A Bond Between Strangers. Scarlet Wilson
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The Most Precious Bundle of All
Tears, triumphs and a tiny miracle
An IVF mix-up turns two couple’s dreams
of parenthood into a nightmare.
But through the tests, tears and triumphs
they find unexpected love…and realise that
happy endings come in all shapes and sizes!
Fighting to keep the baby she’s always
wanted, Olivia turns to dashing doctor
David for love and support in
HER MOTHERHOOD WISH by Anne Fraser
Meet John and Lily. Discovering they’ve
made a baby turns these strangers’ worlds
upside down—but not nearly as much as
when they start falling in love!
A BOND BETWEEN STRANGERS by Scarlet Wilson
Both titles are available now
Dear Reader
I was absolutely delighted to be asked to write a linked duet with fellow author Anne Fraser. After much brainstorming and lots of e-mails this was the story we finally agreed on.
The story is about a wrongly implanted embryo, and is told from the point of view of the father. John Carter created embryos with an egg donor for use in his marriage. But his marriage is long since over and, due to legal issues, he expects to receive a letter from the clinic telling him that his embryos have been destroyed. Instead he receives a letter telling him that his embryo was mistakenly implanted into another woman some months before!
Lily Grayson became an egg donor after learning some family history and to help fund herself through college. Having a gorgeous man accost her at an airfield and ask for help to get his baby back is the last thing she expects!
The outcomes aren’t straightforward either—which gave us lots of leeway with this story. How do both couples get a happy-ever-after from a story like this?
You can let us know if you think we succeeded!
Feel free to contact me via my website: www.scarlet-wilson.com
Many thanks
Scarlet
Scarlet Wilson wrote her first story aged eight and has never stopped. Her family have fond memories of Shirley and the Magic Purse, with its army of mice, all with names beginning with the letter ‘m’. An avid reader, Scarlet started with every Enid Blyton book, moved on to the ‘Chalet School’ series, and many years later found Mills and Boon®.
She trained and worked as a nurse and health visitor, and now currently works in public health. For her, finding medical romances was a match made in heaven. She is delighted to find herself among the authors she has read for many years.
Scarlet lives on the West Coast of Scotland with her fiancé and their two sons.
A Bond
Between
Strangers
Scarlet Wilson
This book is dedicated to my two lovely sisters, Jennifer Dicksonand Valerie Glencross, reliable, beautiful and devoted totheir families. There’s no greater gift than the gift of sisters!
CONTENTS
Praise forScarlet Wilson:
‘Stirring, emotional and wonderfully absorbing,
IT STARTED WITH A PREGNANCY is an
impressive debut novel from a fabulous new voice
in category romance: Scarlet Wilson!’
PROLOGUE
JOHN CARTER’S feet thudded along the pavement in rapid, regular beats. The early morning sun was beating down on his back, trickles of sweat pooling around the waistband of his shorts. He rounded the corner of his street, slowing to a stop outside his house.
He leaned forward, taking slow, practised breaths as his heart continued thudding against his chest. He’d been running this same route along the San Francisco Bay area for the last two years, but it didn’t seem to get any easier.
He grabbed his water bottle from his waistband and took a slug. Right now he was wishing it contained anything but water. The flag on the mailbox was up. The mailman had been early today.
John took a few moments to stretch out his aching limbs. His hamstring twitched again. Damn. He’d agreed to play five-a-side soccer tonight with some English colleagues. The last thing he needed was a pulled hamstring.
He reached into the mailbox and pulled out the barrage of catalogues and envelopes. A frown creased his face and he walked up towards his porch. He sat on the decking outside as he sorted through the mail, glancing at his watch. In another fifteen minutes’ time he’d have had a quick shower and be at work, ready to spend most of the day in the operating theatre. There wasn’t even any point going into the kitchen. The fridge was virtually empty and so were his cupboards. He’d discovered as much when he’d got home late last night, starving after spending hours in the office. He didn’t even have any coffee left. No matter how much he tried to avoid it, he was really going to have to do a grocery shop some time soon.
He flicked past the usual array of catalogues containing clothes, make-up, candles, jewellery—or the latest ‘diet’ miracle—all addressed to his ex-wife, Tabitha Carter.
Without blinking an eye, he tossed them all into his nearby rubbish bin. It wasn’t as if she’d come looking for them. Wherever Tabitha had ended up, doubtless she’d re-sent for them all. Two years on, many tears and tantrums later, his divorce attorney still hadn’t tracked the woman down—though thankfully he had managed to acquire her signature.