The Army Doctor's Christmas Baby (6 page)

Her instinct was to speak, to fill the awkward silence.
Instead she held her tongue, giving Sean time to think.

He glanced up thoughtfully. "The only person I've told
the full story to is Dan. Until now." He dragged in a breath and blew it
out. "The truth is, Eleanor walked out on me before she died."

"Oh!" Kelly pressed a hand over her mouth. So what
she'd heard was right; Sean and Eleanor hadn't been happy together.

"Two weeks after the girls were born, she announced she
was leaving me for a wealthy Swiss guy who'd bought some of her paintings. I
think she'd been seeing him for a while. I'm not sure. To be honest, all I
could think about was losing the twins."

"Oh, Sean, that must have been awful." An inane
thing to say, but she couldn't summon anything better with her mind racing to
take this in.

"The worst few weeks of my life." He knocked back
the rest of his wine and refilled his glass from the bottle. "I had my
lawyer working overtime trying to stop her taking the girls out of the country.
I was frantic. Then her boyfriend called me. Eleanor had been hit by a taxi
outside their hotel and pronounced dead at the scene. He wanted me to come and
get the babies.

"I was at work. I walked out of the hospital in a daze,
still wearing my scrubs, and drove to central London. Both the girls were
hungry and had dirty diapers. The guy wouldn't even touch them. I was numb
after hearing about Eleanor, but so unbelievably happy to have my children
back."

Kelly's heart pounded in distress imagining how upset Sean
must have been at the prospect of losing the two babies he obviously doted on.
"Eleanor was going to take them to Switzerland?"

"Yes."

"So you wouldn't have been able to see them."

Sean shrugged. "She told me I was welcome to visit them
in Switzerland."

"Why did you keep it a secret that she left you?"

"I was desperately relieved she couldn't take the girls
away." He scrubbed a hand over his face and screwed up his eyes. "I
felt so bad, so guilty for being pleased to get them back that way."

Rounding the island, Kelly wrapped him in her arms. He
turned into her embrace, resting his forehead on her shoulder. She stroked back
the sleek golden strands of his hair, willing him to gain comfort from her love
and compassion.

"It wasn't your fault she died." Despite her
words, Kelly could understand his feelings. What a horrible situation to be in.

"I swore I would never marry again. I won't ever give a
woman that sort of power over me and the girls."

Disappointment flashed into Kelly and gripped her heart.
She'd been right. He wasn't ready for a relationship. Although she could hardly
blame him after what he'd been through.

He lifted his head and ran a thumb across her cheek, staring
into her eyes. "You've made me reassess. I like having you here, Kell. I
like coming home to you, but I want to take things slowly."

"That's okay with me." Kelly's heart raced, her
fingers tracing the soft hair on his nape. She'd keep Sean and his little girls
in her life any way she could.

"I'd like to start by dating, but I know you're
planning to work overseas. Perhaps we can stay in contact and see each other
when you're in this country?"

Kelly's emotions swung all over the place. Despite his
earlier comment that he liked coming home to her, he obviously didn't want her
living here.

"Why don't I ask the charity if I can work in the
UK?"

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course. I'd love to see you and the girls
regularly."

"That sounds great. When Monique comes back we'll be
able to spend more evenings out, just the two of us."

The idea of Monique moving back here with Sean grated on
Kelly. In the two short weeks she had been here, Sean and his girls had become
hers. Given a chance, she would rather stay here and care for them than do any
other job. But she could hardly say that. Anyway, it would be mean to steal
Monique's position.

"So, when do we start dating?" They had sort of
started already with all the kissing they'd done, although that was as far as
they'd gone.

"Tomorrow." Sean rose and kissed her. "I'll
go in to see Private Tyler in the morning, then I'm on leave until the New
Year. We'll take the girls to visit Santa in the afternoon, then you and I have
been invited out to dinner in the evening."

The tight knot of concern in Kelly loosened. Sean was
bruised and wary, but he wasn't still in love with Eleanor and he wanted to
move on. There was hope that sometime in the future she might be a proper part
of this family.

She would have to take good care of him and give him lots of
love to restore his trust in women.

Chapter Seven

Chattering adults and laughing children lined up outside the
snow-dusted timber chalet at the entrance to Santa's grotto on the fourth floor
of the busy London department store.

"We might as well carry the girls through so they're
high enough to see everything," Sean said.

"Good idea. Also, they're less likely to be frightened
by something if they're in our arms." Kelly followed Sean as he pushed the
stroller into the parking area set aside for baby carriers and applied the
brake. She lifted Annabelle from her seat while he picked up Zoe.

Kelly hitched her bag higher on her shoulder and handed
their booking form to the small woman dressed as an elf in a red hat trimmed
with bells.

"Follow the signs to Santa Claus's workshop." The
elf lady grinned at the children. "Have fun!"

They pushed through a turnstile, ducked beneath strips of
hanging greenery, and entered a dimly lit cave. Tiny mechanical elves lined up
at a bench hammered at wooden dolls and trains in time to cheery Christmas
music.

Annabelle clutched Kelly's coat collar, wide-eyed with
fascination. She pointed at the tableau. "Me, me, me, me," she
chanted in her latest refrain. It was her new favorite word and she knew
exactly what it meant.

"You can't have those toys," Kelly said.
"Santa's elves are still making them. When we reach Santa, he'll give you
a present to take home."

Annabelle stared at Kelly, obviously trying to understand.
Then she stretched towards the scene again, chattering to herself.

Kelly squinted in the low light, her eyes still not
adjusted. "Is Zoe all right?" she asked Sean. As usual, Zoe was the
quieter of the two children, cuddled in her daddy's arms, sucking her thumb.

"You're okay, angel, aren't you? You like the
elves." Sean dropped a kiss on top of Zoe's hair.

He leaned close to Kelly, pressed his lips to Annabelle's
head, and stole a quick kiss from Kelly as well.

"Zoe'll be fine. I might not sit her on Santa's knee,
though. I'm willing to bet she won't like that."

They wandered along the winding woodchip path through
Rudolph's stable where a huge reindeer model with a flashing red nose nodded
its head, past Santa's sleigh piled high with brightly wrapped boxes tied with
ribbons, and on to Santa's workshop itself.

Other family groups of mum, dad, and children strolled with
them, laughing and enjoying themselves. With a rush of affection, Kelly stroked
back Annabelle's hair and held her close. How she loved this sweet little girl
and her sister. Anyone seeing their group probably thought she was the twins'
mother, and Sean's wife. If only that were true.

Longing swept through her, leaving goose bumps on her skin.
She was certainly something to them, but would never be a mother and wife if
Sean adhered to what he'd said. He'd been adamant he didn't want to marry
again.

She joined in with the Christmas song, singing softly to
Annabelle as they passed a traditional festive scene of a decorated tree beside
a fireplace with four stockings hung on the mantelpiece, two large ones and two
small ones.

Kelly had thought of hanging stockings at Sean's house but
in the end she hadn't, feeling awkward about putting one up for herself with
the other three. It seemed a bit presumptuous somehow.

An elf ushered them towards a rustic wooden door and Sean
pushed it open. "Oh, look, girls. Who can you see?" He held Zoe up
and pointed. "There's Santa."

A fat old man in a Santa suit complete with long white beard
sat on a wooden stool in a mock log cabin surrounded by sacks of brightly
wrapped gifts. "Ho, ho, ho, who do we have here?" he said in a deep
voice.

Zoe burst into tears and clung to Sean, burying her face
against his chest. Annabelle curled her chubby fingers around Kelly's collar
and held on tightly, but she stared at Santa with rapt attention.

"Hello, Santa," Sean said. "We've brought Zoe
and Annabelle to see you."

"Have you been good girls this year?" Santa asked.

"Of course they have." Kelly grinned at Annabelle
and Zoe, trying to put them at ease. "They're always good girls, aren't
you?"

"Do you want to sit on Santa's knee?" the man
asked Annabelle.

Kelly had mixed feelings about handing the toddler over to a
strange man. Annabelle allowed herself to be carried closer without
complaining, but hung on to Kelly for dear life when Santa patted his lap.

"Both the girls are slightly shy," Kelly said with
an apologetic smile.

Undaunted, Santa jangled a rod covered in bells. Two old men
dressed as elves came in and did a funny little dance. The whole thing was so
surreal, Kelly had to swallow back a laugh as her gaze collided with Sean's
disbelieving look.

Santa handed a gift to Annabelle and one to Sean for Zoe.
Then the elves hustled them out, presumably making way for the next in line.

They emerged onto a busy aisle in the toy section of the
department store.

"Poor baby," Kelly said to Zoe, hoping to distract
her by helping her unwrap her present. Zoe stopped crying and grasped the small
blue teddy inside, turning it over and trying to pull off its ears. One
immediately came loose.

"I think she wants to dissect it," Sean quipped.

"That must be her surgeon genes. You'd better watch out
when she's big enough to use a knife."

Sean chuckled. They huddled together as people bustled past
in the busy aisle while both girls examined their identical teddies. After a
few minutes, Annabelle tossed hers on the floor and pointed at a display of
dolls, chanting, "Me, me, me."

Crouching to pick up the discarded toy, Sean tucked it in
the front of Annabelle's coat. "Nothing more for you until Christmas Day,
Little Miss Fickle. Let's hope that tomorrow Santa can come up with something
interesting enough to hold your attention."

"Does Santa have something interesting lined up for
tomorrow?" Kelly asked with a grin.

"I hope so. Santa has certainly spent plenty of money
on the presents."

***

Kelly emerged from her bedroom in the only decent dress she
owned, a slinky scarlet wraparound. It was shorter than she remembered, falling
to mid-thigh level. She'd bought it for a summer vacation in Greece a few years
back and it was not really warm enough for winter. She hoped the heating in the
restaurant where they ate would be good or she'd have to keep her coat on.

The doorbell chimed. She hurried downstairs to let in Lisa,
the teenager from the village who was babysitting for the evening. The
sixteen-year-old's eyelashes were caked with mascara, her eyes outlined in
black, her lids blue and pink, her lips scarlet. She tottered in on high heels
wearing a skirt that barely covered her backside.

Both Kelly and Lisa stared as Sean came down the stairs.
Kelly's heart fluttered like a moth trying to get to a flame. For a moment she
couldn't catch her breath. She was so used to being around Sean that she forgot
how gorgeous he was until she suddenly saw him wearing something different.
Tonight was the first time she'd seen him in a suit.

The navy jacket hugged his broad shoulders, the white shirt
bringing out the blue of his eyes. He reached for his coat and draped the
snowman scarf around his neck, making her smile.

"Hello, Mr. Fab." The teen giggled, striking a
pose and pushing out her chest.

"The girls are both asleep," Sean said, giving no
indication he even noticed Lisa's flirting. "If they wake, don't go in to
them unless they sound distressed. Often they will just go back to sleep. It
might unsettle them if they know Kelly and I aren't here. Don't worry about
changing diapers; we'll do that when we get home. We won't be late."

"Yes, Mr. Fab. I'll call you if there are any
problems." The girl fluttered her eyelashes. "Can I have your mobile
number?"

Kelly had to swallow her laugh. Cheeky little minx.
"You can have mine," Kelly said, jotting it on the pad by the house
phone and handing it over. "Text me if you have any questions while we're
out."

The doorbell chimed again, heralding the taxi driver.

"Don't hesitate to call Kelly if necessary," Sean
said to the girl as he helped Kelly on with her coat. "We're only going a
few miles away, so we can return quickly if the children need us."

They climbed in the back of the taxi and Kelly breathed a
sigh of relief to be out of the house. It had been hectic spending the
afternoon in London at the department store visiting Santa, then driving home
in time to go out for dinner.

As she sat in the warm car, the radio playing softly in the
background, the reality sank in. This was the first time she and Sean had gone
out without the girls. She'd have liked it to be just the two of them, but they
were meeting Cameron and Alice, and Radley and his wife, Olivia.

Sean lifted her hand and dropped a kiss on her knuckles.
"This is our first real date."

"I was just thinking the same thing."

"I hope it's the first of many." He slid his arm
around her shoulders and pressed his lips to her temple. She turned, clutching
his lapels, and kissed him properly.

"I didn't get a chance to say how lovely you
look," he said. "It's the first time I've seen you in anything but
trousers."

"Except for the bunny girl outfit," she reminded
him.

"Yep. Except for that." He grinned. "I hope I
might see you dressed that way again sometime."

Kelly raised her eyebrows. He'd been very much the gentleman
so far. Could he be thinking of taking things further now they were officially
dating?

"I'm sure that can be arranged."

He tapped the end of her nose playfully.

A few minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of a row of
thatched cottages that had been joined into one building and converted into a
restaurant by a local celebrity chef. Sean jumped out and offered her his hand
as she negotiated the rough ground in the semidarkness. She rarely wore high
heels; they took some getting used to.

Sean opened the low arched door. "Mind your head. I
think they were all tiny in the 1500s when this place was built." He
ushered her in first and they both ducked under a thick black beam. A huge log
fire crackled in the inglenook fireplace flanked by pillars hung with Christmas
garlands of holly decorated with tiny gold bells.

Christmas centerpieces graced the many tables and the murmur
of conversation filled the candlelit room.

"There they are." Sean put his arm around Kelly's
shoulders and led her to the bar area.

"Hello," Cameron said with his usual smile,
embracing her.

She waited for the familiar tingle of awareness as Cameron
moved close and pressed his cheek to hers. It was still there, but only just.
Nothing like the shivery pleasure she felt every time Sean kissed her or
touched her.

Cameron turned his attention to Sean. "I gather after
the big op that you and Radley are now movie stars."

"Yes, absolutely," Sean said. "We'll be
famous among medical students everywhere."

They all chuckled.

The men shook hands and Radley kissed Kelly's cheek.

Kelly moved to Alice's side so they could embrace around her
huge belly. "How are you?

Alice fanned herself with a menu, her cheeks bright red.
"Roasting. It's like a furnace in here."

"You have a little heater inside you, that's why,"
Cameron quipped.

She batted him on the arm with the menu. "Don't joke
about it. I'm uncomfortable." Despite her words, she smiled at him affectionately.

Sean introduced Kelly to Radley's wife and they greeted each
other. Olivia Knight was exactly the sort of woman to suit Radley—tall,
slender, and beautiful with an air of quiet competence about her. Kelly had
seen her from a distance at formal army events, but they'd never been
introduced. As a lieutenant, she wouldn't normally socialize with a colonel's
wife.

"Your table's ready, if you'd like to follow me,"
a waitress said.

They all trooped after the petite woman in a tiny black
dress and white apron, through to what must once have been the next cottage
before it was converted.

Stopping at a table in the corner by a huge Christmas tree,
Kelly sat with a view out the tiny diamond panes of a leaded window towards the
twinkling lights of Oxford.

"Cities always look better at night from a distance
when all you can see are the lights," Alice said.

"I like Oxford," Olivia chimed in. "The
shopping's good."

They both laughed and Kelly joined in. She already knew
Alice and hoped Olivia would accept her as a friend as well. While the men
chatted about surgery, Kelly took part in the baby chat with Alice and Olivia,
really enjoying the female company. Hearing about the antics of Alice's little
boy, Sami, and Olivia's two children was fun.

They ordered and were halfway through their meal when Alice
stopped eating and screwed up her face. "The small of my back aches like
mad. I've been trying to ignore it, but I can't anymore."

Cameron rubbed a soothing hand in circles over the painful
place. "Perhaps we should go home, love."

"Yes. I think so. I just need to visit the ladies' room
first. The baby likes to sit on my bladder." With Cameron's assistance,
she heaved her heavy body out of the chair and straightened, a hand pressed
against her lower spine.

"Shall I help?" Kelly stood, going to Alice's side
to offer her arm.

Olivia followed. "I'll come as well."

Alice made her way between the tables, Kelly and Olivia at
hand, ready to help if necessary. Just outside the restrooms, Alice leaned a
shoulder against the wall, groaning. "My tummy and back really hurt now. I
think the contractions must have started."

"Cam had better call the hospital. I'll get him,"
Olivia said.