Laura Iding - Bride for a Single Dad

“Jillian, we’re having a family barbecue at my parents’ house this weekend—would you be willing to come with us? Me and Shelby?”

She caught her breath, knowing that if she agreed to go there would be no hiding their relationship. This was Alec’s way of including her in the warm embrace of his family. Was she ready for this step?

Yes. Absolutely. “I’d love to.” Jillian realised she’d just taken a gigantic step toward admitting to the world how she felt about him. Doubts instantly assailed her, and she pushed them away with determination.

There was really no reason she couldn’t have it all. A career and a family. A beautiful stepdaughter.

And, most importantly, Alec’s love.

Single Doctor… Single Father!

At work they are skilled medical professionals, but at home, as soon as they walk in the door, these eligible bachelors are on full-time fatherhood duty!

These devoted dads still find room in their lives for love…

It takes very special women to win the hearts of these dedicated doctors, and a very special kind of caring to make these single fathers full-time husbands!

Laura Idingloved reading as a child, and when she ran out of books she readily made up her own, completing a little detective mini-series when she was twelve. But, despite her aspirations for being an author, her parents insisted she look into a ‘real’ career. So the summer after she turned thirteen she volunteered as a Candy Striper and fell in love with nursing. Now, after twenty years of experience in trauma/critical care, she’s thrilled to combine her career and her hobby into one—writing Medical™ Romances for Mills & Boon®. Laura lives in the northern part of the United States, and spends all her spare time with her two teenage kids (help!), a daughter and a son, and her husband. Enjoy!

Recent titles by the same author:

HIS PREGNANT NURSE

THE DOCTOR’S CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL

THE FLIGHT DOCTOR’S ENGAGEMENT*

THE CONSULTANT’S HOMECOMING

A PERFECT FATHER

THE FLIGHT DOCTOR’S EMERGENCY*

* Air Rescue

Bride for a Single Dad

Laura Iding

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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This book is dedicated to my sister-in-law, Marianne Iding. Thanks for being such a great friend.

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

Epilogue

DR. JILLIAN DAVIS kept her head high, hopefully portraying a confidence she didn’t feel as she strode through the emergency department at Trinity Medical Center.

“You’re late.” Dr. Wayne Netter, one of her colleagues, glared at her from his arrogant stance behind the arena nurses’ station.

She ignored him, refusing to explain she was late as a result of her MRI scan being delayed. Her personal problems were none of his business. Impervious to his glare, she eyed the list of patients written on the whiteboard. “I see we have a full house.”

“There’s a couple of trauma victims on the way in,” Luanne, the charge nurse, piped up. “Multiple gunshot wounds. ETA less than two minutes.”

“Maybe I should stick around, in case you need help.” Wayne Netter suffered from delusions of grandeur, acting as if he was the backbone of the emergency department, which was why he could barely tolerate knowing Jillian had been chosen for the role of interim medical director over him.

She raised a brow. “Sure, if you like. Although it’s Friday night, and I wouldn’t want to hold up your plans.”

Wayne’s gaze narrowed and she imagined he was already internally debating with himself. Was it more important she believe he had big plans on a Friday night or that she needed his dubious expertise for two simultaneous traumas?

Decisions, decisions. She fought a smile, especially when Luanne comically rolled her eyes from behind Wayne’s back. Neither one of them particularly cared for the guy.

Clearing her throat, she turned her attention to Luanne. “Any other patient-care issues I need to know about?”

“Nope.” Luanne shot a quick glance at Dr. Netter and belatedly Jillian realized Wayne might take her innocent remark as something derogatory. She stifled a sigh as Luanne hastened to assure her, “Everything’s fine. The hospital beds are still pretty full and we have a few patients waiting on discharges upstairs.”

“Great. I’ll head over to the trauma room, then.” Jillian walked away, feeling Wayne’s piercing gaze boring into her back. To make a bad situation worse, she’d also once turned down his offer to go out for dinner, and he’d been impossible to deal with ever since. He just couldn’t believe she wasn’t interested. Of course, he didn’t realize she hadn’t dated a lot of guys in her lifetime. At first because her mother had been ill and later because she just hadn’t found anyone interesting enough.

Wayne did not even come close to tempting her. When he didn’t follow, she figured he’d decided not to stick around after all.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she focused her attention on the ED nurses and techs scurrying around to prepare the rooms for the incoming traumas. Sirens wailed from the ambulance bay and in moments the double doors burst open, spewing chaos into the room.

“John Doe number one, approximately sixteen years old with a gunshot wound to the belly, normal saline running wide open through two anticubital peripheral lines.” A paramedic called out pertinent information as the patient was wheeled into the first trauma bay.

“John Doe number two, approximately the same age at sixteen, was shot in the chest. We intubated him in the field but his vitals are deteriorating rapidly. Fluids going wide open through two peripheral antecubital IVs.”

Of the two, the chest wound was by far the more serious and required immediate attention. Jillian raised her voice. “Call for a cardiovascular surgery consult, stat.”

“We already did, when the call about a gunshot wound to the chest first came in,” Bonnie, one of the trauma nurses, quickly explained. “They were finishing up in surgery and planned to send a surgeon down.”

“I don’t see anyone yet. Call them again,” Jillian ordered.

Another nurse picked up the phone to send a second page.

“Blood pressure barely 70 systolic and heart rate irregular and tachy at 120,” Bonnie called out. “Looks like he may be trying to go into a wide complex rhythm.”

Jillian wasn’t surprised to see one of the paramedics kneeling on the gurney beside the second victim, keeping pressure on the chest wound. As the nurses fell into their respective roles on each side of the gurney, she donned sterile gloves and moved closer to examine the severity of the wound.