The Emergency Doctor's Chosen Wife

by Molly Evans

  “He’s not really—”

  “Oh, don’t you deny it, honey. I saw the way he looked at you when you were here the last time. That man is crazy about you. Just crazy.” She placed her arm around Gina’s shoulders, and they walked together, with Mary Lou pushing Gina’s cart ahead of them. “You just let him take care of you. Men have a need to take care of their women, so you just let him, OK? It’s hard for us women to let people take care of us, but sometimes we just have to.” She pointed to the cart. “But don’t overdo the ice cream or you’ll have hips like mine,” she said with a grin.

  Gina couldn’t help but think back to their previous conversation about Mary Lou’s hips. “I’ll watch it. I promise.”

  “Good. Now, you call me when you’re ready to look at weddin’ cake designs. I’ll even give you a discount since we’ve known each other for so long.” Mary Lou released Gina’s shoulders as they approached the check out line. “Here’s my number,” she said and handed Gina a business card. “And I want your number, too.” She wrote down Gina’s cell phone number.

  “Now, I’m going to call you in a while, just to check in and see how you’re doin’. I know this is hard.” She clicked her tongue. “But you’ll get through it.” She patted Gina’s arm, and they strolled toward the doors. “You’ll get things straightened out with Thomas, I just know it. I got a good feelin’ about him.”

  “Mary Lou,” Gina said. “Thomas and I aren’t really—”

  “Uh-huh,” she said, her eyes narrowed and a sly smile on her face. “That man has love, or at least lust, written all over him, and it’s all for you, honey, all for you.”

  She stared at Mary Lou for a moment, digesting the woman’s observations.

  “It’s true, honey. You take that ice cream and share it with him. You’ll see.”

  Gina took her items home and thought about Mary Lou during the short drive. The woman saw romance in everything. Always had. But this time she was wrong. She had to be.

  Through with the code, everything wound up for the night, Thomas headed home with a feeling of dissatisfaction churning in his gut. As he entered his house he realized something was wrong. But he didn’t know what. The lights all seemed to be working OK, nothing had been disturbed, everything was in its proper place. The air seemed a bit stale. After fixing a sandwich, Thomas settled in front of the television, but too many news stations ran the same outrageous stories, so he flipped the radio on instead.

  Smooth jazz. Just what he needed to unwind with. Half-asleep in minutes on the couch, he leaned his head back and lost himself in the music. The ring tone on his cell phone startled him awake.

  “This is Dr Ferguson,” he said, rubbing his eyes.

  “You sound so official, Doc.”

  Gina’s voice in his ear woke him instantly. “Everything OK?” he asked, pleased that she’d called him.

  “Sure. Just wanted to see how the code went.”

  He could hear the hesitation in her voice, so he tried to be as nonchalant as possible. “Successful. ICU’s got a good team. But I think we’ll probably have to send the patient out to Richmond tomorrow.”

  “That’ll be good,” she said. “They have a good program over there.”

  They chatted for a few moments about work issues until Gina paused. “Doc, about the weekend thing…”

  Damn. He’d pushed her too quickly. “Yes?” He left it at that.

  “If the offer’s still open, I haven’t been to the mountains for a long, long time,” she said, her voice soft with yearning.

  Grinning, Thomas was glad she couldn’t see him. “Offer’s still open. Anytime.” Relief washed through him. He didn’t know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, but at least it was progress. He wanted to get to know Gina better, have a change to figure out what was going on between them aside from fabulous sex. “What do you think Mary Lou will have to say about it?”

  Gina gasped. “Doc! Don’t you dare!”

  Thomas laughed, wishing he could see the redness flare in her cheeks. He loved that about her.

  “Oh, you’re a wicked man,” she said, but laughter hid behind the words. “I don’t know why I put up with you.”

  “Because you think I’m cute,” he said, unable to keep the grin from his face. “You told Mary Lou I was cute, didn’t you?”

  “Ha! Cute only goes so far with me, Doc.”

  “Gina? I think you’re cute, too,” he said, and wished that she was there beside him. He’d show her just how cute he thought she was.

  For a moment only silence came through the line.

  “Gina?” Had his cell connection gone bad? Had she hung up on him?

  “I’m here,” she whispered.

  Thomas heard her voice catch and the raggedness of her breathing in the background. He hoped that he hadn’t caused her more distress with his comment. “Are you OK?” He cleared his throat. “I was just teasing.”

  “I know. It just felt so normal that for a moment I forgot about…everything else,” she said, then paused.

  “I understand. After my divorce nothing seemed right for a long time. I didn’t know where I belonged anymore.” Still didn’t sometimes, but he was working on it.

  “You?” Gina snorted in the phone. “Your family is one of the most prominent in the state of Virginia. How can you not know where you belong?”

  “That’s my family, not me. My brothers never seemed to have any trouble, but…” He paused. “I think I was adopted.”

  “Thomas!” Gina laughed into the phone. “You’re being silly.”

  “Yeah, but I got you to laugh.” And that was worth it.

  “You did,” she admitted.

  “How about I pick you up tomorrow afternoon, and we go to the mountains for the weekend? I know of a little cabin in the woods that’s quiet.”

  “Sounds great. I’ll be ready.”

  The next afternoon Thomas negotiated the Porsche through the Blue Ridge Mountains, up and down winding stretches of highway bordered on either side by miles and miles of forest. Then the landscape changed, and they broke free of the dense woods. A mountain dropped away on one side to reveal the Shenandoah Valley, once the breadbasket of the south. Acres of lush green farmland supported the local economy in many ways and provided fresh produce available for many months of the year.

  “I’ve been here many times, but it’s still an amazing sight.” She watched out the window at the ever-changing scenery, and a soft sigh escaped from her.

  The awe in her voice touched him. Virginia was his home, too, and he loved it. He needed to get away from work more and enjoy it. “The last time I was up here I crashed my mountain bike and haven’t been back since.”

  “What happened?” She turned toward him, her eyes wide with curiosity.

  “I hit a tree.”

  “Were you hurt? Did you have a helmet on?”

  He shifted in his seat, now wishing he hadn’t told her anything. “I swerved to miss a squirrel on the trail, hit a rock, which gave me a flat tire, then crashed into the tree.”

  Gina covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh. But the image of this very large, very important man trying to avoid a tiny squirrel was too much. Her shoulders shook as she tried to suppress her mirth.

  “Go ahead, laugh,” he said with dry humor. “Everyone else did.”

  Gina gave in and laughed until her sides hurt. “Was the squirrel OK?”

  “Ha! He stood there chattering at me like it was my fault.” Thomas grinned. “Next time I’ll run him down.”

  “Thomas!” They argued good-naturedly about the situation and who had the right of way on the trails, speeding bicyclists or squirrels. Thomas negotiated a series of turns onto ever smaller roadways until they were crawling up a dirt road filled with ruts and stones.

  “Are you sure we’re on the right road?” she asked, not seeing any sort of structure. “This doesn’t look like it goes anywhere.” She squinted out the window into the dense vegetation.

>   “I’m sure.”

  “It looks like we’re going to the top of the mountain.”

  “We are.”

  She eyed him with suspicion. “Wait a minute. You aren’t taking me on some idiotic back-to-nature thing where we have to forage for our own food and build our own shelter, are you?”

  “Hardly,” he said with a laugh. “We’ll be there in a few minutes. You’ll see.”

  Gina settled back into her seat, content to wait. Minutes later they rounded the last turn in the road, and Gina sat forward, her mouth hanging open. “You weren’t kidding. It’s really the top of the mountain.” Dense vegetation lifted to reveal his mountain retreat.

  Nestled in a dense grove of ancient pines and oaks, a fifteen-room log cabin perched at the very peak of the mountain. The view was fabulous now, but in fall or winter it would be breathtaking.

  “Here we are. How do you like it?” Constance had hated the idea of this place, but he’d refused to part with it. Though it was a recreation home, he was more comfortable here in the mountains than he was in the city sometimes. Like now. Sharing his love for the mountains was important to him. He hoped that Gina liked it.

  “Like it?” She gaped at him. “Are you nuts? It’s fabulous, Thomas, and I haven’t even seen the inside.”

  “Then let me show it to you.” The tightness that had taken hold of his heart for the many months since his divorce started to ease.

  Thomas grabbed the bags from the car, and Gina scrambled out of the vehicle. He led the way up the polished wooden stairs and the door swung open.

  “Don’t tell me you have a staff up here?” she asked.

  “Just the caretaker.”

  “Dr Thomas!” A jovial-looking man, dressed in a plaid flannel shirt, work pants and boots, walked out of the cabin.

  “Curt, how are you?” Thomas asked, and shook the man’s hand.

  “All set for you.” He looked at Gina.

  “Gina, this is Curt Harris. He keeps the cabin in shape and opens it up for me when I want to get away.”

  Gina shook his hand, too. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “Have a good weekend. Weather report is a good one,” he said as he descended the stairs.

  “I didn’t even think about listening to the weather on the way up,” Gina said.

  Curt patted one knee. “This is my weather report. Hasn’t failed me in forty years.”

  “Good to know. Thanks again,” Thomas said, and went inside.

  Gina followed him into the most luxurious cabin she’d ever seen. It looked like a model home from Architectural Digest or Vacation Homes of the Rich and Outrageously Famous. And here she was, going to spend the weekend in it.

  With Thomas. Also the most magnificent specimen she’d ever had the pleasure of knowing. Her throat suddenly went dry. She jumped when Thomas placed a hand on her shoulder. “Let me show you where everything is, and you can make yourself at home. This time away is for you to rest or do whatever you want.”

  “Lead the way.” After a short tour, the anxiety she had anticipated never surfaced. Thomas made no presumptions about their intimacy and gave her the choice of sharing a room with him or having her own.

  “I’m itching to get outside. Want to go for a walk or take a ride? I’ve got an extra bike that you could use.”

  “Let me change and let’s go for a ride.”

  Minutes later she found Thomas out front, checking the status of all of the bicycle tires. For a few moments she just stared at him. He was so not what she had ex pected. He was so much more a man than anyone she’d ever known. Just because he came from a wealthy back ground, it didn’t make him worthy of her scorn. She knew she’d been judgmental when they’d first met, but after getting to know him, she knew she had been wrong. Not all wealthy men were like Brad. Taking a deep breath, she released it on a long sigh, blowing away all the bad memories and hurt she’d harbored over the years. With that simple gesture, she did feel lighter. Life was good.

  “Almost ready,” he said.

  Gina couldn’t move. She couldn’t open her mouth to speak. Everything in her was frozen.

  Thomas stood. “What?”

  “Thank you for this.”

  The smile that eased across his face melted her. “You’re welcome.”

  Minutes later they were racing down the mountain on the bikes.

  The days were beautiful, but nights at the top of the mountain held a definite chill. Thomas handed Gina a glass of wine and settled onto the couch beside her in front of the roaring fire he’d built in the stone fireplace. Acoustic Appalachian Mountain music played in the background, not distracting from the pleasure of the fire or the peace of the night.

  “I’m not kidding. I think it was the same squirrel. He and his buddies have some sort of network going to try to kill me on my bike.”

  Gina giggled and sipped her wine. “Aren’t you overreacting? You’re just upset I witnessed your unmanly crash into the bushes.”

  Ignoring the “unmanly” part, Thomas shook his head. “Did you see how he stood there, chattering at us? It was the same squirrel. I know it.”

  “How long have you had this delusion that small furry mammals are plotting your downfall?” Keeping a straight face was not going to be possible.

  “You have no respect—”

  “For what? Your delusion?” She rocked back on the couch, laughing, and almost spilled her wine.

  “For my right to have a delusion,” he said, and grinned, then ran a hand over her head. At the feel of her silky hair against his hand, he sobered. “Come here,” he whispered, not wanting to let another second go by without kissing her.

  Gina leaned against him and raised her face. This ease, this freedom he found with Gina was intoxicating. And he didn’t want to let go of it.

  Tears sparkled in her eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked, not expecting this reaction from her.

  “You scare me.” Her soft mouth trembled as she said the words.

  “What?”

  “You…me…this…scares me more than anything.” She blinked and a trail of tears raced down her face.

  “Is it the money thing?” He didn’t want anything to come between them, but he had to be realistic. Money had been an issue with his ex-wife, too, but in an entirely different way.

  “It’s so much more than money. It’s class, it style, it’s expectations.” She huffed out a breath and took in another. “That’s the biggest part. The expectations of…being with someone like you. Of being with you.” God, she was such an idiot. How in the world had she ever thought, even for a second, that she could fit into his life?

  “My expectation is that you’ll be yourself, enjoy yourself and be honest with me.” He shrugged, not wanting to think about how her words mirrored his own feelings. “It’s that simple for me.”

  “Nothing is ever that simple, Thomas, you know that. What about your family? Your friends? What will they think about you hanging around with someone like me?” She was so afraid. This was the Brad situation all over again.

  He grinned. “They’ll be extremely jealous that I have such fine taste in women.”

  She smacked him on the arm, but his comment had the desired effect and her tears dried. Staring at the fire, she lost herself in the ever-changing flames, the tinge of wood-smoke that drifted into her head, and the peace of being away from work. This was such a magical time, such a fantasy, that she didn’t want to move and break the spell.

  Thomas curled his arm around her shoulders and brought her close against his side. The snuggling warmth of her against him filled him with an indescribable desire. Not just for sex, but wanting to make her laugh, to be able to dry her tears, to experience so many things together. She was right. This was a fright eningsituation, and one he didn’t want to end.

  Thomas leaned toward her. “I want to make love to you by the fire.” He whispered more heated words into her ear, and she closed her eyes, taking in his voice, the warmth of his whisper and the passion
of the night.

  Goose bumps of desire skated across her skin. Not just have sex, but make love. She wanted that, needed that. Thomas was the only one who could satisfy that need in her. She didn’t know what was going to happen after this time away from the real world, and right now she didn’t care. They both needed it.

  Thomas took her glass from her and set it on the floor. When Gina raised her face this time, there was no holding back the longing in her kiss. She loved him. That thought thrust through her on a trembling breath. She had to trust him. With everything.

  Standing, Thomas pulled her to her feet and held her against him for a long moment, savoring the moment, the feel of her in his arms. Desire coursed through him as he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. Gina fit him in so many ways. She just needed to see it. And he had to convince her of it.

  Caught up in the power of his kiss, Gina let go of everything that had held her back, that kept her from being happy, and focused on Thomas. This was their time and nothing was going to stop it.

  Thomas tugged at her sweater and removed it. Gina’s hands roamed over his shoulders and fisted his shirt in her hands. “I want your skin against me,” he said. Minutes later, their clothing shed, they dropped to their knees on the rug. She pressed him down onto his back, eager to explore his body.

  Giving her the control she seemed to need tonight, Thomas watched the play of colors the fire created in her hair. Producing a condom from somewhere, she applied it to him, her fingers cool against his heated flesh. She eased him into her silky feminine sheath and gasped as she took him fully inside her.

  Thomas memorized every movement, every touch, every sigh, as she used his body for her pleasure. But soon he was past being a casual observer and clutched her hips, urging her onward, harder, faster, until they collapsed in a tangle of sated limbs and languid kisses.

  Late Sunday afternoon, after another bike ride with no squirrel sightings, Gina and Thomas returned to town. Gina sighed for the tenth time in an hour. “Are you OK?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s going to be strange, going back to work and the real world after this weekend.” She reached over and placed her hand on his thigh. “I have to admit that this has been the most romantic weekend of my life, Thomas.” And one she would never forget, no matter what happened between them.