by Anya Summers
“Yep. I know you don’t have the time today, however, I would like to schedule your first ultrasound for one day next week.”
“Don’t I need an obstetrician?” Jenny asked her.
“You will, and I can refer you to one at the hospital’s medical center. It might take a little longer for you to get in for that first ultrasound though. What I suggest we do is that we set up your ultrasound for next week, and I will have a referral for you then. I recommend picking up some prenatal vitamins and getting started on those. Here’s a pamphlet of dos and don’ts on pregnancy to get you started. Any questions for me?”
“No. This is just, wow! I can’t wait to tell my husband.” Jenny beamed. “I figured it was more than just an upset stomach every day.”
“I’m sure he will be thrilled. The morning sickness should hopefully go away by your second trimester. Why don’t we get you in Tuesday on your lunch break, if that works for you?” Grace suggested, with her schedule open on the tablet computer she had connected to the network. It made it easier for her to go from one patient to the next, get their information entered, and schedule appointments.
“Yeah, if you don’t mind it being at twelve fifteen again.”
“Not at all. And congratulations, it’s wonderful news. I’ll walk you out.”
Jenny all but danced out of the exam room, beaming with the news of her impending motherhood. Considering Grace had been dealing with death so much lately, tackling her grandpa’s will and estate, the reminder that life went on was nice.
In the waiting room, she was brought up short. Colt Anderson’s tall lanky frame was seated casually on one of the chairs. His sun-streaked hair peeked out from beneath his white Stetson.
“Please call me if you have any questions, Jenny.”
“Thanks so much for fitting me in today. This is just the best news ever.” Jenny grinned.
“It’s no problem at all. I will see you next week,” Grace said, and Jenny waved on her way out the door. Grace turned to the lone visitor in her waiting room. “Mr. Anderson? I wasn’t expecting you today.”
“Yeah, sorry to barge in on you. Do you have a minute?” Colt asked, rising from his seat. He really was a tall drink of water, the man had to be pushing six-three.
“Certainly. Why don’t you come on back to my office?” Grace held the door open and then led the way to the office that still smelled like her grandpa. She’d sometimes catch a whiff of the cologne he’d worn, in a stack of files or one of the desk drawers, and it always caused a profound ache in her heart.
She left the office door open and took a seat behind the big wooden desk. Colt sat across from her. He was attractive with his espresso-colored eyes, and golden stubble gracing a firm, angular jaw. He removed his hat and laid it on the seat beside him. His short hair with sun-kissed golden streaks curled at the ends, and softened the lines of his face.
“So, what can I do for you?”
“Well, the other day I mentioned my ranch hosting a celebration of life event for your granddad.”
Grace sighed. “You did. What would something like that cost?”
It would be better to get the thing over with, that way she didn’t have to field questions left and right. The money wasn’t an issue. She had money. And really, what were a few dollars spent on celebrating the man who had raised her in her teenage years?
Colt cast her a lopsided smirk. “I had a feeling you would cave. I know the people of the this town, and how much they liked your granddad.”
“I’ve come to see that, as news of his passing spread. And to be honest, I would rather not have to rehash his death every five minutes. As you can see,” she gestured to all the flowers decorating the office, “I wasn’t prepared for the number of people wanting to express their condolences.”
“Yeah, I figured the boatload was from well-wishers. I can’t say that I’m surprised. We’re a small, tight-knit community here. The loss of one of our own tends to bring people together to mourn.”
“The house is worse, if you can believe it. It just makes it hard, being reminded that he’s gone every five minutes.”
Colt tilted his head, studying her. “I can imagine that you’re still grieving, and I’m sorry for it. It’s never easy losing a loved one. But I thought women tended to enjoy flowers.”
“We do, but like, one or two vases full. Not crowding every spare inch of countertop and shelf space. Anyway, what type of cost would I be looking at for the celebration?”
“I’m going to stop you right there. My proposal and why I stopped by today is to suggest that Silver Springs Ranch will host the event for you free of charge. Silver Springs, in turn, will reap the promotional benefits as the host. It ends up a win-win for us both.”
“That’s very generous of you, but I couldn’t take advantage of you. Why would you want to do it for free?”
“First, because the ranch is looking to expand our offerings, to host events, weddings, birthday parties, family reunions, and the like. Using the Celebration of Life as a way to do a test run on hosting big events helps us out. Second, I’m betting lots of the townfolk and tourists will show up at the prospect of a free meal, party, and pony rides for the kids. As we’re a working dude ranch, it will give people a chance to see all that we offer, and perhaps consider booking us for their next big family event. I have a feeling that doing this bash for you will translate into bookings for trail rides, overnight stays, and week-long stays, and major events down the road. Because of that, I’m willing to host the shindig free of charge. It’s a great opportunity to score new guests for the ranch.”
“What’s the catch?” For a gala of this massive of an undertaking for his business, Grace knew there had to be one. She wasn’t stupid. Nothing came free.
A slow, seductive smile spread over his lips. “There’s no catch. I can promise you that. I would like to take you to dinner one night when you’re free. But Silver Springs Ranch hosting your granddad’s function for free is not contingent upon you going out with me.”
Her head spun. Colt was interested in a date? “You want to take me on a date?”
“Grace, you’re an attractive, intelligent woman. Unless you’re in a relationship I don’t know about because I don’t like to poach, yes, I’d like to take you out on a date. What do you say? Have dinner with me this weekend?”
The image of Emmett in nothing but the black shoulder sling bloomed in Grace’s mind. She shifted in her seat at the throb of need that churned deep in her core. Emmett was a patient. She couldn’t date him or have sex with him while he was under her care. That was on top of her aversion to dating cowboys.
She considered Colt. He might be a cowboy, but he was more in keeping with the type of men she dated. The businessmen and executives who acted like gentlemen.
“Thank you for the offer, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I’m still new here and getting settled,” she explained, trying to give Colt a gentle let down when he was being overly generous.
“Which? The date or the event?”
“The date. I’m still trying to find my bearings as the new town doctor, and deal with my grandpa’s estate. I haven’t even had the chance to pack up my apartment in Denver.”
“How about this: why don’t you come to the ranch tomorrow night for dinner? It will give you a chance to sample Mrs. Gregory’s cooking, as she’s the one who would be organizing the menu for the event. It will also give you the opportunity to get to know me better. It’s a no pressure dinner with plenty of supervision,” Colt offered.
Grace relaxed a bit now that she knew he wasn’t going to pressure her into making a decision about the offer of a date. “I will take you up on that. Dinner at the ranch.”
“Good. We can hammer out the details for the shindig tomorrow then.” He rose with his hat in his hand. “That way, you can get back to your day.”
She joined him on the other side of the desk. “I appreciate it, on all accounts. Really, Colt, I do. Let me walk you out.”
Then she was going to take five for lunch.
Grace held out her hand for him to shake. But Colt, in a move that would make Mr. Darcy proud, surprised her. He clasped her palm, brought her hand up, and brushed his lips over the back of her knuckles. His enigmatic eyes never left her face. Grace had to admit, at least to herself, that she felt a small feminine flutter. What woman wouldn’t get a tiny thrill out of an attractive man acting all gallant and gentlemanly? He lifted his mouth slowly, his thumb caressing the spot where his lips had been, and released her hand. “It’s my pleasure.”
Oh boy, was he laying on the charm thick. “Um, you’re welcome. You will make sure Emmett doesn’t miss his follow up appointment tomorrow at eleven thirty?”
Really, did she have to bring Emmett up? It seemed like she couldn’t go five minutes without thinking about the man.
“Yes, someone from the ranch will drive him. Might be me, it depends on my schedule,” Colt said, walking with her toward the exit.
“I appreciate it.” Grace held the door to the waiting room open, and was relieved to see a mom holding a sick child on her lap. That meant she could see Colt off without any awkwardness or any further flirting.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, doc.” He flashed her a sexy grin.
“Yep. Thanks for stopping by.” She waved him off, refusing to watch him walk out the door on principle alone, and turned to the mom. “Hi, and who do we have here?”
“I’m Judy, and this is Katie. She’s not feeling well at all today,” Judy said, with concern dotting her brow.
“I’m sorry you aren’t feeling good, Katie. Why don’t we get you into room one and I’ll take a look at what’s going on. I’m Doctor O’Neal, but you can call me Grace,” she said to the little girl, who turned green, leaned forward, and proceeded to vomit all over the hardwood floor.
Clean up on aisle seven, Grace thought with a sigh, and promised herself that she would find an assistant on the double.
“I’m so sorry,” the mom said, flustered.
“I threw up.” Little Katie sniffled, with tears leaking from her bright blue eyes.
“It’s no bother. Let’s get you into the exam room while I get this cleaned up,” Grace said, ushering them out of the waiting room and into the exam room. So much for the rest of her day being easy.
8
In Doctor O’Neal’s waiting room, Emmett sat beside Colt in a clean pair of black jogging pants and one of those muscle man tank tops in a buff gray, with the sides cut out nearly to his waist. It was the only type of shirt he could wear with the blasted sling holding his shoulder and arm immobile. At least the temperatures were holding steady in the seventies and eighties during the day. But the damn thing had become his nemesis. It itched in places he couldn’t reach, and he worried that it would start to smell funky.
The only good part of being an invalid had been meeting Grace. She’d not come back since Sunday morning. Even before making the bet with Colt, Emmett had already decided that he would have her, that he would seduce her into his bed. And now, with the bet in place, he felt an urgency to claim her. The thought of Colt touching her made him want to take a few swipes at his buddy.
Throughout his life, Emmett had never been possessive with women. Even though most Dominants tended to be that way, he had never felt this burning urge to stake his territory and snarl at any encroaching Dom. It harkened back to his mom splitting when he was a kid, and the abandonment he had felt—and still did, at times. His philosophy where women were concerned had been to enjoy them but never allow them to get close. If they got close, they were liable to leave you shattered on the side of the road.
At least, that had been his mindset… until Grace.
But when it came to Grace, the small tastes of her had rattled him, challenged his notions on claiming a submissive, and even allowing himself to get close to a woman. The thing was, when he kissed her, every fiber of his being had declared: mine. It had never happened before, and Emmett’s gut instinct told him it didn’t happen often—about as rare as getting to view Halley’s comet twice in a lifetime.
The oak door between the waiting room and the rest of the office swung inward, and there she was: Grace, with a kind smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Did no one else see that she was hurting? The long length of her blonde hair was pulled back into a sedate ponytail at her nape. The makeup she wore was light, just a hint that emphasized her doe eyes. Dressed in a prim, straight as a pin, black skirt that fell to an inch below her knees, a light blue blouse buttoned up to her neck, and a white lab coat with a stethoscope draped around her neck, she was the picture of professionalism.
Nothing about her appearance screamed sex kitten. It shouldn’t make Emmett hard just looking at her, but it did. The woman wasn’t encouraging his attention—she wasn’t shoving him away, either. He’d tasted her passion, felt her cunt ripple and clench his fingers. He’d licked her cream, and knew she tasted sweeter than sin.
“Call me if things don’t improve,” Grace murmured in her calm bedside manner.
It turned him on. Maybe it was a whole Florence Nightingale effect. Or maybe when Wildfire had trampled him and he’d caught a hoof to the head, it had scrambled all the wires in his brain.
“Thanks so much, Doctor O’Neal! And again, I’m sorry about your grandpa,” Josie Davis commented.
Emmett cursed the older woman. Didn’t she see the flash of pain in Grace’s eyes? How her mouth tightened, and her smile became forced? Did Josie not see that Grace was grieving something fierce? Emmett wanted to go to her, to hold her close, and offer her comfort. He wanted to shield her from well-meaning idiots who did more harm than good with their condolences.
When had he ever wanted to do that for a woman? Sure, he’d had subs in subspace whom he had helped push past some hang-ups through a good flogging or caning. But in all his years in the lifestyle—hell, ever in his life—he had never wanted a woman without the dominance and to just be there for them.
What the hell was going on with him?
“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Grace said. And then she turned her doe-eyed gaze his way. She skimmed over Colt and landed on him. A slight pink flush filled her face. “Emmett, why don’t you come on back?”
He rose, mindful of his injuries, and said to Colt, “Be out in a bit.” Then, without another thought for his friend, Emmett headed toward Grace. If he had his way, they would both be coming soon.
“Why don’t you go into room two? Hey Colt, this should take fifteen or twenty minutes if you need to go run an errand.”
“I’ll just wait right here. We still on for tonight?” Colt asked her.
Tonight? What the hell is going on tonight?
“Yes, we are.” When she smiled like she did now, dimples appeared on her cheeks: sexy as hell dimples Emmett wanted to taste. In all their encounters, not once had she ever smiled at him like that.
The son of a bitch had already made a play for her. Emmett seethed inwardly. He would mark her, and make her his, make no mistake. If Colt wanted to make a fool of himself, so be it. It was a free country.
But Grace was his, and Emmett would fight any man for her.
Once in the exam room, he spun, reaching for her, wanting to get his hands on her, but she was faster, side stepping away from him and placing the exam table between them. “Okay, I need to check your shoulder movement. To do that, unfortunately, we will need to remove your shirt and the shoulder brace. Either I can help you, or I can ask Colt to come in and assist you. Your choice.”
“I’d rather you help me. What’s happening tonight with Colt?” he asked, determined to get to the bottom of that little mystery. Was it a date, or something else?
“Why don’t you sit in this chair here?” She patted one of the chairs next to the exam table that didn’t have any armrests.
“Answer the question first,” he demanded through clenched teeth.
“Colt offered to host a celebration of life party for my grandfather on the ranch. I’m meet
ing with him for dinner tonight, so I can be introduced to Mrs. Gregory, sample her cooking, and make a decision on whether to host the event there. Is that all right with you, or do I need to ask your permission?”
“I see. And that’s all it is?”
Grace pegged him with a glare. “No, we’re having a torrid affair and plan to run away to Borneo. Just stop it, Emmett. You’re being ridiculous.”
“I don’t like to share my woman with another guy.”
“I’m not yours.”
“Not yet, but you will be. You know it deep down, otherwise you wouldn’t be fighting the heat between us.” Her pulse fluttered in her neck.
Grace glowered and pointed to the chair. “Just sit your ass down so we can get your shirt off. I don’t have all day to deal with your shenanigans.”
“Babe, the shenanigans between us are just getting started.” Emmett lowered himself into the chair.
“I don’t like cowboys. So there’s nothing to start.”
He raised a brow. Not like cowboys? They would see about that, and he would get to the bottom of that issue. With her assistance, they stripped his tank off, then her nimble fingers worked at removing the shoulder sling. He breathed a sigh of relief at getting the thing off, even though it was a temporary reprieve.
“Okay, now, I’m going to be as gentle as possible while I move your arm. I need to get a look at your range of motion, see how it’s healing. Then we’ll go into X-ray make sure it’s looking good on that end as well. I’m sorry for any pain or discomfort this might cause.”
He nodded as she rotated his injured arm. Emmett sucked in a breath at the slash of pain. But it was manageable at its current rate.
“Tell me on a scale of one to ten, with one being none at all, where your pain level is at.”
“Four,” he grunted. The joints were stiff and swollen. Then he hissed when she brought the arm up so that it stood vertical above his head.
“What number would you give this?”