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Sleigh Ride With The Single Dad
Alison Roberts


Her secret Christmas wishDr Grace Forbes’ dramatic first day in Manhattan Mercy’s ER is unforgettable – especially when she runs into her old flame, ER Chief Charles Davenport, again!That spark is still there between them but they’re different people now – after losing his wife, Charles is a single dad to adorable twin boys, while Grace has survived cancer but lost her dream of having children. Yet, as the weather gets colder she is drawn into the warmth of his family – could he make her Christmas wish come true?Christmas in ManhattanAll the drama of the ER, all the magic of Christmas!







Her secret Christmas wish

Dr. Grace Forbes’s dramatic first day in Manhattan Mercy ER is unforgettable—especially when she runs into her old flame, ER chief Charles Davenport, again!

That spark is still there between them but they’re different people now—after losing his wife, Charles is a single dad to adorable twin boys, while Grace has survived cancer but lost her dream of having children. Yet, as the weather gets colder, she is drawn into the warmth of his family—could he make her Christmas wish come true?


Christmas in Manhattan

All the drama of the ER, all the magic of Christmas!

A festive welcome to Manhattan Mercy ER, a stone’s throw from Central Park in the heart of New York City. Its reputation for top-notch health care is eclipsed only by the reputation of the illustrious, wealthy Davenport family and the other dedicated staff who work there!

With snow about to blanket New York over Christmas, ER chief Charles Davenport makes sure his team is ready for the drama and the challenge...but when it comes to love, a storm is coming as they’ve never seen before!

Available now:

Sleigh Ride with the Single Dad by Alison Roberts

Dr. Grace Forbes is reunited with old flame Charles Davenport—but will the brooding father and his adorable twins make her Christmas dreams come true?

A Firefighter in Her Stocking (http://ads.harpercollins.com/hqnboba?isbn=9781488020773&oisbn=9781488020766) by Janice Lynn

Dr. Sarah Grayson can’t resist a festive fling with her playboy neighbor, hunky firefighter Jude Davenport, even if she knows she’s playing with fire...

And coming soon:

The Spanish Duke’s Holiday Proposal (http://ads.harpercollins.com/hqnboba?isbn=9781488020827&oisbn=9781488020766) by Robin Gianna The Rescue Doc’s Christmas Miracle (http://ads.harpercollins.com/hqnboba?isbn=9781488020834&oisbn=9781488020766) by Amalie Berlin Christmas with the Best Man (http://ads.harpercollins.com/hqnboba?isbn=9781488020889&oisbn=9781488020766) by Susan Carlisle Navy Doc on Her Christmas List (http://ads.harpercollins.com/hqnboba?isbn=9781488020896&oisbn=9781488020766) by Amy Ruttan


Praise for Alison Roberts

‘The author gave me wonderful, enjoyable moments of conflict and truth-revealing moments of joy and sorrow... I highly recommend this book for all lovers of romance with medical drama as a backdrop and second-chance love.’

—Contemporary Romance Reviews on NYC Angels: An Explosive Reunion

‘This is a deeply emotional book, dealing with difficult life and death issues and situations in the medical community. But it is also a powerful story of love, forgiveness and learning to be intimate... There’s a lot packed into this novella. I’m impressed.’

—Goodreads on 200 Harley Street: The Proud Italian


Sleigh Ride With The Single Dad

Alison Roberts






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


ALISON ROBERTS is a New Zealander, currently lucky enough to be living in the south of France. She is also lucky enough to write for the Mills & Boon Medical Romance line. A primary school teacher in a former life, she is now a qualified paramedic. She loves to travel and dance, drink champagne, and spend time with her daughter and her friends.

Books by Alison Roberts

Mills & Boon Medical Romance

Paddington Children’s Hospital

A Life-Saving Reunion

Christmas Eve Magic

Their First Family Christmas

Wildfire Island Docs

The Nurse Who Stole His Heart

The Fling That Changed Everything

Always the Midwife

Daredevil, Doctor...Husband?

The Surrogate’s Unexpected Miracle

Harlequin Romance

The Wedding Planner and the CEO

The Baby Who Saved Christmas

The Forbidden Prince

Visit the Author Profile page at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk) for more titles.


Contents

Cover (#u9137b720-8c29-5f3c-9b58-10d2b9a0148e)

Back Cover Text (#ud678d6cd-52c9-588b-a6c7-99d61fd39d48)

Introduction (#u18d43e37-ad0f-5067-8616-a2c45c32db85)

Praise (#ue9986122-c56a-586c-81e0-76278c944234)

Title Page (#u8e21170a-d9f0-52e4-8d6d-805d2bfa7bd1)

Booklist (#uc2fd8993-6916-5d26-b948-b46e57d0138b)

CHAPTER ONE (#u060dfc8b-969f-547b-9ae1-3d2ac5ff6a85)

CHAPTER TWO (#u943fe685-15db-59e8-97d2-c21fae6406c6)

CHAPTER THREE (#u47c0a8d1-a5fe-5c19-86a4-47f64934ab11)

CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)


CHAPTER ONE (#u9b31b2ca-6d47-5327-8e60-5753769b425c)

AS AN OMEN, this wasn’t good.

It could have been the opening scene to a horror movie, in fact.

Grace Forbes, in her crisp, clean set of scrubs—her stethoscope slung around her neck along with the lanyard holding her new Manhattan Mercy ID card—walking towards Charles Davenport who, as chief of Emergency Services, was about to give her an official welcome to her new job.

An enormous clap of thunder rolled overhead from a storm that had to be directly on top of central New York and big enough for the sound to carry into every corner of this huge building.

And then the lights went out.

Unexpectedly, the moment Grace had been bracing herself for became an anti-climax. It was no longer important that this was the first time in more than a decade that her path was about to cross with that of the man who’d rocked her world back in the days of Harvard Medical School. Taking control of a potential crisis in a crowded emergency room was the only thing that mattered.

In the brief, shocked silence that followed both the clap of thunder, a terrified scream from a child and the startling contrast of a virtually windowless area bathed in bright, neon lighting being transformed instantly into the shadowed gloom of a deep cave, Charles Davenport did exactly that.

‘It’s just a power outage, folks.’ He raised his voice but still sounded calm. ‘Stay where you are. The emergency generators will kick in any minute.’

Torch apps on mobile phones flickered on like stars appearing in a night sky and beams of light began to sweep the area as people tried to see what was going on. The noise level rose and rapidly got louder and louder. Telephones were ringing against the backdrop of the buzz of agitated conversations. Alarms sounded to warn of the power disruption to medical equipment. Staff, including the administrative clerks from the waiting area, triage nurses and technicians were moving towards the central desk to await instructions and their movements triggered shouts from people desperate for attention.

‘Hey, come back...where are you going?’

‘Help...I need help.’

‘Nurse...over here...please?’

‘I’m scared, Mommy...I want to go home...’

Grace stayed where she was, her gaze fixed on Charles. The dramatic change in the lighting had softened the differences that time had inevitably produced and, for a heartbeat, he looked exactly as he had that night. Exactly like the haunting figure that had walked through her mind and her heart so often when sleep had opened portals to another time.

Tall and commanding. Caring enough to come after her and find out what was wrong so he could do something about making it better...

Which was pretty much what he was doing right now. She could see him assessing the situation and dealing with the most urgent priorities, even as he took in information that was coming at him from numerous directions.

‘Miranda—check any alarms coming from cardiac monitors.’

‘Get ready to put us on bypass for incoming patients. If we don’t get power back on fast, we’ll have a problem.’

‘Put the trauma team on standby. If this outage is widespread, we could be in for a spate of accidents.’

Sure enough, people manning the telephones and radio links with the ambulance service were already taking calls.

‘Traffic lights out at an intersection on Riverside Drive. Multi-vehicle pile-up. Fire service called for trapped patients. Cyclist versus truck incoming, stat.’

‘Fall down stairs only two blocks away. Possible spinal injury. ETA two minutes.’

‘Estates need to talk to you, Dr Davenport. Apparently there’s some issue with the generators and they’re prioritising Theatres and ICU...’

Charles nodded tersely and began issuing orders rapidly. Staff dispersed swiftly to cover designated areas and calm patients. A technician was dispatched to find extra batteries that might be needed for backup for equipment like portable ultrasound and X-ray machines. Flashlights were found and given to orderlies, security personnel and even patients’ relatives to hold. Finally, Charles had an instruction specifically directed to Grace.

‘Come with me,’ he said. ‘I need someone to head the trauma team if I have to troubleshoot other stuff.’ He noticed heads turning in his direction. ‘This is Dr Grace Forbes,’ he announced briskly. ‘Old colleague of mine who’s come from running her own emergency department in outback Australia. She probably feels right at home in primitive conditions like this.’

A smile or two flashed in Grace’s direction as her new workmates rushed past to follow their own orders. The smile Charles gave her was distinctly wry. Because of the unusual situation she was being thrown into? Or was it because he knew that describing her as an old colleague was stretching the truth more than a little? It was true that she and Charles had worked in the same hospital more than once in that final year of medical school but their real relationship had been that of fierce but amicable rivals for the position of being the top student of their year. The fact that Charles knew where she’d been recently, when he hadn’t been present for the interview she’d had for this job, was another indication that he was on top of his position of being head of this department. No wonder he’d won that final battle of the marks, even though it had only been by a small margin.

‘Welcome to Manhattan Mercy, Grace... Trauma One is this way...’

* * *

It was hardly the best way to welcome a new member of staff but maybe it was better this way, with so many things to think about that Charles couldn’t allow any flashes of memory to do more than float past the edges of his conscious mind.

He hadn’t seen Grace since he’d noticed her in the audience when he’d walked onto the stage to accept the trophy for being the top student of their graduation party from medical school.

He hadn’t spoken to her since...since that night...

‘Warn people that waiting times are going to go through the roof for anything non-urgent,’ he told the senior member of the administrative team as he passed her. ‘But don’t push them out the door. By the sound of this storm, it’s not safe out there.’

A flicker in the ambient light filtering into the department suggested a flash of lightning outside and another roll of thunder could be heard only a second later so they were still right underneath it. Fingers crossed that the worst of the storm would cross the central city quickly but how long would it be before the power disruption was sorted? And how many problems would it cause?

The weather alone would give them a huge spike in traffic accidents. A sudden plunge into darkness could cause all sorts of trauma like that fall down stairs already on its way. And what about the people on home oxygen who could find themselves in severe respiratory distress with the power outage cutting off their support? They needed to be ready for anything in the ER and he needed to clear space for the potential battleground of dodging unexpected missiles of incoming cases and whatever ambush could be in store with equipment that might not be functioning until power came back on.

He hadn’t faced a challenge like this for a long time but he had learned way back how to multi-task when the proverbial was hitting the fan and Charles knew he could function effectively on different levels at the same time.

Like knowing which patients could be sidelined for observation well away from centre-stage and directing staff members to transfer them as he passed their ed cubicles at the same time as fending off a request from a television crew who happened to be in the area and wanted to cover the fallout from what was apparently a record-breaking storm.

‘Keep them out of here,’ he growled. ‘We’re going to have more than enough to deal with.’

It never took long for the media to get their teeth into something, did it? Memories of how much damage had been done to his own family all those years ago had left Charles with a mistrust bordering on paranoia. It was a time of his life he had no desire to revisit so it was perhaps unfortunate that the arrival of Grace Forbes in his department had the ability to stir those memories.

And others...

A glance over his shoulder showed him that Grace was following his slightly circuitous route to Trauma One as he made sure he knew what was happening everywhere at the moment. The expression on her face was serious and the focus in those dark grey eyes reminded him of how capable he knew she was. And how intelligent. He’d had to fight hard back at medical school to keep his marks on the same level as Grace and, while they’d never moved in the same social circles, he’d had enormous respect for her. A respect that had tipped into something very different when he’d discovered that she had a vulnerable side, mind you, but he wasn’t going to allow the memory of that night to surface.

No way. Even if this situation wasn’t making it completely unacceptable to allow such a personal distraction, he wouldn’t go there. It was in the same, forbidden territory that housed flirting and he had never been tempted to respond to opportunities that were only becoming more blatant as time crept on.

No. He couldn’t go there. It would still feel like he was being unfaithful...

Nobody could ever accuse Charles Davenport of being less than totally loyal. To his family and to his work.

And that was exactly where his entire focus had to be right now. It didn’t matter a damn that this was a less than ideal welcome to a new staff member. Grace would have to jump into the deep end and do her bit to get Manhattan Mercy’s ER through this unexpected crisis.

Just as he was doing.

* * *

Other staff members were already in the area assigned to deal with major trauma, preparing it for the accident victims they had been warned were on their way. A nurse handed Grace a gown to cover her scrubs and then a face mask that had the plastic eye shield attached.

‘Gloves are on the wall there. Choose your size.’

Someone helpfully shone a torch beam over the bench at the side of the area so that Grace could see the ‘M’ for medium on the front of the box she needed. She also caught a glimpse of an airway cart ready for business, an IV cart, a cardiac monitor, ventilator and portable ultrasound machine.

Okay. She could work with this. Even in semi-darkness she had what she needed to assess an airway, breathing and circulation and to do her best to handle whatever emergencies needed to be treated to stabilise a critically injured patient. And she wasn’t alone. As the shadowy figures of paramedics surrounding a gurney came rapidly towards them, Charles was already standing at the head of the bed, ready to take on the most important role of managing an airway.

‘Male approximately forty years old,’ one of the paramedics told them. He was wearing wet weather gear but his hair was soaked and he had to wipe away the water that was still trickling into his eyes. ‘Hit by a truck and thrown about thirty feet to land on the hood of an approaching car. GCS of twelve, blood pressure ninety on palp, tachycardic at one-thirty. Major trauma to left arm and leg.’

The man was semi-conscious and clearly in pain. Despite wearing a neck collar and being strapped to a back board, he was trying to move and groaning loudly.

‘On my count,’ Charles directed. ‘One, two...three...’

The patient was smoothly transferred to the bed.

‘I need light here, please,’ Charles said. He leaned close to their patient’s head as someone shone a beam of light in his direction. ‘Can you hear me?’ He seemed to understand the muffled change to the groan coming from beneath an oxygen mask. ‘You’re in hospital, buddy. We’re going to take care of you.’

A nurse was cutting away clothing. Another was wrapping a blood pressure cuff around an arm and a young, resident doctor was swapping the leads from an ambulance monitor to their own. Grace was watching, assessing the injuries that were becoming apparent. A mangled right arm and a huge wound on the left thigh where a snapped femur had probably gone through the skin and then been pulled back again. The heavy blood loss was an immediate priority. She grabbed a wad of dressing material and put it on the wound to apply direct pressure.

‘We need to get back out there,’ the lead paramedic told them. ‘It’s gone crazy. Raining cats and dogs and visibility is almost zero.’

‘How widespread is the power cut?’

‘At least sixteen blocks from what we’ve heard. Lightning strike on a power station, apparently. Nobody knows how long it’s gonna be before it’s back on.’

Charles nodded. ‘Thanks, guys.’ But his attention was on assessing his patient’s breathing. He had crouched to put his line of sight just over head level and Grace knew he was watching the rise and fall of the man’s chest to see whether it was symmetrical. If it wasn’t, it could indicate a collapsed lung or another problem affecting his breathing.

She was also in a direct line for the steady glance and she saw the shift, when Charles was satisfied with chest movement and had taken on board what she was doing to control haemorrhage and his gaze flicked up to meet her own. For a split second, he held the eye contact and there was something in his gaze that made her feel...what? That he had confidence in her abilities? That she was already a part of the team?

That he was pleased to see her again?

Behind that emotional frisson, there was something else, too. An awareness of how different Charles looked. It shouldn’t be a surprise. Thirteen years was a very long time and, even then, they had been young people who were products of their very different backgrounds. But everyone had known that Charles Davenport had the perfect life mapped out for him so why did Grace get the fleeting impression that he looked older than she would have expected? That he had lines in his face that suggested a profound weariness. Sadness, even...

‘Blood pressure eighty on forty.’ The resident looked up at the overhead monitor. ‘And heart rate is one-thirty. Oxygen saturation ninety-four percent.’

‘Is that bleeding under control, Grace?’

‘Almost. I’d like to get a traction splint on asap for definitive control. It’s a mid-shaft femoral fracture.’

Another nod from Charles. ‘As soon as you’ve done that, we need a second line in and more fluids running. And I want an abdominal ultrasound as soon as I’ve intubated. Can someone ring through to Theatre and see what the situation is up there?’

The buzz of activity around the patient picked up pace and the noise level rose so much that Grace barely noticed the arrival of more paramedics and another patient being delivered to the adjoining trauma room, separated only by curtains. Working conditions were difficult, especially when some of the staff members were directed to the new arrival, but they were by no means impossible. Even with the murky half-light when a torch wasn’t being directed at the arm she was working on, Grace managed to get a wide-bore IV line inserted and secured, attaching more fluids to try and stabilise this patient’s blood pressure.

With the airway and breathing secured by intubation and ventilation, Charles was able to step back and oversee everything else being done here. He could also watch what was happening on the neighbouring bed, as the curtain had been pulled halfway open. As Grace picked up the ultrasound transducer and squeezed some jelly onto her patient’s abdomen, she got a glimpse of what was happening next door.

Judging by the spinal board and the neck collar immobilising the Spanish-looking woman, this was the ‘fall down stairs’ patient they had been alerted to. What was more of a surprise was that Charles was already in position at the head of this new patient. And he looked...fresher, somehow. Younger...?

No... Grace blinked. It wasn’t Charles.

And then she remembered. He’d had a twin brother who’d gone to a different medical school. Elijah? And hadn’t their father been the chief of emergency services at a prestigious New York hospital?

This hospital. Of course it was.

Waiting for the image to become readable on her screen as she angled the transducer, Grace allowed herself a moment to think about that. The dynasty was clearly continuing with the Davenport family front and centre in Manhattan Mercy’s ER. Hadn’t there been a younger sister who was expected to go into medicine as well? It wouldn’t surprise her if there was yet another Davenport on the staff here. That was how rich and powerful families worked, wasn’t it—sticking together to become even more powerful?

A beat of something like resentment appeared. Or was it an old disappointment that she’d been so insignificant compared to the importance of family for Charles? That she’d become instantly invisible the moment that scandal had erupted?

Whatever. It was easy to push aside. Part of a past that had absolutely nothing to do with the present. Or the future.

‘We’ve got free fluid in the abdomen and pelvis,’ she announced. ‘Looks like it’s coming from the spleen.’

‘Let’s get him to Theatre,’ Charles ordered. ‘They’ve got power and they’ve been cleared to only take emergencies. He’s stable enough for transfer but he needs a medical escort. Grace, can you go with him, please?’

The metallic sounds of brakes being released and sidebars being raised and locked were almost instant. Grace only had time to ensure that IV lines were safe from snagging before the bed began moving. This was an efficient team who were well used to working together and following the directions of their chief. Even in the thick of what had to be an unusually stressful shift for this department, Grace could feel the respect with which Charles was regarded.

Behind her, as she stayed close to the head of the bed to monitor her patient’s airway and breathing en route to Theatre, Grace could hear Charles moving onto a new task without missing a beat.

‘Any signs of spinal injury, Elijah? Want me to see if the CT lab is clear?’

And then she heard his voice change. ‘Oh, my God... Maria?’

He must know this patient, she realised. And he was clearly horrified. She could still hear him even though she was some distance on the other side of the curtain now.

‘What happened? Where are the boys?’

* * *

A break from the barely controlled chaos in a badly lit emergency department was exactly what Grace needed to catch her breath but it was a worry how crowded the corridors were. And a glimpse into the main waiting area as they rushed past on their way to the only elevators being run on a generator suggested that the workload wasn’t going to diminish any time soon.

This was a different planet from the kind of environment Grace had been working in for the last few years and the overall impression was initially overwhelming. Why on earth had she thought she could thrive with a volume of work that was so fast-paced? In a totally new place and in a huge city that was at the opposite end of the spectrum from where she’d chosen to be for such a long time.

Because her friend Helena had convinced her that it was time to reconnect with the real world? Because she had become exhausted by relying solely on personal resources to fight every battle that presented itself? Because the isolation of the places she had chosen to practise medicine had finally tipped the balance from being a welcome escape to a bone-deep loneliness that couldn’t be ignored for ever?

Like another omen, lights flickered overhead as neon strips came alive with a renewed supply of power. Everybody, including the porters and nurses guiding this bed towards Theatre, looked up and Grace could hear a collective sigh of relief. Normal life would be resumed as soon as the aftermath of this unexpected challenge was dealt with.

And she could cope, too. Possibly even thrive, which had been the plan when she’d signed the contract to begin work in Manhattan Mercy’s ER. This was a new beginning and Grace knew better than most that to get the best out of new beginnings you had to draw a line under the past and move on. And yes...some things needed more time to heal but she had taken that time. A lot more time than she had anticipated needing, in fact.

She was ready.

Having stayed longer than the rest of the transfer team so that she could give the anaesthetist and surgeons a comprehensive handover, Grace found that she needed to find her own way back to the ER and it turned out to be a slightly more circuitous route than before. Instead of passing the main reception area, she went past an orthopaedic room where casts were being applied, what looked like a small operating theatre that was labelled for minor surgery and seemed to have someone having a major laceration stitched and then a couple of smaller rooms that looked as if they had been designed for privacy. Were these rooms used for family consultations, perhaps? Or a space where people could be with a loved one who was dying?

A nurse was peering out of one of the doors.

‘Oh, thank goodness,’ she said, when she saw Grace approaching. ‘I’m about to burst... Could you please, please stay with the boys in here for two minutes while I dash to the bathroom?’

The young nurse, whose name badge introduced her as ‘Jackie’, certainly looked desperate. Having had to grab a bathroom stop herself on her way back from Theatre, Grace could sympathise with the urgency. She was probably already later in her return to the ER than might have been expected so another minute or two wouldn’t make any difference, would it?

‘Sure,’ she said. ‘But be as quick as you can?’

Jackie sped off with a grateful smile and vigorous nod without giving Grace the chance to ask anything else—like why these ‘boys’ were in a side room and whether they needed any medical management.

She turned to go through the door and then froze.

Two small faces were filling the space. Identical faces.

These two children had to be the most adorable little boys she had ever seen. They were about three years old, with tousled mops of dark hair, huge curious eyes and small button noses.

There was something about twins...

For someone who’d had to let go of the dream of even having a single baby, the magic of twins could pack a punch that left a very physical ache somewhere deep inside Grace.

Maybe she wasn’t as ready as she’d thought she was to step back into the real world and a new future...


CHAPTER TWO (#u9b31b2ca-6d47-5327-8e60-5753769b425c)

‘WHO ARE YOU?’

‘I’m Grace. I’m one of the doctors here.’

It wasn’t as hard as she’d expected to find a smile. Who wouldn’t smile at this pair? ‘Who are you?’

‘I’m Cameron,’ one of the boys told her. ‘And he’s Max.’

‘Hello, Max,’ Grace said. ‘Hello, Cameron. Can I come into your room?’

‘Why?’ Cameron seemed to be the spokesman for the pair. ‘Where’s Jackie gone?’

‘Just to the bathroom. She’ll be back in a minute. She asked me to look after you.’

‘Oh... ’Kay...’

Grace stepped into the room as the children turned. There was a couch and two armchairs in here, some magazines on a low table and a box of toys that had been emptied.

‘Are you waiting for somebody?’ Grace asked, perching on the arm of the couch.

‘Yes. Daddy.’ Cameron dropped to his knees and picked up a toy. His brother sat on the floor beside him. ‘Here...you can have the fire truck, Max. I’m going to have the p’lice car, ’kay?’

Max nodded. But as he took hold of the plastic fire truck that had been generously gifted with both hands, the back wheels came off.

‘Oh...no...’ Cameron sounded horrified. ‘You broke it.’

Max’s bottom lip quivered. Grace slid off the arm of the couch and crouched down beside him.

‘Let me have a look. I don’t think it’s very broken. See...?’ She clipped the axle of the wheels back into place. ‘All fixed.’

She handed the truck back with a smile and, unexpectedly, received a smile back. A delicious curve of a wide little mouth that curled itself instantly right around her heart.

Wow...

‘Fank you,’ Max said gravely.

‘You’re so welcome.’ Grace’s response came out in no more than a whisper.

Love at first sight could catch you unawares in all sorts of different ways, couldn’t it? It could be a potential partner for life, or a gorgeous place like a peaceful forest, or a special house or cute puppy. Or it could be a small boy with a heartbreaking smile.

Cameron was pushing his police car across the top of the coffee table and making muted siren noises but Max stayed where he was, with the mended fire truck in his arms. Or not quite where he was. He leaned, so that his head and shoulder were pressed against Grace’s arm. It was impossible not to return this gesture of acceptance and it was purely instinctive to shift her arm so that it slid around the small body and let him snuggle more comfortably.

It would only be for a moment because Nurse Jackie would be back any second. Grace could hear people in the corridor outside. She could feel the draught of air as the door was pushed open behind her so she closed her eyes for a heartbeat to help her lock this exquisite fraction of time into her memory banks. This feeling of connection with a precious small person...

‘Daddy...’ Cameron’s face split into a huge grin.

Max wriggled out from under Grace’s arm, dropping the fire truck in his haste to get to his feet, but Grace was still sitting on the floor as she turned her head. And then astonishment stopped her moving at all.

‘Charles?’

‘Grace...’ He sounded as surprised as she had. ‘What on earth are you doing in here?’

She felt as guilty as a child caught with her hand in a forbidden cookie jar. ‘It was only for a minute. To help out...’

‘Jackie had to go to the bathroom.’ Cameron had hold of one of his father’s hands and he was bouncing up and down.

‘She fixed the truck,’ Max added, clearly impressed with the skills Grace had demonstrated. ‘The wheels came off.’

‘Oh...’ Charles scooped Cameron up with one arm. Max was next and the ease with which two small boys were positioned on each hip with their arms wrapped around their father’s neck suggested that this was a very well-practised manoeuvre. ‘That’s all right, then...’

Charles was smiling, first at one twin and then the other, and Grace felt her heart melt a little more.

She could feel the intense bond between this man and his children. The power of an infinite amount of love.

She’d been wrong about that moment of doubt earlier, hadn’t she? Charles did have the perfect life.

‘Can we go home now? Is Maria all better?’

Grace was on her feet now. She should excuse herself and get back to where she was supposed to be but something made her hesitate. To stand there and stare at Charles as she remembered hearing the concern in his voice when he’d recognised the new patient in ER.

He was shaking his head now. ‘Maria’s got a sore back after falling down the stairs. She’s going to be fine but she needs to have a rest for a few days.’

He looked up, as if he could feel the questions buzzing in Grace’s head.

‘Maria is the boys’ nanny,’ he said. ‘I’ll be taking a few days’ leave to look after them until she’s back on her feet. Fortunately, it was only a sprain and not a fracture.’

That didn’t stop the questions but Grace couldn’t ask why the head of her new department would automatically take time away to care for his children. Where was their mother? Maybe she was another high-achieving medic who was away—presenting at some international conference or something?

Whatever. It was none of her business. And anyway, Jackie the nurse had come back and there was no reason for her to take any more time away from the job she was employed to be doing.

‘I’d better get back,’ she said. ‘Do you still want me to cover Trauma One?’

‘Thanks.’ Charles nodded. ‘I’ll come with you. Jackie, I just came to give you some money. The cafeteria should be up and running again now and I thought you could take the boys up for some lunch.’

Planting a kiss on each small, dark head, he deposited the twins back on the floor.

‘Be good,’ he instructed. ‘And if it’s not still raining when we go home, we’ll stop in the park for a swing.’

He led Grace back towards the main area of the ER.

‘It’s still crazy in here,’ he said. ‘But we’ve got extra staff and it’s under control now that we’ve got power back on.’

‘I’m sorry I took so long. I probably shouldn’t have stopped to help Jackie out.’

‘It’s not a problem.’

‘They’re gorgeous children,’ Grace added. ‘You’re a very lucky man, Charles.’

The look he gave her was almost astonished. Then a wash of something poignant crossed his face and he smiled.

A slow kind of smile that took her back through time instantly. To when the brilliant young man who’d been like royalty in their year at med school had suddenly been interested in her as more than the only barrier he had to be a star academically and not just socially. He had cared about what she had to say. About who she was...

‘Yes,’ he said slowly. ‘I am.’

He held open one of the double doors in front of them. ‘How ’bout you, Grace? You got kids?’

She shook her head.

‘Too busy with that exciting career I was reading about in your CV? Working with the flying doctors in the remotest parts of the outback?’

Her throat felt tight. ‘Something like that.’

She could feel his gaze on her back. A beat of silence—curiosity, even, as if he knew there was a lot being left unspoken.

And then he caught up with her in a single, long stride. Turned his head and, yes...she could see the flicker of curiosity.

‘It’s been a long time, Grace.’

‘It has.’

‘Be nice to catch up sometime...’

People were coming towards them. There were obviously matters that required the attention of the chief and Grace had her own work to do. She could see paramedics and junior staff clustered around a new gurney in Trauma One but she took a moment before she broke that eye contact.

A moment when she remembered that smile from a few moments ago. And so much more, from a very long time ago.

‘Yes,’ she said quietly. ‘It would...’

* * *

The rest of that first shift in Manhattan Mercy’s emergency department passed in something of a blur for Grace. Trauma related to the storm and power outage continued to roll in. A kitchen worker had been badly burned when a huge pot of soup had been tipped over in the confusion of a crowded restaurant kitchen plunged into darkness. A man had suffered a heart attack while trapped in an elevator and had been close to the end of the time window for curtailing the damage to his cardiac muscle by the time he’d been rescued. A pedestrian had been badly injured when they’d made a dash to get across a busy road in the pouring rain and a woman who relied on her home oxygen supply had been brought to the ER in severe respiratory distress after it had been cut off.

Grace was completely focused on each patient that spent time in Trauma One but Charles seemed to be everywhere, suddenly appearing where and when he was most needed. How did he do that?

Sometimes it had to be obvious, of course. Like when the young kitchen worker arrived and his screams from the pain of his severe burns would have been heard all over the department and the general level of tension rocketed skywards. He was so distressed he was in danger of injuring himself further by fighting off staff as they attempted to restrain him enough to gain IV access and administer adequate pain relief and Grace was almost knocked off her feet by a flying fist that caught her hip.

It was Charles who was suddenly there to steady her before she fell. Charles who positioned security personnel to restrain their patient safely. And it was Charles who spoke calmly enough to capture a terrified youth’s attention and stop the agonised cries for long enough for him to hear what was being said.

‘We’re going to help you,’ he said. ‘Try and hold still for just a minute. It will stop hurting very soon...’

He stayed where he was and took over the task of sedating and intubating the young man. Like everyone else in the department, Grace breathed a sigh of relief as the terrible sounds of agony were silenced. She could assess this patient properly now, start dressing the burns that covered the lower half of his body and arrange his transfer to the specialist unit that could take over his care.

She heard Charles on the phone as she passed the unit desk later, clearly making arrangements for a patient who’d been under someone else’s initial care.

‘It’s a full thickness inferior infarct. He’s been trapped in an elevator for at least four hours. I’m sending him up to the catheter laboratory, stat.’

The hours passed swiftly and it was Charles who reminded Grace that it was time she went home.

‘We’re under control and the new shift is taking over. Go home and have a well-deserved rest, Grace. And thanks,’ he added, as he turned away. ‘I knew you would be an asset to this department.’

The smile was a reward for an extraordinarily testing first day and the words of praise stayed with Grace as she made her way to the locker room to find her coat to throw on over her scrubs.

There were new arrivals in the space, locking away their personal belongings before they started their shift. And one of them was a familiar face.

Helena Tate was scraping auburn curls back from her face to restrain with a scrunchie but she abandoned the task as she caught sight of Grace.

‘I hear you’ve had quite a day.’

Grace simply nodded.

‘Do you hate me—for persuading you to come back?’

She shook her head now. ‘It’s been full on,’ she said, ‘but you know what?’

‘What?’

Grace felt her mouth curving into a grin. ‘I loved it.’

It was true, she realised. The pace of the work had left no time for first day nerves. She had done her job well enough to earn praise from the chief and, best of all, the moment she’d been dreading—seeing Charles again—had somehow morphed into something that had nothing to do with heartbreak or embarrassment or even resentment. It almost felt like a reconnection with an old friend. With a part of her life that had been so full of promise because she’d had no idea of just how tough life could become.

‘Really?’ Helena let out a huff of relief. ‘Oh, I’m so happy to hear that.’ She was smiling now. ‘So it wasn’t weird, finding that someone you went to med school with is your boss now?’

Grace had never confessed the real reason it was going to be awkward seeing Charles Davenport again. She had never told anybody about that night, not even her best friend. And certainly not the man she had married. It had been a secret—a shameful one when it had become apparent that Charles had no desire to remember it.

But today it seemed that she had finally been able to move past something that had been a mere blip of time in a now distant past life.

‘Not really,’ she told Helena. ‘Not that we had time to chat. I did meet his little boys, though.’

‘The twins? Aren’t they cute? Such a tragic story.’ Helena lowered her voice. ‘Nina was the absolute love of Charles’s life and she died minutes after they were born. Amniotic embolism. He’ll never get over it...’

Shock made Grace speechless but Helena didn’t seem to notice. The hum of voices around them was increasing as more people came in and out of the locker room. Helena glanced up, clearly refocusing on what was around her. She pulled her hair back again and wound the elastic band around her short ponytail. ‘I’d better get in there. You can tell me all about it in the morning.’

The door of her locker shut with a metallic clang to reveal the figure arriving beside her to open another locker. Charles Davenport glanced sideways as Helena kept talking.

‘Have my bed tonight,’ she told Grace. ‘I’ll be home so late, a couple of hours on that awful couch won’t make any difference.’

And then she was gone. Grace immediately turned to look for her own locker because she didn’t want to catch Charles’s gaze and possibly reveal that she had just learned something very personal about his life. She turned back just as swiftly, however, as she heard him speak.

‘You’re sleeping on a couch?’

‘Only until I find my own place.’ Grace could see those new lines on his face in a different light now and it made something tighten in her chest. He’d suffered, hadn’t he?

She knew what that was like...

‘It’s a bit of a squash,’ she added hurriedly. ‘But Helena’s an old friend. Do you remember her from Harvard?’

Charles shook his head and Grace nodded a beat later. Why would he remember someone who was not only several years younger but, like her, had not been anywhere near the kind of elite social circles the Davenports belonged to? Her own close friendship with Helena had only come about because they’d lived in the same student accommodation block.

‘She was a few years behind us. We’ve kept in touch, though. It was Helena who persuaded me to apply for the job here.’

Charles took a warm coat from its hanger and draped it over his arm. ‘I’ll have to remember to thank her for that.’ He pulled a worn-looking leather satchel from his locker before pushing the door shut. He looked like a man in a hurry. ‘I’d better go and rescue my boys. Good luck with the apartment hunting.’

‘Thanks. I might need it. From what I’ve heard, it’s a bit of a mission to find something affordable within easy commuting of Central Manhattan.’

‘Hmm.’ Charles turned away, the sound no more than a sympathetic grunt. But then his head turned swiftly, his eyes narrowed, as if he’d just thought of something important. ‘Do you like dogs?’

The random question took Grace by surprise. She blinked at Charles.

‘Sorry?’

He shook his head. ‘It’s just a thought. Might come to nothing but...’ He was pulling a mobile phone from the pocket of his scrubs and then tapping on the screen. ‘Give me your phone number,’ he said. ‘Just in case...’

* * *

What had he been thinking?

Was he really intending to follow through with that crazy idea that had occurred to him when he’d heard that the newest member of his department was camping in another colleague’s apartment and sleeping on an apparently uncomfortable couch?

Why would he do that when his life had suddenly become even more complicated than it already was?

‘It’s not raining, Daddy.’ Zipped up inside his bright red puffer jacket, with a matching woolly hat covering his curls, Cameron tugged on his father’s hand. ‘Swing?’

Max’s tired little face lit up at the reminder and he nodded with enthusiasm. ‘I want a swing, too.’

‘But it’s pouring, guys.’ Charles had to smile down at his sons. ‘See? You’re just dry because you’re under my umbrella.’

A huge, black umbrella. Big enough for all of them to be sheltered as they walked beneath dripping branches of the massive trees lining this edge of Central Park, the pavement plastered with the evidence of the autumnal leaf fall. Past one of the more than twenty playgrounds for children that this amazing space boasted, currently empty of any nannies or parents trying to entertain their young people.

‘Aww...’

The weight of two tired small boys suddenly increased as their steps dragged.

‘And it’s too dark now, anyway,’ Charles pointed out. ‘We’ll go tomorrow. In the daytime. We can do that because it’s Sunday and there’s no nursery school. And I’m going to be at home to look after you.’

‘Why?’

‘Because Maria’s got a sore back.’

‘Because she fell down the stairs?’

‘That’s right, buddy.’

‘It went dark,’ Cameron said.

‘I was scared,’ Max added. ‘Maria was crying...’

‘Horse was barking and barking.’

‘Was he?’

‘I told Max to sit on the stair,’ Cameron said proudly. ‘And Mr Jack came to help.’

Jack was the elderly concierge for their apartment block and he’d been there for many years before Charles had bought the penthouse floor. He was almost part of the family now.

And probably more willing to help than his real family would be if he told them about the latest complication in his home life.

No, that wasn’t fair. His siblings would do whatever they could but they were all so busy with their own lives and careers. Elijah would have to step up to take his place as Chief of Emergency in the next few days. His sister Penelope was on a much-needed break, although she was probably on some adrenaline-filled adventure that involved climbing a mountain or extreme skiing. The youngest Davenport, Zachary, was back from his latest tour of duty and working at the Navy Academy in Annapolis and his half-sister, Miranda, would try too hard, even if it was too much. Protecting his siblings had become second nature to Charles ever since the Davenports’ sheltered world had imploded all those years ago.

And his parents? Hugo Davenport had retired as Chief of Emergency to allow Charles to take the position but he’d barely had time for his own children as they were growing up and he would be at a complete loss if he was left with the sole responsibility of boisterous twin almost three-year-olds. It would be sole responsibility, too, because Vanessa had led an almost completely separate life ever since the scandal, and playing happy grandparents together would never be added to her agenda.

His mother would rush to help, of course, and put out the word that she urgently needed the services of the best nanny available in New York but Charles didn’t want that. He didn’t want a stranger suddenly appearing in his home. His boys had to feel loved and totally secure at all times. He’d promised them that much when they were only an hour old—in those terrible first minutes after their mother’s death.

His grip tightened on the hand of each twin.

‘You were both very brave in the dark,’ he told them. ‘And you’ve both been a big help by being so good when you had to stay at Daddy’s work all day. I’m very, very proud of you both.’

‘So we can go to the park?’

‘Tomorrow,’ he promised. ‘We’ll go to the park even if it’s still raining. You can put your rubber boots on and jump in all the puddles.’

They could take some time out and make the outside world unimportant for an hour or two. Maybe he would be able to put aside the guilt that he was taking emergency leave from his work and stop fretting that he was creating extra pressure for Elijah or that his other siblings would worry about him when they heard that he was struggling as a single parent—yet again. Maybe he could even forget about the background tension of being part of a family that was a far cry from the united presence they could still display for the sake of a gala fundraising event or any other glittering, high-society occasion. A family whose motto of ‘What happens in the family stays in the family’ had been sorely tested but had, in recent years, regained its former strength.

A yellow taxi swooped into the kerb, sending a spray of water onto the pavement. Charles hurried the twins past a taco restaurant, souvenir shop, a hot dog stand and the twenty-four-seven deli to turn into the tree-lined avenue that was the prestigious address for the brownstone apartment block they called home.

And it was then that Charles recognised why he’d felt the urge to reach out and try to help Grace Forbes.

Like taking the boys to the park, it felt like he had the opportunity to shut the rest of the world out to some extent.

Grace was part of a world that had ceased to exist when the trauma of the family trouble had threatened everything the Davenport family held dear. It had been the happiest time of Charles’s life. He had been achieving his dream of following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a doctor who could one day be in charge of the most challenging and exciting place he had ever known—Manhattan Mercy’s ER. The biggest problem he’d had was how to balance a demanding social life with the drive to achieve the honour of topping his class, and the only real barrier to that position had been Grace.

He’d managed to succeed, despite the appalling pressure that had exploded around him in the run-up to final exams, by focusing only on the things that mattered the most—supporting his mother and protecting his siblings from the fallout of scandal and passing those exams with the best possible results. He had been forced to dismiss Grace, along with every other social aspect of his life. And he’d learned to dismiss any emotion that could threaten his goals.

But he had never forgotten how simple and happy his life at medical school had been up until that point.

And, if he was honest, he’d never forgotten that night with Grace...

He could never go back, of course, but the pull of even connecting with it from a distance was surprisingly compelling. And what harm could it do? His life wasn’t about to change. He had his boys and he had his job and that was all he needed. All he could ever hope for.

But Grace had been special. And there was something about her that made him think that, perhaps—like him—life hadn’t quite turned out the way she’d planned. Or deserved?

‘Shall we stop and say hello to Horse before we go upstairs?’

‘Yes...’ The tug on his hands was in a forward direction now, instead of a reluctant weight he was encouraging to follow him. ‘Let’s go, Daddy...’


CHAPTER THREE (#u9b31b2ca-6d47-5327-8e60-5753769b425c)

‘SO HERE’S THE THING...’

‘Mmm?’ Grace was still trying to get her head around hearing Charles Davenport’s voice on a phone for the first time ever.

The twang of a New York accent had probably been mellowed by so many years at exclusive, private schools but his enunciation was crisp. Decisive, even. It made her think of someone in a suit. Presenting a killer summary in a courtroom, perhaps. Or detailing a take-over bid in the boardroom of a global company.

She was sitting cross-legged on the couch in Helena’s apartment, a take-out container of pad Thai on her lap and a pair of chopsticks now idle in her hands. She was in her pyjamas already, thanks to getting soaked in the tail end of the storm during her long walk home from the nearest subway station.

Was her attire partly responsible for hearing that slightly gravelly edge to Charles’s voice that made her think that he would sound just like that if his head was on a pillow, very close to her own?

‘Sorry...did you say your neighbour’s name was Houston? As in “Houston, we have a problem”?’

The chuckle of laughter came out of the phone and went straight for somewhere deep in Grace’s chest. Or maybe her belly. It created a warmth that brought a smile to her face.

‘Exactly. It’s their dog that’s called Houston and they chose the name on the first day they brought him home as a puppy when they found what he’d left in the middle of their white carpet.’

The bubble of her own laughter took Grace by surprise. Because it felt like the kind of easy laughter that she hadn’t experienced in such a long time? The kind that made her think of a first date? Or worse, made her remember that night. When Charles had found her, so stressed before the start of their final exams that she was in pieces and he’d tried to reassure her. To distract her, by talking to her rather like this. By making her laugh through her tears and then...

And then there’d been that astonishing moment when they couldn’t break the eye contact between them and the kiss that had started everything had been as inevitable as the sun rising the next morning.

It was an effort to force herself to focus on what Charles was actually saying as he kept talking.

‘The boys call him Horse, because they weren’t even two when he arrived and they couldn’t pronounce Houston but he’s quite big so that seemed to work, too.’

Grace cleared her throat, hoping her voice would come out sounding normal. How embarrassing would it be if it was kind of husky and betrayed those memories that refused to stay where they should be. Buried.

‘What sort of dog is he?’

‘A retro doodle. Half poodle, half golden retriever. One of those designer, hypo-allergenic kind of dogs, you know? But he’s lovely. Very well behaved and gentle.’

Grace closed her eyes for a moment. This was so weird. She hadn’t seen Charles Davenport in more than a decade but here they were chatting about something completely random as if they were friends who caught up every other week. And they’d never been friends, exactly. Friendly, certainly—with a lot of respect for each other’s abilities. And they’d been passionate—so briefly it had always seemed like nothing more than a fantasy that had unexpectedly achieved reality. But this?

Thanks to the memories it was stirring up, this was doing Grace’s head in.

On top of that, her noodles were getting cold and probably wouldn’t appreciate another spin in the microwave.

The beat of an awkward silence made her wonder if this apparently easy chatting was actually just as weird for Charles.

‘Anyway...I’m sorry to disturb your evening but it occurred to me that it could be a win-win situation.’

‘Oh?’

‘Houston’s parents are my neighbours on the ground floor of this block—which, I should mention, is about two minutes’ walk to Central Park and ten at the most to Manhattan Mercy.’

‘Oh...’ How good would that be, not to have to battle crowds in the subway and a long walk at the end of the commute?

‘Stefan’s an interior designer and his husband, Jerome, is an artist. They’re heading off tomorrow for a belated honeymoon in Europe and they’ll be gone for about six weeks. They’re both fretting about Houston having to go into kennels. I suggested they get a dog-sitter to live in but...’ Charles cleared his throat as if he was slightly embarrassed. ‘Apparently Houston is their fur child and they couldn’t find someone trustworthy enough. When I got home this evening, I told them about you and they seem to be very impressed with the recommendation I gave them.’

‘Oh...?’ Good grief, she was beginning to sound like a broken record. ‘But...I work long hours. I couldn’t look after a dog...’

‘Houston has a puppy walker that he loves who would come twice a day on the days that you’re working. That’s another part of his routine that Stefan and Jerome are worried about disrupting because he gets to play with his dog friends who get taken out at the same time. Even more importantly, if he was still in his own home, he wouldn’t miss his dads so much. And I thought that it could give you a bit of breathing space, you know? To find your feet in a new city and where you want to be.’

Not just breathing space. Living space. Sharing a tiny apartment, even with a good friend, was a shock to the system for someone who had guarded their privacy so well for so long.

‘I know it’s all very last minute with them being due to drop Houston at the kennels in the morning but they’re home this evening and they’d love to meet you and have a chat about it. Stefan said he’d be delighted to cover your taxi fares if you were at all interested.’ Charles paused and Grace could hear something that sounded like a weary sigh. ‘Anyway...I’ve only just got the boys to bed and I need to have a hunt in the fridge and see if I can find something to eat that isn’t the boys’ favourite packet mac and cheese.’

Again, Grace was aware of that tightness in her chest. Empathy? Charles might have the blessing of having two gorgeous children but he had lost something huge as well. Something that had changed his future for ever—the loss of a complete family.

They had a lot more than he realised in common.

Her new boss had also had a very difficult day, coping with a crisis in his department and the added blow of having to deal with a personal crisis with his nanny being put out of action. And yet he’d found the time to think about her and a way to possibly help her adjust to a dauntingly huge change in her life?

How astonishing was that?

‘Thank you so much, Charles.’ Grace dropped the chopsticks into the plastic bowl and put it onto the coffee table as she unfurled her legs. It didn’t matter that she would have to get dressed again and then head out into this huge city that never slept. Despite so much going on in his own life, Charles had made a very thoughtful effort on her behalf and she knew exactly how she needed to show her appreciation.

There was something else prompting her, too. A niggle that was purely instinctive that was telling her not to miss this unexpected opportunity. That it might, somehow, be a signpost to the new path in life that she was seeking. The kind of niggle that had persuaded her, in the end, to come to New York in the first place.

‘Let me grab a pen. Give me the address and I’ll get there as soon as I can.’

* * *

‘Morning, Doc.’

‘Morning, Jack. How’s the weather looking out there?’ Not that Charles needed to ask. The view from his penthouse apartment over Central Park and the Manhattan skyline had shown him that any residual cloudiness from the storm of a few days ago had been blown well clear of the city. It was a perfect October day. But discussing the weather was a ritual. And it gave him the chance to make sure that the twins were well protected from the chill, with their jackets fastened, ears covered by their hats and twenty little fingers encased in warm mittens.

‘It’s a day for the park, that’s fo’ sure.’ Jack had a passion for following meteorology and spent any free time on door duty surfing weather channels. ‘High of sixteen degrees, thirty-two percent clear skies and twenty-one percent chance of light rain but that won’t happen until after two p.m.’

‘Perfect. Nice change, isn’t it?’ As usual, Cameron’s mittens were hanging by the strings that attached them to his jacket sleeves. Charles pulled them over the small hands. ‘That was some storm we had the other day.’

‘Sure was. Won’t forget that in a hurry. Not with poor Maria crashing down the stairs like that.’ Jack shook his head. ‘How’s she doin’?’

‘Good, but I don’t want her coming back to work too soon. She won’t be up to lifting small boys out of trouble for a while.’ Charles tugged Max’s hat down over his ears. ‘You guys ready?’

‘Can we say “hi” to Horse?’

Charles glanced behind the boys, to the door that led to one of the two ground-floor apartments. He’d been tempted to knock on that door more than once in the last few days—ever since he’d heard the news that Grace had taken on the dog-sitting gig—but something had held him back.

Something odd that felt almost like shyness, which was ridiculous because hanging back had never been an attribute that anyone would associate with the Davenport family.

Maybe he was just waiting for it to happen naturally so that it didn’t seem like he was being pushy? He was her boss, after all. Or he would be, as soon as he got back to work properly. There were boundaries here and maybe Grace didn’t want to cross them, either. That might explain why she hadn’t knocked on his door.

He turned, holding out his hands. ‘Let’s go. Or you’ll be wanting a hotdog before we even get to the playground.’

Jack was holding open the front door, letting sunlight stream in to brighten the mosaic tiles of the entrance foyer, but the boys weren’t moving to take their father’s hands. They were going in the opposite direction, as the door behind Charles swung open.

‘Horse...’

The big woolly dog looked as pleased to see the twins as they were to see him. He stood there with what looked like a grin on his face, the long plume of his tail waving, as Cameron and Max wrapped their arms around his neck and buried their faces in his curls.

Grace was grinning as well, as she looked down at the reunion.

‘Oh, yeah...cuddles are the best way to start the day, aren’t they, Houston?’

She was still smiling as she looked up. The black woollen hat she was wearing made a frame that seemed to accentuate the brightness of that smile. A smile that went all the way to her eyes and made them sparkle.

‘We’re off to the park,’ she said. ‘It’s my first day off so I’m on dog-walking duty today.’

‘We’re going to the park, too,’ Cameron shouted. ‘You can come with us.’

‘I want to throw the ball for Horse.’ Max nodded.

‘I think he has to stay on his lead,’ Grace said. ‘I’ve been reading the rules this morning.’

Charles nodded. ‘And he’s not allowed in the playgrounds. But we can walk with him for a while.’

Grace’s smile seemed to wobble, as if a shadow was crossing her face, and Charles had the impression that this was a bigger deal than he would have expected.

‘If Grace doesn’t mind the extra company, that is,’ he added.

‘I’d love it,’ Grace said firmly. She was clipping the dog’s lead onto his harness so Charles couldn’t see if she really meant that but then she straightened and caught his gaze.

‘You can show me the best places to walk. I don’t know anything about Central Park.’

Her smile was strong again and he could see a gleam in her eyes that he remembered very well. He’d seen it often enough in the past, usually when they were both heading in to the same examination.

Determination, that was what it was.

But why did she need to tap into that kind of reserve for something that should be no problem? A pleasure, even...

It was puzzling.

‘Have you never been to New York before?’ Juggling two small children and a dog on the busy pavement meant that Charles had to wait until they were almost at the gates of the park to say anything more to Grace.

‘Never. I was born in Australia and then my family moved to Florida when my dad got a job with NASA.’ She was smiling again. ‘He thinks it’s hilarious that I’ve got a job looking after a dog called Houston. Anyway...coming here was always a plan once I got to medical school in Boston but there never seemed to be enough time. I was too busy studying...’ The glance Charles received was mischievous. ‘Trying to keep up with you.’

‘I think it was the other way round.’ Charles kept a firm grip on small mittened hands, as he paused to wait until a horse-drawn carriage rolled past, carrying tourists on a relaxed tour of the park, but he was holding Grace’s gaze as well. They would have to part company very soon and it felt...disappointing?

‘Okay...we have two favourite playgrounds close to here but...’

‘But dogs aren’t allowed, I know. When I looked on the map, there was a track called the Bridle Path? That sounds like a nice place to walk.’

‘It is. Come with us as far as the playground and I’ll show you which direction to take to find it. Next time, I’ll bring the boys’ bikes and we can all go on the Bridle Path.’

The way Grace’s eyes widened revealed her surprise, which was quite understandable because Charles was a little surprised himself that the suggestion had emerged so casually. As if this was already a thing—this walking in the park together like a...like a family? A whole family, with two parents and even a dog.

And her surprise quickly morphed into something else. Something softer that hadn’t been fuelled by determination. Pleasure, even? Was she enjoying their company as much as he was enjoying hers?

Charles was silent the rest of the way to the playground. Not that anybody seemed to notice because Cameron and Max were making sure that Grace didn’t miss any of the important attractions.




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