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A Family Of Their Own
Jennifer Taylor
The family they needNurse Leanne Russell leaves her native Australia in search of her real mother – and finds Dr. Nick Slater. Being adopted, she's dreamed of a family of her own – now she knows she wants a family with Nick.Nick is deeply attracted, hopelessly tempted, but he's vowed never to marry. It wouldn't be fair to have children of his own, and it wouldn't be fair, either, to give in to his desire for this woman – unless his love for Leanne is enough to persuade him to take a chance on the family they both desperately need.
“Why can’t we have a future, Nick?”
“Because I’m not looking for commitment and never shall be,” he said bluntly, hating to see how she winced. His fingers curled around the cup, because there was no way that he could risk holding her hand again when his emotions were so finely balanced.
“Never is a long time. You might change your mind.”
“I won’t. I can’t.”
“Can’t? What do you mean by that?” Her eyes were luminous with unshed tears and it hurt to know that he was the cause of them.
“Because I made a decision many years ago never to get involved in a long-term relationship, and I can’t go back on it,” he explained, knowing that he was glossing over the truth.
Dear Reader (#ulink_df07adc8-d9b3-5294-8f0f-526b9579841f),
People often ask me where I get my ideas for a story from and my reply is always the same: from everything I see and hear. A Family of Their Own is the perfect example.
I was passing through one of London’s busiest rail stations when I noticed a sign advertising a walk-in medical center. With almost an hour to wait before my train departed, I decided to make good use of the time by finding out about the services they offered. By the time I finally boarded the train I had enough material to write this book!
When Leanne Russell comes to London to find her mother, she takes a job as a nurse at a medical center operating out of one of London’s busiest rail stations, and there she meets Nick Slater, the charismatic head of the clinic. Leanne certainly isn’t looking for romance during her stay in England and neither is Nick, but there is no denying the instant attraction they feel for each other.
They agree to enjoy their moments together while they last, but Leanne soon realizes that she wants more than just a few weeks with this man. How can she convince Nick that they could have a future when he has put a limit on their relationship?
Nick and Leanne are two of my favorite characters and I loved helping them to get through their problems to find true happiness. I have always firmly believed that love will uncover a way to overcome any difficulties if people will only let it.
Enjoy!
Jennifer Taylor
A Family of Their Own
Jennifer Taylor
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
CONTENTS
Cover (#uef02dfac-31e0-5408-a045-a20c5b1ce4e5)
Dear Reader (#ulink_83f5d0bf-f013-5ea4-af99-78aa76b9375c)
Title Page (#u1a3ab7ed-3b70-5db7-aaef-4efad8909c49)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_e280ce9a-d2a6-5bb1-8ff1-7279bb3407a4)
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_f9a13653-4575-5dae-8952-84495fd41156)
CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_dcb3c921-8ffd-5992-9773-11e26357f9fe)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
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)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_a8386109-c3f7-551a-9aef-21f4d0caea4c)
LEANNE RUSSELL had given up a lot to come to London. As she stood in the crowded railway carriage and thought about the decisions she had made, she sighed.
She’d had a good job, a lovely flat and she had been on the verge of getting engaged, but she had given it all up without a qualm. She knew that her friends back home in Australia thought she was mad, but they didn’t understand.
Discovering that she had been adopted as a baby had shaken the very foundations of her world so that it felt as though she no longer knew who she was any more. She had tried to explain how important it was that she find out the truth about her past, but nobody had understood that, not even Michael—
Especially not Michael! she amended swiftly.
Leanne’s generous mouth tightened as she thought about the row she’d had with her fiancé, Michael Freeman, shortly before she had left for England. She had hoped that he, at least, would support her decision, but she’d been wrong.
Michael had been furious when she had told him about her plans to go to England. At first she had thought that he’d been concerned about her making the trip on her own, but she couldn’t have been more wrong. The only thing that Michael had been worried about had been the fact that the plans he’d made to announce their engagement at the staff Christmas party would have to be changed.
He’d refused to listen when she had tried to explain how important the trip was to her. As he had coldly pointed out, he didn’t see why he should be inconvenienced because she was setting out on some wild goose chase. In the end, he had cut short the discussion and given her an ultimatum: either stay at home or forget their engagement.
If anything had been guaranteed to prove what a mistake she had made by agreeing to marry him, that had been it. If she was honest, she had already started having doubts about whether Michael was the man she wanted to spend her life with, and the ultimatum had been the last straw. Michael’s needs had come first and foremost, and always would. Everyone else’s—hers included—had come way down his list of priorities.
The train drew into the station with a hissing of brakes and Leanne snapped out of her reverie. A mechanical voice was announcing that this stop was St Stephen’s and to change here for Waterloo and Embankment. She felt her heart give a nervous little jolt as she alighted from the carriage. The first day in her new job was about to begin.
It had been pure good luck that she had happened to find the advertisement on the internet asking for experienced nurses to work at HealthFirst, a medical centre operating out of one of London’s busiest railway stations. The jobs were being handled by an Australian recruitment agency, so she had arranged an interview at their office in Sydney.
She had met all HealthFirst’s requirements so the agency had emailed her application to London and received a reply, setting up a time when they could telephone and speak to her in person. Five days later she’d signed a three-month contract and faxed it back to their office.
The wonders of modern technology, she thought wryly as she took the escalator up to the station’s main concourse. The only problem being that it was a little daunting to be starting a new job without having met any of the people she would be working with.
Would they accept her? she found herself wondering as she stepped off the moving stairway. She had always made friends easily in the past but that had been before she’d found out that she wasn’t the person she’d thought herself to be. She wasn’t really Leanne Russell at all. That had been the name her adoptive parents had given her. Until she found out the truth about herself, she couldn’t be certain of anything any more.
Leanne put that unsettling thought to the back of her mind as she crossed the busy concourse. It was a little before eight and the morning rush-hour was under way. She could see the neon sign for HealthFirst glowing above the heads of the commuters. The clinic was on the mezzanine level so she ran up the stairs then paused before opening the door.
She had dressed with extra care that morning, wanting to make a good impression. Although she had been told that a uniform would be provided, it had seemed important that she looked neat and tidy and the black trouser suit and crisp white shirt had seemed the perfect choice.
She was quite tall, a little over five feet nine, with a trim but curvaceous figure, and tailored clothes suited her best. Low-heeled black pumps added a little more to her height and matched the workmanlike leather bag swinging from her shoulder.
She had pinned her collar-length, dark red hair into a French pleat and been sparing with her make-up, relying on a touch of foundation to conceal the sprinkling of freckles that covered her small, straight nose and just a lick of black mascara to emphasise her slate-grey eyes.
Lipstick was something she’d never worn since Michael had told her that it made her mouth look far too big, but just for a moment she found herself wishing that she had worn some that day. It would have helped to bolster her courage if she had been wearing full war-paint, as her mother had always called it.
Thinking about the woman who had brought her up still caused her a lot of pain so she quickly pushed open the door and went inside. There was an attractive blonde woman behind the desk and she looked up with a polite smile.
‘Good morning. How may I help you?’
‘I’m Leanne Russell, the new practice nurse. I was told to report to Dr Slater,’ she explained.
‘Oh, hi, there! It’s good to meet you, Leanne.’ The woman smiled more warmly at her this time. ‘I’m Melanie Pickering, another of the nurses here, although my contract runs out in…oh, seventy-one hours and six minutes precisely.’
Leanne laughed. ‘Not that you’re counting off the minutes, of course. Is it really that bad, working here?’
‘No way! It’s been great and I’ve really enjoyed it, but it’s time to move on.’
Melanie grinned as she got up from behind the desk. ‘I’m off to the Philippines next week and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve got itchy feet, I’m afraid, so I never stay too long in any one place. Mind you, most of the people who work here are exactly the same. Nick was only saying yesterday that it’s like the United Nations in here.’
‘Nick?’ Leanne prompted, following Melanie down a wide corridor.
The clinic was very modern from what she could see, with lots of chrome and glass and discreetly positioned lighting. They passed an elegantly furnished waiting area and she smiled at a man who was sitting on one of the comfortable chairs, drinking a cup of coffee.
She knew from the literature that had been sent to her that patients attending the clinic paid to see a doctor or a nurse according to a set scale of charges. HealthFirst offered a walk-in service so that people didn’t need to make an appointment before they arrived.
‘Nick Slater. He’s in charge for the next four months while the clinic’s director is taking an extended holiday.’
‘Another short-term contract,’ Leanne observed. They had reached the end of the corridor and Melanie paused outside a door that was standing slightly ajar.
‘Most people who work here are employed on a short-term basis. It’s one of the main attractions of the job. As for Nick, well, his feet are even itchier than mine! If you’ve got a couple of hours to spare, ask him to list all the countries he’s visited—’ She broke off and grimaced when the phone in Reception rang. ‘Starting early today from the sound of it. I’ll have to leave you and Nick to introduce yourselves. Don’t bother knocking. Just go straight in. He’s on his own.’
‘Thanks,’ Leanne murmured as Melanie hurried away. She squared her shoulders then went to open the door when all of a sudden she heard voices coming from inside the room. She paused, realising that Melanie must have been mistaken about Nick Slater being on his own. She would hate to barge in if he had a patient with him…
‘Leanne Russell. Aged twenty-four, from Sydney, Australia. Glowing references—highly professional, committed to her work, a credit to her profession, etcetera, etcetera. It all sounds rather too good to be true.’
‘Then it probably is.’
Nick Slater tipped back his big leather armchair and placed his booted feet on the edge of the desk. His hazel-green eyes were wry as he looked at the other man. ‘If something sounds too good to be true then it usually is in my experience.’
Dennis McNally laughed. ‘You’re such a cynic, Nick. She could be the real thing, a genuine, bona fide angel.’
‘I’ll believe that when I see her wings.’ Nick chuckled when Dennis groaned. ‘Sorry! Bad joke. Anyway, what else do we know about Miss Russell?’
Dennis frowned as he skimmed through the application form. ‘Not a lot. She comes from Sydney, as I said, and trained at the Royal Free. She had just been appointed junior sister on the tropical diseases ward—’ He broke off when Nick sighed. ‘What?’
‘Think about it. If you’d just been given a promotion, would you up and leave?’ Nick shrugged as he tilted further back in his chair. ‘Sounds to me as though Miss Russell might have had another reason for leaving sunny Sydney rather than a simple desire to spend the winter sightseeing in London. Could it have been man trouble, by any chance? That’s just what we need. Someone who’s going to spend all her time nursing a broken heart instead of the patients.’
‘Come on, Nick,’ Dennis protested. ‘You don’t have any idea why she decided to leave Aus. She might have had a sudden urge to see a bit more of the world. In which case she’ll fit in perfectly around here.’
‘She might,’ Nick replied, not attempting to hide his scepticism. They were under a lot of pressure at HealthFirst and the last thing they needed was a member of the team who didn’t pull her weight.
‘Well, there’s an easy way to test out your theory,’ Dennis said cheerfully. ‘If Leanne Russell is indeed suffering from a broken heart then she won’t be interested in going out on a date, will she? Ask her out and see what kind of a reaction you get.’
‘Thanks but, no, thanks.’ Nick smiled thinly. ‘I’m not in the market for a relationship, especially not with someone who might be on the rebound. The last thing I need is some clinging woman cluttering up my life.’
‘Scared she’ll turn you down?’ Dennis taunted. ‘What a blow to the old ego that would be. The great Nick Slater actually getting turned down for a date. That would be a first!’
‘There’s a first time for everything,’ he replied, refusing to rise to the bait, although Dennis’s comments had touched a nerve. Was he earning himself a reputation as being a bit of a Lothario, perhaps?
He hoped not. Just because he was careful about avoiding commitment, it didn’t mean that he played fast and loose. He was always completely open about his intentions whenever he invited a woman out, made sure that she understood there wasn’t any future for the relationship. He had made the decision to remain single after his brother Matt had died, and there was no way that he would risk hurting anyone’s feelings by not making his position clear. He had thought that he’d been handling things extremely well, but maybe he had given his colleagues a completely different impression.
He was still pondering on it when he realised that Dennis was speaking. He frowned. ‘What did you say?’
‘I said I’ll bet you a tenner that you can’t get Leanne Russell to go out with you,’ Dennis repeated obligingly. He grinned when Nick shook his head. ‘What are you afraid of? Scared the old Slater charm might not work this time?’
‘Of course not,’ Nick began, intending to tell Dennis that he had no intention of accepting such a ridiculous challenge—only he never got the chance to finish what he was saying. He felt a frisson run through him when a cool female voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.
‘I’d save your money if I were you, Dr Slater.’
Nick looked towards the door and it felt as though he had been punched hard in the solar plexus when he got his first glimpse of the woman who was standing there. In a fascinated sweep his eyes drank in every detail from the glorious, wet-fox red of her hair to the black leather pumps on her narrow feet.
His mind seemed to be awash with impressions all of a sudden, like how smooth her tanned skin looked, how soft her grey eyes seemed to be, how slender her body was under the tailored black suit so that it was a second or two before he realised that she was waiting for him to answer.
It took every scrap of self-possession he could summon to swing his feet from the desk, walk to the door and offer her his hand when he was acutely aware of the predicament he was in. Frankly, it was unforgivable to have been caught discussing her like that.
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Russell,’ he said as evenly as he could in the circumstances. ‘Welcome to HealthFirst.’
‘Thank you.’ She placed her hand in his and he barely managed to suppress a shiver when she treated him to a chilly smile.
‘However, I think it might be best if I clarify the situation before we go any further. I am neither suffering from a broken heart nor am I looking for a relationship. So if you were thinking of accepting that bet, Dr Slater, I would advise you to change your mind. I would hate you to lose any of your hard-earned cash on my acount.’
Nick knew there must be something he could say to defuse the situation. Usually he was adept at finding the perfect phrase to smooth over the most difficult moment, but the ability seemed to have deserted him all of a sudden.
He took a deep breath as Leanne Russell removed her hand from his because it had just occurred to him why he was having such problems that day. He was disappointed because she had stated that she wasn’t interested in having a relationship with anyone.
For a man who had spent his whole adult life avoiding any risk of commitment it came as a shock to have to admit it. At that moment he wished that he were anywhere in the world rather than right there in London, facing the biggest test he had ever had to face. Leanne Russell had the power to turn his life upside down if he let her. It was the fact that he couldn’t be sure of stopping her that really scared him.
Leanne took a deep breath as she walked into the room, but her heart was hammering. Maybe she could have attributed it to anger because she had been furious when she’d overheard the conversation, but it would be wrong to lie to herself.
The reason her heart was hammering was because she had been holding Nick Slater’s hand. Even now she could feel the imprint of his fingers on her skin and had to make a conscious effort not to check her hand for any visible sign. What on earth was the matter with her? Why should she feel like this after what she had overheard him saying?
‘It’s nice to meet you, Leanne. I’m Dennis McNally, head of the admin staff here at the clinic.’
She jumped when the fair-haired man standing by the desk spoke to her. It was an effort to respond when her mind was whirling, but not for the life of her would she let Nick Slater guess how unsettled she felt.
