The Surgeon and the Princess Karin Baine (websites to read books for free .TXT) 📖

‘I’ll show you the room you’ll use and then I’m taking a shower. There’s an en suite bathroom attached to your room.’

She’d grown up in this house and still used her original bedroom, which had been enlarged when she’d been a teen. Her dad had died five years ago, which had been the catalyst for her mum starting to become lost in her own little world. Her parents had been so close they’d only functioned 100 per cent when they’d been together. It mightn’t have caused the dementia, but her mum had never been the same since the day they’d buried Mallory’s dad at the cemetery near Lake Wakatipu.

Mallory knew she’d been a surprise for her parents and, going by the loving atmosphere she’d grown up in, a very welcome one. They’d doted on her, even when she’d messed up big time and become pregnant, then depressed when she’d lost her baby due to an ectopic pregnancy. A stark memory flared of the physical and mental pain of losing her baby, while her boyfriend could only say with relief that they were too young to be parents anyway and that the surgical procedure had not only saved her life but their individual futures.

Her mum and dad had devoted all their time to her until she was back on her feet and then when she’d gone looking for a new career. The nursing course she had enrolled for had no longer been appealing, with thoughts of dealing with other people’s pain dragging her down. Her mum had been disappointed as she’d wanted her daughter to follow in her footsteps, but she’d rallied and backed Mallory all the way when she’d decided on flying helicopters and, despite a fear of flying, had been Mallory’s first passenger when she’d been allowed to take people up.

Now it was Mallory’s turn to give her mother everything she could, including staying here in Queenstown for the foreseeable future, and spending time with her whenever possible. She’d already turned down with few regrets the dream job of flying rescue choppers in Nelson. Family came first, no matter what.

She led Josue to her parents’ old room. ‘Anything you want, just shout out.’ She turned away. Bring on the shower. Nothing like a long, hot soak to ease the kinks in her back. The wind had been strong on the mountain, and along with the worry over Kayla, the thought of starting another avalanche with the downdraught from the rotors had been high on her mind, even though where she’d flown there had been little chance. Exhaustion always came after the adrenaline rush.

As the water pummelled the ache between her shoulder blades, relief at getting Kayla to safety finally pushed out the negatives, giving her that sense of satisfaction she got after a positive retrieval. Not that her friend would be pleased with where she was right now, but better that than at the bottom of the gulley with tons of snow on top.

As Mallory’s body warmed, her mind wandered to the man down the hallway. Josue Bisset. Funny how Josue sounded sexier than Joshua. Softer, as though filled with hidden anticipation. And he was sexy, now that she had time to see him not as a problem but a man who had come to her district to work and help those in trouble out in the wilderness. Tall men with broad shoulders tapering down to narrow hips did it for her every time. Throw in a dazzling smile and vibrant eyes and she was a sucker for trouble.

Unreal how quickly she’d gone from anger to this unexpected curiosity about him. It was as though he was pushing buttons hidden deep inside her, reminding her it was time to have some fun again and to nudge the restlessness aside for a while. But to do that with her intruder? She grinned. That might become his name for his time in Queenstown. The Intruder. A darned sexy, interesting intruder at that. She didn’t throw herself at men and yet she felt she wouldn’t be averse to spending time with Josue. Then again, maybe not. He wasn’t staying here forever, and she was.

Having witnessed her parents’ deep love for each other, it was inherent to want the same, and so far she hadn’t come close. At thirty-two she was starting to wonder if she’d be waiting till her forties, like her mother. Not till I’m fifty as dad was, please. Her family had been close, so special, she dreamed of attaining the same for herself. Sometimes she wondered if she was just hoping for too much. She wanted another chance to have a baby and yet was terrified of a repeat of last time. What if she had another ectopic pregnancy? And what if she couldn’t conceive at all?

Hogan had accused her of being ungrateful for what they had, saying she wanted her dreams of love to come true when life wasn’t like that. He might’ve been right, but she wasn’t giving up yet. She’d gradually fallen out of love with him and he hadn’t taken kindly to that, saying she was selfish. When she’d asked him to leave the flat she’d paid for, he’d left the next day while she was at work, transferring online her savings to his account on the way. So much for trusting him.

The water ran cool. Damn, she’d forgotten to tell Josue not to have a shower while this one was in use. Turning off the shower, she reached for a towel. The system didn’t work properly when more than one hot tap was on at a time. She really should get around to having the plumber come by, except it seemed like an expense she didn’t need when mostly she was the only one living here. Josue was here for one night. He wouldn’t be causing problems with the system much longer.

Josue. She stared into the mirror. What did he see when looking at her? Freckles, green eyes, and wavy hair tied back out