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Erin felt that same prickle of awareness as when their hands had touched over the scones. But this time, instead of avoiding eye contact, she looked him straight in the eye. Nate’s pupils were dilated to the point where his eyes looked almost black.
Oh, help. It looked as if this attraction she felt towards him was mutual, then. What were they going to do about it? Because this situation was impossible.
His face was serious. ‘Erin.’ He reached out and cupped her cheek in his palm, then brushed his thumb over her lower lip.
She felt hot all over and her skin tingled where he touched her.
‘Nate. We’re right in the middle of the hospital,’ she whispered.
‘And anyone could see us. I know.’ He moved his hand away. ‘Erin, I think we need to talk.’
She knew he was right. ‘But not here.’ It was too public.
‘Where? When?’ His voice was urgent.
‘You said Caitlin would be all right with your mum for a while.’ She took a deep breath. Maybe she needed to be brave about this, as Mikey had suggested. Do it now. Tell him the truth. And if he walked away—well, it just proved that she’d been stupid to let him matter to her. ‘My place, right now?’
I’d got to that stage of life where I’m really fascinated by gardens—and then my friend Michelle told me about a news story of a sensory garden for spinal patients. What a perfect setting, I thought. Especially when I kept seeing stories about spinal patients in the news.
But who would get involved with a sensory garden? And who would think it was a bad idea?
Meet Erin, who has a lot of shadows in her past, and Nate, who has a lot of shadows in his present.
The sensory garden starts by keeping them apart, and then it is very instrumental in bringing them together. Add in a troubled teen—who reminds Erin very much of herself at that age—complicated families and the whole idea about how love happens when you least expect it…and you have what happens with Erin and Nate.
I hope you enjoy their journey—and that the garden inspires you as much as it did me.
I’m always delighted to hear from readers, so do come and visit me at katehardy.com.
With love,
Kate Hardy
KATE HARDY always loved books, and could read before she went to school. She discovered Mills & Boon books when she was twelve and decided this was what she wanted to do. When she isn’t writing Kate enjoys reading, cinema, ballroom dancing and the gym. You can contact her via her website: katehardy.com.
Capturing the
Single Dad’s Heart
Kate Hardy
To Michelle Styles, with love and thanks for the lightbulb
‘This was a truly stunning, heartfelt read from Kate Hardy. She blew me away with the intensity of the heartache in this read.’
—Contemporary Romance Reviews on The Brooding Doc’s Redemption
‘Bound by a Baby moved me to tears many times. It is a full-on emotional drama. Author Kate Hardy brought this tale shimmering with emotions. Highly recommended for all lovers of romance.’
—Contemporary Romance Reviews
Bound by a Baby won the 2014 RoNA (Romantic Novelists’ Association) award!
Contents
WHY WOULD YOU turn down every single invitation to a team night out when you were new to the department? Erin wondered. Surely you’d want to get to know your colleagues and help yourself fit in to the team more quickly, rather than keep your distance?
Nate Townsend was a puzzle.
As a colleague, he was fine; she’d done a few ward rounds with him, and had been pleased to discover that he was good with their patients. He listened to their worries, reassured them and explained anything they didn’t understand without showing the least bit of impatience. The team in Theatre had all been thrilled to report that, unlike the surgeon he’d replaced, Nate was precise with his instructions and always bothered to thank the nursing staff.
But