Twin Surprise For The Single Doc. Susanne Hampton

      

      Dear Reader,

      Claudia Monticello has accepted that she’s more like her fiery, impulsive Italian father than her sweet and sensible Irish mother. The ‘sensible’ genes have been lavishly bestowed upon her twin sister Harriet. But she also knows that her impulsive decisions and her desire to take everyone at face value—particularly men—has to stop. Her need to live life to the fullest has led her to the other side of the world on not much more than a whim—and that’s the least serious of the repercussions!

      Claudia has received life-changing news, and she realises she has no choice but to be responsible. And suddenly—and surprisingly—that doesn’t seem so hard. Her heart is already consumed with love for her unborn babies, and their needs will for evermore come first. The only men who have a future in her life are her two sons.

      That is until she meets Dr Patrick Spencer.

      This former obstetrician has left his life in London to start a new life in Los Angeles. But the disappointment that has driven him five thousand miles from home seems to follow him and, despite a new career, he never feels fulfilled.

      That is until he meets Claudia Monticello.

      They have both left London for very different reasons, but when their worlds collide they are forced to question their decision never to love again.

      I hope you enjoy Claudia and Patrick’s journey to happily-ever-after. It’s a bumpy ride, so you might need to hold on tight…just as tightly as my hero and heroine do from the moment they meet!

      Warmest regards,

       Susanne

      Married to the man she met at eighteen, SUSANNE HAMPTON is the mother of two adult daughters—Orianthi and Tina. She has enjoyed a varied career path, but has finally found her way to her favourite role of all: a Mills & Boon Medical Romance author. Susanne has always read romance novels and says, ‘I love a happy-ever-after, so writing for Mills & Boon is a dream come true.’

      Twin Surprise

      for the Single Doc

      Susanne Hampton

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      To everyone who thought they had closed their hearts to love…only to be proved wrong by a love stronger than the heartache they had survived.

      And to Alli and Gilda and all of my amazing friends who constantly provide inspiration for my books.

       Praise for Susanne Hampton

      ‘A stunning read about new beginnings that is guaranteed to melt any reader’s heart.’

      —Goodreads on Falling for Dr December

      ‘Probably one of my top ten favourite reads this year. It was heartbreaking…kept me wanting to read to find out what happens next.’

      —Goodreads on A Baby to Bind Them

      Contents

       Cover

Dear Reader

       About the Author

       Title Page

       Dedication

Praise for Susanne Hampton

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

       CHAPTER ONE

      ‘CONGRATULATIONS, CLAUDIA. You’re having twins!’

      Claudia Monticello’s deep brown eyes, inherited from her Italian father, widened like dollhouse-sized plates against her alabaster skin, a present from her Irish mother. In a rush of panic and disbelief, her gaze darted from the gel-covered bump of her stomach to the grainy black-and-white images on the screen, then to the pleased as punch radiologist’s face before finally looking up to the ceiling to where she imagined heaven might be. Not that she thought her parents would be smiling down at her after what she had done.

      Suddenly the room became very hot and she struggled a little to breathe. The clammy fingers of one hand reached for the sides of the examination table to steady herself. Two babies. Her mouth had dropped open slightly, but her lips had not curved to anything close to a smile. In denial, she shook her head from side to side and nervously chewed on the nails of the other hand. There had to be a mistake. The radiologist, still smiling at the screen and apparently unaware of the panic blanketing her patient, gently moved the hand piece over Claudia’s stomach to capture additional images.

      She must have zoomed in too quickly, Claudia mused.

      Double imaged.

      Misread the data.

      Be new at her job.

      But Claudia knew without doubt, as she slowly and purposefully focused on the screen, there was no mistake. There were two tiny babies with two distinct heartbeats. The radiologist was using her finger to point to them. Her excitement was palpable. A reaction juxtaposed to Claudia’s. At twenty-nine years of age, Claudia Monticello was anything but excited to be the single mother of twins. For many reasons... The first was her living five thousand