“We’ll be seeing you for your outpatient physiotherapy sessions.” Rick imagined that Salty might also stay for lunch when he came, since he’d taken a liking to the clinic’s food.
“Dare say you will. If I’m not busy.” Salty seemed keen to make the point that he was doing the clinic a favor by turning up.
“Of course. I’d be pleased if you could make as many of the sessions as you can.” Rick handed over the papers, along with some leaflets, and Salty took them with a sniff.
“As sawboneses go, yer not too bad. Might earn your keep on board ship.”
Earning your keep on board ship appeared to be the highest compliment that Salty could give anyone. Rick was duly grateful.
“That’s very kind, Mr. Harrington. I appreciate the sentiment.”
“Dunno why you don’t call me Salty. Everyone else around here does.”
“Thank you... Salty.” Rick held out his hand, and Salty clasped it with a ferocious grip.
“She’s a good girl. But you’ll get over her...”
Everyone else had tactfully skirted around the reason for their kindness, as if he might disintegrate at the mention of Fleur’s name. It had taken Salty to grasp the nettle, and it was something of a relief that finally someone had. Rick grinned at him.
“Thanks, Salty.” Rick decided not to ask exactly how Salty thought he was going to get over Fleur, because the answer would probably involve a long spell at sea and an encounter with a few monsters. But he didn’t think even that would work.
New York had lost none of its excitement, or its bustle. The places that Fleur loved were still there, and over the next few days she visited them doggedly, in between time spent at the theater, meeting the staff and discussing the projects that she would be involved with if she took up a position there.
She sat on a marble-topped bench in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, staring blankly at a painting that must have stirred a thousand hearts over the years. Somehow it left her cold.
The job was fantastic, everything she wanted. The theater and the people who worked there were great, and the director had told her that he just had to tie up a few formalities before he offered her the position. New York was... New York. They could have named it three times over, as far as Fleur was concerned.
But when she was alone at night, all she could think of was the roll of the sea. The winds that might take her back to Rick. The only time that she felt really alive was when she was remembering their time together, and right now feeling alive meant feeling pain.
She stared into the faces in the painting. Imagined them telling her to get a grip. Telling her that she had just one life, and that she had to get on and live it. That she and Rick had worked too hard on her rehab for her to throw everything away.
“You’re right...” Fleur realized she’d said the words out loud, because a couple of people turned to look at her. Pulling the strap of her purse over her shoulder, she stood up and started to walk.
Getting on with her life started here and now.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
RICK STOOD IN the viewing gallery, looking down at the harbor. It had become his and Ellie’s favorite place lately. She loved playing here and Rick liked to stand and watch the evening activity at the harbor. Somehow it made him feel closer to Fleur.
He watched as the ferry docked, and two cars drove off, followed by a group of foot passengers. Ivan Pobjoy’s taxi was ready and waiting, and there was the usual set of negotiations as everyone discussed in what direction they wanted to go. Rick had heard that in the summer Ivan took one passenger at a time, but in the winter, when only islanders used his service, he just filled his taxi with as many people as he could squeeze into the back seat and made a round trip.
Three people got into the taxi, leaving one figure standing on the quayside. Rick stared at it, unable to quite believe his eyes.
“Ellie...may I borrow your telescope a minute?”
Ellie nodded, and Rick disengaged the telescope from its stand, swinging it round to point at the harbor. Fleur had a case with her, and she was huddled in the meagre shelter of the taxi stand, trying to stay out of the wind. Clearly she’d been the one to volunteer to stay behind and wait for Ivan to return. Rick almost dropped the telescope.
“Ellie... Ellie, sweetheart, we have to go out.”
Ellie looked up from her building bricks. “But it’s dark.”
“Yes, I know, but this is really important. I need to go down to the harbor, and I can’t leave you here alone.”
“Why not?” Ellie’s lower lip began to quiver. Not a good sign. Ellie wasn’t much given to tantrums, but when she decided to dig her heels in she could be very stubborn.
“Because I’m your dad. And I have to look after you.”
“But you said you’d help me build a castle...” Ellie had already sorted her bricks into piles according to shape, color and size. She swept her small hand petulantly, scattering the bricks, and started to cry.
He couldn’t just snatch her up and bundle her into the car, and Rick didn’t have the time to take her on his lap and explain things the way he usually did. He had to get to the harbor. Now.
“Ellie, sweetheart...” He picked her up hugging her tight, and Ellie struggled in his arms. “It’s a special wish....all my special wishes. I promise we’ll build a castle later.”
Ellie was suddenly still, her mood changing with the suddenness that only children seemed to pull off successfully. “All your special wishes?”
There were nearly thirty special wish counters in his jar in the kitchen. But wishes were worthless without Fleur to make them with.
“Yes, sweetheart, all of them.”
Ellie nodded. “Okay.”
He hugged Ellie tight. “Thank you, sweetheart. I love you so much.”
“Come on, Dad.”
He ran down the stairs, Ellie in his arms, and bundled her into her coat and Wellington boots, putting her hat onto her head and her gloves into her pocket. His coat wasn’t in the usual place, he must have left it in the car...
“Wait! Dad!” Ellie yelled urgently.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“Why are we going to the harbor?”
“To see Fleur... I saw her get off the ferry just now.” Rick grabbed his car keys and Ellie ran over to the low shelf where the jars were kept. Reaching inside her jar, she took out the only counter she had left and put it into his hand.
“That’s my special wish, too.”
Rick felt tears pricking at the sides of his eyes. He picked Ellie up, hugging her tight. “Ellie, I love you so much.”
“You said that already, Dad. Let’s go!”
* * *
When he drove into the harbor, an excited shriek from the back seat told Rick that Ellie had seen Fleur. She was still huddled in the taxi stand, waiting for Ivan to come back from his round trip with the other passengers. As Rick drew up, parking in Ivan’s space, she saw him.
Rick got out of the car, taking off Ellie’s seat belt, lifting her out of her seat and holding her in his arms as he jogged toward where Fleur was standing. She looked...like a thousand special wishes. All he’d ever wanted. Now that he had her within reach, it suddenly occurred to Rick that maybe she’d counted on coming back to the island without seeing him.
No. She was smiling. It seemed that she had tears in her eyes, but maybe that was just the wind.
“Rick... What are you doing here?”
“I saw you get off the ferry. Benefit of living in a lighthouse.” Sanity began to leak back into his mind. “Is Josh coming to collect you?”
“No, Mom and Dad don’t know I’m here.” She reached out her hand, maybe for him, and then Ellie decided that she’d been ignored for too long and started to kick against him. Fleur took hold of her foot to stop her and raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“Ellie, honey, you’ve got your pajamas on!”
“We ran all the way.” Ellie decided to leave out the driving part in order to emphasize the urgency of their journey. “Dad used all his special wishes to get here so quickly.”
Rick closed his eyes. Maybe he’d been a little rash, and should have held back just one special wish to persuade Ellie not to mention what he’d used all the others for.
But it didn’t matter. He’d wanted to see Fleur, and if Ellie had blurted out just how much, then that was fine. He was planning on telling her himself the first chance he got.
“All of them, Ellie?” Fleur was suddenly still, gazing at Ellie.
“Yes. I gave mine, too.”
“Oh... Ellie!” She threw her arms around both of them, kissing the top of Ellie’s head. And then she turned her face up toward his, her eyes shining.
“Rick. I came back for you...”
Rick curled his free arm around her waist, holding her tight. He had everything that he wanted right here, and he wasn’t going to let Fleur go ever again.
It had taken forever to get here. Fleur’s flight had been delayed, and then the ferry had been held up, waiting for the weather to clear. But she’d made it, and by some miracle Rick had come to find her. All of the gnawing doubts and the horrible fear that Rick might send her away again were gone.
The wind whipped around the taxi shelter, rattling the flimsy roof. But neither of them moved, holding each other tight, with Ellie’s small body warm between them.
Her whole life hinged on this moment. A moment that seemed to envelop them, protecting them from the icy wind.
“Rick... I thought I could settle for second best. But I can’t. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, and I love you. If you love me, then we can work everything else out. I know we can, if we put our minds to it.”
He never even blinked. Rick didn’t hesitate for a moment. “I love you too, Fleur. If New York is your home then it’s ours as well. Home is wherever you are.” He kissed her.
“No... Rick...” She felt Ellie move between them, and Rick glanced down at his daughter. Her hands were obviously starting to get cold, and she was trying to bury them into his sweater.
Fleur reached into the little girl’s pocket to find her gloves. “I’m not going to be in New York. Or at least only for a couple of weeks every three months.”
“What? You turned the job down?” Rick watched as she blew on Ellie’s hands to warm them and then tucked them into her gloves.
“No, there was another candidate. I got the job, but he’s just as good as me and very different in his approach. I suggested that we should job share, each do four projects a year, and everyone really liked the idea. So most of the time I can be here on Maple Island... Look, maybe we should talk about this in the car.”
Rick had no coat and he was beginning to shiver. But he wouldn’t move. “Fleur, are you absolutely sure about this? Is it what you really want?”
“I love you and Ellie, Rick, and Maple Island’s my home. This is what I really want.”
He kissed her again, in a promise that would never be broken. It was everything. She was whole.
“When are we going home?” Ellie was clearly growing tired of this.
Rick looked down at her, smiling. “Right now, sweetheart.”
Fleur hurriedly extended the handle on her case, and they walked together toward the car, his arm around her shoulders. They were all going home.
EPILOGUE
Sixteen months later
RICK WAS LOOKING forward to tonight. He’d bumped into Josh when he’d popped into town at lunchtime, and found that his father-in-law had been given custody of Ellie and his baby son until tomorrow morning. Josh had taken the opportunity to bring his grandchildren to the fishing tackle shop and buy both Ellie and Ben fishing rods. Ben was a little too young to use his yet, but Josh was confident he’d grow into it.
It could only mean one thing. He and Fleur had finally closed the deal on buying the lighthouse, and they’d agreed that any big surprises for their wedding anniversary would have to wait until next year. But they could still celebrate.
He left work early, and found Fleur waiting outside the clinic in the car. He climbed into the passenger seat, leaning across to kiss her.
“Where are we going, Mrs. Fleming?”
“Wait and see, Dr. Fleming.”
Before they got there, he knew. Smugglers Cove was the best-kept secret on the island, accessible only by a narrow cliff path. In the summer it was one of the few beaches that wasn’t full of tourists.
Fleur parked the car, handing him the cool bag and slinging a beach bag across her shoulder. They climbed down to the sheltered bay and found it deserted. Laughing, as they hurriedly changed into their swimsuits, they spread the beach towel on the ground and opened the bottle of champagne that Fleur had brought.
“Happy anniversary, darling.” Rick tipped his glass against hers and they drank. “Next year we’ll be doing something special...”
She leaned forward, kissing him. “You’re all I want, Rick. You and the kids and our home here.”
“So I’ll take this back, then?” He grinned, reaching into the pocket of his jacket, which lay in a bundle with the rest of his clothes. A new baby and a piece of real estate might be enough expense for one year, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t plan ahead.
He handed her the envelope and she opened it. Then her hand flew to her mouth.
“Rick! La Scala, Milan... The Louvre... And Venice—We can’t afford all this!”
“I haven’t paid for it yet, but I’ve booked it for next year.” He had a whole year to think of another present to surprise her with.
She flung her arms around his neck. “Thank you. Thank you so much, darling.”
“We’ll dance in each city, Fleur.”
“Yes, we will. And in the meantime...” She reached into the beach bag, taking out a small packet.
He tore at the paper, and something bright fell out onto the sand. A golden disk. Rick picked it up and flipped it over in his hand. Then he broke into a wide grin.
“Is this what I think it is?”
She nodded. “I think Ellie noticed that all of your special wishes were in my jar and all mine were in yours the other morning.”
Rick chuckled. Neither of them had had a great deal of sleep that night. “This is just one, though.”
“But it’s gold. It lasts forever, so we can pass it back and forth between us as many times as we like.”
Rick handed her the gold piece. “How do you feel about a swim?” He wanted to hold her, floating together in the warm water while the sun went down.
“Perfect.” She put the wish back into his hand. “And then my wish is to go home together.”
“Wish granted.”
He handed the gold piece back to Fleur. There was no need to tell her what his next wish would be.
“I love you, Rick. Wish granted. Always and forever.”
* * *
Look out for the previous story in the Single Dad Docs quartet
Tempted by Her Single Dad Boss
by Annie O’Neil
And there are two more fabulous stories to come!
Available February 2019
If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Annie Claydon
Firefighter’s Christmas Baby
From Doctor to Princess?
Available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Surgeon’s One Night to Forever by Ann McIntosh.
Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003
Did you know that Harlequin My Rewards members earn FREE
books and more?
Join
www.HarlequinMyRewards.com
today to start earning your FREE books!
* * *
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
Join Harlequin My Rewards and reward the book lover in you!
Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever and whenever you shop.
Turn your points into FREE BOOKS of your choice
OR
EXCLUSIVE GIFTS from your favorite authors or series.
Click here to join for FREE
Or visit us online to register at
www.HarlequinMyRewards.com
Harlequin My Rewards is a free program (no fees) without any commitments or obligations.
The Surgeon’s One Night to Forever
by Ann McIntosh
CHAPTER ONE
A FRESH START. That was how Dr. Cort Smith thought of his position at Hepplewhite General.
A new beginning, far away from Denver, the snide remarks and pitying glances he’d gotten after being dumped by his fiancée just weeks before the wedding.
It was the type of move he now wished had been possible right after his honorable discharge from the army five years previously, but it hadn’t been. He’d had a promise to fulfill, and now, having done so, was free to go on with his life.
The New York City job couldn’t have come at a better time.
When he’d applied for the trauma surgeon position at Hepplewhite General, the board members who’d interviewed him had explained the hospital was undergoing a period of expansion and regeneration. There had been a sizable, anonymous donation, which, coming at exactly the right time, had allowed them to purchase land where an old warehouse had stood and begin construction to increase their capacity by twenty percent.
Resisting Her English Doc Page 17