Emergency In Maternity. Fiona McArthur

      “Well, come in.” He stood back to allow her past him into the office.

      The momentum of the moment carried Cate through the door and dumped her in the middle of the room. She turned to face him and realized it was a very crowded room and most of it seemed to be filled with Noah Masters.

      Exasperated and half-naked, Noah glowered at her, and Cate moistened her suddenly dry lips. “The night emergency team have been involved in an accident and we need to find replacement staff for this shift…” Cate’s voice trailed off as Noah shrugged his way into his shirt.There was something disturbingly intimate in the way he was steadily arranging his clothes in front of her.

      “And you want me to do what?” His words were very soft.

      “Find me a doctor.”

Dear Reader,

      Emergency in Maternity is set in Australia, in the Macleay Valley, in rural northern New South Wales. A beautiful river divides the valley, but in flood, the river becomes the fastest-flowing torrent in the Southern Hemisphere and all is carried before it.

      This is the story of Noah and Cate, and the havoc the flood causes in their lives. Both are more accustomed to giving orders—not taking them—and the love that grows between the two is one more haven that is threatened.

      Noah, the interloper, is a threat to Cate’s hometown hospital as well as to her heart, and she is fiercely protective of both. And Noah is used to winning!

      I hope you enjoy Emergency in Maternity, and I’ve dedicated it to volunteers everywhere, not just those in flood time, who selflessly give their time and effort when the need arises.

      I’d love to hear your thoughts on the book, or perhaps you’d like to drop me a line to say hi. You can find me at my Web site: fionamcarthur.com.

      Warm regards,

      Fiona McArthur

      Emergency in Maternity

      Fiona McArthur

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      CONTENTS

       Cover

Dear Reader

       Title Page

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

       CHAPTER THREE

       CHAPTER FOUR

       CHAPTER FIVE

       CHAPTER SIX

       CHAPTER SEVEN

       CHAPTER EIGHT

       CHAPTER NINE

       CHAPTER TEN

       CHAPTER ELEVEN

       Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

      Tuesday 6 March

      NOAH MASTERS pushed open the door to Riverbank Hospital and the unmistakable buzz of the internal cardiac arrest alarm sent a bolus of unwanted adrenaline through his body.

      He’d sworn he would never work as a doctor in Emergency again, and he hated that staccato buzz. Finally it stopped, and Noah felt the tension ease in his neck as he approached the main office. He could see that the receptionists had returned to whatever had occupied them before the sudden rush of urgent phone calls and he didn’t have to wait for their attention.

      ‘My name is Noah Masters, regional CEO. I’m looking for Mr Beamish.’ He smiled at the receptionist and the woman blushed and stared up at him. Noah was used to people looking twice at his height but sometimes it irritated him.

      She cleared her throat and apologised. ‘You’re the new chief executive officer? I’m sorry, Mr Masters. Mr Beamish isn’t in on Tuesdays, and Miss Glover, the nurse manager, is in a meeting. Perhaps the shift co-ordinator could help you?’

      Served him right for not ringing before he came. Noah mentally shrugged and smiled at the woman again. ‘If he or she isn’t too busy, that would be fine.’

      ‘I’ll page her. She shouldn’t be long.’ The woman seemed to be all fingers and thumbs, so Noah turned away to survey his surroundings. A Gordon Rossiter riverscape painting took pride of place on the wall and unwillingly his eyes widened in appreciation. The foyer was furnished with a cedar china cabinet and matching chairs. He couldn’t resist a stroke of the polished wood and it passed like silk beneath his fingers—hand-turned, he guessed. You had to admit it all made the entrance foyer more warm and homey than he was used to.

      Probably all donated, he thought cynically, like most of the equipment in these small country hospitals, but his irritation had eased. Community hospitals had their place, but that didn’t change the fact that the big money needed to be spent where the greater population was. He glanced at his watch and the receptionist obviously picked up his impatience.

      ‘Sister hasn’t answered her page, but if you’d like to continue around to the emergency department, Mr Masters, I’m sure you’ll catch her. If she rings back, I’ll tell her you’re coming.’

      Noah couldn’t exactly tell the woman he hated Emergency, so he just nodded and followed the direction of her pointed arm. Just his luck.

      When he pushed open the sheet-plastic doors the smells and sounds of a typical morning in Casualty crowded his senses. Before he could orientate himself, a militant Valkyrie with spiky blonde hair stopped in front of Noah and barred his way.

      ‘Can I help you?’ she said, but it was more of an accusation than an offer of assistance.

      Suddenly the sights and sounds of Emergency receded and Noah eyed her quizzically. She must have been outside recently, because rain beaded in her hair and the corridor seemed to vibrate around her like the electricity that flashed across the heavens outside the window.

      ‘This is a restricted area.’ She used her well-modulated voice with authority and Noah cynically admired her technique. Perhaps because he did it all the time himself.

      She squared her shoulders at him. He outweighed her in muscle by a good twenty kilos, so he wasn’t quite sure what she thought she could do if he decided to proceed past. There was something about her that made his day brighten and a smile hovered on the edge of his lips. There could be no mistake