Her Playboy's Proposal
Tempted by the hospital heartbreaker!Nurse Isla McKenna is warned about Dr Harry Gardiner the moment she enters The London Victoria A&E. He’s a commitment-shy playboy – and Isla has been betrayed too much to play with fire!But there is more to this ‘bad-boy’ than meets the eye and when Harry asks for help facing a family wedding, Isla can’t refuse. Even if it means fighting the chemistry between them! Except their weekend together proves the ultimate temptation, leaving them both, dangerously, wanting much more…
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‘Bound by a Baby moved me to tears many times. It is a full-on emotional drama. Author Kate Hardy brought this tale shimmering with emotions. Highly recommended for all lovers of romance.’
—Contemporary Romance Reviews
Bound by a Babywon the 2014 RoNA (Romantic Novelists’ Association) award!
‘When you pick up a romance novel by Kate Hardy you know that you’re going to be reading a spellbinding novel which you will want to devour in a single sitting, and A Christmas Knight is certainly no exception.’
—CataRomance
Sharing a room with Isla McKenna.
It was the sensible solution, Harry knew. The problem was, he didn’t feel sensible. He was already on edge about the wedding, and if they shared a bed it would be all too easy to seek comfort in her.
She’s your colleague, he reminded himself. Off limits. She wants a relationship just as little as you do. Keep your distance.
He’d just about got himself under control by the time he’d changed into the tailcoat, wing-collared shirt and cravat his father had asked him to wear. He left the top hat on the bed for the time being, took a deep breath and knocked on the bathroom door.
‘Isla, I’m ready whenever you are,’ he said, ‘but don’t take that as me rushing you. There’s plenty of time. I just didn’t want you to feel that you had to be stuck in there while I was faffing about in the other room.’
She opened the door. ‘I’m ready,’ she said softly.
Harry had never seen Isla dressed up before. He’d seen her wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and he’d seen her in her uniform at the hospital. On every occasion she’d worn her hair pinned back and no make-up, not even a touch of lipstick.
Today she was wearing a simple blue dress that emphasised the colour of her eyes, a touch of mascara, the lightest shimmer of lipstick—and she looked stunning. Desire rushed through him, taking his breath away. How had he ever thought that Isla would be safe? He needed to get himself under control. Now.
Her Playboy’s Proposal is all about trust—learning to trust again when someone’s let you down, and learning to trust yourself when you think you’re the one who’s let everyone down.
And how do you learn to trust? In Harry and Isla’s case, they discover that love is the answer. Except they take a while to realise it—and it takes a life-changing moment to make them both realise that they can trust each other and themselves.
The story’s set partly in Cornwall (if you’re thinking Poldark—absolutely!), partly in London and partly on the coast in Dorset. And there are weddings, best men, best women and a speech I really, really enjoyed writing.
I hope you enjoy Harry and Isla’s journey.
I’m always delighted to hear from readers, so do come and visit me at www.katehardy.com.
With love,
Kate Hardy
KATE HARDY has always loved books, and could read before she went to school. She discovered Mills & Boon books when she was twelve, and decided that this was what she wanted to do. When she isn’t writing Kate enjoys reading, cinema, ballroom dancing and the gym. You can contact her via her website: www.katehardy.com.
To my fellow Medical authors—because you’re a really lovely bunch and I’m proud to be one of you. xxx
Table of Contents
ISLA TOOK A deep breath outside the staffroom door. Today was her second day at the emergency department of the London Victoria Hospital, and she was still finding her place in the team. She’d liked the colleagues she’d met yesterday, and hopefully today would go just as well—with new people who didn’t know her past and wouldn’t judge her. She pushed the door open, then smiled at the nurse who was checking the roster on the pinboard. ‘Morning, Lorraine.’
‘Morning, Isla. You’re on cubicles with Josie and Harry the Heartbreaker this morning,’ Lorraine said.
‘Harry the Heartbreaker?’ Isla asked.
Lorraine wrinkled her nose. ‘I guess that’s a bit of a mean nickname—Harry’s a good doctor and he’s great with patients. He listens to them and gives them a chance to talk.’
‘So he’s very charming, but he’s a bit careless with women?’ Isla knew the type. Only too well.
‘Harry dates a lot,’ Lorraine said. ‘He doesn’t lead his girlfriends on, exactly, but hardly anyone makes it past a third date with him.’
And lots of women saw him as a challenge and tried to be the exception to his rule, Isla guessed. ‘Uh-huh,’ she said. She certainly wouldn’t be one of them. After what had happened with Stewart, she had no intention of dating anyone ever again. She was better off on her own.
‘OK, so he’d be a nightmare to date,’ Lorraine said with a wry smile, ‘but he’s a good colleague. I’m sure you’ll get on well with him.’
So professionally their relationship would be just fine; but it would be safer to keep Harry the Heartbreaker at a distance on a personal level. Isla appreciated the heads-up. ‘Everyone else in the department has been lovely so far,’ she said, smiling back. ‘I’m sure it will be fine.’
