Doctor's Orders

“And what did you say?”

Tongue in cheek, he shook his head. “The truth. I said very solemnly, ‘I’m sorry, sir, but I’m only five years old.’”

Cassie’s tender heart almost melted. She could almost see him, she realized. The small, scared vulnerable little boy, all alone in the world, not knowing what was to become of him, facing Uncle Jasper for the first time.

She thought of her own daughter at that age, how totally vulnerable she’d been, and Cassie’s heart ached a little more for him.

“Uncle Jasper just nodded, then he took one good long look at me, went down on his knee so we were eye level, opened his arms and said, ‘Aye laddie, I’m sorry this happened to us, but I’ve been waiting my whole life for you. ’ One single tear slowly ran down his face and I knew then Uncle Jasper was probably just as scared as I was. He just hugged me tight and said, ‘Me and Shorty, we came to take you home, laddie.’” Beau’s voice had dropped, but now he chuckled again, then shook his head. “And I knew everything was going to be okay,” he said with a careless shrug that she knew hid a well of emotion. “We’ve been together and a family ever since.”

“That’s a wonderful story,” she said quietly, blinking the mist from her eyes. “Did you ever learn to cook?” she asked, making him chuckle again.

“Nope, can’t even boil eggs,” Beau said with a grin, closing the distance between them to help her off with her coat. He leaned close until his breath warmed the back of her neck, making her vividly aware of the pulsing ache of yearning slowly spreading its hot fingers through her belly. Cassie had to swallow to dispel some of her nervousness, smothering the wave of awareness that was making every female nerve ending stand at attention.

She was supposed to be immune to this type of man, she reminded herself firmly.

“Cassie,” he whispered close to her ear. “I want you to know I feel exactly the same way about your mother and your aunt as you do about Uncle Jasper,” he said, looping her coat over his arm and stepping back from her. “They’re wonderful as far as I’m concerned.”

“Well, thank you, but I’m going to remind you of that the next time mama or Aunt Louella rushes into your office and tells you to do some outrageous thing like turn all your faucets on so that your pipes don’t freeze when it’s not even cold out.”

Beau chuckled. “Sounds like you’ve had plenty of experience with the outrageous?”

“Living with Mama and Aunt Louella was always one outrageous adventure after another,” she admitted. “But I adore both of them and wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He chuckled again, then grew sober, his gaze finding hers and sending a fluttering straight through to her timid heart. “I’m glad you made it,” he said softly. “It’s a miserable night.”

She wanted to glance away, to break contact with those gorgeous blue eyes, but mentally scolded herself for being a coward.

He was just a man, for goodness sake. She’d dealt with hundreds of men in her life, probably thousands. There was certainly no reason to get all flustered every time this one looked at her.

Still, there was something very different about this man that made her very aware of her own feelings and emotions. It was just a tad unnerving since she truly thought herself immune to any kind of man.

She rubbed her hands together and glanced back at the windows on either side of the large front door, wanting to break the connection between them.

“It is getting bad out,” she admitted with a rueful smile. “I could barely see driving here because the snow’s coming down so hard. And I don’t even want to think about having to drive home in it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, taking her arm and leading her out of the foyer. “I’ve got a heavy four-wheel-drive vehicle so I can make house calls no matter what the weather. If it gets much worse I’ll drive you and Sofie home, and Shorty can return your car in the morning. Deal?”

She looked into his eyes and had to remind herself she was merely here to help her daughter. She was doing this for Sofie. There was nothing between them. Nothing personal at all, she reminded herself. So all these feelings coursing through her, confusing her, alarming her, were to be ignored.

“Deal,” she agreed reluctantly, making him smile.

“When I picked Sofie up from your mother’s, we had a chance to chat,” he said with a mysterious smile, glancing down at her as he led the way through the foyer. “And before I picked up Sofie, I made a couple of other stops at a couple of other first graders’ house’s as well,” he said with a knowing lift of his brow. “Seems there is a bit of disruption going on with two of the boys. One’s parents are separating—”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Cassie said softly.

“And the other’s grandmother recently passed away very suddenly. They were apparently very close so the boy’s quite traumatized by the loss.”

“Oh, Beau, the poor thing,” Cassie said, her heart softening toward the boys whom just this afternoon she wanted to thrash. “So they’re both having some personal problems of their own. I guess their behavior is understandable under the circumstances.”

“Understandable, yes, but certainly not justifiable, Cassie,” he said quietly. “Just because they’re having personal problems doesn’t give them the right to take out their pain on someone else.”

“You’re right,” she said, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. “But at least we know there is a reason for this behavior and they’re not just being cruel to Sofie.”

He chuckled. “It would be hard to find anyone who’s deliberately cruel in Cooper’s Cove. I think the mayor forbade it decades ago. But it does explain what I was trying to tell you this afternoon, those feelings of insecurity I was talking about.”

Cassie nodded, listening intently as he continued.

“So, I had a little chat with both boys, and then with their parents. Separately of course, which is how I found out all this info. And I think I’ve worked up a solution for all involved, at least to the teasing and bullying problem.” A shadow passed over his features. “Let’s hope it’s enough to do the trick.”

She was desperately trying to pay attention to his words, but he was so close she could see the sparkle in his eyes and the small laugh lines around his mouth….

He’d changed into more casual clothes, she suddenly realized. Gone was the professional suit he’d always worn in his office. Now, he had on soft, well-worn jeans, a heavy Irish cable knit sweater and work boots. Much to Cassie’s annoyance it made him look far less intimidating and a great deal more appealing.

She forced herself to keep her mind on the subject at hand. “Judging from the change in Sofie’s attitude since you brought her home from school this afternoon, she’s feeling better about the situation as well,” Cassie said, still shocked by the difference in her daughter. This problem with Sofie hadn’t been far from her mind all afternoon. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? How quickly their emotions change?”

“With kids this age, it really is just a lot of confidence,” he admitted as he pulled open a closet door in the expansive foyer and hung up her coat. “So much of their emotions and attitudes are fed by their immediate world. Parents, family and friends make up everything, and are everything to them, and as long as everything is copacetic with all three, they’re happy.” He shrugged. “But when they’re not, that’s when problems develop.”

“And you think that’s what’s happened here?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Yes, I’m afraid that’s exactly what happened. But I’ve talked with the boys, and with Sofie, so now let’s see if we can work out some kind of truce to keep them all happy. Are you hungry?” he asked abruptly and she paled a bit.

“I’m…uh…fine,” she said, avoiding his gaze and placing a hand on her growling stomach. He watched her carefully, then tried to smother a chuckle. “What?” she demanded. “What on earth are you laughing about now?” It was as if he could read her mind and it was unnerving.

“You,” he said. “And the look on your face when I asked you if you were hungry.” His eyes gleamed. “Let me guess, the prospect of a chocolate, peanut butter and banana sandwich is not exactly at the top of your dinner choices, am I right?” he asked with a lift of his brow.

“You’re right,” she admitted with a laugh and rueful shake of her head.

“Well, don’t worry about it. I told Shorty we were having guests for dinner and he almost blistered my ears when I told him what I wanted to serve.” He held out his hand to her. “So he’s prepared Sofie her favorite sandwiches and something a bit more adult for us. Shall we?”

She looked at his outstretched hand as if it were a snake about to strike. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she was so skittish around a man. But then again, she couldn’t remember the last time she was this close to a man. Her experience with Sofie’s father had left a bitter taste in her mouth and scared her off all men. As far as she was concerned, she couldn’t trust her own judgment, not when it came to men, so she simply kept her distance.

Besides, she was far too busy trying to support herself and her daughter to worry about impressing some man or squeezing time out of her hectic life to accommodate him. There had always seemed so many more important things to do.

But now, with Beau, Cassie simply couldn’t fall back on her usual routine of indifference and disdain. Like it or not, she needed his help and so did her daughter. So she was going to curb her own feelings and put Sofie’s needs ahead of her own. Again. It was something that had become second nature to her from the moment of her beloved daughter’s birth.

I’m doing this for Sofie, she mentally reminded herself and immediately felt a bit better. But she’d feel a lot better if Beau Bradford looked less like a movie star and more like a toad.

“Shall we?” he repeated, still holding out his hand to her, as if daring her to take it.

Cassie pressed her free hand to her shaky tummy as she let him escort her out of the foyer, reminding herself once again she wasn’t the least bit interested in him—personally.

Her obligation was to Sofie and Sofie’s welfare. Sofie’s health, heart and happiness came first in Cassie’s life, and she wasn’t about to jeopardize any of them because of one gorgeous man. No matter how charming he was.

Chapter Three

“Oh my word!” Cassie said, coming to a dead halt in the room Beau had referred to as the atrium. She spun in a circle, trying to take in everything. “This is…magnificent,” she breathed, stunned by the sheer size and beauty of the room.

Floor-to-ceiling windows, left uncovered to allow full access to Mother Nature’s beauty, served as three of the room’s walls, allowing a breathtaking view of the landscape as far as the eye could see.

Lights and stars twinkled against the inky blackness, and the flakes of fast-falling snow sparkled like glittering diamonds floating toward earth. It was a scene out of a beautiful, romantic movie.

A roaring fire in the huge fireplace at one end of the room provided both light and a warm, homey coziness that instantly wrapped around you in welcome.

The floors were a beautiful aged wood and the colorful, if faded, Persian carpets that dotted the floor served merely to highlight the gorgeous grain and surrounding patina. On either side of the enormous, roaring fireplace were custom-made oak bookshelves filled with more books than Cassie had ever seen outside of a public library.

Nestled in one corner, right in front of the beautiful view, was a small, elegant table set for two. An eggshell tablecloth of what looked like beautiful aged silk adorned the small, round dinner table. Fresh flowers sparkled in a shimmering crystal vase. White taper candles were perched elegantly in a small rosette of expensive-looking crystal, just waiting to be lit.

Cassie selfconsciously glanced down at herself and felt just a tad out of place in her stained salon uniform and work shoes. She wasn’t accustomed to dining at tables adorned with silk linens and candles nestled in crystal.

Feeling more than a little off balance now, Cassie tried to ignore how romantic the scene looked to her, and kept her gaze moving.

This wasn’t personal, she told herself. The table was probably always set in that corner like that. It wasn’t any big deal just because she was there.

But whether or not it was, she caught herself sneaking appreciative glances back at the table simply because it looked so breathtaking against the dark glittering backdrop Mother Nature had provided.

“This is the most incredible room I’ve ever seen.” Fascinated, Cassie merely roamed for a moment, soaking in the beauty of everything, nearly overwhelmed by the aged opulence reflected in every single antique knickknack and furnishing in the room.

She had no idea what it would have been like to grow up surrounded by this kind of luxury or beauty. It was a bit faded now, yes, but the wealth it took to put together a house like this still shone through. She couldn’t help but feel just a wee bit intimidated. It was the same way she’d felt the one and only time she’d been in Sofie’s father’s opulent childhood home.

Trying to banish that memory, Cassie allowed herself the pleasure of just taking everything in. She walked to the front of the fireplace, stunned by the amount of heat generated from such an enormous hearth. It was so large an adult could easily have stood up in it.

Over the intricately carved oak mantel was a large oil painting of a rather gruff-looking man who had the same mischievous twinkle in his eyes as Beau and his uncle. His white hair tufted out around his temples and ears much the same way as Uncle Jasper’s did.

“Family trait,” Beau said from behind her, startling her again so that she jumped. He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Cassie, you’re going to have to stop doing that.”

“Doing what?” she asked, rubbing her hands up and down her arms, vividly aware of how close he was to her and how her traitorous body responded every time he touched her.

“Jumping every time I come near you,” he said quietly, taking her by the shoulders and gently turning her to face him. “Cassie.” His gaze scanned her face and she sensed that he could see the fear and vulnerability in her eyes. Tenderly, he squeezed her shoulders. “I don’t know what on earth you’ve heard about me, but clearly it must be something pretty awful to make you nearly jump out of your shoes every time I come near you.”

“No, it’s…not that,” she lied, and he smiled.

“Cassie. I know how people talk. They’ve gossiped about me my whole life. And I know what they say,” he added softly, making her heart ache for the pain that knowledge had to bring. “Remember, I grew up here, just like you, and I know how the gossip vines work. But I would think you’d be the last person in the world to believe gossip.”

He had her there. And had managed to make her feel small and ridiculous simply because he was absolutely right. She had grown up amid gossip and she knew better. And yet, she’d allowed herself to judge him simply from things she’d heard about him, not from her own experiences.

And just that afternoon hadn’t the kids made assumptions about Sofie without really knowing the truth, assumptions that had hurt the young child’s feelings? How on earth could Cassie do the same to the man who’d promised to help her daughter?

She couldn’t, she realized—not in good conscience. Or she would be just as wrong as the kids at school had been today.

“Cassie, I’m sure you’ve heard some wild stories about me and women, but all I ask is that before you make up your mind about me, you judge me for yourself, by your own experiences and not by rumors or innuendo.” Watching her carefully, Beau gently lifted her chin. “Do you think you can do that?”

She forced herself to meet his gaze, to look into his eyes and see the emotions swirling there. And she remembered all the rumors she’d heard about his womanizing. She wasn’t entirely sure now how true or accurate they’d been, and it shamed her to think she might have misjudged him just as her own daughter had been misjudged.

“Yes. Yes, of course,” she assured him.

She dared to glance up at him again and her mouth went dry when she looked at his mouth. Oh, Lord, that mouth. It looked soft and warm and very…talented. That was the only word she could think of.

He was standing directly in front of her, closer than any man had been in a very long time. So close she could feel the warmth of his body heat, smell the scent that danced along his skin. It was such a mesmerizing, masculine scent it was almost dizzying. She had a sudden urge to stand on tiptoe and bury her face in his neck, to simply inhale that incredibly wonderful maleness.

Then there were his eyes, she thought dreamily. Gorgeous and blue, they reflected so many things, she realized now. Emotions she’d not thought him capable of simply because she’d prejudged and perhaps misjudged him based rumor and gossip.

Guilt landed like a hammer and Cassie realized just how unfair she’d been to Beau. He had been nothing but kind to her and her daughter. Especially her daughter. And for that alone he deserved her thanks, her gratitude and more importantly, he deserved to be treated fairly and with respect. She made a silent vow to do better; to be better and more fair. And most importantly, to give him a chance without any preconceived notions on her part.

“Dr. Bradford—”

“Beau,” he corrected with a smile. “Only my patients call me Dr. Bradford and you’re too old to be one of my patients.”