Small Town Doctor (12 page)

The bedroom door swung open and Ella stood there. “He’s right. You need sleep. Why don’t you take a short nap? James and I will just be in the other room if you need us.”

He raised his eyebrow at her in question as he slipped off the bed and covered Abbi with her blanket. “Sleep, and maybe we can do something special when you wake up.”

When he stepped out of Abbi’s bedroom and back into the living room, he noticed her parents had gone. He pulled the door shut and turned to Ella. “Where’s Bea and Dale?”

“They made some excuse about needing to go to Jackson Hole before they left. They’ll be back in an hour or two to say goodbye, and then they’re hitting the road for Cheyenne. Dad prefers night driving anyway, so this works better for them.”

“Does that mean you’ll come and spend the night at my place tonight?” He moved farther into the living room and kept his voice low so as not to disturb Abbi.

“I don’t know.” She sank down onto the sofa and pulled her legs up against her chest. “Going into town for a visit or a drive is one thing, but this is another. What is Abbi going to think if I’m shacking up with her doctor?”

“That you have good taste?” He joked before sitting beside her. “Would it make a difference if I wasn’t her doctor? Michael could take over her care.”

“No!” She hugged her legs tighter to her chest. “I trust you. I know it sounds crazy, but I do.”

“Then trust me enough to know you’ll be safe at my house. It’s far enough from downtown and off the beaten track that no one will stumble upon you. You’ll have the privacy you have here, but you’ll be close to me.”

“James, I don’t even know what’s happening between us.”

He laid a hand on her knee. “What do you want to be happening?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Do you believe in love at first sight?” When her eyes widened, he ran his hand down her leg. “I didn’t think I did before. As a doctor I believed it was all a chemical change that would eventually wear off. You might find someone attractive but love had to be developed, built, it wasn’t something that just happened. Now…well, I believe.”

“Why?”

“When I got out of the truck and you were busy giving Ryan a piece of your mind, I couldn’t help but stare. You’re beautiful. The more time I spend with you the more I know I want you by my side.” He squeezed her thigh, gently but with enough pressure that she felt it. “I didn’t want to tell you any of this because you have other things on your mind right now. The stress of leaving the cabin for the first time in years, Abbi’s health, not to mention your parents.”

“Then why did you?”

“Because you need to know where I stand. I’d rather have you by my side than anything else in the world. I understand you might not know how you feel, and this might be too much, but don’t discount what’s happening between us because you’re scared.” He didn’t want to rush her, and had planned to keep his desires to himself, but she’d asked and she deserved to know. He wasn’t expecting anything from her, but damn did he want her to say she felt the same way.

This is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Now…if I can only convince her.

Against Ella’s better judgment, she sent James home alone, claiming she needed time to think things through. She hadn’t wanted to lead him on until she was sure she was willing to risk her heart again. It wasn’t just her she had to think about; she also had to consider her daughter. Abbi had already begun to latch on to James, and Ella didn’t want her heart broken if he disappeared.

She sat there staring at the keys her parents had left on her table before they’d started the journey back to Cheyenne. They’d made the excuse to go to Jackson Hole to get a rental car so they could leave their SUV for her to use. This way she could go into town, or visit James as she pleased. It was the first step in regaining her life, her independence. She could use the SUV until she purchased one to replace the one she’d sold years ago when she moved to the cabin.

Part of her wanted to load Abbi into the SUV and drive into town. She needed to see James, to tell him she realized what she wanted. She wanted him, what they had, and all the things they
could
have. She wanted to go to Clearwater’s Halloween festival, to the Halloween party at his sister’s house, but more importantly, she wanted to do it with him. To be with him in a way she hadn’t yet experienced. It wasn’t about sex. It was the intimacy of his touch, the embraces, the way he made her feel. She wanted it all, and so much more.

 Abbi played quietly in front of the fire, one of her favorite movies on the television, while Ella palmed the keys and let them fall back onto the table. To go or not to go was what she was trying to decide when she heard a truck coming up the drive.

James?

No, it couldn’t be. He said he had to work, which mean it had to be Ryan. The one person she really didn’t want to deal with.

“Abs, I’ve got to step outside for a moment.” She dropped the keys back on the table and hoped to cut Ryan off before he even got out of the vehicle. He might have only been checking in to see how Abbi was doing, but Ella had too much on her mind to be sociable.

Stepping outside she was surprised to see James instead. He’d been on her thoughts since he’d left, and now there he was stepping out of his truck in his perfectly pressed shirt and tie, his slacks sporting a perfect crease. It was so different from the way he had looked when he first arrived to help Abbi.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you, so I got Michael to cover for me for a bit and I thought we could have lunch.” He held up a brown paper sack. “It’s not much, sandwiches from Express Ohh’s, but it’s what I could do quickly.”

“It’s better than what I was going to make. Macaroni and Cheese because it’s Abbi’s favorite, but not that boxed crap. The real stuff with the longhorn cheese that melts perfectly over all the noodles so that every bite makes you think you’re in Heaven.”

“Hmm, I can’t say I’ve experienced that.”

When he came to stand in front of her, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “How about I cook it for you tomorrow at your place and you can experience the wonders of it?”

“Sounds wonderful. I can come back up this evening to get you, after I finish up at the office.” He tipped his head toward the SUV. “You’re parents still here? I thought they’d be gone, so I didn’t get extra sandwiches, but I can run back into town.”

“No, they left last night. The SUV is so I can come and go as I please. So how about I meet you downtown tonight? I mean, if your offer of us staying at your place still stands. We can watch some movies until Abbi goes to bed and then I’m sure we can find something to fill our time. This way we can be together and you can be close to the hospital in case you’re needed. Then tomorrow I’ll make the macaroni and cheese for us.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tight. “That sounds perfect. Let’s go inside and eat because there’s a certain little girl I brought a special treat for.”

“Wait.” She took hold of his hand as he tried to slip past her and into the house. “I need to tell you something.”

“Ella, is something wrong?”

“Just the opposite.” She smirked. “Last night I realized I love you.” She caught the spark of desire in his eyes when she spoke. “You’re all I’ve thought about since you showed up here in your jeans and that plum dress shirt with the top buttons undone. You’re different, and I love that about you. How Michael ever offered you a partnership when you’re so different than him is beyond me…but I’m grateful for it, because it brought you here.”

He kissed her gently on the lips. “We met in medical school and were inseparable until he decided he wanted to practice here. Then Jes agreed to be Michael and his ex-wife’s surrogate. When we arrived a few weeks before Christmas, she found Michael alone. Peg had divorced him and was engaged to someone else, living in Denver. Long story short, when I came up to spend the holidays with them he offered me the position so he could spend more time with Jes and my nieces. It worked out nicely as it let me move closer and have an active role as Uncle James to Kari and Kami.”

“Then you found me and Abbi,” she said, feeling her cheeks flush.

“That I did.” He laced his fingers through hers. “Maybe next weekend you’ll allow me to take you and Abbi to the festival at the lake. I think Abbi would love it.”

“I know she would. She’s been asking where you were and if you were coming back all morning. It seems my little girl has taken to you.” She swallowed the fear that was rising within her as they made their way into the house.

“James, you came back!” Abbi tossed her doll aside and ran toward them.

“Did you think I wouldn’t come back to you? You’re my little munchkin and I brought you something special. Come sit at the table and you can have it.”

“What is it?” She bounced up and down with excitement.

“Sit down and James will give it to you.” Ella eyed her daughter as she grabbed drinks, while he sat down with Abbi and began to dig into the paper bag.

“Now, what I’m about to pull out of this bag you can’t have until after you eat the sandwich I brought you. Understand?” Abbi nodded and he pulled out a large frosted brownie. “The owner of Express Ohh’s, Jennifer, ensures me this is the best chocolate brownie you will ever eat.”

“Yum!” She reached for it just as Ella sat the drinks on the table.

“Oh, no you don’t. You must eat your sandwich first or James and I will enjoy the brownie without you,” Ella reminded her.

With a reluctant nod, Abbi took the sandwich James proffered. “Will you stay and watch a movie with me?”

“I’m sorry, sweetie, I have to go back to work.” He unwrapped his own sandwich and took a bite.

“Tonight.” Ella sat down on the other side of him. “We’re going to have a sleepover at his house tonight. We’ll watch movies and have popcorn.”

“Why can’t we do it here?”

“He’s on call with the hospital and needs to be close to town. Maybe we can go to Happy Ever After and get some new books. Or some ice cream. How does that sound?”

“Okay.” She nodded eagerly as she ate.

“I’m excited to have you both here tonight. How about we treat ourselves? Before the popcorn, we can order pizza.” He grinned as Abbi’s eyes widened. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

They made small talk as they finished their lunch, but to her it didn’t matter what they talked about just that they were together. After all those years alone, she was glad to have his company, and to feel the love blossoming within her.

* * *

The day had come to end, though not as quickly as James would have liked. Knowing Ella and Abbi were waiting for him had given him something to look forward to, and it also seemed to make the day drag along. If it hadn’t been for an emergency appointment after one of the Bragger boys broke his arm after falling from his bike, he’d have been off earlier. In a small town like this, parents liked when their family doctor stopped into the emergency room to look at the x-ray and ensure them their child would be fine. He had done that, and it calmed Mrs. Bragger when she knew her son’s arm would heal in a matter of weeks without surgery. Little moments like that were why he enjoyed his work.

Tonight, he knew he’d be enjoying it a lot more. Stepping into the parking lot, he found Ella’s SUV parked next to his truck, waiting. He couldn’t keep the corners of his lips from turning up into a smile as he neared them. This was happiness, something he hadn’t thought he’d find. Heck, he hadn’t even been looking for it. Until they’d come into his life, he had been content with being single and his work.

“Hey, handsome.” Ella stepped out of the SUV. “Abbi hasn’t stopped talking about our pizza and movie date all afternoon. I’m not sure if she’s more excited for Tony’s Pizza or for your company. She’s dying for you to read her another bedtime story, because according to her, you do it better than I ever did.”

“She did mention that, something about the voices.” He wrapped his arm around her back and brought her close to him. “I’ll be sure to live up to the reputation.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I had no idea how much she had bonded with you until today. If you disappear, she’s going to be heartbroken.”

“What about her mother, wouldn’t she be heartbroken too?” He leaned down, pressing their foreheads together. “I’m not going anywhere. I love you, beautiful.”

“I love you, too.”

Those three little words meant so much to him because he knew what it took for them to get there. It had taken a lot for Ella to trust him, or anyone. That was an accomplishment all in itself.
Damn, this woman is amazing and she’s all mine.

“To answer your question, yes, I’d be heartbroken if you didn’t stick around.” She rubbed her hand up his chest. “Maybe tonight after we get Abbi to bed we can have an adults-only evening.”

He thought he knew what she meant but wasn’t completely sure how far she’d let him take things. Only time would tell, and he was eager to find out. Thoughts of getting her naked ran through his mind until he wanted to take her right there. If only his co-workers, patients, and Abbi weren’t watching, he just might have. This woman sent his blood rushing, and his hands itched with the urge to touch her.