The Doctor's Secret Baby

The Doctor's Secret Baby
Teresa Southwick

Emily Summers would never forget the passionate affair with Cal Westen that left her yearning for what he couldn't give her.But the charismatic, commitment-wary E.R. surgeon had given her something. And it was time he knew the truth–so he could be the father their child needed…. Two years ago, Emily walked away from him. Now she was telling him they had a baby?The sensual social worker had burned him once, and Cal wasn't about to make that mistake again. Then he met his daughter. And the no-strings-attached doctor began to feel his heart expand…to make room for two females in his life….

It was obvious that her attraction hadn’t ended with their relationship, which meant stopping it altogether would be about as easy as reversing the effects of global warming.

Emily had tried to forget him, but never quite managed to pull that off. Maybe because he’d fathered her baby.

The fact was they were both responsible for this child and he was determined to be a father, so she needed to find a path to peaceful coexistence. But moving in with him, relying on him, leaning on him—that was a path she wouldn’t go down.

Cal smiled at Annie, who looked more curious than wary. “Is that a truce?”

“I think a cease-fire is an excellent idea,” Em agreed.

She hoped she wouldn’t regret those words. It would be so easy to fall in love with him….

Dear Reader,

When asked to participate in Special Edition’s FAMOUS FAMILIES project, I was truly honored. It was fun to bring back characters from the MEN OF MERCY MEDICAL series, and it started me thinking about the meaning of family.

I’m one of six children, and my only sister passed away from melanoma, making my brothers and me appreciate each other even more. It’s the family I was born into, but losing my sister makes me treasure my female friends, who are the sisters of my heart. People at the office or in the neighborhood become an extension of home. In hospitals, the personnel work as a unit to save lives.

The editorial staff at Silhouette Books have come to mean so much to me, as have the readers with whom I share a love of romance. It’s a connection that makes us family and we rock.

I sincerely hope you enjoy Cal and Emily’s story as they fall in love and make a family with their little girl.

All the best,

Teresa Southwick

The Doctor’s Secret Baby

Teresa Southwick

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

TERESA SOUTHWICK

lives with her husband in Las Vegas, the city that reinvents itself every day. An avid fan of romance novels, she is delighted to be living out her dream of writing for Silhouette Books.

To Gail Chasan and Charles Griemsman,

my Silhouette Special Edition family. You make it a joy

to work at what I love best, writing romance.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter One

Telling an old boyfriend he had a daughter he didn’t know about was a crappy way to start the day.

And the emergency room at Mercy Medical Center where he was working was a crappy place to tell him, but Emily Summers knew for sure she could find him there. Dr. Cal Westen was a pediatric emergency specialist and would be on duty shortly. He always stopped in the E.R. break room for a cup of coffee about thirty minutes before the start of his shift. At least he used to. She didn’t know squat about his routine since they’d split up more than a year ago.

Emily opened the door and her heart skipped and skidded when she saw him. Some things didn’t change, including her profound physical reaction to this charismatic, charming doctor.

“Hi,” she said, lifting a hand in greeting.

His grin when he saw her was instantaneous. “Emily Summers, as I live and breathe.”

“Guilty.” In so many ways, she thought. She moved farther into the room, just beside the rectangular, metal-framed folding table in the center of the room. It was littered with the daily newspaper. The flat-screen TV was tuned to a news channel with the ticker scrolling across the bottom. “How are you, Cal?”

“Good.”

He looked good. But then he always had—tall, tan, muscular. The man even made his shapeless blue scrubs look as sexy as sin. Her past had a history of attraction to tall, dark and handsome guys, but two years ago Cal had made her rethink that. His sandy hair was short and gel-rumpled in a calculated Hollywood-heartthrob way, but had probably cost him about thirty seconds. A deep dimple softened his square jaw.

“It’s good to see you.” Dark blue eyes twinkled with genuine pleasure, but after she told him what she had to say, he’d rethink that. He straightened away from the counter and set his paper cup on the table still separating them. “Can I buy you a cup of coffee?”

“No, thanks.” She was already jittery enough. And what with the adrenaline surging through her, caffeine might just implode her heart. Maybe the E.R. was the right place to deliver her news after all.