The Doctor and the Single Mum

“Don’t break any rules on my account.”

“Not to worry. But there is something I plan to do on your account.”

“Don’t do me any favors.”

“Actually it’s myself I’m concerned about.” He picked up his ice cream again and started eating. “It seems the people here in town are all very protective of you. To win their hearts and minds I need to prove myself to you, earn your friendship. And that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

“Good luck with that.” She struggled for a flip attitude, but was pretty sure it didn’t work, what with her heart pounding so hard. “I’ve built up an immunity to nice, charming men.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m not nice or charming.”

TERESA SOUTHWICK lives with her husband in Las Vegas, the city that reinvents itself every day. An avid fan of romance novels, she is delighted to be living out her dream of writing for Mills & Boon.

The Doctor and the Single Mum

Teresa Southwick

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To my husband, Tom.

I love you—first, last, always.

Chapter One

“I really like what I see.”

Adam Stone wasn’t just talking about the apartment for rent. The same applied to the pretty lady renting it. Jill Beck was hot, and not just because of all that curly red hair. The thought of asking her out crossed his mind, but that wasn’t why he was here. A truck with his stuff was on the way from Dallas to Montana and he needed to find a place to live here in Blackwater Lake before it arrived.

“Isn’t this a little too small for you, Dr. Stone?” When Jill settled her brown-eyed gaze on him, he momentarily lost the power of speech.

The two of them were standing in a spacious living room. One window looked out at a dense forest of evergreen trees, and the other had a view of the wide expanse of sparkling blue water known as Blackwater Lake. Only the woman in front of him was a better view than either.

“Call me Adam.”

He glanced at the body of water that gave the town one hundred miles north of Billings, Montana, its name. Then he looked around the apartment again. It seemed like just what the doctor ordered. The unit had an eat-in kitchen plus two bedrooms and baths. The walls were painted a light olive-green and trimmed with wide white baseboards that butted up against the pinewood floor. Crown molding highlighted the nine-foot ceilings.

The stairs up to this apartment were located to the side of her front door. He’d seen her place and it was identical to this one, although her walls were painted a particularly sunny shade of yellow that was appealing. He’d thought it suited her, until he turned serious about becoming her tenant. Wariness now replaced her cheery expression.

He folded his arms over his chest and looked down at her. “I’m a single guy. How much room do you think I need?”

“I have a feeling it’s more than you can find in my upstairs.” The clouds swirling in her beautiful eyes definitely wouldn’t drop precipitation in the light-to-moderate range.

Adam could tell he was in for a hard time. A family practice doctor learned to listen, note verbal cues and read between the lines. He was a really good family practice doctor and knew her jeans were in a knot about something. Maybe when they’d climbed the stairs she’d caught him checking out her butt.

It was in his top five, hovering around one or two in the shapeliest category. He was a guy and guys were hardwired to notice girls, especially pretty ones. As far as looks, Jill Beck wasn’t in the top ten, but there was something about her. And not just her chest. Yeah, he’d noticed that, too, but had been very careful to look at her face during this conversation.

The positive part of that was appreciating the cute splash of freckles on her upturned nose. But admiring her butt and the freckles on her face wasn’t a hanging offense, so he was at a loss about what was bugging her.

Talking was the best way for him to find out. “If I was a family man instead of a family practice doctor, your upstairs would present some space challenges. But that’s not the case. I was told it’s the best place to rent and I can see why.”

“Someone at Mercy Medical Clinic told you about me?”

“Yes.” The retiring doctor he was replacing had given him the scoop. Along with two thumbs-up from the receptionist and the nurse.

“Have you looked anywhere else?” she asked.

“I have,” he admitted. “But there’s not a lot available.”

“There are a couple of houses,” she said helpfully. “And the Blackwater Lake Lodge probably has a room until you find just what you’re looking for.”

“Yeah. But the houses aren’t as convenient to town and the clinic. The lodge—” He shrugged. “I want to settle somewhere. By process of elimination, that puts this property in the lead.”

“Lucky me.” Her tone struggled for upbeat but fell way short.

Adam could feel his stubbornness kicking in, and that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. “I’d like to rent your apartment, Miss Beck.”

If she noticed he didn’t call her Jill, she didn’t say anything. She shrugged. “The lease is on my desk. I suggest you read it before making a final decision.”

There was a warning in the words, but he followed her downstairs to the computer desk tucked into a corner of her living room. This furnished twin of the upstairs apartment gave him an idea how homey it could be.

A chocolate-brown sofa sat in front of the fireplace with a flat-screen TV on the wall over it. The couch partitioned the room into work and relaxation spaces and with warm touches in both. Brass lamps with scalloped shades on tables. In framed pictures covering the walls he recognized the lake outside and the surrounding mountains. Photographs were everywhere. On the desk beside the computer was one of Jill with a little boy whose curly red hair gave a clue who his mother was. As far as he could tell, there were no photos of the boy’s father.

She handed him the paperwork. “Look it over carefully.”

Adam didn’t need a microscope or a magnifying glass to see that the terms of the agreement favored the landlady. Big-time.

“I wasn’t aware that this was the down payment on purchasing the property.”

“A landlord needs some safeguards,” she explained.

If she was a single mom, that would account for the financial safeguards stipulated in the agreement. “That’s quite a hefty security deposit.”

“But necessary.”

“And this penalty for early lease termination seems excessive in addition to spelling out that a tenant is on the hook to pay the agreed-upon rent for the duration of the contract or until an alternative renter is secured.”

“Also necessary,” she said. “The costs of cleaning and painting between renters adds up. Then I have the costs of advertising to fill the vacancy on top of the lost revenue.”

“But I’m not going to skip out on the rent.”

“That’s what they all say.” Even if the tone hadn’t given her away, skepticism was there in the expression on her face. “This covers the winter months. In spring and summer there’s a better chance of getting a tenant who sticks.”

“What makes you so sure I won’t?”

“The last doctor took off after the first snow.”

“I’m not the last doctor.”

“Right,” she said. “The clinic will replace you when you go.”

“That’s not what I meant and I’m pretty sure you know it.”

“Doesn’t make it any less true.”

He leaned a hip against her desk. “Are you trying to talk me out of renting from you?”

“Is it working?” she asked, neither confirming nor denying the accusation.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but real estate is business. It feels like you’re making this personal.”

“It’s both. I already spelled out the business part in the contract.” Her gaze rested on the photo he’d noticed moments ago. “I’m a single woman with a child. That gives me a personal interest in who lives upstairs. It’s why I do a pretty thorough background screening before even showing the place to a prospective tenant. The town sheriff is a good friend of mine.”

He guessed that she’d hoped to turn up something that would give her a reason to tell him no. As a businesswoman she needed to show the empty apartment to everyone who didn’t have a black mark on their record. But he asked anyway. “Did I pass the test?”

Her smile seemed reluctant, but that didn’t detract from its beauty. “I usually take families’ testimonials with a grain of salt, but yours are different.”

“I’m aware of that, but why do you think so?”

“When your dad is a Nobel Prize–winning economist and your mother a nationally known biomedical engineer, not to mention your brother is one of the country’s top cardiac surgeons, that tends to carry some weight.”

“You have no idea.” The burden of being related to the gifted and geekish had finally worked in his favor.

“And you’re a family practice doctor.” There was a thoughtful expression on her face as she tucked a strand of curly red hair behind her ear. “Did your folks bring the wrong baby home from the hospital?”

“I get that a lot.” Long ago he’d learned not to take it personally. His line of work was exactly what he wanted. “I’d probably have done a DNA test except I look like my dad and I have a twin sister.”

“Is she a doctor, too?”

“Yeah. Rocket science. She works for NASA.”

“Wow. Your family has some very impressive credentials,” she commented.

“So you know my background. That doesn’t explain your hard-line rental policy.”

“If you think about it, it kind of does.”

Adam looked at her. “How?”

“I have to wonder why you’re here at all.”

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking.” Actually he understood exactly what was on her mind.

He’d fielded lots of endless questions about his career and life choice, especially from the overachievers in his family. The perception was that he wasn’t as good if this was the best medical specialty he could do. His ex-wife had no problem dumping him when he’d made the decision. It wasn’t flashy enough for her and Adam was still bitter enough to make Jill say straight out what he knew she was thinking.

“Blackwater Lake is a small town.”

“But growing,” he pointed out.

“Yes.” There was a sexy little dent in her chin that was more pronounced when her full lips were pulled tight. “But right now it’s not very big. Summer is winding down and winter comes early in northern Montana. You could have your pick of warm places to practice medicine.”

Someone, probably his mother, had shared information about offers he’d fielded from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Dallas, where he’d been working until recently. Taking any one of them in a major metropolitan area would have gone a long way toward reassuring his family about what they considered his lack of ambition.

He’d accepted a long time ago that they would never understand why he wanted to treat the whole person, whole families, rather than be a world-renowned expert in a single body part. If the people who knew him best didn’t get it, there was no way to explain it to a woman with a chip on her shoulder.

Adam decided to try anyway. “I found out early in medical school that factors beyond disease and diagnosis affect an individual’s health. Treating the whole patient and not simply specializing in a certain organ of the body was important to me. Knowing the people in their world factors into the medical protocols. I like people.”

“That’s very noble of you.” She sounded sincere and hopefully impressed. “But why here?”

“I came to a camp in Blackwater Lake. My parents were busy and gone a lot, so keeping us kids busy and out of trouble was important. I fell in love with this place and never forgot it. Being part of a community is important to me. So, when an opening came up in the clinic, I applied.”

“I’m guessing you spent more than one summer here at camp?”

“Every one for nine years.” He nodded emphatically. “Dallas is great, but big. Seeing the contrast between there and here convinced me that small-town life was just my cup of tea. I want to live and work here in Blackwater Lake.”

“That’s easy for you to say when the weather is beautiful, like it is today. But what about when you have to fight your way to the clinic through a blizzard?” She held up a hand when he opened his mouth to protest. “I can tell you what happens. You change your mind about small-town life. You run, not walk, to the closest airport and it’s not all that close. You get on a flight to the nearest big city and guess who’s left holding the bag—or the lease. I have a family to support.”

That sounded like confirmation that there was no ex helping her out with raising her son. Someone had obviously done her wrong, so he had to sign a legal contract to give her peace of mind.

Adam didn’t react well to negative vibes, and Jill Beck had N-O with a capital N coming off her in waves. That made him want to challenge her and he could feel his stubborn streak going radioactive. It didn’t always lead to the best personal decisions, and he had the only divorce in the family to prove the point. But the obstinate side always made his life interesting.

“I still want to rent your apartment, Miss Beck.”

Her gaze narrowed on him. “You do realize what kind of money is involved?”

“In spite of my less challenging career choice, I did make it through medical school. I can do the math.” He looked around at the living room with fresh flowers and more than one oval-framed needlepoint sampler. “This is charming. And the cost is not a problem.”

“All right, Doctor—”

“If my personal check isn’t satisfactory, I’d be happy to stop at the bank for cash or a cashier’s check.” He took a pen from her desk and signed the agreement. After handing it back he said, “You’re going to be my landlady. It’s time you started calling me Adam.”

Adam.

Stone.

The name suited him, Jill thought. He was immovable like a rock. A tall, good-looking rock.

The man was her worst nightmare and he was settling in upstairs. The moving truck had brought his stuff and then rumbled away a while ago. On paper he was the perfect tenant. A doctor. Gainfully employed at Mercy Medical Clinic. He came from a prominent family. And the hefty check he’d given her had cleared the bank. Probably soared more than cleared. There was that prominent, wealthy family. But the doctor gig no doubt paid pretty well without help from the folks. That was the business part of her talking.

From Jill’s personal perspective, he couldn’t have been worse. Young. Too handsome for her own good. He reminded her of the actor who had played the most recent Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek. She had a crush on that actor, and now his clone was living upstairs. Even worse, she liked him. He was funny and charming. Damn him.

None of that was even a problem—until he left. And he would. Like she’d told him, they all left. She should be used to men walking away from her by now, but apparently one never quite got the hang of having one’s hopes crushed into dust. It still smarted. But she was a big girl and understood what was going on. Her son was just a little boy and she wouldn’t stand by and allow a good-looking tenant to trample on C.J.’s feelings again.

Speaking of her son …

Jill pushed away from her desk and rubbed her eyes after looking at a computer screen for so long. This economics assignment for her online class had taken more time than anticipated. “C.J.?”

There was no answer and the house was too hushed and silent. He was a six-year-old boy, not a cat burglar, and quiet wasn’t hardwired into him.

“C.J., are you hiding?” She stood, then listened for the giggling, a clue there was an unannounced game under way.

The only sounds came from overhead—faint footsteps and a thump. Doctor Dazzling was putting things away. Should she offer to help? Not if she was smart.

She walked down the hall to her son’s room, which was where she’d last seen him, playing with action figures now abandoned on the beige area rug. His bed was made, the lumps and bumps in the superhero spread evidence of the small hands doing the big job. The boy attached to those hands was nowhere in sight.

“C.J.?” Jill opened the closet to make sure her mischievous little man wasn’t playing with her.

The interior looked as if a clothing and toy store had thrown up. When he was ordered to put his stuff away, this was where C.J. stashed everything. But if he were hiding in here, there would be giggling and wiggling. His skill level for holding still was on a par with keeping quiet.

Now she was starting to get concerned. He couldn’t maintain the cone of silence for very long, but sneaking out of the house without being heard was something he was pretty good at. If he’d left the premises, she knew where to find him.

She walked over to her desk, picked up the phone and hit speed dial. It rang several times before the man who worked her marina business on the lake answered. “Blackwater Lake Marina and Bait Shop.”

“Brewster? It’s Jill.”

“Hey, boss. What’s up?”

“Tell C.J. it’s time for him to come home. And he’s in big trouble.” She half sat on the edge of her desk.

“I’d be happy to except he’s not here.”

Her stomach knotted with worry. “Are you sure? Maybe he sneaked in quietly. You know how he loves to jump out and scare you.”

“That’s a fact. But I’ve been out front all afternoon straightening up. No way he could get by me.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“You want me to look for him?”

“No. I’m sure he’s in the house somewhere. Bye, Brew.”

No need to panic. This was probably a new unannounced game, something he did frequently. But from the moment he was born she’d used all her senses to keep tabs on her little guy, and sight was the one that brought her the most comfort. Seeing him safe and sound always made her breathe a sigh of relief. She badly wanted that sigh now.

Overhead she heard more footsteps followed by another thump. Her eyes narrowed as a thought formed. “He wouldn’t dare—”

Jill walked out her front door and turned right, then went up the stairs and knocked on her new tenant’s door. Moments later he opened it and smiled. Her stomach boomeranged down to her toes and back up. It had happened the first time she saw him, but she’d been sure the reaction was a one-time deal and was now under control. Apparently it needed some more work.

“Hi,” he said. “What’s up? Do you need more money?”

“Not until next month.” In spite of the niggling guilt she smiled. Might as well be friendly. No way she could avoid dealing with him. “Are you settling in okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks for asking.” His gaze sharpened a fraction as he studied her. “Is something wrong?”

Jill figured either he was superobservant, or she should never try to improve her financial situation by playing poker.

“Actually,” she said, “I was wondering if you’d seen my son.”

“Is he about this high?” Adam put his hand about C.J.’s height. “Curly red hair? Wearing jeans, sneakers and a Spider-Man T-shirt? Looks a lot like you.”

“A perfect description. That means you’ve spotted him recently.” The knot of anxiety in her stomach loosened.

“Yeah. He’s been helping me put things away.”

“You should have sent him home.” The anxiety snapped back, but for a different reason. “He knows better than to pester our renter.”

Adam folded his arms over his chest. There was something so blatantly masculine in the movement that her mouth went dry. Until that moment, Jill hadn’t considered how long it had been since her last date. Apparently too long. Might be time to do something about that.

“By ‘knows better,’ do you mean he had specific instructions not to come upstairs?”

She nodded. “The exact words were that there would be dire consequences if he bothered you.”

“Then he’s off the hook.”

“How do you figure?” she asked.

“Because he’s not bothering me.”

Adam Stone was covering for C.J., she realized. It was protective and sweet. Unfortunately, she couldn’t afford to give in to that “aww” feeling. It would open the door for the “oh, damn” feeling when he left. She was the only one C.J. could count on. It was her job to protect him.

The sound of small sneakers running sounded just before the little guy appeared beside the big guy. “Hi, Mom. I didn’t sneak out and help Brew at the dock because I had to help Adam.”

There were so many things wrong with that statement she didn’t know where to start, but he was gone before she could say anything. And that was classic C.J. They needed to have a conversation, but before that she needed to set boundaries with Adam. When she did, it would be best if her son was out of earshot.

“He didn’t tell me where he was going,” she started.

“You were worried.”

“Of course.” It was probably an educated guess, because her background check confirmed he was a bachelor without children. He had no frame of reference to empathize with a parent.

“I should have asked if he had permission.” There was annoyance in his expression that looked to be self-directed. “It won’t happen again. You have my word.”

“That’s very much appreciated,” she said sincerely. “But here’s the thing. Probably it’s better for C.J. if you don’t encourage him to hang out with you at all.”

Adam leaned a broad shoulder against the doorjamb. “Are you telling me to stay away from him?”

“No. Not exactly.” Unable to meet his gaze, she looked down at the wood floor on the landing outside his door. “Kind of.”

“I expect you’ve got a good reason.” The deep tone dripping with sarcasm said he didn’t believe there was such a thing.

“I’m a single parent—”

“So you said.”

“And C.J. is an active, outgoing little boy.”

That made him smile. “He’s a really great kid.”

“I know.” She smiled, too. Then grew serious. “He’s a great kid who badly wants a man in his life to hang out with.”

“Just my opinion as a family practice doctor, but that’s perfectly normal.”

“It’s probably not a good idea for him to get attached to you.” She met his gaze. “That’s just my opinion as his mother.”

“Because you think I won’t stick.”

“Exactly. I just don’t want him to get his little heart broken again—” A lump of emotion lodged in her throat and it was mortifying in front of this man.

“The last doctor,” he guessed.

His parents and siblings weren’t the only smart ones in the Stone family. She was trying to be vague, but apparently he had a gift for connecting the dots. “Yeah.”

“I wouldn’t hurt him, Jill.” The tone was extraordinarily gentle.

“Not deliberately,” she said. “I know that. But it concerns me.”

“I admire your impulse to protect him and will do my best to help you out.”

Jill hadn’t realized she was spoiling for a fight until he didn’t give her one. She appreciated the compliment about her maternal instincts, and the admiration went both ways. He seemed like a good guy, but another seemingly good guy had once stood right where he was now. That guy broke his promise and her son’s heart. Jill’s had been nicked, too.

“Thanks for understanding.” What else could she say?