Their One-Night Christmas Gift
Their One-Night Christmas Gift
Karin Baine
An unexpected Christmas arrival… …on his doorstep! In this Pups that Make Miracles story, twelve years ago neurologist Charles ended his engagement to orthopedic surgeon Harriet to fulfil his duty to his family – he couldn’t let Harriet sacrifice her surgical dreams for him. But a recent chance reunion at a medical conference led to one more unforgettable night… And what should’ve been the perfect goodbye is now just the beginning…Harriet’s arrived at Heatherglen Castle Clinic – pregnant!
An unexpected Christmas arrival...
...on his doorstep!
In this Pups that Make Miracles story, twelve years ago neurologist Charles ended his engagement to orthopedic surgeon Harriet to fulfill his duty to his family—he couldn’t let Harriet sacrifice her surgical dreams for him. But a recent chance reunion at a medical conference led to one more unforgettable night... And what should’ve been the perfect goodbye is now just the beginning... Harriet’s arrived at Heatherglen Castle Clinic—pregnant!
KARIN BAINE lives in Northern Ireland with her husband, two sons and her out-of-control notebook collection. Her mother and her grandmother’s vast collection of books inspired her love of reading and her dream of becoming a Mills & Boon author. Now she can tell people she has a proper job! You can follow Karin on Twitter, @karinbaine1 (http://twitter.com/@karinbaine1), or visit her website for the latest news—karinbaine.com.
Also by Karin Baine (#u22550cc6-b613-51be-96e0-a773e3412bb2)
From Fling to Wedding Ring
Midwife Under the Mistletoe
The Single Dad’s Proposal
Their One-Night Twin Surprise
Pups that Make Miracles collection
Highland Doc’s Christmas Rescue by Susan Carlisle Festive Fling with the Single Dad by Annie Claydon Making Christmas Special Again by Annie O’Neil Their One-Night Christmas Gift
Available now
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).
Their One-Night Christmas Gift
Karin Baine
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-09034-6
THEIR ONE-NIGHT CHRISTMAS GIFT
© 2019 Karin Baine
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Note to Readers (#u22550cc6-b613-51be-96e0-a773e3412bb2)
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For Richard Rankin xx
Contents
Cover (#u18e2fabe-097b-53c5-bb01-afdddbb0da2d)
Back Cover Text (#u72fdc6c9-28ba-5c20-b8b1-256422292185)
About the Author (#uf636cc40-ee54-5f7c-8482-982fb1565a7c)
Booklist (#ua1e4894f-16a9-56ae-b37e-67bfc35e1719)
Title Page (#ufc99cd90-4290-5f34-88cc-e2ccfda90ea0)
Copyright (#u91b1a034-39ad-5b94-9fa3-c8da10fc3da5)
Note to Readers
Dedication (#u9a93151a-0c22-5c5c-b596-4c1df5d87503)
CHAPTER ONE (#u05749779-1b10-5db8-adab-9a8de9b35d2d)
CHAPTER TWO (#ue1e264cb-3190-58a2-8db1-2eb159b2028d)
CHAPTER THREE (#ucd8fb236-94fb-5519-b3e5-c710d53eda33)
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)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#u22550cc6-b613-51be-96e0-a773e3412bb2)
CHARLES ROSS-WYLDE WAS a selfish, cold-hearted liar and Harriet Bell was better off without him. At least, that was what she’d spent the last twelve years telling herself.
The reality of seeing him again was very different from the scenario she’d imagined. She’d been shocked to see him here, but so far she’d resisted slapping him, throwing a drink in his face, or announcing to the rest of the conference attendees that he was the reason she couldn’t risk loving anyone again. Perhaps she’d matured or, more likely, hadn’t expected to feel anything other than pure hatred towards him.
She watched him now from the other side of the room as the assembled medical community enjoyed the tea break between lectures. It gave her time to study him unnoticed and decide what she wanted to do—if anything. If she chose to she could walk out of here and he’d be none the wiser, with nothing changing their current status quo.
Impossible when there was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted him to explain.
Physically, he hadn’t changed much from the man who’d once promised her their lives would be spent together except he looked older...more manly.
He was still trying to sweep that floppy dark hair back into a neat style befitting a professional man, though she remembered all too well how it had looked first thing in the morning tousled by sleep. And, as always, he was dressed impeccably, the navy suit tailored to his exact measurements. The beard was new, the dark shadow along his jawline making him look even more masculine, if that was possible. It suited him—as did the glasses he was sporting.
Damn it, he was still gorgeous, and apparently still able to make her heart flutter maniacally as though she’d just run a marathon.
‘They really should have an open bar,’ she muttered to the bewildered woman serving refreshments to the masses, turning away from the view of her ex-fiancé and wishing for a tot of whisky in her coffee.
Not that she drank often, but she’d make an exception to help her escape memories of her and Charles—good and bad. She’d have to make do with an extra spoonful of sugar in her tea to help with the shock.
‘I didn’t expect to see you here.’ That soft, Scottish burr capable of rendering her into a gibbering wreck tickled the back of her neck. He’d found her.
Harriet fumbled with her cup and saucer, spilling the contents over herself right before she turned around to face him. ‘Charles. What a surprise.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.’ He grabbed a napkin from the buffet table and started dabbing at the stain darkening the front of her dress.
‘I can do that, thanks.’ She didn’t mean to snap but she couldn’t bear to have him touch her after all this time when she didn’t know what emotions it would unleash.
‘Sorry.’ He handed over possession of the napkin so she could tend to the ruined dress herself. ‘It was just nice to see a familiar face. How have you been, Harriet?’
There was no sign of remorse for the relationship and future he’d thrown away. He was talking to her as though they were old school friends, who had no real emotional connection and had simply happened to run into each other.
She set the wet napkin and coffee back on the table and took a moment to consider her response. If she kicked off and made a scene it would be clear she’d never got over him and that would most likely send Charles running. She didn’t know what she wanted from him, but it wasn’t that.
‘Oh, you know, keeping busy. You?’ She plastered on a smile, willing to play along with this game until one of them broke. Her, probably.
‘The same. I took up a placement in Glasgow to complete my medical training and set up a clinic at Heatherglen. It was initially to help army veterans, but we’ve extended to provide state-of-the-art medical facilities for physical and emotional rehabilitation to a wider range of patients.’
‘Sounds impressive.’ Inheriting his father’s fortune and the family estate had signalled the end of their engagement so it was difficult for Harriet to be as enthusiastic about his accomplishments as she should have been.
‘I wanted to do something worthwhile to honour my brother and father, but it takes a lot of upkeep. I don’t get to make as many trips to London as I’d like.’ His older brother, Nick, had served with the military in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, he’d been killed by a roadside bomb before Harriet had had the chance to meet him. That family tragedy, followed by the death of his father about a year later, had proved too much for Charles and their wedding plans.
‘I’m the same, too many responsibilities here to even take a holiday these days.’ Needless to say, she hadn’t been back to Scotland since his father’s funeral, when Charles had gone back on his promise of making a life with her. At the time she’d believed grief had driven his decision, but when he’d failed to follow her back to London she’d soon realised he was serious about no longer wanting to marry her. It was difficult to reconcile that man who’d broken her heart with the one stood before her now, making small talk.
‘So, you did stay here after all? I’d hoped you would.’ He was smiling so Harriet didn’t think he was trying to rub salt into the wound he’d inflicted on her that day. She’d never received a proper explanation as to why he’d called things off. Goodness knew, she’d been desperate for one, but she’d eventually had to accept the simple truth that he didn’t want her any more. She’d seen that happen between her own parents when she’d been young and had watched her mother torture herself trying to figure out what she’d done wrong when her father had walked out on them. There was no way she was spending the rest of her life beating herself up about it, the way her mother had until her death.
‘Yes. I’m an orthopaedic surgeon.’
Top of my field, she wanted to add, piqued by the fact he’d never bothered to check up and see what she’d been doing. Then again, she hadn’t done that either, afraid she’d start obsessing over him or what could have been between them. In his case it seemed it was merely down to a lack of interest.
‘Neurologist,’ he countered. ‘I thought it made sense to take that path, so I’d be able to better treat veterans.’
What a team they would have made working together but perhaps she wouldn’t have pursued her career so doggedly if they had married. When she and Charles had been together she’d imagined she could have it all—a career and a family. She’d thought they were a team, on an equal footing and willing to share the responsibilities of raising children. Except the moment Charles’s circumstances had changed he’d backed out and left her to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. She’d paid the price for his actions.
Perhaps she’d had a lucky escape. If he’d proved so unreliable further down the line, he could have left her raising their children alone once he’d decided he didn’t want her after all. As it was, she’d poured her heart and soul into her career because that was the one thing she could count on always being there. Things happened for a reason and she had no regrets when it had moved her focus back onto her work. It didn’t look as though he had any either.
They fell into an awkward gap in conversation, neither apparently knowing what to say to the other but not wanting to make the first move in walking away.
‘Could all attendees please make their way back to their seats for the next talk, please?’
The announcement over the loudspeaker filled the silence on their behalf and left them with the decision of whether to say goodbye temporarily, or for ever.
‘Listen, why don’t we go for a proper drink? The hotel bar should be quiet enough with all the reprobates locked in here for another few hours of telling us things we already know.’ Charles rested his hand lightly at her waist, leaning in so his comment reached only her ears. She could barely feel the pressure of his fingertips on her skin, but it was sufficient to awaken every erogenous zone in her body until she was sure she’d follow him to the ends of the earth.
‘Sure,’ she squeaked.
Damn, she was in trouble.
Charles didn’t know what he hoped to gain by getting Harriet on her own, except having her to himself for the first time in over a decade. When he’d spotted her across the room there had been no great plan, just a need to be near her. Much like the first time they’d met in medical school and had instantly become inseparable. Being each other’s first loves, they’d become serious quickly. In hindsight, that youth and inexperience would never have worked in a world where tradition and duty to the family name was everything. He’d just wanted to be with Harriet and had given no thought to Heatherglen back then.
Now he considered himself lucky she’d agreed to go for a drink with him instead of throwing a cup of hot coffee in his face.
‘There’s a seat in the corner. I’ll get the drinks. White wine?’ He led her into the bar, where one or two other hotel guests had sought refuge.
‘Yes, please.’ Even that knowledge of her preferred drink brought back memories of times together it was difficult to ignore. Those early student days of being silly and partying too hard. Later, when it had been a bottle of wine to accompany a romantic meal they often hadn’t bothered to finish...
‘Charles, what are you doing?’ he muttered under his breath, and stole a glance back at Harriet as she settled into the corner.
Those days of acting only in his own interests were supposed to be far behind him. He didn’t make any decisions now without thinking through how it might affect those around him. It had been a tough lesson to learn when the consequences of his past actions had come at the price of his brother and father’s lives. He’d sacrificed his relationship with Harriet for her benefit—his first act of selflessness when he’d inherited Heatherglen. Not that she’d known, and he couldn’t have told her it was because he’d wanted her to stay on in London and pursue her career instead of getting dragged into his mess. She would’ve insisted on going to Scotland with him.
Although, seeing her now and realising everything he’d lost, regret weighed heavily on his shoulders along with his threefold burden of guilt.
Approaching her this evening and getting her to agree to join him for a drink had been entirely for his own benefit without considering her feelings. Yet, so far, she’d shown him nothing but friendliness in return. It was entirely possible he’d over-inflated the idea of what they’d had together in his head and she’d forgotten him the second she’d got on that train without him.
‘You look good, by the way. Have I said that already?’ He’d certainly thought it as he’d headed back to her.
Harriet had always been pretty with her slim figure and long, dark blonde hair but now she was a stunningly beautiful woman. The emerald-green dress she was wearing wasn’t particularly noteworthy except for the womanly figure it clung to, accentuating her every curve. It was understated and sophisticated, but on Harriet it was as sexy as hell.
‘You haven’t but thank you.’ She sipped her wine, leaving a trace of ruby lip gloss on the rim of her glass, and...he really needed to keep his libido in check. She was his ex-fiancée, not an anonymous one-night stand.
‘So, are you married? Any kids?’ He took a gulp of lager, making the question as nonchalant as he could. Why should it matter to him what her marital status was, other than cooling his jets if he found out there was someone waiting for her at home?
‘No. I decided my career was the only long-term relationship I needed in my life. I’m too busy to fall for all that again.’
Ouch.
Harriet’s brown eyes glittered with a dark challenge for him to bite back. Charles didn’t want to go down that route, going over old ground and spoiling the moment they were having now, but she deserved some sort of explanation.
‘What about you? Did you settle down?’
‘I’m too busy with the clinic and, to be honest, Mum isn’t the best advert for marriage. I’m not sure what number husband she’s on now since Dad. Three, I think. She spends her days sailing around in his superyacht. We don’t see very much of her. I think Heatherglen holds too many sad memories for her.’
‘I know the feeling.’ Harriet took another sip of her wine, apparently needing to dull the mention of his family home with alcohol.
‘Harriet, about all that...’ There had to be some way of saying ‘It wasn’t you, it was me’, without sounding completely insincere.
She saved him the trouble, reaching out her hand to still his, which was currently ripping up the cardboard beer mat. ‘This is much too serious a topic for this evening, Charles.’
Suddenly his mind was spinning, trying to come to terms with the way his body was responding to her touch after all this time apart and to what she was saying to him.
‘I don’t do serious any more.’ She held him with her ever-darkening gaze, making no attempt to break contact.
‘No? What do you do?’ He leaned in closer, hoping that if she was actually coming on to him, it wasn’t simply a ploy to get revenge.
‘I have fun, Charles. You do remember how to do that, don’t you? If so, I’m in Room 429.’ With that, she got up and walked away. Leaving Charles with his mouth open, his heart hammering, and battling with his conscience, which was telling him that following her was a really bad idea.
Harriet’s legs shook on her way towards the elevator. She’d never been so brazen in her life and couldn’t even blame it on the alcohol when she’d only had a sip. From the moment she’d seen Charles, she’d wanted what they’d had in the past. Wanted him. What she didn’t want was to rake over the ashes of the past and be reminded of how he’d rejected her. It was important to know he was still attracted to her. As though that would somehow erase the previous damage he’d caused her self-esteem.
One night with her ex, on her terms, might give her closure on the relationship that had spoiled her for any other.
Except he hadn’t immediately jumped up and begged to take her there and then. She’d merely succeeded in humiliating herself and now had an extra chapter to add to their tragic story.
She jabbed and jabbed at the button for the lift, wishing it would somehow make it come faster. Then it would swallow her up and transport her away from view as soon as possible.
‘Harriet, wait!’ Charles shouted after her as she stepped inside the lift. It was tempting to let the doors shut in his face and be done with him once and for all, but he jammed his foot inside and stole that option from her.
The only scenario worse than being stood up when you’d offered yourself on a plate to a man was having him tell you why he didn’t want to sleep with you. She fought off the tears already blurring her vision because she was determined not to re-create their last mortifying goodbye.
‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ His brow was furrowed, and she could see he was actually contemplating her proposal, not attempting to let her down easily at all.
That reassurance buoyed her spirits once more, along with her intention to seduce him. ‘It’s not a big deal, Charles. We’re both single, hard-working professionals who want to let off a little steam in a hotel room.’
Now that she knew she had his interest, she stepped so close to him they were toe to toe.
‘We both know it would be more than that.’ There was a thread of resistance left in his words, yet his eyes and body were saying something different.
They’d spent enough time together for her to know when he was aroused, and vice versa.
‘It doesn’t have to be.’ She didn’t have to fake anything to convince him she wanted this no-strings fling when her breathy voice was a natural reaction to having him so close again.
‘I know I hurt you, Harriet. Sleeping together now isn’t going to change that. It isn’t going to change anything. I’m still going to go back to Heatherglen and your life is here.’ He was pointing out the obvious to her, they weren’t getting back together no matter what happened tonight. It wasn’t an outright rejection, though, because he was reaching out to her, caressing her cheek with his thumb, letting her know this was her decision. She was all right with that, safe in the knowledge she was in control of what happened next.
‘I’m not looking to rekindle a romance. The past is done with but it’s clear that the chemistry is still there between us.’ She stroked a finger down the front of his shirt, revelling in the desire darkening his eyes until they were almost black. This was what she wanted—confirmation that she still affected him as much as he did her. More importantly, she needed this to give her some closure.
She’d used Charles as an excuse not to let anyone else get close to her but recently she’d begun to wonder if she was missing something in her life. If she was ever to entertain the notion of a serious relationship, or even a family, she had to put Charles’s memory to rest first. One more time together and a chance to say a proper goodbye should finally close that chapter of her life.
‘As I remember, that was never a problem for us, but we do have a long, complicated history. Is it really a good idea to go back there?’
‘Now isn’t the time to start getting chivalrous, Charles.’ Harriet let her finger trail down until she reached his belt buckle, then started to undo it.
Charles let out a groan. ‘I just don’t want us to do anything that will end up with you getting hurt again. I can’t give you any more now than I could all those years ago.’
‘All I’m asking for is tonight. I’m not going to beg.’ She popped open the button on his trousers then stopped. If he wanted more he was going to have to say so.
‘One night?’
‘We never got to say goodbye. Let’s think of it as us both getting closure.’
‘Going out with a bang?’ he asked with a smirk, but he was close enough she could hear the hitch in his breathing. Clearly, he wasn’t as composed as he was making out.
‘Something like that. A one-time offer never to be repeated or spoken of again.’
‘Deal.’ His voice was a growl as he wound his arm around her waist, pulled her tight to his body and covered her lips with his.
Just like that the touch paper was lit, their passion reignited in an instant. The kiss so urgent and demanding it took her breath away. She didn’t remember Charles being quite so...masterful. Perhaps it was that knowledge they were being reckless that added an extra frisson to their passion. This was definitely the last time they’d be together and would be a sweeter memory, she hoped, to hold onto than the last one.
He backed her against the wall of the lift, his mouth, his tongue never leaving hers. Arousal swept through her, showing no mercy or regard for their location or history. Harriet felt along the wall for the control panel and hit the button for the fourth floor. Charles paused their amorous reunion to hit the one for the second floor instead.
‘My room’s closer,’ he whispered against her neck, and she felt the effect of his warm breath on her skin all the way down to her toes.
The thing about being her past lover was that he remembered exactly where to strike to make her weak at the knees. He knew all her sensitive spots and she shivered with anticipation at the thought of him using that advantage. Two could play that game and it wasn’t long before they were both gasping with pleasure as they began to reacquaint themselves with each other. If either of them had booked the penthouse suite she doubted whether they would’ve made it out of here without consummating their renewed acquaintance.
The doors opened, and they were soon fumbling their way down the corridor, steadfastly locked in their passionate embrace. Charles smiled against her lips as he tried to unlock the room door behind her. They were giggling young lovers again, driven by their hormones and lust, and Harriet was ignoring her adult brain telling her otherwise.
‘Have you got any protection?’ As they fell through the door her mind was racing ahead. She didn’t want to interrupt a crucial moment to track down some condoms in case it gave either of them time to think about what they were doing and change their mind.
‘Somewhere.’
He backed her over to the large bed, raining kisses along her neck and collarbone until she fell onto the mattress in a puddle of ecstasy. With one hand he fished in his pocket for his wallet and produced a foil packet. Harriet was glad he didn’t have a drawer full of condoms by the bed stocked up for a weekend of bedroom antics with faceless women. A hook-up had come as much of a surprise to him as it had to her but now it was happening she was glad one of them had come prepared.
She helped him shed his jacket and set to work unbuttoning his shirt, longing for the feel of his skin beneath her fingertips. Finding that patch of hair on his chest reminded her how familiar his body was to her but, oh, how she wanted to get to know it intimately again. Her hands at his fly, she began to undo his trousers.
‘Harriet? I want to make this last,’ he gasped as she pulled him free from the constraints of his clothes.
‘I want you. Now,’ she demanded. This had to be on her terms, so she remained in control. The only way she could justify bedding her ex was to treat him as casually as he had her. She had needs and though she’d taken lovers since Charles, only he could give her what she truly wanted.
Charles didn’t protest. Instead, he slid his hand beneath her dress and tugged her underwear away. With their clothes half on, half off, and Harriet’s dress hitched up around her waist, she waited with bated breath for him to sheath himself. There was something daring and incredibly sexy about the spontaneity of it all. She was risking everything she had by bedding him one more time when he’d had the power in the past to topple her world around her.
‘I guess we do have all night to get to know each other again.’ Charles smiled at her in the darkness and Harriet arched to meet him at their most sensitive parts. She wanted their bodies to do all the talking tonight. That way there could be no confusion about what she expected from him. This was only about sex. An area she knew he excelled in.
They clung to one another, perspiration settling on their skins as they raced towards that moment of utter bliss they knew they could find with each other. Harriet was already on her way to hitting that peak as though she’d been waiting for twelve long years to do this with him again. Those years apart certainly hadn’t diminished their appetites for one another, not on her part at least. No other man had come close to satisfying her the way Charles had. Perhaps because she’d never allowed herself to get as emotionally involved with a man as she couldn’t bear the pain that came with it, or perhaps because he’d been the best lover she’d ever had.
He knew exactly where to touch her to drive her crazy and exactly where she needed him to be. Charles too seemed to be making up for lost time, lust setting the heady rhythm of his every stroke inside her. It was as out of control as she’d ever seen him, or indeed had ever felt herself.
When her orgasm came it hit fast and hard, and as Charles’s cries echoed hers she knew she never wanted this night to end. There was no more living in the past when the present was so much more enjoyable.
CHAPTER TWO (#u22550cc6-b613-51be-96e0-a773e3412bb2)
Two months later
EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE on this road trip had been telling Harriet to have a merry Christmas. From the radio presenters accompanying her on this journey, to the few strangers she’d encountered along the way, to the very weather, they’d been insisting she should be enjoying Christmas Day.
There was a fat chance of that happening, thanks to Charles, and now she was about to ruin his day too. She was happy to do this alone and more than capable. The only reason she was coming all this way was to give him the chance to step up to his obligations this time instead of walking away. He could tell her face to face if he didn’t want any part of this, then they wouldn’t have to see each other ever again.
The drive to Scotland had been long but uneventful thanks to the lull in traffic. Most people had chosen to stay at home celebrating with family and loved ones. How ironic when she had neither, but next year things would be different. Her whole life was about to change if she didn’t take steps to secure the one she already had.
The closer she got to the Ross-Wylde family estate, the harder and faster her heart pounded and her stomach churned. Both from the conversation she had to have with Charles, and the last one they’d had at Heatherglen. She’d never imagined returning to the very place where she’d left her heart.
Road signs directed her towards the clinic that had essentially stolen Charles from her. Where he’d committed to setting up a life as the director there and Laird of the estate, instead of as her husband.
The drive up through the hills to her destination was as familiar to her as the last time she’d seen it, albeit through tear-filled eyes back then. It was dark now, the winter night so all-consuming it had swallowed up the colourful patchwork of countryside she knew surrounded her. All that remained were the inky shadows of the trees towering on either side of the winding road leading to Charles’s ancestral home.
Buildings new and old appeared in view but her focus was entirely on the castle itself. With lights blazing in every window and the porch decorated with Christmas wreaths and garlands, it was a welcoming sight. An invitation to visitors that at least one of the residents might come to regret. She hadn’t called or texted ahead so she had the element of surprise and could gauge Charles’s true reaction to her news.
Harriet parked her car behind the others, which all had a dusting of snow like icing sugar on a sponge cake, and it was obvious no one had left the premises today. They’d been too busy having a good time, to judge by the sounds of music and laughter filtering through the crisp night air as she made her way to the entrance. There was a twinge of jealousy thinking of him celebrating the festive season here with family when she had no one. She rested her hand on her belly—flat for now. In another few months it would be a different story.
This wasn’t about forcing him back into her life. She’d managed quite well without him these past years and she wasn’t expecting anything from him now. Harriet wasn’t that naïve. A baby hadn’t been part of the deal, but she wanted to do the right thing by informing him of the pregnancy at least. With his track record she didn’t believe he’d want to be involved and so she would let him know she didn’t need anything from him. Her plan was simply to tell him and walk away, leaving them both with a clear conscience over the matter.
Before she could make her way up the stone steps, a door further along the castle burst open and all the warmth and excitement from inside spilled out.
‘Oh, sorry. I didn’t realise there was anyone out here. Are you here for the clinic?’ The petite, smiling blonde looked familiar.
‘Esme? Is that you?’ She’d only been a teenager when Harriet had last seen her, but there was no doubt that was who she was looking at. It was those dazzling blue eyes, so much like her brother’s, that gave away her identity.
‘Yes? Can I help you?’ There was no sign of recognition from the woman who’d almost been her sister-in-law but for all Harriet knew Charles could’ve had a procession of fiancées over the years. She couldn’t be certain Esme would even remember her if she introduced herself.
‘Esme, will you close the door, please? You’re letting the cold in.’ Charles’s irritated voice sounded from inside right before he marched out to see what the commotion was on the doorstep.
It was then Harriet wondered what on earth she’d been thinking by turning up here tonight instead of waiting to speak to him on his own. In truth she hadn’t been thinking clearly at all the second she’d seen the positive pregnancy test in her hand. She’d simply packed a bag and headed off to Scotland rather than spend the day considering what the consequences of their night of passion meant for her.
‘Harriet?’ He peered out into the darkness, glass of whisky in hand.
‘Sorry. I didn’t realise you’d have company.’ She was prepared to walk away from the heated conversation she’d imagined having inside rather than discuss it in front of an audience.
‘Harriet? Harriet Bell?’ Esme let out a squeal and launched herself at Harriet, hugging her so tight she could no longer feel the cold, or much else.
‘Esme, put her down.’ Despite their more mature years, big brother Charles still spoke to her the way all boys did to their irritating little sisters. And, as all little sisters tended to do, Esme ignored him completely.
‘What on earth are you doing here? It’s been, what, ten years?’ She had her arm around Harriet’s shoulders now, steering her past the main entrance to the house to a side door.
‘Twelve, but who’s counting?’ She managed to dodge answering the question when it was apparent Charles hadn’t shared any details of even having met her at the convention. There should have been no reason for him to do so when they’d agreed to forget it had ever happened. Something they could no longer afford to do.
‘It’s good to see you.’ Charles kissed her chastely on the cheek as she entered his ancestral home, probably for his sister’s benefit. If he’d answered the door he might not have let her over the doorstep. This definitely hadn’t been part of the arrangement.
‘You too.’ The brief contact was enough to fluster her and she hoped she could explain away her reddening skin with the cold.
‘We use the main house for the clinic now. Esme and I have private rooms in another wing. We converted the old servants’ quarters downstairs into a small kitchen and informal lounge. It affords us a little privacy from the comings and goings at the clinic. Now, can I get you a drink? A mulled wine or hot toddy to warm you up?’ He swilled the contents of his whisky glass, filling the air with scent of cinnamon and warm spices.
‘No, thanks. I’m driving. I’d take a cup of tea, though.’ She didn’t want anything, but she was hoping a trip to the kitchen would get her some privacy to speak to Charles alone.
‘Ooh, what about a hot chocolate? I can make you a double chocolate with cream and marshmallows.’ Esme’s special sounded delicious after the poor service-station efforts they’d dared to charge Harriet for during the stops she’d made on the way here.
‘That would be lovely, thank you.’ This was all so civilised and bizarre. The Ross-Wyldes were acting as though she was a neighbour who’d just happened to drop by, not an ex-fiancée who’d turned up out of the blue after an extended absence. Either they were incredibly well mannered, which she knew, or they were too worried to ask why she’d come.
Lovely Esme slipped off towards the kitchen and Charles offered to take Harriet’s coat for her. She supposed she was staying longer than she’d imagined.
‘So, you were just passing by, huh?’ He was smiling as he helped her out of her jacket.
She’d panicked when it was clear she couldn’t blurt out the real reason she was here on his doorstep. He knew there was no ‘just passing by’ when London was an eight-hour drive away, yet he didn’t seem put out by her unexpected arrival.
‘I know this wasn’t part of our deal and I’m sorry to intrude on you on Christmas night. I didn’t realise you’d have a house full of people.’ Even alluding to the ‘arrangement’ seemed salacious outside the anonymity of the hotel now, when they were in his home.
Charles, however, didn’t appear perturbed if his smile was anything to go by. ‘Oh, don’t worry. You’ve saved me from another game of charades. Esme insists on covering all the clichés of the season.’
‘That explains the outfit.’ Now they were in better lighting she could see what he was wearing. The gold paper crown suited him, but the ugly sweater was a far cry from his usual dapper suits. Although he did look pretty cute in it.
‘A present from little sis. She made it herself.’ He rolled his eyes and Harriet knew he’d suffer the indignity of being seen in it rather than hurt Esme’s feelings. If only he’d taken such consideration over her feelings when he’d broken up with her, she mightn’t have been so intent on getting closure with that one last night together.
‘That’s lovely. It’s so thoughtful for someone to put all that time and effort into making a gift.’ To her, Christmas had become just another day. There weren’t many presents beyond the odd box of chocolates or a bottle of wine from a grateful patient and she didn’t bother making an elaborate Christmas dinner just for one. She preferred to work whenever she could, this year’s exception giving her the chance to make the journey here.
‘I guess. I’m sure she’d have made you one too if we’d known you were coming.’
Harriet could tell he was curious about what had brought her here when they’d severed all contact after that unforgettable night in his hotel room.
She cleared her throat. ‘I came because there’s something we need to discuss.’
‘In that case, we should go somewhere quiet. We’re winding down from our Christmas party and there are still a few people here.’
‘That would be better.’ She didn’t want an audience for what was a very private matter.
‘What are you two still doing, standing in the hall? Charles, bring Harriet in so she can have her hot chocolate by the fire.’ Esme tutted as she chivvied them towards the lounge, but Charles resisted leaving the hallway.
‘I think Harriet would prefer somewhere more peaceful after her long journey.’
She saw the disappointment on Esme’s face and didn’t want to hurt her feelings when she’d been so welcoming. ‘I can always make time for a hot chocolate first.’
Charles seemed to understand what had brought on her change of heart and stood back to let them enter the living room in front of him.
There were a few couples engaged in conversation by the table of food along the back wall and a ruggedly handsome man, who got to his feet when he saw them, sitting by the fire.
‘Harriet, this is Dr Max Kirkpatrick. Max, this is Harriet Bell, an orthopaedic surgeon visiting from London.’
Charles made the introductions, giving little detail away, but Harriet realised it would be impolite for him to say she was the fiancée he’d dumped on inheriting the family silver. Introducing her as ‘an ex I hooked up with recently at a medical conference’ wouldn’t have been the ideal ice-breaker either. The extra bodies in the room, however, did mean she was forced to delay her news a bit longer.
‘Nice to meet you.’ She shook hands with the man, who couldn’t keep his eyes off Esme, and Harriet detected a reciprocal attraction between them. He wasn’t the last man she remembered Esme being head over heels about, but she knew better than most that love didn’t last for ever. These two still had that glow of new romance about them, which suggested they were in that phase when they found it hard to keep their hands off each other.
‘You too. Esme, didn’t you say you needed a hand with something in the kitchen?’ Max wasn’t very subtle about wanting some alone time with Esme, but Harriet didn’t begrudge them their privacy. You had to take the good times when you could find them.
‘Yes, I think I did.’ Esme set the hot chocolate on the table and hurried out with him, giggling down the hall.
Harriet couldn’t help but glance in Charles’s direction, when they’d been as keen to spend time together not long ago. To find he was looking at her with that same longing was unravelling all the tension that had set in on the drive until her limbs felt more like spaghetti. One word and she just knew they’d both agree to another no-strings tryst. Except that word wouldn’t be ‘baby’. It was going to change the way he looked and felt about her, and probably not for the better.
‘I should probably let you meet some of our staff here.’ Charles led her over to the source of the chatter she’d heard from outside.
‘Harriet Bell.’ She shook hands with the group and introduced herself.
‘Cassandra Bellow.’ The pretty American set down the plate of canapés in her hand to greet her.
‘Cassandra is one of our past patients and this is Lyle Sinclair, our medical director.’ Charles didn’t have to tell her these two were a couple either when they were glued to each other’s sides.
‘I’m Aksel Olson. I work with Esme.’ The large hand pumping hers up and down next belonged to a bear of a man who couldn’t fail to make an impression. The muscular build and Scandinavian accent coupled with the long air gave him a definite Viking vibe.
‘Nice to meet you,’ she said, before Charles moved her swiftly on to the woman standing next to him.
‘Flora. I’m a physio at the clinic.’
‘Hi.’ She was definitely the gooseberry here but, then, so was Charles, who didn’t seem to have a significant other in the mix. Something that hadn’t gone unnoticed and brought her a sense of relief she hadn’t known she needed. It hadn’t entered her head that he might have met someone in the weeks since they’d last seen each other. Certainly, it hadn’t been part of the deal that they couldn’t date anyone else. They weren’t supposed to see each other again. Thankfully, things wouldn’t get any more complicated than they already were.
‘And you’ve already met Esme and Max.’ Charles didn’t attempt to hide his disapproval as they reappeared with huge smiles on their faces.
‘Are you staying in Cluchlochry?’ Charles asked, as she attempted to drink her hot chocolate through the cream and marshmallow topping. It tasted as over-indulgent as it looked, and she just knew she was wearing a cream moustache as a result. As confirmed by Charles’s smirk when she lifted her head to reply.
She did her best to wipe away all traces with the back of her hand. ‘Probably. I didn’t really think that far ahead.’
It would be suicidal to attempt a return trip tonight when she was ready for bed. There was bound to be a B&B in the village where she could put her head down for the night.
Charles frowned. ‘Not everywhere would be willing to take guests in on Christmas night and those that do will be booked out. We get a lot of people who come for the Christmas market and stay on for Christmas itself.’
‘You must stay with us, Harri. There’s plenty of room.’ It was Esme who offered her refuge, not her brother. Although Harriet wanted to protest, she couldn’t face getting back into her car again so soon.
‘Esme, I really wish you wouldn’t invite every waif and stray into Heatherglen as though it’s your personal rescue centre. We converted the stables for your pet projects.’
‘No offence taken,’ Harriet muttered.
‘Sorry. That was directed at someone else.’ He nodded towards the furry bundle currently rolling around at his feet.
‘Oh, he’s gorgeous. What’s his name?’ She knelt down to stroke the curious-looking puppy with tiger-striped brown fur, which was wearing its own ugly little sweater.
‘Dougal. He was half-starved when we found him, but Aksel nursed him back to health. Esme’s trying to find him a home now.’
It was Flora who filled her in on his sad background, which just made him even more adorable.
‘My sister has issues about turning anyone away.’ Charles muttered.
‘Harriet is neither a waif nor a stray. She’s a friend who’s very welcome to stay.’ Esme overruled her older brother, using Harriet as a pawn in their sibling rivalry.
‘I didn’t say she wasn’t. I was simply making a point, Esme.’
Harriet set down her cup. ‘It would probably be easier if I look for somewhere in town to stay.’
This wasn’t what she had planned at all. By this stage she’d expected to be on her way home, with Charles thanking his lucky stars for escaping the parent trap.
‘No!’ Both Ross-Wyldes expressed their indignation at the suggestion.
‘I thought you said you wanted to talk to me about something?’
‘We have so much catching up to do, Harri.’
The group watched the pair vying for her attention with as much fascination as she was, and Charles discreetly manoeuvred the argument away from the spectators over to the far side of the room.
‘Charles is just trying to make a point—badly—about him being the king of the castle here. He runs the clinic and I run the veterinary practice and canine therapy centre across the way.’ Esme punched him not so playfully on the arm.
‘Oh, I think you mean Laird, Esme—but, yes, this isn’t about you. Forgive me, Harriet. I’ll take you up and show you to one of the spare rooms. Dear sister, perhaps you’d be so kind as to get Harriet something to eat too?’
He batted his eyelashes at Esme and Harriet knew it would be enough to persuade her to do anything. Especially when he was wearing those glasses and that jumper, which made him look more like the Charles she’d known instead of the suave version she’d met at the conference. She hoped that would keep some of the most recent, more erotic memories at bay so she could stay focused on the reason she’d come all this way.
‘I would love to—but I’m doing it for our guest, not you, Chas.’ Esme fluttered those same long dark eyelashes in response. They were so alike it was probably why they’d fought for as long as Harriet had known them. Deep down it was obvious how much they loved each other, and she wished she’d had a brother or a sister to fight with, love unconditionally, and have to hold after she’d lost everyone else.
‘We keep a few rooms made up just in case of emergencies.’ Charles led her up the stairs to one of the bedrooms. She couldn’t help but wonder which door led to his.
‘Do you get many late-night, uninvited women calling in on you?’ she teased, when he was such a stark contrast to the man who’d literally sent her packing in a previous lifetime.
‘No, I don’t, but sometimes we get patients arriving too late to be admitted to the clinic, so we put them up here for the night.’ Her teasing fell flat with him, but she supposed his defence from her insinuations was understandable when she was accusing him of having loose morals. She knew nothing about him any more.
‘I’m sure it’s most appreciated. As it is by me.’ She had to remember he was doing her a favour by letting her stay when she had no right to be here. Their risky behaviour in London had been her idea and as such she was fully prepared to take on the consequences single-handedly.
‘Bed, bathroom, wardrobe. All the essentials.’ He did a quick tour of the room before turning back to her. ‘Do you need help bringing in your luggage?’
‘I just have an overnight bag in the car, but I can manage that myself. As I said, this was a spur-of-the-moment visit.’
‘Ah, yes. The talk. Is this about what happened in London? I must admit it’s been harder to put out of my mind than I’d imagined too.’ He was moving towards her and Harriet’s heart leapt into her throat at the thought of him kissing her again. She wanted it so much but that’s not what had brought her here.
‘I’m pregnant, Charles.’
His outstretched arms immediately fell limply to his sides. ‘Pardon me?’
She sat down on the edge of the bed, wishing it would swallow her up. ‘That night in London... I’m pregnant.’
Charles collapsed onto the mattress beside her. ‘But—but we took precautions.’
‘The first time,’ she reminded him with as much of a smile as she could muster when she was wound up tighter than a drum, waiting for his reaction.
The second time had happened later, when they had both been naked under the covers and he’d reached for her, keen to do things at a slower pace and drive her wild with want before he had his way with her again. The third time, in the early hours of the morning, when she’d reached for him, knowing they would have to part again.
Conception could have happened at any point during those few passionate hours together. They’d simply been too wrapped up in each other, literally, to care. Well, they would now.
He dropped his head into his hands and she waited for him to process the information.
‘Are you sure? Have you done a test?’
‘Yes, Charles. I wouldn’t have driven all this way otherwise.’ She understood this was a shock to him, her too, but questioning her common sense wasn’t going to make the situation go away.
‘I gave up on plans for a family after we broke up. With very good reason. I don’t have time to spare for babies and all the baggage that comes with them.’ He was on his feet now, pacing the room like a caged animal. Trapped and unsure how to get out.
‘Believe me, becoming a mother wasn’t in my immediate plans either but here we are. I only came here to tell you about the baby because I thought it was the right thing to do. I didn’t say I wanted anything from you. You had no room in your life for me, I wouldn’t expect it to be different for your child.’ If he thought she’d waited until she was at the peak of her career to seduce him, get pregnant and force him back into her life, he’d really forgotten who she was.
‘That night was supposed to be a bit of fun. One last hurrah before we went our separate ways again. A baby means the complete opposite. We’ll be tied together for ever now. If I’d wanted that I would’ve saved us the heartbreak of splitting up twelve years ago.’
‘Okay. You’ve made your point. I don’t think there’s anything left for us to say.’ She should never have come here. Despite whatever flicker of hope she may have harboured for a different response, Charles had proved he hadn’t changed. He still had the capacity to let her down. She’d managed this far on her own and she was sure she could raise this baby alone too. It was preferable to Charles feigning interest, only to have him bail out later and make their child suffer too.
Harriet was pregnant. It was his fault for not protecting her, for getting carried away, and not thinking about the consequences of his actions. Again.
When she’d turned up on the doorstep tonight he’d hoped it was because she’d wanted a replay of that night in London. Perhaps an extended version that would have taken them into the New Year instead of one night. Mostly because he hadn’t been able to get that time together out of his head, but this was a whole different scenario.
He was waiting, hating this ridiculous sweater more than ever, for Harriet to give him some sort of clue what he was supposed to do next. Instead, she slowly rose from the bed, crossed the floor and walked out the door. It wasn’t the response he’d expected but some space would be good. Esme could keep her entertained and when he’d digested the news they could sit down and plan the next move.
Any second now Esme would come bowling up the stairs and deliver a knock-out punch once she heard what had happened. He was surprised Harriet hadn’t done just that after the way he’d spoken to her. It had been a knee-jerk reaction to finding out he was going to be a father and one he’d apologise for once this sank in. He was angry at himself, not her, when his selfish needs had resulted in this life-changing news. The last thing he’d ever wanted to do was complicate her life.
Harriet’s response to his outburst was reminiscent of that awful day of his father’s funeral. She hadn’t slapped him then either, the way most women would have. Silently crying, she’d simply packed her things and walked out. He hadn’t seen or heard from her again until that conference.
At the sound of a car engine running outside, Charles rushed to the window in time to see Harriet driving away. It was déjà vu, except he couldn’t claim his actions, or lack of them now, had been in any way for her benefit.
‘Charles, what the hell have you done?’ Esme arrived, as he’d known she would, temper flaring, fists balling, ready for a fight.
‘Not now.’
‘You must have said something to make her leave like that. Are you really just going to stand here and watch her go? Again?’ That was the ultimate question. What they were going to do about the baby, how he felt about Harriet and what they did next were incidental if he let her go without a fight again. She was a successful surgeon in her own right with no need for him or his money. He was the one standing to lose out here.
‘Tell everyone to go home. The party’s over.’ He left Esme to break up the gathering before dashing downstairs to retrieve his own car keys. His child wasn’t going to grow up thinking its father was a disappointment, like the rest of his family had.
This was one time he could do the right thing without waiting until it was too late. He couldn’t live with any more guilt and regret. Losing his father and brother had taught him not to be selfish, and unless he wanted to lose his child too he had to think about the needs of its mother. That didn’t include being upset by her baby’s father. Not when she’d driven the whole way to Scotland to tell him personally on Christmas Day. Something a person would only do if they had no one else to turn to.
CHAPTER THREE (#u22550cc6-b613-51be-96e0-a773e3412bb2)
‘DID YOU HONESTLY expect him to react any differently? What were you hoping for? A happy-ever-after? Stupid woman!’ Harriet chastised herself in the mirror as she drove away.
She’d given him the chance to be involved in the baby’s life and he wasn’t interested. End of story. It was his loss. She knew where she stood and that wasn’t with Charles by her side. She could raise this child alone. It would be better for her and the child. At least it was apparent she’d be parenting on her own from the beginning, unlike her poor mother.
Coming here had been a reminder that night in London had been nothing more than a fantasy. The real Charles was entrenched in family tradition and duty with no room for anyone else in his life. Harriet was an independent city girl. She didn’t belong here. She hated the fact it still hurt that he didn’t want her, whatever the circumstances.
Perhaps she’d convinced herself something had changed between them after their escapade in that hotel room, and not merely on a physical level. Deep down she’d hoped he’d be pleased to see her again because, even before realising she was pregnant, she’d wondered about rekindling their relationship. Sentimentality and lust over common sense, but she hadn’t been thinking with her head lately. That’s how she’d ended up in this mess.
Charles Ross-Wylde had altered the course of her life again, sending her down a road she’d never planned to take. Now she simply had to make the best of it, the way she had the last time. Only instead of becoming a successful surgeon, her next goal was to become a good mother too.
Bright lights began strobing around her, disturbing the pitch-black night. A glance in her rear-view mirror revealed a car, flashing its headlights at her and now blaring its horn. Someone from the house had followed her and was trying to get her attention. Esme, no doubt, had figured out something was amiss and was coming to persuade her to go back. There was no way Charles would’ve told his sister about the baby when he didn’t want it messing up his life. It was likely to be her good heart making her chase after someone who was virtually a stranger now.
Although Harriet had no intention of going back with her, she would put Esme’s mind at ease because she held no bad feelings towards her. She indicated and pulled into the side of the road. The sooner they said their goodbyes, the sooner she could leave Heatherglen behind her for ever.
She stepped out onto the grass verge, but the headlights continued to blind her as she waited for the driver to get out. It wasn’t until the very tall, very male silhouette drew closer that she realised it wasn’t Esme who’d flagged her down.
‘I have nothing to say to you. At least, nothing very ladylike,’ she threw at Charles, hurrying back towards her car. He probably wanted her to sign some sort of gagging order to prevent her from claiming her unborn child had any right to the estate.
Her attempt to open her car door was thwarted as Charles grabbed her arm and spun her around. ‘I’m sorry, Harriet. I reacted badly.’
‘You think?’ She tried to wrench her arm out of his grasp. It was going to be harder to continue hating him if he insisted on touching her, reminding her of an intimacy they could never have again.
‘Come back to the house so we can talk.’ He didn’t let go of her, but he did loosen his grip.
‘Why? You’ve made it clear you don’t want to be part of this.’
‘I’m sorry. It was a shock to the system, that’s all. We both know I was a very willing participant that night, and the following morning.’ His cheeky grin did things to her insides, which apparently shouldn’t be acted on.
Goodness, she needed him to stop teasing her with enough delicious memories to block out the more hideous ones. Twice now he’d let her down in the most callous way. The last time she’d forgotten not to trust him and had let her hormones do the talking she’d ended up pregnant.
‘I should’ve called instead of coming here.’ That was one thing she was sure about and something he’d agree with when she’d spoiled his Christmas.
‘No. I’m glad you came. Look, it’s late and freezing cold out here. Why don’t you just come back to the house? The talking can wait.’
It was tempting when her stomach was rumbling and the tip of her nose was so cold she was convinced it had turned blue. She thought of the lovely roaring fire in the lounge and the banquet of food spread out and going to waste. Pregnancy apparently had lowered the price of her pride. If she went back with him it would be for the baby’s sake. They had things to sort out. It was the whole reason she was here. It definitely wasn’t anything to do with the man still holding her, dressed in that ridiculous sweater his little sister had knitted for him.
‘I don’t have anywhere else to go, I suppose.’ She didn’t fancy traipsing around town, knocking on doors and hoping to find room at an inn.
‘That’s settled, then. You’re coming home with me.’ If only he meant that as something other than a polite host she’d be reassured he’d had a change of heart where the baby was concerned. This was more about him saving face in front of his family and friends. She shouldn’t get too carried away with the idea that he’d finally stepped up to be the man she’d always believed he was deep down. For now, she’d take advantage of the food and lodgings being offered because it suited her and meant she’d no longer be putting her unborn child at risk out here in the Scottish wilderness.
‘Fine.’ She got back into her car, but nothing had changed. Except perhaps his conscience getting the better of him at letting the mother of his child disappear into the night.
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Karin Baine
An unexpected Christmas arrival… …on his doorstep! In this Pups that Make Miracles story, twelve years ago neurologist Charles ended his engagement to orthopedic surgeon Harriet to fulfil his duty to his family – he couldn’t let Harriet sacrifice her surgical dreams for him. But a recent chance reunion at a medical conference led to one more unforgettable night… And what should’ve been the perfect goodbye is now just the beginning…Harriet’s arrived at Heatherglen Castle Clinic – pregnant!
An unexpected Christmas arrival...
...on his doorstep!
In this Pups that Make Miracles story, twelve years ago neurologist Charles ended his engagement to orthopedic surgeon Harriet to fulfill his duty to his family—he couldn’t let Harriet sacrifice her surgical dreams for him. But a recent chance reunion at a medical conference led to one more unforgettable night... And what should’ve been the perfect goodbye is now just the beginning... Harriet’s arrived at Heatherglen Castle Clinic—pregnant!
KARIN BAINE lives in Northern Ireland with her husband, two sons and her out-of-control notebook collection. Her mother and her grandmother’s vast collection of books inspired her love of reading and her dream of becoming a Mills & Boon author. Now she can tell people she has a proper job! You can follow Karin on Twitter, @karinbaine1 (http://twitter.com/@karinbaine1), or visit her website for the latest news—karinbaine.com.
Also by Karin Baine (#u22550cc6-b613-51be-96e0-a773e3412bb2)
From Fling to Wedding Ring
Midwife Under the Mistletoe
The Single Dad’s Proposal
Their One-Night Twin Surprise
Pups that Make Miracles collection
Highland Doc’s Christmas Rescue by Susan Carlisle Festive Fling with the Single Dad by Annie Claydon Making Christmas Special Again by Annie O’Neil Their One-Night Christmas Gift
Available now
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).
Their One-Night Christmas Gift
Karin Baine
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-09034-6
THEIR ONE-NIGHT CHRISTMAS GIFT
© 2019 Karin Baine
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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Note to Readers (#u22550cc6-b613-51be-96e0-a773e3412bb2)
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Contents
Cover (#u18e2fabe-097b-53c5-bb01-afdddbb0da2d)
Back Cover Text (#u72fdc6c9-28ba-5c20-b8b1-256422292185)
About the Author (#uf636cc40-ee54-5f7c-8482-982fb1565a7c)
Booklist (#ua1e4894f-16a9-56ae-b37e-67bfc35e1719)
Title Page (#ufc99cd90-4290-5f34-88cc-e2ccfda90ea0)
Copyright (#u91b1a034-39ad-5b94-9fa3-c8da10fc3da5)
Note to Readers
Dedication (#u9a93151a-0c22-5c5c-b596-4c1df5d87503)
CHAPTER ONE (#u05749779-1b10-5db8-adab-9a8de9b35d2d)
CHAPTER TWO (#ue1e264cb-3190-58a2-8db1-2eb159b2028d)
CHAPTER THREE (#ucd8fb236-94fb-5519-b3e5-c710d53eda33)
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)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#u22550cc6-b613-51be-96e0-a773e3412bb2)
CHARLES ROSS-WYLDE WAS a selfish, cold-hearted liar and Harriet Bell was better off without him. At least, that was what she’d spent the last twelve years telling herself.
The reality of seeing him again was very different from the scenario she’d imagined. She’d been shocked to see him here, but so far she’d resisted slapping him, throwing a drink in his face, or announcing to the rest of the conference attendees that he was the reason she couldn’t risk loving anyone again. Perhaps she’d matured or, more likely, hadn’t expected to feel anything other than pure hatred towards him.
She watched him now from the other side of the room as the assembled medical community enjoyed the tea break between lectures. It gave her time to study him unnoticed and decide what she wanted to do—if anything. If she chose to she could walk out of here and he’d be none the wiser, with nothing changing their current status quo.
Impossible when there was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted him to explain.
Physically, he hadn’t changed much from the man who’d once promised her their lives would be spent together except he looked older...more manly.
He was still trying to sweep that floppy dark hair back into a neat style befitting a professional man, though she remembered all too well how it had looked first thing in the morning tousled by sleep. And, as always, he was dressed impeccably, the navy suit tailored to his exact measurements. The beard was new, the dark shadow along his jawline making him look even more masculine, if that was possible. It suited him—as did the glasses he was sporting.
Damn it, he was still gorgeous, and apparently still able to make her heart flutter maniacally as though she’d just run a marathon.
‘They really should have an open bar,’ she muttered to the bewildered woman serving refreshments to the masses, turning away from the view of her ex-fiancé and wishing for a tot of whisky in her coffee.
Not that she drank often, but she’d make an exception to help her escape memories of her and Charles—good and bad. She’d have to make do with an extra spoonful of sugar in her tea to help with the shock.
‘I didn’t expect to see you here.’ That soft, Scottish burr capable of rendering her into a gibbering wreck tickled the back of her neck. He’d found her.
Harriet fumbled with her cup and saucer, spilling the contents over herself right before she turned around to face him. ‘Charles. What a surprise.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.’ He grabbed a napkin from the buffet table and started dabbing at the stain darkening the front of her dress.
‘I can do that, thanks.’ She didn’t mean to snap but she couldn’t bear to have him touch her after all this time when she didn’t know what emotions it would unleash.
‘Sorry.’ He handed over possession of the napkin so she could tend to the ruined dress herself. ‘It was just nice to see a familiar face. How have you been, Harriet?’
There was no sign of remorse for the relationship and future he’d thrown away. He was talking to her as though they were old school friends, who had no real emotional connection and had simply happened to run into each other.
She set the wet napkin and coffee back on the table and took a moment to consider her response. If she kicked off and made a scene it would be clear she’d never got over him and that would most likely send Charles running. She didn’t know what she wanted from him, but it wasn’t that.
‘Oh, you know, keeping busy. You?’ She plastered on a smile, willing to play along with this game until one of them broke. Her, probably.
‘The same. I took up a placement in Glasgow to complete my medical training and set up a clinic at Heatherglen. It was initially to help army veterans, but we’ve extended to provide state-of-the-art medical facilities for physical and emotional rehabilitation to a wider range of patients.’
‘Sounds impressive.’ Inheriting his father’s fortune and the family estate had signalled the end of their engagement so it was difficult for Harriet to be as enthusiastic about his accomplishments as she should have been.
‘I wanted to do something worthwhile to honour my brother and father, but it takes a lot of upkeep. I don’t get to make as many trips to London as I’d like.’ His older brother, Nick, had served with the military in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, he’d been killed by a roadside bomb before Harriet had had the chance to meet him. That family tragedy, followed by the death of his father about a year later, had proved too much for Charles and their wedding plans.
‘I’m the same, too many responsibilities here to even take a holiday these days.’ Needless to say, she hadn’t been back to Scotland since his father’s funeral, when Charles had gone back on his promise of making a life with her. At the time she’d believed grief had driven his decision, but when he’d failed to follow her back to London she’d soon realised he was serious about no longer wanting to marry her. It was difficult to reconcile that man who’d broken her heart with the one stood before her now, making small talk.
‘So, you did stay here after all? I’d hoped you would.’ He was smiling so Harriet didn’t think he was trying to rub salt into the wound he’d inflicted on her that day. She’d never received a proper explanation as to why he’d called things off. Goodness knew, she’d been desperate for one, but she’d eventually had to accept the simple truth that he didn’t want her any more. She’d seen that happen between her own parents when she’d been young and had watched her mother torture herself trying to figure out what she’d done wrong when her father had walked out on them. There was no way she was spending the rest of her life beating herself up about it, the way her mother had until her death.
‘Yes. I’m an orthopaedic surgeon.’
Top of my field, she wanted to add, piqued by the fact he’d never bothered to check up and see what she’d been doing. Then again, she hadn’t done that either, afraid she’d start obsessing over him or what could have been between them. In his case it seemed it was merely down to a lack of interest.
‘Neurologist,’ he countered. ‘I thought it made sense to take that path, so I’d be able to better treat veterans.’
What a team they would have made working together but perhaps she wouldn’t have pursued her career so doggedly if they had married. When she and Charles had been together she’d imagined she could have it all—a career and a family. She’d thought they were a team, on an equal footing and willing to share the responsibilities of raising children. Except the moment Charles’s circumstances had changed he’d backed out and left her to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. She’d paid the price for his actions.
Perhaps she’d had a lucky escape. If he’d proved so unreliable further down the line, he could have left her raising their children alone once he’d decided he didn’t want her after all. As it was, she’d poured her heart and soul into her career because that was the one thing she could count on always being there. Things happened for a reason and she had no regrets when it had moved her focus back onto her work. It didn’t look as though he had any either.
They fell into an awkward gap in conversation, neither apparently knowing what to say to the other but not wanting to make the first move in walking away.
‘Could all attendees please make their way back to their seats for the next talk, please?’
The announcement over the loudspeaker filled the silence on their behalf and left them with the decision of whether to say goodbye temporarily, or for ever.
‘Listen, why don’t we go for a proper drink? The hotel bar should be quiet enough with all the reprobates locked in here for another few hours of telling us things we already know.’ Charles rested his hand lightly at her waist, leaning in so his comment reached only her ears. She could barely feel the pressure of his fingertips on her skin, but it was sufficient to awaken every erogenous zone in her body until she was sure she’d follow him to the ends of the earth.
‘Sure,’ she squeaked.
Damn, she was in trouble.
Charles didn’t know what he hoped to gain by getting Harriet on her own, except having her to himself for the first time in over a decade. When he’d spotted her across the room there had been no great plan, just a need to be near her. Much like the first time they’d met in medical school and had instantly become inseparable. Being each other’s first loves, they’d become serious quickly. In hindsight, that youth and inexperience would never have worked in a world where tradition and duty to the family name was everything. He’d just wanted to be with Harriet and had given no thought to Heatherglen back then.
Now he considered himself lucky she’d agreed to go for a drink with him instead of throwing a cup of hot coffee in his face.
‘There’s a seat in the corner. I’ll get the drinks. White wine?’ He led her into the bar, where one or two other hotel guests had sought refuge.
‘Yes, please.’ Even that knowledge of her preferred drink brought back memories of times together it was difficult to ignore. Those early student days of being silly and partying too hard. Later, when it had been a bottle of wine to accompany a romantic meal they often hadn’t bothered to finish...
‘Charles, what are you doing?’ he muttered under his breath, and stole a glance back at Harriet as she settled into the corner.
Those days of acting only in his own interests were supposed to be far behind him. He didn’t make any decisions now without thinking through how it might affect those around him. It had been a tough lesson to learn when the consequences of his past actions had come at the price of his brother and father’s lives. He’d sacrificed his relationship with Harriet for her benefit—his first act of selflessness when he’d inherited Heatherglen. Not that she’d known, and he couldn’t have told her it was because he’d wanted her to stay on in London and pursue her career instead of getting dragged into his mess. She would’ve insisted on going to Scotland with him.
Although, seeing her now and realising everything he’d lost, regret weighed heavily on his shoulders along with his threefold burden of guilt.
Approaching her this evening and getting her to agree to join him for a drink had been entirely for his own benefit without considering her feelings. Yet, so far, she’d shown him nothing but friendliness in return. It was entirely possible he’d over-inflated the idea of what they’d had together in his head and she’d forgotten him the second she’d got on that train without him.
‘You look good, by the way. Have I said that already?’ He’d certainly thought it as he’d headed back to her.
Harriet had always been pretty with her slim figure and long, dark blonde hair but now she was a stunningly beautiful woman. The emerald-green dress she was wearing wasn’t particularly noteworthy except for the womanly figure it clung to, accentuating her every curve. It was understated and sophisticated, but on Harriet it was as sexy as hell.
‘You haven’t but thank you.’ She sipped her wine, leaving a trace of ruby lip gloss on the rim of her glass, and...he really needed to keep his libido in check. She was his ex-fiancée, not an anonymous one-night stand.
‘So, are you married? Any kids?’ He took a gulp of lager, making the question as nonchalant as he could. Why should it matter to him what her marital status was, other than cooling his jets if he found out there was someone waiting for her at home?
‘No. I decided my career was the only long-term relationship I needed in my life. I’m too busy to fall for all that again.’
Ouch.
Harriet’s brown eyes glittered with a dark challenge for him to bite back. Charles didn’t want to go down that route, going over old ground and spoiling the moment they were having now, but she deserved some sort of explanation.
‘What about you? Did you settle down?’
‘I’m too busy with the clinic and, to be honest, Mum isn’t the best advert for marriage. I’m not sure what number husband she’s on now since Dad. Three, I think. She spends her days sailing around in his superyacht. We don’t see very much of her. I think Heatherglen holds too many sad memories for her.’
‘I know the feeling.’ Harriet took another sip of her wine, apparently needing to dull the mention of his family home with alcohol.
‘Harriet, about all that...’ There had to be some way of saying ‘It wasn’t you, it was me’, without sounding completely insincere.
She saved him the trouble, reaching out her hand to still his, which was currently ripping up the cardboard beer mat. ‘This is much too serious a topic for this evening, Charles.’
Suddenly his mind was spinning, trying to come to terms with the way his body was responding to her touch after all this time apart and to what she was saying to him.
‘I don’t do serious any more.’ She held him with her ever-darkening gaze, making no attempt to break contact.
‘No? What do you do?’ He leaned in closer, hoping that if she was actually coming on to him, it wasn’t simply a ploy to get revenge.
‘I have fun, Charles. You do remember how to do that, don’t you? If so, I’m in Room 429.’ With that, she got up and walked away. Leaving Charles with his mouth open, his heart hammering, and battling with his conscience, which was telling him that following her was a really bad idea.
Harriet’s legs shook on her way towards the elevator. She’d never been so brazen in her life and couldn’t even blame it on the alcohol when she’d only had a sip. From the moment she’d seen Charles, she’d wanted what they’d had in the past. Wanted him. What she didn’t want was to rake over the ashes of the past and be reminded of how he’d rejected her. It was important to know he was still attracted to her. As though that would somehow erase the previous damage he’d caused her self-esteem.
One night with her ex, on her terms, might give her closure on the relationship that had spoiled her for any other.
Except he hadn’t immediately jumped up and begged to take her there and then. She’d merely succeeded in humiliating herself and now had an extra chapter to add to their tragic story.
She jabbed and jabbed at the button for the lift, wishing it would somehow make it come faster. Then it would swallow her up and transport her away from view as soon as possible.
‘Harriet, wait!’ Charles shouted after her as she stepped inside the lift. It was tempting to let the doors shut in his face and be done with him once and for all, but he jammed his foot inside and stole that option from her.
The only scenario worse than being stood up when you’d offered yourself on a plate to a man was having him tell you why he didn’t want to sleep with you. She fought off the tears already blurring her vision because she was determined not to re-create their last mortifying goodbye.
‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ His brow was furrowed, and she could see he was actually contemplating her proposal, not attempting to let her down easily at all.
That reassurance buoyed her spirits once more, along with her intention to seduce him. ‘It’s not a big deal, Charles. We’re both single, hard-working professionals who want to let off a little steam in a hotel room.’
Now that she knew she had his interest, she stepped so close to him they were toe to toe.
‘We both know it would be more than that.’ There was a thread of resistance left in his words, yet his eyes and body were saying something different.
They’d spent enough time together for her to know when he was aroused, and vice versa.
‘It doesn’t have to be.’ She didn’t have to fake anything to convince him she wanted this no-strings fling when her breathy voice was a natural reaction to having him so close again.
‘I know I hurt you, Harriet. Sleeping together now isn’t going to change that. It isn’t going to change anything. I’m still going to go back to Heatherglen and your life is here.’ He was pointing out the obvious to her, they weren’t getting back together no matter what happened tonight. It wasn’t an outright rejection, though, because he was reaching out to her, caressing her cheek with his thumb, letting her know this was her decision. She was all right with that, safe in the knowledge she was in control of what happened next.
‘I’m not looking to rekindle a romance. The past is done with but it’s clear that the chemistry is still there between us.’ She stroked a finger down the front of his shirt, revelling in the desire darkening his eyes until they were almost black. This was what she wanted—confirmation that she still affected him as much as he did her. More importantly, she needed this to give her some closure.
She’d used Charles as an excuse not to let anyone else get close to her but recently she’d begun to wonder if she was missing something in her life. If she was ever to entertain the notion of a serious relationship, or even a family, she had to put Charles’s memory to rest first. One more time together and a chance to say a proper goodbye should finally close that chapter of her life.
‘As I remember, that was never a problem for us, but we do have a long, complicated history. Is it really a good idea to go back there?’
‘Now isn’t the time to start getting chivalrous, Charles.’ Harriet let her finger trail down until she reached his belt buckle, then started to undo it.
Charles let out a groan. ‘I just don’t want us to do anything that will end up with you getting hurt again. I can’t give you any more now than I could all those years ago.’
‘All I’m asking for is tonight. I’m not going to beg.’ She popped open the button on his trousers then stopped. If he wanted more he was going to have to say so.
‘One night?’
‘We never got to say goodbye. Let’s think of it as us both getting closure.’
‘Going out with a bang?’ he asked with a smirk, but he was close enough she could hear the hitch in his breathing. Clearly, he wasn’t as composed as he was making out.
‘Something like that. A one-time offer never to be repeated or spoken of again.’
‘Deal.’ His voice was a growl as he wound his arm around her waist, pulled her tight to his body and covered her lips with his.
Just like that the touch paper was lit, their passion reignited in an instant. The kiss so urgent and demanding it took her breath away. She didn’t remember Charles being quite so...masterful. Perhaps it was that knowledge they were being reckless that added an extra frisson to their passion. This was definitely the last time they’d be together and would be a sweeter memory, she hoped, to hold onto than the last one.
He backed her against the wall of the lift, his mouth, his tongue never leaving hers. Arousal swept through her, showing no mercy or regard for their location or history. Harriet felt along the wall for the control panel and hit the button for the fourth floor. Charles paused their amorous reunion to hit the one for the second floor instead.
‘My room’s closer,’ he whispered against her neck, and she felt the effect of his warm breath on her skin all the way down to her toes.
The thing about being her past lover was that he remembered exactly where to strike to make her weak at the knees. He knew all her sensitive spots and she shivered with anticipation at the thought of him using that advantage. Two could play that game and it wasn’t long before they were both gasping with pleasure as they began to reacquaint themselves with each other. If either of them had booked the penthouse suite she doubted whether they would’ve made it out of here without consummating their renewed acquaintance.
The doors opened, and they were soon fumbling their way down the corridor, steadfastly locked in their passionate embrace. Charles smiled against her lips as he tried to unlock the room door behind her. They were giggling young lovers again, driven by their hormones and lust, and Harriet was ignoring her adult brain telling her otherwise.
‘Have you got any protection?’ As they fell through the door her mind was racing ahead. She didn’t want to interrupt a crucial moment to track down some condoms in case it gave either of them time to think about what they were doing and change their mind.
‘Somewhere.’
He backed her over to the large bed, raining kisses along her neck and collarbone until she fell onto the mattress in a puddle of ecstasy. With one hand he fished in his pocket for his wallet and produced a foil packet. Harriet was glad he didn’t have a drawer full of condoms by the bed stocked up for a weekend of bedroom antics with faceless women. A hook-up had come as much of a surprise to him as it had to her but now it was happening she was glad one of them had come prepared.
She helped him shed his jacket and set to work unbuttoning his shirt, longing for the feel of his skin beneath her fingertips. Finding that patch of hair on his chest reminded her how familiar his body was to her but, oh, how she wanted to get to know it intimately again. Her hands at his fly, she began to undo his trousers.
‘Harriet? I want to make this last,’ he gasped as she pulled him free from the constraints of his clothes.
‘I want you. Now,’ she demanded. This had to be on her terms, so she remained in control. The only way she could justify bedding her ex was to treat him as casually as he had her. She had needs and though she’d taken lovers since Charles, only he could give her what she truly wanted.
Charles didn’t protest. Instead, he slid his hand beneath her dress and tugged her underwear away. With their clothes half on, half off, and Harriet’s dress hitched up around her waist, she waited with bated breath for him to sheath himself. There was something daring and incredibly sexy about the spontaneity of it all. She was risking everything she had by bedding him one more time when he’d had the power in the past to topple her world around her.
‘I guess we do have all night to get to know each other again.’ Charles smiled at her in the darkness and Harriet arched to meet him at their most sensitive parts. She wanted their bodies to do all the talking tonight. That way there could be no confusion about what she expected from him. This was only about sex. An area she knew he excelled in.
They clung to one another, perspiration settling on their skins as they raced towards that moment of utter bliss they knew they could find with each other. Harriet was already on her way to hitting that peak as though she’d been waiting for twelve long years to do this with him again. Those years apart certainly hadn’t diminished their appetites for one another, not on her part at least. No other man had come close to satisfying her the way Charles had. Perhaps because she’d never allowed herself to get as emotionally involved with a man as she couldn’t bear the pain that came with it, or perhaps because he’d been the best lover she’d ever had.
He knew exactly where to touch her to drive her crazy and exactly where she needed him to be. Charles too seemed to be making up for lost time, lust setting the heady rhythm of his every stroke inside her. It was as out of control as she’d ever seen him, or indeed had ever felt herself.
When her orgasm came it hit fast and hard, and as Charles’s cries echoed hers she knew she never wanted this night to end. There was no more living in the past when the present was so much more enjoyable.
CHAPTER TWO (#u22550cc6-b613-51be-96e0-a773e3412bb2)
Two months later
EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE on this road trip had been telling Harriet to have a merry Christmas. From the radio presenters accompanying her on this journey, to the few strangers she’d encountered along the way, to the very weather, they’d been insisting she should be enjoying Christmas Day.
There was a fat chance of that happening, thanks to Charles, and now she was about to ruin his day too. She was happy to do this alone and more than capable. The only reason she was coming all this way was to give him the chance to step up to his obligations this time instead of walking away. He could tell her face to face if he didn’t want any part of this, then they wouldn’t have to see each other ever again.
The drive to Scotland had been long but uneventful thanks to the lull in traffic. Most people had chosen to stay at home celebrating with family and loved ones. How ironic when she had neither, but next year things would be different. Her whole life was about to change if she didn’t take steps to secure the one she already had.
The closer she got to the Ross-Wylde family estate, the harder and faster her heart pounded and her stomach churned. Both from the conversation she had to have with Charles, and the last one they’d had at Heatherglen. She’d never imagined returning to the very place where she’d left her heart.
Road signs directed her towards the clinic that had essentially stolen Charles from her. Where he’d committed to setting up a life as the director there and Laird of the estate, instead of as her husband.
The drive up through the hills to her destination was as familiar to her as the last time she’d seen it, albeit through tear-filled eyes back then. It was dark now, the winter night so all-consuming it had swallowed up the colourful patchwork of countryside she knew surrounded her. All that remained were the inky shadows of the trees towering on either side of the winding road leading to Charles’s ancestral home.
Buildings new and old appeared in view but her focus was entirely on the castle itself. With lights blazing in every window and the porch decorated with Christmas wreaths and garlands, it was a welcoming sight. An invitation to visitors that at least one of the residents might come to regret. She hadn’t called or texted ahead so she had the element of surprise and could gauge Charles’s true reaction to her news.
Harriet parked her car behind the others, which all had a dusting of snow like icing sugar on a sponge cake, and it was obvious no one had left the premises today. They’d been too busy having a good time, to judge by the sounds of music and laughter filtering through the crisp night air as she made her way to the entrance. There was a twinge of jealousy thinking of him celebrating the festive season here with family when she had no one. She rested her hand on her belly—flat for now. In another few months it would be a different story.
This wasn’t about forcing him back into her life. She’d managed quite well without him these past years and she wasn’t expecting anything from him now. Harriet wasn’t that naïve. A baby hadn’t been part of the deal, but she wanted to do the right thing by informing him of the pregnancy at least. With his track record she didn’t believe he’d want to be involved and so she would let him know she didn’t need anything from him. Her plan was simply to tell him and walk away, leaving them both with a clear conscience over the matter.
Before she could make her way up the stone steps, a door further along the castle burst open and all the warmth and excitement from inside spilled out.
‘Oh, sorry. I didn’t realise there was anyone out here. Are you here for the clinic?’ The petite, smiling blonde looked familiar.
‘Esme? Is that you?’ She’d only been a teenager when Harriet had last seen her, but there was no doubt that was who she was looking at. It was those dazzling blue eyes, so much like her brother’s, that gave away her identity.
‘Yes? Can I help you?’ There was no sign of recognition from the woman who’d almost been her sister-in-law but for all Harriet knew Charles could’ve had a procession of fiancées over the years. She couldn’t be certain Esme would even remember her if she introduced herself.
‘Esme, will you close the door, please? You’re letting the cold in.’ Charles’s irritated voice sounded from inside right before he marched out to see what the commotion was on the doorstep.
It was then Harriet wondered what on earth she’d been thinking by turning up here tonight instead of waiting to speak to him on his own. In truth she hadn’t been thinking clearly at all the second she’d seen the positive pregnancy test in her hand. She’d simply packed a bag and headed off to Scotland rather than spend the day considering what the consequences of their night of passion meant for her.
‘Harriet?’ He peered out into the darkness, glass of whisky in hand.
‘Sorry. I didn’t realise you’d have company.’ She was prepared to walk away from the heated conversation she’d imagined having inside rather than discuss it in front of an audience.
‘Harriet? Harriet Bell?’ Esme let out a squeal and launched herself at Harriet, hugging her so tight she could no longer feel the cold, or much else.
‘Esme, put her down.’ Despite their more mature years, big brother Charles still spoke to her the way all boys did to their irritating little sisters. And, as all little sisters tended to do, Esme ignored him completely.
‘What on earth are you doing here? It’s been, what, ten years?’ She had her arm around Harriet’s shoulders now, steering her past the main entrance to the house to a side door.
‘Twelve, but who’s counting?’ She managed to dodge answering the question when it was apparent Charles hadn’t shared any details of even having met her at the convention. There should have been no reason for him to do so when they’d agreed to forget it had ever happened. Something they could no longer afford to do.
‘It’s good to see you.’ Charles kissed her chastely on the cheek as she entered his ancestral home, probably for his sister’s benefit. If he’d answered the door he might not have let her over the doorstep. This definitely hadn’t been part of the arrangement.
‘You too.’ The brief contact was enough to fluster her and she hoped she could explain away her reddening skin with the cold.
‘We use the main house for the clinic now. Esme and I have private rooms in another wing. We converted the old servants’ quarters downstairs into a small kitchen and informal lounge. It affords us a little privacy from the comings and goings at the clinic. Now, can I get you a drink? A mulled wine or hot toddy to warm you up?’ He swilled the contents of his whisky glass, filling the air with scent of cinnamon and warm spices.
‘No, thanks. I’m driving. I’d take a cup of tea, though.’ She didn’t want anything, but she was hoping a trip to the kitchen would get her some privacy to speak to Charles alone.
‘Ooh, what about a hot chocolate? I can make you a double chocolate with cream and marshmallows.’ Esme’s special sounded delicious after the poor service-station efforts they’d dared to charge Harriet for during the stops she’d made on the way here.
‘That would be lovely, thank you.’ This was all so civilised and bizarre. The Ross-Wyldes were acting as though she was a neighbour who’d just happened to drop by, not an ex-fiancée who’d turned up out of the blue after an extended absence. Either they were incredibly well mannered, which she knew, or they were too worried to ask why she’d come.
Lovely Esme slipped off towards the kitchen and Charles offered to take Harriet’s coat for her. She supposed she was staying longer than she’d imagined.
‘So, you were just passing by, huh?’ He was smiling as he helped her out of her jacket.
She’d panicked when it was clear she couldn’t blurt out the real reason she was here on his doorstep. He knew there was no ‘just passing by’ when London was an eight-hour drive away, yet he didn’t seem put out by her unexpected arrival.
‘I know this wasn’t part of our deal and I’m sorry to intrude on you on Christmas night. I didn’t realise you’d have a house full of people.’ Even alluding to the ‘arrangement’ seemed salacious outside the anonymity of the hotel now, when they were in his home.
Charles, however, didn’t appear perturbed if his smile was anything to go by. ‘Oh, don’t worry. You’ve saved me from another game of charades. Esme insists on covering all the clichés of the season.’
‘That explains the outfit.’ Now they were in better lighting she could see what he was wearing. The gold paper crown suited him, but the ugly sweater was a far cry from his usual dapper suits. Although he did look pretty cute in it.
‘A present from little sis. She made it herself.’ He rolled his eyes and Harriet knew he’d suffer the indignity of being seen in it rather than hurt Esme’s feelings. If only he’d taken such consideration over her feelings when he’d broken up with her, she mightn’t have been so intent on getting closure with that one last night together.
‘That’s lovely. It’s so thoughtful for someone to put all that time and effort into making a gift.’ To her, Christmas had become just another day. There weren’t many presents beyond the odd box of chocolates or a bottle of wine from a grateful patient and she didn’t bother making an elaborate Christmas dinner just for one. She preferred to work whenever she could, this year’s exception giving her the chance to make the journey here.
‘I guess. I’m sure she’d have made you one too if we’d known you were coming.’
Harriet could tell he was curious about what had brought her here when they’d severed all contact after that unforgettable night in his hotel room.
She cleared her throat. ‘I came because there’s something we need to discuss.’
‘In that case, we should go somewhere quiet. We’re winding down from our Christmas party and there are still a few people here.’
‘That would be better.’ She didn’t want an audience for what was a very private matter.
‘What are you two still doing, standing in the hall? Charles, bring Harriet in so she can have her hot chocolate by the fire.’ Esme tutted as she chivvied them towards the lounge, but Charles resisted leaving the hallway.
‘I think Harriet would prefer somewhere more peaceful after her long journey.’
She saw the disappointment on Esme’s face and didn’t want to hurt her feelings when she’d been so welcoming. ‘I can always make time for a hot chocolate first.’
Charles seemed to understand what had brought on her change of heart and stood back to let them enter the living room in front of him.
There were a few couples engaged in conversation by the table of food along the back wall and a ruggedly handsome man, who got to his feet when he saw them, sitting by the fire.
‘Harriet, this is Dr Max Kirkpatrick. Max, this is Harriet Bell, an orthopaedic surgeon visiting from London.’
Charles made the introductions, giving little detail away, but Harriet realised it would be impolite for him to say she was the fiancée he’d dumped on inheriting the family silver. Introducing her as ‘an ex I hooked up with recently at a medical conference’ wouldn’t have been the ideal ice-breaker either. The extra bodies in the room, however, did mean she was forced to delay her news a bit longer.
‘Nice to meet you.’ She shook hands with the man, who couldn’t keep his eyes off Esme, and Harriet detected a reciprocal attraction between them. He wasn’t the last man she remembered Esme being head over heels about, but she knew better than most that love didn’t last for ever. These two still had that glow of new romance about them, which suggested they were in that phase when they found it hard to keep their hands off each other.
‘You too. Esme, didn’t you say you needed a hand with something in the kitchen?’ Max wasn’t very subtle about wanting some alone time with Esme, but Harriet didn’t begrudge them their privacy. You had to take the good times when you could find them.
‘Yes, I think I did.’ Esme set the hot chocolate on the table and hurried out with him, giggling down the hall.
Harriet couldn’t help but glance in Charles’s direction, when they’d been as keen to spend time together not long ago. To find he was looking at her with that same longing was unravelling all the tension that had set in on the drive until her limbs felt more like spaghetti. One word and she just knew they’d both agree to another no-strings tryst. Except that word wouldn’t be ‘baby’. It was going to change the way he looked and felt about her, and probably not for the better.
‘I should probably let you meet some of our staff here.’ Charles led her over to the source of the chatter she’d heard from outside.
‘Harriet Bell.’ She shook hands with the group and introduced herself.
‘Cassandra Bellow.’ The pretty American set down the plate of canapés in her hand to greet her.
‘Cassandra is one of our past patients and this is Lyle Sinclair, our medical director.’ Charles didn’t have to tell her these two were a couple either when they were glued to each other’s sides.
‘I’m Aksel Olson. I work with Esme.’ The large hand pumping hers up and down next belonged to a bear of a man who couldn’t fail to make an impression. The muscular build and Scandinavian accent coupled with the long air gave him a definite Viking vibe.
‘Nice to meet you,’ she said, before Charles moved her swiftly on to the woman standing next to him.
‘Flora. I’m a physio at the clinic.’
‘Hi.’ She was definitely the gooseberry here but, then, so was Charles, who didn’t seem to have a significant other in the mix. Something that hadn’t gone unnoticed and brought her a sense of relief she hadn’t known she needed. It hadn’t entered her head that he might have met someone in the weeks since they’d last seen each other. Certainly, it hadn’t been part of the deal that they couldn’t date anyone else. They weren’t supposed to see each other again. Thankfully, things wouldn’t get any more complicated than they already were.
‘And you’ve already met Esme and Max.’ Charles didn’t attempt to hide his disapproval as they reappeared with huge smiles on their faces.
‘Are you staying in Cluchlochry?’ Charles asked, as she attempted to drink her hot chocolate through the cream and marshmallow topping. It tasted as over-indulgent as it looked, and she just knew she was wearing a cream moustache as a result. As confirmed by Charles’s smirk when she lifted her head to reply.
She did her best to wipe away all traces with the back of her hand. ‘Probably. I didn’t really think that far ahead.’
It would be suicidal to attempt a return trip tonight when she was ready for bed. There was bound to be a B&B in the village where she could put her head down for the night.
Charles frowned. ‘Not everywhere would be willing to take guests in on Christmas night and those that do will be booked out. We get a lot of people who come for the Christmas market and stay on for Christmas itself.’
‘You must stay with us, Harri. There’s plenty of room.’ It was Esme who offered her refuge, not her brother. Although Harriet wanted to protest, she couldn’t face getting back into her car again so soon.
‘Esme, I really wish you wouldn’t invite every waif and stray into Heatherglen as though it’s your personal rescue centre. We converted the stables for your pet projects.’
‘No offence taken,’ Harriet muttered.
‘Sorry. That was directed at someone else.’ He nodded towards the furry bundle currently rolling around at his feet.
‘Oh, he’s gorgeous. What’s his name?’ She knelt down to stroke the curious-looking puppy with tiger-striped brown fur, which was wearing its own ugly little sweater.
‘Dougal. He was half-starved when we found him, but Aksel nursed him back to health. Esme’s trying to find him a home now.’
It was Flora who filled her in on his sad background, which just made him even more adorable.
‘My sister has issues about turning anyone away.’ Charles muttered.
‘Harriet is neither a waif nor a stray. She’s a friend who’s very welcome to stay.’ Esme overruled her older brother, using Harriet as a pawn in their sibling rivalry.
‘I didn’t say she wasn’t. I was simply making a point, Esme.’
Harriet set down her cup. ‘It would probably be easier if I look for somewhere in town to stay.’
This wasn’t what she had planned at all. By this stage she’d expected to be on her way home, with Charles thanking his lucky stars for escaping the parent trap.
‘No!’ Both Ross-Wyldes expressed their indignation at the suggestion.
‘I thought you said you wanted to talk to me about something?’
‘We have so much catching up to do, Harri.’
The group watched the pair vying for her attention with as much fascination as she was, and Charles discreetly manoeuvred the argument away from the spectators over to the far side of the room.
‘Charles is just trying to make a point—badly—about him being the king of the castle here. He runs the clinic and I run the veterinary practice and canine therapy centre across the way.’ Esme punched him not so playfully on the arm.
‘Oh, I think you mean Laird, Esme—but, yes, this isn’t about you. Forgive me, Harriet. I’ll take you up and show you to one of the spare rooms. Dear sister, perhaps you’d be so kind as to get Harriet something to eat too?’
He batted his eyelashes at Esme and Harriet knew it would be enough to persuade her to do anything. Especially when he was wearing those glasses and that jumper, which made him look more like the Charles she’d known instead of the suave version she’d met at the conference. She hoped that would keep some of the most recent, more erotic memories at bay so she could stay focused on the reason she’d come all this way.
‘I would love to—but I’m doing it for our guest, not you, Chas.’ Esme fluttered those same long dark eyelashes in response. They were so alike it was probably why they’d fought for as long as Harriet had known them. Deep down it was obvious how much they loved each other, and she wished she’d had a brother or a sister to fight with, love unconditionally, and have to hold after she’d lost everyone else.
‘We keep a few rooms made up just in case of emergencies.’ Charles led her up the stairs to one of the bedrooms. She couldn’t help but wonder which door led to his.
‘Do you get many late-night, uninvited women calling in on you?’ she teased, when he was such a stark contrast to the man who’d literally sent her packing in a previous lifetime.
‘No, I don’t, but sometimes we get patients arriving too late to be admitted to the clinic, so we put them up here for the night.’ Her teasing fell flat with him, but she supposed his defence from her insinuations was understandable when she was accusing him of having loose morals. She knew nothing about him any more.
‘I’m sure it’s most appreciated. As it is by me.’ She had to remember he was doing her a favour by letting her stay when she had no right to be here. Their risky behaviour in London had been her idea and as such she was fully prepared to take on the consequences single-handedly.
‘Bed, bathroom, wardrobe. All the essentials.’ He did a quick tour of the room before turning back to her. ‘Do you need help bringing in your luggage?’
‘I just have an overnight bag in the car, but I can manage that myself. As I said, this was a spur-of-the-moment visit.’
‘Ah, yes. The talk. Is this about what happened in London? I must admit it’s been harder to put out of my mind than I’d imagined too.’ He was moving towards her and Harriet’s heart leapt into her throat at the thought of him kissing her again. She wanted it so much but that’s not what had brought her here.
‘I’m pregnant, Charles.’
His outstretched arms immediately fell limply to his sides. ‘Pardon me?’
She sat down on the edge of the bed, wishing it would swallow her up. ‘That night in London... I’m pregnant.’
Charles collapsed onto the mattress beside her. ‘But—but we took precautions.’
‘The first time,’ she reminded him with as much of a smile as she could muster when she was wound up tighter than a drum, waiting for his reaction.
The second time had happened later, when they had both been naked under the covers and he’d reached for her, keen to do things at a slower pace and drive her wild with want before he had his way with her again. The third time, in the early hours of the morning, when she’d reached for him, knowing they would have to part again.
Conception could have happened at any point during those few passionate hours together. They’d simply been too wrapped up in each other, literally, to care. Well, they would now.
He dropped his head into his hands and she waited for him to process the information.
‘Are you sure? Have you done a test?’
‘Yes, Charles. I wouldn’t have driven all this way otherwise.’ She understood this was a shock to him, her too, but questioning her common sense wasn’t going to make the situation go away.
‘I gave up on plans for a family after we broke up. With very good reason. I don’t have time to spare for babies and all the baggage that comes with them.’ He was on his feet now, pacing the room like a caged animal. Trapped and unsure how to get out.
‘Believe me, becoming a mother wasn’t in my immediate plans either but here we are. I only came here to tell you about the baby because I thought it was the right thing to do. I didn’t say I wanted anything from you. You had no room in your life for me, I wouldn’t expect it to be different for your child.’ If he thought she’d waited until she was at the peak of her career to seduce him, get pregnant and force him back into her life, he’d really forgotten who she was.
‘That night was supposed to be a bit of fun. One last hurrah before we went our separate ways again. A baby means the complete opposite. We’ll be tied together for ever now. If I’d wanted that I would’ve saved us the heartbreak of splitting up twelve years ago.’
‘Okay. You’ve made your point. I don’t think there’s anything left for us to say.’ She should never have come here. Despite whatever flicker of hope she may have harboured for a different response, Charles had proved he hadn’t changed. He still had the capacity to let her down. She’d managed this far on her own and she was sure she could raise this baby alone too. It was preferable to Charles feigning interest, only to have him bail out later and make their child suffer too.
Harriet was pregnant. It was his fault for not protecting her, for getting carried away, and not thinking about the consequences of his actions. Again.
When she’d turned up on the doorstep tonight he’d hoped it was because she’d wanted a replay of that night in London. Perhaps an extended version that would have taken them into the New Year instead of one night. Mostly because he hadn’t been able to get that time together out of his head, but this was a whole different scenario.
He was waiting, hating this ridiculous sweater more than ever, for Harriet to give him some sort of clue what he was supposed to do next. Instead, she slowly rose from the bed, crossed the floor and walked out the door. It wasn’t the response he’d expected but some space would be good. Esme could keep her entertained and when he’d digested the news they could sit down and plan the next move.
Any second now Esme would come bowling up the stairs and deliver a knock-out punch once she heard what had happened. He was surprised Harriet hadn’t done just that after the way he’d spoken to her. It had been a knee-jerk reaction to finding out he was going to be a father and one he’d apologise for once this sank in. He was angry at himself, not her, when his selfish needs had resulted in this life-changing news. The last thing he’d ever wanted to do was complicate her life.
Harriet’s response to his outburst was reminiscent of that awful day of his father’s funeral. She hadn’t slapped him then either, the way most women would have. Silently crying, she’d simply packed her things and walked out. He hadn’t seen or heard from her again until that conference.
At the sound of a car engine running outside, Charles rushed to the window in time to see Harriet driving away. It was déjà vu, except he couldn’t claim his actions, or lack of them now, had been in any way for her benefit.
‘Charles, what the hell have you done?’ Esme arrived, as he’d known she would, temper flaring, fists balling, ready for a fight.
‘Not now.’
‘You must have said something to make her leave like that. Are you really just going to stand here and watch her go? Again?’ That was the ultimate question. What they were going to do about the baby, how he felt about Harriet and what they did next were incidental if he let her go without a fight again. She was a successful surgeon in her own right with no need for him or his money. He was the one standing to lose out here.
‘Tell everyone to go home. The party’s over.’ He left Esme to break up the gathering before dashing downstairs to retrieve his own car keys. His child wasn’t going to grow up thinking its father was a disappointment, like the rest of his family had.
This was one time he could do the right thing without waiting until it was too late. He couldn’t live with any more guilt and regret. Losing his father and brother had taught him not to be selfish, and unless he wanted to lose his child too he had to think about the needs of its mother. That didn’t include being upset by her baby’s father. Not when she’d driven the whole way to Scotland to tell him personally on Christmas Day. Something a person would only do if they had no one else to turn to.
CHAPTER THREE (#u22550cc6-b613-51be-96e0-a773e3412bb2)
‘DID YOU HONESTLY expect him to react any differently? What were you hoping for? A happy-ever-after? Stupid woman!’ Harriet chastised herself in the mirror as she drove away.
She’d given him the chance to be involved in the baby’s life and he wasn’t interested. End of story. It was his loss. She knew where she stood and that wasn’t with Charles by her side. She could raise this child alone. It would be better for her and the child. At least it was apparent she’d be parenting on her own from the beginning, unlike her poor mother.
Coming here had been a reminder that night in London had been nothing more than a fantasy. The real Charles was entrenched in family tradition and duty with no room for anyone else in his life. Harriet was an independent city girl. She didn’t belong here. She hated the fact it still hurt that he didn’t want her, whatever the circumstances.
Perhaps she’d convinced herself something had changed between them after their escapade in that hotel room, and not merely on a physical level. Deep down she’d hoped he’d be pleased to see her again because, even before realising she was pregnant, she’d wondered about rekindling their relationship. Sentimentality and lust over common sense, but she hadn’t been thinking with her head lately. That’s how she’d ended up in this mess.
Charles Ross-Wylde had altered the course of her life again, sending her down a road she’d never planned to take. Now she simply had to make the best of it, the way she had the last time. Only instead of becoming a successful surgeon, her next goal was to become a good mother too.
Bright lights began strobing around her, disturbing the pitch-black night. A glance in her rear-view mirror revealed a car, flashing its headlights at her and now blaring its horn. Someone from the house had followed her and was trying to get her attention. Esme, no doubt, had figured out something was amiss and was coming to persuade her to go back. There was no way Charles would’ve told his sister about the baby when he didn’t want it messing up his life. It was likely to be her good heart making her chase after someone who was virtually a stranger now.
Although Harriet had no intention of going back with her, she would put Esme’s mind at ease because she held no bad feelings towards her. She indicated and pulled into the side of the road. The sooner they said their goodbyes, the sooner she could leave Heatherglen behind her for ever.
She stepped out onto the grass verge, but the headlights continued to blind her as she waited for the driver to get out. It wasn’t until the very tall, very male silhouette drew closer that she realised it wasn’t Esme who’d flagged her down.
‘I have nothing to say to you. At least, nothing very ladylike,’ she threw at Charles, hurrying back towards her car. He probably wanted her to sign some sort of gagging order to prevent her from claiming her unborn child had any right to the estate.
Her attempt to open her car door was thwarted as Charles grabbed her arm and spun her around. ‘I’m sorry, Harriet. I reacted badly.’
‘You think?’ She tried to wrench her arm out of his grasp. It was going to be harder to continue hating him if he insisted on touching her, reminding her of an intimacy they could never have again.
‘Come back to the house so we can talk.’ He didn’t let go of her, but he did loosen his grip.
‘Why? You’ve made it clear you don’t want to be part of this.’
‘I’m sorry. It was a shock to the system, that’s all. We both know I was a very willing participant that night, and the following morning.’ His cheeky grin did things to her insides, which apparently shouldn’t be acted on.
Goodness, she needed him to stop teasing her with enough delicious memories to block out the more hideous ones. Twice now he’d let her down in the most callous way. The last time she’d forgotten not to trust him and had let her hormones do the talking she’d ended up pregnant.
‘I should’ve called instead of coming here.’ That was one thing she was sure about and something he’d agree with when she’d spoiled his Christmas.
‘No. I’m glad you came. Look, it’s late and freezing cold out here. Why don’t you just come back to the house? The talking can wait.’
It was tempting when her stomach was rumbling and the tip of her nose was so cold she was convinced it had turned blue. She thought of the lovely roaring fire in the lounge and the banquet of food spread out and going to waste. Pregnancy apparently had lowered the price of her pride. If she went back with him it would be for the baby’s sake. They had things to sort out. It was the whole reason she was here. It definitely wasn’t anything to do with the man still holding her, dressed in that ridiculous sweater his little sister had knitted for him.
‘I don’t have anywhere else to go, I suppose.’ She didn’t fancy traipsing around town, knocking on doors and hoping to find room at an inn.
‘That’s settled, then. You’re coming home with me.’ If only he meant that as something other than a polite host she’d be reassured he’d had a change of heart where the baby was concerned. This was more about him saving face in front of his family and friends. She shouldn’t get too carried away with the idea that he’d finally stepped up to be the man she’d always believed he was deep down. For now, she’d take advantage of the food and lodgings being offered because it suited her and meant she’d no longer be putting her unborn child at risk out here in the Scottish wilderness.
‘Fine.’ She got back into her car, but nothing had changed. Except perhaps his conscience getting the better of him at letting the mother of his child disappear into the night.
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Karin Baine
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современная зарубежная литература
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 23.04.2024
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О книге: An unexpected Christmas arrival… …on his doorstep! In this Pups that Make Miracles story, twelve years ago neurologist Charles ended his engagement to orthopedic surgeon Harriet to fulfil his duty to his family – he couldn’t let Harriet sacrifice her surgical dreams for him. But a recent chance reunion at a medical conference led to one more unforgettable night… And what should’ve been the perfect goodbye is now just the beginning…Harriet’s arrived at Heatherglen Castle Clinic – pregnant!