Snowbound: Miracle Marriage (Lakeside Mountain Rescue 8)

‘Yes.’ She gave a self-conscious shrug. ‘You get to spend time with people in their happiest moment and I think that’s very special. There is no feeling as good as handing someone their child, is there? Of course, sometimes it goes wrong and that’s dreadful.’ She paused for a moment and he sensed there had been plenty of moments in her career that hadn’t been ‘happy’.

‘And then there’s the long hours.’ Patrick thought about the moans of the midwives he worked with. ‘Missing weekends.’

‘But that’s because, generally speaking, you’re staying with a woman right the way through her labour, and that’s wonderful.’ Hayley put her cup on the floor. ‘The alternative would be handing over care to someone else halfway through labour. I think that’s unfair on the woman and stressful. You have a short time in which to build a relationship of trust—you can’t go home halfway through and expect that woman to just bond with someone else.’

‘So you’re not tired of midwifery?’

‘Tired of it? Gosh, no. Never. I love it. Perhaps I haven’t done it for long enough to become disenchanted.’

Patrick watched her curiously. It was so unusual to hear someone saying how much they loved their job. But Hayley was so enthusiastic he could imagine she’d lift the spirits of any colleagues she worked with. And he couldn’t imagine her becoming disenchanted with anything. ‘You must love it,’ he drawled softly, ‘or you wouldn’t be here on Christmas Day.’

‘You gave me no choice.’ But her smile said otherwise. ‘What about you? Don’t you love it?’

‘Yes. Although occasionally I worry about my children. Inevitably I’m called out more than I’d like to be.’

‘How do you cope with child care? I would have thought you’d have a live-in nanny.’

‘I didn’t want someone living in our home,’ Patrick said quietly. ‘I wanted it to be just us. A family. But it’s harder that way—requires more planning. Posy comes to the nursery in the hospital—that’s easy. Alfie goes to school. And I use Mrs Thornton before and after school. And she stays the night occasionally if she has to.’

Hayley grinned. ‘This is the same Mrs Thornton who wears scary red lipstick and fancies you?’

Captivated by her smile, Patrick had to force himself to concentrate. ‘That’s the one. She’s actually very good with the children. And she’s relatively local, which helps. Although clearly I have to make sure I’m not alone in a room with her.’

Hayley looked at him. ‘Well, I’m sure it’s hard, juggling work with children, but you obviously thrive on it. You look very happy for a man who’s working on Christmas Day.’

Did he?

Patrick gave a start. He was happy, he realised. Very happy. Just being around her made him want to smile. That realisation unsettled him. ‘It’s Christmas Day,’ he said blandly, standing up and throwing his cup in the bin. ‘And my friends are about to have a baby. Plenty to smile about.’

Hayley stood up too. ‘Christmas babies are always exciting.’ Her eyes sparkled and Patrick suddenly wanted to box her up like a present and keep her in his life for ever.

Seriously spooked by his thoughts, he dragged his gaze from hers and pushed open the door. ‘Come on. We’d better get back before Tom has a nervous breakdown.’

Over the next few hours, Hayley stayed with Sally, monitoring mother and baby.

‘Tell me I’m making progress,’ Sally moaned, and Hayley smiled and dimmed the lights slightly.

‘You’re making excellent progress. I’m proud of you.’ As she finished speaking the door opened and Patrick strolled into the room.

‘Hi, there. Just checking up on you.’ Patrick squatted down next to Sally and touched her arm. ‘How are things?’

Hayley’s heart was bumping so hard she turned away and concentrated on the charts to give herself a moment to recover.

‘I’m never sleeping in the same bed as Tom again if that’s what you’re asking me.’ Sally breathed in deeply. ‘And I want Hayley to come and live with me and be my new best friend. Apart from that, everything is fine.’

Realising that if she didn’t respond she’d draw attention to herself, Hayley turned with a smile. ‘I’ll come and live with you. You make me laugh and you have the same size feet as me. I can borrow your shoes.’

Patrick glanced at Tom. ‘You’re looking tense. What’s the matter?’

‘I want her out of the water,’ Tom muttered, but Sally rolled her eyes and Patrick stood up and took the charts from Hayley.

‘This is looking fine.’ He scanned them carefully. ‘Remind me how long she’s been in the water?’

Hayley checked the clock. ‘Four hours.’ She lifted her eyebrows. ‘That went quickly.’

‘It’s because we were talking about the three S’s.’ Sally tightened her grip on the side of the pool. ‘Shoes, shopping and sex.’

‘Sex?’ Patrick’s eyes narrowed and he turned to look at Hayley, a question in his eyes.