by Amy Ruttan
“I have to check on a patient out of town and I wondered if you’d like to come with me?”
“Why are you going out of town?”
“It’s for an elderly patient. She was one of Dr. Burke’s and I’ve sort of been taking care of her. She’s had a rash from her oral chemo, and I thought you might like to join me.”
Henry should say no, because being alone with her probably wasn’t wise.
He knew how he was feeling about her, but he didn’t know how she felt and he really didn’t want his heart broken.
Not that it would be her fault. She had made it clear this was simply a business arrangement.
It wasn’t her fault he was falling for her.
So he shouldn’t spent extra time alone with her, but he didn’t want Kiera to go alone.
“I can come with you.”
“Good. I was hoping you would, being a plastic surgeon. I thought you might know what to do for her skin irritation. I don’t know any dermatologists.”
He smiled. She was rambling. It was kind of cute.
“It’s fine, Kiera. I can go with you. What time?”
“In three hours?”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll meet you out front in three hours.”
“Sounds good.” Kiera left to go back to her patients.
Henry took a deep breath. He knew his father would be waiting for him and he didn’t care, even though he was curious to know what had caused his father to reopen the clinic. What kind of game was his father playing at?
Whatever it was, Henry didn’t want to be involved in it.
* * *
Kiera had surprised herself by asking Henry to go with her to see Agnes, who lived two hours out of town and up a windy mountain road, but she had.
It’s because he got the free clinic opened again.
Or at least that’s what she was telling herself.
That she was so happy the free clinic was open, she had become delusional and invited him. That had to be it. It was a moment of complete weakness.
Liar.
That wasn’t the reason. She enjoyed being around him. She had had fun last night. Just like she had had fun at the fundraiser. The night she wore the jade dress and he had kissed her in the car. That hot steamy kiss she still couldn’t get out of her mind.
Kiera. You’ve got to stop this. He’s not into you.
She wished he was.
It was nice being around Henry. And she couldn’t remember the last time she had had so much fun. She couldn’t remember the last time she actually wanted to be with someone again.
To spend time with someone who made her laugh. Someone who turned her on.
Someone who was smart, sexy and talented.
Kiera finished her rounds, changed out of her scrubs and packed what she needed to take for Agnes.
Once her car was loaded she pulled out of the staff parking lot and around to the front of the hospital. Henry had changed out of his scrubs and was dressed in jeans and a suede lambswool Sherpa coat.
Give him a pair of cowboy boots and a baseball cap and he’d fit right in with rural Colorado.
She pulled up and unlocked her door.
“Need a lift?” Kiera teased.
“Sure.” Henry opened her back door and tossed his leather messenger bag in the back seat before climbing into the front seat next to her.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were from Colorado.”
He grinned at her. “Well, I am from Colorado, but I prefer California. It doesn’t snow in California.”
“I think it does in some parts of California.”
“Not in my part of California. Not Los Angeles, not Huntington Beach, which is where I live.”
“Fancy.”
“It is. Quite fancy and peaceful.” Henry grinned at her. “I love the beach.”
“That sounds nice. Do you surf then, living so close to the water?”
“No. No time.”
“Then why live at the beach?”
“It’s the best, and the sounds of the waves help me sleep.”
“Do you have problems sleeping?”
“I do. The sound of the water relaxes me. Sometimes,” he said quietly.
“It must be hard for you to sleep in Aspen then. There’s no ocean here.”
“It is, but I forgot about hearing the wind through the trees, it’s almost like waves sometimes. And also... Anyway, I slept well last night. Must’ve been the warm milk.”
She glanced at him briefly. Her heart skipped a beat. She had thought for a second he was going to say he’d slept well last night because of her, because that’s how she felt, too.
She had slept so soundly with him beside her. She had been comfortable. She had felt safe. The only other time she’d felt as safe was the first night at Wilfred and Mandy’s. Sharing a room with Mandy in a warm, dry, clean, quiet home had given her security.
“The milk would have been better with cinnamon,” she said, trying to get her mind off him. Trying to forget his strong arms around her.
“You’ll have to make it for me sometime again then, with the correct ingredients.”
Kiera’s cheeks heated and she turned her focus back on the road.
Maybe this was a bad idea, being alone with Henry for two hours.
At least Agnes would appreciate Henry. She was a feisty eighty-year-old woman who liked a good-looking man.
“So what kind of cancer does... Sorry, I don’t know her name.”
“Agnes.”
“Agnes then. What kind of cancer does Agnes have and what is she taking for it?”
“Lung cancer with metastases to her brain and her bones, mostly her hips.”
Henry made a face. “So she’s on oral chemo?”
“Yes. She’s had radiation for the brain mets. She’s been this way for two years.”
“Two years, and she’s eighty and lives out in the country?” he asked, shocked.
“I know, right? She’s pretty hard-core. She was one of Dr. Burke’s favorite people.”
“I look forward to meeting her.”
“I can tell you, you’ll make her day.”
“Why is that?” he asked.
“She appreciates...” Kiera blushed and cleared her throat. “She likes a...”
“A nice piece of ass?” Henry teased.
Kiera laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“You guess so?”
“I haven’t seen your...” She couldn’t even finish that sentence with a straight face.
“Ass,” he said quickly.
“Right. So I wouldn’t know.”
“Well, we have slept together, and we are engaged.”
“A fake engagement,” she reminded him. “Fake meaning, I don’t see your ass and you don’t see mine.”
“Ever?” he teased.
Heat bloomed in her cheeks. “Right. Never. Ever.”
Instantly she regretted what she had said. How had they gone from talking about their patient to discussing each other’s posteriors? What she had to do pay attention to the road.
Nonetheless, she didn’t mind talking about his bottom and wouldn’t mind seeing it. It would be nice to spend more nights safe in his arms. To feel secure. To trust.
To love.
What has gotten into you?
Kiera kept her eyes on the road and watched for the turnoff to the windy road that headed up the mountain to where Agnes had a small log cabin and lived by subsistence and off-grid.
“Why does she live up here?” Henry asked as they hit a rut and were jostled back and forth.
“She farms, hunts. She likes living off-grid. She always has.”
“I’m beginning to like this patient. She’s hard-core and appreciates a fine-looking surgeon.�
� He waggled his eyebrows as Kiera glanced at him.
“You know what? I think I liked you better when you were all moody and sullen.”
“Thanks... I think.”
She chuckled and they pulled up to Agnes’s house. There was smoke rising from the stovepipe on the roof, which was always a good sign that Agnes was still alive and kicking.
As Kiera parked the car, the door opened and Agnes stood in the doorway.
“You made it, Doc Brown!” Agnes shouted. “And you’ve brought a friend!”
“I did. This is Dr. Baker.”
Agnes eyed Henry. “Isn’t he the governor’s son?”
“I am,” Henry replied.
“Well, you look fine. Your father is a tool.” Agnes turned and headed back into her house. “Come on in.”
Kiera laughed silently at Henry’s shocked expression.
She might have been regretting her decision to bring him up here because she was scared about how she was feeling, but now she was glad he was there.
Agnes was going to make this trip fun.
So much fun, and for that the drive was completely worth it.
CHAPTER NINE
“SO? WHAT’S THE VERDICT?” Agnes asked as Kiera finished listening to her chest.
“You’re still stable, but I really wish you’d move to town.”
Agnes rolled her eyes. “Dr. Burke tried for ten years to get me off my mountain. A little cancer is not going to get me to move to town.”
Henry gave Kiera an amused secret look.
“Agnes, I think you’re in more pain than you’re letting on,” she said gently.
“I’m fine. I just have a rash that’s annoying me. All over my chest.” Agnes glanced at Henry and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “You want to examine it for me?”
Kiera chuckled silently.
“I can take a look,” Henry offered.
Agnes grinned. “So you’re really not a politician then?”
“No, politics are only for my—what did you call him?—tool of a father?” Henry teased.
Agnes snorted. “I like him, Doc Brown. I like him. This is the kind of man you should marry!”
Kiera’s mouth dropped open and all she could hear was a high-pitched buzz between her ears. An annoying hum, her nervous system trying to drown out the embarrassment of what was happening. What was Agnes insinuating? Had she heard something? Impossible—no one knew. She hadn’t even told Mandy.
Warmth bloomed in her cheeks and she hoped she wasn’t blushing.
“What?” Kiera asked, clearing her throat as she tried to regain control of her emotions.
“You should go after Dr. Baker here. He’s older, hot, and you spend too much time marching for causes. You need to campaign for a piece of Dr. Baker.”
“For important issues,” Kiera replied.
“I know, Doc Brown, but you’re young and you shouldn’t be alone. What do you think of her, Dr. Baker?”
“She’ll do.” Henry grinned.
Kiera groaned inwardly and glared at Henry, who was trying not to laugh as his eyes twinkled.
“Well, I’m trying to get Dr. Brown to marry me. I mean she is my fiancée and all,” Henry admitted.
Kiera snapped her mouth shut and glared at Henry, who was enjoying her discomfort.
“Well, that’s wonderful, Doc Brown! Burke... Wilfred...your father, that is, would be so proud of you!” Agnes said.
“What’re you talking about, Agnes?” Kiera asked.
“Wilfred wanted you and Mandy to be happy. That’s all. You know he loved you, don’t you?”
The mention of Dr. Burke’s name and the association of Dr. Burke as her father struck a nerve with her. It made her emotional.
It was hard to breathe. Hard to swallow. She met Henry’s gaze and the mirth was gone. And she knew he could see her pain.
He could see her grief and vulnerability again. She knew how Dr. Burke felt about her. How she had loved him like a father.
How she grieved him still.
What she didn’t like was losing control here in front of Henry and Agnes.
“How about I take care of that rash, Agnes?” Henry asked, changing the subject from Dr. Burke, for which she was grateful.
It was hard to think of Wilfred. He would’ve been happy to see her engaged, but would he have been so happy to learn it was a lie?
She thought it would have disappointed him.
It was a bit too much to bear.
She cleaned up her equipment while Henry examined Agnes. She smiled watching him with her. He was so kind and gentle. He had an excellent bedside manner.
He was charming, though it was no surprise since he dealt with a lot of high-profile, elite patients. Still, it was refreshing to see him extending the same courtesy to someone who couldn’t pay his exorbitant fees.
“This cream and the dressing I just put on should be applied twice a day,” Henry said. “If it worsens, can you call me and I’ll come back to check?”
“I have a phone. I might be off the grid, but I have a phone.” Agnes took the tube from Henry.
“I’ll come back in a week anyway, Agnes,” Kiera said, closing her bag. “You’re doing well. Try not to overdo it.”
“Thank you, Doc Brown and Doc Baker.”
They slipped on their jackets and headed outside. It was dark, but the sky was clear. There were stars coming out against the inky black sky.
Kiera breathed in the cold air. It was cleansing.
“Thanks for coming with me tonight,” she said, and it was true. She was glad he was here.
“Thanks for inviting me.” He reached out and touched her face. The simple brush of his fingers against her cheeks sent a delicious shiver through her. A zing of need.
“Well, we should get back to Aspen.” Kiera took a step back away from him, trembling, suddenly afraid.
“Right.” He cleared his throat. “Right.”
Kiera really wanted to kiss him, but she couldn’t risk her heart. It was bad enough this whole thing was fake. She wasn’t going to get hurt again. Even though she wanted to take the chance with him, to kiss him one more time, she couldn’t.
She was terrified. How could she trust someone she didn’t know? She couldn’t get hurt again.
She wouldn’t be left again.
She took risks all the time saving lives, but right here and now, she couldn’t take this risk. She never wanted to take this risk again.
It hurt too much.
* * *
The drive back to Aspen was quiet. There wasn’t much to say. Kiera was trying to focus on driving and not the turmoil of emotions racing through her. The desire that was consuming her.
She barely recognized herself.
She was losing control.
The wheel began to pull, and the car began to shudder. There was a loud pop and the car jolted.
“What’s happening?” she shouted, gripping the wheel.
“I think you have a flat.”
Kiera cursed under her breath and flicked on her hazards. As she did, her engine light came on and there was smoke. Her car sputtered, lurching forward.
“I think it’s more than a flat,” she murmured.
“I would say so,” Henry remarked.
She managed to get over to the shoulder of the road. She was just thankful they were on the main road now, not on Agnes’s treacherous, mountain road in the dark. And they weren’t at a mountain pass. They were on a flat section of the road though still far out of town.
Once she got over to the side of the road, her car gave one last awful shudder and died.
It gave out with one last great heave.
“Time of death, twenty-one oh-two.” Kiera leaned her head against the steering wheel and gently began to bang it.
; “Hey, no banging the head against the steering wheel. This is a solvable problem.”
She looked at him and picked up her cell phone to call a cab. The moment she touched it, it flicked off and the battery died. “Okay? My cell is dead because, apparently, I left it in the car on a cold night. How is yours?”
Henry pulled out his phone. “I have batteries, but no reception.”
“Great.”
“Well, we can’t sit here. We have to get to a phone. This might be a main road, but I haven’t seen any cars in a bit. However, about half a mile back I saw a restaurant and a motel. We could wait for help there.”
“Let’s go then.”
As much as she didn’t want to walk back to that rest stop, she didn’t want to spend a bitterly cold night in her car on the side of the road, in the dark with Henry. The last time they had spent time at the side of the road in the dark waiting for a tow truck, they had shared a passionate kiss and she had let down her guard.
It had been a total moment of safety. Of letting go.
A moment of feeling she was free.
And she longed to feel that again.
Only it wasn’t a smart idea to do that.
Not tonight, and not with her conflicted feelings. A small diner would be a perfect spot to sit up all night, drink bad coffee and keep warm.
And it was public.
Henry wouldn’t try to make out with her in public.
Or would he?
They walked in silence along the side of the road, back toward that diner. Kiera shivered even though she had her winter coat on. The wind had picked up and was blowing down off the mountain. It sent a chill right down her spine and she couldn’t wait for a cup of coffee.
“See, I was right,” Henry muttered.
“Right about what?”
“California is so much better.”
She chuckled through chattering teeth. “Right about now I would have to agree with you.”
It was hard to walk along the side of the road, through slush and snow intermixed with chunks of ice. She had to concentrate on not falling over and keeping her footing so that she didn’t stumble.
Half a mile, which wasn’t that long of a distance, felt like it was all the way to Timbuktu. By the time they got to the diner, she was sweating from exertion and also chilled to the bone.
