Free His Perfect Bride? by Louisa Heaton Page A

running her own surgery, rather than sitting in with him, and she was looking forward to it. But she was also looking forward to seeing Olly again and finding out if he’d heard anything about the abandoned baby yet. She hoped so. She was worried about the mother. Where was she? Who was she? Was she all right? She couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to give birth and then abandon the baby somewhere…
    Whoever had felt pushed into that situation had to be incredibly scared. Or brave. Or a bit of both of those. Selfless, too. Perhaps whoever it was had hoped that by doing so she would be giving the baby the best chance in life. She’d obviously cared about the baby or she wouldn’t have wrapped it up so well, provided it with a hot water bottle to keep it warm in the snow.
    Lula slipped her feet into her Union Jack wellingtons and put her pink shoes into her backpack. Wrapping up tightly against the cold, she set off to work.
    As she tramped through the snow she waved hello to various villagers who were braving the drifts to get their morning paper and milk fromthe local store. When she entered the surgery she stamped her feet on the mat, glad to be in the warmth again.
    Olly was already there, standing behind the reception desk. He was on the telephone and acknowledged her with a smile. She paused briefly to look at him, slowly taking off her scarf and gloves.
    He was very tall and broad. Through his shirt she could see he had some nicely defined muscles, especially in his arms.
    I wonder if he works out?
    He had a sickeningly flat belly that she would have died for, and a trim waist. Boy, did he look good! Yummy—despite the sensible pale blue shirt and navy chinos. Flushing, she put her scarf and gloves in her backpack and pulled off her wellies to reveal stripy multicoloured socks with individual toes.
    ‘Nice.’ Olly pointed at her feet as he came off the phone.
    ‘Thanks. They’re cosy. Something urgent?’ She was referring to the phone call.
    ‘Just checking on Bonnie and the baby. Both are fine. Baby’s taking milk well and Bonnie had a comfortable night.’
    ‘That’s great.’ She slipped her pink boots on. ‘No sign of the baby’s mother yet?’
    He shook his head, and she could see he was eyeing her boots.
    ‘You ready to heal the sick?’
    ‘As always.’ She smiled. ‘Though I might just grab a cup of tea first.’
    ‘How’s the zoo this morning?’
    ‘They’re all well.’
    He walked with her into the small staff area, watching whilst she made a cup of tea.
    ‘Want one?’
    He nodded. ‘Thanks.’
    She was aware he was still watching her, and surprisingly she felt quite self-conscious. What had happened?
    One tingly kiss and I turn into an awkward teenager again?
    ‘Do you have sugar? I forget.’
    ‘One, please.’ He seemed amused by her forgetfulness, but took the drink from her with thanks, their fingers brushing and causing electrifying alertness. She eyed his strong hands wrapped around the mug and wondered what it might be like to be held by them…
    Stop it, Lula! You’re not here for Olly.
    She made an excuse to disappear into her room, switching on the computer and booting up the patient file system. The room was bare of her personality, but it would do for the brief time she was there. Normally she would put her ownthings up—have her own knick-knacks on the desk to entertain smaller patients and her own artwork on the walls in bright colours to make the room more lively—but she wasn’t there permanently. This was just a short-term locum position. She wasn’t planning on staying.
    Just as soon as she’d tracked down whether her mother was here or not she’d move on. If she did find her mother she wouldn’t want to stay in the village and pressure her into anything. She’d keep her distance. And if she wasn’t here then it didn’t matter. She would move on and try…what? There were no other clues. She had to be here .
    Somewhere.
    Her first patient