Meredith Webber - The Sheikh and the Surrogate Mum

Praise for Meredith Webber:

‘Medical™ Romance favourite Meredith Webber

has penned a spellbinding and moving tale

set under the hot desert sun!’

—Cataromance on

THE DESERT PRINCE’S CONVENIENT BRIDE

‘Medical ™Romance favourite Meredith Webber has written an outstanding romantic tale that I devoured in a single sitting: moving, engrossing, romantic and absolutely unputdownable! Ms Webber peppers her story with plenty of drama, emotion and passion, and she will keep her readers entranced until the final page.’

—Cataromance on

A PREGNANT NURSE’S CHRISTMAS WISH

‘Meredith Webber does a beautiful job

as she crafts one of the most unique romances I’ve

read in a while. Reading a tale by Meredith Webber is

always a pleasure, and

THE HEART SURGEON’S BABY SURPRISE

is no exception!’

—Book Illuminations on THE HEART SURGEON’S BABY SURPRISE

‘Beautiful,’ she said.

‘But not as beautiful as you,’ he murmured, taking the beaker and draining the last drops. Then, with his lips still wet, he kissed her.

Liz was sure she didn’t mean to kiss him back. She’d decided very firmly that kissing was off-limits where this man was concerned. Probably, in her condition, where any man was concerned! But she was definitely kissing him back—leaning into him, tasting the water on his lips, tasting him, wanting more while her head rambled on about not kissing men.

There was nothing simple about this kiss. If anything it was the most complex kiss Liz had ever experienced, for it seemed to be saying things as well as asking things, and she didn’t understand any of it—except the need to keep on kissing Khalifa-whoever, His Highness of Al Tinine …

MEREDITH WEBBERsays of herself, ‘Once I read an article which suggested that Mills and Boon were looking for new Medical™ Romance authors. I had one of those “I can do that” moments, and gave it a try. What began as a challenge has become an obsession—though I do temper the “butt on seat” career of writing with dirty but healthy outdoor pursuits, fossicking through the Australian Outback in search of gold or opals. Having had some success in all of these endeavours, I now consider I’ve found the perfect lifestyle.’

Recent titles by Meredith Webber:

NEW DOC IN TOWN

ORPHAN UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE

MELTING THE ARGENTINE DOCTOR’S HEART

TAMING DR TEMPEST

SHEIKH, CHILDREN’S DOCTOR … HUSBAND

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

The Sheikh and The Surrogate Mum

Meredith Webber

www.millsandboon.co.uk

‘JUST because some bloke with more money than sense has bought the place, we don’t need to go into a full-scale meltdown. He’s bought the hospital, not our bodies and souls. We have to—’

Dr Elizabeth Jones was addressing her slightly panicked night shift staff outside the special care neonatal unit of Giles Hospital when a deep, slightly accented voice interrupted her.

‘This word “bloke”? It means?’

She turned to face the source of the voice and her heart thudded to a halt, flopped around a bit and then went into a gallop rhythm she couldn’t recall ever having felt before.

He wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, or even astoundingly good looking—he was just so, well, very male !

Arrogantly male!

His bearing, the slight tilt of his head, the imperious look in his near-black eyes, all shouted leader of the pack .

‘Oh! Um—it’s actually nothing. Aussie slang, you know—means a man …’

The words faltered out in dribs and drabs, her brain too busy cataloguing the stranger’s attributes to construct sensible sentences.

Smooth olive skin, the slightest, neatest of clipped beards and moustache emphasising a straight nose and a strong jaw, not to mention framing lips like—well, she couldn’t think how to describe the lips, although the words ‘eminently kissable’ had sneaked into her head.

He wore a dark suit, though the way he wore it—or maybe it was the suit itself—made her wonder if she’d ever really seen a man in a suit before.

‘I see!’ the lips she’d noticed before the suit mused. ‘So the “bloke” who bought the hospital has more money than sense?’

It was the accent making her toes curl in her strappy sandals and sending feathery touches up and down her spine.

It had to be!

‘It was a stupid thing to say,’ Liz added, back in control. Almost. ‘It’s just that this particular hospital is hardly a money-making concern because part of the original trust that set it up ensures we treat a percentage of non-paying patients, although—’

She stopped before she insulted the man further—if this was the man with more money than sense—by assuming he’d change that rule. In fact, from the day the staff had learned the hospital was on the market they had all assumed it would be changed. After all, who in their right mind would invest in a business that ran at a loss?

Who would invest in a business that ran at a loss? Khalifa could see the words she didn’t say flashing across her face.

An interesting face—arresting. Though maybe it was nothing more than the black-framed glasses that made it that way. What woman wore glasses with heavy black plastic frames these days? They did emphasise her clear creamy complexion but certainly didn’t match her hair, ruthlessly restrained in a tidy knot behind her head, yet still revealing more than a hint of deep red in the darkness of it.

Intriguing, but he was here on business.

‘I am the bloke you speak of, but I do not intend to make money from the hospital,’ he assured her and the small group of staff who’d been her audience when he’d approached. ‘I will continue to run it according to the original charter, but I hope to be able to bring some of the equipment up to date, and perhaps employ more staff.’

He paused. He’d intended outlining his plan to a meeting of the heads of the different departments, and had walked down to look again at the special care unit because it was his main interest. But now he was here, perhaps a less formal approach would be better.

Or did he want to spend more time studying the woman with the black glasses?

‘My name is Sheikh Khalifa bin Saif al Zahn. Just Khalifa will suffice. I have bought the hospital in the hope that you, the staff, can help me and that I can, perhaps, offer those of you who wish to take part an interesting and hopefully enjoyable experience.’

The blank looks on the faces of the small group told him his explanation hadn’t worked.

‘I have built a new hospital in my homeland—an island state called Al Tinine—and it is operating well. My next wish is to set up a special care neonatal unit like this one. I am hoping to bring staff from my hospital to work here to gain an insight into how you work, and I would like to think some of the staff at this hospital would enjoy working for short periods in my country.’

He was certain this further explanation had been perfectly clear—perhaps the blank looks were caused by surprise.