The Rebel Doc Who Stole Her Heart

“I see.” He let the words drag out for emphasis. “You have it for no other reason?”

“No. There is no other. I’ll see you at seven sharp.”

He chuckled at her haughty tone. It sounded as if she were saying the words through a clenched jaw. He couldn’t help taunting her. She seemed like the kind of person who always rose to the bait. If only he could see her face.

“I’ll be there. Now, if you don’t mind I’ll finish my shower.”

“Oh. Uh … sure. Bye.”

So the frosty woman could be rattled. Stepping back into the shower, he thought he might have to do that more often. But what had him giving the stiff, buttoned-up woman even a second thought? She certainly wasn’t his type. Everything about her screamed of stability.

He’d been accused on more than one occasion of being the love-them-and-leave-them type. No woman got promises or commitments from him. That way he didn’t hurt them. Others could plant roots but they weren’t for him.

There had been a couple of women he’d dated who had made noises about him settling down. When that had happened it hadn’t taken him long until he’d been on his way to the next hospital in the next town. He wasn’t the type of person someone should depend on. When the going got tough he’d only let them down.

He liked women who enjoyed life, laughed, had fun and that was all they were interested in from the relationship. Michelle seemed far too serious about everything. She didn’t strike him as a short but enjoyable affair type of woman, even if he had been interested in having one with her. Which he wasn’t.

Enough about her. He needed some rest, especially if he was going to have to face her early in the morning and be on his best behavior. Which he wasn’t sure he could do.

He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Snatching a towel off the rack, he dried off. Thank goodness he’d requested maid service to start yesterday. Minutes later, naked, he slipped between cool sheets.

Dr. Ross’s strut across the parking lot came to mind. His weeks in Raleigh might be far more fascinating than he’d anticipated.

CHAPTER TWO (#uaf2ee265-aeb7-54eb-a477-73b4a3d89c13)

EARLY THE NEXT morning, Michelle tapped lightly on the door of her first case for the day.

Shawn Russell. Twenty years old. His procedure would be difficult. As a congenital heart patient he’d grown up in the hospital system and would never really leave it. Shawn was quite unhappy with the prospect of having surgery again. This time he needed to have the heart valve he’d outgrown replaced. Not a demanding surgery in most patients but in those with multiple surgeries the development of scar tissue added a degree of difficulty.

At the sound of “Come in”, Michelle pushed the door open further. The room was filled with people, undoubtedly family and friends. Dr. Smith stood beside Shawn’s bed with his back to her. Having only known him a day, she still recognized his dark hair and broad back.

He glanced around. “Good morning, Dr. Ross. We were just talking about you,” he said with a grin.

Michelle raised an uncertain brow. Never a fan of people discussing her, she wasn’t sure she was happy with what Dr. Smith might have been saying.

More than once she’d heard the whispers after she’d gone by the nurses’ desk. But instead of those negative thoughts his grin brought back memories of their conversation the evening before when he’d announced unabashedly that he was in the shower. He’d been trying to get a reaction out of her. She planned to see he didn’t get one.

“I was checking on Shawn to see if he had any questions for me before he goes into the OR,” Dr. Smith offered.

She nodded. “Good.”

Dr. Smith pushed his dark hair back away from his face. There was nothing conservative about its length or cut. Worn long and being wavy and thick, it curled behind his ears. It was the kind of hair that women envied. He certainly didn’t meet what she considered the standard dress code.

“Did you know that Shawn is a master gamer?”

What was he talking about? “No, I didn’t. That’s great.” She looked at Shawn. “Do you have any questions about the surgery?”

The far-too-thin young man shook his head. “I think my mother does.”

“I’ll go and let Dr. Ross speak to your parents. I’ll see you in the OR in a few minutes. The nurse will give you something to make you happy.” Dr. Smith grinned. “Don’t get too used to it because you don’t get to carry any of it home.” He put out his fist and Shawn butted his against it. “Later, man. Remember you promised me a game.”

“Sure, Dr. Smith.”

“Make it Ty, man. See you soon.”

Shawn nodded and gave him a small smile. For the first time since she’d met Shawn he didn’t look terrified. She and Dr. Smith might have gotten off on the wrong foot but she had to give him kudos for making patients feel comfortable. She would like to be that easy with people but it wasn’t her strong suit.

Half an hour later Michelle entered the OR prep area. Dr. Smith stood at the scrub sink along with three of the OR nurses. The group was chattering non-stop. Dr. Smith seemed to be the ringleader, interjecting a random comment which would bring on a burst of laughter from the women around him.

For the first time Michelle felt like an outsider. She couldn’t remember ever feeling that way so intensely before, or caring. She had no idea how to join their conversation. Worse, she couldn’t understand why all of a sudden she wanted to. What would it be like to belong? To know what was happening in the staff’s lives, for them to know what was happening in hers? Could she ever have that type of relationship with her coworkers? With anyone?

She remembered having friends over to spend the night as a kid. After her father had died that had become less frequent. She’d found out pretty quickly that her friends hadn’t felt comfortable with her any longer. The sadness she’d felt over the loss of her beloved father had been far too much for them. She’d started spending more and more time at home, reading and studying. It had been easier than trying to pretend to be having a good time with people who didn’t understand.

Her father was gone and her friends had slowly left also.

Michelle’s mother had encouraged her to go out to football games, to the prom, but to Michelle all those things had seemed silly. She’d also hated to leave her mother alone. They’d become a team. As the years had gone by Michelle had lost most of her small-talk skills, choosing to focus on medicine instead of a social life. Her mother, school and then her job had taken all her time, leaving little to devote to building outside relationships. There had been a few men who had shown her attention. Most had only been interested in her for her looks. Few had appreciated her intellect. They hadn’t stayed around long.

A second later another nurse joined the group. Dr. Smith did have a way of drawing not only women to him but men as well. People liked him. She had to admit she was as aware of the man as the rest of them. She just refused to let it show, had more command over her reactions.

Unable to wait any longer to scrub in so that she could begin her procedure on time, she stepped towards the sink when a spot became available. Just as she took her place, the group erupted in laughter.

Dr. Smith turned, almost bumping into her. “Hey, Michelle.”

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the other women drifting away. She placed a foot on the pedal to start the water. “Hi,” she said, concentrating on washing.

“We were just talking about getting together tonight at a bar downtown. I’ve been asked to fill in as part of the surgeons’ band.”

“You play?”

“Don’t sound so surprised. I play a mean guitar. I think that’s why Schwartz requested me to take his place. More for my guitar skills than my medical ones.”

“I didn’t know Dr. Schwartz played in the band.”

Had he said he wasn’t surprised? She refused to let him make her feel like she didn’t belong. “No, it doesn’t surprise me that you play guitar. I was just making conversation.”

“Interesting. You don’t strike me as someone who makes small talk.” Was he trying to needle her on purpose?

“I don’t believe you know me well enough to know what I do.”

He pressed his lips together and nodded as if in deep thought. “You’re right. Maybe we should try to change that.”

Michelle looked at him. Where was this going?

“A group of us are getting together after the band plays on Saturday night. Why don’t you join us then? Practice that small talk.”

“I’m busy.”

“Well, if your plans change we’re going to be at Buster’s. Wherever that is.”