Harlequin Medical Romance December 2015, Box Set 1 of 2 Read Online Free

broken it off. Her sister might as well have poisoned the entire male species. Or at least made Jess feel like the consolation prize to anyone who might show some interest. Because when she was set side by side with her sister, Abbie was the one they’d chosen. Every. Single. Time.
    She and Abbie might look alike, but their personalities were at opposite ends of the spectrum. Jess was the socially awkward one, the one who had trouble forming and keeping deep friendships, while Abbie was vivacious and outgoing, able to charm anyone she came in contact with. And her sister always got what she wanted.
    And what she’d wanted was the very thing Jess had always dreamed of having. A place where she lived in no one else’s shadow...where she truly belonged. At one time she’d equated that with having her own home and family.
    When that possibility had been ripped away, she’d thrown herself into her job, doing all she could for her patients and their little ones. Maybe her parents were right. Maybe she was too dedicated. Looking at her tiny new niece had made her stomach churn with a longing she’d all but forgotten.
    This was Abbie’s fourth baby.
    Jess had none. And no prospects of a serious relationship or any children in the near future.
    She picked up her glass of wine, swirling the liquid to block the direction of her thoughts. Conversation. That was what she needed. Racking her brain, she tried to think of something that would break the growing silence. Something witty. Something that would make her feel a little less dull. Dean’s eyes were now on her, a slight furrow forming between his brows.
    Say something!
    â€œI’ve never been here before. Do you come here often?”
    Oh, no! Why had she asked that, of all things? A few seconds of silence followed the question before he spoke.
    â€œOften enough.”
    His jaw tightened a fraction.
    This was definitely where he brought his women.
    His women?
    She crinkled her nose at that thought. Wow, she was really outdoing herself tonight. Worse, what if someone she knew was here? She sank a little lower in her seat, taking a sip of wine and swallowing it. “Really? It’s my very first time.”
    Dean, who’d been in the process of lifting his glass to his lips, stopped with it midway to its goal. The furrow between his brows deepened, then he gave his head a slight shake as if clearing it and took a drink. A good-sized one if the movement of his throat was any indication.
    Did he think she was flirting with him? She hoped not, because if he did, there was no telling what he might—
    â€œWhat are you thinking about?”
    Caught!
    â€œMy niece.”
    Those words brought her back to earth with a bump. Her niece’s situation was the only reason she was sitting here in this restaurant.
    Could the newborn sense the antagonism flowing between her and her sister, even in the SCBU? Abbie hadn’t spoken to her since the baby’s delivery, despite her mother’s attempts at playing peacemaker.
    Poor Mum. Some anniversary this had turned out to be.
    He set his wine down. “You said it was your fault. You know that’s not true.”
    â€œAbbie and I were in the middle of a row. She went into labor. If I’d just walked away...”
    Would the outcome have been any different? Abbie had been bound and determined to have her say.
    But surely Jess could have changed the direction of the conversation. Maybe. Her sister had always known exactly which buttons to push—which insecurities to choose—to get her going. Today had been no exception.
    â€œCoincidence.”
    â€œReally? Stress can induce labor—you know that as well as I do.” She paused a beat and then let the rest of it out. “She thought I was sending suggestive texts to her husband.”
    That got a reaction. Dean’s eyes narrowed just a touch. “Were you?”
    â€œNo!” She fiddled again with the corner