by Amy Ruttan
Dare she place her heart in his care?
Dr. Charlotte James will do anything to save her best friend’s unborn baby—even turn to her ex-fiancé, Dr. Quinn Devlyn! Their relationship ended badly after the loss of their own little miracle, and while Charlotte trusts the hotshot neonatal surgeon’s amazing ability, she doesn’t trust the man who buries his emotions in work….
A career-threatening injury has left Quinn at a crossroads in his life. But, working with Charlotte again in the snowbound beauty of her isolated community practice, he realizes he’s been given a second chance to prove that both the baby and Charlotte’s fragile heart will be safe in his hands….
She wasn’t the same girl he’d left behind. It seemed she was stronger for their parting.
He glanced down at his hand and flexed it. The leather of his glove creaked; his hand inside was stiff. A year ago he’d gotten into a car accident during a bad bout of fog on the highway. His hand had been crushed. Quinn flexed his hand again, curling and then releasing it. Yes, it had been broken, and he’d undergone countless surgeries to repair it, but he could still use it.
His hand had mended with time. Perhaps Charlotte’s heart had, too, in the five years they’d been apart.
He doubted it. When Charlotte had greeted him it had been so formal. So forced.
“Whoa—that was a bit rough,” Quinn remarked as they hit another disturbance. He was no stranger to flying, but that was the most jarring bit of turbulence he’d ever experienced. Of course, he was used to first-class seats instead of being crammed into a small cockpit beside the pilot—especially an alluring pilot like Charlotte.
His shoulders almost brushed hers in the tight enclosure. Just that near brush of her body against his sent his blood pumping. Just being in her presence again aroused him. Charlotte was a strong aphrodisiac, like ambrosia, and she tasted just as sweet, too.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for picking up a copy of Safe in His Hands, my debut book in the Harlequin® Medical Romance™ line. I’m thrilled to be sharing this with you.
It’s always been a dream of mine to become a writer, especially with Harlequin®, and this stems from my grandmother’s hidden stash of romance novels—books we shared together as she bravely fought and then lost her battle with cancer.
Safe in His Hands was inspired by my love of northern Canada. Even though I was raised in Toronto, my family has strong roots firmly planted in the muskeg and forests of northern Ontario. It also comes from my admiration for medical professionals who work under the toughest conditions worldwide to provide healthcare.
Also, this book is about a second chance at love, because I believe there’s always a second chance—especially in light of a tragedy, like the one which separated my hero and heroine years before.
I hope you enjoy my debut Medical Romance™. I love to hear from readers, so please drop by my website www.amyruttan.com.
With the warmest wishes,
Amy Ruttan
Safe in His Hands
Amy Ruttan
This is Amy’s debut novel for Harlequin® Medical Romance™!
We hope you enjoy this brilliant romance from our brand-new author.
This book is dedicated first to my husband, Chris.
I couldn’t do this without you.
A big thanks to my critique partner, Ann R, who read this book in its many incarnations and never once complained about reading it yet again, and my editor, Suzanne Clarke, who whipped my hero into shape!
Also a big thanks to a certain group of ladies, in particular Kimber, for cheering me up every day!
And last a big thanks to all the physicians and health care professionals who do work in remote places because of their passion to provide healthcare to everyone.
Contents
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
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER ONE
DAMN. WHAT’VE I done?
Dr. Charlotte James had been watching the arrivals board in the Iqaluit airport for some time. She was so focused on arrivals she didn’t even notice the people coming and going around her. A watched pot never boiled, or so the old saying went, but she couldn’t help it. This was probably the longest she’d ever stood still. In her job there was no time to stand still. In fact, she hated it. She could be doing so many other things. Filing, for instance.
Not that she particularly liked filing. She preferred her organized chaos. However, there were a ton of files on her desk, and Rosie had been pestering her for a week to put them away. Instead, she was waiting here for his flight to arrive.
“Flight 207 from Ottawa now arriving at gate three.”
The past, when it came to Dr. Quinn Devlyn, was where it needed to be: firmly locked away. She’d moved on and she had no doubt his life had, too. He was, after all, at the top in his chosen specialty, and she was right where she’d always wanted to be.
This time Quinn Devlyn wouldn’t blindside her or suck her into some crazy off-kilter distracting, albeit passionate, love affair.
No, siree.
Her life was good. Not perfect but, then, whose was? Charlotte was happy.
Courage.
She spun around and saw the plane taxi in on the small airstrip, blending in with the stark, white landscape of Canada’s High Arctic. The only color out there was the brightly painted houses that dotted the landscape. Her pulse thundered between her ears.
He’s here.
The pit of Charlotte’s stomach dropped to her knees. No. Scratch that. Make it the soles of her feet. Not since her MCATs had she felt this way, as though she was perpetually on the verge of hurling.
She was seriously beginning to doubt her sanity in bringing her ex-fiancé up to Cape Recluse. It wasn’t a place where she could avoid him easily. He’d be constantly underfoot and she was dreading every moment of it. Would she be able to resist him? The only time she had resisted him had been when he’d left. When their relationship had ended, she’d never wanted to see him again, but his presence here now was a price she was willing to pay to help out her friend.
Get a grip on yourself.
A blast of cold air shook her from her reverie. Her gaze focused on the tinted windows, watching the passengers head across the tarmac to the warmth of the bright yellow airport building. Immediately she picked Quinn’s form out of the group of passengers.
Tall and broad, even though he was huddled down under his collar against the cold. Just the sight of him made her heart beat a little bit faster, her cheeks heat and the butterflies in her stomach go crazy. Her pulse thundered between her ears like a marching band. She hadn’t seen him in five years—not since he’d walked out on her—but he was making her feel like a giddy teenager again.
Don’t let him affect you like this, Charlotte chastised herself. She’d moved on with her life. The wound he’d left in her heart had finally healed.
The double doors opened and he stepped into the airport, moving to the side to let more people in from the frigid cold. He set down hi
s luggage and unwound his scarf.
Damn, he still looks as good as ever. Charlotte had been kind of hoping Quinn’s fast, career-driven lifestyle would’ve caught up with and aged him, but he looked as sexy and charming as ever.
Even from a few feet away she could see there was a bit of gray around his sandy-brown temples, but it suited him. Made him look more dashing and debonair. Some stubble shadowed his chin, but it didn’t hide the faint line of the scar that crossed his lips. A tingle of heat shot through her body as she suddenly recalled the way his lips had brushed across hers. A flush of goose bumps spread across her skin just at the thought of the way he would kiss a path down her body, his strong hands caressing her, holding her.
What’re you doing? She was not some lovestruck goofy med student anymore. She was a physician with a thriving practice. There was no way she was going to let him in again.
Hell would have to freeze over, not that it would take much, given the current temperature outside was minus thirty.
Charlotte shut those memories away firmly, refusing to think about them any further.
Instead, she remembered how he’d brushed off the miscarriage of their child as being for the best.
As a chance to move to New York and pursue their careers.
Only New York had not been what she’d wanted. She was where she wanted to be. Not to follow him had been her decision, her right to go after her dreams.
I can do this for Mentlana.
This was all for her best friend. The only thing close to a family she’d had since her father had died when she was ten. Charlotte never knew her mother, who’d died when she was two. Mentlana and her family had been there with open arms when Charlotte had returned to Cape Recluse after Quinn had left and she’d lost her baby.
Correction: their baby.
Now Mentlana needed help and Quinn was the best when it came to neonatal medicine. For her best friend, Charlotte would face death itself. Even though, as far as she was concerned, Dr. Quinn Devlyn was far more dangerous than the Grim Reaper. She’d take him on, anyway.
Quinn would save Mentlana’s baby.
Mustering her courage and holding her head high, Charlotte strode over to him. All the while her heart was racing and her knees shook like they were about to give out on her. He looked up, his chocolate gaze reeling her in as she moved toward him. His eyes were twinkling and she suddenly remembered how easy it was to get lost in those eyes.
They were hypnotizing.
The thought frightened her and she stopped a foot away from him, frozen in fear. Distance from him would be the safest.
Remember, he left you. You can’t get hurt again. You’re over him.
She couldn’t let her guard down when it came to Quinn Devlyn.
Not now that she was finally whole again.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the great wilderness physician,” he teased, as his eyes roved over her from head to toe, a haughty smile on his lips and that damn dimple in his cheek popping up.
His mocking tone made her grind her teeth just a bit. She pressed her lips together, forcing a smile. “Dr. Devlyn. I’m glad you could come.”
“It’s Dr. Devlyn, now? When did we become so formal? I know we didn’t part on good terms, but can we drop the formalities?” The spicy scent of his cologne—a clean scent of masculine soap and something else—teased her senses.
“Fine, but first names are as far as we go, do you understand? You’re here in a professional capacity. Nothing more.”
“Agreed. I would expect nothing less, Charlotte.”
It was the way he said her name that triggered the memory. The two of them together for the first time, locked in a small hotel room in Niagara Falls, and the way he’d whispered her name against her neck.
“God, Charlotte. I need you.”
I need you. Never, I love you. She should’ve taken that as a sign when she’d said yes to his proposal in the first place, but she’d been so blinded by love.
Charlotte nodded, but blooming warmth in her stomach spread to her cheeks. “Did you have a good flight?” she asked, trying to make small talk.
“As good as can be expected. The man next to me seemed to invade my space a lot, but overall it was as enjoyable as any other flight.” He pulled up the handle to his rolling suitcase with a snap. The tone was a bit arrogant and that attitude was why she’d never brought him to Cape Recluse when they had first got engaged. Quinn had champagne tastes and was a city slicker through and through. Of course, if she’d brought him home when they had first got engaged it might’ve saved her some heartache.
Then she wouldn’t have lost the baby, except she didn’t regret carrying his baby, even for such a short time. She had known from the get-go that Quinn was not a family man. In her youthful naivety she’d thought she could change him.
How wrong she’d been.
Let it go.
It was no longer her job to care what Quinn Devlyn thought. “Well, we’d better get up to Cape Recluse. It’s a two-hour flight there and there’s talk of a storm coming in from Labrador. Also, I’d like to get up there before it’s dark.”
“It’s two o’clock in the afternoon,” he said, puzzled.
“The sun sets early up here.”
“I thought this was the land of the midnight sun?”
“In summer... This is winter. We have long periods of night.”
“Yikes.” Quinn shook his head. “So how are we getting there?”
“I fly.” Charlotte turned on her heel and strode off toward the other section of the airport where her plane was kept in a private rented hangar. Quinn kept in step beside her.
“What do you mean, you fly? As in a plane?” His tone was one of surprise and perhaps awe.
“Yes, I don’t have wings.” To prove her point she flapped her arms. Quinn rolled his eyes; he had never been one for foolishness in public places.
“You know what I mean. When did you learn how to fly?”
“About four years ago, after a man died in my arms from a very mild myocardial infarction. His death could’ve been prevented if we’d had regular flights from Iqaluit to Cape Recluse. By the time the air ambulance landed, Mr. Tikivik was dead. It was then I decided to learn how to fly, so I could fly my patients to Iqaluit if need be.”
“So you’re a physician and a paramedic, as well?” The tone was sarcastic, making her bristle with annoyance. His attitude on job specifications certainly hadn’t changed one bit.
“What else are they supposed to do? Plan their medical emergencies to fit around a pilot’s schedule?”
“I didn’t mean to upset you. I think it’s a lot to ask for limited pay.”
Charlotte turned to face him. “Money doesn’t mean that much to me. Lives mean more.”
Quinn didn’t respond but looked a bit taken aback. Guilt assailed her. She didn’t want to pick a fight with him, not after he’d come all this way and on his own dime.
“Sorry,” she apologized.
“For what?” he asked.
“If I insulted you.”
“You didn’t. You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“Of course.” Charlotte shook her head. Quinn never had hidden the fact that success and to be the best in his field drove him. In his eyes you were nothing without those attributes.
“I’m interested in meeting Mentlana Tikivik and examining her and the baby. Still, I don’t quite understand why you don’t just fly her down to Toronto.”
“She has a pulmonary embolus.”
Quinn whistled. “Does she know about the diagnosis of the fetus?”
“Yes, I told her.” Charlotte sighed. “I told her I was bringing a specialist up to determine the severity of the CCAM. She’s aware of what may have to happen, and she’s fine with it. She wants
to do whatever it takes to save her baby.”
Just like I would’ve done to save mine.
A lump formed in her throat as her mind wandered back to that horrible day when she’d spotted the mass on the baby’s lungs. She’d recognized the congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation, or CCAM, for what it was, and there had been no way she could fix it. She was only a general practitioner. She wasn’t qualified.
“Of course.” He nodded. “Did you explain the procedure to her?”
“Oh, yes.” Charlotte couldn’t help but smile as she remembered having to go through each step of the procedure, like she was talking to a first-year surgical resident.
“Did she understand?” Quinn asked, confused.
“Eventually,” Charlotte replied.
“Eventually?”
Charlotte laughed. “She understands, but Mentlana is very...inquisitive. I’ll warn you now, she’ll bombard you with questions.”
“No need to warn me. I’ve dealt with worse, I’m sure. I’ve consulted on many patients before and I’ve a way of explaining complex medical procedures so patients understand me.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Your pride is healthy, I see.”
Quinn smiled. “I have an excellent bedside manner.”
In your dreams, perhaps.
“Right, I forgot about your charming persona with patients.” She snapped her fingers. “You’re something of a McSteamy.”
“A...what?”
“Never mind, it’s a Grey’s Anatomy joke.”
“Didn’t that character die?”
Charlotte smirked. “I didn’t know you were a Grey’s Anatomy fan.”
He sighed. “What I meant was that I have a way of getting people to open up to me. I have a winning personality.”
Charlotte cocked an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
Quinn chuckled. “Okay. Look, what I meant was I’ll be able to explain it to her and gain her trust. I’ve done this surgery before.”
Trust was important, especially in the Inuk culture. Trust was important to her, too. She’d trusted Quinn. She’d never forget how deeply in love with him she’d been. Quinn had claimed her heart, body and soul. He’d taken her innocence and had then crushed all her hopes and dreams when he’d walked out on her after she’d lost their baby.