Rilla murmured something, and rocked her head from side to side, but didnât waken.
Luca sighed and hunkered down beside her. He lifted a hand to shake her shoulder, but was caught by the protective way her fingers were splayed down low on her belly.
His baby lay beneath that hand. Their baby. He shook his head at the wonder of it all and gave in to the urge to lie down beside her. He lay on his side, his elbow bent, his head propped on his hand, and gazed down at her.
He would never have thought heâd get a second chance at this. Never. When things had ended between them he hadnât even been able to contemplate something this wonderful ever happening again. The end had been too painful, too soul-destroying for him to ever want to be here again. But he was. And he wanted to hold his baby so badly he couldnât resist putting his hand out to touch her.
Amy Andrews has always loved writing, and still canât quite believe that she gets to do it for a living. Creating wonderful heroines and gorgeous heroes and telling their stories is an amazing way to pass the day. Sometimes they donât always act as sheâd like them toâbut then neither do her kids, so sheâs kind of used to it. Amy lives in the very beautiful Samford Valley, with her husband and aforementioned children, along with six brown chooks and two black dogs. She loves to hear from her readers. Drop her a line at www.amyandrews.com. au
Recent titles by the same author:
TOP-NOTCH SURGEON, PREGNANT NURSE*
THE OUTBACK DOCTORâS SURPRISE BRIDE FOUND: A FATHER FOR HER CHILD THE ITALIAN COUNTâS BABY
*Brisbane General Hospital
Dear Reader
Welcome to Brisbane General Hospital! Set in my home town of Brisbane, this trilogy explores the lives and loves of three nurses, the Winters sistersâBeth, Rilla and Hailey. And three very special doctorsâGabe, Luca and Callum.
Iâve always wanted to write a linked series, and was thrilled when my editor suggested it. I love catching up with previous characters and being familiar with a particular setting. And Brisbane General is a beauty. Being a nurse, I can tell you thereâs no place quite like a hospital to bring out real emotions and make people realise what is truly important in life.
In DR ROMANOâS CHRISTMAS BABY, itâs Rilla and Lucaâs turn. Rillaâs carefully ordered world is turned upside down when, after seven years apart, her gorgeous husband Luca reappears as Brisbane Generalâs new Director of Emergency Medicine. The seething sexual tension between them cannot be deniedâand neither is prepared for the consequences. Will Rilla and Luca get a much deserved happily-ever-after in their Christmas stockings? I hope you enjoy finding out.
Wishing all my readers a very merry Christmas and the best for 2009.
Amy Andrews
Donât miss Haileyâs story in January 2009!
To my sister-in-law Emily, one of my
biggest supporters. And to all those health care professionals who man our hospitals over Christmas while everyone else is making merry. Extra-special Christmas joy to all of you.
CHAPTER ONE
âI CANâT believe Iâve still got a month to go,â Beth puffed disgustedly as her legs plodded on down the bushy track, her hand kneading the small of her back. âI feel like Iâve been pregnant for ever. Now I know how elephants feel.â
Rilla looked at her sister and stifled a laugh. Sheâd never seen Beth look more beautiful. âPregnancy becomes you,â she said, patting her sisterâs swollen belly.
Rilla felt a rush of emotion at the firm swelling beneath her hand and a twinge in her chest that had nothing to do with the exertion of the walk.
Beth shot Rilla a donât-patronise-the-expectant-mother look. âOh, yeah. Morning sickness, heartburn, backache and varicose veins. Very becoming,â Beth muttered. âAnd to top it off Iâve got this damn head cold.â She blew her nose on a tissue. âI mean, who gets a cold in September, for crying out loud?â
Rilla laughed, startling a nearby parrot, which took to the air with an indignant cry and a blur of crimson wings. âYou should be at home with your feet up, not trampling through the bush with me.â
âIâm going stir-crazy at home with nothing to do. I could have still been at work but Gabe insisted I take the full six weeksâ maternity leave.â
âHe likes to fuss.â Rilla shrugged.
âHeâs driving me mad.â
Rilla grinned at the thought of her brother-in-law in full donât-even-lift-a-paperclip mode. She stumbled over a tree root hidden beneath a carpet of leaf litter and fell behind Beth a little. She looked up to see her sister steaming ahead, still tall and straight as a stick from behind, despite the advanced pregnancy.
So unlike her own shorter, curvier proportions. Rilla had no doubt sheâd be well up to the waddling stage by now. If only.
âAnyway, Iâm sick of talking about me. Letâs talk about something else.â
âOK, sure.â Rilla shrugged again. âWhat do you want to talk about?â