She sat up, pulling the sheet with her, covering her breasts. Disappointment filled him. She had such lovely breasts. It was probably just as well. He needed to keep his wits about him. Pushing into a sitting position and reclining against a pillow, he faced her.
Her eyes turned thoughtful. “What changed your mind?”
“I found out real soon that life wasn’t the same without you. I decided pretty quickly that I wanted you in it and if I wanted that I had to face my past, accept some things about it and myself.” He paused and looked away for a second. “I went to see my parents.”
Michelle leaned forward. “Oh, Ty, that must have been hard.”
“It was, but it wasn’t as difficult as I feared it might be. That’s one of the reasons that it took me so long to get back here. I had to hunt for them. I rode from one end of the east coast to the other before I found someone who said they’d seen them recently.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “My parents haven’t changed. Aren’t going to. They would’ve done the same for Joey today as they did back then. They wouldn’t have let me take him to a doctor. I’m learning to accept that.”
Michelle’s hand cupped his cheek. “I know it won’t bring Joey back but you make a difference in others’ lives every time you step into the OR. You’ve made a difference in my life.”
He kissed her palm. “Thank you for that.”
She sat back and began playing with the hem of the sheet, no longer looking at him. “How long are you staying this time?” She glanced at him from under lowered eyelids, worry creasing her brow.
He ran a finger across her forehead, smoothing the furrows. “No time soon, ma belle. In fact, today was my first day as a full-time employee of Raleigh Medical.”
Her eyes went wide. “Really?”
“Yes, really. I called Marshall when I decided you were right about me always running. I’ve decided I need to make a change in my life too. The job was still open and I accepted.”
“Why didn’t he say something to me?”
“I asked him not to.”
She smiled. “So you’ll be assigned to my OR regularly? If you are, you’d better show up on time.”
“I think I’ve learned my lesson about that. But I’m not sure that I’ll be assigned to your cases.”
“Why not?”
He grinned at her perplexed look. “I don’t know if Marshall will assign a husband to a wife’s OR cases.” He watched with joy and growing hope as uncertainty, amazement and then understanding moved across Michelle’s face. “Will you marry me?”
She squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her with all the love he had in his heart.
Seconds later she pulled away. “Are you sure? You’ve moved around all your life. I don’t want to be the reason you’re unhappy.”
“Ma belle, I’ve never been surer of anything. I’ve learned the hard way that you’re what I want. I need to be where you are to be happy.”
“You think you can live a conventional life?”
“I’ve already made a start. I bought the cottage from my friend. Well, he’s more like my business associate. I’m a silent partner in Doctors to Go. Anyway, nothing screams stability like a mortgage.”
Michelle observed him closely. “I’d say that’s a start in the right direction. But I want you to be sure.” She paused a moment. “Hey, why didn’t you tell me you owned part of a business?”
He grinned. “Maybe I thought you might be a gold digger. Maybe I just didn’t want to admit I was more of a conformist than I let on.”
She leaned over and kissed him. “I don’t think you’ll ever be anything but unorthodox in a number of areas of your life, and I kind of like that about you.”
“Really? I promise to conform enough to drive a minivan if you’ll just have me and maybe a couple of my children.”
“I’ll have you any way I can get you. And I’d love to have your children.”
“So,” he raised a brow, “that’s a yes?”
“Oh, that’s a wonderfully perfect yes.” Michelle sealed the promise with a kiss.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460324806
THE REBEL DOC WHO STOLE HER HEART
Copyright (c) 2014 by Susan Carlisle
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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The Rebel Doc Who Stole Her Heart Page 17
