Buch lesen: «The Most Eligible Doctor»

Chapter One

Of all days to be late.

Brianne Barrington pulled open the glass door to the Beechwood Family Practice, out of breath, nervous and in a near panic. Brushing her auburn curls from her cold cheek—early January in Wisconsin could be frigid—she wondered if Dr. Jed Sawyer could fire her for tardiness. It was his first day…and maybe her last. She’d only been working at Beechwood for six months, her first position since graduating from nursing school.

Even in her present state of rushed anxiety, the thought of missing her graduation ceremony and the reason why still brought quick tears. Blinking them away, she hurried into the building.

The waiting room, decorated in soothing tones of blue and green, was already crowded as Brianne raced through one of the two doors leading to examination rooms and offices.

Lily Garrison, her blond hair tied in a low ponytail today, stepped out of an exam room and asked, “What happened?”

“I set my alarm for p.m. instead of a.m.” Most mornings, Lily and her daughter, Megan—Brianne’s housemates—were getting ready for their day at the same time she was. But this morning, Lily had a progress-report conference with her five-year-old’s teacher.

“Dr. Sawyer’s not too happy,” Lily warned. “I’ve been preparing his patients as well as Dr. Olsen’s.”

After Dr. Olsen had hired Brianne, she’d worked with him, assisting Lily, as well as helping with any phone questions. She’d known that was temporary until the practice hired more doctors.

The thought of Dr. Sawyer’s disapproval sent a frisson of panic through her again. “I’m here now. I just have to stow my purse and put on my smock.”

The door to examination room 4 suddenly opened and a tall, raven-haired doctor with piercing green eyes stepped out. Brianne could hear a wailing child inside the exam room.

After his penetrating gaze brushed over Lily, it came to rest on Brianne. “Are you my nurse?”

For some mystifying reason, his use of the possessive “my” sent a thrill through her that she didn’t understand…and didn’t want to feel. Still, she politely extended her hand. “I’m Brianne Barrington. I’m sorry I’m late. Usually I’m a very punctual person, but—”

“Excuses don’t carry much weight with me, Miss Barrington. Now that you’re here, just do your job. I have a two-year-old in there who won’t let me get near her. Is there anything you can do about that?” His words were a direct challenge to prove herself—right here, right now.

Brianne’s breeding demanded that she be ladylike, no matter what. “I can try, Dr. Sawyer.” She gazed directly into his very green eyes.

Seconds that seemed like eons ticked by as she felt the space between them fairly crackle with…something tingly that made her terrifically aware of his very broad shoulders, his angular jaw, his imposing male presence. His demeanor showed he wouldn’t give an inch. This man didn’t back down once he took a stand.

Breaking eye contact, she murmured to Lily, “Could you put this in the office?” and handed her friend her purse. The two nurses shared an office, though each doctor had one of his own.

“No problem,” Lily said with a quick glance at Dr. Sawyer.

Then Brianne went into the exam room, checked the chart on the counter for the child’s name, and smiled at the little girl, who was sitting on the exam table with her thumb in her mouth. Tears were running down her cheeks.

Brianne greeted their small patient in a soft, friendly voice. “Hi, Cindy.”

Warily, the little girl watched her approach.

When Dr. Sawyer stepped into the room once more, Cindy took one look at him and burst into tears again.

“I’m so sorry,” the mother exclaimed, putting her arm around her daughter and giving her a tender squeeze. “The last time we were here Dr. Olsen gave her a shot. Your white coat and all reminds her—”

Cindy let out an ear-splitting wail, and Brianne knew she had to do something fast to help both the baby and the doctor. At the counter, she picked up a pen and drew faces on her thumb and forefinger.

Crossing to the child, she wiggled her fingers and said in a high, lilting voice, “We’re the doctor’s special helpers. We want to make you smile today.”

As she moved her fingers, making them look like puppets, Cindy stopped crying.

Dr. Sawyer slipped out of his lab coat, revealing a white shirt and navy tie with gray dress slacks. But something about him—maybe it was the rugged lines of his face, the over-the-collar length of his hair, and his muscular shoulders—gave Brianne the impression he’d be more comfortable in a flannel shirt and jeans.

As Brianne wiggled her fingers at Cindy, making them talk, the little girl smiled. Then Brianne introduced Dr. Jed. “He’s going to check your eyes and ears and throat.” At each mention of the body parts, her puppets floated and danced around Cindy’s eyes and ears and neck. Then Brianne explained, “Dr. Jed’s just going to look for now. I promise.”

When Jed Sawyer approached Cindy, she watched him suspiciously, but tears didn’t flow this time. Doing her part, Brianne distracted the little girl, and he managed a full examination.

Afterward he said to the mother, “She has an ear infection.” Crouching down to Cindy’s eye level, he told her in a gentle voice, “Your mommy is going to get you some medicine. It’s pink and it tastes sweet. If you take that, your ears will stop hurting and you’ll feel a whole lot better.”

“Done?” asked the toddler, only concerned about what might come next.

Jed Sawyer smiled wryly. “Yes, we’re all done.”

Crossing to the cupboard, Brianne took out a canister and offered it to Cindy. Inside were miniature rubber dogs and cats and ducks and birds. “You can pick whichever one you want and take it with you.”

Cindy looked over at her mother. The woman nodded encouragingly, “Go ahead, honey.”

Dr. Sawyer’s little patient chose a yellow cat and held it up to her mom with a grin.

With a last look at Cindy, Jed picked up his lab coat and tossed it over his arm. “Hopefully, the antibiotic will do the trick. But if she isn’t better in three days, call us.” He patted Cindy on the head. “I’ll try to make these visits as painless as possible.”

Before he turned away from the child, Brianne saw a flash of something in his eyes—something sad and tearing and deep. Then it vanished. He exited the room, leaving her questioning whether she’d seen anything at all.

After the mother and child left, Brianne picked up charts for the next three patients and went to the waiting room to fetch the first one.

Throughout the morning, she thought she and Dr. Sawyer worked with amazing efficiency, considering they’d never worked together before. Nevertheless, far too often she caught herself staring at him. Her whole body set off warning bells whenever she got near him, and her reaction to Jed Sawyer bothered her. She wasn’t in the market for a high-voltage involvement. Being kept in the dark until she was fourteen about the fact that she was adopted, as well as having the people she loved leave her, had left her cautious in more ways than one.

It was midafternoon when the receptionist, Janie Dutton, passed Brianne in the hall. Stopping, she asked, “Are you being asked as many questions about Dr. Sawyer as I am? One woman wanted to know if he was married or eligible before she made her appointment!”

Brianne didn’t know whether to be annoyed or to laugh. “I’m getting questions, but since I don’t know anything about him, I don’t have answers.”

“What kind of answers do you need?” Jed asked as he stepped out of his office.

Brianne glanced at Janie, who was obviously as embarrassed as she was.

“I hear the phone ringing,” Janie remarked, and hurried off.

“Brianne?” the new doctor asked in a deep voice that told her he wanted an honest answer.

“Dr. Sawyer, I…”

“It’s Jed.”

“Jed,” she murmured. “We’re getting questions about you from patients.”

“Like…?” he prodded.

Taking a deep breath, she plunged in. “Whether you’re married, where you held your last position, how old you are….”

“That’s it?” he asked, amusement evident in his tone.

“For starters.”

At that he laughed, and the deep richness of it seemed to ripple through Brianne. Shaking his head, he responded, “Since I’m from Sawyer Springs, I know the grapevine is several miles long. So here are the basics. I’m almost forty and worked in Deep River, Alaska, for the past three years.” More seriously, he added, “And I’m divorced. If anyone needs to know more than that, tell them to ask me directly. Now I think we have a patient waiting in exam room 3.” He nodded toward the door.

Flustered by her reaction to him, Brianne headed for the room at the same time he did. Their shoulders bumped, and his arm went around her to steady her.

Her breath whooshed from her chest. His arm was strong, his woodsy cologne intoxicating. When she gazed up at him, time once again seemed to stand still. There were sparks in his eyes that caused a crazy, wild sensation in her tummy.

As he released her, she tried to regain her composure, warning herself to deny the attraction she felt. He’s too experienced, too masculine, too confident…too everything, her common sense told her.

Neither of them said a word as Jed stepped into the exam room and she followed.

At the end of the day, Jed told Dr. Olsen he would take the last patient, who was a walk-in, if Brianne didn’t mind staying. She didn’t mind. Besides, she wanted to show her new boss that her tardiness this morning wasn’t a sign of lack of dedication to her profession.

Around six-thirty, they’d finally finished with the patient, who’d cut his arm and needed stitches. Switching off the computer printer, Brianne watched the man’s wife lead him outside.

When Jed stepped into the front office, he was wearing his suit coat and looked distinguished and handsome. Brianne felt her stomach skitter again, and decided she was simply hungry.

She lifted her coat from a hook on the wall. “This has been a long first day for you.”

“I was sometimes on duty forty-eight hours at a time in Deep River.”

“You were short on staff?”

With a wry smile, he took her coat from her. “Staff consisted of me and a nurse. There were only ninety-nine residents in the village.”

As he held her coat for her, she slid her arms into the sleeves, then turned around. “Did you enjoy your work there?” she asked. They were mere inches apart. She could see the small lines around his eyes and mouth, the few strands of silver at his temples.

His gaze found hers and stayed for a few moments. “Practicing there was challenging.” He cleared his throat. “All the supplies had to be flown in.”

Realizing he’d evaded her question, she had the feeling he didn’t want to talk about anything personal. Even though he’d given her the basics earlier, he didn’t seem to want to divulge more than that. “I can see how practicing in a remote village would be challenging.”

The atmosphere in the office was thick with tension as they stood there. Brianne stepped away from him so she could think straight. She wanted to apologize once more for this morning. “I’m sorry about my lateness today. I don’t have a good excuse. I have a digital alarm and I mistakenly set it for p.m. instead of a.m. On top of that, I didn’t sleep well and I was late awakening. Lily and Megan usually make enough noise to—”

“Why didn’t you sleep well?” he interrupted.

Though he apparently didn’t like answering personal questions, he didn’t mind asking them. She might as well tell him the truth. “I was anxious about today. Working with a new doctor and all.”

“From your performance, I don’t see why you were anxious. You’re good with the patients and more than competent in the exam room.”

The compliment blindsided her and she felt her cheeks grow warm. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m sorry I was gruff this morning. I didn’t sleep well, either, last night. My father has insomnia and rattles around in the kitchen at 2:00 a.m.”

“He should try chamomile tea,” she suggested impulsively.

Warm humor lit up Jed’s eyes. “He’s set in his ways and doesn’t take advice well. But I’ll mention the tea.” As she crossed to the doorway, he offered, “If you’re on the way out, I’ll walk you to your car.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary.”

“I feel responsible keeping you this late. I want to make sure you’re safely on your way home before I leave.”

In spite of safety alarms in her heart warning her to keep her distance from Jed Sawyer, she was disappointed there was nothing personal about his offer. She realized he was simply one of those men who was a protector.

She gathered up her purse. “I have to set the security system.”

Nodding, he let her precede him out of the office.

A few minutes later, when they stepped outside into the black, early January night, Brianne took in a huge breath of the cold air. “I guess Wisconsin weather is mild compared to Alaska’s.”

Jed walked beside her, his words coming out with white puffs of vapor. “Deep River was a whole different world. We had wind chill of fifty-eight below in December. Yet when the northern lights lit up the sky, none of the rest seemed to matter.”

She thought about Alaska and the aurora borealis…and Jed watching it. Then she motioned toward her car, the only one in the parking lot. “You walked?” she asked.

“I’m about six blocks away.” He was staring at her car. The parking lot lights flowed over the white foreign sports car as if spotlighting it.

“Would you like a ride?” she asked. “I can drop you off.”

“Thanks, but I enjoy walking.”

From what she could tell, Jed was extremely fit, and she wondered if he did more than walk. He was still eyeing her car.

She opened the driver’s door, and the smell of leather was noticeable.

He glanced inside, then focused once more on her.

They were standing very close. So close that Brianne found it hard to breathe again. He was a good seven inches taller than she was, and she felt fragile, small and out of her depth standing before him. She tipped her chin up a little, and she could have sworn he leaned a bit closer.

Neither of them spoke as the pines along the building swayed in a breeze and a truck rattled down the street. Her heart beat faster than it ever had.

Then Jed lifted his head and put a few inches between them. With his hand on the frame of the sports car, he said, “This is a beautiful car. You don’t find many of them in Wisconsin.”

She felt memories flood over her, and heat came to her cheeks despite the cold. “It was a graduation gift from my parents,” she said in a low voice.

“You must have very generous parents.”

Her parents. Irrevocably gone. Unbearably missed. Two days before her graduation, as they drove to her college, a tractor trailer had swerved into them.

Her voice caught as she managed to answer, “They were very generous. They’re gone now.”

Seeing the uncertainty on Jed’s face at her words, she decided to leave to take care of the awkwardness she’d created.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night.” Sliding quickly into the bucket seat, she closed the door and switched on the ignition.

Dr. Jed Sawyer stepped away from her car.

Quickly, she backed up, veered to the right and out of the parking lot, trying to keep heartache at bay.

On Saturday morning, after Brianne had run a few errands, she returned to the Victorian house that had become her home. After her parents died, seven months ago, she’d been lost in their huge house. She’d taken the job at Beechwood Family Practice a month after graduation and had met Lily Garrison, a divorced mother who’d been looking for a housemate so she and Megan could more easily meet their bills each month. Lily and Megan had provided Brianne with a safe harbor, and they now felt like family.

The house’s wraparound porch with its yellow railing brought a smile to Brianne’s face, as it always did. After parking along the street—there was only a one-car detached garage in the back—Brianne picked up her dry cleaning from the seat beside her and ran up the three wooden steps.

As she stepped inside the living room with its shiny hardwood floor, colorful rag rugs and big-cushioned, overstuffed turquoise-and-red furniture, the smell of cinnamon wafted around her. Carefully hooking her dry cleaning over a closet door hinge, she headed for the kitchen and was surprised by the activity there.

“We’re having a party,” five-year-old Megan called as she pressed a cookie cutter into bread slices.

“A party?” Brianne asked. She had been up and out before Lily and Megan had awakened this morning. Lily hadn’t said anything about a party last evening.

Lily’s blond waves, loose around her face now, swished against her cheek as she looked up from her cutting board, where she was slicing celery. “Last night when Doug and I were talking, I mentioned Jed Sawyer.”

Doug was a computer technician Lily had been dating for months now. Despite her good intentions to leave thoughts of Jed Sawyer at Beechwood, Brianne was interested in anything Doug had had to say about the rugged doctor. Ever since that night almost a week ago when Jed had made the comment about her car, they’d worked efficiently together, but politely, with no personal conversations. He didn’t seem to engage in truly personal conversation with anyone.

“What did Doug say?” Brianne asked.

“The gist of it was that it must be difficult for Jed to come back home and live with his dad after all these years. So…I thought it would be nice to have an open house for him. Just a welcome home get-together. I remembered you said you didn’t have plans for tomorrow, so I invited Dr. Olsen and his wife, Sue and Janie and their husbands.”

Sue in billing helped Janie manage the practice’s office. It was just like Lily to want to help Jed feel comfortable being in Sawyer Springs again, and to impulsively throw a party.

“You didn’t make plans, did you?” Lily asked. “I told everyone to come around three.”

“I’m free.” Brianne’s heart fluttered as she thought about Jed, here, in a casual atmosphere. “Did you invite Dr. Sawyer?” she asked with a smile.

Lily made a face at her. “Yep. Called him this morning. He said he’ll stop in, though he can’t stay long. I think he’s just leaving himself an out in case he doesn’t want to stay.”

“What makes you say that?” Brianne asked, wandering over to snitch a carrot from the growing stack of vegetables.

“He’s a loner,” Lily said solemnly. “I can tell. Did you know he practiced as a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles before he took that position in Alaska?”

“How do you know that?”

Lily gave her a mysterious smile. “I have my ways.”

Brianne laughed.

Glancing at her housemate over her shoulder, Lily confided, “I’m not really Sherlock Holmes. I got a glimpse of Jed Sawyer’s résumé. Dr. Olsen happened to have it in his hand yesterday when he was talking to me.”

“Jed said he was divorced. I wonder how long he was married?” Brianne mused.

Lily tilted her head and cocked a brow. “You’re working for the man, maybe you could ask him.”

“He doesn’t talk about himself much.” Brianne suddenly knew she was sounding too interested.

“Do you wish he would?” Lily asked more gently.

“No. It’s better this way…that we keep a strictly professional relationship. After all, he’s my boss.” Besides that Jed Sawyer was obviously experienced. She was inexperienced. That was her choice. She’d had a lot of losses in her life and because of them she tried to protect her heart.

She’d felt totally adrift when, at fourteen, she’d found a private investigator’s report in the attic. It had stated that her biological mother had taken her to a church pew in Madison and died a few months later from pneumonia because she’d been homeless and living on the streets.

Since Brianne’s parents hadn’t told her about any of it, she’d felt betrayed. Since her birth mother had left her in the church, she’d felt abandoned. Brianne had depended heavily on her childhood friend, Bobby Spivak, during that confusing time. He’d been her best friend since kindergarten. But in their senior year, they were discussing getting engaged and going to the same college when Bobby had been diagnosed with leukemia. She’d lost him eighteen months later.

And seven months ago, she’d lost her parents, too. Over and over again she’d learned that love hurt in so many ways. Yet…she also knew it was life-giving. Bobby’s doctors had said he had six months to live. He’d lived a year past that, and Brianne’s heart told her that love had kept him with them.

Still, she was afraid of loving…and losing once more. Giving her heart away wasn’t in her plans anytime soon, if ever.

When Brianne thought of Jed Sawyer, she realized her relationship with Bobby had been the epitome of safety. Their love had been born of friendship and hadn’t yet developed into burning passion. Jed, on the other hand, was so intense that all she thought about amid the tingles she felt around him was passion. That spelled trouble with a capital T. She wouldn’t let a few unruly hormones run away with her good sense.

Ending the conversation and putting a lid on her thoughts, she asked Lily, “So what can I do to help get ready for tomorrow?”

If she stayed busy, tomorrow and seeing Jed again in a relaxed setting wouldn’t make her so jittery.

Mingling.

Jed had once known how to do it like a pro. Back in L.A., he and his partners had been invited to cocktail parties with movie stars, investment bankers, models. He’d been able to talk to anyone about anything. But then his life had fallen apart and talking had become too much of an effort. The position in Alaska had been a godsend, but because of it, he’d grown rusty at socializing.

Lily Garrison crossed to him, a tray balanced on her hand. “Try the crab quiches. I found the recipe on the Internet.”

Jed took one, bit into it and grinned. “Maybe you should go into catering as a sideline.”

“I think I have my hands full with work and Megan. But I’ll keep that in mind.”

Suddenly Jed’s attention was drawn to Brianne as she entered the living room. She stood by the built-in bookshelves for a moment, looking uncertain. Her auburn, shoulder-length curls bobbed around her face with the slightest movement of her head. Her aquamarine eyes were the wonderful color of the sea. Ever since that night by the car, he’d wanted to talk to her again about more than work, but the clinical atmosphere at Beechwood hadn’t seemed right to delve into the subject of her parents. And the stirrings of desire he’d felt whenever they were around each other had deterred him from seeking her out privately.

When Brianne’s gaze passed over the room as if she was deciding which conversation to enter, her eyes met his. She quickly looked away, turned around and retreated to the kitchen.

Finishing the miniature quiche in a quick bite, Jed said to Lily, “Excuse me, will you? There’s someone I need to talk to.”

Lily’s eyes twinkled. “I’ll catch you later.” Then she moved along to another group with her tray.

Jed strode through the dining room into the kitchen, where he found Brianne scooping coffee into a filter.

“You and Lily went to a lot of trouble today.”

Startled, she looked up, and her cheeks became a little rosier. “It wasn’t that much trouble. Are you enjoying yourself?”

“The truth is, I’m having to readjust to a party mode. I haven’t been to one for a few years.”

“Since you took the job in Alaska?”

“Yes.”

There was an awkward silence, and Jed knew he had to be the one to fill it. “I didn’t mean to upset you on Monday night. I shouldn’t have pried into your life. Living alone in a cabin wore off my civilized veneer. I’m sorry about your parents.” After she’d mentioned losing her parents, Jed had remembered his dad filling him in on some of the things that had happened in Sawyer Springs the past couple of years. Skyler Barrington had been a lawyer, her husband Edward a cardiologist. They had both come from money and their name was well known in the town. Brianne had inherited all of their wealth and could be considered an heiress. Jed was a bit puzzled why she was working as a nurse at Beechwood when she could be traveling the world, living anywhere she pleased.

Her gaze was vulnerable as she looked up at him. “Thank you. It’s been less than a year since their accident, and I—”

Brianne never got to finish because Megan came running in and threw her arms around Brianne’s waist. Her hair was lighter blond than her mother’s, and Lily had attached a barrette over each of her daughter’s temples. In the crook of her arm, Megan carried a rag doll dressed in blue-and-pink gingham, with red yarn hair.

Looking at the beautiful child made Jed’s heart clench. He wondered if he’d ever be able to be comfortable around children again. Trisha had been almost three when she’d drowned, and being around kids always made his memories more of a burden.

Megan stood on her tiptoes and crooked her finger at Brianne, glancing shyly at Jed. “Can I have another cookie?” she almost whispered. “Mommy said I could. There aren’t any more on the tray. So she said I should ask you.”