A Family Made At Christmas

A family to heal her heart...

For physiotherapist April Henderson, gorgeous army doc Riley Callaghan is off-limits. With her life-altering surgery looming, she can’t afford to consider anyone else right now. But when Riley is given the biggest news of his life—a son he knew nothing about—April can’t help but offer him support.

Spending time with Riley and his adorable son, Finn, at Christmas gives April a glimpse of the life she’s always wanted. But can she risk her heart when her future is so uncertain?

‘Let me do something for you, April.’

The rush of emotion tumbled through her in waves. When was the last time someone had spoken to her like that? When was the last time she’d wanted someone to get this close? It felt like for ever. It felt like a whole lifetime ago.

A lifetime before her sister’s vague symptoms. Shock diagnosis. Frantic treatment attempts. And the life just slowly draining from her body.

Riley made the smallest move. His cheek touched hers and his lips brushed against her ear.

‘A toy shop. Along with the superhero T-shirts, I think you might secretly be a Peter Pan kind of girl.’

She could sense he was smiling.

Her eyes were closed, the toy shop ornament held in front of her chest. She turned towards him just as his head pulled back from her ear. Every part of her literally ached. Ached for his lips to touch hers. Then, before she had time to think any more, his lips brushed against hers. The sensation was just as sweet as she’d imagined. Every bit as magical. His hand tangled in her hair as the gentlest pressure increased.

She wanted this. She wanted this more than she’d ever imagined.

But just this—the slightest kiss—had put her sensations into overload. Every part of her brain fired. She was starting something she might not be able to continue. She was taking what could not be hers. She was kissing a man she hadn’t been entirely truthful with.

Dear Reader,

It’s official! Christmas is my favourite time of year. I can’t get enough of it, and what I love more than anything is writing Christmas books. I have to be honest and say that this one is my favourite yet. I loved writing about these characters. April and Riley’s story jumped off the page at me, and certain scenes—especially the ones with the little boy Finn—made me cry. There are lots of difficult issues in this story, but true love conquers in the end. I hope you love this story as much as I do.

I have lots of traditions with my family and good friends at Christmas, but being a Mills & Boon author has let me develop some new ones. One of which is buying a Christmas bauble from a very famous London store every time I come down to London for the official Mills & Boon Author Lunch. This year I hope to take that number up to seven. I’ve been buying one since I was first published in 2011 and I’m rapidly running out of colours!

I love to hear from readers, so feel free to contact me via my website, scarlet-wilson.com, or you can find me on Facebook or Twitter.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Scarlet

A Family Made at Christmas

Scarlet Wilson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

SCARLET WILSON wrote her first story aged eight and has never stopped. She’s worked in the health service for twenty years, trained as a nurse and a health visitor. Scarlet now works in public health and lives on the West Coast of Scotland with her fiancé and their two sons. Writing medical romances and contemporary romances is a dream come true for her.

Books by Scarlet Wilson

Mills & Boon Medical Romance

Christmas Miracles in Maternity

A Royal Baby for Christmas

Midwives On-Call at Christmas

A Touch of Christmas Magic

The Doctor She Left Behind

The Doctor’s Baby Secret

One Kiss in Tokyo...

The Doctor and the Princess

Mills & Boon Cherish

Maids Under the Mistletoe

Christmas in the Boss’s Castle

Visit the Author Profile page

at millsandboon.co.uk for more titles.

This book is dedicated to Sheila Hodgson, my fabulous editor. Thank you for believing in this story and letting me see it through, and thank you for being the best advocate for Medical Romance in the world!

Praise for

Scarlet Wilson

‘The book is filled with high-strung emotions, engaging dialogue, breathtaking descriptions and characters you just cannot help but love. With the magic of Christmas as a bonus, you won’t be disappointed with this story!’

—Goodreads on

A Touch of Christmas Magic

Scarlet Wilson won the 2017 RoNA Rose Award for her book Christmas in the Boss’s Castle

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

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

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

‘HURRY UP, RILEY. It’s your round.’ The hard slap on the shoulder nearly ejected him from his chair. Riley laughed and turned around. Frank Cairney, one of the rehab nurses, was standing with his rucksack on his shoulder. The rest of the team were hovering outside near the door. ‘Should I go and hold up the bar for us?’

Riley nodded. ‘Just a few notes to finish and I’ll be there. Thanks, guys.’

He typed quickly on the electronic record, leaving detailed notes on the plan for Jake Ashford, a soldier injured on duty in Afghanistan and now a resident in the army rehab hospital at Waterloo Court.

It was late afternoon on a Friday. Those who could go home had gone home. But some patients wouldn’t be able to go home for some time—Jake was one of those.

Working in the rehab hospital hadn’t really been on Riley’s career plan. But, due to a family crisis, a fellow colleague hadn’t been able to start when he should have, meaning the hospital needed someone to fill in. Riley’s surgical experience in orthopaedics had been flagged and his deployment had been delayed on a temporary basis for a few weeks.

But today was his last shift. And truth was he was relieved. The staff and support team at Waterloo Court were fantastic, as were the world-class rehab services, but Riley liked the pace of emergencies. On Monday he’d be in Sierra Leone, where another outbreak of Ebola seemed to be emerging.

He finished his notes and walked down the corridor to the in-patient beds. He heard the laughter before he saw her familiar frame.

April Henderson had Jake sitting at the side of his bed. Laughing. Really laughing, as if she’d just told him the funniest joke in the world.

Even from here he knew exactly what she was doing—testing Jake’s sitting balance. She was one of the best physiotherapists he’d ever worked with.

She was tireless. She was relentless. She was polite. She was professional.

He’d caught himself on more than one occasion watching that blonde ponytail swishing up the corridor in front of him as she made her way between the ninety patients that were housed in the state-of-the-art unit.

But even now—four weeks later—he really didn’t know a thing about her.

April was the quietest co-worker he’d ever met. Every conversation, every communication had been about their patients. When he asked her about life, what she was doing at the weekend or anything other than work she just shut down.

He’d asked other staff a few questions about her, but no one really said much. Apparently she wasn’t married and hadn’t mentioned a boyfriend. The staff here were a mixture of military and civilian. April was civilian. She’d transferred to the new unit at Waterloo Court. The centre dealt with serious musculoskeletal injuries, neurological injuries and complex trauma, including amputees. The brand-new facility was four times bigger than its predecessor. There were gyms, full of cardiovascular and resistance equipment, two swimming pools, a hydrotherapy pool and a specialist centre where artificial limbs were manufactured on-site and individually tailored to the patients’ needs.

‘Doc?’ Jake caught his eye.

Riley crossed the room, holding out his hand. ‘I came to say goodbye.’ He paused for a second. ‘I’m shipping out again tomorrow.’ He had to be truthful, but he could see the momentary pang in the young man’s eyes. Jake loved the army. Had wanted to serve since he was five. And now, at the grand old age of twenty-three, would be unlikely to ever ship out again.

Jake took Riley’s extended hand. ‘Good luck, Doc—it’s been short and sweet. Where are you headed?’

Riley gave a shrug. ‘At the moment, I think it’s Africa. But you know how things can change. By the time Monday comes around it could be somewhere else completely.’

He glanced down at April, who was leaning against a stool at the side of the bed. ‘Are you coming to the farewell drinks, April?’

It was obvious he’d caught her off guard because two tiny pink spots flared in her cheeks and she stumbled over her words. ‘Wh-what? Er...no...sorry. I don’t think I’ll manage.’

Jake nudged her with one of his dangling feet. ‘Oh, go on, April. When was the last time you could tell me a good night out story?’

The pinkness spread. But the shy demeanour vanished instantly. He’d always found that curious about her. April Henderson knew how to engage with her patients. Really engage with her patients. Around them she was relaxed, open and even showed the occasional glimmer of fun. But around any of the staff? She was just April.

‘I’m not here to tell you night out stories, Jake. I’m here to help get you back on your feet again.’ She leaned forward and put her hands on his bare leg. ‘But don’t think I didn’t notice that deliberate kick.’ She looked up and gave Jake a wide smile. ‘That’s great. That’s something we can work on.’

With her bright blue eyes, blonde hair and clear skin, April Henderson could be stunning if she wanted to be. But there was never any make-up on her skin, never any new style with her hair. It was almost as if she used her uniform as a shield.

Riley watched the look on Jake’s face. For the first time in weeks he saw something that hadn’t been there much before. Hope.

It did weird things to his insides. Jake was a young man who should be filled with hope. His whole life was ahead of him. But there was already a good hint that his injury could be limiting. They still didn’t have a clear prognosis for him, and that was why April’s work was so vital.

He winked at Jake and folded his arms across his chest. ‘I’m completely and utterly offended that you won’t come to my farewell drinks. Four long weeks here, all those shifts together, and you can’t even say goodbye.’

‘He’s right, April.’ Jake nodded. ‘It is shocking. Thank goodness you’re not actually in the army. At this point you’d be getting a dishonourable discharge.’

For the briefest of seconds there was a flash of panic behind her eyes, quickly followed by the realisation that they were kidding with her.

She raised her eyebrows. Gave her best smile. The one reserved for patients in trouble. Both of them recognised it instantly.

‘Uh-oh,’ Riley muttered.

April touched Jake’s leg. ‘Well, just so you know, Jake, now that we’ve established there’s some movement and—’ she stood up ‘—your balance is gradually improving, I think I’ll have a whole new plan for you, starting tomorrow.’

Jake groaned as Riley laughed. He couldn’t quite work out why April could chat easily with patients but could barely say a word to him on a normal day.

Jake pointed at Riley. ‘This is all your fault. You’re abandoning me to this wicked, wicked woman. You know she’ll work me hard and exhaust me.’ He said the words with a twinkle in his eyes.

Riley nodded as he glanced at April. Her blue gaze met his. For the first time since he’d met her, she didn’t look away instantly. He smiled. ‘You’re right, Jake. But I’m leaving you with one of the best physios I’ve ever met. She’ll push you to your absolute limit—exactly what you need. If anyone can get you back on your feet again, it’s April Henderson.’ He put his hand on Jake’s shoulder as he leaned forward to fake whisper in his ear, ‘Even if she won’t have a drink with me.’

There was something about that bright blue gaze. Even under the harsh hospital lights that seemed to drain the colour from everyone else, April still looked good. The edges of her mouth gave just the slightest hint of turning upwards. It was the first time he’d wished he wasn’t leaving.

Jake reached up and grabbed his hand, giving it a shake. ‘Thanks, Lieutenant Callaghan. Good luck with your deployment.’ There was a tiny waver in his voice. Almost as if he knew the likelihood was he’d never make another deployment himself.

Riley clasped his hand between his. ‘I’ll look you up again when I come back.’ He started towards the door, then glanced over his shoulder and gave a warm smile. ‘You too, April.’

* * *

Her heart was acting as though she were racing along a beach, rather than sitting at the side of a patient’s bed.

Darn it.

Ever since Riley Callaghan had turned up on this ward she’d spent the last four weeks avoiding him. It was everything. The little kink in his dark hair. The smiling green eyes. The cheeky charm. Oh, lots of doctors and servicemen she’d met in the last few years had the talk, the wit, the lots of charm.

But she’d had enough to deal with. The diagnosis of her twin sister’s ovarian cancer, rapidly followed by her failing treatment, then Mallory’s death, had meant that she had found it easier to retreat into herself and seal herself off from the world. Her own genetic testing had floored her. She had decisions to make. Plans for the future.

Her last relationship had been half-hearted. Mallory had got sick and she’d realised quickly that she needed to spend time with her sister. But, since then, the last thing she wanted was a relationship.

After her own testing, she’d spent a day wondering whether she should just find some random guy, try to get pregnant, have a baby quickly and deal with everything else after.

But those thoughts had only lasted a day. She’d met the surgeon. A date for her surgery would be agreed soon. And she needed to do this part of her life alone.

Then Riley Callaghan had appeared on her ward. All cheeky grins and twinkling eyes. It was the first time in a long time she’d actually been aware of every sense in her body. Her surge of adrenaline. Every rapid heartbeat.

That was the reason she didn’t engage in small talk. That was the reason she kept to herself. She couldn’t afford to let herself be attracted to a guy at such a crucial point in her life. How did you start that conversation anyway? Oh, you want to go on a date? Great. By the way, in a few months’ time I’m going to have my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed and maybe later my breasts. What? You don’t want to hang around?

It didn’t matter that she’d found herself glancing in Riley’s direction every time he’d appeared on the ward. She’d hated the way she’d started stumbling over her words around him, or had trouble looking him in the eye.

But as she watched his retreating back her mouth felt dry. Part of her wanted to grab her jacket and join the rest of the staff for a drink. But then she’d be in a pub, where her inhibitions could lower, and she could encourage the gentle flirtation that could go absolutely nowhere.

She shook her head and turned her attention back to Jake. ‘Can we get you more comfortable? I’ll work on your new programme and we’ll start tomorrow.’

Jake gave her a nod and she helped settle him in a comfortable, specially designed chair for those with spinal injuries.

Her shift was finished but it wouldn’t take long to write up her notes and make the adjustments needed for tomorrow. It wasn’t as if she had anywhere to go, right?

Half an hour later there were a few voices in the corridor behind her. This was a military hospital. When the Colonel appeared, it was never good news.

All the hairs bristled on her arms. She looked around, wondering who was about to get bad news.

‘Ms Henderson?’

She spun around in her chair and jumped to her feet. Her? How? What?

A woman with a pinched face and dark grey coat stood next to the Colonel. She didn’t even know that he knew her name.

‘Y-yes,’ she stumbled.

‘We’re wondering where Lieutenant Callaghan is.’

Her heart plummeted in her chest. Riley? They had bad news for Riley?

She glanced around. ‘He’s not here. But I know where he is. Can you give me five minutes? I’ll get him for you.’

The Colonel nodded and she rushed past, going to the changing room and grabbing her jacket. If she ran, the pub was only five minutes away.

As soon as she stepped outside she realised just how much the temperature had dipped. It was freezing and it was only the middle of November. As she thudded down the dark path a few snowflakes landed on her cheeks. Snow? Already?

She slowed her run. If spots of rain had turned to snow, then there was a chance the damp ground would be slippery.

The pub came into view, warm light spilling from its windows. She stopped running completely, her warm breath steaming in the air around her.

She could hear the noise and laughter coming from the pub already. She closed her eyes for a second. She hated that she was about to do this. To walk into a farewell party and pull Riley away for news he probably wouldn’t want. Did his family serve in the military? Did he have a brother? She just didn’t know. She hadn’t allowed herself to have that kind of conversation with Riley.

She pushed open the door to the pub, the heat hitting her instantly. It was busy. She jostled her way through the people, scanning one way then another. It didn’t take long to recognise the laugh. She picked Riley’s familiar frame out of the crowd and pushed herself towards him. Her work colleagues were picking up glasses and toasting him. She stumbled as she reached him, her hands coming out and landing square on his chest. His hard, muscular chest.

‘April?’ He looked completely surprised. ‘Oh, wow. You made it. That’s great.’ His arm had automatically gone around her shoulder. He pulled her a little closer to try to talk above the noise in the pub. ‘Can I get you something to drink?’

He frowned as he noticed she hadn’t even changed out of her uniform.

She looked up into his green eyes. ‘Riley, I’m sorry—I’m not here for the drinks.’

He pulled back a little whilst keeping his arm on her shoulder. ‘You aren’t?’

Her hands were still on his chest. She really didn’t want to move them. ‘Riley—’ she pressed her lips together for a second ‘—the Colonel is looking for you. He came to the ward.’

She felt every part of his body tense.

‘What?’ His voice had changed.

She nodded. ‘I said I’d come and get you.’

Riley didn’t even say goodbye to anyone around him. He just grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her behind him as he jostled his way through the crowd.

The snow was falling as they reached the main door. Riley spun around to face her, worry etched all over his face. ‘What did he say? Is it just the Colonel?’

April shook her head. ‘He didn’t tell me anything. And there’s an older woman with him. I didn’t recognise her.’

She reached up and touched his arm. It didn’t matter that she’d vowed to keep a distance. This was a completely different set of circumstances. This was a work colleague who was likely to receive some bad news. She’d never leave a workmate alone at a time like this. ‘Let me come back with you’ was all she said.

And, after the longest few seconds, Riley gave a nod.

* * *

He started walking quickly but eventually just broke into a run. His brother. It had to be his brother. He was on a training exercise right now somewhere in Scotland, flying out to Afghanistan tomorrow. Accidents happened. As a doctor, he knew that more than most. Unless something had happened to his mum and dad. Could they have had an accident?

He was conscious of the footsteps beside him. The ones that broke into a gentle run when he did. He’d been surprised by April’s appearance earlier—it had made his heart lurch for a few seconds. But it hadn’t taken long to notice the paleness of her complexion. The worry in her bright blue eyes. And she was right by his side. Trouble was, right now he couldn’t think straight.

By the time he reached the ward area his brain was spinning completely. He slowed down to a walk, took a few deep breaths and tried to put on his professional face. He was a soldier. He could deal with whatever news he was about to receive.

The Colonel ushered him into a room where a woman in a grey coat was sitting with a file in front of her.

April hovered near the door—she didn’t seem to know whether to leave or not—and he was kind of glad she was still around.

‘Lieutenant Callaghan. Please take a seat.’

He didn’t want to sit. In fact, sitting was the last thing he wanted to do. But if it would get this thing over with quicker then he’d do it.

He sat down and glanced at the woman. She leaned across the table towards him. ‘Dr Callaghan, my name is Elizabeth Cummings. I’m a social worker.’

He frowned. A social worker? Why did she need to speak to him?

She flicked open her file. ‘I understand that this might seem a little unusual. Can I ask, do you know an Isabel Porter?’

He flinched. This was not what he’d been expecting to hear. He glanced at the Colonel. ‘Sir, my parents? My brother?’

The Colonel shook his head and gestured back to Ms Cummings. ‘No. They’re fine. They’re absolutely fine. Please, this is something else entirely.’

Riley shifted in his chair. He glanced behind at April. She looked just as confused as he was.

Now he felt uncomfortable. He looked back at the social worker. ‘Isabel Porter, from Birmingham?’

The woman nodded.

‘Yes, I know Isabel. At least, I did. Around five years ago. Why are you asking me that?’

Ms Cummings gave a nod. ‘I see. Dr Callaghan, I’m sorry to tell you that there was an accident a few days ago. Isabel was killed in a road traffic accident.’

It was like a cold prickle down his spine. Nothing about this seemed right. ‘Oh, I see. I’m really sorry to hear that. But I don’t understand. Why are you telling me?’ He looked from one tight face to the other.

Ms Cummings glanced at the Colonel. ‘There is an issue we need to discuss. Ms Porter left a will.’

‘Isabel had written a will?’ Now that did sound weird. Isabel had been a bit chaotic. Their relationship had barely lasted a few months. And they hadn’t kept in touch. He hadn’t heard from her at all in the last five years. ‘Why on earth are you telling me this?’

Ms Cummings slid an envelope across the desk to him. ‘Maybe this will help explain things.’ She kept talking. ‘Obviously there’s been a delay. Isabel had no other family. No next of kin, which is probably why she left a will and wrote this letter for you. It takes time to find out if someone has left a will or not.’