Reunited with Her Daredevil Doc

by Susan Carlisle

Dana pulled him to her. Her hands running down his back to the hem of his golf shirt. She wanted to touch his skin. Needed to. Her body sizzled with sensation.

  Travis stepped back enough she could remove it. With it gone, he pulled her to him. Her nose buried in his chest.

  She inhaled. “You smell so good.”

  “Not like dirt, smoke and sweat I hope.”

  “No. You smell like Travis. I remember it from years ago. A smell I’ll never forget.”

  Travis kissed her deeply as if she’d said something very important to him. Breaking the contact, he placed his hands on her waist and lifted her, then fell on the bed with a bounce. He gave it an extra bounce, making her do so, as well. “Nice. I might never leave.”

  She liked the idea too much but that wasn’t the type of relationship they agreed on. “You could be alone much of the time this time of the year.”

  “Then I need to make the most of now. I’d hate for you to have to run off.”

  She looked at him sweetly. “What about our supper?”

  His mouth found one of her breasts and teased it through the material of her shirt and bra. “I’ve decided to have dessert first.”

  “I guess the tour will wait too.”

  “Uh-huh. I’ll see the rest of the house later.” He looked up and met her gaze with a grin. “Maybe next week.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  FOR DANA, THE next two weeks passed in a blur of Travis. All she wanted to do was stay in bed with him. Her life had turned into what she’d always dreamed it could be. What she’d always wanted it to be. To have a man in her life she could admire, who made it clear he wanted her and who made her feel special. She felt truly blessed.

  Yet she knew that one day soon Travis would call an end to it. They didn’t talk about the future. They lived in the moment. She wasn’t sure how long she could continue to do that no matter how sweet she found their time together. Commitment was important to her, knowing she belonged. A forever place.

  She’d been called out to fight a fire once during that time. For the first time she had not been eager to leave. All the times she left with excitement pumping through her veins. While she’d been gone the excitement had been about returning to Travis. The necessity of sleeping on the cool ground had never bothered her before, but now she knew what it was like having Travis hold her in his strong arms and against his solid body.

  He stayed at her house most nights. They were slowly growing into what looked like a real couple. They rose early, made love, then Travis prepared breakfast and they took their coffee out on the porch to watch the sunrise. In the evenings, she cooked dinner. He’d yet to say anything about reading something into that. She wondered more than once if he saw it as the sign of her deep feelings.

  One night Travis had to go to his office to see a patient after hours. She joined him. He asked her to help him do vitals as he examined the woman having breathing problems. Dana liked that he appreciated her skills and trusted her.

  During their first weekend together they slept late. Travis did some paperwork while she tended to her flowers. With that done, they mucked out the barn and saw to the horses. Travis acted eager to help, and just as he had in the forest, took her direction. That evening they went to dinner at a local restaurant. As far as she was concerned they’d been wonderful days.

  In the middle of their second weekend Travis said, “I have a medical association dinner to attend next Saturday night. I’d like you to go with me.”

  Such a fancy meeting wasn’t her usual type of event. Growing up with just her grandfather who didn’t do much socializing outside of church on Sunday, she didn’t know much about being social. Even her prom she’d missed. Not because she wasn’t asked but because she knew her grandfather didn’t have the money for a dress. “Those really aren’t my thing. I don’t have anything to wear.”

  “All you need is something nice. Nothing fancy.”

  That sounded just like a man.

  “As far as I’m concerned you look good in anything.” He grinned. “But look your best in nothing.”

  She gave him an appalled glance and lightly slapped his arm. “I’m sure everyone would appreciate that.”

  “Please come with me, Dana. It’s just dinner.” His eyes pleaded. That look she had a difficult time resisting. “I’d really like you to come with me.”

  How could she say no? “I’ll see if I have a dress or a nice pants outfit I can wear.”

  “If you decide to buy one or the other let me get it for you.” He wore that begging look again.

  She liked that Travis wanted to do something nice for her. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I know, but I’d like to.”

  The idea of letting him care for her didn’t fit her usual independent personality. But this time she would let him have his way. Still it niggled at her that she had no idea where this relationship was going.

  The night of the dinner meeting Travis decided to dress at his condo. He said he wanted to make their evening out be like a date.

  Dana had bought a new dress. A summer-sky-blue color, it was a simple shift with no sleeves. Nothing fancy. She splurged for a pair of silver sandals and had taken the time to have her hair trimmed. Going through her small jewelry box, she located the necklace and matching bracelet that had been handed down to her by her mother and put them on. The only things she owned that showed they might have cared.

  Looking at herself one way and then the other in the full-length mirror, Dana had to admit she looked her best. That gave her confidence for the evening. The fact she’d be with Travis who was such a stunning man helped, as well. She had no doubt he’d take care of her and not leave her to fend for herself.

  When she opened the door for Travis, he just stood there staring at her, as if stunned. Growing self-conscious, she touched her hair.

  “You look absolutely gorgeous.”

  “You don’t look half bad yourself.” Unable to resist touching him, she ran her hands down the lapel of his black suit. He wore a blue shirt that matched his eyes and a tie of the same, striped blue and black. To say he looked dashing would’ve been an understatement. “I don’t think there’ll be a better looking man there.”

  “And I may get in a fight because all the men are looking at you.”

  She smiled. “That’s not likely to happen.”

  He offered her his arm and helped her down the front steps, opened the car door to his late-model luxury car and saw her settled inside.

  As they made the circle in front of the country club, Dana said, “I’ve never been here before. Heard about it, but not been here.” She hated places like this, felt intimidated by them.

  A valet attendant saw to the car. Travis escorted her to the door. The moment they stepped inside the building someone called Travis’s name. He directed her over to the man. With his hand at her waist, which gave her reassurance, he introduced her. Travis made small talk for a minute and they continued down a large open hallway. Others spoke to him and in each instance he took the time to make sure she met them. For someone who had moved back to town fairly recently and been gone for a number of years, he knew a lot of people.

  They kept moving until they entered a large banquet room. People mingled with drinks in their hands and around dining tables set for a meal.

  Paying more attention to the women than the men, Dana was relieved to see she had dressed correctly. She didn’t have to look hard because most of the women in the room were looking at Travis. He was without a doubt the best-looking person there. She smiled. He was hers. For tonight.

  “Why the frown?”

  She pushed the thought away and forced a smile. “I didn’t know I was.”

  “Would you like a drink?” Travis asked.

  “A white wine would be nice.”

  Travis left her and went to the bar. She looked arou
nd the room filled with well-dressed people. All the women seemed to have manicured fingernails and fashionable haircuts. She knew her hair was more functional than stylish and her nails were cut short with no polish.

  This wasn’t a group she fit into. Travis needed someone who belonged in his world. How long would it be before he realized that? She looked at him. Her heart would break when he realized it and left her.

  A plump woman with short curly brown hair approached. “Hi. I’m Doris. You must be Dana. I’m Travis’s nurse.”

  “Oh. Hello.”

  “It’s nice to meet you. Travis can’t say enough about you. You’ve made him smile. I like that. He came to town far too serious and sad.”

  Dana wasn’t sure what to say. “Thank you.”

  “He talks about you constantly. He’s crazy about you.”

  Heat went up Dana’s neck yet she liked hearing that. She was certainly crazy about Travis. Too much so. She had stepped past her promise to herself not to get too involved with him. She was destined for hurt.

  “I fully expected you to be wearing a Wonder Woman outfit.” Doris looked her over. “Lovely dress.”

  “Thank you. It can’t be that bad?” What in the world had Travis been saying?

  Doris gave her a knowing grin. “Oh, yeah. It’s nice to see you’re a mere mortal.”

  “I can assure you that I am.” Dana had to get the conversation going in a different direction. “Are you the nurse who took care of his burn?”

  “I am.” The woman nodded.

  Dana leaned toward her like she planned to tell a secret. “Then you know he’s a much better doctor than he is a patient.”

  Doris laughed, one that made her eyes squint.

  Travis returned, then handed the wineglass to Dana. She took a sip.

  “I see you’ve met, Doris.”

  Doris gave him an angelic look. “Yes, we were having a little girl talk about you.”

  Dana grinned at Travis’s stricken look. “Should I be worried? I don’t need my nurse and my...uh friend ganging up on me.”

  Dana’s stomached tightened. Travis didn’t even know what to call her. What was she to him anyway? A longer-than-usual fling?

  A man not much taller than Doris came up beside her. “This is my husband, Sheldon.”

  “Hello,” he said to both Dana and Travis.

  The men shook hands.

  Her husband put his hand on Doris’s shoulder. “I’d like for you to come met someone.”

  “Okay.” She looked at her and Travis, “we’ll see you later then.”

  She and Travis nodded then wandered around the room for the next fifteen minutes speaking to different couples Travis knew. As people started finding their tables, they located theirs, as well. Three other couples joined them.

  Travis knew all of the men. They worked at the hospital. They introduced their wives and Travis saw to it she was introduced, as well. As they ate dinner, Dana remained perfectly happy to eat and listen to the conversations around her.

  They were being served dessert when the woman sitting next to her asked, “Dana, what’s it you do for a living?”

  Dana hesitated for a moment then she squared her shoulders. She had a job to be proud of. Just because historically it was a man’s profession and dirty didn’t mean it was any less important. “I’m a smokejumper.”

  The woman’s eyes widened and she looked at her as if she wasn’t sure how to respond. “Like one of those people who jumps out of an airplane into the forest to put out fires?”

  “Yes, I’m one of those.”

  “That’s amazing.” The woman sounded as if she meant it. She turned to her husband. “Did you hear what Dana does for a living?”

  “No.”

  She told him loud enough it got the entire table’s attention.

  Travis ended his conversation with the man on the other side of him and turned toward her, putting his arm across the back of the chair.

  “I’ve watched news stories about people who do your type of work,” one man said.

  Travis squeezed her shoulder. “Dana’s the best. She also has an advanced EMT and Wilderness First Responder certificate.”

  Was Travis trying to make them believe she belonged in their world by selling her qualifications? Thankfully the spotlight was taken off her and turned to focus on a man who had come to the podium in the front of the room.

  She looked at Travis unsure of what his reaction had really been to everybody’s response to her job. He gave her a smile of reassurance. Over the next hour a number of people spoke, giving reports. She wasn’t interested, nor did she even understand, but she listened patiently. She would really have liked to go home.

  Under the table, Travis put his hand on her thigh. She squirmed. When he brushed his thumb upward, her center tingled. The man just did something to her.

  They were on their way out when a snow-white-haired man stopped Travis. “Can I speak to you alone for a moment?”

  Travis looked at her.

  She nodded. “I’ll wait for you in the lobby.”

  The two men stepped off to the side. She continued on down the hall to the front of the building. She took a spot beside one of the large windows near the main entrance. She watched as the attendants worked bringing cars to those who waited. Glancing at her watch, she checked the time and looked up when there was a flash of lightning. Her crew was due up next for a jump.

  She heard a female voice say, “Can you believe that she’s a smokejumper, of all things!”

  Dana turned to see who spoke.

  A tall, leggy woman with red hair and long fingernails done with French tips had her back to her. She stood with another woman.

  The red-haired woman continued, “She looks nothing like what I expected Travis to be interested in. When we dated he gave me the impression he was looking for a woman who wanted a good time, not hearth and home. Maybe he’s just playing with her like he played with me.”

  “I thought she was lovely and certainly more interesting than the usual people that attend this dinner,” the other woman said before she walked out the door toward the cars.

  Seconds later Travis joined her. “Sorry I took so long.” He kissed her temple. “Henry was asking me to consider being an officer in the medical association.”

  “That sounds important. Do you want to?”

  “I told him I needed to think about it.” He led her toward the door. “It always looks good on your vita to be an officer in an association. That alone makes it tempting.”

  They joined the line to wait on the attendant. The same woman who had been talking about her stood in front of them.

  She turned with a smile on her face. “Hello, Travis. How have you been?”

  “Marlene, it’s nice to see you.”

  Marlene looked at Travis as if he was dessert and she’d missed it. She ignored Dana.

  Travis’s arm came around Dana’s waist and he pulled her close to his side. “Marlene, I’d like for you to meet Dana Warren.”

  “Hello, Marlene.” Dana offered her hand to Marlene but she didn’t take it, her eyes never leaving Travis. As hot as the weather was, there was frost in the air.

  Travis continued as if he didn’t feel the undercurrent. “Marlene and I met when I first moved back to town. She’s a pediatrician.”

  The implication was they had dated. “That’s nice.”

  Travis nodded his head to the right. “Marlene, I believe that’s your car.”

  A sleek red two-seater sports car pulled up.

  “There’s ours.” Travis led Dana away.

  “It’s good to see you again,” Marlene called.

  Travis said nothing as if he hadn’t heard her.

  As they made their way to the car, Dana said, “I’ll take it you two have some kind of history.”
>
  “A very short and unillustrious one.”

  “Is that so?” She watched Travis closely.

  “She’s a barracuda and I’m not interested in a fish.”

  Dana couldn’t help but chuckle. It was an adequate description of the woman.

  “I much prefer a different type of woman. She was far too much like my ex-wife, only interested in the status she thought two doctors together could bring her. She liked that idea far better than me. She didn’t take me breaking it off with her well.”

  Dana stomach dipped. Would that be how it ended with them? “Is that so?”

  He looked at her. “I told her up front. She’d didn’t want to believe me.”

  Wasn’t that what was happening with her? She’d started to believe there could be more. She needed to get out before he decided it was time he did.

  * * *

  Travis let out a self-satisfied sigh. The evening had gone well. Dana had been a perfect partner. He had known she’d had some major reservations about attending. He understood where her self-esteem issues came from, but by now couldn’t she see the successful person she had become? A smokejumper, the best of the best in her profession. She ran her own crew. Owned her own ranch. So why the insecurity?

  The very idea she worried she wouldn’t know how to act in a social situation he found laughable. She’d proven herself tonight. She might have been uncomfortable at first, but her fears had been groundless.

  He took her hand and brought it to his thigh. She’d turned quiet. “It wasn’t so bad was it?”

  “No. It wasn’t so bad.” Dana sounded like she meant it. “It’s not something I want to do every night.”

  “There’s only one thing I wanna do every night.” He looked at her and wiggled his brows.

  She laughed. That amazing sound he liked so much. The one that made him feel good about life.

  Silence settled over them. A few minutes later Dana asked in a soft voice, “Travis, what’re we doing?”

  A note in her voice made his chest tense but he kept his response lite. “What do you mean? We’re on the way to your house.”

  “No.” Her tone sharpened. “You know what I mean. This relationship. We don’t make sense.”