Nerds on Fire

by Grady, D. R.

  Nerds on Fire

  The Morrison Family Series

  Book 9

  D.R. Grady

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are all products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Known locales are also used fictitiously.

  If you enjoy this book, please buy a copy for someone else to enjoy. Please do not download or buy this from anywhere except where the story is offered legitimately. All rights reserved - including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  Copyright 2015 by D.R. Grady

  Smashwords Edition

  Please Note: While I had help with this story from several knowledgeable sources, there are still likely mistakes on my part. Authors also like to stretch and change things to make their story work. So this book does not necessarily reflect reality. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

  Author’s Note

  I adore medical professionals and admire them, obviously, since many of my characters end up being members of the medical community.

  However, I am not a medical professional. This might become obvious throughout the story. :-D I did conduct plenty of research for Nerds on Fire, but there is always the potential for error.

  This is a work of fiction. Everything in this book is purely a figment of my well exercised imagination. I’m a writer, therefore chances are quite good that I’ve tweaked events, skills, and reality to fit the story in my head. All I wish to do is provide you with a few hours of entertainment while feeling like a part of the family. I really hope you enjoy reading Nerds on Fire as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  Thank you,

  D.R. Grady

  Dedication

  To my dad, who we lost too soon.

  With Special Thanks to:

  Sunni Rose Blendette for the great critique!

  Chapter 1

  Her heart beat far too fast. As a nurse practitioner Beatrix “Trixi” Duvall knew this could be a problem. In her defense, she had never encountered such masculinity before. Nothing in her life had prepared her for the perfection of Mark de Vosse.

  Dr. Mark de Vosse, the snide voice in her head added.

  “How are you, Miss Duvall?” he asked as he shook her hand at lunch. As per any unattainable man, his voice was deep, masculine, and enticing. Why, oh why, did she have a weakness for men like this? Like all the others, he doesn’t recognize you’re an eligible female... that knowing voice scoffed.

  Katy Greene, her best friend, pointed out nice men to her all the time, but Trixi continued to hold out for something she couldn’t define. Until now.

  Mark’s eyes were a blue-green much like his younger brother Leo’s. It was obvious the two men sprang from the same gene pool. Mark wasn’t quite as tall as Leo, who stood well over six feet, but he made up for it in width. Leo was wide as well, he had probably played football in high school and college and done very well, but Mark could have played the entire line himself. Her girly side sighed in perpetual wonder.

  “I’m fine, and happy to finally meet you.” Trixi struggled to keep her professional smile intact. It was far harder than it should have been.

  His dark hair was shorter and darker than Leo’s, whose hair always looked a little windblown. Leo ran his hands through his shaggier hair occasionally. If Mark did so, it would slide right back into place.

  His jaw, like Leo’s, was square and his lips were firm but kissable.

  She all but groaned this time. Where had that stupid thought come from?

  He’s a neurosurgeon. They don’t notice peons, she barked at her girly self who remained in an utter tizzy over this man. Of course she was—he was gorgeous, successful, and that looked like warmth in his eyes.

  They smiled at her now. “I feel like I already know you,” he murmured as he released her hand. She hadn’t noticed they held the handshake far longer than professionally appropriate.

  “Leo talks about you a lot. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Her answer came out polite and smooth. One bonus from her uncomfortable, awkward early-adult years was those experiences had created a gracious polish that now carried her through even the most excruciating social situation.

  “You might not think so once you get to know him,” Leo piped up as he clapped Mark on the back. She appreciated the affection and respect between the brothers.

  Their sibling closeness somehow reassured her.

  She turned to Leo. “Did you nag him into coming here?” Here was The Central Derry Clinic, located in south central Pennsylvania, near Hershey. Theirs was a smaller hospital with a stellar reputation.

  Leo tweaked her nose. “Of course.”

  Beside them, Mark laughed, and like the rest of him, it was perfect. “He kept telling me how much nicer it is to be home.” Mark glanced around the cafeteria where they were gathered. He had started several weeks ago but her erratic schedule made meeting before this difficult. She had yet to be placed somewhere permanent so had even worked with Leo recently, filling in until the paperwork for her dream job cleared.

  “I’m right.” Leo dug into his sandwich.

  “I reserve the right to decide for myself.” Mark’s counter was accompanied by a charming smile, directed at her. Her heart might have slid to the side.

  “I’m right,” Leo repeated as he stole some carrot out of her salad. And ogled the chocolate she set at the ready.

  “Stop eying my candy bar.” Her warning made Leo grin.

  “You could share it, you know,” he cajoled.

  She cocked an eyebrow at him. “I did, yesterday.”

  “You know, Duvall, you’re a little scary sometimes.”

  She choked on her swallow of tea. Mark leaned over to pat her on the back, with the perfect amount of pressure. He also eyed her chocolate bar.

  “Not both of you.” Her mutter increased their smiles so she tucked dessert back into her lunch bag. It wasn’t big but was necessary for the health of those working with her today.

  The brothers shared a conspirator’s look.

  “You could share it with both of us.” Leo’s wheedling didn’t move her.

  She pointed to the boxes conveniently located by the cash registers. “They sell a nice selection right over there.”

  Mark swallowed some iced tea. “It’s not as much fun that way.”

  “I know. So I stand firm.” She wrinkled her nose at Leo.

  He balled up his empty sandwich wrapper. “You’re so tough, Duvall.”

  “Of course I am.” She tweaked his nose this time and then brightened. “Did I tell you Katy is coming?”

  “For good or to visit?”

  “For good,” Trixi stated happily, as the de Vosse brothers exchanged another look. Judging by those twitching lips, she must have amused them, again.

  It was okay to be amusing, but it would be much nicer to be so sexy she made men stop and stare. Or ensnared them with a mere look.

  Since neither was true of her unassuming person, she at least consoled herself that she didn’t qualify as invisible. So far. Trixi sighed and accepted amusing. Maybe she should wear some of her really high heels to work. A few women did. Then she winced at the thought of doing her active job with aching feet, and nixed the idea.

  Reluctantly, she also gave up on the idea of sexy.

  “When is your friend coming?” Mark finished his sandwich and then dumped his empty chip bag. Nothing but a few measly crumbs tumbled out. He stared at them glumly.

  “Katy arrives once her fellowship ends, so soon.”

  “Does she have a place to stay?” Leo peered into his own empty chip bag. It was sad to see the two men still hungry and come up wanting.

  She tugged out a different container and opened it. The brothers groaned when the enticing cont
ents wafted toward them. Leo breathed deep. “Oatmeal raisin cookies.” He helped himself and popped half the treat into his mouth.

  Mark wasn’t far behind him. “With plenty of cinnamon and other spices.”

  “I made them last evening, but I don’t want these in the house.” She peered at them in distaste.

  “You baked something you don’t like?” Leo dug two more treats out of the container.

  “I like them.” Mark selected another one. It was big and he stared at it with satisfaction before he demolished the fragrant cookie.

  “Of course I like them. I thought I would put them out by the coffee pot.”

  “Your dad probably likes these.” Leo held one up before he inhaled it.

  “He does, but I already put some aside for him. I told him to hide the container so I can’t find it.”

  Leo grinned. “That doesn’t work very well, does it?”

  Trixi sent him a smoldering look. “With the chocolate variety, no. I can find those with no problem, no matter where he hides them. But it’s possible with these if he’s creative.”

  She took one and bit into it. The cookie was soft, and the texture and spices blended perfectly. It melted in the mouth. After she swallowed, she scowled at Leo. “I cannot have these in the house.”

  “We’ll take care of them for you.” Leo snapped the lid onto the container.

  “I’ll hide them,” Mark decided.

  “Then how am I supposed to get to them?”

  Mark ignored the growl in Leo’s question. “If you hide them,” he pointed out, “certain individuals, who have have access to your area, can therefore potentially find them. If I hide them, they’ll be safe.” He glanced at the treats. “At least from cute little brunettes. From me, not at all.”

  His expression turned warmer and she wanted to sink into it. These blasted cookies weren’t anywhere near the temptation this man posed. He ranked right up there with chocolate.

  This was bad. Really bad. And yet she found herself falling headfirst anyway.

  Wait—did he just call her cute?

  Clutching the cookie container, Mark watched his brother and Trixi Duvall leave the cafeteria together. She laughed at something his brother said and her animated face lit up.

  Mark liked her laughter. And her eyes. And the way she smelled. The cookies he carried were also amazing. Delicious, not over-baked, and one of the best cookies he’d ever eaten. That was saying something since the Morrison family bakers were professionals. Maybe Leo was right about him making the move from Boston. It was good to be home.

  Even if he did have to live with Leo for a little while.

  He needed to call the real estate agent again to book more appointments to see houses. He needed a place to live. Living with Leo was fine, but it wasn’t permanent and he craved permanent.

  The Morrisons were a close family, but he wasn’t certain returning to the Morrison bosom was the smartest of his decisions. Now he’d have nosy neighbors wherever he landed in town. And you couldn’t tell an aunt or cousin to mind their own business. It’d get back to Granddad and Grandmom and then there would be serious problems.

  He stored the cookies in his desk drawer and then picked up the phone.

  As he punched in the numbers, he wondered if Leo was attracted to Trixi.

  Mark and his brother had never discussed women before. Both of them, in the usual de Vosse manner, had concentrated on their studies and ignored the opposite sex. But Leo was acting different now.

  If he was interested in Trixi, Mark was all for it. He had liked her. She was friendly, warm, and sweet. Those were all attractive traits. Yet something else within her appealed to Mark personally.

  Leo had to be attracted to her.

  Maybe it was her fey eyes. Not quite blue, not quite silver, they were the most beautiful silvery-blue he had ever seen. Combined with her petite figure, chestnut colored hair, smattering of freckles, and stunning smile, she was eye catching.

  Of course Leo was interested.

  Mark snorted at himself. What smart man wouldn’t be?

  “Hello, this is Derry Realty, how may I help you?”

  He turned his attention toward finding himself a house, rather than sniffing around a woman his brother clearly was interested in.

  It didn’t take long before he had set up several appointments to view available homes in the area and then Mark focused on the patients he was scheduled to see.

  There was no surgery today, but he had a list of patients who required his services so maybe he better concentrate on them. His predecessor had left him with a well-trained, very competent staff and Mark counted himself lucky to have slipped into this position so effortlessly.

  It was his dream job. Coming home might or might not be wise but the job had been perfect. Whether being this close to his family was a smart decision or not remained a big question mark. While he had lived in Boston, he missed his family so this was a test to determine if he could live amongst them again and still maintain his sanity.

  The de Vosse side was scattered, but still fairly close. The Morrisons were not scattered and were even closer. Mark slid open the drawer with Trixi’s cookies and helped himself as he opened the next patient chart.

  These cookies somehow promised that coming home might have been his best idea yet.

  Chapter 2

  When Trixi got home from work, it was to discover her father was already there. Her welcoming smile died when Chrissy, her dad’s girlfriend, who he had only known a few months, stopped in front of her. The diamond on her ring finger nearly blinded Trixi. She didn’t recognize the gem, so her father must have bought this sparkler. Thankfully. This woman wouldn’t appreciate the family jewels.

  Her sire, Rylan Duvall, took Chrissy’s left hand. “Trixi, Chrissy has consented to be my wife.”

  Heart dropping, she summoned a dying smile. “That’s wonderful news.” Except that her response was far from the truth. She couldn’t believe her father was enamored with this gold digger.

  She kissed and hugged him then air kissed Chrissy. Trixi couldn’t pretend to hug her. If this woman made her father happy then she vowed to learn to like her. It was difficult to show excitement when she was certain this could only end in heartache. At least for him.

  With a tremulous smile at her father, she brushed true tears out of her eyes, hoping he thought they were tears of happiness for him. Her father was a wonderful man. Maybe she was biased, but Trixi (and Katy, who Rylan had informally adopted) saw him as a great catch. He was charming, kind, and handsome.

  Her heart broke for him.

  Chrissy’s eyes were alight with what looked like avarice. Her soon-to-be-step-mother’s smile looked a bit brittle around the edges while her lips formed a femme fatale moue. Trixi wondered if maybe she should try to learn something from Chrissy. Maybe she could win herself a wonderful man...

  On second thought, she didn’t want to learn anything from this woman. As Trixi thought this, Chrissy sent a speculative glance out of the corner of her eyes. The sly look might have something to do with her, but she wasn’t certain why. Instead, Trixi smiled vaguely again, and then escaped. Supper still needed some work so she took the few steps into the kitchen. Her father and his new fiancée disappeared into the family room and Trixi was grateful, as she needed the time to catch her breath.

  She stroked her new range, a cast iron behemoth that was her pride and joy. The veggies needed roasting so she popped them in. Next she checked on the pot roast she had tucked into the simmering oven before she left for work. It smelled delicious and sliced easily. Taking plates from the cupboard, she slid them into the warming oven.

  She dug dessert out of the freezer.

  Her stomach growled but her appetite had fled. The unsettled feeling continued as she finished preparing the meal. Once she set the table, she called her father and Chrissy to supper.

  Chrissy darted a quick look at Rylan. “You don’t have a housekeeper and maid?”

  T
rixi answered her question. “We have a neighbor who comes in twice a week to tackle the cleaning, but we manage our own meals, laundry, and errands.”

  She set the pot roast on the table, and then the veggies. “This looks amazing, Trix,” her dad enthused and she smiled.

  “Thanks, Daddy.” She caught Chrissy’s ugly look before her plastic features smoothed into kind tolerance.

  Trixi wasn’t certain how old Chrissy was, but guessed she was in her late thirties. The woman looked good, no matter what her age. In low light, she could easily pass for being in her early-to-mid twenties. Her figure was better than most teens. She was slender but with curves in all the right places.

  In the back of her mind, Trixi wondered if her catty thoughts were due to jealousy. There was no way she would ever look as good as Chrissy. A woman who had at least seven years on her.

  Trixi doubted she’d ever sport a sparkler like her father had given Chrissy either. She didn’t care about the ring, but she did want a man who wanted her as much as she wanted him. One who was happy to see her. The tiny voice in the back of her mind piped up, a man who would see what a great wife I’d make.

  Men tended to be amused by her but never asked her out—so she had a lot of pent up love to give. She also came with plenty of patience, and a nice sense of humor, if Katy was to be believed. It seemed like those were all a person needed in order to succeed in a relationship. At least based on her research, as she had spent years watching others in relationships and saw what worked and what didn’t.

  “How was your day, honey?” her father asked, as though he realized they hadn’t been paying her much attention.

  She smiled at him as he devoured the last of the pile of pot roast on his plate. “I was told this evening after work that I am to report to neonatal permanently. The paperwork finally came through.”