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Overview
In Richard’s mansion Molly could pretend to have the family Christmas she’d always craved. She already loved the boy, but his broodingly handsome uncle was downright dangerous! Molly resisted temptationtill she made one mistake: she got caught under mistletoe .
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781460367056 |
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Publisher: | Harlequin |
Publication date: | 03/15/2014 |
Sold by: | HARLEQUIN |
Format: | eBook |
Pages: | 256 |
File size: | 505 KB |
Read an Excerpt
MOLLY SODERLING hurried back down the hall to the one patient who had been on her mind all through her break. Toby Astin. The eight-year-old had also found his way into her heart, ever since he'd come into the hospital three days ago, the victim of a car crash. The same crash that had killed his parents and two other adults, and had left the boy an orphan. Less than a month before Christmas.
Molly's heart ached for him. She knew exactly what he was feeling, as she, too, had lost her parents when she was a young child. She remembered how lonely she was the first Christmas without them, and every one since then.
In Toby's eyes she saw the loss he suffered; in his clinging arms she felt his pain. In the three days he'd been here, no one had come for him. Perhaps after the funerals someone would claim him. She didn't want Toby to be put into the foster care system as she had been.
As she turned down the pediatric wing, she saw two people clad in black enter his room. Perhaps they were mourners who'd attended the funeral for his parents today. According to his doctor, Toby's uncle and grandmother had phoned to ask for Toby to attend, but Dr. Bradford had refused.
He was concerned the boy might suffer depression. Molly had disagreed with the doctor, but he wasn't going to listen to her. Having had to attend her parents' funeral when she was seven, she knew how comforting it had been to see others mourning their deaths also.
Molly sighed. Then, forcing a smile on her face, she turned into Toby's room.
"Molly!" he cried as if she were a lifesaver.
"Hi, Toby. Did you eat your dinner?"
"Yes, but—"
"Are you his nurse?" the man in the black suit asked abruptly, stepping toward her. He looked about thirty, with dark hair and striking blue eyes.
"I'm one of Toby's nurses."
"He seems extraordinarily attached to you." Was it condemnation she heard in his voice? Her shoulders stiffened. "We've become friends," she said tersely.
Then she turned her attention to Toby. "Can I get you anything, honey?"
"I'd like some ice cream," he said hesitantly, shooting a look at the man as if he would object.
"Sure. I'll be right back with it."
She passed the older woman dressed in a black designer suit, leaning against the wall. She wasn't sure who the elegant-looking woman was. Maybe a family friend or maybe even the grandmother she'd heard mentioned. But no, she wasn't acting like a grandmother, at least none Molly had ever imagined.
"Excuse me, Ms. Soderling," the man called. How did he know her name? Molly turned around.
"Yes, sir?"
"We're taking Toby with us in the morning."
Before he could go on, Molly said, "I'm sorry to see him go. I'll miss him. Are you his guardian?"
"Yes, by default."
She stared at him, her eyebrows raised. Who would say such a thing, as if the boy was nothing more than a burden to be endured?
"The other couple, who also died in the car with Toby's parents, were named in their will as guardians. However, my mother and I are his only relatives. I'm an attorney and I filed the papers this morning to be named guardian. They've assured me it would be approved. I want to get Toby home so he can begin to heal."
"Good. He's been feeling lost since no one had come to claim him."
"The doctor in charge of Toby says he's very fond of you." Molly frowned. "Yes, I told you we've become friends."
"He's eight years old. How could you be friends?" Molly said nothing, turning to continue on her way.
"Wait!"
She didn't like the order, but she obeyed. No need to irritate the man if he was going away in the morning. "Yes?"
"Dr. Bradford said you didn't have any family here."
"Why would Dr. Bradford tell you that?" she asked carefully.
"Because I need someone to come with us to Dallas to take care of Toby and help him settle in."
"Sir, I'm a pediatric nurse, not a baby-sitter."
"I know. And I'm willing to pay your going rate, twenty-four hours a day, if you'll come with us in the morning."
"For how long?" she asked, startled at his offering. "For a month. You'll make more than three times your salary, Ms. Soderling."
"I don't know if the hospital—"
"Dr. Bradford assured me he could spare you." Molly didn't know what to think. "I'll have to talk to Dr. Bradford."
"He left a note for you at the nurses' station," the man said, as if that alone should persuade her.
He expected her to drop everything and go to Dallas for a month, as if it were nothing but a shift reassignment. Not that she had anything holding her here in Florida, especially at holiday time. Still, the man hadn't even introduced himself! "Excuse me, sir, but who are you exactly?"
"I'm Richard Anderson, Toby's uncle." As he spoke, he stood straighter, his shoulders back in a proud gesture. But he made no move to shake her hand.
Neither did Molly. "I'll go read the note," she said. And she walked away.
At the nurses'station, she got the Dixie cup of ice cream for Toby and asked the nurse on duty if Dr. Bradford had left a note for her.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Molly. I forgot to give it to you."
"Thanks, Ellen," Molly said, taking the note with her as she found a quiet corner of the floor to read it.
Indeed, Dr. Bradford had asked her to go with the Andersons to Dallas. Because of her rapport with little Toby, he thought her best for the job. He'd approved a month's leave for her if she decided to go. And, she guessed, to make her refusal harder, he added that Mr. Anderson had offered two hundred thousand dollars to the pediatric wing if the hospital could supply a nurse for the boy.
That much money could help the children, Molly knew. And she knew Dr. Bradford was counting on her love of the kids...
But a month in Dallas with the seemingly pompous Richard Anderson? Could she handle it? The assignment would span the holidays, and aside from some volunteer work, she had no Christmas plans. At the very least she wouldn't have to spend another Christmas alone. She could stand the thought of that. And she'd be with Toby.
Still unsure, she pocketed the note and brought the boy his ice cream. "Your wish is my command," she joked to Toby as she pulled the lid off the Dixie cup and held it out to him.
Though his arm and collarbone were in casts, he could hold the Dixie cup in his injured hand and eat with his right.
"Thank you, Molly. You're not going to leave, are you?" The boy's sad blue eyes reached right down into her heart. "No, sweetie, I'll stay for a little while." She smiled as she pulled up a chair next to the bed. His frown transformed into a broad grin and he dug into his ice cream. How could she leave him? Not just now, but when he went with his uncle and grandmother?
"What's wrong, Molly?" Toby asked anxiously. Molly knew her concerns were nothing compared to the tragedy Toby had experienced. She pasted a bright smile on her lips. "Nothing, sweetheart. Hey, would you like me to go with you to Dallas, where your uncle lives?"
"You could do that? And stay forever?" Toby asked, hope in his voice.
"No, but I could go and stay for a few weeks, during Christmas. Wouldn't that be fun?"
"Oh, yeah," Toby said, reaching up to hug her neck.
With his face buried in her hair, he whispered, "I don't want to go with them."
"I know, sweetie, but we'll be together and I'll help you."
"Okay," Toby agreed as he pulled back to look at her.
"You'll really come with me?"
"Yes, your uncle has asked me to come." She settled the little boy back in his bed. "Now, eat your ice cream before it melts while I talk to your uncle."
And just like that, her mind was made up.
She stood and walked over to the man watching them with no sign of emotion. "I'll take the job, Mr. Anderson. When were you planning on leaving?"
"We have seats on an eleven o'clock flight tomorrow morning. We'll need to leave for the airport by nine, which means you should be here by eight to get Toby ready."
"Does Toby have clothes?" The shirt and pants the boy had been wearing had been bloodied and torn.
The man stared at her, as if he hadn't comprehended her question.
"Toby hasn't had any clothes since he arrived and we cut off his bloody ones. He'll need clothes for the trip."
With a weary sigh, the man said, "Of course. It'll take a little while because I've got to get my mother back to the hotel. But then I'll go to his house and pack his clothes."
Molly knew she was a sucker for the weary and downtrodden, but she couldn't help herself. "If you want, I could meet you there and help you pack up his things. It would save you a trip back to the hospital."
After a moment's hesitation, Richard Anderson nodded. "I'll take that offer. Thank you." He looked at his watch. "Can you meet me there at eight o'clock?"
"Yes, but I don't know the address." He pulled a card and a pen out of his pocket and wrote an address on the back of the card. "Do you know where this is?"
Molly nodded. The address was actually close to her apartment. How strange. She'd lived just a few blocks from Toby. "Yes, I do."
"Then I'll see you there at eight o'clock."
Molly heard a warning in his voice not to be late. But she was always on time. With a nod, the man took his mother's arm and left Toby's room.
That was when Molly realized the older woman had remained in the back of the room the entire time. She hadn't taken a seat nor uttered a word to her grandson. Instantly Molly felt good about her decision. How could she have let this sweet boy go with these cold-hearted people?
Molly came back to Toby's side. "Was the ice cream good?"
"Yes. Are you really going to go with me tomorrow?" the little boy asked anxiously.
"Yes, I told you I would. And I'll be there all through Christmas. I've never been to Dallas. Have you?"
"No. I never met my uncle and my grandmother before." How could that be? Molly wondered. They were family. But for Toby's sake, she tried to put a positive spin on it.
"Well, you'll get a chance to know them now." She grinned.
"I have to go if I'm going to be ready to leave in the morning. Ellen will come in and see you before you go to sleep. Okay?"
"Okay. You really are going with me?"
"Yes, Toby. I'll be here in the morning, I promise."
*** Richard Anderson pulled up to his sister's home in a nice neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida. He dreaded going in the house. He'd missed Susan after her move to Florida. He'd talked to her on the phone some, but it hadn't been the same.
Nine years ago his father had been furious with his daughter. He'd blown up at her and had refused any consideration of reconciliation. Now it was too late for both of them. James Anderson had been a brilliant man, but when it came to his daughter he had been foolish. He'd lost her because of his anger, long before either of them had died.
When another car pulled up behind him, Richard automatically checked his watch. Good. The nurse was on time. It would be easier to enter the house with a stranger.
He got out of his car and waited until the nurse joined him. "I appreciate you coming, Ms. Soderling."
"Please call me Molly, and I'm glad I can be of assistance."
"My mother would've come, but the past few days have been hard on her."
"Of course. Shall we go in?"
Richard pulled the keys from his pocket. They had been handed to him by the funeral director, along with other items found in the clothing. He selected one that he hoped would open the door.
He'd guessed right. The door swung open and he followed the nurse into the house. He was hit almost at once with a wave of grief. The house showed so much of Susan. It was warm and cozy, a home where a family shared and loved.
He turned to the nurse, hoping to control his grief, and he saw the same reaction on her face. She hadn't even known Susan.
"Poor Toby," she muttered. "Why would you say that?"
"Because I can see what he's lost," she said quietly, and he saw the sheen of moisture in her eyes.
Before he could think of anything to say, she said, "We'd better get started. Do you know where Toby's bedroom is?"
He shook his head. "I've never been here."
"Oh. Then I'll go look for it."
Richard decided he should remove any valuables his sister and her husband had before he hired someone to come pack up the house. What would he do with everything? What would Toby want to keep? Hard decisions to make on the spur of the moment.