Midwife's Mistletoe Temptation - Chapter 1
Holly Wilson had crouched in this very spot ten years ago. Well, not quite ten. That exact anniversary wouldn’t arrive for a couple more weeks. But she was starting a new job here, so she’d decided to come early. And this was the season of new beginnings, right? The holiday tinsel and lights gave evidence to that fact. Every Christmas that passed took her further from the shivering teenager she’d been back then: a young woman who’d carried the horrific weight of having nowhere to turn. But she vowed she would never forget. Never take for granted what that day had brought her.
The spot along the Thames where Sinclair Hospital’s famed Christmas tree stood ready would soon see throngs of people gathered, just as it did every year. Holly hadn’t yet brought Ivy to the tree-lighting ceremony. But she would. Some day. And she would tell her daughter the story of the miracle that had taken place here.
She scanned the spot. Jubilee Bridge was lined with pedestrians, which was normal. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would one day help young women who, like herself, had no support system. She’d been volunteering at a local shelter for years, supporting her family of two with a sequence of jobs. Only now, she’d be getting paid to do what she loved most. Had studied and worked hard for the last three years to get to this point. Tears sprang to her eyes, despite the fact that she’d ordered herself not to get emotional.
‘Holly?’
The sound of her name made her whirl around, and she quickly swiped at the moisture, horrified at being caught here. Not many people knew her history. Only the Sinclair doctors who’d treated her back then and her closest friends. Her glance landed on a broad chest and lingered there for just a second before moving quickly to his face. She already knew who it was. She’d recognise that silky-smooth voice anywhere.
Matt stood straight and tall, as if he’d never once bowed under the weight of uncertainty. Not that she normally noticed anything about the man. Or at least tried not to. He frowned. ‘Are you okay?’
She forced a smile, even as her legs wobbled. ‘I’m fine. Just thought I’d get a peek at the tree.’
He lifted a hand and dragged it through the shock of dark hair, only to have it fall right back to where it’d been a second ago. He was attractive—she’d give him that—but the obstetric nurse was also opinionated and hard-headed, and they’d verbally sparred a time or two in the maternity ward when she’d been a birth coach.
But now that she had her degree in midwifery and would be officially employed by the hospital, the playing fields would be levelled. And she wondered how Matt was going to react to that bit of news.
As if divining her thoughts, one of his dark brows lifted. ‘I hear we’ll be working together soon.’
Holly swallowed. As anxious as she was to start her new career path, Matt Nekola had definitely not been one of the ‘perks’ outlined when she’d accepted the job.