“It will be just one minute,” Grace said with a smile. She stood up from her desk and headed to the waiting room. “Is Ms. Gordon checked in?” she asked the receptionist, Gina. Gina just nodded, not bothering to stop what she was doing and look up.
“Ms. Gordon, we’re ready for you.” Grace called. Hollie stood up and Grace watched her movements. She was jealous of women like Hollie. Slender…tanned…petite. It was every quality Grace wasn’t. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as Hollie reached her. “Follow me.” Grace put on a smile and led the way to the scale. Hollie stood on the scale and the screen registered her weight.
“I absolutely despise getting weighed,” Hollie said, stepping off the scale.
Grace looked down at the number and snickered. Hollie had no reason to not want to be weighed. “Please head into room sixteen.” Grace pointed to the room and ignored the comment her patient made. Once inside, Hollie got on the bed and Grace grabbed the thermometer to begin her vitals. Even her temperature was a perfect 98.6. It was disheartening. “How’ve you been feeling, Hollie? Any complaints or concerns?”
She pumped up the blood pressure cuff while Hollie pondered that question. “Not really. I’ve been pretty healthy with trying to work out more and keep up a healthier lifestyle.”
Grace deflated the cuff and wrote down the blood pressure reading. When she looked up, she saw Hollie’s eyes wandering over Grace’s baggy scrubs and less than perfect shape. It was possible it was only her imagination, but Grace didn’t think so. “That’s good,” Grace replied back. She didn’t want to sound too unimpressed. “Here’s your gown and open it to the front. Dr. Weston will be in with you shortly.”
“I can’t wait,” Hollie said, slightly under her breath.
“What was that?” Grace inquired.
Hollie laughed. “Oh…nothing. Thank you!” She stood up from the table and Grace stepped out of the room. She went back to the computer and plugged in Hollie’s vital signs. Dr. Weston was at his computer and his back was to her. There was no doubt in her mind that Hollie Gordon would be someone he would be more sexually attracted to. Every man would desire to be with Hollie.
He looked up as if he sensed Grace’s thoughts. “Is Ms. Gordon ready?”
She shook her head, clearing the memory out of her mind. “Uh…yeah, she should be.”
“Great!” He shot Grace another tantalizing smile. He stood up for a moment, but before leaving he turned back to her. “I nearly forgot. Before leaving today I have something important to ask you. Can you stay after a few minutes?”
She could barely hide her intrigue. “Of course,” she said. Deep down she longed to hear what he had to say. Will you go out with me? Will you have casual sex with me? Will you marry me? She was sure a smile was on her face. She quickly wiped that last question from her mind. They needed to go out on a date first.
“Grace?” he asked, interrupting her juicy thoughts.
She shook her head and looked back at him. “Yes?”
There was a riveting smile on his face and that twinkle back in his eye. “Is everything alright? You seem a little flustered.”
She shrugged. “Everything’s fine. It’s just been a long day,” she lied.
He nodded. “I promise I won’t keep you too long.”
You can keep me as long as you see fit, she wanted to say. Instead, she followed him back to Hollie’s room. They had an exam to take care of and there was plenty of time to think about that.
***
“See ya tomorrow, Grace,” Gina called from the hallway.
Grace waved goodbye and went back to looking at her notes from the day. She couldn’t concentrate when she wanted to know what was so important that Dr. Weston needed to discuss with her. When she typed in the last note for her patients, she saw him walk into their workspace. “Today was a long day,” he said, yawning through his words. “Do you have big plans for tonight?”
It was something he always asked her, even though she usually had the same response. No…no plans tonight. He didn’t seem to get the drift. Outside of a few girlfriends and going out to eat with them, she didn’t do anything else. Her social calendar was usually empty. “No…no plans tonight,” she replied, keeping with the usual. “How about you?” she inquired.
He smiled and shook his head. “I’m going to kick off my shoes, sit in front of the fire, and have a bottle of red wine handy.”
“Hmm…sounds nice,” she said. The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. “I…I mean…I’m sure you’ll have a good time.” Stop talking. You’re making things worse, she silently ordered herself.
He laughed. “Maybe you’d like to come over sometime.” She looked up, startled by his statement. “I mean to see my fireplace. It’s a nice fireplace.”
She felt her cheeks warm up and she nonchalantly looked away. “You wanted to ask me something?” she asked, quickly changing the subject.
“Right!” he said. “We’ve known each other for some time now. Has it been six months?”
Five months, twelve days, seven hours, and thirty seconds, but who’s counting? “Something like that,” she said.
“I think we’ve developed a nice connection…a chemistry of sorts. Do you agree?”
“Oh yeah,” she mumbled. The words came out breathlessly and she could tell he noticed it, too. He smiled, but didn’t say anything about it.
“Great! I’m glad you agree, because I have a proposition for you.”
She perked up. The handsome doctor was getting ready to make his move and she was ready for it. “Anything,” she said, again realizing how it came across.
“This weekend I’m going out of town and I would like you to come with me.” Inside she did the happy dance, excited that she was offered a weekend away with her dream man. The possibilities were endless as to what they would do. She didn’t even care that he didn’t exactly mention where they were going, what they were doing, or why he wanted her there. She was just excited that he did.
“That sounds great. I could use some time away. Thank you for inviting me.” She didn’t want to sound too excited, but her bubbly personality took over.
He laughed. “Well, before you get too excited I better tell you what we’ll be doing.”
Too late. I’m already excited and nothing…nothing will change that. “Oh right! What will we be doing?” she asked. He said it had to do with chemistry, right? So, it couldn’t be bad.
“This weekend I have a doctor’s convention.” Her face fell, she was sure of it. “I told you, you shouldn’t get too excited,” he said, chuckling.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to look so...so…”
“Disappointed?” he asked. He smiled genuinely at her. “Don’t worry. The thought of a doctor’s convention doesn’t exactly excite me either. Anyway, normally I go to these things alone, get bored, stay in a nice hotel room, and come home. However, I have learned that several doctors are bringing along secretaries, wives, or girlfriends with them to take notes and such and since I don’t really have a secretary or anything else for that matter…I was hoping you would fulfill the spot. There’s going to be a few keynote speakers that I would like to have notes on and you know how my writing is.” He laughed. “I want to be able to understand the notes and I thought since it seems you understand me almost as much as I understand myself, I thought you would be the perfect person for the job.”
She smiled and listened to his explanations. Even though they made sense, she still couldn’t get the idea out of her mind that she wanted something else to happen. “I didn’t mean to appear disappointed. Sure, going to a doctor’s convention would be…interesting.”
He laughed. “You have a rude awakening, but it was nice of you to say. Sounds good. We would leave tomorrow immediately after work and of course I want you to get something out of the trip, too.”
She smiled. Finally, something I can look forward to. “That’s not necessary,” she lied.
“I can’t let y
ou go without giving you something in return.” He smiled warmly and she waited patiently to hear what he had to say. “Is double your wages fair enough?” he asked.
Her face fell. That’s it? Of course that’s it. This is a job to him. You’re doing him a favor and he’s paying you. What’d you expect? Voices in her head took over and she fought hard to smile through it. “That’s more than fair. Thank you, Dr. Weston.”
He snickered. “I think it’s time you called me Damian after hours. Deal?”
Redness crept up her neck and tingled her cheeks. She nodded. “Thank you, Damian.”
He nodded. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See ya,” she grabbed her purse and headed out of the office. She had a lot to do before they left tomorrow afternoon.
***
Damian looked out the corner of his eye, where Grace was heavy at work. She wasn’t the typical type of woman he usually would go out with, but she had qualities he couldn’t deny he was attracted to. He was concerned that she didn’t realize the magnetic pull guys would have to her. She hid behind baggy scrubs because that was the attire she was supposed to wear at work. He wondered the type of clothing she would wear out of the office. She stood up and turned away from him. His eyes slowly slid over her curves. This is stupid…she’s my employee and I’m her boss. I can’t think of her in that way.
Like she sensed he was thinking about her, she turned around. “Give me ten minutes to change and I’ll be ready to go.”
“Okay…take your time.” He smiled at her. She had to know how flustered he got around her. He was like a bumbling idiot when it came to talking to Grace. She didn’t seem to notice or she was pretending not to notice. He couldn’t figure out which way it was.
She grabbed a bag and disappeared down the hall. He turned his computer off and grabbed his briefcase. It was true that the weekend was going to be filled with boring meetings, but he didn’t want that to be the only thing they did while they were away from work. He wanted Grace to enjoy at least part of her time. She deserved it. He walked over to a mirror and straightened his tie. “Just don’t do or say anything stupid,” he mumbled.
“What’d you say?” he turned around and saw Grace standing before him. His jaw dropped slightly. She was beautiful. Her hair was removed from the ponytail she normally wore in her hair and she had on a respectable dress that hung to her knees.
He brought his eyes back to hers and smiled. “It wasn’t important. You look...” every compliment he could think of went out of his head and he was loss for words, “different.” Her face flushed and she was as white as a ghost.
“Different?” she asked, clearing her throat.
“I mean since you’re not wearing scrubs you don’t look the same.” He fumbled back over his words. He cringed. It was too late to turn back. He’d already said it and she was bound to think he was a jerk. He felt he was. “Let’s get out of here. We have a long drive ahead of us.” He grabbed her suitcase and overnight bag and led the way out of the office. Five hours in the car was going to be way too long.
Chapter 2
Grace was relieved that a room was already reserved at the hotel for her. It was right down the hall from Damian’s. She still found it hard to remember to call him by his actual name, but she did her best. When they arrived at the hotel, she was escorted to her room and he was escorted to his. They had stopped on the way to Ohio to grab a bite to eat and Grace had never felt so awkward, yet so comfortable at the same time. She felt like she’d known Damian for years…not months. By the way he was communicating with her, she could tell he felt the same.
Grace stretched out in the oversized bed of her lush hotel room. It was like living a dream. She opened her eyes and Damian came to mind. If only…she thought. The phone in the room rang, interrupting her imagination. Her arm stretched out and she grabbed onto the phone receiver.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Grace?”
She sat up in bed when she heard Damian’s voice on the other end. “Did I miss something?” She glanced at the clock. “What time is the conference? I can be ready in ten minutes.” She jumped out of bed with the phone in her hand.
“No…nothing like that. It’s only 8:00 and our meetings don’t start until 11:30. I did think that maybe we could meet for breakfast. I mean if you don’t have other plans.”
Grace laughed. “I don’t have any other plans.”
“Good. I will be at your room in a half an hour. Will that work?” She looked down at her pajamas.
“Thirty minutes will be great. I’ll see you then.” She hung up the phone and hurried into the bathroom. She had a lot to do to be ready in thirty minutes. With the shower running, she grabbed some clothes and placed them into the bathroom. Her pajamas were quickly removed and she jumped into the shower. It was the fastest shower she’d ever taken.
She jumped out and quickly wiped herself dry, then glanced to the clock outside of the bathroom. She only had fifteen minutes to get dressed and do her hair. She looked at the outfit she chose and frowned. It didn’t help she was rethinking her outfit choices for the weekend. She didn’t have time for that and she couldn’t do anything about it. She dressed in the black skirt and white blouse she took for the occasion. She wanted to look like she belonged. She stared at the reflection in the mirror. Tilting her head from side to side, she surveyed her reflection.
“I guess it could be worse,” she mumbled. She grabbed the hairdryer and hastily dried her hair while running her fingers through the ringlets. Her hair wasn’t completely dry when she turned off the dryer and went to brushing her hair out. She wasn’t completely done when she heard a knock at the door. She froze in place. Not a drop of makeup had been put on. She considered not answering right away, but then he knocked again. “I’ll just have to tell him he needs to wait,” she said to her reflection. She left the bathroom and went to the hotel door.
She opened the door and was instantly greeted by his smile. “Hello,” he said.
She was taken back by his appearance. He was dressed as he always was at work, but there was something different about him. She nonchalantly took a whiff and figured out what it was. He was wearing a cologne she’d never smelled before at the office. “Hello. I…” she pointed to the bathroom, “it will be just a little longer.” She started to turn away, but he reached out and surprised her by grabbing her arm. “What?” she asked, turning her attention back to him.
“You look perfectly fine.”
She blushed with his hand still on her arm. “Dr. Weston…I mean, Damian…my hairs a mess and─”
“You look fine.” He smiled. “You look great, actually.” This time she was sure her entire body was red. “Did that embarrass you?”
She looked into his eyes. “Maybe. What do you think?”
He snickered. “I think that it is a very endearing feature and I also think that this interaction is highly unprofessional.”
She slowly took a deep breath. “Then maybe we should just head to breakfast.” She was disappointed, because she enjoyed the innocent flirting that was happening between Damian and herself. Yet, it was the truth. Even though she found herself fantasizing about him, she couldn’t do anything about it. She just never expected he would ever reciprocate her feelings.
She grabbed her purse and he held the door open for her. “I thought we could eat in the hotel restaurant. Is that alright with you?”
Her heart hadn’t stopped beating rapidly in her chest. “That sounds good.” She really didn’t care where they went to eat, as long as they continued their easy connection.
***
Damian had come close to admitting to Grace he could see her as more than just an employee. However, just as soon as he could picture himself saying the words…the subject was changed. It was for the best. He kept telling himself that. When they talked, they had so much in common. It was even better than he expected.
“What made you want to become a nurse?” he asked as
he took a drink of coffee.
She smiled. “It was an easy decision. My parents died when I was only fourteen and it left my grandparents to raise me. My grandfather had cancer and he was in and out of remission for several years. My grandmother spent most of her life taking care of him. Unfortunately, he died right before I graduated high school. I saw how much love and compassion my grandmother had for him and I admired that.”
“Is your grandmother still alive?” he asked quietly.
She looked down at her coffee and shook her head. “She died two years after I started college.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. He couldn’t imagine having so much loss. “I’m sure she was very proud of you.”
A grin appeared on her lips. “I like to think so.” She took a drink, then slowly put the cup down. He had never noticed a nervous twitch she possessed, but when she got nervous she bit her lower lip. At that moment she was doing just that. “How about you? What made you want to become a doctor?” She leaned forward, revealing her cleavage a little more than he figured she wanted to. He didn’t mind. His eyes slowly danced across her breasts, before moving up.
“It wasn’t quite as expected as in your case. I grew up thinking that I wanted to be a police officer.” She laughed heartily, lighting up her facial expressions. “You find that funny?” he asked with a teasing grin.
‘”It just seems like such a change. You’re such a great doctor and I couldn’t imagine you being anything else.” She looked innocent and he snickered.
“Thank you for the compliment, but it’s true. I wanted to fight the bad guys.”
“When did you change your career aspirations?” she asked.
“Right before I graduated high school. I had sort of an epiphany.”
“An epiphany?” she asked. “What was it?”
MAIL ORDER BRIDE: Bought By The Cowboy, Page 4