He knew it had been a mistake to take their relationship from that of colleagues to lovers but the passion had overtaken them and he had given in to his desire to have her in his arms, if only for one night.
Before he’d closed the door he’d silently mouthed, I will never forget you, Libby.
Then he had walked away, knowing there was no choice.
He had done it to protect her...and now he had to do everything he could to forget her. And he hoped she would do the same.
CHAPTER ONE
‘I LOVE YOU, BILLY.’
‘I luff you, Mommy.’
‘You need to be a very good boy for Grandma while I’m gone,’ Libby said, blinking back tears as she squatted down to the little boy’s eye level and ran her fingers through his thick black hair. ‘I’ll only be away for a few days, and I’ll miss you very much.’
‘I’ll be good. I promith,’ he said, and threw his little arms around her neck.
‘Grandpa’s waiting in the car to take me to the airport. I need to go now but I’ll be back soon.’
‘Grandma told me seven sleeps.’
‘That’s right,’ Libby replied, then kissed his chubby cheek. ‘I love you to the moon and back.’
‘I luff you this much,’ he said, stretching his arms as far as he could.
Libby stood up, ruffled his hair gently and redirected her attention to her mother. ‘Please call me if you need me, anytime, day or night. My cell phone will always be on. I’ll call every night but if Billy gets a sniffle or a tummy ache or just needs to talk to me during the day or night, please call me.’
‘I will, I promise. Billy will be fine with us. Now go or you’ll miss your plane,’ her mother told her as they all walked to the car, which was idling in the driveway with her father at the wheel and her luggage already in the trunk. Libby climbed into the front passenger seat and as the car drove away she watched her son holding his grandmother’s hand and waving goodbye. She felt empty already and the car hadn’t left the street.
* * *
‘Now, don’t you go worrying while you’re away, poppet,’ her father said as they merged into the freeway traffic. ‘We’ll take good care of our grandson.’
‘I know you will, Dad,’ she said, trying to blink away the tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks. ‘It’s just I’ve never been away from Billy and it’s...it’s...’
‘I know it’s hard, Libby, but, believe me, it’s probably going to be a lot tougher on you than him. Worrying and missing your child is all part of being a parent,’ he said with a wink and a brief nod in Libby’s direction. ‘But we’ll keep him busy and your mother has an itinerary to rival a royal visit. I swear you get your organisational skills from her. We’re off to the zoo tomorrow and the playground the next day, and on Thursday Bradley’s heading over to take him out for ice cream and a walk on the beach, and he’s got a play date with the neighbours’ grandchildren on Saturday... Oh, I almost missed out a day. Your mother booked tickets for that new animated car movie at the cinema on Friday. I tell you we will all sleep well this week from sheer exhaustion.’
Libby McDonald listened to all her father was saying. She appreciated everything her parents had planned for Billy so much but it didn’t help as her heart was being torn a little with each mile they travelled. She was thirty-three years of age, mother of the world’s most adorable little three-year-old boy, single by choice, and she loved her son more than life itself and didn’t want to be away from him.
‘You might have fun in the Caribbean. It’s not every day you get asked to fly to the other side of the country to tend to a wealthy patient for a week on a luxury yacht. What was his name again?’
‘Sir Walter Lansbury,’ Libby replied as she looked out of the car window, feeling no excitement at the prospect.
‘That’s right.’ Her father nodded as he flicked the indicator to change lanes. ‘He’s quite a philanthropist and a generous benefactor to the Northern Bay General Hospital. Even had a wing named after him, your mother told me.’
‘Yes, he’s very generous and that’s why the hospital board agreed to his request to have me as his post-operative nurse while he cruises through the Caribbean for seven days and nights. It’s quite ridiculous really. He should be at home, recovering, at seventy-nine years of age, not gallivanting on the open seas five weeks after a triple coronary artery bypass graft.’
‘Sounds like he’s a bit of an adventurer.’
‘Or a risk-taker and a little silly.’
‘A risk taker without doubt,’ her father remarked. ‘But he wouldn’t have amassed a fortune if he was silly.’
Libby didn’t answer because she was completely averse to risk-taking and Sir Walter taking one with his health made him silly in her opinion. She had taken a risk falling in love and that had all but ensured she would never take another unnecessary risk. She planned everything about her life and she liked it that way. Libby McDonald hated surprises and risks in equal amounts. Her life was settled and organised and was almost perfect, except for the occasional night when she couldn’t fall asleep and her thoughts turned to Billy’s father. But they were becoming fewer and fewer and she hoped in time she would all but forget him.
‘We never know what the universe has in store for us. This trip might be a life-changing experience for you,’ her father continued as he checked his rear-view mirror and took the next exit from the freeway. ‘All I do know is that Sir Walter has secured himself the finest cardiac nurse in the whole country.’
Libby smiled at her father’s compliment but she was far from convinced he was right. She felt certain there had to be other nurses who would jump at the opportunity but the hospital board had insisted she go. And there was no get-out-of-jail-free card attached to an order from the board. It was signed and sealed and in less than a week she had been packed and on her way to nurse the generous benefactor she had cared for after his heart surgery. How she wished at that moment that she had been in ER and not in his recovery team.
* * *
Later that day, Libby’s flight finally landed in Miami and she caught a cab to the Four Seasons Hotel where a room had been booked for her by Sir Walter’s assistant. Being a few hours ahead of the west coast it was getting late in Miami and the sun had set so she ordered room service, called home and said goodnight to Billy and, after eating dinner, she ran a hot bath. Surprisingly she had managed to doze just a little on the five-hour flight. Business class, courtesy of her temporary employer, was as luxurious as she had heard. But with no sleep the night before as she’d tossed about in her bed at home, she was close to exhaustion when she finally climbed into her king-size hotel bed and drifted off to sleep.
* * *
The next morning Libby woke, went for a brisk walk before she ate breakfast in her room, checked out of the hotel, and caught a cab to the marina. She was due there at eleven. Her stomach began to churn as the cab drew closer. The previous day’s uneasy feeling was returning and while it was in its infancy, she feared it could gain momentum quickly.
She lowered her oversized sunglasses and looked through the cab window at the busy road leading to the wharf and prayed that the week would pass quickly and there would be no surprises. None at all. Pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose, Libby collapsed back into the seat, second-guessing herself.
Suddenly her thoughts began to overwhelm her. The sensible, well-organised life she had created felt a little upside down and it weighed heavily on her. Her throat suddenly became a little dry and her palms a little clammy. The air-conditioner in the car suddenly didn’t seem enough and she wished she hadn’t agreed to the week-long assignment on the open seas.
She knew she would miss Billy terribly. He was her world and her reason for getting up each day, the reason she kept going, determined to create a life for the two of them.
Suddenly her cab driver made a U-turn and her hand
luggage fell onto her lap and she heard a thud as her suitcase toppled over in the trunk. She rolled her eyes, quite certain that Bradley had packed more than she would need. But she hadn’t argued as she’d had no idea what she would need. She had no clue since she had never done anything like it before.
Libby McDonald had been playing it safe, very safe, and now she felt at risk of becoming a little...lost at sea.
‘We’re about two minutes away, miss,’ the driver said. ‘I’m taking a shortcut through the back streets as the traffic jam ahead would make it fifteen.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, smiling back at him in the rear-view mirror. His voice had brought her back to the present. It was not the time or the place for doubting herself. She had to quash her rising doubts because there was no turning back.
The cab was weaving around a few narrow streets until finally Libby could see the ocean and rows of yachts of all shapes and sizes.
‘I think this is your stop,’ he announced, finally coming to a halt.
Once again, she dropped her glasses to rest on the bridge of her nose and, in an almost teenage manner, peered out of the cab window again. She spied the yacht—gleaming, magnificent and standing tall and pristine in the perfectly still blue water. It was the most magnificent ship she had ever seen. Not that she’d seen any up close and personal. Her experience was from travel shows on cable television but she had not expected it to be so grand and beautiful in reality. Regal was the word that came to mind as her gaze roamed the structure and her eyes fell on the name emblazoned across the bow, Coral Contessa. That was definitely the one. She had been told that Sir Walter Lansbury had named it after his beloved late wife, Lady Contessa.
Libby’s stomach knotted with trepidation. The yacht was going to be both her workplace and temporary home for the next seven days. Suddenly motion sickness, or something like it, came over her even though she was still on dry land.
While she had worked in both Emergency and Cardiology at the hospital for over seven years, she knew nothing of nursing on a ship. And that bothered her. Libby had consulted with the cardiologist a few days before she’d left for her trip and had been reminded that their patient had had a post-operative elevated blood pressure and a BMI that indicated he needed to lose at least twenty pounds. To the frustration of his specialist, Sir Walter loved bad food, cigars and strong liquor and he didn’t take his health as seriously as he did the stock market.
Initially, Libby had also been concerned about the number of passengers and crew and whether she would be responsible for everyone, and how many that would be in total. She had been reassured by the hospital that there would be no more than twelve to fourteen other passengers and eleven crew members, including the two-person medical team. They felt confident most of the passengers would come on board in good health and remain that way for the duration of the cruise.
She would be focused on her client and occasionally managing passengers’ nausea, the effects of too much sun or too much alcohol, the odd strained muscle or twisted ankle. There was always the risk of more serious conditions but Libby hoped her cruise on the Coral Contessa would be uneventful, busy enough to keep her mind occupied but not overwhelming. Nothing would go wrong, she reminded herself, if the number one patient followed their advice.
Everyone agreed Sir Walter would be better off not going to sea five weeks after heart surgery and instead resting at home but, being headstrong, he clearly wasn’t accepting that. She hoped the ship’s doctor was equally headstrong and together they could manage their patient.
* * *
Libby wasn’t entirely sure if the impetus for her decision to accept the job offer had been Bradley’s contagious excitement or another one of her parents’ well-meaning heart-to-heart talks about her taking chances and moving on with her life.
She was still young, they constantly reminded her, and she had so much to experience and a whole world to see. And Billy needed to grow up knowing she was not only the best mother he could wish for but also a strong independent woman who had a career and a life. Just thinking about him, her fingers reached for the antique locket hanging on a fine silver chain around her neck and she held it in the warmth of her palm. Inside was a photograph of the beautiful dark-haired, blue-eyed boy. He was the image of the father he would never know.
Libby stilled her nerves and blinked away the unexpected threat of tears she was feeling at the thought of being away from her little boy. It was only a week at sea, she reminded herself firmly, and her parents wanted so much to spend quality time with their beloved grandson. But she and Billy had never been apart for more than a day in three years. He was the light in her life and she wasn’t sure how she would cope.
True to his word, Bradley had thrown a birthday party for Billy every year and had hosted his third birthday two days before Libby had left. Their family and friends had come and showered Billy with presents as they always did, and those with small children had brought them along to enjoy the celebrations, including a face painter. Bradley had enthusiastically dressed as a giant sailor bear. He thought he’d looked like a furry member of the Village People—Libby wasn’t sure but the image still made her smile.
There had been way too much cake, far too many sweets and more balloons than Libby had ever seen, courtesy of her mother. Everyone had had a wonderful day but Libby had been preoccupied at times throughout the afternoon with doubts about her impending trip, although it had been pointless to fight the inevitable. The trip was going to happen. And everyone except Libby seemed very happy about that fact.
That night Bradley had insisted on helping her pack. He’d included a swimsuit and a light denim playsuit and a stunning silk dress that skimmed her ankles. It was deep emerald-green silk with a plunging neckline and nothing close to the practical clothes she generally wore, a going-away present from Bradley.
‘Take a risk for once!’ Bradley had told her when she’d unwrapped his parting gift. ‘You have the body for it, so flaunt it!’
Libby had frowned at him.
‘It’s perfect for you and what’s the point in having a stylish BFF if you don’t listen to me? Besides, it matches your gorgeous eyes so you have to take it.’
Libby had laughed and given Bradley a big hug. At six feet four he was almost a foot taller than her and she always felt secure in his hug, if not always secure in his choice of clothes for her. The outfit was very far removed from her usual conservative style. She wasn’t sure she would wear it, because even if she was brave enough, she felt quite sure she wouldn’t have the occasion to do so, but Bradley had insisted. He had released his arms from around her tiny waist, ignored her concerns, packed all of his choices in her luggage and had returned to her closet to find some sandals to complete the look.
‘Let’s face it, all of your cute outfits and shoes have been Christmas and birthday gifts from me,’ he had said, with a pair of unworn gold high heels he had given her for Christmas the year before balanced in one hand while he pulled another dress from a hanger, along with a sarong and a wide-brimmed straw hat. He placed all of it neatly into her open suitcase. ‘Anything conservative is staying home. I refuse to let my absolute best friend in the world morph into a soccer mom. You’re too young for that. At least wait until Billy’s actually old enough to play soccer.’
Libby smiled as she remembered his remark and silently admitted that what he’d said wasn’t too far from the truth. She knew she would never wear most of the outfits Bradley had packed but she didn’t argue. There would apparently be two ports of call, which meant that if Sir Walter wanted to go ashore she would visit the islands with him, and if not she would remain on board.
Bradley had done his research and had told her that golden sandy beaches, translucent underwater caves and exclusive private isles were awaiting her. He told her to go ashore whenever she had the chance and not to be a party pooper by staying in her cabin. As he’d held up the travel brochure
s, he’d insisted she should do everything she could. Clearly, he was going to live the next week vicariously through her.
Libby wasn’t fussed about any of it and, to be honest, wanted to get the trip over and done with so she could get back to her real life, but she didn’t tell him that. He was excited for her so she let him tell her all about the sightseeing. At least one of them was excited.
Together they’d continued to pack and had selected shorts, T-shirts, jeans, lightweight jackets and a summer dress that Libby thought were far more her style. It became a compromise, with Bradley less than enthusiastic about some of Libby’s clothing choices but agreeing if it didn’t mean his choices were sacrificed to make room for them. At the end of the packing, she’d looked at her bursting luggage, convinced it would be way too much since she was working on the ship not socialising, but again Bradley had insisted.
Through social media, he had found out that the luxury, multi-million-dollar yacht had a pool, an intimate movie theatre and even a rock-climbing wall, and he reminded her that while Billy would be well taken care of by his doting grandparents and his fabulous fashionista Uncle Bradley, she needed to have some fun.
* * *
‘She’s a beauty,’ the cab driver told her, breaking into Libby’s reverie as he climbed from the cab and popped the trunk.
‘Yes, she is,’ Libby agreed, as she collected her belongings from the back seat and met him at the rear of the car.
‘I’m sorry I’m a bit awkward with bags,’ he began as he reached into the trunk. ‘My fingers are a bit twisted. I think it might be arthritis.’
Libby looked down at the hands of the driver as he took hold of her bag. ‘May I take a look?’ she asked softly.
‘Sure, why not? Are you a doctor?’
‘No, I’m a nurse,’ she replied as she reached for his hands.
Reunited with Her Secret Prince Page 2