The Doctor Wore Spurs

Silhouette Desire

‡
Ridge: The Avenger
#987

*The Five-Minute Bride
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*The Troublemaker Bride
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*The You-Can't-Make-Me Bride
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Millionaire Dad
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†
The Lone Rider Takes a Bride
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Thirty-Day Fiancé
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**The Secretary and the Millionaire
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Her Forever Man
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The Doctor Wore Spurs
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Silhouette Special Edition

A
Date with Dr. Frankenstein
#983

Expectant Father
#1028

‡‡Sons and Lovers

* How To Catch a Princess

† The Rulebreakers

** Fortune's Children: The Brides

‡‡ Lone Star Families: The Logans

LEANNE BANKS

is a national number-one bestselling author of romance. She lives in her native Virginia with her husband and son and daughter. Recognized for both her sensual and humorous writing with two Career Achievement Awards from
Romantic Times Magazine,
Leanne likes creating a story with a few grins, a generous kick of sensuality and characters that hang around after the book is finished. Leanne believes romance readers are the best readers in the world because they understand that love is the greatest miracle of all. You can write to her at P.O. Box 1442, Midlothian, VA 23113. A SASE for a reply would be greatly appreciated.

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

"She has a reputation," Clarence Gilmore said, his gaze on the same woman Tyler Logan was watching.

Idly aware of the intense schmooze factor of the Hospital Association's convention, Tyler watched Jill Hershey the same way he'd been known to watch a buck during hunting season. The outer package was enough to merit a second glance: silky, warm-brown hair, intelligent green eyes and a compact but curvy body that was almost concealed by her conservative clothing. Another man might not notice the subtle swell of her breasts against the double-breasted black suit jacket or the enticing curve of her waist and hips, but Tyler always looked beneath the surface.

He just didn't always let everyone else know he did. What held his attention about Jill Hershey, however, was the way she kept her gaze focused on whomever she was talking to. Even from twenty feet away he could sense the power of her focus.

"What do you know about her?" he asked Clarence.

"She's a public relations miracle worker. That's why she's in demand. You wouldn't believe what she did for the cancer treatment center in Minneapolis," Clarence, the hospital administrator, said wistfully.

"Then get her," Tyler said simply.

Clarence threw him a long-suffering glance. "You surgeons don't understand anything about the business of health care."

"Good thing, too," Tyler said with a grin. "We'd have a lot more dead people, if surgeons were thinking about business instead of surgery." He looked at Jill again. "If she's the one we need to beef up our children's treatment center, then get her."

"There might be a few obstacles to that. One, she probably costs too much. Two, she's probably already booked. Three, we might be too small."

"Sounds like a bunch of mights and maybes. What's the harm in asking?"

"I've requested information about her before," Clarence said a shade defensively. "I was told she doesn't do children's projects."

That stopped Tyler. He glanced at Clarence. "Really?"

"Yes," Clarence said, pulling slightly on his collar.

"Well, maybe she needs a new challenge," Tyler said.

"You're not going to approach her," Clarence said.

"Sure I am. Isn't that why we're at this convention? To gain some visibility for the new children's cardiac wing."

"Yes, but—"

Tyler shrugged. "You said she's the one we need. So, I'll go get her."

The man with the cowboy hat waited patiently behind her former client, Mr. Waldron. Jill tried not to look at him, but it was difficult. He was taller than most men in the room, unabashedly Western, and, she concluded after a few moments passed, determined. He was a little too handsome for his own good, she thought. Just the way he stood, he exuded a gut-level kind of confidence most people never experienced. His searching gaze generated an odd ripple inside her.

Her former client must have felt the man's presence because he glanced around quizzically.

The man immediately stepped forward. "Hello, I'm Dr. Tyler Logan from Fort Worth General Hospital. Pleased to meet you."

"Bill Waldron of Cincinnati University Hospital. This is—"

"Jill Hershey, public relations sorceress," Dr. Logan finished with enigmatic charm. He extended his hand and met her gaze with the direct impact of a two-by-four. "We need you."

Jill blinked. Although her career success had grown quickly over the past three years, she wasn't accustomed to this approach. Noticing the strength and size of his hand, she managed a smile. "I'm flattered," she said. "I think."

Mr. Waldron excused himself, and Jill retrieved her hand. "I wouldn't call myself a sorceress."

"You don't have to. You have others who do it for you."

She felt a surge of curiosity. She wondered what was behind his cowboy charm. "Dr. Logan," she began.

"Call me Tyler," he said.

Surprise seeped through her. Many of the doctors she'd met were very attached to their titles. "Tyler, what is your specialty?"

"Pediatric cardiology. Surgery."

Jill's stomach clenched. It took a moment to catch her breath, but with effort she produced a smile. "That's an important field, but I must tell you I haven't done much work with children's projects."

"Why not?"

His question took her off guard. "I always felt I was more effective with other specialties."

"You don't like kids?"

"No!" she immediately denied, and shook her head. "I...I do like children." She shrugged, wanting to get away from this impertinent man who had unknowingly stabbed her in her most vulnerable area. "I told you I have always felt I was more effective with other specialties. Not only that," she said, wishing her voice didn't sound so tight with tension, "my latest projects have been with larger hospitals."

"You wouldn't want to get in a rut," Tyler said.

Jill's head began to pound. "A rut?" she repeated.

He nodded. "You look like a woman who needs a new challenge to keep you happy."

She didn't know what irritated her more, the fact that he was making a huge assumption or the fact that it was right. "Dr. Logan—"

"Tyler," he corrected, his blue eyes glinting with masculine humor.

She stifled a sigh. "Tyler, I have to be honest. I usually accept assignments recommended by the president of my company. If you're interested in our services, you can contact Jordan Grant. Our telephone and fax numbers are in the conference kit. It was nice meeting you."

He nodded slowly, thoughtfully, as if he saw more than she wanted him to see. Jill turned away, both disturbed and relieved.

"I dare you," she heard from behind her. His words brought her back around.

"Pardon?"

"I dare you to come to Fort Worth General and make a lot of children's lives longer and better. You've got what it takes to do it." He looked her directly in the eye, and she felt the heat and power of his passion. "I dare you."

As much as she dismissed him, however, he kept popping up. He'd had no idea of the enormity of his dare. He'd had no idea that he was presenting her with the opportunity to conquer or be conquered by her greatest, most secret pain.

And that was why she was currently organizing her temporary office at Fort Worth General Hospital. She glanced out her window at "Cowtown's" downtown area. A few blocks away stood the old stockyards, a statue of the legendary cowboy William Pickett, and Billy Bob's bar, the largest saloon in Texas. Wherever Jill's projects took her, she'd learned her job went much easier if she understood the natives. That meant she was going to have to be a temporary cowgirl. That might be challenging, considering she didn't eat beef.

"It's just temporary," she whispered, trying to settle her nervous stomach. "Temporary insanity." During her stay in Fort Worth, this office would be her safe haven, the place where she could close the door and take deep breaths, her island of peace and creativity. Her sanctuary.

A sharp rap sounded on her door, then it whooshed open. "Welcome to Cowtown."

Jill's stomach tightened again. That voice had haunted her during the past month. The man wasn't important, she reminded herself. He was merely a door she would walk through to make peace with herself. She glanced up to meet his blue gaze. The incongruous combination of his white coat, a stethoscope with a tiny stuffed bear attached to it and his cowboy hat caught her off guard. Even though the man was tall with broad shoulders and dark good looks, that tiny stuffed bear should have deep-sixed his sexual appeal. It didn't. "Thank you," she finally said.

"What took you so long to get here?"

She gave a light laugh and relaxed slightly. "You were that sure I'd come."

"If you followed your instincts," he said, entering the room. "You'll like it here."

"It's temporary," she said more for herself than him.

"You didn't answer my question. What took you so long?"

That Texas drawl and lanky stride were deceptive, Jill thought, hiding a grin. The man was impatient. Jill understood impatience. She'd just learned to conceal hers. "This may surprise you, but I was working on another project at the time. I needed to tie up some loose ends and make sure there was a smooth transition between me and the new rep. I couldn't just snap my fingers."

"Well, I
am
surprised," Tyler said. "You're supposed to be a sorceress, remember?"

She shot him a sideways glance. "I'm curious," she said. "Is this how you usually get your way with people?"

He picked up a pencil holder. "How?"

"Oh, by using a combination of flattery and manipulation."

He widened his eyes in mock innocence. "Flattery?" He shrugged. "I just tell the truth. And manipulation sounds mean. I'm not mean. I just do what it takes to get the job done. That makes some people nervous. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do I make you nervous?" he asked in a voice like black velvet.

Her heart jumped in her chest. "No," she said, a half beat more quickly than she should.

"Good," he said, "because you and I will be working together. I make the administration a little jumpy sometimes, but I get the job done." His lips twitched. "You're here, aren't you?"

"Temporarily," she emphasized.

His gaze swept over her. "Long enough," he promised. "Why are you staring at Wild Cody?"

Jill blinked. "Wild Cody?"

"My bear. You remind me of one of my kids."

She felt her cheeks heat. "I'm not used to seeing a bear on a stethoscope."

"Distracting, isn't it?" His lips twitched again when she nodded. "That's the idea." He took her hand and held it in his, then took her index finger between his fingers.

Feeling a strange, tumbling sensation in her stomach, she tried to pull back.

Tyler shook his head. "Hold on." He pulled another tiny bear from his pocket and attached the little bear to her finger. "You are now officially a member of the heart menders' wild posse."

Why was her heart pounding? she wondered with a kick of exasperation. She glanced at the little stuffed bear and sighed. Oddly touched, she smiled. "Thank you. Do you give these to your patients?"

He raised his eyebrows. "That's not a bad idea. Maybe I could get them in bulk. I can see Clarence twitching over a purchase requisition for a hundred miniature bears." He grinned and squeezed her hand. "There you go. A good idea and you haven't even been here an entire day. I told you we needed you."

Her stomach turned another somersault. "Ideas are the easy part. The hard part comes later," she murmured, thinking he had no idea how hard this could become for her.

"You need a challenge," he told her.

His assumption nettled her again. "Why do you say that? You don't even know me."

"I could say your reputation precedes you," he said. "Or I could say we needed you at Fort Worth General because you've got great legs. Or I could just say I know a kindred spirit when I see one."

"Is this a multiple-choice quiz?" she asked, her voice betraying her impatience.

He leaned closer and she could see the very devil in his blue eyes. "Check all of the above."

A flirt, she concluded with disapproval. Her ex-husband had been charming, too confident and an outrageous flirt. She didn't need to read that book again. "I don't think—"

"Howdy!" a young, plump woman called from the doorway. Her gaze immediately latched on to Tyler. "Oh, hi, Dr. Logan," she said in a breathy voice.

"Hi, Trina," Tyler said. "This is our PR specialist, Jill Hershey."

Her gaze weaving between Tyler and Jill, she said, "I'm Trina Hostetter and I'll be your assistant while you're here in Fort Worth."

"Good job," Tyler said as he moved toward the door. "Trina, you take good care of Jill. She's going to do great things for us." His gaze dipped to Jill's legs for an audacious extra second, then he gave a half grin. "See you later."

Jill watched Trina gaze longingly after Tyler. "I'd like to do great things for
him
," Trina murmured under his breath.

Jill rolled her eyes. "He's a flirt."

Trina swerved her head around. "But not a mean flirt," she quickly said. "He just knows how to make a woman feel good. He doesn't break hearts."

Jill raised her eyebrows doubtfully, but smiled. "Why do I think you might be a little prejudiced?"

"Oh. Just because it's obvious that I'd like Tyler to park his boots under my bed anytime, you think I might be prejudiced." Trina shook her head. "Just about every woman with any taste would like to have Tyler. What's not to like? He's handsome, but not pretty. He's smart, funny, kind, and he likes kids. Sure, he dates a lot, but he doesn't make promises he won't keep. Everyone's just trying to find a way to get him to make some of those promises." She glanced at Jill's finger. "Omigod, he gave you one of his bears. He must really like you," she said with a trace of envy.

Jill immediately unfastened the bear from her finger and transferred it to a pencil. "Don't worry. It has no romantic significance. The reason Tyler wants me here is because he believes I'm going to help him get something he wants—the new pediatric cardiology wing."

Trina blinked. "Are you saying you don't want him?"

Jill smiled. "Exactly. I would rather catch the flu than catch Tyler."

"Are you married? Engaged?"

"No, just sane. Very sane when it comes to men. Believe me," Jill said, feeling a rumbling of trepidation inside her. "I'm not here to get involved with Dr. Logan."

A sharp rap sounded on Jill's office door, startling her and breaking her concentration. The door opened and Tyler strode in. "Time for your tour," he said.

Jill blinked in irritation. The man always seemed to catch her off guard. "Trina already took me on a tour of the hospital," Jill told him. Trina had also given her an earful on just about every person they'd encountered.

"That was Trina's tour. Mine is different."

"Trina was very thorough," Jill said.

"I'm sure she was," Tyler said with a dry chuckle. "You probably felt like you'd walked through scripts for three soap operas by the time she finished."

"It was—" she paused and her lips twitched "—colorful."

"I can tell you're in PR. My tour is different," he said. "I want you to meet some of my patients."

Jill's stomach tightened. "Oh, well, you don't have to do that."

He met her gaze. "Sure I do. People put more on the line when it's personal. If you meet some of these kids, it will be personal."

She nodded slowly. "You're right, but we don't have to do it today. I'm sure you've had a long day, and I'm digesting all the information I've gathered today and—"

"Why don't you want to meet them?"

Her breath stopped somewhere between her lungs and her mouth. How could she tell him that she wasn't prepared to face her demons in that way today? She couldn't. She carefully inhaled and exhaled. "I didn't say I don't want to meet them. I just thought there might be a better day."

"Nope," he said with a shrug.

She bit her lip and nodded. "Okay," she said, resignation sinking into her as she walked out of her office with him.

"We have three recovering from surgery and four either in for testing or preparing for surgery," he said as he led her with his long-legged stride through the white-tile corridor to the elevator.

"What age?" she asked, telling herself she could handle this.

"Infant through teenage."

Infant.
Jill steeled herself against the poke at her secret wound. Focus on something else, she told herself. "What made you choose your specialty?"

He nodded for her to enter the elevator. "I think it chose me. If my father had chosen, he would've kept me on the ranch. Thank goodness my oldest brother is the rancher."

"Sounds like your family is big on tradition."

He shrugged. "You could say that. We've been around West Texas for several generations now, we have a long-standing feud with our neighbor, and some say there's a curse on the Logan name."

"A curse?" she echoed, intrigued at the prospect that the cocky, charming Dr. Logan could suffer from a curse.

He rolled his eyes. "I never believed it, but the Logans have not been particularly lucky in the romance department. Their women don't seem to hang around."

"They leave?"

He shrugged again. "Or die."

Her eyes widened and she swallowed a chuckle. "Oh, my. Is that why you haven't married?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Nah, just haven't met the right one." He looked her over curiously. "What about you?"

"I thought I had, but I was wrong."

"I thought someone would have tried to take you off the market. What did he do?"

"He left at the worst possible moment," she said and smiled. "No fairy-tale ending, but I'm over it now."

"Ready to go again?" he asked with a flicker of sexual challenge in his blue eyes.

"I like taking my time," she returned, thinking he would be a tempting package for some other woman. She met his gaze. "I know it's part of your style to flirt with women and to flatter. You don't have to do that with me. My ego can handle the direct approach."

He glanced at her mouth, then back to her eyes, and he gave a sensual grin. "What if I like flirting with you?"

"I think you should save it for the legions of women around here who want to—" she paused, then added Trina's words "—lasso your heart."

He roared with laughter. "You've been talking to Trina."

"No. Trina's been talking to me."

"So you're not gonna try to lasso me," he said, rubbing his chin. "I wonder if my feelings should be hurt."