Virgin Midwife, Playboy Doctor. Margaret McDonagh

a foot of the skittish Chloe and that was beginning to frustrate him no end.

      It was a new experience for him to have to work so hard to gain a woman’s attention, to get her to even speak to him outside work, let alone go out with him on a date. But despite her reserve and his own caution about getting involved with someone so soon, he wanted her more and more each day. The simmering desire nagged at him, refusing him respite, and he couldn’t get her out of his head. Which meant that he somehow had to find a way past those prickly defences. Especially if he ever hoped to take her to bed. The very thought of having her naked, laid out for him, those long, inky-black tresses tumbled over his pillows, that voluptuous body arching under him as he loved her, was enough to make him harder than he’d ever been and so burning with frustration he thought he might go up in flames.

      A knock on his door made him jump. For a moment he imagined it was Chloe—longed for it to be her—even if she had just come to tell him how things had gone with Avril at the hospital.

      ‘Come in,’ he called, his voice rough with desire, his heart racing in anticipation.

      His gaze was fixed on the door as it slowly opened and he almost couldn’t breathe as he waited for Chloe to enter his room. When he saw, instead, that his visitor was senior partner Nick Tremayne, he struggled to swallow the wash of bitter disappointment.

      ‘Oliver, do you have a few moments?’

      ‘Of course, Nick.’ He summoned up a smile. ‘What can I do for you?’

      In the short time he had been in Penhally, Oliver had come to admire the older man. He was an excellent doctor, knowledgeable if a bit aloof, but there were tensions he had yet to understand, especially between Nick and Kate Althorp, the former practice manager who had returned to her career in midwifery and now worked alongside Chloe in the practice. He suspected that Nick was a difficult man to get to know, one who felt deeply but who found it hard to share those feelings, a man who shut himself off and stuck stubbornly to a rigid point of view. Thankfully, Oliver had rubbed along well with his enigmatic boss…so far.

      Exuding impatience, Nick strode across the room to gaze silently out of the window before he turned and moved back to the desk. Looking troubled, Nick folded his tall frame to sit in a chair opposite, his dark hair showing signs of grey, his gaze restless as it darted around the room.

      ‘Is something wrong, Nick?’ Oliver probed after a moment.

      ‘What?’ The older man looked up in surprise, as if disturbed from his private thoughts. ‘Oh, no. No, just a lot on my mind. How are things with you? Settling in all right?’

      Oliver leaned forward and folded his arms on the desk. ‘Very much so. I’m enjoying my time here immensely.’

      ‘Good. I’m glad,’ he murmured, drifting again as if considering something.

      Waiting patiently, Oliver reflected on the snippets of gossip he had heard. He didn’t know the history between Nick and Kate, but it was clear that something had happened between them recently as they were barely speaking. At least, Nick was barely speaking to Kate, Oliver amended. Kate looked stressed and unhappy, while the tension whenever the two were near each other was palpable.

      ‘So, Oliver,’ Nick said, apparently having come to a decision. He rubbed his palms together and shifted on the chair. ‘I have a favour to ask of you.’

      ‘I’ll be pleased to do what I can to help.’

      Nick nodded, sitting back, his expression serious. ‘I noted from your CV that you’ve had a special responsibility for antenatal services in a previous practice.’

      ‘That’s right,’ Oliver confirmed, wondering where this was going.

      ‘I have some extra duties coming up in the next weeks, working with the town committee regarding the twinning of Penhally with a small town in Normandy. It would be of great assistance to me if you could take over my antenatal role. Just for the time being.’

      Regarding his boss closely, Oliver wondered if the twinning committee thing was a ruse. He suspected Nick wanted an excuse to avoid Kate. Frowning, he considered the request. While he didn’t want to become embroiled in practice politics or take sides in whatever dispute had occurred between Nick and Kate, he couldn’t deny that taking on the extra duties had an appeal. Saying yes would mean more time working closely with Chloe. And the more time he could spend with her, getting to know her, easing past her defences and deciding if there was something worth pursuing, the better as far as he was concerned.

      ‘No problem, Nick.’ There was no way he was going to turn down an opportunity to be near Chloe. ‘I’ll be happy to cover for you.’

      The older man’s relief was evident. ‘Excellent. Thank you, Oliver. I’ll fill you in on things and if it’s not too short notice, perhaps you could start by attending the next meeting with the midwives?’

      ‘Sure.’ Oliver pulled his diary towards him and opened it. ‘When is it?’

      ‘Actually, it’s in about half an hour. I, um, have to leave early,’ he finished, having the grace to look uncomfortable at the lame explanation.

      Hiding a smile, Oliver nodded. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

      He listened and made notes as Nick went through the salient points he needed to know, a shiver of anticipation fluttering inside him at what lay ahead. The prospect of breaking the news to Chloe and Kate that he would be replacing Nick for the immediate future was an unappealing one. He imagined that each woman would have her own reasons to be unsettled by the change. But he wasn’t going to shy away from the challenge. This unexpected turn of events could work in his favour. He was wary about the timing, unsure where any relationship might go, but instinct told him there could be something interesting between them. And desiring her as he did, he now had the perfect chance to try to woo Chloe MacKinnon.

      CHAPTER TWO

      CHLOE watched Kate check her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. Kate was quite a few years her senior but they had always got on well together. The friendship had deepened further since Kate had returned to work alongside her as a midwife after giving up her job as practice manager and taking a refresher course so she could resume her previous career.

      ‘Kate, are you all right?’

      Uncharacteristically fidgety, her companion glanced up and attempted a half-hearted smile. ‘Fine. Fine.’

      ‘You realise you’re holding that file upside down?’ Chloe asked with calm concern.

      ‘Oh!’ Kate stared at the offending object in her hands and closed it, setting it on top of the pile in front of her. ‘Sorry, Chloe, I’m as jumpy as anything.’

      ‘Nick?’

      ‘Who else?’ Kate’s wry laugh was brief and without humour.

      Chloe smiled in sympathy. Having only very recently been privy to details of the latest turmoil between Kate and the senior partner at Penhally, she was worried about her friend and couldn’t help but be annoyed at Nick’s behaviour. True, it had to come as a shock to learn by chance that he was the father of Kate’s nine-year-old-son, Jem, but to her mind his reaction had been excessive and his treatment of Kate inexcusable. Given the tension that now existed between the two of them, it was unsurprising that Kate was nervous at the prospect of their weekly antenatal meeting. The previous meetings since Nick had learned of Jem’s paternity had been fraught and awkward.

      ‘Would you rather I took the meeting on my own and brought you up to date on Monday?’ Chloe offered, wanting to spare her friend and colleague further distress.

      Kate shook her head. ‘No, my love, thank you. I have to face him and I’m not going to run away. I’ve known him a long time and he has his own way of dealing with things. He can be so stubborn,’ she added with a sad, resigned smile.

      ‘If there’s anything I can do…’

      ‘Actually…’ Kate straightened, a frown of consideration creasing