Seven Nights with Her Ex

by Louisa Heaton

  One week to win her back!

  For neurologist Beau Judd, a medical survival course in Yellowstone Park is her chance to experience something completely different. But her trip halfway around the world only brings her closer to her past—the man who left her at the altar!

  Twelve years ago Dr. Gray McGregor made the most difficult decision of his life. Now, brought back together with Beau as they head into the wild, he realizes what a mistake it was. Can he win back the woman he loves in just seven days?

  This was it! The moment everything about her life would change!

  She would enjoy great new experiences. Get back to the basics of medicine and enjoy some survival training.

  Plastering a huge smile on her face, Beau opened the door and scanned the room full of faces, ready to say hi.

  The smile froze on her face as she realized who was in the room with her.

  A man whom she’d hoped never to see again.

  The smile left her face, and unconsciously she let her hand grip the door frame to keep her balance, wrong-footed suddenly by the shock of seeing him. Her center of gravity was distorted by the backpack, but also by this imposter—the image of the man who’d broken her heart—standing in front of her.

  Of all the parks in all the world, he has to be in mine.

  Dear Reader,

  The only times I have bumped into my ex-boyfriends—only two, I promise!—I have managed to ignore them completely. Rather successfully, too, while pretending I was having a fabulous time, laughing and chatting with my friends. I have never been in a situation where we were forced to spend time together, and if I had I don’t think it would have gone very well!

  Beau and Gray have to spend a week together, and I wanted to explore what would happen when two people who have completely different versions of past events meet and have to get along. Have to rely on one another for their very survival. Would the past get in their way? Would they be able to overcome their difficulties, their prejudices and their hurt and allow the other person back inside their heart?

  It was fun to explore this possibility—and to place the story in one of my favorite destinations in the whole world. The glorious Yellowstone National Park. I do hope you enjoy their adventure!

  Happy reading!

  Louisa xxx

  SEVEN NIGHTS WITH HER EX

  Louisa Heaton

  Books by Louisa Heaton

  Harlequin Medical Romance

  The Baby That Changed Her Life

  His Perfect Bride?

  A Father This Christmas?

  One Life-Changing Night

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

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  To my husband, Nick, who offered to take me to Yellowstone Park as a research trip.

  (But we never did get there…sigh…)

  Praise for Louisa Heaton

  “I adored this book. The characters were refreshing and the story line was emotional and tugged at my heart.”

  —Goodreads on A Father This Christmas?

  “The Baby That Changed Her Life moved me to tears many times. It is a full-on emotional drama. Louisa Heaton brought this tale shimmering with emotions.”

  —Goodreads

  “You know that feeling you get after you read an incredibly awesome book…the feeling that you don’t know what to read next because the book

  you just read was so awesome…? That’s exactly how I feel.”

  —Goodreads on The Baby That Changed Her Life

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  EPILOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  WOW! THIS PLACE is amazing!

  Dr Beau Judd drove her hire car into a vacant space outside the Gallatin Ranger Station in Yellowstone National Park. Silencing the engine, she looked out of her window and let out a satisfied sigh.

  This was it. This was what she’d been looking for. A return to nature. The vast open expanses of the American wilderness. Huge sweeping plains of golden-yellow wild flowers, ancient stone outcrops, forests of pines and fir trees, beautiful blue skies and the kind of summer weather that people back in the UK could only dream of.

  She grabbed her guidebook and flipped through the pages, determined to take every moment that she could to learn about where she was. Those golden flowers—bursting skywards like mini-sunflowers—what were they called? Beau flicked through to the flora and fauna section of her book and smiled.

  Balsamroots. Perfect.

  Her gaze fell to the text beneath the picture and her smile widened.

  Native Americans would often use the sap of this plant as a topical antiseptic.

  Now, wasn’t this what she was here for? To learn? And that plant was a perfect start to her new learning experience on the Extreme Wilderness Medical Survival Course. She’d spent too long cooped up in hospitals, on wards, in Theatre. Standing for hours, operating in the depths of a patient’s brain, gazing for too long at X-rays or imaging scans, stuck in small rooms passing along bad news, living in a sterile environment, never seeing the sky or enjoying the fresh air.

  Her life had become the hospital. She’d even begun to forget what her flat looked like. There’d been too many nights spent sleeping in the on-call room, too much time spent with patients and their families, so that she hardly saw her own. Hardly had any friends apart from her work colleagues. Hardly saw anyone she cared about at all.

  This next week would all be about Beau reclaiming herself. Getting back to grassroots medicine. Getting back to hiking—which she’d used to love, but she hadn’t worn a set of boots for years. Not unless they had a heel anyway.

  She was one of the top neurologists in England. Had spent years building up her reputation, skill set and repertoire.

  Now was the time to take some time out. For herself. Regroup. Do what she loved. Learn and hike in some of the most beautiful country on the planet.

  Beau got out of the car and sucked in a lungful of fresh mountain air. Then she popped the boot so she could get her backpack out. She’d bought all new kit—tent, clothes, equipment, walking poles. All colour-coordinated in a gorgeous shade of red. Matches the hair, she thought with a smile as she tied a bandana around her head to keep her long auburn hair off her face.

  The first day’s hike started today. She wanted to be ready. She didn’t want anyone having to slow down because of her. Here she would make friends—hopefully for life—and with this experience under her belt perhaps she could start thinking about doing that season at Base Camp, Everest. Her ultimate goal.

  She slung the backpack over her shoulders, adjusting the straps, then closed the boot, locked it. Lifting her sunglasses, she strode over to the ranger station, ready to check in and meet the other hikers. Hopefully she wasn’t the last to arrive. She’d left Bozeman a whole hour earlier than she’d needed to, but still… She’d find out when she got inside.

  It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the interior of the log cabin, and then she noticed the receptionist standing behind the counter.

  ‘Hi, there! I’m Dr Judd. I’m here for the Extreme Wilderness Medical Survival Course.’

  ‘Welcome to Yellowstone! And welcome to Gallatin. Let me see here…’ She ran a finger down a checkli
st. ‘Sure. Here you are.’ She ticked Beau’s name with her pen. ‘The others are waiting in the back. Go on through and help yourself to refreshments. They’ll be the last you’ll see for a while!’

  Beau smiled her thanks and headed over to the door, from where she could already hear a rumble of voices in the next room.

  This was it. The moment everything about her life would change! She would enjoy great new experiences. Get back to the basics of medicine and enjoy some survival training.

  Plastering a huge smile on her face, she opened the door and scanned the room of faces, ready to say hi.

  The smile froze on her face as she realised who was in the room with her.

  A man whom she’d hoped never to see again.

  Gray McGregor.

  How was he even here? In this small ranger station? In Yellowstone Park? In America? What the heck was he doing? Why wasn’t he back in Scotland? In Edinburgh, where he was meant to be?

  This had to be some sort of double. A doppelgänger.

  We all have one, right?

  The smile left her face and unconsciously she let her hand grip the door frame to keep her balance, wrong-footed suddenly by the shock of seeing him. Her centre of gravity was distorted by the backpack, but also by this imposter—the image of the man who’d broken her heart—standing in front of her.

  Of all the parks in all the world, he has to be in mine.

  The real Gray she’d not seen for… She thought quickly, her mind stumbling as much as she was, over numbers and years that suddenly wouldn’t compute. Her brain had flipped in a short circuit. Frozen. The ability to add up basic numbers was beyond her at this terrible moment in time.

  And the clone just stood there, the smile that had been on his face before he’d become aware of her presence disappearing in the same way that clouds covered the sun. His eyes widened at the sight of her, the muscle in his jaw clenching and unclenching.

  It is you.

  The noise in the room quietened as the other backpackers sensed a change in the atmosphere, but then rose again slightly as they all pretended not to see.

  It was all flooding back! All of it. The day she’d dressed in white for him. The hours spent getting her hair done at home, giggling and laughing excitedly with her hairdresser. Then the hour spent with the beautician, getting her make-up looking perfect. Putting on that dress, attaching the veil, taking hold of her bouquet and glimpsing herself in the mirror before the photographer had been allowed in to take pictures.

  The joy and excitement of the day had been thrumming through her veins as with every picture taken, every smile she gave, every pose she stood for, she had imagined walking down that aisle to be with him. Anticipating the look on his face, the way he would smile back at her, the way they would stand side by side in front of the vicar…

  Only, you weren’t there, were you, Gray?

  The heartache this man had caused…

  He looked a little different from the way she was used to seeing him. Back then he’d been fresh-faced, his dark hair longer and more tousled. Today his hair was cut shorter than she remembered, more modern, and he had a trim beard that was as auburn in colour as her own hair. And he was staring at her with as much shock in his own eyes as she was feeling.

  But I’m not going to let you see how much you hurt me!

  Deliberately she tore her gaze from him, tried to ignore her need to hurry to the bathroom and slick on a few more layers of antiperspirant, and walked over to one of the other hikers—a woman in a dark green polo shirt.

  ‘Hi, I’m Beau. Pleased to meet you.’

  She turned her back on him, sure that she could feel his gaze upon her. Her body tensed, each muscle flooded with more adrenaline than it needed as she imagined his gaze trailing up and down her body.

  Resisting the urge to turn around and start yelling at him, she instead tried to focus on what the other hiker was saying.

  ‘…it’s so good to meet you! I’m glad there’s another woman in the group. There’s three of us now.’

  Beau smiled pleasantly. She hadn’t caught the woman’s name. She’d been too busy trying not to grind her teeth, or clench her fists, whilst her brain had screamed at her all the horrible things she could say to Gray. All the insults, all the toxic bile she had once dreamed of throwing at him…

  All the pain and heartache he’d caused…she’d neatly packaged it away. Determined to get on with her life, to forget he’d ever existed.

  What was he even doing here? Surely he wasn’t going to be on this course, too?

  Of course he is. Why else would he be in this room?

  Months this trip had taken her to plan and organise. Once she’d realised that she needed a change, needed to escape that cabin fever feeling, she’d pored over brochures, surfed the Net, checking and rechecking that this was the perfect place, the perfect course, the perfect antidote to what her life had become.

  It was far enough away from home—from Oxford, where she lived and worked—for her to know that she wouldn’t run into anyone she knew. Who did she know anyway? Apart from her family and patients? And her colleagues? How many of them had planned a trip to Yellowstone at the same time as her? None. The chances of him doing the same thing, for the same week as her… Well, it had never even crossed her mind.

  Why would it? She’d spent years forcing herself to not think of Gray McGregor. The damned Scot with the irrepressible cheeky grin and alluring come-to-bed eyes!

  Eleven years. Nearly twelve. That’s how long it’s been.

  Eleven years of silence. Why had he never contacted her? Apologised? Explained?

  Like I’d want to hear it now anyway!

  Outwardly she was still smiling, still pretending to listen to the other hiker, but inwardly… Inwardly a small part of her did want to hear what he had to say. No matter how pathetic it might be. Part of her wanted him grovelling and on his knees, begging for her forgiveness.

  I’ll never forgive you, Gray.

  Beau straightened her shoulders, inhaled a big, deep breath and focused on the other hiker—Claire. She was talking about some of the trails she’d walked—the Allegheny, the Maah Daah Hey.

  Focus on her, not him.

  ‘That’s amazing. You walked those trails alone?’

  ‘Usually! I think you can take in so much more when you’ve just got to entertain yourself.’

  Was he still looking at her? Was he thinking of coming over to speak to her? Beau stiffened at the thought of him approaching.

  ‘What made you come on this course?’ she asked.

  ‘Common sense. A lot of walkers I meet on trails are…shall we say, older than me? And when I was walking the Appalachian, this guy collapsed right in front of me. In an instant. I didn’t know what to do! Luckily one of his group was an off-duty responder and he kept the guy alive until the rescue team arrived. You never know when you’re gonna be stuck in the middle of nowhere with no medical assistance!’

  Beau nodded.

  ‘What about you, Beau? What made you come on this course?’

  ‘I just wanted to get out and about, walking again. Somewhere beautiful. But somewhere I can still learn something. I want to work in the hospital tent on Everest at some point.’

  ‘Oh, my Lord! You’re braver than me! Are you a nurse, then?’

  ‘A doctor. Of neurology.’

  ‘My, my, my! You’ll no doubt put us all to shame! Promise you won’t laugh at my attempts to bandage someone?’

  Beau didn’t think she’d be laughing at anyone. The mood of her trip had already changed. Just a few moments ago she’d been carefree and breathing in the mountain air, assuring herself that she’d made the right decision to come here. But now…? With Gray here, too?

  She would make him see that she was not amused by his presence. She wasn’t anything! She had no energy to waste on that man. He’d been given more than enough of her time over the years and her life had moved on now. She was no longer the heartbroken Beau whom he had left
standing at the altar. She was Dr Judd. Neurologist. Recommended by her peers. Published in all the exclusive medical journals. Award-winning, innovative and a leader in her field.

  She would have nothing to do with him this next week, and if he didn’t like her cold shoulder, then tough.

  Beau slipped off her backpack, put it to one side and went to make herself a cup of tea at the drinks station. It would probably be the last decent cup of tea she’d experience for a while, and she didn’t want to miss having it. They had time before they set out.

  She kept her back to the rest of the room, studiously ignoring Gray.

  He would have to get used to it.

  *

  Yellowstone National Park. Over three thousand miles away from his native Edinburgh. He’d travelled over the North Atlantic Ocean, traversed mile upon mile of American soil to make it here to Wyoming, this one small spot on the face of the whole planet, and yet… And yet somehow he had managed to find the one small log cabin in the huge vastness of a national park that contained the one woman he could not imagine facing ever again.

  Why would he ever have expected to find her here? This wasn’t her thing. Being outdoors. Hiking. Roughing it in tents and having to purify her water before drinking it. Beau was an indoors girl. A five-star hotel kind of girl. Life for her had never been about struggle and survival. This should have been a safe place to come to. The last place he would have expected her to be. Wasn’t she a hotshot neurologist now? Wasn’t she meant to be knee-deep in brains somewhere?

  Seeing her walk into the room had almost stopped his heart. He’d physically felt the jolt, unable to take in oxygen. His lungs had actually begun to burn before he’d looked away, breaking eye contact, his mind going crazy with questions and insinuations as heat and guilt had seared his cheeks.

  You broke her heart.

  You never told her why.

  You deserve to suffer for what you did.

  And he had suffered. Hadn’t he?

  If only she knew how much he longed to go back and change what happened. If only she knew how much he’d hated himself for walking away, knowing what it would do to her but unable to explain why. If only she knew of how many nights he’d lain awake, thinking of how he could put right that wrong…