by Melody Anne
“I’m not alone. I have Benji,” Mav told him as he moved across the living room and sat down. The dog immediately rushed over to him and gave Mav those sad eyes. Mav was sure Benji missed Lindsey too, or maybe that was all in his head.
“You need more than just a dog,” Sherman grumbled.
If Maverick didn’t love his uncle so much, he would simply hang up the phone and then unplug it. Heck, he might even think about transferring to another base where he wouldn’t have to listen to his family tell him how much he was screwing up.
But as soon as the thought entered his thick skull, it went right back out again. He wasn’t going anywhere. This was home and it was where he wanted to be. Even if he would prefer the family leave him alone.
“You’re a great kid, Mav. You just need to quit being so stubborn,” Sherman said, switching gears.
Mav couldn’t help but smile. He guessed it didn’t matter how old he got, he still liked to hear encouraging words from a man who was more than an uncle to him.
“Thanks, Sherman, and I wonder where I learned that stubbornness from,” he said, the corners of his lips tilting up the slightest bit—a first in the past couple of weeks.
“I might be stubborn, but I’m also wise enough to know when I’m being a fool,” Sherman told him. “I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy, Uncle. I love my career, and my brothers. I have a great mom who I get to spend time with. What more do I need?”
As soon as he said the words, he wanted to take them back, because he knew for sure that Sherman would have no problem telling him in detail what he needed.
“Stop being a fool and go get the girl. Lindsey is perfect for you and you just walked away. I don’t like it one little bit,” Sherman said.
“She’s not mine. She never was,” Mav said with a sigh.
“All you have to do is tell her how you feel and she would be yours,” Sherman countered.
“How do you know that?” Mav snapped.
“Because I saw the two of you together. And right now, she’s just as miserable as you are since you’ve been apart.”
That sentence stopped Mav in his tracks. No one had said she’d been miserable. From everything he’d heard, she was doing great—thriving, in fact.
“Where did you hear she was miserable?” Mav asked. He shouldn’t play into what his uncle was saying, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.
“I saw her just a couple days ago and she seemed so sad. Not even one of her beautiful smiles was shared with me,” Sherman said.
“That doesn’t mean she’s miserable, Uncle. It might just mean she’s tired or had a stressful day at work,” Mav told him.
Maverick didn’t want her to be upset, but he wouldn’t mind her missing him just the slightest bit. He admitted that only to himself.
“Okay, I promise to leave you alone if you come out of hiding and spend some time with your family,” Sherman said, once again changing tones.
Maverick was instantly suspicious.
“What do you mean?” he asked, not agreeing to anything.
“There’s a get-together in a couple days at my friend Joseph’s place. You’re invited.”
Well, there really wasn’t a chance of him running into Lindsey at Joseph’s. It might be nice to catch up with old friends.
“Okay. I’ll come,” he told him.
Mav could practically feel Sherman smiling through the phone. Maverick couldn’t find a reason to take back his assent at going, though, even though he knew he was doing exactly as the old man wanted.
“Good, then I won’t keep bugging you tonight. I’ll see you soon.”
With that, Sherman hung up the phone before Mav had a chance to say his own good-bye.
Mav didn’t move from his easy chair for a long time, and when he did, it was only to grab a bite to eat and shower before he climbed into his cold, empty bed. Maybe one more visit with Lindsey wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
No! He pushed the weak thought out of his head. He couldn’t do that to her or him. Another good-bye wasn’t what they needed to move on with their lives.
If only that nagging feeling in the back of his mind wasn’t telling him that all he needed to feel better was to admit how he felt. It wasn’t going to happen. Once again, Mav didn’t sleep well at all.
CHAPTER FORTY
The hospital was hopping as Lindsey rushed from patient to patient in an attempt to keep up with the influx of people stumbling in through the large sliding doors. Exhaustion had become a constant for her. Sleep hadn’t been coming to her so easily since her last night with Maverick.
Even having Princess beneath the covers with her every night wasn’t helping much. She adored her dog, but it wasn’t the same as having strong arms pull you in close, making you feel protected from the entire world.
She was getting ready to suture a patient when the new intern turned too fast and cut her arm with a scalpel, making Lindsey’s eyes instantly start to water.
“I’m so sorry, Lindsey. I don’t know how that happened,” the new girl said, her own eyes filling and spilling over as she panicked and grabbed gauze, pushing too roughly when she placed it over Lindsey’s wound.
“It’s fine,” Lindsey told the young nurse through gritted teeth. Lindsey then moved away from the patient so her blood wouldn’t get on her. Both the patient and the nurse looked a little freaked out.
“I’ll send the other nurse in,” she told the woman before turning and walking away, the intern on her heels.
“Go get the nurse,” Lindsey told her as she moved to another exam room to see the damage.
She wasn’t in there for more than a few seconds when Dr. Stine walked in, his usual good-natured grin on his face.
“Peggy was gushing so much, I couldn’t understand half of what she was saying, but I’m assuming from the white face and the blood-covered bandage that you’ve been wounded,” he told her as he placed a hand beneath her elbow and led her over to the exam table.
“I’m fine,” Lindsey told him, her jaw set. “She just cut me, that’s all. I’m sure it won’t even need stiches.” Why in the world were her teeth chattering? It wasn’t like it was that big a deal. She’d been hurt at work before and certainly hadn’t been such a baby. She blamed lack of sleep on her heightened emotions.
“Let me look at it, and I’ll be the judge,” he told her as he attempted to get to the bandage she was holding in place.
“This certainly isn’t a matter for you, Dr. Stine. I’m sure you have patients galore,” she said, pulling her arm back.
“My schedule is all clear. You’re my patient right now,” he said as he took her hand and tugged her arm harder this time.
Dr. Stine still hadn’t given up on her even though she’d made it more than obvious she wasn’t interested in a relationship. He was the last person she wanted examining her. It wasn’t that she was repulsed by him or anything. He was kind, funny, and great looking. It was just that her heart was broken and she really wasn’t about to see if she could open that wound all over again with another male.
Without reason, her eyes suddenly filled up and spilled over as she looked into the doctor’s deep blue eyes. He gazed back at her with too much understanding. Dang it! Why couldn’t Peggy have sent in one of the nurses? She didn’t need to fall apart in front of the doctor.
“Come on, doll. Let me see,” he said.
This time she let him take away the gauze and then she cringed. The wound was worse than she thought. It was deep, with blood still trickling out and measuring about two inches long.
“This will definitely need stitches,” he said before squeezing her hand. He gave her another piece of gauze. “Hold this in place while I get what I need.”
“I can have Linda stitch it up,” she told him.
“Just lie back and relax. I’m doing it,” he said, still with a smile, but his firm voice coming through loud and clear. He wasn’t going to allow her to argue with him anymore.
&nb
sp; She did what he said and laid back on the bed as he brought over a tray.
The stupid cut was pulsing and she began to understand a little more why her patients would moan and groan so much when the injuries appeared to be minor. There was no way for the medical personnel to get inside a patient’s head to know what they were feeling.
Dr. Stine gave her some medicine and a numbing shot before he cleaned the wound. Lindsey tried, but she couldn’t keep the tears in. What the heck? She hadn’t cried once since Maverick had disappeared out of her life. Not when Stormy constantly asked how she was doing and looked at her in that sympathetic way, not when she’d smashed her toe on her bed post, and not when she woke up from a dream of him holding her only to find herself alone.
So why in the world was she sobbing like a baby from little more than a scratch? She again blamed her lack of sleep on the unusual emotions.
“Now, I know I don’t have the gentlest hand in the hospital, but I’m not really all that bad, am I?” Dr. Stine asked. He had stopped working and put a finger below her chin to tilt her head up. She was forced to look into his eyes.
“I don’t know what’s the matter with me. It doesn’t even hurt. I think I just need to get more sleep,” she said through sobbing hiccups.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked with a sense of knowing in his voice.
“No,” she sobbed.
He didn’t go back to work, just sat there, waiting. Lindsey was beginning to see why all the nurses were swooning after him. If only she were attracted to the good doctor and could agree to go out on a date with him. Maybe she would begin to feel better if she did.
“Whoever the guy is that let you go is a fool, you know,” Dr. Stine said as he finally broke the connection of their gaze and began stitching her arm up again.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, the pain medicine he’d given her beginning to kick in and making her feel slightly loopy.
“I’ve watched you a lot in the past month, Lindsey. You were almost glowing a couple weeks ago. and then something happened. It’s been like watching a lightbulb slowly start to fade.”
She was totally confused by that analogy, but he continued.
“I’m not saying you aren’t just as beautiful. And if you said yes, I would jump at the chance to take you out and show you how a man should treat a woman, but it’s more than obvious that your heart belongs to someone else,” he said.
There was a smile on his lips, but also a spark of understanding so deep in his eyes that she couldn’t help more tears from falling.
“I wasn’t in a relationship, not really. I just had a hard time after the hospital attack and my best friend’s brother-in-law decided to show me life was worth living again. I knew from the beginning we weren’t going to stay together. I guess I’ve just had a harder time than I thought letting him go,” she said.
The damn pain medicine was making her share far more than she should have been sharing, especially with the doctor who’d made no qualms about liking her.
He finished up her stitches, bandaged her, and then leaned way too close into her personal bubble. He brushed his fingers against her cheek, making the tears stop instantly.
“The best medicine for a broken heart is to open it back up again to a real man,” he said before giving her his mega-wattage smile. “And I am the doctor. You should listen to me.”
Then before she had time to react, he leaned in and kissed her. It was a sweet kiss, just a brushing of his lips against hers. Then he stood up and helped her into a seated position. She was so stunned, she had no words.
“I’m being paged, but I want you to sit here for fifteen more minutes. Then I’m going to call your emergency contact to come pick you up. You can’t work with the pain meds, and you certainly can’t drive.”
“Don’t call my mom!” she shouted as he turned to leave. “My entire family will show up if they get a call from the hospital,” she finished more quietly.
“Okay, who do you want me to call?”
Maverick was her first thought, but she pushed that away. Then she pulled her phone from her pocket and gave him Stormy’s number.
“I’m not giving up on you until I see a ring on your finger,” he said with an intensity in his eyes that left her speechless.
He walked from the room without waiting for a reply from her.
Lindsey didn’t move, not even when Stormy came rushing into the room, worry clearly written all over her brow.
When she found out what had happened, though, her worry turned to merriment, which had Lindsey glaring at her best friend.
“Gotta love newbies,” Stormy told her.
“Get me out of here,” Lindsey said as her friend helped her off the table.
“You must be the best friend.”
Lindsey groaned when she found Dr. Stine leaning in the doorway. This was going to lead to far too many questions from Stormy. She was sort of wishing the intern had gouged her a lot worse, requiring her to stay the night away from prying best friends.
“Yes, I am. And who are you?” Stormy asked as her gaze whipped back and forth between Lindsey and the doctor.
“I’m the doc trying to woo your friend. Who’s the guy who broke her heart?” he asked with boldness.
Lindsey gasped. They both ignored her.
“My brother-in-law. And as cute as you are, I wouldn’t get your hopes up. I don’t see their story ending anytime soon,” Stormy sassily told him.
“Until I see a ring, I have a shot,” he said with a wink.
Unbelievably, Stormy laughed. “Oh, I really like you, doc,” she said with that smile that Lindsey had loved from the moment she’d met Stormy.
“It’s always good to get the best friend on your side,” Dr. Stine said with a wink.
“That it is. You must have sisters,” she said.
“I think it’s time to go now,” Lindsey interrupted.
“I’m not in a hurry,” Stormy said before returning her attention back to the doctor.
“I do have three little sisters, actually,” he told her.
“I’ll be sure to let you know if things don’t work out between Lindsey and Maverick,” Stormy told him.
“I’m right here!” Lindsey said as she glared at both of them.
“Yes, you are. Trust me, doll, you’re never forgettable,” Dr. Stine said before his pager went off and he frowned. “We will have to continue this later.”
He then took off running, and Lindsey turned her full fury on Stormy.
“That was so uncalled for,” she snapped.
“There’s nothing like a little jealousy to make a man crazy,” Stormy said in a singsong voice.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lindsey asked.
They finally began moving down the hallway, Stormy gathering Lindsey’s purse and coat before exiting the building.
“It means that I’m going to love telling Maverick about the good doctor,” Stormy said as she held her car door open.
If Lindsey weren’t already feeling good from the pain medicine, she would have had a snappy comment for her friend. But as she sat down and buckled up, she felt her eyes growing heavy.
She’d give Stormy an earful later. After she’d had a nap.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Maverick should have known better. Nothing came without a price these days. And his uncle was far too much of a meddler to not try to do something about what he deemed a situation that needed to be fixed.
Even knowing this, Maverick couldn’t help but stare at Lindsey as she stood by the fire on Joseph Anderson’s private beach and talked animatedly to Stormy. Of course she was at the get-together. Why else would Sherman have insisted on him coming? The old man was meddling.
Some people needed to just leave well enough alone.
Maverick couldn’t keep his eyes off Lindsey as she turned and laughed at something Cooper said to her, her chest rising and falling in the fitted summer dress she wore that was showing enoug
h leg to grab the attention of every available male on the beach.
He closed his eyes as he remembered running his hands up those silky smooth calves, across her soft thighs to her hot center.
Snapping his eyes back open, he shifted on his feet. Thoughts like that weren’t going to get him anywhere but into a hell of a lot of trouble. But dammit, if just at that moment, a small gust of wind didn’t come straight from the heavens and ruffle the bottom of her hem, making the garment flutter a bit higher.
His mouth was watering as he waited to get a peek at her delectable assets—and she had perfect ones.
When the wind died and he groaned the slightest bit is when he heard the chuckle. He turned to find Nick approaching with way too knowing a look in his eyes.
“Enjoying the view, brother?” Nick said as he took a swig of his beer.
Maverick’s attention was wrenched away from Lindsey as he focused on his brother.
“Yes, it’s a nice night,” he said, ignoring the knowing tone in Nick’s voice.
“Lindsey sure does look good tonight,” he said with a sparkle in his eyes.
“Yes, she’s in a great mood too,” Cooper said as he joined in the conversation. Maverick hadn’t even noticed he’d walked away from Lindsey and Stormy. He needed to be on better alert.
“Yeah, I need to get over there and see how she’s doing,” Nick said, poking the bear wanting to roar inside Mav.
“Go on and talk to her,” Cooper told Nick. “She’s been telling us about her baseball game.”
“He doesn’t need to go and talk to her,” Mav snapped before he could stop himself.
“Why not?” Nick asked with too much innocence.
“There’s no reason. You just don’t need to,” Mav growled.
“You aren’t interested in seeing her anymore, so I don’t see what it matters,” Nick told him.
“Dammit, Nick!” Maverick thundered before managing to lower his voice when several people turned their way. “She’s off limits.” This last bit came out between his gritted teeth.
