A Kiss To Change Her Life

A Kiss To Change Her Life
Karin Baine

A new beginning?Jessica Halliday is producing a documentary to support Belfast’s Community Children’s Hospital, and she needs handsome paediatrician Rob Campbell on board. But to persuade him she’ll have to put her heart on the line and open up about her infertility…Jessica’s confession leads Rob to share a part of his heart he’s long kept hidden. With an unexpected intimacy created after just one kiss, their walls begin to crumble. Can Rob create a new happy-ever-after…this time with Jessica by his side?

Their mouths met in an accidental kiss—a faux pas which might have been easily rectified if Jess had apologised immediately and created some distance. Except Rob’s lips were as soft as they looked, and she lingered there a little longer than was probably socially acceptable.

‘Sorry.’ She stepped back when common sense kicked in again. Kissing Rob when all he’d done was be nice to her was a stupid, impulsive move which screamed desperation.

Rob shot out his hand to catch her around the waist and pull her back. She was mid-gasp and flush against him when his mouth came crashing back down on hers.

He stole her breath away as he caught her bottom lip between his and sent her head spinning from the lack of oxygen. She didn’t know where the unexpected display of passion had come from, but she wanted more.

The sensation of butterfly wings on her skin tickled her from head to toe, until every erogenous zone in her body was on high alert. She really shouldn’t be enjoying this as much as she was. He was grieving. She was a mess. But this felt so good …

Dear Reader (#ulink_bbafed4d-cbcc-5fd3-973e-91bbd54bf705),

As a mother, I know that feeling of helplessness when my sons suffer any sort of illness or injury. For those whose young children have been struck by cancer it must be even more difficult to stay strong. It’s a devastating disease which affects the whole family.

The research I did for this book taught me a lot about the patients and staff who inhabit the oncology wards. There are some amazing stories of courage and determination out there, along with some truly heartbreaking tales. However, one thing is clear—thanks to the ongoing research carried out in this field, survival rates are higher than ever.

My glamorous heroine, Jessica, is a survivor of childhood leukaemia herself. She’s keen for her documentary to show the amazing work that goes on behind the scenes of cancer treatment, but finds opposition in Rob, a fiercely private oncologist. Behind their successful careers both are grieving losses of their own, but they can’t hide for ever when they’re working together in such an emotional environment.

I loved writing this book, even though the subject matter was so difficult it brought me to tears on more than one occasion. I have nothing but respect for the families and staff who deal with this illness every day. I will be making a donation to my local children’s hospice from the proceeds of this book.

Love,

Karin x

KARIN BAINE lives in Northern Ireland with her husband, two sons, and her out-of-control notebook collection. Her mother and grandmother’s vast collection of books inspired her love of reading and her dream of becoming a Mills & Boon author. It wasn’t until she joined her critical group UCW that she started to believe she could actually write—and only her husband’s support enabled her to pursue it. At least now she can tell people she has a proper job! You can follow Karin on Twitter: @karinbaine1 (http://www.twitter.com/karinbaine1).

A Kiss to Change Her Life

Karin Baine

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

For my bestie, Cathy. I still owe you a Mr G story!

A huge thanks to Charlotte Mursell for working so hard with me on this book. My afternoon with you and Laura McCallen is one I’ll remember for a long time. xx

I also need to give a shout-out to Brian and AJ, who helped me with the technical stuff. Even though I may have taken a few creative liberties with it …

Table of Contents

Cover (#u2f508905-a45c-506b-968a-8cf03a422e15)

Excerpt (#u6927eeae-0c07-50c6-b873-95e89ed93d95)

Dear Reader (#ulink_9fb4c00a-dd7b-52d8-8e86-3e49b18acc06)

About the Author (#u22dc33f0-7a7b-5a96-baae-708cc595e5e2)

Title Page (#u5e56f804-3bca-5be1-a71c-6f0ef0b860a0)

Dedication (#u77245976-92b1-5b1f-be01-e06efc6a8dc8)

CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_67d628cd-42f0-55d9-b1b9-32f3752c9bd3)

CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_2fae110b-76df-5a1d-8fb4-0fbd7d03dda1)

CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_2ae5e174-1da5-53e0-836a-a1d094f2108f)

CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)

EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)

Endpages (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_d2364538-4b44-501b-a06d-0eeb4df607f8)

THE BANK OF monitors filled with Dr Dreamboat’s handsome profile as he strode past the remote camera in the hospital corridor. Jessica could see why the female members of the production team, and some of the men, had bestowed the nickname upon him. His strong stubbled jawline, wavy dark hair and piercing blue eyes made Rob Campbell perfect eye candy. With the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt bunched at his biceps and his sand-coloured trousers taut across muscled thighs, the guy looked as if he should be playing rugby and smashing into other huge beasts rather than holding hands with poorly children. As the consultant paediatric oncologist at the Belfast Community Children’s Hospital, he was a vital link between the patients, staff and camera crew. It was a shame he’d been so reluctant for the documentary series to go ahead in the first place.

He’d voiced his considerable concern that they were violating his patients’ privacy at the production meetings and it was in the project’s best interest for Jessica to get him on board. Regardless of the hospital board’s decision to allow filming and the crew’s assurances that they would be sympathetic and respectful to all involved, the consultant had treated their presence here with quiet disdain. Jessica hadn’t addressed him directly in the few days they’d been on-site to prepare for filming and instead had focused on building a rapport with the families on the ward. She had the signed consent forms of those willing to participate and didn’t want anything to jeopardise everything she’d worked towards. This meant more to her than ratings and job security.

Cancer had been a huge part of her life; it still was in some ways. Not content to hijack her childhood, it had also tried to dictate her future. The after-effects of her treatment had followed her into adulthood and triggered early menopause. Just as she’d started to recover her femininity, that life-stealing illness had dealt the ultimate blow and made sure she could never be a whole woman.

Well, cancer had taken on the wrong redheaded warrior to tango with. It could take away her fiancé who couldn’t deal with a barren future wife. It could take away the daughter she’d always dreamed of pampering like a little princess. But it couldn’t take away her spirit. Nor anyone else’s if she could possibly help it. If this series brought more funding to the hospital and helped even one child with their fight, it would be worth the pain it caused Jessica to relive her own.

The easiest way to allay Dr Campbell’s fears that they’d trample over anyone in the pursuit of a good story would be to explain she was a survivor of childhood leukaemia herself. It would substantiate her plea that she simply wanted to raise public awareness of the incredible work that went on here. But that would mean exposing her weakness and the last time she’d done that it had cost her everything.

Adam, the man she’d thought she’d spend the rest of her life with, simply hadn’t been able to cope with her health problems and who could blame him? When a man proposed to a vibrant young woman, he didn’t expect to be marrying some prematurely aged, decrepit version of her. Their engagement had ended once Jessica’s failings as a woman had become apparent. The hot flushes, mood swings and childless future had been difficult enough for her to deal with, never mind live alongside.

In tear-filled hindsight, he probably hadn’t been the right man for her. Although he’d been right when he’d told her no man should be expected to take her on now that she was infertile. It would be selfish of her to ask that of anyone, not to mention detrimental to her well-being to imagine it a possibility. She’d only got through her body’s changes and the break-up by accepting her fate as an eternal singleton and moving on. These days, her career was her significant other and these programmes filled that void where a family should be. They were her babies and she cherished every one. Each successful production she made was validation of her worth and all that she needed to fill her life. No man could ever make her feel as good as the awards and accolades bestowed on her for her work to date.

Now, not even an uncooperative oncologist could persuade her to divulge that deeply personal medical information lest it be used against her in some way. She’d worked too hard to put the pain of the past behind her to use it as a bargaining tool.