The Family He Needs Read online

  “There just seem to be times when I find it impossible to keep my hands off you.”

  “Ditto,” she agreed, noticing the flash of desire in Zac’s eyes again. “Inner strength. We both need to find some.”

  He chuckled without humor. “It won’t be easy.”

  “It won’t. Nevertheless, we’re two professionals who work well together and should be able to deal with seeing each other socially—”

  “Without succumbing to the temptation to be in each other’s arms,” he finished.

  Their gazes locked, sending underlying messages of suppressed passion. Zac cleared his throat and looked away.

  “I’m sorry I kissed you, Julia. I do like you, but we can only be friends. Happy families aren’t for me. I won’t go through it again.”

  Julia frowned. “Again?” she whispered. What was he talking about?

  Dear Reader,

  Children are so precious. I know because I have two of my own and I’ve often used them as role models when I create younger characters.

  The Family He Needs will always be one of my favorite books, as Edward portrays the antics my son used to get up to when he was three!

  After visiting the golden beaches of Australia’s Gold Coast in Queensland and experiencing the perfect sunny weather, I just knew I had to set a book there.

  I hope you enjoy The Family He Needs.

  With warmest regards,

  Lucy

  The Family He Needs

  Lucy Clark

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ONE

  ‘WHY did I let you talk me into this, Jeffrey?’ Julia Bolton asked with disbelief. She looked from her position in the back seat of the Mercedes at the rear-view mirror where her gaze met Jeffrey’s.

  ‘The question you should be asking yourself is how you let me talk you into this,’ he clarified, and his wife, who was sitting beside him, chuckled.

  ‘He’s right, Julia. My Jeffrey always is,’ Mona said lovingly.

  ‘Ah, yes, the great Dr Jeffrey McArthur. He can do no wrong,’ Julia said with mock pride.

  ‘I did the right thing by hiring you, Julia. You’re just what the orthopaedic department needs to shake it up.’

  ‘I don’t want to shake anything up, Jeffrey. I simply want to settle into my new life here on the beautiful Gold Coast and do my job.’

  ‘Well, you’re going to shake…something up tonight. This guy is perfect for you.’

  Julia groaned as nervous knots continued to tie themselves in her stomach.

  ‘Relax,’ Jeffrey said. ‘I’ve known you for the past six years and I’ve seen what your taste in men is like.’

  ‘Oh, so just because you didn’t like my ex-husband, that means you’re going to take on the role of Cupid?’ Julia was amused. ‘At least tell me what his name is,’ she begged.

  ‘Now, if I did that, it wouldn’t be a real blind date,’ Jeffrey said as he turned into a car park. ‘We’re here. Spardo’s, the best restaurant on the Gold Coast. Now, Julia,’ he said as he turned to face her, ‘I want you to relax and have a good time. Don’t think about work or the unpacking you still have to do or even how your mother and Edward are doing. Tonight you are not a single mother who’s about to start a new job on Monday. Tonight, there is only Julia—a beautiful and single woman—to be concerned with—oh, and your date, of course.’

  ‘Of course.’ She took a deep breath before getting out of the car. After her disaster of a marriage, she’d been cautious of dating. ‘In for a penny…’ she quoted as they all walked up the front steps of the restaurant. Her nervousness grew and she fidgeted with a shoestring strap of her mid-thigh-length black dress. Simple and elegant. Her shoulder-length dark brown curls had been hastily arranged on the top of her head with a few tendrils swirling down around her neck. Diamond stud earrings were the only jewellery she wore and her bag was clutched tightly in her right hand.

  ‘Relax,’ Mona whispered to her. She looked divine, as always. Dressed in burgundy silk with her short copper hair styled by a professional, Mona McArthur was the perfect picture of an executive’s wife.

  ‘There he is,’ Jeffrey said, and Julia turned away from the direction in which he was waving.

  Her heart was pounding so fiercely against her ribs she was sure everyone in the room could hear it. Why had she agreed to come? What if the night was a disaster? What if it was a success and she actually liked the man? Her mouth went dry and she swallowed a few times.

  ‘Just breathe,’ she whispered to herself, and took a deep breath. She transferred her bag to her left hand so her right was free to shake her date’s hand in greeting. ‘You can do this,’ she said as she heard Jeffrey welcoming the man. With a smile pasted in place, she turned around to greet her date.

  When she saw who it was, she nearly fainted on the spot. Her brown eyes widened in disbelief and the smile slipped from her face, to be replaced by an open-mouthed stare. As Jeffrey continued to make the introductions, Julia’s heart turned over with delight.

  ‘Julia Bolton, meet Zachary Carmichael—ahh…but then you two already know each other,’ Jeffrey said with a laugh.

  Standing before her was the man of her dreams. Tall, dark and handsome. She forced her sluggish brain into action and held out her hand to him. ‘Zac!’ As she breathed his name the last twelve years seemed to slip away. She knew everything about this man—how he smiled, how he laughed, how he kissed.

  ‘Julia.’ His gaze radiated surprise as he placed his hand firmly in hers. The warmth of his touch sent a mass of tingles up her arm and she shivered with excitement. They both drank their fill of each other, their gazes locked with suppressed memories.

  He hadn’t changed one bit and he was still able to make her knees go weak with just one look. He took a step towards her and tugged her closer until they were only a hair’s breadth apart. Neither of them spoke. Part of Julia wanted him to crush her lips to his whilst the other part wanted to slap him across the face for the pain and hurt he’d caused in the past.

  She was astonished that she still had such volatile emotions as far as Zac was concerned, positive that she’d worked through these emotions a long time ago. Then again, this was the first time she’d seen him since that long-ago day when she’d walked out of his life for ever.

  She angled her head, bringing it closer to his lips before pulling back slightly. Should she kiss him? Her breathing had increased so rapidly that she was starting to become light-headed. Zac took the decision out of her hands as he pressed his lips firmly over hers.

  Her eyes fluttered closed as she absorbed the magnetism of the man. If she’d thought her heart had been beating fast before, it was absolutely nothing compared to now.

  A multitude of emotions raged war within her. Desire exploded throughout her body and soul as well as anger. She breathed in and the scent of his cologne assaulted her senses as his lips coaxed her mouth to open a fraction more. Every nerve ending within her body was on the alert, caught up in the sensual embrace. There was pleasure, pain and pent-up passion weaving its way around them, taking them back to a time long ago when they’d frequently been in each other’s arms.

  As abruptly as the kiss had begun, so it ended. Zac dropped her hand and took two steps back. Julia’s breathing was as ragged as his own as they stared at each other once more. ‘You look…good,’ he said with a nod. Jeffrey’s voice broke through the haze.

  ‘I take it you two know each other?’ he said.

&n
bsp; The reality of the situation hit Julia with full force. They were standing in the foyer of the restaurant! People were staring at them! What had she been thinking?

  She hadn’t, she reflected, as she raised a shaky hand to lightly touch her hair. Her eyes radiated embarrassment and she glanced quickly over at Mona, who was smiling brightly.

  ‘Jeffrey’s always right,’ she said softly as she looped her arm through Julia’s. ‘Excuse us, gentlemen,’ she said in a normal tone. ‘We’re just going to the ladies’ room to…powder our noses.’

  With that, Mona whisked Julia away from the prying eyes of the other guests.

  ‘So…tell me,’ Mona encouraged as she propelled Julia into the almost vacant ladies’ room. ‘That wasn’t a normal hello-nice-to-meet-you kiss.’

  ‘Ah…’ Julia cleared her throat. ‘We used to…um…date. We dated in med school.’

  ‘And you let him get away? Shame on you, darling,’ Mona said with a delighted laugh.

  Julia looked at her reflection in the mirror. She gasped when she saw the suppressed passion in her eyes, the flush of her cheeks and the parted lips that hadn’t tingled like this since…well, since the last time Zac Carmichael had kissed her.

  ‘So what happened? You can’t just leave me in suspense.’

  Julia shrugged. ‘He moved to Sydney and I still had two years of med school to complete. I was good friends with his sister and we all stayed in contact for a few years, but it just…I don’t know…dwindled, I guess.’ Julia couldn’t meet Mona’s eyes. Zac had hurt her, humiliated her, and now here he was, back in her life. Thank goodness it was just for tonight. Hopefully she’d never run into him again and if she did, she’d be polite yet indifferent.

  ‘Dwindled?’

  ‘Circumstantial. He was working in one place, I was in another. Then when I moved to Western Australia, we were on opposite sides of the country.’ She shook her head, trying to remove the regret from her tone. ‘Australia is a big country. We just…lost contact.’

  ‘I think there’s more to it than that, Julia. I know that blasé attitude of yours, darling, and it won’t wash. What really happened between the two of you?’

  Julia looked at her reflection in the mirror before her gaze met Mona’s. She took a deep breath and said with a rush, ‘We wanted different things. Zac declared that he never wanted to settle down, get married or have a family.’

  ‘You were both young and in medical school.’

  ‘Oh, I know that,’ Julia said with an emphatic nod, the hurt and anger evident in her tone. ‘But Zac said that although he quite liked children, he just preferred them to belong to someone else. I wasn’t ready to start a family back then, but if I was going to transfer to a hospital close to him in Sydney and make our relationship more permanent, I needed to know whether he’d eventually change his mind.’

  ‘And he wouldn’t,’ Mona said softly.

  ‘You’ve got that straight.’

  ‘He hurt you, didn’t he,’ Mona asked rhetorically. ‘You poor thing.’

  ‘We were so perfect together yet Zac couldn’t see it. I still doubt if he can. Just because his parents had a rocky marriage, he’s been afraid of commitment ever since. Nothing I said to him persuaded him to change his mind and in the end I got sick of trying.’ There was bitterness in Julia’s tone and she hung her head in regret. ‘You’d think after all of these years I’d be over him,’ she whispered, more to herself than to her friend.

  ‘So what now?’

  ‘Now?’ Julia forced herself to stand tall, throwing her shoulders back. ‘There’s nothing now. I’m going to go out there, have dinner and go home, hoping that I never have to see Zac Carmichael again.’

  Mona shook her head. ‘I told Jeffrey to tell you but he wanted it to be a surprise.’

  Julia’s senses were once again on alert. ‘What?’ she asked warily.

  Mona placed her hand on Julia’s arm. ‘Zac’s your new orthopaedic colleague.’

  ‘What?’ Julia shook her head in disbelief. ‘This isn’t happening to me. It just isn’t happening,’ she said slowly, her eyes wide with terror. She thought about things for a moment, wondering if she could plead a headache and leave. Then again, she’d just have to face Zac again at work on Monday and then every other day for the rest of this year!

  ‘What am I going to do?’ she asked Mona.

  ‘Perhaps Zac has changed? Perhaps he now wants to settle down and get married?’

  ‘I doubt that. Zac’s far too stubborn to change his mind. He would have to know that we’re going to be working together.’

  ‘Yes, I believe he does but he didn’t know you were going to be his date for this evening. When Jeffrey suggested you as a candidate for the job, Zac’s reaction was enthusiastic, to say the least. That’s when my darling husband came up with the idea of setting you two up.’

  ‘So he doesn’t know about Edward?’

  ‘Not that I know of. Jeffrey is of the opinion that you’ve lived your life as a single mother for the past three years and now things are going to change.’

  Julia forced a smile. ‘It doesn’t matter what I do, Mona, I’ll always be a single mother. I can go out to dinner once in a while and pretend, but the reality is I have a three-year-old son. Besides, I’m not really into trusting men all that much. After Ian’s constant deceptions—’

  ‘But Zac isn’t Ian,’ Mona interrupted. ‘You can’t compare every man with your ex-husband.’

  ‘True.’

  ‘Maybe, after time passes, you’ll be able to bring yourself to trust Zac again.’

  Julia sighed. ‘He was always honest and upfront. That was one of the qualities I admired about him. He didn’t beat about the bush and promise me love songs and roses when he knew it would probably never happen.’

  ‘From the few years that we’ve known him, I’ve always found him honest, too.’ Mona hesitated before saying, ‘You have to admit that the attraction is still there. That kiss was testimony to it.’

  Julia groaned and buried her face in her hands. ‘I can’t believe we just…kissed like that.’

  ‘The sparks are obviously still strong between the two of you, Julia. Maybe Zac has changed. Maybe it’s worth seeing if this might lead somewhere.’

  Julia lifted her head, shaking it instantly. ‘No. Too many hurts, too much water under the bridge.’ She opened her bag and took out her deep red lipstick, raising it to her lips. It was then that she realised her hand was shaking slightly.

  ‘Here.’ Mona took the lipstick from Julia and applied it to her friend’s lips. ‘You’re still affected by him, regardless of how much you’d like to deny it.’ She capped the lipstick and handed it back to Julia. ‘Perhaps now is the right time to take second chances. You’re both ten years older and ten years wiser. Besides, after everything you’ve been through with Ian, you owe it to yourself to find happiness.’

  ‘Ha! With a man who doesn’t want a family?’

  ‘Times change, people change,’ Mona returned.

  ‘You’re persistent and I think you’re overreacting, Mona.’ Julia’s tone softened as she looked at her friend. ‘I know you mean well and you just want me to be as happy with someone as you are with Jeffrey.’

  Mona nodded.

  ‘We’d better get back.’ Julia was glad to see her legs had lost their wobble and seemed prepared to support her again.

  ‘You’re right. Let’s get this blind date back on track.’ As they walked out, Mona’s arm linked once more with Julia’s, she whispered, ‘At least you have to hand it to Jeffrey. He knew you’d like Zac—and he was right!’

  Julia laughed. ‘As always.’ She spied Zac first, leaning against the bar, enjoying a pre-dinner drink with Jeffrey. He must have felt her gaze because he instantly turned his head in their direction, and even from across the room Julia could read the desire smouldering in his eyes. Oh, yes, the chemistry was definitely still there.

  ‘Ah, there you are,’ Jeffrey said as his wife let go of Julia�
�s arm and crossed to his side. ‘Our table is ready. Shall we?’ He offered Mona his arm and together they headed off, leaving Julia and Zac to follow suit.

  ‘That’s an amazing dress,’ Zac said as Julia slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. The nearness of his body, the warmth of his touch and the way he bent slightly in her direction to speak didn’t help her resolve to keep control of her emotions.

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Did you make it?’

  She smiled up at him surprised that he’d remembered she’d liked to sew. ‘No. Not this time. Things have been…sort of hectic…with the move and all.’

  ‘Of course.’ He nodded, then paused, before saying, ‘I’m still trying to figure out how Jeffrey managed to talk me into this blind date, but all I can say now is I’m glad he did.’

  ‘Really,’ she said as though she didn’t quite believe him. ‘At least you knew we were going to be working together for the rest of the year. Jeffrey withheld that piece of information from me.’

  ‘When did you find out?’ Zac asked as they arrived at their table. He held her chair while she sat, before sitting down next to her. As he shifted his chair, Julia noticed that he also moved it slightly closer.

  ‘About two minutes ago. Mona told me.’

  ‘I see,’ he said slowly. ‘I guess that explains why you’re so tense.’

  During dinner, Julia ensured that they stuck to ‘safe’ topics of conversation rather than trying to rehash old memories. She discovered that Mona and Jeffrey had known Zac for two years. Jeffrey had left Perth General Hospital, where both he and Julia had worked, to take up the position as hospital director here on the Gold Coast. Then when the orthopaedic job had become vacant, Jeffrey had insisted Julia apply for it.

  It had all happened very quickly and as she’d been hesitant about signing on with Perth General for another twelve months, she’d decided to take Jeffrey up on his offer. It had meant packing up and moving not only her son but her mother as well in just three short weeks. Nevertheless, it was all done now and on Monday she would start her new job. Alongside Zac. The thought made her uneasy. They’d never worked together as qualified surgeons before so it would be interesting to see who could be the most stubborn!