Read Online The Army Doctor's New Year's Baby by Helen Scott Taylor - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Helen Scott Taylor
Tags: Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, Military, Anthologies, Inspirational, Collections & Anthologies, Holidays
Ads: Link
felt
happier and more settled than he had in a long time. With the company of the
right woman, he could grow to love this wild place.
A massive
bird with a wingspan of at least six feet angled down out of the heavy gray sky
to skim the water's surface, snatching up a fish in its talons. Daniel gasped, fumbling
for his phone to snap a picture. By the time he tapped in his password and
activated the camera, the bird was a dot in the sky.
Megan
stepped out of the cottage, shut the door, and put the baby carrier in the back
of the pickup.
"I saw
a big bird over the lake. It swooped down and caught a fish." Daniel heard
the childish wonder in his voice, but didn't care if he sounded uncool.
Megan walked
over and took his arm, staring out across the lake. "That'll be a
white-tailed sea eagle."
"This
isn't the sea."
Megan
laughed as if Daniel had cracked a joke. She leaned her head against his
shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. He was so
ignorant of her world and he wanted to learn.
"Tell
me about the bird."
"White-tailed
eagles have been extinct up here since about 1900. Hew's working on a program
to reintroduce them to Kindrogan."
"Wow."
Hew was such a quiet guy, Daniel had almost overlooked him.
"Shall
we get going? We can take a scenic drive through the village and over the
mountain towards Braemar. There's a nice pub there."
They climbed
in the pickup and Daniel drove through the village of Kinder Vale. Megan
pointed out the doctor's surgery where she worked, with the police station
right beside it. The small gathering of cottages was pretty in a natural way
that blended into the landscape.
Following
Megan's directions, Daniel took the narrow mountain pass, grateful that a
snowplow had been that way before them. Rocky valleys clothed in pines and
cloud-topped snowy mountains stretched away in every direction. A man could
lose himself up here and never be found again. Or maybe a man could find out
who he really was.
Daniel had
planned to sweet-talk Megan; instead he fell quiet, awed by the surroundings,
comfortable with the silence between them.
They stopped
in the village of Braemar at the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, took
Fergus out of his car seat, and wandered along the street looking in the shop
windows at the traditional Scottish goods until they reached the Thistle Pub.
Sitting in front of a roaring log fire, they ate thick vegetable soup and
crusty bread, followed by hot chocolate with Scottish shortbread.
Fergus sat
on the floor, chewing a crust of chocolate-dipped bread and picking bark off
the logs piled next to the fireplace, making a mess on the carpet. Daniel
watched the curious little boy with a warm glow of pleasure that had more to do
with the company than the fire. A few months ago, he would never have guessed
he'd enjoy a day out like this.
Fergus
tossed his crusts in the fire and a smell like burning toast filled the room.
"Oops,"
Megan said, glancing over her shoulder. "Perhaps we should leave before we
get told off."
"Come
here, bud. I think we'd better clean you up." Daniel helped Fergus to his
feet, brushed the bits off his front, and tidied the mess on the floor.
"You're
very domesticated," Megan said.
Daniel
laughed. Most of the people he knew would not call him that. He normally left
the tidying up to someone else.
"It's
too snowy up here. Let's go back to Kinder Valley and walk beside the
loch," Megan said. "You might catch another glimpse of the
white-tailed eagle."
Daniel
parked on the outskirts of Kinder Vale. With much laughing and fumbling, they
managed to put Fergus in the baby carrier, then Megan helped Daniel fix it on
his back like a backpack.
They
wandered along a path beside the loch. Daniel held out his hand and Megan
slipped her fingers into his. He squeezed, something inside him clicking into
place with a sense of rightness he'd never felt before. It was as if he'd
suddenly discovered a new side of himself and it took a little
happier and more settled than he had in a long time. With the company of the
right woman, he could grow to love this wild place.
A massive
bird with a wingspan of at least six feet angled down out of the heavy gray sky
to skim the water's surface, snatching up a fish in its talons. Daniel gasped, fumbling
for his phone to snap a picture. By the time he tapped in his password and
activated the camera, the bird was a dot in the sky.
Megan
stepped out of the cottage, shut the door, and put the baby carrier in the back
of the pickup.
"I saw
a big bird over the lake. It swooped down and caught a fish." Daniel heard
the childish wonder in his voice, but didn't care if he sounded uncool.
Megan walked
over and took his arm, staring out across the lake. "That'll be a
white-tailed sea eagle."
"This
isn't the sea."
Megan
laughed as if Daniel had cracked a joke. She leaned her head against his
shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. He was so
ignorant of her world and he wanted to learn.
"Tell
me about the bird."
"White-tailed
eagles have been extinct up here since about 1900. Hew's working on a program
to reintroduce them to Kindrogan."
"Wow."
Hew was such a quiet guy, Daniel had almost overlooked him.
"Shall
we get going? We can take a scenic drive through the village and over the
mountain towards Braemar. There's a nice pub there."
They climbed
in the pickup and Daniel drove through the village of Kinder Vale. Megan
pointed out the doctor's surgery where she worked, with the police station
right beside it. The small gathering of cottages was pretty in a natural way
that blended into the landscape.
Following
Megan's directions, Daniel took the narrow mountain pass, grateful that a
snowplow had been that way before them. Rocky valleys clothed in pines and
cloud-topped snowy mountains stretched away in every direction. A man could
lose himself up here and never be found again. Or maybe a man could find out
who he really was.
Daniel had
planned to sweet-talk Megan; instead he fell quiet, awed by the surroundings,
comfortable with the silence between them.
They stopped
in the village of Braemar at the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, took
Fergus out of his car seat, and wandered along the street looking in the shop
windows at the traditional Scottish goods until they reached the Thistle Pub.
Sitting in front of a roaring log fire, they ate thick vegetable soup and
crusty bread, followed by hot chocolate with Scottish shortbread.
Fergus sat
on the floor, chewing a crust of chocolate-dipped bread and picking bark off
the logs piled next to the fireplace, making a mess on the carpet. Daniel
watched the curious little boy with a warm glow of pleasure that had more to do
with the company than the fire. A few months ago, he would never have guessed
he'd enjoy a day out like this.
Fergus
tossed his crusts in the fire and a smell like burning toast filled the room.
"Oops,"
Megan said, glancing over her shoulder. "Perhaps we should leave before we
get told off."
"Come
here, bud. I think we'd better clean you up." Daniel helped Fergus to his
feet, brushed the bits off his front, and tidied the mess on the floor.
"You're
very domesticated," Megan said.
Daniel
laughed. Most of the people he knew would not call him that. He normally left
the tidying up to someone else.
"It's
too snowy up here. Let's go back to Kinder Valley and walk beside the
loch," Megan said. "You might catch another glimpse of the
white-tailed eagle."
Daniel
parked on the outskirts of Kinder Vale. With much laughing and fumbling, they
managed to put Fergus in the baby carrier, then Megan helped Daniel fix it on
his back like a backpack.
They
wandered along a path beside the loch. Daniel held out his hand and Megan
slipped her fingers into his. He squeezed, something inside him clicking into
place with a sense of rightness he'd never felt before. It was as if he'd
suddenly discovered a new side of himself and it took a little
Similar Books
