All I Want For Christmas

by Emily Forbes

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  All I Want For Christmas (Pelican Beach Doctors, #1)

  ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS | EMILY FORBES

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

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  About the Author

  For my two precious boys,

  May you always enjoy reading - let it stir your imaginations and expand your world,

  With love now and forever,

  Mum

  Emily Forbes is an award-winning romance author. She has written over 25 books for Harlequin Mills & Boon and has twice been a finalist in the Australian Romantic Book of the Year Award which she won in 2013 for her novel Sydney Harbour Hospital: Bella's Wishlist.

  You can get in touch with Emily at emilyforbes@internode.on.net or visit her website at www.emily-forbesauthor.com

  All I Want For Christmas © 2017 Emily Forbes

  First North American Edition 2017

  First published UK and Australia Emergency at Pelican Beach © 2005 Emily Forbes

  Cover credit: https://www.selfpubbookcovers.com/sarahbooks

  Reproduction or use of this work, except for use in any review, in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented is forbidden without the permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, businesses, locales or events is entirely coincidental.

  ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

  EMILY FORBES

  CHAPTER ONE

  Lexi glanced at her desk calendar.

  The twenty-fourth of November.

  She knew it was just a day like any other, but every year the memory was still there. Softer maybe with the passing of time but there all the same. In the early days, she'd often found herself marking milestones that would never occur—the baby would be smiling or rolling over, cutting its first teeth or walking. Now she was no longer consumed by such thoughts and she went months at a time without thinking about the past at all. But then November the twenty-fourth would arrive,and without fail that date always sprang out at her and flung her back in time.

  As usual, on this day, her thoughts turned to Tom. She knew she could have, should have, handled things differently but at the time there'd been so many issues to deal with. She'd been overwhelmed and to say she hadn't dealt well with the situation was an understatement.

  She turned on her computer and told herself nothing was going to change what had happened; she wouldn't get a second chance so she may as well get on with things. The screen flashed into life and she clicked on the mouse, shifting in her chair as she opened the records program the practice used, getting ready for her first patient of the day. She shrugged as she mentally acknowledged the fact that today always presented her with a struggle not to look back and second-guess her decisions. A struggle not to wonder about the path her life might have taken if she'd played her hand differently. She opened the file program she used to print out her prescriptions and thought that, for a start, she might have been standing in surgery right now, scrubbed and ready to go, rather than seeing patients in a GP clinic. She brushed that thought aside. She had enough regrets without thinking about alternative career paths. Besides, having regrets wasted emotional energy. And, anyway, she was happy with how her life was turning out, happy living with her mum and Mollie. It was only because of today's date that her thoughts had wandered off in this direction.

  The intercom on her phone buzzed. 'Dr Patterson? Mrs Foster is here now.'

  'Thanks, Peggy. I'll be out in a second.'

  Lexi swallowed the last of her tea. Time to get moving. Her morning list was full as usual and she was pleased. She needed the distraction.

  As Lexi's last patient for the morning left, she dug out the agenda for the weekly staff meeting. Attached to it was a note reminding them that today they would meet Dr Ross Nightingale, the owner of several medical clinics around the country. Apparently, he was looking at adding Pelican Beach Family Practice to his stable. She supposed with a surname like Nightingale he had to be involved in the medical profession somehow, but did it have to be in Pelican Beach?

  Ok, she could hardly blame Dr Bill Norris, at the age of sixty-seven, for wanting to sell up and retire, but there had to be other options. She hadn't got around to speaking to the bank as yet but she was pretty sure they'd say she couldn't afford to buy the practice by herself. Which was why she'd meant to talk to her colleagues, Donna and Pete, to see what they thought of forming a partnership, but she hadn't got around to that yet either. Had she left it too late to get the ball rolling? Nightingale Clinics were only in the preliminary phase of their enquiries so, provided she got moving, she should still have time to look at putting together a rival bid. Just.

  She picked up the notes and headed for the staffroom, resolved to kick-start her campaign to keep control of the practice in Pelican Beach, starting right after work today. It would be another welcome distraction to the memories of today.

  Pushing open the door, she saw Donna, Pete and Peggy already seated at the table. Pete was peeling away the plastic wrap from the platter of fresh baguettes and pastries Peggy always ordered in for these meetings. In her words, it was the only way to make sure they all turned up on time.

  'Bill's on his way,' said Peggy. 'He's bringing the doctor from Sydney with him and doesn't want us to start the meeting without them.'

  ‘Did he say anything about not starting on the food?' Pete asked. Tall and lanky, with the appetite of a horse, he was always hungry and always eating, but Lexi had yet to work out where all the calories went. 'Hollow legs,' her mum would have said.

  'No, he knows better than to try to stop you from eating,' Peggy replied. Pete grinned and helped himself to a baguette before Peggy had finished speaking. Lexi filled a glass with water from the cooler in the corner of the kitchen and was standing there, leaning against the counter, when Bill came in.

  'Hello, everyone.' He paused in the doorway, obscuring another figure behind him in the corridor. 'There's been a slight change of

  plans. Ross has sent someone in his place.' He stepped into the room and motioned to his companion to come forward. 'I'd like you all to meet Dr Tom Edwards.'

  Lexi's heart lurched in her chest and with a shaky hand she put her glass on the bench. Water slopped over the side.

  She must have misheard.

  It must be a mistake.

  She was aware that Bill was still talking but his words were meaningless as she watched a man emerge from behind him.

  The years disappeared in an instant.

  There was no mistake. It was Tom.

  The other half of the twenty-fourth of November equation.

  Her heart racing, she clenched her hands at her sides, getting her tremor under control as Bill started to make the introductions. To say this was unexpected would be putting it mildly. To have him reappear in her life unannounced, and on today of all days, was nothing less than a full-scale shock. To see him looking even more handsome than when they'd parted wasn't helping. In all these years, whenever she'd thought of him, he'd always looked the same as when they'd parted. Tall? Yes. Good-looking? Yes, with his tanned skin and sun-kissed hair. But the five years had changed him, too, had worked their magic to mold him into a strong, strikingly e
ye-catching man. The person standing in front of her was definitely Tom, yes, but this was some Tom. This was Tom with a twist, Tom with a capital T for Totally hot. Her eyes were wide as she ran her gaze over him, taking in the new breadth of his torso, the bulk of his adult body evident under his well-cut jacket and shirt, his air of confidence sitting easily on his broad shoulders.

  Tom must have felt her staring—well, she hadn't taken her eyes off him since he'd entered the room, so that was hardly surprising—and now he turned towards her for a moment. She could see her shock mirrored on his face as he recognized her, but he seemed to recover his composure more swiftly than she had. As he turned to Donna, whom Bill was now introducing, the little thread of vanity she had made her wonder what impression he'd had of her.

  Tom's focus was entirely on Lexi's colleague. He'd scarcely missed a beat when he'd seen her, so she knew no one would suspect anything. Unless they'd been watching her reaction but then it would probably have been put down to a case of instant lust. Even the very-married Donna was flushed and chirpy when faced with the gorgeous Tom.

  Lexi saw him extend his hand, saw his lips move as he spoke, but the words didn't penetrate her mind. She was making a catalogue of Tom. Her mental inventory needed serious updating.

  He'd be thirty-two now, still young. Her initial impression had been right. Fit and tanned, his brown skin highlighting his blue eyes -those details were the same. She'd often consoled herself that he'd be overweight and balding now, but she'd been spectacularly off the mark. His hair was still thick and curly with no sign of a bald patch, and he certainly had no middle-age spread.

  He'd kept all the blessings of his youth and now they were complemented by a multitude of favors bestowed by physical maturity. But it wasn't just the improved solid, well-muscled shape of him that struck her as new. Neither was it just the unfamiliar angles and contours that had emerged in his face, on which she also couldn't help noting that even the few lines he now had sat well.

  There was something in his manner of holding himself, in the way he seemed comfortable in his own skin that was, put simply, breath-taking.

  He was shaking Pete's hand. It would be her turn next, and as he stepped towards her she breathed in and added to her inventory the fact that he still smelled incredible, all sea and salt and things outdoorsy.

  He didn't wait for an introduction, didn't pretend they didn't know each other. No surprises there, then, that wouldn't have been his style in the past either. 'Hello, Lexi.'

  That was it. Two words. No "It's good to see you', because it probably wasn't.

  Lexi kept her hands by her sides, waiting for him to put his hand out first. She attempted to smile but her face felt frozen.

  Her heart continued to beat at a furious pace, drumming in her chest. Could anyone else hear it?

  He didn't move to shake her hand and Lexi just managed to resist the urge to reach out and touch him, to make sure he was real, but, of course, she didn't. Instead, she looked at his hands, willing him to make the first move. And then she saw it.

  A wedding ring.

  He was real but this wasn't fate intervening. This wasn't going to be that second chance about which part of her had always dreamt. He wasn't here because of her. And he wasn't available.

  She swallowed her disappointment, surprised to find how bitter it was after all this time.

  ‘Hello, Tom.' She turned, rather abruptly, to take a seat at the table, unsure of the protocol here, hoping Bill would get the meeting under way and she'd be able to ignore Tom and concentrate on the proceedings. But, of course, she couldn't. She couldn't ignore Tom, which meant she definitely couldn't concentrate.

  She tried to reread the agenda, to focus on something mundane, but her gaze was tugged in the direction of her thoughts, to the other end of the table, to Tom. He was sitting next to Bill, looking relaxed and self-assured. His eyes met hers and Lexi felt a flash of something—nervous excitement?— shoot through her. She tried to make her expression blank but her emotions had already been raw today, even before he'd walked in, and she knew she was failing to achieve a neutral expression. She couldn't believe he'd turned up in Pelican Beach, today of all days.

  Tom had glanced her way a couple of times now, to find her still watching him. Only the embarrassment of having him think she couldn't tear her eyes away from him helped her break the contact and turn her focus to Bill.

  'It's no secret I want to retire,' Bill was saying. 'I want to sell the practice as a going concern and I've had a few feelers out. Nightingale Clinics have expressed an interest.'

  Lexi tried to concentrate—after all, this was her livelihood that was being discussed—but within seconds her mind had wandered again. She doubted anything new would be raised at today's meeting. She already knew Nightingale Clinics were about to embark on an assessment of the practice. No decisions would be made for some time. The only thing she needed to know was how long Tom was going to be here. And when the conversation turned in that direction, she trusted her intuition to tune straight back in, so let her mind travel back in time unfettered.

  The last time she'd seen Tom he'd been about to fly to Sydney for an interview. Five years and ten days ago. He'd wanted to marry her and she'd been tempted, so very tempted, to drop everything and run away with him. But that hadn't been part of her grand plan. At least, not at that point in time. How different would her life be now if she hadn't been so stubborn and immovable? So sure that she'd known what was best?

  In her mind, her pregnancy had been a major complicating factor, not a reason to get married. How could she ever have known whether he'd really wanted to marry her or if he was just doing what he thought was the right thing? She'd turned down his proposal and he'd left for Sydney to do his GP training. She hadn't seen him again. Until today.

  Her vision focused once more and she chanced a quick glance in his direction. The years fell away each time she looked at him. He must have felt her silent examination again, and he turned to her, this time offering a half-smile. Lexi wiped damp hands on her trousers and tried to return his smile, but before she'd quite mastered it, he'd turned his attention back to Bill.

  She let her vision blur, knowing she looked like she was listening but was neither seeing nor hearing. He'd obviously finished his training and somewhere along the line had got married.

  How soon after her had he met his wife-to-be? She gave a slight automatic shrug, thinking that it didn't matter either way: it was obvious that boat had well and truly sailed. He probably even had a few children by now.

  And what had she achieved in that time? She was a qualified doctor but nothing else on her list from five years ago had been ticked off.

  'Lexi?' She felt Donna nudge her as she spoke. She blinked and brought her mind back to the proceedings to find Bill wrapping things up and Donna looking at her a little quizzically.

  'Did I miss anything?' she muttered.

  'Nothing important. Looks like we're in for a few weeks of observation, though. Not that I'm going to mind being observed...' she gave a slight nod in the direction of Tom '...by him. In fact, I might volunteer for double shifts.'

  Lexi gave the smile that was expected of her but stayed seated as Donna left, taking her time to gather her few things, intending to stall until the others had also vacated the room. Trying to look busy straightening papers that didn't need attention, she could feel that Tom was still there. She didn't need to look up to know that he was watching her—all her nerve endings were tuned to his frequency. He was clearly not leaving so she pushed back her chair and stood. Lifting her head, she looked into his eyes and broke the silence. 'What are you doing here Tom?'

  He came around to her side of the table and perched on the edge, swinging one denim-clad leg. 'Just what Bill said. I'm here to look at the viability of this practice and see whether it's one Ross would want in his group.'

  'How long do you plan to be in town?' She knew she sounded uptight, the complete antithesis to Tom's relaxed demeanor, but
what could she do? So much water had flowed under the bridge—and he only knew half the story. What would he say if he found out what had really happened all those years ago? And on top of that, her libido had been catapulted into full-blown action at the very moment she'd seen him again, after lying pretty well dormant all these years. And there was no way she was going to let him know that.

  'A few weeks. I'm taking some holiday leave as well.' Even his voice had grown stronger. Deep and rich and smooth, it strummed on her nerve endings, making her worry that her knees might give out on her. All a purely physical reaction, that could no doubt be scientifically rationalized by the presence of pheromones or something, if she could get her brain thinking straight. Which she would. Right after she'd finished letting his voice wind its way about her. 'I've heard the surfing's pretty good in these parts.'

  The movement of his leg was distracting. Swing. Focus. Swing. Focus.

  He was too close. Could she reach out and touch him? Move away.

  'I'm sure there are plenty of surfing beaches around Sydney, too.' Her voice sounded stilted, unwelcoming, but at least he wouldn't guess she was having vivid mental images of slipping into the curve of his arm, pressing herself against that chest, feeling whether it was as hard and well defined as it looked.

  'Don't worry, Lex.' The grin he aimed her was friendly. He didn't seem offended by her demeanor, just amused. 'I'm here to do my job and have a vacation, not to upset the apple cart. I had no idea you worked here.'

  Stupidly, disappointment surged through her as he confirmed that he hadn't come searching for her. Which she'd known, but who could blame a girl for the odd deluded fantasy?

  'I've only been here for a year.' There was still the trace of an edge in her tone. Well, she was on edge, but if Tom noticed, he chose to ignore it and kept sitting by her, seeming happy to chat, to fill in a few unknown details. 'So tell me, are you working full time? Part time? Doing further study?'

  'Full time. Bill's planning his retirement so I've taken on a lot of his caseload. The town is expanding and the practice keeps me busy.' She was pretty busy outside work, too, but she didn't want to waste time telling her story, not when there was so much she longed to know about him. Are you busy? Too busy to ever think of me?