“I can get them later. Just pass me my robe on the bed, please.”
He did so, gaining a pleasant view of her almost naked body through the crack. His groin tightened in his jeans. If she could see the results of her appeal on him, she might be shocked! She closed the door and locked it. He chuckled to himself when he heard the telltale click.
Kirstin monitored her blood sugar and found it all right. She showered, then dried herself. Unaware that Christopher hadn’t closed the bedroom door, she walked to the dresser to get fresh garments. She dropped the damp towel to the floor and slipped into panties and jeans, then a bra and shirt.
Having come to make sure she wasn’t having trouble Christopher halted at the doorway as she released the towel. He couldn’t seem to move for a moment as he stared at her. Kirstin was wrong if she didn’t believe she was beautiful and charming. She was very much a woman, a mighty tempting one. But he shouldn’t be playing the peeping Tom. Before he sneaked away to prevent being seen, he gaped at the necklace she was wearing. The wedding band she had removed from her finger was suspended from a gold chain around her neck! Why? She could have placed it in her suitcase, a drawer, her purse, or on the dresser or nightstand. Why wear it? He frowned.
Kirstin scooped up the towel and went to straighten the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, she finger-tossed her loosely curled hair; the delicately pointed bangs across her forehead were scrunched with gel to add thickness. She entered the kitchen and saw Christopher waiting at the table, lunch ready. “Are you sure I didn’t make a mess in here?” she fretted.
“Not a drop of blood in sight. You better sit down and eat. We don’t want your glucose crashing.” He stared at her for a short time as she eyed the clean kitchen and the food, trying to figure her out. As he ate, he fumed that she wasn’t available after all; she was still pining over that lost husband.
“I’m sorry about my behavior earlier; I’m sure it was atrocious. If I don’t stop being a pain, you’ll be shipping me off to the Clovis hospital.”
Hellfire, Chris! What did you expect, your dream girl to stroll in one spring afternoon and fall into bed with you! She isn’t to blame because you’ve mistaken her politeness and gratitude for a mutual attraction. “And give up the best guinea pig I’ve had in ages?” he teased as he tried to lighten the gloomy situation.
“That might be wise, Doc. I’m a walking disaster,” she quipped as she lifted her sandwich and began to eat. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about him was different since he’d returned to the house.
“It isn’t that bad. I shouldn’t have left you alone for so long; it’s really my fault you tangled with that step. I should have realized you aren’t stable.”
“Stable” had an odd sound to it. What, she fretted, was wrong? “If you want to get rid of me soon, you’d better make sure I don’t have another accident,” she teased to test his new mood. “My nose is sore, but I don’t need any stitches.”
Thank goodness, because I couldn’t do the delicate sewing needed on a beautiful face like yours to prevent scars. Harry Stoker could. Just ask Laura about his magical hands! “A small scratch, nothing serious. It’ll be touchy for a few days.”
“Is it swollen?” she questioned, but knew it wasn’t, as she’d checked.
He laughed, the sound of it different, not genuine and cheerful as before.
“Just like a woman to fret about her looks. No, Kirstin, you look fine.”
“I am a woman, Doc. Shouldn’t I behave like one?”
“That you are, Kirstin.”
Kirstin’s mind questioned the hint of resentment she picked up from him. To see what he would say, when she finished chewing, she told him, “At least with me around, you have one patient to keep you busy.” Today’s episode was another accident, but maybe she was too much trouble for him. Don’t misread his kindness as—
“I have several others today, Kirstin,” he said between bites. “Think you can sit quietly in the den and avoid any mishaps while I see them?” he asked as he leaned back in his chair, finished with his meal. He watched her as he took long swallows of his beverage.
“I’ll do my level best, Doc.” She was concerned when he didn’t crack even a tiny smile at her humor. She eyed him over the rim of her glass of milk as she sipped it, then watched him put his dishes in the sink and leave after saying he’d see her later.
Kirstin finished eating and loaded the dishwasher. She put on a beef roast and beans for supper, then went to the den and read a magazine, a medical journal. Between articles, her gaze scanned the room. She got up to look at the family pictures, books, keepsakes, and other possessions that appeared to have belonged to his family. He said he had been living there for three years but he hadn’t made the house his, not yet. She wondered why he hadn’t replaced their belongings with his own. Except for medical journals with his name on their mailing labels and his presence in family pictures, Christopher’s essence wasn’t in this room, in the house. She was tempted to check out his bedroom and bathroom but thought it unwise.
It was obvious he did not return to the house between patients. She hoped he wasn’t avoiding her. She peeked at the roast and beans that were creating wonderful smells. She remembered her clothes and removed them from the washer. The jeans and bra were fine, but the shirt was stained on the tail. She tossed them all into the dryer, then went to watch television, her mood bored and edgy.
At four, she did a blood test and ate a snack, relieved the glucose level was fine once more. She watched more television.
When she went to stir the beans again, Christopher entered the kitchen and glanced at her. She saw him sniff the air and smile in pleasure.
“If that aroma is any indication of your skills, I’ll be stuffed tonight.”
“I hope you like it.”
“Anything I don’t have to prepare will be wonderful. Thanks.” He leaned negligently against the counter near the stove where she worked.
She replaced the top on the bean pot and turned to face him. “Why don’t you have a nurse or an assistant? You obviously see more patients than I assumed you did. Isn’t it dangerous to treat females without a nurse present as a witness? Don’t you worry about lawsuits from false charges or misunderstandings?”
As he shook his head, he thought, Lordy, this place looks and feels good with you in it. It was going to feel empty and lonely when she departed, something he tried to ignore. “You applying for the job?”
“I doubt I’m qualified. But I bet it would be an interesting position.”
What are you looking for, Kirstin Lowrey? he pondered. He came over to her at the sink after she washed her. hands. He took her right hand and looked at it, then the left one.
“What are you doing?” she questioned. When he didn’t release one hand, she made no attempt to pull it free.
Out for a distracting ride with me, woman? “Look like strong, steady hands to me. A trained medical technologist with a background in science, chemistry, and animal surgery … Sounds like you’re more than qualified to me.”
“Think you can afford to entice me away from Medico? They pay well.”
His green gaze dove into hers as if it was a pool of blue water. His left hand lifted to caress one cheek with the backs of his fingers. “How much are you worth, Mrs. Lowrey?” he questioned in a voice gone husky.
Her brain echoed the word he had stressed. She stared into his eyes and she moistened dry lips. “Why did you say ‘Mrs.’ like that, like an insult?” she inquired; she guessed he was making a point.
“This,” he remarked, pressing the gold band into her chest.
“Ouch!” she squealed and jerked backward. She was confused. “You know I’m a widow. Do you think I lied about it? You think I’m married?”
“In a morbid way. You are still wearing his wedding band.”
Could that be what had him acting so strangely? “Yes, it’s a wedding band. It was my mother’s. I wear it on a chain as a remembrance of
my parents. On occasion, I wear it on my finger to ward off wolves.”
“Like me?”
Kirstin was pleased he was annoyed at the thought she was still attached to David. “No.”
“Look, I was out of place earlier. I’m sorry. I thought …”
“My husband is dead, Doctor Harrison. I’d rather not discuss my past life or David just now, if you don’t mind.”
“I’m sorry about your loss, Kirstin. I had no right to pry.”
“You needn’t be sorry; you didn’t know him.” Neither did I.
“But I know you. As your doctor, I have to be just as concerned about your mental health as your physical condition; they go hand in hand.”
He had evaded the real answer and she probed it before getting more interested in him. “Why were you angry about a mistaken assumption?”
“You know why.”
“I do?” she queried in a skeptical tone. “You verbally attack a patient because you suspect she’s concealed her marital status from you? That doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Doesn’t it, Kirstin?” he refuted as he caressed her cheek.
Make him clarify it. “How so, Christopher?”
“Like this,” he replied, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her.
Their contact almost crackled with electricity. When he leaned back and looked down at her parted lips and startled expression, he asked, “Does that answer your question, Mrs. Lowrey?”
She sighed lightly and then laughed. “That’s some bedside manner, Doctor Harrison. Do you treat all of your female patients like this?”
“Do you always tempt every man who sees you to desire you beyond his self-control?” he retorted with a playful grin. “Perhaps I should send Doctor Cooper a thank-you note for dropping you into my lap.”
She smiled. “Perhaps we both should.” Following that remark, he almost kissed her again. “I’m really sorry about what I said earlier. Even the best doctors make mistakes, Kirstin.”
“Do they?” She suspected he meant his statement in more than one light and she wanted to know what it was.
“I’m afraid so. I’ve certainly made my share of them.” He frowned and wished he’d sidetracked the disturbing topic.
“Like what, Doctor Harrison?” She caressed his cheek and gazed into his eyes to distract and disarm him as she sought the reason for the chip on his shoulder. She wondered if he would respond and be honest.
Six
Christopher didn’t want to spoil the moment, their beginning, with bitter confessions about his ex-wife and his disabled hand. Later. Soon. But not now. “I believe the doctor is the one to ask questions. Perhaps you should fill me in on everything about you,” he coaxed.
Kirstin knew he was asking about things he didn’t want to reveal about himself first. Somehow she also couldn’t open her past life to him, not yet. “I think you know all a doctor needs to know about a temporary patient.”
“What if I ask, man to woman?”
She swallowed and turned her face from him. “Don’t you think it selfish you want to know about me when you refuse to talk about yourself?”
He tensed. “Perhaps you’re right, Kirstin. Besides, we have plenty of time while you’re here to get better acquainted at a pace comfortable for both of us. We’re both new at this sort of thing, so let’s move slow. For now, it’s enough to know we’re attracted to each other. Isn’t that right?” After she nodded and smiled, Christopher took her face between his hands and kissed her with heady thoroughness.
Kirstin surrendered to his lips and embrace, placing her arms around him. She savored the contact as his mouth seared hers. She felt as if she were melting into him as his lip’s traveled to her ears and over her face. David had never kissed like this, even at the beginning of their romance. It was wild and wonderful with Christopher; it made her tremble.
“You’ve been getting to me like crazy, Kirstin,” he confessed.
Her hands wandered up and down the rippling muscles of his back. He was a man of many facets; strong, yet heart-stirringly gentle. He had so many marvelous qualities. His mouth and arms felt good to her aching body. Maybe she would take Elaine’s advice …
He kissed her again, his body throbbing to possess her then and there on the kitchen floor. He was about to pick her up and carry her into his room when the oven buzzer sounded and startled them apart. His voice was tight with emotion when he told her, “I think dinner is ready. You get things on the table; I have a quick chore to do in my office.” He needed to check his answering machine and service to make sure there wouldn’t be any interruptions later if things got cozy between them.
He was gone before she could agree or protest. Her breathing was ragged; her body vibrated with unspent passion and frustration. What lousy timing! If things had kept going like that, she knew she would have surrendered to him. Her nerves were on edge! Was she nuts? Maybe. Would she actually make love to a man she didn’t know? Yes, him.
The phone rang twice. Soon Christopher entered the house in a rush, muttering. “Kirstin, I’ve got an emergency. Go ahead and eat without me. I don’t know how long this will take. I’m sorry.”
“I’ll be fine, Christopher. Drive carefully.”
“I might be gone all night. Lock the doors. And don’t forget your tests and snacks. And no exercising.”
I haven’t lost my wits completely. “I’ll be good; I promise.”
He walked to her. “Don’t open this door for anyone; you hear me?”
“I promise. I’ll be an angel while you’re gone.”
Just so you aren’t one when I get back. We have some unfinished business. He pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his.
When he released her, she was dizzy and limp, and highly aroused.
“You tempt a doctor to forget all patients except a mighty special one.”
“I hope so, Doctor Harrison.” She savored another kiss before he locked up and left.
She sat down at the table until she was steady, then ate dinner, all the while wishing he was with her. How fast she was becoming accustomed to him and loving his company! With David, it had reached a point where she was glad he was out of town or had late or weekend meetings. Please don’t be anything like he was, she silently implored. His secrets were stunning and painful to me. I hope yours aren’t.
She sat on the den sofa and watched the Master’s Golf Tournament recap of the opening day. She had never cared much for golf, but if Christopher liked it, she should learn more about it for conversation.
At one in the morning, he still hadn’t come home. Kirstin went to bed, worried. She was asleep when he arrived near three o’clock.
Christopher opened the door to Kirstin’s bedroom. He stood there a moment just gazing at her as she lay sleeping. Damn, how he wanted and needed her, in more than a physical way! The thought of waking up each morning with her curled against him made his hunger for her increase. The thought of spending each day with her caused his lonely heart to sing. He had collected his emotions, put them in a jar, screwed the lid on tight, and refused to open it even a crack. He had believed—and feared—he’d never set them free again. And now, after enduring so much pain and torment, there still might exist a chance for happiness, a special woman who could be trusted with his heart and soul. He hadn’t known Kirstin Lowrey long enough for her to work magic on him, but his depression, disappointment, and bitterness were lessening. Yet, nothing—not even Kirstin— could ever revive him completely; so what good would a halfdead, disabled man be to a woman like her? Her world was filled with excitement, stimulation, challenges, pleasures. Why would she sacrifice such things for him and a simple ranch life? But, Lordy, it would be wonderful to have her for even a short time …
As his gaze roamed her, intense longing and raging desire chewed at him. He realized he’d better talk fast and get the hell out of this steamy room before he forgot about his patient’s impending arrival. He went to the bed and sat down, his weight causing her to
roll toward him.
“Kirstin,” he said in a husky whisper, his eyes roaming silky flesh. “Kirstin!” he said a little louder when she didn’t stir, and gave her arm a gentle shake. He watched her take a deep breath, flutter her lids, and stretch with provocative movements as she made throaty noises. The sensuous material of her nightgown teased at her body and his hands, hands that craved to explore the treasure beneath its rich sapphire color. He twirled a spaghetti strap around his finger and eased it off her shoulder; he leaned forward and dropped several kisses there. His lips traced a stirring path to the hollow of her neck, where he nibbled at soft and warm skin. His lips found her earlobe and toyed with it as he murmured her name once more.
Kirstin sighed, squirmed, and responded by nestling her head to his. She kept her eyes closed as he tantalized her.
He was delighted when he realized she was becoming aroused too. If only … “You need to get up now; it’s time to eat. Mrs. Dow will be here in a little while,” he told her, taking playful nips at her fingers.
“Mrs. Dow?” she asked, still groggy but with eyes open.
“My patient. She’s always prompt.”
Kirstin sat up, covers falling to her lap. “Are you just getting home?”
The vision of willing loveliness within his easy reach stormed his control and threatened to steal it. “I came in around three. I just got up and made coffee. It’s eight-thirty now.”
“I waited up until one. I was worried about you.”
“Were you afraid?”
“No, I feel perfectly safe here. At least in the house, away from mad dogs and slithering snakes. Did everything go all right?”
“Mr. Slade had a heart attack. The ornery old cuss wouldn’t let the paramedics touch him unless I went in the ambulance with him to the hospital at Clovis. I had a hard time convincing Pete he should go and that I couldn’t treat him at home. The only way they could keep him calm and cooperative was to take me along. I couldn’t very well say I had other plans for the evening, like a nice dinner with my ravishing house guest.”
Taking Chances Page 11