Ryder

by Ali Parker

  “I’ll have to tie up some loose ends here before I go back for good, but you coming here saved me another trip back and forth.” I realized he’d be needed back home and my face fell.

  “What’s the matter?” He stroked my cheek with his thumb as he cradled my face in his palms.

  “I wish you could stay with me until I can leave, but I know you’ve got responsibilities. You’re friends and volunteer work, Little League. Those people need you just as much.”

  “I’ll call in a few favors, and the assistant coach can handle the kids. You’re all that’s important to me, and besides, I made myself a promise.”

  “You did? What kind of promise?” I narrowed my eyes as that sly smile spread across his lips.

  “I promised myself I wouldn’t leave New York without you, even if I had to bring you back to Kentucky kicking and screaming.” He released a soft chuckle.

  “So you would have kidnapped me, huh?” I stepped closer and pressed my hip against his crotch. “Maybe later you can show me how you’d have tied me up?”

  “Only if you promise to scream my name.” His mouth moved to my breasts, and after a moment I stepped away to lock the door.

  “You know I hoped you’d do that.” He took my hand as I offered it and led him to the sofa near the window.

  “Wow, what a view. Are you sure you want to leave all this for me and a little Kentucky hillside?”

  “I’m sure. Are you sure you want to help me? I know you made your offer hoping I’d stay, but if you’ve reconsidered, I’d need to know. I have to find work so I can support myself.”

  “We’ll figure it out, but you know, I can take care of you, Harper. I know you’re an independent woman and all that, but you’re my girl, and I want to.” He gazed deep into my eyes. “What you think about that?”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying I love you. Let me take care of you. You can take your time getting back to work, no hurry and no pressure. I’d like me and you to take a bit of time off together.” I could hear what he was saying, but most of the words had garbled after he’d said he loved me. He gave me a nudge. “Well, what do you think?”

  “I love you too, and we’ll figure the rest out and take it as it comes. Together.”

  His smile lit up his eyes, and he took me into his arms. “That’s my girl.”

  He pressed himself against me, and as a soft heat blossomed at my core, I gave myself to him, body, mind, and soul.

  Author Note: Nothing like a fun novella to get your blood pumping. Bet you wanna ride on the back of a motorcycle with a hottie in front of you. Am I right? I’m the only one?? Anywho… Luke’s bad boy brother, Jeremy deserved a story, so he’s up next. Enjoy!

  Small Town Doc

  Chapter 1

  Nora

  Most days as a small-town doctor are slow paced but for some reason, the gods weren’t smiling on me the day Jeremy Daniels came in with a head wound. I had already seen three others in need of stitches, four cases of the flu, ten others with whatever mutant crud was going around the school system, on top of the regular patients with checkups. The place was a mad house and there were more arriving by the minute.

  “We’re running out of rooms again,” warned Amy, from the front desk. She and Lucinda had been running the front end while Beth and I tended to the patients as fast as we could.

  I walked out from seeing another kid with a case of the flu and while I made my stop by the supply closet to grab more gloves because everyone else was too busy dealing with the madhouse, I heard his grating voice above the others.

  “I’m bleeding. Are any of these other people bleeding?”

  “Please, Mr. Daniels. Have a seat in the lobby and we’ll be with you as soon as we have a place to put you.”

  “A place to put me? How about this, sweet cheeks.” I watched through a crack in the door that lined up with a window as he took the sign in log and held it up. “I’ll pay for all of these people’s visits if you let me cut in line.”

  The crowd behind him seemed to like the sound of that, but I couldn’t let that happen. It wasn’t right. I walked out front and stood behind the counter with my hands in my pockets. “What seems to be the problem?” Jeremy held a bloody rag to his head.

  He went wide-eyed as if my question was the most ridiculous one he’d ever heard. “Isn’t it painfully obvious? I mean, it’s painful for me. Do you not see the bloody rag to my head?”

  “I see the rag and a man so full of energy that he drove all this way and has managed to stay on his feet.”

  “That’s because I had a nice long nap when I fell and busted my head open.” He pulled the rag away and there was a dark patch of hair and an inch-long gash just before his hairline.

  “You lost consciousness?” Paying a bit more attention to the drama queen, I noticed the droop in his eyes and the drag in his speech. I turned to Lucinda. “Send him into the infant room and bring a blood pressure cuff.” I had a special room set up that was reserved for newborns. It was a smaller area with a chair for mothers, a baby scale, and a much smaller bed with rails where I could perform exams. There was also a tiny vanity and sink in the corner with basic supplies. It would have to do.

  I hurried to release the next patient to keep things moving while Lucinda showed him back. Then once I was assured Beth could handle the others, I joined him in the tiny space.

  His head was back and he was staring at the bunnies on the ceiling. “You put me in the baby room?”

  “You are acting like a big baby, so it’s fitting.” I walked over, taking his head into my hands and turning it a little to the side to examine the cut. “You had a hard fall, what did you do, fall off a stripper?”

  “Nice bedside manner, Nora. If you treat all your patients this way I feel sorry for the person in the next room.” He winced as I cleaned his cut.

  “It’s water. I’m trying to see what you’ve got going on here.”

  “It still hurts.” He closed his eyes and held still.

  “What were you doing?”

  “Oh, so now you care? I was on a ladder in my kitchen trying to change a bulb above the sink. It seems all the lightbulbs have decided to go out at once. I thought I’d make myself useful before I was left in the dark. And since my brother was gone, I figured I would just do it.”

  “Any word from him? Has he made it to my sister’s yet?” His brother Luke was on his way to sweep my sister, Harper off her feet. The two of them would probably get married and live happily ever after, and I’d be stuck with Jeremy as a relative.

  The two of us had our ups and down, but mostly downs. He’d been flirting with me ever since I built my house next door to his and even though I’d let him know time and time again that him being a billionaire playboy didn’t impress me, he continued to try.

  The thing was, it would take more than his gorgeous brown eyes to woo me, considering that no man has in all my twenty-six years. Being a virgin doctor dedicated to my work, it would take more than his sexy smile or the devil may care smirk he usually wore, except for today. Today he was too out of it.

  “Well, it’s a bad thing your brother is out of town because I think you have a concussion.” I took my penlight and shined it into his eyes. “Yeah, I believe it’s slight, but you really shouldn’t be alone. You took a hard fall.”

  His leg moved and suddenly his foot ran up the back of my calf. “You could come take care of me. We are neighbors and besides, we’re going to end up family if my brother has anything to do with it.”

  I stepped back. “Whatever love story those two have is not going to involve us.”

  “Why do you hate me?”

  “I don’t hate you. I have a strong distaste for you.” The door opened behind me as Lucinda brought in the small cart with my supplies.

  Jeremy watched her as she quietly slipped out and then when I went to stand in front of him, tearing open an antiseptic wipe, he leaned closer. “How can you have a distaste when you have n
ever tasted me?”

  My face warmed with a blush and I looked him right in those big brown eyes. “This might sting a little.” I touched the swab to his forehead, but he didn’t flinch, nor did he take his eyes away from me. Not even to blink.

  “Maybe you should blow on it,” he said with a seductive tone. Again, another hint of blush hit my cheeks but I ignored him.

  I turned and got the needle to deaden the area, and his eyes got bigger. “Just a little prick.” He didn’t have anything to say that time. Not now that I had a needle in my hand. “I’m going to stitch you up so you can get out of here.”

  “Always so eager for me to leave.” He lifted his eyes up as if he could see what I was doing.

  “Don’t wrinkle your forehead. Look down.” I took my suture and needle and went to work ensuring I used the best size that wouldn’t leave a nasty scar. As much as he irritated me, I did appreciate his handsome face. “I wouldn’t be so eager for you to leave if you weren’t such an ass.”

  “You don’t even know me.” His shoulders lifted and I was very away of the slight movement.

  “I don’t want to. Besides, I know enough about you.” He’d dated a patient of mine, Meagan, who he had left pregnant.

  “I wouldn’t be so quick to listen to rumor, besides, isn’t it better to get to know me for yourself?” I put the last stitch in and tied it off. Then I slapped a bandage in place using my brightest pink tape.

  “All done. I’m going to get you something for pain. Are you allergic to anything, any reactions I should know about?” I wasn’t deliberately ignoring him, but I needed to get him patched up so we could both be on our way. I had patients in every room.

  “Not that I know of.” He didn’t seem impressed, but closed his eyes and waited as I told him I’d be right back.

  I ran out of the room and seen Lucinda waiting for me outside a patient’s room. “Doctor, the two in these rooms are only waiting for you to get their meds. They have the same bug as the others, strep tests are coming back all clear, as well as the flu. The other is most likely allergies because she can’t stop sneezing and her eyes are all watery.” She took off to the front when I handed her the paper with my script request.

  “I’m on it. Thanks so much.” I hurried into each room, giving the patients a bit more information on what to expect from their virus. Afterward I got the woman taken care of on her insane sneezing which, like Lucinda thought, was due to allergies. As I passed my office door, my cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I glanced down and it was my sister, Harper. I slipped inside and took the call hoping to hear a bit of good news and because I thought I should pass along the news of Jeremy’s misfortune.

  She didn’t know what was going on with Luke because he hadn’t shown up. I hurried off the phone as to not spoil the surprise and because I needed to get back to work. I headed back to the infant room to get Jeremy out of there.

  When I walked in he was staring at his bandage in the small mirror over the sink.

  “Here’s your prescription. You’ll have to come back in a week to get those stitches removed, so Lucinda is putting that in the system. You’re all set to go. Promise me you’ll go to the pharmacy and then straight home, too. You really shouldn’t be driving for the next few days. And find someone to stay with you. Someone should check on you through the night.”

  He held his hand to his head and I could see the furrow in his brow. “Like who?”

  I realized that while the whole town loved his brother, not many held the same feelings for Jeremy Daniels. He wasn’t the hero type or a Good Samaritan. But surely he had someone, a friend, girlfriend, or distant relative who could look in on him? That’s what happens when you’re an asshole. No one cares. “You’re a billionaire, right? Maybe you can buy a friend.” What was meant as a joke fell flat.

  The expression faded on his face as a muscle feathered in his jaw. “You know, that’s totally possible, too bad you can’t buy a personality.” With that, he snatched his paperwork from my hands and headed out to the front. I stood there in the doorway feeling about two inches tall. I’d taken our teasing a bit too far. Shit.

  Chapter 2

  Jeremy

  Who knew our small town had a queen and she was made of ice and as unfeeling as stone. She was so clinical and sterile she probably performed surgery right off her flat chest.

  I had held my tongue as much as I could, but left her standing there, slack-jawed and wide-eyed like I’d thrown a bucket of ice water on her. Maybe she was melting. That would explain a lot.

  I threw my papers down on the counter as a nagging headache burned deep in my skull like some tiny man was in there pounding his way out. I glanced around and look at all the miserable people still waiting in the lobby and leaned in across the counter. “Send me the bill for every person on this list for the past three hours.” I didn’t have to say more or explain in great detail why because every person in the town knew who I was.

  The whole town’s residents had their opinions of me and they were all so different that it made for one hell of a pie chart. You had those who knew and loved me, those who knew and hated me and then there were about five different shades of those who had heard the gossip about me that was already a good year old and had either decided I was a cad or completely innocent.

  My ex, Meagan, had found out she was pregnant after a month of dating, and to her dismay, I was better at math than she’d expected and lucky for me, I had better attorneys. Turns out the man she left me for was the father, and I’d only been a stop along the way with hopes that I’d take responsibility and pay her off. I took her to court instead, and though I had tried to keep the whole thing quiet for both of our sakes, she was content to tell everyone within earshot who would listen.

  To some, it didn’t matter that they’d known me half my life or that I’d donated thousands to their charities or volunteered as much as my brother had in the past. Nope, I was suddenly branded the black sheep.

  I wasn’t sure where Nora fell on the big pie chart that Meagan had left me with, but after her comment, I had a pretty good idea. And it wasn’t a shock. Nora had no doubt heard what she wanted to hear while Meagan came in for her baby appointments.

  My jaw clenched as I realized why the good doctor had stuffed me into that closet she called the infant room. Well, at least now I knew why she hated me so much. The only thing I needed to figure out was why of all the women across town, hell across the world, who I could have, why did I want her?

  Maybe it was that old adage: we always want what we can’t have. Too bad I wasn’t used to not getting my way. It was the challenge, I’d always liked one, but everyone had their breaking point where it was better to give up and cut your losses and I think Nora had me close to mine.

  “That’s very generous of you, Mr. Daniels.” Her tag read Amy and I realized I had donated a large sum to her sister’s benefit a year ago. But who would remember that and tell their boss about it? Not Amy.

  Don’t get me wrong, I never helped anyone to get praise, and I didn’t even expect a thank you. But why couldn’t Nora have heard something good about me? I guess it was time to let her go and be myself. If she couldn’t see the real me for all of the ugly gossips then it was her loss.

  My loss.

  I paid my bill and left taking my pride with me.

  I did as she instructed and went straight to the pharmacy to get my prescription so I could hurry up and kill the monstrous headache and get back home. All I wanted to do was sleep, but I guess that wasn’t a good idea either. Not alone anyway.

  The young girl behind the counter, who I knew as the pharmacist’s daughter or niece, had a big smile for me. “Hello, Mr. Daniels. How can I help you today?” I looked her up and down. She was a lot curvier than Nora, who was a tall, thin blonde. This girl’s dark roots were a dead giveaway that the carpet didn’t match the drapes like Nora. Maybe Nora was exactly what I needed. I leaned in and read her nametag.

  “Kari Anne, I’d like for y
ou to fill this.” I handed her the slip of paper which sent her fingers working across her computer keys.

  “Okay, give me just a minute and I’ll take care of that myself.” She gave me a wink and headed to the back. I made busy and wondered what my wait time would be. The small town’s pharmacy usually didn’t have a wait.

  I walked down an aisle and looked at ice packs. I wondered if I’d need one, but then Nora hadn’t said anything about it. I was about to see how much they wanted for a blood pressure cuff like the one Nora’s nurse had used on me when Kari Anne returned.

  “Okay, Mr. Daniels, you’re all set.”

  “Call me Jeremy, please.” I leaned in over the counter and bit my lip as I watched her type. It was hard to be seductive when you felt like you’d been hit by a truck.

  “Yes, Jeremy, so this medicine has codeine, so you want to make sure you take it with food and plenty of water. Try some milk if it upsets your stomach and do not drink alcohol.” She handed me the medicine and I gave her my insurance and credit cards.

  “Looks like you hit your head pretty hard.” She gestured to my bandage. “You look good in pink.”

  “Yeah, I was told I have a concussion, so I’m not supposed to spend the night alone.”

  She blushed, but then I caught myself. What was I doing? I didn’t want her. I wanted Nora. Dammit all to hell.

  After a moment of inner struggle which probably had me looking like a real loon, she snapped back into focus. “Yeah, I guess I could slip into a coma or something terrible.” I took the card back and then picked up my prescription. “So, I guess. . . wish me luck.” I got the hell out of there while she watched me like I was an escaped mental patient. Nora was officially making me crazy.

  While I was walking out to my car, my brother’s friend, and fellow Little League coach, Steve came running past. He stopped when he saw me. “Hey, you happen to know where your brother is? I’ve tried calling him all morning. I’m not going to be able to be at practice tomorrow evening. The wife is going into surgery tomorrow. I’m going to drive her down to the city first thing in the morning.”