A Fling to Steal Her Heart

‘Great. You still happy with your position at the Queen Victoria?’

‘Can’t complain. It’s turned out to be everything I wanted, and some.’ He smiled. ‘Perfect, really.’

What about Avignon? Returning there was always in the back of his mind. ‘I’m glad. You deserve it.’ Hopefully she’d be able to say the same about her new job. That would help steady her path to getting this move right.

‘Same goes for you. You’ve just got to believe it.’ His gaze was steady—and serious. He believed her, though maybe not fully in her. But then he did know her as well as she did herself.

‘I will.’

‘Say it again. This time with more determination.’

Heck, she’d missed that accent. Talking on the Net it didn’t sound quite so deep and so French, more of a garbled mix. Oh, hell. This was weird. Rafe was a friend. ‘I will,’ she growled through her confusion.

‘Isabella,’ he growled back.

‘So when I suddenly go into a tailspin and make a beeline for the airport with my passport, you’ll stop me and tell me to think about what I’m going to do?’

‘It won’t come to that.’ He smiled at her, deep and true.

Suddenly she wanted to cry, and laugh. Coming over to join Raphael was the right thing to do. Which brought up more questions than answers. Thank goodness his phone rang then.

* * *

‘Please be the ward,’ Raphael muttered to himself as he tugged his phone out of his pocket. He needed to put space between Izzy’s questions and himself. He’d gone from excited to see her to wary about spending too much time with her. Looking at the phone his heart sank. No reprieve coming.

‘Hello, Cooper. How was the game?’

‘Get your sorry butt up here now. Haley’s in labour and you promised you’d be with us for the delivery.’

Okay, it was a reprieve. Haley was almost three weeks early, nothing to be concerned about. He stood and slipped his jacket on, the phone held between his ear and his shoulder. ‘How far along is she?’

‘The midwife said she’s dilated four centimetres,’ Cooper snapped. ‘That was ten minutes ago.’

‘Take it easy. There’s a way to go yet,’ Raphael told his friend. Fingers crossed the baby didn’t suddenly decide to rush out. ‘I’m on my way.’

Izzy stood up, drained her glass of water and slipped her bag over her shoulder.

Damn. Isabella.

‘I’ll come with you,’ she said, solving his dilemma about taking her home and earning more wrath from his friend.

‘Faster than fast,’ Cooper growled, the stress growing every time he said anything. Fathers and their babies.

‘See you shortly.’ He nodded to the exit and followed Izzy outside. ‘You could catch a taxi back to the house.’ Give him some time away from those sad eyes. ‘You’re exhausted.’

‘True, but it’s still early and I always try to stay up until my normal bedtime when I’ve come off a long flight.’

He didn’t have time to argue, and a minute later he was driving down the street away from the pub and heading to the Queen Victoria faster than fast. ‘I met Cooper and Haley at the hospital. He’s a general surgeon and she’s a radiologist. This is their first baby,’ he explained.

‘Exciting.’

That wasn’t how Cooper had sounded on the phone. Raphael pressed the accelerator harder, and concentrated on getting to the hospital as quickly as possible.

‘Which birthing suite is Haley in?’ he asked Claudia as he charged on to the ward.

‘Four,’ the midwife replied. ‘She’s reached six centimetres and st

opped. Baby seems in two minds about coming out.’ Then she glanced past him to Izzy, charging along with them.

‘Claudia, meet Isabella Nicholson. She’s starting here next week.’

‘Hi, Claudia.’ Isabella smiled. ‘Great to meet you.’

‘And you.’ Claudia laughed. ‘We are having the night from hell, more babies than beds.’

Raphael slowed before he entered the suite, turned to Isabella. ‘You want to sit in the office for a while?’

She pulled up short. ‘Of course.’

A bell sounded throughout the ward. Claudia muttered, ‘I’ve got to see to that. I’ll be back as quickly as possible.’

‘There you are.’ Cooper stood in the doorway. ‘The contractions have slowed. Probably to give you time to get here.’

Raphael gripped his shoulder. ‘There are a few speeding tickets coming my way you can pay for.’

‘Who’s this?’

‘This is my friend I picked up from the airport this afternoon. Isabella, meet Cooper.’

As Cooper reached out to shake her hand, he asked, ‘You’re a nurse, aren’t you?’

‘Yes, and a midwife.’ She never let that one go by.

‘Come and meet Haley. She could do with a distraction.’

Isabella glanced at him. ‘Okay?’

‘Of course.’ Raphael headed towards Haley, his teeth grinding. So much for putting distance between him and Isabella. ‘Hi, Haley. I hear things have slowed down since Cooper phoned me.’

Haley grabbed his hand and burst into tears. ‘I’m glad you’re here. I thought I was going to have the baby without your help.’