The Doctor's Redemption (Shadow Creek, Montana) Read online

  He grabbed her wrist when she turned to walk away. “Gwen,” he said roughly.

  She stilled and looked up at him.

  He’d regret this later, he already knew.

  He smiled and took a step into her, letting go of her wrist. He heard her breath catch and blood started pumping through his veins. She leaned her head back and it took all of his self-control not to kiss her.

  “I notice you. I notice everything about you. I know that this entire town loves you. I know you sneak a chocolate muffin in the morning and eat it bit by bit while you’re serving customers. I know you only charge that old guy with the beard half the actual price of his breakfast order. I know you hate tea even though you pretend to know what you’re talking about when customers ask you your favorite. I know you hate wearing mascara. I know that for some reason you used to wear baggy boring clothes and all of a sudden this week you’ve started dressing in color, in clothes that show off an incredible body. And I know that I’ve wanted to kiss you since the first day I met you. I think you’re incredibly hot and sexy and I didn’t want you to go home with some random guy tonight. I wanted you to go home with me.”

  He lowered his head and finally took her mouth against his, kissing her, wrapping her up close. She molded herself to him, full curves pressed against his body, setting him on fire. He knew that kissing Gwen would be pretty awesome, but he hadn’t expected just how good. She fit against him like no other woman had ever. She kissed him back, making little sounds that were driving him insane, and he knew that this wasn’t going to be enough.

  …

  So, the Muffin Man knew how to kiss.

  He kissed her like she was the last woman on earth, like he’d been starved for her. She dug her nails into some pretty fine biceps and whimpered as her knees were about to surrender. He backed her up against the wall, supporting her with his strong body and proceeded to kiss her until she didn’t remember where she was.

  She screamed and he jumped at the loud pounding on the front door. He swore under his breath and they both turned to see Chase and her brother standing there. Chase was holding a flashlight and Jack looked ready to murder TMM.

  “Omigod, hold on,” she said, wiping her mouth and straightening out her clothes. Of all the stupid, humiliating things to happen to her. “It’s my sort-of-brother-in-law and my brother.” She whipped the door open and they came bounding in.

  “Why is that guy groping you?” Jack asked pointing at TMM. Chase was aiming the flashlight beam at TMM’s face and this whole thing was beginning to look like a police interrogation.

  “He’s not groping me,” Gwen said, looking over at TMM…it did occur to her at that moment that she still didn’t know his name.

  TMM shot her a look but didn’t argue. As TMM walked over to join them, her brother’s eyes widened.

  “I know you. You’re Doctor Thomson, right?” Jack extended his hand and looked like a normal person again instead of barbarian.

  She breathed a sigh of relief when TMM took it. Doctor? Huh. So…not woodsman.

  TMM smiled and nodded. “Right. How are you? How’s…Lily?”

  Oh, no. Whenever someone asked Jack about Lily he went on for at least half an hour.

  “She’s fine,” she interrupted. “What are you two doing here?” she asked. Leave it to the men in her family to ruin her one night of…whatever it was.

  “We were at The Roadhouse when the power went out and knew you were in town so thought we’d check in on you,” Chase said.

  “Oh, well, thanks, but I’m fine.”

  “Clearly,” Chase said with a cough that looked like he was hiding a smile.

  Jack’s eyes narrowed on…Dr. Thomson. She really needed to find out his first name, but she couldn’t ask now because that would mean Chase and Jack would know she didn’t know the name of the man that had been “groping” her. She didn’t think referring to him as doctor would do much for her credibility either.

  “So you and my sister know each other?”

  Gwen kept trying to usher them to the door but they both stood there like trees. She shot TMM a nervous glance. “He’s been coming here every morning.”

  Jack snapped his finger and pointed at TMM. “Oh. The Muffin Man.”

  She was going to kill her brother. There were many times in her life, growing up with Jack that she’d envisioned herself strangling him, but now, the feeling was so intense that she was forced to clasp her hands together. Just the fact that Jack knew her nickname for him would imply that she’d been so infatuated by him that the entire family knew.

  Doctor TMM rubbed the back of his neck. “Luke. My name is Luke.”

  Oh. Luke. That was a nice name. She eyed him. Yes, it suited him. Luke the Doctor. Very hot. Much hotter than the Muffin Man/Woodsman.

  “Well, I guess now that we know you’re…safe, we’d better get going,” Chase said, backing up a step.

  Jack stood still. “Roads are open by the way, so, uh, Luke, you can go home.”

  “Jack,” she said.

  He held up his hands and backed up a step. “Right. So we’ll see you around, Luke.”

  Luke gave her another look, but she just threw him her sweetest smile.

  “So she managed to snag the Muffin Man,” her brother said to Chase before the door had closed all the way.

  “Well, good-bye, drive carefully!” she yelled, shutting the door on her brother’s face and not waiting for his reply.

  She turned her back to the door, raised her arm behind her back, and gave her brother the finger. She heard Chase’s bark of laughter and after a few seconds looked over her shoulder to see them walking away. “So, you’re a doctor.”

  He ran a hand over her chin and her body tingled remembering the feel of his stubble against her face. Oh, her brother ruined everything.

  “Yeah. ER. Usually I work nights and on my way home in the morning I stop by here.”

  “Oh…so that’s why you always look tired.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, you’re the doctor who was there when Lily and Jack came into the ER?”

  He nodded, but didn’t say anything. She noticed his jaw was clenched and he shifted his gaze from hers. Maybe he didn’t like accolades. But what did this mean for them now? Luke had said he was attracted to her, but now it seemed like all the sizzle had followed her brother out the door.

  He ran a hand over his jaw and she tingled remembering what that had felt like against her skin. “Gwen.”

  “Yes,” she said clasping her hands in front of her. It always looked like he had a thousand thoughts but never articulated them. It was like he was always in some kind of struggle. She crossed her arms and his gaze dropped to her chest then back up to her eyes. They had that look in them again, the one before he’d kissed her. The one that made her knees feel like they were too jiggly to keep her standing.

  “It’s not that it didn’t mean anything to me, it’s just that it doesn’t matter because this can’t go anywhere.”

  “Because…”

  He dug his hands into his pockets. TMM—Luke, wore jeans like no man she’d ever met. “Because we can’t.”

  Her eyes narrowed on him, realizing he was looking guilty. “Do you have a wife?”

  He sighed and looked down. “Widower.”

  A pang shot through her. That was why he looked so sad all the time. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that,” she whispered. His jaw was still clenched and his eyes were filled with a pain that made her ache.

  He looked down for a moment. “Thanks. It’s been a long time.”

  “Oh.” She needed another word. So much about him made sense now.

  “Gwen, I’m not in Shadow Creek for long. Just six more months and then I move hospitals. I’m only here temporarily. I don’t want…happily ever after anymore. I don’t want marriage again.”

  “Oh,” she said, looking down at her boots. She couldn’t blame him. “So it would be stupid for us to get involved.”

  “Exac
tly.”

  “Because you’re worried that if you get involved with me, I’ll fall in love with you and then you’ll break my heart because you’re a career-oriented doctor who will be able to leave without looking back while I sit here and stuff muffins into my mouth and relive our sordid affair, wishing you were still here?”

  He grinned and took a step into her. “Sort of.”

  “You can’t step closer to me, smile like that, and then still plan on leaving.”

  He shrugged. “So what if I stay…for the evening?”

  She looked around. “Here?”

  He gave her a nod. “Let’s do the speed dating thing you had set up.”

  Her heart was pounding faster than the day she’d had two large coffees in a row followed by the dark chocolate muffin and a shop full of customers that needed to be served. She looked around the room. The tea lights were lit, the questions were still lying on the counter…all she had to do was remember what he’d said. He wasn’t staying. He wasn’t looking for a lasting, committed relationship anymore.

  She glanced back at him. He was standing there, his thick dark hair mussed up from her fingers, his stubble all stubbly and appealing, that mouth…she could sacrifice herself. “Okay. I think I’d rather sit on the floor than at the table though.”

  “Agreed. Do you have any food?”

  “I have chocolate. Chocolate muffins and maybe a chocolate chip cookie left.”

  He grinned, his eyes sparkling. She liked that twinkle. “How about all of the above?”

  She laughed. “Fine. I’ll put together a small tray of something.”

  “Great. I’ll get an area set up for us to sit.”

  They both walked in opposite directions and Gwen scrambled to gather the leftovers she had while her mind was racing. She couldn’t believe this was happing. TMM, no, Luke, was here. Just the two of them. Sure, he’d basically said he would only be her date out of pity, but she was an optimist. She was going to have to process the fact that he’d been married and lost his wife. It made her feel so bad for him, yet it explained so much. She also knew that it must be a part of the reason he wouldn’t get involved with anyone else. It had taken her sister-in-law five years to move on after Michael had died. She wasn’t going to think of all this. She was just going to enjoy the moment.

  A few minutes later she joined him close to the window. He’d laid out their jackets and taken two of the red pillows they used on the decorative chair in the display corner. The tea lights were surrounding them and it looked cozy and intimate. He took the tray from her and waited while she sat down first and then joined her. He was close enough that she could reach out and touch him, close enough that she felt safe next to his large body.

  “Are you eating?” he asked, eyeing the tray.

  She smiled. “Go ahead and help yourself. I’ve had enough chocolate today.”

  He grabbed a muffin. “Thanks.”

  “I’m starting the questions,” she said, stretching out her legs and crossing her ankles in front of her. He made a noise beside her and she looked over at him.

  “I like the boots,” he said, his voice thick. A shiver swam through her. “Keep talking. I’m not going to look at the boots.”

  She skimmed the first few questions trying to ignore the erratic beating of her heart. She wasn’t sure she was prepared for TMM and this sexy side of him. She could barely handle his appeal when he grunted out hellos and good-byes. “I already know your name, your job, that you’re um…” She coughed. “A widower…okay how about this. Do you believe in love at first sight?”

  He frowned and stopped chewing. “I believe in lust at first sight.”

  She frowned. “Oh, does that happen often?”

  He gave a low laugh and leaned his head back against the wall. “No.”

  She wondered about his wife, but that felt too personal to ask. He didn’t seem the type to want to volunteer his feelings.

  “But with you, yes.”

  Oh. Oh. That was supposed to be flattering…and flirting. “Thanks. Okay…moving on.”

  “Wait. I get to ask you the same question, don’t I?”

  She crossed her arms and looked at him. Good grief, he was beautiful. She liked his rugged looks. She liked the stubble, the messed up hair. She also liked his mouth, she noticed. “I guess, yes. You’re right.”

  “All right, so, do you believe in love at first sight?” Her mouth went dry. His gorgeous face very close to hers, blue eyes twinkling, sensual mouth turned up in a half smile.

  She swallowed. “Yes. I believe in love at first sight.”

  He shook his head and she wondered how she’d never spotted the arrogance until now. “You’re mixing them up.”

  “Uh, I know what I’m doing and I know what I’m thinking. I believe in love at first sight and I’m sticking to that.”

  “You can’t fall in love with someone without knowing them. You can be attracted to them. Those are two different things.”

  “But what if it turns into love?”

  “Well, that’s not at first sight.”

  She pursed her lips. “You’re kinda starting to piss me off so let’s move on to the next question.”

  He threw back his head and laughed. She smiled at the sound and the picture he made. “Okay, what’s the next one?” She paused as she read it. She didn’t know if it was the right question to ask now that she knew about his past.

  “We can skip it,” she said, quickly scanning the page for the next one.

  He snatched the page from her. His jaw clenched for a moment then he asked the question. “What do you look for in a husband or wife?”

  “You can go first,” she said.

  “I’m not sure about husband.”

  She snatched the paper back. “Seriously.”

  He shrugged. “Since I have no intention of getting married again, I haven’t given it much thought.”

  Maybe she should let up with the questions. She was pushing too hard. Clearly, he wasn’t one to divulge personal details, not that she could blame him. This entire thing wasn’t fun and playful given what he’d been through.

  “Fine. Honesty. Integrity. Sense of humor. I don’t know,” he said with a rough sigh, putting down his muffin.

  Warmth spread through her at his attempt to play along. It had to mean something, that he would sit here and do this with her. “Okay, I’ll go. He has to have a job.”

  A corner of his mouth turned up. “That’s a good one.”

  “He has to like food, he has to be able to make me laugh, and he has to be loyal. No guy with a wandering eye. I can’t stand that.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Oh, and smart. I can’t be married to someone stupid, because I might take advantage of them.”

  She had to stop speaking because now he was howling, holding his stomach and laughing. She poked him in a very well defined shoulder and waited for him to calm down. He slowly stopped laughing and looked at her in a way that made her toes curl and her breath catch. “We can’t be doing this.”

  She smoothed out her hair. “Right. Back to the questions. Do you want kids?”

  He frowned but didn’t say anything for what had to be at least a minute. “No.”

  Her heart sank. What was she doing? He had the opposite answers than she did on basically everything. How could she be falling for a guy that didn’t want marriage or children? They sat there, neither of them saying anything. She glanced out the large window, the snow had slowed enough that now it looked like it was meandering gently from the sky.

  “Do you?” he asked, breaking the silence. His voice was thick, filled with emotion.

  She drew her gaze from the window to him. “Yes.”

  He gave a nod and then picked up his discarded muffin. “Huh.”

  She glanced down at the sheet of questions again, suddenly desperate to push this conversation along. Things weren’t looking good. “Moving along… Do you like animals? Do you have a pet?”

  “No. I
like dogs though. No time and I haven’t been in the same place long enough to have one.”

  She was thrilled. He liked dogs? That was very promising.

  He stopped chewing. “Why are you smiling at me like that?”

  She lifted the paper to cover her face and smile. “No reason.”

  He plucked the paper from her hand. “Do you like animals?”

  She smiled and nodded. “We adopted a dog. Lola. It was when my dad was going through cancer treatments. Our house was pretty empty at that point and things were bad. I thought that a dog might bring us some joy and cheering up, and she did.”

  He was looking at her intently. “You’ve had a rough few years.”

  She nodded. She hadn’t wanted to get into this part of her life, because this was the part that hurt the most. Shadow Creek was a small town so she’d never had to tell anyone what had happened and that was easier. Telling someone she barely knew about the darkest days in her family history was disconcerting.

  “You don’t have to tell me, Gwen.”

  “A little over five years ago my brother, who was Jack’s twin, was in an awful car accident. He had his son in the car and they both died,” she said, her voice trailing to a whisper. Sometimes it felt as though time had gone so fast, that it all seemed so long ago. Sometimes she didn’t think about Michael and Matthew for a few hours and the world seemed just as it should. But then she’d remember and that hole that she always thought could somehow be filled again, stung again with emptiness.

  “Everything fell apart then. We all fell apart. Jack left town, left Lily behind and broke her heart. My sister-in-law Julia left town because she couldn’t cope with her loss either. It was me and my parents…and Chase and his little girl Maggie. They aren’t related to us—well, now that he and Julia are married, I guess in a roundabout way they are. But they were always family.”

  “I’m so, so, sorry.”

  She whipped her head in his direction because the emotion in his voice was so blatant and was touched to see tears in his eyes, his features tight. “Thank you.”

  He ducked his head. “It must have been awful.”

  “It was the hardest time in my life. There were so many days that I was just angry. Angry that Jack took off and left me with our parents. Angry that I was so alone. Lily disappeared into herself, not wanting to be around anyone. Julia was gone. I mean, everyone was gone. Chase and I were there and that was it. But I watched my parents age that year and I swear I thought they were going to die too.”