Mummy, Nurse...Duchess?

The duke and the single mom!

Nurse Rosie Hobbes knows charming men cannot be trusted. Visiting pediatrician and sexy Italian duke Dr. Leo Marchetti is surely no exception! Her toddler twins are now the center of her life, and she expects Leo to run a mile when he meets them. Instead his warmth leaves her breathless!

Leo never expected to find joy as part of a family after his cold, aristocratic upbringing, but Rosie and her twins bring him to life. Can he prove to her he would make them the best husband and father—ever!

Paddington Children’s Hospital

Caring for children—and captivating hearts!

The doctors and nurses of Paddington Children’s Hospital are renowned for their expert care of their young patients, no matter the cost. And now, facing both a heart-wrenching emergency and a dramatic fight to save their hospital, the stakes are higher than ever!

Devoted to their jobs, these talented professionals are about to discover that saving lives can often mean risking your heart...

Available now in the thrilling Paddington Children’s Hospital miniseries:

Their One Night Baby by Carol Marinelli

Forbidden to the Playboy Surgeon by Fiona Lowe Mummy, Nurse...Duchess? by Kate Hardy Falling for the Foster Mom by Karin Baine

And coming soon...

Healing the Sheikh’s Heart by Annie O’Neil

A Life-Saving Reunion by Alison Roberts

Dear Reader,

I was thrilled when my editor asked me to be part of the Paddington Children’s Hospital series. I love working with other authors to build a world, and I was even happier to find that part of my book was going to be set in Italy,—which is one of my favourite parts of the world.

It was also great fun to write about small children again—I loved reliving the days when mine enjoyed going to the park and the aquarium. And one of my best friends had twins a couple of months after I had my eldest, so that brought back memories too.

But Leo and Rosie have a lot of obstacles to overcome from their pasts before they can find happiness—and they’re surprised to discover that being with each other is just the way to do it. So when Leo sweeps Rosie off to a glamorous ball he discovers that the castle where he grew up is much better filled with the laughter of children—and Rosie discovers that... Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out!

I’m always delighted to hear from readers, so do come and visit me at katehardy.com or chat to me on Facebook.

With love,

Kate Hardy

Mummy, Nurse...Duchess?

Kate Hardy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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 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: katehardy.com.

Books by Kate Hardy

Mills & Boon Medical Romance

Christmas Miracles in Maternity

The Midwife’s Pregnancy Miracle

Her Playboy’s Proposal

Capturing the Single Dad’s Heart

Mills & Boon Cherish

Holiday with the Best Man

Falling for the Secret Millionaire Her Festive Doorstep Baby

Visit the Author Profile page at millsandboon.co.uk for more titles.

To my fellow PCH authors,

who made writing this such an enjoyable experience.

Praise for Kate Hardy

“With great story build-up and engaging dialogue, A Baby to Heal Their Hearts by Kate Hardy is a sure winner!”

—Harlequin Junkie

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Booklist

Dedication

Praise

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

Paddington Children’s Hospital

THE REDBRICK BUILDING loomed before Leo in the street; the turret, with its green dome, reminded him so much of Florence that it was almost enough to make him miss Tuscany. Then again, London had felt more like home than Florence, ever since he’d first come to study medicine here as a teenager.

As the car pulled to a halt, Leo could see Robyn Kelly waiting outside the hospital gates for him, her curly blonde hair gleaming brightly in the sun. When the Head of Surgery had asked him to come to Paddington to help out in the aftermath of the fire that had ripped through a local children’s school, of course he’d said yes. Robyn had taken him under her wing when he’d been on his first rotation and had been feeling just a little bit lost; back then, he’d appreciated her kindness. And he’d also appreciated the fact that she’d seen him as a doctor first and a duke second, treating him as part of the team rather than as a special case.

This was his chance to pay just a little of that back.

There was a small group of protestors standing outside the gate, holding placards: ‘Save Our Hospital’ and ‘Kids’ Health Not Wealth’.

Which was one of the reasons why his contract was temporary: Paddington Children’s Hospital was under threat of closure, with a plan to merge the staff and patients with Riverside Hospital. Not because the one-hundred-and-fifty-year-old hospital wasn’t needed any more—the fact that the place was full to overflowing after the recent fire at Westbourne Grove Primary School proved just how much the hospital was needed—but because the Board of Governors had had a lucrative offer for the site. So, instead of keeping the hospital as an important part of the community, they planned to sell it so it could be turned into a block of posh apartments. The Board of Governors had already run staff numbers down in anticipation of the merger, to the point where everyone was struggling to cope.