The Army Doctor's New Year's Baby (7 page)

Daniel
turned the Kindrogan Estate's pickup into the lane where Megan pointed and stopped
beside Hew's stone cottage on the banks of Loch Kinder. He leaned forward,
hands resting on top of the steering wheel, and took in the view.

A vast
expanse of water lay in front of them, as smooth and shiny as polished steel.
Mist draped the pine-clad slopes of the mountains on the other side, drifting
in ragged wisps like something from a fantasy novel. "What an amazing
view," he said softly, more to himself than Megan.

"I'll
just run in and find the baby carrier," Megan said. "Won't be long."
She jumped out of the passenger's seat and headed for the door on the side of
the cottage, her ponytail bouncing, her slender, denim-clad legs striding
purposefully.

Daniel
glanced over his shoulder to see Fergus asleep in his car seat. Climbing out, Daniel
pushed the door closed softly and wandered to the edge of the water. He drew in
a breath of the peaty air and let it out on a satisfied sigh.

Hew's
cottage appealed to him, with its amazing position right on the banks of the
loch. He could imagine living here. He'd always thought of himself as a city
boy, yet there was a freedom and space in the Scottish Highlands that gave him
room to breathe, room to think.

Up here in
the wilds of Scotland, he liked the man he was far more than who he'd been in London. Peace settled inside him as deep and still as the waters of the loch. He felt
happier and more settled than he had in a long time. With the company of the
right woman, he could grow to love this wild place.

A massive
bird with a wingspan of at least six feet angled down out of the heavy gray sky
to skim the water's surface, snatching up a fish in its talons. Daniel gasped, fumbling
for his phone to snap a picture. By the time he tapped in his password and
activated the camera, the bird was a dot in the sky.

Megan
stepped out of the cottage, shut the door, and put the baby carrier in the back
of the pickup.

"I saw
a big bird over the lake. It swooped down and caught a fish." Daniel heard
the childish wonder in his voice, but didn't care if he sounded uncool.

Megan walked
over and took his arm, staring out across the lake. "That'll be a
white-tailed sea eagle."

"This
isn't the sea."

Megan
laughed as if Daniel had cracked a joke. She leaned her head against his
shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. He was so
ignorant of her world and he wanted to learn.

"Tell
me about the bird."

"White-tailed
eagles have been extinct up here since about 1900. Hew's working on a program
to reintroduce them to Kindrogan."

"Wow."
Hew was such a quiet guy, Daniel had almost overlooked him.

"Shall
we get going? We can take a scenic drive through the village and over the
mountain towards Braemar. There's a nice pub there."

They climbed
in the pickup and Daniel drove through the village of Kinder Vale. Megan
pointed out the doctor's surgery where she worked, with the police station
right beside it. The small gathering of cottages was pretty in a natural way
that blended into the landscape.

Following
Megan's directions, Daniel took the narrow mountain pass, grateful that a
snowplow had been that way before them. Rocky valleys clothed in pines and
cloud-topped snowy mountains stretched away in every direction. A man could
lose himself up here and never be found again. Or maybe a man could find out
who he really was.

Daniel had
planned to sweet-talk Megan; instead he fell quiet, awed by the surroundings,
comfortable with the silence between them.

They stopped
in the village of Braemar at the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, took
Fergus out of his car seat, and wandered along the street looking in the shop
windows at the traditional Scottish goods until they reached the Thistle Pub.
Sitting in front of a roaring log fire, they ate thick vegetable soup and
crusty bread, followed by hot chocolate with Scottish shortbread.

Fergus sat
on the floor, chewing a crust of chocolate-dipped bread and picking bark off
the logs piled next to the fireplace, making a mess on the carpet. Daniel
watched the curious little boy with a warm glow of pleasure that had more to do
with the company than the fire. A few months ago, he would never have guessed
he'd enjoy a day out like this.

Fergus
tossed his crusts in the fire and a smell like burning toast filled the room.

"Oops,"
Megan said, glancing over her shoulder. "Perhaps we should leave before we
get told off."

"Come
here, bud. I think we'd better clean you up." Daniel helped Fergus to his
feet, brushed the bits off his front, and tidied the mess on the floor.

"You're
very domesticated," Megan said.

Daniel
laughed. Most of the people he knew would not call him that. He normally left
the tidying up to someone else.

"It's
too snowy up here. Let's go back to Kinder Valley and walk beside the
loch," Megan said. "You might catch another glimpse of the
white-tailed eagle."

Daniel
parked on the outskirts of Kinder Vale. With much laughing and fumbling, they
managed to put Fergus in the baby carrier, then Megan helped Daniel fix it on
his back like a backpack.

They
wandered along a path beside the loch. Daniel held out his hand and Megan
slipped her fingers into his. He squeezed, something inside him clicking into
place with a sense of rightness he'd never felt before. It was as if he'd
suddenly discovered a new side of himself and it took a little getting used to.

After a
while, they sat on a rock side by side staring out over the water. Megan pulled
some binoculars from her coat pocket and scanned the loch, then passed them to
him, pointing out various landmarks.

Megan was so
easy to be with, so relaxing. He could be himself with her and not worry what
she thought of him. This must be how it felt to have a wife you knew well and
trusted. Marriage and children had never been high on his to-do list, but as he
sat there with Megan's hand in his and Fergus warm against his back, the
possibility took shape in his mind.

Daniel's
search for a more meaningful life had driven him to change his career. Had he
been looking in the wrong place for fulfillment? Was he really just missing a
family of his own?

***

Megan
carried a tray bearing three mugs of cocoa out of the kitchen and headed for
the office along the corridor. She shouldered the door open and smiled at Duncan as he glanced up.

"Ready
for a hot drink?"

"I'm
ready for the whiskey you've laced it with." He scraped his fingers
through his dark hair and leaned back, taking his cup off the tray and placing
it on his desk.

They'd had a
quiet Sunday at home. The weather had closed in, bringing a snowstorm,
subfreezing temperatures, and a bitter wind. After an early dinner, Duncan retreated to his office, while Daniel helped her clear up in the kitchen and load
the dishwasher.

"Dan
and I are going to sit in front of the fire in the drawing room. Why don't you
join us?"

"I
can't. I have things to do."

Megan rested
a hand on Duncan's shoulder and glanced at the papers spread over his desk.
"What's all this?"

"Hew
wants me to look over the grant application for the eagle project."

Poor Duncan worked so hard, with both his role at the army institute and helping Hew manage
Kindrogan Estate. He never had a minute to himself. If Megan ever had the
opportunity to marry and settle down, she didn't know how she would leave him
to cope here. He needed a wife.

"Come
on, you can take a break," she encouraged.

"You
don't want me cramping your style."

Megan's
eyebrows shot up. "What on earth do you think we're planning to do in
there?"

"As
your brother, I'd rather not know."

"Duncan!"

"Well,
you like Daniel, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Good.
He's a nice chap and one heck of a surgeon. I leave all the surgery to him
nowadays." He patted her hand where it rested on his shoulder. "I
hoped you two would hit it off when I introduced you."

"Duncan
Mackenzie. Have you been playing matchmaker?"

"I want
my baby sister to be happy. Is that a sin?"

Had Duncan really set her up on purpose? Was that why he always backed out of escorting her to
the ball each year at the last moment and palmed her off on some poor man who
couldn't say no? Megan pressed a hand over her heart, unsure if she should be
annoyed or grateful. In the end, gratitude won out. He was only trying to do
what was best for her. She looped her arms around his neck and kissed his
cheek. He obviously didn't share Lyall's concern that Daniel was the wrong sort
of man for her, and she trusted Duncan's judgment.

"Thank
you," she whispered. "I do like Dan. I'm not sure I'm quite in his
league, though."

"
Pfft
.
You always put yourself down, Meg. You deserve someone to love you."

She hugged
him tighter. He could do with a dose of his own advice. She couldn't remember
the last time he'd had a date.

She picked
up the tray and wandered towards the drawing room with a hint of trepidation.
Ever since they'd visited Hew's cottage, Daniel had been quiet and thoughtful.
She didn't know what to make of his unusual mood.

Lounging on
the sofa, his feet stretched towards the fire, Daniel had his hands linked over
his belly. He smiled as she entered and set the tray on a side table.

"Here
you are." She passed across a mug of cocoa and claimed her own.

He patted
the seat at his side. "Sit with me."

Her heart
gave a little bump as she slid onto the sofa beside him, wanting to snuggle up
close, yet not confident enough to do so. She couldn't judge where she was with
him. Although he seemed affectionate and friendly, he hadn't kissed her
yesterday while they were out, or today, even though they'd been alone together
and he'd had the chance.

He drew in a
breath and blew it out. "I want you to forget what I said after the New
Year's ball. I've changed my mind."

For a
moment, Megan couldn't draw breath. She wanted so badly to believe he was
referring to his relationship comment. "You said you wanted to concentrate
on your work."

He shook his
head. "I don't think I knew what I wanted."

"And
you do now?"

He laughed
wryly. "Not really. But I do know I like being with you. I want us to
spend more time together."

He turned to
face her, folding a leg between them on the sofa and resting an elbow on the
back. "Can we do that, Meg, spend more time together?"

Was the man
crazy? Didn't he know how much she liked him? Megan opened her mouth but
nothing came out. She had to clear her throat and try again. "Yes."

A smile
burst across his face like the sun breaking over a mountain. A sudden bright
energy filled the room. "Wonderful." He lifted a hand and cupped her
cheek. "I want to be with you, sweetheart. There's something about you
that… Let's just say I've never met a woman like you before."

He set his
mug on the floor, took hers from her hand, and put it down. Then he leaned
close, tenderly stroking strands of hair away from her face.

Instinct
took over. Megan reached for him, sliding her arms around his neck to pull him
close. He wrapped her in his embrace and their lips met. She sank into the
dreamy kiss, her body warm and melting against him. Being with Daniel felt so
right, as if he were the man she had been waiting for all her life.

He cuddled
her close, stroking her hair. "Oh, Megan, sweetheart."

She loved
the feel of him, the smell of him, the sound of his voice. She loved
him
.

Daniel
changed into his scrubs, then paused, a hand against the wall, and tried to
focus on the operation he was about to perform. Thoughts of Megan filled his
head, making it almost impossible to concentrate on work.

She had
become the most important thing in his life, pushing work into a distant second
place. Every day, he woke early to walk the dogs with her. As dawn broke and
the wintry sun cast its rays across the loch, they wandered hand in hand. Then
they laughed together as they cooked breakfast. He couldn't bear to be apart
from her a minute longer than necessary. He drove her to work and picked her up
when his schedule allowed.

All day he
looked forward to seeing her again. He escaped from work as early as possible
and spent every minute of the evening in her company, helped her prepare
dinner, played with Fergus if she were babysitting. He wanted to be with her,
hear her soft Scottish accent, smell her floral fragrance, hold her hand, or
have his arm around her. If he wasn't in physical contact with her, he ached a
little inside.

The rush of
pleasure when he saw her face was like nothing he'd ever experienced before. He
struggled to make it through the day without her, texting her every spare
moment like a teenager, then staring at his phone, barely able to breathe until
she replied.

He was going
crazy and he didn't know how to handle it.

Gazing at
the mirror, he pulled a scrub cap over his hair, noting the dark rings under
his eyes from disturbed sleep spent dreaming of Megan.

They had one
more weekend together before he left for cold weather training in Norway. He wasn't sure how he would cope spending eight weeks away from her, when he
struggled to manage a few hours.

A knock
sounded, making him jump.

"Yes,"
he said.

One of the
nurses popped her head around the door. "Kieran Smyth is prepped for
surgery, sir."

"Thank
you. I'll be right there."

When the
door closed, Daniel pressed a hand over his eyes and strove for equanimity.
This was only a minor operation. He could do it in his sleep, but he mustn't.
For Kieran it was deadly serious. Daniel owed his patient absolute
concentration.

He headed
along the corridor towards the operating room. He scrubbed up and a nurse
helped him into his gown and gloves, then held the door open for him.

Kieran lay
on the operating table with machinery beeping around him. His nervous gaze
found Daniel.

"Hello,
Kieran. This won't take long. I'll have you back with your mum very soon. Are
you feeling okay?"

The boy
nodded and Daniel smiled in return.

"Ready,
sir," the young anesthetist said. Naomi Gray was a captain recently
graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. In the past, Daniel would
have been charmed by her blonde hair and green eyes, but he didn't feel even a
fleeting moment of attraction. Megan swamped every one of his brain cells, leaving
no room for other women.

Daniel held
Kieran's gaze with a reassuring smile as Naomi injected anesthetic into the
cannula in the back of the boy's hand. "Count backward from ten for me,
Kieran," she said.

The boy's
voice came out as little more than a whisper, fading away at four. Daniel
waited while the captain checked some readings.

"Okay,"
he said. "Let's get started."

Duncan came in masked, but not gloved. "Just going to watch, if that's all
right."

"Be my
guest." Daniel liked an audience. He actually performed better when he was
under scrutiny.

A nurse
fitted on his eye loupes. He held out a hand for a scalpel, then carefully
pared away the damaged tips of the two fingers, debriding the necrotized tissue
to prevent gangrene. The nail had come off the smallest finger as he predicted.
He doubted it would grow back. But the nail on the ring finger was intact. When
he reached healthy tissue, he stitched the wounds, keeping the stitches small
so the scar would be smooth and neat.

He turned to
the thumb and cut away the blackened dead flesh and bone.

"Poor,
lad," Duncan said.

"He'll
be fine." Daniel glanced over his shoulder. "I won't leave him
without a thumb."

He picked up
the surgical stainless steel bone screw from the dish a nurse offered him. He
drilled a hole in the metacarpal bone and cemented the post in, taking care to
ensure it was the right length.

He had
marked out a rectangle of tissue on the boy's forearm before he started. Now he
cut it away with the ease of experience, folded it over the metal post and
stitched it in place, working to form it into a thumb shape that would match
the other hand.

When he'd
finished, he lifted the hand by the wrist and turned it, checking his work from
all angles. "I think that's acceptable." He glanced over his shoulder
at Duncan. "All right with you?"

Duncan's eyebrows rose. "Excellent result. Well done."

"Dress
the wounds, please." With a nod to the team, Daniel headed back to the
scrub room, Duncan at his side. As soon as they were alone, Duncan tossed his
mask in the bin and shook his head. "You're killing me here, Fabian. I've
been doing this for five years. You started a few weeks ago, and your work is
so fast and neat you make me feel like an amateur. I'd have taken twice as long
and not produced such a good outcome."

Daniel
stripped off his gloves and dumped his gown in the laundry bin. "I've
heard it said that if you do anything for ten thousand hours you become an
expert. I'm not sure I've spent that long performing surgery, but working in my
father's clinic gave me the opportunity to operate more often than you will
have done here, and the procedures were far more complex and challenging than
Kieran's hand."

Daniel
pushed open the door and led the way into the corridor. Even as he talked to Duncan, in the back of his mind he was counting down the minutes until he could leave to
see Megan. "I've just had more practice than you."

"You're
also very diplomatic." Duncan laughed wryly. "Me and my big clumsy
fingers aren't really cut out for surgery. I'd better get some paperwork done.
See you later."

Daniel
headed for his office, stepped inside, and rested his back against the door. He
liked Duncan a lot. He got on well with the guy, but he really wanted some time
alone with Megan. He had taken things slowly, but he badly wanted to make love
with her before he left for Norway. The first time they spent the night
together, he did not want her brother sleeping a few doors down the corridor.
That was bound to cramp his style.

He grabbed
his phone from the desk drawer where he'd left it. A text from her flashed on
the screen.
How did it go with Kieran?

Good!
he texted back.
Would you like to come to Edinburgh with me for the weekend?

He stared at
the screen, his heart thumping like a schoolboy, counting the seconds until she
replied.

Yes!

He grinned
so wide, his face hurt.

***

Megan
snuggled up to Daniel's side in the back of the cab as it wove through the Edinburgh traffic, taking them back to their hotel. They had arrived on the train that
morning, dropped their bags at the hotel, and spent the day sightseeing.
Because Megan studied medicine at Edinburgh University, she knew the city well.
She'd given Daniel a tour of some of her old haunts, as well as visiting the
medieval fortress dramatically situated on its rock above the city.

The black
cab stopped outside the hotel with a screech of brakes. Daniel paid the driver,
then they climbed out and walked hand in hand through the sliding doors.

At the
check-in desk, Daniel filled out the guest information form. "I hope you
enjoy your stay," the receptionist said, handing them two plastic key
cards.

They'd
lunched at a small bistro tucked among the narrow medieval streets of the old
town, a place Megan had frequented when she was a student. She hadn't managed
to eat much, though. A shimmering bundle of excitement and nerves filled her
stomach. They'd had a wonderful time sightseeing, but she knew why Daniel had
brought her to Edinburgh. It had nothing to do with the beautiful castle.

Megan
trembled with anticipation as they climbed in the elevator. She couldn't wait
to spend the night in Daniel's arms.

He squeezed
her hand. "Cold?"

She flashed
a smile and nodded, unwilling to reveal how nervous she was. The fear she might
fall short of the bevy of beauties he'd dated lay like a lump of cold porridge
in her stomach.

They walked
out on the top floor and wandered along the corridor to their room. Daniel
released her hand to push in the key card. He'd hardly let go of her all day,
as if he feared she might disappear if he weren't holding her hand.

"Wow!
This room is fantastic." Classic dark wood furniture with burgundy and
navy drapes, sofa, and carpet gave the room a classy, timeless feel. Megan
rushed to the window to stare out at the scenic view across Edinburgh to the
castle in the distance. She glanced at the doors leading off the sitting room
area and realized this wasn't an ordinary room, it was a suite. She frowned,
surprised.

Daniel must
have noticed her reaction. He shrugged. "I'd love to share a room with
you, but I wanted to give you a choice."

He was
always a gentleman, never rushing her into anything she wasn't ready for. Megan
appreciated that. She checked inside one bedroom, then crossed the sitting room
to pop her head through the door of the other. Both rooms were similar, both
luxurious.

Daniel
picked up their bags. "Where do you want yours?"

She was
looking forward to spending the night with Daniel, but it might be nice to have
her own space to change and prepare. "I
would
like my own
room."

Daniel's
disappointment hit her like a physical blow. His shoulders slumped, his
expression bleak.

She should
have explained herself better; the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him.
She closed the gap between them and put her arms around his neck. "Just so
I can get ready. I want to spend the night with you."

His grin
flashed back, full of relief. "Don't do things like that to me,
sweetheart. I nearly had a heart attack."

He dropped
the bags and pulled her close, lifting her off her feet as he kissed her. They
held each other tightly, his breath warm against her hair.

She had
never gone away with a man before and didn't know how to behave. But Daniel
wasn't just any man; he was the man she loved. All she had to do was be herself
and show him how she felt. She sank into his arms, relishing his hard, muscular
body against her.

In a few
days, he would leave for Norway. She wanted to hold him and love him and make
some memories to keep her warm during the long nights he was away.

"Let's
take both bags into one room." Forget the pretty nightdress she had
planned to wear. She didn't want to waste time primping. She just wanted to be
with Daniel.

"Megan."
He stroked back her hair, staring into her eyes, then kissed her so softly and
sweetly she nearly melted on the spot.

Megan framed
his face between her hands, his expression serious for once, intense, almost
vulnerable. "I love you, Daniel," she said against his lips.

He scooped
her up in his arms and carried her towards the bedroom, dropping tiny kisses on
her eyelids, her nose, and her lips. "I love you too, Megan Mackenzie. I
didn't even know what those words meant until I met you."

***

Once Daniel
had held Megan in his arms all night, he couldn't bear the thought of sleeping
without her. Back at Kindrogan, he slipped into her room every night and stayed
until they rose to walk the dogs.

In the early
hours of Thursday morning, Daniel lay beside Megan, watching her sleep. He
tried to imprint on his mind this image of her, soft and peaceful. During the
cold, lonely nights in Norway, he would remember. His phone was loaded with
photographs of her, but there would be times when he didn't have access to
power. Then he'd have to depend on his memories and the photograph he'd printed
to keep in his pocket.

A door
closed outside in the corridor. Daniel stirred, checking the clock. He and
Duncan were due to catch the train at six. They needed to leave soon.
Reluctantly, Daniel slipped out of the warm bed. He leaned over Megan, breathed
in her fragrance, and kissed her cheek. "I'm going to my room to get
dressed, sweetheart. I'll come back to say good-bye."

She mumbled
and blinked sleepily. A wave of pain passed through him. He pressed his lips to
her neck, willing her to understand how he felt. He didn't want to leave her.
This time he had no choice. It was too late to back out. He'd made a commitment
to the army and to Duncan. But he would not leave her again.

If the army
decided to post him overseas, he would resign. They needed him more than he
needed them. With his experience, he could easily find another job. He liked
working with Duncan, but not if it meant being away from Megan. Life was too
short to be parted from his most important person.

He strode
along the corridor to his cold room and dressed quickly in winter uniform, only
vaguely aware of his belongings lying around—his Rolex watch, his snowboard,
his designer gear that had seemed so important to him before.

During the
last few weeks, he'd realized the material possessions he'd treasured didn't
matter anymore. All that mattered was Megan. When he arrived back from Norway, he planned to sell his London penthouse and swap his sports car for a four-wheel drive.

As he left
his room to return to say good-bye to Megan, Duncan strode towards him. Duncan reached her door first, knocked, and put his head inside. "We're off, Meg. I
have my phone if you or Hew need to contact me. Just leave a message and I'll
get back to you when I can. I've asked Lyall to keep an eye on things and make
sure you're all right."