Read The Midwife's Christmas Miracle Online

Authors: Jennifer Taylor

Tags: #Romance, #Contemporary, #Holidays, #Series, #Harlequin Medical Romance

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BOOK: The Midwife's Christmas Miracle
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He turned to Lucy, trying to ignore the nagging ache in his heart. ‘I’ll give you a lift home.’

‘There’s no need. Really.’ She glanced along the road and shrugged. ‘There doesn’t seem much point in you trying to find a way through all this traffic when it’ll only take me a couple of minutes to walk home from here.’

Max appreciated the sense of what she was saying, but all of a sudden he was loath to let the evening end there. Maybe it was foolish, but he knew that spending some time with her would help him deal with this sorrow he felt. ‘In that case, how do you fancy having a look around the market? It’s open until ten so there’s plenty of time left. I don’t know about you, but I could do with chilling out after everything that’s happened tonight.’

‘I’m not sure,’ she began, but he didn’t let her finish. The thought of sitting on his own in the flat with all these thoughts whizzing around his head was more than he could bear.

‘Please say you’ll come. We can wander around for a
while and soak up the atmosphere. It will be the perfect stress-buster after such a hectic day.’

She sighed softly. ‘Anita was right. You can be very persuasive when you choose.’

Max laughed although he wasn’t sure if the comment had been meant as a compliment. ‘I won’t ask you why she said that. All I can say is that I’d really enjoy your company, Lucy.’

She hesitated a moment longer then shrugged. ‘All right, then, I’ll come. But what about your car? You can’t leave it here in case it gets towed away.’

‘Good point.’ Max frowned, hating to think that his plans might be scuppered by the lack of a parking space. His expression cleared as his gaze alighted on the sweet shop. ‘I know, I’ll ask the lady in the sweet shop if I can park it at the side of her shop. Hang on a moment while I see what she says.’

It took just a couple of minutes to arrange to leave his car in the alley next to the shop. Despite the lateness of the hour, there were still crowds of people milling about as he and Lucy made their way to the town square. The market stalls looked very festive with strings of brightly coloured lights hanging from their awnings. Max stopped when they came to a stall that was selling roasted chestnuts and sniffed appreciatively.

‘Now, this is what Christmas smells like to me. Mum always used to buy us hot chestnuts when we were kids and it really takes me back to my childhood whenever I smell them.’

‘I’ve never had chestnuts,’ Lucy admitted, grinning when he gasped in feigned horror. ‘Obviously, I was a deprived child, although don’t tell my mum I said that or she’ll have a fit!’

‘Your secret is safe with me. Cross my heart and hope to die,’ he promised with due solemnity, drawing a cross on his chest with his finger.

Lucy chuckled. ‘I don’t expect you to go to such extremes to guard my secret, Max.’

‘That’s a relief,’ he declared, grinning at her. He dug in his pocket for some change and bought two bags of chestnuts, handing her one of them. ‘Careful, they’re hot.’

Lucy grimaced as she juggled the bag from hand to hand. ‘You’re not joking. My fingers are already singed!’

‘Here.’ Max took the bag from her and popped it in his pocket. ‘We’ll share this bag first,’ he told her, lifting out a plump chestnut. He quickly peeled it and handed it to her, then peeled another for himself.

‘Mmm, this is delicious.’ She licked her fingers then held out her hand. ‘Can I have another one, please?’

Max laughed. ‘You made short work of that for someone who’s never tasted chestnuts before.’

‘There’s a first time for everything,’ she assured him cheekily, waggling her fingers under his nose.

Max chuckled as he peeled her another chestnut. They wandered around the market while they ate them, looking at the various stalls. Lucy stopped to admire some delicate glass ornaments, shaking her head when he suggested she buy one.

‘There’s no point,’ she explained, putting the ornament back in its box. ‘I’m not having a tree this year, and as I’m not going home, there’s no point buying one for my parents either.’

Max frowned when he heard the sadness in her voice. Even though it had been her decision to work over the
holiday, he could tell that she was upset about not spending time with her family. It made him wonder once again what had happened to make her decide not to go home. It must have been an extremely painful experience if she preferred to cut herself off from the people she loved.

The thought lingered at the back of his mind as they carried on. When they came to a stall that was selling mulled wine, Lucy stopped.

‘Now, this is what reminds
me
of Christmas. Mum makes mulled wine every year on Christmas Eve. My sister and I always used to leave a glass for Santa to go with his mince pie.’

‘And did he drink it?’ Max asked, loving the way her eyes had lit up at the memory.

‘Of course—or at least somebody did.’ She grinned at him. ‘Dad reckons that Christmas isn’t the same since Laura and I stopped believing in Father Christmas, so let’s just say that I have my suspicions.’

Max laughed. ‘Well, I think you and your sister should reinstate the tradition. After all, you can’t
prove
that Father Christmas doesn’t exist, can you? Maybe he still pops in but doesn’t leave you any presents these days because you’re all grown up.’

‘That’s exactly what my dad said,’ she told him, rolling her eyes. ‘You men certainly stick together!’

‘Can I help it if we take a more logical view of matters?’ he said, spreading his hands wide open in a gesture of innocence.

‘Logical? You class hedging your bets in case Father Christmas actually does exist as an example of superior male logic? Oh,
please
!’

‘Until someone comes up with proof that Santa is a
myth then I intend to keep a completely open mind on the subject,’ he declared loftily.

‘I suppose you feel the same about the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny?’ she retorted and he grinned.

‘But of course.’

She shook her head. ‘You are completely mad, do you know that?’

‘Not mad, just reluctant to let all the magic disappear from my life.’ He smiled at her. ‘There are worse sins than clinging onto the things that make childhood such a wonderful time.’

‘You’re right, there are,’ she conceded.

Max felt his breath catch when she smiled up at him. When she looked at him that way it was hard to remember that he was supposed to be acting sensibly and the temptation proved just too great. Bending, he placed his mouth over hers. Her lips were cool from the night air yet he could sense the heat beneath the chill and groaned. Kissing Lucy was like nothing he had ever experienced before!

His lips clung to hers, demanding a response, and a surge of delight rushed through him when he felt her kiss him back. He had no idea how long they would have stood there if the sound of laughter hadn’t reminded him that they were standing in the middle of the square with people milling about all around them. He drew back reluctantly, seeing the shock in her eyes, and knew that she was as stunned by what had happened as he was.

‘I suppose I should apologise, although I’m not sorry that I kissed you,’ he said truthfully. ‘I’ve been wanting to do it for ages.’

‘Have you?’ she whispered, her voice catching.

‘Yes.’ Reaching out he brushed his knuckles over her
mouth and felt her shudder. There was a definite tremor in his voice when he continued. ‘There’s just something about you, Lucy, that draws me, even though I know how crazy it is.’

‘Because you don’t do commitment?’

‘No, I don’t.’ He sighed, wishing he could explain why he lived his life the way he did. He just couldn’t bear to think that she might view him differently if he told her the truth about himself. Would she consider him to be less of a man if she found out that he couldn’t father a child, he wondered, or, worse still,
pity
him? He had no idea and he wasn’t about to risk finding out.

‘I’m far too busy with my career to devote the time it needs to a long-term relationship,’ he explained, aware that he was taking the coward’s way out. Although his career was important to him, it wasn’t the real reason why he had avoided getting involved these past three years.

‘I understand, Max, and it isn’t a problem.’ She shrugged when he looked at her. ‘I’m not interested in having a long-term relationship either.’

‘You’re not?’ he queried, unable to hide his surprise.

‘No. I won’t bore you with the details. Suffice to say that I don’t plan on getting involved with anyone again for a very long time, if ever. So don’t worry, Max. I’m certainly not holding out for the happily-ever-after, if that’s what worries you!’

Chapter Eight

L
UCY
couldn’t believe she’d said that. Panic gripped her as she ran the words through her head again. They sounded less like a statement than an invitation to have an affair, and that wasn’t what she wanted…

Was it?

Desire rushed through her as she recalled the heat of Max’s mouth when it had closed over hers. His lips had drawn a response from her that she’d been powerless to refuse and that had never happened before. Not once in all her life had she been swept away by passion, never had she felt such hunger or such need. Max’s kiss had aroused her in ways that no man’s kisses had ever done, not even Richard’s.

The shock of that discovery made her gasp and she saw Max look at her in concern. ‘Lucy? Are you all right?’

Lucy struggled to get a grip on herself. She had truly believed that she had been in love with Richard but how could she have been if his love-making had left her unmoved? ‘I’m fine. Just a bit tired after everything that’s happened tonight.’

‘We both know that isn’t true! At least be honest with me if nothing else. You’re upset because I kissed you, aren’t you?’

‘Yes, but not in the way you mean.’ She looked him straight in the eyes. Maybe she would regret this later but she wouldn’t lie to him. As he had said, the very least they could do was to be honest with each other. ‘I’m not upset because you kissed me, Max, but because of how it made me feel.’

‘And how did it make you feel?’ he asked, his voice grating in a way that made a shiver dance down her spine.

‘More alive than I’ve ever felt before.’

‘That’s how I felt, too.’

‘Is it?’

‘Yes. So where do we go from here, Lucy?’

Lucy bit her lip because she had no idea what to say. If she told him the truth, that she wanted him to kiss her again and not only kiss her either but make love to her, she didn’t know where it would lead. Max had made it clear that he wasn’t interested in commitment, but could she have a purely physical relationship with him while remaining emotionally detached? Although she had sworn that she wouldn’t get involved with a man again, she was no longer sure if she could stick to that. Not with Max.

‘I don’t know,’ she said candidly. ‘I really don’t know where we go from here, do you?’

‘No.’ He sighed. ‘It would be only too easy to make the wrong decision, wouldn’t it? Maybe it would be best if we called a halt right now rather than find ourselves in a situation we both live to regret.’

‘It seems the most sensible thing to do,’ she agreed softly, hoping he couldn’t hear the hurt in her voice. Maybe it did make sense, but she couldn’t pretend that
it didn’t upset her to know that he could dismiss what had happened with such ease.

‘I think it’s time I went home,’ she said quickly before she ended up saying something that would embarrass him. Max may have enjoyed kissing her but it certainly hadn’t been enough to make him change his whole outlook on life. ‘Thank you for the chestnuts. I really enjoyed them.’

‘I’m glad.’ He smiled at her, his brown eyes filled with a warmth that made her heart ache. It would be only too easy to see it as a sign that he really cared about her but it would be a mistake. ‘Thank you for spending the evening with me, Lucy. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.’

‘Me too,’ she admitted huskily. She felt her breath catch when he bent towards her, but he merely kissed her on the cheek before he stepped back.

‘Are you sure you’ll be all right walking home on your own?’

‘I’ll be fine,’ she assured him, quelling the feeling of disappointment that filled her. ‘The one advantage of living so close to the town centre is that it only takes me a couple of minutes to walk home.’

‘That’s good, I suppose, although I have to confess that I wouldn’t fancy living where you do.’

She shrugged. ‘Needs must, I’m afraid. I have to watch every penny I spend at the moment.’

Max frowned. ‘So that’s why you opted to live there?’

‘Yes.’ She summoned a smile when she saw the concern on his face. The last thing she wanted was him thinking that she was looking for sympathy. ‘Anyway, it’s not nearly as bad as it looks.’

‘If you say so.’

Lucy could tell he wasn’t convinced but there was nothing she could do about it, so she said goodbye and left. Most of the stalls were closing up for the night and people were drifting away. As she made her way home, she couldn’t help wondering what might have happened if Max hadn’t decided they should call a halt. Would he have wanted to come back to her flat and spend the night with her? Would she have let him?

She sighed because there was no point going down that route. From now on she had to think of Max simply as a colleague, no matter how difficult it was going to be.

The next few days passed in a whirl of activity. Max knew that he was deliberately keeping himself busy so that he didn’t have time to think about what had happened. Although he was sure that he had made the right decision, it didn’t make it any easier. Having experienced the wonder of that kiss he and Lucy had shared, his body continually craved more.

In an effort to break the cycle, he finished early on Friday and went to visit his parents. He was hoping that the change of scene would do him good, but far too often during the weekend he found himself thinking about Lucy and it was worrying to realise the hold she had over him.

He knew that he had to do something about it, so as soon as he got home on the Sunday he went through all the recent copies of the medical journals he subscribed to. There were a couple of consultants’ posts that sounded promising so he ringed them in red then sat down to update his CV. Once that was done, he wrote covering
letters, popped everything into envelopes and took them to the post box. He felt much better afterwards, more settled. He was doing something positive about the situation, giving himself a reason to keep away from Lucy, and that had to be a good thing.

He went into work the following day, feeling a lot more upbeat. Amanda was on duty and she grimaced when she spotted him walking towards the desk.

‘You certainly know when to take time off! If I didn’t know better, I’d think you possessed second sight or something.’

‘Why? What’s happened?’

‘Where do you want me to begin? First of all Margaret slipped on a patch of ice on Friday night and sprained her ankle, and then Joanna phoned yesterday to say that she had a rash all over her face and didn’t know if she should come into work.’ Amanda rolled her eyes. ‘I told her to see her GP this morning and she’s just rung up to say that he thinks it’s German measles.’

‘I see.’ Max frowned. Although German measles, or rubella to give it its proper name, was a relatively mild viral infection, it could cause serious repercussions for a baby if the mother caught it in the early stages of pregnancy. He couldn’t help feeling concerned. ‘When was the last time that Joanna worked in the antenatal clinic?’

‘The end of November. I checked on that as soon as she told me what her GP had said,’ Amanda informed him.

‘She wouldn’t have been infectious then,’ he said in relief. ‘The virus can only be transmitted from a few days before any symptoms appear until one day after they’ve disappeared.’

‘Thank heavens for that!’ Amanda exclaimed.

‘Definitely,’ he agreed, then frowned. ‘I’m surprised that Joanna hasn’t been vaccinated against rubella, though. Isn’t that one of the things they usually check on before people start their midwifery training?’

‘You’re right, it is, and to be fair to Joanna, she thought she had been vaccinated. However, it turns out that her parents decided not to have it done.’

‘Really!’ Max exclaimed. ‘Why ever not?’

Amanda sighed. ‘Joanna was just a baby when the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine was introduced. There was a lot of adverse publicity at the time and many parents were wary about letting their children have it. It seems that Joanna’s parents decided not to go ahead with it too.’

‘I see.’ Max frowned thoughtfully. ‘I wonder how many other members of staff are in the same position. It might be worth checking to make sure that everyone is immune. I can arrange for blood tests to be done after Christmas for those willing to be tested.’

‘That sounds like a good idea to me,’ Amanda agreed, then looked up and smiled. ‘What do you think, Lucy?’

Max felt his stomach lurch when he turned and saw Lucy standing behind him. Although it was only a few days since he’d seen her, it felt as though a whole lifetime had passed. He longed to take her in his arms and feel the softness of her body nestled against him. It was only the fact that Amanda was there that stopped him, and the realisation scared him. Even though he knew how foolish it would be to get involved with her, it didn’t stop him wanting her!

‘I’m sorry. What did you say?’ Lucy could feel her
heart hammering. She dragged her gaze away from Max, but she could feel his eyes boring into her and shivered. The past few days had been the longest of her entire life. Knowing that she wouldn’t see Max over the weekend should have provided a welcome breathing space, but it hadn’t turned out that way. She had missed him so much that it was hard not to show him just how pleased she was to see him.

‘Max has suggested that everyone is tested to make sure they’re immune to rubella,’ Amanda explained. ‘I think it’s a good idea, don’t you?’

‘Yes, I do.’ Lucy took a deep breath. Getting involved with Max would be a mistake. She needed time to get over what had happened with Richard and she couldn’t afford to be drawn into another difficult situation. ‘I’m more than happy to be tested and I’m sure everyone will feel the same.’

‘Good. I’ll make all the necessary arrangements, then.’

Max was all business as he turned to Amanda and asked her for an update about what else had happened while he’d been off. Lucy collected the file she needed and left them to it. With two members of staff off sick, it promised to be another busy day. Thankfully, she was working the early shift and shouldn’t see very much of Max. Unless there was a crisis, then, she’d be able to avoid him.

She sighed as she made her way back to the delivery room. Although her head told her that it was a good thing, her heart definitely didn’t seem to agree.

Lucy stayed on after her shift should have ended. Although Amanda had managed to find someone to
cover the evening shift, she hated to leave them in the lurch, so it was gone three by the time she felt able to leave. She went to the staffroom for her coat, smiling when she found Cathy in there, nursing a mug of tea.

‘You look as though you needed that.’

‘Tell me about it.’ Cathy took a swallow of her tea then groaned appreciatively. ‘You can forget about sex. I’d rather have a mug of tea any day of the week!’

‘I’m sure your boyfriend would be thrilled to hear you say that,’ Lucy replied, laughing.

‘Oh, Neil knows exactly how I feel,’ Cathy assured her. ‘We wouldn’t have lasted this long if he hadn’t been so understanding, believe me.’

‘How long have you been together?’ Lucy asked, slipping on her coat.

‘Almost two years, although I’ve known him since we were at school together. Don’t tell him I said this but I wouldn’t swap him for the world, although I might just consider it if George Clooney came knocking on my door!’ she added, grinning.

Lucy laughed. ‘You and a million other women.’

‘Hmm, good point. I don’t think I’d fancy going out with a guy who dozens of other women lusted after, would you?’

‘No, I wouldn’t.’ She didn’t realise how sharp she’d sounded until she saw Cathy look at her in surprise.

‘That came from the heart. Do I take it that you’ve had a bad experience?’

‘You could say that.’ Lucy shrugged. ‘My ex was considered to be heart-throb material. The problem was that he knew it too.’

‘Is that why you split up?’ Cathy asked sympathetically.

‘No. I could have coped with the female adulation. What I couldn’t handle was him seeing other women while still professing his love for me.’

‘Ouch!’ Cathy grimaced. ‘It sounds as though you had a lucky escape, if you ask me.’

‘I suppose so.’

‘There’s no suppose about it,’ Cathy said firmly, standing up. She went to her locker and took out her bag. ‘What you need is to have some fun and forget about him, and I know the perfect way to do it.’ She handed Lucy a ticket. ‘It’s the staff Christmas party tonight. I was supposed to be going with Joanna but obviously she won’t be able to make it now, so you can have her ticket.’

‘Oh, I don’t know if I should,’ Lucy began.

‘Rubbish! Of course you should! It’ll be fun, trust me. And you never know, you might meet someone who’ll take your mind right off your ex!’

Lucy laughed as she took the ticket. However, as she left the staffroom she couldn’t help thinking that it wasn’t Richard who had occupied her thoughts recently. She sighed. She had a feeling that it was going to take more than a few hours of fun to stop her thinking about Max all the time.

BOOK: The Midwife's Christmas Miracle
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