Series: Safe Harbor Medical (Book 16)

SINGLE DAD DILEMMA

After a disastrous relationship, Nurse Zady Moore just wants a family of her own and a guy with no baggage. With a young, vulnerable son, Dr. Nick Davis is exactly the kind of guy she should avoid. But his offer is too good -- free rent in exchange for occasional babysitting. And it comes at the right time, just as Zady's young goddaughter comes to stay with her. It's only for six months -- surely she can resist Nick's charms.

Nick likes Zady, and he enjoys the camaraderie of chasing after two little kids with her. But she works for his hated cousin, and with a battle brewing between departments at Safe Harbor Medical, can Nick trust that Zady's loyalties lie with him?

Good book. Nick has recently moved to Safe Harbor to make a better life for his son. He gained custody of Caleb when the boy's mother died, but until he can get settled the child is living with his grandparents. When their health problems necessitate a faster arrangement, Nick strikes a deal with Zady, to share his house and childcare duties.

Zady is wary of getting involved with Nick. She had recently left a long relationship with a man who'd had two children. Though she'd cared for the kids for years, they had treated her badly, then she caught him cheating on her. Though she badly wants a family of her own, she is determined to avoid men with that kind of baggage. But when Zady is asked to take care of her goddaughter for a few weeks, she decides that sharing space with Nick is a practical solution.

I liked Zady. She has a wonderful relationship with her goddaughter who is a pretty sweet child. She wants to be a good caregiver for Caleb, and I had to admire her patience with the kid. He could be a real brat. She is also an excellent nurse, and though she works for Nick's cousin and knows they don't get along, works hard to keep her personal and professional lives separate. Spending as much time as she does with Nick and Caleb, she begins to get attached and dream of a future with them.

I liked Nick, but he has some deeper issues that really created problems. First is his problem with his cousin. I could understand his resentment when he was younger, but really felt that he should be able to handle things better as an adult. Some of his actions seemed rather childish at times. Though Marshall wasn't exactly friendly, he seemed much more willing to leave the past behind. There was an interesting twist involving him at the end. Second, because of the way his father abandoned Nick and his mother when Nick was a child, he tends to require the people around him to demonstrate their loyalty to him. Because Zady works for his cousin, he is constantly on the watch for her to do something he considers against his interests. Finally, he has the problem of dealing with Caleb's grandparents. He feels guilty about leaving Caleb with them, and as a result tends to be excessively accommodating to their wishes. Once Caleb is with him and Zady moves in, he hopes that things will settle out, but there's more trouble to come with them.

The attraction between Zady and Nick is there from the beginning, though both try to resist it. Living together as if they were a family has both dreaming of what could be. When they give in to that attraction, those dreams grow stronger. But Zady's problems with Caleb cause her to doubt her ability as a mother. When problems at the hospital spill over onto their relationship, Nick's trust issues have him doubting her loyalty. Nick says some terrible things to her before he realizes his mistake. The ending was pretty sweet, with both Nick and Caleb making their cases to Zady.

I liked seeing past characters from the series in this book. It is always fun to catch up on what is going on in their lives. The hospital issue was interesting, as was the way various people were dealing with it. I'm looking forward to the next book and seeing what's going to happen with Marshall.

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