Traci Douglass - A Mistletoe Kiss for the Single Dad

Second chance...

...under the mistletoe!

GP Nick Marlowe returned to his hometown to focus on raising his young son. The last person he expects to see in Bayside is high-flying Beverly Hills surgeon Belle! The childhood sweetheart hed let go so she could pursue her dream of attending medical school. Only, now theyre working side by side to reopen her late aunts free Christmas Eve clinic, their magical connection returns... Could a mistletoe kiss spark another chancejust in time for Christmas?

Mistletoe.

Does kind of seem a shame to waste it, huh? he said, blood pounding loud in his ears and adrenaline singing in his veins, drowning out the carolers around them. All his attention was focused on her pink lips, wondering if she tasted as sweet as he remembered.

People swayed around them, pushing him and Belle closer still. Her face was so close, her eyes darkening as their bodies brushed. Their breath mingled, frosting on the chilly air. Time seemed to halt as they seemed to really see each other for the first time after all these years.

Nick gave up the fight and bent to brush his lips over Belles.

One quick peck then hed be done.

People cheered and the band played another Christmas tune, but instead of pulling away as hed intended, Nick snuggled Belle closer. She tasted of sugar and cinnamon and chocolate, her body tense against him before she relaxed. Then her free hand was clutching his shoulder, and he shivered despite the heat thundering through his blood stream.

It was as good as he remembered. It was just as right.

Dear Reader,

Going home again is one of those themes that really resonates with a lot of people, I think, because its all about nostalgia and second chances. About dealing with the past and looking ahead to the future. In this story, Belle and Nick are brought together again through tragic circumstancesthe passing of her beloved aunt. Add in the residual grief and guilt Nick is dealing with because of the loss of his wife a few years prior and his stress over trying to raise his young son alone and you end up with a whole lot of emotions ready to boil over. Its not all dark and angsty, though, thanks to young Connor and the magic of the holidays.

Christmas has the power to heal even the most wounded of hearts, if we only believe. But can Belle and Nick trust the power of their love enough to receive the greatest gift of alla new family they create together?

Youll have to read A Mistletoe Kiss for the Single Dad to find out.

Wishing you and yours all the joy, peace and love of this festive season!

Traci

A Mistletoe Kiss for the Single Dad

Traci Douglass

Books by Traci Douglass

Harlequin Medical Romance

One Night with the Army Doc

Finding Her Forever Family

Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com.

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To my family and to all those lovely summers we spent together on the beaches of Pentwater...

Praise for Traci Douglass

Ms. Douglass has delivered an absolutely engaging and unputdownable read.... It was from the moment the hero and heroine come face-to-face for the first time where things get really interesting.

Harlequin Junkie on One Night with the Army Doc

Contents

I M SORRY . C OULD you repeat that, please? Dr. Christabelle Watson blinked at the rather uncomfortable-looking lawyer sitting across the desk from her. I dont think I heard you correctly.

Dylan Carter, the only attorney in tiny Bayside, Michigan, and therefore the person handling her aunt Marlenes estate, took a deep breath. Um...okay. Sure. It says here your aunt left half of her practice to you and the other half to Dr. Nicholas Marlowe.

Nick, who sat next to her, shifted in his seat and straightened the dark jacket of his suit. Once hed been a pediatric surgeon in Atlanta. Now he was back in their hometown as well, working as a GP.

Her aunt Marlene had been a general practitioner as well, a pillar of the Bayside community, liked and respected by all. Seemed everyone had turned out for her aunts funeral earlier in the day and said their fond farewells and given condolences to Belle on her loss.

A loss that had been made even harder because shed had no idea her aunts cancer had progressed to stage fourterminal. Her chest ached anew with sorrow and regret. If only shed known her aunt was so sick.

If only...

She tried to console herself with the fact that even if she had known the severity of her beloved aunts illness, it wasnt like she could have easily flown home to Michigan anyway. Not with a packed list of new patient consults back in California and a practice partnership on the line. Aunt Marlene wouldnt have wanted that anyway. Shed hated being fussed over, especially when she didnt feel well.

Belle sniffled and twisted a tissue in her hands. Everything was such a mess.

Life had certainly taken a strange turn in the past twenty-four hours. Yesterday her boss, Dr. Reyes, had wanted to meet with her about the partnership right before shed received the call about her aunt. Now the world as she knew it had changed forever. Shed filled out the required bereavement paperwork with Human Resources, made her quick excuses to Dr. Reyes, then rushed to catch a red-eye flight to Lansing.

Everything after that was a bit of a hazy blur.

She cleared her constricted throat and forced herself to focus on the attorney once more. There must be some mistake.

Nope. No mistake. Dylan frowned at his copy of her aunts will and pointed at a few particular lines. Right here. See?

He held the document toward her so she could look for herself.

She squinted down at the legalese. Yep. Right there in black and white.

All assets divided equally between Christabelle Watson and Nicholas Marlowe.

Nick too took the opportunity to lean in and Belle sat back fast, keeping as much distance between them as possible. His scentsoap and fabric softenerwas the same as she remembered. His warmth penetrated the sleeve of her black blazer, sending tingles of unwanted awareness through her. Darn him. Even after everything hed put her through, she still had the same tingling reaction whenever he was around. Not that shed let him know.

Nope. Where Nicholas Marlowe was concerned, Belle had built her barriers high and strong.

Still, bone-deep exhaustion and grief threatened to overwhelm her, and she blinked hard against the sting of unshed tears. As a physician, shed learned to mask her emotions behind a thick layer of professional stoicisma necessity when personal feelings could lead to disaster with a patient. There were some who said shed gotten too good at it, though, like with the few men shed dated over the years. But at times like these it was the only thing that kept her going.

She clasped her hands in her lap to hide the slight tremble in her fingers and ignored the vibrating cell phone in her pocket. Can you at least tell me how long it might take to get this all settled, Dylan? I have pressing matters back in California. Consultations and patients and

Shouldnt your aunts last wishes take precedence here? Nick asked, his tone cold. His voice held a raw edge she didnt recall from their high-school days together. Gone were his easy smiles and easy banter. Then again, they were different people now. After graduation, shed gone off to UCLA, then a surgical fellowship at Harvard. Nick had graduated at the top of his class from the University of Michigan, then done medical school at Northwestern. Hed also gotten married before hed finished his residency, the very thing hed told Belle hed never do.