For some reason, Heather’s image came to him, the way she’d looked yesterday in that stunning reddish-brown dress. He didn’t know what had inspired him to drape her with the scarf when he normally took zero interest in fashion.
The woman exuded sensuality, that was the point. He’d yearned to touch her, and the scarf had provided an excuse.
Jason leaned back on the couch and let his eyelids drift shut while Frodo played around his feet. He couldn’t relax, though, not with visions of Heather floating through his mind.
The gown had fitted her like the proverbial glove, except that gloves weren’t cut that low. They didn’t have slits up the side, either. It was too bad Heather usually wore slacks or demure skirts, because she had great legs. If Jason could have found an excuse, he’d have loved to run his hands from her ankle all the way up to where the slit ended at her thigh.
He wanted to see her. Just to talk, of course. Being around her made him feel good.
One excuse was as good as another, Jason supposed, and went to snap a leash on Frodo. If he happened to be passing by while walking his pooch, what was wrong with stopping to say a friendly hello? The risk of being spotted by the manager was worth taking.
Half an hour later, he returned, having made his dog happy but failed in his mission. No one had answered Heather’s door and she wasn’t in the pool, either.
Come to think of it, she’d mentioned a health club. As he released Frodo from the leash, Jason remembered seeing one nearby. He doubted he’d be lucky enough to corner her tonight, but he needed to get back into an exercise routine anyway, so he might as well check it out.
He drove the few blocks and parked in the adjacent lot. The place wasn’t crowded at this early-evening hour, he discovered as he toured it, and, although modest in size, it had a full complement of facilities plus a coffee shop in the lobby. Its most significant attraction, however, was the sight of Heather pedaling on an exercise machine.
He’d guessed right! What a lucky break.
Jason withdrew before she glimpsed him. “Sign me up,” he told the attendant. “I’m short on time. How long will this take?”
“Just a few minutes.” The young woman smiled as he shifted edgily from foot to foot. “Why don’t you go ahead and throw on your exercise clothes while I prepare the forms?”
“Done.” Gear bag over one shoulder, Jason jogged to the locker room.
When he finished signing the papers and returned to the exercise room, there were three other occupants: a young couple talking earnestly as they strode side by side on twin treadmills, plus Heather, still cycling intently, lost in whatever she was listening to on earphones.
A gray crop top and matching shorts clung to her curves as she cycled furiously. Although the butterfly was out of sight, her slender waist begged to have two masculine hands encircle it.
Better to look elsewhere. At her straight, delicate shoulders, perhaps, or the short, mussed hair that ruffled like a wildfire in a breeze.
Jason took the machine next to hers and set to his task, stealing glances at her from time to time. Soon he felt the half painful, half pleasurable stretch of muscles at work and an even more enjoyable tug in his midsection.
Heather, who had taken no notice of him, nodded to herself as she listened to her CD player. Faintly, Jason heard a Latin rhythm.
He found it peaceful to be this close without arousing her usual antagonism. Too bad they’d gotten off on the wrong foot in Atlanta, although perhaps foot wasn’t the right word, since apparently they’d done more lying down than standing.
He wished he knew how to recapture the mutual attraction they’d shared. If only he could fly back through time and do it all over again.
A shriek startled him from his reverie. Heather yanked off her earphones so fast they flew into the air. She snatched at them, missed, and had to grab again, barely catching them before they fell.
“Learning to juggle?” Jason teased. “You might want to start with something simpler than headphones.”
“Jason Carmichael!” she roared. “What are you doing here?”
He gestured at the cycle. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m working out.”
“How long have you been next to me?”
“Five, ten minutes,” he said. “What tape are you playing? I like the beat.”
“You have no business getting close enough to hear my music!” She glared at him, her ample chest heaving. If only he could remember what that chest looked like without the crop top, Jason mused, more annoyed at his faulty memory than ever. “I don’t like you invading my space in my spare time. Why don’t you find another gym?”
“This place is convenient. I live right down the street,” he pointed out.
“Please don’t remind me!”
“Serene Beach is a small town,” Jason said. “Didn’t anyone warn you that you were likely to run into your colleagues away from Doctors Circle?”
“Not every evening!” she protested. “I’ve managed to retain my privacy just fine for three years, until you came along.”
“I should think you’d want to extend a warm welcome to a lonely single male newly arrived in town.” It was hard to keep from chuckling at her obvious indignation, but he managed.
Something about Heather brought out the teasing side of Jason. It had displayed itself only rarely in the past, mostly to give his exhausted fellow medical students a humor break. He was enjoying the experience.
“I don’t belong to the neighborhood welcome club, or to a lonely hearts club, either,” Heather retorted. “Look, I can’t stop you from using this health club, but as mature adults we can both agree to avoid each other. Either we can come here on different schedules or we can choose different activities.”
“No,” he said.
“What do you mean, no?” She sounded on the verge of snarling, which reminded him of Edith’s remark.
“Did you really growl at George the other day?” Jason asked.
“What?”
“Never mind.” He decided to answer her previous question before she got so frustrated she pummeled him. “I find health clubs intrinsically boring.”
“Then why join one?” Grumpily, she resumed pedaling. Jason took it as a sign of resignation.
“A, I like to keep in shape,” he said. “We doctors ought to set a good example for the general public.”
“What’s B?”
“B is that while health clubs in general may be boring, I find this one very entertaining.” The long sentence put a strain on his breathing. Exercising and conversation didn’t mix well, but this was worth the effort.
“What’s entertaining about it?” Heather asked.
“You’re here.”
She digested this information for a moment before saying, “You mean you plan to amuse yourself by irritating me?”
“I prefer to think of myself as enlivening an otherwise tedious situation.” Jason didn’t like to think about what Edith would say if she learned he was bedeviling Dr. Rourke again. But since when did he worry about what anyone else thought?
Heather frowned at him for a moment. Finally, she said, “Suit yourself.” After clamping her earphones back into place, she resumed pedaling.
The young couple departed, slinging towels around their necks. Heather labored on, ignoring Jason. This was no longer any fun. Besides, Edith’s comment about Heather taking leave had been bothering him. There would never be a better time to ferret out the truth.
Jason doubted Heather would confide in him of her own free will. A flanking tactic might work, however.
“Excuse me,” he said.
With an impatient release of breath, Heather removed her earphones. “Yes?”
“I hate gossip, don’t you?”
She nodded impatiently. “I despise it.”
“Then you should remember that the best way to short-circuit gossip is to tell the truth,” he said.
“I always tell the truth.” She started to turn away.
; “You don’t always tell the whole truth,” he challenged. “For example, you haven’t explained why you took leave last fall.”
Her forehead furrowed. “That’s none of your business.”
“Doctors Circle is abuzz with speculation. Why not put an end to it?”
Heather’s gaze raked him icily. “A person is entitled to privacy. Besides, that’s old news.”
Darn, this wasn’t working. He had to up the ante.
“Some people believe you were angry about my being hired.” Jason watched her closely. He hoped this wasn’t true, but if it were, they might as well get it into the open.
“Hogwash.” Heather was so distressed, she didn’t even resume cycling. “That is too much.”
“What is?”
“You and your prying.” She climbed off the exercise machine. “You’re going to have to amuse yourself with somebody else, Doctor. I’ve had enough for one night.”
Perhaps he had gone too far, Jason thought. Swinging down, he fell into place beside her. “I apologize.”
Heather broke stride. She really was tiny, he thought. At least, most of her was. “Does this mean you’re going to leave me alone in the future?”
“I can’t be accountable for my actions in the future,” he said.
“Why not?”
“Call me a creature of impulse.” The remark surprised Jason. Impulsive, him? Only with Heather.
“You’re like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” she said. “At the office, you’re a bossy pain in the neck.”
“But what am I at the health club?” Although he knew he was opening himself up for a major insult, it was worth it to find out what Heather might say.
“I refuse to comment.” Leaving him unsatisfied, she marched out of the room.
Jason wanted to continue the conversation but he could hardly follow her into the ladies’ locker room. Wondering what imp got into him whenever he was around the woman, he went to shower and change.
When he came out, Heather was easing the flamehaired baby into a stroller. “May I ask why you brought Ginger along?”
“Because my…” She gave a little cough. “My niece is tied up tonight.”
“Tied up?” Jason had no interest in what Olive might be doing. He simply wanted to prolong the conversation.
“She went out with friends.”
“I didn’t realize mothers got a night off.” He wished the young woman would materialize and take her baby. If Heather didn’t have to care for this cute little tyke, she’d be more likely to respond to a heartrending appeal to come home and help him tame his sock-eating puppy.
“Shocking, isn’t it?” Lips pursed, Heather adjusted a blanket around the infant. “Mothers are nothing more than pack animals, at least as far as some fathers are concerned. We should be happy laboring day and night until we keel over in the traces.”
“I was making conversation, not proposing to enslave the female half of the human race,” Jason said.
She straightened. “Sorry. You pushed one of my buttons.”
“I seem to be doing that a lot.” Moving ahead of her, he held the door. “Did you walk here?”
“You’re new to Southern California, aren’t you?” she said.
“I don’t see how that follows.”
“If you’d grown up in the greater L.A. area, you’d know that no one thinks of walking, not even a few blocks to a health club.” Heather chuckled at the irony.
Jason was glad she’d calmed after her earlier tirade. Whatever he’d said to set her off, apparently it hadn’t been a serious offense. “You are from around here, I take it.”
“Northridge.” She pushed the stroller across the parking lot to a silver sedan with a child seat in the back. “That’s on the other side of L.A.”
Although he didn’t understand why, Jason was reluctant to head for his own car, which he’d driven because he hadn’t been certain of the distance to the health club. Being around Heather made him keenly aware of how lonely his town house was, in spite of Frodo.
“Let me take you out for ice cream,” he said. “The kid’s a little young but she might enjoy a lick.”
“She’s yawning.” Heather finished strapping her in and slid behind the wheel. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass.”
Jason had to let her go. “See you tomorrow.”
“Sure thing.” Heather started the engine. He watched her glance over the seat back to check on the baby before putting the car in gear.
She certainly was a doting great-aunt. If Jason hadn’t known better, he might have assumed that the baby was hers and Olive merely the hired nanny, taking her evening off.
Grumpy from being rejected, he steered his Mercedes to the ice cream parlor and bought a quart of rocky road to eat by himself. In the past, he’d rather enjoyed spending time alone. What on earth made him feel so grumpy about it now?
Chapter Eight
White and pink flowers overflowed the fairytale wedding chapel and perfumed the air. Seated beside Olive’s devoted grandfather, Heather felt her eyes fill with tears. Across the aisle, John’s mother sniffled into her handkerchief while his father’s eyes grew suspiciously bright.
The young couple stood arm in arm, facing the minister. From the rear, Olive’s satin gown flowed smoothly over her slim figure, while John stood tall in his uniform. As his fiancée had noted, his red hair was almost a match for Heather’s.
Olive’s friend Julia, the maid of honor, and John’s brother as his best man completed the tableau. The small wedding, in this gemlike setting, gave Heather the sensation that they were all figures on a wedding cake, frozen in one perfect moment. She almost wished they really could stay here forever, enjoying this special occasion that crowned so many hopes and dreams.
When she was a little girl, she used to stage pretend weddings with her dolls. They were never luxurious enough to suit her. “When I get married, I’ll have a church full of orchids,” she recalled saying to her mother. “And so much white lace, we’ll have to send to France for it.”
Of course, there hadn’t been a wedding. When she’d been a teenager, that loss had torn at her almost as if she’d lost a limb. Since then, as she’d become absorbed in her medical career, she’d almost forgotten her keen desire to walk down the aisle.
What if things had been different? Heather wondered. What if Ned had been man enough to take responsibility for his child?
Her life would certainly have turned out differently. Not necessarily for the best, she had to admit. The cost and long hours would have prevented her from becoming a doctor, and it was unlikely a marriage between two such immature people would have lasted. Most likely she’d have become a divorced single mother, struggling to make ends meet.
Her thoughts drifted to Jason. Resplendent in a tuxedo, he waited for her beneath a rose-covered trellis. With a jaunty smile playing across his face, he was so handsome she could hardly wait to run into his arms.
Heather blinked and dragged herself back to reality. Why on earth was she picturing Jason as a groom? He’d abandoned his fiancée and, in Atlanta, given Heather the cold shoulder after believing he’d slept with her. He was the last man on earth to rely on.
In Heather’s lap, Ginger began to babble. Other people turned to smile at the baby. She was glad she had her family around her, most of all this precious grandchild.
It had been a long struggle since her teenage years, but since her one big mistake in trusting Ned, she’d made the right choices. Today, celebrating the future with her daughter and granddaughter was all the reward she could ask for.
After saying a firm “I do!” Olive hurried over, swept up her daughter and carried her to the altar. John engulfed them both in a hug as he added his own vow.
Seeing the new family together tipped the scales, and tears slid openly down Heather’s cheeks. She didn’t bother to fumble for a tissue, since even Olive’s grandpa was crying.
Afterward, they posed for photographs and gathered for a cake-and-champa
gne reception in the couple’s bridal suite. While Olive retreated to the bedroom to change out of her long white gown, John assured Heather that she was welcome to visit them any time.
“You’ve meant a great deal to Olive these past few months. To me, too, knowing that you were there with her,” John said. At close range, Heather could see that he had entrancing green eyes. No wonder her daughter had fallen for him!
“I’m overjoyed to be part of your lives,” she said. “More than I can tell you.”
“Hey, I’m honored to have you for a mother-in-law.” He refilled her champagne glass. “When Olive told me she’d contacted you, I wasn’t sure at first that it was such a good idea. But I’m glad it worked out.”
“And we’re thrilled that you can watch Ginger for the week,” Olive added, joining them. A quick-change artist, she looked radiant in a pink cocktail dress. “After a few more days in Vegas, we’re going to drive to Hoover Dam and to Arches National Park.”
“I’m afraid camping would be kind of hard on a baby,” John added.
“She’ll be fine with me.” Heather had arranged for Amy Ladd’s Aunt Mary, who ran a home day-care center, to supervise Ginger during the weekdays. Amy herself had promised to take the baby during any evening or late-night deliveries.
“Quent and I have talked about having one of our own,” Amy had explained. “Of course, Tara and Greg are our own, now that we’re adopting them. Still, a baby would be so sweet. Although maybe I’ll change my mind after Ginger wakes me up at all hours.” She didn’t sound as if she meant it.
After all, how could anyone resist a cutie like this? Heather thought, watching her granddaughter burble happily in her father’s arms.
“We’ll be fine, won’t we?” she asked Ginger.
The response came in a string of high-pitched syllables. Heather didn’t require an interpreter. She knew the answer was yes.
THE PHONE sounded in the depths of darkness. Jason, having long ago mastered the art of coming fully awake even from the deepest sleep, grabbed it on the third ring.
Prognosis: A Baby? Maybe Page 9