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Eric prided himself on being a connoisseur of women. He dated as many different ones as he could. Sam didn’t know if Corrie had had a late night last night but he did know she’d been in an accident yesterday, and he wasn’t going to go into a long explanation about that with his partner. He was worried. She looked pale and those circles under her eyes were dark. As he was about to go into the lounge to check on her, the receptionist, Jenny Newcomer, came in. She was fifty, loved animals and ran the office efficiently.
“Heads up,” she said now. “Two Dobermans are on their way in. Is Corrie around?”
Corrie reappeared in the doorway to the lounge. “Jenny, could you pull their charts for me? I’ll put them in exam room two.”
Sam said, “I’ll get them,” his gaze still on Corrie. She looked tense. Was this all because she wanted him to be a sperm donor? Maybe they just needed a little conversation.
As she was about to go to the reception area, he clasped her elbow. “I took Patches over to Nathan’s this morning because I knew I’d be busy catching up all day. Did you leave Jasper at your place?”
“Yes.”
Her voice didn’t sound as strong as it usually did when she continued, “I’ll go home at lunch to let him out. That’s the routine I followed while you were away. I hope that’s okay. Eric didn’t seem to mind.”
“That’s fine. Your lunch break is your own. Are you—” He didn’t get the chance to finish as two Dobermans entered the reception area, barking for all they were worth.
Corrie took that opportunity to escape Sam’s prying eyes and motioned to the dogs’ owner to follow her to the examination room.
When Sam took over a few minutes later, Corrie slipped away as if she didn’t want to be around him. That bothered him.
Midmorning, Sam entered Tabitha’s examination room. Tabitha was a twenty-pound yellow tiger cat who was here for a general checkup including clipping her nails and a rabies shot.
“I’ll get her weight,” Corrie assured him as she began to lift the cat from her carrier.
Sam was about to ask Mrs. Clemson, the owner, a few questions when he heard Corrie’s exclamation, saw her wince and quickly let go of the animal.
“Corrie?” He knew he sounded worried, but he couldn’t help that. He went around the table, took her by the arm and led her outside the room. Over his shoulder he told Mrs. Clemson, “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked Corrie once they were standing in the hall.
She was really pale now.
“Don’t tell me nothing,” he warned her. “You’re not fine. I want to know what’s going on.”
When she turned away from him, he laid his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.
The spark of defiance was gone when she finally replied, “When I breathe—I woke up around 4:00 a.m. and I just felt…bruised. Each time I take a breath it hurts. Not a lot, but when I went to lift Tabitha, I really hurt.”
“I’m taking you to the emergency room.”
“Sam—”
“No arguing. You were in an accident yesterday and I should have made you get checked out then. Go sit in the lounge until I talk to Eric and call Doc.” Sam and Eric had bought the practice from Doc Merkle. Retired now, he helped them when needed.
“But what if it’s nothing?”
“If it’s nothing, Doc can go back home when I return. Go sit and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Fifteen minutes later, Sam was ushering Corrie into the emergency room feeling panicked. He was regretting even more leaving her the way he had yesterday, though he tried to tell himself her symptoms hadn’t appeared until the middle of the night.
Still…
It didn’t take a man with a genius IQ to figure out that Corrie wasn’t a woman who liked to be taken care of. She was obviously used to being on her own and didn’t want to depend on him.
She proved that when the technician took her back to an examination room and she adamantly refused to have him accompany her.
So he waited—pacing, paging through a magazine, pacing again. He didn’t like this churned-up sensation. He definitely didn’t like feeling as if this were his fault somehow. He had patience but not an endless supply. He hated hospitals as much as the next person, but hated waiting in one even more. After an hour, he’d had enough.
When the coast was clear, he opened the door leading to the examination rooms. There were only five. Finally he heard Corrie’s voice and he headed for number three. The rooms were more like cubicles and had curtains that slid across the front. Corrie’s curtain was partially open.
Sam stepped into the room. She was dressed in a hospital gown and looked so fragile he wanted to go to her and put his arms around her. What an odd sensation that was! He just kept telling himself he cared about her because she was his employee.
“What’s wrong with her?” he asked the doctor as they both turned to look at him.
Before Corrie could protest, he extended his hand to the doctor, read his name tag, and introduced himself. “I’m Sam Barclay. I was with Corrie yesterday when the accident happened.”
The doctor shook Sam’s hand, but Corrie was the one who spoke up. “I’m bruised from the seat belt. That’s all. The doctor’s going to give me something to relax the muscles and I’ll be fine in a few days.”
“She works for me and handles animals,” Sam told the doctor. “Should she be lifting?”
Since the cat was out of the bag, so to speak, the doctor relented and explained to Sam, “She should take it easy for a few days. By the end of the week, she should be ready for normal activity. But if you really want my recommendation, I’d say wait until next week to lift any animals, and then not fifty-pounders.”
“I can’t take off all week,” Corrie protested.
“Yes, you can. You have sick leave,” Sam replied.
“But who’s going to get the charts ready and weigh the animals and make sure you don’t scare them to death?”
Seeing Sam’s glare at Corrie, the doctor said, “The prescription will be waiting for you at the desk. As soon as you’re dressed, you can leave. Stop there to check out.” Then he left the exam room.
“Eric and I can manage for a few days. Stop worrying,” Sam assured her.
He saw the rebellion leave Corrie’s eyes and when it did, they became shiny with emotion. Going to her, he sat beside her on the examination table and wrapped his arm around her. “You’re not superwoman, Corrie. You just need to rest for a few days.”
She was looking down at her hands and he suspected why. Lifting her chin with his finger, he saw the tear running down her cheek. He didn’t think twice about pulling her close to him.
As soon as he did, he knew it was a mistake. She smelled like peaches and vanilla. Her curls were silky against his cheek. She was a soft bundle of woman and he was getting turned on.
What had happened to him since Corrie had appeared at his cabin? He’d been a monk since August and had liked it that way. But now the heat rising from his body, the heat from Corrie’s, the beating of their hearts that now seemed to be in sync totally unsettled him.
He stiffened.
She felt the reaction and pulled away.
Both of them were embarrassed.
Finally, she murmured, “If you leave, I can get dressed.”
He left, relieved and yet let down at the same time.
On the way to Corrie’s apartment, Sam stopped at the pharmacy to have her prescription filled. She didn’t say a word from when they left the hospital to when they arrived at her town house. He couldn’t tell if she was hurting that badly or just upset with the whole situation.
Jasper greeted her when she unlocked the door. Sam imagined she usually stooped down to pet and play with the cocker spaniel when she came home. To offer her an alternative, he suggested, “Go sit on the couch and he’ll jump up beside you.”
Corrie gave him a look that told him clearly she didn’t want his suggestions. But after she took off her coat, she sat on the sofa and he had to hide a smile. Corrie might be independent, but she was reasonable, too. That was good to know.
Why was that good to know?
He tucked that question away.
She looked surprised when he removed his jacket. “Aren’t you going back to the clinic?”
“I’m going to make sure you have everything you need first.”
“I have everything I need.” Her voice was strained and he’d gotten the message she just wanted to be left alone. But he wasn’t leaving the same way he had last night. Today he’d make sure she was taken care of before he went back to work.
He strode into her sunny yellow kitchen, noticing the philodendron on the windowsill, the gingham place mats on the table and the matching gingham curtains at the window. After he opened the refrigerator, he shook his head. Yogurt and lettuce. Not a great combination in his estimation. The rest of the shelves were bare. Checking her cupboards, he discovered Corrie only bought what she needed. There was a can of this, a box of that and nothing substantial. Her freezer held two frozen dinners. That wasn’t food as far as he was concerned.
In the living room, he picked up his jacket. “I’m going to buy you some groceries.”
“No, you’re not.”
Crossing to the sofa, he crouched down in front of her. Jasper had jumped down onto the floor and was now pattering around him as if he wanted to go out.
“First, I’m going to take Jasper out. That way you don’t have to. Then I’m going to the deli and buy you real food.”
“Like the corned beef you like?” She wrinkled her nose. “Spare me.”
“You’ve made it clear several times you don’t think much of Reuben sandwiches. I get that. But they have great soups, their own baked turkey and an assortment of salads. I’ll bring a little of each.”
“It will just go to waste.”
“Not if I eat lunch with you.”
She turned questioning eyes to his, and her voice wobbled when she asked, “Why are you doing this, Sam?”
He could see she wanted a straight answer. The best he could come up with was, “I regret not taking you to the emergency room yesterday. I should have called emergency services after your accident. I let you convince me nothing was wrong—”
“Nothing was wrong,” she reminded him. “At least nothing I knew about.”
“You should have called me when you woke up and had trouble breathing.”
Rising to his feet, he zipped up his jacket. “You’re too independent, Corrie. If you’re even going to consider having a child, you need a network of people around you who can help out. I’ve seen it with Nathan. Sure Kyle needs his dad, but he needed a mother, too, and now he has Sara. My dad is always on the sidelines helping out and so is Val, Nathan’s housekeeper. I’m around when Kyle just wants to have fun, and Ben fills another spot he needs to have filled. We’re all necessary. Kids thrive when a variety of people care about them, especially if they don’t have brothers and sisters.”
She looked down at her lap, then raised serious eyes to his. “You and I grew up very differently, Sam. I was a loner. Other kids made fun of my hair and my freckles so I concentrated on schoolwork. I found friends in books and my mom was my best friend. After my parents divorced, she worked overtime to supplement what Dad gave us. I took care of myself. Would I want my child to grow up as I did? Maybe not. But I learned self-sufficiency and that’s a good thing.”
He studied those freckles that other kids had made fun of. Reaching out, he dragged his thumb over them. She went still, and he saw that same awareness in her eyes that he was feeling.
Straightening, he commanded, “Come on, Jasper. Let’s take a walk.” Picking up the dog’s leash on a table near the door, he attached it to Jasper’s collar. “I’ll be back in a little while and then we’ll talk about what you really want for lunch.”
Opening the door, he felt as if he were escaping from a powder-keg situation. One too many sparks and…what? He’d kiss her again?
When his imagination started running rampant, he gratefully let the January cold seep into him. Maybe he could freeze his libido into submission.
Sam walked into his brother’s house two hours later as he always did…without knocking. This time, however, he didn’t find Val in the kitchen cooking or Kyle in the living room playing with his fire trucks. What he caught sight of was Nathan and Sara on the sofa kissing. They were so absorbed in each other they didn’t even know he was there.
He cleared his throat…very loudly.
They broke apart like guilty teenagers and both laughed as they spotted him.
“We should have locked the door,” Nathan growled.
Sara rose to her feet first, her pretty face flushed. “Patches is over at the lodge with Kyle and your dad.”
“It’s early for you to be heading home for the day,” Nathan remarked. “Or has Doc decided he likes working at the clinic again and you’re going to shorten your hours?”
“No chance of that. I did have to call him today, though. Something came up and I had to leave for a while. I thought I’d take Patches back with me.”
“Why don’t I go get Kyle and Patches,” Sara suggested heading for the hook at the back door where her coat hung. She motioned to the canister on the counter. “Freshly baked oatmeal cookies are in there.” She stopped in front of Sam. “I’m glad you’re back in plenty of time for the wedding.”
“Have you decided on a honeymoon?”
When Nathan and Sara had come to the cabin after the New Year to tell him their good news and their wedding date, they hadn’t decided yet about going away.
“I made reservations in St. Cloud for two nights,” Nathan explained. “We don’t want to be away from Kyle any longer than that right now. He’s still adjusting to having Sara as a mom.”
“I’ll be right back,” Sara promised, opening the door. She blew Nathan a kiss and then was gone.
Nathan, looking happier than Sam had ever seen him, crossed to the counter and pulled out the cookie jar. “Interested?”
Sam was still worried about Corrie. He didn’t like the idea that she was at her place alone when she didn’t feel her best. “No, I’m fine.”
“Turning down homemade cookies? What’s wrong, Sam?”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Why did you need a few hours away from the clinic when you just got back?” Nathan asked, in that olderbrother, I-want-to-know-everything tone.
“As I said—”
“Something came up…” Nathan filled in dryly.
“Yeah.”
This morning, when he’d dropped off Patches, Sam hadn’t gone into detail about why he’d returned to Rapid Creek before Friday, when he’d planned to drive home. He could spar with his brother and sidestep his questions, but there was no point in postponing the inevitable. Sam didn’t keep much from Nathan or Ben and the same was true with them. They’d always been available for each other at the important times in their lives.
Unzipping his jacket, Sam shrugged it off and hung it around one of the chairs at the table. “You know Corrie Edwards?”
“Sure.”
