Done with relationships. Forever.

  As soon as she could, she was slipping away. Far away from Virginia. Far away from Jacob’s memory. And most of all far away from the man who hadn’t wanted her. A man she’d never quite forgotten, no matter how hard she’d tried.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Five years later...

  CLANCY DE OLIVEIRA SETTLED behind his new desk, putting the picture of his significant other on the corner of it with a smile. Gordy might not be human, but he was the only kind of permanent companion Clancy needed or wanted nowadays. The part basset hound had followed him to his car after the funeral, and they’d been together ever since—except for his nine-month stint in Syria. The last one of his career.

  It was almost like Jacob had sent the dog to apologize for what he’d done. At least that’s what Clancy would like to think. The truth was they’d barely spoken since Jacob had confessed that he was in love with Hollee all those years ago.

  Clancy tried to find her after the funeral, but she’d been long gone. Besides, would he really have told her the truth about what her husband had done while overse
as? Probably not. Better to just let the truth be buried with his old friend. The last he’d heard, Hollee had moved away from Arlington, probably needing a fresh start.

  Clancy was now a civilian taking his place in a vast network of hospitals and private practices in the area. His plastic surgery skills would morph from treating combat injuries to treating children with facial injuries and defects. The devastation of war had changed him in ways that no one could imagine. In addition to the scars he wore inside, he’d suffered a physical injury, a shard of shrapnel that had sliced a path through his eyebrow and across his cheek, barely missing his left eye. The thin scar had faded somewhat—leaving just a line and a narrow bald patch in his brow. The exterior package had been cleaned up. The interior, however...

  He shook himself free of his thoughts and opened his laptop, logging into the hospital’s computer network and clicking the different tabs to see what was there. The administrator had told him to take the first week to acquaint himself with the way the hospital did things. There was a staff meeting in fifteen minutes, where he’d meet some of the folks he’d be working with, which included trauma and general reconstruction specialists, and there was a volunteer opportunity he was interested in. He was anxious to get started. Sitting still had never been one of his strong suits.

  Which was why he’d decided not to take a vacation after leaving the military. The offer from Arlington Regional Medical Center couldn’t have come at a better time.

  Prying himself from his chair, he took the elevator to the third floor, where the administrator had said the meeting would be held. Some of the muted but elegant decor made him frown. He took a deep breath and let it hiss back out. It would take time to transition from the sparse military installations he was used to. Arlington Regional believed in focusing as much on atmosphere as it did on quality of care, saying it was all part of the healing process.

  And it probably was. He’d just never practiced in a place like this. But at least here he would never have to worry about things like whether their stock of gauze pads would be depleted before the next supply run.

  He turned a corner, following the blue stripe on the floor that would take him to the business areas of the hospital. There. People were ducking inside a door to the left, and a couple of others were standing outside the room, talking. Just as he got ready to enter it, one of the people waiting glanced up at him.

  Bright green eyes—all-too-familiar eyes—met his, and her soft gasp came as complete recognition dawned. Hell. It couldn’t be. She no longer lived here.

  But that had been years ago. And she’d been a vet tech back then. So what was she doing here at the hospital? His hospital? Dressed in scrubs?

  “Hollee?”

  The word came out before he could stop it, and the person she’d been chatting with must have decided to get while the getting was good because the woman murmured a goodbye and shot through the door.

  Hollee stood there without answering for a minute and memories from the past washed over him. Specifically, the moment when his nineteen-year-old eyes had met hers and he’d thought he’d captured something swirling in those green depths. Intrigued, he’d moved in to take a closer look. Before he’d known what was happening, his lips had brushed over hers.

  The light touch had deepened into an actual kiss that had had his hands cupping her face. When they’d finally parted, they’d both stood there staring at each other, and she’d whispered his name. The wonder in her tone had almost transformed a friendship into something else. Almost. Until he’d remembered that she was the apple of her daddy’s eye, and Clancy was a motorcycle-riding rebel.

  A few days later his best friend had told him he’d asked her to their prom and that she’d said no, but he was hoping she’d change her mind. Clancy had instinctively known that Jacob was right for her in all the ways that Clancy was wrong. So he’d set out to prove that to her. And had succeeded far too well, since she had indeed accompanied Jacob to the prom.

  Only what he’d found out about his friend later had made him rethink that decision.

  He shook off the thought.

  “Clancy, what are you doing...?” Her eyes widened slightly when they passed over his chest, and it took him a minute to realize she wasn’t looking at him, rather at his lanyard. Maybe she’d been hoping he was just here to visit someone.

  No such luck, sweetheart.

  And since she was sporting a matching lanyard and had a stethoscope draped around her neck, she was here on business as well.

  His gut tightened. So much for this job being a godsend. “Did you change professions?”

  “I did, actually.”

  His gaze strayed to her left hand. Jacob’s ring was gone and no one else’s graced it. Dammit. It was none of his business whether or not she was involved with anyone.

  More people were entering the room, a few of them sending quizzical glances their way as they passed. “Well, I guess I’d better head in,” she said. “I was waiting on someone, but they’re evidently running late.”

  Waiting on someone. A boyfriend? Friend?

  His gut gave a painful spasm. She’d already been married once. And Jacob wasn’t around to care.

  But Clancy was.

  Again, none of your business.

  “All right. I’ll see you in there.”

  He let her go, purposely waiting a minute or two before moving into the room. That way he wouldn’t feel obligated to sit by her. Not that she’d want him to. If anything, she’d made it pretty obvious that seeing him hadn’t been a pleasant surprise.

  Why would it be? He had done a good job of playing the field. He’d convinced her and everyone else—including himself—that he was not the settling-down type.

  He grabbed the first seat he could find, forcing himself not to try to locate her in the group. But of course he did, because what his mind dictated wasn’t always followed by his body. She was two rows ahead of him, talking to the person next to her. The same woman she’d stood outside with.

  She was a nurse.

  Hollee loved animals, so he was surprised by her career change. And dismayed. It was going to be hard to avoid her, and after not seeing her for five years... Well, the memory of their past and that kiss had hit him a lot harder than it should have.

  She hadn’t changed much, that red hair combined with the tiny freckles that dotted her nose were all still there, and still just as beautiful.

  Fortunately, before he could dwell on that thought any further, the hospital administrator went up to the podium and called for everyone’s attention.

  “Thanks for coming. I’ll try to be brief.” A few chuckles went up, which Clancy took to mean that brevity wasn’t normally the man’s forte.

  “First of all I’d like you to welcome the hospital’s newest addition. Clancy de Oliveira will be joining our reconstructive surgery team. Dr. de Oliveira, could you stand so people can see you?”

  He did as he was asked, nodding to those who turned to look. He gave a small smile at the one head that hadn’t turned toward him before taking his seat again.

  The administrator went on to talk about the terrible tragedy that had befallen several small towns in Appalachia. The poverty-stricken area had suffered flooding from the record rainfall, and just as the waters had begun receding, and they’d been trying to dig out from beneath the mud, a tornado had ripped through, leaving a wide swath of destruction. Dozens were dead, and a big part of the population was in misery. People in the area had opened their homes to those who were without. But there was a lot still to be done.

  Arlington Regional would be sending in a team to help with medical care and to get the biggest of the clinics back up and running again. They needed both doctors and nurses to volunteer.

  Hollee sat up a little taller.

  Was she thinking of going? Damn. He’d already expressed an interest to the administrato
r. It would be hard to back out now.

  “The catch is the team will be gone the first two weeks of December. Close to the Christmas holidays, I know. But that’s even more reason to go and help. We’d like to have about ten to twenty people from Arlington Regional participate. A soup kitchen and field clinic are being set up as we speak.”

  Someone raised his hand. “I’m interested. Where do we sign up?”

  “Great, I’m just getting to that. I’m sure there are a lot of questions, and I’ve prepared a handout with some of the details. I know there’s not much prep time, but Arlington Regional is all about quick response, so look at your schedules and decide if you have room in it to participate. If your department needs help with coverage, come see me and we’ll take a look at what we can arrange. Lodging will be provided and meals will be served on site.”

  Clancy could remember mess meals. Despite the desire to be home, Christmas was still celebrated with gusto complete with a holiday meal with all the trimmings. When the meal was over, though, it was back to work. It was after one such meal that they’d come under attack from a missile, and he’d been injured. Several others hadn’t been quite so lucky, with five people dying.

  He’d been haunted by those deaths long after his wounds had healed.

  He shook off the memory and concentrated on the administrator, his thoughts racing. He knew he would be an ideal candidate to participate, since he had nothing on his schedule yet and could keep those surgery dates open. And he was used to less-than-ideal working conditions.

  And if Hollee was going...

  Since when did his personal issues supersede doing the right thing? They hadn’t back when they’d all been friends, and they didn’t now.

  The information sheets were passed out row by row. Clancy took his and gave the stack to the person beside him with a smiling nod. Then they were dismissed. Glancing over the paper, he worked through the logistics then sensed a person standing nearby. He looked up to make sure he wasn’t blocking someone in. Instead, his jaw tightened when he saw Hollee.