Annie Claydon: The Doctor's Diamond Proposal

Falling for the celebrity doc

Physiotherapist Alexandra Jackson never thought she’d see Leo Cross again after an accident changed her life. But when she’s thrown back together with Leo she sees a hint of the boy she once met underneath the celebrity doctor’s charming smile...

Leo knows he can’t give Alex the commitment she deserves—he’s fighting too many demons of his own. But will their connection and Alex’s positive approach to life inspire Leo to make her a proposal neither will ever forget?

‘I can’t read you. I never quite know what you’re going to do next. Fascinating.’ The curve of his lips made it clear that was a compliment.

She knew it was just Leo’s charm—his way of turning a situation around and removing the barbs. But it was still compelling, and when she looked into his eyes she felt that he really did find her fascinating.

Alex swallowed hard. ‘You know what, Leo? Even if you could read minds you still wouldn’t be able to see into the future.’

‘I think the universe has something to answer for there. We can see the past, but it’s too late to go back and do things differently. And the future...’ He shrugged.

The one timeframe that mattered most was the one that Leo seemed unable to get to grips with.

‘What about now, Leo?’

Dear Reader,

Science fiction has taught us that using time travel to meddle with the past isn’t always the wisest course of action. One small thing changes and it sets off a cascade of alternative realities, any one of which might have unintended consequences.

When Alex and Leo first meet they’re dressed up as space travellers from their favourite TV show. That meeting sets a chain of events in place which reverberates through their lives, and when they meet again the night that they shared together all those years ago has become an irrevocable part of who they have both become.

It’s an often-posed question. What would you do differently? But, although it’s always good to learn from the past, it’s not something that any of us can change. The present might be fleeting, and the future unknown, but that allows us the great gift of hope. One of the things I most enjoyed about writing Leo and Alex’s story was seeing Leo gradually turn away from his past and learn to hope for a better future.

I hope that you enjoy Alex and Leo’s story. I’m always thrilled to hear from readers, and you can contact me via my website: annieclaydon.com.

Annie x

The Doctor’s Diamond Proposal

Annie Claydon

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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

Snowbound with the Surgeon

Daring to Date Her Ex

The Doctor She’d Never Forget

Discovering Dr Riley

Visit the Author Profile page at millsandboon.co.ukfor more titles.

To my wonderful editor, Nicola Caws.

With grateful thanks for your guiding hand on this journey.

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

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

Ten years ago...

THE PARTY HAD got off to a slow start, but by eleven o’clock the house was packed with people and Leo Cross was beginning to feel hot and uncomfortable in his costume.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Orion Shift was less of a TV show to the six medical students who shared the sprawling house in West London and more of a Friday evening ritual. The one hour in the week that didn’t belong to study, girlfriends or the urgent need for sleep. So what better way to celebrate their third year exam results than decorate the living room with as much tinfoil as they could get their hands on and suspend inflatable planets from the ceiling?

Dressing up as the crew of the interstellar spacecraft Orion Shift had been the next logical step. But a hot summer’s evening wasn’t really the time to be wearing a heavy jacket with a high collar, and Leo was beginning to wish that personal temperature regulation fields really had been invented.

A girl in blue body paint and a leotard sidled up to him. ‘Captain Boone! You look particularly delicious tonight.’

‘Maddie. How are you doing?’

‘You want a Tellurian cocktail?’ Maddie draped her arms around Leo’s shoulders. Clearly she and Pete had been arguing again. It was only a matter of time before the inevitable reconciliation, but at the moment Pete was on the other side of the room taking a great deal of interest in a red-haired girl dressed as a Fractalian hydra and Maddie had clearly decided that she was going to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Leo disentangled himself from Maddie’s grip. ‘No. Thanks, but...’ Just no. If Pete and Maddie wanted to play games that was fine, but Leo knew better than to get involved.

‘Leo...!’ Maddie stuck out her lower lip in a disappointed pout as he retreated quickly through the press of people.

He pushed his way to the kitchen, avoiding the usual group around the beer keg, and slipped outside into the back garden, sighing with relief as the warm breeze brushed his face. The paved space at the back of the house was packed with people, drinking and talking, and Leo made good his escape, dodging across the grass and into the pool of darkness that lay beneath the trees at the end of the garden.

He bumped into something soft and sweet-smelling and saw a flash of silvery-green luminescence. A shadow detached itself from the other shadows and stumbled into a pool of moonlight. It was Lieutenant Tara Xhu to a T.

‘Another fugitive?’ A smile played around her lips.

‘You could say that. So how did you manage to make it out of there?’

Tara—or whatever her real name was—shrugged. ‘I’m not sure. I’ve only watched one episode, and that was to get the costume right, so I don’t really know what Tara’s strategy might be.’ Her mouth twitched suddenly into a flirtatious smile. ‘So you’re Captain Boone?’

Leo’s eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness and the more they did so, the more he liked what he saw. She was dressed all in black, thick leggings, boots and an off the shoulder top that followed her slim curves and displayed the green scales which spread across Tara’s shoulder. A fair replica of an immobility gun was strapped to her thigh and twisted metallic strands ran round her fingers and across the back of her hands. Her dark hair was streaked with green and anchored in a spiky arrangement on the top of her head with Tara’s silver dagger pins.