Doctors in the Wedding

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It took only half a lap for him to draw up beside her. He made no effort to surge ahead, though she conceded in resignation that he could have if he’d tried. Instead, he kept pace with her, nearby but staying out of her way. She didn’t know how long he’d been swimming before she’d joined him, but he showed no signs of tiring. The man definitely had stamina. Not that she’d had any doubt he was in excellent shape. She had a very clear memory of every muscle she’d felt while pressed against him last night.

If being that close to him fully clothed had been such a memorable experience, she could only imagine what it would feel like now—wet flesh to flesh. For just a moment, her strokes fumbled, losing her rhythm so she had to make an effort to get back into sync with him.

“Okay?”

“Fine,” she sputtered, and swam a little faster to relieve a sudden surge of hyper energy.

Her endurance was beginning to flag a few laps later, and Jason must have noticed. She felt a hand on her leg, a tug on her ankle. Considering the electricity she sensed between herself and Jason, she wouldn’t have been surprised if the water conducted a shock when their skin made contact. Or maybe it had, explaining the tingle coursing through her body when she lowered her feet to stand and face him.

“I’d love to stay longer, but I have a few calls to make before we leave for the ranch,” he said with visible regret. “Guess I’d better go take care of them.”

She nodded, reminding herself she would be seeing him again soon—though it would be different when they were surrounded by other people rather than alone here together. “I should get ready, too. BiBi would strangle me if I’m late.”

He chuckled. “None of us have the nerve to annoy BiBi, especially this weekend.”

“Ah. So you know the bride as well as the groom,” she teased.

He nodded. “I’ve known them both for years.”

It would be tempting for her to grill BiBi later for more information about Jason, but that seemed rather impolite. Besides, BiBi would want to know all the details and would probably make more of Madison’s interest than was justified, not to mention that BiBi had picked out someone else to keep Madison company this weekend. All in all, it was better—and definitely more fun—to just keep this flirtation a little secret between herself and Jason.

She turned toward the steps. “I’ll see you at the ranch, then, if not before.”

He caught her arm, and though he was barely touching her, she was still as affected as she’d imagined by the flesh-to-flesh contact. Honestly, Madison, get a grip, she scolded mentally. One would think she’d never had an instant connection with a handsome man before. Okay, maybe she hadn’t experienced anything quite like this, but still, there was no need to get so carried away.

“Was there something else you wanted to say, Dr. Jones?” she asked, keeping it light.

His gaze focused on her smile. Was he, too, remembering last night’s kisses in the moonlight-bathed, aromatic garden, wondering if they would be just as powerful here in this brightly lit, chlorine-scented room?

Something beeped from a small table near the end of the pool, and Jason released her arm. Madison told herself it was just as well they’d been interrupted. She could only imagine the gossip that would ensue if she were seen kissing Jason in the pool after meeting him only last night.

“That’s the alarm I set on my phone to remind me of the calls I have to make.”

“I’ll see you later, then.”

He reached out to trail a wet fingertip down her cheek. “I look forward to it,” he murmured.

Her body temperature rose another few degrees. She swallowed a sigh as she watched him climb the steps out of the pool, water streaming from his lean, toned body, his trunks molded over a very tight butt.

The laughing glance he gave her over his shoulder let her know he was fully aware she was watching him. She grinned and dove back into the pool.

When she left the pool room a short time later, her limbs were pleasantly tired, and her tummy reminded her that she should have breakfast soon. The day ahead seemed especially inviting now. She’d thought the ranch excursion sounded like fun, anyway, but the anticipation of spending time there with Jason was especially appealing. She couldn’t wait to see him on horseback.

Hannah stepped out of the workout room at almost the same time Madison entered the hallway. Exchanging cheery good-mornings, they moved together toward the elevator.

“Have you eaten breakfast yet?” Hannah asked.

Madison glanced at her watch. A quarter to eight. Plenty of time yet before the nine o’clock departure. “No. I’m going to shower and dress, then head down to the breakfast buffet before we leave for the ranch.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll meet you down there.”

Madison pushed the call button. “I can be ready in half an hour.”

“Same here.” Hannah pushed back a strand of hair that had escaped her red braid during her exercise session. “I thought I saw Jason D’Alessandro leaving the pool room a little while ago. Did you meet him?”

Though this was the first time she’d heard Jason’s last name, Madison nodded. “I met him at the party last night.”

“I met him last night, too. BiBi introduced us. I think you were dancing with Carl’s cousin at the time. Jason seems like a nice guy. Good-looking, too.”

“Yes, he is.”

“I can see why Corinna is so hooked on him.”

Madison almost stumbled stepping into the elevator. She righted herself quickly, punching her floor button with a little more force than necessary. “Umm, Corinna?”

“Yeah. He’s the guy she and BiBi were talking about last night. Didn’t you know? Apparently, Corinna’s had a thing for him for ages. From what I’ve gathered, their families have known each other for, like, generations, and everyone thinks Jason and Corinna would be a perfect match. You know, both living here in Dallas, him being a doctor and her a pharmacist, both from big Italian families.”

Madison stared hard at the numbers flashing above the elevator door. Jason was a doctor? “Hmm.”

“But I don’t know, watching them together last night? I’m not sure BiBi’s right that he’ll change his mind about Corinna. He was nice to her and all, but there didn’t seem to be any chemistry between them. He treated her more like a cousin, or a kid sister, maybe.”

“Hmm.”

Hannah laughed self-consciously. “I shouldn’t be gossiping about them. Just an observation.”

The elevator bumped to a gentle stop and Madison moved toward the opening doors in relief. “I’ll meet you downstairs in half an hour, Hannah. That should give us just enough time to eat before we’re supposed to join the others in the lobby.”

“Okay, see you down—” The elevator doors closed behind Madison before Hannah could finish the sentence.

Moving robotically, Madison walked to her door and shoved the key into the slot. She muttered a curse beneath her breath when she realized she’d inserted the card upside down. Turning it over, she tried again, then shoved the door open.

Wouldn’t you know, she thought wistfully, closing the door behind her, that the one man who’d brought out the reckless fun in her since … well, almost longer than she could remember … was the one man who was totally off-limits this weekend?

It wasn’t as if she’d expected anything serious to come of her flirtation with Jason, anyway, she assured herself, heading for the shower.

But, oh, it could have been a fun three days.

Two buses had been secured for transporting the guests to the dude ranch some twenty miles from the hotel. BiBi and Carl had invited the entire wedding party, several of their family members and a few miscellaneous others to attend, for a total of about forty people, as far as Madison could determine. BiBi insisted that the men should load into one vehicle and the women into the other—and again, no one argued with her. She was practically giddy with excitement about the entertainment she had arranged for her guests. Apparently the ranch specialized in hosting wedding parties, family and class reunions, company retreats and other such gatherings, and had offered a long list of activities for BiBi and Carl to select from.

Madison had dressed for the day in a three-quarter-sleeved, scoop-neck green T-shirt with jeans. The temperature was predicted to climb into the high seventies, and it was already too warm for a jacket, so she had tucked a thin sweater into her tote bag in case she needed it that evening. She didn’t own a cowboy hat, but she’d worn a pair of brown leather boots that were vaguely Western in style. It had been a few years since she’d been on horseback; she only hoped she’d remembered enough of the basics so she didn’t embarrass herself.

She’d arranged her honey-blond hair into a tidy French braid to keep it out of her face during the day’s activities. Maybe she’d spent a bit more time than usual with her makeup—trying for a casual, but flattering look—but that was only because she knew BiBi’s crowd wouldn’t be caught dead without mascara and blusher. She certainly hadn’t primped with anyone particular in mind, she assured herself sanctimoniously.

When she saw the other women, she was glad she’d made the effort, whatever her motivation. Texas women were fussy about their hair and makeup, BiBi had always said, and that was in evidence today. Though jeans and Ts or button-up cotton shirts were the primary garments of choice, she saw a few shiny Western shirts festooned with rhinestones and appliqués, and enough new pairs of pointy-toed boots that she didn’t doubt some of the guests would be limping a bit through the next day’s events.

The bus seats were plush and roomy, but still rather cramped for the very pregnant woman who sat next to Madison. Madison remembered seeing her at the party last night, though they had not actually met.

“I’m Madison Baker,” she said with a smile, raising her voice just enough to be heard over the excited chattering around them.

The other woman, a strawberry blonde with a face that was probably round even when she wasn’t in the last stages of pregnancy and green eyes that were friendly despite the faint shadows beneath, introduced herself in return. “I’m Lila Polanski. My husband, Tommy, is an old friend of Carl’s. He’s serving as an usher Sunday. Are you one of the bridesmaids? Sorry, I should know that, probably, but I don’t know BiBi or her friends very well.”

“Yes, I’m a bridesmaid. I’ve known BiBi since college. Do you live here in Dallas?”

“No, Tommy grew up here, but I’m originally from Wisconsin. We moved to Houston a couple years ago for Tommy’s job. We drove up for the wedding. Tommy thought a day at a dude ranch sounded kind of cheesy,” she added in a stage whisper, glancing around to make sure BiBi wasn’t within hearing range. “But I think it will be fun. Not that I can participate much.”

She patted her protruding tummy with a mixture of pride and impatience.

Madison chuckled. “When is your baby due?”

“Next month. Our first. A boy.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Do you live in Dallas?”

Madison explained that she, too, had traveled for the wedding weekend, and they passed the remainder of the ride chatting congenially. Lila was a talker who tended to share a bit too much information quite freely with strangers. Madison liked her, though, and enjoyed the conversation. Madison’s job never came up, and she saw no need to mention that she was a doctor. ob-gyn was not her specialty, and she wasn’t prepared to answer a string of medical questions from the eager mommy-to-be. Better just to be another wedding guest, she thought.

She didn’t know whose idea it had been for the men to stand around the bus door and help the women descend the steps onto the graveled ranch parking lot. It seemed to be taking the back-to-the-Old-West theme a bit too far, with the strapping cowboys offering assistance to the fragile ladies, but she told herself not to take it so seriously. Today was all in fun. Maybe she’d gotten a little too sensitive about gender issues in medical school, where there were still a few deeply ingrained biases toward male doctors, even though women made up nearly half of modern medical school classes. When two men rushed forward to assist Lila Polanski, Madison told herself that it really was sort of nice that Southern gallantry still existed, despite the old-fashioned gender implications.

A man in a well-worn brown hat, a denim shirt rolled back on the forearms, jeans and boots that were definitely not new stepped up when she moved into the bus door. He held out a hand to her, tilting his head back so she could see his face beneath the brim of his hat. Her breath caught hard.

She’d been absolutely correct earlier. Jason D’Alessandro looked damned good in Western wear.

Realizing she was holding up the women waiting behind her to get off the bus, Madison placed her hand in Jason’s. It would have been rude to ignore his friendly offer of assistance, especially with other people watching. Among them, she realized, BiBi and Corinna, who stood nearby chatting with other guests, but still surreptitiously watching Jason.

She was glad the sparks that flew when her bare palm pressed against Jason’s existed only in her own overactive imagination. Or was he aware of them, too? She thought she heard his breath catch when his fingers closed around hers, but maybe that, too, was just something she imagined. Reminding herself that he was off-limits, she withdrew her hand quickly, meeting just a little resistance when she pulled away, as if he had been reluctant to release her.

BiBi rushed forward, almost dragging a tall, lanky cowboy with her. The man wore neatly pressed dark jeans over tooled leather boots, a tan denim shirt with colorful floral embroidery up the front and across the back yoke, a bolo tie and a battered hat with a feathered band. Madison figured he was so stereotypically dressed that he must be an employee of the dude ranch.

BiBi proved the guess to be correct. “Everyone, this is Buck. He’s our ranch host for today, so if anyone has any problems or questions, he’s the man to ask. Right, Buck?”

He agreed congenially, then made a short welcoming speech outlining the activities planned for the day and urging everyone to feel free to ask any ranch employee for assistance as needed.

“And now let’s all load up on the wagons,” he said, indicating three large open wooden wagons, each with a driver holding the reins to a pair of sturdy-looking horses. “We’re about to head back in time to a real Old West ranch experience.”

Madison heard a few muted snorts from some of the men in the party—probably men who had either grown up on real ranches or had at least some familiarity with them. BiBi had insisted she knew this was basically an amusement-park version of ranch life, but she didn’t care. It was going to be fun, she’d said. And fun was what her wedding weekend was all about. She’d also admitted to her girlfriends that she was looking forward to seeing her citified lawyer fiancé on horseback. Just because Carl had grown up in Dallas didn’t make him a cowboy, she had added with a laugh. And since several of her wedding guests were from out of state, like Madison, BiBi wanted them to have a true Texas experience.

Once again the men stepped up to help the ladies onto the wagons. Again, it took two—her husband and another volunteer—to get Lila onto a bench. Madison privately wondered if it had been a good idea for Lila to attend this outing, but Lila seemed so genuinely excited to be here that she supposed no one had the heart to suggest she stay behind.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jason moving in her direction, but another man stepped between them. “There you are, Madison. You slipped away from the party so quickly last night that I didn’t have a chance to say good-night. It’s good to see you again today.”

She forced a smile. “Hello, Allen. Nice to see you again, too.”

Carl’s cousin had dressed as enthusiastically for a ranch visit as he had for the costume party. His hat, boots, tooled-leather belt and embroidered red shirt all looked new, though his jeans looked to have had some use. “I see you’re still a red shirt,” she commented.

He laughed. “So I am. Last night I wore the colors of the losing army and now this. If I were appearing on an episode of Star Trek