EXTRACT FROM A MOTHER FOR THE ITALIAN'S TWINS

TAKEN FROM CHAPTER ONE

'I think that covers everything, Luca.' With a benevolent smile, Nick leaned back in his chair and closed the file he'd had open in front of him. 'Do you have any questions?'

Luca shook his head. 'No, thank you. I'm eager to begin my new duties.'

Eager, yes, but he also felt a flicker of nervousness at what lay ahead, Luca acknowledged, facing his first day in his first full-time position as a general practitioner. As a young medical student he'd been determined to turn his dream of being a paediatric surgeon into a reality, but fate had had other plans for him, and he'd learned some valuable, if painful lessons. In consequence, he was here today, a qualified GP, embarking on a new chapter of his life.

He'd got just far enough in his surgical training to have had a tantalising taste of what he'd longed for before it had been taken away again. But when life dealt a cruelly vicious blow, a man had to make sacrifices and carry on as best he could. The change of career allowed him more settled working hours so that he could be a better father to his fast-growing twin daughters. And no sacrifice was too much, no cost too high for him to pay, in an attempt to compensate his girls for the

fact that they didn't have a mother. The familiar sting of pain, betrayal and crushing burden of guilt weighed heavily upon him.

'We're delighted to have you on board,' Nick said, rising to his feet.

Luca stood up and shook the older man's hand. 'Thank you.'

Nick gestured for him to precede him to the door. 'I've arranged for you to shadow Dr Polly Carrick. You can sit in on her surgeries today, before starting your own consultations tomorrow, and you can double up on home visits for a couple of weeks to learn your way around.'

Luca murmured his acquiescence. It was what he'd expected, Nick having raised the issue when Luca had last visited the surgery to formalise his appointment. He'd looked round the premises on that occasion and had been very impressed by the expansion and all the new facilities. He'd also met some of his soon-to-be colleagues, all of whom had been friendly and welcoming. Their reaction, and the feeling of ease he had experienced being in the surgery, had given him confidence that he'd made the right decision to pursue the sought-after position in Penhally.

He'd yet to meet Polly Carrick, however, and wondered why Nick had chosen her as the doctor he was to shadow.

'Polly joined us in July. She grew up in Penhally, so is familiar with the district.'

'I'm sure her local knowledge will be useful,' Luca responded politely.

Turning down a corridor that housed the physiotherapy room and three consulting rooms, Nick opened an unmarked door and showed him inside. 'This will be your domain. Say if there is anything that you need. You have your name-plate?'

'Yes.' Luca sneaked a quick look around as he moved to set his bag on the empty desk. The room was bright and airy, quite big enough and very well equipped. He opened the bag and took out the plate. 'Here it is.'

Nick smiled. 'You do the honours.'

As he slotted the plate bearing his name into the empty bracket on the door, Luca experienced a sense of achievement and belonging tinged with sadness.

'Next to you is Gabriel Devereux,' Nick informed, pointing towards the door. 'I think you met him the last time you were here.'

Luca smiled, remembering the warmth of the French GP's greeting.

'Yes, I did. And his fiancée, Lauren.'

'Of course. That's Lauren's domain,' Nick told him, gesturing to the physiotherapy room across the other side of the wide corridor. 'And here we have Polly.' His new boss halted outside the closed door bearing her name. 'I've paired you with Polly for several reasons. One was your desire to see your girls settled at nursery school before you came in— and Polly's first appointment on a Monday is at ten o'clock, whereas the other surgeries have been under way for an hour or more.'

Luca was relieved and grateful that the initial understanding Nick had shown was being maintained. 'I appreciate your thoughtfulness. It's true that I wanted time to see them settled on their first day, but I don't expect any undue concessions…and I fully intend to pull my weight on the team.'

'I never expected any different, Luca,' the older man reassured him.

'As the father of twins myself—who are now grown up with children of their own—I can only imagine how difficult it is and what commitment you show in bringing them up alone.'

'Thank you, Nick.'

The words had touched him. But Luca wondered how understanding his new boss would have been had the girls succeeded in scuppering his efforts to get them organised and had made him late on his first day of work. This was a new move and a new routine for them to get used to, and he was well aware that, at three years of age, the twins were also facing challenges in their lives.

He had dropped them off for their first day at nursery. Christine Galloway, the owner of the highly respected school, and Trish Atkins, who taught the three-year-old reception class, had assured him that Rosie and Toni would be fine. Luca smiled. He was more worried what mischief the twins might get up to!

Both girls had been keen to go and make new friends. Even so, he'd had a lump in his throat the size of a boulder when he had left them half an hour ago. It wasn't the first time they had been parted, of course. The twins had been looked after by their grandparents so he could work, first at St Piran Hospital to finish his rotations and then as he'd done his general practice training. But this was their first day at proper nursery school and marked a big stepping-stone in their lives.

All three of them were facing changes…a new home, a new school for the girls, and a new job for him.

Nick knocked on Polly's door and a female response from within invited them to enter. Luca felt a strange prickling along his nerve endings as he heard the voice, which was soft and throaty yet undeniably feminine. Trying to shake off the odd sensation, he followed Nick into the room, completely unprepared for the slam of awareness that crashed into him when he closed the door, turned round and looked at Polly Carrick for the first time.

Having felt nothing at all for a long time, the immediate, instinctive and unwanted reactions unnerved him. He took an involuntary pace backwards, one part of his brain screaming a denial, while the other part drank in every detail, trying to hang onto each rapid-fire sensation and observation.

The first inescapable truth was that Polly was tiny. It wasn't that she was particularly short—as she stood up, Luca judged her to be around five feet four or five—but even wearing what looked like several layers of colourful but shape-hiding clothes, there hardly seemed to be anything of her at all. And she looked so young, scarcely more than a child herself.

The fine features of her face highlighted her delicate bone structure…accentuated further by the way she had swept soft, wavy strands of ash-blonde hair up into a loose knot at the back of her head. A few strands had escaped to feather her face and her slender neck, and his fingers itched to feel their texture and to tuck them back behind her neat, shell-like ears. The fine line of her jaw held a touch of stubbornness in the set of her chin, as if she had been forced many times to punch above her weight in order to be taken seriously. She had high cheekbones and a small, straight nose, baby-soft, pale skin, and a mouth that screamed temptation, the unglossed lips plump and rosy,designed for kissing, and settled now in a natural, sexy pout. Then he looked at her eyes… Luca sucked in a ragged breath. Polly Carrick had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. Fringed by ridiculously long sooty lashes, they were like the finest sapphires, a rich, deep blue with a luminous effervescence shining within them. They widened now as her gaze met his, and the predominant emotions he saw were confusion, awareness and a touch of fright.

'Luca, meet Polly. Polly, this is Luca d'Azzaro,' Nick introduced them, apparently oblivious to the charge of…what?

Dio! What on was going on here? Whatever it was, Polly didn't wantit any more than he did and was fighting just as hard to deny it. Luca tried to gather himself, but it proved impossible to ignore the zing of electricity that awakened every cell in his body as, unable to avoid it, he shook Polly's reluctantly offered hand.

'How do you do?' she greeted him, her words polite but shaky, her voice having the same effect on him now as when he had first heard it from the other side of the door. 'Welcome to Penhally.'

He was acutely aware of her hand in his, of the delicate bones he feared would snap if he held her too tightly and of the brush of her satin-soft skin. Looking down, he saw her paler flesh offset against the darker tones of his, and her whole small hand disappeared, enveloped within his.

'Thank you, Polly.'

Somehow he managed to force the words out. Seconds ticked by, then Polly was drawing away, gently tugging on the hand he still held within his own. Shocked at his uncharacteristic behaviour, Luca abruptly let her go. How was he going to cope being in her company for a day, let alone the two weeks Nick had decreed?

'Polly, I was telling Luca why I've paired you together even though you've not been with us very long yourself,' Nick explained, continuing to show no sign that he had noted the heightened atmosphere in the room. 'One reason is your remarkable affinity with troubled youngsters, hence the drop-in clinic I encouraged you to set up.'

Luca glanced at Polly, noting at once how uncomfortable she was. Nick's 'encouragement' might well come across quite differently if you were on the receiving end and brought in against your will to carry out one of his ideas.

'It wasn't my intention to work with a specific age group,' Polly began, her puzzlement evident.

'However it came about, you're doing an excellent job and we want to give you all the support we can.' With a benevolent smile, Nick continued, 'The Saturday drop-in clinic has been up and running for about a month now, and it's open to all those under eighteen who may not usually consider consulting a doctor. They can come informally for help and advice about anything that is bothering them.'

'It's an excellent idea,' Luca agreed, impressed that Polly had apparently got the whole thing going single-handedly.

'Knowing of your own interest in paediatrics, especially the older age range, I thought the project would interest you. You'll bring Luca up to date on things, won't you, Polly?'

'Of course, Nick.'

Luca met her gaze and noted her reluctance. His interest was piqued by the clinic…and by Polly. He could shout denials from the rooftops, but Polly, with her beautiful eyes and elfin face, dressed in her gypsy like clothes and fizzing with barely suppressed energy, had made a startling impression on him.

'Good, good,' Nick said, rubbing his hands together. 'Luca, I'll leave you to decide if you want to be involved and can volunteer any hours to Polly—but only if it fits in with your other commitments.'

By which Nick meant the twins, Luca knew. 'Thank you.'

He had a way out and could say no from the outset, removing himself from the possibility of spending even more time around Polly. He opened his mouth to do just that, but before he knew what he was doing or could listen to the voice of reason nagging at the back of his mind, his words emerged very differently.

'I'm sure Polly and I can arrange something.'

'Splendid. And that reminds me,' Nick continued, turning to Polly with an apologetic smile, 'John Whittford, headmaster at the high school, received the flier you sent out about the drop-in service and he's very keen to give it his backing.'

Polly's smile lit up her face and took Luca's breath away. 'I'll contact him and discuss it,' she said, sitting down again and pulling her diary towards her.

'Ah…' Nick grimaced, a guilty expression in his eyes.

'Is there a problem?' she queried, glancing up, even white teeth nibbling the luscious swell of her lower lip.

Luca smothered a groan as he watched her, feeling the ache tighten deep inside him in response to the sensual gesture. He was relieved when Nick began speaking again, and he struggled to focus on the conversation and not on watching the only woman to have captured his attention and imagination in the last four years.

'I somewhat jumped the gun,' Nick confessed, his arms folded defensively across his chest. 'John requested that you visit the school one day this week to speak to the pupils at assembly about the new service and I pencilled you in for Friday. Luca can go with you.'

'I see.'

Nick seemed unaware of Polly's reaction to his words but Luca, who had been watching her, despite his determination to do otherwise, had seen the flicker of distress in her eyes and had noted that she had visibly paled, her hands clenching until her knuckles turned white. He wondered what was wrong. Was she upset that Nick had committed her to something without her knowledge and agreement? Or was the cause something much deeper? He didn't know, but he intended to find out—on Friday, if not before.

'Right, I think that's all. Luca, let me know if there is anything you need.' Nick shook his hand once more, then turned to Polly with a nod and a smile before glancing at his watch. 'It's almost ten. I'll leave you both to your morning surgery—and to get to know each other. I'm sure you'll work well together.'

The words hung in the air as Nick crossed to the door and let himself out. A tense, charged silence remained, shimmering between them. Luca had no idea how well he and Polly would work together. What he did know was that neither of them relished the situation in which they now found themselves. Perversely, that only intrigued him more and made him wonder what Polly's reasons were for keeping her distance and ignoring the connection they had both felt from the moment they had looked at each other. They might both resist it, but that didn't make it any less real. Or go away.

Meeting Polly's sapphire-blue gaze and seeing the turbulent emotions in the depths of her eyes, Luca had no doubt that getting to know each other was going to be a challenging experience, one that neither of them had anticipated or wanted—but one which was now unstoppable and that neither of them would forget.

A Mother For The Italian's Twins
Margaret McDonagh
Mills & Boon Medical Romance
Book 4 Brides of Penhally Bay series 2
Hardback – November 2009
ISBN: 9780263209518
Paperback – January 2010
ISBN:
Copyright © 2009
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Cover copyright © 2009 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
The edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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Artwork by Jim Wylie