The Doctor's Dating Bargain

by Teresa Southwick

  Obviously feeling her tension, Ben tightened the arm he still had around her shoulders. “Don’t mind Alex. He’s okay when you get to know him.”

  “Don’t keep her out here on the porch, Ben.” His father smiled. “Come on in, you two.”

  “Thank you, Mr. McKnight.”

  “Call me Tom.” He stepped aside as they walked in. “What would you like to drink? Beer? Wine? Soft drink? Iced tea?”

  “I’d love a glass of white wine if you’ve got it.”

  “Chardonnay?” Sydney asked.

  “Perfect.”

  As they followed the other three McKnights into the kitchen, Ben took her hand. It felt weird and wrong and fake and wonderful. She really liked the strength of his fingers, the warmth and the tingles. The you-and-me-against-the-world touch took a little energy out of her nerves.

  Alex pulled a bottle of wine out of the refrigerator and expertly used a foil cutter and corkscrew to open it. Like his brother, he was an extraordinarily good-looking man. Like most women would, Cam glanced at his left ring finger, which was bare. He was probably single and she made a mental note to find out from Ben if Alex was having the same problem with women throwing themselves at him.

  “Here you go,” Alex said, handing her a glass of wine.

  “Thanks.” Their fingers brushed and she felt no tingles or anything out of the ordinary. It was a totally different and distinct experience from when she touched Ben and that shouldn’t be. The terms of their bargain didn’t allow for heat and tingles when touching.

  Finally everyone had a drink and Tom said, “Let’s go outside.”

  “Sounds good, Dad.” After setting the cake on the counter, Ben slung his arm across her shoulders again, as if they’d been going together for years instead of days.

  He was surprisingly good at this pretending thing.

  The rear yard was just as beautiful as the front. It felt like a park, with an expanse of grass surrounded by shrubs and flowers. The wooden fence held back a forest of pine trees.

  On the covered back porch there were two wrought-iron love seats covered with pads and a couple of matching chairs. Cam and Ben sat side by side, thighs touching and sparks flying. The closeness caused a hitch in her breathing and she sipped her wine to cover it. Alex took one of the single chairs closest to her and Tom sat with his daughter across from them.

  “So, Cam, how do you like Blackwater Lake?” Alex took a drink from his longneck beer. The label read Moose Drool. Ew.

  “It’s a beautiful place.” She glanced at Ben. The twinkle in his eyes told her he knew she was lying. That wasn’t fair. The town was beautiful; it just wasn’t New York or L.A. “We drove past the lake and with the sun shining, the surface looked like glittering diamonds.”

  Sydney’s smile was supposed to look friendly and to her family it probably did. But a woman could see the cynicism around the edges. “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.” Cam met her gaze. “A girl who doesn’t like jewelry is a quart low on estrogen. Call me shallow, but I can’t be friends with someone like that.”

  “Well put,” Sydney agreed, grudging respect in her eyes as a smile turned up the corners of her full lips.

  “I know my sister is outnumbered by the boys and taking advantage of having another woman around,” Alex said. “But please tell me we’re not going to discuss the latest feminine hygiene product.”

  “I think he just challenged us,” Cam said. “Sydney, do you want to start or should I get the ball rolling with what’s new in shapewear these days?”

  That got an actual laugh from the McKnights’ lone female. “High five, Cam.”

  “Well, well...” Alex glanced between the two women. “That sounds a lot like a seal of approval from my little sister, and I agree. Camille, a lady as pretty as you should feel right at home in a place as beautiful as Blackwater Lake.”

  “Thank you.” If he talked like that to all the girls, they’d be lining up to contract his house-building services and a whole lot of things that had nothing to do with construction.

  “Hands off, bro. I saw her first.” Ben threaded his fingers through hers and settled their linked hands on his muscular thigh.

  The resulting wave of heat almost kept her from noticing the slightest edge to his voice and the possessiveness of the gesture. Was this real jealousy, or was he pretending? It was the sort of thing an actual boyfriend might do and felt very real. So real she had to remind herself that this was just make-believe.

  Sydney’s gaze narrowed as she studied them. “Is anyone else starving? I think it’s time to cook the steaks, Dad.”

  “Okay. I’ll fire up the barbecue.”

  “I’ll take care of everything inside.” She stood. “Do you want to give me a hand, Cam?”

  This was a test, Cam thought. “Of course.”

  “Me, too,” Ben said.

  The three of them went into the kitchen where Syd pulled an already-put-together salad from the refrigerator. “Why don’t you two set the table?”

  “Okay.” Ben turned toward the cupboard nearest the natural pine table in the kitchen’s eating nook. “I’ll show you where everything is, sweetie.”

  “Thanks.”

  Was she supposed to add an endearing nickname, too? This phony-girlfriend thing was harder than she’d thought. Play-acting for his family was a lot of pressure, but if they passed this test, fooling the rest of Blackwater Lake should be easier. But the McKnights seemed like a wonderful family. There was a part of her that wished this wasn’t an act and normal could be hers.

  “So, Cam,” Syd said, setting a bowl of potato salad on the table. “Do you like the outdoors?”

  Was this a trick question? “I love the fresh air here in the mountains. But work keeps me pretty busy. I don’t get out much.”

  “So you haven’t been camping yet?”

  “No.” That was the truth. Not once ever in her life had she slept without four walls surrounding her that included a bathroom with running water and electricity. She looked at Ben for guidance, but he was just taking plates down from a shelf and the rattling kept him from hearing the question. “Like I said, there hasn’t been much time off since I got here.”

  The look in her brown eyes said Syd was just getting started. “Ben loves backpacking, fishing and camping, don’t you, big brother?”

  He set the five plates on the table, which was big enough for six people, and put one in front of each chair. “Yeah. I’ve missed doing that.”

  “Isn’t that one of the reasons you moved back here?” his sister persisted. “Camping, fishing, being outdoors?”

  “It is,” he agreed.

  “Have you ever camped out, Cam?”

  She looked at Ben again, unsure how far this pretense should go. It was all a big lie, but lacing everything with some truth would make the ruse easier to pull off. “Since my family owns a hotel chain, the only camping out we did had room service. But it’s something I’ve always wanted to try.”

  A little truth followed closely by a whopper of a lie.

  Ben moved close and settled his arm around her waist. Tension was evident in his body. “As a matter of fact, I’m taking Cam backpacking next weekend, right, sweetie?”

  Cam’s gaze snapped to his. This was not what she’d signed up for, and definitely not spelled out in their verbal agreement. It did, however, fall into the category of convincing his family. If they were convinced, people in town would be, too.

  “Right,” she said, shooting him a glare.

  Syd pulled a platter of raw steaks from the refrigerator. “Ben, would you take this out to Dad?”

  “Yeah.” He took it and opened the door. “Be right back.”

  Then Cam was alone with the suspicious sister. Ben’s dad had seemed happy that his son was happy. His brother appeared to approve of her. Sydney McKnight was the lone family holdout and kept staring as if she expected an alien to pop out of Cam’s chest.

  “
There’s something fishy going on,” she said.

  “I guess that happens when camping and fishing are involved.” Cam winced at the stupid joke.

  The serious expression on Syd’s face didn’t change. “Just so we’re clear, if you break my brother’s heart...”

  “What if he breaks mine?” That was an automatic response, but for the first time Cam realized it was a possibility.

  She liked Ben more every time they were together. That was potentially a problem, because the longer she had to keep up the pretense of being his girlfriend, the more she could see herself falling for him, for real. And now they’d been maneuvered into a weekend trip.

  Maybe they could just pretend to go camping.

  * * *

  Cam was standing at the front desk with M.J. and Glen Larson, the general manager. He was tall, dark and nice-looking, in his early twenties and a recent college grad with a brand-spanking-new business degree. The three of them were looking over upcoming bookings. Summer was only a couple months away and she’d feel a lot better if reservations increased.

  Shaking her head Cam said, “I have to figure out a way to pitch the positives of Blackwater Lake Lodge to travel professionals and online sites.”

  “I can help with that,” Glen offered. “I’ve got some experience in web marketing. There’s a way to make sure this town and the lodge come up first in the search engine when someone is looking for information on Montana.”

  “That would be great.” She smiled at him, his earnestness and willingness to help. Cooperation was a nice change and there was little doubt that she had Ben McKnight to thank for it. “If you need extra time to work on it, let me know. I can handle some of your management responsibilities. And if necessary and you’re okay with it, I can authorize limited overtime.”

  “Thanks, boss.” His surprised tone said he hadn’t fully expected teamwork or support from her.

  “Okay, now for the employee appreciation dinner next week. We need—”

  Her two employees smiled at someone behind her; she’d been concentrating so hard she hadn’t heard anyone approach. Then strong hands on her shoulders gently turned her and she saw Ben standing there. Her heart did a little skip and shimmy when he smiled.

  “Hey, beautiful.” He was looking at her mouth.

  “Hi.” She blinked up at him, wondering if the glow growing inside her was visible to the naked eye. “It has to be said that there are rules against non-employees being behind this desk.”

  “Rules were meant to be broken.” He took her hand and settled it in the bend of his elbow. “But I respect you and your work so I’ll just have to lure you out into the neutral zone and away from all this.”

  “Good luck with that, Doc.” Glen slid his hands into the pockets of his charcoal slacks. “M.J. and I have been trying to get her to go home for an hour.”

  “He’s right. She works too hard. All work and no play...” M.J. lifted one eyebrow to make her point.

  “I love what I do and it doesn’t feel like work,” Cam protested.

  “Still—” Ben gently tugged her around the desk to the lobby side. “I’ve got you now, my pretty. And we have shopping to do.”

  “Shoes?” she asked hopefully.

  “Yes.” His eyes twinkled. “Hiking boots.”

  “What did I ever do to deserve this?”

  “She’s a wilderness virgin and needs stuff. I’m taking her camping,” he explained.

  Because his family, specifically his sister, was torturing her. “Lucky me.”

  “Sounds like fun.” M.J. walked into the office behind the desk and returned with Cam’s purse and handed it over. “Go. Work will still be here in the morning.”

  How many mornings after that would it be here if business didn’t pick up?

  “Okay.” She started to turn away, then thought of something. “Wait. One more thing. What’s happening with the employee dinner? I know the restaurant chef is handling all the food. Do we know—”

  “Today is the deadline for RSVPs,” M.J. said. “I’ll get the head count to Amanda. I formed a volunteer committee to decorate the conference room. We’ll keep it simple. It’s being handled. Go. Fly. Be free.”

  “Thanks.” She saluted. “See you guys in the morning.”

  Ben walked her out the front door to where he’d parked his car, then handed her inside. He went around to the driver’s side and got in. “This will be fun. Trust me. Don’t look like the Olympic rifle team is going to use your designer shoes for target practice.”

  “It feels that way.”

  “You’re such a glass-half-empty person. Where’s that stiff upper lip?”

  “There’s not enough Botox or filler on the planet for that when you’re talking boondocks and backpacks.”

  He laughed, which meant one of them was having a good time. Actually, she was, too. Who’d have thought?

  Ben drove into town and pulled into the parking lot behind the large sporting-goods store. After getting out of the car, they headed for the rear entrance, where he held the door for her to precede him inside. Straight ahead was a locked glass case displaying rifles, pistols and some lethal-looking hunting knives.

  Cam stared at the weapons, then up at her pretend boyfriend. “About that whole execution thing? Are you sure camping isn’t like that?”

  “You’ll be completely safe,” he assured her.

  She shook her head. “I think we need to renegotiate the terms of this bargain.”

  Ben glanced around to see if anyone had heard the incriminating statement, then took her elbow and led her to a secluded corner behind a rack of quilted down vests and cargo pants.

  “The agreement is perfectly clear,” he said calmly. “There’s not really anything to define. We’re making it up as we go along, but everyone needs to believe you’re my girlfriend.”

  “And two nights of sleeping on the ground is going to convince them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can’t we go to a hotel in a big city far from here and just tell everyone we backpacked into the mountains?”

  “You mean lie?”

  “We’re already doing that,” she pointed out. “After the first whopper it gets easier.”

  “My sister isn’t completely buying us as a couple. She knows I like the outdoors and anyone I go out with would have to be willing to try it. And the trying it part has to be convincing. A lie only works if you wrap it in enough of the truth.”

  “So, I need snake bites, scratches and dirt under my fingernails so she’ll believe?”

  “Yeah.” He shrugged. “Either that or things go back to the way they were.”

  That meant a return to uncooperative lodge employees and the cold shoulder from the rest of the town. She shuddered. Things had been noticeably better since she’d “been with” Ben. There was an actual volunteer committee, for goodness’ sake. She was beginning to have a glimmer of hope for upward mobility in her career.

  And that was just her. If the deal fell apart, women would start throwing themselves at Ben again. Now there was a thought that she wasn’t crazy about. Oddly enough, she liked it a lot less than being able to bring only what she could carry on her back for a whole weekend in the mountains. If she didn’t know better, she’d call what she was feeling jealousy. But that wasn’t part of the bargain.

  “Wow, I think all the fresh air here in Blackwater Lake is beginning to affect my reasoning ability.”

  He looked amused. “Why?”

  “Because I, Camille Halliday, am going to buy camping stuff. The world has gone mad.”

  He grinned. “Let’s do this.”

  About an hour later, they had backpacks, sleeping bags, a lightweight tent and the sturdiest and chicest hiking boots money could buy. The wiry, gray-haired man at the cash register put the newsmagazine he was reading down on the counter. He must have been the owner, because he was practically quivering with excitement at all the stuff they piled up.

  “This be all for you, Doc?” He l
ooked at Ben, then her.

  “I think so, Mr. Daly.”

  “Got your sunscreen and mosquito repellant?”

  “Do you have anything that will discourage snakes?” Cam asked.

  The owner laughed. “She’s a pistol. Got a great sense of humor.”

  “Yes, she does.” Ben put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed.

  Cam was getting far too used to that. She liked feeling his strength and that big, warm body close to hers.

  “So what’s the damage, Mr. Daly?”

  The man gave them a very impressive total and Cam started to pull a credit card out.

  Ben stopped her and said, “I’ve got this.”

  “We’ll settle up later.” She had skin in this, too, and couldn’t let him do that.

  He shook his head. “It’s settled now.”

  Unsettled was more like it, Cam thought when her heart started beating erratically. But it was stupid to do that. This was just him playing a part, showing people that he wasn’t Mr. Camille Halliday, but a man with deep pockets of pride who paid his own way and hers. Wouldn’t it be nice if it weren’t an act at all? Talk about make-believe.

  The man put the smaller items into bags and slid them across the counter. The newsmagazine caught underneath the plastic bag and fell on the floor at her feet.

  “I’ll get that.” Cam picked up the paper, absently looking at the front as she handed it back. Her hand froze as something caught her attention. She read the headline and her stomach knotted until losing her lunch along with her sense of humor was a real possibility.

  There was a picture of Ben kissing her outside the Grizzly Bear Diner and the headline screamed, “Halliday heiress hot for hug-a-licious hunk.”

  Chapter Eight

  Ben wanted to put his fist through a wall when he saw the headline and Cam’s stricken look, but she was upset enough for the both of them. He decided to try and keep it light. “Good alliteration.”

  “I’m so sorry.” She glanced at him, then skimmed the article some more. “I was so sure that I was off the rag-sheet radar. This is awful. M.J. even warned me that the guy was asking questions.”