Falling for the Billionaire Doc

by Amy Ruttan

  Henry’s expression softened. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t pity me,” she said quickly. She hated the pity. There was no need for it. Not once Wilfred and Mandy became her family.

  She was lucky really.

  “This is me doing anything but.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. A flush of warmth spread through her. Usually people pitied her if they found out about her past, but she could tell that Henry didn’t because he looked her in the eye and reached out to take her hand. It caused her to gasp slightly, shocked that he was reaching out to touch her instead of being uncomfortable with her past. She didn’t pull away from the touch.

  It made her feel safe.

  Men she’d dated in the past had felt sorry for her once they knew about her past. She was not defined by her past. Only her present, but no one could see beyond her biological parents’ tainted past.

  It was another reason she didn’t share anything about herself. She didn’t trust anyone with her pain.

  And she didn’t want to let people in.

  It was easier to stay single. To be alone.

  Yet, here she was, engaged.

  Not really engaged.

  And she had to keep reminding herself of that. They were exchanging information in order to keep up the subterfuge.

  “So that’s my past. I was an abandoned kid who grew up in the system until a kindly widowed man with a daughter the same age as me took me in.”

  “How did Dr. Burke find you?” Henry asked.

  “He became a foster parent. I was struggling in other homes and he chose me.” She smiled as she thought of Wilfred. “I’ll be eternally grateful. I was alone for so long.”

  “I can relate to that,” Henry said, sliding close to her.

  “I know that you can’t. You had two parents.”

  “Two absent parents. I grew up in boarding schools and servants raised me.”

  “Similar, but not the same.” Kiera took another sip of her wine.

  “How do you mean?” he asked.

  “You were still cared for.”

  “But not by my parents. They might not have physically abandoned me, but emotionally they did.”

  She melted because he understood her. He knew what it was like and tears welled up in her eyes. They were unwelcome. She didn’t cry in front of anyone.

  The only time she’d cried was when Wilfred died and she’d been with him after he passed.

  He had told no one he was so sick, and Kiera hadn’t made it in time to say goodbye, to thank him.

  He had lain there. Calm. Peaceful. The nurses had told her what was wrong with him. They had told her about the cancer that had ravaged him. She had been allowed to be alone in the room with him. No longer was he in pain, and all she could do was drop to her knees and weep.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice trembling as she tried to banish the memory from her mind so she didn’t cry in front of him. “I guess we are the same in some ways.”

  “Well, this is kind of a bummer. How about something to eat? I made...something I’m not that sure of.”

  Kiera laughed, the sadness ebbing away. “Something that you’re not sure of? That sounds appetizing.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on it.”

  Kiera followed Henry into his kitchen. His kitchen was clean and looked like it had barely been used. It looked brand-new.

  The kitchen at her place was used. Well used. Kiera could cook a few things, but Mandy did most of the cooking.

  This kitchen looked like it just plopped itself out of a factory.

  “Why do I smell plastic?” Kiera asked.

  “What?” Henry opened the oven and she could see a rotisserie chicken from a grocery store, still sitting in its plastic container. The plastic container was melting and dribbling down into some kind bubbly orange and green side dish.

  She stifled a laugh. “You know that those chickens from the grocery store are actually cooked, right?”

  “Yeah, well, it needed to be warmed.” Henry grabbed his oven mitts, still with the price tag on them, and pulled out the melted plastic holding the destroyed chicken. And then pulled out another dish, a discolored, hardened casserole of some sort.

  “What was that supposed to be?” she asked as she came to stand beside him and inspect the trauma more carefully. She was a trauma doctor, after all, and assessing the damage was part of her job.

  And there was a lot of carnage here in this mystery side dish.

  “It was supposed to be a sweet potato casserole.”

  “What’s with the green?” she asked, wrinkling her nose and leaning over him.

  “Spinach. I added spinach, I thought they might go well together. Apparently, I was wrong.”

  “You were so wrong. So, so very wrong.”

  “Well, I guess there goes my idea of cooking you dinner. The whole reason for inviting you here was to do that. Michelle always told me I was a terrible cook...” He trailed off and something changed.

  He was no longer laughing. He walked away from the chicken and the sweet potato casserole.

  “Who’s Michelle?” she asked gently.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said quietly. “I didn’t mean to mention her.”

  “Look, I told you about my past, tell me about Michelle, because obviously she is someone important. Someone a fiancée would know about?”

  Henry ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t talk about her, and I didn’t...”

  “I don’t talk about my past,” she said softly. “You didn’t pity me, and I promise not to pity you.”

  She could tell it was difficult for him. It was something that stung him deeply.

  Henry looked back at her. His eyes were dark, and all the mirth, relaxation and happiness that had been there a moment ago when they had been laughing over the chicken was gone.

  It was replaced with pain.

  “Michelle was my fiancée. She died.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss. How did she die? May I ask that?”

  “She was a surgeon, as well. A trauma surgeon who worked with a search and rescue team. She really liked going into remote locations and saving lives. One day, she went in to help and there was an accident. She was in a remote spot and the small clinic there couldn’t handle her injuries. So she succumbed to them. Even if she made it, I doubt she could’ve survived, now looking back. She might’ve had a chance, but who knows.”

  It was then that it hit her why he was in favor of building a bigger hospital, a better hospital. A larger emergency room, a bigger intensive care unit and a teaching program. When he looked at Aspen Grace Memorial Hospital he saw the sort of small hospital that couldn’t save the woman he loved.

  Her heart melted for him a bit.

  It wasn’t about money. It wasn’t about making more money.

  For Henry, it was something deep and personal.

  And she understood that.

  She wanted to save the free clinic because of what had happened to Mandy; Henry wanted to make sure that Aspen Grace Memorial Hospital was the best it could be.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Well, now we know our deep, dark secrets. What do we do with this?”

  Kiera sighed. “I don’t know. We certainly can’t eat dinner, because it’s kind of horrific.”

  A smile quirked the corner of his lips. “Well, that’s for sure.”

  “I still can’t believe you tried to cook a cooked chicken.”

  “Shut up.” The twinkle returned to his eyes. “Do you like pizza?”

  “I could go for some pizza.”

  “There’s a good place near the base of the mountain, by the main lodge. Would you like to take a walk there?”

  “I would like that.”
And she would. She was enjoying her time with him.

  “Let’s go then.”

  Kiera followed Henry. He helped her with her coat, pulled on his jacket, and they took the elevator in silence down to street level.

  It was snowing pretty heavily, but that wasn’t stopping people from walking through the shops that lined the street. Although Kiera loathed these new mountain resorts and vacation time-shares that were built to cater to the elite, she did like the fact that they resembled perfect Christmas villages.

  Except that it was February.

  Still, it was nice to walk through the village. It was snowing heavily and there was no wind. Just big, fat, fluffy snowflakes.

  “I hate the snow,” Henry grumbled.

  “Why?”

  “It’s cold.”

  “You said you were born in Colorado. I mean your dad is governor currently and Colorado is his home state. I’d have thought you would be used to the cold.”

  “I’ve lived in Los Angeles for eight years. I’ve rarely come to Colorado since then, so I don’t think I’m acclimatized to it. That, and I really never did like the cold.” The cold reminded him of being alone. “Sure we had servants, but I was alone in a dreary house on top of a mountain. The wind scared me. So I’ve never been a fan of winter.”

  “I wasn’t born here, but I don’t mind the cold.”

  “Where were you born?” he asked.

  “Helena,” she teased. “So, nowhere with a warmer climate.”

  Henry opened the door to the pizza shop and a blast of warm air hit her in the face. The smell of actual, properly cooked food wafted toward her, making her stomach growl.

  “We’ll take care of that,” he teased, obviously hearing her tummy rumble.

  And her cheeks flushed, realizing he’d heard that.

  “How about since you tried so hard and bought the wine, I buy dinner?”

  “Deal.”

  * * *

  Henry didn’t like talking about Michelle, and he didn’t know why he had opened up about it.

  That was something he kept close to his heart. It was his pain to bear and he didn’t want to share it with anyone else. It was something that he lived with, it reminded him to keep his heart in check.

  That he couldn’t put himself on the line like that.

  He didn’t know what it was about Kiera that brought it all out again. Maybe it was knowing her past, too, that made it easier. Kiera had got under his skin, from the moment she had climbed into the back of his father’s car with that ridiculous protest sign.

  When he thought of that sign, with his father’s picture painted with devil horns, he chuckled.

  He really didn’t know what it was about Kiera, but he knew he liked being with her. She made him forget about a lot of things—he felt alive.

  And he wasn’t so alone. He laughed more. It had been a while since he had really laughed.

  He hadn’t realized how lonely he actually was.

  Kiera slid into the booth across from him. “Pizza will be here soon.”

  “Good.”

  “It doesn’t have plastic in it,” she teased.

  “That’s always good.”

  “So, you must have a cook in Los Angeles.”

  “No, I just go out a lot or order in, that’s if I’m at home. I spend a lot of time at my clinic. I work a lot.”

  “So do I.”

  “How does Mandy feel about that?” he asked.

  “She gets lonely, but I love my work and... I learned from Dr. Burke, and he was always there for his patients. Working reminds me of him and I don’t miss him as much. Besides, Mandy always encourages me to go out.”

  That struck a chord with him. He understood that.

  Henry nodded. “So what kind of pizza did you order for us?”

  “Well, for me I ordered just pepperoni, but for you, I added spinach.”

  Henry laughed with her.

  It was good to laugh with her.

  It was good not to be alone.

  * * *

  They finished the pizza and made their way back. Henry offered to walk her to her car. The snow was coming down harder. When they got closer to the parking lot, there were flashing lights.

  “What’s going on?” Kiera asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  It was the state troopers, and there was a roadblock up.

  “Officer, is there a problem?” Henry asked.

  “The road is shut down. There was an avalanche.”

  “We’re doctors—was anyone injured?” Kiera asked.

  “No, ma’am. The road is blocked, though, and we’re asking everyone to stay put for now. It probably won’t be clear until the morning. Do you have a place to stay? If not, the mountain lodge is setting up cots and a warming station.”

  “She has a place to stay. Thank you, Officer,” Henry said.

  He put his arm around Kiera and led her away from the parking lot.

  “I guess I should find a place in the mountain lodge,” she said.

  “Why, when I have a perfectly good place?” he asked.

  “Do you think that’s wise?”

  “Kiera, we’re engaged. I think it’s safe.”

  Kiera worried her bottom lip. “Okay. I guess you have a point.”

  “Come on. It’ll be fine. We’ll watch a movie and hunker down until the road is clear.”

  Kiera nodded, and they walked back to his place.

  His pulse was racing. He only had one bed. He’d give that to Kiera and sleep on the couch, but for tonight, he was glad that Kiera was staying over.

  He’d enjoyed his time with her.

  And he was glad that, tonight, he wouldn’t be alone.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “I SEE A huge problem here,” Kiera said.

  “The one bed thing?” Henry asked.

  “Yes.” She had her arms crossed and she was staring at the bed like it was on fire. Tonight had been lovely, and getting to know her better had made him want her more, but he had to resist.

  This wasn’t real.

  His attraction might be, but their relationship wasn’t.

  Sharing a bed was out of the question.

  “I don’t expect to share a bed,” he said quickly. “I want you to have the bed.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Of course, I may be the villain who swooped in, is threatening to shut down your hospital and has persuaded you to pose as my fiancée, but I am a gentleman first and foremost.”

  “And where will you sleep?”

  “On the couch.”

  Kiera frowned. “That couch doesn’t look comfortable at all.”

  “It’s fine.” He reached into a drawer and handed her one of his T-shirts and a pair of jogging pants. The jogging pants were probably going to be too big for her, but at least she wouldn’t have to wear her jeans to bed and be uncomfortable.

  And she wouldn’t be sleeping naked or in her underwear, and he wouldn’t have to think about that. Like he was thinking about it now.

  Get a hold of yourself.

  It was bad enough that he was thinking about her sleeping in his bed.

  That she was spending the night.

  So close.

  He had to get a grip.

  “You sleep here and I’ll sleep out on the couch, and hopefully tomorrow morning the roads will be cleared and you can head back home.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” She sounded nervous as she held his spare pair of jogging pants tight to her chest.

  Henry nodded. “And I promise you that I won’t try to cook you breakfast in the morning.”

  Kiera laughed, breaking the tension. “Okay, deal.”

  “Good night.” He grabbed a pillow and a blanket from his closet, leaving Kiera alone in h
is bedroom. He shut the door.

  He sighed and made his way to the couch. His condo was dark, and the only light filtering through was the light from the mountain through the heavy snow and the dwindling fire, since he’d turned the gas down low.

  He stretched himself out on the couch and tried to get comfortable, but it was hard. His couch might be a sectional, but a sectional wasn’t long enough in one direction for him to get comfortable, and he really didn’t want to fold himself in half to get a good night’s sleep.

  Even if the couch were twenty feet long and twenty feet wide he was pretty sure that he wouldn’t sleep well. Not when Kiera was so close. Her hand on his pillow. Her scent on his sheets. He couldn’t stop thinking about how nice it was to have her here.

  To talk to someone.

  He rolled over to try and get comfortable.

  But when he closed his eyes, all he could think about was her in that jade dress and the kiss they’d shared in his car.

  Just like he had done the night before. He had spent a restless night then and would now. It was the last sleepless night that had led to this moment, the result of making a rash decision and inviting her over for dinner. Now Kiera was sleeping in his bed, and he was here on the couch, and all he could think about was her.

  You didn’t plan the avalanche.

  It didn’t matter. She was here, invading his space.

  Henry tried to turn on his side and couldn’t. The couch was too narrow.

  There was a creak behind him and he sat up.

  “Kiera?” he asked.

  She was standing in the dark, in his sweats and an oversize shirt, her hair braided over her shoulder. She looked even better than she had all dressed up.

  “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep, and I felt bad that I had your bed. I was going to see if you had any milk. Warm milk usually helps me fall asleep.”

  “I do have milk.” He pulled back the blanket and got up.

  “You don’t have to get up. I can make warmed milk—in fact, I’d rather make it.”

  “I can’t sleep. So why don’t you make me a cup, too.”

  Kiera nodded and made her way into the kitchen. Henry sat down at the counter as Kiera pulled out a saucepan. She poured milk into the saucepan and started rooting through his bare cupboards.