by Tina Beckett
She slipped into the pool, surprised to find some kind of footing where they’d had to tread water before. It felt like wood, but it was high enough that she didn’t have to swim, she could simply walk toward him in chest-high water. When she looked up at him, she found his eyes on her. In their depths was a question. She swallowed, emotion bubbling up in her throat and threatening to escape as a sob. She loved this man. Loved him with all her heart. And she was willing to take him as he was, fears and all, if that’s what he wanted.
God, she hoped that was what he wanted.
He didn’t say anything, but when he was close enough to touch she gave him a quick kiss on the lips just before his head disappeared beneath the surface, followed by the rest of him. Soon he was hidden from view by the layer of flower petals. Momentary panic went through her. How was she supposed to unhook him? Max hadn’t shown her, and Lucas hadn’t said anything at all.
Just do what your heart tells you.
Darcie ducked beneath the surface and found him lying on the boards three feet below, the petals shading the area. He could just stand up if he wanted to…it was shallow. But he didn’t. She pushed herself down and followed the cord that held his ankles. Unsnapped it. Then the one attached to the harness at his back. It stuck for a second and she wiggled it, suddenly scared he wouldn’t come up if she couldn’t get it off. There. The hook released.
He was free.
Lucas grabbed hold of her waist and hauled her to the surface, breaking through the layer of velvety petals.
The question he’d told her to ask once he’d completed the jump came out before she could stop it. “Why?”
He pushed damp strands of hair off her face. “Do you remember what it felt like to take that leap?”
She nodded.
“What did you feel?” he murmured, his arm now around her waist.
She thought for a moment, trying to gather her jumbled thoughts. “I was so scared. I didn’t want to go through with it, and I felt like screaming the whole way down. But once I reached the pool, and you unhooked me, there was this sense of exhilaration… I can’t even describe it.”
He nodded. “I know. Because I felt the same things as I sat on the beach with you and started making that list. Terrified. Like I’d lost my stomach, my heart and my head all at once. I fell, and I haven’t stopped falling. But I was too afraid to finish it. To let you come alongside me and undo those ropes.”
Her eyes watered. She knew exactly what he was talking about. “I feel it too,” she whispered. “The fear.”
“I love you, Darcie. It took me a while to understand what I’d find once I reached the bottom of that jump—to get past my fear and open my eyes, to really look at what was waiting for me. It was you.”
She threw herself into his arms and lifted her lips up for his kiss. It was long and slow and thorough. Once she could breathe again she laid her head on his shoulder. “I love you too, Lucas. You’re right, it was scary and making the decision to go over the edge wasn’t an easy one. But it was worth it. All of it.”
“Yes, it was.”
“Hey, Uncle Luke,” a voice came from the top of the tower. “When is it my turn to jump?”
Cora stood peering over the edge at them, and even from this distance Darcie could see the little girl’s infectious smile.
Laughing, she nipped the bottom of his jaw. “Good thing I didn’t leave you there to drown. You were awfully sure of yourself.”
“No. I wasn’t sure at all. But I hoped.”
She hugged him tight. “Aren’t you going to answer her question? When can she jump?”
Lucas kissed her cheek, and then shouted back up, “Not for many, many years, sweetheart.”
EPILOGUE
WELCOME HOME!
The words, scrawled in pink childish letters and flanked by a heart on either side, greeted them as they opened the door to Lucas’s flat.
Three weeks on a beach, and Darcie was still as white as the paper banner. She didn’t care. Besides, they hadn’t actually spent all that much time sunbathing while in Tahiti. A fact that made her smile.
“Aw, I think I know who wrote that.” Darcie twined her arms around her new husband’s neck. “But at least we’re all alone, because I have something I want to—”
The panicky sound of a throat clearing came from behind the black leather couch, followed by a yip. And then two. A child giggled.
“Oops.” Darcie’s face heated, as she whispered into his ear. “Not so alone after all.”
Lucas made a face at her, just as people came pouring from seemingly every room of the place. The kitchen, the two bedrooms, the veranda. And finally, from behind the couch, appeared Cora, Pete the Geek, Chessa…and Felix.
Cora and Pete launched themselves at the newlyweds and her poor husband oomphed as the dog—apparently forgetting everything he’d learned—careened into his side, nearly knocking him down. Darcie barely managed to keep from falling herself.
“Oh, my gosh!” Darcie knelt to hug Cora, peering at the mass of people around them. It looked like most of the MMU staff had turned up for their return—which begged the question: who was minding the maternity unit?
Isla came over and planted a kiss on her cheek as Darcie stood, keeping hold of Cora’s hand.
“How was the honeymoon?” her friend asked.
She returned her friend’s hug. “Spectacular. How’s the baby?”
“Growing like a little weed.” She motioned over at Alessandro, who was cradling their infant in his arms. “I barely get to hold him. Flick says Tristan is the same way.”
It certainly appeared so, since Tristan had a baby carrier strapped to his chest with his daughter safely ensconced inside it. Flick waved at her.
Darcie gazed around at the people she’d come to know and love over the past year and her eyes threatened to well up, although she somehow forced back the tide. Lucas was still a little spooked by tears. He’d overcome a lot of his fears, but every once in a while he looked at her as if afraid she might disappear into the ether.
And she might. But that’s not how she planned to live her life. And she certainly wasn’t going to let her husband dwell on it either.
Then her eyes widened as her gaze skimmed the rest of the room.
There, still standing behind the couch, were Felix and Chessa. And the childminder had a certain pink tinge to her cheeks that looked familiar. And— Oh… Oh! Felix’s arm was slung casually around the woman’s waist. It looked like she and Lucas hadn’t been the only ones who’d been busy over the past couple of months.
Felix had completed his rehab program a few weeks before the wedding and had been on the straight and narrow ever since, according to the texts they’d got from Chessa. But she hadn’t mentioned anything about a budding romance.
As if noticing her attention was elsewhere, Lucas glanced up from the group of people he was chatting with and caught her eye. She nodded in Felix’s direction. She saw the moment he digested what he was seeing. His Adam’s apple dipped. And then he was moving, catching his brother up in a fierce hug that was full of happiness.
And hope.
It was the best gift anyone could have given him—seeing his brother on the cusp of a bright new future. And little did Lucas know that another surprise awaited him. One she’d postponed telling him until just the right moment.
That moment was now. He could handle it. They both could.
When the tears came this time she didn’t stop them, feeling Isla’s arm come around her waist and squeeze. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Before she could say anything else he was back, grabbing her to him, his breathing rough and unsteady.
“Lucas.” Her fingers buried themselves in the hair at the back of his head, praying she was doing the right thing as she leaned up to whisper, “I know it’s early, but our friends aren’t the only ones having babies.”
He leaned back and looked at her for a long second, a question in
his eyes. She gave a single nod.
“I love you,” was all he said, before he drew her back against him, burying his face in her neck.
And when she felt moisture against her skin, she knew it was going to be okay. Her big-hearted husband was finally ready to accept that the world could be a good place. It brought sadness at times, yes, but it was also full of kindness and laughter and contentment.
All because they’d dared to do something outrageous and wild and completely dangerous: they’d fallen in love.
* * * * *
This is the final story in the fabulous MIDWIVES ON-CALL series.
Make sure you’ve picked up all 8 books!
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ISBN-13: 9781460385104
Her Playboy’s Secret
Copyright © 2015 by Tina Beckett
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The one woman to tame him…
Finally the injured navy SEAL who had once been brought to surgeon Erica Griffin in the dead of night has a name: Captain Thorne Wilder—her new commanding officer! Five years later he’s just as gorgeous as Erica remembers… but now he’s totally off-limits!
Thorne has been left damaged, brooding and untamable after the loss of his dreams—and beautiful Erica is an unwanted complication! She might be as wary of relationships as he is, but fighting temptation will be the biggest battle of all…
“Commander Erica Griffin reporting for duty, sir.” She stood at attention and saluted.
“At ease, Commander.”
Dr. Thorne Wilder turned around slowly, his body stiff, and she tried not to let out the gasp of surprise threatening to erupt from her.
Brilliant blue eyes gazed at her.
Eyes she’d seen countless times in her mind. Eyes she’d seen that night before he’d disappeared. They were hauntingly beautiful, and they brought back the memory of what he’d said before she’d had to put him under for surgery...and changed his life forever.
“You’re so beautiful. Beautiful. Like an angel.”
No man had ever said that to her before.
As Erica stared into Captain Wilder’s blue eyes a warmth spread through her. She’d always wondered what had happened to him. Since he’d been moved against her wishes, she’d assumed he hadn’t made it.
She had been wrong. The man who had begged her not to take his leg was here, in Okinawa of all places, and he was a commanding officer.
Her commanding officer.
And that meant he was totally off-limits.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for picking up a copy of Taming Her Navy Doc.
I have a huge admiration for the men and women who serve in the armed forces. I recently met a naval officer who said that, “To give the ultimate sacrifice to your country is why men and women serve their country.”
His words touched me so deeply. My family has a military history, dating back to when Canada was not a country but a colony of Great Britain. My admiration for those who serve runs deep.
Thorne made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He loved being a SEAL, and in one tragic circumstance, that was all taken away from him—by the woman who has now come to the naval base he’s stationed at. He’s conflicted by the promise he made to his dying brother and his desire for Commander Erica Griffin. He’s not sure he deserves happiness.
I hope you enjoy reading Thorne and Erica’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I love hearing from readers, so please drop by my website, amyruttan.com, or give me a shout on Twitter, @ruttanamy.
With warmest wishes,
Amy Ruttan
Amy Ruttan
Born and raised on the outskirts of Toronto, Ontario, Amy Ruttan fled the big city to settle down with the country boy of her dreams. When she’s not furiously typing away at her computer, she’s mom to three wonderful children, who have given her another job as a taxi driver.
A voracious reader, she was given her first romance novel by her grandmother, who shared her penchant for a hot romance. From that moment Amy was hooked by the magical worlds, handsome heroes and sigh-worthy romances contained in the pages, and she knew what she wanted to be when she grew up.
Life got in the way, but after the birth of her second child she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a romance author.
Amy loves to hear from readers. It makes her day, in fact. You can find out more about Amy at her website, www.amyruttan.com.
TAMING HER NAVY DOC
AMY RUTTAN
This book is dedicated to all of those
men and women who give the ultimate sacrifice.
Thank you.
Books by Amy Ruttan
Harlequin Medical Romance
Safe in His Hands
Melting the Ice Queen’s Heart
Pregnant with the Soldier’s Son
Dare She Date Again?
It Happened in Vegas
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
Midwives On-Call
Midwives, mothers and babies—lives changing forever…!
Over the next four months enter the magical world of the Melbourne Maternity Unit and the exceptional midwives there, delivering tiny bundles of joy on a daily basis. Now it’s time to find a happy-ever-after of their own…
In April, gorgeous Greek doctor Alessi Manos is determined to charm the beautiful yet frosty Isla Delamere…but can he melt this ice queen’s heart? Just One Night? by Carol Marinelli
And when Dr. Oliver Evans’s estranged wife, Emily, crashes back into his life, old passions are reignited. But brilliant Dr. Evans is in for a surprise…Emily has two foster children! Meant-to-Be Family by Marion Lennox
In May, midwife Sophia Toulson and hardworking paramedic Aiden Harrison share an explosive attraction…but will they overcome their tragic pasts and take a chance on love? Always the Midwife by Alison Roberts
And hotshot surgeon Tristan Hamilton’s passionate night with pretty student midwife Flick has unexpected consequences! Midwife’s Baby Bump by Susanne Hampton
In June, free-spirited locum midwife Ally Parker meets top GP and gorgeous single dad Flynn Reynolds. Is she finally ready to settle down with a family of her own? Midwife…to Mum! by Sue MacKay
And when beautiful redhead Phoebe Taylor turns up on former army medic Ryan Matthews’s doorstep, there’s only one thing keeping them apart: she’s his best friend’s widow…and eight months pregnant! His Best Friend’s Baby by Susan Carlisle
Finally, join us in July, when brooding city surgeo
n Noah Jackson meets compassionate Outback midwife Lilia Cartwright. Could Lilia be the key to Noah’s locked-away heart? Unlocking Her Surgeon’s Heart by Fiona Lowe
And renowned English obstetrician Darcie Green might think playboy Lucas Elliot is nothing but trouble—but is there more to this gorgeous doc than meets the eye? Her Playboy’s Secret by Tina Beckett
Experience heartwarming emotion and pulse-racing drama in Midwives On-Call this sensational eight-book continuity from Harlequin Medical Romance.
These books are also available in ebook format from Harlequin.com.
Praise for
Amy Ruttan
“I highly recommend this read for all fans of romance reads with amazing, absolutely breathtaking scenes, to-die-for dialogue and everything else that is needed to make this a beyond awesome and WOW read!”
—GoodReads on
Melting the Ice Queen’s Heart
“A sensational romance, filled with astounding medical drama. Author Amy Ruttan makes us visualize the story with her flawless storytelling. The emotional and sensory details are exquisitely done and the sensuality in the love scenes just sizzles. Highly recommended for all lovers of medical romance.”
—Contemporary Romance Reviews on
Safe in His Hands
CONTENTS
Prologue
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
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue