Praise for Meredith Webber:
‘Medical Romance™ favourite Meredith Webber has penned a spellbinding and moving tale set under the hot desert sun!’
—Cataromance on THE DESERT PRINCE’S CONVENIENT BRIDE
‘Medical Romance™ favourite Meredith Webber has written an outstanding romantic tale that I devoured in a single sitting—moving, engrossing, romantic and absolutely unputdownable! Ms Webber peppers her story with plenty of drama, emotion and passion, and she will keep her readers entranced until the final page.’
—Cataromance on A PREGNANT NURSE’S CHRISTMAS WISH
‘Meredith Webber does a beautiful job as she crafts one of the most unique romances I’ve read in a while. Reading a tale by Meredith Webber is always a pleasure and THE HEART SURGEON’S BABY SURPRISE
is no exception!’ —Book Illuminations on THE HEART SURGEON’S BABY SURPRISE
Dear Reader
I realised recently that in my long and varied career as a medical writer I hadn’t ever written a ‘friends to lovers’ story, yet I know this happens in real life.
Any number of disparate bits of information come together to make a book—or one of my books, anyway—and for this one I remembered a plane trip where I sat next to a member of the Elite Mine Rescue team on the first leg of his journey to the USA to help rescue some trapped miners. I was fascinated by his stories, but more intrigued by his enthusiasm for what was obviously a very dangerous profession—and they are professionals, all of them. Why this memory surfaced for this book I’m not sure, but there it was, all ready to use.
Then there was the child. Children have been fairly prevalent in my books. The powerful bond between a parent and a child, to me, can mirror the bond of love slowly and hesitantly growing between a man and a woman, a hero and a heroine—and, of course, a child can bring problems in its wake … big problems! But I loved Steffi from the moment that she appeared on the scene, rather unexpectedly even for me, so I hope you love her too.
All the best
Meredith
About the Author
MEREDITH WEBBER says of herself, ‘Once I read an article which suggested that Mills & Boon were looking for new Medical Romance™ authors. I had one of those “I can do that” moments, and gave it a try. What began as a challenge has become an obsession—though I do temper the “butt on seat” career of writing with dirty but healthy outdoor pursuits, fossicking through the Australian Outback in search of gold or opals. Having had some success in all of these endeavours, I now consider I’ve found the perfect lifestyle.’
One Baby Step
at a Time
Meredith Webber
CHAPTER ONE
HE HADN’T EXPECTED it to feel so strange, walking into the ER at Willowby Hospital. After all, he’d been here often enough as a child—broken arm, a badly sprained ankle and, on one memorable occasion, suffering hypothermia after he’d been trapped down a well. Bill’s fault, that! Bill crying pitiably at the top because her cat had fallen in—Bill going all girlie on him!
Whillimina Florence de Groote—his friend Bill!
Finally producing a daughter after six sons, Bill’s mother had named her after both grandmothers, thinking it a nice feminine name, but from before she could talk, Bill had decided she was one of the boys and early on had insisted her name was Bill.
So Bill she’d stayed.
Lost in the past, he was startled when the woman who’d met him at the door—Lesley?—spoke.
‘I’ll introduce you to our senior nursing staff, and you’ll meet the rest as you move around.’
But once again he was distracted, for there she was!
The wild, vivid, red hair, ruthlessly tamed for her work shift, burst like tendrils of flame from beneath her white cap, bringing smudges of colour to the sterility of the room.
‘Bill!’
His delighted cry echoed around the still-quiet space and as he strode towards her, Lesley—he was sure it was Lesley—bleating, ‘Oh, you know Bill?’ as she followed him.
He watched as disbelief chased surprise across Bill’s face, then delight dawned in a smile that made the brightly lit room seem even brighter.
‘No one told me!’ she said, abandoning the patient she’d been shepherding towards a cubicle to give him an all-enveloping hug. ‘You didn’t tell me you were coming,’ she added, with a punch on his shoulder. ‘But I’m so glad! Gran will be so happy. But what are you doing here? I’m working. Did you just call in to say hello?’
He grinned at her, the pleasure of seeing her again, from hearing the rush of words that was pure Bill, warming him right through.
‘I’m working too,’ he said, and saw shock dawn on her face.
‘Working?’
He nodded.
‘Here?’
He nodded again, still smiling broadly because he’d never seen Bill flabbergasted before, but flabbergasted she truly was.
‘You’ve got a patient, I’ll explain later,’ he said, delighted that he could keep her guessing a while longer.
That drew a scowl but she did return to her patient, fully focussed on work once again, leaving Nick with a strange sense of … Well, he wasn’t sure what it was—surely not rightness about returning home?
No, he was being fanciful. It was probably nothing more than the pleasure of seeing Bill again.
‘You know Bill?’ Lesley had been hovering behind him during the exchange.
‘You could say that,’ he replied, still smiling because somehow seeing Bill had made this decision to come home seem comfortable—even inevitable—for all he’d been thrown into work before he’d had time to settle in because of some emergency in the senior ER registrar’s family.
Four hours later he’d had plenty of opportunities to see his old friend in action, her seniority evident in the way she designated duties and handled patients, always busy yet always calm and smiling.
Always attracting his attention whenever she was in sight, but that was nothing more than his natural delight in seeing her again. That she felt the same he had no doubt, for she’d flash a smile at him as their paths crossed.
Until now, when she was coming towards him with determination in her easy, long-legged stride, another scowl on her face.
‘Tearoom now, Dr Grant!’ she ordered, and he fell in obediently behind her, knowing he’d have a lot of explaining to do but pleased to have an opportunity to sit and talk to her in this small lull.
Had she ordered everyone out, that the area was empty? he wondered, as he followed her into the messy room. He wouldn’t have put it past her, but right now he didn’t care. All he wanted to do was give her a proper hug, to reaffirm he really was home again.
He caught her in his arms and swung her round, not easily as she was nearly as tall as he was—and only for a moment as she pushed away and glared at him.
‘And what’s all this about?’ she demanded. ‘Creeping into town without a word to anyone? And don’t tell me Gran knows because I saw her yesterday and you know she can’t keep a secret.’
He