‘Are you all right?’ he demanded, bending so he could peer into the car.
‘I think so.’ She tentatively tried moving her arms and legs. ‘Yes. Everything seems to be working OK.’
‘What about your neck?’ he said quickly when she went to unbuckle her seat belt. ‘You can’t be too careful when it comes to neck injuries. That’s what they say on the television, how you should always make sure a person’s neck is properly supported. Maybe you should sit there until the ambulance arrives in case you do yourself any damage.’
‘Oh, but I don’t need an ambulance,’ she protested. ‘I’m fine, really.’
‘Best to make sure,’ the man insisted. ‘Anyhow, I’ve phoned them now so it would be silly not to let them check you over.’
Emma sighed. She could hardly refuse to let the paramedics treat her, seeing as they’d been summoned. She dug her phone out of her pocket and called the surgery, briefly explaining to Ruth what had happened and that she would be back as soon as possible. She had just finished when the ambulance arrived so she turned off her phone while she answered the crew’s questions.
They examined her thoroughly, checking how her pupils responded to light and making sure that she hadn’t been unconscious at any point before finally agreeing to let her get out of the car. The driver’s door was jammed against the wall so she had to slide over to the passenger seat to get out and was surprised to find how shaky she felt when she stood up. The accident had caused quite a long tailback of traffic on both sides of the bridge, too. Emma grimaced as she turned to one of the paramedics.
‘I seem to have created havoc,’ she began, then stopped when she spotted a figure running towards them. Her eyes widened in shock when she realised it was Daniel.
‘What are you doing here?’ she began, but he didn’t let her finish. Sweeping her into his arms, he stared down into her face and she was stunned to see the fear in his eyes.
‘Are you all right, Emma?’
‘I’m fine,’ she told him shakily.
‘Are you sure?’ He glanced at her car and she saw the colour leach from his face when he saw the state it was in.
‘Quite sure. Aren’t I, guys?’ She glanced at the paramedics, who added their endorsement to her claim. Daniel took a deep breath and she felt him shudder.
‘Thank heavens for that. When Ruth told me you’d been in an accident …’
He couldn’t go on but she understood. He’d been as terrified about her as she’d been about him the night before. All of a sudden the doubts she’d had melted away. Daniel loved her, he really and truly did. It was the most glorious feeling to know it for certain once more.
Reaching up, she kissed him lightly on the lips. It was no more than a token but she could tell he understood what it meant when she saw his eyes blaze with joy. Emma could feel the same sense of happiness and wonderment bubbling inside her as they thanked the ambulance crew. A couple of the other drivers helped Daniel push her car off the road so that the traffic could start moving again. Once that was done, Daniel phoned the local garage and arranged for the car to be collected.
‘That’s it, then. Let’s get you home.’ He put his arm around her waist as he led her back to where he had left his car part way up the lane. Emma slid into the passenger seat, smiling as he bent and dropped a kiss on her lips.
‘Mmm, what have I done to deserve that?’ she teased.
‘Nothing. Everything.’ He kissed her again then closed the door and walked round to the driver’s side. He started the engine then turned to look at her. ‘I love you, Emma. I know you were hurt this morning when I told you why I had ended our relationship. I did what I thought was right, although now I can see that I shouldn’t have made the decision all by myself. I just hope that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me.’
‘There’s nothing to forgive. You were trying to protect me, Daniel, because you loved me.’
‘Yes, I was. Maybe I went about it the wrong way but it was the only way I could think of at the time.’ He took her hand and raised it to his lips. ‘You meant the world to me then, Emma, just as you mean everything to me now.’
‘And you mean the world to me, too, so let’s not waste any more time.’ She leant over and kissed him softly on the cheek. ‘From now on any decisions about our future shall be made together. Agreed?’
‘Agreed!’
He gave a whoop of laughter as he planted a kiss on her mouth then put the car into gear. They headed back to the surgery and it felt to Emma as though they were floating on a cloud of happiness rather than doing anything as mundane as driving. Daniel refused to let her help him take evening surgery and dispatched her straight to the house with orders to put her feet up until he got back. Emma didn’t protest because she wasn’t sure she was in a fit state to be seeing patients while she was functioning at this level of euphoria.
She let herself into the house and waited for Daniel to return, knowing what would happen when he did, and it was just as she had expected. They made love to each other with a joy and intensity that brought tears to both their eyes.
‘I love you, my sweet Emma,’ Daniel told her as he held her against his heart. ‘I want to be with you for ever, if you’ll let me.’
‘It’s what I want too,’ she told him honestly. ‘Although I’m not sure about the logistics of it, with you working in London and me in Scotland.’
‘Trivialities,’ he assured her airily. ‘We have far more important things to worry about, like when we’re getting married.’
‘Married?’ She sat up straight and stared at him.
‘Married!’
‘Uh-huh.’ He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her slowly, grinning wickedly when he heard her moan. ‘That’s what couples do when they’re in love. They get married and live happily ever after.’
‘So this is a proposal, is it?’ she said when she could summon enough breath to speak.
‘I suppose it is.’ He suddenly rolled to his feet and knelt by the side of the bed, smiling up at her as he took her hand. ‘I’d better do it properly so there’s no mistake. Will you, Emma Roberts, do me the honour of becoming my wife?’
‘Yes,’ she whispered then repeated it much louder so there would be no mistake about her answer either. ‘Yes, I will!’
EPILOGUE
Three months later …
EMMA stepped in front of the mirror and studied her reflection. It was her wedding day and she wanted everything to be perfect, even though it had been a rush to get things organised in such a short space of time. Now she smiled as she took stock of the dress she had chosen.
Made from pure silk in the palest shade of cream, it fell in soft folds to the floor. The cream rosebuds that the hairdresser had pinned into her hair that morning exactly matched the colour of the fabric. More rosebuds had been hand-tied to form a posy which she would carry up the aisle. She knew she looked her best and hoped that Daniel would think so too. They had waited so long for this day to come and she wanted it to be special, a celebration of their love for each other.
A knock on the bedroom door heralded the arrival of her aunt. Both her aunt and her uncle had been thrilled when she and Daniel had announced that they were getting married. It appeared that they had known all along how she had felt about Daniel five years ago. Although he would never admit it, Emma suspected that her uncle had been doing a bit of matchmaking when he had asked Daniel to cover for him.
It had been Uncle Jim who had suggested that Daniel should think about becoming a partner in the practice, an offer which Daniel had eagerly accepted, much to Emma’s delight. It had solved the problem of where they should live as once they returned from honeymoon, she would be taking up a new surgical post at the local hospital. She and Daniel would start their married life in Avondale, where they had first met and fallen in love.
‘Your uncle sent me upstairs to check if you were ready,’ her aunt informed her, taking a tissue out of her bag. ‘You look beautiful, Emma, real
ly beautiful.’
‘Thank you.’ Emma gave her aunt a hug then smiled at her. ‘Shall we go? I don’t want to keep Daniel waiting.’
There was quite a crowd gathered outside the local church when they drew up a short time later. Emma smiled when she spotted Alistair Grant, who was acting as one of the ushers. The source of his problems had been traced to the old chemical drums Harold Dawson had used to block access to the wind farm. Environmental services had visited Niths Farm and removed a number of other drums containing hazardous liquids. It was good to know that the community she was going to be a part of once more was no longer at risk.
The organist struck up ‘The Wedding March’ as they stepped inside the porch and her uncle gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. ‘All set, my dear?’
‘Yes.’
Emma took a deep breath as they set off down the aisle but the moment she saw Daniel waiting in front of the altar her nerves disappeared. Here was the man she loved, the man she wanted to spend her life with. From this moment on they would be together for ever.
Daniel felt his heart turn over as he watched Emma walking towards him. It was as though every hope and dream he’d ever had had crystallised into this one moment. She stopped beside him and he saw the love in her eyes when she turned to look at him and knew she could see the same emotion in his. They loved each other. They trusted each other. They were meant to be together.
Taking her hand, he made himself a promise that no matter what happened in the future nothing would spoil what they had. Maybe he had been afraid in the past but he wasn’t afraid any longer. He loved Emma and she loved him. They had everything they needed to guarantee a wonderful life together.
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II BV/S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
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First published in Great Britain 2011
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Meredith Webber 2011
© Jennifer Taylor 2011
ISBN: 978-1-408-92474-7
Table of Contents
Cover
Praise
Title Page
Melting the Argentine Doctor’s Heart
Excerpt
About the Author
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
Small Town Marriage Miracle
Excerpt
About the Author
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
Copyright
Melting the Argentine Doctor's Heart / Small Town Marriage Miracle Page 29