The Midwife's Christmas Miracle (Lakeside Mountain Rescue 5)

Jake smiled. ‘My point exactly.’

Miranda looked at him, trying to read his mind. Was he serious? Why did something that seemed so complicated to her seem so simple to everyone else?

Still reeling from his words, she tried to concentrate as Jake engaged Verity in conversation about marriage, babies and life generally, but her mind kept wandering back to his surprise announcement.

Did he really want to marry her?

And then she glanced across at him, saw the way he was taking Verity’s mind off the pain with an animated discussion on the risks of a certain climbing technique and she suddenly realised that he’d just been trying to distract Verity.

Her spirits slumped and she gave an irritated frown, totally unable to understand her own reaction. She didn’t want to marry him. She didn’t want to marry anyone. So why did the realisation that his proposal had been nothing more than distraction therapy leave her feeling so flat?

‘Here come the cavalry.’ Rising to his feet in an athletic movement, Jake gave Verity a quick smile. ‘We’ll soon have you back to civilisation.’

‘What a pity.’ Verity glanced round her with a sigh. ‘I love it here. This view is vastly preferably to the view from my office window, but there you are. Can’t always have what you want in life.’

‘Why not? I always think that what you want is worth fighting for.’ Jake’s gaze lingered on Miranda for a brief moment and then he turned his attention to his colleagues who arrived carrying the stretcher and other equipment.

After that it all happened so quickly and smoothly that Miranda could do little except watch in amazement.

With the efficiency of a team clearly used to working together, they assembled the stretcher and in no time at all they were ready to carry her Verity along the path towards the ambulance.

‘I’m not going to be able to keep up with you,’ Miranda told Verity, ‘so I’ll say goodbye now. I hope your ankle doesn’t take long to heal.’

‘And I hope you agree to marry your young man!’ Verity smiled her thanks at Jake. ‘Men like him don’t come along very often. You should snap him up.’

‘I agree. She definitely should.’ Ignoring the curious glances of the rest of the team, Jake strolled back to collect his gear, leaving his colleagues to set off down the path.

Miranda stood still, chewing her lip, a frown on her face. ‘Don’t you mind that they’re all gossiping now?’

‘Why would I mind?’

‘You let her think that the baby is yours and that you want to marry me. Just how far are you prepared to go in the name of distraction?’

‘It wasn’t about distraction.’ He swung his rucksack onto his back. ‘I’m crazy about you, Miranda, and the baby is part of you. You’ve got to stop thinking that your pregnancy makes any difference to the way I feel about you.’

The way he felt about her?

She felt suddenly light-headed. He was crazy about her? She felt a flicker of happiness and excitement that she ruthlessly squashed. ‘You might think you don’t mind about the baby, but that’s before reality sets in.’

His eyes were amused. ‘You think I don’t know about babies?’

‘You know about delivering babies, Jake. Delivering them isn’t the same as living with them.’ Especially when that baby wasn’t his.

‘I have nieces and nephews. I’m a very hands-on uncle and godfather.’

‘And you return home to your perfect, peaceful house at night. It isn’t the same thing at all!’

He took her arm and tucked it through his as they walked back down the path towards the car. ‘I’m not precious about my house, Miranda. A house is a home, not a showpiece, despite what my sister may think.’

‘Do you have any idea what chil

dren would do to your cream sofa?’

‘Actually, yes,’ he said in a lazy, masculine drawl. ‘My godson, Ben, is always spilling drinks. My sofa has been the lucky recipient on at least three occasions.’

She sighed. ‘You’ve got an answer for everything.’

‘If you’re telling me that I’m persistent, yes, I am. But I’m also patient.’ The amusement in his eyes faded. ‘I don’t want you to feel under pressure. I’m willing to wait for you to make the first move.’