Pregnant Midwife on His Doorstep by Marion Lennox

Author:Marion Lennox
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-05-08T18:27:04+00:00

* * *

He hadn’t been held since Madison had left, and he hadn’t enjoyed being held then. The guilt as his sister had held him had been almost overwhelming.

There was no guilt here. There was only...fear? Fear to hug back? Fear to accept warmth and friendship—for surely that was all it was?

It was also reaction, he told himself. Hannah had had an appalling couple of days. She’d risen to the challenge brilliantly. Her reactions to everything thrown at her had been little less than mind-blowing, and now she was hugging him.

Like Madison, he thought. Madison hugged him to give him comfort and he didn’t deserve comfort.

But as Hannah continued to hold he felt more. She was holding and holding, her face was buried in his chest and he realised she was taking comfort, as well as giving it. Almost involuntarily his arms wrapped around her and he found himself hugging back.

He was still watching Mick, but the big man’s breathing was settling. His eyes hadn’t fluttered open yet but they would.

Mick was safe. They were all safe.

This woman had made it possible.

His head seemed to bend of its own accord, and he found himself letting his chin rest in her hair. He wanted more. He wanted to bury his whole face in her tangle of curls. He wanted to lift her, hold her, protect her...

Claim her.

There was a dumb thought. Primaeval and sexist and wrong on so many levels. Stupid. She was nothing to do with him and she’d be gone tomorrow. He needed to get back to his solitude, to the way of life he needed to keep himself sane.

But for one sweet moment he allowed himself to forget the fears, the promises. He allowed himself to savour the feel of her, the warmth and strength of her hold, the sensation of giving and receiving. Of almost merging.

He could feel her heartbeat. She must be feeling his as well. It felt good. Right. Perfect.

As if it was meant.

But it wasn’t meant. It was shock and trauma that had created the moment, and sanity surfaced. He sensed rather than saw Mick open his eyes and he wasn’t sure if it was Hannah who tugged away or him, but either way suddenly they were separate beings. Emotion was put away.

They were back to being professionals with a patient emerging from anaesthetic.

‘Skye...’ Mick croaked. ‘The kids...’

And that’s what loving’s all about, Josh thought as he adjusted the drip and Hannah did the reassuring. It’s blind terror, exposure, where someone’s death can cut you in two and destroy more than your life.

All he had to do was remind himself of that appalling moment when he’d realised Alice was dead. At the grief etched onto Madison’s face.

Solitude.

He needed to get back to it, fast.

He needed to get all these people out of his house. Including Hannah.

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