by Lucy Ryder
It would be wise to remember that wanting something didn’t always make it happen.
Just ask his old man.
* * *
Ninety minutes later, Adam pulled into the tree-shaded parking area of a two-story building tucked against the side of the mountain, overlooking the narrow valley below.
“What is this place?” Sam asked curiously, taking in the surroundings, the neat gardens and sprawling green lawns.
“Juniper Falls Medical Center. It’s pretty basic but handles all local medical and emergency care. Anything they can’t cope with gets flown to the closest large center.”
It looked more like a ski lodge than a hospital. “A hospital?” she asked, studying the building and wondering why she got the feeling he was waiting for her reaction. “Why does it look like a ski lodge?”
Adam laughed, and for the first time seemed relaxed. “That’s because it is. Or was. With the town growing to accommodate the increase in tourists, the lodge owners needed more space, so they sold and moved farther out of town. Since the building was already here, it made sense to renovate instead of starting from scratch.”
Sam was quiet as she studied the view of the town nestled in the valley. It was a gorgeous, tranquil setting that tugged at a memory buried deep inside her.
“Do you remember when I told you I used to think I’d been abducted by aliens as a child?” She saw his lips curve into a smile and laughed at the memory. “Well, I used to fantasize they’d taken me from a place like this.”
Pulling his keys from the ignition, he turned toward her and Sam felt the brush of his gaze. It made her feel vulnerable and exposed so instead of meeting his eyes, she kept her face averted.
After a moment’s silence he said, “You didn’t like growing up rich?”
Sam nibbled on her lip because she sensed that to dismiss her affluent childhood would be to denigrate his. “I think—I think I would have preferred a mom who baked cookies and tucked me in at night,” she admitted quietly. “A mom who wasn’t always too busy to attend my ballet recitals.”
“Yeah,” he said quietly after a short silence. “Me too.” She turned and caught his quick mouth quirk as he shook his head. With a soft laugh, he opened the door and got out. Before closing it, he looked at her. “But I’d have skipped the ballet recitals too.”
Only mildly offended because she had a feeling he was deliberately trying to lighten the mood, Sam scrambled after him. “You’re such a guy,” she accused, clamping down on the inexplicable emotion grabbing her by the throat when his deep chuckle resonated deep inside her. Emotion she had no business feeling for a man she’d insisted on labeling a rebound rebellion.
Inhaling the fresh mountain air, she let her gaze drift to the shifting muscles in his back, down to a really world-class ass cupped in soft worn denim and felt her chest ease. Physical attraction, it seemed, was easier to handle—and ignore—than emotions.
“So,” she said lightly, “what did you do as a kid?”
He turned and nearly caught her ogling his body. Cheeks warming, Sam met his gaze with big innocent eyes. With a knowing look, he handed over a bulging briefcase. “Hold that, will you.” She took it, pretending the brush of his fingers didn’t send tingles shooting up her arm.
He looked toward the mountains, then scratched his jaw and shrugged as his gaze returned to hers. “What every kid out here does, I guess.”
“And that is?”
“My cousins and I ran wild. Fishing, hiking, skiing, riding, camping and—” he chuckled “—chasing girls, of course.”
She grunted softly at the image of a young Adam chasing girls and dismissed the little shaft of jealousy that lodged right beside her heart.
“Of course you did,” she muttered dryly, imagining him at seventeen sending young girls aflutter with a heavily lashed amber-eyed look. Heck, she wasn’t even an impressionable adolescent and he made her flutter.
She imagined the little boy whose mother had waltzed off to her fairy-tale life, uncaring how much her actions had hurt her lover and the infant she’d blithely given up. She couldn’t conceive of abandoning a child she’d carried—and come to love—for nine months, even if she didn’t want to be with the father.
For a moment, she let herself imagine what would have happened if her weekend in San Francisco had resulted in a child. A warm little glow sparked in the center of her chest even as her belly dipped at the image of a dark-haired, dusky-skinned baby staring up at her with serious amber eyes.
God, she thought as her heart clenched with yearning. How could anyone walk away from that?
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if he’d ever met his mother but he’d already turned away to reach for a large box and the moment was lost. Finally, with a hooded look in her direction, he shut the door and took off toward the portico entrance of Juniper Falls Medical Center.
Lifting her face to the crisp mountain air and warm sun, Sam paused a moment before following more slowly. She was bewildered by the emotions swirling inside her and needed a moment to steady herself. Despite her growing unwanted feelings for a man who was way out of her league, she felt happy—perhaps for the first time in way too long—which was reason enough to be cautious.
He stirred up emotions she didn’t have a clue how to handle or interpret and wasn’t sure she liked.
Seriously though. She’d recently broken off a relationship with a man she’d thought she’d spend the rest of her life with, so how was it that she was feeling things for another man that she’d never felt for Lawrence?
No sooner had they crossed the parking area than the front doors flew open and a slight figure emerged at a run to fling herself at Adam. Since he was carrying a box of medical supplies, he caught her one-handed before she knocked them both to the ground.
“Adam.” The girl laughed and hugged him tightly. “We’ve been waiting for ages. What took you so long?”
“Since it’s barely seven, it can’t have been that long,” he chuckled, dropping a kiss on her forehead and turning to introduce Sam who’d been standing there, feeling a little stunned. “This is Samantha Jefferies,” he said to the girl. “She’s the angel who’s taken over running the foundation. I wanted to introduce her to everyone and show her where it all started.”
Studying the way Adam tucked the young woman against his side, Sam wondered at the sharp pain in her chest. He’d introduced her as nothing more than a colleague. Which was fine, she told herself as she unclenched her fingers from the briefcase to transfer it to her other hand. It was exactly what she wanted. Wasn’t it?
“Hello.”
“Hi, I’m Leah,” the young woman said, stepping away from Adam to grab Sam’s hand between hers and Sam couldn’t help but notice how beautiful and delicate she was, with long glossy dark hair, dusky skin and large almond eyes. The sight of her beside Adam, slender and graceful as a deer, made Sam feel like a clumsy Amazon in comparison.
Before she could reply, Adam checked his watch. “Leah’s a med student at Stanford,” he said briskly. “She’s been working summers here in one capacity or another since high school. No one knows this place better, so I’ve asked her to give you the VIP tour since I have a full day ahead. Don’t let her talk your ear off.” With that, he shifted the box and leaned toward her.
For an instant, she thought he might kiss her but he simply relieved her of the briefcase and turned away, leaving Sam staring after him in bewilderment, a hollowness blooming in her chest because he suddenly seemed like a stranger.
Because there was something between him and Leah?
Feeling hurt and ridiculously like she’d been abandoned, Sam schooled her features and turned to find Leah frowning at Adam’s disappearing back.
“What’s up with him?” the younger woman muttered before turning speculative eyes Sam’s way. She shrugged, as baffled by his odd behavior as she was
embarrassed by her own. She’d almost—almost—leaned into him for that “kiss” and cringed inwardly at the thought of how he would have handled it if she had.
Oh, God. She really needed to get a grip.
There was an awkward moment as Sam tried to ignore the other woman’s curiosity before finally exhaling in a long gush. “Look,” she said, turning to look the girl in the eye. “I’m really sorry to be dumped on you like this. You’re obviously busy so maybe I should just head back to town. I’m sure I could keep myself busy until Adam is ready to leave.” Either that or she could hire a car and return to San José.
“No way.” Leah’s response was immediate and fierce. “That’ll be hours. Besides,” she said, studying Sam openly with her large almond-shaped eyes, “I’ve been dying to meet you.”
Surprised, Sam blinked at the young woman and wondered if she’d heard correctly. “You...have?”
“Uh-huh.” She laughed when she caught Sam’s expression. “Oh, not from Adam,” she snorted cheerfully. “He never talks about his private life. I heard all about you from Dr. Rutherford.”
Sam’s eyebrows shot into her hairline. After a couple of beats, she gave a tight laugh, wondering what Aunt Coco had said and why she hadn’t prepared Sam for this girl, this town—well, this field trip. “Oh. Well, don’t feel bad.” To give herself a moment, she lifted a hand to tuck an escaped lock of hair behind her ear. “He’s told me nothing about you either.” She gestured to the hospital and the town. “Or any of this.”
Leah’s dark eyes twinkled. “That’s okay.” She grinned. “I’m sure you have other things to talk about.”
“Wh-what?” Sam blinked as her mouth dropped open. “Oh, no,” she said hastily, wondering at the relationship between Adam and this gorgeous creature. “It’s not what you think. We work together. Sort of.” She sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“Isn’t love always?”
“Love?” Sam said aghast. “Oh, no. No,” she said again when Leah cocked her head, long silky dark strands brushing a slender shoulder. “We’ve just kind of met,” she explained, ignoring the heat rising in her cheeks at the girl’s expression. She ended with a lame, “Besides, we work together.”
Leah snorted. “I’ve known Adam a long time and I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at you just now.” She gave a dramatic shiver that made Sam roll her eyes.
“Like he couldn’t wait to get away?”
Leah’s brow wrinkled and her eyes narrowed on Sam’s face. “No,” she said slowly, contemplatively. “It wasn’t like that at all.”
Not wanting to think about what it was, Sam used the moment to shove the hair off her forehead. “Why are you doing this?”
“Adam asked me to.”
Sam’s eyes widened in surprise. Okay, so maybe it was closer to shock, but what the heck? “Adam asked you to interfere in his personal life?”
For a couple of beats, Leah stared at her uncomprehendingly, then she burst out laughing. “Heck no,” she giggled finally. “He’d skin me alive if he knew.”
“Then why, when you’re clearly in love with him yourself?”
“What? No.” She gave an amused snort and caught Sam’s hand in hers. “I love Adam, sure,” she said tugging her in the direction Adam had gone. “But like an honorary uncle or something. I’m only twenty-two so he’s way too old.”
“He’s not that old,” Sam defended him hotly.
Leah grinned knowingly and steered Sam across the lobby. “Much older brother then,” she said cheekily. “But it’s interesting how quickly you defended him.”
* * *
It was mid-morning when Adam decided to take a detour to the wards before hunting down some food. Most of the patients he treated here had little or no health insurance and many came from the tribal lands nearby. They were people who would probably die without the procedures and hospital care the foundation covered. And because today was mainly follow-ups, part of his mind had been occupied elsewhere.
In truth, he’d kept seeing Samantha’s face. Firstly, when he’d deliberately pulled Leah close, hoping the move would put a little distance between them—especially after the stuff he’d revealed about his past—and then as he’d reached for his briefcase. For just a moment, she’d stilled as though he’d been about to kiss her. He’d seen it in her widening eyes and the hitch in her breath. And damn if he hadn’t been tempted. So tempted that he’d had to leave before he’d shocked both her and Leah.
He’d caught her embarrassed mortification as he’d spun away and had almost turned back. But he didn’t want an audience for what he wanted to do with Samantha Jefferies. He was done giving her space and he was done pretending they didn’t know each other.
The nurses’ station was deserted. Hospitals tended to empty out ahead of the weekend, leaving only those too sick to be sent home. And since Juniper Falls wasn’t a bustling metropolis, weekends at the medical center tended to be quiet.
So quiet that over the muted beep of equipment, he heard the low murmur of voices and then the unmistakable sound of throaty laughter that dug claws of lust and awareness into his gut.
Damn. He was in a bad way if just the sound of her voice had his skin itching and tightening. He’d tasted her again and wanted more. He wanted to wrap himself in her sweetness and was pretty sure after this morning that she did too.
“When I’m finished with you, Mrs. Jackson,” he heard her say. “You’ll be the belle of the ball.”
“Call me Ida, dear,” he heard, as he headed around the counter to access the computer. “Can I let you in on a little secret?”
“What’s that?”
“In my day, I had a dozen beau all competing for my attention.”
“I can believe it. You look gorgeous,” Samantha declared with a chuckle. “Bart won’t know what hit him.”
“Oh, pooh.” The woman snorted. “Bart Schmart. I was thinking more along the lines of that hunky Dr. Knight. He was here earlier and hoo-wee, that boy is hot tamales.” Sam’s warm laughter drifted seductively down the passage and Adam felt the back of his neck heat that he was eavesdropping on a discussion about himself.
“What do you think, Gladys?” the voice continued. “Should we introduce Samantha to our new beau and risk him falling for her?”
He was thinking that it was way too late for that when an odd sound sent a shaft of foreboding spearing through him.
“Gladys, are you all right?” Mrs. Jackson demanded, then a more peremptory, “Gladys!”
He was rounding the counter when he heard, “Samantha, get the nurse and tell them to page the doctor. Hurry!” Her voice was strident but Adam caught the fear in the woman’s voice. “Gladys, hang in there, you hear me. Don’t you dare die on us. Nurse! Oh, Lord—”
Adam broke into a run, nearly colliding with Samantha on her way out of the ward. He instantly spun around, his hands closing instinctively around her arms to steady her before his forward momentum sent them both sprawling.
“Adam!” she gasped, her eyes huge and startlingly blue in her white face. “Oh, th-thank God. It’s Mrs. Roscoe, she’s—”
“Having a heart attack. Where is everyone? Where is Leah?” he demanded, pushing her firmly aside to stride into the room. He took in the situation at a glance. “Mrs. Jackson, you need to step aside.”
“She was fine,” the woman insisted, blinking rapidly as she scuttled out of the way. “Gladys was fine and all of a sudden she clutched her chest and made this awful sound. You’re a doctor,” she insisted, her voice wobbling alarmingly. “She isn’t breathing. Fix her.”
The woman on the bed was in her late seventies and clearly in distress. She was gasping and clawing at her chest, her throat. Adam snatched the oxygen mask from the wall and covered her nose and mouth, turning up the flow to full throttle. “Samantha,” he rapped out, turning to see her hovering uncertainl
y in the doorway. “I need you to hold this.”
“What—what about the n-nurse?” she croaked, looking a little wild-eyed as she hurried over to the bed.
“No time,” he growled when Gladys abruptly went limp. “Hold this.”
A slender hand instantly reached out, fingers visibly trembling and icy cold when they briefly covered his. He slid his hand free and began CPR, his gaze holding Samantha’s. “Mrs. Jackson,” he said calmly. “Could you please press the button on the wall above your bed?”
The other woman quickly reached over and activated the alarm. “I’ll do one better,” she told him briskly. “I’ll find you a nurse.”
“Tell them it’s a code blue,” he called out, as she hurried from the room. And with the sound of her slippers slapping smartly against the linoleum, Adam looked back to find Samantha’s attention now locked on the still face in the bed. Her lips were pressed into a distressed line.
“Sam, honey,” he said calmly and waited until she looked up. His heart clenched at the sight of overly bright glassy eyes and the waxy complexion. “I know this is scary but I need you to listen carefully, okay?”
She sucked in a shaky breath and gave a jerky nod.
“Good girl. I can’t stop chest compressions, so I want you to slip the face-mask elastic around the back of Gladys’s head and tighten it.” He waited patiently while she followed instructions, gently lifting the unconscious woman’s head to fit the elastic band around the back of her head. “Now adjust it at the side where it joins with the mask. That’s great,” he encouraged when she tugged on the elastic until the mask fitted snuggly to Gladys’s face. “Okay, I want you to go to the nurses’ station and find the crash cart and bring it here.” She paused for an instant, her eyes sweeping up to meet with his. “It looks like a trolley with a lot of drawers.”
She gave another jerky nod and hurried away, leaving Adam worried about her ragged breathing and the expression in her eyes. She was teetering on the edge of a panic attack and there was little he could do except try to talk her out of it while he worked to keep Gladys’s heart pumping.