The Emergency Doctor's Chosen Wife
Page 13
Squeezing her hand, a wave of relief washed over him. “Mine, too. But it doesn’t have to end quite yet, does it?”
“We can’t stop time, no matter how badly we want to.” Her life was proof of that.
“For a little while longer we can. When we get to town we’ll go to dinner somewhere quiet and romantic, and see what happens.”
An hour later they were seated at a small table at an Italian restaurant. “This town isn’t very big, but it’s got one of the best selections of restaurants I’ve ever seen,” Thomas said.
“I’m beginning to see this town a little differently than I did growing up here.” Gina reached for her glass of water to hide her sudden nerves.
“That’s good.”
“Do you intend to stay here for ever?” she asked, wondering how the answer would make her feel.
“I doubt it.” He gave her a serious stare. “How about you? How long do you intend to stay?”
“You’re asking a question that I can’t answer right now.” She toyed with her napkin, not sure how to feel, what to think or how to answer him. “I’m about halfway through my assignment and this is the point I usually start looking for a new one.”
“I sense a ‘but’ in that statement.” He watched her intently, unable to put a name to the roiling emotions that tied him to his chair. He wanted her to stay. But she had to want to, too.
“I’m…finding myself not wanting to leave.”
“Gina,” he said, and took her hands. “I don’t want you to go.”
“Doc,” she said with a gasp of surprise.
“This weekend has been very special to me. I want you to know that I’ve never taken a woman to my cabin. You’re the only one.” Could he take it all the way and admit aloud what he was feeling for her?
“Thomas.” Tears brimmed in her eyes. To have him return her feelings was so much more than she could have expected from him. She knew he wasn’t using her as Brad had. And she loved him for it.
“Gina, I’m finding that I don’t want to let go of you tonight. That I want to keep you close by me, and it’s right between us.” He kissed her fingers and the inside of one wrist. “I—”
“Thomas?” An elderly man, round about the middle, stood beside Thomas and gave him a hearty clap on the back. “My dear boy, what are you doing here?” he asked, then seemed to notice Gina. “Got one of your lady friends out for a night, I see.”
“Hello, Gerald,” Thomas said with a sigh, and stood. “How are you doing these days?”
“Fine, fine, fine,” the rosy-cheeked man said. He tugged on his chin and looked expectantly at Gina. “Who is this fine-looking young lady?”
“Gerald, this is Gina Riddles, a nurse at the ER. Gina, this is Dr Gerald Truman, the previous medical director of the ER.”
“Hello, Doctor. Pleased to meet you,” Gina said, and shook hands with the older man. She noticed that Thomas had introduced her as a coworker, not as anything else.
“Gina, my dear. Never had nurses that looked like you when I was there. I’d have scooped you up myself if I were younger. But good to see Thomas is putting his time to good use, not just working himself to death, the way I did.” Gerald patted her hand then released it.
Despite the interruption, she couldn’t help but be charmed by the man. “Thomas tells me that you set up a wonderful program in the ER and his job wouldn’t be so easy if it weren’t for your efforts.”
Thomas looked at her with glittering eyes and a slight curve to one corner of his mouth.
“Charming woman,” Gerald said, and pumped Thomas’s hand again. “I must return to my own charming woman before she sends out a search party for me.”
“Give your wife my regards,” Thomas said, as Gerald took his leave.
“Well, why don’t you join us? We’re having a small get-together back here. You know almost everyone here.”
“Thank you, but I think we’re going to be keeping our party a private one tonight,” Thomas said.
“Oh, right. Don’t want to interrupt,” Gerald said, and moved off.
After a quiet meal, they lingered over coffee, but declined dessert. “I’m full,” Gina said, and patted her full stomach. “Thank you for dinner.”
He nodded. “Ready to go?” he asked.
After a brief stop at the ladies’ room, Gina looked for Thomas, but found him engaged in conversation with another man.
“I know she’s attractive, but really she’s not the sort of woman you engage in a long-term relationship with,” the man said, and shook his head. “You know that, Thomas.”
“Why not?” Thomas asked, and crossed his hands over his chest. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with her. She’s bright, capable and would be an excellent hostess. She enjoys people, that’s obvious.”
Hostess? They had never even discussed that sort of thing, Gina thought as she watched the interaction. Eavesdropping was a bad idea, but she couldn’t seem to tear herself away or find an appropriate time to interrupt.
“But her family is less than pristine. You know how it goes with us, Thomas. Family means everything.”
“Yes, I know. Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about it this time round. Gina’s parents are deceased.”
Huh? What was going on? Gina stepped forward and cleared her throat. She didn’t want to see him pull away from her, to refuse to acknowledge what they had together because of something she couldn’t change, like her family. But she could change herself and her attitude and her ability to trust. She knew she could do those things, and she intended to do them right now. She’d come this far and wasn’t going to go back to being the woman she’d been just weeks ago. She straightened her spine and had no intention of running away as she’d done in the past. Loving Thomas had changed her, and she had to prove it to him.
“Thomas?”
“Gina, there you are,” Thomas said, and reached for her hand. Something wasn’t right here. He was looking at her the way he always did. But there was a frown on the other man’s face as he watched them. “I seem to keep running into people I know tonight. This is Terry Baxter, a friend of the family. He was just telling me that he’s about to become engaged, but is having some… concerns.”
Relief swept over Gina. They hadn’t been talking about her. She was such an idiot to think she’d hear anything correctly in an overheard conversation. “Pleased to meet you, Terry. I hope things work out well for you.”
“I was just telling Thomas here that I saw the two of you together, and you looked very happy.” His brown eyes swept over Gina, but she didn’t take offense at his inspection of her.
She looked at Thomas. “I think we are.”
“I envy that. I think I’ve been too caught up in other matters to see what was right in front of my face.” He shook her hand. “So thanks for that.”
“You’re welcome, but I didn’t do anything.” Baffled, she glanced at Thomas, but his face gave nothing away.
“Anyway, good luck to you both. I have a sudden urge to have a conversation with Pamela that’s long overdue.” He left them standing in the doorway. “I’ll call you when we set a date!”
“Do that, Terry,” Thomas said, and watched the man hurry out of the restaurant.
“What was that about?” Gina asked as Thomas opened the door for her.
“As he said, he’s been worried about the wrong things in their relationship. Not focused on the important stuff.”
Gina glanced down at the gravel in the parking lot and kicked a large rock with her shoe. “I’ve been guilty of that, too.”
Thomas raised her face with a finger beneath her chin. “Not anymore, OK?”
“OK.”
“Gina, before anyone else interrupts us, I have something to say to you.”
“What is it?” Her breath came unevenly through her parted lips.
“I know we’ve only been together a short time, but…I’ve fallen in love with you.” He gave a short laugh. “You make me laugh, you make my heart
pound, and you bring out the best in me.”
“Thomas,” she breathed, and launched herself at him. “I love you, too.”
“Will you stay here in Hidden Valley with me? Marry me? Have my children and make my life complete, as no one else could?”
“Yes, yes, and yes!” Thomas’s words filled her heart and banished the darkness that had kept her heart silent for too long.
“Someday we can move on to a bigger hospital, a bigger town, but right now I want you to stay with me.” He cupped his hands around her face. “I know it’s a lot to ask of you to stop travel nursing, but if we’re going to make this work…”
“I will. I will. There’s no doubt. I can’t tell you how much you’ve changed me. How much I love you.”
Thomas kissed her thoroughly, then hugged her to him. “Let’s go home. I’m calling your recruiter in the morning and canceling your contract.”
“You can’t do that,” she said, and slid an arm around his waist as they walked to his car. “You’ll just have to wait until my contract is over, and you then can hire me full-time.” She paused. “There’s no conflict of interest in that, is there?”
“I’m the medical director, and you’re highly qualified for the position. But if there are any questions, we’ll just go somewhere new, start fresh.”
“Doc? We’ll worry about it later. Right now, why don’t you take me home?” There was no other place she wanted to be than in his arms.
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
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First published in Great Britain 2008
Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Molly Evans 2008
ISBN: 9781408902479
Table of Contents
Cover
Excerpt
About the Author
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Copyright