The Italian Surgeon's Christmas Miracle Read Online Free PDF

go along with her white lie.
    Please , she begged silently. Don’t hurt these children. At least give me time to prepare them. To reassure them and find a solution.
    Luke’s face was expressionless. He looked at Robert for what seemed like a long time and then turned slowly to meet Amy’s gaze again, and she’d never been so acutely aware of this man’s looks before.
    Oh, he was gorgeous. Everybody knew that. Very tall, very dark. His features as carefully sculpted as the way he carried himself. A bit over the top, really—like that designer coat, probably French, that he was wearing so casually unbuttoned to reveal a pinstriped suit. There was a distinct aura of perfection about Luke Harrington. The way he looked. The way he worked. The standards he expected from everyone around him. Perfection. Control.
    What on earth was she thinking, even hoping that he might back up something that was rather a lot less than the truth?
    No wonder there was no hint of a smile on his face when he opened his mouth to respond. Amy’s heart skipped a beat as it sank, waiting for the blow to fall.
    ‘That’s right,’ Luke said gravely. He began to walk over the flagstones. Slowly. As though he was sleepwalking. His gaze still touching Amy’s. ‘How is Summer today?’
    Tears of gratitude stung Amy’s eyes and she hurriedly blinked them away. As Luke reached the couch and bent down, his face loomed closer and Amy could see what had not been apparent at a distance. He knew exactly what he was doing by not contradicting her.
    He understood .
    And it was enough for hope to be born.
    Enough to make Amy’s heart sing and her lips to curve into a smile that said exactly how important this was. He understood, so surely he would not be able to go ahead and hurt this family.
     
    She was smiling at him.
    As though he’d just given her the greatest gift anyone could ever receive.
    It made her eyes sparkle and the warmth emanating from that smile seemed to enter every cell of Luke’s body.
    He felt…weird.
    Powerful and generous and…and like he’d done something wonderful.
    How ridiculous was that?
    All he’d done had been to keep the real nature of this visit private from a bunch of children who should not be involved in business between adults.
    It didn’t mean that he was about to change his mind. No matter how gorgeous that smile was. Luke dragged his gaze away from Amy’s face.
    ‘Hey, Summer. It’s been a while since I saw you.’
    Automatically, he took the tiny wrist between his fingers to feel her pulse and watched the small chest to assess how much effort was going into breathing. Post-surgery, patients like Summer Bell returned to the care of a cardiologist so unless Luke made an effort, it was hard to keep up with how well they were doing.
    And this little girl was not doing very well. Little Summer was the kind of case that could break your heart if you let it. Some months ago, Luke had done his best to make final corrections to the major congenital anomalies of her heart and the vessels that connected it to her lungs, but there was only so much that could be done. And in this case, it hadn’t been enough.
    If she stayed alive long enough, she would be a candidate for a heart transplant, but her condition was clearly deteriorating.
    ‘Have you got a pulse oximeter?’ Luke queried.
    ‘No.’
    ‘A stethoscope?’
    Again, Amy shook her head and Luke tried to push aside his frustration. This was a house, not a hospital ward, after all. Summer was probably fortunate to have a qualified nurse caring for her.
    Or she would be, if that qualified nurse wasn’t running some kind of orphanage. Luke looked over his shoulder. The two small boys behind him were scuffling over their sweeping duties. Giggling. They were indistinguishable and, Luke had to admit, very cute. Curly and dark and energetic. Rather like the woman they had called, what had it been— Zietta ? Aunty? He shifted his gaze to Amy who was watching him assess