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If I take the job.
Blake motioned for their check. “That flight didn’t scare you off?”
“Maybe. We’ll see. A lot of it depends on whether or not there are enough patients to make it a wise use of funds. Alaska Regional agreed to partner with the clinic for a year. After that…who knows? There’s plenty of need in Anchorage, if not.” Her lips tightened. “Or in one of the other big cities in the lower forty-eight.”
Big cities. Was that a prerequisite?
When the waitress came with the bill, he waved off Molly’s attempt to pay. “I’ll turn it in for reimbursement. No sense in each of us filling out an expense report.”
“Thanks. My turn next time.”
Next time.
Right. Like that was ever going to happen. He needed to bow out of this gig as soon as possible.
But as she moved from the booth and stretched her slender frame, his resolve seemed to dry up—along with his mouth.
The heavy jacket she’d shrugged out of while they were eating had done a thorough job of hiding her figure, as did the white lab coat she normally wore in the ER. But the creamy white sweater had no such problem. Soft and clingy, it skimmed over each and every curve all the way to the middle of her thighs, where dark jeans bridged the gap between the sweater and her knee-high leather boots.
Hell, she was gorgeous.
Maybe he should rethink this.
Crazy. Allowing a flicker of attraction to dictate his actions could never end well.
They moved outside, and Blake clicked the lock on the car he’d left at the airport.
Molly hesitated before getting in. “I should have rented a car. I don’t expect you to be my taxi service while I’m here.”
“The island’s not that big, so it’s no trouble. Once I drop you off at the hotel, though, I’ll need to head home and get some rest before the flight tomorrow. So if you’re looking to take in some of the night life, you’re on your own.”
At least his mouth had finally got with the program.
The last thing he wanted was to see another woman’s lip curl at what the island had to offer in that regard.
“I’m an early riser, actually, so I think I’ll turn in after dinner.” She tilted her head back to glance at him. “Besides, I want to make sure I don’t miss my flight. The pilot didn’t seem all that inclined to wait around.”
Several strands of hair slid across her cheek as she looked at him, exposing a delicate earlobe. It took more effort than he expected not to reach out and sift his fingers through the shiny locks to see if they were as soft and silky as they looked.
“I’ll be there.” The temptation to touch her washed through him again. But before he could, she opened the car door and got inside.
He climbed in as well, irritated by the repeated tugs of attraction. Being trapped inside the closed vehicle just made the situation worse. He’d been too busy during their flight to notice the delicate mixture of vanilla and clean sea spray that clung to her skin. Now the scent drifted toward him, making its way inside his head.
Damn. Erasing that fragrance from his memory was going to be impossible. The image of sliding his nose along the naked length of her neck and inhaling deeply rose unbidden, and he gritted his teeth.
The sooner he dropped her off the better.
This whole trip carried a surreal element he struggled to understand. Some of the nurses at the hospital had thrown him looks that held veiled invitations, but he’d never been tempted to return the flirtation or even ask for a phone number. He valued his hard-won freedom far too much to risk messing things up. And he had no intention of moving back to Anchorage to be with another woman.
But his reaction to Molly made him wonder if he was really as immune to the opposite sex as he liked to think. He started the car and tried to put the thought out of his mind. Unfortunately the very thing he’d decided not to think about ended up being the one subject he couldn’t banish.
Go home. Take a shower. Go to sleep.
If he could do those things, in that order, this whole crazy day would soon be behind him. Before he knew it, Molly McKinna would be out of his life forever. Unless she actually decided to stay on the island, in which case they were bound to run into each other on a regular basis. And there was the fact that he was one of the few medevac pilots who flew these islands. But that didn’t mean he and Molly had to be anything more than casual acquaintances or professional colleagues. She would still be tied to the hospital in Anchorage and would probably return there eventually.
He gave himself a mental thump.
Thick skull, meet harsh reality. You two are about to become really good friends.
* * *
Molly stood in the white-tiled waiting room of the clinic as Blake made the introductions. Sammi Trenton, the community health aide, tossed her thick dark braid over her shoulder. Tall and slender with high cheekbones that spoke of an island heritage, the young woman smiled in welcome. CHAs played a huge role in healthcare in Alaska, especially in the Aleutians, where population density was low and funding dollars were scarce. Learning about the medical problems the island faced on a regular basis would give Molly a head start for when she actually came to work in a few weeks. Besides, she could do with a few friends right about now.
“Glad to have you.” Sammi shook her hand. “We could sure use the help. Hope you plan on sticking around longer than…”
The woman’s eyes cut to Blake, a playful smirk on her face. “Oops. Sorry. Don’t know where that came from.”
“Still kicking me in the shins after all these years, I see.”
Sammi’s brows lifted. “I didn’t have a choice back then. That was the only thing I could reach.” She glanced at Molly. “I was the runt who always got picked on.”
“You were the runt who always did the picking on,” Blake returned, with an easy smile that carved out a deep groove in his cheek.
Molly’s heart rolled over for a second before righting itself.
Okay. No staring. She forced her gaze back to Sammi.
“How was the flight in?” Sammi tilted her head at Blake, her thumb rubbing at a tiny spot on her monkey-stamped smock.
Great. Here it came. The perfect opportunity for Blake to get in a shot at Molly’s expense. She tensed in preparation.
“We hit a stormy patch on the way in, but once we got through it, it was smooth sailing.”
A sardonic brow lifted in her direction made her wonder if he was referring to the actual weather or to the clash of tempers that had gone on between them. As for smooth sailing, that was yet to be seen.
“Well, now that you’re here, let me give you the grand tour. Besides, that’ll give us girls a chance to get to know each other better.”
Blake’s brow furrowed. “Be nice.”
“Moi? I’m always nice.” She motioned for Molly to follow her through the door that led to the back of the clinic, wiggling her fingers at Blake as a goodbye.
Although these two were obviously friends from way back, nothing seemed to suggest there was anything more between them than that. Even if there was, it was none of her business. She had to admit, though, they’d make a gorgeous couple, with Blake’s rugged good looks and Sammi’s dark hair and striking features. And the other woman was tall enough to almost look Blake in the eye, whereas Molly barely reached his chin. Talk about runts.
Sammi took her to one of the exam rooms which, along with the familiar scent of disinfectant, was clean, airy and well appointed. The soft green walls and creamy Formica countertops gave the space a cool, calm atmosphere, a definite plus when working with worried parents or frightened youngsters. “We have three exam areas, but there’s normally only one of us on duty at any given time. Having the Anchorage hospital sponsor you will make our jobs a lot easier.”
“You said, ‘our.’ What’s the staffing like?”
“We have two receptionists, a nurse and a PA, who can also write prescriptions. During medevacs, things get hectic because someone has to accompany the patient.” She gave an innocent blink. “That’s where you come in, right? You’ll be taking over that part of the job, unless we have more than one emergency.”
Molly was tempted to plead ignorance and say she was strictly part of the ground crew, but the hospital had specifically wanted one of their own doing the medical transports. So that line of reasoning wasn’t going to fly. “That’s what they tell me.”
“Blake’s great. You’ll like working with him.”
This was her chance. “You’ve known each other a long time?”
Sammi led her back out into the hallway and pushed open a door to the restroom, so Molly could see it. “We grew up together, so I guess you could say that.” She hesitated. “His ex put him through the wringer a couple of years back. He can be a bit touchy about the subject.”
“Understandable.” Molly was a little raw from her own experience with her ex, Gary, so she’d be happy to swing clear of that particular subject.
The door at the end of the hallway opened to a tiny break room, complete with refrigerator and microwave. There was also a cot along one wall. “You spend the night?”
“Every once in a while, if we’re waiting on a birth or need to transport a patient to the airport to be medevaced. But we all carry cellphones. If there’s an emergency, most folks know how to reach us after hours. Are you okay with going on the phone list?”
“Of course. Anything I can do to help.”
“Now for the all important question: when do you want to start?”
Molly swallowed. If she wanted to back out, now was the time. But Sammi was so nice, seemed eager for her to take some of the load off the other workers. And she really, really didn’t want to go back to Anchorage and face Gary day in and day out or field his constant calls. He refused to believe it was really over, even after six months. As did her mother. Was it really fair to allow them both to keep holding out hope?
No. It wasn’t. “I have to go back to Anchorage to finish packing. I could probably start in two weeks. Oh, and I’ll need to find a place to rent. Do you know of anything?”
“Let me check and give you a call in the morning. Blake says you’ll be over at the hotel? We’ll find you something. Any preferences?”
“Not really. Just a place to sleep. Nothing fancy.”
“Good, because nothing fancy is what Unalaska does best.” She squeezed Molly’s hand. “Just leave it to me. Now I’d better get you back to Blake before he has a hissy fit. See you in two weeks?”
“Definitely.”
And if Blake didn’t want to fly her back in two weeks, well, like he’d said, there were plenty of pilots where he came from.
* * *
Molly awoke to the sound of something pinging against the windowpane of her hotel room. Squinting, she tried to see the clock.
Too blurry.
Ugh, her contacts were still on the nightstand. She reached over and felt around for the glasses she’d left next to her contacts case. Slipping them on, she glanced again at the clock.
Her heart stalled in her chest.
Seven-thirty! She was supposed to be at the plane in a half hour.
Blake hadn’t asked about her breakfast plans or mentioned picking her up and taking her to the airport. In fact, by the time he’d shown her around the island and dropped her off at the hotel yesterday afternoon, he’d seemed all too anxious to be rid of her. He’d said goodbye with a wave of his hand, before getting back in his car and driving away to wherever he lived.
He’d probably been exhausted from their flight and from schlepping around with her all day. Molly loved the clinic, and Sammi had seemed especially nice, not a hint that she or anyone else viewed her as a threat.
Except maybe Blake, who’d said she needed to be strapped into her seat by eight o’clock.
Or else. Leaping out of bed, she scrambled for her clothes, thankful she’d taken a shower the previous night to banish the chill that had burrowed deep into her bones.
The pinging noise outside was still going strong, like someone throwing pebbles repeatedly against the glass. Well, she could think of at least one person she could rule out, if that was the case.
She tiptoed to the window, clothes in hand, and parted the curtains several inches. Still dark. Then she caught the glitter of stones on the sidewalk.
No, not stones. Hail. The size of gumballs.
And it wasn’t just hailing. Now that she was awake, she realized the gloom was caused by heavy gray clouds that covered the sky. The wind was also howling, kicking up leaves and sending some of the scattered ice drops skittering down the walkway. Her fingers tightened around the clothing she held. Even if she made it to the airport on time, could they take off in these conditions?
Please, no. She’d already flown through one storm. The last thing she wanted to do was make a bigger fool out of herself than she had yesterday.
With her luck, no pilot in his right mind would agree to fly with her after that.
And by the end of the day Blake had seemed so…
Impatient.
He was probably dreading the return trip as much as she was. Maybe she’d be better off not even taking the job.
Except she’d promised Sammi she would, and the hospital was counting on her to follow through. And this job was a lifeline, appearing just when she’d really needed it.
Apart from the flying, which she wondered if she could do—especially while dealing with critically ill patients—she found she liked the island and its inhabitants. She knew the biggest industry was fishing, but was surprised to learn the port itself did quite a bit of business. As they’d driven around yesterday, Blake had pointed out a huge vessel stacked high with various-colored shipping containers getting ready to dock.
She continued to stare out the window, wondering what she should do, when a dark familiar shadow stopped in front of her door. With one hand shoved deep into his pocket, Blake braced himself against the wind, preparing to knock. Just as she got ready to slam the curtains back together, their eyes met.
Argh! Too late.
She still had on the sweatpants and threadbare white tank top she’d worn to bed. And if she could see him, he could see…
His lips quirked, and a rush of heat poured into her face. She held up a finger, hoping he’d catch her meaning. Maybe she could get dressed really fast and…
Poor guy. It was freezing out there. She glanced down. It wasn’t like she was in a negligee or anything. She could at least let him into the room while she ducked into the bathroom to get dressed.
Padding over to the door, she made sure her clean clothes were draped to conceal key areas of her chest before opening it. “Come in. I’m running a little late—sorry.”
“I tried to call, but they’re having trouble with the phones evidently, because I couldn’t get through.” He glanced at her as if seeing her for the first time. “Uh, I can wait out here until you get ready.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s hailing. Besides, I’m freezing standing here.”
That worked. He slid through the opening and let her shut the door behind him.
Heading for the bathroom, she called behind her, “I’ll just be a minute.”
Once she made it safely inside, she leaned against the wall. Did she even want to look in the mirror?
She opened her eyes and peered into the reflective surface.
Glasses. Great. They weren’t even her good pair. And she’d left her contact case on the nightstand.
