Harlequin Superromance January 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: A Ranch for His FamilyCowgirl in High HeelsA Man to Believe In

by Hope Navarre

  “That’s good. Very good.” He dove in for kisses along her neck, and a sigh escaped from her. He stopped when his lips pressed above her scapular bone.

  “What’s this?”

  “What?”

  Gently, he touched the area at the base of her neck. “Here. There’s a lump.”

  “Really?”

  He took her hand and traced the spot above her collarbone. “Cassie, I don’t like this. That’s a lymph node.”

  A flood of fear washed over her. She sat up in his lap, gently padding the area with her fingertips. “No. This can’t be.”

  “What do you think?”

  Her throat tightened. When she looked at him, all she could see was her mother, her grandmother, her aunt, pale and gaunt from chemotherapy. Their cancer had been detected from painless lumps they’d found in their bodies. It couldn’t be her turn. Not now. Not right freaking now!

  She inhaled a long, steady breath. “I just had my physical. Nobody said anything about any lumps.”

  He rested a hand on her chest, the warmth of his touch helping to calm her. “I don’t think you should ignore this, Cassie.”

  “Oh, God.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  She shook her head, gathering her wits about her. She wouldn’t cave in to believing she had a problem. Not when she had just agreed to date this wonderful man.

  “I’ll be okay.” She caressed his cheek. “If this lump is something that needs attention, we can’t do anything about it now. Do you really want to kill a tender moment here?”

  He rested a palm on her cheek. “We can have lots of tender moments. I want to know what you’re thinking.”

  She closed her eyes. “Cancer runs in my family. My mother had it. My aunt. My grandmother died from it.” When she looked at him again, determination had already taken root. “I was sure I’d be the generation that didn’t get hit with the disease.”

  “Okay, then. You won’t. Or if you are, you’ll knock it from the ballpark so we can carry on with our dating.”

  The hunger in his eyes as he spoke touched her deeply. What an unusual man that he would plan to stand by her and not cut and run. She shook her head. “It won’t come to that.”

  He smiled. “Good.”

  She blew out a breath, desperately wanting to ignore this new possibility. She’d prefer feeling the thrill of Peter’s kisses and the freedom to explore these new feelings from moments ago. She tapped his mouth with her fingertips. “How about one more of those kisses?”

  A slow grin crossed his lips. “I can do that, beautiful Cassie.”

  Cupping her face, he slowly pulled her mouth to his, kissing her softly, nipping, caressing with his mouth, raising the temperature inside her one more time.

  She returned his kiss, letting all thoughts scatter from her mind. His touch was magic. His tongue mingled with hers, turning her insides to molten heat. He slid his hands along her neck, capturing the back of her head. He grabbed a handful of hair, urging her to kiss him more deeply. He kissed her long and urgently, running his free hand all over her, electrifying her body.

  He broke the kiss. “I wish to God we weren’t sitting in this cramped car.”

  The passion in his eyes charged her senses even more. “I’ve never been kissed the way you kiss me, Peter.”

  He slowly shook his head. “I could drown in your kisses and die a happy man. I want you so very badly.”

  She could feel his arousal against her hip. “I’ve overstepped the flirting line.”

  He laughed. “Thank goodness!”

  Breathless, regret filled her. This was their first date. “Too much has already happened in one night, Peter.” She didn’t want to add that now she had to investigate this shitty lump that she didn’t want to think about. If it turned out to be a problem, it would suck for dating. Reluctantly, she slid off his lap. “I’d better go. Thanks for a great night.”

  He intertwined his hand with hers. “Can I call you in the morning?”

  She smiled. “Sure.”

  He reached for one last, sweet kiss. “Thank you for trusting me, Cassie.”

  She watched him walk up to his door. By agreeing to date him, she may have tacitly agreed to trust him, but, oh, Lord. Could she? As much as this new world he offered enticed her, would her memories of Kyle truly release her?

  * * *

  SHE WOKE UP the next morning with her hand resting on her neck, the swollen lymph node beneath her fingers. Damn it to hell. She didn’t want to have to deal with this.

  Of course, it could be nothing. She’d prefer to let this possibility be the answer.

  And Peter. Her mind was still reeling over her evening with him. It was wonderful. Exciting. Terrifying. She’d had only a few hours of sleep from all the tossing and turning. Exhausted, rest had eluded her. Peter, his family story, his unbelievable touch and kisses all wove a web of excitement and intrigue that she had never before felt. This new arrival to Montauk had successfully thrown her off balance.

  Her cell phone rang. She glanced at it. Peter.

  She laid her phone back on the nightstand. She couldn’t talk with him right now.

  * * *

  MONDAY MORNING, HER stomach was all aflutter as she drove to pick up Peter. Yesterday, she’d spent the day thinking and concluded that today, she needed to get more in order than simply preparing for a day at work. First and foremost, this lump in her neck. Secondly, one Peter Chapman.

  How in God’s name was she going to keep their dating a secret from Doc and Rachel? She’d violated Doc’s rule—one she’d held as her own for these past two years. And Peter had already expressed how coming here for this job was life-changing for him. What if they started dating and she wanted to stop seeing him? Could they maintain a working relationship? This connection between them felt staggering. Immediate. Comfortable. Alluring. She’d missed his company in the few hours she’d left him. Then again, what if Peter was to decide against seeing her? Could she work with him?

  This was not good. No, it was wonderful. It was exciting. Ugh. It was terrible. At twenty-nine, she was pretty content leading the life of a single woman. Her network of friends and family was perfect for her. All she wanted. Peter Chapman had turned her thinking—and her wants—upside down. Her panic had grown since yesterday, and was gaining momentum by the moment. Most important, she needed more time to think. The heat of the moment, the heady feeling from the shared wine, dancing and kissing, made for an exciting first date, but the attraction had grown all too fast.

  There was nothing she could do about it now. It had happened.

  Peter was standing in the driveway when she drove up. Not even the loose, pale green scrubs could hide the form of his fabulous body. Sunglasses on top of his head and a pair of running shoes on his feet, he stood there grinning. Good thing she was seated because her knees grew weak. She could be a goner with this man, for sure, and she didn’t like it at all.

  Her heart pounded in her chest as he reached for the passenger-side door. He was smiling, but the look on her face must have betrayed her unsettled mood because his smile faded.

  Damn her emotions riding on her sleeve.

  He slid into the seat, turning to face her. Now that his black eye had healed, he was the picture of perfection. Damn. And he smelled so good.

  “Do we have a problem, Cassie?”

  She swallowed hard. “At work we have to act like we never kissed.”

  He watched her a moment. “Okay. I can handle that. Is that all that’s bothering you?”

  She chewed her lower lip. “No.”

  “I’m listening. Is that why you never returned my call yesterday?”

  How to say this? Exhaling a long breath, she said, “You terrify me.”

  A small smile turned the corners of h
is mouth. “Is that all? You kept me hanging all day and night because your feelings for me scare you?”

  Just like that, he had disarmed her. Warmth filled her chest. She returned his smile with an unexpected shyness. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Peter.”

  “I hope that’s a good thing.” He caressed her cheek with his palm. “Please don’t do that ever again. Answer my calls, even if to tell me you don’t want to talk. Okay?”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  He leaned closer. “I missed you.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  He leaned even closer. “Can I kiss you now?”

  * * *

  WHEN THEY PULLED into the parking lot at Mercy Hospital, Peter said, “Think folks will start talking because we’re arriving together?”

  Cassie parked the Jeep. “Not unless I continue picking you up after your truck is fixed.”

  “I called Mike while waiting for you. He says I can have the truck this afternoon.”

  “So that will end any chance of suspicion when we drive up separately.”

  He chuckled. “Don’t know if I can stay all covert on my feelings. We can always give them something else to talk about.”

  She darted a look around the parking lot. “Hey, this is all new between us. It’s for the best.”

  “Okay.” He snaked a hand around her neck. “But kiss me for real one more time before I die.”

  She leaned toward him, her hair smelling so good. Resisting the urge to kiss her senseless, he brushed a sweet, soft kiss on her lips.

  She relaxed into the kiss, but only for a moment. Resting her mouth against his as if she were trying to diffuse the moment, she asked, “So, did you sleep well last night?”

  He laughed against her lips. “Not much.”

  “Funny thing. Me, neither.” She pulled away. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

  He caressed her cheek. “I certainly hope so.”

  Another car drove into the lot. He pulled back to his side of the car. “I don’t know how I’ll keep my hands off you today.”

  Cassie grinned. “Oh, come on. You’re exaggerating.”

  If she only knew. “What are you doing tonight?”

  She opened her door. “Waiting for you to ask me out.”

  “Okay, I’ll call you later.”

  “You have my number.”

  He kissed her open palm. “Oh, I have your number, all right.”

  * * *

  WHEN THEY REACHED the nurses’ station, Rachel and two of the night nurses were discussing patient charts and events from the past evening. They stopped talking as Cassie and Peter approached.

  Rachel put her charts on the desk. “Peter, you look all clean and shiny with your eye healed.”

  He smiled. “Thanks to Doc, I’m good as new.”

  Cassie inhaled a fortifying breath as she realized Peter Chapman had rocked her world no matter how hard she wanted to pretend there was no attraction between them. The hardest part was acting as if he were as much a newcomer to her as he was to Rachel and the others. The heart-stopping kisses they shared had her preoccupied with the possibility of more stolen moments with him. The biggest hurdle would be keeping her growing attraction to him undetected for as long as possible. She simply wasn’t ready to explain herself yet.

  * * *

  AFTER A FULL morning of cases coming through emergency, Cassie and Peter brought lunch into the break room. He leaned across the table. No one was in the room so he reached for her hand. “So, how’s that node?”

  She’d been touching it all morning when no one was looking. It hadn’t gone down. She shrugged. “Still there.”

  He frowned. “What are you going to do about it?”

  She released a sigh. “Trying to screw up the nerve to talk to Doc.”

  He covered her hand with both of his. “Listen, Cass. It’s going to be okay.”

  “If you two start dating, I’ll expect you to be married by the end of the week.”

  They looked up to see Doc standing in the doorway, file in hand. As much as he was joking, no mirth filled his eyes. He shook his head slowly as he glanced at his watch. “Not even three weeks. I saw this coming.”

  Cassie held up a hand. “Doc...”

  “Don’t bother explaining, Cassie. It’s not important right now. If you have a minute, I’d like to speak with you.”

  Doc was unusually silent on the walk to his office at the end of the hallway. Did she screw up with a patient? Was he upset from catching her holding hands with Peter? Worse, had something happened at sea? Dad was due in any day, now. The ocean was a stern mistress, sometimes claiming sailors and fishermen permanently. The Montauk locals lived with that paralyzing knowledge every day of their lives when loved ones were on fishing runs.

  She released her breath when Doc’s office was empty. Had Mom been sitting there, it would have been about Dad. Cassie wasn’t sure if she could have handled that conversation. Now, between her and Doc, she could deal with anything Doc had to say. Honesty and trust were twin bonds between them.

  He took the chair across from her and turned to face her. When he tapped her knee with the file, she saw her name on it. Her test results from her physical. Her general physician and Doc were partners.

  “Why do you have my medical file?”

  “Gabe is out of town and gave me permission to talk with you if you’re okay with it.”

  She frowned. “Of course.”

  He said, “You blood work brought a bit of a surprise.”

  Oh, God. The lymph node. “I’m not pregnant, if you’re thinking that.”

  His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Actually, that would be good news.”

  Her heart sank. “What are you saying?”

  “You have an unusually high white blood cell count.”

  “An infection?”

  “Could be. Have you been feeling all right lately?”

  She nodded. She had to tell him but was choking on the words. “Fine.”

  “Good appetite?”

  “What are you asking?”

  He shrugged. “Given your mother’s history, I want to be sure nothing is going on. You’ve had all your exams, I hope? No lumps?”

  Lumps. Oh, God. Here it goes. She pulled the collar of her scrubs aside and traced the one Peter had found. “I have a lump here.”

  Doc examined the spot. “Did you check the rest of your body?”

  “Yes. Nothing, and nothing hurts.”

  “Gabe didn’t find this in the physical?”

  Panic started to bubble in her chest. Not now. Not her. There had to be at least one woman in her family who didn’t have to deal with cancer. She shook her head. “If he did, he hadn’t said anything.”

  He checked the lump on her neck one more time. “Would you mind if I took a sample?”

  Holy God. The routine. Take a sample. Wait and worry. “Will it hurt?”

  He laughed. “Are you going to be a baby about this?”

  No. I’m just scared! She swallowed the lump rising in her throat. “Come on, Doc. You know my family history. You know I was tested and have the gene.”

  He stood. “So let’s take that biopsy as soon as possible and find out what’s happening.”

  She closed her eyes to the memories rising in her mind. Standing by her grandmother’s gravestone watching tears silently run down her mother’s face while she and Aunt Judy held each other. Years later, listening to her mother retching in the bathroom. Hearing Grandma Mica trying to soothe her. Seeing the panic on Dad’s face because he felt so helpless.

  Cassie inhaled a deep breath. Mom beat cancer. Judy beat cancer. The three of them had discussed whether or not Cassie should take drastic measures of a hysterectomy o
r mastectomy to offset the chance of getting sick. She had decided against it. She wanted to give herself the chance to live whole. Back then, she’d decided that if cancer became real for her, she’d beat it, too. Now the threat was real. She wanted to puke.

  “Doc?”

  He met her questioning gaze with a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You’ll be okay, Cassie. Plan on taking tomorrow off. I’m going to schedule the lab for the morning. Let’s just see what this is before jumping to any conclusions.”

  * * *

  SHE FOUND PETER holding a crying youngster while the intern stitched up a cut on his hand. The mother stood nearby in tears watching her son.

  Now this she could handle. Concentrating outside herself felt much more comfortable than the terror she had tamped down from the moment she had seen her name on Doc’s folder. The fact that Peter was successful in getting the little fellow to stay still by holding him instead of strapping him down spoke volumes about Peter’s ability to make patients feel safe. Her heart jumped into her throat. Was this man real? In the couple of weeks she’d known him everything about him seemed right. Compassion. Connection. Tenderness. Funny. Hunky. Driven by all the right motives. Amazing kisser. Hands to die for.

  Then wham-o. A lump on her body. Why now? Mr. Perfect comes into her life and makes her think twice about living as a single woman and then she’s challenged with possible health issues instead of starting a relationship.

  Watching her mother battle and recover from uterine cancer, and the heartbreak it had brought, paralyzed any thought of exploring a new relationship with Peter. Her parents had never been the same since Mom was sick. It was as if Beth’s cancer were a third person who’d never left their relationship. No way in hell would Cassie drag a potential love interest through the grueling process should her biopsy prove positive.

  Peter smiled at her from over the toddler’s head, which he cradled against his chest. Peter was weaving a story about how they were both Jedi fighters being fixed up after a battle they’d won. The boy wasn’t answering, but he had stopped crying.

  OMG. She wanted Peter to hold her like that right now. The pressure of tears filled her eyes. The overhead pager called her name to the nurses’ station. She mouthed, “See you later,” and left the room.