Grace’s Lover by Ashe Barker

Grace: Nursing is all I ever wanted to do. Comfort the injured and heal the sick, this was always my calling. So, when I had the opportunity to learn my craft from none other than the wonderful Miss Florence Nightingale herself, a glittering future opened up before me.
And now, I am in charge of my own hospital, a young woman forging a successful and honourable career. I could not be happier, prouder or more content. I have all I ever wanted. All I have worked for, hoped for, is within my reach.

Why, then, do I find myself drawn to a wealthy businessman who just happens to be the chairman of the hospital board? Jared Blackstock may be handsome as sin, but I am a respectable, professional woman. Such dalliances are not for me. Or so I thought, until that fateful evening when he taught me exactly who is really in charge at St Barbara’s Infirmary.

Jared: Some might describe me as a philanthropist, a social reformer, even. They would be wrong. I am a man of business, a man who likes to make money and intends to continue to do so. I know full well that my wealth relies upon the labour of others. So, I pay fair wages. I educate the children of those who work for me. I even feed them and provide decent homes for their families. My workers are happy, and I prosper. I am not a do-gooder. I am simply a man who knows how to get things done.

So, when the Nurse Manager of the hospital I am trying to establish fails to take proper care of my greatest asset – herself – I will step in. Miss Grace Miller will learn that I always protect those who matter to me, whether they appreciate my efforts or not. I know what the delectable but oh-so-proper Miss Miller needs, better than she knows herself. She may fight me if she wishes, she may even fight her own desires, but I intend to emerge the victor in this battle of wills.