The Italian Doctor's Proposal. Kate Hardy

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       CHAPTER ONE

      ‘HARD luck, Luce.’

      Lucy forced herself not to make the response that rose instantly to her lips—a snarl of ‘don’t call me Luce’—knowing that Mal just wanted to get a rise out of her. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d managed to rattle her. Though once she’d done the ward rounds, she was going to have a private word with him about practical jokes.

      One practical joke in particular.

      ‘You know, that job really should’ve been yours,’ Mal continued.

      ‘Obviously the powers that be thought differently.’ She gave what she hoped looked like a philosophical shrug. ‘Was there something specific you wanted to ask me about, Malcy, dearest, or can we do the ward round now?’

      He whistled. ‘You’re really sore about it, aren’t you? Losing out to Nic Alberici like that, when everyone thought the job had your name on it.’

      ‘I am not sore,’ Lucy said through gritted teeth.

      ‘Lucy Williams, obstetric consultant. Sounds good.’ Mal gave her a mischievous look. ‘Maybe if you’d been Luke Williams, you’d have been in with a better chance.’

      Lucy knew better than to listen to Mal—and better still than to let him wind her up. And far better than to say what he clearly believed she was thinking. So why did she have to open her mouth and say it? ‘Jobs for the boys, isn’t it, Mal? And as I’m not intending to have a sex change and become an Italian playboy to suit the hospital bigwigs, I’ll just have to lump it, won’t I?’

      Too late, she saw Rosemary, the senior midwife, shaking her head, grimacing and holding her hands up flat and crossed, moving them slightly but very fast: the age-old signal for ‘stop right there’.

      Too late, she heard a sultry voice behind her say, ‘It’s half-Italian, actually. My mother’s English.’

      Please, earth, open up and swallow me right now.

      It didn’t.

      Please? she tried again.

      Not even a tiny dent in the tiles, let alone the huge pit she needed.

      So there was only one thing for it. Face her embarrassment head-on. She stopped holding her breath and spun round on her heel, ready to apologise to Nic Alberici for her rudeness and reassure him that she was looking forward to working with him…

      And then she saw his eyes. Dark hazel eyes, a curious mixture of brown and grey. Eyes she’d seen before. Except this time they weren’t warm and smiling and sexy and knowing. This time, they were cold and absolutely furious.

      Can today get any worse? she thought. The man who’d embarrassed her at the fancy-dress ball was her new boss. So she couldn’t bawl him out, the way she’d promised herself she would.

      She also couldn’t give in to the feelings that threatened to make her knees buckle again. He was her boss, for goodness’ sake.

      So there was only one thing she could do. Be professional.

      She lifted her chin. ‘I’m sorry. You must be Mr Alberici,’ she said politely, extending her hand. ‘Lucy Williams, special reg. Welcome to River Ward.’

      He didn’t take it. ‘Jobs for the boys—an Italian playboy, hmm?’

      Uh-oh. Raw nerve. She shrugged. ‘Figure of speech. It wasn’t personal.’

      ‘I think, Dr Williams—’ his emphasis of her title made it clear he wasn’t going to be easily mollified ‘—that you and I need a little chat. Sooner rather than later. Perhaps we could go to my office?’

      She could see Mal’s smirk out of the corner of her eye and could have kicked herself. But it was her own fault. She knew what Mal was like: he put everyone else out of the running for the wooden spoon award. He’d probably spotted Nic Alberici coming their way when he’d started needling her about the fact she hadn’t got the consultant’s post. She should have second-guessed Mal and avoided the subject. Now she and Nic Alberici had got off on the wrong foot. Just what she didn’t need.

      Meekly, she followed Nic to his office. The office she’d been using for the last month or so as acting consultant.

      He gestured to her to sit down opposite him.

      ‘I’m sorry you overheard that,’ she said quietly.

      ‘Clearly I wasn’t meant to.’ If anything, his eyes had grown even colder.

      And she’d always thought brown eyes were warm. Lucy swallowed. ‘I shouldn’t have said it in the first place.’

      ‘If you’re going to have a problem working with me, Dr Williams, I’d prefer to be the first to know,’ he said. ‘It’s important that patients—’

      ‘Feel confident in the team working with them,’ Lucy cut in. ‘I agree. And I don’t have a problem working with you, Mr Alberici. What you overheard…’ She paused, wondering how to say it without making it sound as if she was blaming Mal, too gutless to take СКАЧАТЬ