Читать книгу Mistletoe, Midwife...Miracle Baby - Anne Fraser, Anne Fraser - Страница 8

ON SATURDAY, Ellen got up early and, taking her coffee, wandered outside. It had snowed again overnight and the hills in the distance looked spectacular with their blankets of snow. Maybe later she would go for a walk down to the loch that was hidden in one of the hollows. Up until today she hadn’t really felt up to exercising—part of her was worried that she might trigger an attack of breathlessness despite the fact that she knew she could become ill any time. Whether she exercised or not had nothing to do with it. In fact, as her physician had explained, the better physical shape she was in the better chance she would have of surviving an attack. Her consultant was right. She had two options. She could continue to feel sorry for herself and hide away or she could pick up the pieces and live every moment of her life as she’d always done—to the full. And the first step would be getting back to work. She had agreed to start on Monday and knew she had made the right decision.

Since she’d come back some of the terrible weight had begun to slip from her shoulders. Whether it was being with her beloved grandmother again, or knowing that she had the mental strength to continue with a job she loved, she didn’t know.

Or maybe it had something to do with being around Sean, a small voice whispered. Maybe being around him makes you feel brave?

As if thinking about him had made him appear, Sean stepped out of his house, holding a mug of coffee. The realisation that they liked to do the same thing in the morning made Ellen smile. Sean was wearing faded jeans and a thick, black cashmere sweater that emphasised the breadth of his chest and arms. He looked as rugged and as elemental as the mountains behind him and Ellen’s stomach lurched. She still found him disturbingly sexy.

He placed his coffee on the bench outside his front door and stretched. Then he picked up the mountain bike that was propped up next to his door and hefted it over his shoulder.

Ellen walked over to him. The crunch of her boots on the hard snow made him look round. When he saw it was her he grinned broadly, his even white teeth contrasting with his weather-tanned skin, and Ellen could almost hear her heart pounding against her ribs.

‘An early riser too,’ he said.

Ellen glanced at her watch. Although it was just after seven, the sun had only recently lifted above the horizon.

‘Time is too precious to waste lying in bed,’ she said. Perhaps it was the tone of her voice more than her words but Sean looked at her sharply.

‘I mean.’ she added hastily. ‘Who wouldn’t want to make the most of a beautiful day like this?’