Could an unlikely bond…
…be the answer to their dreams?
Nurse Stevie hates feeling out of her depth. But with a new job and a son who's struggling to settle in, she needs help. She just didn't expect it to come in the shape of her boss and one adorable dog! On paper, Josh is everything Stevie should avoid. But beneath his charming exterior is a heart also in need of rescuing…
Good book that started with a bang, as Dr. Josh Stanmore and nurse Stevie Hawksbury teamed up to save a little girl from choking. This is the first time Josh worked with Stevie, who is new to the hospital, and she impressed him with her quickness and intelligence. She also made an impression on him personally, but her reaction to his invitation for coffee shot him down hard.
Stevie is a single mother who just moved to Gloucester from London with her eleven-year-old son. Mattie is having difficulty adjusting to the move, which adds some stress to Stevie's days. When Mattie gets caught up with some troublemakers and ends up in police custody, it terrifies Stevie. She knows he needs a good male influence and signs him up with the local Big Brothers chapter. The last thing she expects is to have her boss as Mattie's mentor.
Josh is a dedicated doctor who is devoted to his care of the hospital's children. Abandoned at birth, adopted, then rejected when his adoptive parents gave birth to a child of their own, he was raised by an uninterested but dutiful grandmother. Because of this past, Josh has no interest in a family of his own. When he hears about the Big Brother program, he thinks about what a difference it might have made to him as a child and signs up. He never expected to end up with Stevie's son as his partner.
I loved the first meeting between Josh and Mattie. It is awkward at first until they witness a small dog get hit by a car. They quickly bond over the need to care for the pup, and Mattie's attitude changes dramatically. Over the following weeks, their rapport continues to grow, and a solid friendship results. Because of his past, Josh knows how important it is to be someone Mattie can trust, and he promises never to let him down.
At the same time, Josh and Stevie build a friendship of their own. They connect first over Josh's relationship with Mattie, but it then branches out on its own. I loved seeing their friendship grow as they share the good and bad parts of their work. Their quiet lunches in the hospital's rooftop vegetable garden become a vital part of their lives. Neither one expects the attraction that simmers below the surface of their friendship. When that attraction finally comes to a boil, they try to limit it, but their connection is too strong. Stevie quickly realizes that her heart is in danger of falling hard for a man who wants nothing to do with a family of his own. I ached for her because she can't help hoping that he will change his mind.
Josh has spent many years protecting himself from hurt by refusing to let himself develop feelings for anyone. Just as he begins to accept Stevie and Mattie's effect on him, he is blindsided by the appearance of a twin brother he knew nothing about. I ached for both Josh and Lachlan as they adjusted to their new reality. I loved watching Josh realize that if he could allow himself feelings for his brother, maybe he could expand that to include Stevie and Mattie. But a crisis with Lachlan causes Josh to break a promise to Mattie, and the resulting fallout leaves Stevie and Josh brokenhearted. I ached for Josh and the weight of guilt that he feels over letting Mattie down and for Stevie, whose dreams of the future were crushed. But when Mattie disappears, Stevie and Josh must work together to find him. I loved the lightning bolt of discovery that hit Josh as he realized that he already loves them both. His confession to Stevie and Mattie was heartfelt and emotional as he looked toward a future full of love.
One of the things I enjoyed about this book was the glimpse into pediatric healthcare workers' daily lives. From the choking case to the diabetic pre-adolescent to the boy with nerve damage, the medical moments gave a feeling of realism to the story. I look forward to Lachlan's story and finding out more about the battle he faces.
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