He took a deep breath and put all thoughts of love and weddings out of his mind.
‘Do you remember,’ he said, letting go of his hand and moving down to massage Christopher’s toes now, ‘how we took you swimming in the lagoon that time you were visiting? Mum put you in a life jacket and we all lay on our backs in the water and looked up at the sky through the canopy of the rainforest.’
Christopher’s eyes, so like Caroline’s, opened slightly and Keanu could swear he was actually looking at him.
Christopher’s smile might be but a shadow, but Keanu’s answer was a broad grin.
‘And what about when we took you down to Sunset Beach in your wheelchair but the path was too steep and we tipped you out, and when we got you back in, we had to spend ages wiping red sand off you so your nurse and Mum wouldn’t know?’
Open eyes and a smile!
Keanu’s hand surged with joy.
‘Oh, Christopher, we had such fun!’
‘Didn’t we?’ a quiet voice said, and Keanu looked up to see Caro on the other side of the bed.
‘Where did you come from? I thought the nurse was going to let you sleep for ten minutes before she rang the house.’
Caroline came into the room and sat down in the chair she’d been in earlier. She took Christopher’s other hand in hers, leaned forward to kiss his cheek, then finally looked at Keanu.
‘I never left,’ she said. ‘I went as far as the lift with Dad then thought of something.’
She hesitated, heart pounding, knowing what she wanted so much to say, but still held back by uncertainties she couldn’t name.
‘Thought of something?’ Keanu prompted.
She nodded, saw Christopher’s eyes open, looking at her, urging her on, it seemed.
‘I hadn’t told you I loved you either. I’d wanted to but I hadn’t. I was upset about the mine business—stupid really when it’s a good idea—then Dad phoned to say he’d sent the plane to bring me home and all I could think about was Christopher. Then, when I came back just now, I heard you talking to him—I stood and eavesdropped and put my finger to my lips so the nurse wouldn’t betray me and now I want to tell Christopher something too.’
She lifted his hand and pressed her lips to it.
‘I love this man Keanu, Christopher, and I do hope you approve because without him I don’t think I could go on. He is part of me, part of my heart and soul, and always has been, and now that I understand why he broke away, well, I love him even more, because that was done from love—love for his mother.’
She reached across the bed and took Keanu’s hand in hers.
‘And in case Christopher didn’t tell you, I like sapphires.’
Max, alerted by the nurse, came in to a surprising tableau. His son, who’d been lingering close to death for days, was not quite alert, but definitely had his eyes open and a lopsided smile on his face, while his daughter shone with luminous radiance, sitting with her hand linked in Keanu’s across the bottom of the bed.
And Keanu’s face wasn’t exactly doleful either.
‘You two got something to tell me?’ he asked.
‘I’d like to marry your daughter,’ Keanu said.
‘But not right away, Dad,’ Caroline assured him. ‘There’s a lot of stuff to sort out at the island and when we’re married there, I want it to be the perfect, happy, heavenly place it used to be.’
‘I presume you’ll let me know a date,’ Max said, smiling at the pair. ‘Now, I’m sure you’ve got plenty to say to each other so leave me with my son, and go make your plans.’
‘ … the author gave me wonderful, enjoyable moments of conflict, and truth-revealing moments of joy and sorrow … I highly recommend this book for all lovers of romance with medical drama as a backdrop and second-chance love.’
—Contemporary Romance Reviews on NYC Angels: An Explosive Reunion
‘This is a deeply emotional book, dealing with difficult life and death issues and situations in the medical community. But it is also a powerful story of love, forgiveness, and learning to be intimate … There’s a lot packed into this novella. I’m impressed.’
—Goodreads on 200 Harley Street: The Proud Italian
If you were asked to think of the most romantic setting ever, where would it be? A candlelit dinner? A walk in a forest with dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy? In front of a crackling fire on a winter’s night? Or maybe a beach on a tropical island—at sunset?
Those all work for me, that’s for sure, but there’s obviously something about the tropical island beach that puts it closer to the top of the list for many people—which probably explains why travel agents use those stunning images of couples on beaches to advertise islands.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit Hawaii, Fiji and Samoa. I’m also lucky enough to have writer friends who love island settings for romantic stories as much as I do, so when the opportunity came up to work together we were all excited.
Wildfire Island is the star of our fictitious archipelago of M’Langi. It has a beach that is so famous for its amazing sunsets it gave the island its name. It also has a hospital, and a team of people who all have their own stories.
This is Luke and Anahera’s story. They’ve both kept huge secrets from each other and have to deal with the repercussions of having them revealed. What are those secrets and how do they do that?
Read on and find out …
With love,
Alison xxx
ALISON ROBERTS is a New Zealander, currently lucky enough to live near a beautiful beach in Auckland. She is also lucky enough to write for both the Mills & Boon Romance and Medical Romance lines. A primary school teacher in a former life, she is also a qualified paramedic. She loves to travel and dance, drink champagne, and spend time with her daughter and her friends.
For Meredith and Linda with very much love xxx
STEPPING OFF A plane could be more than stepping onto unfamiliar ground.
Sometimes it was like stepping back in time.
The heat of the early evening was the first thing that Luke Wilson noticed. The kind of heat laced with moisture that felt like the anteroom of a sauna. Why on earth had he chosen to fly in a suit?
Because that was what internationally renowned specialists in tropical diseases wore when they were invited to be a keynote speaker at an exclusive conference?
The smell was the second thing that hit Luke as he walked from the plane towards the golf cart that was clearly waiting to transport him to his accommodation at