Praise for Anne Fraser:
‘Anne Fraser has crafted a superb page-turner. This is a
heart-warming romance with lots of tension and great
dialogue that will keep readers glued to the pages.’
—RT Book Reviews, 4.5 Stars on SPANISH DOCTOR, PREGNANT MIDWIFE
‘Anne Fraser writes an appealing romance
set amidst all the medical drama. The story is a constant
whirlwind of emotion as Ellen tries to face an
uncertain future full of everything she’s ever wanted.’
—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars on MISTLETOE, MIDWIFE … MIRACLE BABY
The Most Precious Bundle of All
Tears, triumphs and a tiny miracle
An IVF mix-up turns two couples’s dreams
of parenthood into a nightmare.
But through the tests, tears and triumphs they
find unexpected love … and realise that happy endings
come in all shapes and sizes!
Fighting to keep the baby she’s always wanted, Olivia
turns to dashing doctor David for love and support in
HER MOTHERHOOD WISH by Anne Fraser
Meet John and Lily. Discovering they’ve made a baby
turns these strangers’ worlds upside down—but not
nearly as much as when they start falling in love!
A BOND BETWEEN STRANGERS by Scarlet Wilson
Her Motherhood
Wish
Anne Fraser
For Kim, one of life’s special people. Thanks for listening and thanks for making me laugh. You’ll be sorely missed.
Dear Reader
When my editor asked me if I wanted to write one of two linked books with fellow Scottish author Scarlet Wilson about an IVF mix-up I was both thrilled and dismayed. Thrilled because I believe Scarlet to be a fabulous new talent in Mills & Boon® Medical Romance™, and dismayed because I thought IVF mixups couldn’t happen.
They are rare, of course, rigorous safeguards are in place to prevent this—and our scenario is entirely fictional.
Many women and their partners owe their only chance of having children to egg and sperm donors. In the UK, at the time of writing, egg and sperm donors cannot donate for money and their details are kept highly confidential. The recipient can choose a donor, but only on the basis of anonymous details.
It is different in the US. That is why we chose to set the books in America.
I hope you enjoy Olivia and David’s story as much as I know you’ll love Lily and John’s.
I’d be delighted to hear what you think.
I can be contacted via my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AnneFraserAuthor
Warm wishes
Anne Fraser
CHAPTER ONE
My darling Josh,
I am writing this to you, knowing it may be years before you read it. If you are reading this, it means I have lost you.
And if I lost you you’re probably not even called Josh now. But whatever name your father has chosen to give you, I hope you have had a wonderful life so far. I know your father loves you, otherwise he wouldn’t have fought so hard to keep you.
I love you too. More than I can say. I loved you before you were even growing inside me and as you grew I loved you more. I still love you—I hope you have never doubted that.
I wonder what kind of man you turned out to be. I wonder what your childhood was like. It tears me apart thinking of you growing up without me. I almost can’t bear to imagine it and I want you to know that I tried to do everything in my power to keep you.
I enclose the newspaper cuttings from the time I was pregnant with you. It may help you understand what happened and why I had to give you up.
You will always be in my prayers. If you ever want to find me, I’ll be waiting. If you don’t, I’ll understand that too. All I want, my darling child, is for you to be happy.
Your birth mother,
Olivia Simpson
Four months earlier
DAVID leaned against the pillar, nursing his coffee and making the most of the last few minutes he had before he was due in Theatre. The early morning sun warmed his skin, promising another glorious day in San Francisco.
Shortly he’d be putting in a shunt for a patient with hydrocephalus. He’d done several like it before and all the patients had recovered well. He hoped, however, that the theatre staff here would be as good as the ones in his last hospital in New York. Theatre staff became teams, knowing instinctively after a while what the surgeon needed and when. No doubt it would take time before he and his new team meshed, and in the meantime he—and they—would have to be patient.
He watched idly as a Volkswagen Beetle pulled into the car park with its roof down.
The woman at the wheel immediately caught his attention. In a city of beautiful women she was still stunning. She had thick blonde hair that was held back from her face with a scarf. Her eyes were hidden by oversized sunglasses, but her full, wide mouth was turned up at the corners as if she were enjoying some private joke.
The car came to a stop a few yards away from where he was standing and as he swallowed the last of his coffee, the driver’s door opened and he caught a glimpse of slim, tanned legs peeking out from a yellow sundress. As the woman reached over to pick something up from the passenger seat, her dress inched tantalisingly up her thigh.
She pushed her car door open further with her foot and eased her way out of the car, clutching a heavy armload of files to her chest as she did so.
The yellow dress and her blonde hair made him think bizarrely of a sunbeam. He should really go and help her, but he was enjoying himself too much.
She kicked the car door closed, and as she did so, the files slid to the ground, where they fanned out in an untidy heap. As she swore under her breath, David threw his paper coffee cup in the bin and pushed himself away from the wall.
She was crouching by the files, her canary-yellow dress once more riding up to reveal the best legs David had seen in a while.
‘Need some help, ma’am?’ he drawled, and without waiting for a reply hunkered down beside her and reached for the papers.
‘Thank you. If you wouldn’t mind,’ she said in an English accent. She lifted her sunglasses and pushed them on top of her head. Bright green eyes caught his for a second and something shifted behind his ribs. She might have the best pair of pins he’d seen in a while, but those eyes. Man, a guy could lose himself there for a while. The rest of her wasn’t too bad either. Her nose was pert, a little too turned up for some tastes perhaps, but he thought it made her look cute. Without that nose her face would have been too perfect, too severe almost. He’d dated enough perfect-looking women and after a while they began to merge into one. The way this woman looked …