The Surgeon's Miracle by Caroline Anderson Read Free Book Online Page B

couldn’t believe his mother would have done that, but maybe she’d thought she was being broad-minded. After all, he was thirty-four. It wouldn’t be unlikely that he’d be sharing a room with his girlfriend.
    Only she wasn’t his girlfriend, more’s the pity, and he had rather expected his mother to be more old-fashioned about it.
    Damn, damn, damn!
    He hauled their cases out of the boot of his car, plipped the remote and took them up to his room.
    Flowers. Flowers on the chest of drawers. He’d never had flowers in his room—but come to that, he’d never stayed here with a woman. He realised in shock that it was the first time he’d ever brought a woman home—well, if you didn’t count innocent teenage flings and friends from college, which he didn’t—and he’d had no idea how his mother would react.
    Or overreact.
    He stuck his head round the corner into the dressing room and saw the small divan neatly made up, and he heaved a sigh of relief. She’d left his options open, bless her heart, and he was sure they’d cope. Except, of course, that the little bed was a heap of springs and far too small for his adult frame, but there was no way he’d ask Libby to sleep on it. It was out of the Spanish Inquisition.
    He’d manage. There probably wasn’t another option, anyway. The house would be bursting at the seams, even Will and Sally’s spare rooms would have been pressed into service, and at least in this room they had the choiceof sleeping arrangements. Not that it was much of a choice. He put his case on the hateful little daybed, hers on the big, comfortable half-tester in the main room, switched on the bedside lights and went back down to retrieve her, because he was running out of steam. Two sleepless nights on the trot were getting to him, and he had no idea if he’d be called back to the hospital tonight for little Jacob.
    He hoped not. He’d only had one glass of champagne all evening just in case, and he’d left half of that, but if he didn’t get his head down soon he’d be no good in an emergency anyway.
    She was standing where he’d left her, engaged in conversation with his cousin Charlotte, and his heart sank. Charlotte was a nightmare. She’d had a crush on him for years, and she wouldn’t be wasting any time laying her claim.
    ‘Hi, Charlie,’ he said, just to annoy her, and buzzed her cheek briefly before turning to Libby and sliding his arm around her waist and easing her closer. ‘I’m sorry, you’re going to have to excuse us, we’re both bushed and we need an early night, don’t we, darling?’
    She tilted her face up to his and smiled, and only he could see the mockery in her eyes. ‘Oh, yes, absolutely. Sorry. It’s been lovely to meet you, Charlotte. Night, Will, night, Sally. See you tomorrow.’
    And slipping her arm around his waist, she wriggled closer and let him steer her towards the stairs.
    ‘Darling?’ she murmured under her breath, shooting him a sideways look as they went together up the first step, and he chuckled.
    ‘Sorry. That was for Cousin Charlotte’s benefit.’
    ‘Ahh. Would that be zillionth cousin Charlotte umpteen times removed, by any chance?’ she said lightly, and he laughed again.
    ‘That would be the one. I thought Will would have the sense to lose her for you.’
    ‘I think Will imagined I could take care of myself,’ she replied, easing out of his hold as soon as they’d turned the corner and were out of view. ‘He also tells me you’re a gentleman.’
    He turned the knob and pushed the bedroom door open. ‘Sadly, he’s right,’ he said, closing the door behind them and stifling a sigh of regret. ‘I’ll be sleeping round the corner. The bathroom’s through there; I’ll let you go first.’
     
    She woke on Saturday morning to the sound of water running, and lay and listened as Andrew showered in the en suite bathroom which had been stolen from part of the adjoining dressing room where he’d spent the night, as