Free The Army Doctor's New Year's Baby by Helen Scott Taylor

getting used to.
    After a
while, they sat on a rock side by side staring out over the water. Megan pulled
some binoculars from her coat pocket and scanned the loch, then passed them to
him, pointing out various landmarks.
    Megan was so
easy to be with, so relaxing. He could be himself with her and not worry what
she thought of him. This must be how it felt to have a wife you knew well and
trusted. Marriage and children had never been high on his to-do list, but as he
sat there with Megan's hand in his and Fergus warm against his back, the
possibility took shape in his mind.
    Daniel's
search for a more meaningful life had driven him to change his career. Had he
been looking in the wrong place for fulfillment? Was he really just missing a
family of his own?
    ***
    Megan
carried a tray bearing three mugs of cocoa out of the kitchen and headed for
the office along the corridor. She shouldered the door open and smiled at Duncan as he glanced up.
    "Ready
for a hot drink?"
    "I'm
ready for the whiskey you've laced it with." He scraped his fingers
through his dark hair and leaned back, taking his cup off the tray and placing
it on his desk.
    They'd had a
quiet Sunday at home. The weather had closed in, bringing a snowstorm,
subfreezing temperatures, and a bitter wind. After an early dinner, Duncan retreated to his office, while Daniel helped her clear up in the kitchen and load
the dishwasher.
    "Dan
and I are going to sit in front of the fire in the drawing room. Why don't you
join us?"
    "I
can't. I have things to do."
    Megan rested
a hand on Duncan's shoulder and glanced at the papers spread over his desk.
"What's all this?"
    "Hew
wants me to look over the grant application for the eagle project."
    Poor Duncan worked so hard, with both his role at the army institute and helping Hew manage
Kindrogan Estate. He never had a minute to himself. If Megan ever had the
opportunity to marry and settle down, she didn't know how she would leave him
to cope here. He needed a wife.
    "Come
on, you can take a break," she encouraged.
    "You
don't want me cramping your style."
    Megan's
eyebrows shot up. "What on earth do you think we're planning to do in
there?"
    "As
your brother, I'd rather not know."
    "Duncan!"
    "Well,
you like Daniel, don't you?"
    "Yes."
    "Good.
He's a nice chap and one heck of a surgeon. I leave all the surgery to him
nowadays." He patted her hand where it rested on his shoulder. "I
hoped you two would hit it off when I introduced you."
    "Duncan
Mackenzie. Have you been playing matchmaker?"
    "I want
my baby sister to be happy. Is that a sin?"
    Had Duncan really set her up on purpose? Was that why he always backed out of escorting her to
the ball each year at the last moment and palmed her off on some poor man who
couldn't say no? Megan pressed a hand over her heart, unsure if she should be
annoyed or grateful. In the end, gratitude won out. He was only trying to do
what was best for her. She looped her arms around his neck and kissed his
cheek. He obviously didn't share Lyall's concern that Daniel was the wrong sort
of man for her, and she trusted Duncan's judgment.
    "Thank
you," she whispered. "I do like Dan. I'm not sure I'm quite in his
league, though."
    " Pfft .
You always put yourself down, Meg. You deserve someone to love you."
    She hugged
him tighter. He could do with a dose of his own advice. She couldn't remember
the last time he'd had a date.
    She picked
up the tray and wandered towards the drawing room with a hint of trepidation.
Ever since they'd visited Hew's cottage, Daniel had been quiet and thoughtful.
She didn't know what to make of his unusual mood.
    Lounging on
the sofa, his feet stretched towards the fire, Daniel had his hands linked over
his belly. He smiled as she entered and set the tray on a side table.
    "Here
you are." She passed across a mug of cocoa and claimed her own.
    He patted
the seat at his side. "Sit with me."
    Her heart
gave a little bump as she slid onto the sofa beside him, wanting to snuggle