Her Maverick M.D.

by Teresa Southwick

  * * *

  It was late when Jon was nearing the ranch. There was an almost full moon in the sky, bathing the landscape in a warm silver glow. But he wasn’t feeling the usual wonder of the Montana scenery. All he could think about was Dawn and the hurt and disappointment on her face when he’d taken out his frustration on her. If he could delete what he’d said, he would do it in a heartbeat. That had been hours ago and he had no idea what she’d been thinking since then but it couldn’t be good.

  The truck’s dashboard clock said it was midnight when he finally saw the Flying C arch and passed beneath it. Home at last. Sleep should have been his top priority but all he could think about was calling Dawn to explain and apologize. But it was too late to bother her.

  He got closer to the guesthouse and saw a little compact car there. Exhaustion must be making him hallucinate because that couldn’t be her car. It was a manifestation of how badly he wanted to see her. But when he stopped and parked, the vehicle hadn’t disappeared.

  Dawn was here.

  He got out and heard a familiar welcoming bark that told him Rerun was here, too. Suddenly the door opened and the two of them stood there. Then the dog ran to him and Jon dropped to one knee on the porch for the rub and scratch ritual. This time the animal got a few extra rubs and scratches because when Jon had left here earlier he hadn’t been sure he would ever see his dog again. He’d gotten Will’s message, but it was a relief to see for himself that Rerun was okay.

  “Hey, buddy. You gave me quite a scare. I’d appreciate it if you never do that again.” He laughed when Rerun rolled onto his back, a clear request for a belly rub. Of course he obliged. What better way to teach his pet a lesson than by rewarding bad behavior?

  Then the animal rolled back onto his three legs and ran to Dawn, as if to say, “Look who’s here.”

  Jon stood and met her gaze, profoundly moved by the sight of her. She was, hands down, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. And all he could think to say to her was, “Hi.”

  She smiled a greeting. “I got your text that Georgina was going to be okay.”

  “Yeah. She’s responding to treatment protocols and breathing easier. She’s resting comfortably now and is in the excellent hands of the pediatric pulmonologist who says she will be just fine.”

  “Thank goodness.” She blew out a long breath, then bent down to pick up the dog who was looking up at her expectantly. Instantly he relaxed in her arms.

  Lucky dog, Jon thought. “Yeah. The Marshalls are understandably relieved.”

  “I can imagine.” Absently she brushed her hand over Rerun’s head. “The last I saw of you was your back as you climbed into a helicopter. Your truck was at the clinic. How did you get home?”

  “Pete Marshall. When his daughter stabilized, he and Heather decided that she would sleep in the baby’s hospital room and he’d drive to Rust Creek Falls to get her a few things. They’ll probably be there for a day or two and he’ll go back first thing in the morning. I hitched a ride back with him. He dropped me at the clinic to get my truck.”

  “Good.”

  “Yeah. Otherwise I’d have had to call Will for a ride home.”

  “Or me.” Her voice was soft and there was something in her eyes. Something exciting that he hadn’t dared hope to see again.

  “I don’t want to talk about carpooling.”

  “No?”

  He shook his head. “I’d rather talk about why you’re here.” Then it sank in how that sounded and he wished words were his thing. “Not that I’m complaining about you being here. Because I’m not. It’s just... I was wondering about you being in the house.”

  “For one thing, the door was unlocked.”

  “Yeah, we don’t have many break-ins this far out.” He took a step closer and could almost feel the softness of her skin. The scent of her drifted to him and settled around his heart, making it even harder to put his thoughts into the right words and form a coherent sentence. “What I meant was, why did you come out here and wait for me?”

  “I was looking after Rerun. Why do you think?” She tilted her head to the side, a challenge in her eyes.

  Okay. She wasn’t going to make this easy on him. “The truth is that I’m not very good with the personal stuff. Which you may have already realized. But if I don’t tell you how I feel my head just might explode.”

  Sympathy and amusement swirled together in her expression and she tsked. “Can’t have that. So, spit it out, Doctor. How do you feel?”

  He took a deep breath. “It’s been a rough day.”

  “No kidding.”

  “First my dog ran away and then seeing that baby so sick...” He hesitated. “You’d think being a doctor I would instinctively get this, but—”

  “What?” she encouraged.

  “I’ve been avoiding feeling anything for so long that I forgot something pretty basic. Today I was reminded how short life can be. We waste too much time making excuses to keep people at a distance to protect ourselves because of what might happen.”

  “Go on,” she urged.

  “Look, Dawn, I know you’ve seen too many examples of men who are selfish and unsupportive. Men who use others to get what they want. I don’t expect you to trust me, but—”

  She shook her head. “Hold it right there. Because I have known those men, one who isn’t that way stands out like a fly in milk.”

  He knew she meant that in a good way but couldn’t resist. “So, I’m a fly? Should I be offended?”

  “It’s late. That’s the best figure of speech I could come up with. Trust me, Jon, you’ve shown me in every way that you’re the kind of man a woman can count on.”

  “I’m glad you know that.”

  When the dog started squirming she put him down. “You can count on me, too.”

  “Not a doubt in my mind.” He reached for her but she moved back.

  “We’re dancing around this,” she said. “Before anything more happens or something is said that can’t be taken back, I have to state the obvious. Our circumstances haven’t changed. We still work together. Taking this—you and me—” she motioned to him, then herself “—to the next level could impact things if what we have goes south.”

  He moved close again and took her hands to keep her from backing away. “I have two things to say about that. First, we’re professionals and the fact that we’re so aware of what could happen to the clinic’s work environment and care enough to put it before our own personal happiness means that we would never jeopardize it.”

  “Well said, Doctor.” She smiled. “And what’s the second thing?”

  He raised her left hand and kissed her knuckles. “Nothing bad is going to happen with us.”

  “You can’t know—”

  “I can.” He squeezed her fingers reassuringly. “You’re a special woman. And I’m completely certain that neither of us would let anything get in the way of caring for the people of Rust Creek Falls.”

  Hope sparkled in her eyes. “Does that mean you’re staying?”

  “About that...”

  Jon remembered what she’d said about being in love. That if you were, there was no leaving at the first bump in the road. The fact that she was here gave him hope, too.

  He looked down for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “I was angry because that little girl was sick and I had to wait to help her.”

  “If not for you and your skill, the intervention she needed could have been delayed too long. Equipment is good, but instinct and decisive action make a difference.”

  He knew she was right and that wasn’t ego. Just a fact. He was trained to know. “Still, what I said... It wasn’t my finest hour. The thing is, I was frustrated and I couldn’t show it in front of a very worried mom and dad.” He met her gaze and willed her to believe him. �
��But I knew it was safe for you to see what I was feeling. And to understand it.”

  “That’s true. You were safe with me and I do understand.” But she still looked uncertain. “I also took it a step further. It seemed as if you wanted to leave, for a better equipped hospital to make a bigger difference.”

  “I was venting. That’s all.”

  “So, you’re going to stay in Rust Creek Falls?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Try and get rid of me.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, letting his lips say everything he’d held back since the first time he’d seen her. And wanted her. “I love you, Dawn Laramie.”

  “Very smooth,” she said breathlessly against his mouth. “And you’re in luck. I love you, too, Dr. Clifton.”

  They held each other, smiling and savoring this moment.

  Then Dawn said, “I made a casserole. Are you hungry?”

  “Only for you.” He didn’t wonder how she’d managed to find the ingredients for a casserole because all he could think about was how much he wanted her. He scooped her into his arms and carried her to his bed. “Whatever you made, can we eat it for breakfast? Because it might take all night to have my way with you.”

  “That works for me.”

  Everything about Dawn worked for him. He loved coming home to find her waiting. He loved that she cared about his dog as much as he did. He loved the beautiful, caring woman that she was.

  And he especially loved loving her, then falling asleep holding her. Rerun curled at the foot of their bed. A contentment he’d never known settled over him, a feeling of how right this was. He’d never truly believed he could have a family until Dawn came along.

  He believed it now.

  Epilogue

  Rust Creek Falls Park—Back-to-school picnic

  “That isn’t your baby.” Homer Gilmore was staring.

  Dawn held Sydney a little closer because she wasn’t quite sure about this man. After the infamous spiked wedding punch incident it had been determined that he was harmless. Just wanted to play cupid. But that didn’t stop her from being glad that Jon was sitting right next to her. When she slid a little closer to him, his arm automatically came around her.

  “This is my sister’s little girl,” she said. “I’m taking care of her while Marina is bonding with her new students and meeting their parents.”

  The park was crowded with families and it seemed strange that the peculiar loner who’d spiked that punch would be here. But playing cupid when you were older than dirt was pretty strange, so go figure. No one knew his age, but his eccentricity was legendary.

  “What’s her name?” Homer asked.

  “Sydney. This is Homer Gilmore,” she said to Jon.

  The man pointed a gnarled finger at him. “Who are you?”

  “Jon Clifton. I’m a pediatrician.” He didn’t appear to be the least bit nervous around the man who was, in part, responsible for the town’s escalated birth rate. In fact one could argue that Homer had created the need for his services. Job security.

  “You’re not from around here,” the elderly man observed.

  “I’m from Thunder Canyon.”

  Homer nodded as if that made sense. His eyes turned dark as a chunk of coal. “I know that place. DJ’s Rib Shack is there.”

  “It is. Good food, too.” Jon sent her a questioning look.

  “I plan to put DJ’s on the map. Everyone is going to know about it soon.” Homer grinned. “I’m gonna sell my moonshine there.”

  Dawn glanced at Jon and knew he was thinking the same thing she was. It was common knowledge in Rust Creek Falls that Carson Drake had refused to market Homer Gilmore’s moonshine through his liquor distribution company. “Oh?”

  “Yup. I’ll be famous.” He looked at the cooing baby again and there was a soft expression in his eyes. “She’s a pretty little girl.”

  “Yes, she is.” Dawn glanced at her niece, then back up. But as suddenly as he’d shown up, Homer Gilmore was gone, disappearing into the crowd. “Amazing how a man of his advanced age can move that fast.”

  “Maybe it’s the moonshine,” Jon teased.

  She kissed the baby’s chubby, soft cheek and settled her hands on Sydney’s waist as she stood on Dawn’s thighs, happily bouncing. “You know, that concoction he cooked up might be a factor in Syd’s birth. And I love her very much. Can’t imagine life without her. But putting that stuff on the open market seems problematic to me.”

  “Let me count the ways,” Jon said wryly.

  “I’m sure there are rules against it,” she continued. When he didn’t answer right away she glanced at him. He had a weird look on his face. “What?”

  “I’m all for rules,” he said.

  She smiled. “Me, too. Although we nearly missed out on something really special because of trying to follow the rules.”

  Fortunately they’d come to their senses. She’d moved into the cabin with him until they could find a bigger place. Going to work and coming home together made life practically perfect. Trusting a man and finding happiness with him had always seemed impossible, but she’d been wrong. She couldn’t imagine things any better than they already were.

  But Jon still had that funny look on his face as he stared at her. “We almost blew it and I don’t ever want to lose you.”

  “You won’t,” she assured him, but he was still staring at her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Not a thing. In fact all is right. Everything is clear.”

  “You sound like the message in a fortune cookie. And I have to ask—why are you looking at me like that?”

  He shrugged. “It’s just that seeing you hold the baby triggered a realization for me. I just got it—”

  “What?” she demanded.

  “I want to have a family with you. I want to see you holding our child.” He stood, then dropped to one knee. “I honestly didn’t plan this but it feels exactly right. And in the spirit of not wasting time...”

  Dawn was staring at him, but on some level she was aware that all conversation around them had stopped and you could hear a pin drop. The clinic crew was there along with Jon’s brother and his wife. She knew her mom and dad were close by and from the corner of her eye saw Marina walk over and stand with them.

  She sat Sydney on her lap, looked at Jon and said, “Yes.”

  “I haven’t asked you anything yet.” But the corners of his mouth curved up.

  “Do you want to marry me or not?” she demanded.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, then. My answer is yes. Twice.”

  “I love you, Dawn.” He leaned in for a kiss. “I can’t wait to make you Mrs. Clifton.”

  “And I can’t wait to be Mrs. Dr. Clifton.”

  Spontaneous applause broke out around them and even little Sydney clapped her chubby hands, probably imitating what everyone else was doing. Apparently the whole town approved.

  But no one could approve more than Dawn. She planned to make this bachelor the happiest married maverick ever.

  * * * * *

  Don’t miss the next installment of the new

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  MONTANA MAVERICKS: THE BABY BONANZA

  When rancher Anderson Dalton suddenly finds himself daddy to the ten-year-old son he never knew, a marriage of convenience gives him custody—and the heart of a local teacher with a baby of her own!

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  A MAVERICK AND A HALF

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  USA TODAY bestselling author Marie Ferrarella

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  An Unlikely Daddy

  by Rachel Lee

  Prologue

  Marisa Hayes stood atop a hill in the Good Shepherd Cemetery in Conard County, Wyoming. The ceaseless spring wind seemed to blow through her hollow heart, sweeping away her life. Johnny’s coffin, wood and brass, sat atop the bier, ready to be lowered. Beneath it a strip of artificial turf covered the gaping hole in the ground that would soon contain him. The green swatch was an affront to the brown ground all around.