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Doctor, Darling
Jo Leigh
The Doctor's DilemmaWhat kind of woman needed a court order to get a date? To his dismay, Houston pediatrician Conner Malloy would soon find out. Stranded in a little Texas town, arrested on ridiculous charges, the broad-shouldered bachelor was "sentenced" by a courtroom full of Cupids to date no-men-no-matter-what Gillian Bates… and to keep his "community service" a secret!Trouble was, commitment-fearing Connor fell hard for the pretty, guy-shy single mom and her adorable son. He even fantasized about fatherhood and forever. But, drowning in deception and desire, how could Connor ever confess to Gillian that a jury of matchmakers had manipulated this miracle!
She seemed intelligent, kind…attractive.
Connor met Gillian’s gaze and forgot everything but the color of her eyes. She put her hand on his arm. Warm, small, delicate…her touch stirred something deep inside. “Have dinner with me,” he said. “Please.”
She hesitated. He knew she was going to say no. But that wouldn’t do. And not because of his sentence. Because he didn’t want the feel of her hand on his arm to go away. “Please,” he said again.
She nodded. A tiny move.
He reached out with his hand and brushed her cheek. Her skin was as soft as he’d imagined. Softer.
“I’ll pick you up at seven,” he said.
She blushed and then took her hand from his arm. She opened her mouth, and he could see in her eyes that she was going to change her mind.
There was only one thing to do. He kissed her.
Dear Reader,
The lazy days of summer are here, and Harlequin American Romance has four charming new stories for your enjoyment! Whether you’re relaxing on the beach, out on a picnic or just grabbing a few moments of special time for yourself, we hope our books will brighten your days.
Harlequin American Romance has the pleasure of launching the brand-new continuity series MAITLAND MATERNITY with Tina Leonard’s Surprise! Surprise!, a doubly precious tale of twins who bring their parents back together. Look for Jacqueline Diamond’s I Do! I Do! next month, followed by twelve brand-new MAITLAND MATERNITY stories, coming from Harlequin Books!
Summer is a popular time for gettin’ hitched, as the BACHELORS OF SHOTGUN RIDGE are about to find out! Mindy Neff’s exciting new miniseries begins with sexy bachelor Wyatt Malone’s story, The Rancher’s Mail-Order Bride. Don’t miss Ethan and Stony’s stories, coming in July and August!
Dr. Gail Roberts has a very special little gift for Brian Walker in Linda Randall Wisdom’s My Little One, the continuation of our wonderful WITH CHILD…promotion. And Jo Leigh tells the story of a doctor who gets waylaid in a small Texas town and finds love when he least expects it. Doctor, Darling will steal your heart!
Our best wishes for a summer filled with warmth and romance. Happy reading!
Melissa Jeglinski
Associate Senior Editor
Doctor, Darling
Jo Leigh
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jo Leigh currently lives just outside Las Vegas, Nevada, where she still can’t get used to the slot machines in the grocery stores. Storytelling has always been a part of her life, whether as a producer in Hollywood, a screenwriter or a novelist. It probably began when she told her third-grade teacher that elephants ate her homework.
Books by Jo Leigh
HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE
695—QUICK, FIND A RING!
731—HUSBAND 101
736—DADDY 101
749—IF WISHES WERE…DADDIES
768—CAN’T RESIST A COWBOY
832—DOCTOR, DARLING
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE
568—LITTLE GIRL FOUND
Contents
Chapter One (#u9e575f57-17fc-5461-8274-dd4307453fef)
Chapter Two (#ua8eba4bd-ce5c-5b07-9b41-7907db42716c)
Chapter Three (#u32dc213c-da97-5722-aabd-4f8f2579c973)
Chapter Four (#u44ddb8dd-a61f-59da-9454-5a4c8841c3e6)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
Conner Malloy stood in front of the Eat ’N Greet diner, in the middle of the quaint little town. He knew it was the middle because he could see where the town ended and the highway began, both ways. If a thousand people lived in Miller’s Landing, Texas, he’d be surprised. It was six hours from Houston, his home, and miles from any serious traffic. But it did have an antique store.
He’d found the store on the Internet when he’d searched for medical antiques. After e-mailing the proprietor for a couple of weeks, Conner had realized he needed to see the goods in person. If the stuff was on the level, it meant he’d finally be able to illustrate his book with accurate pictures instead of drawings that might or might not have been to scale.
He knew the antique store was on Main Street. Right next door to the Sew ’N Sew fabric store and across from Lulu’s Dresses.
It was exciting, he had to admit. Although he wasn’t a writer by trade, he’d been fascinated by old medical techniques and implements ever since his first year of residency. The hobby had become a passion over the years, so he didn’t think it was odd to take his vacation in this little Podunk town despite what Hugh said. Or any of the other attending physicians at Texas Children’s Hospital. They just didn’t understand, that’s all. When the book got published, they’d change their tune.
A woman in a denim dress stepped out of the coffee shop and stood stock-still when she saw him. She stared at him oddly, as if she’d just seen his face on America’s Most Wanted. He smiled at her, but she didn’t smile back. Friendly little town.
There it was. Odds ’N Ends. And right smack-dab in the middle of the display window was a real jewel. A rib spreader, circa early 1800s. In terrific condition. Conner’s gaze stayed on the surgical antique as he pushed open the door. Well, tried to. It was locked.
Then he saw the little sign. Closed For Eleanor’s Birthday. Conner had no idea who Eleanor was, but already he didn’t care for her. Six hours on the road, a lousy meal at a truck stop on the way, and the place was closed for Eleanor’s birthday. Great.
For a moment, he contemplated getting back in his car and heading for home, but then he looked at the rib spreader again. What else might Mr. Johnson have inside?
Conner looked at his watch. It was almost four. He was hungry, tired and cranky, and a shower would be mighty welcome. He’d passed a motel. The Set ’N Stay. What was it about the word and these people hated?
He quickly crossed the street and headed for the motel. The woman in the denim dress had moved, and now she stood in the shade of the fabric store. He nodded again, and she stared again. Weird. Then, as he passed the hardware store, another woman stepped to the doorway. She, too, gawked at him, unsmiling. He didn’t bother nodding to her.
When it happened again at the Laundromat, he got the willies. Another woman, this one with lacquered silver hair and little pursed mouth, lifted her head to peer at him through the bottom of her bifocals.
“Afternoon,” he said, trying to shake off the feeling that Stephen King might be lurking behind a washing machine.
“Afternoon,” she said back, her voice as stiff as her bouffant hairdo.
Conner kept right on going. At least one person stood in each doorway. At the diner, there was a record four. A woman and three children. The little boy wore an X-Files T-shirt. That explained it. Maybe he should just forget it. Get in his car and go. No. He needed those antiques.
He walked faster. It wasn’t until he’d reached the front of the motel that he realized he’d been humming “Strange Days” by the Doors. “Amen, brother,” Conner said as he stepped into the front office.
GILLIAN BATES put the key in the lock of her classroom as she tried to remember if she’d defrosted the chicken for tonight’s supper. So when she turned and Felicia Goodwin was right there, Gillian gasped.
“Did you hear?” Felicia asked, not even apologizing for scaring Gillian half to death.
“Hear what?”
“That doctor Axel was talking about. He’s here.”
“What doctor?”
“You know. The one who’s all hot and bothered about that old medical crap Axel keeps in his store.”
“Oh, that doctor,” Gillian said, not having a clue what Felicia was going on about. She started down the hallway of the only school in Miller’s Landing. All the kids had gone except for Janice’s music class. Gillian heard the cry of an ill elephant emanating from the cafeteria and knew that Cory Tracy was practicing his tuba.
“Yes, that doctor,” Felicia said. “Only he’s not what we thought.”
“No?”
“No. He’s young. And he’s damn good-looking.”
“Really?” Gillian knew what was coming. It was as if a single woman—a single mother—was anathema to the whole town. She’d been living in Miller’s Landing for four and a half years, and not a week had gone by when someone didn’t bring up her marital status. She used to get upset about it. Now, she ignored it.
“I saw him myself,” Felicia went on. “I was just coming out of Lulu’s. She’s got some new dresses in, and some of them are just awful, but I did see one or two that would look good on you.”
They reached the exit, and Gillian pushed open the door, letting Felicia go out first.
“He walked right by me.” Felicia reached into the pocket of her denim dress and brought out a crinkled pack of cigarettes and a lighter.
“Did he?” Gillian asked, trying to sound enthusiastic. Or at least not deathly bored. But her mind wasn’t on the conversation with her neighbor. She was looking for Eli, who had gone to the playground after class to wait for her. She led Felicia, who paused twice while she tried to light her awful cigarette, to the back of the school. As soon as Gillian saw Eli on the swings, she smiled. He was having a grand time, swinging as high as his little legs would push him. The sight of him made everything in her world perfect.
“He’s a tall young man,” Felicia said. “Well over six feet if you ask me. Taller than Bradley, that’s for sure, and Bradley’s just a hair under six feet himself.”
Gillian tried not to laugh. Bradley, Felicia’s oldest, was maybe five foot six, at least when he had his boots on.
“And he’s got dark hair. Nice and thick. I tell you, he’s a looker.”
“That’s fascinating, Felicia. But I’m sure the nice doctor has a nice wife living in his nice home somewhere far away from here.”
“Houston. He’s from Houston. And we don’t know if he has a wife or not.”
“If he’s that good-looking, I’d be surprised if he didn’t.”
That made Felicia think. She came to a halt, inhaled a lungful of smoke, then let the smoke out slowly, obscuring the puzzled look on her face for a moment.
“Mom!”
“Hey, cute stuff!”
Eli flew off the swing at the very top of the arc, and Gillian’s heart stopped until she saw him land safely.
“I told you not to do that,” she said.
“Do what?”
“Jump off the swing.”
“Oh, Mom. Everybody does it.”
“I don’t care about everybody. You do it again, and you don’t get to use the swing.”
“Okay,” he mumbled. But his torment was short-lived. A second later, he gave her a beguiling smile. “Can we go to McDonald’s for dinner?”
“No, we cannot. I have a chicken defrosted.”
He gave her a look she found adorable but one she really shouldn’t encourage. His little face scrunched all up, and one lip curled on the side. She could eat him with a spoon.
“Afternoon, Eli,” Felicia said.
