Joanna Neil - Return of the Rebel Doctor

‘I’ve never given a romance novel 5 stars before,

but I loved this one.’

— www.goodreads.com on A COTSWOLD CHRISTMAS BRIDE

A small gasp hovered on her lips. ‘You’re going for the interview?’ she echoed in a shocked voice.

He nodded, watching her cautiously, his expression serious. ‘That’s right.’

Her jaw dropped a fraction and she felt as though all the air had been sucked out of her, leaving her floundering. ‘So that’s why you’ve been hanging about all morning. You weren’t here to renew old acquaintances—you were looking around, eyeing up the facilities and checking out the way we work, getting ready for any questions that might come your way this afternoon.’ She was sick with disappointment. ‘We’re in competition for the same job.’

She’d had no idea this was coming. How could he have kept it to himself? Heavens, he might even have managed to manoeuvre her into bed with him if they hadn’t been interrupted.

‘We’ll soon see, won’t we?’ She stood up, pushing her chair back and reaching for her handbag. All at once she needed to escape, and she desperately needed time to get herself back under control.

Dear Reader

What is it that we love about a hero who is tall, dark and dangerous…dangerous to our peace of mind, that is? Is it that frisson of excitement, the secret hope that maybe our heroine is the only woman who can win his heart?

These were the questions I had in mind when I wrote Katie and Ross’s story. Ross is the archetypal rebel—a man who melts women’s hearts, but who is determined not to follow through. No wonder Katie tries to resist him.

And this story had to be set on a beautiful Scottish island—where else could my rugged hero strive to win the heart of the one woman he truly desires?

I hope you are as entranced by their story as I was when I wrote it.

Love

Joanna

When JOANNA NEILdiscovered Mills & Boon ®, her lifelong addiction to reading crystallised into an exciting new career writing Mills & Boon ®Medical Romance ™. Her characters are probably the outcome of her varied lifestyle, which includes working as a clerk, typist, nurse and infant teacher. She enjoys dressmaking and cooking at her Leicestershire home. Her family includes a husband, son and daughter, an exuberant yellow Labrador and two slightly crazed cockatiels. She currently works with a team of tutors at her local education centre, to provide creative writing workshops for people interested in exploring their own writing ambitions.

Recent titles by Joanna Neil:

HIS BRIDE IN PARADISE

TAMED BY HER BROODING BOSS

DR RIGHT ALL ALONG

DR LANGLEY: PROTECTOR OR PLAYBOY?

A COTSWOLD CHRISTMAS BRIDE

THE TAMING OF DR ALEX DRAYCOTT

BECOMING DR BELLINI’S BRIDE

These books are also available in eBook format from www.millsandboon.co.uk

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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‘WOULD YOU COME and take a look at this young lad for me, Katie?’ There was a faint note of unease in Colin McKenzie’s voice, and Katie glanced up at him, wondering what could have happened to disturb the usually relaxed, easygoing police sergeant.

‘Of course.’ She’d been busy checking the cupboards for medical supplies, to see if there was anything she needed to reorder, but now she stopped what she was doing and turned to face him. ‘What’s the problem?’

She was on call at the police station a couple of evenings a week, one early, one late, which fitted in well with her shifts as a paediatrician in the emergency unit at the local hospital. Nothing much happened around here as a rule.

Being a relatively small Scottish island community, crime wasn’t a major problem in the area, and Katie’s role as police surgeon was generally limited to treating minor ailments, such as the occasional graze, or assessing the condition of youngsters who had drunk too much alcohol.

‘It’s John McGregor’s boy.’ Colin pulled a face. He was a tall man, with dark hair greying around the edges, the wisdom of years as a police officer weighing on his broad shoulders. ‘He’s been hurt. We picked him up in a raid on the Old Bakehouse—Lizzie keeps petty cash in the office there, and a gang of teenage boys were after stealing it once it got dark. The lad was acting as a lookout.’

‘Finn was the lookout?’ Katie sucked in a sharp breath. She’d known Finn McGregor all his life. He was a long, lanky boy, just sixteen years old, and up to now he’d managed to steer clear of any major trouble, getting off with a caution or two for things like trespass or disturbing the peace. It seemed to Katie that most of his misdeeds stemmed from youthful exuberance. Surely he couldn’t have fallen in with the local troublemakers?

‘How bad is it? I mean, how did he come to be injured?’ She followed Colin out of the room that had been set aside as her surgery and headed with him towards the waiting room.

‘It’s a dog bite—not from one of our dogs, thankfully.’ The sergeant looked uncomfortable. ‘It was a difficult situation. He was injured, but we had to put him in the van with a police constable while we rounded up the rest of the gang. They ran off in all directions and it took us a while to catch up with them.’ He grimaced.

‘Anyway, in the first instance we thought about sending the lad to A and E, but that would have meant even more delay, a journey by ambulance to the hospital, and seeing as how you were on duty here…’

She nodded. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

Finn was sitting on a bench at the far side of the room. He was ashen faced, blood trickling through his fingers and down his cheek as he held a thick wad of tissue paper to his ear. His grey eyes were blank with shock and his body was trembling, so that Katie’s first overwhelming instinct was to go and put her arms around him and hold him close.

This was Ross’s baby brother, after all—or half-brother, in truth—and she’d watched him grow from a tiny baby. Right now he looked lost and alone, and no matter what he’d done she had a compelling urge to reach out and protect him.

Sheer professionalism made her hold her instincts in check, but she went over to him and laid an arm gently around his shoulders. ‘Let’s go to my surgery, Finn, and I’ll see if I can clean you up a bit and sort out what’s to be done.’

‘Oh, Katie, it’s you…’ Relief swamped his voice as he looked at her. ‘I didn’t do anything wrong, Katie, honestly.’ His voice started to shake and his eyes glistened with moisture as he replayed in his mind what had happened. ‘I wouldn’t…I was just…And then this dog came from out of nowhere…he sank his teeth into me and wouldn’t let go.’ He broke off, clamping his lips together as he fought for control of himself.

‘You can tell me all about it while I take a look at you,’ Katie said gently. ‘One thing at a time. You’ve had a nasty shock and we need to get you settled.’