Every Boy's Dream Dad

Just this once, please be sensible and safe. I’ve already lost one man in our lives because he was a hero. I can’t lose another.

She wanted to stop him, to hold on to him and hug him, to tell him not to do anything stupid, but he wasn’t going to listen. Knowing that didn’t prevent the words that spilled out of her mouth.

‘So you’ll rush out into the water, regardless of your own safety? Never mind anyone else. Never mind the people who care about you. Like a damned hero.’

Ben stepped close and leaned near, so that only she heard the anger in his voice. ‘It’s not your place to be talking to me like this, Doc.’

Dear Reader

The Cook Islands are magical, and to spend a few days relaxing in Rarotonga is what dreams are made of. The first time I visited was with my husband, to attend a wedding. Nearly forty of us made the journey across from New Zealand, and we had so much fun that we went back a year later with our family. The beaches, the warmth, the motor scooters that we all learned to ride (and which I drove into the garden by mistake, because there’s no difference between the throttle and the brake) all added up to a package of fun.

This tiny nation is the perfect backdrop for Rachel and Ben’s story. Two bruised souls looking to move forward but afraid to take big steps. And what gets bigger than falling in love? Where better for them to test the waters of that love than here, where not a lot happens and everyone is very laid-back?

For Rachel the contrast with working in a hospital in the winter of London couldn’t be bigger. For Ben the Cook Islands are also very different from his native New Zealand. The slower pace and fewer big-time criminals make policing very different from back home. It also gives him the opportunity to ponder whether he could revert back to the medical career he abandoned two years earlier.

I hope you enjoy this story.

Cheers!

Sue MacKay

www.suemackay.co.nz

With a background of working in medical laboratories and a love of the romance genre, it is no surprise that SUE MACKAY writes Medical Romance stories. An avid reader all her life, she wrote her first story at age eight—about a prince, of course. She lives with her own hero in the beautiful Marlborough Sounds, at the top of New Zealand’s South Island, where she indulges her passions for the outdoors, the sea and cycling.

Also by Sue MacKay:

THE DANGERS OF DATING YOUR BOSS

SURGEON IN A WEDDING DRESS

RETURN OF THE MAVERICK

PLAYBOY DOCTOR TO DOTING DAD

THEIR MARRIAGE MIRACLE

These books are also available in eBook format from www.millsandboon.co.uk

Every Boy’s Dream Dad

Sue MacKay

Once again to Lindsay, a big thank you

for your endless support and encouragement.

You are my very own romantic story.

CHAPTER ONE

KNOCK. Knock. Bang. Bang.

Rachel grimaced as the pounding on her front door grew heavier with each passing second. It matched the thumping behind her eyes. ‘Not now. Please. I’m all peopled out for the day.’ There’d been a continuous stream of welcoming locals since sunrise—which came incredibly early in the Cook Islands. She sighed.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

She huffed out an exasperated breath. Whoever was out there hadn’t received her telepathic message. She’d have to tell them straight to their face to go away.

Rachel didn’t bother with a smile as she swung the door wide. ‘Yes?’

The harsh glare of the overhead light made her blink. But she couldn’t blame the light for her throat abruptly closing up, or for how the heat-induced moisture on her skin that had plagued her all day suddenly dried.

On her front step stood a human behemoth. So what? She was used to big men. They held no thrall for her. So why the sudden lurch in her tummy? The quickening of her blood? Forget it, Rachel. She had no desire to hook up with anyone any time soon, if ever. Her new start in life did not include finding a soulmate. Or even a playmate. It was meant to be about finding peace and forgiveness, about letting go the despair that had kept her in a holding pattern for nearly two years.

But this man did have a body to drool over. He’d need to turn sideways to fit through her door. Not that he would be gaining access tonight. Or any other day or night. She tried swallowing, but she couldn’t.

‘She’s cut herself.’ A deep rumble shook her. ‘And got a black eye.’

‘What?’ Finally she noticed the tiny island lady in the man’s arms. Blood coursed down the wounded woman’s thigh to drip on to Rachel’s step.

‘You’re Dr Simmonds,’ her male visitor rumbled again.

No, right now she was a weary mother with a bewildered little boy whom she’d only just managed to settle for the night. Tomorrow she’d be the doctor everyone was waiting for. ‘You need to take her to the hospital.’

‘You’re closer.’

How did he know who she was? She’d arrived in Rarotonga only two days ago. Of course. The community grapevine, and the many locals who’d paid her their respects throughout the day. Her sluggish, aching brain wasn’t operating very well right now. Not when her bed beckoned so invitingly at the ridiculously early hour of eight o’clock. It had been a long and busy day that had started a little after four in the morning when roosters in the vicinity of the house had begun crowing.

Her visitor stood waiting, his gaze demanding her attention as he held the wounded woman. Black eyes, sharp and intense. Eyes that wouldn’t miss a thing, including that she wanted him gone.

Resigned to the fact he wasn’t taking the hint to disappear, Rachel stepped back. She couldn’t withhold her help—being a doctor wasn’t something she switched on and off as it suited her. She never refused aid to anybody needing her medical skills. Anyway, it was her new role in this small nation to look after the woman. ‘Take her through to the lounge.’

‘Yes, Doc.’ The man carried his load with ease, and placed the silent woman on the couch with heart-wrenching gentleness.

There went the clean cover. So much for washing it earlier. She’d be doing it again in the morning. Rachel flicked on the light and shook her head. So much for remembering to buy light bulbs with decent wattage while at the supermarket earlier. Not that she’d been going to spend time in this room tonight so the gloom hadn’t been a problem—until now. Kneeling beside the couch, she spoke softly to her patient. ‘I’m Rachel Simmonds, the new doctor.’

The woman opened one eye—the other was swollen closed—and studied Rachel curiously for a few moments before the eyelid drooped shut. But not before Rachel noted the pain lurking in that enormous brown orb. One cheek bled slightly from deep scratches. Twisting her head around, she asked the man, ‘Do you know what happened?’

‘She’s dazed. Might’ve been unconscious briefly.’

His accent sounded similar to what she’d heard locally these past couple of days but he didn’t look like an islander. His skin was suntanned rather than naturally brown. His big frame was all lean, well-honed muscle. She asked, ‘Where are you from?’

An exasperated sigh, followed by a begrudging answer. ‘Next door.’

Right, so he didn’t do friendly. Odd for around here, but who was she to complain? Her own temperament didn’t go all-out friendly these days. Then she really heard what he’d said. He was her neighbour. Gulp. So they’d probably see a bit of each other. Rare excitement fizzed across her skin. Reality check, Rach. Why would she be seeing much of this guy? He had a life, probably one that included a wife and kids. But she’d been told that in the Cook Islands there was no such thing as aloofness, no such thing as a stranger. So there’d be waves and hellos over the fence as they all went about their daily lives. Nothing like her old life in London, then.

With a flick of her head she returned her attention to the woman. Hopefully she’d be able to patch her up and send them both on their way quickly. But there were things Rachel needed to know. ‘What do you think caused the wound? Did you see it happen?’ she asked.

‘Found her lying on the kitchen floor when I got home. It looked like she slipped. She’d been mopping.’

Wow. Getting more vocal. Just. Rachel bit down a retort and straightened up, locking eyes with him. ‘So she’s not your partner?’

He shook his head. ‘My housekeeper.’

No wife, then? Or one who worked long hours and didn’t do housework? Rachel pulled back as hope flared that he might be single. Wrong, wrong, wrong. ‘I’ll need my medical kit.’ As she turned around, the police insignia on the sleeve of his blue shirt registered in her brain. Blimey, was she awake enough to deal with a patient if she’d missed that? ‘You’re a cop.’

He raised his eyebrows as though to say Yeah, what took you so long?—but said nothing.

‘Daddy?’

Rachel spun around to face the door, her heart thumping at the sound of hope in her son’s voice. ‘Riley, sweetheart.’ Every time Riley made this mistake she had to let him down, hurt him all over again. When would it stop? When would he finally come to understand that he’d never see his daddy again? The endless expectation that his father would walk through the door one night had driven her to shift halfway around the world in an attempt to get him past that hurdle. ‘Riley, you’re meant to be in bed, fast asleep.’

‘Daddy.’ Her son stood hesitantly in the doorway, his head tipped back as he stared up expectantly at the man dominating the lounge. He waited for some recognition, desperate to be lifted up and hugged by those strong arms. Riley could be forgiven his mistake. In the dull light she understood how a small boy might think the cop was his father, given both men were tall and broad, both had short, straight black hair and both wore police uniforms. At least this guy did. And Riley’s dad used to.

‘No, love. Not Daddy.’ She swept Riley up into her arms. The uncertainty in his eyes, the longing, the bewilderment broke Rachel’s heart all over. And cranked up the ever-present resentment at her late husband for dying. If Jamie stepped into the room right now she’d kill him all over again.

Riley shrunk into her chest, slid his arms around her neck. ‘I’m tired, Mummy.’

‘Let’s put you back to bed.’ They’d have to repeat the ritual of reading his favourite story before he’d agree to go to sleep in this new house, this new country, so far from home and everything familiar.

She glanced across at the woman lying waiting, her good eye still screwed tightly shut. The blood loss from the thigh wounds had slowed to an ooze. Nothing urgent but this poor woman still required her understanding and care.

Rachel pressed Riley’s head harder into her breast so he wouldn’t see the unpleasant sight he’d so far not noticed. He was distressed enough without having to face up to a woman lying in bloody, torn clothes on the couch. She turned to leave the room.

‘I can put him to bed.’ The deep voice caught at her, jinking her attention sideways.

‘He doesn’t go to strangers.’ Not since the day his father had died. Jamie’s police colleagues had swamped Riley with the best of intentions of being kind and friendly to a hero’s son. But unfortunately Riley now associated friendly strangers with the disappearance of his father.

‘Riley.’ The deep, rumbling voice became softer, gentler, coaxing. ‘Want me to read you a story?’

Against her chest Riley’s head lifted, nodded once. Dumbfounded, Rachel stared at her son, then across at this man who’d managed to get such a positive response. Without any effort. ‘Who are you?’ she whispered.

‘Ben Armstrong, Senior Constable, Cook Islands Police Department.’

Now she got the accent. Kiwi. Like her best friend, Lissie, who’d wangled an obstetrics job for her at the local hospital where there never used to be an obstetrician. Lissie, who’d also arranged this house for her to rent, having believed it was time Rachel moved on and made a new life for herself and Riley away from that big, empty apartment back in London.

Ben Armstrong held his hands out to Riley, who slowly shifted his weight and stretched to meet his new friend.

Amazed, Rachel handed her son over and muttered around a lump in her throat, ‘Second room on the right.’ She watched Ben’s large hands as he gently held her boy. Envy uncurled in her comfort-starved body. She’d love to be the one being held against that broad expanse of chest.

‘Have you got a book?’ he asked.

Somehow she managed to hear the question above the thudding in her ears and even gave a sensible answer. ‘On the bedside table.’

As the cop strode out of the room, Riley still didn’t say a word or make any sound. This wouldn’t work. Any moment now her son would realise what was happening and call out for her. All the more reason to hurry. Hefting her medical bag from the corner of the room, she went towards her patient.

Hot. Hot. Hot. Ben suppressed the urge to run his finger under his open collar. Dr Rachel Simmonds was something to be reckoned with.

Or would be if he was remotely interested in getting to know her. Which he absolutely was not. But, phew, she could set an iceberg on fire. What chance did his dormant hormones have of remaining indifferent? She stood tall and slim. Too slim. Except for the deep shadows staining her skin her face was very pale, delicate. Until she opened her mouth. Then she was very resolute. An intriguing, exciting combination that had already tripped a few switches within his brain. So his brain was below his belt these days? Why wouldn’t it be? When those eyes that reminded him of the wild bluebells growing on the family farm back home had rested on him he’d felt as though he’d been raked with a fire iron. Scorched. Seared. Sizzled.

She was a looker. That exquisite, fine-featured face, those big eyes laden with sadness, and the wildly curly hair that wasn’t quite blonde or brown haphazardly tied up with a gold ribbon: they all added up to a very neat and enticing package. Then there was the English accent that made him melt inside. She’d turn heads wherever she went, no doubt about it.

But his head would stay firmly facing in the right direction. Away from the new doc. He’d managed to avoid any sort of entanglement since … Pain sliced through his heart. Since that awful night that had turned his world upside down for ever. He leant into the agony. Anguish was good. It focused him, underlined his resolve should it look like faltering. Which it wasn’t going to do. Certainly not after just a few minutes in the company of one beautiful, sexy and very single-minded lady. One who was here for a year at the most.

‘Will you read my favourite story?’ The kid in his arms wriggled to be set down.

Ben shook his head clear of thoughts of the boy’s mother and placed Riley on his bed. ‘Sure. Which one?’

‘That one.’ Riley pointed to the top of a pile of well-thumbed books. ‘It’s about a naughty goat that eats the clothes off the washing line.’ The kid clambered over the bed, getting comfortable.

Ben noted all the pictures on the walls, the soccer ball in the corner, the stuffed toys on top of the set of drawers. He could have had a child with a room like this if he and Catrina had been given more time. If she hadn’t driven that night. If he’d been able to save her.

Don’t go there. Ben squeezed his eyes tight, trying to blank out Catrina’s last staccato breaths. The sight of her beloved face suddenly contorted with pain and illuminated by flickering red and blue from the emergency services’ lights. He tried to empty out the fear and helplessness that had paralysed him that night and which returned to grip him, squeeze him, whenever he thought about her.

He counted to ten.

Finally, finally, he managed to refocus on the boy’s room, and asked in a voice he didn’t recognise, ‘How old are you?’

‘Nearly five.’ The kid was concentrating on his book, turning the pages as he said, ‘I want to start school soon with my friend Harry. His brother, Jason, already goes.’

‘It’s good to have friends in a new place.’

‘Their mother is Lissie. She’s Mummy’s friend.’

‘I heard.’ Lissie was a newly appointed general surgeon from Auckland via London who had come to Rarotonga with her Cook Islands husband and their two boys. The community was lucky to have her. Her husband had come home to run his family’s boat-charter business since his father had had a stroke.

Already Lissie had been instrumental in getting a position created at the local hospital for women’s health after the death of her sister-in-law from cervical cancer. The woman had not wanted to see a local male doctor when symptoms had first presented, and by the time she’d given in and had an exam it had been too late.

The new obstetrician, this kid’s mum, would be heading up the much-needed new department as a trial for the next year.

‘Don’t you want to read to me now?’ Tears blurred Riley’s voice.

Ben perched on the edge of the bed and took the book from Riley’s willing hands. ‘Sorry, little fella. Of course I do.’

This boy obviously needed a father figure. Where was his old man? Had the doc done a runner? He’d nearly freaked out when Riley had called him Daddy—it made him want to escape the doc’s house, and getting Effie patched up would speed his departure. So here he was, about to read a story to her kid. Talk about getting very close very quickly to a little family he didn’t want anything to do with. Something deep inside told him the doc and her kid had the potential to draw him into their lives—which went directly against everything he believed in now. He ran solo in this world. It was the only way to get by.

‘I can read the story.’ The kid’s high-pitched voice cracked into Ben’s brain as the book was tugged from his grasp.

Okay, the kid didn’t need him here. Ben began to rise.

‘“Willy, the goat, likes to eat.”‘ The kid’s voice wobbled.

Ben paused, half off the bed.

The boy turned the page. ‘“Willy eats everything.”‘

Ben sank back down.

Another page was turned. ‘“Willy eats the flowers in the garden.”‘ The kid peeped up at Ben. ‘Do you like this story?’

Ben’s heart rolled under his ribs at the insecurity in the kid’s eyes. No child deserved to feel like that. ‘Yes.’

Riley’s face split with a huge yawn. Ben took the book, began reading from the next page, and within minutes the kid was asleep. Ben tucked the sheet up to his little chin and stood looking down at him, wondering what sort of life he’d come from, and what the future held for him.

Enough. Get out of here. Start thinking like that and next thing he’d know he’d be involved in the kid’s life. And the doc’s.

Stalking down the short hall he marvelled at all the boxes still to be unpacked. There were plenty more in the lounge too. Had the doc cleared out Harrod’s before she’d left England? The only room that appeared set up and completely free of clutter was the kid’s. Obviously the doc put making her son feel comfortable in his new surroundings first. Ben nodded to himself. So she was a good mother. Let’s see if she was a good doctor.

If only Effie hadn’t needed stitches he’d have dealt with her injuries and saved coming over here at all. But from the moment he’d found Effie it had been apparent she needed qualified medical care. He should’ve put her in the car and driven to the hospital. It wasn’t exactly far. But he’d had a brainless moment and decided Effie should see the new doctor as soon as possible. The women might as well get to know each other; they might be seeing a bit of one another over the fence in the months to come. He’d done right by his housekeeper bringing her here.

But face it, he was intrigued. What was the doc’s history? She’d travelled a big distance for a job in a second-rate hospital when, as a specialist, she could surely command a good position at any modern hospital with all the bells and whistles. Not to mention the huge salary that would go with such a placement. The Cook Islands didn’t usually attract highly qualified people willing to work for very little remuneration. Mostly the foreigners were Kiwis who came on holiday, thought they’d found a slice of heaven and stayed on for a year or two. But eventually most of them left again. As would the doc. He’d bet his rust bucket of a car on that. At least she wouldn’t find the local hospital lacking in good spirits and meaningful intentions. There was a brilliant crew up there.

Did the deep sadness darkening the doc’s eyes have anything to do with choosing such a remote part of the world to move to? Probably. That sadness made him yearn to reach out to her, pull her close in a hug. He wanted to banish that sorrow and bring laughter and light to her face. Hell, man, she didn’t come all this way to have you interfere in her life. You spend your time avoiding other people’s pain—why do you want to know about the doc’s problems?

Suddenly light-headed, he leaned against the wall, drew in deep breaths and gave vent to some silent oaths. As he calmed down, the sound of murmuring voices registered in his brain. In the lounge he could see the doc kneeling, gently applying iodine to Effie’s bruised and scratched face. His housekeeper winced and the doc instantly apologised.

‘So sorry. I’m being as careful as I can. We might see about a scan for that eye tomorrow.’ Dr Simmonds sat back on her haunches and reached for another piece of clean cotton wool, dunked it in antiseptic. That’s when she saw him, those blue pools blinking.

‘No CT equipment on the island.’ She wouldn’t fit in if she was expecting fancy gear.

Her eyes widened, sending an odd thrill of excitement deep into his gut. ‘Really? Then how do I find out what’s going on with patients who need scans?’

‘Serious cases are flown to Auckland. The rest are up to you.’ Ben snapped his lips together. If she hadn’t been informed about the basic facilities on the island, it wasn’t his place to warn her. Hadn’t Lissie told her the situation?

‘Guess I’ll have to adjust rather quickly to my new surroundings, then.’ She didn’t seem overly perturbed by his news, instead changing the subject. ‘Did Riley settle all right?’

‘Yes.’ Out like a light.

‘Thank you. It’s been an exciting day for him, playing with his friends and going to the beach. He’s exhausted.’ She stifled a yawn and reached to wipe a blot of blood off Effie’s chin.

‘So are you.’ The words were out of his mouth before he’d barely thought them. Getting far too chatty with her. Time to get out of here. Go home and crack the top on an ice-cold beer.

Her hand stilled on Effie’s arm. ‘Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.’ She swallowed another yawn, shook her head as though refocusing. ‘I’m about to clean and stitch these wounds now the local anaesthetic has started working.’

He didn’t think. Instead he reacted. ‘Want a hand?’

‘What?’ Astonishment lit up her face.

She looked delightful when she forgot to be resolute. ‘I’ll help.’ Where had his brain gone tonight? Hadn’t he already decided not to help her in any way, shape or form? Offering to assist in a medical situation was not a smart move. If he wasn’t careful he’d be telling her his life story. But it was too late to back out. He’d say nothing and act like the cop he’d become. Dropping to his haunches, he pulled her bag towards him and took out some latex gloves that were in a pouch near the top.