The Accidental Daddy. Meredith Webber

       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

       He took her hands, both hands—and even in her panicky state she felt a shiver of reaction. He turned them in his before looking into her eyes.

      ‘Look …’ he finally said. ‘I haven’t the faintest clue how to tell you this, but the clinic said they would contact you and as far as I can see that would be a disaster. Maybe it’s a disaster anyway, but at least now you’ll see exactly what’s happened. You deserve to know and I need to tell you.’

      He wasn’t making any sense but he did seem genuinely concerned—which, together with his talk of the clinic, had the nerves in Joey’s tummy heading straight for riot mode.

      ‘Perhaps you could just blurt it out?’ she suggested as the tension in the air between them reached seismic proportions.

      Just blurt it out? That’s rich! Max thought to himself. Here’s this stunning woman, ready to pop any minute, and a total stranger walks in …

      ‘The thing is,’ he said, as thoughts of the baby reminded him of his mission. And of the mess they were in!

      ‘The thing is …?’ she prompted—reasonably gently, considering his eruption into her life and the tension she must be feeling. To make matters worse, she then turned towards him and reached out to rest one hand on his.

      ‘Oh, the Devil take it all!’ he muttered, turning his hand so he could hold on to hers. ‘The thing is you’re having my baby!’

       Dear Reader

      In the early stages of writing this book I met a remarkable woman—Alison Ray. Alison isn’t a multi-millionaire philanthropist, or a corporation with money to give away, but on a trip to Africa she saw a need—and from a smallish town in central Queensland, on the edge of the Outback, she set out to do something about it.

      When Alison spoke to me of Chainda, a settlement outside Lusaka in Zambia with 26,000 inhabitants, seven thousand of whom are orphans or other vulnerable children, I realised for the first time just how devastating the Aids epidemic was. Seven thousand orphans, or children whose grandparents or other carers are becoming too old or sick or frail to care for them … The number staggered me. So did Alison’s drive and tenacity.

      She began small, raising money locally, then found a group of helpers willing to form a committee and from there registered a charity, calling it Our Rainbow House, because eventually what the group hopes to do is provide a safe haven for at least some of these children. Already the group has done a lot with their early programmes, and now has a teacher and a small school for forty-four of the children. But there is so much more left to do. You can read about the organisation, the settlement and the children on www.ourrainbowhouse.org.au and follow them on Facebook. I’m sure you’ll be as inspired as I was by this very special woman.

      There is a programme underway to vaccinate healthy young men and women in an attempt to halt the spread of Aids in Africa, but this is happening in Uganda and Kenya, so in this book—right near the end—I sent Max off to Zambia to do it there. Writers are allowed to make things up!

      All the best

       Meredith

      MEREDITH WEBBER says of herself, ‘Once I read an article which suggested that Mills & 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.’

      The Accidental

      Daddy

      Meredith Webber

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

       Dedication

      With many thanks to the incomparable Marion Lennox, without whose advice and encouragement this book would never have been finished.

       Table of Contents

       Cover

      Praise for Meredith Webber:

       Excerpt

      Dear Reader

       About the Author

       Title Page

      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

       CHAPTER THIRTEEN

       EPILOGUE

       Endpages

       Copyright

       CHAPTER ONE

      ‘YOU MIGHT ALREADY be a father!’

      Shock