Single Dad for the Heart Doctor


 
 
 
 Lily couldn’t seem to think about anything other than kissing Charlie Finnegan.
 They both seemed to be resisting the pull that had drawn them so close that their lips were almost touching. Then, as if the last thread of restraint had snapped, his lips were suddenly on hers, taking and giving all at once.
 Lily was swept up in his arms, the strength of his embrace matched by the ferocity of his kisses. Finn was creating a need inside her she hadn’t felt for a long time, an ache only he could fill, but also an awakening of something she knew to be dangerous. To give in to this lust, this want to be with him completely, was not something that could be satisfied by a onetime surrender to temptation.
 She couldn’t fall for Finn. He had daughters to think about, girls who had already suffered so much loss and grief, to even consider getting involved with someone who couldn’t be there for them in the future. It wouldn’t be fair on any of them after all this time of denying herself a family to now insinuate herself into someone else’s.
 
 
 Dear Reader,
 Everyone loves firefighters, right? Not only are they lifesavers prepared to run into burning buildings at the drop of a hat, but they look pretty good in uniform, too. Hopefully, Finn and Lily’s story goes into a deeper side of the occupation and how it affects the families of those men and women who often put their own lives on the line for others.
 The idea of sending members of the fire service out on emergency cardiac calls is something that is being trialed in my part of the world and that proves yet again how much our key workers are prepared to do in the hope of saving more lives.
 Okay, so my hero, Finn, is reluctant at first to take part in the task...and with good reason. He’s concerned the extra responsibility will prove too stressful for his team. It takes a feisty cardiologist and some mediation, not to mention an emergency medical situation, to show him the immediate benefits of getting someone to the scene quickly.
 My heroine, Lily, is a fortysomething cakeaholic with a penchant for beachcombing. She’s not autobiographical in the slightest...
 I hope you enjoy my fiery couple!
 Karin xx
 
 
 Single Dad for the Heart Doctor
 Karin Baine
 
 
 
 Karin Baine lives in Northern Ireland with her husband, two sons and her out-of-control notebook collection. Her mother and her grandmother’s vast collection of books inspired her love of reading and her dream of becoming a Harlequin author. Now she can tell people she has a proper job! You can follow Karin on Twitter, @karinbaine1, or visit her website for the latest news—karinbaine.com.
 Books by Karin Baine
 Harlequin Medical Romance
 Carey Cove Midwives
 Festive Fling to Forever
 Pups that Make Miracles
 Their One-Night Christmas Gift
 Their One-Night Twin SurpriseHealed by Their Unexpected FamilyReunion with His Surgeon PrincessOne Night with Her Italian DocThe Surgeon and the PrincessThe Nurse’s Christmas HeroWed for Their One Night BabyA GP to Steal His Heart
 Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
 
 
 For my lovely neighbors, Stella, Sammy and Miriam. I’m going to miss you very much. xx
 
 
 Praise for Karin Baine
 “Emotionally enchanting! The story was fast-paced, emotionally charged and oh so satisfying!”
 —Goodreads on Their One-Night Twin Surprise
 
 
 Contents
 CHAPTER ONE
 CHAPTER TWO
 CHAPTER THREE
 CHAPTER FOUR
 CHAPTER FIVE
 CHAPTER SIX
 CHAPTER SEVEN
 CHAPTER EIGHT
 CHAPTER NINE
 CHAPTER TEN
 CHAPTER ELEVEN
 CHAPTER TWELVE
 EPILOGUE
 EXCERPT FROM FALLING AGAIN FOR THE BRAZILIAN DOC BY LUANA DAROSA
 
 
 CHAPTER ONE
 DEATH NEVER GOT EASIER.
 Lily picked up a handful of shingle from the beach, pocketing the frosted, sea-tumbled aquamarine glass and the pottery shards. There were several fragments of blue and white willow-pattern treasures for her to repurpose along with the glass. The Victorians’ rubbish and broken crockery, tossed into the sea, was now her treasure. When she had some free time she’d make it into some jewellery...something beautiful. Give it new life.
 She pulled her cardigan tighter around her body as the wind began to pick up, but she didn’t mind the cold. This was her happy place, where she could forget her worries and concentrate on spotting little gems and giving new life to those broken pieces. It wasn’t so easy in the real world.
 Losing a patient was always difficult. In her job as a cardiologist, death was not something she could always conquer and she did her best. But events such as tonight’s made her job harder than ever, and reminded her of her own mortality. She had chosen this career path to give people a second chance at life but sometimes, through no fault of her own, she didn’t even get to play her part.
 The ambulance had taken too long to get to their remote village, Glen Nesbitt, on Northern Ireland’s Antrim coast. There hadn’t been anywhere close by for the emergency medical helicopter to land, even if it had reached the place in time.
 In cardiac cases every second counted and, from her point of view, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of two had died unnecessarily. On this occasion the medical profession had failed her and her family with their poor response time. Lily knew she could have saved the woman if she’d got to her sooner and that would keep her awake tonight.
 Usually it was thoughts of her father and her sister—of how she hadn’t been able to save them. Of her mother, who had died of a broken heart years later, even without inheriting the condition which had stolen half of their little family. Not least the ticking time bomb in Lily’s chest which would eventually take her too.
 She had inherited the same faulty gene and now, with her confirmed diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy, premature death was something she