The Mountain Doctor: A Steamy Medical Romance

by Vanessa Craig

  The important part was that we all took part of our share of the profits and put that into the children’s charity work we did. Not having to worry about money is nice. Having the cash to buy most anything I want is nice. But helping children with little access to healthcare overcome disfigurements was the best thing ever.

  When I shared all this, I could tell that Olivia understood. I didn’t know why I’d told her as much as I had. The charity work wasn’t a secret by any means, but I kept my feelings about it locked away. I didn’t even tell Eric how I felt about those kids.

  I’d never been close to anyone apart from my small family and my SEAL team members and rarely had I ever shared my feelings about much of anything with them. It wasn’t personal. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust them. It’s just who I was and how restricted my comfort zone was. As far as women went, I’d never shared anything personal with any woman other than my mother or Lila. And what these two ladies knew was very little, though they thought they knew me inside and out.

  Seeing people like Eric being so happy in a relationship piqued my curiosity. The funny part was I’d never been that curious about the workings of a loving relationship until I’d met Olivia. I’d see her on Wednesday and get a chance to talk to her. Maybe there was something between us after all.

  On Wednesday, I put on my most expensive suit. It was a step up from what I normally wore since I was often in scrubs or sometimes business casual attire. I felt Eric and Lila looking at me as I walked into my office.

  “You look snazzy today,” Eric teased me as I sipped my coffee.

  “I usually wear a suit for consultations.” I looked at them with a scowl.

  “It looks a bit nicer than your other suits,” Lila agreed, and I turned to look at them. I wasn’t about to tell them that I was anxious about seeing Olivia today. I was nervous, but I smiled to hide it.

  “It’s what came out of the closet this morning. I’m not someone who really thinks about my appearance.” Eric knew that was a lie and laughed as I made my way around the desk. I turned on my computer and glanced at the patients I was seeing today. My schedule was light and I’d be finished with patients by ten thirty.

  As I got into my day, the morning dragged by. The time couldn’t go fast enough for me. But finally, I went back to my office after I’d finished my last appointment. I straightened my suit and sipped my water. I was going to see Olivia over lunch today. I felt my heart racing and reminded myself that we were just friends. No, we were business partners, not friends. Or we would have a business arrangement once we all agreed on the details. Friends hung out, and I couldn’t do that with Olivia.

  But I wanted to do everything with her. Everything.

  My thoughts were interrupted as Eric popped his head in close to eleven and told me that we were up. I stood and slipped my jacket on as he watched with a small smile.

  “Shut it,” I muttered as we headed to the smaller conference room together. He carried a tablet to take notes and search online if needed. I was just going to listen and work out the details of after care for the patients.

  I had no idea if this would work, but I was willing to go out on a limb since Olivia had come with a good idea. And developing a partnership with her was a bonus. Or was it the other way around?

  15

  Olivia

  I needed to look professional today. I was representing the resort, I wasn't dressing to attract Adam. I ended up choosing a black pencil skirt and a white silk blouse with a simple collar and long sleeves. It was to the point with no frills, but I was able to show a peek of lace by not buttoning it all the way up. I wanted to make him think without being seductive.

  I wrapped my neck with a warm cashmere plum scarf that matched my gloss and slid my feet into black pointed toe heels. My black trench followed, and I walked out of my office to drive to Adam’s clinic.

  “Go get ’em, tiger,” Brandy told me as she walked me to the door.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come?” I asked her as she grinned.

  “Nope. I have stuff to do here. The proposal is excellent. This is in the bag. You've got this.” Brandy gave my shoulder a squeeze and pushed me towards the door.

  I got to the car and started the engine, leaning my head against the steering wheel. I turned on my favorite Pandora station before backing out, singing along to the music. I arrived at the clinic with fifteen minutes to spare and got out to head to the front door. I heard my name and glanced to the left to see a woman at the back door, waving me over.

  “Miss Sanders. Good to see you. Come this way!”

  I smiled and headed her way, ducking inside the warm hallway as she looked me over.

  “I’m Lila. I’ve been an assistant to the boys since they opened this clinic.” She offered me her hand, and I took it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “It’s great to put the name with a face. Where is the meeting today?” I asked. Lila led the way down the hallway, turning left and then disappearing into a doorway. I followed, glancing around the room with impressed eyes. It was a beautiful space.

  “Nice room,” I complimented her as she opened the bag on the table and started putting the food on two platters.

  “It is. It’s a very nice place to work,” Lila said with a warm smile as she turned to look at me. “I have drinks over here.” She gestured to a side table where there was soda, tea, and bottled water.

  “This is generous for a quick meeting. Is someone else attending?” I asked as she turned her head towards the door.

  “No, it’s just the three of you,” she assured me as I raised an eyebrow. I heard voices and watched as two men walked through the door. One was obviously Eric—he was just a younger version of Adam. Behind him was Adam. Our eyes met, and I swallowed nervously.

  “You must be Olivia Sanders.” Eric walked across the room and offered me his hand. Nodding, I shook his hand, and he gave me a warm smile. “I was a big fan of yours. My parents watched every sport of the Olympics. I’m sorry about your injury.”

  “Thank you.” I could tell he was sincere and smiled back at him.

  “It sounds like it benefits us now that you’re with the resort. Let’s have a seat and look over the proposal.” Eric walked over and sat down near a platter as I glanced at Adam. He looked good in an expensive looking fitted suit and my eyes roved over him as he smiled confidently at me. I blushed and turned to walk to the table, choosing a seat across from Eric. Adam took the seat at the head of the table and I cursed my choice. The guys chose their sandwiches, and I thanked Eric as he passed the tray to me. They looked delicious, but my stomach was in knots being so close to Adam again. I regained my composure and took a turkey sandwich and placed it on my plate. I took a sip of water before sitting up straight.

  I pulled out my folder with the proposal and handed a copy each to Eric and Adam as Lila backed out of the room.

  “I’ll go through the proposal and you can follow along with your copy. But feel free to stop me if you have questions. Ready?”

  Both men nodded and turned the cover page on the proposal to get to the specifics. I went through the mission statement I’d come up with and they stayed up with me, though I could see Eric jumping ahead from time to time. I could see the wheels turning as he calculated the numbers. Adam alternated between reading the proposal along with me and looking at me—mostly looking at me, though and that made me really uncomfortable. His eyes were dark and receptive and that reminded me of the night that we spent together.

  But I didn’t want to think about that. Not now. Maybe not again. I swallowed my annoyance with my wandering thoughts and focused on giving the best presentation I could.

  Once we got to the end and all my cards were on the table, Eric nodded. “It’s a good idea. It’s different. You don’t mind if I have our attorney take a look over it, do you?”

  “Not at all. I’d appreciate any input he might have.” I smiled at Eric, thinking it was a good sign that we were going to another le
vel of the process.

  Adam looked at Eric, then at me. “If he has no big concerns, we can move forward with negotiations. I think we’ll be able to come to an agreement we can all be happy with.”

  “Great. That sounds good. Obviously, we’ll be open to negotiation. The proposal is always a starting point.” I took a deep breath, thankful to have gotten through this part without looking like a complete dumbass.

  We all stood now that the meeting was officially over. I smiled as Eric shook my hand again before leaving the conference room. I swallowed thickly and turned back to the table, collecting my things.

  “Well, thanks for hearing me out, Adam. I have to get back to the resort,” I told him as he watched me. He strode towards me and I backed up.

  “Wait, Olivia,” he said as I frowned.

  “You barely paid attention to a word I said in the meeting. You didn’t have any input until the end. If your brother hadn’t been here, nothing would be moving forward. This is business, Adam. Everything else is in the past.” I turned to go towards the door, vowing that I’d keep my distance from him in the future. It was too hard being this close to him.

  I walked out of the conference room towards the lobby. My brisk exit hadn’t been anything but self-preservation. I hurried to my car and breathed slowly as I slipped into the seat and locked my door.

  Being close to Adam made me want him. Suddenly, I wanted more from life, but I couldn’t let those feelings get in the way of my goals. But most importantly, I couldn’t risk being hurt. We’d sign the contract, and I’d go through Lila or Eric if I needed to communicate with the practice. It would be simple.

  16

  Adam

  I barely heard a word that Olivia said at the meeting. I was too busy undressing her in my mind, imagining tearing away the swatch of lace covering her cleavage. My attraction to her hadn’t faded at all. I wanted Olivia even more. I was puzzled since this never happened. In fact, this was the first time I’d ever felt this way.

  I made my way to my office. Eric was on the phone when I went past his door. I saw him glance at me, but I kept going to my own office. I was torn about this whole thing. I hoped we’d negotiate a deal while wishing I’d never see her again. I couldn’t be this close to her and not want more. I couldn’t resist her.

  Eric came into my office and sat down in the chair across from me.

  “That went great. She has an excellent idea, Adam. I’m going to meet with Jake later and he’s going to make sure everything is legit. This can make us both some money. Granted it won’t be a huge income stream, but it might add just enough of a personal touch that will bring in more business.” He looked at me, leaning back in my seat and worrying my tie. “What’s wrong?”

  “I never told you, but I hooked up with her. Olivia. I like her. Hell, I’ve never felt so good about anyone, but we decided to let it go.” We hadn’t officially done that but her actions in the conference room had told me where she stood and I wouldn’t chase her.

  “I knew that something was up with you,” he said as I looked at him with a scowl. “You said you like her?”

  “A lot. She’s under my skin, Eric. I can’t stop thinking about her.” I ran a hand through my hair.

  “I remember feeling that way about someone,” Eric said as I raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m marrying her in a few months.”

  “I’m not looking for that, Eric. Jesus. Slow down.” I held up my hands as he chuckled.

  “Not saying you are but you should do something about these feelings. Don’t miss out on something good. She’s a great girl. Olivia lost it all a few years ago, but she put her life back together. Why not be inspired by that?” Eric looked at me as I thought about what he said. “She can be the support that you need and give you shit when you need that. She won’t bend for you, but I suspect that she puts her whole heart into something when she’s all in. That athlete’s heart thing is for real.”

  “I gathered as much,” I agreed wearily as he glanced back at his office. “She’s different. Olivia doesn’t want my money or anything material I can give her.”

  “Hold that thought. Jake’s here. I’m going to run the proposal over to him. We should know today if it’s a plan or not. Think about what I said about Olivia and we can talk later.”

  I thanked Eric as he stood to jog back into his office. He was right. I had feelings for Olivia that I didn’t want to admit until now. I could try to talk to her when we started negotiations for the business arrangement. I wanted to tell her how I feel, but I felt I might have to negotiate what comes next with her, too.

  I met with Olivia over lunch to negotiate the final details. I’d chosen a public place, figuring that might help diffuse some of the tension. I also chose a place that wasn’t the Rocky Ridge to give us equal footing.

  She arrived wearing a gray wrap dress with heels and seemed nervous. We ordered iced tea and salads and I looked at her across the table. Her hair was in a formal low bun for the original meeting, while today it hung over her shoulders in loose waves.

  “Thank you for meeting with me,” I told her as she smiled weakly at me. I had a tablet with me that had the bullet points and we started going over them as we ate. She agreed to many of them and bristled when I suggested working together closely on this project.

  “I’m not sure that’s the best idea. I think a little distance might be good for this deal,” Olivia said. I frowned at her as she sipped her tea.

  “What do you mean?” I asked as she gave me a pleading look.

  “Adam… I can’t get involved. Not with you or anyone else. My job is all I have time for right now.” Her voice was weak, and I reached across the table to take her hand. “I can’t risk it.”

  “I am having the same thoughts, Olivia. I’ve been fighting them, but I don’t want to fight it any more. I want to sign this contract because I think it’s a good idea. But I also want to see where we can go. As a couple.” I watched as she looked up at me with warily. “Will you at least think about it? I’m going back with these negotiation agreements and we’ll draw up a contract from that. We can talk then.”

  She agreed. I was happy about this partnership. I’d have happy patients, and she’d bring in more business to the resort. We had some great ideas for expanding the spa and adding a few people to the staff to support clinic patients. I took everything back to the office and Eric passed it all to Jake so he could draw up an official contract.

  It took a few days, but finally the contract was ready to be signed. Eric stopped by my office after he got the copy and slipped the contract across my desk.

  “Everyone that needs a copy will get one when it’s signed. Do you want to ask her back here to make it official?”

  “Let’s do a coffee shop nearby. Casual but a great place to talk,” I suggested and scanned the contract. It looked perfect.

  “Okay. If you think that’s best. Set it up, and we’ll do this.” Eric urged me as he smiled at me. “Make sure you get everything out of this that you want, Adam.”

  17

  Olivia

  I drove into town to meet the brothers for coffee and to seal our deal. They presented me with the official contract and I read it, happy to see everything we’d agreed on had made it into the final contract. Relieved I didn’t have to argue, I relaxed. This was going to be perfect.

  I initialed all the fine points and eventually signed on the dotted line. Taking a long drink of my vanilla latte I watched Eric tucked the completed contract into a folder. His phone chimed, and I watched as he read it.

  “I have to go. Lila needs me back at the office,” Eric offered as Adam shot him a dark look. “Thanks for meeting us, Olivia. I’m looking forward to working together.”

  “Same here,” I told him as he shook my hand and stood to leave.

  “Want to go celebrate the new deal?” Adam asked me as I stared at him across the table. “I haven’t been to Angelo’s in ages and a big old ribeye sounds great. I’m starving, and we have a
reason to have a nice meal. Together.”

  My stomach growled at that moment and I blushed.

  “I guess that answers your question,” I replied weakly as he grinned. He looked gorgeous, and I licked my lips slowly.

  We stood to leave, and he placed his hand on my back to guide me through the open door. I walked next to him down the street and felt his eyes on me. While this was casual for a business meeting, I realized that part was over now. The streets were busy with people shopping and taking in the village sights and I smiled as I took it all in. I decided to relax and just enjoy the night.

  The restaurant smelled amazing. We got a table, and he ordered a nice Pinot Noir to toast our deal before we looked over the menu. I felt the heat rise between us as we made small talk and ordered.

  I tried to focus on the meal in front of me and not the ache that was spreading throughout my body. I wanted Adam to touch me. To cup my breasts, to drag his fingers down my spine, to caress the curve of my neck with his lips. I felt the need that was in both of us and picked up my wine, taking a bigger drink than was appropriate in a posh place.

  We enjoyed the food and finished the bottle of wine, then reluctantly ended the night. He paid the bill and teased me that it was his first tax write off for our deal. We walked out and I looked around as thoughts rushed through my brain.

  “I’ll walk you back up to your car,” Adam offered as I wet my lips again. I faced him and stared into his eyes. I placed my hands over his shoulders and stood up to press my lips to his.

  “Where do you live?” I asked him as he stared at me with a heated gaze.

  “Let’s go,” he said, taking my hand as we walked back towards the coffee shop. He kissed me against his car door before finally opening it so I could get in. He drove expertly to his house without saying a word on the short trip.