A Most Desirable M.D.

by Anne Marie Winston

  “I was jealous at first,” he confessed. “A little. She’s my mother, and the thought of her being so excited about meeting two perfect strangers bothered me. I know it isn’t logical—after all, they’re her babies, too—but still…”

  “You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t feel a little threatened.” She rose over him and propped her forearms on his chest, looking down into his face as her hair cascaded around them, creating a small, intimate cave. “So what did you think of them?”

  “I liked them,” he said slowly. “I wasn’t sure I would, but once I met them, it felt…right.”

  “They’re very different,” she said. “Emma seems to be much more of a free spirit. Justin never relaxed through the whole meal.”

  “He was tense,” Kane agreed. “I would have liked to talk to him about his work but he wasn’t approachable.”

  “Give it time,” she said. “I hope Emma will decide to stay with Miranda. Or at least stay in San Antonio. Your mother would be so thrilled.”

  “My mother,” said Kane dryly, “is dying to get her hands on another grandchild.” Then he sobered. “I really, really hope each of them will give her a chance.”

  They fell silent again. She moved her arms to her sides and lay half atop him; he loosely wrapped his arms around her slight frame.

  It felt so right. He’d recognized it before—this feeling of rightness. And he’d fought it. Now he was having a hard time recalling just why it was so imperative that he keep his distance from her. True, he didn’t accept people into his life easily. True, he’d had his mother and sister to love and thought that was enough. No love, no getting hurt.

  But he’d become a different person with Allison. He’d told her things he’d never even shared with his sister, as close as they were. He could depend on her. Allison wasn’t going to hurt him. She loved him. His spirits rose even higher at the memory of her soft voice telling him so over and over and over in the final moments of their last lovemaking. No, Allison would never hurt him. It was okay to admit to himself that he needed her. He could accept her love and treasure it and do everything in his power to make her never regret marrying him.

  It didn’t matter that he hadn’t returned the words, he thought defensively. Love hadn’t been a part of their agreement from the first. A feeling akin to panic rose at the idea of uttering those three little words. Loving her seemed a whole lot more frightening than simply admitting he needed her. And much as he regretted it, he knew he couldn’t say those words to her.

  Eight

  On the third week after their wedding, Kane got called to the hospital only moments after Allison had arrived home in the evening. Disappointed that their time together had been cut short, Allison wandered into the den and thumbed through the television guide listlessly.

  They’d been planning an early evening. Since Kane was on call, they were holding off on opening a new bottle of chardonnay, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Wine or no wine, the evening would have ended in a perfect way, with her right where she wanted to be. In her husband’s arms.

  She frowned slightly. Perhaps she should say almost perfect. In a perfect world, Kane would love her as much as she loved him.

  He’d been a different man since the night she’d told him of her love, less aloof, warmer and more physically affectionate. It seemed as if he’d relaxed some sort of invisible barrier he’d been keeping between them. He held her hand, toyed with her hair, brushed her lips with a kiss before he left her. He made love to her even more often than he had before. There hadn’t been a night that she hadn’t slept in his arms exhausted unless one of them had to work.

  Like tonight.

  She looked forward to the times when they shared a bed so much it was absolutely pathetic, she thought. The mere thought of his hands on her body made her breath come faster. His lovemaking verged on being out of control each time he touched her, his actions hurried and rushed until he had her naked beneath him with her hair down and his body snugly buried within her. Then and only then did he slow himself down, touching and caressing her until she flew apart in his arms. If he made love to her more than once, the second time was usually less urgent, and he lingered over her, making her so frantic for him that she had to beg him to end her torment.

  But he had never, in any way, indicated that he returned her feelings. And she told herself it wasn’t fair to expect more—she’d known what she was getting into when she’d married him. Still…

  The telephone rang. Eagerly she reached for the receiver. Each time the phone rang while Kane was gone she hoped it was him; it rarely was. Some things hadn’t changed—he apparently didn’t think of her when he wasn’t with her. Still, hope soared as she opened the connection.

  “Hello, Allison? This is Miranda.”

  Allison sat up straighter on the couch. “Hi. How are you?” Her mother-in-law had been on Cloud Nine since the day after the reunion luncheon, when Emma had accepted her offer of a temporary home.

  “I’m fine, dear. So is Emma, although she’s exhausted. We went shopping today. All her clothing was getting too tight.”

  “Has she gone to an obstetrician yet?” Both Kane and Allison had been insistent that Emma find a local obstetrician immediately. They’d seen too many pre-term babies whose conditions were a direct result of inadequate prenatal care.

  “She made an appointment for tomorrow morning. I’m going along if she’ll let me, so I can hear what this doctor has to say.”

  “Good.” That was a relief.

  “Is Kane at home? I need to speak with him.”

  Allison explained about the emergency that had called him out earlier. “Can I give him a message?”

  Miranda hesitated. “No. Just ask him to stop by or call me as soon as possible.”

  When Allison turned off the phone she was thoughtful. Her mother-in-law was clearly troubled.

  Before she could set the portable phone back in its cradle, it rang again, startling her so that she almost dropped it. “Fortune residence. This is Allison.”

  “Allison. This is Lloyd. You remember? Lloyd Carter, Kane’s father.”

  “Hello, Mr. Carter. Yes, I remember.” As if any of them would ever forget him, she thought wryly. “I’m sorry, but Kane isn’t here. May I take a message?”

  “Did you tell him I called before? What did he say?”

  Allison hesitated. The eagerness in the man’s voice was pathetic. She wasn’t about to repeat exactly what Kane had said. “I told him,” she said gently. “Mr. Carter, Kane isn’t really interested in talking to you right now.” She crossed her fingers at the little white lie. Or ever.

  “I know.” Carter’s tone was subdued. “I really want to…to explain about leaving. I know it looks bad, but I sure do wish he’d give me a chance.”

  “There’s also the issue of the twins and the money.” She couldn’t bring herself to say the ugly word blackmail. “He’s, um, quite upset about that.”

  “Doggone it. I told Leeza that was a bad idea.” A tinge of annoyance crept in. “The money didn’t mean all that much to me. I’ve been down on my luck before and something always came along. Something legal,” he stressed. “Allison, you gotta help me.”

  “Me?” She was startled and dismayed.

  “You’re his wife. You know him better ’n’ anybody. He’s more likely to listen to you.”

  She wanted to deny it, to explain that just because she said it didn’t mean Kane would listen, but Carter was still talking, and she couldn’t find an opening.

  “…Would you meet me somewhere? Let me explain it to you, so you can maybe talk to him for me, soften him up a little? I don’t want to live the rest of my days without knowing my son.”

  She was silent. Common sense told her not to get involved in the estrangement between Kane and his father—

  “Please?” There was a wealth of longing in his voice.

  “All right,” she said reluctantly. She really didn’t like to go behind Kane’s back like this,
but…he was Kane’s father. And she just knew Kane would regret it someday if he never gave his father a chance. Maybe this would give her some idea of how to respond to Kane’s attitude. “Just for a few minutes. There’s a diner down the street from the hospital. I could meet you there the day after tomorrow.”

  “Thank you!” It was heartfelt.

  Quickly, she gave him the name of the diner and directions. They agreed on a time, and she hung up with Lloyd Carter’s jubilant thanks still echoing in her ears.

  Allison was nearly two hours past her usual homecoming time the next day. Kane met her at the door, a question in his eyes.

  She answered him before he could voice it. “One of the Vieger quads had a diaphragmatic hernia. Cooper did the surgery. He was still hanging in there when I left, but I’ll be surprised if he makes it through the night.”

  The family hadn’t been Kane’s patients, but she knew he had assisted at the delivery and was aware of the case. He sighed and shook his head. “Poor little guy. I hope he survives.”

  He took her bag and jacket and tossed them on a chair, then led her into the kitchen. “Hungry? I had tacos. Want me to reheat some of it?”

  She shook her head. “I grabbed a sandwich a couple of hours ago. Lucky for me.”

  “Okay.” Kane had the oddest look on his face. It was anticipation, she realized suddenly. And it wasn’t just his eyes. His whole body practically vibrated with it.

  Her eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”

  His brows rose. “What makes you think something’s going on?” But he grinned.

  She grinned back. “I never realized you were so bad at keeping secrets.”

  “You haven’t learned my secret, though, have you?” He was smug.

  She spread her hands. “Are you going to keep me in suspense?”

  “Not for much longer.” He whipped a snowy napkin from a drawer and folded it into a rough triangle. “Here. You have to be blindfolded for this.” He carefully tied the fabric behind her head, then put his hands on her shoulders. “Stay right here for a second.”

  “A second?” She listened to his footsteps as he rapidly crossed the kitchen and opened the door of the laundry room. “This must not be much of a surprise if it only takes a second to set it up.”

  “Ha.” He returned and stood right in front of her. “Are you ready?”

  She nodded.

  “Any guesses?”

  She thought for a moment. “Jewelry.”

  “Nope.”

  “Clothing.”

  “Your categories are too broad; you’re cheating.” He chuckled. “But you aren’t even close.”

  Not even close? What in the world—

  “Put out your hands.”

  Obediently, she outstretched her hands.

  And when he carefully set a small, wriggling bundle of fur in her cupped palms, she squealed. “Kane! Get this blindfold off! What is it?”

  He was laughing as he untied the blindfold and drew it aside.

  In her palms was a tiny kitten. Long, soft fur, wide gray-blue eyes and a pale gray coat. It stood up as she watched, opened its tiny pink mouth and stretched, back arching and tiny dark-shaded tail reaching into the air like a plume.

  She didn’t know what to say. Couldn’t say anything.

  In the space between one heartbeat and the next, her eyes filled with tears and her throat grew so tight she couldn’t get out a word.

  Kane took one look at her, and his face registered alarm. “What’s the matter? Don’t you like cats? I can return it. I thought that since you had the whole crystal collection you might like one of the real thing, but I’ll just take it—”

  “No!” She found her voice abruptly. “No, I love it.” She cuddled the kitten beneath her chin, trying to gain control of her seesawing emotions. “Is it a he or a she?”

  “It’s a female. She’s a registered Rag Doll. She was the runt of the litter, but she was the friendliest.” He put out a finger and gently stroked the kitten’s tiny skull.

  The kitten was purring. “She’s…she’s beautiful.” She nuzzled her cheek against the small, soft body. “Thank you. I’ve never had a pet before.”

  “You’re welcome.” Kane set his hands at her waist and drew both Allison and the kitten into his embrace. “We always had a cat or two around when I was growing up. I wanted a dog, but my mother never let me get one—too expensive, too hard to take care of, all those motherly objections that really mean, ‘No way. I’m the one who’ll get stuck taking care of it.’”

  She smiled. “I always wanted a real cat, but my mother would never let me have one.” Her smile faded. “Would you rather have a dog?”

  He grinned. “That’s so ‘you’—always thinking of someone else’s needs and wants before your own.” He shook his head. “Maybe someday after we have children, if you’re home more, we’ll talk about a dog. But right now, with our hectic schedules, a cat will be a much better pet.”

  She nodded, snuggling the kitten again. “You’re right. Would you like to name her?”

  “Me? No, she’s yours. You do the honors.”

  She thought for a moment. “How about Lady Luck, since she’s a Fortune now?”

  Kane smiled, nodding. “Lady Luck she is. Maybe she’ll bring us luck.”

  She certainly hoped so, she thought, remembering her conversation with his father. Somehow she had to explain to her husband that she had spoken with his father and was planning to meet him.

  And she had a bad feeling it was going to take a lot more than luck to make him understand.

  But as the evening wore on, she couldn’t seem to find a good time to introduce the subject. They played with the kitten and made a quick trip to the store for cat food and supplies. By then it was time for bed.

  Kane shut Lady in the bathroom while he made slow, devastating love to Allison, but later she fell asleep with the sound of a tiny motor purring right next to her ear as Lady curled up on her pillow.

  And she never did manage to tell Kane about his father. Moments before her eyes closed, she drowsily swore to herself that she’d tell him first thing in the morning. But his beeper went off at 4:00 a.m., and he was called to the hospital.

  And as she dressed for work with the kitten pouncing on the laces of her sturdy white sneakers, she said out loud, “I’ll tell him tonight, after I’ve seen his father.”

  Lady Luck paused in her pursuit of the lace and looked up at Allison, cocking her head as if she’d like to have the words repeated.

  “I will,” she said to the kitten.

  Allison spotted Lloyd Carter right away when she stepped into the diner. Kane actually resembled his father a bit, she thought, especially his eyes. It wasn’t something she thought he’d be pleased to know. But he would be glad that he’d inherited that strong, arrogant Fortune bone structure and jaw instead of his father’s weaker, softer look. Kane in a temper was something to behold; she couldn’t imagine anyone ever being afraid of Lloyd.

  He rose when she approached and courteously held her chair with the easy grace of a man who always treated women courteously. “Howdy,” he said, taking her hand. “I appreciate you coming. Would you like something to eat? To drink?”

  She took the offered seat. “Just some coffee, please.”

  The hovering waitress headed off to the counter and Lloyd took his own seat. The conversation was stilted and awkward, and she glanced at her watch, wishing she knew how to cut this short. But then Kane’s father began to talk about what had occurred thirty years ago, and she forgot about leaving.

  “I was a high-school drop-out,” Lloyd told her. “I hit the rodeo circuit because I didn’t know how to do anything but rope and ride, and I didn’t want to work on a ranch. All cowboys dream of making it big in rodeo.” He laughed and his eyes crinkled, his smile flashing. “Everybody thinks it’s glamorous.”

  Lloyd had charming moments, she had to admit. If he was younger, and if she didn’t know what she knew about him, she’d pro
bably have said he was attractive.

  “It’s not glamorous.” His smile faded. “It’s dusty and dirty and you live with bruises and broken bones and dislocations—and that’s the lucky ones. There’s next to no money in it unless you’re one of the big names.”

  He looked down at the table. “I did pretty decent for a while. Made a living. That’s when I met Randi.” He shook his head and his eyes were far away. “She was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen. She came to a rodeo and once I caught sight of her, that was that. She used to have long hair like yours, only a little more yellow in it.”

  “So you two got married.”

  Lloyd nodded. “She’d just given up the twins, which she didn’t tell me right away. But she was always a little sad, a little down when she thought no one was looking and I finally got it out of her. I just wanted to make her happy again. So we got married and she started traveling right along with me.” He shook his head. “When I think of the way we lived…and what she must have been used to…”

  “So she traveled around with you.” She wanted to get him back on track.

  “Yeah. For a while we did okay. And then she got pregnant.” His fingers drummed a nervous tattoo on the table. “I’d just had a real bad ride and got my right knee torn up pretty bad, so I couldn’t work. We were in California, so that’s where we stayed. She got a job working tables at a pancake joint until the boy was born and afterward she went right back to it.”

  “What did she do with Kane while she worked?”

  “I took care of him.” Pride flashed across Lloyd’s face, and Allison sat back, bemused. “He was a good little fella. I carried him around to stock auctions and such with me. My knee was about patched up, and I was ready to get back on the circuit. But then Randi got pregnant again.”

  Allison’s eyebrows rose. “All by herself,” she said dryly.

  Lloyd had the grace to flush. “She changed after that,” he said sadly. “She wanted me to get a job, but she wasn’t happy when I talked about rodeoing again. She wanted to settle down. We fought all the time. She finally told me she didn’t need me and that I could just get out…” he paused, then said sadly “…and she didn’t, either. She did just fine without me.”