Annie O'Neil - The Surgeon's Christmas Wish

Tara felt her knees actually go weak.

If she’d had any sort of grip on her senses she would have pulled away, but the way Fraser moved his lips across hers, teased his tongue between them, nibbling, taunting—it was everything in a kiss she had imagined possible but never experienced until now.

Her arms reached impulsively around Fraser’s neck. The movement drew her in even closer to him and the proximity could not have felt more natural. She felt his knees grip her hips, her breasts brush against his chest, sending a deep physical ache wending through to the tips of her toes and shooting back up through her like flames. Everything about the way her body was responding to him was new. Intoxicating. Absolutely not on the agenda.

She felt powerless to do the sensible thing—to push away. Her senses were overwhelmed with the incredible maleness of him. Time took on an added dimension as she took in Fraser’s scent, the movement of the well-defined muscles in his neck. Sensations flew through her in heated rushes as he slid a finger along her jawline, cupped her chin in his hand and drew from her the deepest, most life-affirming kisses she’d ever experienced.

THE SURGEON’S CHRISTMAS WISH isn’t just about my hero’s and heroine’s dreams coming true (although that’s a pretty big part of it!). My dreams are coming true, too! This is my first book for Mills & Boon ®and I have to say I can still hardly believe it’s all real. From my editor through to all of the other Medical Romance™ writers, my welcome has been top-notch. Turns out not taking down last year’s Christmas lights wasn’t such bad luck after all!

While writing THE SURGEON’S CHRISTMAS WISH I actually woke up earlier and earlier every morning, because I couldn’t wait to get back to the computer and spend time with my heroine-on-a-mission Dr Tara Braxton. She is funny, smart, and determined not to let men get in the way of her plans to run the Deer Creek medical ski clinic. Our gorgeous-as-they-come hero, Dr Fraser MacKenzie, definitely betrays my weakness for a man with a sexy accent, and he is a blue-eyed, broad-shouldered spanner in the works for Tara’s number one rule: no men.

I hope you enjoy the wintry Christmas magic of falling in love in Deer Creek as much as I did creating it. Please feel free to visit my website if you want to chat or have any questions at www.annieoneilbooks.comor find me on Twitter at @AnnieONeilBooks .

All the best—and enjoy!

Annie O’Neil

ANNIE O’NEILspent most of her childhood with a leg draped over the family rocking chair and a book in her hand. Novels, baking, and writing too much teenage angst poetry ate up most of her youth. Now, quite a few years on from those fevered daydreams of being a poet, Annie splits her time between corralling her husband (and real-life Scottish hero) into helping her with their cows or scratching the backs of their rare breed pigs, and spending some very happy hours at her computer, writing. Find out more about Annie at her website: www.annieoneilbooks.com

THE SURGEON’S CHRISTMAS WISH is Annie O’Neil’s debut title for Mills & Boon ®Medical Romance™!

www.millsandboon.co.uk

This book, without any hesitation, is dedicated to my friend Lucy, who dared me to try my hand at writing romances with the unerring belief that one day I would get published. With great thanks, my friend, this one’s for you—Annie.

Cover

Excerpt Tara felt her knees actually go weak. If she’d had any sort of grip on her senses she would have pulled away, but the way Fraser moved his lips across hers, teased his tongue between them, nibbling, taunting—it was everything in a kiss she had imagined possible but never experienced until now. Her arms reached impulsively around Fraser’s neck. The movement drew her in even closer to him and the proximity could not have felt more natural. She felt his knees grip her hips, her breasts brush against his chest, sending a deep physical ache wending through to the tips of her toes and shooting back up through her like flames. Everything about the way her body was responding to him was new. Intoxicating. Absolutely not on the agenda. She felt powerless to do the sensible thing—to push away. Her senses were overwhelmed with the incredible maleness of him. Time took on an added dimension as she took in Fraser’s scent, the movement of the well-defined muscles in his neck. Sensations flew through her in heated rushes as he slid a finger along her jawline, cupped her chin in his hand and drew from her the deepest, most life-affirming kisses she’d ever experienced.

Dear Reader Dear Reader Dear Reader About the Author Title Page Dedication CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN Copyright THE SURGEON’S CHRISTMAS WISH isn’t just about my hero’s and heroine’s dreams coming true (although that’s a pretty big part of it!). My dreams are coming true, too! This is my first book for Mills & Boon ® and I have to say I can still hardly believe it’s all real. From my editor through to all of the other Medical Romance™ writers, my welcome has been top-notch. Turns out not taking down last year’s Christmas lights wasn’t such bad luck after all! While writing THE SURGEON’S CHRISTMAS WISH I actually woke up earlier and earlier every morning, because I couldn’t wait to get back to the computer and spend time with my heroine-on-a-mission Dr Tara Braxton. She is funny, smart, and determined not to let men get in the way of her plans to run the Deer Creek medical ski clinic. Our gorgeous-as-they-come hero, Dr Fraser MacKenzie, definitely betrays my weakness for a man with a sexy accent, and he is a blue-eyed, broad-shouldered spanner in the works for Tara’s number one rule: no men. I hope you enjoy the wintry Christmas magic of falling in love in Deer Creek as much as I did creating it. Please feel free to visit my website if you want to chat or have any questions at www.annieoneilbooks.com or find me on Twitter at @AnnieONeilBooks . All the best—and enjoy! Annie O’Neil

About the Author ANNIE O’NEIL spent most of her childhood with a leg draped over the family rocking chair and a book in her hand. Novels, baking, and writing too much teenage angst poetry ate up most of her youth. Now, quite a few years on from those fevered daydreams of being a poet, Annie splits her time between corralling her husband (and real-life Scottish hero) into helping her with their cows or scratching the backs of their rare breed pigs, and spending some very happy hours at her computer, writing. Find out more about Annie at her website: www.annieoneilbooks.com THE SURGEON’S CHRISTMAS WISH is Annie O’Neil’s debut title for Mills & Boon ® Medical Romance™!

Title Page The Surgeon’s Christmas Wish Annie O’Neil www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dedication This book, without any hesitation, is dedicated to my friend Lucy, who dared me to try my hand at writing romances with the unerring belief that one day I would get published. With great thanks, my friend, this one’s for you—Annie.

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

Copyright

A FREE LIFT pass was definitely Tara’s favorite job perk.

Just for fun, she wove her skis in and out of the morning’s first tendrils of sunlight. A fresh snowfall gave an added whoosh to the fluid switchbacks she was cutting across the black diamond slope.

Sure, she was thirty-four years old, but it was all she could do not to tip back her head and scream, Yippppeeeee!

A year in Deer Creek had done wonders for her psyche, not to mention her emergency medical skills. She now ran her own ski injury clinic. Well, almost her own. Just a bit more scrimping and a few more paychecks to go … More importantly, she ran her own life. It was about time.

Tara felt a smile forming on her lips as she scanned the mountainside. Only the hardcore skiers were out this early. Early enough to see dawn’s blush spill over the Rockies. And with just enough time to get to Marian’s bakery before all of the specials were scooped up by seasonal visitors.

Hearing a couple of exhilarated whoops behind her, Tara pulled over to a small knoll on the edge of the slope. A pair of freewheeling snowboarders wearing Santa hats hurtled past, throwing a “Thanks for moving” in their wake. As they flashed down the steep terrain, she let the silent beauty of the mountain settle around her. Who needed a Christmas tree in their living room when there was an entire mountainside riddled with evergreens?

Me. That’s who. She smiled, knowing full well she was as much of a sucker for the traditional trappings of the upcoming holiday as anyone. Only five more weeks!

Even so, spending it on your own was—

Stop it, she silently cautioned herself. Spending Christmas on her own in Deer Creek was exactly what she wanted. She had everything she needed in the small mountain village. A good job, a local shop with everything from pretzels to antifreeze, a Wi-Fi connection to die for and a bakery that specialized in threatening to expand her waistline.

Besides, how many doctors saw a variation of the North Pole from their office every morning? The view from up here was insane. There was nothing claustrophobic about Deer Creek. No one stealing your research or trying to shoehorn you into a career path you never wanted. Just an honest, simple life. A life absolutely, perfectly on her own.

Tara scrutinized the scarcely populated slopes. Fingers crossed, there wouldn’t be too many injuries arriving at the clinic today. Not that she minded the work. Medicine was definitely her calling. It was just that every time the doors to the clinic opened, or her radio crackled to life, it meant someone else was having a very bad day.

She knelt to readjust the clips on her boots. Another five minutes or so to the clinic and—

“Heads!”

Tara flattened herself to the small knoll as a snowboarder whistled overhead. She felt her mouth go dry and her heart rate soar. Shivers shot across her shoulders and her scalp tingled in a combination of fear and adrenaline.

What a first-class idiot!

Just a few inches in the wrong direction and she would’ve been the one entering the clinic. Not only was the snowboarder thoughtless—he was plain dangerous.

Heart pounding, Tara bolted upright and sped after the tall figure in racing blue as he shot down the slope at lightning speed. The broad reach of his shoulders indicated he was definitely a grown man. A very athletic man from the looks of things. Long legs, trim hips, an assured strength behind his movements. There was no doubt he knew how to command the slope.