Christmas Eve: Doorstep Delivery Read online

  He wanted to take her home? Oh, God, yes. Right now. She wanted to try out his enormous bed with the view over the forest. She wanted to see if he could repeat the magic he’d created that night in Chicago.

  Staring up at him, her legs wobbled. His eyes were so blue, she thought dreamily—so blue it was like staring into the Caribbean ocean. Lost in a fantasy that involved herself and Patrick on a white sandy beach, it came as a shock when he frowned urgently.

  ‘Hayley? You need to decide. Is it yes or no? No one is going to judge you. I’ll take you if you want me to.’

  She felt a thrill of shock at his unapologetically direct approach.

  He wanted her that badly?

  ‘Gosh, Patrick, I—You make it really hard for a girl to stick with her decisions, I’ll give you that.’ But the fact that he was so desperate for her he just wanted to take her home right now sent excitement pouring through her body. Flustered, she tried to disengage her eyes from his. How was she supposed to think when he was staring down at her with unflinching concentration, as if she was the only thing in his world? ‘I mean it is flattering, obviously, that you feel this way. And I’m not pretending I’m not really tempted—I mean you know I am because I already left one pair of knickers in your room.’ She fiddled with her hair. ‘But the sensible side of me is saying that we ought to give this a bit more thought this time. I suppose what I’m saying is that frankly I’m surprised you even want to take me straight home given what happened last time. I mean, you didn’t contact me, I contacted you. And then you thought I was pregnant—’

  He looked taken aback. ‘Hayley—’

  ‘I know, I know.’ She lifted a hand to silence him. ‘That was all a misunderstanding, but still I think it should remind us both that we have to think about this. Not jump in with both feet. Yes, there’s chemistry. I’m not denying that. But that doesn’t mean that we have to do something about it.’ Who was she kidding? If they didn’t do something about it soon she was going to go screaming mad. Her body was melting, her pelvis was on fire and all she wanted him to do was kiss her the way only he could kiss. ‘I’m just saying I think it might be a mistake. Not that I’m not flattered that you asked, of course—’

  ‘Hayley.’ His expression hovering somewhere between stunned and incredulous, Patrick ran his hand over his jaw. ‘I was asking whether you wanted to go home.’

  ‘I know, I heard you, and I still think that—’

  ‘Because it’s late. I thought you might be very tired.’ He spoke the words slowly, emphasising each one as if she were a small child. ‘You’re jet-lagged. I thought you’d need some rest.’

  Rest?

  He was suggesting that she go home to rest?

  Facing the onset of massive embarrassment, Hayley looked at him stupidly. ‘You want me to—You were suggesting—Oh.’

  There was a shimmer of amusement in his eyes, but also a flicker of sympathy. ‘Hayley, listen, don’t for one moment think that I don’t—’

  ‘If you laugh now, Patrick Buchannan, you will never be able to deliver a baby again,’ she warned huskily, ‘let alone make another one of your own. If you laugh, you will never again have to ask a woman if she’s pregnant.’

  ‘I’m not laughing.’

  ‘Good.’ She lifted her chin, trying to hold onto the last shreds of her dignity, trying to look as though this situation was entirely normal and that she didn’t really want to die on the spot. But she saw immediately that this whole misunderstanding was her fault. Because she’d been thinking about nothing but sex, she’d assumed he’d be the same.

  ‘Right. So you were, in fact, asking whether I want to go home and sleep.’ Hayley cleared her throat and tried to make her voice sound casual. As if she had conversations about sex every day of the week. As if she were a twenty-first-century woman. ‘Of course. That’s fine.’ This was even more embarrassing than realising she’d left her knickers on his bedroom floor.

  ‘Hayley—’

  ‘It’s kind of you to offer, but actually I’m not particularly tired.’ She felt like a stripper who had accidentally turned up at children’s party. ‘I don’t need to go back to the house now.’ She was never going back to his house again. As soon as the shift was over she was going to change her identity and leave the country. Maybe she’d become a nun—at least that way she wouldn’t have the opportunity to proposition men.

  ‘You’ve done us a favour, coming in,’ Patrick said cautiously, watching her closely as if he was afraid she might flip at any moment. ‘You’ve calmed Sally down, it’s probably because of you that she’s progressed. But none of us are forgetting it’s Christmas Day and you weren’t supposed to be working. The night staff will be here soon.’

  ‘Sally is only eight centimetres dilated. I won’t leave until she has the baby.’ And that would mean staying near to Patrick. Oh, Hayley, torture yourself, why don’t you? Still, if things got too bad she could always drown herself in the birthing pool. ‘I’ll stay.’

  ‘You’re sure?’

  ‘Oh, yes. I’m very good at decisions. Once I’ve made a decision…’ Hayley snapped her fingers ‘…that’s it. Done. I never change my mind.’ Well, only about three thousand, two hundred and fifty-four times.

  ‘That’s very generous of you. Sally will be relieved—and so will Tom. He rates you, and that’s a compliment coming from Tom.’

  Now he was flattering her to make her feel better, Hayley thought gloomily, remembering the sympathy in his eyes. He must think she was a sad, desperate woman. Not wanting to dwell on that, she changed the subject. ‘What are you going to do about the children? It must be Posy’s bedtime.’

  ‘It is. If you’re sure you’re willing to stay for Sally, I’ll send the kids home with my brother. They won’t complain—they adore Daniel.’

  ‘So you’re not going to ring the babysitter with the vampire lipstick?’

  A sardonic smile flickered across his handsome face. ‘I think we might give her a miss this time. I think spending Christmas night with a vampire might be a little unfair on the kids. Although I have asked her to pop in and check on the kittens.’ His eyes gleamed with irony. ‘Yours and mine.’

  ‘I love the kittens.’ Why did he have to be so good-looking? It wasn’t fair. Things would have been much easier if he’d been small, earnest and academic. Reminding herself that if he’d been small, earnest and academic, she wouldn’t have left her knickers on his bedroom floor, Hayley smoothed her scrub suit and tried to look professional. As if she hadn’t just made it obvious that her feelings about him were anything but professional. ‘I’d better get back before Tom has a breakdown. You go and sort out the kids.’

  ‘Alfie advertised for a housekeeper? And he used my credit card?’

  ‘Yes, but that will teach you to leave it lying around.’ Patrick handed his brother a large bag. ‘This is everything they’re going to need for the night. You know, it might be easier if you just stayed in our house—’

  ‘No.’ Daniel gave a strange smile. ‘Today I asked Stella to marry me—’

  ‘I know.’

  Daniel’s brows rose. ‘How do you know?’

  ‘You’re forgetting I have Alfie. He knows everything that goes on around here,’ Patrick said wearily. ‘So, did Stella say yes?’

  ‘Of course she said yes.’

  ‘Then she’s a brave woman.’

  ‘She is brave. Brave and beautiful.’ A strange look crossed Daniel’s face. ‘I never thought I’d feel this way, to be honest. Never thought I’d have the courage—never thought I’d feel this way about a woman.’

  Patrick opened his mouth to deliver the usual onslaught of brotherly banter but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, he found himself thinking of Hayley. ‘I’m pleased for you,’ he said gruffly. ‘And I’m sorry I’m giving you the children tonight. You must be looking forward to romance.’

  ‘Stella is thrilled to be having the children,’ Daniel said dryly. ‘You know what she’s like.’

&nb
sp; ‘Yes. You’re lucky.’

  At that moment Stella bounced through the doors, her eyes shining. ‘Patrick! Has he told you our news?’

  ‘Alfie told him our news,’ Daniel drawled, and Stella giggled. She was about to speak when the door opened and Hayley entered.

  ‘Oh—I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had anyone with you.’ She coloured prettily and would have left but Patrick beckoned her into the room.

  ‘Hayley, this is my brother, Daniel, and Stella—his wife-to-be. The children are going to stay the night with them. Guys, this is Hayley—she’s Alfie’s housekeeper. And she just happens to be a midwife, too.’

  ‘She worked in America, isn’t that a coincidence?’ Alfie was bouncy and cheerful. ‘You should taste her turkey, Uncle Dan. I want Dad to keep her for ever. No more gluey pasta. No more burnt everything.’

  Hayley’s face grew scarlet and she busied herself retrieving Posy’s toys from the floor. ‘I’m just here for two weeks, Alfie.’

  Patrick’s eyes lingered on the curve of her bottom as she stooped. Then he started thinking about the tiny pair of silk knickers he’d found on the floor of his hotel bedroom…

  Dragging his gaze from her curves, he discovered his brother watching him with amusement.

  ‘You look hot and bothered, Ric.’ Daniel’s eyes gleamed wickedly. ‘Something wrong?’

  ‘It’s always difficult juggling kids and work,’ Patrick said smoothly, and Daniel’s grin widened.

  ‘Well, we’re taking the kids off your hands for a night, so that should make things easier for you.’

  Apparently oblivious to the byplay, Hayley zipped up the bag and Alfie hugged her.

  ‘Tomorrow can we play Monopoly? I want you to stay longer than two weeks, Hayley. Promise you will.’

  ‘Well, no…’ Flustered, Hayley hugged him back. ‘I can’t do that, Alfie, but—’

  ‘I know.’ Alfie looked crestfallen. ‘You have to track down the friend you met when you were in America.’

  Seeing Hayley’s stricken expression, Patrick intervened. She’d had enough embarrassment for one day. ‘Alfie, get your things together. Posy needs to get to bed.’

  ‘It’s Christmas night, Dad. It doesn’t matter if she’s late.’

  ‘If she’s late she’ll be cranky in the morning.’

  Patrick felt Stella’s eyes on his face, questioning. Clearly Alfie’s unguarded comment hadn’t passed unnoticed.

  Damn. He wasn’t ready to field her questions—didn’t know what his answers would be.

  ‘So…’ He took the bag that Hayley had packed and thrust it towards Daniel. ‘I’m sure you want to go home and I have to get back to work.’

  ‘You were supposed to be off over Christmas,’ Stella murmured, and Patrick shrugged.

  ‘Sally went into labour.’

  Stella gasped. ‘No. Really? I must go and see her for a minute. Which room is she in?’

  ‘She’s in the water.’

  ‘That’s what I came to talk to you about.’ Hayley pushed her hair behind her ears. ‘Tom wants her out of the water, but she’s refusing.’

  Patrick wondered if she knew she always played with her hair when she was nervous. ‘I don’t want her to deliver in the water either. I’m with Tom on that.’

  Stella rolled her eyes. ‘Obstetricians unite. What do you think, Hayley?’

  The door opened again and Tom stood there, panic on his face. ‘She wants to push, Hayley. And I can’t get her out of the water.’

  Patrick noticed that his colleague immediately turned to Hayley. She’d gained his trust over the hours she’d been with them. And that didn’t surprise him. She’d gained his trust, too. There was no doubt in his mind that she was an exceptional midwife. Even now she didn’t panic. She kissed Alfie briefly, congratulated Daniel and Stella again and then walked briskly back along the corridor with Tom, talking quietly and calmly.

  ‘I’ve got to go.’ Patrick thrust slapped his brother on the shoulder and kissed Stella. ‘Thanks, guys.’

  Having hugged his children, he followed Hayley and Tom along the corridor. When he opened the door he sensed the change in the atmosphere. Tom was beside himself and Sally was pushing. In the water.

  ‘Please, angel.’ Tom was white-faced. ‘Out of the water.’

  ‘If you move me now, I’ll kill you,’ Sally gritted, screwing up her face as another contraction hit her. ‘Oh, God, Tom, how could you do this to me? It’s agony!’

  Tom looked stricken and Hayley touched his shoulder gently. ‘This is part of labour,’ she said softly. ‘Don’t take it to heart.’

  Patrick had entered the room, prepared to find ways of persuading Sally out of the water, but, watching Hayley, he held back.

  ‘What do you want me to do?’

  ‘Nothing.’ She gave Sally another sip of water. ‘You can stay around and give Tom some support.’

  Patrick caught his friend’s desperate look. ‘There’s no reason why she shouldn’t deliver in the water, Tom—’

  ‘We don’t do that.’

  ‘Not normally,’ Patrick agreed. ‘But Hayley has delivered babies in the water, and it’s what Sally wants. And to be honest, it’s too late to get her out. Let’s go with it. I’ll be right here all the time. If there’s a problem, I’ll intervene.’

  ‘Thanks for being so positive,’ Sally groaned, and Patrick grinned.

  ‘I’m an obstetrician. What do you expect?’

  ‘Oh, go and get a coffee or something.’ Sally grabbed Hayley’s hand. ‘I don’t want this to be unsafe and I’m not thinking clearly. What do I have to do? I want you to tell me everything. I don’t want you to assume I know anything.’

  ‘You’re doing fine.’ Hayley waited for another contraction to come and go and then checked the foetal heart. ‘The baby is fine, too. Don’t push, Sally, not unless you have the urge.’

  ‘Just get the baby out,’ Tom muttered, but Hayley ignored him, all her focus on Sally.

  ‘You’re doing so well. The head is nearly out, Sally. So now we’ve come this far, the baby needs to be born under the water. And I’m going to be as hands-off as possible because that’s best for both of you.’

  Tom looked as though he was going to pass out, but Patrick was fascinated.

  He watched as Hayley calmly soothed Sally, offering encouragement and guidance but in such a low-key way that it appeared that she wasn’t helping in any way. But Patrick saw the skill in what she was doing.

  ‘I want to push,’ Sally groaned, and Hayley nodded.

  ‘Push, then.’

  Realising how rarely he saw calm, normal deliveries, Patrick felt a lump build in his throat as Sally and Tom’s baby was born into the water with a minimum of fuss.

  Hayley brought her gently to the surface and into Sally’s arms.

  ‘Congratulations. You have a daughter.’ The baby gave a little wail and then Sally was crying and when Patrick looked at Tom he saw that his colleague’s face was wet.

  ‘Congratulations,’ he said huskily, and Tom pressed his fingers to his eyes and then bent to hug his wife.

  ‘You clever, clever girl.’

  Smug and proud of herself, Sally glanced up from admiring her daughter. ‘You see? Sisterhood. We women can do it without you.’

  Hayley grinned. ‘Actually, we could do with their help to get you out of the pool now, Sally. Then we can clamp the cord and cut it.’ She reached for a towel and gently dried the baby. ‘We need to keep her warm.’

  As Hayley calmly checked the baby’s Apgar score and finished the delivery, Patrick found himself watching her work.

  ‘I’ve never witnessed such a calm delivery,’ he said softly, and she smiled as she tucked the baby up warmly against Sally’s breast.

  ‘It’s the way it’s supposed to be.’

  ‘Only without the water,’ Tom muttered, and Sally grinned.

  ‘I told you I wasn’t going to get out of the water.’

  ‘I thought you were joking. If I’d
known you were serious I would have made you give birth in the middle of a desert.’

  ‘Everything looks fine, Sally,’ Patrick said quietly, ‘but, given that you delivered under the water, I’d like a paediatrician to check the baby.’

  ‘I’d like that too.’ Sally smiled at him. ‘Thank you for letting me do it. Thank you for not panicking and thinking about your legal position.’ She turned to Hayley, her eyes misting. ‘And thank you for making it all so special. When I have my next baby, I want you there.’

  ‘Next?’ Tom was incredulous, his expression comical as he dragged his hands through his already untidy hair. ‘Sal, a moment ago you were saying never again.’

  ‘That was then and this was now.’ Sally’s happiness was infectious. ‘I want lots of babies, Tom.’

  Patrick grinned. ‘And she wants them all underwater.’

  CHAPTER SIX

  IN THE car on the way home, Hayley shut her mouth tightly and kept it shut. Once or twice she felt Patrick glance towards her but she kept her eyes straight ahead, staring at the snow that swirled across his headlights.

  He seemed unconcerned by the horrendous weather conditions, his hands firm and confident on the wheel as he negotiated the snow and ice. ‘You were amazing with Sally.’

  ‘Mmm.’

  ‘Is that all you’re going to say? “Mmm”?’ His tone was amused and she sneaked a look at him and then immediately regretted it as her body responded in its usual predictable fashion.

  She concentrated her attention back on the snow.

  Was it normal to feel like this about a man? After her outburst earlier he was probably terrified to be alone with her. The situation was so embarrassing it made her squirm.

  She shifted slightly to the far edge of her seat so that she was as far away from him as possible.

  ‘Hayley, you’re worrying me.’ He eased the four-wheel drive through the gate and pulled up in front of the barn. ‘Are you ill? Tired?’

  Actually, she did feel tired. Bone-achingly weary, but that was hardly surprising, was it?

  ‘I’m fine.’ They were the only words she allowed herself but he gave a sigh and switched off the engine.