by Scott, Laura
He never should have touched her.
He’d watched many like her come and go. Senior emergency medicine residents did the required rotations, then left to graduate as full-fledged physicians. The only full-time doctor on staff was Dr. Jared O’Connor, and he was a pediatric specialist as well as the medical director of the Lifeline Air Rescue program.
Watching residents rotate through had never bothered him before, especially the women. He wasn’t in the market for a relationship. Ever. The pain of losing someone you loved was too devastating. Didn’t he see the same theme over and over again with every injured or sick person they transported? Every patient had someone who mourned the potential loss of a wife, a father, a sister, or a child. He’d been down that road before and had no intention of repeating the experience.
More than enough reason to remind himself that the beautiful Dr. Kearn was off-limits.
A call came in, requesting response to a crash scene. Samantha materialized in the doorway before he’d finished reading the entire message on his pager.
“Ready to go?”
“I don’t think so.” Reese gestured to the radar screen. “The snow is getting thick and heavy. The higher the altitude, the more likely the snow will be freezing rain. Temperatures are hovering around freezing. Dangerous flying weather.”
Her frown was perplexed. “But we’ve flown in snow before.”
Reese hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. He knew there were pilots who pushed the line of safe flying, but he wasn’t one of them. Snow in and of itself didn’t justify red flying conditions, but freezing rain did, and the temperature was too fickle right now to make the distinction.
Swallowing his own disappointment, he picked up the phone to call the paramedic base. “Base, we’re in yellow flying conditions that are leaning toward red. I don’t think we should respond to this call.”
“Roger, will notify the paramedic unit closest to the scene.”
Samantha stared at him for a long minute, and he braced himself for the arguments he could practically see dancing in her head. To his surprise, though, she simply turned and left.
Guilt weighed heavy on his heart. There was only an hour left until the end of their twelve-hour shift, and Reese reminded himself how keeping the crew safe was his top priority. The crash victims would get the aid they needed through ground transport. Still, he silently admitted that he didn’t like turning down anyone in distress. Their purpose was to save lives, but he knew from painful firsthand experience that he couldn’t save anyone by putting the entire crew at risk.
The weather had been similar, thick wet swirling snow, the night Greg and Valerie had crashed. He had tortured himself for weeks after their deaths, wondering if he could have prevented it. Reese had switched shifts with Greg so he could take his grandmother to her doctor appointment. Greg had been his friend, but Greg had also been known for being a risky flyer. Greg had been arrogant, thinking his skills at the stick had far outweighed the threat from the weather.
Had Valerie been willing to go along, or had she tried to get Greg to call off the flight? Reese had no way of knowing the truth. He could only comfort himself with the knowledge that Valerie had loved being a flight nurse and had accepted the risks just like the rest of them.
He didn’t realize how long he’d been staring morosely at the radar screen until the pilot coming on shift, Nate, strode into the debriefing room. “Hey, Reese. How’s the weather?”
“I’ve seen better.” Reese subtly glanced at his watch. Surprise widened his eyes. Where had the last hour gone?
“Are we in the red?”
“Yellow, but I turned down a scene call a while ago.” Reese glanced over Nate’s shoulder. “When the rest of the crew arrives, I’ll fill you in.”
Within five minutes, Kate and another senior resident, Dr. Zane Taylor, entered the debriefing room. Reese quickly gave them an update on the ice incident and the impact of the weather conditions. Samantha and Andrew briefed them on the transport they had done earlier that day, including the placement of the chest tube. Kate and Zane were impressed by Samantha’s quick thinking. She flushed and averted her gaze, obviously uncomfortable with the attention.
Many of the physicians were a bit on the arrogant side, a fact he readily accepted. He’d always figured you had to be a tad arrogant to work in such a stressful job, and truthfully, pilots were similar in many ways. Samantha was different, and he couldn’t help but wonder if the mystery guy who had sent the flower was part of the reason she didn’t like being the center of attention.
Reese purposefully waited until she and Andrew left the debriefing room before adding another portion of his report, one he preferred to give out of Dr. Kearn’s earshot.
“Security has been instructed not to accept any gifts of any nature for Dr. Kearn,” he confided.
“Gifts?” Kate’s eyes widened. “Why ever not? I’d love for someone to send me gifts.”
Reese frowned. “Maybe, but I don’t think Dr. Kearn’s gift was a token of appreciation. The details aren’t any of our business.”
“They are if there’s a threat involved,” Nate argued.
“A flower isn’t exactly a threat.” Reese lifted a hand to hold another argument. “I’ll let Jared know, although I’m certain Dr. Kearn will take care of that, too. Still, for now, just make a notation in the book that no deliveries are to be accepted on behalf of Dr. Kearn.”
Nate muttered under his breath but reluctantly agreed. Reese grabbed his coat and left the hangar.
Being a weekend, there weren’t many cars in the parking lot, especially at 1930 in the evening. Darkness had fallen, but the fresh white snow covering the ground glittered like shards of glass in the moonlight. Reese blinked through the swirling snowflakes, noticing how the wheels of a large dark-colored Oldsmobile spun uselessly in the snow. Since Andrew drove a minivan, he figured Samantha was behind the wheel.
“Hey!” He waved to get Samantha’s attention and hastened over to tap on her window. “I have a truck. Why don’t you let me drive you home?”
She rolled down the window. “No thanks, I’m fine.”
“Come on, the streets are bound to be slippery, and I have a four-wheel drive. No reason to have two cars on the road.”
“Look, Reese, I don’t need your help. Thanks anyway.” Even as she spoke, she stamped hard on the accelerator and the ancient Oldsmobile lurched forward as the wheels caught pavement.
Reese stood in the snow, staring after her as she drove off, trying to understand why the slightest offer of help was apparently unwelcome by the beautiful yet reticent flight doctor.
3
Samantha rested her forehead on top of the steering wheel and uttered a low groan. Things had happened so fast she didn’t even remember sliding into the ditch. Stupid bunny just had to hop into the middle of the road. She’d swerved to avoid hitting it and had ended up with her rear tire stuck in the ditch for her efforts.
Yep. Reese had been right. The roads were slick.
She sighed, lifted her head, and tried rocking her car out of the ditch again. No dice. She was good and stuck.
No use dwelling on the situation. At least she wasn’t too far from the Oak Terrace apartment building where she lived. The walk would do her good. The only hassle would be getting to work in the morning without a car.
She opened her door and watched a big black truck pull alongside her. For a moment, her heart raced with fear, until she recognized Reese’s concerned face peering at her through his open passenger window.
“Are you all right?”
“Just dandy.” Sam braced herself for the I told you so he was bound to say.
“Will you allow me to give you a ride home? Or would you rather I try to push your car out of the ditch?”
Surprised, she stared at him. He was giving her a choice? Without trying to tell her how idiotic she was to drive into the ditch in the first place? How refreshing.
“I have to work early in the morn
ing, so I’d really like to get my car out, if you don’t mind.”
He nodded, seemingly not surprised by her request. “I don’t mind. I’ll park up ahead, then push you out.”
Sam was grateful he didn’t give her a lecture or rub in how foolish she was. She had a feeling Reese wouldn’t have swerved for a bunny, or if he had, his four-wheel-drive truck would never have ended up in the ditch. True to his word, he trudged past her open driver side window to the back of her car, checking where her wheels had slid off the road.
“Do you know how to rock the car?” His gaze mirrored his doubt.
“Yes.”
“Good. Start rocking and I’ll give you a push.” His voice grew muffled as he made his way to the back of the car. In her rearview mirror, she saw that he was braced along the bumper behind the passenger side rear wheel, giving her a nod to indicate he was ready.
“Here goes,” she muttered. She hit the gas intermittently, setting up a rocking motion. Once. Twice. Three times. Four.
Without warning, her tire caught hold and her car shot up the embankment onto the road, and she quickly hit the brakes.
Reese scrambled up after her, then jumped into the passenger seat of her car. The Olds was almost eighteen years old, and many of its features, like the automatic locks, had stopped working a long time ago.
She cranked up the heat for his benefit, then turned to him, flashing a warm smile. “Thanks, Reese. I really appreciate your help.”
“You’re welcome. For a minute there I thought you were planning to walk home. Do you live far from here?”
“No. About a mile or two down the road in the Oak Terrace apartments.”
“Really?” His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Me, too.”
Reese lived in the same complex? She’d never seen him around, but then again, she’d only lived there for a couple of months. “Which building?”
“The south building.”
“Oh, I live in the north building.” Which probably explained why she hadn’t seen him yet. The news that Reese lived so close didn’t alarm her. Instead, a flicker of excitement danced along her nerves. Now that she knew he lived nearby, basically within walking distance, she’d drive yourself crazy watching for him.
An awkward silence fell between them. He didn’t make an effort to get out of her car, and Sam wasn’t sure what she should do. She didn’t feel right kicking him out of her car after he had gone to such trouble of pushing her out of the ditch. But what on earth was he waiting for?
“Do you mind if I ask a personal question?”
Her gut clenched in warning. “No, I guess not.”
His hair was damp from the melting snow, and he slanted her a sideways glance. “Are you married?”
“No!” Cheeks burning with mortification, she couldn’t believe he’d thought she was married. Samantha knew she didn’t owe him an explanation but found herself telling him anyway. “I’m divorced.”
The relief in his expression nearly made her smile. Then his brows pulled together in a dark frown. “Is your ex-husband the one who’d sent the flower?”
She supposed it was an easy guess. What was the point of denying it? Reluctantly, she nodded. “He’s persistent.”
“What’s his name?” There was a hint of steel in his tone.
“Dennis Markowitz.”
“How long have you been divorced?”
Sam shifted in her seat. “Six months.”
“More than persistent, then.”
She couldn’t argue, but Dennis was the last person she wanted to talk about. He was the past, and her goal was to focus on the future. The hour was getting late, and she really did have to work in the morning. “Well, thanks again. Did you want me to drive you home?”
“Huh?” Reese glanced around as if he’d forgotten he was still sitting in her car. “Oh, no. But wait for me and I’ll follow you.”
Before she could respond one way or the other, he opened the door and climbed from the car.
Sam swallowed a protest, watching as he hunched his shoulders against the cold wind and headed for his truck. He didn’t need to follow her home, but since they were going the same way, there wasn’t any point in arguing.
Besides, her pulse still hadn’t settled back to normal after he’d asked if she was married. Had he simply been fishing for information on who’d sent the lily? Or had he wanted to know her marital status for personal reasons?
When he flashed his lights, she pulled out into the nonexistent traffic ahead of him. Reese’s truck lights were reassuringly bright behind her.
Despite her vow to concentrate on her career, on forgetting the mistakes in her past, Sam found herself secretly hoping Reese had asked about her marital status for personal reasons.
The ride home was a short one. She pulled into an empty parking space in front of her north building, fully expecting Reese to continue on. But he surprised her by parking his truck beside her car.
She climbed from the Oldsmobile, glancing over as he did the same. “What are you doing?”
“I thought I’d walk you inside.” Reese slammed his truck door behind him.
“There’s no reason to walk me in,” she protested.
“Hey, humor me, will you?” Reese fell into step beside her. “What’s the harm?”
Sam shrugged, unable to think of a reason not to. He was certainly going out of his way to be nice. Too bad she wasn’t in the market for a man. She shot him a quick look as they headed up the sidewalk. Did he think she was? In the market for a man?
Her boots slid in the slippery snow, and he quickly cupped a hand under her elbow. “Easy, don’t fall.”
She wanted to point out that she was already falling, the ground seemingly disappearing from beneath her feet. Every time Reese touched her, she was free-falling into new territory. Having Reese’s undivided attention was a completely disarming experience. One that shifted her off balance.
She used her key to access the building. Once inside, Reese paused in front of the elevator. “Which floor?”
“Ground level.” She brushed past him to unlock the second door. One of the reasons she liked this apartment building was because of the decent security system.
“This way.” She turned left and headed down the hall to her apartment. Outside the door, she turned and forced a smile. “This is it. Thanks for walking me in.”
“No problem.”
When he didn’t immediately leave, she raised a brow. Now what? “Are you planning to follow me inside?”
“Just enough to make sure there are no unwelcome surprises.” Reese’s expression never changed, but she thought his eyes darkened.
“I’m sure Dennis didn’t deliver a lily here.” When Reese didn’t budge, she suppressed a sigh and unlocked her door. She opened it with one hand, finding and switching on the lights with the other. A quick sweeping glance confirmed there was nothing out of order.
“See? Everything’s fine.” She stepped back against the door, gesturing for him to look for himself.
Reese nodded again and stepped closer, craning his neck to see the inside of her apartment. She caught another whiff of his spicy aftershave and shrank back against the door to stop from throwing herself into his arms. Dear heaven, what was wrong with her? Reese was just being nice. Was she so unaccustomed to nice behavior from a man that she couldn’t recognize it for what it was?
It was a sad testament to her messed up personal life.
“Thanks again, Reese. See you tomorrow.” She injected cheerfulness into her tone to hide her confusion. Taking several side steps, she eased along the door heading into her apartment. Reese didn’t have to do anything more than stand there and look at her to crumble her instinctive resistance toward the male species.
His gaze met hers, and time hung suspended between them. He was very close, his eyes dark, wide, and intent. For a moment, she wondered if he might lean forward and kiss her. Her lips parted in anticipation. If he did, would she be brave enough to kiss him ba
ck?
“Good night, Samantha.” His voice was low, husky, drawing out the syllables of her full name in a rumbling tone. Dazed and breathless, she realized he’d used her full name. Samantha. No more Dr. Kearn, she was Samantha now. “See you tomorrow.”
Speechless, she could only stare after him as he turned and ambled away. Realizing she was standing with the door wide open, staring down an empty hallway, she quickly closed and locked it, then leaned against the wood, her head tilted back against the door, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.
Reese wasn’t a part of her master plan, but somehow, she suspected he wasn’t going to be easy to ignore.
IThe thought brought a thrill of anticipation she hadn’t experienced in years.
THE SNOW WAS FALLING in thick, swirling flakes as Reese headed outside toward his truck. Reese lifted his face, the snow a welcome coolness against his flushed skin.
Man, he needed to get a grip. He’d called her Samantha. He liked her name, but that wasn’t the point. What happened to Dr. Kearn? She was supposed to stay Dr. Kearn. How could he keep her out of his head now that he called her Samantha?
Reese drove around Samantha’s building to his assigned parking space. He shut off the engine and got out of the truck and then locked the doors. Trudging through the snow, he didn’t notice the sharp wind in his face. Inside the building, he headed to his apartment.
The layout was an exact replica of Samantha’s, only he was on the second floor. As he threw his keys on the kitchen table, he wondered how she was doing. After the day she’d had, she deserved to relax.
He found himself wondering what she did to relax, then gave himself a mental head-slap.
What in the world was wrong with him?
Samantha’s personal life wasn’t his business. Yet, she’d gotten to him, despite how she’d clearly tried to avoid telling him anything. In fact, he was rather ticked about how he’d had to drag information from her. He hadn’t imagined the instant flare of panic in her eyes when he’d pulled up beside her car while being stuck in the ditch.