The Italian Doctor Read online

  “A woman in love should look touchable. Turn around and I’ll show you what I mean.”

  Before Maggie Carr could utter a word, he had spun her around to face the mirror. She watched in shocked silence as Luke Fabrizzi eased his fingers through her hair to separate the strands.

  “That’s better.” His voice grated and the rawness it held simply added to the tension that had been building.

  “Better?” she repeated, her own voice sounding unnaturally husky.

  “Uh-huh.” His hands fell to her shoulders and she trembled when she felt their warmth on her skin. “Better, but not quite perfect…. Not yet…. ”

  He turned her around to face him and she knew he was going to kiss her. There was a moment, one tiny, fragile particle of time, when she almost resisted, and then his mouth found hers….

  Dear Reader,

  Take one fiery, independent woman. Add one devastatingly attractive and sexy Italian-American man. Then step back and watch what happens!

  When Maggie Carr appeared in one of my earlier books, I just knew that she had to have her own story! The problem was finding the right man for her.

  Along came Luke Fabrizzi, the gorgeous Italian-American surgeon whom Maggie had met during a visit to her grandmother’s house in Milan. Sparks had flown when Maggie and Luke had first met so she isn’t at all happy when he turns up again at Dalverston General Hospital, where she works.

  Luke is going to be working there on the hospital exchange scheme. That means Maggie will have to put up with him for six whole months! Quite frankly, she isn’t looking forward to it, but she soon realizes that Luke isn’t at all as she had imagined him to be.

  When Maggie and Luke discover they are both victims of their families’ loving attempts at matchmaking, they decide to join forces. They can have six blissful months free from family interference. After all, neither of them is the marrying kind….

  Enjoy!

  Jennifer Taylor

  The Italian Doctor

  Jennifer Taylor

  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

  CHAPTER ONE

  ‘HE IS just so gorgeous! On a scale of one to ten he scores a definite eleven. It isn’t just his looks, though, is it? It’s the whole scrumptious package.’

  Staff Nurse Maggie Carr bit her lip—hard! It was the only way to stop herself saying something derogatory. She had deliberately not joined in the conversation for that very reason and could only hope that her colleagues would change the subject soon.

  Maggie sighed as she realised how unlikely that was. Ever since Luke Fabrizzi had set his well-shod, size-ten foot through the doors of Dalverston General Hospital the female members of staff had talked about little else. Frankly, she was sick and tired of hearing his name mentioned!

  Picking up a magazine, she noisily flicked through its pages, trying to blot out what the other two were saying. Maybe she was biased, but even if she and Luke Fabrizzi hadn’t had that confrontation at her grandmother’s house in Italy earlier in the year she swore that she would have felt the same about the handsome surgical registrar.

  She’d been dismayed when he’d arrived from Boston to work on the hospital’s exchange scheme. Frankly, she’d hoped never to see him again, only fate had intervened. Now they worked together on a daily basis and Maggie was finding it increasingly difficult to hide her feelings. Oh, he was an excellent doctor and she didn’t dispute that, but in her view Luke Fabrizzi was the most arrogant, the most egotistical, the most…

  ‘He’s just so honest. I think that’s his most attractive feature, although there are plenty to choose from, aren’t there?’ Angela Graham, the newest recruit to the surgical ward, sounded dreamy as she continued. ‘But to my mind the most important thing about a man is whether or not he tells you the truth. When Donna Parsons from Obs and Gynae started fishing for information about whether he had a girlfriend back in Boston, he was so open about why he didn’t have one.’

  Angela sighed wistfully. ‘It’s such a shame that Luke’s so committed to his career that he feels he hasn’t time for a long-term relationship, isn’t it? But at least he admits it and doesn’t try to string a woman along, like so many men do.’

  ‘Oh, I agree!’ Doreen Baker, the middle-aged part-timer, added her own heartfelt endorsement. ‘If there’s one thing you need from a man it’s honesty. You don’t want someone who spins you a line all the time.’

  There was only so much she could stand! Maggie tossed her magazine onto the table and stood up. She saw the other two look at her and shook her head in despair.

  ‘You two need your heads examined!’ she declared, her dark brown eyes flashing. ‘I can’t believe that you are so…so naïve that you’ve been taken in like this!’

  Doreen grinned, not at all perturbed by the outburst. She and Maggie had worked together for some time and she was used to the younger woman’s sometimes fiery temperament. ‘Do I take it that you aren’t a member of Luke Fabrizzi’s flourishing fan club? Funny. I would have thought he’d be right up your street, Maggie. You two must have a lot in common with your family backgrounds.’

  ‘I have nothing whatsoever in common with that man!’

  Maggie strode to the sink and emptied the dregs of her coffee down the drain. Renovations to the hospital’s canteen had begun the previous week so they were taking their morning break in the ward kitchen. Temporary canteen facilities had been set up in the basement, but it was such a trek from the surgical ward that they went there only at lunchtime. The work was being carried out on the floor above them and she raised her voice as the whine from some kind of high-powered machinery filtered down through the ceiling.

  ‘Maybe his parents and my mother are Italian but that’s as far as it goes. I don’t want you putting me in the same category as Luke Fabrizzi, thank you very much!’

  ‘Maggie,’ Doreen said warningly, but Maggie didn’t hear her. The noise from above was getting louder so she raised her voice even more to make sure that the other two heard her.

  ‘As for that so-called honesty of his, well, it’s simply proof of his arrogance. The wretched man seems to believe that every woman he meets is trying to lure him to the altar!’ She gave an unladylike snort as she swung round. ‘The reason Luke Fabrizzi isn’t looking for a long-term relationship is because he knows that he’ll never find anyone he could love as much as himsel…’

  She didn’t finish the sentence. Maybe it was the expression on her friend’s face which warned her something was wrong or maybe it was the frisson that raced down her spine which stopped the words on her lips. However, she knew before she glanced towards the door who she would see.

  Luke Fabrizzi treated her to a dazzling smile as he leant indolently against the doorjamb. ‘Don’t let me put you off, Staff. Finish what you were saying.’ He raised an elegant black brow as he looked at the other two women. ‘We’re dying to hear the rest of your words of wisdom, aren’t we, ladies?’

  Maggie felt another tremor run through her. This one was compounded from a smidgen of embarrassment and a large dollop of annoyance. She’d had no idea that Luke had come into the room while she’d been speaking, but that wasn’t her fault. He should have said something to let her know that he was there. Anyone with an ounce of good manners would have done that!

  It was another black mark against him and she used it to salve her conscience. She treated him to a smile that would have stopped a charging e
lephant in its tracks. ‘Oh, I don’t think there’s any need for me to labour the point. I believe I’ve made my feelings clear, Dr Fabrizzi.’

  ‘Perfectly clear, Staff. I’m sure none of us are in any doubt how you feel.’

  There was a trace of amusement in his deep voice which brought a tide of angry colour to Maggie’s cheeks when she heard it. If he was at all upset by what he had overheard then it certainly didn’t show. Why should it, though? The wretched man’s ego was far too huge to be dented by anything she said!

  It was another strike against him in her opinion but she decided that it would be better not to remark on it, hard though that was. It was unprofessional enough to have been caught discussing him, without making matters worse by starting an argument.

  She pasted a polite smile to her mouth instead. ‘Did you want to speak to me about a patient, Dr Fabrizzi?’

  ‘I needed a word with you about Mrs Bradshaw, if you could spare me a moment,’ he replied equally formally. He moved aside as Angela and Doreen hurriedly made their exit. It was obvious that they were deeply embarrassed by what had happened, but Maggie refused to let it upset her. Every word she’d said had been true. She and Luke Fabrizzi both knew that.

  ‘Certainly. Is there a problem?’ she asked, leading the way to the office. Sister Clarke was away on holiday for the next three weeks and Maggie was in charge of the ward in her absence. It was a big responsibility but she was enjoying the challenge of ensuring that everything ran smoothly.

  Luke followed her into the room and closed the door. His face was set as he focused on the patient rather than their differences. ‘Unfortunately, yes. I’ve just seen her X-rays and I’m not at all happy with what they show. The damage to the head of the femur is far more extensive than we thought it was.’

  Maggie sighed. Alice Bradshaw had been admitted to the ward that morning after tripping over a loose flagstone in her garden. Fortunately a neighbour had heard her shouts and called an ambulance. She’d been taken to Casualty before being transferred to the ward prior to her operation. She must have been in a great deal of pain but she hadn’t complained once. Maggie had spent some time with her and was full of admiration for the old lady’s bravery.

  ‘Will you be able to repair it?’ she asked worriedly.

  ‘To an extent. However, the bone is so fragile that the joint is never going to be as good as I would have liked it to be. Like so many elderly women, Mrs Bradshaw is suffering from osteoporosis, which simply increases the problems when you’re performing this type of surgery.’

  Luke’s handsome face drew into a frown as he thought about the difficulties involved. There was no doubting his commitment to his work, Maggie thought. He genuinely cared about the people he treated and the quality of life they would have after their surgery.

  She felt a small flicker of admiration and quickly snuffed it out. His professionalism had never been part of the equation. It was his attitude that irritated her, that belief he seemed to have that every woman he met found him irresistible!

  He suddenly looked up and she quickly averted her eyes in case her feelings showed. Luke Fabrizzi was undoubtedly the most handsome man she had ever met, with those classically perfect features, that lustrous black hair, that superbly proportioned six-foot frame. However, she wasn’t the least bit interested in him that way.

  ‘I thought I had better explain to Mrs Bradshaw what I’ve found before she goes to Theatre, but I wanted some idea of how she would take the news,’ Luke stated evenly. But there was a speculative light in his deep blue eyes when Maggie glanced at him that warned her his attention wasn’t solely on their patient now.

  Had he picked up on her thoughts somehow? she found herself wondering, then quickly dismissed the idea. She and Luke Fabrizzi weren’t even on the same wavelength and she would have considered it an insult if anyone had suggested that they were.

  ‘I’m sure that Alice will accept whatever you tell her.’ Maggie resolutely returned her thoughts to their patient. Her voice warmed as she recalled what she had learned about the old lady. ‘I was talking to her this morning and discovered that she brought up five children on her own after her husband died. She had to do two jobs to support them, so it can’t have been easy for her. However, it’s a good indication of her strength of character so I don’t think that she’ll take the news too badly.’

  ‘Well, that’s a relief. It’s always good to have an idea how a patient will react. She sounds like a really plucky old lady, from what you’ve said. Thanks. It’s been a great help.’

  Luke smiled and Maggie felt her heart perform the most peculiar manoeuvre, something that felt midway between a hiccup and a somersault…

  She chased away that fanciful idea before it had a chance to take root. Luke Fabrizzi had no effect on her whatsoever other than to irritate the socks off her. So if he’d been hoping to charm her then he was in for a big disappointment.

  ‘Oh, I try my best to be of assistance whenever I can, Dr Fabrizzi,’ she replied with saccharine sweetness. ‘Would you like a word with Mrs Bradshaw now?’

  She walked towards the door then stopped when Luke stepped into her path. ‘Tut-tut, Staff Nurse Carr, your animosity is showing again. I wonder why I seem to have this effect on you?’

  He frowned as he studied her thoughtfully. Maggie forced herself to meet his stare without flinching, although it wasn’t easy, she had to admit. There was something decidedly unsettling about that intent scrutiny. It made her want to do all sorts of odd things, like smile inanely or make sure that her hair was in place. Maybe that was the effect Luke always had on a woman, making her feel conscious of her own femininity.

  She swiftly shut off that thought as well, refusing to let herself go any further down that route. Her brown eyes glittered with impatience as she stared back at him.

  ‘I’ve no idea, Dr Fabrizzi. Perhaps it’s the fact that I have this deep-seated aversion to men who think they’re God’s gift to the female half of the population.’ She shrugged dismissively. ‘It seems a reasonable explanation to me, but what do you think?’

  ‘I suppose it’s possible, although I confess that I’m not convinced it’s the real answer.’

  He shook his head so that a black lock fell onto his forehead. It gave him the appearance of a fallen angel, Maggie thought, then sucked in her breath as she realised that she was doing it again. It worried her that she couldn’t seem to control her own thoughts. It had never happened before and she wasn’t sure why it was happening now. She didn’t like Luke Fabrizzi so why did she behave this way around him? She was so confused that it was a moment before she realised that he was still speaking.

  ‘It’s more personal than that. Isn’t there a saying about hell, fury and scorned women? Maybe that’s a more accurate explanation.’

  He treated her to a last mocking smile before he opened the door. It took Maggie a full sixty seconds to recover from her shock and by that time he had left the office. She felt her temper soar to new heights as she recalled what he had said.

  Did he really believe that she was still smarting from what he’d said to her in Milan that summer? Did he honestly think that she’d been party to her grandmother’s plans?

  The answers came back loud and clear. Yes! And yes again!

  Maggie groaned in sudden dismay. Why, oh, why hadn’t she smelt a rat when she’d received that letter asking her to fly to Italy to visit her supposedly ailing grandmother? She’d spent most of her adult life foiling her family’s attempts to find her a husband so she should have realised it had been a ruse. It was just that the letter had been so convincing! She had caught the first available flight and rushed to her grandmother’s house, only to find the old lady looking as fit as a flea rather than languishing on her sickbed.

  The rat should have been stinking to high heaven by that point but, no, she’d simply accepted that Nonna had made a miraculous recovery. She’d been so relieved it had never crossed her mind that she’d been set up until Luke Fabrizzi
had arrived the following evening…

  ‘Can you answer that, cara?’ Lucia Di Marco smiled guilelessly at her granddaughter as the doorbell rung. ‘I thought it would be nice if we had company for dinner tonight.’

  ‘Are you sure, Nonna?’ Maggie frowned as she looked at the old lady. ‘You’ve been very ill and I don’t want you tiring yourself.’

  ‘Nonsense! It will be good to have visitors.’ Lucia patted her hand. ‘You and Luke will have a lot to talk about, cara. He is a doctor at this big hospital in America. His grandmother and I have been friends for many years, and I have heard so much about him that I feel as though I already know him—’ She broke off when the bell pealed a second time. ‘Luke is waiting, Margherita.’

  Maggie bit back a sigh as she hurried from the room. She was starting to get an uneasy feeling about this new development. Call it paranoia but she had the nasty suspicion that their visitor might have been invited for some other reason apart from welcoming him to the country!

  She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she crossed the hall and paused when she caught sight of her exasperated expression. She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself while she took rapid stock of her reflection.

  In deference to her grandmother, she had changed out of the jeans she’d been wearing that day into a pale green cotton shift dress, and the colour was the perfect foil for her dark brown hair and olive-toned complexion. With it she was wearing a pair of strappy leather sandals and she couldn’t help smiling when she glanced down at her bare feet.

  It wasn’t often that she had time to pamper herself so it had been fun that night. She had passed a pleasant half-hour painting her toenails a delicate pistachio to tone with her dress. However, she couldn’t help wondering what their guest would think if he noticed.

  Recalling some of the earnest young men her family had paraded before her in the past, she would hazard a guess that he wouldn’t be the type to appreciate green nail varnish, she decided as she went to the door. Good! The last thing she needed was the hassle of having to fend off the advances of some pathetic creature who needed his grandmother to find him a date…