Love on the Night Shift Read online

  Love on the Night Shift

  Synopsis

  Between ruling the night shift in the ER at the Rivers and raising her teenage daughter, Blaise Richeilieu has all the drama she needs in her life. When a dashing young attending appears on the scene and relentlessly pursues her, Blaise has plenty of reasons to say no—or at least she tells herself she does, despite Grady’s nearly irresistible charm. Even if Blaise had the slightest desire to play Grady’s game, the past she’s kept hidden from everyone is a secret she intends to keep buried. What Blaise doesn’t know is the barriers she constructs make Grady even more determined to find a way through them.

  Acclaim for Radclyffe’s Fiction

  “Dangerous Waters is a bumpy ride through a devastating time with powerful events and resolute characters. Radclyffe gives us the strong, dedicated women we love to read in a story that keeps us turning pages until the end.”—Lambda Literary Review

  “Radclyffe’s Dangerous Waters has the feel of a tense television drama, as the narrative interchanges between hurricane trackers and first responders. Sawyer and Dara butt heads in the beginning as each moves for some level of control during the storm’s approach, and the interference of a lovely television reporter adds an engaging love triangle threat to the sexual tension brewing between them.”—RT Book Reviews

  “Love After Hours, the fourth in Radclyffe’s Rivers Community series, evokes the sense of a continuing drama as Gina and Carrie’s slow-burning romance intertwines with details of other Rivers residents. They become part of a greater picture where friends and family support each other in personal and recreational endeavors. Vivid settings and characters draw in the reader…”—RT Book Reviews

  Secret Hearts “delivers exactly what it says on the tin: poignant story, sweet romance, great characters, chemistry and hot sex scenes. Radclyffe knows how to pen a good lesbian romance.”—LezReviewBooks Blog

  Wild Shores “will hook you early. Radclyffe weaves a chance encounter into all-out steamy romance. These strong, dynamic women have great conversations, and fantastic chemistry.”—The Romantic Reader Blog

  In 2016 RWA/OCC Book Buyers Best award winner for suspense and mystery with romantic elements Price of Honor “Radclyffe is master of the action-thriller series…The old familiar characters are there, but enough new blood is introduced to give it a fresh feel and open new avenues for intrigue.”—Curve Magazine

  In Prescription for Love “Radclyffe populates her small town with colorful characters, among the most memorable being Flann’s little sister, Margie, and Abby’s 15-year-old trans son, Blake…This romantic drama has plenty of heart and soul.”—Publishers Weekly

  2013 RWA/New England Bean Pot award winner for contemporary romance Crossroads “will draw the reader in and make her heart ache, willing the two main characters to find love and a life together. It’s a story that lingers long after coming to ‘the end.’”—Lambda Literary

  In 2012 RWA / FTHRW Lories and RWA HODRW Aspen Gold award winner Firestorm “Radclyffe brings another hot lesbian romance for her readers.”—The Lesbrary

  Foreword Review Book of the Year finalist and IPPY silver medalist Trauma Alert “is hard to put down and it will sizzle in the reader’s hands. The characters are hot, the sex scenes explicit and explosive, and the book is moved along by an interesting plot with well drawn secondary characters. The real star of this show is the attraction between the two characters, both of whom resist and then fall head over heels.”—Lambda Literary Reviews

  Lambda Literary Award Finalist Best Lesbian Romance 2010 features “stories [that] are diverse in tone, style, and subject, making for more variety than in many, similar anthologies…well written, each containing a satisfying, surprising twist. Best Lesbian Romance series editor Radclyffe has assembled a respectable crop of 17 authors for this year’s offering.”—Curve Magazine

  2010 Prism award winner and ForeWord Review Book of the Year Award finalist Secrets in the Stone is “so powerfully [written] that the worlds of these three women shimmer between reality and dreams…A strong, must read novel that will linger in the minds of readers long after the last page is turned.”—Just About Write

  In Benjamin Franklin Award finalist Desire by Starlight “Radclyffe writes romance with such heart and her down-to-earth characters not only come to life but leap off the page until you feel like you know them. What Jenna and Gard feel for each other is not only a spark but an inferno and, as a reader, you will be washed away in this tumultuous romance until you can do nothing but succumb to it.”—Queer Magazine Online

  Lambda Literary Award winner Stolen Moments “is a collection of steamy stories about women who just couldn’t wait. It’s sex when desire overrides reason, and it’s incredibly hot!”—On Our Backs

  Lambda Literary Award winner Distant Shores, Silent Thunder “weaves an intricate tapestry about passion and commitment between lovers. The story explores the fragile nature of trust and the sanctuary provided by loving relationships.”—Sapphic Reader

  Lambda Literary Award Finalist Justice Served delivers a “crisply written, fast-paced story with twists and turns and keeps us guessing until the final explosive ending.”—Independent Gay Writer

  Lambda Literary Award finalist Turn Back Time “is filled with wonderful love scenes, which are both tender and hot.”—MegaScene

  Applause for L.L. Raand’s Midnight Hunters Series

  The Midnight Hunt

  RWA 2012 VCRW Laurel Wreath winner Blood Hunt

  Night Hunt

  The Lone Hunt

  “Raand has built a complex world inhabited by werewolves, vampires, and other paranormal beings…Raand has given her readers a complex plot filled with wonderful characters as well as insight into the hierarchy of Sylvan’s pack and vampire clans. There are many plot twists and turns, as well as erotic sex scenes in this riveting novel that keep the pages flying until its satisfying conclusion.”—Just About Write

  “Once again, I am amazed at the storytelling ability of L.L. Raand aka Radclyffe. In Blood Hunt, she mixes high levels of sheer eroticism that will leave you squirming in your seat with an impeccable multi-character storyline all streaming together to form one great read.”—Queer Magazine Online

  “The Midnight Hunt has a gripping story to tell, and while there are also some truly erotic sex scenes, the story always takes precedence. This is a great read which is not easily put down nor easily forgotten.”—Just About Write

  “Are you sick of the same old hetero vampire/werewolf story plastered in every bookstore and at every movie theater? Well, I’ve got the cure to your werewolf fever. The Midnight Hunt is first in, what I hope is, a long-running series of fantasy erotica for L.L. Raand (aka Radclyffe).”—Queer Magazine Online

  “Any reader familiar with Radclyffe’s writing will recognize the author’s style within The Midnight Hunt, yet at the same time it is most definitely a new direction. The author delivers an excellent story here, one that is engrossing from the very beginning. Raand has pieced together an intricate world, and provided just enough details for the reader to become enmeshed in the new world. The action moves quickly throughout the book and it’s hard to put down.”—Three Dollar Bill Reviews

  Love on the Night Shift

  Brought to you by

  eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.

  Love on the Night Shift

  © 2020 By Radclyffe. All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-669-8

  This
Electronic Original Is Published By

  Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 249

  Valley Falls, NY 12185

  First Edition: May 2020

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Credits

  Editors: Ruth Sternglantz and Stacia Seaman

  Production Design: Stacia Seaman

  Cover Design by Tammy Seidick

  eBook Design by Toni Whitaker

  By Radclyffe

  The Provincetown Tales

  Safe Harbor

  Beyond the Breakwater

  Distant Shores, Silent Thunder

  Storms of Change

  Winds of Fortune

  Returning Tides

  Sheltering Dunes

  PMC Hospital Romances

  Passion’s Bright Fury (prequel)

  Fated Love

  Night Call

  Crossroads

  Passionate Rivals

  River Community Romances

  Against Doctor’s Orders

  Prescription for Love

  Love on Call

  Love After Hours

  Love to the Rescue

  Love on the Night Shift

  Honor Series

  Above All, Honor

  Honor Bound

  Love & Honor

  Honor Guards

  Honor Reclaimed

  Honor Under Siege

  Word of Honor

  Oath of Honor (First Responders)

  Code of Honor

  Price of Honor

  Cost of Honor

  Justice Series

  A Matter of Trust (prequel)

  Shield of Justice

  In Pursuit of Justice

  Justice in the Shadows

  Justice Served

  Justice For All

  First Responders Novels

  Trauma Alert

  Firestorm

  Taking Fire

  Wild Shores

  Heart Stop

  Dangerous Waters

  Romances

  Innocent Hearts

  Promising Hearts

  Love’s Melody Lost

  Love’s Tender Warriors

  Tomorrow’s Promise

  Love’s Masquerade

  shadowland

  Turn Back Time

  When Dreams Tremble

  The Lonely Hearts Club

  Secrets in the Stone

  Desire by Starlight

  Homestead

  The Color of Love

  Secret Hearts

  Short Fiction

  Collected Stories by Radclyffe

  Erotic Interludes: Change of Pace

  Radical Encounters

  Stacia Seaman and Radclyffe, eds.

  Erotic Interludes Vol 2—5

  Romantic Interludes 1—2

  Breathless: Tales of Celebration

  Women of the Dark Streets

  Amor and More: Love Everafter

  Myth & Magic: Queer Fairy Tales

  Writing As L.L. Raand

  Midnight Hunters

  The Midnight Hunt

  Blood Hunt

  Night Hunt

  The Lone Hunt

  The Magic Hunt

  Shadow Hunt

  Acknowledgments

  Anyone who’s ever worked in a hospital recognizes the sense of community created in the face of life-and-death crises, human suffering and survival, loss and triumph. Rivalries, loyalties, and yes, romances are all part of the small-town atmosphere that emerges in this often-indescribable world inside a hospital. My intention in this series has always been to show the Rivers (hospital) as a community within a community. There’s not much difference between a rural hospital and a big-city tertiary care center when you’re the one alone in the middle of the night with a decision to make. Love on the Night Shift holds a special place for me in my medical romance series, as I always found night call one of the hardest parts of being on call. The camaraderie and support of one’s colleagues is often what gets you through the dark.

  I hope you all enjoy this little glimpse of the ER after hours.

  Many thanks go to: senior editor Sandy Lowe for too many things to name—professionally and personally; my longtime, hopefully not long-suffering, editor Ruth Sternglantz for making each book a better read; editor Stacia Seaman for consummate skill and hard work; and my good friends and first readers Paula and Eva for encouragement, insights, and suggestions that always improve the final story.

  And as always, thanks to Lee for the dream. Amo te.

  Radclyffe, 2020

  To Lee

  Chapter One

  Blaise juggled her shoulder bag, her navy blue windbreaker with Coach in yellow script on the chest, and a take-out cup of coffee—thank God the café stayed open until eleven p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights—while she worked the combination lock on her locker with her free hand. If she hurried, she might still have time for a sandwich and, okay, yes, a piece of pie, before shift change. Of course, she missed the second digit while trying to steady the stupid thing and turn it at the same time and had to put everything down on the bench behind her and start over again.

  Haste makes waste. Her mother’s voice chided her with one of the fifty million sayings she’d heard at least that many times growing up. Her mother had had one for just about every occasion, including the one she’d uttered the last time they’d spoken.

  You’ve made your bed, now you’ll have to lie in it.

  Thank you, Mom, for stating the obvious. Again.

  She hadn’t actually said that. By then even trying to have a conversation was pointless. She’d just grabbed her backpack and carried it across the village from the south side to the north side and into the big white hotel on the corner of Main and Union.

  And now was so not the time to replay old, old news. If she hadn’t just come from her own mother-daughter encounter—which she prayed to all that was holy she’d handled better than her mother had—she wouldn’t be resurrecting memories long gone and buried. She blew an errant strand of hair out of her eyes, told herself it would be a long night if she planned on being aggravated for the next ten hours, and swiftly dialed in the combination. She tossed the bag and jacket on the hook inside her locker, grabbed her stethoscope from the top shelf, and slid her phone into the back pocket of her scrubs.

  Time check: 10:40 p.m.

  Nope. Too late. She squelched the frustration, hunger pangs, and visions of pie. Maybe later if things were quiet. Ha. Like Friday nights were ever quiet.

  The door from the corridor thudded open, and Blaise glanced over her shoulder. She expected another member of the night shift, but Abby Remy dropped down on the bench next to her instead.

  “It’s never a good sign when you’re here at this hour,” Blaise said.

  “I hadn’t planned on being here either,” Abby said, running both hands through her blond hair and shaking out some of the crimps in the shoulder length waves, “but Davis called in at the last minute. Penny is in labor, and it’s their first, so he’s way too distracted to work until she’s closer to delivery.”

  “Good for them. First times ought to be extra-special,” Blaise said, even knowing that wasn’t always true. She leaned back against the wall of narrow gray lockers and sipped her coffee. “I’m surprised you didn’t get one of the day shift people to stay on. Hardly seems right for the chief to pick up the slack.”

  “You know, I spend so much time behind my desk these days that I don’t actually mind grabbing a few charts,” Abby said with a shrug.

  “Don’t let that get around or you’ll be filling in more often,” Blaise teased. Abby never appeared stressed, fatigued, or out of sorts. Even in the midst of an ER c
risis, Abby was the coolest doctor Blaise had ever worked with—well, at least one of the coolest. Abby’s wife Flann might give Abby a run for her money in that area, except Flann was a surgeon, and like all her breed, tended to be edgy and impatient with lesser mortals. Only her natural charm and stellar skills made Flann a favorite to everyone in the ER.

  “I’ll remember that.” Abby laughed. “You’re running a little behind, aren’t you? I thought you usually had an early dinner—or late lunch, I suppose it would be for you night owls—before you started.”

  “I do.” Blaise patted the protein bar she’d stuck in the top pocket of her scrub top on her way out of the kitchen earlier. “But tonight I’ll have to make do with this until I get a break. Taylor decided to negotiate her weekend activities right before I was ready to leave the house.”

  Abby grinned. “Smart tactic. She probably figured you’d be rushed and cave quickly.”

  “No doubt.” Blaise sighed. “I have regretted more than once teaching her the very word negotiate, which seemed innocent enough when we were discussing eating peas. Now it comes back to haunt me on a regular basis when it comes to teen activities after dark.”

  “Let me guess,” Abby said. “This would have to do with the party at the Homestead following the night game tomorrow.”

  “Is every kid in the school going to this thing?” Blaise said.