Scarlet Wilson - A Family Made At Christmas

A family to heal her heart...

For physiotherapist April Henderson, gorgeous army doc Riley Callaghan is off-limits. With her life-altering surgery looming, she can’t afford to consider anyone else right now. But when Riley is given the biggest news of his life—a son he knew nothing about—April can’t help but offer him support.

Spending time with Riley and his adorable son, Finn, at Christmas gives April a glimpse of the life she’s always wanted. But can she risk her heart when her future is so uncertain?

‘Let me do something for you, April.’

The rush of emotion tumbled through her in waves. When was the last time someone had spoken to her like that? When was the last time she’d wanted someone to get this close? It felt like for ever. It felt like a whole lifetime ago.

A lifetime before her sister’s vague symptoms. Shock diagnosis. Frantic treatment attempts. And the life just slowly draining from her body.

Riley made the smallest move. His cheek touched hers and his lips brushed against her ear.

‘A toy shop. Along with the superhero T-shirts, I think you might secretly be a Peter Pan kind of girl.’

She could sense he was smiling.

Her eyes were closed, the toy shop ornament held in front of her chest. She turned towards him just as his head pulled back from her ear. Every part of her literally ached. Ached for his lips to touch hers. Then, before she had time to think any more, his lips brushed against hers. The sensation was just as sweet as she’d imagined. Every bit as magical. His hand tangled in her hair as the gentlest pressure increased.

She wanted this. She wanted this more than she’d ever imagined.

But just this—the slightest kiss—had put her sensations into overload. Every part of her brain fired. She was starting something she might not be able to continue. She was taking what could not be hers. She was kissing a man she hadn’t been entirely truthful with.

Dear Reader Contents Cover Back Cover Text Introduction Dear Reader Title Page About the Author Dedication CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE EPILOGUE Extract Copyright ,

It’s official! Christmas is my favourite time of year. I can’t get enough of it, and what I love more than anything is writing Christmas books. I have to be honest and say that this one is my favourite yet. I loved writing about these characters. April and Riley’s story jumped off the page at me, and certain scenes—especially the ones with the little boy Finn—made me cry. There are lots of difficult issues in this story, but true love conquers in the end. I hope you love this story as much as I do.

I have lots of traditions with my family and good friends at Christmas, but being a Mills & Boon author has let me develop some new ones. One of which is buying a Christmas bauble from a very famous London store every time I come down to London for the official Mills & Boon Author Lunch. This year I hope to take that number up to seven. I’ve been buying one since I was first published in 2011 and I’m rapidly running out of colours!

I love to hear from readers, so feel free to contact me via my website, scarlet-wilson.com, or you can find me on Facebook or Twitter.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Scarlet

A Family Made at Christmas

Scarlet Wilson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

SCARLET WILSONwrote her first story aged eight and has never stopped. She’s worked in the health service for twenty years, trained as a nurse and a health visitor. Scarlet now works in public health and lives on the West Coast of Scotland with her fiancé and their two sons. Writing medical romances and contemporary romances is a dream come true for her.

Books by Scarlet Wilson

Mills & Boon Medical Romance

Christmas Miracles in Maternity

A Royal Baby for Christmas

Midwives On-Call at Christmas

A Touch of Christmas Magic

The Doctor She Left Behind

The Doctor’s Baby Secret

One Kiss in Tokyo...

The Doctor and the Princess

Mills & Boon Cherish

Maids Under the Mistletoe

Christmas in the Boss’s Castle

Visit the Author Profile page

at millsandboon.co.ukfor more titles.

This book is dedicated to Sheila Hodgson, my fabulous editor. Thank you for believing in this story and letting me see it through, and thank you for being the best advocate for Medical Romance in the world!

Praise for

Scarlet Wilson

‘The book is filled with high-strung emotions, engaging dialogue, breathtaking descriptions and characters you just cannot help but love. With the magic of Christmas as a bonus, you won’t be disappointed with this story!’

—Goodreads on

A Touch of Christmas Magic

Scarlet Wilson won the 2017 RoNA Rose Award for her book Christmas in the Boss’s Castle

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text A family to heal her heart... For physiotherapist April Henderson, gorgeous army doc Riley Callaghan is off-limits. With her life-altering surgery looming, she can’t afford to consider anyone else right now. But when Riley is given the biggest news of his life—a son he knew nothing about—April can’t help but offer him support. Spending time with Riley and his adorable son, Finn, at Christmas gives April a glimpse of the life she’s always wanted. But can she risk her heart when her future is so uncertain?

Introduction ‘Let me do something for you, April.’ The rush of emotion tumbled through her in waves. When was the last time someone had spoken to her like that? When was the last time she’d wanted someone to get this close? It felt like for ever. It felt like a whole lifetime ago. A lifetime before her sister’s vague symptoms. Shock diagnosis. Frantic treatment attempts. And the life just slowly draining from her body. Riley made the smallest move. His cheek touched hers and his lips brushed against her ear. ‘A toy shop. Along with the superhero T-shirts, I think you might secretly be a Peter Pan kind of girl.’ She could sense he was smiling. Her eyes were closed, the toy shop ornament held in front of her chest. She turned towards him just as his head pulled back from her ear. Every part of her literally ached. Ached for his lips to touch hers. Then, before she had time to think any more, his lips brushed against hers. The sensation was just as sweet as she’d imagined. Every bit as magical. His hand tangled in her hair as the gentlest pressure increased. She wanted this. She wanted this more than she’d ever imagined. But just this—the slightest kiss—had put her sensations into overload. Every part of her brain fired. She was starting something she might not be able to continue. She was taking what could not be hers. She was kissing a man she hadn’t been entirely truthful with.

Dear Reader Dear Reader Contents Cover Back Cover Text Introduction Dear Reader Title Page About the Author Dedication CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE EPILOGUE Extract Copyright , It’s official! Christmas is my favourite time of year. I can’t get enough of it, and what I love more than anything is writing Christmas books. I have to be honest and say that this one is my favourite yet. I loved writing about these characters. April and Riley’s story jumped off the page at me, and certain scenes—especially the ones with the little boy Finn—made me cry. There are lots of difficult issues in this story, but true love conquers in the end. I hope you love this story as much as I do. I have lots of traditions with my family and good friends at Christmas, but being a Mills & Boon author has let me develop some new ones. One of which is buying a Christmas bauble from a very famous London store every time I come down to London for the official Mills & Boon Author Lunch. This year I hope to take that number up to seven. I’ve been buying one since I was first published in 2011 and I’m rapidly running out of colours! I love to hear from readers, so feel free to contact me via my website, scarlet-wilson.com , or you can find me on Facebook or Twitter. Merry Christmas! Love, Scarlet