The Mountain Doctor: A Steamy Medical Romance

by Vanessa Craig

  “Drakes?” Eric confirmed, naming our favorite sports bar in the middle of town. “I have a craving for wings, anyway. Maybe some of their potato skins, too.”

  “Yeah, sounds good. Let me shut things down.”

  Even though I didn’t want to tell Eric the details about Olivia, I needed to vent. Since he’d gotten serious with Nora, our time together was limited. I missed my brother. He was my best friend and had been for as long as I could remember. Besides our parents, he was really all I had.

  My two business partners were colleagues I considered friends, but we didn’t see each other that often. We talked most every day—noteworthy news in our specialty, consultations on patient conditions, occasional discussions about the future of our clinic, and the charity work we all felt so strongly about. Neither of them was an option to talk to about Olivia, though.

  The two of us left by the back door and went to our cars. “See you there,” Eric waved and I saw him pull out his phone to call Nora and check in.

  Thirty minutes later we in the bar. TVs were situated all around the room, each broadcasting a different sport. We sat down at a high top in front of an NHL game. The noise level was medium, just low enough for us to talk without having to yell.

  The waitress came by and we ordered craft beers and some food. “I’m starved. I hope they get it out soon.” I looked at Eric then over to the hockey game.

  “Me, too. Smelling the food at that table over there’s making it worse,” Eric laughed.

  “So Nora’s okay to not see you tonight for dinner? Don’t want to make her mad at me.”

  “She has a client meeting tonight anyway. You’re doing me a favor by not making me go home to eat leftovers all alone.”

  “Oh, well, then. Glad I could be of service.” I looked back up at the hockey game. I wanted to talk about Olivia but felt awkward bringing the subject up.

  “So, tell me about this deal.”

  I stared blankly at the game for a moment, then looked back at my brother, thankful he’d brought the subject up for me.

  “You know I went to the conference over the weekend?”

  “I do.”

  “The hostess I got into it with ended up being the marketing manager of the resort. Have you been to Rocky Ridge?”

  He nodded. “Nora and I went for a long weekend once. It’s a classy place. Come on, then. What’s her idea? By the way, what’s her name?”

  “Olivia Sanders,” I replied as Eric tilted his head.

  “The Olivia Sanders? I wondered what happened to her after the Olympic miss. She dropped out of sight.” Eric smiled at the waitress as she put a beer in front of each of us.

  My eyes widened. “The Olympics? What do you mean?”

  Eric was into all sports. If it had a competitive angle, he watched it. Hockey, baseball, and football were it for me, but he was a veritable encyclopedia on way more.

  “She was a skier for Team USA. The girl was great, but had a rough go at qualifying and just barely missed the Olympic team. I think she hurt her knee after that. It must be ten years ago now. Dad watched that stuff day and night, remember?” Eric asked as I smiled at the memory.

  “I do. I can’t believe she almost made the team.” It made sense as I thought about it. She was fit and gorgeous. I ran through some of my intimate knowledge of that—the way her strong thighs felt under my hands, the generous heft of her ass, the smooth line of her bicep as she reached up to link her arms around my neck—and hardened at the memory. I shut my mind down.

  “So, she’s running marketing at Rocky Ridge now?” Eric asked as I came back to the present moment. “Interesting change for her.”

  “Yeah, I suppose. So, I got into it with her at the conference. About the food. She showed up at the office today with an appointment. I had no idea who she was when I saw her name in my schedule. We didn’t really get to know each other that day.” I sipped my beer and waited as he ordered the potato skins, some wings, and an order of mozzarella sticks. “This your cheat day or something?”

  “We spend plenty of time in the gym. Some of us more than others,” Eric responded, rolling his eyes at me.

  “Anyway, she showed up and presented the idea of us partnering with the lodge. Of offering patients a kind of recovery package, where after a procedure they could go stay there and rest up and recuperate. It’s a bad idea. We have a strict confidentiality policy, which is vital to bringing in the elite crowd, and there’s no way they could maintain their privacy staying in a huge, busy resort,” I explained, shrugging. Thinking about the end of Olivia's presentation made my cock throb. I took a long drink of my beer and tried to cool off.

  “What else?” he asked as I tried to give him an innocent look. “I can see it in your face. This girl got under your skin.”

  “She’s a pain in the ass is what she is. No doubt about that.” I frowned as two baskets of food were placed in front of me.

  “Look, Adam. I know you’ve had to shut yourself down, but you don’t have to do it now. You aren’t a SEAL anymore. You’re allowed to live your life as you want. You’re allowed to have feelings and show them. You need to enjoy it and let someone in.” I looked at him with a pained expression. “There’s more to life than work, Adam.”

  “What are you suggesting, Eric?” I asked wearily as he reached out for a mozzarella stick.

  “The deal sounds like it has potential and so does Olivia. I remember seeing her interviews. She was a driven, motivated athlete, and it sounds like she still is.” I frowned as he took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. “She sounds perfect for you.”

  “I don’t need to add anything to my life. It’s great the way it is. I enjoy working, Eric, and if you hadn’t noticed I’m part of a very successful practice.”

  He smirked and shook his head. I didn’t want to think about how happy he looked when he was with Nora. I didn’t want to think about how fulfilled he seemed.

  “Okay, one part at a time, then. I think the deal has potential. Find out more about it. Then, let yourself get to know a woman for once. You deserve more than one-night-stands even if you don’t realize it.” Eric looked me in the eye but I couldn’t hold his gaze. I shook my head, looked down at my plate of fried carbohydrates, and chose a potato skin.

  By the time I drove home, I’d agreed to try to see Olivia again. Eric was right in that it might improve the clinic. I was also craving Olivia again and that wasn’t going to go away on its own.

  9

  Olivia

  I woke up on the couch in Selena’s living room under a thick blanket. We’d finished two bottles of Chianti between us the night before, and I’d agreed not to drive home. I also agreed to sleep in one of their guest rooms, but the couch was closer. And so comfortable.

  So much wine. I never drank like this. I never let myself get this way. But once I started telling Selena about Adam and the incredible sex we’d had, my body started to flush, and I started gulping the wine to cool down. Which actually only turned me on more.

  Selena didn’t seem concerned about how domineering and cocky Adam was. She blew me off completely when I explained all the details of his attitude problem. She was more concerned about finding a way we could bump into each other again.

  She’d suggested I set up another meeting. A follow up. To pitch my collaboration plan one more time.

  I scoffed at the idea. There was no way that I was going to show my face at his clinic again. Only a crazy person would go back for more of his attitude. Or an extremely horny person...

  I set aside the blanket and headed to the kitchen to make some coffee. I looked around the house as I pushed the button on the coffee maker, envious of what Selena had. She was happy and stable with a man who loved her. I heard laughter coming from the back of the house and smiled, shaking my head.

  It was doubtful I’d ever have the kind of marriage she had. I tried to picture myself with Adam and I couldn’t. He was so cold. Not my type at all. More importantly, he’d made it clear that he
didn’t want anything more to do with me after our roll in the sheets.

  I added some cream to my coffee and stirred it absently. I was going to take this weekend to sort my head out before jumping into work on Monday. I could find another way to expand our reach and impress my boss. I just needed to get Dr. Adam Hampton out of my mind.

  I left Selena’s after breakfast and went home to take a shower. I put on yoga pants and a sweatshirt and forced myself to relax. I was going to hit the gym early in the morning and get the week started right. My plan for getting back on track was coming together and I was optimistic about the results.

  Focus on my diet and fitness was a good diversion. Getting back to my routine was important since I’d binged on carbs at Selena’s. Lasagna and rich dark brownies with ice cream would pave my road to ruin if I didn’t straighten out right now.

  Losing my dream had hit me hard and I’d obviously not healed completely—at least not emotionally. The injury took away so much of my control. For a while, recovery and rehab ruled my life. Now I did my best to take back as much control as I could. My health was at the top of that list. I ate well most of the time and stuck to my workouts, though not at the breakneck pace I did when I was training. I was still in shape and skied every chance I got.

  I went to bed early that night after some yoga to relax, but I only tossed and turned. Still awake well past midnight, images of Adam’s face and hard body kept butting in every time I felt like I might be falling asleep.

  His hands on my skin had made me feel on fire, burning with passion and ready to explode. I still heard my ragged voice moan his name as he’d made love to me… well, while we had sex in his office bedroom. There wasn’t any love to it at all. It was all just physical attraction gone haywire.

  It had been so long since I had felt anywhere near that kind of passion for anything other than work. I kept staring at the ceiling, replying the magic of our bodies coming together, and resigned myself to the fact that I'd need a lot of coffee the following day.

  When I got to work on Monday things were busy. The ski season would be ending soon, and we had to start planning the next winter sports schedule. The spring would bring weddings and parties of all sorts. The summer would be full of outdoor events.

  My morning was focused on a team meeting to make sure our schedule for the year was on track and well-planned. That was my niche in my career. Details. Making sure that nothing was missed and that the marketing materials reflected the perfect rustic feeling for any season.

  I could be happy even in a world where my best friend was madly in love and I was a third wheel. I could stay content even knowing that amazing passion and spur-of-the-moment sex was right under my nose. I wouldn't reach out for that again. It wasn’t meant to be for me.

  Overachieving at work had replaced all that. It was a good feeling to be indispensable. Kudos from my boss and appreciation from my team made my work fulfilling enough for me to feel fulfilled. Sometimes I still got recognized at the hotel for my Team USA past—it was always a rush—but I was content in my life the way it was now.

  The week was long and action-packed. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, it was just business as usual. Some sort of surprise would have been nice—like maybe a phone call from Adam Hampton—but my to-do list was packed and I slogged my way through it.

  I was happy to call it a week on Friday evening, which wasn’t unusual when I hadn’t been sleeping well. I’d also worked my ass off this week. I was exhausted. I headed down to the bar for a quick drink to relax, something I didn’t do often.

  “Hey, Sylvie.” I took a seat at the corner of the bar and smiled as the bartender looked up.

  Sylvie Potter raised an eyebrow. “Hey, girl. Thought you’d be long gone by now.”

  “Yep. Just wanted to wrap a few things up so they wouldn’t hang over my head over the weekend.” I exhaled and started to relax a little.

  “What can I get you? Margaritas are on special tonight.”

  “Oh, no tequila for me. Just a Cosmo, please. One of those and I’ll be on my way.” I smiled and crossed my arms on the granite bar, still not quite loosened up.

  “Alright, then. I’ll get right on it.”

  As Sylvie walked away to mix my drink, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I started laughing when I hear a familiar voice.

  “Olivia!”

  “Jackson! I can’t believe you’re here!” I jumped into his arms as he wrapped his arms around me. Stepping back, I looked at him and shook my head.

  “I know. It’s been forever. How are you? Still hitting the slopes?”

  Jackson Miller was a former Team USA skier. He was a few years older than I was and was on the team when I’d joined; he'd remained on it after I went on injury leave and he’d won several Olympic medals over the years. He was a fierce competitor and I’d always admired that.

  “That’s the biggest perk of my job,” I assured him as I closed my eyes. We were great friends back during competition and he was one of the people who got me through the devastating injury. He let me cry in his arms many evenings and I had missed seeing him.

  I hadn't seen him in years, though, and I'd forgotten how insanely handsome he was. He was still in great shape and his sea-green eyes were fringed by thick lashes. I’d always envied his eyelashes, actually. As hot as he was, we’d never had any sort of physical connection to one another.

  He ordered a beer, and we moved to a booth to catch up. The bar was starting to fill up, but tucked away as we were, it seemed small and intimate. The music was a bit loud and I leaned closer to Jackson as he told me about his last few years.

  It felt good to relax and chat with him and not rush home to an empty house on a Friday night. He’d just retired from competition at thirty-seven and was having fun with the sport now. With all the sponsorships he’d acquired over the years, he was set financially.

  I pushed the hurt away when he described some places he’d visited for competitions. Traveling was one of my favorite parts of my life then. Since I’d started working, I hadn’t been anywhere further than Denver. I told myself I was living my dream with my cabin in the woods and my high-powered job running marketing for a ski resort, and that I didn't miss traveling and the glamour of my old life too much.

  Who was I kidding? Certainly not Jackson, who looked at me with pity in his eyes.

  He asked about my work and I told him everything I was responsible for. It sounded great on paper, and I held my head up to try to hide my disappointment that I wasn’t still competing.

  “Sounds like you’re perfect for your job. You’re creative, always were. You compete at everything you do,” he said warmly, taking a sip of his beer.

  “Well, I did love to compete. I won’t lie. However, I have to be careful to not let my obsession with perfection get the best of me,” I shrugged, knowing he understood. It wasn’t uncommon that a thirst for excellence drove athletes to achieve.

  Part of my personality was molded by competition—I’d learned to feel a range of emotions from being with other athletes for most of my life. But another part of me was influenced by growing up in my father's house and the fear he inspired in me. I hid that deep inside; only a few select people in my life knew about my past.

  “Hey, I’m getting hungry. Care to join me for a bite?” Jackson waved at the waiter before I even responded. “I’m having something, even if you don’t.”

  I laughed. “Damn, you always could eat! Sure, I’ll have something, too.”

  “What do you recommend?” He glanced over the menu as he waited.

  “Now that’s a difficult choice. The food here is amazing and there’s nothing that isn’t good. But, it is Friday night. I say we keep it simple. They have the best burgers in Colorado, so that’s what I’m having.” I never even opened my menu.

  “Another Cosmo?” The waiter smiled and waited for my response. He was new, but seemed to be fitting in well.

  “Not this time. I think I’ll have a pale ale. Whatever�
�s on tap this week.”

  He nodded and Jackson ordered the same thing. We gave him our burger orders and I started feeling more relaxed. Catching up with an old friend like Jackson had been just the medicine I needed.

  Jackson was heading out to see his family, and we both stood once the meal was over. He paid and pulled me into a tight hug for a few moments. “Hey, we should hit the slopes together soon. Maybe on my way back through next week.”

  I nodded. “That’d be great. I can get you a lift pass for free, you know.”

  He pointed his finger at me. “I’ll hold you to that. See you soon.”

  The thought of skiing with him again excited me. Hitting the slopes for fun with someone from my past would be good for me.

  I watched him leave and reached for my purse, feeling eyes on me. I’d felt an odd sensation for the last several minutes but assumed I was imagining it. Now that I was alone, I felt the heat that came along with the gaze. I slowly turned my head, and saw Adam watching me from the bar across the room.

  A flush spread quickly up from my chest to my neck. I sucked in a breath and hated how my body reacted to him. Without thinking, I took a step towards him.

  10

  Adam

  Fuck me. Olivia saw me and now she was heading my way. I’d been here for over an hour, seething inside as I watched the man she was with touch her. I took in the way they looked at each other, smiling as they laughed together. Olivia looked relaxed and happy as the date continued, making me wonder who this guy was. She hadn't seemed like the type of woman to sleep with one man while dating another.

  I didn’t have any data to base my opinion on, but I sensed she was loyal. She didn’t have the smooth veneer of a cheater.

  I had driven to the resort after work that evening, Eric’s words about seeing Olivia swirling through my head. And thinking about Olivia made me think about having her underneath me in bed, which fed my uncontrollable desire for her. And now, having seen her pressed together with some guy in a corner of the bar, I felt jealous.