Doctor...to Duchess?
Doctor…to Duchess? won the 2016 RoNA Rose Award!Her Duke in Shining Armour?GP Julia MacKenzie’s life is finally back on track! Fighting to save St Bryar’s Clinic has helped her to forget her heartache and make way for a new future – on her terms.Until Julia falls into gorgeous Dr Oliver Wyatt’s arms – literally – and suddenly her whole world is turned upside-down! Not only is Oliver the Duke of Breckonshire in-waiting, he’s the very man threatening to shut her practice down… and, even more worryingly, to steal her heart!
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‘A heartwarming tale of two opposites falling for each other. Annie O’Neil has done a fabulous job with her first offering. Highly recommended for readers of medical romance.’
—GoodReads on
The Surgeon’s Christmas Wish
‘A poignant and enjoyable romance that held me spellbound from start to finish. Annie O’Neil writes with plenty of humour, sensitivity and heart, and she has penned a compelling tale that will touch your heart and make you smile as well as shed a tear or two.’
—CataRomance on
The Surgeon’s Christmas Wish
‘A terrific debut novel, and I am counting down the days until the release of Annie O’Neil’s next medical romance!’
—CataRomance on
The Surgeon’s Christmas Wish
“Ouch! Foot!Foot!Foot on hand!”
She looked up to see a military boot lifting off her hand as the body attached to it vaulted over the top of the wall, coming round to land opposite her on the mesh.
Their bodies made impact with a gooey thwack. Mud adhered their chests together, then released and joined them together again as they each fought for breath and balance.
“I’m slipping!”
She felt his arm slip round her waist, easily pulling her in tight to the mesh and to what felt like a particularly nice man-chest. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the wet T-shirt outlining her captor’s—or was it her savior’s?—shoulders. A lightning flash of response tugged her body closer to his and tingles of excitement danced along her skin like an electric current.
“Are you in?”
In what? Seventh heaven?
“I just need to grab—”
“Put your feet in one of the squares. I’ve got you.”
Her bare legs slid along his as her feet finally slipped onto a rung.
“What about your hand? Are you all right?”
His voice kept pulling her back to reality. I’m fitting a little too perfectly into your chest for me to answer that accurately.
“I’m fine. I—”
Finally daring to look directly at him, Julia felt the air being sucked out of her lungs. She was face to face with a pair of mossy green eyes, beaming out at her from the midst of a mud-slathered face. A face she was pretty certain sported a pair of very nice cheekbones, a broad mouth and, underneath the mud, jet-black hair.
She glanced at the green eyes again and felt her knees wobble as her tummy did a heated whirly hoop twirl. For the first time in a long time she felt an overwhelming urge to kiss—and it was very specific.
She wanted to kiss him.
This story was like completing a big circle for me, in that it is the tying up of the final ‘loose end’ for the women who didn’t get their happily-ever-after in my first book, The Surgeon’s Christmas Wish.
In good conscience I just wasn’t able to let Julia wander around out there in my subconscious. Which is vast. Think bigger-than-the-Outback big—outer-space big would be getting closer. She deserves a happy ending as much as the next person, and I hope you agree that she’s really met her match in Oliver … Ahem, excuse me . . . Lord Oliver Wyatt.
I’m sure you will be unsurprised to see there are lots of eating scenes. Guess what motivates me! It couldn’t be the diet I’m on that made me write a deliciously tempting moment including chocolate-covered salted caramels, could it?
I really loved writing this, and found it particularly hard to finish because I just didn’t want to say goodbye to Julia and Oliver at the end. I hope you enjoy it—and please do get in touch if you ever have any questions or want to let me know what you think. You can reach me at annie@annieoneilbooks or on my Facebook page (Annie O’Neil) or Twitter (@annieoneilbooks).
Toodle-pip for now!
Annie O
ANNIE O’NEIL spent most of her childhood with a leg draped over the family rocking chair and a book in her hand. Novels, baking, and writing too much teenage angst poetry ate up most of her youth. Now, quite a few years on from those fevered daydreams of being a poet, Annie splits her time between corralling her husband (and real-life Scottish hero) into helping her with their cows or scratching the backs of their rare breed pigs, and spending some very happy hours at her computer, writing.
Find out more about Annie at her website: annieoneilbooks.com
This book is dedicated, without reservation, to my Happily Ever After guy—my husband. He brings light into my life and infuses my heart with an incredibly happy beat. Thank you. For everything.
Table of Contents
“C’MON, DOC! RACE you to the top!”
Clawing herself out of the mud was one thing, but clawing herself out of a mud-filled moat via a seven-meter mesh wall was another.
“I think I know who’ll win.” Julia panted, fairly certain the nineteen-year-old apprentice gardener had the advantage.
“You’re the reason we’re doing this. Show us how it’s done!”
The words of encouragement gave her a new charge of determination. Julia grabbed ahold of the mesh and began to pull herself out of the waist-deep pool of mud and water, a trail of muck dripping down her legs. She felt and looked like a swamp creature. Big picture? This was fun!
