by Lori Ryan
“Did he ask you to come back?”
“He never asked, but I always thought I would. Then, like you said, the lure of the big city called me. And then, I fell in love.”
Kayleigh stilled. “With a girl?”
He couldn’t help but smile at the edge in her voice. “No. With the heart. It’s a fascinating organ. Once I started working in cardiology, studying with the specialists and the attendings, it was like an addiction. You know?”
She handed him another dish and nodded. “Yeah, I do.” She turned to face him. “Can I ask you something?”
He dried the last plate and swiveled her way. “Sure.”
“Why are you really here, Aaron?”
He swallowed hard and dropped the dish towel next to the sink. “Would you be mad if I said I wasn’t ready to talk about it?”
“Does it have anything to do with the tremor I’ve seen?”
Shit.
“I’m a doctor too, Aaron. Maybe just a pet doctor, but I know neurology.” She took his hand and led him into the living room. She sat down on the sofa, one leg tucked underneath her as her dog plopped in her lap.
Aaron begrudgingly went with her, not sure how much to tell her. He wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
When his phone rang in his pocket, he grabbed onto the distraction, pulling it out to see a Chicago area code. “I need to take this,” he said.
“Sure, I’ll just go check on your clothes.”
He watched as her firm ass walked out of the room and had to adjust himself in his boxer briefs.
“Hello,” he said.
“I’m trying to reach Dr. Aaron Sumner.”
“This is he.”
“Oh, hi, Dr. Sumner, this is Theresa Vilmer from Northwestern Hospital’s Rehabilitation Services. Dr. Henshaw wanted me to follow up on your physical therapy he prescribed. Our records show you’re not currently seeing any therapist here.”
“I’m not in Chicago right now.”
“Oh, all right. Is there an office or therapist we should fax your prescription to? He’s ordered—”
“I know what he’s ordered, and no. That won’t be necessary. I’m doing my own rehab.” He was silent for several seconds. “Tell Dr. Henshaw I’m doing just fine.”
“Well, all right then. I’ll just have him follow-up—”
“He doesn’t need to follow up with my PT. I’ll let him know if I need anything. Thanks for calling.” He hit the end button and stood, his hand shaking.
Fuck. He turned and ran into Kayleigh.
“Sorry,” she said in that soothing tone that implied sympathy not apology. She stared up at him, her lips curled in a sad smile.
God, he hated sympathy most of all.
“Your, uh, clothes are dry.” Her gaze fell to the clothes in her hands.
“Thanks.” He grabbed them and headed toward the bathroom. This night was officially ruined. And his future was more unknown than ever. Dr. Henshaw was the best in his field, he knew PT would most likely never help. The man was trying to placate him which pissed Aaron off even more.
One lingering question knotted his stomach with fear, burning him from the inside out. It was time he faced facts. All the therapy in the world would never put him back in the operating room. So where did that leave him now?
Chapter Fifteen
Kayleigh sat in her bed, replaying the events of the evening. Aaron had rushed off after receiving his cryptic phone call with no explanation. She knew something was going on with him physically. There was no way a man with his drive and ambition would have willingly walked away from such a prestigious fellowship at Northwestern Hospital.
She reached for her paperback book but realized it was in the kitchen where Aaron had left it. The entire situation had been quite embarrassing. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of her romance books, but it was somewhat like a dirty secret.
A dirty secret that a super-hot man had discovered.
Before she could get out of bed to grab her book, her cell phone pinged with a text message. She glanced down and saw it was from Lina in their group chat with Lily. They’d had one before that included Maggie but now she was off and married and not nearly as ready to party as the three of them were.
LINA: Hey sorry guys but I can’t go rock climbing tomorrow.
Well, shit. It wasn’t often Kayleigh got a few days off and she loved rock climbing. She’d fallen in love with it when Grady O’Halloran took her when she first moved to Canyon Creek. He owned O’Halloran’s Outdoor Adventure Store and seemed to be hellbent on never letting anyone say no to adventure. At first, she thought something might be there between them, but it quickly became apparent she and Grady were more like siblings than anything else.
Kayleigh was good at scaling rock formations, but there was no way she would ever go alone. At least she still had Lily. Maybe. Lily could be quite girly-girl when she wanted to be. She was a natural athlete but she didn’t always act on it.
KAYLEIGH: Hope everything is okay.
LINA: Nothing major. Bev just asked me to fill in at the boutique. Her grandkid is sick and her daughter has to work.
It always amazed Kayleigh how many part-time jobs Lina held in their town. She didn’t know how Lina found the time to feed Kayleigh’s animals when Kayleigh worked late.
Her phone pinged again and Kayleigh noted that Lily had now responded.
LILY: Oh, that’s terrible, girl. I can’t go either though. Sorry K.
Great, there went an afternoon of recreational fun.
KAYLEIGH: That’s okay. Hope everything is all right with you, too.
LILY: Yeah, it’s fine, just have three weddings back to back on Saturday, and two feuding mothers-of-the-bride who arrive tomorrow morning.
Lily worked as the event coordinator for Aaron’s family’s lodge. She was also his cousin, so the business was a family venture all around.
KAYLEIGH: Oh, jeez. Better you than me.
LILY: Tell me about it.
LINA: Should we move Hot Tub Hockey on Saturday night?
LILY: Hell no! I’m gonna need the hot tub more than ever. I might be late, though. Hope that’s okay.
LINA: Sounds good
LILY: Why don’t you guys plan on staying at Mom’s?
Lily’s mother, Sally, was Aaron’s aunt and lived close to the lodge. The land had been in his family for generations. For a time, Lily had lived in the bed and breakfast that Valerie and John Sumner ran after they’d expanded and built the lodge. But several months ago, Aaron’s brother, Max, had fallen in love with a local girl after he retired from the NFL. They’d married and moved into the old Victorian home and Lily moved in with her mother.
The ride to Canyon Creek mountain was only five miles, but the roads were winding and sometimes steep. At night they could be treacherous to maneuver. When Kayleigh went to the lodge or the resort for evening fun, she usually stayed with Lily. But now that she lived with her mother it wasn’t nearly as fun.
KAYLEIGH: We’ll see. Maybe.
LINA: Want to grab dinner tomorrow night?
KAYLEIGH: Sounds good.
LILY: Wish I could but I’ll be tied up all day and night.
KAYLEIGH: You work too hard.
LILY: Hi, pot, I’d like you to meet kettle.
Kayleigh laughed.
LINA: Well, Saturday night at the hot tub for sure, right?
LILY: Totally.
KAYLEIGH: I’m in. I just got a new bathing suit from Bev’s. I’ve been dying to wear it.
LINA: Oh, hell.
KAYLEIGH: What?
LINA: If any single guys show up, they’ll be useless to the rest of us with your body on display.
LILY: Aaron will be there, right?
Kayleigh moaned when Lily followed up with a winking emoji.
KAYLEIGH: Whatever. Night guys.
LINA: Enjoy your pirate!
KAYLEIGH: Fuck you. Enjoy your membership to Porn Hub.
LILY: Do you seriously have a membership to
Porn Hub?
LINA: No!
LILY: Oh.
LINA: Why?
KAYLEIGH: Oh lord, Lil are you becoming a porn addict?
LILY: No…just…
LINA: Have you ever seen porn, Lil?
LILY: Once. Max rigged Emmett’s laptop to automatically pop up with porn anytime he opened it. I accidentally opened it.
Kayleigh laughed. They didn’t call Max the notorious bad boy of the NFL for no reason.
KAYLEIGH: Bet that was…educational.
LINA: Okay, I promise to show you porn soon. The good kind.
LILY: You watch it?
LINA: I’ve seen it. I’m not addicted or anything.
LILY: Oh, okay.
LINA: When Kayleigh gets married we’ll have a porn-fest in her living room for her bachelorette party.
Married? Where the hell had that come from?
KAYLEIGH: I think I’m the last one who’ll get married.
LINA: We’ll see. Night bitches!
LILY: Night.
She stared down at her phone. Did Lina really think Kayleigh would get married any time soon? Or at all?
Kayleigh had never really entertained the idea. She’d been too busy getting through school, then building a practice, trying to prove her parents wrong.
KAYLEIGH: Night guys.
She plugged in her phone and burrowed down in the covers.
Annie barked and jumped up on the bed, snuggling in next to her. Sir Jaxie was too much of a snob to be in the bed with the commoners. He sat on top of the bookshelf in the corner, looking down on them.
Kayleigh laughed. It was amazing how unique each animal could be, not only in species and markings, but in personality, too.
She was just reaching to turn off her lamp, too worried about Lina’s comment to go fetch her book when her phone pinged with another message. She pulled it off her nightstand and glanced at the screen.
AARON: Is it too late to call?
What could he possibly want to talk about? She wasn’t sure, but something told her that even with five brothers and an extended family that could make up the offensive and defensive lines, she was slowly becoming his only confidant.
KAYLEIGH: No, I’m up.
She’d barely sent off the text before her cell phone rang.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey,” he replied, his voice quiet, his tone despondent.
“What’s going on?”
“I, uh…I just wanted to apologize.”
She waited, sensing he needed to sort through his thoughts without interruption.
“For running out on you like I did,” he said. “I was just…”
“It’s okay. I know you’re busy.”
“It wasn’t that,” he said.
“Who was on the phone?” she asked, not sure if he would be honest. A sudden pang of fear hit her in the gut. What if it was a woman, his girlfriend, back in Chicago?
“My physical therapist’s office.”
“Physical therapist?”
“Yeah,” he sighed into the phone.
“Is it about your hand?”
He remained silent, and she realized the only way to get him to open up was to open up herself.
“My dad wants me to come back to Boston,” she said.
“Why?”
She sank back into the bed. “Not permanently. Well, maybe permanently, but that’s not what I was talking about.”
“You’re confusing me.”
She laughed. “Sorry.”
“Your dad wants you back in Boston. Why?”
“My brother is getting married.”
“You have a brother?” he asked.
Sometimes she forgot that no one knew about her life outside of Canyon Creek. She’d worked hard to be as vague as possible when moving to the small town three years ago.
“Yeah, I have one brother. Not as crazy as your family.” She laughed, but inside she was pained by her small family. Her father had rarely been home and her mother had driven Kayleigh mad putting her in finishing schools, working to make her into the high-society debutante she wanted her to be. And then there was her brother. They’d been close, but after what happened with Kayleigh and his best friend, things were never the same again.
Was it any wonder she escaped to her grandmother’s house in Texas every summer?
“I bet it was a lot quieter, that’s for sure,” Aaron said.
She heard rustling. “Where are you?”
“In bed. Where are you?”
“In bed.”
“Nice,” he said. “With a book?”
“Actually, I was just on my way to get it when you called.”
“Go get it.”
“Why?”
He laughed and Kayleigh noted how nice it sounded. “I want you to read me a bedtime story.”
She snorted. “No way.”
“Why? I know you’re prone to talk like a sailor. You probably have three vibrators in your bedside table drawer.”
Try four, she was about to pop out, but caught herself. It was a lonely town. A girl had to do what a girl had to do.
“Dude, you have more than three don’t you?” He chuckled. “Holy hell, Dr. Montgomery, what will your patients think?”
“Thankfully my patients can’t speak.”
“True.” He laughed. “So how many?”
“I’m not answering that.”
“Okay, then, what are you wearing?”
“I’m not answering that either.”
“Do you have on those sweet-as-sin short shorts from earlier?”
She did. “Maybe.”
“Are you still wearing that sexy sweatshirt?”
“You think my A&M sweatshirt is sexy?”
“Hell, yeah I do,” he said. “I know the hot little body that’s underneath. It’s like the wrapper on your favorite candy bar. You just can’t wait to take it off and get to the inside.”
Kayleigh sucked in a breath.
“How many?” he asked.
She swallowed. “How many what?”
“Vibrators. Dildos. Pleasure sticks.”
“Aaron!” she shouted.
He chuckled and the sound traveled to her aching breasts. She glanced down at her sheer tank top, not surprised to see her nipples hard as ice.
“Are you always that blunt?”
“First,” he laughed, “you’re one to talk. Second, I’m a doctor who’s done rotations in the ER many times.”
“Oh, God,” Kayleigh covered her eyes. “I can only imagine what you’ve seen.”
“Not pretty.” He paused so long Kayleigh thought he’d disconnected. “But you know what is?” He finally said in a low, husky voice.
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“Watching you work at the Rutherford Ranch the other day. It was like a dance the way you waltzed in and took over everything.”
Well, she hadn’t expected that. “Thank you.”
“But it didn’t escape my attention that you won’t ask for help or accept it when it’s offered.”
“I do, too.” She didn’t and she knew it.
“Don’t get me wrong, I like an independent woman.”
Kayleigh’s temperature was rising and it had nothing to do with desire. “I do ask for help.”
“When was the last time?”
She thought back and was surprised she couldn’t think of an example.
It took longer than she’d like, but she did find one. “Oh, oh,” she said, proud of her discovery, “I asked Paula for help just the other day.”
“Paula Sloane, from the bookstore?”
“Yes.”
“Doesn’t count,” he said.
“Why not?”
“Because you probably asked her to help you get one of my mommy porn books from the top shelf, you’re so small.”
As mad as she wanted to be, part of her had to laugh because that was indeed what she’d asked Paula for.
“So read it to me. That book mu
st have been pretty damn good for you to ask for help.”
“Screw you, Aaron Sumner.”
“That’s Dr. Sumner to you. Or Captain Sumner, pirate prince of the sea, if you prefer.”
“Wait, how did you know that’s what they call him?”
Aaron laughed. “I may have read the back cover. I’m intrigued now.”
“Whatever. I’m not reading it to you.”
“Do you think Paula would order me the same book?”
“Probably.”
“I’ll just borrow yours,” he said. She could hear the smile in his voice.
“It may take me awhile to finish.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to extend my stay.”
“How long are you staying?” she asked, trying to keep the hopefulness from her voice.
“I’m not sure.”
There was a long pause and Kayleigh was just about to speak when Aaron broke in.
“I forgot how much I like being home.”
“So does that mean you’re staying longer?” She didn’t want to think about the fact that she was holding her breath for his answer.
“I’m still not sure. I came for some rest and relaxation.”
“Helping out at the med clinic today couldn’t have helped with that.”
“Actually, it did,” he said. “Working with Doc Olson, seeing so many different types of patients with all kinds of ailments—I don’t know, it was really exciting for me.”
“And cardio thoracic surgery hasn’t been?”
“It has. I mean, it is, I love it, but…”
She didn’t ask any more questions, mainly because it wasn’t her place to. But she hoped he would want to talk to her. She sensed he needed to talk about this.
For now, she gave him an out, switching gears. “If you need rest and relaxation I’m looking for a climbing partner tomorrow. Both of mine crapped out on me and I hate wasting my days off.”
“Yeah, I can see where dangling fifty feet in the air would help me relax.”
She laughed. “Okay, smarty pants. What is your idea of rest and relaxation?”
“Sex.”
Kayleigh coughed out a laugh. “I’m afraid your pickings here in Canyon Creek are pretty slim.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Mrs. Parker is still rocking the bun.”