The Doctor's Husband (The Watson Brothers #3)

by Ann B. Harrison

  “If you need to chat, you know you can count on me. My lips are sealed.” She tipped the last of the coffee into her mouth before putting the cup down and sighing. “Well, if that was my break away from Fisher, I’ve had it. I left him with Rory for half an hour. He’s such a sweetie with that little boy. Nobody would know Fisher wasn’t his own child.”

  “He certainly is a good man. I know Evan is too, underneath all of this. It’s his reaction to it all that worries me. I’m going to try my best to make him see the truth.” She stood up. “I want what you and Rory have.”

  “You will get it, wait and see. From what I know, all the Watson boys have this innate sense of responsibility that always comes to the fore. He won’t let you down. Might make you suffer a bit, but I think he’ll come through in the end.”

  “Thanks for coming to visit. I appreciate it very much.” Denver accepted another hug and walked Gina to the door.

  “Rory said something about you guys doing a dinner one night soon. Let me know if I can do anything to help, okay?”

  “Sure. I’ll talk to Evan about it.” She held the door open and watched as Gina walked away, the small swagger that pregnant women seemed to get visible already. I’ll walk like that soon, all things going my way.

  Chapter Twenty

  Unsure how to approach Denver, Evan tried to act as if there was nothing wrong in the days that followed their argument. The mood in the house turned slightly cooler than normal, but he accepted it and tried to make things go as smoothly as he could. Hopefully she would make up her mind and share her decision before there was no hope of fixing what he was fast coming to realize was his mistake. A monumental blunder on his part.

  He’d promised to love and honor her when they wed and in one awful night he’d managed to hurt her feelings, call her a liar, and leave her with the worst possible option to fix their marriage. If he’d been smarter, or even kinder, they could have talked it out like rational people, but he’d chosen to jump to the wrong conclusion after having words with a stranger. It was stupid and childlike. Of course he was hurt, but he knew she loved him. Knew the passion she showed him wasn’t contrived or false. What she’d said was true, they’d fallen in love and he only reacted badly to the idea she’d married him for the job because he’d been caught unawares. One day they would laugh this off and wonder why they fought over it.

  But would he be able to take back the hurt he saw in her eyes?

  “I don’t know how to fix it.” He looked over at his brothers and swallowed a groan of frustration. They were out on the back deck chatting over a cold beer while keeping an eye on Fisher running around the yard with Sherbet dogging his every step. The little boy squealed with laughter as the Australian cattle dog herded him back toward the steps.

  “Just get down and grovel. I’m pretty sure that would do it.” Chance whistled at the dog and made her sit so Fisher could catch a breath. The toddler plopped down on his bottom, grabbed a fistful of dog fur, and snuggled against her.

  “I’m not averse to that, believe me, and if it would make things happier in this house I would. I don’t know how to fix the hurt I caused her.”

  “Hang on. Let me get this clear.” Chance stood up and put his beer on the table. “She originally wanted you for a husband so she could move to town and get the job, right? The job she already knew about and had been shortlisted for?”

  Evan shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah.”

  “So, in my humble opinion, even though she fell in love with you and said to ‘hell with the job,’ according to her, ‘I’ll go along with whatever Evan decides,’ shouldn’t she bear some of the responsibility of this argument?”

  “I believed her when she said that. I have no reason to doubt her. The problem here is not what she was originally going to do, it’s how I reacted knowing damn well that isn’t why we got married. I hurt her, deeply.” He glanced inside the kitchen where his wife and sisters-in-law were chatting around the kitchen.

  “So apologize.”

  “There’s more to it, right Evan?” Rory spoke up, as Evan knew he would. He’d never let anyone get away with telling only half the story on anything.

  “Hmm, now why did I know that was coming?” The eldest of them shook his head. “Spit it out, Brother. What have you done?”

  His gut clenched and a bead of sweat broke out on his top lip. “I told her to make me believe her, she had to prove it.”

  Chance only raised an eyebrow and glared at him.

  “I told her to have a baby now, not later as we’d planned.”

  Chance shook his head. “You really are an idiot sometimes. You know that, right?” He glanced around as the sound of laughter wafted out of the kitchen and blew a kiss at his wife before turning back to his brother. “I’d expect something like this from Tyson, not you. So, how are you going to fix it? I gather you’re keen to do the right thing?”

  “I am, of course I am.” He shuffled his feet, feeling all of twelve again and under interrogation from his older brothers with no hope of slinking away to lick his wounds. “It’s just that she’s been really busy getting the hospital sorted out, and starting the new doctor’s clinic. I tried to talk to her last night but she was distracted so I left it.”

  “You’re a wimp, Evan. Time to man up and sort it out before it goes beyond the fixing stage.”

  “But there’s more. I’ve been thinking.” Evan felt the churning in his gut as he tried to talk to his brothers about what had been niggling him for the last few days.

  “Oh this is going to be good.” Chance rolled his eyes.

  “I wonder if she’s more like her father than I thought. You know how controlling he is? Maybe Denver is more manipulative than even she knows. I watch her sometimes and see her father in her eyes. It’s like she becomes a different person where work is concerned.” He hurried on when Chance snorted. “It’s true. It’s like she puts on a cloak and the Denver I fell in love with fades away. I wonder if she thinks she fell in love with me because of the ten-year plan she has.”

  “What ten-year plan?” Rory tilted his head and waited for an answer. “You haven’t mentioned this before.”

  “I know, she only mentioned it the other day at work in a meeting and it’s what started me thinking she might not be all she seemed initially. We were discussing the clinic and she laid out some of her plans for the future.”

  “Right. What doctor’s clinic? I haven’t heard about that one.” Rory looked at him, interest sparking in his eyes.

  “They have so many people coming into the emergency department, it holds up beds for the more serious cases. Denver figured if they had a dedicated clinic like the hospital used to have, the ER would run a lot smoother. She’s right about that. I saw how non urgent cases clogged up the department in the city.”

  “What’s wrong with them going to see you? I don’t get it. We’ve tried so hard to keep that clinic open and they still insist on going to the hospital.” Rory had been instrumental in helping keep the practice open and Evan knew it would hit him hard as Gina had recently signed up for her pregnancy care with him.

  “And according to Denver, the board will give her more money if she makes a profit with the clinic. She’s doing the right thing, I know that, but it hasn’t given us much time to talk about the elephant in the room—namely my stupidity. I’m kind of loath to bring it up when I know I’m the idiot here.”

  “Going to have to sooner or later. No point tiptoeing around each other trying to cover up the damage when it’s still festering underneath. Better to get it over and done with and recover from there.” Rory hurried down the steps and pulled the strands of dog hair from Fisher’s mouth. He picked him up and walked him over to the tire swing in the backyard under the old oak tree.

  “I want what he has. I didn’t realize how much until I gave Denver that ultimatum.”

  “In my experience, ultimatums don’t work that well, especially with strong-minded women like your wife. Better you apologize an
d try to show her how wonderful it could be with a baby. Ease her into it gently instead of using the steamroller effect. That always works better.”

  “Are you and Callie going to…?”

  “Eventually. We’re more than happy enjoying each other for now. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to be this selfish and she’s not in any hurry. Gets her maternal fix with Fisher and that suits her for now.” They watched Rory swinging his excited son. “It’ll come together if you love each other enough. If you don’t, you never stood a chance anyway.”

  *

  “You must be so excited, Denver, that the idea is working out.” Gina rubbed her belly. The small mound was only now starting to show and Denver wondered how she was going to be able to keep her own pregnancy a secret from Evan for much longer. They needed to talk about things before she could comfortably tell him the news. This child would not be used as a bargaining chip by anyone for anything.

  “It’s pretty exciting seeing it all come together. I wish I could talk Evan into heading the clinic; he’d be so good at it.” She tipped the salad out of the spinner into a bowl and placed it on the counter. “The only doctor who’s put their hand up to work there is young and doesn’t really have Evan’s bedside manner, which is damned good. He has a way with patients and I’d love him to take over.”

  “Why won’t he?” Callie picked a lettuce leaf from the bowl and popped it in her mouth.

  “He didn’t want to let Dr. Hennessey down because he’s retiring soon. Fair enough, I understand that, but still.”

  “You guys talking now?”

  Denver looked at Gina, trepidation crawling up her spine. “Oh come on, Callie picked it ages ago and spoke to me. She worried you were working yourself sick at the job. I didn’t tell her the details, promise, only that you two had a fight.”

  “Like I’m going to say anything. Us girls have to stick together.” She picked at the speck of lettuce stuck on her front teeth and grinned. “Spill, sister-in-law.”

  “Yes, we’re talking in a fashion. Avoiding all talk of that night and the argument. It’s a bit strange treating each other like this, but I’m not prepared to back down on what I said and neither, so it would appear, is Evan.”

  “So, he doesn’t…”

  “No.”

  Callie looked between the two of them. “You’re holding back and that’s against the sister-in-law club rules. Don’t you two know anything about how that works? Sheesh, do I need to educate the pair of you?”

  “I can’t say it now in case he hears me. You’ll have to wait until we can have a chat away from the boys.”

  “Oh, I see, it’s serious girl stuff. Well then, we’d better make a coffee date during the week. I don’t know if I can hold out that long, but I guess I have no choice.”

  Denver smiled, happy to keep the secret to herself for a little longer. She’d popped into the pathology lab today to have a full blood count done and a pregnancy test. The answer had come back before she left work.

  “Congratulations, Dr. Sinclair. You’re going to be a mother.” She’d hung up the phone as nervous as she was relieved. This baby had come at the wrong time as far as her relationship with Evan was concerned. Being pregnant shouldn’t have come as a huge surprise to her. She was never one to remember to take her pill. She should have expected the result, especially since they had spent a lot of time making love while they were back for the wedding.

  That didn’t stop her thinking she’d timed it all wrong. And as much as she wanted to end this argument with Evan, she didn’t want to use the baby to do that. Poor child deserved to be wanted for itself, not to prove her love for her new husband.

  Gina placed a hand on her shoulder, offering support, bringing her back to the present. “I can see your brain ticking over. Let me in on what’s going on.”

  “It’s okay. I think it’s time we served dinner. Do you want to call the guys in for me while I put the food on the table?”

  “Sure.” Gina shared a concerned glance with Callie, but went to do as Denver had asked.

  “What can I do?” Callie reached for the silverware Denver held and headed to the table. “Don’t be shy giving me jobs. I kinda figured we were over that now.” She set out the forks and knives and came back to the counter for the plates Denver took out of the cupboard.

  “Yes, I know. Sorry, I don’t mean to be so controlling in my kitchen. Lots on my mind right now.” She gave a small smile to set Callie at rest. “If you could take all of these I can get the lasagna out of the oven and we’re set to go.”

  “Sure.” She took the plates and came back for the serviettes and condiments, placing them on the table. Before she could do anything else, her husband swept her into a hug, giving Callie a sensual kiss that almost had Denver blushing. She looked over and saw Evan watching her, an unreadable expression on his face. She quickly averted her gaze and concentrated on the hot dish she was taking out of the oven. Carefully, she gripped it with two pot holders and walked it over and placed in on serving tray in the middle of the table.

  “Smells divine, Denver.” Rory carried Fisher over and put him in the high chair they’d brought with them and sat down beside him. He sniffed again and grinned at his wife. “Looks like you have some competition, my love.”

  “I don’t mind that at all.” Gina placed a bib over Fisher’s head and tucked it down so the food wouldn’t get on his clothing before sitting on the other side of him.

  When Denver was seated, she handed Evan the serving spoon, blushing when their fingers touched briefly. “Care to do the honors?”

  He glanced at her, a small twitch at the corner of his lips. For a moment their gazes were locked before she tore hers away and looked down at her plate. They really did have to sort this out. The chemistry was still the same but neither of them wanted to be the one to give in and end the stand off.

  “Can I get anyone a glass of wine?” Chance held the chair out for Callie and then stepped over to the fridge, bringing out the bottle of white he’d brought with him.

  “Not for me thanks, I have an early start and it will fog my brain. I’ll have water.” Denver reached for the jug on the table and filled up her glass before handing it to Gina who sat next to her.

  “I hear the planning for the new clinic is going well. You must be happy with that, Denver.”

  “Yes, I am. It was an idea from one of our doctors and I have to say I was keen to try it as soon as I heard it’d been done before, especially when I found out it only closed because they couldn’t find a suitable doctor to run it. The board approved it without any fuss at all. I know I didn’t have to run it past them, but I’m glad I did.” She put down her water glass and picked up her fork, poking it in the cheese topping. “They like the idea of it so much they’ve offered me more money on this year’s budget. Win-win all round if you ask me.”

  Later that night as they dressed for bed, Denver tried to talk. “Evan we can’t go on like this. I hate that you don’t believe me.”

  He turned, sadness marring his handsome face. “Seriously? Look I’m sorry for what I said, it was wrong, but Denver, you used me. Plain and simple. That’s the bit I can’t ignore.”

  “I know and I’m sorry. But you have to believe me. I did fall in love with you.” She reached for him, ready to make amends, but he stepped away.

  “You know, I think you really believe that but I wonder if you fell in love with the idea of getting one over on your father more. I know what he’s like Denver. He’s cold and calculated, only doing things that benefit him, leaving bodies in his wake to control his world.”

  She lifted her head and stared at him. “And you think I’m the same, cold and calculated?”

  “No. I didn’t say that.” He looked at her, his hands up as if ready to stall her thoughts.

  “You all but implied it, Evan. If that is how you view me, how is it even an option to have a child together?” Dread settled in her stomach. There was no way she could tell him about th
e baby now.

  “I’m sorry. It’s not what I meant at all, you took it all wrong.” Evan reached for her and this time it was Denver who moved out of the way.

  “I don’t think this discussion is going to get us anywhere. I’m tired, Evan. I need my sleep.” She turned and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Denver leaned against it fighting back the tears. The chance to repair their fragile marriage seemed to be slipping away and she didn’t have the heart to fight him every single day when he so obviously didn’t trust or believe her. How much was he going to make her suffer for her mistake? Surely he could see that she loved him and it was all a terrible misunderstanding? Perhaps not, not now that she knew how he viewed her. If it wasn’t for that comment about her being like her father, she would have begged him to listen. She couldn’t do that now. How on earth would they be able to manage to live together, and then there was the baby?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “I’m sorry, Evan, the doctor’s office has to close down at the end of the week. The hospital board decided it’s no longer viable now that they have the new clinic set up. They’re convinced if they streamline the services they offer, it will save money and make life easier. I tend to agree with them.”

  “I have a contract. What the heck am I supposed to do now?”

  “They want you to go to the clinic. Work out your contract there and, if you like what you’re doing, I see no reason why they won’t extend it.” The older doctor punched him playfully on the shoulder. “Not like you don’t have an insider to take up your case, is it?”

  “I already turned my wife down when she offered me the job. I didn’t know they were going to do this to us though.” He turned to look out the window, anger building. Denver should have told him instead of leaving it to Dr. Hennessey to inform him. Just as he was getting the hang of being in a small-town practice, the bubble bursts. “Well, guess there’s no choice then. Are you coming over as well?” He looked at the older man and his heart ached for him. His whole life revolved around this tiny little hands-on clinic and it was all tumbling down around his ears just as he was set to retire.