The Best Of The Year - Medical Romance

“They’re going to be happy you’re safe.” It was the only answer she could give at the moment that wouldn’t upset her. Because, yes, the parents needed to know, as did the authorities. Especially if she really had attempted suicide. Although Mira hoped she was reading the girl right and that it had been a bid for attention from her boyfriend. Either way, she needed counseling.

“Do you think so?”

“Yes.” That was what was important right now.

She underlined the digits she’d written in the snow then fixed her attention on Robert. “Can you read that?”

He nodded.

“See if you can find the rest of her group. And get a hold of her parents.”

“Okay.” He hesitated. “After this, we need to talk.”

“Just find her parents. Nothing else matters right now.”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jack’s hands tighten on the splint and wondered what he was thinking. What she’d said was true. Nothing else mattered right now, except for treating their patient. She took a deep breath and murmured to the girl, laying a hand on her forehead, “Jack has to finish securing your leg. Are you ready?”

The EMS guys were already trudging up the slope, one pulling a stretcher, while the other one carried a medical kit.

“Yes.”

She nodded at Jack then looked at Stacy. “Keep your eyes on mine. It’ll be over with in just a minute.”

Behind her came the sound of something sliding on the snow. The splint as it went under her leg.

Stacy’s head went back and she cried out, the hoarse scream rising along with the level of pain. Mira’s eyes watered, despite the number of times she’d worked on injuries like this. But never on a minor who was up here all alone. Or one who’d decided being without her boyfriend had called for drastic—and very possibly permanent—measures. Mira smoothed the girl’s hair as she settled into wrenching sobs once again.

She herself had made a drastic change, in the form of a resolution, because of what had happened with Robert. But never in her darkest moments had she thought of ending her life.

“Done.” Jack’s low word made her draw a relieved breath.

“The worst is over, Stacy.” At least physically. Any other treatment would happen with pain medication at the hospital. But once her parents found out what the teen had done, the emotional pain would begin—along with healing, hopefully. The resort was required to report any suspected suicide attempts, which meant Stacy would receive a psychological evaluation at some point. She hoped the girl got the help she desperately needed.

The paramedics arrived, and Jack explained the situation while Mira stayed with the girl, talking to her. Jack had hoped to get her down to the hotel where it was warm, but at least this way she’d only have to be moved once.

The rescue workers secured Stacy’s neck in case there were other injuries and gently slid her from the snow onto the rescue stretcher. Up on skids, the lightweight plastic frame would stabilize her back and keep Stacy off the snow, while allowing it to be pulled rather than carried, like a traditional stretcher.

Mira snapped her skis back on and spoke in a low voice to Jack. “I need to go down and see about the other girls. I think we’ll need to call in child services.”

Jack nodded. “I’ll go with her to the hospital.” He moved over to Mira and slid his fingers beneath her chin. He had gloves on—he must have rented them, because she was wearing his. “And then I’m going to come knocking on your door. And you’re going to tell me exactly why I have the number five attached to me wherever I go. And what it means.”

With that he was gone. Back at Stacy’s side, helping fill the workers in on what he’d done and what he suspected.

Leaving Mira to ski the rest of the way down the hill and wonder exactly how she was going to tell him that he was man number five in a long line of men. And hope he’d understand why she now had to move on to number six.

CHAPTER TEN

A RESOLUTION.

Jack wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly. “What kind of resolution?”

In Mira’s hotel room, he listened as she told him about what she and the blonde had decided to do for their New Year’s resolutions.

“So...” His jaw hardened to stone. After five hours of sitting at the hospital while Stacy’s parents drove up from Aspen to be with her, this wasn’t what he’d expected to hear. “Sleeping with me was just part of some...hilarious New Year’s prank.”

“Oh, it was no prank.” Her eyes skipped away from his. “And what happened between us wasn’t supposed to happen at all.”

Seated on her bed, clutching some kind of weird stuffed animal, he felt like he’d been sucker-punched, landing in some crazy dream sequence. One that was almost worse than his periodic nightmares.

“So you’re only planning on dating twenty-five men. Not sleeping with every single one of them.”

“Correction. I wasn’t going to sleep with any of them.”

Jack wasn’t sure if he should be pleased she’d made an exception in his case or insulted. “Maybe I would have been better off going with Mrs. Botox last week. It would have been a whole lot less complicated.”

A flash of what might have been hurt swept through her eyes before she blinked it away. “Maybe you should have.”

Hell. This was not how he’d wanted this talk to go down. But never in his wildest imaginings had he thought she’d gone out with him as part of some cockamamie scheme to date as many men as possible over the course of a year.

“Why did you decide on this for your resolution?”

“I was hurt. I didn’t want to get involved with anyone after what happened with Robert.”

“Your broken engagement.”

She hesitated and then nodded.

“So you thought this was an acceptable alternative.”

“No. It was a spur-of-the moment thing. Ellory and I have a tradition...” She shifted the animal on her lap. “Never mind. Anyway, she didn’t think I could see it through to the end, thought I’d get stuck part way through.”

“Really? It looks like you’re doing pretty damn well to me.” Good. Anger. At least that was an emotion he was well acquainted with. He grabbed it with both hands. “Exactly when were you planning on telling me about it?”

Mira’s teeth came down on her lip.

Ah, so she hadn’t planned on telling him at all. “Were you going to tell any of them?”

“No.” The word came out as a whisper.

The thought of her parading around with three or four more men while he was still at the resort made his gut roll around inside him, although he wasn’t sure why he cared. Probably just part of his male pride. As much as he didn’t want to get involved with anyone on a permanent basis—in that, he and Mira were definitely alike—he also hadn’t liked the way her ex had said he wanted to talk to her.

He wondered what the man thought about what Mira was doing. Robert evidently knew about it, had actually called him by a damned number rather than by his name.

And that just made his anger burn brighter. Hotter.

“So it was okay for your ex-fiancé to know and get a couple of good chuckles out of it. I’m surprised you didn’t give each of us a hand stamp. A kind of one-day pass into your magic kingdom.”

She stood, dropping the stuffed cat onto the bed. “It wasn’t supposed to be like that. It wasn’t a joke. At least, not to me. I was trying to avoid being hurt again. Trying not to repeat the same mistakes.”

Isn’t that what he’d done—avoided getting involved with anyone to keep from losing them? But he hadn’t decided to go out with a million different women in order to achieve that goal. He’d avoided going out with any of them, for the most part.

“So how does your ex know about any of this?”

She shrugged. “I think he heard me talking to Ellory about it at the bar one day.”

“He wants you back, you know.”

“He doesn’t. Not really. He only thinks he does now that he can’t have me.” Her chin went up. “Remember that lady who came on to you? She and Robert are well acquainted.”

That made him blink. Her ex had been with that bimbo? “You know that for a fact?”

“I didn’t see them going at it, if that’s what you mean. One of the female instructors saw them making out in a supply shed. When I confronted him, he admitted to it. And then I found out there were others—some of them his students.” Her eyes swam for a second before she forced back the remembered humiliation of breaking off their engagement amid the swirling rumors.

“Bastard.”

“That goes without saying.” She gave a hard smile. “But it’s happened to me with more than one man. Since I seem incapable of telling the good guys from the bad, I figured it would be better if I stuck to ‘shallow and meaningless’ when it comes to dating. This year was supposed to show me how that’s done.”

It didn’t make him feel any better that she lumped him into the shallow and meaningless category. “So, I’m man number five.”

“Don’t call yourself that.”

“That’s what you called me, isn’t it? And your friend. And your ex.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

He picked up a hat on the table, the pink one she wore when out on the snow. “Are you going to date other men over the next couple of weeks? While I’m still here?”

“I don’t know. It’s not like I pick up a new guy every night.”

No, but he doubted she had a lot of trouble attracting them. The woman was gorgeous. And smart. And her ex was an asshole above all others.

He suddenly knew what he was going to do.

“What if I asked you to stick to me for the remainder of my stay?” He wasn’t sure why, but if she was going to have random dates with random men, then he wanted to be the guy she went out with more than once. More than twice.

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

He set her hat down then moved toward her, sliding his hands along her cheeks and easing her face up. “I want you to date me. Just a group of outings, nothing serious. You can show me the sights—when you’re not on duty, of course. I’ll get the vacation my coach was looking for, and you’ll get a man who’s not interested in passing anything but the time.”

The words tasted bitter on his tongue as they passed over it, as if he were asking her to be a paid escort or something. He wasn’t.

But he couldn’t promise her any more than that. They were from different worlds. His wife had left a thriving practice to be with him. He’d taken her not only from the children she’d treated in California but from every sick kid who might have come under her care in the future.

He would never ask that of anyone again.

“Why would you want to do that?” Mira asked.

“For exactly the reasons I mentioned.”

“You’re not mad about the whole number thing?”

He wouldn’t go so far as to say that. “It’s not what I expected but, then again, not much in this life is.”

“Remind me how long you’ll be here.”

He calculated the days in his head. “I have to go back in a little less than two weeks.” And why did his stay suddenly seem far too short?

Because the trip was working?

Or because he was an idiot?

She paused for several seconds and stared just beyond his face as if doing some heavy thinking. “These wouldn’t be real dates. Just going around together and seeing the sights.”

Letting go of her, he nodded. “If that’s how you prefer to think of it, I’m okay with that.” He caught her eye. “But you can’t move on to number six until after I’m gone.”

“Okay.” She stepped closer and touched his arm. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. You weren’t just a number last night.”

The words went a long way toward soothing his bruised pride. “For what it’s worth, neither were you.”

And that was exactly what he was afraid of. His strange dream came back to him in all its horrifying detail. The fact that Mira’s face had been the one he’d seen in that coffin seemed like a clear warning: This is what could happen if you allow yourself to get too involved.

Rational or not, it was the truth.

So what was he doing here, asking her to see him exclusively? Exactly what he’d said. It was time he poked his head back out into the world. Last night had at least shown him that much. He’d had a genuinely good time. And his reasons for sleeping with her hadn’t been a whole lot purer than hers had been. He’d been upset by that death up on the slope, and so he’d turned to her in order to escape for a few hours. Wasn’t that was she was doing? Trying to escape a painful situation?

He could act all holier than thou about her resolution, but the reality was right there in front of him.

“So. If we’re going to do this, what would you like to see first?”

How about what was under those clothes?

He wasn’t going to say it, even if it was what he was thinking. And he already knew what she looked like naked. It seemed that having her last night had not quenched his thirst. In fact, the memories of them together just served to make him feel even more parched. So he would just ignore the feeling and hope it went away.

“Well, I didn’t get a chance to see the rest of the property, since I wasn’t exactly concentrating during our sleigh ride.”

She smiled. “I think I can remedy that.”

“Another sleigh ride?” One brow hiked up. He didn’t see how their ride would fare any better this time than it did last time.

“How about a ride without the sleigh?”

No way was he touching that one.

“If you’re talking about on horseback, I don’t know how to ride.”

“Wow. You don’t? You don’t know how to ski. You don’t know how to ride. Were you born in a monastery or something?” She stepped up close and tilted her head back. “Don’t worry. While I do have some horses in mind, they don’t have four legs.”

“Really? Then what do they have?”

She smiled. “I have some things I need to get done today, and I want to check with my father on something, but if you’re up for it I’ll show you exactly what I mean first thing tomorrow morning.

* * *

Mira revved up the snowmobile. Owned by her dad, she’d often used it to get away from the crowds and go off by herself. There were a series of private trails that only she and the other employees knew about.

She and Robert had ridden around a couple of times, but he’d always been in the driver’s seat when they’d been together. But this time she was the one in front. Jack didn’t know how to ride one of these either. He was a warm-climate boy through and through.

“Put your helmet on and climb aboard!”

Looking the slightest bit dubious, Jack slid the helmet onto his head and fastened the strap before swinging a leg over the back of the vehicle. “You’re sure you know how to drive this.”

“I’ve done it my whole life.”

He chuckled. “You are just full of surprises.”

“Am I? You have no idea.” She let go of the steering-wheel to fasten her own strap. “Ready? You’re going to want to hang on tight.”

His hands went to her waist as she eased them away from the equipment barn, skirting the ski-lift area. His grip reminded her of the way he’d lifted her onto that bar. She had to fight to banish the image from her mind and concentrate.

The two ski-lift attendants waved at her as she went by. Mira waved back. Maneuvering down a slight incline, she rode onto a section of the property that was partially wooded but which had a path carved out of it.

“Where are we going?” he asked, above the roar of the motor.

“I know a little place.” She’d let her father know she’d be gone for the day—possibly until tomorrow, depending on how things went. And in the back of the snowmobile she’d packed a lunch, along with wine and a thick blanket. There was firewood at their destination, but it could still get pretty chilly. “Okay, I’m going to crank it up a bit.”

Mira pressed the accelerator lever with her thumb and the track on the bottom of the vehicle picked up speed, grabbing onto the snow and propelling them forward. The destination she had in mind was about five miles away through some of the most gorgeous country known to man. Jack settled in closer, his body molding to hers from behind, legs pressed tight to hers. Was he doing that on purpose?

“This is similar to a Jet Ski,” he yelled in her ear. “Except we push water through the engine to propel us forward.”

“Never ridden on one.”

“You’d like it.”

Yeah, she probably would. Too bad he’d never teach her how to ride one. Or a surfboard, for that matter.

That’s not in the cards, Mira. Just enjoy today.

Silence reigned between them for a few moments as they ate up some more terrain. She slowed to go around a tree and then accelerated once again, the tracks kicking up a blast of snow.

When she’d begun her yearlong journey to become footloose and fancy-free, she never dreamed she’d wind up riding on her dad’s snowmobile with one of her dates. Or making out on a sleigh ride. Or working side by side to rescue avalanche victims.

Or helping a girl with emotional wounds much deeper than her own.

She and Jack worked well together. Which was probably why it was harder just to mosey on past him. During their confrontation yesterday he’d seemed offended that he was just a number on a list in her head, and he was right. She knew there might be a blip or two but hadn’t expected to crash and burn quite so soon.

And that was the problem. She had no idea whether she should keep on trying to do something that seemed to be against her nature. Or if she should just forfeit her bet and agree with Ellory that this had been a royally bad idea.

She could pay up and be done.

With Jack’s arms wrapped around her waist, it was easy to imagine just snuggling down in the here and now and enjoy their remaining time together.

His helmet bumped against hers once as she made another turn, re-emphasizing just how close he was. Maybe she should bypass the cabin and just keep driving around for the rest of the afternoon. She was enjoying have him next to her just a little too much.

But all too soon the small log building came into view.

Her parents’ original home, and the place she’d been born.

Her dad had kept it to remind himself of where he’d come from. She could probably live out here, rather than at the hotel, but she preferred to visit the cabin periodically as a treat. She knew all too well how mundane the things in life could become if you weren’t careful.

Like her and Robert’s relationship? So it would seem. At least on his part.

Looking back, though, she wondered if that spark had really been there to begin with, or if she’d assumed that since they’d had so much in common their similarities would see them through.

Pulling up to the front door, she used the handbrake to stop. Jack hesitated and then let go of her and climbed off. She started to follow, swinging one leg over the front, then sat sideways on the seat instead, looking up at him while she tried to re-gather her composure.

“So how was your first snowmobile ride? Did you like it?”

He gave her sideways smile. “It was interesting.”

She’d expected a little more enthusiasm than that. Then again, Jack seemed to have cornered the market on measured reactions. That’s why his behavior in his hotel room had shocked her so much. Who would have known he had a bit of caveman wandering around inside him.

And on that note she’d better shut down this line of thought before it got her into trouble.

“Okay.” She laughed. “We’ll go with interesting.” She stood up and opened a storage compartment in the back of the snowmobile and pulled out a small chest containing their lunch. Jack took it from her with a raised brow.

“I thought you might be hungry.” She tugged the blanket from the compartment as well, draping it over her arm.

“I might.” He nodded toward the cabin. “I didn’t know this was out here. Is it yours?”

“No. It belongs to the fam...to my dad.”

“He doesn’t rent it out?”

She paused. “He likes to come out here to stay every once in a while.”

“He and your mother are divorced.”

She headed for the cabin, peeling off her gloves and checking her pocket for the key to the front door. “They are.” She and her dad had made their peace last week, but there were still some tender spots when it came to the reasons for her parents’ divorce.

“Sorry.” His voice came from behind her. “Is your mother still living?”

“Mmm-hmm. She lives in Aspen. How about your parents? Still living?”

“Yes. They live on the east coast of Florida.”

She stuck the key in the lock and turned. “Let me guess. They live on the beach too?”

Jack laughed. “How did you know?”

“Surfer dude. Plenty of beach knowledge and almost no mountain knowledge. You had to have gotten it from somewhere.”

He followed her into the house and looked around. “Wow. Not what I expected.”

Mira peered at the interior of her parents’ old home and tried to see it through his eyes. Rustic on the outside, the house was modest but modern. Hardwood floors ran throughout the cabin, and her dad had done most of the work inside himself, from the plank walls to the oak trim. There were so many memories attached to this place. Some of them good. Some of them not so good.

“Not quite as swanky as the lodge, is it?”

“It’s not that.” He moved over to the oversized fireplace. “Does this work?”

“Dad keeps the wood box in here filled with split logs. The bigger chunks are outside. You’d be surprised how well it warms the place. Do you want to start a fire while I take our lunch into the kitchen?”

Mira took the basket and headed for the space across the room. The cabin was built on an open concept, so the dining and kitchen areas were all visible from the living room. And as she set the box down and gazed across the space, she couldn’t help but admire Jack’s strong back as he gathered wood from the compartment behind the wall and knelt in front of the fireplace.

By the time he had the fire going, she’d unloaded lunch, which consisted of fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans and some cheese and crackers. All hearty picnic food that would do well on the cold trip over here. She got out a pan for the beans and set it on the stove. “Do you want me to heat up the chicken, or do you prefer it cold?”

“I’ll like whatever you do.” His voice came from right behind her, making her jump.

She spun around. “You scared me.”

“Join the crowd. You scare me too, lady.” Something about the way he said it made her think he wasn’t talking about being startled but about something a little deeper.

No. No deeper allowed. She’d lectured herself on this very thing. They’d only known each other for less than two weeks, but she was already feeling much too close to this man. It had to be the sex. Women felt an emotional response to sleeping with a man, right, whereas men could just shrug it off? At least, that’s what she’d always heard. But maybe that wasn’t always the case. Maybe Jack was struggling with some of the same issues she was.

She forced her voice to remain light. “Well, one thing that isn’t scary is this lunch. Marie always makes a great fried chicken.”

“Marie?”

“The chef at the lodge. She’s been there ever since I was a teenager.”

“You’ve lived here your whole life?” He unzipped his coat and moved around the bar, perching on one of the stools.

“My whole life. I lived with my mom for a year or two after the divorce but, yeah, I grew up here. Once I finished college and med school, I came back.”

“Wow. I’ve always lived near the ocean, but my parents moved around quite a bit. My dad was in the service. He retired in Florida.”

Mira put the burner on low and turned around to face him. “My friend Ellory—the one from the resolution—likes to travel as well. She’s been all over the place. But she grew up here too, her mom worked at the lodge when she was little.”