Dr. Perfect on Her Doorstep

by Lucy Clark

  Pierce exhaled slowly and pushed both hands through his hair. Stacey Wilton was a whirlwind of a woman—buying her own medical practice, moving her family across country, juggling a full-time job and three children. She was dynamic, thoughtful…and incredibly sexy.

  He hadn’t wanted to think of her in such a way, especially as they would be working together for the next few months, but he’d come to accept it as fact. The way she held herself, the way she walked with a slight swish of her hips, the way she occasionally tucked her shoulder-length brown hair behind her ear… Her eyes were the blue of the sky on a cloudless day, and her lips were… Well, whenever he thought about the shape of her mouth his gut would tighten, because the urge to actually see what those lips tasted like was a thought he hadn’t been able to dismiss at all.

  It wasn’t as if he lusted after every new woman he met—in fact quite the opposite. After Catherine had ended their engagement six years ago he’d tried to date, but as soon as they discovered he was his autistic sister’s sole guardian most women would usually choose not to see him again. Catherine, of course, had been different. She’d been instantly loving and accepting of Nell. But even that had had its flaws.

  He stood up quickly, almost knocking over his chair, determined to control his thoughts. There was no point in reflecting on the past—not now, when he was at the beginning of the next junction of his life. Just three more months. By then Nell would be completely settled at the house, along with her two housemates, and he could finally accept his dream job—the job he’d been offered several times already but had been forced to decline. Until Nell was ready there was no chance he’d ever be able to leave.

  As things stood, he’d been putting his plans into place for a long time, ensuring Nell understood as much as possible about what would be happening, teaching her how to talk on the internet chat channel he’d set up and other things like that. He wasn’t going to leave his sister in the lurch—she was as much a part of him as his arm or his leg—but the chance to finally complete his research, to work with other staff who shared his passion for understanding as much as possible about autism spectrum disorders, would be brilliant.

  He’d already completed a lot of research, written and published several scientific papers on the positive and negative effects of independent living in the autistic adult, and he knew he’d figured out how to provide the right amount of independence and support for Nell—support which could be given via computer or phone. He was so close to achieving his goal, to finally being able to accept the position he’d been coveting for years. The last thing he needed was to form some sort of romantic attachment to a woman who was clearly devoted to her own family.

  Stacey was lovely. There was no denying that. But he still had no idea whether or not she was married. And so Stacey Wilton, for several reasons, was off-limits—even to his thoughts.

  CHAPTER THREE

  OVER THE NEXT WEEK Stacey couldn’t believe how easy she found life working alongside Pierce Brolin. It really was as though he’d been sent from heaven just when she needed him most. He was even still working two shifts per week at the hospital, determined to honour his commitments.

  ‘Nell was asking to see you again,’ Pierce mentioned on Thursday afternoon, after they’d finished a hectic clinic.

  Stacey had ventured into his consulting room to see how he’d fared during the busy day, and when he offered her a chair she gratefully accepted.

  ‘Oh, that’s nice. How is she?’ Stacey sat down, sighing with relief at finally being off her feet.

  ‘More interested in meeting your rabbits than in seeing you, if I own the truth.’ He grinned as he spoke and Stacey laughed, the lilting sound washing over him. He swallowed and ignored the effect. They were colleagues and friends. Nothing more. ‘How about dinner this Saturday night?’ Friends could have dinner.

  Stacey thought for a moment. ‘Are you sure you’re prepared for all of us to come?’

  ‘The whole gaggle,’ he confirmed. ‘I’d like to meet the children and the rabbits, and if your sister’s free ask her to come along, too. The more the merrier.’

  Stacey frowned for a moment. The children and her sister? Didn’t he realise that they were one and the same? Well, apart from poor George, who was clearly not a sister.

  ‘Nell won’t be upset with having too many people in the house? We’re a pretty rowdy bunch.’

  ‘She’s usually pretty good with people if she’s been properly prepared. Plus it’s good for her to stretch her boundaries. It’s one of the reasons why she’s desperate to live independently, and the more people she knows and can rely on the better it’s going to be for her.’

  ‘True. I’ve read your papers on the subject. Very interesting.’ She tried not to colour as she spoke, not wanting to confess that she’d actually looked him up on the internet and discovered a link to his scientific papers. In fact he appeared quite the expert on the subject of adults with autism and their integration into society.

  ‘Thanks.’ He nodded once, acknowledging her praise, but quickly continued. ‘So you’ll all come?’

  Stacey thought over his invitation. ‘Well, I’ll tentatively accept on behalf of us all, but if I can let you know definite numbers tomorrow that would be great.’

  ‘Glad to see you don’t rule the roost with an iron will.’

  ‘No. We’re very much a democracy—except when it comes to bedtime.’ She shook her head and chuckled. ‘George always has to push the limits.’

  ‘That’s what nine-year-old boys do, I’m afraid.’ Pierce joined in with her laughter, his curiosity about Stacey and these children still highly piqued.

  During the week he’d discovered that Stacey wasn’t married, or involved with anyone, because he’d overheard one of their more senior patients asking her when she was going to settle down and get married.

  Stacey’s answer had been polite. ‘Not just yet, Mrs Donahue.’

  Even though he’d tried to ignore his naturally inquisitive nature, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from trying to figure her out. While he respected her privacy, there was something about Stacey—something about the way she seemed to be so tightly wound, taking life very seriously. He knew from talking to Mike and Edna that Stacey and her two sisters had recently turned thirty-one. That was hardly old, and yet she seemed so much older in her mannerisms and in the way her life seemed to be so closely structured.

  Perhaps that was the reason he was interested in getting to know her a bit more. Perhaps he’d unconsciously decided to help her to find life a bit more vibrant, a bit more happy during his time here. For the moment, though, he realised the conversation they’d been having had come to an end, and it would look silly if he just continued to sit in the chair opposite her and stare, as he was doing right now.

  ‘OK, then. Saturday night around six o’clock—family approval and patients willing?’

  He stood from the chair and came around the desk, aware that Stacey was watching his every move. He leaned on the desk and crossed his legs at the ankle, trying to ignore the way her light visual caress made him want to preen.

  ‘Uh…sure.’ She looked down at her hands for a moment, clearing her throat. ‘What would you like me to bring? Drinks? Dessert?’

  ‘Don’t bring a thing.’

  ‘But I have to.’

  Her words were serious, absolute, and it took a moment for realisation to dawn on him. She needed to bring something, to feel as though she was contributing. Those were the rules of polite society and Stacey Wilton adhered to them. Pierce was probably more slap-dash, more than willing to take care of all the preparations and give Stacey the night off, as it were, but he could see that being told to do nothing was stressing her more than being asked to contribute. It reminded him of his mother—always busy, always willing to help, always putting others before herself—and for a moment a wave of nostalgia swept over him.

  ‘In that case, how about dessert?’

  She visibly relaxed, and Pierc
e was pleased to see the smile return to her face.

  ‘Excellent. Dessert it is.’

  ‘I’m looking forward to it.’

  ‘You may regret saying that,’ she said, chuckling and held up her hands. ‘George likes making desserts, and his favourite colour is blue. Needless to say we’ve been having a lot of blue-coloured desserts of late, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.’

  Pierce laughed at her words and nodded. He was about to reply when the bell which was over the front door to the clinic tinkled, alerting them to the fact that someone had just walked into the waiting room.

  She checked her watch. ‘A bit late.’

  When Stacey started to rise from her chair he immediately held up a hand to stop her. ‘Don’t stress. I’ll deal with it. You rest.’

  As he headed off before she could protest Stacey watched his purposeful, long stride. So bold, as though he knew exactly where he was going in life and how he was going to get there. If that really was the case, she envied him.

  Although as far as she was concerned she did know exactly where her life was headed—especially as Lydia was only seven years old. Stacey’s life wasn’t her own, and there was nothing she could do about it. Cora had her research into island diseases and her work in the Pacific island nation of Tarparnii to contend with, Molly was following her dream of becoming a general surgeon, and Stacey—dependable, sensible Stacey—was stuck at home raising her half-siblings.

  She knew she shouldn’t complain, and most days she was able to handle these negative emotions, but today, being asked out to dinner by a handsome man, and for one moment pretending that he was asking her and only her, had reminded her of what life had been like before her parents’ death. That was the way things had been a few years ago when she’d met Robert, when he’d taken her to the most lavish restaurant in Perth, gone down on bended knee and proposed to her in front of an entire restaurant full of guests.

  ‘I love you’, he’d professed. ‘Be my wife?’

  Of course she’d said yes. She’d loved him. But the instant her father and stepmother had been so cruelly taken from them Stacey’s life had all but disappeared, with everyone simply expecting her to take over. Unfortunately Robert hadn’t anticipated Stacey and her sisters becoming the children’s legal guardians. He hadn’t been able to understand why the younger children hadn’t gone to live with Cora or Molly, and when Stacey had informed him that they would all be staying together—that the younger children needed all of their older sisters, that they all wanted to grieve together—he’d been unable to comprehend it.

  Robert had therefore made his own decision and decided to call off their wedding. Unfortunately, he’d forgotten to tell her he’d changed his mind until she’d turned up at the church, dressed in white, sad because her father wasn’t there to give her away. The groomsman had briskly apologised to her and then handed her an envelope which Robert had given him only twenty minutes earlier. In the envelope had been a short and concise note in Robert’s bold handwriting, informing her that he’d changed his mind. There had been no apology, no other explanation.

  Stacey shook her head, clearing her thoughts and swallowing over the lump in her throat. She blinked back the few tears that were starting to sting her eyes and forced herself to take five soothing breaths. Of course, as she’d belatedly realised, there’d been far too many things wrong with their relationship—such as the way Robert had always made her second-guess herself, or made her feel guilty for ruining their scheduled dates because her clinic had run late.

  During this last year and a half she’d scooped up what had been left of her dignity, finished off her contract with Perth General Hospital as an A & E consultant and decided that a more sedate pace of life was in order. Seeing her father’s old Newcastle GP practice up for sale had been the godsend she’d been waiting for. It had been her dream job when she’d been an innocent fourteen-year-old, wanting to follow in her father’s footsteps. With so many things going wrong she’d been determined to make this dream become a reality.

  It was only because Cora and Molly had supported her, as they’d always done, that the dream had even been realised. It hadn’t been easy, uprooting the children and moving so late in the year, but everyone had coped well except for Jasmine. She frowned as she imagined what Jasmine’s retort might be when Stacey told them all that they’d been invited over to Pierce’s house for dinner. But it was their first official invitation since moving here, and it would be good for all of them.

  Stacey had a hunch that Jasmine would be delighted to meet Nell—especially as the school Jaz had attended in Perth supported integration of children with disabilities. But when she finally arrived home that night, and sat down at the dinner table to enjoy the delicious meal of spaghetti bolognaise and salad which Molly had prepared, Jasmine’s reaction was exactly as predicted the instant Stacey told them all about the invitation.

  ‘I don’t want to go!’ Jasmine shouted.

  ‘Well, I want to go,’ Molly countered, giving Stacey a wide, beaming smile and waggling her eyebrows up and down as a means of indicating that she thought Pierce was cute.

  Stacey ignored her antics.

  ‘How sweet of Pierce to invite us all. Sorry, Jaz.’ Molly put her arm around her half-sister’s shoulders and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek—a move Jaz wouldn’t tolerate from Stacey. ‘Looks as though you’ll just have to stick it out and come too.’

  ‘I’m old enough to stay home by myself,’ she retorted hotly, slamming her knife and fork onto her plate. ‘I’m not a baby any more.’ As she said the words she glared at Lydia, who was innocently enjoying her dinner and not paying one bit of attention to her sister’s tantrum.

  ‘No one’s saying you are,’ Stacey returned, but no sooner were the words out of her mouth than Jasmine pushed her chair back from the table and ran off to her room. Stacey closed her eyes and sighed. ‘If Jasmine really wants to be treated in a more adult fashion then she’s going to have to accept the responsibilities of being a part of this family—and that means attending events and accepting dinner invitations rather than having tantrums.’

  Molly nodded. ‘I’ll speak to her when I’m finished eating.’

  ‘Thanks, Mol.’

  They both knew Molly would get much further than Stacey. It was basic psychology. Jasmine needed someone to blame for all the pain she was feeling and Stacey had been chosen as the winner. Most of the time she was fine with that. She understood Jasmine far more than the young girl realised, and knew that time really would heal the wound of losing her parents. But sometimes being on the end of her sister’s cutting words was difficult to cope with.

  ‘So we’re all going, then?’ It was George who asked the question, looking expectantly at his big sister.

  ‘We are, George,’ she confirmed, and the little boy grinned. ‘We also need to make a dessert, so would you be able to hel—?’

  ‘I’ll help. I’ll help,’ he volunteered quickly, and Stacey blew him a kiss of thanks.

  ‘What about Flopsy and Andrew?’ Lydia asked.

  ‘Yes, the rabbits can come, too.’ Both Lydia and George cheered at this news, the two of them having taken to their new pets with the utmost joy. ‘And, speaking of which, don’t forget to feed them before you head off to brush your teeth.’

  ‘Yes Stacey,’ George and Lydia said in unison.

  ‘Will we meet his sister?’ George continued.

  ‘Pierce’s sister? Yes. Her name is Nell.’

  ‘Nell.’ George tried the name out. ‘I like meeting new people.’

  ‘Me, too,’ Lydia agreed, slurping spaghetti into her mouth.

  ‘Me three,’ said Molly, following suit and slurping her own spaghetti—but not before giving Stacey a little wink. It was code for Everything will work out fine. Stop stressing, sis.

  Stacey relaxed a bit and was pleased when, the following day, she was able to formally accept Pierce’s invitation.

  ‘Excellent,’ he said. ‘Nell’s super-
excited. She wanted to know why you all weren’t coming over tonight, as she doesn’t want to wait until tomorrow.’

  Stacey chuckled as she made them both a cup of coffee. ‘She wants to see the rabbits, doesn’t she?’ she stated. ‘Flopsy and Andrew will be coming, too, so please reassure Nell.’

  ‘Andrew?’ Pierce raised an eyebrow.

  Stacey shrugged. ‘Lydia named him. She said he looked like an Andrew.’ She chuckled and finished stirring their coffees.

  ‘Lydia sounds like quite a character.’

  ‘Oh, she is. Determined to be an actress or an astronaut. At the moment she can’t decide, but her determined spirit never wavers.’

  Pierce laughed as he gratefully accepted the coffee. ‘I can’t wait to meet her and the rest of your posse.’ It was true. He had a sense that meeting the rest of the people who mattered most to Stacey would help him piece together more of the puzzle surrounding her.

  ‘Posse?’ She joined in his laughter, amazed at how light and free she felt, even though they had another hectic clinic scheduled. To have these few moments with Pierce was like a recharge for her internal battery. ‘I just hope the noise we naturally generate doesn’t scare Nell.’

  ‘Thank you for being concerned about my sister’s wellbeing,’ he remarked after taking a sip of his coffee. ‘I do appreciate it.’

  This thoughtfulness of hers was yet another facet of Stacey’s personality, and one he’d been aware of from their first meeting. She gave and she gave and she kept on giving to others, and it made him wonder just who in her life gave back to her. No doubt she was close to her sisters, but it sounded as though Molly was now super-busy and Cora was still overseas, so who did Stacey rely on for support? His natural protective instincts were increasing where Stacey was concerned and he was finding it difficult to stop thinking up ways he could help her.

  They both stood at the kitchen bench, sipping their coffees, the silence quite companionable, so when the bell over the front reception door tinkled Stacey jumped, startled out of her reverie.