Emergency Doctor and Cinderella. Melanie Milburne
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Emergency Doctor and Cinderella
Melanie Milburne
Table of Contents
I dedicate this book to Joe Tucci and Dani Colvin, who first approached me to be an ambassador for the Australian Childhood Foundation—a position I accepted with great enthusiasm.
Melanie Milburne says: ‘One of the greatest joys of being a writer is the process of falling in love with the characters and then watching as they fall in love with each other. I am an absolutely hopeless romantic. I fell in love with my husband on our second date, and we even had a secret engagement, so you see it must have been destined for me to be a Harlequin® Mills & Boon author! The other great joy of being a romance writer is hearing from readers. You can hear all about the other things I do when I’m not writing and even drop me a line at: www.melaniemilburne.com.au’
Praise for Melanie Milburne:
‘An outstanding read, TOP-NOTCH DOC, OUTBACK BRIDE by Melanie Milburne is a contemporary story that heals the soul and romances the heart. I love Ms Milburne’s style of writing, and kudos to her for another wonderful story.’
—Cataromance
Melanie Milburne also writes for Modern™ Romance!
‘THE FIORENZA FORCED MARRIAGE by Melanie Milburne: insults fly, passion explodes, and it all adds up to an engaging story about the power of love.’
—RT Book Reviews
Dear Reader
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a globally published author is the opportunity it gives me to raise awareness of certain issues that are very dear to me. By purchasing this book you are actively helping me help The Australian Childhood Foundation in their quest to stamp out child abuse and neglect in Australia. I will be donating all my proceeds from this book to the Foundation, and hope that in doing so many children’s lives will be changed for the better.
It has been said that every childhood lasts a lifetime. The memories some children carry from their childhood are not ones any child should be burdened with. Please join me in helping this great cause as it works to educate and advocate for children who have no one else to fight for them.
With best wishes
Melanie Milburne
CHAPTER ONE
IT WAS the third day in a row that someone had parked in Erin’s spot. Not only had they parked there arrogantly, they had done so crookedly, taking up so much space she had to manoeuvre her car into the space near the garbagedisposal unit, which she knew would almost certainly result in a scratch or two on her shiny paintwork.
She rummaged in her handbag for a piece of paper and a pen, and then, glancing around for a flat surface, whooshed out a breath and leaned on the rogue-parker’s bonnet to pen her missive: you are in the wrong spot!
Erin tucked the note behind one of the windscreen wipers and made her way to the elevator. She tapped her right foot impatiently as she watched the numbers light up as it came down from the fifteenth floor. After a ten-hour shift in the emergency department of Sydney Metropolitan, the only thing she wanted was the quiet, safe sanctuary of her apartment. Her ears were still ringing from the shattered cries of a middle-aged mother who had lost her only son to a fatal stab-wound—yet another drug deal gone wrong.
The doors of the elevator glided open and she came face to face with a tall man who was wearing blue denim jeans and a white T-shirt that had a dust smear over the right shoulder. He was carrying an empty cardboard box and he smiled at her crookedly as he stepped out. ‘Moving in,’ he explained with a flash of perfect white teeth.
Erin lifted her chin and gave him a gimlet glare. ‘Is that your car in my parking space?’
Something hardened in his green gaze and his smile flatlined. ‘I was not aware there were designated parking spaces.’
Her chin went a little higher. ‘The numbers are painted on the ground. A blind man could see them.’
One of his dark brows lifted along with his top lip, as if controlled by the same muscle. ‘You must be the woman from 1503,’ he said, rocking back on his heels slightly. ‘I was warned about you.’
Erin felt her hackles rise like the fur of a cornered cat. ‘I beg your pardon?’
His eyes moved over her rigid form with indolent ease. ‘Erin Taylor, right?’
She tightened her mouth. ‘That’s correct.’
He smiled a smile that was borderline mocking. ‘My landlord told me all about you.’
‘Oh, really?’ She affected a bored, uninterested tone.
‘Yes,’ he said, placing the box on the concrete floor. ‘You’re a doctor at Sydney