Dare She Date the Dreamy Doc?. Sarah Morgan
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Dare She Date the Dreamy Doc?
Sarah Morgan
Table of Contents
SARAH MORGAN is a British writer who regularly tops the bestseller lists with her lively stories for both Mills & Boon® Medical™ and Modern™. As a child Sarah dreamed of being a writer, and although she took a few interesting detours on the way she is now living that dream. She firmly believes that reading romance is one of the most satisfying and fat-free escapist pleasures available. Her stories are unashamedly optimistic, and she is always pleased when she receives letters from readers saying that her books have helped them through hard times. RT Book Reviews has described her writing as ‘action-packed and sexy’.
Sarah lives near London with her husband and two children, who innocently provide an endless supply of authentic dialogue. When she isn’t writing or nagging about homework Sarah enjoys music, movies, and any activity that takes her outdoors.
To all the readers who asked me to write another book set on Glenmore.
Dear Reader
Four years ago I wrote two books based on the fictitious Scottish island of Glenmore. I enjoyed writing them so much and had such enthusiastic feedback from readers that I wrote a third—THE REBEL DOCTOR’S BRIDE.
This summer I decided to return there again. Jenna is a single mother who moves to Glenmore intent on building a new life for herself and her teenage daughter. Bruised and still in shock after discovering her husband’s infidelities, the last thing she is looking for is love. Dr Ryan McKinley isn’t looking for love either. But the people who live in the tight-knit community of Glenmore have other ideas, and Jenna discovers once again that life doesn’t always turn out according to plan. Like all mothers she has to juggle numerous demands on her time and her emotional energy. She is so used to putting herself second that she has never really allowed herself to consider her own needs. Until now.
Glenmore and its inhabitants are so familiar to me that setting a story there is like returning to a beloved holiday destination. Writing this book allowed me to explore so many aspects of living and working in a small island community. I loved giving Jenna her much deserved happy ending, and I hope you enjoy reading her story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I love hearing from my readers. Your kind, generous and enthusiastic feedback is what keeps my hands on my keyboard! You can contact me via my website at www.sarahmorgan.com, and find me on Facebook and Twitter.
Warmest wishes
Sarah
xx
Chapter One
‘I CAN’T believe you’ve dragged me to the middle of nowhere. You must really hate me.’ The girl slumped against the rail of the ferry, sullen and defiant, every muscle in her slender teenage frame straining with injured martyrdom and simmering rebellion.
Jenna dragged her gaze from the misty beauty of the approaching island and focused on her daughter. ‘I don’t hate you, Lexi,’ she said quietly. ‘I love you. Very much.’
‘If you loved me, we’d still be in London.’
Guilt mingled with stress and tension until the whole indigestible mix sat like a hard ball behind her ribs. ‘I thought this was the best thing.’
‘Best for you, maybe. Not me.’
‘It’s a fresh start. A new life.’ As far away from her old life as possible. Far away from everything that reminded her of her marriage. Far away from the pitying glances of people she’d used to think were her friends.
‘I liked my old life!’
So had she. Until she’d discovered that her life had been a lie. They always said you didn’t know what was going on in someone else’s marriage—she hadn’t known what was going on in her own.
Jenna blinked rapidly, holding herself together through will-power alone, frightened by how bad she felt. Not for the first time, she wondered whether eventually she was going to crack. People said that time healed, but how much time? Five years? Ten years? Certainly not a year. She didn’t feel any better now than she had when it had first happened. She was starting to wonder whether some things just didn’t heal—whether she’d have to put on the ‘everything is OK’ act for the rest of her life.
She must have been doing a reasonably good job of convincing everyone she was all right because Lexi was glaring at her, apparently oblivious to her mother’s own personal struggle. ‘You had a perfectly good job in London. We could have stayed there.’
‘London is expensive.’
‘So? Make Dad pay maintenance or something. He’s the one who walked out.’
The comment was like a slap in the face. ‘I don’t want to live off your father. I’d rather be independent.’ Which was just as well, Jenna thought bleakly, given Clive’s reluctance to part with any money for his daughter. ‘Up here there are no travel costs, you can go to the local school, and they give me a cottage with the job.’
That was the best part. A cottage. Somewhere that was their own. She wasn’t going to wake up one morning and find it had been taken away from them.
‘How can you be so calm and civilised about all this?’ Lexi looked at her in exasperation. ‘You should be angry.