He smiled. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
The sight of him made her stomach pitch and roll. So much for hoping absence would make her heart idle in neutral. She’d last seen him two weeks ago when he’d told her that he would promise her anything if she kept staring at him the way she was. The thing was, she had no idea how she’d looked. It might have been a compliment. She thought he’d said she was pretty but she couldn’t be sure. Especially since he’d apologized for kissing her. That hurt because it had meant a lot to her. The biggest problem was that she couldn’t stay mad at him. That made it difficult to maintain her defenses.
Unfortunately, she needed to discuss with him what had just happened with Amy. “Gabe, do you have a minute?”
“Sure. Amy’s waiting in the car.” His shoulder lifted, a small movement that somehow conveyed his frustration. “As usual.”
He disappeared from the reception window, then opened the door between the waiting room and exam areas before following her into her office.
She leaned back and half sat on the corner of her desk. “Have a seat.”
“Why? Did something happen with Amy? Is she all right?”
“She’s fine.”
For the moment. At least one of the Thornes was curious and engaged in this situation.
“Then what did you want to talk about?”
“I thought you should know that I encouraged her to contact her father.”
One eyebrow lifted. “Really?”
“It’s not what you’re thinking—”
“Since when are you a mind reader?”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“How do you know what I’m thinking?”
“I just figured you went to the place where I was trying to talk her into going home.”
“You figured wrong.”
“So you’re okay with her staying?”
“Yeah.”
He sat in one of the chairs facing the desk, which put him squarely in her comfort zone. And just like that her zone was pretty uncomfortable.
“This is a big shift for you,” she commented.
“Right back at you,” he said.
“Well, she blew me off. But before that she let some stuff slip. She said your father blames her for your mother’s death and never cared about her.”
“Dad and I had a hard time after my mother died,” he admitted, shifting in the chair. “He worked a lot, building the business into the multimillion-dollar company I took over. I kept busy so I wouldn’t have to be home. There was football and classes. Studying.” He met her gaze. “Most of my friends had mixed feelings about going away to college. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I had my pick of schools. The year my mother died, I got the highest grades ever.”
She could relate. After her assault, she buried herself in studies and got a pretty impressive grade point average. “So, essentially, you lost your mother and father, and Amy never had much guidance at all.”
He scratched his head thoughtfully. “When you put it like that it sounds pretty harsh. And I never thought about it that way. But I suppose there’s some truth in it.”
“Amy told me Hannah was the one who taught her about girl stuff.”
“I knew Hannah had asked Amy to be her maid of honor at the wedding, but I guess I just thought she was doing it to be politically correct. Until that day in the hospital, I don’t think I understood how much Amy missed her.”
“And when she died, Amy was alone again.”
“Yeah.”
And like his sister’s, his hooded expression gave no clue to his feelings. But she didn’t need a clue. She already knew he’d lost the love of his life. But he’d left Texas to avoid painful memories leaving Amy alone to deal with her grief.
“Maybe the two of you need to talk about losing Hannah,” she suggested. At his look she added, “She was important to both of you. It’s a shared loss. Unlike the mother she never knew. She needs to know she can count on you, and reaching out would start the process. Think about it.”
“I will.” He stood and looked down at her, a thoughtful expression making him even more handsome and intriguing. “Tell me something, Doc, aren’t you tired of my family?”
“No. Not if it will help Amy.”
“Well, turnabout is fair play. Tell me about you.”
That put a knot in her stomach, which effectively stopped the pitch and roll. She didn’t like talking about herself. It started out with the basics then went to more personal questions, like why there was no one special. She wasn’t going there. Her past was poison to a relationship. He’d kissed her, but that didn’t give him a right to personal information.
“There’s not much to tell.”
“So tell me what there is. What was it like being smarter than everyone else? Your parents must have been proud.”
She thought back. “I guess. Mostly they were clueless about what to do with a brainer geek who was bored in school.”
“So what did they do?”
“At first they listened to the teachers who suggested skipping grades. Then they kind of stood back and let me do my thing.”
“So you raised yourself?”
She thought about that. “Kind of. Yeah.”
“For the record. You did a good job. You’re a good doctor.”
“Medicine is the easy part.”
“Not for most people. You are exceptionally special,” he said.
If he knew her secret, he’d know how big a lie that was. But there was no reason for him to know because there wasn’t now, nor would there ever be, anything of a personal nature between them.
“Where are they?” he asked. “Your parents, I mean.”
“In Southern California. Close enough for us to see each other often. They’re both accountants.”
“More comfortable with numbers than beautiful brainer geeks?”
“Yeah,” she said, surprised that he was so intuitive. Then his words sank in. “No. I mean I’m not—You know—”
“Beautiful?” His blue eyes sparkled with wickedness.
“Yeah, that. I’m not.”
“Yeah, that.” He gently traced a finger down her nose. “You are.”
He got that look in his eyes again, the one he got just before kissing her. Her body responded as if he’d just touched his lips to hers. Her insides turned to liquid and her heart pounded until she was sure he must hear or see it.
One of the benefits of a high IQ was never being at a loss for words. Except now. She had no idea what to say to him. Fortunately, he wasn’t such a dweeb.
“Amy’s waiting. I have to go.” He tapped his pocket where he’d put the appointment card. “See you in a week. If not before.”
And then he was gone. She sank into the chair that was still warm from his body and shivered as if he’d touched her. When her brain was firing on all cylinders again, two things bothered her. First, she’d talked about herself, a rule she hardly ever broke. Second, she’d forgotten to give him the reading material for his sister.
That wasn’t like her. Both were symptoms of trouble. If it were science, she would know what to do. But it wasn’t, and that scared her.
Chapter Seven
Gabe took Amy home after her appointment, then went back to the hospital to meet Jack and finish up his preparation for tomorrow’s inspection. This was an important project, and no matter how distracted he’d been, failure wasn’t an option.
It was now way past dinnertime and he was suddenly starving. The cafeteria was open, but choices were limited because it was late. The only thing he could get was a wilted salad or a burger that could double as a hockey puck. He picked the puck and paid for it, then took his plastic tray and rounded the corner to the fountain drink dispensers.
After getting an iced tea, he scanned the sparsely occupied room looking for Jack. He found him in the center where he could check out people, meaning nurse-type people, walking to and from the elevator just outside the room.
> “You’re incorrigible,” Gabe said, setting his tray down.
“What?” he asked, feigning innocence.
“Hey. This is me, remember?”
Jack grinned. “I like women, my friend. I like everything about them. The way they look, smell, walk and talk. I like watching them. So sue me.”
Actually, he envied his friend. Jack had a social life and he knew how to use it. He was a notorious flirt and proud of it. Gabe had a life but wasn’t using it for much of anything. Lately, he’d felt a vague dissatisfaction about that. He was getting used to having Amy around. In spite of that, he felt a more acute loneliness than he’d experienced even after Hannah died. And he was pretty sure it was all about Rebecca.
Gabe took a bite out of his burger and chewed thoughtfully. “It wasn’t a criticism, my friend. Just an observation.”
“That sounded brooding. How’s that working for you?”
“It’s not. Which is just the way I want it.” Gabe heard the edge to his voice.
“This is me, remember?” Jack said, apparently unfazed. “I loved Hannah, too, but it’s time—”
“Don’t go there,” Gabe said. “I’m not interested in dating.”
“Okay.” Jack put up a hand touching the other palm to his fingers in a T for time out. “I just hate to see you going through the motions. You’re living, but not really living, you know?”
He knew. “Look, Jack, I—” He stopped when Rebecca stepped out of the elevator and headed for the cafeteria.
“What?” Jack said, staring at him, then glancing in the same direction. “Holy Mother of God.”
“Back off, Jack.”
“You know her?” His friend made no attempt to hide the surprise in his voice.
“She’s my sister’s doctor.”
Rebecca was just coming into the cafeteria when she spotted him and did a double take. She hesitated, then walked over to the table. “Hello, Gabe.”
“Hi.” When Jack loudly cleared his throat, Gabe said, “This is my partner, Jackson O’Neill.”
“That’s O’Neill with two Ls,” Jack said, extending his hand.
Rebecca took it and smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
“What are you doing here?” Gabe asked, then winced at the lame question. That’s what happened when you didn’t use your social life. Communication skills got rusty. And since when had he started caring about that sort of thing?
“This is where I work,” she answered wryly.
“I knew that.”
“One of my patients is in labor,” she explained. “I just wanted to grab a quick bite while I can. It’s late. What are you doing here?”
“I’m building a hospital expansion.”
“I knew that,” she said. “But it’s pretty late. I thought you were more of a nine-to-five guy.”
“The building inspector is coming tomorrow, and we want to be sure everything is ready,” Jack said.
“This is a different type of project for the company,” Gabe added.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because it’s a hospital, not a hotel,” Gabe said. Being a doctor, she probably already knew this, but he added, “It’s specialized construction. We have to put in pipes for oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrous. Those pipes have to be leak tested and certified before we can close up the walls. The electrical is more complicated because of monitor wires and plugs for emergency power. Every room not only has to be fireproof, it’s critical that dampers shut down and keep smoke from the ventilation system.”
“I see.”
“And this is our first project in Las Vegas. Very visible. Our reputation in this town is on the line. We want the inspection to go off without a hitch.”
“Not only that, he’s a little obsessed with work,” Jack explained. “I’ve been trying to slow him down to warp speed, but so far without success.”
“Good luck with that. And the inspection tomorrow.” She glanced between them. “Nice to see you, Gabe.”
“You, too.”
She moved away and he stared after her, savoring the seductive scent of her skin, watching the sway of her hips, the slender column of her neck, the way the unflattering fluorescent lighting turned her hair into a golden halo. Jack was right about women. But this woman in particular did something to him. And just like that he wasn’t brooding anymore. Just moments in a room with her and his mood went from zero to off the scale.
He didn’t like it. Today she lifted his spirits, tomorrow his heart, and that was bad. If it were a disease, he could take medicine, but there was no treatment he knew of to stop this disorder, no indicators that would show up on an ultrasound or any other sophisticated machine. Maybe she was right that medicine was the easy part. Because this was damned hard. But he could no longer ignore the fact that she was a desirable woman he couldn’t stop thinking about. The realization twisted him up inside.
“Earth to Gabe.”
“What?” He met his friend’s gaze.
“Why didn’t you tell me Amy’s doctor was such a babe?”
“Because it didn’t seem relevant. She’s good at what she does and that’s the important thing.”
“Rebecca—” Jack waved her over. “Why don’t you join us.”
She hesitated. “I don’t want to intrude. Besides, I don’t have much time.”
“Neither does Gabe. Keep him company while I run up to the fourth floor and check on the electrical. You can meet me there, buddy.”
Rebecca looked uncomfortable as she set her tray down. “I don’t want to chase you off.”
“You’re not.” As he walked away, Jack opened his coat to find a pen, then turned back. He pulled something from his inside jacket pocket. “I just remembered, Gabe, I’ve got plans Saturday night. I can’t use these tickets.”
“Jack, I—”
“Take Rebecca.” He dropped the envelope on the table between them. “Gotta go.”
They both stared at the tickets, then looked at each other. Gabe didn’t know what to say. There was a time when he could have smoothed over something like this without missing a beat. But he was out of practice, and if not for Jack, it wouldn’t be necessary to flex those muscles now.
“You’ve known him a long time?” Rebecca asked, almost as if she could read his thoughts.
“Since we were ten.”
“Ah.” She nodded, then took a bite of salad.
“He’s not subtle,” Gabe commented.
“Not very, no.” She met his gaze. “Does he try to fix you up often?”
“No.”
In fact never. Until now. Jack had always understood him. Until now. But his friend didn’t understand what Gabe had been through. If he did, he’d know that advice to “move forward” was easier to hand out than it was to take.
“This is awkward.”
Lifting a shoulder, she said, “Don’t worry about it.”
Gabe ate the rest of his burger without really tasting it, which was a blessing. Then he looked at her. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested—”
She shook her head. “Not a good idea.”
That’s for sure. Note to self, he thought. Get even with Jack.
“So who’s having a baby?” he asked. “Anyone I know?”
“I don’t think so. And even if you did, I couldn’t tell you. There are those pesky privacy laws,” she said.
“You’re such a rule follower.”
“So says mister Type A personality.”
“What was your first clue?”
Her brown eyes warmed with challenge. “You wouldn’t be here making sure everything’s going according to plans, and codes, and specs, oh my.”
“Okay, smart aleck. Chalk up one for you.”
“Thank you.” She twisted the plastic cap from her bottle of water and took a drink.
She pressed her lips together to remove the moisture and the movement twisted up his insides in an entirely different way, a way that had nothing to do with his conflicted feelings and everyt
hing to do with lust. A pure and simple yearning to hold her, kiss her until she was fire in his arms, then make love to her.
He wanted this woman.
It didn’t make him happy, but he could no longer ignore the fact, either. Apparently, Jack had noticed, too. Gabe could live with this change as long as he didn’t cross the line between wanting her and needing her.
He picked up the envelope and started to stick the tickets into the inside pocket of his jacket. “I’m sorry Jack made you uncomfortable. There will be swift and sure retribution.”
She smiled as he’d hoped she would. “Don’t hurt him. Or don’t tell me about it. There’s this little thing called the Hippocratic oath we doctors take before we can practice medicine. One of the most basic things is to do no harm. I’m quite sure knowledge of premeditated harm would require intervention on my part.”
“Okay. I won’t tell you. Obviously, Jack didn’t think through that move. But please don’t feel obligated. I don’t mind going alone.”
He was used to it. T&O Construction contributed to several charities. But this particular cause was a first for them.
“So you’re still going?” she asked.
He nodded. “I’ll make an appearance. Participate in the silent auction, then duck out as quickly as possible. All proceeds go to the Southern Nevada Rape Crisis Center.”
Rebecca was taking a drink of water and started to cough. Gabe patted her back until she stopped. “You okay?”
She nodded. “I swallowed wrong.”
“I hate when that happens.”
“How did the company happen to get involved in this particular benefit?” she asked, almost too casually.
He shrugged. “We got a call from one of the local TV news anchors. This is the third annual Nora’s Night on the Town. We have a budget for contributions and it’s an opportunity to network.”
“It’s also a worthy cause.”
Gabe might have turned down the request if Rebecca hadn’t suggested that Amy could possibly be a victim. She hadn’t opened up about that and he wouldn’t push the issue. But when he’d gotten the call, he remembered and agreed to participate.
The Millionaire and the M.D. Page 8