Louisa Heaton - A Father This Christmas?

Jacob Dolan. The doctor who’d slept with her four years ago and then run off to Africa. The doctor who’d got her pregnant and then disappeared without leaving a trace!

Why did he have to look so good?

This was her dream come true and her worst nightmare all rolled into one! Whilst once she had dreamed about what life might have been like for the pair of them if Jacob hadn’t disappeared, she was now faced with the fact that he was back. And he would eventually need to be told about Seb.

‘Eva?’

Chills trembled down her spine and she felt every single goosebump that prickled her skin.

‘Jacob! Nice to see you again. It’s been a long time.’

She held out her hand for him to shake, as one colleague would to another. He raised a quizzical eyebrow and shook it, smiling that kilowatt smile.

Oh, help …

Eva kept the smile plastered on her face, not knowing what else to do. She had momentous, life-changing news for this man. But how could she tell him?

Dear Reader Dear Reader About the Author Title Page Dedication Praise for Louisa Heaton CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE EPILOGUE Copyright ,

I love Christmas. I love the countdown to the big day, the wishing and hoping for snow, the excitement of my children as they try to guess what they’re getting … shaking and weighing up the presents under the tree. I love the food, the putting up of the decorations, and laughing at my husband as he tries—and struggles—to put up the Christmas lights each year.

As a child, I thought Christmas was special—but it meant even more when I watched my own children experience the season. For Eva and Jacob, Christmas means different things. For Eva it’s a time that makes her feel even more separate from the family she was once with, and for Jacob it’s a tragic reminder of a cruel event.

In this story we accompany them on their journey to find their own magic at Christmas—their own happy ending that they never believed could be possible. I hope you enjoy it.

Love and best wishes,

Louisa x

LOUISA HEATONfirst started writing romance at school, and would take her stories in to show her friends, scrawled in a big red binder, with plenty of crossing out. She dreamt of romance herself, and after knowing her husband-to-be for only three weeks shocked her parents by accepting his marriage proposal. After four children—including a set of twins—and fifteen years of trying to get published, she finally received ‘The Call’! Now she lives on Hayling Island, and when she’s not busy as a First Responder creates her stories wandering along the wonderful Hampshire coastline with her two dogs, muttering to herself and scaring the locals.

Visit Louisa on twitter @louisaheaton, on Facebook Louisaheatonauthoror on her website: louisaheaton.com.

A Father

This Christmas?

Louisa Heaton

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Mum and Dad, who bought me a beautiful manual typewriter one Christmas and released the story-writing bunny.

Lots of love, your loving daughter. xx

Praise for Louisa Heaton Praise for Louisa Heaton CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE EPILOGUE Copyright

‘ The Baby That Changed Her Life moved me to tears many times. It is a full-on emotional drama. Louisa Heaton brought this tale shimmering with emotions.’

—GoodReads

‘You know that feeling you get after you read an incredibly awesome book … the feeling where you don’t know what to read next, because the book you just read was so awesome …? That’s exactly how I feel.’

—GoodReads on The Baby That Changed Her Life

Contents

Cover

Introduction Eva swivelled in her seat and her eyes fell upon the one man she’d thought she’d never, ever see again. Jacob Dolan. The doctor who’d slept with her four years ago and then run off to Africa. The doctor who’d got her pregnant and then disappeared without leaving a trace! Why did he have to look so good? This was her dream come true and her worst nightmare all rolled into one! Whilst once she had dreamed about what life might have been like for the pair of them if Jacob hadn’t disappeared, she was now faced with the fact that he was back. And he would eventually need to be told about Seb. ‘Eva?’ Chills trembled down her spine and she felt every single goosebump that prickled her skin. ‘Jacob! Nice to see you again. It’s been a long time.’ She held out her hand for him to shake, as one colleague would to another. He raised a quizzical eyebrow and shook it, smiling that kilowatt smile. Oh, help … Eva kept the smile plastered on her face, not knowing what else to do. She had momentous, life-changing news for this man. But how could she tell him?

Dear Reader Dear Reader Dear Reader About the Author Title Page Dedication Praise for Louisa Heaton CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE EPILOGUE Copyright , I love Christmas. I love the countdown to the big day, the wishing and hoping for snow, the excitement of my children as they try to guess what they’re getting … shaking and weighing up the presents under the tree. I love the food, the putting up of the decorations, and laughing at my husband as he tries—and struggles—to put up the Christmas lights each year. As a child, I thought Christmas was special—but it meant even more when I watched my own children experience the season. For Eva and Jacob, Christmas means different things. For Eva it’s a time that makes her feel even more separate from the family she was once with, and for Jacob it’s a tragic reminder of a cruel event. In this story we accompany them on their journey to find their own magic at Christmas—their own happy ending that they never believed could be possible. I hope you enjoy it. Love and best wishes, Louisa x

About the Author LOUISA HEATON first started writing romance at school, and would take her stories in to show her friends, scrawled in a big red binder, with plenty of crossing out. She dreamt of romance herself, and after knowing her husband-to-be for only three weeks shocked her parents by accepting his marriage proposal. After four children—including a set of twins—and fifteen years of trying to get published, she finally received ‘The Call’! Now she lives on Hayling Island, and when she’s not busy as a First Responder creates her stories wandering along the wonderful Hampshire coastline with her two dogs, muttering to herself and scaring the locals. Visit Louisa on twitter @louisaheaton , on Facebook Louisaheatonauthor or on her website: louisaheaton.com .

Title Page A Father This Christmas? Louisa Heaton www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dedication To Mum and Dad, who bought me a beautiful manual typewriter one Christmas and released the story-writing bunny. Lots of love, your loving daughter. xx

Praise for Louisa Heaton Praise for Louisa Heaton Praise for Louisa Heaton CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE EPILOGUE Copyright ‘ The Baby That Changed Her Life moved me to tears many times. It is a full-on emotional drama. Louisa Heaton brought this tale shimmering with emotions.’ —GoodReads ‘You know that feeling you get after you read an incredibly awesome book … the feeling where you don’t know what to read next, because the book you just read was so awesome …? That’s exactly how I feel.’ —GoodReads on The Baby That Changed Her Life