Their sexy cease-fire!
Working together to save Paddington Childrenâs Hospital, paramedic Victoria Christie and Dr. Dominic MacBride never fail to challenge each other. Until one night they discover a new way to relieve the tension...by turning their arguments into reckless abandon!
Dom came to Paddingtonâs to escape a betrayal and has no intention of falling in loveâbut when Victoria reveals sheâs pregnant he finds himself reevaluating his lone-wolf status. Now heâs fighting for the woman who fires his blood, and their surprise baby!
Dear Reader,
I thoroughly enjoyed writing the opening book for the Paddington Childrenâs Hospital continuity series. The stories are set in a busy London hospital, and it was wonderful to work with other authors and to see all the characters come to life.
Though the book is set in London, my heroâDominicâhails from Edinburgh, which happens to be one of my favourite places in the world. As well as its stunning architecture and history, the peopleâs accent makes my toes curl! This summer I was lucky enough to spend some time in Scotland, and made a little side-trip to Edinburgh with my sister. She accused me of spending a lot of the time daydreaming, and of course I didâI didnât tell her that I was actually rather hoping to run into Dominic.
I hope he makes your toes curl, too!
Happy reading,
Carol x
CAROL MARINELLI recently filled in a form asking for her job title. Thrilled to be able to put down her answer, she put âwriterâ. Then it asked what Carol did for relaxation and she put down the truthââwritingâ. The third question asked for her hobbies. Well, not wanting to look obsessed, she crossed her fingers and answered âswimmingââbut, given that the chlorine in the pool does terrible things to her highlights, Iâm sure you can guess the real answer!
Books by Carol Marinelli
Mills & Boon Medical Romance
Desert Prince Docs
Seduced by the Sheikh Surgeon
The Hollywood Hills Clinic
Seduced by the Heart Surgeon
Playboy on Her Christmas List
Their Secret Royal Baby
Mills & Boon Modern Romance
The Sheikhâs Baby Scandal
The Innocentâs Secret Baby
Visit the Author Profile page
at www.millsandboon.co.uk for more titles.
CHAPTER ONE
âHELLO, BEAUTIFUL!â
Victoriaâs smile was friendly as she walked into the lounge ahead of Glen, to where little Penelope Craig, or Penny, as she liked to be known, lay on the sofa. Victoria had already had a conversation with Julia, Pennyâs mother, in the hallway.
Usually, two paramedics dressed in green overalls entering a home would be a somewhat nerve-racking sight for a six-year-old, but little Penny was more than used to it.
âVictoria!â
Even though she was unwell, little Penny sat up a touch on the sofa where she lay, and her huge grey eyes widened in delight. She was clearly pleased that it was her favourite paramedic who was here to take her to Paddington Childrenâs Hospital, or the Castle as it was more generally known.
âShe hoped that it would be you coming to take her,â Julia said.
Victoria gave a friendly smile to Julia and then went to sit on the edge of the sofa to chat to her patient. âYes, I was just thinking the other day that I havenât seen you in a while.â
âSheâs been doing really well,â Julia said.
There was a three-way conversation going on as Victoria gleaned some history from Julia and also checked Penny.
Penelope Craig had been born with a rare congenital heart condition and had spent a lot of her life as a patient at the Castle, but for a while she had been doing well. Her dark hair was tied in braids and she was wearing pyjamas. Over the top of them was a little pink tutu that she wore all the time.
Penny was going to be a ballet dancer one day.
She told that to everyone.
âYour mum said that youâve not been feeling very well today?â Victoria said as she checked Pennyâs pulse.
âIâm nauseous and febrile.â
Whereas most children would say that they felt sick and hot, Penny had spent so much time in medical settings that she knew more than a six-year-old should.
She was indeed febrile and her little heart was beating rapidly when Victoria checked her vital signs.
âSheâs being admitted straight to the cardiac unit,â Julia said as Victoria checked Penny over. It wasnât an urgent transfer but, given Pennyâs history, a Mobile Intensive Care Unit had been sent and Victoria was thorough in her assessment.
âThough,â Julia added, âthey want her to have a chest X-ray first in A&E.â