Children's Doctor, Shy Nurse

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Cover Page

Title Page

Dear Reader

About the Author

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Copyright

Thank you so much for reading this book. I hope that you have enjoyed seeing how Mark and Ellie solved the problems between them and found the love they now share.

Regarding the aromatherapy used in this story: while pure essential oils and aromatherapy can certainly be used for a variety of minor ailments, and to promote positive moods, always seek proper medical attention for serious disorders first. You can add complementary aromatherapy later if you wish. There are simple ways to treat simple imbalances such as headaches and skin irritations using natural ingredients. I’m not advocating either/or, but both together to reach wellness. Lavender is my favourite of the aromatherapy oils, and helps to soothe my skin as well as my mind. Try it some time and see what you think.

There is a lot of information about aromatherapy widely available on the internet, as well as some great reference books out there. If you’re interested in using the oils make sure that you do your research first, or consult a certified aromatherapist.

Happy reading!

Love

Molly

Molly Evans has worked as a nurse from the age of nineteen. She’s worked in small rural hospitals, the Indian Health Service, and large research facilities all over the United States. After spending eight years as a Traveling Nurse, she settled down to write in her favourite place: Albuquerque, New Mexico. In days she met her husband, and has been there ever since. With twenty-two years of nursing experience, she’s got a lot of material to use in her writing. She lives in the high desert, with her family, three chameleons, two dogs and a passion for quilting in whatever spare time she has. Visit Molly at: www.mollyevans.com

Camp Wild Pines

Maine, USA

NURSE Ellie Mackenzie watched a man jog past the camp infirmary as she put away the medical supplies. She didn’t mind the task. Frankly, it kept her hands busy and her mind off of the last difficult year of her life, which was what she needed right now. A fresh start. A break from everything that was familiar, habitual, ingrained in her by years of ICU nursing with a side dish of humility for good measure. With a quick glance at the photo of her parents that sat on her desk, she returned to her task. She liked seeing them there.

The jogger was someone she didn’t know, so she didn’t take much notice as he cruised by the other direction. No business of hers who was running around outside in the sweltering June sunshine in Maine. She was here to work, take a break from hospital nursing for the summer, chase healthy kids around for a few weeks and forget about the recent emotional traumas that had nearly broken her spirit. The man was probably just a counselor enjoying a solitary run before the campers descended tomorrow. After that, there would be no peace and quiet for anyone until the end of summer. At least, that’s what her friend, Vicki, had said. Vicki had been a nurse here for several summers, so she should know. Now that Vicki and her husband, Sam, had had a little girl, and Sam had entered a new residency program, they couldn’t spend their entire summer here. That’s how Ellie had been recruited for the job.

Ten minutes later, the lone jogger ran by in the opposite direction. Catching only a glimpse of long muscular legs, bare torso and a baseball cap turned around backward, she tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but those legs were a definite distraction. She’d likely meet the fellow and the other staff later at the lodge, then she could put a name to the legs, er, face.

Before she finished her task, the squeaky screen door announced a visitor, and she entered the front room to investigate.

“Hello?” Audible wheezes caught her trained ears the second she entered the room.

The jogger had come into the infirmary. Sitting on one of the wooden chairs designated for patients by the front door, the man leaned forward with his hands on his knees, huffing and sweating. “Hi, there.” He waved while he caught his breath.

“Hi, yourself. Are you all right?” Moving closer, she gave his thin frame a closer inspection.

He held up a hand, indicating he still needed a minute to catch his breath. “I’m good.”

“You don’t look good.” Wondering if he were experiencing heat exhaustion, she sat on the chair next to him and checked his pulse. It was rapid, but not bounding. The red color of his face indicated he’d been exerting, but he looked as if he were starting to settle down.

Wiping away the sweat on his face with his shirt, he laughed. “Thanks. I’m not used to the humidity and heat here.”

“Where are you from? Obviously not Maine,” she said, more accustomed to it than he was having lived in Dallas, Texas, for several years.