The Mills & Boon Sparkling Christmas Collection. Kate Hardy

‘You’re already involved elsewhere—your partner’s back in the Midlands or in Greece?’

      ‘No.’ He frowned. ‘Otherwise I wouldn’t have asked you to come with me on the balloon.’

      Divorced, then, she guessed. ‘She hurt you that badly?’ Madison asked. She could sympathise with that—Harry had left her feeling burned and with major trust issues. If Theo had been involved with the female equivalent of Harry, it was hardly surprising that he was equally wary of relationships.

      ‘It’s nothing to do with an ex.’

      She blinked. ‘Perhaps I’m being stupid, here, but if you’re not involved with anyone else, what’s the problem?’

      ‘I can’t offer you a future, Maddie. I don’t want to get married and have children. So seeing me would stop you meeting someone else, someone who would be able to give you what you want.’

      ‘And what do you think I want?’

      ‘You’ve already told me—you want a relationship that lasts. Marriage. And, given the look on your face when I showed you the photographs of my niece and nephew, I’d say you want children as well.’

      ‘It’s pretty hard not to get broody, working where we do and getting to cuddle newborn babies every single day,’ she pointed out.

      ‘I’m not broody,’ he said softly. ‘I’m perfectly happy just to be an uncle.’

      Considering the expression on his own face when he’d talked about his family and the way he was on the ward, always cuddling newborns…‘That doesn’t quite stack up.’ The words were out before she could stop them.

      ‘What do you mean?’ He was very, very still.

      They’d opened up this far to each other, she thought, so she might as well be honest with him. ‘You’re clearly proud of your family and you spend your working life with pregnant women and newborns. So it’d be logical for someone in your position to like babies and want your own family.’

      ‘I do like babies—other people’s babies. I just don’t want my own.’ His voice was flat. As if an old, old pain had crushed it.

      So it was more than just a messy divorce, then. And the sudden bleakness in her eyes made her guess exactly what had happened. He and his partner had lost a baby, and the relationship hadn’t survived the pain. ‘I’m sorry, Theo. I had no idea that…’ There wasn’t a tactful way to say it, and she didn’t want to make things worse for him. ‘That you’d gone through something painful.’ She rested her hand lightly on his arm, wanting to comfort him. ‘I really didn’t mean to hurt you.’

      ‘I know. And it’s not your fault. It’s not something I talk about, so you weren’t to know.’ He looked rueful. ‘But it’s the kind of thing you can’t talk about. Not without hurting other people. And my family’s had enough heartache. I can’t…’

      Discuss it with them. She filled in the words automatically, and her heart ached for him. ‘How about friends?’ she asked.

      He moved his head a tiny fraction to signify the negative.

      ‘Bottling things up isn’t good for you, Theo.’ She tightened the pressure on his arm momentarily. ‘So if you need a friend—if you want to talk at any time—then you know where I am.’

      ‘Thank you. But I don’t like dragging up the past.’

      She smiled wryly. ‘I know what you mean. I don’t tend to talk about Harry either.’

      ‘Harry?’

      ‘My ex-husband. I thought we wanted the same things out of life, but it turned out he didn’t. And he didn’t want to be the one to tell me. Unfortunately, I found out the difficult way.’ That Harry most definitely hadn’t been ready for children. And although she’d agreed to wait, clearly he’d felt the pressure. In an attempt to escape feeling guilty about not giving Madison the baby she’d wanted, he’d turned to someone else. And Madison had been the very last to know.

      It was Theo’s turn to rest his hand briefly on her arm. ‘I’m sorry.’

      ‘So am I. You know the old saying, “Marry in haste, repent at leisure”?’

      He nodded.

      ‘It’s very, very true.’ She shrugged. ‘So. Yes, I want to settle down. But not until I meet the right one for me. I couldn’t bear another divorce.’

      His dark eyes were very, very intense. And the silence stretched until he said softly, ‘So what are we going to do about this?’

      ‘Be sensible, I suppose. Ignore the chemistry.’

      He smiled wryly. ‘Easier said than done. I’ve spent the last week and a half thinking about you. Since the moment I danced with you.’

      ‘I’ve never danced with anyone before who made me feel as if we were floating on air,’ she admitted.

      He laughed. ‘I’m Greek. It’s what we do—dance.’

      ‘And plate-smashing.’

      ‘That, too.’ His eyes crinkled at the corners. ‘But being Greek means having a sense of rhythm.’

      ‘And how.’ The words came out before she could stop them, and she pressed her palms to her face. ‘Arrgh. I’m not usually this tactless or outspoken. I didn’t mean to say that.’

      ‘But you thought it. Just like I’m thinking it now. There’s something between us.’

      There had been since the very moment she’d seen him. And she was glad he felt the same way—that it wasn’t just her being ridiculous or hormonal or desperate.

      But acting on that attraction just wasn’t a good idea. Not when Theo was adamant that he didn’t want children. They didn’t want the same things out of life. She’d been there, done that—and no way would she ever get involved with another man who didn’t want children with her, didn’t want to share his life with her.

      ‘We’ll just have to be grown-up about it. We’re colleagues. And we like each other, so we’ll be friends,’ she said.

      ‘It’s a deal,’ Theo said. ‘And I’m going to walk you home before I’m tempted to do something I shouldn’t.’

      ‘No need,’ Madison said lightly. ‘I’ve spent the last twelve years living in London, it’s broad daylight, and I’m used to being independent.’ She paused. ‘But I’ll help you with the washing-up before I go.’

      ‘No. If you’re not going to let me see you home safely, you’re certainly not going to be my kitchen skivvy,’ Theo said with a smile. ‘Go home. And thanks for joining me on the balloon trip. I’d have felt a bit out of place, going on my own.’

      ‘It was my pleasure, believe me. I really enjoyed it.’ She retrieved her handbag and her fleece. ‘Thank you for today, Theo.’ On tiptoe, she reached up to kiss his cheek. ‘I’ll see you at work tomorrow.’

      ‘Kalispera, Maddie,’ he said softly. ‘See you tomorrow.’

       CHAPTER FOUR

      BEING colleagues and friends with Theo was easier than Madison had expected—but only because their paths didn’t cross that much. She was busy with her students when Theo was busy with clinics, and because she was a relatively senior doctor now, it was rare that they were both involved in the same cases. If she’d needed his advice, she would have asked immediately—no way would she ever put one of her mums or babies at risk—but all the complications were ones she’d come across before and she didn’t need his experience.

      The only times they really met at work were in the rest room—where they chatted