Misters of Love: A Small Town Romance Boxset

by Piper Sullivan

  “How do you know Derek is that kind of man?” Her tone hardened and filled with accusation, making me turn to stare at the screen. “You don’t even know him, do you?”

  “I’ve known him since—”

  “Yeah, yeah, you’ve all known each other for a hundred million years, but do you really know him? When was the last time you had an actual conversation with him?”

  I opened my mouth to answer, but Nina beat me to it.

  “Just as I thought. How about you stop judging him for who you think he is and get to know him? Explore those sparks.”

  “There were no sparks. And I’m not judging him. He hasn’t been in a serious relationship since he came back to Tulip. What other explanation is there?”

  “You haven’t, either,” she pointed out.

  “You suck right now.”

  “Look, Max, Derek works all the time, and he volunteers to work holidays first, so the doctors with families can have time off.”

  I snorted and rolled my eyes to cover up the flutter inside my belly. “Okay, so he’s a nice man whore.”

  “Mommy, what’s a man whore?”

  I sucked in a startled gasp at the sound of Callie’s voice, trying to calm myself before I turned to her. “You scared me. And stop eavesdropping.”

  “Sorry,” she grumbled, marching back to the living room. A second later, I heard, “Google, what’s a man whore?”

  “See what you’ve done, Nina? She’s now Googling ‘man whore.’”

  Nina burst out laughing so hard I thought she might burst my eardrum.“Thanks for that. But seriously, he’s a nice guy, and you owe it to yourself and your nearly dried up lady parts, to explore those sparks.”

  “My lady parts are not dried up,” I insisted, but that was a lie. It had been at least two years since I’d been with a man, and longer than that since I’d been satisfied by one. In or out of bed. “Okay, he’s a nice guy. Anything else?”

  “Nothing that you’re ready to hear yet,” she said, sounding so disappointed I could almost see her with her mouth twisted into a scowl and some serious side-eye going on. “When you’re ready to listen, we’ll talk again.”

  “Fine,” I said simply, because I was happy to drop the topic of Derek Cahill.

  “Excellent. I’ll stop by tomorrow with your new kitty.” Then, in true Nina fashion, ended the call before I could remind her that I hadn’t agreed to a kitty. But we both knew that kitten was ours.

  Callie had the battle scars to prove it.

  Derek

  “Derek, what are you doing here?”

  I groaned at the sound of Steven Locke’s voice. He wasn’t a bad guy—in fact, he was a pretty decent guy, and a good hospital administrator. He looked after the employees and the facility like he actually gave a crap, which earned him a certain amount of respect from me. But the man always had an agenda. Always.

  Still, I stopped reluctantly and turned to him. “Hey, Steven. I’m filling in for Dr. Glover. His wife and kids are all down with the flu.”

  “Better him than me.” Steven shivered. “But you’re exactly the doctor I was looking for.” The gleam in his eyes suddenly had my toes curling in my sneakers.

  “Really. I wonder why.”

  His deep laugh was filled with amusement, and I started walking again with him close behind. “My reputation precedes me, I see. Well, don’t worry, this won’t hurt at all. Not much, anyway.”

  “Steven..,” I practically growled, my patience ready to snap.

  “Right. Since you are our resident hometown hero, I was thinking you were the perfect person for this very specific job.”

  I could only imagine what the hell he had lined up for me, in the name of charity and good will and all that nonsense.

  “What job exactly, Steven?”

  “The Fall Ball for Hometown Heroes.”

  “Seriously?” He nodded, and I felt the one thing I worked like hell never to feel again. Helpless. “Why me?”

  “You’re a hometown hero, and you’re the perfect representative of the hospital, which makes you the perfect candidate.” There was more to it, there had to be, so I folded my arms and waited Steven out. “Okay, fine. Sabrina Worthington is donating a brand-new 3D x-ray machine and a birthing pool if we host it.”

  Sabrina Worthington. I should have known. The Worthington family was very close to my own. My parents were good friends with them—or had been, before they’d moved to Vermont a few years back.

  “This is happening then.”

  Sabrina always got her way—the one exception being her desire to pay to repair Tulip’s Tribute all on her own.

  “Yes, it is. And since you are a local, a doctor and a hometown hero, well, ... this is right up your alley.” His confident words didn’t match the worry in his eyes. The worry that I’d say no.

  “How is this right up my alley, Steven? I’m a doctor, not a party planner. Not a fundraiser.” And I had no desire to be, either.

  “Because if you ask the other heroes to show up, they will. And not just the calendar guys, all the heroes. Firefighters, police, paramedics, and whoever else applies. And if you could convince some of the guys not in the calendar to participate in a bachelor auction, that would be aces.” His attempt at cool, complete with finger guns, was completely unnecessary. “All the money raised will go to Tulip’s Tribute, so what’s the big deal?”

  We both stepped inside the open elevator and I pressed the button for the cafeteria. My shift ended in two hours, and I planned to down a burger and fries before the next emergency rolled in. If Steven wanted to talk, he’d have to follow. Or not.

  “The big deal,” I told him, grabbing a tray as we walked in, “is when am I supposed to do this? Between twelve hour shifts? Because you know we’re understaffed right? Or on the days off I so rarely get?”

  A serene smile lit up his face and I knew that no matter what came out of his mouth next, I was done for. “You have plenty of time off you haven’t used, don’t you? And it is getting close to the end of the year…” He wasn’t the subtlest of creatures.

  “I’m not using vacation time I’ve earned to plan a damn fundraiser just so Sabrina Worthington can get her way.”

  “Is that your only objection?” Suddenly, I gained a new respect for Steven. I could see exactly how this unassuming man, this father of infant twins who already had him wrapped around their fingers, was able to get our small country hospital state-of-the-art equipment.

  “Mostly, yes,” I told him with a nod, wishing like hell I could see what was coming next.

  “Excellent! Then we’ll talk again. Soon.” He laid down a twenty-dollar bill in front of the cashier before walking away.

  “I’ll take the usual. Use the rest to buy yourself a snack.”

  “Thank you, Doctor.”

  I gave her a nod and took the first seat I found, practically shoveling the burger and fries down my throat because emergency medicine was a lesson in constant interruptions. Just when you sat down to rest your feet, to close your eyes, or eat a meal, something inevitably came along to make that impossible.

  Even as I inhaled my late lunch, I wondered what Steven would come up with next.

  “Dr. Cahill to ambulance bay two. Incoming MVA.”

  I groaned and took one final bite, casting a last longing look at my half-eaten burger and fries before stuffing the unopened brownie in the pocket of my scrubs for later. I hated to see anyone hurt, as much as I loved to put them back together, but most days I was grateful for the steady stream of emergencies because it left me little time to think. To overthink.

  Tonight was no different. Instead of obsessing over Steven’s attempt to shanghai me into adding more tasks to my never-ending to-do list, I focused on setting broken bones, stitching up cuts, treating infections, and taking care of anything else that came through the ER doors.

  “That was a rush to end all rushes,” Antonia said with a heavy sigh as she dropped down into the cushioned chair behind the big round
desk. “Figured you can use this to wash down your brownie.” She set a cup of coffee in front of me and I groaned.

  “Marry me, Antonia.”

  She laughed. “As much as I’d love to have two handsome husbands, I’m pretty sure that’s still illegal in the state of Texas.”

  “Damn laws,” I grumbled, making her laugh.

  “Go on and wash that down before the next round of crazy starts up. I’ll call you if anything comes in.”

  “Thanks.” I made it exactly five steps when I heard the whoosh of the automatic doors. My shoulders sank and I turned, frowning at the sight of my friend Scott Henderson.

  “What the hell did you do?”

  He held up his arm, which was wrapped in a bloody towel. “Lost a fight with a stray dog who objected to getting his shots. Got a minute to fix me up?”

  “That’s kind of my job. Come on back.” I finished off the brownie by the time we made it to an empty exam room. “Have a seat.”

  “It was all Eddy’s fault. This, I mean.” He nodded towards his hand while I washed up. “If she hadn’t stopped by, trying to talk up that new waitress, Ginger, I wouldn’t have been so distracted. What the hell is she thinking, trying to hook me up with someone so young? She’s what, nineteen?”

  “Twenty-four, I think.” The answer came absently while I disinfected his hand and Antonia came in with a tray of equipment. “She’s not just a waitress, Scott, she’s also a journalist. You like her?”

  “I don’t even know her, man. That’s my point. But Eddy doesn’t care, none of them do. You’d better be careful,” he warned me seriously. “A handsome doctor is a hot commodity, or so I’m told.”

  “You think I’m handsome?”

  He glared at me, hard, but he didn’t even flinch when I stuck the needle in his flesh.

  “I think you want to get punched in the dick.” His words had a little bite, but his eyes were relaxed. Harmless.

  Still, I laughed. “While I have a needle and disinfectant spray at my disposal? You’re not very smart for a so-called doctor,” I joked. But in all honesty, as a Vet, Scott was in more demand than I was with all the ranches in the area.

  Scott flipped me off, his green eyes sparkling with amusement. “How long until you’re done for the day? I’m hungry as hell.”

  I thought of my half-eaten burger and the empty house waiting for me when my shift ended.

  “I’m hungry, too—and since you think I’m pretty, you’re buying.”

  (Guess what Dear Reader? Dr. Scott has his own story! Check it out in Hero Boss)

  Max

  “To Callie, for being the smartest, geekiest, most amazing scientist in Texas.” I lifted my glass of cola high in the air and Callie lifted her lemonade with a wide smile. “Cheers.”

  “Cheers!” She gleefully smacked our red plastic cups together in celebration. “Thanks, Mommy.”

  We sat in a booth in the middle of Texican’s, a platter of salsa and fresh-from-the-fryer tortilla chips between us. “You’re welcome, sweetheart, and really, I am very proud of you. Not one member of Tulip’s Troops has ever earned all the science badges this early in the program. That’s a big accomplishment.”

  She nodded absently, gaze bouncing all around the restaurant while she nibbled on a chip.

  “Dr. Scott!” Before I could remind her that we didn’t yell in public, Callie was out of her seat and running to the other side of the restaurant, where two handsome doctors sat laughing. “Dr. Scott, hi! I got a new kitty, but I haven’t named her yet because I don’t know her well enough, but soon I will and when I do, Mommy said you’ll have to give her a check up.” She looked around conspiratorially, and leaned in close. “And so you can snip-snip-snip her parts,” she whispered and mimed the cutting motion. “Or his parts,” she amended with a frown. “How can you tell?”

  Derek snickered behind his menu, but I knew he wasn’t laughing at Callie, but at the uncomfortable look on Scott’s face. “Yeah, Dr. Scott, how can you tell?”

  I shook my head at their attempt to rile each other up, to screw with each other. Men were so ridiculous. Even if they were gorgeous and silly. “Callie, let’s let them get back to their meal.”

  But my little girl wasn’t so easily deterred. Her gaze landed on Derek and another squeal erupted. “Hi, Dr. Derek! How are you? Want to sign my cast?”

  “Sure! Yeah. How are you feeling?”

  “Good.” She smiled up at him before turning to me with an expectant smile, as if I could just produce a pen out of thin air. “This thing itches, though.” She held up her green cast to show him, just in case he’d forgotten about it.

  He laughed again, a deep rich sound that sounded well-used—a big difference from the serious kid I remembered from school. He pulled a pen from his chest pocket, scribbling something across her cast while he spoke. “They tend to get itchy after a while, but I can give your mom some cream that will help.”

  “That would be nice,” I said stiffly, still unable to relax around him. “Callie, we should really leave them to their dinner.”

  She took in the mountain of food between the guys. “Are those nachos? I love nachos!” One look at those big, pleading brown eyes and both men held out chips stacked with steak, cheese, and salsa to her. At the same time. “Thanks, Dr. Scott. Thank you, Dr. Derek.”

  “You’re very welcome, kiddo,” Derek said warmly.

  “Enjoy your dinner, docs!” With one last wave and a smile, Callie took off running back to our table. If I had half her energy, my days would be far more productive.

  “Thanks, guys, for indulging her,” I told them and turned away quickly, making my way back to the table before the floor opened up and swallowed me whole. I wished the floor had done exactly that when I caught sight of the two women now seated at our booth. “Evening, Betty. Helen.”

  Callie gave them both big hugs and an exuberant greeting, but not me—I knew exactly why they were here.

  Specifically, matchmaking. And the Hometown Heroes.

  “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

  Helen Landon leaned forward with a mischievous grin. “That’s exactly why we’re here, girl, to help you get a little pleasure.” She cast a glance at Callie, who was already lost in the solar system coloring book Betty Kemp had given her, then turned back to me, wiggling her brows just in case her innuendo had gone unnoticed. It had not.

  A quick look at Betty and I was gifted with a sympathetic smile that said this was happening, whether I wanted it to or not. “It’s time, honey.”

  It was pointless to tell them it wasn’t time, and wouldn’t ever be time, at least not until Callie was headed off to some Ivy League university—and even then, it was iffy. I had a terrible track record with men, ending with a disastrous marriage, and I wasn’t eager to continue that streak. “You’re both single, maybe you can focus on setting each other up.” A desperate, pathetic attempt, I knew, but I had to do something.

  “Yet, we’re both getting more action than you,” Betty declared with a certainty that I hated to admit was one hundred percent justified. It had been a long time since I’d seen any action, since I’d felt a hard, warm body pressed up against mine in the night. Some days I missed it, but then I remembered the unnecessary drama, the worrying, the lack of trust. The sleepless nights. And I remembered why it’s been so long.

  “I’m perfectly okay with that, ladies.”

  Betty shook her head. “We’re going to help you find a man to love, and a good daddy for this girl.” She, thankfully, whispered the last part. “And there’s no need to thank us.”

  “Thank you? Why would I thank you for something I’m explicitly asking you not to do?”

  “Denial,” Helen remarked, smacking her lips and shaking her head in disappointment. “Just know that we’re on the case, Max. Don’t you worry about a thing.”

  “I am worried, about whatever crazy scheme you two are concocting. I don’t have time for this, please. Go bother Scott and Derek. Aren’t you su
pposed to be matchmaking them, anyway, not me?”

  Betty shrugged as slid over, bumping me from the booth so she could stand. “Who says we’re not?” With those cryptic words, both women sauntered off—to go cause more trouble, no doubt.

  As long as they forgot about me, things would be fine.

  (Don’t forget to check out Dr. Scott’s story in Hero Boss, Dear Reader. Let’s just say stray dogs aren’t the only things he’s had to battle :P )

  Derek

  It’s no big deal. That’s the story I kept telling myself as I stood outside of Max’s Catering & Desserts, willing my feet to move. Screaming at my hand to reach out for the handle and pull it open. That was all I needed to do, and then the hard part would be over.

  “I hear it works better if you actually go inside.” The raspy voice of Eddy Henderson yanked me from my thoughts.

  I turned to find her standing next to me in a hot pink track suit and thick black-rimmed glasses that appeared to have no lenses. “Thanks, Eddy. What would I do without you?”

  “Good thing we’ll never have to find out, isn’t it? Go on and get inside, Max will get you fixed up right.” She winked, squeezed my bicep, and sauntered off with a swing in her step.

  Weird. But she had a point, and not the one about Maxine getting me fixed up. I was fine. I didn’t need to be fixed up by Maxine—or anyone else, for that matter. Keep telling yourself that, my conscience prodded. That was enough of that.

  I pulled the door open and stepped inside. Max’s place was not at all what I expected. It was bright and girly, definitely a place where you could by little sweet confections that were over-decorated.

  Four small bistro tables sat to the left of the door with a sign indicating they were reserved for tasting appointments only. A tall glass counter loomed ahead, filled with a variety of girly and not-so-girly pastries and other sweets. The door behind the counter swung open and I got a glimpse of Maxine’s shock of red hair first. “I’ll be with you in one second.” Her arms were stacked with trays of more desserts.