Anything but Love

by Celya Bowers

  Kendall nodded, realizing everyone around her seemed to be in some sort of crisis. “Keerya, have you talked to your mom?”

  “No. My dad is a diabetic and has a heart condition. This has about devastated him. I’m really mad at her for destroying him like this.”

  Kendall understood. “You can take the day off, Keerya. Spend time with your dad.”

  Keerya shook her head. “No, I need to stay busy. At first I was trying to drink my troubles away, but that wasn’t the answer. I know the Donovans will cheer me up, especially that dishy husband of hers.”

  Kendall nodded. “Okay, Keerya, now that I know the situation, I understand your behavior, but you could have just come to me. I’m not an ogre.”

  Keerya nodded. “Sorry, Dr. Matthews, I thought I had it under control.”

  “It’s okay, Keerya. Remember, you can always come and talk to me.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Keerya rose and left the room.

  Kendall breathed a sigh of relief. That could have ended horribly if she had followed her first inclination. But something nagging at her told her to listen to the nurse, and she was glad she did. With all that was going on around her, she felt like she was in the eye of the hurricane and the wind was only going to blow harder.

  CHAPTER 4

  Kendall squared her shoulders and walked into the examination room. This visit was probably going to zap all of her practical brain cells. The Donovans always did that.

  Watching the couple interact with each other always made her want to run out, buy a romance novel, and dream of perfect husbands.

  Brendan Donovan was seated near the examination table, talking on his cell phone. His wife was missing from the room. He stood the minute Kendall came into his line of vision.

  “Hello, Dr. Matthews. Peri is changing into her dressing gown,” he said in that sexy Irish accent.

  Kendall nodded and went to the table where Max sat discussing something in hushed whispers with Keerya. “That’s fine, Brendan. No hurry.”

  Both Max and Keerya gasped, but Max was the one who voiced their concerted opinion. “What happen to ‘things must run according to schedule’?”

  Kendall grabbed Peri’s chart and studied it. “I still believe that, but there are exceptions to every rule.” She smiled at Max’s startled expression. “Stop looking at me like that.”

  “Hey, I just want to know what happened to the real Dr. Matthews.” He walked closer to her so that only her ears could hear. “Personally, I like it.”

  “When Peri and Brendan are here, it’s like I lose all my edge. I become an emotional female. They make me feel so, I don’t know how to describe it, but because of them I know love is possible. That kind of love you always read about but never witness. Brendan helps her onto the table, not because he has to, but because he wants to. He accompanies her to every test, sonogram, and office visit.” She watched as Brendan did exactly as predicted. “It’s sickening.”

  Max laughed. “You’re jealous of a pregnant woman!”

  Kendall laughed. That was all she could do. She sounded jealous. Was she also bitter? “Point taken.”

  “Hey, how about dinner after this?”

  Kendall shook her head. “I have to take Jordan to the groomer’s.”

  “Is he staying overnight?”

  “Yes, my mom is picking him up in the morning.”

  “So you have a free evening?”

  Kendall shook her head. “No, I have to brainstorm tonight. InfaCare is almost in the red. I think I need a miracle.”

  “You just might get it.” Max rose from his chair. “Ready?”

  Kendall nodded. “Yes.” She walked to the examination table where Peri and her husband sat holding hands. It was going to take all Kendall’s wits to get through this visit.

  “Hello, Peri,” Kendall said, reaching for the gel. “How have you been feeling? Any problems since last month?”

  Peri Donovan smiled at her. Her caramel skin was smooth and had the glow of a woman in love. “I’ve had a few cramps in my back, but Brendan would just give me one of his wonderful massages.”

  Kendall sat on the chair next to bed as she called Keerya over. “That’s normal, Peri. Actually that’s a good sign. You’re entering your seventh month. Cramps are normal. I do want you to stay in bed as much as possible.”

  Peri snorted. “With a seven-year-old?”

  “Yes, with a seven-year-old. How is Chelsea?” Kendall asked of Brendan’s daughter from a previous marriage.

  Brendan rubbed his wife’s tummy. “She’s at school until three. Peri’s mom is picking her up.”

  Kendall raised a brow. “Your mother is visiting?”

  ”Yes, my parents have been here about a week. Mom won’t let me do much. And I thought Brendan was bad. I don’t even get to cook anymore. Brendan’s been cooking Irish dishes for us. I’ve probably gained ten pounds.” Peri smiled at her husband.

  Kendall nodded, pretending not to notice the love evident in the room. It had settled over her like a thundercloud. “If you’ve gained any weight, it would be beneficial for the baby.”

  Peri sighed. It wasn’t the sigh of a tired, pregnant woman, but rather a happy one. “That’s what he keeps saying. But you know men don’t count calories.”

  “You’re still beautiful to me.” Brendan kissed his wife’s forehead. “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  Kendall sighed. She wanted that. A man to lie to her, but in a good way. There was no doubt in her mind that Brendan loved his wife and he made it his mission in life to make sure Peri knew that.

  * * *

  Three hours after the Donovans left her office, Kendall was still reeling from their visit. She needed to come back down to Earth. Only one thing would help her clear her mind of all that mushy romance, and that was a workout in the employee gym in the basement.

  Used to keeping strange and long hours, Kendall kept a change of clothes as well as exercise clothes at work. After checking with the night nurse, Kendall went downstairs.

  When she was dressed in her exercise clothes, she immediately felt better and more energized. Until, that is, she stepped out onto the exercise floor.

  Coltrane Highpoint was running on the treadmill, wearing nylon shorts and a tank top, showcasing his huge biceps and long, muscular legs. He had the attention of the four nurses that were also working out.

  “Hey, Kendall,” Max said. He was also on a treadmill, but jumped off and walked to her. He was covered with sweat, but wrapped her in a bear hug anyway.

  “Max!”

  He stepped from her, smiling. “What?”

  Kendall nodded toward the nurses.

  “Oh, they’re busy checking out Cole. We’ve been here an hour and they’ve just watched him work out. If someone doesn’t step up to the plate soon, she might lose out.”

  Kendall laughed. “You’re about as subtle as an elephant in the corner of the room.”

  He put his arm around her and guided her to the treadmill. “Now you’re going to walk on the treadmill and behave like a good little girl, right?”

  “All right.”

  In a loud voice, Max called to Cole, “Hey, look who’s come to join us? We can have a threesome.”

  The nurses laughed. Cole laughed. Max chuckled. Kendall was mortified.

  Cole slowed his pace on his treadmill to a speed walk. “Sure, Kendall, you can be in the middle.” He nodded to the vacant treadmill.

  Max nudged her. “Come on, don’t be a party pooper.”

  Kendall stumbled but was determined not to let her embarrassment show, especially in front of the nurses. She regained her balance and hopped on the treadmill ready to out-exercise both men. “How about a challenge?”

  Max groaned. “Oh, no. You’re too competitive for me.”

  “I accept your challenge,” Cole said. “What do I get if I beat you?”

  Kendall stammered, not knowing how to respond or if she should. But the woman in her would not be defeat
ed. “Loser, which would be you, will visit the patients for an entire day.” That should fix him.

  He continued power walking and agreed to her challenge. “Done, but if I happen to win, I need eight hours of your time. One on one, if you get my meaning.”

  She did, and lost her footing and fell on her butt. “I think you should keep your libido out of this.” She struggled to stand, knowing those nurses would have the story all over the hospital by morning. This man was going down.

  He pushed the button to increase his speed. “I was referring to your stellar decorating taste. I saw what you did to Charlie’s house and thought you could decorate a room for me. But I think I like your idea better. Ready?”

  Furious at herself for falling into his trap, Kendall nodded. She needed to keep her concentration on her goal, to beat Cole at all costs. She pushed the controls for a run. “Yes.”

  Max stood between the two runners like a mom between two battling children. “Now guys, you type A personalities are too competitive. Remember that there are innocent people around here.”

  “Shut up!” Kendall and Cole said at once.

  * * *

  Thirty minutes later Kendall didn’t know if she could keep up the pace. For a man with a recent injury, Cole appeared to have the stamina of a seventeen-year-old. Any other time she wouldn’t have minded, but today she wanted this man to cry uncle first.

  That was a nice theory, but somehow it didn’t seem like it was going to happen. Every time she thought he was ready to give up, he got a spurt of energy.

  “If you want to quit,” he panted, “I won’t hold it against you. You just come over to my house ready to work.”

  “You’re older, you should really watch out for your heart,” Kendall shot back. “I wouldn’t want you to have a heart attack on hospital property.”

  “My heart, along with the rest of my body, is in perfect working order. I can show you later if you want. On a person-to-person level, of course.”

  Okay, that did it. One little not-so-harmless remark and she was thinking about his body in not such a medical way. Stay focused, Kendall, she chastised herself. He’s just trying to get to you. “No, thanks, I’ve had enough small things for one day,” she said, smiling as the barb hit its mark.

  It was just enough to knock him off balance on his very muscular butt. He stood gracefully and walked to Kendall and held out his hand. “Well, Doctor, looks like you got me.”

  Kendall tried her best not to smile as she took his hand. “Yes, I have.”

  “The bigger question is, what are you going to do with me once you have me where you want me?” He grabbed his towel from the treadmill handlebar and walked toward the dressing room.

  She should have felt victorious, but she didn’t. What was she feeling? She stopped the treadmill and stared at Max as he stared back at her, shaking his head in disgust.

  “Don’t you look at me like that.” Kendall wiped her face. “It was a fair race.”

  “Yeah, right. You know you can’t joke about a brother’s manhood. I’m white and I know that. You were fighting dirty.”

  “Not.”

  “Yes, you were. I knew that was going to happen, but I can’t cry over spilled egos. I’m going to go shower. As a measure of goodwill why don’t you join Cole and me for dinner?”

  “Avoiding your home life isn’t making it better.”

  “Said the woman with a dog.”

  * * *

  Said the woman with a dog.

  Max’s words haunted Kendall through her shower and as she dressed to go home. Was her life on the path to true boredom, with dog included? Even Jordan, the dog in question, had a main squeeze in the subdivision.

  Maybe she did need a date. Cole wasn’t the worst person in the world. He’d do in a pinch, which was where she was at that moment in her life.

  She sat on the bench and mentally ticked off Cole’s qualities. Rich, handsome, and he was a brother. Okay, so they didn’t have a lot more in common. He was a Mr. Will Do, not Mr. Right.

  A Mr. Right would cause too many problems in her well-ordered life. A Mr. Right would probably turn his nose up at a forty-year-old doctor who loved to in-line skate at night with her dog. A Mr. Right would expect her to change her life for him and that was the one thing she wouldn’t, couldn’t, or shouldn’t do.

  A Mr. Will Do wouldn’t make any demands on her lifestyle and if he did, too bad. He wasn’t going to be a permanent fixture in her life anyway, so it didn’t matter what he thought. Cole would work out nicely. And if she could get a little revenge for him treating her like a leper at the tender age of sixteen, so much the better.

  She decided to let Max play matchmaker.

  Gathering her bag, she marched into the men’s locker room knowing that Max was still in there meditating. He’d taken up the relaxing exercise two years ago, and now she realized why he did it. Max needed calmness in his life and he surely couldn’t get that at home. Kendall felt awful for not knowing her friend better.

  She stopped in her tracks as she beheld the sight in front of her. It was the most beautiful example of the male body she’d ever seen in her life. The man before her didn’t have a stitch of clothes on, and he didn’t need any. At least not in her opinion.

  Unfortunately, the person that body belonged to was Coltrane Highpoint. He was parading around the room chatting with Max about some upcoming party at his house.

  Kendall held her breath as he walked to the shower stall and entered. Why couldn’t he have a beer gut or some flab somewhere on that perfect body?

  “I’m shocked at you,” Max whispered in her ear, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. “You were ogling a naked man. I’m telling your mother.”

  Kendall opened her mouth to counter Max’s comment, but what could she say? She did the next best thing and scurried out of the dressing room to the safety of the women’s.

  Max wasn’t to be deterred. He followed her. “Kendall, there’s nothing wrong with looking at a naked man as long as he knows you’re doing it. Your mouth was hanging open like you’ve never seen a naked man, which I know is not true. You were married.” He motioned for her to sit on the wooden bench.

  Kendall finally found her voice. “James didn’t look like that. And he definitely wasn’t hung like that.”

  Max snorted as he sat beside her. “Kendall, I don’t believe you were checking Cole out like that. I thought that was standard issue among the brothers.”

  She knew Max only said those outrageous things to make her laugh, and for once she was entirely grateful. “No, just another myth. I have to say Cole surprised me.”

  “I guess that means you’d be willing to take him out on a test run?”

  “Maybe.”

  * * *

  Cole stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his body. He glanced around the room. No Max. “Just great,” he muttered as he reached for his clothes. He and Max were supposed to have dinner, but apparently his new friend had forgotten. As he struggled into his boxer briefs, he heard voices.

  He moved closer to the sound and realized it was Kendall and Max talking. She’d probably have his head, and other body parts, if she knew he was eavesdropping. He’d really have to find out what man did a number on her. From the conversation with his mother he’d found out that Kendall’s former husband cheated on her, but it was a long time ago. Surely she should have been over it by now. Why was she still hanging on to hurt? Was she using it as a shield against him?

  Yes, he thought. She was definitely using it against him. But he had faced tougher opponents than a woman shielding her heart from the world. He’d just have to wear down her defenses one at a time. And that was where Max would come in. If anyone knew how to help him get Kendall, it was his new best friend.

  He continued listening to the conversation and wanted to laugh out loud as Kendall and Max were discussing the very thing he wanted. A date with her.

  Things had just gotten a lot easier.

  * * *<
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  Later that evening, Cole watched as Max downed his third beer in less than an hour. He hated taking the sensible role, since a well-lit Max would be an easier mark than a sober one, but he had to do the right thing. “Max, maybe you should slow down.”

  Max signaled the waiter for another beer. “I’m perfectly aware of what I’m doing, Cole.”

  “Of course you are, Max. I just don’t want Kendall blaming me when you have a hangover tomorrow. I would like to get on her good side and you showing up to work smelling like a brewery isn’t going to help.”

  Max grinned as if he knew a secret, which he most likely did. “I know what would get you on her good side.”

  “What?”

  Max shook his head. “Not so fast, Cole. I need to know why you want her so bad.”

  Cole didn’t know the answer to that. It was something about the way she looked at him as if he were wasted space. He had to prove her wrong. “I wish I knew, Max. I know for some reason she thinks I’m worthless. I just want to prove her wrong.”

  Max nodded. “So it’s a competition thing. You guys are going to kill each other. You’re like two kids fighting over a toy.”

  “Are you going to tell me or not?”

  The waiter placed another beer in front of Max. He took a long sip, then set the glass on the table. “Okay, I’ll tell you. I’m only telling you because I got a feeling about the two of you. If you want to get on her good side, ask her about InfaCare.”

  Cole knew of Arlington’s only charity children’s hospital. It was known nationally for its good work and the fact that underprivileged children were getting quality medical care without their parents having to incur the cost.

  “What about it?”

  “It’s almost in the red.”

  “What’s that got to do with me?”

  Max laughed. “Make the red go away.” Suddenly, his head plopped on the table.

  Cole knew that sound. That was the sound of a man whose life was in the toilet and who was hiding his pain through liquor. Max was out cold and in no condition to go home. “Just what I freaking need,” Cole groaned. “Just freaking great.”