Christmas Babies Read Free Page B

pushed his chair and grabbed
her hand. Even if he hated hard rock music, he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to
hold her in his arms. Half an hour later they were still dancing, sweating, and
laughing while he twirled her and brought her against him.
    The music slowed. His arm around
her waist, he held her hand, determined not to let her sit for the slow dance.
She hooked her fingers around his nape and laid her forehead against his cheek.
Her hair caressed his chin and her floral perfume wreathed around him. They
swayed, hardly moving their feet. “Heaven,” the singer repeated over and over.
    “Heaven, I’m in heaven,” Nick
whispered in her ear. She didn’t react. When the song ended, he brushed a light
kiss on her temple.
    She eased away and smiled. “I
have to go home. Tomorrow we have a long day.”
    He paid their bill and they
walked hand in hand to his car. “Should I drop you home and we’ll collect your
car tomorrow.”
    “No. Take me to the Sea-Waves’
parking lot. I live two minutes away.”
    Silence drifted between them as
he drove. His lungs swelled with a happy feeling. She’d given him the best
congratulation present he’d ever received. As they approached the bar he tossed
her a glance and froze.
    Her hands clenched in her lap.
Shoulders slumped and lips slightly parted, she stared straight ahead. A frown
wrinkled her forehead and her foot tapped the floor of the car. Why?
    Was she back to her old self?
    He stopped the car. “Madelyn,
thank you for a great evening.”
    She immediately smiled and opened
her door. “Thank you, I had a blast.” She bent and brushed her lips over his,
and strode toward her car before he could recover from his surprise.
    He wanted to run after her, take
her in his arms and ask her—
    Ask her what?
    His fingers clutching his steering
wheel, he waited for her to enter her car and pull away.
    Would they ever share a similar
evening again?

 
     
     
    Chapter Two
    As soon as she entered her
apartment, Madelyn kicked off her high-heels and wiggled her toes. Without
turning the lights on, she padded to her bedroom, the fancy sandals dangling
from her hand. The city nightlights and the moon glow poured in through the
wall-to-walls bay windows and bathed the quiet room with a hazy light that
soothed her overwrought nerves.
    Keeping up the pretense of a fun
evening had mentally exhausted her. She slid down the mini-dress that was so
not her , and hung it in the remote corner of her closet, quite
determined to never wear it again.
    The feel of a cotton nightie
refreshed her overheated skin and put things back in the right perspective. Be
fair, you had a good time with Nick . For a few hours she’d forgotten about
her recent health problems and really enjoyed being held in his arms. Even
though the man was a confirmed bachelor, tonight he’d made her feel special,
cherished, protected.
    A snort escaped her. Sickening.
    Dr. Madelyn Ramsey didn’t need
anyone’s protection—especially one coming from the most famous womanizer who’d
ever dwelt in St. Lucy’s Hospital. Her jaw tightened in a death grip. Forget
Nick . She’d better disregard this whole evening. It had been nothing more
than a sedative to alleviate the hurt inflicted by the life sentence she’d
received in the afternoon.
    Resolutely, she crossed her
living room to settle for fifteen minutes in a lounge chair on her balcony and
look at the ocean as she did every night. A fantastic therapy guaranteed to
relax her after a long day at the hospital. When she reached the glass door, a
continuous beep attracted her attention. Her answering machine.
    Darn, she hadn’t called her
mother today. Madelyn entered her office and scowled at the blinking light.
Good God, eight messages. Guilt flooded her. She pressed the play button. Sure
enough, the first call at 7:30 pm was from her mother. “Still at the hospital? Honey,
you really work too hard. Call me when you come home.”
    The second call followed at 8:00
pm.