scrubs. But this woman?
This woman knocked his socks off.
He didn’t know anything about her, except that she was one of the midwives at the hospital. He’d taken a second and third glance at her every time he’d seen her in a hallway, and who wouldn’t? The woman was pure eye candy and obviously smart, too, but since his work didn’t involve delivering the babies he helped parents create, he’d never had the pleasure of her acquaintance.
Maybe tonight was the night to change that. To tell her he was glad that at least a few of the midwives he’d invited had decided to come. To find out over a glass of champagne what adoption stories of patients whose babies she’d delivered she was planning to share with some of the donors. To casually see if there was a wedding ring on her finger...
He went to the lectern standing in front of a retractable screen that had been set up opposite the band to give his presentation. Applause met his speech and the slides he showed of the other Christmas party the foundation hosted each year, where children wanting a home met parents considering adoption. Then more pictures of happy families newly bonded together.
The nods of approval and glowing smiles around the room made him smile, too. A good sign that quite a few folks would give even more than the price their tickets had provided to the charity named after his adoptive parents, The Tom and Caroline Cartwright Foundation. When he was finished speaking he worked the crowd, shaking hands and answering questions.
The music started up again, and as people moved to the dance floor he took advantage of the break to grab a cold sparkling water. He scanned the crowd, hoping to catch another look at the beautiful blonde midwife and maybe introduce himself.
“Nice party you’ve got going here, Aaron.”
He turned to see Sean Anderson standing next to him, holding a plate piled high with shrimp and crab cakes. The Aussie obstetrician had been at Cambridge Royal Maternity Unit for only a month or so, but Aaron had already seen the guy was both dedicated and talented.
“Thanks, but I can’t take credit for all of it. Or any of it, if you ask my office manager. She spent months pulling this together.”
“Deserving or not, take credit when you can. That’s my motto.” Sean grinned. “Even if you didn’t plan the menu or send the invitations, I know you’re the brains behind the whole idea, so kudos to you for that. Placing children with potential adoptive parents, especially older kids, is something anybody can get behind.”
“I hope so. I also hope you and the other OBs will talk to folks about some of your patients who’ve found good homes for their babies, and parents who adopted. Those kinds of personal connections help a lot.”
The man seemed to be looking past Aaron now, and when his response finally came, he sounded distracted. “Uh, yes. Will do.”
Aaron looked over his shoulder and saw Isabel Delamere, another talented Australian OB. It didn’t take much in the way of observation skills to see that her eyes met Sean’s for a long moment. Her usual warm and friendly smile faded, and she turned away.
What was that all about? Sean hadn’t been at CRMU long—surely he didn’t have something going on with beautiful Isabel already? Could there be a professional rift between them? “You and Isabel have some kind of problem?”
“Problem?” Sean’s attention came back to him slowly. “No, of course not.”
But then it was Aaron’s turn to be distracted as the knock-out blonde midwife left the dance floor, leaving her dance partner with a smile before she moved toward the bar next to them.
“Hope!” Sean called out, and she turned. “Great job today on those twins.”
She smiled and stepped closer to them. “Thank you, Dr. Anderson. They were both little peanuts, but I’m relieved they seem to be perfectly healthy.”
Hope. So that was her name. It was the first time he’d been so close to the woman, and he couldn’t help but stare. To notice that her eyes were a mesmerizing dark blue, her skin luminous, her lips full and rosy, and just looking at them made him decide right then and there that he wanted to kiss her.
“I don’t think we’ve ever actually met,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m Aaron Cartwright.”
Sean looked at him in surprise. “Sorry, I didn’t realize. But of course, you probably haven’t worked together. Aaron, this is Hope Sanders, a midwife at CRMU, and a darned good one. Hope, Dr. Aaron Cartwright. OB and fertility specialist.”
“We may not have met, but I know who you are, Dr. Cartwright. I’ve had more than one patient able to have the baby she’s longed for, thanks to you.” Her smile lit the room more than the glittering chandeliers as her slender hand shook his. “This is a wonderful party for a wonderful cause. Thanks so much for inviting us. I’ve already talked with a few donors about how your organization helps adoptive parents and children find one another.”
“I appreciate that. I’m glad you were able to make it. Have you—”
“You know, I’ll talk with you later, Aaron,” Sean said, clapping Aaron on the shoulder. “I see someone I need to speak with. Congrats again on the crowd you’ve got here tonight.”
He watched Sean move quickly across the room toward Isabel. He wondered again if they had something going, but whatever might be between them wasn’t any of his business, and he had more interesting things to think about.
Like the very beautiful Hope Sanders.
“I think Sean and I interrupted your trek to the bar. Can I get you something?” He let his gaze roam over her face, fascinated by the exquisite shape of it, her silky brows, a pert nose above the delicately chiseled bow of her lip that tempted a man to explore its shape with his tongue.
“Just water, please. I was thirsty after dancing. The band you have here is fabulous, though I have to admit I’m a little surprised. Doesn’t a party like this take a big chunk of the donations you’re getting?”
“Seems like it would, doesn’t it?” Interesting that she was tuned into that, when most people just enjoyed the extravaganza. “Some people donate generously simply because they understand the need. But I volunteered with a similar foundation in the States, and learned a lot that I’ve applied to this one. For better or worse, a great party with a high cost of admission has an exclusive aura to it. Foundations that spend big money on a fund-raising event like this reach people with the means to donate the most. They feel special, have a good time, and write checks.”
“That seems...wrong.”
“It’s just human nature, which I know you understand well, working with patients all day.” The little pucker over her eyes was cute as hell. “Think of it as a win-win. Everyone has a good time, and the foundation makes money to help families.”
“I guess so.” The pucker vanished as she smiled. “And I admit I’m having a very good time, so thank you again for inviting me.”
“Glad you came.” He tore his gaze from her appealing face, ratcheting back the libido that kept sending his thoughts places they shouldn’t go with a woman he barely knew. “How about water with a glass of champagne on the side? In celebration of the party going off without a hitch.”
“You do know
