He was not the shallow playboy she’d first imagined.

The conviction in his face told her so as he said, “I’m finding I like the clinic and this hospital. And I like my new ranch. So that’s a start.”

What about a woman to go with all that?

But Nicolette would bite off the end of her tongue before she’d ask him such a thing. She’d be a fool to lose what little heart she had left to a man like him.

She drank her coffee and felt his gaze on her face. His subtle inspection made her extremely aware that she was a woman.

A woman who had not felt the arms of a man around her in years…

Dear Reader,

Each member of the family on the Sandbur ranch has become beloved to me, and when the time came for the oldest daughter to find her soul mate, I wanted him to be a very special man. After all, Nicolette had lost her faith in men and it was going to take more than a charmer with a handsome face and sexy smile to touch her broken heart.

Who was this great guy going to be? The moment Ridge popped into my mind, I liked him. Which was a surprise because normally I’m not attracted to a man like him, who spends his days inside an office—even if his job is saving lives. I’m drawn to strong, outdoor men, whose faces are carved by the elements and with hands callused by hard, honest work. But wait a minute! Ridge isn’t just a doctor. At the end of the day he takes off his stethoscope and goes home to pull on his boots. Aaah! What could be sexier than a doctor who wears spurs?

Like me, when Nicolette first meets Ridge, she swoons. But it isn’t until she discovers the man inside that she starts to fall in love. He has a mind of his own and values that can’t be swayed by money or prestige. He knows exactly what he wants in life—a real marriage, children and a home full of warmth. And he’s more than willing to put his family before his career. What woman could resist?

I hope you enjoy reading this latest story in my MEN OF THE WEST series, and please watch for my next book to see how Cordero finally surrenders to love!

Happy trails,

Stella Bagwell

The Best Catch in Texas
Stella Bagwell

www.millsandboon.co.uk

STELLA BAGWELL

sold her first novel to Silhouette in November 1985. More than fifty novels later, she still loves her job and says she isn’t completely content unless she’s writing. Recently, she and her husband moved from the hills of Oklahoma to Seadrift, Texas, a sleepy little fishing town located on the coastal bend. Stella says the water, the tropical climate and the seabirds make it a lovely place to let her imagination soar and to put the stories in her head down on paper.

She and her husband have one son, Jason, who lives and teaches high school math in nearby Port Lavaca.

To my dear Marie

and the memory of her beloved Rocky.

Someday you’ll be together again.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter One

“Did you get a glimpse of Dr. Garroway’s backside? Oooee, what a treat it would be to see him in a pair of jeans.”

“Jeans? I’d like to see him without the jeans—without anything—except that smile of his!”

The hushed prattle of the two nurses turned into low giggles just as Nicolette Saddler approached the work desk where stacks of medical charts were waiting to be dispensed to waiting doctors.

“Ladies, do you think one of you might find the time to dig out Mr. Stanfield’s chart?” she asked.

Both women, who were several years younger than Nicolette’s thirty-eight years, looked around with shocked, parted lips. Obviously, neither nurse had been aware of her presence as they’d gushed over the new cardiologist.

“Oh!” Embarrassed, one of the nurses whirled toward the pile of manila folders and began to fumble through them. “Oh, sure, Dr. Saddler. Just a moment. It’s right here.”

Technically, Nicolette wasn’t a doctor. She was a P.A., a physician’s assistant. But most of her patients and colleagues called her doctor, simply because it was easier.

The second nurse smiled sheepishly. “Uh, we were just discussing the new heart doctor. Everybody in the clinic is excited about him.”

Everybody meaning all the women, Nicolette thought, as she did her best to stifle a sigh. From the moment she’d walked into the clinic this morning, she’d heard nothing but praise and adoration for the new cardiologist, who’d filled the empty spot left by Dr. Gray Walters’s retirement. But as far as Nicolette was concerned, no man could fill the elderly doctor’s shoes. He’d worked tirelessly to see that each and every patient had the best care. While other physicians enjoyed themselves on the golf course, or fishing down on the coast, Dr. Walters had been in the clinic or the hospital, giving of himself to his patients. She didn’t expect the same sort of dedication from the new man. From what she’d heard, he was only twenty-nine and the biggest thing he had going for him was his looks.

“Yes, I’ve heard,” Nicolette said drearily. Today was her first day back at Coastal Health since she’d taken two weeks off to nurse her ailing mother. Though she hadn’t expected to find Welcome banners for her return, she would have enjoyed having at least one person express their pleasure at seeing her. Instead, the new Dr. Garroway seemed to have turned the place on its ear.

The young nurse looked at her with a puzzled frown. “You don’t sound a bit excited. Haven’t you met him yet?”

“I’m not excited,” Nicolette briskly informed her. “And I haven’t met him yet. I have more important things on my agenda. Like sick patients.”

She took the chart from the other nurse’s hand and left the work station. As she walked down the corridor to her office, she pretty much felt the two women staring after her, as though she was some sort of hardened matron. Maybe they were right, she thought dismally. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten excited about a member of the opposite sex. Since she and her ex-husband had parted, she hadn’t looked twice at one. She’d had her turn with a good-looking, sweet-talking man and she wasn’t interested in having another.

Ten minutes later Nicolette was sitting at her desk, going over a battery of test results before she saw her first patient, when the nurse who worked as her personal assistant stepped through the open doorway.

“There’s someone in the waiting room to see you, Doctor,” she said.

Frowning, Nicolette glanced up at Jacki, a young woman with a mop of curly red hair and an effervescent smile that lasted throughout the day, even when everyone else was growling with fatigue. For the past three years, Jacki had been at Nicolette’s side. She’d become a friend, and thankfully Nicolette could talk to her as such.

“Should be a room full of patients,” Nicolette replied dryly.

“The patients are there, plus someone else. I told him I’d see if you had a minute or two.”

Nicolette’s brows peaked. “Him?”

Nodding, Jacki took a small step into the office, leaned toward Nicolette and whispered loudly, “The new doctor. I think all the women in the waiting area are trying to feign heart trouble.”

Murmuring a curse word under her breath, Nicolette tossed down her pen and pushed back her chair. “Why didn’t you tell the man I was busy? You certainly wouldn’t have been lying!”

Unaffected by Nicolette’s sharp words, Jacki made a palms-up gesture. “Because he would only come back later. Besides, he’s only trying to be neighborly. Something you normally try to be.”

Pressing her lips together, Nicolette rose from the leather desk chair. Jacki was right. Meeting the new doctor in the group was the friendly thing to do. And no one said she had to fawn over the man like the rest of the females at the clinic seemed to be doing. “All right. I’ll go meet Dr. Garroway,” she said as she swished past the nurse. “And then we’ll get to work.”

Not pausing to see if Jacki was following, Nicolette strode out of the office and down a narrow hallway. When she pushed through a slatted swinging door and into the waiting room, she saw the back of a tall man standing in the center of a ring of female patients. Her patients!

“Oh, hi, Dr. Saddler. You ready to see me?”

The question came from an elderly lady with chronic arthritis whom Nicolette treated on a regular basis. The woman was standing at the far edge of the group and as Nicolette approached the woman, she said, “Hello, Mrs. Gaines, I’ll be seeing you in just a few minutes. Right now—”

At that moment Dr. Garroway turned toward Nicolette and for a split second she struggled to keep her jaw from dropping.

From this morning’s buzz, she’d expected the man to be young and cute, maybe even handsome. The only thing she’d gotten right was the young part; the rest of him could only be described as striking. At least, she certainly felt as if someone had whammed her right in the diaphragm. Her lungs didn’t know whether they wanted to breathe in or out, or simply stop altogether.

Nicolette felt more than saw the people around her move aside as the man stepped toward her. By then she’d collected herself somewhat and offered the new doctor her hand.

“Hello, I’m P.A. Nicolette Saddler,” she said. “And you must be Dr. Garroway.”

A pair of thin lips pulled back into a wide, crooked smile. “Just Ridge to you, Doctor.”

The voice matched the face, she thought. Rough, tough and too sexy to be legal. He was far from the pretty boy she’d expected. He had lean, chiseled features that gave the impression he’d thrown a punch or two in his lifetime. His dark-blond hair was straight, naturally streaked with lighter shades of honey and long enough to be considered shaggy. Even though he’d made an effort to comb it back from his face, a few strands had fallen onto his forehead, giving him an even more rakish look. Warm, whiskey-brown eyes stared out at her beneath a pair of thick, brown brows and the certain gleam in those eyes put her on instant alert.

She cleared her throat as she glanced around at the audience of patients. “Would you like to step back into the hallway for a moment?”

“Sure. Just lead the way.”

Taking a deep breath, Nicolette walked back to the swinging door with the doctor right behind her. Once they were inside the corridor she turned to face him, hoping she didn’t appear as flustered as she felt.

“I’m sorry about the…nosy patients out there,” she apologized. “I just want to say welcome to the clinic.”

His lips quirked with amusement while his gaze seemed to dance all over her face. She felt unaccustomed heat rising to her cheeks.

“Don’t apologize for the patients,” he said. “I like people. Nosy and otherwise. And, though it was nice of you, I actually didn’t stop by to receive a welcome. I’ve been eager to meet you.”

Her brows inched upward as she regarded him warily. Why would a doctor like him be interested in meeting a lowly P.A? “Really? I can’t imagine why.”

He chuckled and the sound skittered over Nicolette’s skin like a warm, teasing breeze. She resisted the silly urge to sigh.

He said, “Don’t be so modest, Doctor, I hear you’re probably the most popular physician in the building. Maybe even in the whole town. I wanted to see for myself just what this superwoman was like.”

Embarrassed by his flattery, she glanced away from him. At the end of the hallway, Jacki stood at a work counter that portioned off a small room where medicines were kept. Even though the nurse appeared to be busy, Nicolette suspected she was lingering in hopes of catching a bit of their conversation.

“Someone has obviously been pulling your leg, Dr. Garroway. I’m not even a physician. I’m just an assistant. And as for being popular, that’s a real exaggeration.”

His tongue clicked with disapproval. “There you go, being modest again. I just walked through your waiting room. It’s full. What does that say?”

That she was busy and nothing more, she wanted to tell him. But she bit back the words. It would be highly uncomfortable if she got off on the wrong foot with this man. Especially when the two of them would be working in the same building. But she was getting all sorts of vibes from him and none of them were businesslike.

Trying to keep her voice cool, she said, “It tells me that there’re plenty of sick people around here.”

Looking back at him, she was jolted once again to find he was studying her intently, as though she were a flower he very much wanted to pluck.

Nicolette breathed deeply and told herself she was wrong. This young doctor wasn’t making eyes at her literally. He was simply being himself—a sexy flirt. These past few days doctoring her mother had worn her down and now her mind must not be turning on the right cog.

“I was told that you used to work under Dr. Walters,” he said.

Lord, the man was tall, Nicolette thought. Even though she was five foot eight, she would easily fit under his chin. Not that she would ever get that close, she silently swore. But she had to admit his lean body was a thing of beauty with its wide shoulders, narrow waist and long, muscular legs.

“That’s right. Dr. Walters was wonderful. I miss him.”

And I wish he were here instead of you. She might as well have said it out loud, Ridge thought, but he didn’t let the notion get to him. This woman didn’t know him personally. But he was going to make sure that sooner or later she would, and maybe then she’d be calling him wonderful. He didn’t know why changing her mind should be so important to him, especially when he didn’t know her personally, either. But all of his colleagues spoke of P.A. Saddler with great admiration. He valued her respect.

“I’m sure you do miss him,” he told her. “But Dr. Walters has earned a well-deserved retirement. And I’ve assured him I’m going to take the best of care of all his patients. He trusts me. Do you?”

She shot him a look that said she considered his question odd. “Trust you?” she repeated skeptically.

He gave her an indulgent smile. “That’s right. To be a good, dedicated doctor.”

Her gaze lowered to the floor, and Ridge took the moment to study her more closely. From the moment he’d spotted her in the waiting room, he’d found himself wanting to stare. She was nothing like the matronly woman he’d been expecting. Instead of wearing chunky heels, owl-rimmed glasses and a severe bun, she was sporting stiletto heels, clear gray eyes and long brown hair that swung freely to the middle of her back. It would be hard for him to guess her age, but that detail didn’t matter. She was the most beautiful, sexy woman he’d ever seen in his life.

“Oh,” she said. “Well, I’m sure you know your business. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

It wasn’t the response he wanted to hear from her, and he got the sense that she had already formed an opinion of him. One that wasn’t all that flattering.

“I was told you were working with Dr. Kelsey now.”

“That’s right.”

She certainly wasn’t helping him with this conversation, he thought. One-or two-word answers didn’t tell him much.

“Why?”

Her gray eyes popped wide. “I beg your pardon?”

He shrugged. “I was just wondering why you chose to work with him. Since you worked with Dr. Walters before he retired, I would have thought I’d have been your first choice. Or does dealing with heart ailments bore you?”

It was obvious that his question caught her off guard. She was floundering to come up with the right words.

Clearing her throat, she said, “Dr. Kelsey is a family practitioner. He deals with all sorts of health problems, and I get his overflow. I like the variety. And as for working with you—I don’t know you. And no one told me beforehand that you wanted an assistant.”

He smiled once again. “I wanted one when I heard about you.”

She folded her arms beneath her breasts and Ridge couldn’t help but follow the starched fabric of her lab coat as it molded to the rounded mounds. Even with the coat on, he could see she was a shapely woman.

His gaze moved to her left hand, and he was surprised to see it empty of a wedding ring. With her looks he’d figured some man had already branded her a long time ago as his property. But then, she could be a career women who didn’t want the extra responsibility of being married, he thought. In any case, finding out more about this woman was on his agenda.

“That’s…gracious of you to say, Dr. Garroway, but—”

“I’d really like it if you’d call me Ridge,” he interrupted. “After all, I’m sure we’ll be running into each other quite often.”

Not if she could help it, Nicolette promised herself. The man’s charm was as lethal as a flaming arrow and she wasn’t about to put herself in the path of the man’s aim.

To him she said, “Okay, Ridge it is. But as for us running into each other, I’m sure we’re both going to be very busy.” She glanced pointedly at her watch. “Which I am right now. I hope you’ll excuse me, but I have patients waiting.”

She glanced up at him, figuring his expression would have cooled somewhat, but if anything, his smile had deepened and the gleam in his eye was even brighter.

“Of course,” he said warmly. “I have work waiting on me, too. But we doctors need to take time out for ourselves, otherwise we’d need somebody to treat us.”

To her indignation, he winked and then casually turned to go. Before he pushed through the swinging door, he said over his shoulder, “Nice meeting you, Nicolette.”

That night, as Nicolette drove home to the Sandbur Ranch, she couldn’t stop thinking about the new Dr. Garroway. In fact, she was angry with herself because he’d popped in and out of her mind all day long. It wasn’t like her to be distracted by anyone or anything and she had to admit to herself that she was no better than the nurses who’d been awestruck over the man.

It wasn’t as though the man had enthralled her, she argued with herself. No, it was more like he’d irritated her with that cocky grin and that roaming brown gaze. He’d looked at her as though he’d like to eat her. And that wink! It was the most unprofessional thing she’d ever seen. Sexy, true. But totally out of place. Why, the man had only met her minutes before!

Forget it, Nicolette. Forget him, she muttered to herself as she parked her car and gathered her work from the passenger seat. She wasn’t going to be working closely with the man. Like she’d told him, she doubted their paths would cross all that much, so it wasn’t as if she would be dealing with his brashness on a daily basis.

Now she was ready for a relaxing evening at home. The ranch house where Nicolette lived with her mother and younger brother, Lex, was built in traditional hacienda style with a stucco exterior, a terracotta tile roof and a long ground-level porch with arched supports. The house was huge, as was the other family home on the ranch where her cousins, Matt and Cordero Sanchez, resided.

The Sandbur was not just a little spot near Victoria, Texas. It spread for thousands of acres, and at one time the Saddler and Sanchez families had been large enough to need the spacious houses. At least, when everyone was alive and all the children lived at home the leg room had been needed.

Nowadays things were different. Her younger sister, Mercedes, was presently away serving in the Air Force, and Nicolette’s cousin, Lucita, was down in Corpus Christi teaching. As for Nicolette’s father, Paul, he’d been laid to rest ten years ago, and nearly six years ago her aunt Elizabeth had passed away from diabetes complications. Even Nicolette had left the ranch for a while during those nine years she’d been married to Bill. But that was another man and another time that Nicolette didn’t want to think about.

As she approached the front porch, she saw two bamboo torches shedding a dim, flickering light over someone sitting in a wicker chair. Once she grew close, she could see it was her mother, Geraldine. The woman’s feet were propped up on a matching wicker coffee table, and a squatty tumbler was in her hand.

Nicolette released a weary breath.

“Good evening, Nicci. You’re very late getting home this evening.”

“Hi, Mother.” She walked the length of the porch to where her mother sat, then bent to kiss her cheek. “What are you doing outside at this time of night? I told you—”

“Now don’t start fussing with me, Nicci,” Geraldine interrupted. “I’ve been cooped up in the house for so long that I’m starting to feel like a nesting hen.”

“Better the house than a hospital room,” Nicolette reminded her. “And by the way, what is that you’re drinking?”

“Cook made me a mild margarita. And believe me, there’s not enough tequila in it to make a bird stagger, much less give your old mother a buzz, so quit worrying.”

With another heavy sigh, Nicolette sank into a chair positioned at an angle to her mother’s. “I guess I sound bossy, don’t I? But I just want you to get back to your old self.”

For the past two weeks Nicolette’s mother had been very ill with an acute case of summer bronchitis. At sixty-three Geraldine still looked young for her age and she was normally strong and healthy, but the summer had been extremely dry and dusty. With Lex and Matteo both busy, she’d taken on the job of overseeing the hay baling in the south meadow. The fog of dust and hay had done a number on her lungs and the only thing that had kept the woman out of the hospital was Nicolette’s diligent care.

“I understand that, honey. And you have your right to gripe at me. I caused you to miss two weeks of work. How am I ever going to repay you?”

Nicolette chuckled. Money was not an issue with her or any of her family for that matter. After nearly a century of raising some of the finest beef cattle and cutting horses in the business, the ranch had made both the Saddler and Sanchez families extremely wealthy. Nicolette worked in medicine because she’d always had a deep need to help people, not to make a living.

“Stay out of the hayfield. That’s how.”

The silver-haired woman held her glass out toward Nicolette. “Have a sip. From the looks of you, you need it.”

Nicolette groaned. Her mother didn’t have to tell her she looked as tired as dirty dishwater. She’d unfortunately caught a glimpse of herself tonight in the restroom mirror before she’d left the clinic. Her brown hair was fuzzed, dark crescents smudged the skin beneath her eyes, and her skin was pasty with fatigue. If Dr. Ridge Garroway saw her now, she very much doubted he’d give her one of those gleaming smiles. But that didn’t matter, she silently insisted. She didn’t want one of his smiles or anything else the man had to offer. She wasn’t in the market for romance.

“I do need a drink,” Nicolette admitted. “I’ve had a long, long day. Everyone seemed to be ailing with something. Dr. Kelsey couldn’t keep up and sent several patients down to my office.”

Geraldine reached for the cell phone on the coffee table and began to punch numbers. “Poor darling, put your feet up and I’ll call Cook.”

Nicolette did as her mother suggested and by the time she got settled, Cook appeared on the porch with a small pitcher of icy margaritas and a glass with a salted rim.

Cook’s name was really Hattie Tibideaux, but she’d been the cook for the Sandbur for so many years that everyone simply called her by her profession. Her age had inched beyond seventy now, yet her tall, bony figure was more spry than a woman twenty years younger. In spite of her advanced age, her black hair was only sprinkled with sparse amounts of gray and most often it was pulled severely back from her face in either a ponytail or braid. Her fingernails and lips were always painted red and Nicolette figured the woman had been an exotic beauty in her heyday.

“Thank you, Cook, you’re too sweet,” Nicolette told her as she placed the pitcher and glass on a small table between the two women.

Cook rose up to her full height and with her hands on her slim hips gave Nicolette a quick survey.

“You look like hell, Miss Nicci. Are they trying to kill you over there at that clinic?”

“Not really. There’s just lots of sick folks these days.”

The older woman clicked her tongue with disapproval. “Too much hustle and bustle. That’s what makes ’em sick. If things were quiet and slow, we’d all live a lot longer.”

Nicolette gave the woman a tired smile. “Looks like the fast pace agrees with you, Cook. You don’t look a day older than you did ten years ago.”

“Hah!” With a loud snort, she waved a dismissive hand at Nicolette and started toward the door. “I don’t have a fast pace, Miss Nicci, I stay in the kitchen. Where I’m happy.”

The older woman disappeared into the house and Nicolette poured herself a small drink. “I guess that’s Cook’s secret to good health and longevity. She’s happy,” she said pensively.

Geraldine looked thoughtfully at her. “Speaking of being happy, there’s something on your face tonight, darling, that worries me. Is anything wrong? You’re not dwelling on Bill, are you?”

Frowning, Nicolette took a long sip from her glass and glanced out at the wide lawn sloping away from the house. Huge spreading live oaks obstructed the view of the night sky, but between the dipping branches the twinkling lights of her cousin’s house could be seen, along with several nightlights skirting the barns and feed lots. For now the ranch was quiet and peaceful and she felt its soothing arms wrap around her weary shoulders.

“If you think I’m still grieving over Bill, you couldn’t be more wrong,” she said flatly.

Geraldine softly drummed her fingers against the arm of the lawn chair. “You can’t deny you were terribly hurt when he left you for that—that other woman.”

Nicolette inwardly cringed. Tonight she was hardly in the mood to discuss Bill or her failed marriage, but she didn’t want to cut her mother’s questions short. Nicolette knew from experience that to do so would only make her mother dig more.

“You know how I feel about that, Mother. It wasn’t entirely his fault. I left him alone too many nights and he…decided to stray.”

“My Lord, you were working, Nicci! It wasn’t like you were out prowling with tom cats while he sat home pining for you.”

That much was true, Nicolette thought dismally. But she’d worked incessantly to make herself forget that her husband had misled her, that none of the special plans they’d made before their marriage would ever come true.

“Believe me, none of what Bill did or didn’t do matters anymore, Mother.”

Geraldine rolled her eyes. “How can you say that when the whole horrible affair is still leading you around by the nose? If it didn’t matter, you would have already found yourself another man by now. You’d be married and having kids. Instead, you’re still killing yourself trying to doctor half the town!”

Nicolette stiffened with resentment. “Is there anything wrong with that? I thought helping people to be healthy was a noble cause.”

“Damn it, Nicci, it is noble. But there are other things to life, you know. I’d like to have grandchildren before I die.”

The lonely pain that always lingered in Nicolette’s chest throbbed to life. “Lex or Mercedes will give you grandchildren, when the time comes. Besides, you’re a long way from dying, Mother.”

A disbelieving snort slipped from the older woman as she eyed her eldest child. “I might be a long way from dying, but your brother and sister are even further away from giving me grandchildren. Lex is too much of a playboy to be settling down anytime soon, if ever. And as for Mercedes, she’s never going to get over that bastard in college that broke her heart. At least, not enough to marry and have a family.”

For some odd reason, the image of Ridge Garroway popped into Nicolette’s mind and she wondered if he was a man who would want to settle down and have children. He seemed far from the sort. In fact, with his looks and playful charm, he could have a Nurse Good Body waiting for him in every nook and cranny of the hospital.

Nicolette took another long sip of her drink and hoped the tequila would fuzz the intrusive image of the doctor’s impish grin. “Mercedes is in the Air Force, Mother. She has other things on her mind right now. Give her time.”

Geraldine slowly shook her head in dismay. “I might as well face the fact that life is different from when I was your age,” she muttered. “Back then, young people considered finding a permanent mate an important part of their life.”

“It still is important. It’s just more difficult for us to do.”

As she absently combed fingers through her mussed hair, Nicolette glanced over at her mother. “What in the world has got you off on this subject anyway? It isn’t like you to start harping on your children.”

Geraldine shrugged with concession. “I wasn’t thinking about any of it until you sat down here beside me and I saw your sad face. I thought it might be Bill, but—I guess I was wrong. Want to tell me?”

Nicolette finished off the last of her drink and placed her glass next to the sweaty pitcher. “Don’t worry, Mother. I’ve had a very long day. On top of that I met the doctor who took Dr. Walters’s place.”

Sudden interest caused Geraldine to sit straight up in her chair. “Oh? How did that go? What was he like?”

It was all Nicolette could do to keep from groaning out loud. “He was—well, to be honest I’m shocked the clinic hired someone so young. I heard he’s twenty-nine.”

“Being young is hardly a crime,” Geraldine pointed out.

Nicolette grimaced. “It means he can’t have much experience.”

“Everyone has to start at the beginning. You were there once,” Geraldine reminded her.

Sighing, Nicolette said, “Yes, I know. But Dr. Walters was so wonderful. And this new man—just doesn’t seem that professional to me.”

Geraldine’s brows arched upward. “Really? What makes you say that?”

With the fingers of both hands, Nicolette massaged her aching forehead. How could she describe that gleam in Ridge Garroway’s eyes or that wink he’d given her without throwing for flags at her mother? “He, uh, just doesn’t look like a doctor,” she said lamely.

Suddenly loud laughter erupted from Geraldine, causing Nicolette to cast an annoying look her mother’s way.

“Why are you laughing? It’s the truth. He looked more like some—I don’t know—some playboy than a medical person.”

Still chuckling, Geraldine asked, “Since when did looks have anything to do with being a doctor? C’mon, Nicci, don’t you think you’re reaching a little far to find something wrong with the man?”

With thoughtful frown, Nicolette considered her mother’s question. Could Geraldine be right? she wondered. Had she already planted a seed in her mind to dislike the man before she’d ever met him? Perhaps. But that still didn’t account for that flirty attitude of his, she decided.

“Okay, to be honest, I think he’s a big flirt. He said all sorts of…suggestive things to me. Like how he wished I’d chosen to work under him rather than Dr. Kelsey.”

Geraldine laughed again. “What’s wrong with that? I’m sure the man has heard you’re good at your job.”

Nicolette’s lips pursed with disapproval. “Yes, but it was the way he said it that rubbed me all wrong. He had this gleam in his eyes that made me feel like an idiot.”

Geraldine placed a gentle hand on her daughter’s arm. “Don’t you mean it made you feel like a woman?”

Her mother’s suggestion left Nicolette so uncomfortable she quickly jumped to her feet and snatched up the briefcase she’d propped against the legs of her chair.

“I’m going to go take a shower and have a little supper,” she told her mother. “It’s getting late and I’ve got to be at the clinic very early in the morning.”

Chapter Two

A few minutes later, after showering and dressing in a robe, Nicolette was almost too tired to eat the plate of food Cook set in front of her. But eventually she managed to swallow down half of the broiled salmon and rice before she headed to her bedroom.

She’d brought home several journal articles about new medications soon to be released, but as soon as she crawled into bed and picked up the first one, her eyelids began to droop.

Two hours later she was sound asleep with the lamp on the nightstand still burning, when the telephone jangled loudly near her head. Since she had a private line she couldn’t rely on Cook or her mother to answer.

Trying to shake away her grogginess, she reached for the phone and shoved her hair back from her face.

“Hello.”

“Is that you Ms. Saddler? Nicolette, isn’t it?”

The voice sounded vaguely familiar but she couldn’t quite put a name to it. “Yes. Who is this?”

“Dr. Garroway—Ridge—remember?”

In spite of her numbing exhaustion, Nicolette shot straight up in the bed and gripped the receiver. “Doctor. Uh, why are you calling? It’s—” Twisting her head around toward the digital clock on the nightstand, she was shocked to see it was twenty minutes past midnight. “It’s very late. And—”

“I’m sorry to wake you like this, Nicolette, but I’m having a little problem here at the hospital and—”

His use of her first name distracted her even more and she blurted out with surprise, “You’re at the hospital?”

“Uh, yes. I am a doctor,” he reminded dryly.

She felt desperately stupid as she tried to wake herself up and gather her scattered senses. “Sorry. I’m not—I was sound asleep. You say you’re having a problem? What does that have to do with me?”

There was a moment’s pause and then he said, “My patient is demanding to see you. Seems you’re his favorite doctor and he won’t trust me to treat him unless you’re here. I tried to explain—”

“Who’s the patient?” Nicolette interrupted him again.

“Dan Nelson. He’s—”

Dan Nelson was ninety-one years old and had worked as a wrangler for the Sandbur until he was in his mideighties. He was a prickly pear of an old man, but she adored him. “Yes, yes, I know the man. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“Wait, Nicolette. Driving to the hospital might not be necessary. Talking to him over the phone might work,” Ridge told her.

“He’s more important to me than that,” she said curtly.

There was another short pause and then he said, “All right, I appreciate your help. And by the way, I’m at the county hospital.”

“I’ll find you.”

Nicolette dropped the phone on its hook and scurried from the bed.

As she hastily grabbed clothes from the closet, she groaned out loud. Meeting Ridge Garroway in the middle of the night was the last thing she wanted to do. But Dan needed her and she was a medical provider first, a woman second.

As long as she could keep that fact in the back of her mind, she could meet the new doctor head-on and never suffer the slightest heart murmur.

Twenty minutes later Nicolette wheeled her car into the hospital parking lot and hurried inside. At the double elevators, she smashed the up button, and as she waited for a door to open, she hurriedly jerked a white lab coat over her shirt and jeans and fastened the buttons.

Once she reached the third floor, where most of the internal medicine patients were located, she hurried toward the nurses’ station, where several women were clustered behind a tall counter.

Bess, an older nurse sitting at a computer located directly behind the counter, looked up at Nicolette with faint surprise. “P.A. Saddler, is that you?”

Nicolette unconsciously lifted a hand to her long hair. She’d not taken the time to fasten it with a barrette or even a rubber band and now it was flying around her shoulders. Her face was bare of makeup and she realized she must look very pale and very unprofessional, but her appearance was the last thing she was worried about at the moment.

“It’s me, Bess, I’m looking for Dr. Garroway. Is he on the floor?”

Bess nodded. “Last I saw he was down at room 301 with a Mr.—” she glanced at a clipboard with a list of patients’ names “—Mr. Nelson.”

“Thanks.”

From the nurses’ station Nicolette made a quick turn to the left, which would take her down an east wing. She was almost to the private room when Dr. Garroway suddenly stepped out in the corridor.

He smiled and waved. Nicolette swallowed hard and hurried toward him.

“How is he?” she asked before he had a chance to say a word.

The apprehension on her face caused the doctor’s brows to lift. “Are you close to Mr. Nelson?”

“I’ve known him since I was a very small girl. He worked for my family for more than fifty years. Of course I’m close to him. I love him.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. Nicolette had not been asking for any comfort from the man, but she realized the strength of his touch was very steadying and, at the moment, very welcome.

“Relax. I think Mr. Nelson is going to be fine. That is, if he’ll allow me to treat him. He needs a shot of diuretics to reduce the fluid in his lungs, but he won’t agree to let me or the nurse give it to him.”

A sigh of relief rushed past Nicolette’s lips. “I know his heart isn’t the best in the world. I was afraid he’d suffered an attack.”

“No. Nothing like that. Right now this is mainly a pulmonary problem.”

Nodding that she understood, Nicolette grimaced. “Years of unfiltered cigarettes,” she explained, then added, “I’ll see what I can do. He’s usually good for me.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Ridge said, then gestured toward the closed door.

Nicolette knocked lightly and stepped into the small room. One fluorescent light burned over the head of Dan’s bed, illuminating the older man’s wrinkled face. At the moment, his faded blue eyes were closed, but when she spoke they flew wide open.

“Dan? It’s me, Nicci,” she said softly. “How are you feeling?”

He held his hand out to her and motioned her to his side. Nicci hurried to him and clasped the bony hand between hers.

“Nicci, honey, I thought you’d never get here.”

She rubbed his arm and then passed her fingers over his damp forehead. “Well, I’m here now. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothin’s wrong! I’m just havin’ a little trouble breathin’. That damned old woman who thinks she’s my keeper thought I needed to come to the hospital. I’ve already told her I’m gonna fire her for this,” he muttered. “All I need is a good shot of bourbon. But she wouldn’t give it to me!”

In spite of the situation, Nicci had to hide her smile. “You’re talking about Opal? The lady that keeps house for you?”

“That’s her. Nosiest female I’ve ever seen.” He snorted, then pointed over her shoulder to where Ridge stood just inside the door. “And that young whippersnapper over there wants to jab me with a needle. He don’t know what I need. He’s still wet behind the ears!”

Nicolette rubbed her hand gently across Dan’s chest. “Dan, Doctor Garroway is trying to help you. And he does know what he’s doing. The shot will help your lungs.”

“Hmmp. Well, that stuff will make me go to the bathroom all night long. Nope—I won’t take it.”

The old man stubbornly shook his head, and Nicolette turned a stern look on him. “You will take it or I’ll get Mother in here after you,” she warned. “And you know she won’t be nearly as sweet with you as I’m being.”

He studied her through squinted eyes, then gave her a weak grin. “Honey child, you always were my little sweetheart. I guess if you say I need the shot, then I’ll just have to take it. I won’t like it, mind you, but I’ll take it. For you.”

“That’s my guy,” she said happily, then leaned down and kissed his forehead. “I want you to get well. That’s why you’re going to do everything Dr. Garroway tells you. Okay?”

He nodded and she placed one last kiss on his cheek before she straightened to her full height and motioned for Ridge to join her.

“If you have the diuretic with you, I’ll give it to him,” she told the doctor.

“The nurse took it back to the station.” He picked up the call button and quickly ordered the medicine back to Dan’s room. Once the RN returned with the prepared shot, Ridge instructed her to leave it with Nicolette.

Quickly, before the old wrangler had a change of heart, Nicolette injected him with the medicine and promised him she would be just outside the door if he needed her.

She and Dr. Garroway left the room and walked a short distance down the hall. Since it was long past regular visiting hours, the lights in the corridor had been dimmed and the hospital wing was quiet. Once they were far enough away from Dan’s door, Ridge paused and turned a grateful look on her.

“Thank you, Nicolette, for all this trouble you’ve taken. It’s ruined your night and I feel badly about that. But Mr. Nelson will get well much more quickly now. I could have badgered him into taking the shot, but I didn’t want to put added stress on the man. And I’m not too proud to ask for help when help is needed,” he added with a grin.

Apparently not, Nicolette thought, and the fact surprised her very much indeed. She’d figured that at his age, he would be a doctor who thought he walked on water and never needed help from anyone, especially from a mere physician’s assistant. It was nice to learn she’d been wrong.

“Don’t worry about it,” she assured him. “Dan pretends to be grouchy, but he really has a heart as soft as a marshmallow. I don’t think he’ll give you any more problems about medication now.”

He smiled, and even in the semidarkness, Nicolette could feel the punch of his charm. There was something sparkling and vibrant about the man, as though he loved life and wanted everyone around him to do the same.

“Actually the old man is in good shape for his age. He may eventually need a pacemaker, but we’ll deal with that when the time comes. Uh, you say he worked for your family…what did he do?”

Apparently he either didn’t know about the Sandbur or he didn’t associate her with the families who ran it. The idea that he was unaware she was a rich, ranching heiress was rather nice.

“Ranch wrangler. You couldn’t find a better cowboy in Texas. He’s spent more hours in the saddle than you’ve been alive,” Nicolette told him.

His brows lifted and he chuckled. “Come on now, pretty lady, I’m not that young.”

And she wasn’t supposed to be a pretty lady. At least not to him. He was a professional, a colleague; he should be behaving appropriately.

“Dan might argue that point,” she said briskly, then glanced pointedly at her watch. “I think I’ll go down to the cafeteria and wait around until the diuretic takes affect, just to make sure he begins to improve.”

A grin dimpled Ridge’s cheeks. “You can go on home and go to bed, Nicolette. I’ll make sure Mr. Nelson is taken care of.”

She was exhausted and needed to be resting, but she knew if she went home now she’d only toss worriedly in her bed. Doctors like him made diagnoses, ordered medicines and left the rest up to the nurses while they went on their merry way.

Nicolette started walking toward the nearest elevator. “The nurses here are good, but I want to check on him myself.”

He strode along beside her and Nicolette was intensely aware of his tall, muscular frame only inches from her and the faint masculine cologne drifting to her nostrils. For that one brief moment, she realized with a measure of disgust, she was no different from the nurses at the clinic; she would love to see all those hard muscles that must be hidden by his shirt and chinos.

“Nurses. What about me?” he asked.

Surprise caused Nicolette to miss a step. “Aren’t you going home now?”

He looked at her with disappointment. “You really don’t think much of me, do you?”

Whipping her attention to the end of the corridor, she grimaced. “I expect you’re going to have a busy practice, Dr. Garroway. You can’t stay up all night at the hospital and expect to give them expert care.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that you understand I’m human. Young, but human,” he said teasingly.

From the corner of her eye, she could see that he was smiling again. Obviously, he was not a man who angered easily. Another positive in his corner, she thought, and wondered why the fact only irritated her.

By now they’d reached the nurses’ station. To the left of the long counter was an elevator. Nicolette could see Bess eyeing the two of them as they waited for the door to open. No doubt the old nurse was wondering what the new cardiologist was doing stuck to Nicolette’s side. Tomorrow there would probably be rumors about them all over the hospital, she thought grimly. Oh well, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d been discussed among the nurses. She didn’t date or socialize with the staff and she kept her personal life to herself. Nicolette realized that that in itself made her fodder for gossip.

In the elevator, Ridge stood at Nicolette’s shoulder and covertly studied her appearance. He’d been surprised, no shocked was more like it, when he’d spotted her flying up the hallway toward Dan Nelson’s room. Even though she was wearing a starched prim lab coat with her name embroidered across the left breast, he could easily see that underneath she was wearing jeans and cowboy boots. Her long shiny hair had been flying loose around her head and she’d looked like a different woman from the staunch professional she’d projected this morning. She’d looked as sexy as hell in a dress and high heels, but she was even more attractive like this. With her beautiful face bare of makeup and her hair tousled, she looked like a sensual, touchable woman. And Ridge realized he very much wanted to touch.

“You have patients on the bottom floor?” she asked, when he didn’t punch a different floor.

“No. I’m going with you to the cafeteria. That is, if you don’t mind,” he added slyly.

She looked at him with arched brows. “Why?”

One corner of his mouth curled upward. “Because I need to kill some time while the medication works on Mr. Nelson. And I thought you’d be good company.”

Her lips pressed together. Now was the time to discourage him, she told herself, to get across to him that men, even one like him, weren’t a part of her life. “I’m not good company at anytime, much less in the middle of the night. You’d be better off going back up and visiting with Bess while you wait.”

“Bess doesn’t intrigue me.”

Her head jerked up and an annoyed scowl wrinkled her forehead. “Look—uh, Ridge, I’m not interested in your…flirting!”

He raised his palms in an innocent gesture. “Flirting! Who said I was flirting? I was merely making a statement that I find you more interesting than Bess. And far more attractive.”

She should have been angry with him for being so forward, but instead her heart thumped at the idea that he found her attractive. She’d not thought of herself in that way for years and now a very young man like him taking a second look at her was very flattering.

“Is this the way you behave with all female doctors?”

“You’re a physician’s assistant.” His smile was broad and just wicked enough to send a spurt of color to her cheeks. “Actually, no,” he added. “You seem to be doing something to me.”

The door to the elevator slid open. As Nicolette stepped out, she said over her shoulder, “Then you’d better make a quick diagnosis and treat yourself.”

Chuckling, he quickly caught up to her as she stalked down a hallway that led to the cafeteria. “Nicolette, you can make a joke! I’m surprised!”

Knowing she was enjoying this banter with him too much, she stopped and whirled toward him. “Look, for your information, I didn’t drive to the hospital in the middle of the night just to be your—company! I’m only here because of Dan.”

He appeared to be offended. A frown of irritation creased his forehead and twisted his lips. “I didn’t ask you here for your company. Since we have the same goal, I thought sharing a few minutes would be the natural thing to do.”

Her eyes widened. “Goal?” she asked inanely.

“Yes. Mr. Nelson’s well-being. That is why we’re both here, isn’t it?”

Nicolette felt like an idiot and she looked away from him as she tried to gather her thoughts. She didn’t know what it was about this man, but he had the ability to make her feel about sixteen years old.

Drawing in a deep breath, she glanced up at him. “Sorry. I-I’m rather tired and edgy tonight. Please, join me in the cafeteria?”

He smiled then and cupped his hand around her elbow, urging her toward the dining area. “I’d be delighted. Although, I’m afraid everything looks closed at this hour.”

“We can use the vending machines,” she told him. “And the coffeepot should be going.”

“Sounds good enough to me.”

They walked to the machines and loaded them with what change they had between them. Ridge purchased a sandwich and Nicolette settled for a package of cheese and crackers. They added foam cups of coffee to the food, then found a small round table near a wall of plate glass.

Except for the two of them, the dining area was empty and so quiet Nicolette could practically hear her own heart pounding in her ears. As she tore into the package of crackers, she told herself she was reacting to the man in a juvenile way. If she were smart, she would treat his flirting with indifference and give him the message that he wasn’t affecting her in the slightest way. But she’d never been a good actress.

Across from her, Ridge bit into the roast beef sandwich and grimaced at its dryness. “Not the best in the world, but at least it’s filling.”

“Did you eat dinner tonight?”

He shook his head. “I had two emergencies earlier this evening. Once I took care of them I drove home and had barely gotten in the house when the phone rang again. That call was Mr. Nelson, and I’ve been dealing with him ever since.”

Nicolette suddenly felt very guilty for thinking he would be one of those doctors who called in orders and expected the nurses to care for his patients. Maybe she had misjudged him, especially about his dedication to his patients. Yet she was sure she hadn’t misconstrued his brashness. He’d probably learned to charm women even before he headed to kindergarten.

“Sounds like you’re getting off to a busy start. You might wish you’d never moved to this area,” she suggested.

He shook his head. “I won’t do that. I really like it around here. I’ve already bought a place west of the city. Busy or not, this is where my roots are sinking.”

Curious, she studied him as he wolfed down the sandwich. “Do you have family in the area?”

He reached for his coffee. “No. They’re all in Houston.”

“You didn’t want to practice there?”

To Nicolette’s surprise a bland mask covered his face. Maybe everything in his life wasn’t as cheery as he projected.

“I’ve lived in Houston all my life. My parents and grandparents are still there. But now that I’m out of medical school and practicing, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”

She leaned back in her chair as she nibbled on a cracker. “Why is that? Or is that question too personal? If it is, you don’t have to answer.”

One of his shoulders lifted and fell. “I don’t mind telling you. The place was too big and fast. I don’t want to spend my life like a hamster racing uselessly on a wheel.”

For the first time since Nicolette had met him, his eyes were solemn, maybe even sad, and the sight touched her in a way that surprised her. She wanted to know more about him. She wanted to understand him. She suddenly cared whether he was happy or sad. And that was dangerous.

“Is that what you thought? That your life there was useless?”

A corner of his mouth lifted faintly. “No. I’ve had a nice life, a fine education. But I never planned to stay there. From the time I was a young boy, I knew I wanted something different for myself.”

“You mean different from your parents and grandparents?”

He nodded. “My father and grandfather are both doctors, too. In fact, my father still has a practice there. He’s a neurologist. Gramps was a general practitioner, back in the days when those were still used,” he added wryly.

“So you became a heart doctor. That’s how you wanted to be different?”

“No. I didn’t want to build a practice in Houston. I wanted my life to be—” Grimacing, he paused, swallowed some coffee, then placed the cup down on the tabletop. “I didn’t want to live like my father and grandfather, Nicolette. They were both consumed with their jobs and consumed with all the social things that went with living in a huge city. There’s life beyond medicine, you know, and I want one. A life that means something.”

The conviction on his face struck her and she suddenly realized that he was not the shallow playboy she’d first imagined.

“And you think you can find that here?” she quietly questioned.

A wry grin exposed a portion of his white teeth. “I’m going to try my best. At least I’m finding I like the clinic and this hospital. And I like my new place. So that’s a start.”

And what about a woman to go with it, Nicolette wondered. But she’d bite the end of her tongue off before she’d ask him such a thing. It didn’t matter to her if he had a steady love interest. She’d had her turn with love and marriage, and the experience had left her spirit bound with scars. She’d be a fool to lose what little heart she had left to a man like him.

She drank a portion of her strong coffee while she felt his gaze roaming over her face and hair, touching her lips and lingering on her breasts. His subtle inspection made her extremely aware that she was a woman, a woman who’d not felt the arms of a man around her in years.

Resisting the urge to squirm, she asked, “Uh, did you buy acreage?”

“Two hundred acres. Not very much, but enough for five horses and a small herd of cattle.”

Her jaw dropped. “Livestock? You own livestock?”

He chuckled at the stunned look on her face. “That’s right. I’ve always wanted to do a little ranching and now I have the chance. True, I won’t have a lot of free time for it. But I’ll make the most of what I have.”

“What about the golfing, the boating and fishing? And traveling?”

Chuckling, he held up a hand to stem her questions. “Nicolette, where did you get this stereotype of doctors? We’re not all made from the same mold, you know.”

He was right, of course. But from the moment she’d spotted him standing in her waiting room this morning, maybe even before that, she’d formed her own ideas of the man. Now she was learning he was nothing as she’d first imagined. The fact left her shaken. It only proved that she was no better a judge of men now than she had been when she’d married Bill and believed all his hogwash.

“Sorry. But that’s what most of the doctors around here do with their free time. Not that’s there anything wrong with golfing or fishing. I just thought—” She paused and shrugged one shoulder. “Well, I’ve lived nearly all my life on a ranch and you—just don’t seem the type.”

This time he looked at her with surprise. “You live on a ranch?”

She nodded. “The Sandbur. It’s—”

“The Sandbur!” he exclaimed. “You are one of those Saddlers?”

“You know of the place?”

Leaning back in his chair, he studied her as though the revelation called for him to inspect her all over again. “Of course I know of it! It’s spoken in the same breath as the Four Sixes, the Johnson, and the King—”

“Whoa,” she interrupted, “don’t put us in the same categories as those great Texas ranches, especially the King. We’re big, but nothing close to being that big.”

Her remark didn’t seem to dim his respect. “Hmm. Fancy that. You live on the Sandbur. That’s exciting. Really exciting.”

She crumpled the empty cellophane that had held the crackers and cheese. “I don’t know about exciting. It’s just home to me. I live with my mother and brother.”

“No husband?”

Unconsciously, her eyes turned to flint as she glanced his way. “No. I’m divorced.”

“Oh. Sorry. Guess that really wasn’t my business, but I was curious,” he admitted.

Her nostrils flared, and Ridge realized he’d touched on a very raw spot. But from the moment he’d met her this morning, he’d been craving more information about the woman. Since she was absent a wedding ring, he’d pretty much decided she wasn’t married. But at her age, there had to be a reason for her being single. He’d been tempted to ask some of the clinic nurses about her. But he’d stopped himself from going that far.

“It’s nothing secret,” she said. “Most everyone knows that’s why I moved back to the Sandbur. San Antonio didn’t hold much charm for me after Bill and I divorced.”

He desperately wanted to ask her what had happened to ruin her marriage. But he didn’t. She was just now letting down that defensive cloak she wore tightly around her. He didn’t want to push his luck.

“Sorry, Nicolette,” he said again. “You, uh, don’t think things will ever work out for you two?”

She stared at him, then let out a brittle laugh. “Not hardly. He’s married again. You see, I was…getting a little too old for him,” she added. She tossed the crumpled cellophane into her coffee cup and rose to her feet. “I think I’ll go back to Dan’s room.”

Following her example, he gathered up his trash and rose from the plastic chair. “I’ll go with you. Hopefully the diuretic has been working.”

After disposing of the remains of their snack, the two of them left the cafeteria and headed back to the elevator. Neither of them spoke until they reached the old wrangler’s room.

“I’ll stay out here in the hall until you finish examining him,” Nicolette said.

He frowned at her. “Don’t be silly. You’re my colleague. Besides, Mr. Nelson will feel more comfortable with you by my side.”

She couldn’t argue that point, so she nodded and followed him into the room.

Dan was asleep, which was a good sign that his breathing had eased. But as they approached the narrow bed, the old man opened his eyes.

“Well, I can see there’s nothing wrong with your ears,” Ridge told the man. He checked the patient’s feet and ankles for swelling, then pulled the end of his stethoscope out of his lab coat pocket and warmed it with his hand. “How are you feeling now? Breathing a bit easier?”

Dan nodded, and though he kept a skeptical eye on the new doctor, he didn’t complain when Ridge leaned over him and placed the instrument against his chest.

“I’m feelin’ better,” he said. “Just tired of gettin’ in and out of this bed to use the toilet.”

“Well, the medicine will wear off in a few hours and then you can get some good sleep. I might even let you go home in a few hours—that is if you behave yourself. Now raise up and breathe deeply for me,” he instructed.

Dan sat up in the bed, and Ridge listened carefully. After a moment he looked over to Nicolette and motioned for her to join him.

“Have a listen.”

Surprised at his generosity, she took the stethoscope and carefully listened to Dan’s heart and lungs. What she heard put a small smile on her face.

“Sounds pretty good,” she said. “I think he’s on the mend.”

The old man snorted. “I ain’t sick enough to need two doctors!”

“That’s why I’m going home,” Nicolette told him, then leaned across the bed railing and kissed his grizzled cheek. “Mind Dr. Garroway, you hear? And I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He nodded, and Nicolette left the room with Ridge right behind her. Before she had a chance to walk away, he caught her by the arm.

“I just wanted to thank you again, Nicolette. You’ve made this whole night easy for me. And enjoyable.”

There was no flirtatious light in his eyes now; only warm sincerity, and Nicolette found that idea even harder to deal with.

She looked down and away from his brown eyes. “It’s no problem. I’m just glad Dan is improving.”

“I’ll probably release him around noon. Before that, I’m going to put him on medication that will hopefully keep this sort of incident from happening again. I don’t know if he’ll agree to have regular checkups in the future. Maybe you can help me on that count.”

“I’ll do my best,” she said. Lifting her eyes back to his, she did her best to give him a friendly smile. “You’d better wind your night up, too, and rest before morning comes. See ya around, Doctor.”

Nicolette walked away before he could make any sort of reply, but she could feel him watching her walk down the dimly lit corridor. It was a great relief when she was finally able to turn the corner and step into the elevator.

Chapter Three

The next morning when Jacki entered Nicolette’s office, she paused at the corner of her boss’s desk and sniffed with appreciation.

“Mmm. Something smells delicious.” Spotting a flat box with ribbon tied around it, the red-haired nurse picked it up and sniffed at the white cardboard. “It’s in here. What is it? May I have some?”

“It’s Cook’s famous pecan and chocolate chip cookies. And no you can’t have one. Neither can I. She’s sending them to Dan.”

Jacki smiled slyly as she placed the box back on the desk. “Oooh. Do I smell romance along with the cookies?”

Nicolette finished the last notation on the medical chart in front of her before she looked up at Jacki. “Cook has known Dan for many years. She calls him an old codger, but I think she has a soft spot for him. As for romance, I doubt it. Since her husband was killed in the Viet Nam war, she hasn’t shown too much interest in men. Besides, she’s in her early seventies now.”

“So what? A woman’s never too old for romance. Did you ever think about that?” Jacki asked pointedly.

Hoping her expression was vacant, Nicolette closed the chart and handed it to her nurse. “I don’t consider myself too old for romance, Jacki. I’m just not interested.”

Jacki shook her head shook in disbelief. “Why not? Just because your husband was a—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Nicolette said firmly. “What is this, anyway? First my mother and now you start in on me about being single. Is something floating around in the air?”

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s not about you being single. It’s about you being alone.”

Rolling her eyes, Nicolette leaned back in the desk chair and gestured at the pile of medical charts on her desk. “I’m hardly alone, Jacki. I’m with people from the time I get up to the time I go to bed.”

Jacki shot her a droll look. “It’s not the same and we both know it.”

Jacki was right. It wasn’t the same, Nicolette thought. But it was better than being deceived and manipulated and stomped on by a man.

“I’m happy as I am, Jacki. Let’s leave it at that. Now, how many patients do I have left before lunch break? I need to take these cookies over to the hospital to Dan before Dr. Garroway releases him.”

“There are two. Mr. Mayfield and Mrs. Gates.”

Nicolette rose from her chair and straightened her lab coat. “Good. Let’s deal with them and then we’ll break for lunch.”

She left the room and Jacki followed closely on her heels. “Uh, Nicci, you haven’t told me what happened last night with Dr. Garroway. You only said he called you for help.”

Nicolette had been trying her best to put last night out of her mind, but so far she’d made little progress. From the moment she’d crawled out of bed, she’d thought about the new doctor and all the things he’d said to her. Even the brief moments he’d touched her seemed to be etched in her memory, playing over and over like an unwanted song.

“Nothing happened last night. I talked Dan into taking his medicine. Dr. Garroway thanked me for my help. That pretty much sums up the whole thing.”

Jacki threw up her hands as the two women headed for the nearest examining room. “But you must have talked to the man! What was he like? Did you learn anything about him?”

Nicolette paused to toss an impatient look of warning at the nurse. “Yes. I learned he’s not quite what he appears to be.”

Jacki opened her mouth to press for more, but Nicolette didn’t give her the chance. After knocking lightly on the examining room door, she stepped inside and went to work.

It was ten minutes until noon before Nicolette finally managed to leave the clinic and head to the hospital. She half expected to find Dan gone, but the older man was still there, dressed and sitting on the side of the bed.

He gave Nicolette a broad smile as she kissed his cheek.

“You look much better today,” she said with genuine joy and then teased, “Are you ready to leave this place? Or would you like to stay a little longer?”

“Don’t press me, girl. I’ve had all of this pokin’ and proddin’ that I can stand.”

She chuckled. “Now you know how those cows feel when you vaccinate and brand them and cut off their horns.” She placed the box of cookies next to him. “Looks like Dr. Garroway has you on the mend. Are you taking your medicine like he says?”

Dan nodded and leaned his head thoughtfully to one side. “Yep. I don’t like it, but I guess I can do it. You know that young doctor ain’t too bad after all. He says he has some cows and horses and wants me to take a look at ’em for him. Guess the whippersnapper knows where to come to for advice. I’ve decided to trust him—unless he does somethin’ to change my mind.”

So the new doctor had charmed Dan, Nicolette thought with surprise. The old wrangler was a tough character. If Ridge could win him over, then she needed to be on guard.

Nicolette gestured to the box of cookies. “Cook sent you a little get-well gift. Maybe when you get home you ought to call her and thank her.”

The old man turned a suspicious eye on the box. “What the hell did she do that for? She knows I don’t like her.”

Nicolette shook a shaming finger at him. “Don’t be lying, Dan.”

His expression suddenly sheepish, Dan shifted on the edge of the mattress. “Well, maybe that wasn’t the truth. But the old woman…makes me uncomfortable.”

Nicolette tried not to smile at the idea of Dan calling someone twenty years his junior old. And then she suddenly thought of Jacki’s comments that women were never too old for romance. Maybe the same held true for men.

She cast him a sly glance. “Cook’s pretty and she gets you stirred up. That’s closer to the truth, isn’t it?”

Dan pursed his lips as though he was going to argue, but then he suddenly let out a deep chuckle. “Well, old Hattie is some looker.”

They were both still laughing at his admission when a nurse arrived with a wheelchair to take him downstairs. Nicolette placed the box of cookies on his lap and walked along with him. Outside, he climbed spryly into the vehicle with his housekeeper, and Nicolette promised to see him soon, then waved the two of them off.

Moments later she was walking across the parking lot toward her car when someone from behind called out her name.

“Nicolette! Wait up!”

She recognized his voice even before she turned to see Ridge Garroway hurrying toward her. The sight of him in dark slacks and a gray-and-white-striped shirt was enough to make her stare and wish, just for a moment, that she had a whole and trusting heart.

“Hello, Ridge,” she said when he finally reached her.

Grinning, he swiped a hand at the blond hair blowing across his forehead. “Been seeing Dan off?”

She nodded. “I was glad he was looking so much better.”

His eyes roamed her face with appreciation. “I’m glad to see you looking more rested.”

And she was glad to be seeing him again. It was an awful admission, even if she was only making it to herself.

Feeling awkward now, she glanced pointedly at her watch. “Well, I only have a short time left for lunch. I’d better be going.”

“That’s why I called out to you,” Ridge told her. “I’m on my way to lunch, too. I’d like it very much if you’d join me.”

Oh no. It would be risky, even foolish to spend one moment more in this man’s company than was necessary. On the other hand, when exactly had she turned into such a coward? Ridge Garroway couldn’t eat her. He couldn’t hurt her. Not unless she allowed him to. And she was a grown woman. She had more sense than to let him get that close.

Before she could change her mind, she blurted out, “Well, if you’re inviting, I suppose I could. This once.”

“Great!” He said and quickly reached for her arm. “My truck is right over here.”

The June day was already hot, with a humid breeze whipping from the southeast. The wind was picking at the fluttery pink hem of Nicolette’s skirt and threatening to toss it over her head. She held it down firmly with one hand as Ridge helped her into the passenger seat of his red Ford truck.

“Do you have a favorite eating place?” he asked as he buckled his seat belt and started the engine.

Nicolette looked at him blankly. How could she think of restaurants when he was sitting so close beside her, his blond hair mussed, a sexy smile dimpling his cheeks? He was enough to turn a woman’s senses upside down.

“No. Just go wherever you were planning to go. I’m not a picky eater.”

“All right, we’ll be there in less than two minutes.”

The lunch hour traffic was heavy on the main thoroughfares, but they traveled less than two blocks before Ridge turned onto a side street and parked in front of an older wooden building painted a dull turquoise trimmed in pink.

“This is one of the best Mexican restaurants I’ve found in the whole town. Okay with you?”

“Fine,” she said, while asking herself how she’d ended up here with the very man she’d planned to avoid. She shouldn’t have been so impulsive, she thought with a bit of self-disgust. She should have gone back to the clinic and eaten a sandwich at her desk. But in spite of what she’d told Jacki, she was tired of being alone. And Ridge Garroway made her feel alive. More alive than she’d felt in years.

He helped her out of the truck, then kept his hand at her back as he ushered her into the little restaurant. Her flowered blouse was made of thin voile and she could feel the heat of his fingers spreading up and down her spine as they walked to a vacant booth in the back of the room.

The plate-glass windows on the west side of the building were covered with woven shades to block out the hot sun and leave the dining room cool and dimly lit. It took Nicolette’s eyes a few moments to adjust as they seated themselves and waited for someone to bring menus.

“You eat a lot of Mexican food?” she asked.

“Actually, I eat too much of it. It’s my favorite. So I try to exercise more to keep the calories and the cholesterol in check.”

She smiled faintly. “What a novelty, a doctor who tries to practice what he preaches.”

His eyes glided over the part of her that wasn’t hidden beneath the tabletop. “You look like you keep in great shape. Do you go to the gym?”

Nicolette wrinkled her nose with distaste. “Never. I don’t like gyms. I think natural exercise is the best. So I ride horses whenever I can. And I walk as much as possible.”

“You know, I’ve got to confess that last night at the hospital, I wondered why you showed up in jeans and boots. It’s not usual attire for women in the medical profession.”

A wry smile touched her lips. “Sorry. Those were the most available things in my closet and I was in a hurry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

He tilted his head back and laughed. “I wasn’t offended, Nicolette. I was intrigued. And by the way,” he added, as he settled a twinkling gaze back on her face, “you looked as sexy as hell.”

Heat poured into her cheeks and she cleared her throat with plans to remind him not to get so personal. But the waitress appeared before she had a chance to say anything and for the next few moments the two of them were busy choosing drinks and food.

Once the waitress was gone, he said, “I think you’ll be glad to hear that Mr. Nelson has agreed to take his daily medication and come in for routine checkups. Hopefully I can keep him on the right track.”

Nicolette sipped from a glass of water the waitress had left behind. “He told me that you want him to take a look at his livestock. That was a nice gesture. It made him feel important. Now that his wife has passed on, the man doesn’t have anyone, except for his housekeeper.”

“I wasn’t doing it just to make him feel important,” he said. “He has years of experience and knowledge with cattle and horses. I would value his opinion and advice and be glad to pay him for it.”

Once again he’d revealed that he wasn’t above asking for help. Apparently he wasn’t one of those guys that thought he knew more than everyone else on every subject under the sun the way her ex-husband had. During their marriage, Bill had worked as an executive for an insurance firm in San Antonio and he’d been good at his job. Yet the man had been hopelessly lacking with manual tasks of any kind. Even so, he’d found it offensive if she’d suggested he get help from a mechanic for an ailing car, or a plumber to replace a leaky faucet.

“I’m sure Dan will be more than glad to help you,” Nicolette commented.

He started to make some sort of reply when he suddenly frowned and reached to his shirt pocket for his vibrating cell phone.

“Excuse me,” he said as he flipped open the phone to identify the caller.

Nicolette watched the frown deepen on his face as he snapped the phone shut and drop it back into his pocket.

“Not an emergency?”

“She probably thinks it is,” he answered. “That was my mother.”

“Oh. Well don’t let me intrude. If you need to talk to her it won’t bother me.”

He sighed. “Thanks, but it isn’t necessary. I already know what the call is about. A big fund-raiser is being held back in Houston this coming weekend for a congressman in my parents’ district. She wants me to attend and refuses to accept that I won’t be there.”

She studied him thoughtfully. “You don’t like politics?”

He released a humorless laugh. “Politics has nothing to do with it. I don’t want to spend my free time at big social galas of any sort. I have more important things to do.”

Nicolette was digesting his comment when the waitress arrived with tortilla chips, hot salsa and tall drinks of iced tea. After the young woman had served them, Nicolette plucked a chip from the basket and dipped it into the salsa.

“Do you have siblings?” she asked him.

He shook his head. “I wish. It’s hell being an only child.”

Nicolette munched the chip, then said, “I wouldn’t know what being an only child would feel like. I have a younger brother and sister. So my mother spreads her attention among all of us.”

“Lucky you,” he muttered and his features tightened as he reached for his tea. “Don’t get me wrong, Nicolette. My mother is a loving person in her own way. But she can be smothering. It was really hard on her when I left for college and medical school. She, uh, you see, my father is always working. Always. So I guess she used me to fill the vacant spot.”

Nicolette was beginning to get the picture and it wasn’t a pretty one. “What do your parents think about you moving to this area?”

A sardonic expression twisted his features. “My father refuses to say more than hello to me. And my mother still believes I’ll change my mind and return to Houston. One of these days she’s going to realize that will never happen.”

“You sound sure of that.”

His brown eyes hardened with conviction. “Never been more sure of anything, Nicolette. When you grow up watching your parents do everything wrong, you grow up determined to be different.”

She could feel the undercurrent of tension in his voice and it told her the issues he had with his family were not small matters. The urge to ask him more questions surged up in her, but she bit them back. It wouldn’t do to let him think she was that interested. She didn’t want to give him any reason to think she was looking at him as a man rather than a doctor and colleague.

Thankfully, the waitress arrived with their meal, and they spent the next few minutes digging into their food and exchanging small talk about the clinic.

In spite of it being eons since she’d sat across the table from a man other than her brother or cousins, Nicolette began to relax. It was nice to be out, to be talking, to have a man looking at her as though she were lovely and interesting.

“Tell me, Nicolette—”

“Nicci,” she interrupted. “Everyone calls me Nicci, so you might as well, too. My name got cut short as a child and it stuck.”

He grinned and his eyes twinkled teasingly as they roamed her face. “Little Nicci. Sounds tomboyish. Were you?”

Her cheeks warm, she chuckled softly. “Terribly. I cried when Mother made me wear a dress to church.”

“Well, you obviously grew out of it,” he said as he recalled her long, beautiful legs exposed beneath the hem of her skirt and the sexy high heels on her feet. She was the essence of femininity and every inch of her pulled on him like a mighty magnet.

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