The Surgeon's Special Delivery. Fiona Lowe

      He dragged in a resigned breath. ‘So you’ll go to Melbourne if I stay here? That’s blackmail.’

      ‘No, it’s not—it’s a choice.’ She folded her arms and even though she was sitting and he was standing, no way was she a powerless participant. ‘I refuse to leave my community without medical care. If you want Oscar born in Melbourne then this is the best solution.’

      Every cell in his body railed at the idea. ‘What about me being in Melbourne for the birth of my nephew?’

      ‘I have three weeks to go until my due date and we’ll have organised another doctor by then.’ A slow smile washed over her face as her eyes glowed with keen intelligence. ‘Of course, if you can’t hack the slow pace of an outback general practice, I can stay in town and keep working.’

      His gut rolled as personal need clashed violently with professional ethics. He didn’t want to stay in Narranbool, damn it, but he couldn’t leave the town without a doctor. He rubbed the back of his neck, his fingers hardly making a dent in the tight muscles. She had him well and truly over an ethical barrel.