“The men who work here bring me gifts when they enter my office.”
“I don’t work here.”
It was a good thing. She’d never get any work done.
“A boyfriend brings gifts to his girlfriend.”
“I’m . . . Mind if I close the door?”
Her nerves jumped, and she quickly squashed them. There would be no repeat performance of last night. Besides, the desk was between them, and she had no intention of getting out of her chair.
Like that would stop her.
Maybe he didn’t want to kiss her.
“Be my guest.”
He shut the door and took a seat in one of the chairs facing her. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
“I wanted to make sure we still have a bargain.”
Needles pricked her skin. Why?
“I don’t remember cancelling it.”
“I thought maybe you were mad at me,” he said cautiously. “Or maybe wanted out.”
“If you want to get rid of me, all you have to do is say so. You won’t need to go to someone else to make the same type of bargain, Doc.” She liked calling him that. It seemed to piss him off. And it grounded her.
“No, I stepped out of bounds. The kiss—”
Never let them see your fear.
“Strictly platonic,” she interrupted. “We are in a business arrangement. You were being professional, am I correct?”
Why did the tightening of his face bother her? He’d told her as much. She needed to keep talking and implement distance between them.
“I believe you used the term practice.” The word tasted sour on her tongue. She looked at his golden hair and tried not to remember the silky strands curled within her fingers, plenty long enough for her to twist her hands in. She liked the length, longer than one might expect of his profession. His neatly trimmed beard was so sexy and soft, and those magnificent lips and tongue he knew how to use so thoroughly.
She wanted him.
She wanted him to want her.
Many times she’d seen his desire, but he fought it, suppressed it. Maybe that was why they rubbed each other the wrong way. Last night he’d rubbed her the right way. Last night he’d kissed her the way she’d wanted since first seeing him. Kissed her with a passion she’d never felt with another man.
Desire swamped her—
“. . . too busy to take lunch?”
What? Doug was talking, and she had no clue what he’d said.
With no idea how to respond, she stood and pressed her skirt down the sides of her hips, giving her hands something to do other than reach for him.
“I’m very busy, Doug.” There. Didn’t that sound official? “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
“You do eat, don’t you?”
“What are you doing here?”
“Can’t a guy take his girl to lunch?”
“Look, Doc. The door is closed. You showing up here at all is a sign of boyfriend responsibility. There’s no need for you to take me to lunch.”
The anger was back. “You agreed to this farce.”
Farce. Exactly. Tears threatened. Damn it. If this wasn’t her office, and everyone out there wasn’t waiting for her door to open, she’d storm out and tell him to go to hell. When had their bargain become so complicated?
She closed her eyes and counted to three.
“Yes. I did agree. I will honor my word. You didn’t mess anything up last night.”
His shoulders lowered as he breathed out a sigh of what she suspected was relief. “Good, then. We’re set for the charity Friday night.”
Of course. He wanted to be sure she saved his ass.
His eyes locked with hers as he stood. His mouth opened, then closed. She wondered what he’d been about to say.
“Anything else?”
The smirk was back. She wondered if he used it as a safety mechanism. A security blanket. “No goodbye kiss?”
“Pretend you gave me one.”
“There’s too much pretending in this relationship,” he mumbled, low enough she barely heard him.
~ ~ ~
Doug closed Sandi’s office door, wishing it was as easy to close the door on his compulsion. He wanted to taste her ripe mouth and prove she tasted as divine as she had last night.
Damn, he had so little control when it came to her. This bickering back and forth should squash his desire, but her lively spirit only enticed him more. The fire in her eyes, her little gasps, all were triggers that sparked his lust so avidly.
In college he’d hungered for knowledge, his goal to be the best. After graduating medical school, he focused on his career, making his work a priority. He recognized the same hunger driving him toward Sandi.
A goal?
No. Pursuing her had nothing to do with ambition or drive. Sandi was toxic. Erotic.
He thought of the delicious moment right before the kiss. How the blue of her eyes flashed with yearning. How the very air induced seduction. How the world had faded away.
He’d known from the beginning she’d be bad for him.
A pain of sorrow speared his heart. Sorrow for a loss of what he wanted and could not have.
Someday.
One day.
A shame it would not be with Sandi.
Chapter 15
Nights are a lot longer when you can’t sleep.
Sandi took his breath away. Evidently took his common sense, too. He had little discipline in her presence. Being that close, inhaling her fragrance, falling into her blue eyes, wanting to taste her inviting lips, the head in his pants had taken control. What stopped him from ripping her clothes off and taking her on the living room floor, he had no idea.
He could still taste her. Christ, what a mess.
What had he done?
Doug should have been concentrating on the chart in front of him; instead, he was brooding over a woman. A dazzling, heart-stopping woman. A woman who had a career, lived alone, and according to Regina, was a good cook: everything a guy looked for in a wife. She’d awakened something inside him he thought was dead. But he couldn’t get past her reasons for coming on to him. It hurt his pride.
He lusted for Sandi. Dreamed of Sandi.
Doug scrubbed a hand over his jaw. In need of a new life, he had relocated. He liked the idea of a new image, and growing a beard had been part of his new start. A well-trimmed, short growth, just enough to cover his jaw. The novelty hadn’t worn off yet. He could imagine the remarks from his former colleagues.
He glanced at his watch, noting the time for his next patient.
Where was the old codger? It wasn’t like him to be late for an appointment. Usually Harold was an hour early, so he could visit and chat up the nurses. A natural born flirt, the old geezer. Doug could only imagine what the man was like in his younger days.
Harold had mentioned a granddaughter, one he was exceptionally proud of. Too bad she lived so far away. At his last appointment, he’d said he planned to visit her and her family in Texas this summer and couldn’t wait to see them. Doug might have to contact his brother and have him check up on Harold’s family.
Doug asked how Harold’s granddaughter ended up in Texas. Harold mentioned her husband was in the Army. He went on to explain that the family traveled everywhere, even overseas, thanks to the military. In a few more years, her husband would retire, and the old gentlemen hoped she would settle in Virginia. For the old man’s sake, Doug hoped so too. Although Doug had never met Harold’s granddaughter, the old man’s eyes lit up with pride as he sang the girl’s glowing accomplishments.
Doug strode to the receptionist desk, his mind on his patient.
“Molly. Have you seen Mr. Williams?”
“No, Dr. Baker.
He has an appointment today.”
“Mmm, yes. Thirty minutes ago. Did anyone call and reschedule for him?”
She wheeled her chair around. “No sir. No one.”
He saw her concerned expression and understood, for the man’s unexplained absence disturbed him as well. A doctor never showed his feelings.
“Not to worry, Molly. Something must have come up, or he forgot.” Which Doug didn’t believe for a minute. The man’s mind was sharper than most others of his acquaintance.
“I’ll speak with Darlene, and she’ll get the next patient.”
“Yes, Dr. Baker.”
The incident filed to the back of his mind, Doug headed to his office.
A sprained ankle thrust him right back into doctor mode. A few runny noses, blood pressure check-ups, aching shoulders and back pains took him through the rest of the day.
“Is that the last one?” he asked Darlene.
“You’ve got a thirty-minute break before the Millers get here.”
Doug glanced at his watch. It was now 5:55 p.m. Mrs. Miller wanted her husband with her for her exam, so Darlene scheduled her appointment for after Mr. Miller got off work. This was the couple’s first child, and both were excited at the idea of a baby.
“Six thirty, right?”
“Right,” Darlene answered.
“Thanks for staying late.”
“It’s no problem. Molly closed up everything. I’ll lock the front door when the Millers arrive, so we won’t have any unexpected interruptions.”
“I don’t know what we’re paying you, but you’re worth every penny.”
She grinned. “Don’t you forget it.”
He shook his head in amusement. He had a hunch she wouldn’t let him.
The Miller’s appointment went well, the young couple ecstatic, their enthusiasm infectious. It pleased Doug to see the Millers so happy. In his previous life, he lived in a fast-paced world with so much trauma and surgeries, he had no time for simple pleasures. A small-town practice, less pressure, less life-threatening, but just as important, and it created a different kind of elation.
Darlene left with his sincere gratitude, and Doug couldn’t get Harold out of his mind. Finding Harold’s phone number in his file, Doug called and received no answer. He’d gone as far as calling the hospital ER and admissions with no results. Unable to let it go, he’d looked up Harold’s address while dread ate away at his stomach.
By the time Doug locked the office door behind him, the sun had long ago disappeared over the horizon. Sandi sprang to mind, but thoughts of Harold pushed the kiss to the back, where it should be. It wasn’t like Harold to miss an appointment.
Doug pushed the button on his key remote, unlocking the car door. As he climbed behind the wheel, he knew exactly where he was headed. He pulled out of the parking lot and turned right, taking the highway to Route 168. Two miles outside of the city limits, he turned onto Lone Wolf Road. He drove by several houses until he found the one he was looking for.
The Lexus’ headlights shined on a set of numbers to the side of a door in the front of a two-story ranch house. 252, this was the place. He glanced around as he climbed from his car. With only the moon and stars to guide his way, he strode up the sidewalk and climbed the steps leading to a porch. Seeing no button for a buzzer or doorbell, he knocked on the screen door. The temperature had dropped and the weather channel called for snow. He turned up the collar of his coat and stuck his hands in his pockets.
No sound or movement came from the house. He knocked again.
Maybe Mr. Williams wasn’t home. There were no lights. Doug moved to a window and tried to peer inside, but it was too dark to see anything other than shadows. Just in case Harold might not have heard, Doug decided to try the door. It was unlocked. It wouldn’t do to surprise the man; Doug might get himself shot.
He banged on the door as he opened it, then called out.
“Harold? It’s Dr. Baker.” Silence.
“Harold!” Doug stepped inside, and since it was cold out, he closed the door behind him. “Hello! I hope it’s okay I came in.” With the moon’s light glistening through the windows, he saw a wooden stairway with a massive handrail right before him. He glanced up the staircase and called loud enough for his voice to carry upstairs. “Is anyone here? Harold?”
Doug didn’t suppose he could be in the bathroom. Still . . .
To the right, Doug saw a dark shape resembling a light switch. He flipped the button. Light flooded the hallway and shined into the living room. Harold kept a neat and tidy house. From the looks of things, he more than likely had a housekeeper. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Doug made his way down the hall to a kitchen. He flipped another switch.
Harold lay sprawled in the middle of the kitchen floor, a broken coffee cup to his side, lolling in a puddle of brown liquid.
Shit!
Doug fell to his knees. He knew the man was gone, but he felt for a pulse anyway. Harold’s skin was cold to the touch, his color no longer a healthy pink.
Damn it.
Had he been on the floor all day? What a shame no one had found him. No one had come to visit. The cup on the floor beside Harold suggested he had fallen this morning. Doug closed his eyes and dug in his pocket for his cell phone.
In his gut, he’d known. When Harold missed his appointment, Doug harbored the unwelcome suspicion that something was wrong.
He shoved back his sleeve, checking the time. 8:15 pm. He called 911 and waited for the ambulance to arrive.
Chapter 16
Before patients would arrive in the morning, Doug would check his emails. He liked to glance at his schedule for the day, making sure the proper amount of time had been allowed for each appointment. This practice moved at a much slower pace than he was used to, which had been an adjustment for him, although he had settled in quite nicely. He liked having leisure time with his patients, listening to their complaints without them feeling hurried. With his concentration focused on his schedule, he didn’t hear Sheldon enter.
“Sorry, man. About Mr. Williams.”
Doug looked up, seeing the compassion on his friend’s face.
“How did you find out?”
“The girls out front. As soon as I came in, I heard the sniffles. They loved that old man.”
Slumping back in his chair, Doug scrubbed a hand over his face. “I had a gut feeling when he didn’t show up yesterday morning.”
“That’s why you went to his house last night?”
“After the Millers left, it was all I could think about. I tried calling. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.”
“You found him.”
Doug answered with a nod. “I wondered if maybe someone would have found him earlier, if I’d gone there sooner—”
“Don’t do this.”
“I guess it wouldn’t have made any difference,” Doug admitted. “An aneurism.”
“Then he died instantly.” Sheldon dropped into one of the chairs facing Doug’s desk. “There were no signs. The man appeared to be in perfect health.”
“I got the official report this morning. Kevin at the coroner’s office did me a favor and notified me. It appears everyone liked the old fellow. Kevin stayed up all night and called me first thing this morning. I guess he wanted me to know there was nothing anyone could have done.”
“When we find out the arrangements of the funeral, I’ll close the office. The girls will want to go.”
Closing down a medical office for a patient wouldn’t happen in the big cities. One more thing that made Doug confident he’d made the right decision. Moving to Monterey just might be the best decision he’d ever made.
~ ~ ~
Still reeling from the kiss Doug planted on her two nights ago, Sand
i had no appetite. Her head was pounding again this morning, so she’d come to work without eating, a carafe of coffee in her hand.
It was a kiss, she reminded herself for the hundredth time. Just a kiss. But what a kiss. She lightly pressed her fingers on her lips. A spectacular kiss.
“Hey. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like hell.” She glanced up to see her boss leaning against the doorjamb.
“Gee. Thanks.”
Gary stepped into her office with a fresh cup of coffee for her. “Thought maybe you could use this.” Gary liked to chase women, but most of the time they chased him. Another good-looking man who knew it, but a sweeter guy you’d never meet.
“Again. Thanks.” The fresh aroma sang to her craving, although she’d already had enough. Her hands were shaky, and this damn headache would not go away.
“Boss brining me coffee. That’s interesting.”
“We know who really runs the place. I wouldn’t be able to keep the doors open without you.” His eyes locked with hers, he hesitated, then dropped into a chair.
“Flattery. What do you want this early in the morning?”
“I meant what I said. You don’t look too good. Not your usual self. I’m worried.”
Awww. Sweet, caring, if she wasn’t his employee . . . it was never a good idea to hook up with your boss. She didn’t have those kinds of feelings for him anyway.
When he interviewed her for the job five years ago, he’d warned her.
I’m a bachelor. You’re hot. So, if you don’t want me hitting on you, say the word. I like women. But I can handle the word no.
And another time.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to have a relationship with an employee, so if you’re interested, I might have to fire you.
She’d laughed.
They had a great business relationship, and she’d never regretted working for him.
“A real charmer with your words there, Gary,” she said, digging in her purse for some ibuprofen. She kept a bottle in the cabinet above the coffee pot for the staff to share. Her purse just happened to be closer.
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