Excerpt of Gift of a Family by Sarah Morgan

"JUST look at that girl."

Josh Sullivan strolled casually along the beach with his brother, his eyes fixed intently on a female surfer, balanced on her board.

His brother shot him an impatient glance. "Look where you're going, will you? You're worse than the dog and, believe me, that's saying something." He whistled to his dog who bounded happily off into the distance, barking with excitement while Mac watched in exasperation. "I swear that dog needs a psychiatrist."

"What a babe." Josh ignored his brother, his eyes fixed on the girl who was standing steadily on her board as she swept down the waves with effortless ease, arms outstretched, her long hair streaming down her back. Even from the shore he could see her lush curves, clearly outlined by the black wetsuit. And he admired her style. She was good with the board. And she looked amazing.

"It should be against the law," he muttered, stumbling over an elaborate construction that had been left in the sand by an enthusiastic group of children.

This time his brother's remonstration was stronger. "Will you look where you're going? Some poor kid spent hours building that." Mac shook his head and then followed his brother's gaze with a concerned frown. "She shouldn't be surfing on that part of the beach, anyway. The currents are lethal. Hasn't she read any of the notices? She should be further over."

Josh glanced at his brother and wondered if he knew how much he'd changed since he'd married Louisa. "She's good. And the surf is fantastic."

For a moment he was tempted to sprint back to his house, pick up a board and catch a few waves himself, but then he remembered his plans. After a busy week at the hospital he'd promised his stomach a decent lunch and himself an entire afternoon working on the boat. He looked at the foaming surf and wished there were more hours in the day.

Mac squinted out to sea. "There are some pretty young kids out there. What the hell are they playing at?"

Josh yawned. "Having a good time, I should think. Loosen up, will you? You used to do dangerous things, too. Before your wife tamed you, you would have been out in those waves, flirting with death and danger."

As he himself did. He saw enough in the hospital to know that life was to be lived, every moment of every day.

Mac stopped dead. "My wife has not tamed me." A broad smile spread over Josh's face as he slapped his brother on the shoulder. "She's got you on a lead, bro'," he said, using a sympathetic tone guaranteed to drive his brother mad, "and it's a short one at that."

It was one of his favourite weekend occupations. Goading his more serious older brother. Seeing just how far he could push and needle before Mac exploded out of that air of mature responsibility.

Judging from the dangerous glint in his brother's eye, it wasn't going to take long today.

"A lead?" Mac virtually growled the words. "Louisa never stops me doing anything…"

Not long now.

Josh gave him a pitying look. "You just don't get it, do you? And that's the skill of women." He spread lean bronzed hands to emphasise his point. "They sneak around and tie you up in knots and before you know what's hit you, your life is over."

"In a minute you're going to know exactly what hit you and it's going to be me! And your life might well be over." Mac's dark eyes flashed a warning and the muscles in his shoulders bunched. "Are you suggesting Louisa stops me from doing things?"

"Not openly, oh, no, no, no." Josh waggled a finger but took a step backwards in readiness. "Women are so much cleverer than that. They make it look as though it was your decision. And it's such a gradual thing you don't even see it happening. One night you're joining your mates in the pub for a few beers and the next your feet walk straight past that same pub on your way home for an early dinner. And there's not a decent beer in sight." He looked sorrowful. "Just candles, fancy glass and fancy wine. What sort of a life is that?"

"A pretty good one," Mac said dryly, stepping to one side as a child sprinted past clutching a bucket and spade, "and do I really need to point out that you love fancy wine almost as much as you love women?"

"I also love sport and fast cars, and women just don't get either of those things," Josh muttered sadly, rubbing a hand over his rough jaw and noting that he'd forgotten to shave. "Take cars. When you're dating, women pretend they love them, although the truth is they're always grabbing at their hair and sneaking a look in the mirror when they think you're not looking just to check the wind hasn't messed them up in some way. Then you marry them and before you know it you're driving some bizarre vehicle that looks like a coach and comes with thousands of doors and child- friendly gadgets designed to bring a guy out in a rash."

"My car does not look like a coach." 'It will do soon." Josh threw him a look and gave a dramatic shudder. "Look at that enormous bump your wife is carrying around. That baby has got to go somewhere."

Mac frowned. "She's not enormous." 'I never said she was enormous," Josh said mildly. "I said that her bump is enormous. And so it should be. She's eight months pregnant."

"She's not enormous." There was a flicker of panic in Mac's eyes and Josh struggled to keep his expression straight. "You know —" he kept his tone casual ' — I read an interesting report in one of the medical journals last week about this mother who unexpectedly produced twins. Something to do with the lie of the babies — they'd missed one on the scan. Imagine the shock of that."

Mac opened his mouth, caught something in Josh's expression and the next thing he knew, Josh was lying on his back on the sand, with his brother glaring down at him.

"Next time you decide to irritate me, step out of the way first," he growled. "And if you say anything similar to Louisa and panic her, I won't be responsible for my actions."

Helpless with laughter, Josh wondered what it was about fatherhood that turned grown men into gibbering wrecks. Then he saw the anxiety in his brother's face and his laughter faded. He hadn't realised that his brother was quite so tense about the whole thing.

"It was just a joke! I wouldn't tease Lu, you know I wouldn't. I love her. Hell, I set the two of you up. What's the matter with you?"

"I don't know. Impending fatherhood, I suppose." Mac let out a breath and then reached out a hand and dragged his brother to his feet. "Believe me, no matter how many times you reassure patients, it's different when it's your own. I'm a wreck, I admit it." He raked a hand through his hair and gave a helpless shrug. "I worry about her and I worry about the baby. Try having a baby of your own and you'll find out what I mean."

"A baby? Me?" Josh brushed the sand from his shoulders, appalled by the mere suggestion. "Nappies, sleepless nights and goodbye two-seater sports car with the top down? No, thanks. Fatherhood is definitely not for me."

Mac shot him a curious look. "You seriously think you're immune, don't you? You think you can carry on dating every woman who takes your fancy and that you're never going to get emotionally involved?"

Josh gave an easy smile. "Hasn't happened yet," he said smugly. "Nor is it likely to. Relationships go in stages. The trick is to recognise each stage as it happens so that you don't get caught."

"Stages?" 'Yeah, first there's the spark. You see someone, they see you and there's that special chemistry, something that makes you want to take it further." He removed his shades and winked at his brother. "So you do —"

"Well, you do," Mac interjected dryly, "not everyone does."

"Can I help it if women find me irresistible? So you take it further and then you start seeing each other. Then there's the passion." He gave a slow smile. "And obviously that's the best bit."

Mac rolled his eyes but Josh ignored him. "Then at some point, usually somewhere between the first time she leaves her toothbrush at your place and the time she starts staring hopefully into prams, there's a slight shift in the relationship. Spotting that shift is the key to remaining a happy bachelor. Miss it and before you know it the highlight of your life is buying baby car seats to fit in your people carrier."

He gave an exaggerated shudder and Mac stared at him in exasperation. "You're thirty-two, Josh. Don't you ever want to settle down?"

Josh thought of his home, an abandoned lifeboat station that he'd converted himself, slogging away in what little spare time he had to lovingly convert it into a stunning home. He thought of his plasma-screen TV, his high- performance car and the boat he was restoring. He thought of the punishing hours he spent at the hospital in the accident and emergency department and the fact that he lived life to his own timetable. He didn't want to change a thing. "My life works well just as it is."

"And does that make you happy? Being on your own…" For a moment Mac's tone was serious. "Is that really what you want?"

Josh gave a wicked grin that was totally male. "I'm not often on my own. And when I am…" he replaced his shades in a smooth movement '…I'm resting."

Mac laughed and shook his head in exasperation. "So who's the lucky woman at the moment? I haven't seen anyone around."

"There's currently a vacancy," Josh said airily, "but I'm considering a few applicants. I always enjoy the interview process."

"When are you going to grow up?" 'When Cornwall runs out of decent-looking women." Josh glanced at a girl running towards the waves in a minuscule bikini. "Which judging from today isn't going to be any time soon."

Mac followed his gaze. "You are as shallow as the average rock pool, do you know that?"

"Me?" Josh planted a hand in the middle of his chest and looked affronted. "I'm just terribly misunderstood. I'm a dedicated doctor who needs an antidote to the stress of daily living. You, on the other hand, have turned so respectable since I sorted out your love life that I'm reluctant to be seen in your company in case you damage my reputation as a heartless playboy."

"You don't choose who you fall in love with," Mac said mildly, glancing round for the dog, "and one of these days it's going to happen to you. And I'm going to be there to rub your nose in it."

Josh turned his gaze back to the waves, wishing he were out there. The sea glistened and sparkled in the summer sunshine and the waves curled and foamed as they hit the beach.

The female surfer was up on her board again and he sucked in a breath as his eyes slid down the girl in masculine appreciation. "How the hell does she balance?"

"Same way you do," Mac said wearily, "by using her feet and her body."

"I haven't got that body." Josh shook his head in wonder. "She shouldn't be able to balance. According to the theory of relativity, she should be tipping forward."

"Theory of relativity?" 'Yeah." Josh flashed him a wicked grin. "The size of her backside relative to the size of her —" 'OK, I get the message." Mac whistled for the dog, shaking his head in blatant disapproval. "With you, it's all about appearance, isn't it? She's probably as thick as a plank."

Josh narrowed his eyes. "With a body like that, who cares?"

Mac rolled his eyes. "I can't understand why some thoroughly modern woman hasn't blacked your eye before now."

"Because I'm irresistible," Josh suggested, his eyes darkening as the girl jumped neatly off her board and tucked it under her arm, shaking her wet hair out of her eyes. "She's coming this way. Any moment now she's going to notice me. Watch and learn, bro'. I think that vacancy of mine is about to be filled."

He gave a wicked smile and Mac gave a grunt of disgust.