by MK McGowan
“He left me the place with the condition that I marry before I hit 40, which, as you know, is in a few short years,” Elizabeth said, grinning wryly. “If I don’t marry, the place goes back to Mom and Aunt Louisa.”
Jane nodded and sipped her coffee slowly, thinking carefully. “Did the will stipulate that you had to marry a man?”
Elizabeth laughed. She saw where Jane was headed. “No, it just says married. I don’t think the old coot figured gay marriage would ever be legal anywhere in the good ol’ United States. But I still have to find someone foolish enough to marry me.”
“Piece of cake,” Jane said with a fond laugh. “You’re not bad to look at, you have a steady job and all your teeth. How hard could it be? Heck, if it comes to that, I’ll marry you. As long as we can go to Vegas for the divorce.”
Elizabeth smiled, but she felt trapped. There had to be another way.
Chapter Eleven
“I guess that explains why Carolyn sent us to Longborn and not to some other backwater town in Texas,” Darcy said. She heard the door open behind her. Pushing up on her elbows, she twisted around so she could see the newcomer. She couldn’t quite ignore a flash of disappointment when the nurse walked in.
“Where’s the doctor?” Darcy demanded.
Susan held up her hands. “I’m just here to check the glue. I don’t know where she is, but she’ll be back to finish you up soon,” the nurse assured her cranky patient. She ran a finger lightly across the top of the gauze. “I think it needs a few more minutes. Can I get you anything? Some juice, a magazine?”
“All I need is to talk to the doctor. And to get out of here,” Darcy added with no small amount of venom.
“I’ll see what I can do to facilitate that,” Susan replied, pulling off her gloves with a forceful snap.
“Way to go, Darcy. You pissed off the woman who’s going to be ripping the glue off your ass,” Charlotte said.
Darcy groaned and buried her head in her hands. “God, I hate this town even more,” she muttered.
“If what you say is true, then we can be out of here soon,” Charlotte said sympathetically. “I mean, if Elizabeth owns the place, and she won’t sell, then our hands are tied,” Charlotte said.
“That’s right. I hadn’t thought of that,” Darcy said. She saw a glint at the end of the tunnel.
“Thought of what?” Elizabeth asked as she came through the door. She was filling out forms for Darcy.
Darcy looked over her shoulder. Elizabeth’s expression was unreadable. “Well, if the property is not available for development, then our job is done, and I can get back to the city I love.”
Elizabeth stared down at Darcy, her expression betraying her doubt. “You aren’t going to try to persuade me otherwise? Convince me that Carol Lynne knows what she’s doing?”
“That’s not my job,” Darcy said honestly. “Look, I didn’t know anything about Carolyn being your cousin or the…” she hesitated, searching for the right words. She was usually brutally direct and damn the consequences. But for some unfathomable reason, she did not want to upset Elizabeth any more than she already had.
“The complications,” Elizabeth finished for her. She put the chart down on the gurney. “I’m sorry. I should have let you explain. I shouldn’t have run out of here. But the situation…”
“…is complicated. Anytime you mix business with family, things get complicated.” This time Darcy finished the sentence. She smiled warmly at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth returned her smile, and they might have remained there all day if Charlotte hadn’t cleared her throat and then winked at the suddenly flustered doctor.
Elizabeth blushed. That was twice her professionalism had faltered in Darcy’s presence. She shook her head ruefully and stepped closer to the gurney, as if remembering why she was there. “I need to check the glue,” she explained.
“Sure you do,” Charlotte teased. “Shall I wait outside?”
“No!” said two voices in unison, and Charlotte laughed in response.
“I’ll sit over here. In the corner. Out of the way. Forget that I’m even here,” Charlotte suggested playfully.
Elizabeth gave her a puzzled glance, then shook her head and bent to her task. She tested the gauze. The glue seemed to be dry. Starting at one edge, she carefully pried a small section of gauze loose.
“Hold still, I’m going to try to remove this in one piece. I hear you’re anxious to get out of here,” Elizabeth said. She began to slowly peel back the edges of the glue.
“Yes, I badly want to go home,” Darcy admitted. She thought she sounded pathetic, but she couldn’t help it.
“We’ll have you out of here in a few minutes, but you might want to rethink flying back to California for a day or two,” Elizabeth suggested. She abruptly stood up and walked out the door.
“What? Why?” Darcy said to the suddenly empty space beside her. “Where did she go?” she asked Charlotte.
Charlotte shrugged just as Elizabeth came back into the room with Susan close behind. “I’ll take the right side,” Elizabeth directed. Susan stepped into position on the left, and then both women pulled on the gauze. Darcy’s ass was revealed inch by inch until it was fully uncovered.
“Thanks, Susan. I’ll be out with her chart in a minute,” Elizabeth said as she started to wipe down the area with a disinfectant. Susan handed the doctor a tube of antibiotic ointment and left wordlessly.
“You were saying I couldn’t leave town,” Darcy said. “Why not?”
“I didn’t say ‘couldn’t leave town’,” Elizabeth clarified. “But do you really want to spend hours sitting on a plane tomorrow?” Elizabeth tried hard not to smile when she said this. But there was something about thwarting Darcy’s plans to escape Texas that perversely delighted her.
“Crap!” was all she got in response.
After applying the ointment, Elizabeth helped Darcy climb off the gurney. She handed her a pair of scrub pants and a clipboard full of paperwork.
“Here’s a list of what to watch out for. Remember, it’ll be sore and red for days. That’s normal, but if you start running a fever, go see your doctor.” She scribbled her phone number on the bottom of the page. “And here’s my number if you have any questions or problems while you’re in town.”
Elizabeth stood there for a moment longer than necessary. “You’ll help her get dressed?” she asked Charlotte.
When Charlotte nodded, Elizabeth said, “When you’re ready, go see Susan at the desk, and she’ll get you signed out. Okay?”
Feeling vulnerable and exposed in her half-dressed state, Darcy nodded impatiently as Elizabeth left the room.
“I’m having a drink as soon as I get back to the hotel,” Darcy muttered. Leaning against Charlotte, she pulled the pants on gingerly. Realizing she’d forgotten to thank Elizabeth, she slipped on her shoes, grabbed her bag, and rushed out the door, Charlotte in tow. Unfortunately, Elizabeth was nowhere in sight, and Darcy wasn’t up to wandering the halls looking for her.
They found Jane patiently waiting at the checkout desk.
“Ready to go?” Jane asked.
“More than ready,” Darcy replied tersely. She handed her paperwork and insurance card to the clerk. “Can we make a stop at the nearest liquor store on the way back to the hotel?”
Jane laughed and nodded. “I know just the place.”
A short time later, Darcy closed the door to her hotel room, alone at last. Jane and Charlotte were going out to dinner. They’d invited Darcy along, but all she wanted was a drink and to forget this day ever happened. The tequila she’d picked up on the way back should help with that.
She looked at the bottle of liquor. She didn’t normally drink tequila, but, given her earlier encounter with the cactus, it seemed like the poetic choice. She mixed it with the orange juice and ice she had picked up on the way to her room. Drink in hand, she went into the bathroom.
Darcy lowered herself gingerly to the toilet seat. She pulled off her sho
es and her socks. Her shirt and bra were the next things to go. Finally, she stood up and loosened the drawstring on her pants. She carefully lowered them, walked over to the mirror, and turned around.
Looking over her shoulder, she checked out the reflection of her ass and breathed a deep sigh of relief. All that talk of infection, not to mention festering pustules, had made her paranoid. There were a few red spots, and the area was certainly tender, but it looked basically okay. For some reason, looking at her butt reminded her of Elizabeth. She had been extremely attentive. Which was to be expected of a doctor, but she’d also been repeatedly kind. It’s too bad she’s going to get screwed by her cousin. Because what Carolyn wants, Carolyn gets.
Feeling guilty, Darcy bundled up the scrub pants and threw them in the corner, trying to get the image of Elizabeth’s blue eyes out of her head.
Chapter Twelve
Elizabeth rolled over in bed. She punched her pillow into shape and adjusted the angle of her head. Then she snapped her eyes shut again. Two minutes later, she sat up in bed and fluffed her pillow. She flopped backwards and rolled over. After another two minutes, she opened one eye. Crap! Why couldn’t she sleep? She was exhausted. She’d been up most of the night delivering a baby then worked a full shift at the hospital with only a short nap. She should be dead to the world right now. She opened the other eye and scowled at her clock. She’d been in bed for an hour, and she wasn’t anywhere close to sleep. She rarely had trouble sleeping. In fact, there were only two reasons she ever got insomnia. One was guilt, and the other she didn’t want to think about because she knew her vibrator was currently out of batteries.
Elizabeth slapped her pillow one more time and burrowed under the covers. She was going to go to sleep if it killed her. She shut her eyes, and immediately, the arrogant face of an attractive brunette popped into her mind. Double crap!
***
Darcy woke from her nap slowly. She didn’t want to get up, but she needed a shower and something to eat. And, another drink wouldn’t hurt. She stretched carefully, taking stock. Her ass hurt but not unbearably. At this rate, I should be able to sit on a plane tomorrow. She slid carefully out of bed and headed into the bathroom. The thought of going home soon put a spring in her step.
She spent longer under the hot water than she intended. She didn’t want to get out, but a rumble from her midsection reminded her of other needs.
Wrapping a towel around her head and another around her torso, she walked over to the bed. Grabbing her glasses off the nightstand, she opened the room service menu and checked out the dinner offerings. The selections were fairly limited. Luckily, she wasn’t in the mood for anything exotic. The wine list was even more limited, but that wasn’t going to stop her. She’d had a very hard day, and her expense account was going to pick up the tab. Decisions made, she called and placed her order, then headed back into the steam-filled bathroom.
She was untangling her wet hair when she heard a knock at the door. “Damn that was fast,” she mumbled. “I’m glad some people in this town understand good service.” She slipped on her robe and walked toward the door, grabbing her purse off the table as she went. There was another knock on the door.
“Just a minute. I’m coming,” she yelled impatiently. She pulled open the door as she searched through her bag for a tip. “Just put it on the table,” she said distractedly.
“Okay,” Elizabeth said. “I will.”
Darcy’s head shot up. She was more than a little surprised to see Elizabeth outside her door. “What are you doing here?” Darcy asked, more puzzled than pissed for a change.
Elizabeth held up a small Mason jar. “I brought you something for your wounds,” she said. “It’s an old family remedy.”
Darcy looked at the old-fashioned canning jar. She was both dubious and intrigued, but, as always, suspicion won out. She lifted an eyebrow.
“What’s in it?”
Elizabeth smiled mischievously. “Believe me, you don’t want to know,” she said with bold assurance. She brushed past Darcy and entered the room without waiting to be invited.
Darcy shut the door behind her unexpected guest. She pulled the belt on her robe a little tighter. She’d already been half-naked in front of Elizabeth once today. She wasn’t showing her anything else. Unless there is some reciprocity, she thought with sudden but genuine interest. She surreptitiously checked out the good doctor’s swagger. It was not nearly as irritating as it was the night before.
Elizabeth walked over to the small table and set the jar down. When she turned to address her former patient, Darcy was right on her heels. Elizabeth took a step back, increasing the space between their bodies, and cleared her throat.
“The ointment from the hospital is to cut down on possible infection, but this stuff,” Elizabeth indicated the jar, “will cut down on the irritation. My grandmother swore by it.”
“Does it work?”
“I use it,” Elizabeth said, not quite answering the question.
Darcy picked up the jar. She twisted off the cap and peered at its contents. She was surprised by the pleasant smell that wafted up from inside.
“Is that mint?” she asked, taking another sniff.
“Yeah, mint oil is one of the ingredients.”
“So my ass is going to smell minty fresh?” Darcy said, toying with the earnest doctor.
“If you let anyone close enough to sniff, then, yeah, I guess so,” Elizabeth said with a nervous chuckle.
Darcy stepped closer to Elizabeth. Elizabeth took one step back. Darcy took another step forward. Elizabeth took another step back. Elizabeth appeared chagrined when Darcy stopped where she was.
Darcy looked down at the jar in her hand and looked searchingly at Elizabeth. “Not that I’m not grateful for the old family remedy, but why are you really here?”
“I wanted to apologize for what I said this afternoon. I was rude. None of this is your fault.” Elizabeth took a deep breath and added, “And I wanted to see you again.”
“Honestly?” Darcy found that hard to believe. “I’ve been nothing but unpleasant to you since we met.”
Elizabeth didn’t deny that, and Darcy made a snap decision she knew she would probably regret later. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”
Elizabeth smiled. “I’d love to.”
“Great. I ordered from room service a few minutes ago. Here’s the menu, order whatever you want. I’m charging it to your cousin, so feel free to go crazy,” Darcy said with a jaunty lift of her eyebrows. She caught Elizabeth staring at her décolletage. She remembered she was standing there in her bathrobe.
“I’m going to go slip into something a little less comfortable,” Darcy said. She brushed by Elizabeth and into the bathroom.
Elizabeth’s muttered “damn” made Darcy smile.
Elizabeth was sitting on the bed when Darcy returned. She tossed her robe on the bed. She was now wearing a short cotton nightshirt. She was so tall that the hem brushed the tops of her thighs.
Elizabeth gazed at the impressive length of leg on display. She cleared her throat.
“I ordered dinner,” Elizabeth said, somewhat inanely as she was still holding the telephone receiver. She put it down quickly and stood up from the bed. She didn’t want to appear too forward. She stepped over to the small table on the other side of the room, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
Darcy strolled over to the table, stopping right in front of Elizabeth. She picked up the jar of ointment, looked at it and then down at Elizabeth speculatively. “You know, I could use some help applying this,” she said.
Even though Darcy was obviously flirting with her, Elizabeth was cautious. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea,” she said. “I’m your doctor, after all.”
Darcy shook her head. “My doctor’s name is Saul Mortimer. He’s about 60 years old, and he’s constantly bitching about my cholesterol. You are the person who took delight in pulling glue off my ass.”
Elizabeth knew her hesitation had littl
e to do with medical ethics. She wasn’t sure she trusted Darcy. Hell, she wasn’t sure she even liked the woman.
Darcy wasn’t deterred. She laughed seductively and inched closer to Elizabeth’s chair. She was practically in her lap, and Elizabeth was starting to squirm. Darcy leaned down. “If you’re here in a professional capacity shouldn't you check for infection or something?" Darcy whispered. She handed Elizabeth the jar and slowly backed toward the bed.
Elizabeth sat stock-still, libido warring with common sense. As usual, common sense lost, and she rose fluidly from the chair and moved toward Darcy.
“Take your nightshirt off,” Elizabeth said.
Darcy smiled triumphantly and lifted her nightshirt over her head. She tossed it on the bed. She didn’t have anything on underneath. Elizabeth stood there, just looking at her. After what seemed like an instant and forever, she ordered Darcy to turn around. Elizabeth’s voice was husky and low. It made Darcy shiver, and she did as directed.
Darcy glanced up at the mirror on the opposite wall. She could see Elizabeth’s reflection, and there was absolutely nothing clinical in the doctor’s gaze.
“Lie down on the bed. On your stomach,” Elizabeth suggested.
Darcy complied. She spread herself out across the middle of the bed, resting her head on her arms. She liked the way Elizabeth was looking at her. There was lust but also appreciation in her gaze. Darcy also liked the pace at which things were progressing. She’d never been one for “wham bam, thank you, ma’am” sex. She didn’t like lengthy emotional entanglements, but there was a lot to be said for physical ones.
Darcy heard the muffled thump of shoes hitting the floor, and she felt the bed dip as Elizabeth knelt on the mattress beside her. A few seconds later, she heard the sharp rasp of metal on glass as Elizabeth opened the jar of ointment. Darcy had forgotten all about the ointment.