The Army Doctor's New Year's Baby (10 page)

Megan gazed
out her bedroom window at the people gathered on the lawn by the loch, ready
for her wedding. The sun shone out of a cerulean sky, golden sunlight playing
across the rippling water. An aisle ran between neat rows of chairs trimmed
with Mackenzie tartan sashes to a heather-covered arch where the vicar stood.

Despite the
beautiful view along the valley framed by majestic mountain peaks, it was the
small group of people chatting with the vicar who captured her gaze. Daniel's
father and mother had surprised him by coming together, and she could tell he
was relieved.

Daniel stood
with them, tall and stylish in morning dress, his blond hair gleaming in the
sunshine. None of the other men could hold a candle to him. Everyone raved
about his brother Sean's looks, but Daniel was far more handsome.

"Will
you stop staring at your husband-to-be and come here so we can fit your veil?
You've got the rest of your life to ogle him," Megan's mother said.

"What a
wonderful thought." Megan dreamily dragged her gaze away from the window.

With her
mother stood Olivia and Alice Knight and Kelly Fabian, all dressed as matrons
of honor in long green satin dresses trimmed with Mackenzie plaid. Daniel's
little nieces, Zoe and Annabelle, both dressed in matching flower-girl dresses
with plaid bows in their golden hair, sat side by side on the end of the bed,
sorting through Megan's jewelry box and trying everything on.

It had taken
a wedding to tempt Megan's mother back from Barbados, but it was wonderful to
have her home. Slim, elegant, and tanned, her red hair twisted up on her head
in a simple chignon with a turquoise fascinator on the side of her head to
match her stunning dress, she stood beside Megan in front of the mirror. She
attached the veil, carefully rearranging the long ringlets of Megan's hair over
her shoulders.

Alice stood on her other side, grinning, while Olivia and Kelly looked on from behind
them, both a head taller than Alice, Megan, and her mother.

The
translucent veil sprinkled with pearls draped over Megan's bare shoulders, the
effect pleasing. The scalloped sweetheart neckline of her strapless wedding
dress showed off the diamond and pearl necklace Daniel had given her.

She smiled,
satisfied with how she looked. In the past, she'd lacked confidence in her
appearance. Since she met Daniel, she saw herself through his eyes, and her
confidence had blossomed. If he thought she was beautiful, she wasn't going to
argue.

Embroidery,
and pearls to match the veil, decorated the bodice of her gown. The skirt
flared out from an empire waistline over full gauze petticoats, the style
hiding her burgeoning waistline. The weeks had flown past. She was already
nearly six months pregnant, and she couldn't be happier.

Daniel had
bought a house at the far end of Loch Kinder on the outskirts of the village.
After three months of remodeling, the place was ready for them to move into
after the wedding. The only room left to decorate was the nursery. They wanted
to do that together now that the builders had finished.

Megan's
mother put her arm around her shoulders. "You look stunning, darling. I'm
so happy for you. Now we just have to find three nice girls for your
brothers." She cast a longing gaze at the other women. "It's a pity
you three are already married. You would be perfect for my boys."

A knock
sounded on the door. Olivia paced across the room and cracked it open.
"This is a testosterone-free zone," she said in a teasing voice, but
she stepped back and opened the door.

Lyall came
in, handsome in his dark jacket and red Stewart plaid kilt with a metal- and
fur-trimmed sporran hanging over the front.

"Lyall."
Megan grinned and rushed to him, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed his
cheek. After the rescue, he'd had a complete change of heart about Daniel. She
didn't know what had altered Lyall's opinion, but she welcomed the friendship
that was growing between her fiancé and her best friend.

"I
wanted to give you this." Lyall dug a traditional claddagh brooch out of
his pocket and laid it on his palm. "They say a bride should have
something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Well,
this is something old. It belonged to my grandmother."

"Oh,
Lyall. It's beautiful." The round motif with two hands holding a heart
topped by a crown was decorated with an intricately engraved Celtic design. It
was an ancient symbol of love, loyalty, and friendship—still very much part of
the Scottish tradition.

She took it
and turned it in her hand, watching the sunlight glitter off the polished
silver. She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek again, holding on tightly and
closing her eyes. He'd been there for her all her life. She loved him as much
as her brothers.

"I'll
treasure it," she whispered.

He nodded.
Clearing his throat, he took it back to pin it on the Mackenzie tartan bow
around her wrist. "I'll be watching to make sure that Sassenach takes good
care of you, lass, or he'll answer to me."

Megan
laughed. "He'll take care of me. You needn't worry about that."

Another
knock sounded on the door and Lyall backed away. "I'll leave you in
peace." He nodded to the group. "Ladies."

As he left,
her father came in, clad in army dress uniform with a Mackenzie plaid kilt.
"Are you ready, lass?"

"That I
am, sir."

"Then
we better not keep the rabble waiting." He poked out an elbow for her to
put her hand through. "Shall we?"

Megan rested
her hand on his forearm. With her mother and her friends following, she walked
beside her father down the wide staircase, past the paintings of generations of
Mackenzies who had no doubt trodden this same stairway on the way to their
weddings.

"Major
Fabian seems like a decent chap," her father said.

"I'm
glad you approve."

He nodded.
"George Knight likes the lad, so I take that as adequate
recommendation."

They paused
in the entrance hall while Olivia and her mother arranged the train on her
dress and Alice adjusted her veil. Kelly stood directly behind her with Zoe and
Annabelle. At the last moment, she handed the children their tartan-trimmed
flower baskets of heather.

Hew, Duncan, and Blair stood in the doorway waiting for her.

"Everyone's
ready," Duncan said.

"You're
a bonnie bride, Meggie Mackenzie." Blair winked. "It looks like
Fabian got his three thousand pounds' worth that he paid for you at the
auction."

"Blair!"
She slapped his arm and he grinned at her, unabashed.

Hew signaled
out the doorway and the bagpipes started playing. Unexpected nerves tangled
inside her.

Duncan smiled, steady and reassuring. "Enjoy your day," he said.

To the
poignant strains of "Highland Cathedral," she walked sedately down
the flagstone path, through the gate, and onto the neatly-trimmed grass.

Grinning,
Daniel stood with his brother, framed by the heather-trimmed arch, Loch Kinder
in the background. All her nerves evaporated as she met his gaze. Her spirit
soared up to the mountain peaks to think she would soon be married to this
wonderful man who had made her feel beautiful and wanted.

Her father
shook Daniel's hand, then stepped aside. She passed her bouquet to Alice, slid her fingers into Daniel's, and they turned to face the vicar.

The next
half hour passed as if in a dream, her focus completely on Daniel. She barely
noticed their friends and family as she repeated the words of the marriage
service.

"I now
pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the vicar said.

Daniel
embraced her and their lips met. For a moment, the world went away. She fell
into a blissful place where time stood still. She wasn't alone anymore; they
were two, soon to be three. It was the best feeling in the world.

Gasps pulled
her back to the moment. Like everyone else gathered there on the lawn that
sunny August day at Kindrogan Castle, she shaded her eyes and stared at the
white-tailed sea eagle and its two offspring as they skimmed the waters of the
loch and glided over the wedding party into the blue sky.

"Magical,"
Daniel said, craning his neck to follow the birds' path.

He was
right. Life was magical with Daniel, and always would be. He'd given her
everything she'd dreamed of and thought she would never have. He might be a Sassenach
from the wrong side of the border, but he was willing to make his home here in
the Highlands of Scotland with her. She couldn't wait for their baby to be born
so they could start their life together as a family.

As the final
hours of the year ticked away, there was no glamorous ball, sumptuous dinner,
or fireworks for Daniel and Megan. Duncan and Blair were in London for the
Royal Army Medical Corps New Year's Ball, but inside Eagle Cottage, on the
banks of Loch Kinder, the young Fabian family celebrated quietly, content with
their own company.

"Here
you are, sweetheart." Daniel placed a cup of tea on the nightstand for
Megan and climbed into bed beside her. She leaned back on a heap of pillows,
breastfeeding their seven-week-old daughter, Heather.

"Thanks.
Aren't you going to have a glass of champagne to see in the New Year?"
Megan asked.

"As you
can't drink at the moment, I thought you might prefer to share these." He
laid a heart-shaped box of champagne truffles on the bedspread.

"Oh, Daniel,
darling, you are the sweetest man." Megan leaned closer and kissed him.

Gently curving
a palm around their daughter's back, he then pressed his lips to his baby
girl's forehead. He wanted to hug and kiss his adorable little daughter all the
time. He was almost jealous that he couldn't feed her.

He hadn't
believed in love at first sight until he glimpsed Heather's squashed face and
tuft of red hair. The first time he held the tiny girl in his arms and stared
into her blue eyes, he was a goner.

He wanted
nothing more than to spend all his time with his wife and his sweet daughter.
Unfortunately he still had to work at the army institute, but not over
Christmas and the New Year.

Megan
finished feeding Heather. "There you are, my hungry little darling. Daddy's
waiting for his cuddle." She passed the baby across.

Daniel took
his daughter, cradled her downy head in his hand, and stared at her face, a
sense of wonder and love swelling in his chest. "Who's the prettiest baby
girl in the world?" He kissed the end of her nose and her cheeks, then
held her to his shoulder and rubbed her back to bring up her burps.

Megan
finished her cup of tea and put it back on the nightstand with a yawn.

"Are
you going to wait up to see the New Year in?" he asked.

"Feed
me some chocolates and I'll try to stay awake."

He chuckled
as she pulled the wrapper off the box, popped a sweet treat in her mouth, and
dimmed the lights.

With Heather
cradled in one arm and his darling wife snuggled beneath the other, Daniel
relaxed against his pillows, a satisfied sigh whispering between his lips. If
someone had told him a year ago that this New Year's Eve he would be married
with a baby daughter, he wouldn't have believed them. This was how life
should
be.

They had
installed large windows overlooking Loch Kinder. Their view extended down the
valley to the twinkling lights that marked Kindrogan Castle. The full moon
glowed in the night sky, casting a rippling trail of silver across the water.

To the
gentle music of his baby's breathing and the light display of a trillion stars
sparkling in the dark sky, Daniel watched the clock tick around to midnight.

"Happy
New Year, darling," he whispered to his drowsy wife as she stirred against
his chest. He kissed her hair, grateful for this wonderful life God had gifted
him. "Happy New Year, my precious little girl," he said to Heather.

He had been
looking for a new direction and he'd found it. Megan and Heather were his
future, the most important things in his life. He'd found the peace and
fulfillment he'd been searching for.

His New
Year's resolution was easy to choose this year, and it would never change—to
love his wife and baby and keep them safe for the rest of their lives.

His darling
wife and his New Year's baby were more precious to him than anything else in
the world. He planned to spend the rest of his life loving them, and if they
loved him half as much, he would be a happy man.

Thank you for reading The Army Doctor's New Year's
Baby

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The Army
Doctor's New Year's Baby
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Scott Taylor

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falls in love with Olivia and her sweet baby boy and longs to spend the rest of
his life caring for them. But Olivia and her baby belong to Radley's brother.

Praise for The Army Doctor's Baby

"This is a sweet romance with a wonderful happily ever after. Highly
recommend this read!" Luvbooks

*

"I loved this sweet, tender romance about a woman in need of a father
for her baby and the man who falls in love with her..." Ruth Glick

*

"Loved the twists at the end of the book. Just the right amount of
tension to keep me turning those pages! Totally recommend." Mary Leo

*

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