The Consultant's Adopted Son

The Consultant's Adopted Son
Jennifer Taylor

Beautiful nurse Rose Tremayne would have done anything to have kept her baby. Circumstances forced her into adoption, though there hasn't been a day when she hasn't found herself wondering what happened to her precious little boy.Then Rose finds herself working with consultant Owen Gallagher – her son's adopted father. Owen is worried about the effect she will have on his son's life… and his own! Yet he knows he can not deny the intensity of emotion he feels for her.

BACHELOR DADS

Single Doctors…Single Fathers!

At work they are skilled medical professionals, but at home, as soon as they walk in the door, these eligible bachelors are on full-time fatherhood duty!

These devoted dads still find room in their lives for love…

It takes very special women to win the hearts of these dedicated doctors, and a very special kind of caring to make these single fathers full-time husbands!

Look out for the next book in this mini-series—coming soon from Jennifer Taylor and Medical Romance™!

JENNIFER TAYLOR lives in the north-west of England with her husband Bill. She had been writing Mills & Boon® romances for some years, but when she discovered Medical Romances™, she was so captivated by these heart-warming stories that she set out to write them herself! When not writing, or doing research for her latest book, Jennifer’s hobbies include reading, travel, walking her dog and retail therapy (shopping!). Jennifer claims all that bending and stretching to reach the shelves is the best exercise possible. She’s always delighted to hear from readers, so do visit her at www.jennifer-taylor.com (http://www.jennifer-taylor.com)

The Consultant’s Adopted Son

Jennifer Taylor

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

CONTENTS

Cover (#u979daee4-636b-53bc-9629-34b1dfc23aa9)

About the Author (#u8d7890fe-bf8f-5f1c-a5ba-69c81e02295b)

Title Page (#ubd2a1c56-de68-5305-bb37-800ea971df13)

CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_ccea2201-29ec-565f-aed5-da7bc41b1dbd)

CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_17c4d22d-0fbe-520d-8db7-3bece6bdc158)

CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_6cffc533-f088-5f32-a294-84435c626f88)

CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_3795b380-f320-5ffd-9b4f-3ad44a087c03)

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)

CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_611151c8-b68a-5217-9e13-bac0840dee69)

HE KNEW who she was as soon as she came through the door. Even though they’d never met before, he recognised her. Her hair was the exact same honey-gold colour as Daniel’s was, and the way she tilted her head to the side as she looked around the bar was exactly what his son would have done, too.

Owen Gallagher’s hand clenched around his glass. He’d tried to prepare himself for this meeting, but seeing the resemblance between this woman and Daniel made him realise how dangerous the situation really was. If he wasn’t careful he could end up losing his son, and the thought was more than he could bear. He loved Daniel more than anything in the world and he wouldn’t allow anyone to take him away from him!

A crowd of people suddenly came into the pub and the woman disappeared from view. Owen cursed as he stood up and tried to see where she had gone. He should have made himself known to her as soon as she’d arrived instead of sitting here, worrying about what might or might not happen.

Normally, he wasn’t someone who hesitated. He couldn’t afford to be in his job, when he needed to make life-and-death decisions. He was used to trusting his instincts, yet he was afraid to trust them now. He was too closely involved in this situation and it would be foolish to hope that instinct alone would guide him down the right path. He needed to follow his head, not his heart, although it wasn’t going to be easy to detach himself emotionally when Daniel’s whole future depended on him making the right decisions.

The crowd suddenly parted and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the woman walking to the bar. He made his way towards her, using the few seconds it took to take stock. She was taller than he’d imagined, and slimmer, too. She was wearing a black trouser suit with a white blouse and a pair of low-heeled black shoes. Although her clothes were very neat and tidy, he could tell they weren’t expensive from the cut of the jacket—it was a little too loose around her waist and the sleeves were an inch too long. She stopped at the bar and he paused, too, needing another few seconds before he introduced himself.

Her face was in profile now, and his heart lurched as he studied the smooth curve of her brow, the straight line of her nose and the fullness of her lips. She was even more like Daniel in profile, and it was unsettling to see the familiar features on her face. It wasn’t easy to control the feeling of panic that was creeping up on him, but he’d never been a coward and he refused to behave like one now. This woman had the power to disrupt Daniel’s life. If he had to conquer his own fears to ensure that wouldn’t happen, that was what he would do.

Owen’s gaze moved on as he made himself take stock of the glossy fall of honey-gold hair that swung around her shoulders. Her hair was very thick and straight, like a golden waterfall as it shimmered in the lights above the bar. When she bent over to take her purse out of her bag, he half reached towards her, curious to see if her hair felt as cool and as smooth as it looked, before he realised what he was doing.

His hand fell to his side and he breathed in sharply to clear his head. It didn’t matter how her hair felt. It only mattered how it looked, and it looked exactly the same as Daniel’s did, apart from its length. The sooner he accepted these similarities, the easier it would be to discount them. He couldn’t afford to focus on the resemblance between them otherwise he wouldn’t be able to separate himself emotionally from what needed to be done. He might not know anything about her, but he did know one thing: she was a threat.

She suddenly turned, and Owen felt a rush of panic assail him when her eyes locked with his. He wasn’t mentally prepared yet to speak to her and wasn’t sure what he should do. Should he introduce himself now, or should he wait a while longer?

‘Excuse me.’

Her voice was low, husky, and the hair on the back of his neck lifted when he heard it for the very first time. So far, they’d only communicated by letter—a terse little note from him suggesting they should meet, an even shorter reply from her, agreeing to the idea. He hadn’t thought about how she would sound, so it came as a shock to realise that he found the husky tones very appealing.

He stepped aside to let her pass, feeling goose-bumps break out all over his skin when she murmured her thanks. All of a sudden it felt as though there wasn’t enough air in the pub and he couldn’t breathe. He hurried to the door. His only thought was to escape from a situation that was turning out to be far more stressful than he’d anticipated it would be. But even as he reached for the handle he knew he couldn’t leave. Not yet. Not until he’d made her understand what was going to happen.

He took a deep breath, filled his lungs with the heavy, turgid air, then turned around. If ever there was a time when he needed to be in control of himself, it was now.

Rose found an empty table and sat down. Taking a cardboard coaster out of the ashtray, she carefully placed her glass on it. She really hadn’t wanted a drink. She’d bought it simply because it had been expected of her. When you went into a pub you bought a drink. That was it, all nice and tidy—unlike her life, which was turning into such a mess.

A spasm of dread shot through her and she picked up the glass and sipped a little of the wine, hoping it would steady her. Ever since she had agreed to this meeting she’d worried about what was going to happen. She’d gone over it in her head, time and time again, but it had been pure guesswork, of course.

She had no real idea what Owen Gallagher wanted to see her about, except that it had something to do with Daniel—the child she’d given up for adoption eighteen years ago. Not a day had gone by since then when she hadn’t thought about him, worried about him, wondered where he was and if he was happy. Was that what Owen Gallagher wanted to know—if she ever thought about the child she’d given away?

She hoped so, because it would be the easiest thing in the world to tell him the truth. She’d never stopped thinking about Daniel, had never stopped regretting the circumstances that had forced her to give him up. Even though she was sure that she’d made the right decision, she had many regrets, but was that really what Owen Gallagher wanted to hear? Or was there another reason why he’d contacted her?

Rose put the glass back on the coaster as her hand began to tremble. She’d refused to allow herself to go beyond this point before, refused to consider the idea that Daniel might be ill and that was why Gallagher had tracked her down. One read about such things all the time—mothers and the children they’d given away reunited through illness—but she couldn’t accept that was the reason for this meeting. She simply couldn’t bear to imagine that her precious child might be desperately ill…