About the Author
JENNIFER TAYLOR lives in the north-west of England, in a small village surrounded by some really beautiful countryside. She has written for several different Mills & Boon® series in the past, but it wasn’t until she read her first Medical Romance™ that she truly found her niche. She was so captivated by these heartwarming stories that she set out to write them herself! When she’s not writing, or doing research for her latest book, Jennifer’s hobbies include reading, gardening, travel, and chatting to friends both on and off-line. She is always delighted to hear from readers, so do visit her website at: www.jennifer-taylor.com
Cursed from an early age with a poor sense of direction and a propensity to read, ANNIE CLAYDON spent much of her childhood lost in books. After completing her degree in English Literature, she indulged her love of romantic fiction and spent a long, hot summer writing a book of her own. It was duly rejected and life took over, with a series of U-turns leading in the unlikely direction of a career in computing and information technology. The lure of the printed page proved too much to bear, though, and she now has the perfect outlet for the stories which have always run through her head, writing Medical Romance™ for Mills and Boon. Living in London, a city where getting lost can be a joy, she has no regrets in having taken her time in working her way back to the place that she started from.
Recent titles by Jennifer Taylor:
GINA’S LITTLE SECRET
SMALL TOWN MARRIAGE MIRACLE
THE MIDWIFE’S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE
THE DOCTOR’S BABY BOMBSHELL* THE GP’S MEANT-TO-BE BRIDE* MARRYING THE RUNAWAY BRIDE* THE SURGEON’S FATHERHOOD SURPRISE**
*Dalverston Weddings **Brides of Penhally Bay
These books are also available in eBook format from www.millsandboon.co.uk
Dear Reader
Single mums seem to get a lot of bad press these days, yet in my experience they do a fantastic job of raising their children under very difficult circumstances. My own mother became a single parent after my father died, and I know how hard she worked to give me a happy home life. My latest trilogy, Bride’s Bay Surgery, focuses on three single mums, Hannah, Emily and Becky, who are committed to do their very best for their children.
In the first book of the series Hannah is determined that she will do all she can for her little boy. She doesn’t have time for a relationship, so when she meets Tom Bradbury she is determined to keep him at arm’s length. Tom is equally determined not to get involved. His family has a poor track record when it comes to love and marriage, so he has made up his mind to remain single. However, that was before he met Hannah. Meeting her makes him reassess his whole attitude to life!
I hope you enjoy reading Tom and Hannah’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you would like to contact me then please e-mail me at the following address: [email protected] I would love to hear from you.
Best wishes
Jennifer
The Family Who
Made Him Whole
Jennifer Taylor
For Max, my gorgeous little grandson. The best Christmas present I’ve ever had.
CHAPTER ONE
‘AND this is my godson, Tom Bradbury. Tom has very kindly been helping out until you arrived. Tom, this is Hannah Morris, my new colleague. I’m sure you must be almost as delighted to see her as I am!’
‘Nice to meet you, Dr Bradbury.’ Hannah pinned a polite smile to her lips when the younger man laughed. She wasn’t going to be drawn into asking why he should be so pleased to see her because she wasn’t interested. She’d had her fair share of tall, dark, handsome men and intended to steer well clear of anyone who fitted that description in the future.
‘It’s good to meet you too, Hannah. But, please, forget the title and call me Tom.’ He held out his hand, leaving her with no option other than to take it.
Hannah felt a quiver of awareness run through her when their palms touched and tensed. She didn’t want to feel anything for this man, yet there was no denying the surge of electricity that was racing along her veins. It was a relief when he released her and turned to Simon Harper, the senior partner in the practice.
‘We don’t stand on ceremony around here, do we, Simon?’
‘Certainly not.’ Simon smiled at her. ‘Most of our patients call us by our first names, so I hope that won’t bother you, my dear. The days when the local GP was considered only second to God in the pecking order are long gone, I’m pleased to say.’
‘Of course not.’ Hannah summoned another smile although she had to admit that the idea of being on such familiar terms with her patients would take some getting used to. She had always preferred to maintain a professional distance and hadn’t encouraged that kind of familiarity, but if that was the way things were done at Bride’s Bay Surgery then she would have to get used to it.
‘I’d stop right there if I were you, Simon. You don’t want to scare her off!’
Hannah stiffened when Tom Bradbury laughed again. He really did have the most attractive laugh, she thought, the richly mellow tones making goose-bumps break out all over her body. She cleared her throat, refusing to dwell on the reason why it’d had such a strange effect on her. ‘There’s no danger of that. Although, admittedly, I’m more used to my patients calling me Dr Morris, I’m sure I shall adapt.’
‘That’s the spirit.’ Simon gave her an approving smile. ‘I knew I was right to pick you for this post, Hannah. You’re going to fit in perfectly around here.’
Hannah murmured something although she couldn’t deny that Simon’s unwitting choice of words had touched a nerve. She had always tried to be perfect in everything she did. Right from the time she had been a child, lining up her dolls in perfectly straight rows, she’d had a compulsion to make her life as flawless as possible. She knew what it stemmed from, of course. When she was seven her father had been involved in a serious road accident. She could still remember the horror of wondering if he would survive. The only way she’d been able to cope was by making everything else in her life as perfect as possible. To her mind, if everything was in its proper order then things would turn out right.
Thankfully, her father had recovered; however, the need for order had remained with her as she’d grown up. When she’d met Andrew, and discovered that he had felt the same, it had seemed as though they had been meant to be together. They could each strive for perfection, knowing the other would understand. It was only in this last year that she had realised what a terrible mistake she had made.
‘Hannah?’
Someone touched her on the arm and she jumped, feeling the colour rush to her cheeks when she found Tom Bradbury staring down at her. At over six feet in height he was a lot taller than her and she was suddenly struck by the difference in their stature. He looked so big and solid as he stood there with a frown drawing his black brows together that she had