Falling for Her Impossible Boss

by Alison Roberts

  ‘Mother!’ Oliver shook his head but he was smiling. How could he not smile? This was a major step forward. ‘You know my rule about dating nurses. Or doctors. Or anyone else from work. It’s a no-go area. Always has been, always will be.’

  It wasn’t as if he didn’t meet countless eligible women through the lavish fundraising occasions he was obliged to attend with his mother and it was rare to find any single woman who wasn’t eager to date the Dawson heir. Sex had never been a problem. Finding a woman suitable to produce the grandchild his mother yearned for was quite a different matter, however. It was a search that, quite frankly, Oliver was getting seriously bored by. Or maybe he was resisting because it wasn’t just that his mother was yearning for the next generation but that everybody expected it to happen.

  ‘Hmmph.’ Lady Dorothy sighed. ‘Anyway, this Bella used to look after her grandmother who had terrible arthritis so she knows all about it. She helped me and…and she managed to do it without making me feel like some kind of oversized infant.’

  Oliver made a mental note to find the nurse called Bella and show his appreciation.

  ‘Oh…’ His mother bit her lip. ‘I meant her nanna, not her grandmother. She got murdered.’

  ‘Good grief.’ Oliver was setting out the food he’d brought on the end of the bed.

  ‘By her grandfather.’

  Oliver’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. ‘Comes from a good family, then?’

  ‘Don’t be a snob, Oliver. She can’t help her family any more than any of us can. And she made me laugh.’

  ‘That’s wonderful,’ Oliver said, and meant it. He screwed up the big paper bag and went to put it in the rubbish bin. There was something large and bright pink filling the metal bucket. He peered closer and then lifted the item out to see what it was.

  His mother giggled.

  * * *

  Bella sneaked through the hospital corridors very carefully on her way to the geriatric ward at seven-thirty p.m., a box in her arms.

  ‘Shh…’ she said occasionally. ‘If we get caught, we’re going to be in big trouble, Bib.’

  Amazingly, she made it to the ward without meeting anybody. The planned treat of letting Lady Dorothy play with a kitten for a few minutes could go ahead. It didn’t matter how frozen and sore her hands were right now. She would still be able to feel the softness of this fluffy kitten’s fur and have the pleasure of hearing the tiny animal purr.

  She tapped softly at the closed door and then let herself in without waiting for a response.

  ‘Surprise,’ she whispered gleefully.

  Except the surprise was hers. Perched on the end of Lady Dorothy’s bed, stuffing a hamburger into his mouth, was Oliver Dawson.

  CHAPTER THREE

  ‘BELLA!’ Lady Dorothy sounded delighted. ‘You’ve come to visit me? What a lovely surprise.’

  ‘You’re Bella?’ Oliver Dawson sounded distinctly less delighted. In fact, he used the hand that wasn’t holding the hamburger to cover his eyes as he rubbed his temples with his thumb and middle finger.

  ‘Have you got a headache, darling?’ Lady Dorothy asked.

  ‘No.’ The word was a growl.

  Bella was still staring, dumbfounded. Oliver Dawson was sitting on a patient’s bed eating a cheeseburger. A patient who had called him ‘darling’, no less.

  A ripped-open packet of very unhealthy French fries was lying on the bed beside him, the contents well depleted. What’s more, he had loosened his tie, undone the top button of his shirt and rolled the sleeves up. Even his hair looked slightly dishevelled. He looked…

  Human.

  And gorgeous. Gorgeous enough to make Bella’s heart skip a beat. And then another. Uh-oh! She recognised that symptom a little too well. It was closely followed, as usual, by that melting sensation deep in her belly that ended with a delicious tingle. The fact that it was Mr Oliver Dawson she was feeling attracted to was disturbing to say the least.

  ‘This is my son, Oliver,’ Lady Dorothy said. ‘Oliver, this is Bella. I was telling you about her, remember?’

  When he took his hand off his eyes, Oliver nodded wearily. He also looked straight at Bella and she could swear his colour had heightened and he had a haunted look in his eyes. He was quite obviously excruciatingly embarrassed. Well, of course he was. Caught out looking human and eating junk food!

  Ha. Finally, she had the advantage.

  Sadly, the feeling of one-upmanship lasted precisely five seconds at which point a scratching noise could be clearly heard coming from the box in her arms. Scratching that was followed by a very plaintive miaow.

  Lady Dorothy’s eyes widened. ‘Oh, my goodness… Did you bring Bib in to visit me?’

  ‘Um…’ Bella’s gaze slid away from Oliver’s but there was no getting out of this. A tiny paw had appeared in the centre hole where the flaps of the box didn’t quite meet, as though the kitten was putting her hand up to be noticed. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Show me.’ Lady Dorothy tried to shift the bag of French fries she had on her lap but she couldn’t hold it and it fell, spilling fries onto the floor. Before either her fumbled movement or the mess could even be commented on, Bella lifted the fluffy grey and white kitten from the box and deposited her on Lady Dorothy’s lap.

  Bib, bless her, took one look at the old lady and stood up on her hind legs, stretching so that she could rub her head on Lady Dorothy’s jawbone. They could all hear the purring that filled the sudden silence in the room like a miniature chainsaw.

  ‘Oh…oh…’ Lady Dorothy’s voice had a noticeable wobble. ‘What a wee darling.’ She reached up and it didn’t seem to matter that she had to use the back of her hand to stroke the kitten. Bib nimbly climbed a little further, settled into a sphinx-like shape on the platform of a shoulder and started washing the nearest patch of skin she could find. Just beside the diamond stud twinkling in Lady Dorothy’s earlobe.

  Lady Dorothy sniffed. And smiled, tilting her head to the side a little as a form of caress for the kitten.

  Bella had to swallow a lump in her own throat as she observed the pleasure being taken on both sides of the newly formed friendship. When she heard the masculine throat being cleared behind her, she turned in astonishment. Was the poignancy of his mother’s joy enough to give him a lump in his throat? Maybe he was capable of caring about others.

  Maybe she was going to have to readjust her opinion of him.

  * * *

  Oliver knew he had to say something but, for the life of him, he couldn’t think what.

  He’d seen this nurse in pale green, shapeless theatre scrubs with a hat trying to cover her hair. He’d seen her in a dark blue, only slightly less shapeless nurse’s uniform, with her hair scraped back and tied into a semblance of submission. When she walked into his mother’s room, it was like seeing a totally different woman.

  The oversized T-shirt had a neck big enough to have fallen over one shoulder to reveal a singlet top beneath. Long, long legs were encased in tight leggings and ended with shoes that had impossibly high heels. And the hair was loose. A glorious cascade of golden curls that went halfway down her back and would make any man’s fingers itch to bury themselves in its length.

  Dear God, what was he thinking? This was the nurse who had elderly patients up line dancing. Who was breaking umpteen rules right now bringing an animal into a hospital ward. Who bumped into things and huffed germs all over Theatre because she was clearly distracted by more important things—like the next new pair of shoes, perhaps?

  Except that right now she wasn’t thinking about shoes. And if she’d brought any germs into the room with that kitten, the risk was more than worth it because his mother had not only forgotten why she was here, she had tears of joy rolling down her cheeks and Oliver had never seen that before. Ever.

  His mother was not the o
nly one crying either. Bella had turned towards him when he’d cleared his throat a moment ago and those extraordinarily big, blue eyes were shining with moisture. Those full, soft-looking lips were curved into a smile, too. Not the mischievous type of grin they usually looked ready to impart. This was much softer. An expression of empathy and an invitation to share the gift of what was happening with his mother and the kitten.

  He really ought to say something. He couldn’t sit here staring at her. Not when she was staring back at him and the eye contact had gone on just that shade too long.

  An urge to say something about hospital regulations regarding the lack of visitation rights for pets sprang to mind as Oliver managed to break the eye contact but his gaze fell on the evidence of his appalling dinner still spread over the bed. If his colleagues heard about this, especially the cardiac surgeons, he’d be a laughing stock, and avoiding any such humiliation had always been inbred in any member of the Dawson family.

  Oliver sucked in a breath as he looked back at the kitten and then at Bella.

  ‘Ah…could I suggest that whatever happens in Lady Dorothy’s room after hours stays in Lady Dorothy’s room?’

  Relief flooded Bella’s face, which then lit up with precisely the kind of mischievous grin he knew she’d been capable of. Oddly, it had a glow that he hadn’t expected. One that crossed the room and made him feel…warm. Happy? Oliver couldn’t be sure because it was a very unfamiliar sensation. Definitely not unpleasant, however.

  ‘Sweet,’ Bella said. She cast a significant glance at the remnants of fast food and dimples flashed in her cheeks. She was obviously trying not to laugh.

  Which was good because it annoyed Oliver and dispersed the strange effect of her smile.

  ‘I’d better go, though,’ she added. ‘I wouldn’t want to get caught by anyone else doing something so illegal.’

  ‘Don’t go,’ Lady Dorothy begged. ‘Not yet.’

  ‘I’ll be back tomorrow. I really should take Bib home.’

  ‘But…’ There was a vaguely desperate undertone in Lady Dorothy’s voice. Oliver found himself holding his breath. Judging by the sudden anxiety on Bella’s face, it looked as if she was doing the same thing.

  ‘What is it, Mother?’ Oliver prompted gently.

  ‘I…I need some help. To get ready for bed. And…’ Her lips were visibly trembling now but her face said it all. It was Bella who she trusted and wanted to help her.

  Bella carefully lifted the kitten from where she’d climbed down to go to sleep on Lady Dorothy’s lap. ‘No worries.’ The tone was casual enough to make it seem like no big deal, which seemed to remove any of the embarrassment that was most likely causing his mother’s distress. ‘I’ll put Bib back in her box and then we’ll get you sorted.’

  Oliver got to his feet. ‘I’ll get out of the way.’ He paused as he got near the door, having kissed his mother’s cheek and wished her a good night. He took a final glance at Bella.

  What an extraordinary girl she was. Both intensely irritating and utterly remarkable. How did she know exactly what to do or say to make something that couldn’t possibly be all right at least acceptable? And how on earth could he thank her for what she’d already done for his mother? Something nobody else had been able to do. Something huge. As big as showing her that life was still worth living?

  Something too big to put into words, anyway.

  ‘Thank you, Bella.’ The words were totally inadequate. Oliver could only hope that trying to convey his appreciation by holding her eye contact and smiling would be enough.

  * * *

  That look and that smile was still with Bella when she released Bib from the confines of the box, having arrived home at her aunt’s house again.

  She had done something that Oliver Dawson approved of.

  How amazing was that?

  Not that she’d had any idea that Lady Dorothy was his mother. Just as well she hadn’t, really, or she wouldn’t have considered doing something as illegal as sneaking a kitten into the ward in a million years.

  Right now, she couldn’t be more pleased that she’d taken that risk. For once, something had worked out even better than she’d planned and it felt so good. Doing something that had pleased Oliver Dawson also felt extraordinarily good. The buzz was making Bella feel unbelievably happy.

  Or maybe it was that look from those dark, dark eyes. The look that said she was good enough. Special, even. That smile that had gone straight to a point deep in her body and tugged on it.

  Oh, help… If she wasn’t careful, she’d fall for this surgeon, hook, line and sinker. Bella never had trouble falling in love. She fell out of it again just as easily. But something about that moment of connection felt different.

  The waters she could be falling into there were a hell of a lot deeper than any she’d been near before.

  Dangerous waters.

  She could drown given that the possibility of the potential lifeboat of the attraction being reciprocated to an equal degree was non-existent.

  ‘A bit of fantasy couldn’t hurt, though, could it?’ she murmured to Bib as she cuddled the kitten for a moment before putting her down on the floor. ‘It’s no worse than having the hots for a movie star, is it?’

  Bib flicked her pointy little tail and held it straight up like a flag as she trotted down the hallway. Bella looked into the guest suite that was her room. The solitude and opportunity to sit and dream for a while was very attractive but it would be rude not to go and talk to Aunty Kate. She could hear voices in the kitchen. Following them, she found her pathologist aunt barefoot and relaxed, indulging in her favourite pastime of cooking. Her fiancé, orthopaedic surgeon Connor Matthews, was standing behind Kate, his hands resting on her hips and his chin on her shoulder. He was, in fact, nuzzling her aunt’s neck.

  And Kate was leaning back into the embrace, swaying gently. The pleasure they were both taking from simply being so close to each other was palpable.

  Bella suddenly felt like she was intruding into a very private space. One that she couldn’t approve of more, given how much real joy Kate’s life had been missing before Connor had swept her off her feet and onto the back of his motorbike, but really she should back out and give them the chance to start their lives together without having to worry about an audience.

  Connor was the first to notice Bella’s arrival.

  ‘Hey! How’s it going? Did you find what you’d left at work?’

  ‘Mmm.’

  Kate spoke without looking away from the pot she was stirring. ‘Really, Bella. You’ve got to start looking after your stuff a bit more carefully. You’ll lose something important one of these days.’

  So true. Like her heart, maybe?

  Kate gave a squeak then, and looked down. Bib was trying to climb up her jeans. ‘Ouch…where did you spring from? I’ve been wondering where you’d got to.’ She prised the kitten away from her leg and handed her to Connor. ‘Could you feed her, please, hon? That way she won’t try and eat my leg.’ She turned further to smile at Bella. ‘You going to eat with us?’

  Bella hesitated. ‘I don’t want to get in the way of you two lovebirds.’

  ‘Don’t be daft.’ But the look that Kate and Connor exchanged was lingering and very exclusive. Bella couldn’t help feeling left out. Lonely, almost.

  ‘How was work?’ Kate asked. ‘Did you get into any trouble?’

  ‘Almost. I got busted taking a line-dancing class by none other than Oliver Dawson.’

  ‘Uh-oh.’ Connor was grinning. ‘You really know how to push his buttons, don’t you?’

  Oh…she wished. If Connor hadn’t been there, she might have blurted out the whole story to Kate but the fact that Oliver’s mother was an inpatient was being kept under wraps, wasn’t it? She’d told Sally she was capable of being discreet. With an enormous effort,
Bella put a lid on her inside information.

  ‘What’s his deal?’ she asked Connor, who had finished scooping cat food into a saucer and had now turned his attention to a rather nice-looking bottle of red wine. ‘Why is he so…uptight?’

  Connor shrugged. ‘Goes with the territory, I guess.’

  ‘What territory?’ Bella remembered that Kate had said something similar once about Oliver’s background—excusing him when he’d contributed to a bad day by telling her off in public—but she was curious to hear Connor’s take on the man. Oddly, she was suddenly aware of a very intense curiosity about anything to do with Oliver Dawson.

  ‘Being a pillar of society. Number one on the rich list. Following in the footsteps of Sir David Matthews can’t have been an easy road. Especially when he didn’t go into the family business.’

  ‘Which was?’

  Connor pulled the cork from the bottle. ‘Something that made a serious amount of money. Too many companies to list, probably. Commercial stuff, anyway. I should think it was quite a rebellion to take up medicine.’

  ‘He died a while ago, didn’t he?’ Kate put in. ‘Sir David? I seem to remember that there was some big mystery about it all. Lady Dawson vanished from the social scene anyway and there was a rumour there was more to it than grief.’

  ‘Lady Dorothy.’ Bella couldn’t help the correction.

  Kate raised her eyebrows. ‘How do you know her name?’

  ‘Must have heard it mentioned somewhere and remembered,’ Bella said vaguely. ‘Information is power and all that, you know.’

  ‘Mmm.’ Kate was trying not to smile. ‘Talking about information…shall we tell her, Connor?’

  ‘Might be a good idea,’ he said. ‘Seeing as she’s going to be chief bridesmaid.’

  ‘The only bridesmaid,’ Kate shot back. ‘This is going to be a quiet affair, remember?’

  ‘Oh, my God…’ Bella ran to hug her aunt. ‘You’ve set a date? For the wedding?’