“You’ve already become a hero around here anyway.”
“How’s that?” Matt met Shay’s gaze.
“Word gets out. By now everyone knows of your work at the clinic. I bet they can all tell you about what happened with Mr. Clayton.”
His eyes narrowed. “How would they know that?”
“One of Ms. Gladys’s nephews works at the hospital. I’m sure one of the nurses has reported back.”
“Oh.” He glanced toward Ms. Gladys’s again. “Anyway, thanks for the lawn mower instructions and not making fun of me more than you did.”
She smiled. “Not a problem. I’m glad I could help. I hope your self-esteem is still intact.”
“It has been shaken, but I think I will recover.”
Shay grinned. “If you get really good at mowing and you like doing it, you can always cut Ms. Gladys’s and Ms. Adriana’s yards as well as the other neighbors’. They’ll love you forever. That’ll help rebuild your ego.”
After the beating it had taken over the years, he could use some of that admiration. What would it be like to have a close relationship with his neighbors? With Shay?
Dear Reader,
This has been an interesting time in our lives and getting to escape into a world of excitement and love is refreshing. That’s what happened for me while writing this book. I got caught up in the story and forgot the world around me. I hope it has the same effect on you.
Sometimes a story comes along that just surprises me. This is one of them. I got the seed of the idea from a TV show and ran with it. As I explored Matt and Shay’s story, I became good friends with them and learned to appreciate the people they are. I was excited they found their happily-ever-after. I hope you enjoy it, as well.
As always, I love to hear from my readers. You can contact me at www.susancarlisle.com.
Happy reading!
Susan
Taming the Hot-Shot Doc
Susan Carlisle
Susan Carlisle’s love affair with books began when she made a bad grade in mathematics. Not allowed to watch TV until the grade had improved, she filled her time with books. Turning her love of reading into a love for writing romance, she pens hot medicals. She loves castles, traveling, afternoon tea, reading voraciously and hearing from her readers. Join her newsletter at susancarlisle.com.
Books by Susan Carlisle
Harlequin Medical Romance
Miracles in the Making
The Neonatal Doc’s Baby Surprise
First Response
Firefighter’s Unexpected Fling
Pups that Make Miracles
Highland Doc’s Christmas Rescue
A Daddy Sent by Santa
Nurse to Forever Mom
The Sheikh Doc’s Marriage Bargain
Pacific Paradise, Second Chance
The Single Dad’s Holiday Wish
Reunited with Her Daredevil Doc
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
To Debbie.
Thanks for your friendship and support.
Praise for Susan Carlisle
“A wonderful, sweet, and enjoyable tale. Ms. Carlisle wrote a wonderful, flirty, and enjoyable romance that should not be missed. She provided a tale rich with emotions, sizzling chemistry, vivid scenic descriptions, and realistic characters.... I highly recommend Pacific Paradise, Second Chance to other readers.”
—Goodreads
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EPILOGUE
EXCERPT FROM A SINGLE DAD TO RESCUE HER BY SUE MACKAY
CHAPTER ONE
DR. SHAY LUNSFORD hurried up the short hallway to answer the insistent rapping on the front door of the Delta Medical Clinic. Would she have an emergency to deal with first thing in the morning? The clinic didn’t open for another twenty minutes. She looked through the full glass door of what had once been a dress store in a strip mall.
A man with dark hair styled in the latest cut and sporting a closely clipped beard on his square jaw stood there. Surrounded by all that shading was a beautiful full mouth. Her attention drifted to his green eyes watching her so intently.
“We’re not open yet.” Shay would’ve said she knew everyone in Lewisville, a suburb of Jackson, Mississippi, but she’d never seen this man before. She would’ve remembered him. That mouth.
“I’m Dr. Matt Chapman. Didn’t Dr. Warren tell you I was coming?”
Huh? What was the name of the doctor her Uncle Henry had called to say was on his way to help her? This guy must be him. He’d give her a few weeks of assistance until she found more permanent help. Her clinic had grown so fast in the last eight months she couldn’t handle it on her own any longer.
She’d been in the middle of stitches on a man’s hand when the receptionist, Sheree, had told her to expect new help on Monday. With a nod, Shay had continued her work and forgotten the details, like his name. She studied the guy before her. “Can I see some identification?”
The man’s movie star mouth thinned into a line as he dug into the back pocket of his well-worn jeans. She watched as he pulled a square out of his wallet. With the card facing her, he plastered it between the glass door and the palm of his hand.
It was a California driver’s license. He was one of the few people who could take a good license picture. She met his look, turned the lock and opened the door. “Okay. Come in.”
As he moved past her, he smelled of lemony aftershave. Everything about him made him stand out from the average men in the area. His shirt appeared carefully pressed and his khaki pants were a brand that she recognized as one of the best. The brown shiny loafers on his feet screamed they cost money.
He shoved his wallet into his back pocket and murmured, “I’m not used to being carded to get into a public medical clinic.”
She flipped the lock closed again. “We have to be careful here. We keep drugs that some people would break in to get.”
He pursed his lips and nodded. “So, I look like a drug addict? Good to know.”
Shay shook her head. “That’s not what I meant.”
That put a slight smile on his lips.
“I’m cautious when I’m here by myself. I worked too hard to get this clinic up and running to have it fail because I wasn’t careful. Let’s start again.” She extended her hand. “I’m Shay Lunsford. You’ll be helping me for the next six weeks.”
The doctor took her hand, dwarfing it inside his larger one. He shook with a firm and confident grip with a nominal amount of movement and time. Is that how he would handle patients? Short and sweet? She hoped not. Could a simple handshake tell her that much about someone? If so, what had hers said?
Relieved to have her hand returned to her, she said, “I appreciate you coming. I can use your help. Our patients will start lining up in a few minutes. I’m gonna warn you, you won’t get much downtime.”
“That’s the way I like it.”
She chuckled. “Says a man who’s never worked at the Delta Clinic before. Come on, I’ll give you the ten-cent tour before we open the doors.” She started down the hall. “Obviously, this is Reception and Waiting.” She waved a hand around them at the tiny space with only six chairs. “Most of the waiting is done outs
ide. We hope to one day find a larger space, but that’s not happening anytime soon.”
Shay continued on, warming to her subject. The clinic wasn’t much to look at, but she was proud of it. Having it had saved her sanity after her marriage and husband died. “The clinic is associated with Jackson Medical Hospital. We get everything including trauma cases. The nurses are from the hospital and rotate in and out by the week. They’re a good group. This is a patient-centered clinic and I treat them like family. I expect my staff to do the same. We do have a regular receptionist. Her name is Sheree Boyd. She should be here in a few minutes.”
She glanced at Dr. Chapman. He looked around with interest. Shay continued, “We have six exam rooms, three on each side. And this one—” she pointed to the last one on the left “—we use for trauma cases.
“Here’s our supply room and drug cabinet. You and I’ll be the only ones with keys. The next room is our office. We have to share. Actually, it’s more of a room with a table and two chairs. There’s also a small bathroom with a shower off it.”
“Noted.”
She continued down the hall. “The last room’s our break room slash storage space or whatever else we need.”
He nodded. “Got it.”
There was a knock at the back door ahead of her.
“That’ll be Sheree.” Shay walked to it and looked through the eyehole before opening the door to the woman with dark hair and skin. “Good morning.”
“Hey, sweetie. They’re already lining up outside.” Sheree stopped in midstride and gave the new doctor a long look. “And who do we have here?”
“This is Dr. Matt Chapman. He’s our help for the next few weeks.”
Dr. Chapman offered his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too. I think you’re not from around here with that Mister GQ look about you.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been living in Los Angeles.”
Sheree continued with a grin, “You do have the look of a movie star. I’m glad you’re here.” She directed a thumb toward Shay. “This girl has been working herself to death. She needs some time for a social life.”
And there came the age-old argument between her and Sheree. Why didn’t Shay go out more? “Okay, Sheree.” Shay gave the words a sharp note. “When you’re ready we’ll take the first patients.” She looked at Dr. Chapman. His focus remained on her as if she were a virus under a microscope. She swallowed hard. “Your exam rooms are on the left-hand side. If you have any questions just ask.”
* * *
Matt shook his head. Coming to Lewisville, Mississippi, and working in a small clinic was like stepping into a surreal world he had no idea existed. Where he had been used to a modern glass-and-chrome hospital, he now walked out of a tiny examination room created by plaster walls in a space that had once been a business.
He looked down at the chart of his next patient. Before arriving here he’d seen one or two patients a day as an orthopedic surgeon, and most of that time they had been asleep. He’d now made a complete turnaround in the way he spent his day. Just this morning he’d seen fifteen patients so far. Yep, he had made a drastic change. Not one he’d anticipated but one he had to accept. He’d done the right thing by standing up for a patient even if the repercussions hadn’t been what he’d expected.
He glanced toward the waiting room and out the large picture windows along the front of the clinic. He saw a line just as Dr. Lunsford said he would. Apparently, she hadn’t been exaggerating about the number of patients the clinic saw.
Over the next few hours, he cared for people who had coughs, an infected toe, a boil—and the list of everyday complaints went on. The sort of issues he’d not seen since medical school. Here he was out of his treatment element as well.
Working at the clinic appeared nothing like the high-pressure, trying-to-get-ahead world he’d just left. He’d have to downshift some to fit in here. It was just as well he wouldn’t be staying long. Being used to an adrenaline rush at least once a day, he would soon miss it. At least he had an exciting job waiting for him in Chicago.
But hadn’t that fast pace been part of why he had to make a change from a job where he was becoming the bright and shining star to one of starting over? He’d questioned one of the senior surgeons’ decisions in the OR and that had been the end of it. In Chicago, he would have his chance again. The surgeon in LA’s influence didn’t stretch all the way across the country, thank goodness. In Chicago Matt could regain what he’d lost.
He passed Shay Lunsford between exam rooms and she smiled at him. “How’s it going?”
“So far so good.” She had a nice smile. One that showed in her eyes. It made her go from attractive to pretty. She’d pulled her dark hair up on her head, and it was long enough it fell to her shoulders. Wearing a knit shirt and jeans, she looked more like a college student than a doctor responsible for a bustling clinic. She came up to his chest in height but the authoritative air around her suggested she stood much taller.
“Good to hear. Let me know if you have an issue.” She knocked on an exam room door and entered.
As he continued to work through his patient list, his nurse, who had arrived while Shay had been showing him around, kept the rooms on his side of the hall filled.
The next time he passed the doctor he asked, “Is every day like this?”
She grinned, her eyes twinkling as she headed up the hall with the words flowing over her shoulder. “I thought you were used to busy?”
At noon the clinic doors closed for a thirty-minute lunch. Matt followed his nurse to the back room and took a seat at the table. He had to admit he’d worked every bit as hard here as he had in Los Angeles. The cases were just different.
The others had brought their lunches and started unpacking them.
Shay took the only empty seat, the one beside him. She sighed. “You weren’t told to bring your lunch?”
He received only the basics when Dr. Warren had called and told Matt that his grandniece could use his help while he waited to start his new position. As his mentor in medical school Matt felt he owed the man. The old doctor had express mailed Matt keys and directions to his boyhood home for Matt to live in while working in Lewisville. “Nope. I thought there might be a restaurant or drive-thru nearby. I can see I misjudged that.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll share.” Each of the women pushed something from their lunch toward him. Shay offered half of her sandwich.
Sheree chuckled. “We can’t have the new doctor going hungry.”
Hungry and not wishing to embarrass himself, he accepted the sandwich and bit into it. “I’ll return the favor sometime. Maybe order pizza.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’re just glad to have your help. How did it go?” Sheree tore open a package of cheese.
“Pretty good. Nothing I couldn’t handle. Thanks to Marie.” He nodded at the young dark-eyed nurse who’d assisted him. “I was able to find supplies without looking like I didn’t know what was going on.”
“This was a good day for you to start on, it’s been fairly slow.” Shay took a sip from her drink can.
“What do things look like when they get faster?” He took a bite of sandwich. It wasn’t his usual lunch fare, but he was glad to have it. He liked to order from a gourmet café.
All the women laughed.
Shay said, “We can have almost twice as many. If we have a major case, then it can cause a backup to deal with.”
He nodded. “Good to know.”
Sheree pinned him with a look. “So, what brings you to Lewisville?”
He shrugged. “I’m just here to help out for a few weeks. I’m on my way to a position in Chicago.”
All the women’s attention remained on him.
Matt continued. “I’m an orthopedic surgeon. I’m between jobs for a few weeks and Shay’s uncle knew she could use some help
. He asked me and I agreed.”
“That your Uncle Henry? The one who’s the professor up north somewhere?” Sheree asked Shay.
“Yeah. He checks in a couple of times a month. During one of his calls, I told him how busy we were.” She turned to him. “I have to admit I’m glad he sent you our direction.”
Matt nodded. “Glad I could help.” He looked at Sheree. “Dr. Warren was one of my professors at Northwestern.”
Sheree’s eyes widened. “I get it now. Small world.”
As quickly as the group had sat down for lunch, they all cleaned up and returned to work. Shay didn’t linger either.
* * *
So far Shay had been pleased with how well the fill-in doctor had worked out. She’d had her doubts at first, but she found Matt efficient and intelligent. Even better than those traits, the patients seemed to like him. She’d also heard no complaints from her staff. He and Sheree had quickly bonded.
* * *
The afternoon had been running smoothly until Sheree hurried down the hall toward Shay. “We have an emergency.”
Behind Sheree came Mrs. Clayton supporting her husband as he held one of his hands wrapped in a bloody shirt.
“Bring him back here.” Shay moved to the door of the trauma room.
The couple had just entered the door when Matt stepped out of an examination room. He glanced at the blood drops on the floor.
“Dr. Chapman, I may need your assistance.” Shay followed the couple into the room.
“Sure. Right behind you.”
Shay helped Mrs. Clayton to seat her husband on the exam table. “Tell me what happened, Mr. Clayton.”
“I was working on the car and got my hand caught in one of the belts. I didn’t pull it back fast enough.”
In a gentle voice Matt said, “You’ll be fine. We’ll take good care of you.”
Shay glanced at him where he stood beside her. “This is Dr. Chapman. He’ll be helping me take care of you.”
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