Annie Claydon - Saving Baby Amy

Brought together...and bound forever!

Fiercely independent orthopedic doctor Chloe Delancourt will do anything for her teenage sister, Hannah, and little niece, Amy. So when Amy falls ill and Hannah runs away, Chloe steps in, with the help of gorgeous pediatrician Jon Lambert...igniting an unexpected attraction!

Saving baby Amy brings Jon closer than he ever wanted to get to another woman after his disastrous marriage. But Chloe’s determination and unwavering loyalty remind Jon of what a real family should be...and that this could be his chance to have everything—with Chloe!

When he saw her he got to his feet, whispering so as not to disturb Amy. ‘Sorry. The door was open…’

‘That’s okay. When I heard about the accident I held her a little tighter.’

‘We have to protect her.’

‘We will.’

He’d settled for want, instead of need, and gone upstairs to check on Amy. But now that Chloe was here… Jon reminded himself that she had her own issues about being touched, and that the intensity with which he wanted to touch her would probably be unwelcome.

But she touched him. He drew away and she touched him again, taking hold of the front of his shirt and pulling him towards her. And then she was in his arms. Chloe reached out, curling her fingers around his neck.

One breath. One look.

There was no longer any him or her—just one frozen moment in time which they both owned equally. Chloe seemed to understand everything that was in his heart, every question and every sadness.

Dear Reader,

There are times when I dream of perfection. But in reality I know that it is just a dream. Because, to me, a world without any flaws would hold no challenge—nothing to strive for. And perhaps it’s the way we deal with situations which are less than perfect that is the truest measure of our spirit and humanity.

So a hero who wants perfection isn’t someone I’d normally see eye to eye with. Perhaps that’s why I gave Dr Jon Lambert a particularly hard time in this book, throwing him together with a heroine who resists taking the help he offers and facing them both with a situation that tests Jon to the limit. But, like any true hero, Jon has it in him to rise to the challenge—even if it does mean that he’s forced to re-examine his perspective on life.

When Chloe Delancourt’s niece, baby Amy, is in danger of being abandoned by her mother, Chloe must fight to reunite her family and secure Amy’s future. Jon isn’t her first choice of ally, but she has no choice but to admit she needs his help. And in working together to save baby Amy both Jon and Chloe discover that perfection isn’t something either of them needs in order to find true happiness and fulfilment.

Thank you for reading Jon and Chloe’s story. I’m always thrilled to hear from readers, and you can contact me via my website at annieclaydon.com.

Annie x

Saving Baby Amy

Annie Claydon

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Cursed with a poor sense of direction and a propensity to read, ANNIE CLAYDONspent much of her childhood lost in books. A degree in English Literature followed by a career in computing didn’t lead directly to her perfect job—writing romance for Mills & Boon—but she has no regrets in taking the scenic route. She lives in London: a city where getting lost can be a joy.

Books by Annie Claydon

Mills & Boon Medical Romance

Stranded in His Arms

Rescued by Dr Rafe

Saved by the Single Dad

The Doctor She’d Never Forget

Discovering Dr Riley

The Doctor’s Diamond Proposal

English Rose for the Sicilian Doc

Visit the Author Profile page

at millsandboon.co.ukfor more titles.

To Rosie, with love.

Praise for Annie Claydon

‘A compelling, emotional and highly poignant read that I couldn’t bear to put down. Rich in pathos, humour and dramatic intensity, it’s a spellbinding tale about healing old wounds, having the courage to listen to your heart and the power of love that kept me enthralled from beginning to end.’

—Goodreads on Once Upon A Christmas Night…

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Praise

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

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

HOSPITAL GOSSIP WAS a bit like the wind: unpredictable and prone to sudden gusts in one direction or another. Information could easily end up at the furthest corner of the hospital before it came to the notice of the people involved. So it was no particular surprise to Chloe Delancourt that she’d walked all the way over to the canteen before hearing a piece of news that quite obviously pertained to her.

‘So what’s all this about your boyfriend and a baby?’ One of the other junior doctors joined her at the end of the queue.

‘My boyfriend?’ Jake was long gone, and if he did have a baby it was nothing to do with her.

Petra grinned. ‘All right, so he’s not your boyfriend. Since he’s good looking, single and living with you, that might be classed as an omission on your part.’

‘You mean Jon?’ Chloe had only seen Dr Jonathan Lambert for a total of about ten minutes since he’d moved in two weeks ago.

‘How many good-looking men are you living with currently?’

‘Just the one...’ The ten minutes had been more than enough to notice that he was good looking. And that he had a delicious smile. But apart from that all she really knew about him was that he was a good friend of her brother’s and he kept the bathroom tidy. He’d started his new job at the hospital six weeks earlier than anticipated and had needed a place to stay because the renovations on his own house weren’t finished yet.

‘Glad to hear it. If there was more than one of them, I’d be looking for an invitation to come over for dinner at the weekend.’

Chloe shrugged. ‘Come over anyway, I’m not doing anything tomorrow. It’ll be just the two of us, though, he’s not exactly made his presence felt.’

‘If he’s working nights then I suppose you wouldn’t see much of him during the week...’ Petra was obviously turning the idea over in her head.

‘Or the weekend. He spends every waking hour over at his place. I’ve hardly seen him.’ Maybe Jon was avoiding her. Or maybe he just took the promise that she’d hardly know he was there very seriously. Whatever. It suited Chloe not to get too involved with a face as handsome as his.

‘Well, he’s here now. With a baby.’

‘What kind of baby?’

Petra rolled her eyes. ‘Two arms, two legs...the usual. A little girl, he was calling her Amy...’