скачать книгу бесплатно
Dare She Date Again?
Amy Ruttan
DARE SHE DATE AGAIN?Single mum and paramedic Samantha Doxtator was broken-hearted after losing her husband. Now she’s finally following her dream to become an air ambulance pilot… after mentoring paramedic trainee George Atavik! Since nearly losing his life in a plane crash George doesn’t hold back on life – or on the sparks flying between him and Samantha. Does she dare risk her fragile heart for one last chance at happiness?
She knew what was happening. She was in his arms … their lips were together.
He was kissing her and she wasn’t fighting.
God help her, but she loved being in his arms, melting.
Though she should stop it, she couldn’t. She didn’t want to stop it.
She wanted to savor this moment. To take it with her when they went their separate ways.
It doesn’t have to be separate ways.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered breathlessly against her neck. “I shouldn’t.”
“No, you should.” She kissed him again. “There don’t have to be promises, George. Let’s just have this time and see what happens.”
“Samantha, if you touch me again … if you look at me a certain way … I may forget that we aren’t together. I may forget that we’re only supposed to be friends.”
“So then forget that.” She kissed him. “Give me this. Please.”
He’d come to her door tonight. He’d opened up. And maybe nothing would continue once they got up north, but she couldn’t resist him.
The kiss deepened, his tongue melding with hers, his hands in her hair as he pressed her against her couch, his hands traveling up and down her body, chest to chest, but not skin to skin, which was what she wanted.
Samantha grinned as he scooped her up, holding her in his strong arms.
If she didn’t do this, she’d regret it.
And she was tired of living with regrets.
Dear Reader (#ulink_deafd2bf-b914-59f4-a845-cc7acdec1e6d)
Thank you for picking up a copy of DARE SHE DATE AGAIN?
You might recognise the hero, George Atavik, from my debut Mills & Boon
Medical Romance™, SAFE IN HIS HANDS.
George was such a charming, interesting character. I knew from the very first moment he walked onto the page in my first book, spouting nonsense about his love of Westerns and his love of planes, that he would have to have his own book.
Of course I wasn’t going to make it easy for George. He had to work hard for his story, and for the heroine Samantha—but then love is never easy, even after it’s won.
I love stories of second chances, even if that second chance is with someone different. Sometimes love ends too quickly when our loved one is taken from us, either through death or drifting apart. Still, love always seems to find a way.
I hope you enjoy DARE SHE DATE AGAIN?, and I hope I’ve done justice to George’s story.
I love hearing from readers, so please drop by my website, www.amyruttan.com (http://www.amyruttan.com), or give me a shout on Twitter @ruttanamy (http://www.twitter.com/ruttanamy).
With warmest wishes
Amy Ruttan
Born and raised on the outskirts of Toronto, Ontario, AMY RUTTAN fled the big city to settle down with the country boy of her dreams. When she’s not furiously typing away at her computer she’s mom to three wonderful children, who have given her another job as a taxi driver.
A voracious reader, she was given her first romance novel by her grandmother, who shared her penchant for a hot romance. From that moment Amy was hooked by the magical worlds, handsome heroes and sigh-worthy romances contained in the pages, and she knew what she wanted to be when she grew up.
Life got in the way, but after the birth of her second child she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a romance author.
Amy loves to hear from readers. It makes her day, in fact. You can find out more about Amy at her website: www.amyruttan.com (http://www.amyruttan.com)
Dare She Date Again?
Amy Ruttan
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
This book is dedicated to my editor, Laura McCallen, who believed in this book and who believes in me. Thank you for all you do.
Table of Contents
Cover (#uf38acf02-c73a-5d0c-b10d-407d2a1422fa)
Excerpt (#u15fbfcd1-5b16-51b3-a3ee-606ede231a97)
Dear Reader (#ulink_47e28bd3-05e0-5ce7-a083-8efd1e3d0c50)
About the Author (#u5867a900-0826-5f91-ab5d-1b75d6a4a51c)
Title Page (#ufdc5e3e1-9015-5dc4-9159-368164e128c8)
Dedication (#ua7546202-f268-5837-91a8-563e14f700f1)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_ff45fc83-c296-524a-9507-5e237d383238)
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_a288bef1-142a-589f-89d0-7ea2a06d5288)
CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_41f85bb4-3b86-508f-8430-c9e937b2dea5)
CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_73434bd1-303a-51cb-b732-2c4af2f14940)
CHAPTER FIVE (#ulink_193acfe4-7565-5ea4-a100-a98ae68528e8)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_8719696d-5aa0-5a68-9f7a-4cf9d12939b6)
JUST ONE MORE training session.
Another two months. That was it.
Samantha Doxtator took a deep breath and looked at the roster. She only had to mentor one more paramedic in training and she could leave her Health Air training job behind and move on to their air program in Thunder Bay.
Thunder Bay was her dream. She’d bought a house there. She’d finally give her son the life he deserved and best of all she’d be in the air, saving lives.
She walked over to where the dispatcher, Lizzie Bathurst, was handing out the prospective paramedics’ files to their mentors.
“Morning, Lizzie.”
Lizzie didn’t say anything, but that wasn’t unusual for her.
“So who am I mentoring for this last session?” Samantha asked eagerly, putting the emphasis on the word “last” as she clapped her hands and rubbed them together.
She was so ready to move up to Thunder Bay now. Most of her family had relocated up there when her father had died. In the north, her son Adam could grow up with cousins. He’d have a yard to play in instead of a patio off a ground-floor apartment.
Adam would be able to run and play outside, like she had been able to do when she’d been a kid growing up out in the country.
Adam may not have his dad any more, but he’d have a great, love-filled childhood. Thunder Bay had been her and her late husband’s dream since they’d started training to become paramedics fourteen years ago.
It had just taken her a lot longer as her training had been sidetracked when Adam had been born and then Cameron had died.
Don’t think about that.
Though she missed Cameron, he’d been gone for some time. She usually welcomed him into her thoughts, but not today.
Today she had a job to do and she was going to complete it perfectly, so that her credentials would shine.
Work and giving it her all was how she’d managed to get through the years since Cameron had died. She didn’t know any other way, or at least couldn’t remember.
Samantha forced a smile again, trying to think about the positive. In a couple of months she’d be piloting a plane.
“Who will be my last, glorious graduate?” she asked.
Lizzie looked down her nose through her half-moon glasses. “‘Glorious graduate’?”
Samantha frowned. “You’re giving me a tough one, aren’t you?”
Lizzie grinned. “You’re the best. You can crack the hard nuts.” She handed Samantha the file, which Samantha took with trepidation. She flipped it open to read the information.
“George Atavik. Wow, he’s a long way from home.” Samantha was impressed. They hadn’t had anyone from so far north come down this far south to take this program. “Wait, this says he’s a pilot, with a heck of a lot of air time, but he wants to work in an ambulance?”
“I told you. A hard nut. He’s got an impressive résumé and I want him in the air. You need to convince him to take Health Land and Air’s training to become a pilot with them. I hate seeing talent go to waste.”
Samantha worried her bottom lip. Drat. Why couldn’t her last student be an easy one? Then again, she’d never been given the “easy” ones and she couldn’t help but wonder if there was some kind of conspiracy against her.
“Hey, you’re not sticking him with me because of our shared heritage, are you?” Samantha teased.
Lizzie’s gaze narrowed. “Don’t play that with me. You just want someone else.”
Samantha chuckled. “Okay, you got me.”
“You’re the best, Samantha. You have the most experience working in ambulances.”
“You’re just buttering me up now. You’re never this nice.”
Lizzie grinned, one of those evil grins, and then it disappeared. “I don’t know why he won’t fly.”
Samantha glanced at his file. “Maybe he wants to diversify. There aren’t many ambulances up in Nunavut.”
“Health Land and Air would like him to pilot, but if you can’t convince him, we’ll take him any way we can get him. Thunder Bay is short on ambulance operators so when he gets there at the end of the course he’ll be snapped right up. By the way, you’re working solo on this too.”
“Solo?” Samantha asked. Now she really was shocked. “Usually we work in threes.”
“Usually, but George Atavik has experience and he doesn’t need the extra attention. Besides, as I said, you’re the best.”
Samantha nodded. “All right. I’ll try.”
“Don’t try. Do. Now, go out there and meet him. The new recruits are meeting their mentors now.”
Samantha tucked the file under her arm and headed into the other room, where about ten new recruits for the advance care program were arriving and their mentors were meeting them.
She spotted him from across the room. Well, the back of him as he was the only recruit standing by himself. The only one who looked completely at ease and didn’t seem to be giving off a nervous energy.
“Atavik, George,” she called out.
