The Army Doctor's Christmas Baby
By
Helen Scott Taylor
*
Copyright © 2013 Helen Taylor
Cover design © Helen Taylor
*
The right of Helen Taylor to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
This is a work of fiction. 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. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Copyright owner.
Chapter One
The taxi pulled up outside a quaint thatched pub with twinkling Christmas lights strung along the eaves and around the mullioned windows. Kelly Grace hugged her long fleece coat tighter over her scanty clothing. On this cold winter's evening the place looked welcoming, but the last thing she wanted to do was go inside. She had made a huge mistake.
"I can't do this," she said to her best friend, Maj. Cameron Knight. He and his wife, Alice, were crammed in the back of the taxi with her.
"Come on, Kell, you promised," Cameron said.
She hadn't promised, but in a moment of weakness she had agreed to deliver a singing telegram to one of Cameron's friends at his birthday party.
Now she had cold feet. In fact, in the skimpy bunny girl outfit she had cold everything. She'd worked for a singing telegram service when she was a student. Back then, walking into a room full of strangers in a weird costume hadn't bothered her. Ten years later she wasn't as confident, even after a glass of wine to bolster her courage.
"You look lovely, Kelly," Alice said with a smile, understanding Kelly's fears although Cameron was plainly oblivious.
Cameron handed some cash to the taxi driver and reached across Kelly to open the door. "Let's hurry. I don't know how long Sean will stay. It wasn't easy persuading him to come. I want him to have a bit of fun tonight. He works so hard, he deserves it."
"Hey." Kelly dug in her heels and stayed put. "What do you mean by fun? I agreed to sing 'Happy Birthday' and give the man a quick kiss. That's all."
"I know. But you'll hang around and chat with him, won't you?"
"Yes. If he wants me to. But I'm not an escort service."
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Cameron looked mortified.
Alice giggled. "I can't imagine Sean needs help getting a date if he wants one."
"He told me he doesn't have time to date," Cameron said. "But every man needs female company occasionally. He's a nice guy, Kell. I think the two of you will hit it off. I only want you both to be happy."
Cameron was matchmaking. Kelly almost laughed at the irony. She opened the car door and stepped out into the freezing cold. Tiny specks of ice swirled in the wind, stinging her exposed lower legs. She shivered. This was not a night to be clad in nothing but fishnet pantyhose, stilettos, and a black swimsuit. Oh, and bunny ears; how could she forget those?
Cameron slid out behind her, circled the vehicle, and helped his very pregnant wife to stand and carry the cake box. Alice was normally small and delicate, but right now her belly was nearly as round as she was tall. She must be uncomfortable, but Kelly would swap places with her in a heartbeat. Alice had everything Kelly longed for—an adorable toddler, a baby due any day, and Cameron.
Kelly's breath rushed out in a smoky plume of regret and sadness. She turned away from the sight of the man she loved with his arm curved protectively around his wife as he helped her cross the slippery car park.
A burst of warm air fragrant with the smell of wood smoke and cooking met Kelly as she pushed open the pub door and stepped into the cozy interior. A log fire crackled in the hearth and low oak beams decorated with horse brasses crisscrossed the ceiling. In the corner, a modern silver and purple Christmas tree looked as out of place as Kelly felt. She hesitated and waited for Cameron and Alice to catch up.
"Where's the birthday boy?" she asked.
"His name's Sean."
"I know." She'd heard of Col. Sean Fabian; all the army doctors and nurses she worked with had. He and Cameron's brother had designed battlefield protocols for treating serious trauma that were used by military medics across the globe. She'd partly agreed to this crazy scheme because she wanted a look at the army's famous plastic surgeon.
Cameron took the cake from his wife and stepped past Kelly. "Sean's in the other bar. He'll be easy to spot. He's the only guy with blond hair." He set the box on the polished oak bar and pulled out the cake. "Let's put the candles on, then Alice and I'll go in. Give us a few minutes before you follow with the cake."
"Fine." Kelly kept her coat buttoned, acutely aware of the men in the bar eyeing her fishnet-clad legs.
Alice held out a hand. "Let me take care of your purse for you."
Kelly handed it over. "Thanks."
"Sean really is a nice guy," Alice said. "Don't be put off by his looks."
"What's the matter with him?"
"Nothing, believe me. Nothing at all." Alice gave an enigmatic smile before waddling across the room towards the lounge bar. Meanwhile, Cameron had pushed five candles in the chocolate icing and lit them.
"There you go. All ready." His lips quirked in a mischievous grin. "Do I get a sneak peak at the bunny girl outfit?"
"No. You'll see it soon enough." Kelly shoved him in the direction Alice had gone. "Go and make sure your wife is comfortable."
"Yes, ma'am." He saluted and headed across the room. "Don't be long," he threw over his shoulder as he left.
The tiny candles atop the cake splintered into starbursts of light as sudden tears filled Kelly's eyes. Now that she'd left the army, she would miss Cameron so much. The thought of never working with him again twisted a painful knot in her chest.
A corner of Kelly's heart would always belong to Cameron, but she liked Alice and wished them only good things. Still, she had put off telling Cameron that she'd resigned from the army. When she did, he was bound to ask questions she didn't want to answer.
Unbuttoning her coat, she pulled it off and hung it by the door, suddenly not caring who saw her in the skimpy outfit. What did it matter? In a few weeks she would be working for a charity, nursing poverty-stricken children in Somalia. It was unlikely she'd see any of the people here again for a long time.
She just had to get through the next few weeks. Christmas was a time for children and families, a tough time for her. She normally liked to be overseas in a field hospital somewhere.
Ignoring the blatant stares, she grabbed the cake and followed her friends. She needed to deliver it before the candles burned down to stubs in pools of wax, ruining the delicious chocolate icing Alice had made.
Kelly peered around the door into the crowded interior of the lounge bar. Groups of comfy sofas dotted the room and the hum of happy conversation filled the air. She spotted the army group standing by the bar and noticed the back of a blond man's head.
Cameron caught her gaze, grinned, and nodded.
"Happy birthday to you," she sang and stepped forward, holding the cake aloft. As one, the group turned and most joined in the song as if they had been expecting her.
Curious to meet this brilliant army doctor, she fixed her gaze on Col. Sean Fabian. As he met her gaze she stumbled, nearly dropping the cake, the familiar words to the song dying in her mouth. Oh my goodness! The man was stunning
, his eyes an extraordinary aquamarine color, like nothing she'd ever seen before. Alice's strange comment about not being put off by his looks suddenly made sense. He was so good-looking, it was intimidating.
Kelly's cheeks heated with embarrassment—if only she'd taken a moment to check her makeup in the restroom when she arrived. Somehow she closed the distance between them and held out the cake.
"Happy birthday," she mumbled.
A grin kicked up the corners of his mouth. He gave her a crooked smile, dimples appearing in his cheeks, those incredible eyes sparkling with pleasure. Her stomach flipped and she struggled to draw in air. No way could she kiss this man in front of everyone. No way.
"Thank you very much. This looks delicious." His gaze flicked from the cake to her face as he took the chocolate confection and placed it on the bar.
"Kiss, kiss," Cameron chanted and some of the others joined in.
Although it would be embarrassing to kiss Sean, it would be more embarrassing to refuse. She really had no choice. Obviously a gentleman, he waited for her to make the first move.
Her high heels brought her eye to eye with him. In a dreamy daze, Kelly stepped forward, rested her hands on his lapels, and leaned in. His fingers gripped her waist, gentle yet firm. The wool of his jacket brushed her skin, making her feel vulnerable, wearing so little while he was fully dressed. He smelled delicious, spicy, with a hint of baby powder that squeezed her heart.
"I don't know your name," he whispered as if for her ears only.
"Kelly Grace." Her words were little more than a breath of sound as she leaned closer, his mouth mere inches from hers.
Her eyelids fell as their lips touched, barely a kiss, but enough to wipe her mind in a heady rush of sensation.
For the first time in seven years, she wanted to melt into the arms of a man who wasn't Cameron Knight.
***
Eyes closed, Sean inhaled Kelly's floral fragrance and flexed his fingers against her waist. His heart pounded as he pressed his lips to hers in a sweet kiss. He hadn't touched a woman since his wife, fearing any intimacy would rouse painful memories. Yet kissing Kelly was nothing like kissing Eleanor. There was a gentleness about Kelly that put him at ease.
Instinct demanded he draw her closer and kiss her properly, but a busy pub was not the place for that.
Opening his eyes, he took half a step back and reluctantly let his hands drop to his sides. Kelly glanced at him beneath her lashes then averted her gaze, somehow managing to appear demure even though she was dressed in little more than her underwear.
He shrugged off his jacket and settled it around her shoulders. Covering her up seemed silly, given the circumstances, but he sensed she was uncomfortable. "Is that better?" he asked softly as she adjusted the jacket swamping her slender form.
"Yes, thanks."
"I don't usually bother much about my birthday, but you've made this one to remember. Would you like a glass of champagne?"
"That sounds great." She flashed him a smile, a hint of vulnerability in her warm brown eyes that made him want to wrap a protective arm around her. He settled for placing a hand on her back and easing closer to her side as he handed her a full glass.
Sean's younger brother, Daniel, grinned, giving him a thumbs-up. The bunny girl was the sort of entertainment Daniel would have booked, but as he'd flown in from New York a couple of hours ago, that was unlikely. The only other one of Sean's friends who'd pull a stunt like this was Cameron.
He checked Kelly had enough champagne, then touched her arm. "Excuse me a moment. I'll be right back."
He edged through the crowd and offered Cameron his hand. "Thanks, mate. That was a nice surprise."
Cameron shook his hand and slapped him on the back. "You're welcome. I thought you and Kelly Grace might hit it off. We've been stationed overseas together many times and she's a great girl."
So Kelly was an army medic. Sean glanced back at the beautiful woman, her thick mass of dark hair glinting with mahogany highlights, her shapely legs so long they seemed to go on forever. Sean might have found time to ask Kelly out, but he didn't date anyone he was likely to work with. His job at the military hospital was too important to risk compromising it in any way.
With a sigh of regret, he shouldered back through the crowd to her side. True to form, Daniel had moved in to flirt with her, his date scowling beside him. Sean gave his brother a hands-off look.
Daniel grinned, unabashed, and looped his arm around his date's waist. "Well, you're another year older, and I'm jet-lagged so I'd better head off and get some shut-eye. Are you coming to Mum and Dad's for Christmas?"
"Maybe. I'll see how it goes."
"In other words, no," Daniel said.
Sean shrugged. It was no secret that he and his father didn't get along. Ever since Sean left his father's exclusive cosmetic surgery clinic in London to join the army, relations had been chilly.
"Okay, well, I'll see you sometime over Christmas," Daniel said. "I want to see my two little nieces. I have lots of fun presents for them."
"You're welcome anytime. You know that." Daniel might have his faults, but Sean's twins, Zoe and Annabelle, adored him—probably because he was a big kid at heart.
Sean embraced his brother and gave a wry laugh when Daniel play-punched him in the stomach, catching him off guard.
"You're getting slow, old man. I thought you army guys had lightning-fast responses."
"The only thing I do lightning-fast these days is fall asleep when my head hits the pillow. Looking after two babies and working full time will do that for you." Not that he minded; his career and his girls were his life—they were all he needed. Or he'd thought they were until an attractive bunny girl walked into his life and woke up his libido.
He cast Kelly a longing glance as she sipped her champagne and smiled, appearing far more relaxed now Cameron had moved to her side. Kelly Grace was a beauty indeed, but even if she weren't out of bounds, Sean had his hands full with his girls and his job. He didn't want the extra complication of a woman in his life. He'd been there and done that. In his experience, women caused nothing but trouble and heartache.
***
"Are you sure you don't mind giving me a ride? I can call a taxi." Kelly slipped her arms in her sleeves as Sean held up her coat.
"Of course I don't mind. The army housing is on my way home."
Kelly had planned to share a taxi home with Cameron and Alice but they'd rushed off to the hospital. Alice's back had started aching and she was worried the contractions had begun.
The cold nipped Kelly's face as she hurried across the car park beside Sean. He juggled the box, containing the remnants of his birthday cake, and a couple of wrapped presents as he fished in his jacket pocket for his car keys.
The locks popped on a silver SUV and he opened the door for her to climb in. The interior smelled of children, the blended fragrance of baby products that took her back seven years to her time working in pediatrics.
Sean jumped in beside her, dumping his cake and presents on the floor in the back before rubbing his hands together. "It's darned cold tonight. The forecast is for a white Christmas this year. I hope that's right. My girls will love the snow."
As Sean started the car and cranked up the heat, Kelly glanced over her shoulder at the two baby seats installed in the backseat.
"Cameron mentioned you have twins."
"I do, Zoe and Annabelle. They've just had their first birthday and they're into everything." He grinned, his eyes twinkling with pleasure in the streetlights. "They're the best thing that ever happened to me."
"You're very lucky." Everyone around Kelly seemed to be having children at the moment, as if fate insisted on taunting her with what she could never have.
They fell into a comfortable silence as the car headed along the narrow country lanes back towards Oxford. Headlights shone in Kelly's eyes. She blinked drowsily as the car warmed up.
"So, you're in the medical corps?" Sean asked.
&nbs
p; "No, the nursing corps." Kelly fiddled with a coat button. "Actually, I resigned from the army awhile ago. I've nearly finished working out my notice period. I have leave until after Christmas, then I'll be back on Civvy Street."
She wasn't sure what made her tell a man she barely knew something she hadn't revealed to her best friends. Cocooned in the dark car with Sean, she felt strangely safe and relaxed. He had a polite manner and he was easy to be with. After months of wondering if she had done the right thing by resigning from the army, she felt at ease with her decision.
He flashed a curious glance her way before turning back to the road. "What do you plan to do now?"
"I was a pediatric nurse before I joined up. Something happened recently that made me realize how much I missed working with children." The face of the dear little African boy Cameron had adopted came to mind. One day of caring for that baby reminded her how much she missed her old job.
"I've given the army seven years of my life and gained a huge amount of experience that I'd never have had working in a civilian hospital. I want to put that knowledge to good use. I've decided to work for a children's charity."
"Nursing?"
"Of course. I'm due to fly out to Africa in the New Year. Conditions will be tough, but I'm used to working under pressure in conflict zones. There are so many children out there who need help. I want to be part of that effort."
"Sounds great, Kelly. I admire your principles." He fell silent again, his lips pressed together while his fingers tapped the steering wheel.
The car stopped at traffic lights, then turned beside the building where her apartment was and drew to a halt.
Kelly picked up her purse and Sean swiveled in his seat to face her. "Do you have any plans for the next couple of weeks?"
"Not particularly. Why?" A streak of excitement burned away her drowsiness. Was he about to ask her out? She normally didn't like casual relationships, but Sean was so easy to be with. It would be nice to spend a little time with him before she left the country.
"The French au pair who usually looks after Zoe and Annabelle is going to stay with her family for Christmas. I planned to put the girls in the day care at the hospital while she's away, but I'd rather not. Every time they go in there they come back with colds. If you're free, it would be great if you could work for me for three weeks before you start your new job. I'll pay you, of course."
The Army Doctor's Christmas Baby Page 1