by Debbie Mason
“I’ve got this,” she told him, putting as much confidence as she possessed into the words. And she was confident in her abilities. She’d loved medicine. She’d never wanted to be anything other than a doctor. She’d wanted to do exactly what she was doing right now—relieve a father’s fear and help a little boy to feel better.
“Okay, sweetie. I’m just going to warm this up and then I’m going to listen to your chest.” She held the drum in her hands for a few seconds and then gently placed it on his narrow chest, smiling as she moved it around. Both father’s and son’s eyes were glued to her face, watching for a reaction.
“Can you breathe in and out for me, Teddy? Take as deep a breath as you can. Excellent. You’re doing really, really well. Almost done. I just want to listen to your back now.” She moved the drum to his back and listened to his lungs. “The good news is, no pneumonia. I think that deserves a high five, don’t you?” She held up her hand and got a small smile and a high five in return.
And with that, just as she’d intended, Gabe and the boys relaxed, which in turn would help Teddy relax. He’d been feeding off his father’s and brothers’ panic, and that just made his symptoms worse. “Are you ready? Here comes the magic now,” she said, pulling the nebulizer from her bag. “This is going to make you feel so much better.”
“It really is a magic carpet bag, isn’t it?” Gabe said with a half smile.
“It is,” she said as she came to her feet. She put the bag over her shoulder.
“You’re not leaving,” Gabe said at the same time Teddy said, “Don’t leave.” Both of them looking equally panicked.
“I’m not going anywhere. But how about we move this party out of the bathroom? We’ll get you all tucked into bed with the super-duper magical breathing machine.” She was about to help Teddy off Gabe’s lap but thought of something. “Teddy, were you playing in the hay at the barn?”
He nodded. “Is that okay?”
“Yes, but I think you might’ve been coming down with a cold, and there’s lots of dust and stuff in the hay that could’ve triggered your asthma attack.” She rubbed his head, then looked at Gabe. “Did he have a bath when you came back from the tree farm?”
Gabe shoved his fingers through his hair and blew out a breath as he shook his head. “No, he didn’t feel like it, and I didn’t want to push.”
“Okay, here’s the deal. Your dad’s going to give you a shower and wash your hair, and I’m going to make your room all nice and cozy. I’ll even make you a special hot drink with honey. Sound good?”
Teddy looked from his dad to her. “Are you going to stay for a little while?”
She took in the four older boys’ worried faces. “How about we have a sleepover?”
“Yes!” came the immediate response from all five boys, as well as a muttered, “Thank God,” from Gabe.
She had the twins show her Teddy’s room and spotted several issues right away. For starters, the drapes had to come down and the carpet had to come out and the stuffed animals had to go.
“You know what? I think I’ll put Teddy in with your dad tonight.” If she’d remembered correctly, the master bedroom had a hardwood floor and blinds.
Brooks handed her the humidifier. “Thanks, sweetie. Why don’t you guys go home and get your pajamas and video games. Maybe grab the sleeping bags too. The four of you can crash in the living room. Sound good?”
“Sounds great,” they said and took off.
“Don’t forget to lock up,” she called after them, then smiled at Cody and Dylan, who were standing in front of her, shifting from one foot to the other. “Teddy is going to be just fine. We’re going to set up a protocol for your dad to follow if this should ever happen again, but we’re also going to figure out what’s triggering Teddy’s asthma. Okay?”
“Yeah.” Cody glanced at Dylan and then moved close to Mallory, putting his arms around her waist. Dylan did the same. “Thanks, Mallory. Thanks for saving our little brother.”
Blinking back tears, she put down the humidifier and then hugged them tight. “You’re welcome. But Teddy was never in any danger. It just looks scary when someone is having an asthma attack, especially when that someone is your baby brother. And it makes it even scarier when you feel helpless and don’t know what to do.”
“Yeah, it does,” Dylan agreed, still hanging on.
“Okay, well, how about instead of putting together an action plan with your dad, I do it with all of you, so you guys can be part of it too?”
“Sounds like an excellent plan to me,” Gabe said, walking toward them with Teddy wrapped in a towel in his arms. “I think we could all use a Buchanan family hug.” He put out his arm, and the boys let her go to wrap theirs around their father.
She smiled and went to walk away to give them time alone, but Gabe pulled her in, lowering his head to nuzzle her ear. “I don’t know what we would’ve done without you, Doc.”
* * *
Mallory didn’t need a clock to tell her it was three in the morning. She opened her eyes, smiling at the little boy who lay beside her. She reached out and gently brushed his hair back from his forehead, relieved that he was cool and his breathing was even. She felt the weight of someone’s gaze and looked over to see Gabe watching her with a tender smile on his face.
At Teddy’s request, they’d lain down on either side of him in the king-sized bed and had promptly fallen asleep in their clothes. Although she’d had Gabe shower and change before he lay down in case he had any residue from the barn.
“So, looks like your tapping experiment was a bust,” he said.
“It probably deserves a second chance. I was only five minutes in when the boys arrived at my bedroom door.”
“Maybe I can help you out. Come here.” He patted the mattress beside him.
“What about Teddy?”
“Scooch him over a bit, and we’ll put a couple of pillows on the other side of him.”
She did as Gabe suggested and then crawled in beside him. Lying flat on her back, she looked up at him. He had his chin propped in his palm, and he was looking down at her.
The moonlight shining through the open slats of the wooden blind illuminated his face and those steady gray eyes. She thought better of asking Now what? because she had a feeling she knew what he wanted, and she wanted it too. But not here, not now. Maybe at another time, years from now, when the boys were grown up and he no longer had to worry about his mother-in-law’s threat, they could explore whatever this was between them.
Their eyes locked, and they stared at each other like they had the first day they’d met. He removed his hand from his chin, and she wondered if he would kiss her. Her heart began to race in anticipation.
He lowered his mouth to the side of her face, his spearmint-scented breath warming her ear. “Turn on your side,” he said, his voice low and gruff.
She turned to face him, and he smiled. “There’s only so much temptation I can withstand, Doc. Other side.”
She rolled onto her other side, wincing as her behind brushed against something very large, and very hard. “Sorry,” she whispered.
“No sorrier than I am,” he said as he gathered her hair to move it off her face and her shoulder. Then he lightly trailed his fingers up and down her arm before moving them to her neck. Gently, his strong fingers stroked and kneaded, melting away her tension.
At one point she moaned, and he leaned in to nip at her earlobe. “Shh.”
“I might have a magic carpet bag, but you have magic hands,” she said, and he smiled against her ear.
“Go to sleep,” he said, and he began to hum. The rumble of his deep voice in his chest against her back was as soothing as his touch.
“What are you humming?” she whispered.
“‘Danny Boy.’ My wife used to sing it to the boys when she’d put them to sleep. It got to be that, as soon as she’d begin to sing, their eyes would close.”
Her eyes did the same, drifting closed as she melted into him and
the mattress.
When next she awoke, the room was filled with sunlight, and Teddy was gone. Sometime in the night, she’d turned to face Gabe and was now snuggled up against him.
“Morning,” said a gravelly voice, and she lifted her gaze to Gabe’s face. He inched up, looked around, and then lay back down beside her, giving her hip a squeeze. “Looks like we’re alone.”
“Yes, it does, and it sounds like the boys are busy in the kitchen.”
He moved his hand from her hip to wrap his arm around her, drawing her even closer. “I like waking up with you in my bed, Doc.”
She smiled. “I can tell.”
He laughed, then sobered. “There’s only one problem.”
“What’s that?” She ran her fingers through his hair, smoothing it from his face like he’d done to her in the middle of the night.
“We have too many clothes on.”
She moved her hand from his hair to his chest, playing with the button of his shirt. “You and I both know we have more problems than that.”
“How about, for one minute, we pretend that’s the only problem we have?” He slowly began to lower his head. “Make that five minutes,” he said as his lips touched hers.
“Ten, let’s make it ten,” she said, as he moved his mouth to the underside of her jaw, trailing hot kisses down her neck and back to her mouth.
She framed his face with her hands; his stubble-shadowed jaw made him look rough and disreputable, every inch a romance hero. Only he was real, and for ten minutes, or for all the time they had in this bed, he was hers. All the passion she’d kept bottled up inside of her came out in her kiss.
He pulled away to stare down at her. “Forever isn’t long enough for me,” he said, then proceeded to ravage her mouth with a kiss that had her panting for breath.
“Surprise!” The door opened, and there were the boys, all five of them with a breakfast tray between them. Their sweet smiles of surprise turned to shock. Except Teddy, who looked like he thought Santa had come early.
Chapter Twenty-Two
I’ve got it covered, Miss Mallory. Your two in-home visits canceled so you’re free for the afternoon. Go pick up your boy’s birthday cake. You ask me, you’re a saint inviting your late husband’s first wife to the party. Don’t you think she’s a saint, Chief?” Ruby Lee asked as she helped Mallory roll up the blue exercise mats.
The older woman cast him a knowing glance over her shoulder when he didn’t respond right away. Gabe had walked in on Mallory leading a seniors yoga class in a pair of purple leggings and a tight, long-sleeved T-shirt. Right now, she was bent at the waist rolling up the mat, giving him a view of her backside.
A backside that he’d very much enjoyed having pressed snug against him five mornings ago. He’d also had his hand on that backside later that same morning, ensuring that every fantasy he’d had of Mallory Maitland felt like it might come true for a brief moment in time. Until five boys had stood on the threshold of his bedroom and destroyed his hopes and dreams. She was back on the twins’ hit list.
“I used to think she was a saint until I found out she was stealing you out from under my nose, Ruby.”
“It wasn’t me,” Mallory protested, straightening to turn with the mat in her hands. He wasn’t disappointed. The view from the front was equally delectable, and tempting. She grinned. “Although, if I’m being completely honest, I would’ve tried to steal her from you if I had to.”
“Oh, don’t you go blaming Miss Mallory, Chief. I needed a change of scenery. My job at the station was bad for my waistline, and my heart. Like the rest of the seniors in town, I’m eating right, getting my exercise, and socializing, too, thanks to Miss Mallory. Tell you the truth, I’d work here for free.”
“I don’t think a lack of socializing has ever been your problem, Ruby. But I’ve got a big one now. Who am I supposed to get to take your place?”
“I sent you a long list of candidates, Chief. But if you want my advice, I’d go with Dot’s daughter-in-law. She’s a nice gal, and it would go a ways in mending fences with Dot. She’s blaming you for her being on the outs with Owen.”
He shoved his fingers through his hair. “I seriously cannot win with that woman.”
“You can if you’d listen to me,” Ruby said as she followed behind Mallory to put the mats away. “The chief’s just like you, Miss Mallory. He needs a break. I remember what it’s like raising young uns on your own. Didn’t always have Charlie in my life, you know. It’s not easy being a single parent. You two go have some fun. Get some of your Christmas shopping done.”
He waited at the entrance while Mallory took care of a last-minute phone call, and he checked in at the station. He’d worked two double shifts earlier in the week so he decided he could afford to take an extra-long lunch.
Having Oliver and Brooks living next door had come in handy. Ainsley hadn’t been able to babysit, and Mallory’s boys had pitched in. Mallory had offered, but after catching them kissing in his bed Sunday morning, Dylan and Cody had vetoed that option.
They’d quickly forgotten about her saving their baby brother. It didn’t help that said baby brother was busy planning Gabe and Mallory’s wedding.
Gabe leaned against the wall, watching her hurry toward him. The twins might not be her number-one fans, but he was. He’d never forget how she’d made him feel that night. She’d taken away his worries and fears with her confidence, reassuring smile, and three little words: I’ve got this.
Over the past few years, he’d gotten used to doing things on his own. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed having a partner, someone to share the bad times, the scary times, and the good times with, until that night.
“Hey, what’s going on? Why do you look so serious all of a sudden?” she asked.
He looked around, then reached for her, looping his arms around her waist. “I missed you this week. I hardly got to see you.”
“I missed you too,” she said, leaning into him, her palm on his chest. “But we did do three in-home visits together.”
“We did, but I didn’t have you to myself. I had to share you with three old guys who made no bones about wanting me gone.”
She laughed. “You usually have to share me with five not-so-old guys. Two, sometimes four, who want me gone.”
He grimaced. “I’m sorry Dylan and Cody have been such jerks this week.”
“It’s okay. I know where it’s coming from. Oliver and Brooks weren’t much better, although it had nothing to do with you and me. They got over their disgust that we were making out pretty quick. I’ve been told I’ve made things worse between Oliver and Dirk with how I acted at the tree farm.” She wrinkled her nose. “Sometimes I feel like I can’t do anything right.”
“Welcome to the club.” He opened the door for her. “So what will it be: Christmas shopping or do you want to grab a coffee at the bakery?”
She inhaled deeply of the crisp mountain air and smiled, tilting her face up to the sun. She looked relaxed and happy. She was finally sleeping through the night. She credited tapping for breaking the cycle, while he credited his magic hands.
“The benefit of working right off Main Street is I’ve gotten a good start on my shopping. I just need to pick up Oliver’s birthday cake. Then, if you’re up for it, I’d love to go for a walk. It’s a beautiful day.”
He glanced around the parking lot before leaning in to kiss her. Anytime he was around her, he wanted his hands or his mouth on her. He didn’t remember being this way with Lauren, but he was older now, he’d experienced unimaginable loss, and he knew how fleeting and precious these moments could be. “You’re beautiful,” he said against her lips.
“So are you.” She smiled and playfully nipped his bottom lip as he went to pull away.
Something came over him in that moment, and he took her by the hand. Later, he’d wish he’d taken the time to think it through. But right then, all he wanted was to be as close as humanly possible to this woman. He needed her like he n
eeded air. “I’ve got an even better way for us to spend the afternoon.”
“Really? What?”
“A picnic.”
She laughed. “Okay, it’s a beautiful day, but it’s also cold and there’s still snow on the ground.”
“Who said we’re having our picnic outside?”
“Oh, I like it. We’re going to have a picnic in your cute car.” She grinned up at him and beeped the lock on her keys.
He laughed and opened the driver’s-side door for her. “No, we’re going to have a picnic in bed. The only thing you have to decide is which bed, yours or mine. I’ll stop by Sweet Basil and grab our lunch and a bottle of wine while you’re picking up Oliver’s cake.”
Her flushed cheeks and dilated pupils indicated she wanted him as much as he wanted her. And then he noticed her fingers go to her ear.
He smiled, taking her hand in his. “It doesn’t have to be anything more than a picnic. We can have it in my cute car or we can have it at a picnic table down by the rapids or we can have it by the fire in my living room. I’m just happy to spend time with you, Doc. Anywhere. Anytime.”
“I liked your first suggestion. And we’ve slept together in your bed, so why don’t we try mine?”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She moved the zipper on his jacket up and down, staring at her hand as she did. “I just don’t want you to get your expectations up. It’s been a long time.”
“Same. But that kiss we shared Sunday morning, it exceeded all of my expectations, Doc. So I’m not too worried about it. And I don’t want you to worry either. Let’s just have fun, enjoy our time together, alone and in a bed, without worrying that our kids are going to bust down the door.”
* * *
Hours later, Mallory reached for the Sweet Basil takeaway bag on the nightstand in her bedroom. “I hope you didn’t get anything that needs reheating because I don’t think I can make it to the kitchen.”