Abigail Gordon - A Wedding In The Village

The doctor’s longed-for-bride

When Dr Megan Marshall returns home to head up the Riverside Practice she’s not expecting a blast from her past! Her new colleague is gorgeous Luke Anderson—her tutor at university. Megan still blushes remembering the Valentine’s card she sent him!

Megan always stood out for Luke, but as his student she was out of bounds. Now they’re working together, can Luke forget his painful past and capture Megan’s heart?

Because the longer Luke spends with Megan, the more determined he is to make her his bride!

Previously Published.

Luke raised his eyebrows.

‘If you ever get married…?’

They were on a delicate subject, Megan thought uneasily. Both were eager to know each other better, and if she spoke the truth it could bring an end to that.

‘I would want to be the first love of the man I married.’

‘I see.’ Luke said flatly. ‘No one could blame you for that.’

But he didn’t have that right. He’d forfeited it because of one big mistake.

He supposed he should be thankful for the straight talk and put those sorts of thoughts out of his mind.

But was that possible?

Abigail Gordonloves to write about the fascinating combination of medicine and romance from her home in a Cheshire village. She is active in local affairs, and is even called upon to write the script for the annual village pantomime! Her eldest son is a hospital manager, and helps with all her medical research. As part of a close-knit family, she treasures having two of her sons living close by, and the third one not too far away. This also gives her the added pleasure of being able to watch her delightful grandchildren growing up.

A Wedding in the Village

Abigail Gordon

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For Roger, who is a tower of strength.

Cover

Back Cover Text The doctor’s longed-for-bride When Dr Megan Marshall returns home to head up the Riverside Practice she’s not expecting a blast from her past! Her new colleague is gorgeous Luke Anderson—her tutor at university. Megan still blushes remembering the Valentine’s card she sent him! Megan always stood out for Luke, but as his student she was out of bounds. Now they’re working together, can Luke forget his painful past and capture Megan’s heart? Because the longer Luke spends with Megan, the more determined he is to make her his bride! Previously Published.

About the Author Abigail Gordon loves to write about the fascinating combination of medicine and romance from her home in a Cheshire village. She is active in local affairs, and is even called upon to write the script for the annual village pantomime! Her eldest son is a hospital manager, and helps with all her medical research. As part of a close-knit family, she treasures having two of her sons living close by, and the third one not too far away. This also gives her the added pleasure of being able to watch her delightful grandchildren growing up.

Title Page A Wedding in the Village Abigail Gordon www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dedication For Roger, who is a tower of strength.

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

Copyright

MEGAN MARSHALL was smiling as the train pulled into the small country station.

She was home and happy to be so, and as Mike from the ticket office came hurrying forward to help her lift her cases out on to the platform, it was as if the two weeks she’d just spent in Florida belonged to another life.

A life in which she’d laughed a lot, played a lot, flirted a bit, and in which the two friends she’d gone with hadn’t guessed that underneath her carefree manner there had been worry.

She was soon going to be facing a big responsibility and was concerned in case she wouldn’t be up to it. There were going to be changes in the medical practice in the beautiful Cheshire village where she lived, and she was going to be very much involved in them.

They were connected with her parents, Margaret and James Marshall, both GPs, who had worked there side by side for as long as she could remember.

But now retirement was on the cards and arrangements were having to be made regarding the practice and who would be taking over. It was a problem that was half-solved as Megan had followed in their footsteps by going into medicine.

Since her degree she’d been hospital-based, but not now. That had changed. She’d been brought up around the village practice, played at doctors and nurses there when she had been small and, not wanting it to go out of the family, had taken GP training so that her presence might fill some of the gap that her parents were going to leave.

She wasn’t going to be doing it on her own. Another GP was needed. An experienced doctor who would help her to offer the standard of care that had always been present there.

Her parents were at the surgery now, making the final choice out of three applicants. When she’d got off the airport train in Manchester, Megan had phoned them to say that she would be catching the local train shortly and would one of them meet her at the station?

‘That could be difficult,’ her mother had said. ‘We’re in the middle of the final interviews. I’ll ask Henry to pick you up in his taxi, Megan. It’s lovely to know you’re back. Are you coming straight here? If you do, you’ll be able to meet the person you’re going to be spending a lot of time with in the future We’re pretty sure who it’s going to be. He stands out way above the others. You’ll be fortunate to have him working beside you in our small rural backwater.’

‘All right. I’ll come straight there,’ Megan said, thinking that although she couldn’t wait to get back to her little cottage on the hillside, she may as well get it over and done with.

* * *

‘Been away to get your strength up before your parents leave, have you, Megan,’ Henry Tichfield, the local taxi driver, asked as he piled her luggage into the boot.

She smiled. ‘Something like that, Henry. Heaven knows when I’ll get the chance for another holiday.’

It was the lunch-hour, one of the quietest times in the surgery. The morning patients had been seen, the house calls done, and there would be a lull until the later surgery in the afternoon.

Megan could hear voices coming from the office up above, but the door was closed so she went and made a mug of coffee and chatted to the receptionist who was covering the lunch-hour.

When she heard footsteps on the stairs she felt her mouth go dry. The moment she’d been dreading had come. Since she’d joined the practice there had always been her parents to go to with any problems, but soon all that would be changed. She was going to be in close contact with a stranger every minute of her working day.

‘Ah! There you are, Megan. Just at the right moment for introductions,’ her mother was saying as she led the way down the stairs, with the new doctor behind her and her father bringing up the rear.

When she raised her head with a weak smile on her face it froze, and a voice that she’d never expected to hear again exclaimed, ‘But of course! Megan! Megan Marshall. Your first name hasn’t been mentioned. Otherwise it might have registered that we already know each other.’