The Doctor's Dating Bargain

Ben hadn’t expected to start the week treating anyone in his family, but he had been wrong. Sydney McKnight sat on the paper-covered exam table cradling her right hand. His little sister was a pretty, brown-eyed brunette who loved fixing cars as much as he liked fixing people. As a little girl she’d followed their father around McKnight’s Automotive and learned from the best mechanic in Montana.

“You know,” he said, “if you wanted some big brother time, we could have done lunch. It would have been a lot less painful for you.”

“Not if you made me buy.” She winced as he probed the swelling. “In my opinion, what this clinic really needs is a neurologist. You need to have your head examined, find out why it’s so big.”

“Seriously, Syd. This is nasty. What happened?”

“An accident at the garage.” She shrugged. “There was a wrench involved. My hand slipped. Occupational hazard.”

“And aren’t you lucky big brother the doctor is back to take care of you?”

“We’ve done all right.”

Without you, he thought. Ben knew she hadn’t meant to make him feel guilty for leaving, but he did anyway. His father had encouraged him to do what was necessary for his future the same way he’d nurtured Sydney’s love affair with cars. Eventually Ben had gone, but now he was back. Where he wanted to be.

The exam room door opened and nurse Ginny Irwin walked in. She was in her late fifties and had blue eyes that missed nothing. Her silver hair was cut in a short, nofuss style. It suited her no-nonsense attitude.

“Hey, Syd,” she said.

“Hi, Ginny.” His sister started to lift her hand in greeting, then winced and lowered it.

“I’ve emailed the X-rays to the radiologist at the hospital and it will be a while before we get the report. But here are the films, Ben.” Ginny had known him since he was a kid and didn’t feel the need to address him as Doctor.

He liked that. Adding Doctor to his name didn’t make him a better medical practitioner. No polite protocols or assembly-line medicine, just solid personal care to, sometimes literally, get people back on their feet.

“Let’s take a look.” He put the films on the lighted view box. He wasn’t a radiologist, but in his expert opinion there was no break, although he took his time studying all the small bones, just to be sure.

“Don’t keep me in suspense,” Syd said.

“I have to look at the full range of densities. It can go from white to black and I need to evaluate the contrast ratio for a diagnosis.”

“Please don’t go all medical techno-speak on me,” Sydney begged.

“It’s not broken.”

“Good.” Ginny almost smiled, then looked sternly at the patient. “I don’t want to see you back in here, Sydney Marie.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’d salute, but this Pillsbury Doughboy hand would just punish me.”

“In so many ways. Take care,” Ginny said, just before slipping out the door.

“She scares me,” his sister said. “So I’ll ask you. Can I go back to work?”

“Really?” He folded his arms over his chest. “I’m the weak link? Do we need to get Ginny back in here to keep you in line, Sydney Marie?”

“I’m happy to stay in line if you’ll just tell me what I have to do so I can get back to work.”

“Take the rest of the day off. Use ice and over-the-counter pain meds. When the swelling goes down you can work.”

“That’s it? You’re not going to do anything? No quick fix? What kind of doctor are you?”

“The kind who replaces hips and fixes broken bones, sometimes with surgery. I have a piece of paper that says it’s okay for me to do that.”

“Just asking. I guess you’ll come in handy for water-and snow-skiing seasons.” She settled her injured hand on her thigh. “Speaking of that…how do you like living at Blackwater Lake Lodge?”

The mention of his living arrangement turned his thoughts to the lady who was in charge of the place where he lived. This wasn’t the first time she’d crossed his mind and every time it happened, the thought was followed by a vague regret that she wouldn’t be around very long.

“Did I say something wrong?” Syd’s eyes narrowed.

“What? No. Why?”

“You look funny.”

“Define funny,” he said.

“I don’t know. Sort of goofy. Sappy. Like you walked down the hall at Blackwater Lake High and saw the girl you had a crush on.”

“Interesting diagnosis, Doctor.”

“Am I right about a woman being involved?” she persisted.

“Yes.”

“I’d clap my hands in excitement, but…” She looked ruefully at the puffy extremity. “Who is she? Anyone I know?”

“Do you know Camille Halliday?”

“Everyone knows her.” Syd’s expression said it wasn’t in a good way. “She’s the hotel heiress.”

“I know. Met her Saturday.” And he’d seen her again at dinner last night. He wondered if she was having another bad day.

“Are you aware that she has a certain reputation?”

“What kind of rep?”

“Partying. Hanging with a wild crowd. Name always in the paper and not for sending mosquito nets to Africa to wipe out malaria. She even went to jail. Although they let her out early.”

“Good behavior?”

“Overcrowding,” Syd answered. “You didn’t know about this stuff?”

“No.”

“Have you been living under a rock?”

Sort of. “Las Vegas is surrounded by rocky mountains and rocks are frequently used for landscaping, what with water being scarce in the desert. But none of that qualifies as living under one.”

Unless you counted working too hard to think about anything else. Now he had time to wonder about Camille Halliday. What his sister just said didn’t fit the ambitious, hardworking woman he’d met. “Was this jail thing recent?”

“No. She was in her teens.”

Ah. “And where did you get all this unimpeachable information?”

“The tabloids.” Syd grinned shamelessly. “I love to read them. A guilty pleasure.”

“Then here’s a headline for you. Don’t believe everything you read.” He slid his fingers into the pockets of his white lab coat. “I found Cam to be bright, funny, focused and a serious businesswoman. Sexy, too.”

His sister’s eyes narrowed. “Do you have the hots for her?”

No. Maybe. Irrelevant. “She’s got her sights set on bigger and better things. Blackwater Lake Lodge is where she’s proving herself. She can’t wait to move up the career ladder, preferably to a city with a more impressive population.”

Syd’s dark eyes gleamed with plans he knew he wouldn’t like. “That’s a relief.”

“Why?”

“Here’s the thing. You’re not getting any younger, Ben.”

“Yeah. I think they taught us that in med school,” he said dryly.

“No. Seriously. You should think about settling down.”

“I’m building a house. Doesn’t that count?”

“Good start.” She shifted her tush on the table and the disposable paper rustled. “You should think about a woman to go along with it. And I just happen to have some suggestions.”

His sister and every other female in this town had ideas. There’d been matchmaking vibes since he’d touched down. Even Cam had noticed women giving him their phone numbers. “Why am I not surprised?”

Syd ignored his sarcasm. “Annie Higgins is pretty and fun.”

“Isn’t she divorced with three kids?”

“So?” His sister obviously saw the negative in his expression because she moved on. “Okay. Darlene Litsey has never been married. She has a great personality.”

“Personality? Isn’t that code for a deal-breaking flaw?”

“Maybe she’s a little controlling,” Syd admitted. “Okay. I’ve got the perfect woman for you.”

A vision of Cam Halliday flashed into his mind. Specifically her expression when he’d eaten the sinfully good cake. He’d have sworn it was a look of pure lust, but that could just be wishful thinking.

“Are you paying attention?” Syd demanded.

“I’m all ears.”

She eyed him critically. “They are a little big. I wasn’t going to say anything…but you’re a doctor. Surely there’s something you can do to fix them.”

“Very funny. Now that I think about it, what woman would want to go out with Dumbo?”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve got a lot to offer.” She did that critical appraisal thing again. “Handsome, in spite of the ears. Funny, except to me. And you’re a doctor.”

Cam had said almost the same thing last night. “So?”

“A woman wants to be taken care of. Goes back to caveman days. Picking the biggest, strongest Neanderthal/ Cro-Magnon who can hunt, gather and beat the crap out of anyone who tries to take what’s his.”

“None of that pertains to me,” he protested.

“Sure it does. Modern man just pays people to do all of the above and you can pay better than most. I happen to know you got a couple of bucks when you sold your practice in Las Vegas.”

“You could say that.”

When he finished medical training, Ben had researched areas of the country for a place to practice medicine. Las Vegas was booming and there was a scarcity of doctors in his field. He set up an office, built a solid reputation all over the valley, hired more doctors to make the business end of it more lucrative, then sold it to the partners. The deal made him a millionaire and wise investments had more than doubled his net worth. He never had to work again if he didn’t want to.

Except he loved what he did. Long hours and hard work had earned him the freedom to use his knowledge to help people without having to practice cookie-cutter medicine. He could take his time and give patients the personal attention he wanted to.

“Ben, Emily Decatur is really nice.”

“I remember her from high school. She works at the Lodge.”

“Right. And you live there. It’s a sign. It’s convenient.”

Cam Halliday worked where he lived, too, and somehow that seemed more convenient to him. “I’m sure Emily is great, but there’s no spark.”

“Three strikes and you’re out. I just provided you with a list of perfectly lovely women and you found something wrong with every one.” Syd’s frustration was showing. “If you don’t want a woman, why did you come home?”

“I’m not sure those two statements actually go together.”

“They do in my mind. Las Vegas has a bigger dating pool than Blackwater Lake, so why are you here?”

“Believe it or not, dating isn’t my reason for coming back.”

“I get it.” She was angry and frustrated in equal parts. “You’re not looking at all. This is about Judy Coulter, isn’t it?”

“My main squeeze in high school and college.” After that not so much.

“Yeah. The same one who strung you along for years then married some ski bum she’d only known a month. And moved back East with.”

All of that was true and it hurt at the time. But he’d gotten over her a long time ago. “She did me a favor, Syd.”

“She broke your heart. How is that a good thing?”

“She didn’t break my heart. When I started med school there were no distractions. I put all my energy into school and becoming the best doctor possible.”

“You are pretty good,” she grudgingly admitted.

“I thank Judy for that.”

His sister frowned. “If you were really the best, you’d make my hand better right now.”

“Only time can do that,” he said gently.

“Speaking of time and healing, I just thought of someone else for the dating list—”

“Stop. I’ve barely unpacked.”

“Oh, pooh,” she scoffed. “It’s been a couple weeks. You have a duty to date someone.”

Now he was getting frustrated. “Right back at you, sis. Who are you going out with? Do I know the guy?”

“I’m taking a break from men.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

There was a story. Ben saw it in her eyes, but wouldn’t push. If he set a good example, maybe she’d back off, too. “Okay. So you understand where I’m coming from.”

“Not really. You’ve had a very long break,” she started.

He barely held back a groan. She was like a bulldog with a favorite bone. How long would it take before she decided to let this go? He wasn’t opposed to dating, just wanted to do it in his own time, his own way.

He would go out when he met someone who intrigued him as much as Camille Halliday.

With a four-inch heel in each hand, Cam walked out of the bedroom into her suite’s sitting area. All the bigger, more expensive lodge rooms were on the top floor and she liked living here a lot. It was big, a convenient distance to work and the mattress was soft and comfy. Love seats covered in earth-tone stripes faced each other in front of the fireplace. There was a small kitchen and a cherrywood table in the dining area.

She stopped in front of the mirror over a small table in the entryway for a last check on her appearance before starting the day.

“Hair?” She nodded with satisfaction. “Check.”

Something about the water here in Montana brought out the best in her shoulder-length layered style.

“Makeup? Check.” It was flawless. She had the money to buy good skin care products and cosmetics and had paid big bucks for a professional makeup artist to teach her the techniques for perfect application.

“Clothes? Dressed for success.” She loved this lavender suit with the pencil skirt and fitted matching jacket. The heels matched perfectly.

“It’s Tuesday,” she reminded herself. “Maybe today I’ll get staff cooperation. And maybe I’ll flap my arms and fly to the moon.”

All those power of positive thinking seminars had been a waste of time for this exile in Blackwater Lake. So far the information and methods hadn’t achieved any measurable real-life results.

She was about to slip her heels on when shouting in the hallway shattered the silence in her room. “It’s too early for this,” she groaned. “Rocky and Apollo Creed couldn’t make it just one day without going a couple of rounds?”

Cam opened her door and hurried into the carpeted hall barefoot. Patty Evans and Crystal Ames, a housekeeping team on the staff, stood two inches apart, shouting into each other’s faces. They were in their early thirties and about the same height, which made them quite a bit taller than Cam, but she couldn’t spare the time for her shoes.

She tried to get between them, but they pretty much ignored her. “Ladies, this is unprofessional.”

“Stop flirting with him.” Patty’s hair curved under in a brown bob. She wore the black pants and gray, fitted smock shirt that was the department uniform.

A honey blonde, Crystal had her hair held back with a big clip. “I wasn’t flirting. Just being friendly. You’re paranoid.” She waved her index finger in the other woman’s direction. “And you need your head examined.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my head,” Patty retorted. “I know what I saw. You always want what’s mine.”

“You’re imagining things.” Crystal moved even closer.

Patty lifted her chin defensively. “Stay away from Scooter.”

Someone named Scooter was worth coming to blows? Cam had to break this up. The most expensive lodge rooms were nearby. Unprofessional behavior like this was inappropriate anywhere, but especially here. Social media being what it was, negative information could go viral on the internet and she had enough problems without that.

“Ladies—” She put a hand on each of their shoulders and used gentle pressure to move them back an inch or two. “That will be enough.”

Patty’s blue eyes blazed. “It’s not nearly enough. Not until she backs off my boyfriend.”

“How many times do I have to say this? I’m not coming on to him.” Crystal jammed her hands on her hips. “You’ve got quite an imagination. Get over it.”

“Stop it.” Cam raised her voice which she hated to do, but a sharp slap to snap them out of it wasn’t an option. “This is unacceptable—”

A door opened behind them. “Hi.”

Cam held in a groan. It was only one word, but she knew that deep voice. Before she could turn and respond, the two housekeepers relaxed their combative body language.

“Hey, Ben.” Patty smiled. “I heard you were back in town and staying here.”

“It’s been a while.” Ben was wearing surgical scrub pants with a long-sleeved white shirt beneath the matching shapeless blue top. “How are you, Patty? Crystal?”

The blonde flashed him a flirty smile. “Fine. How’ve you been?”

“Good. It’s great to be back.”

“We should get together for a drink and catch up.”

He nodded. “After work some time.”

“Sounds good.” Patty looked at her partner. “Speaking of that, we’ve got to get busy.”

“Right. Catch you later, Ben.”

“Have a good one.” He returned their wave before the two women moved down the hall to where the housekeeping cart was pushed against the wall.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Cam said.

“I actually didn’t see anything. Hearing is a different story.” He leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb that was right next to hers. “Are you still in trouble?”

“Tip of the iceberg. Those two are on a very long list of employees who do their own thing.”

“So, that’s a yes to trouble?” His dark eyes sparkled with humor, no doubt the memory of the other night on the deck.

“It is,” she admitted.

“Are you going to kick something?” When he looked down at her bare feet, his gaze turned decidedly, intensely sexy and suggestive.

“No. It was a lesson. I’ll use my words. Right after I get my shoes.” Every time she saw him it felt like a power struggle and she didn’t like feeling at a disadvantage. She also didn’t like the little shimmy in her heart when his eyes went all hot and smoldery. That couldn’t be good. “I have to get to work.”

“Don’t let me keep you.”

She nodded, then looked up. “And Ben?”

“Hm?”

“I’d consider it a personal favor if you forgot about the little disagreement. I really am sorry you had to see that and I intend to talk to them.” For the umpteenth time. If only she could promise him it wouldn’t happen again.

Ben glanced down the empty hall where the two women had been. “I take it Patty and Crystal don’t get along?”

There was no point in denying what he’d just witnessed for himself. “I referee practically on a daily basis.” Then his words sank in. “You know their names.”

“We went to high school together.”

“I see.” Small-town life, she reminded herself. “They’re good at their jobs. When not arguing.”

“Those two haven’t gotten along since Crystal stole Patty’s boyfriend before prom and she missed the highlight of high school.”

Cam wouldn’t know. Her teen years had been erratic and traditional school wasn’t in her frame of reference. “That’s good information.”

“I’ve noticed that housekeepers here at the lodge work in teams.”

“It’s efficient.”

He nodded. “I know what you said about personnel turnover and the cost of training. Obviously you feel it’s important to retain those two. So it might be a good idea to split them up.”

“It crossed my mind, but I’ve been working in—what did you call it? Triage? Dealing with the most important things first. Operating in crisis mode.”

The longer Cam stood looking up at him, the more she noticed how handsome he was. How easy he was to talk to. How good he smelled. How safe he made her feel.

That was something she hadn’t felt since losing her big brother when he was only nineteen. Since then men had come on to her, using her to get their name in the paper. Famous by association. But there was something trustworthy about Ben.

He folded his arms over his chest. “You should be used to crisis mode.”

His voice was pleasant and teasing, but her stomach dropped at the words. It had been too much to hope for. “Why?”

“Your tabloid history is pretty colorful.”

“So you know about that.”

“I Googled you.”

“That’s a lot of information to wade through.” Disappointment sat like a stone in her gut.

“Not so much after you went to jail.”

It was hard, but she managed not to wince. She would never be able to erase her infamous past and the lies that were part of it. She knew the truth and could set the record straight, but she couldn’t make him believe it.

“Being in a cell, even segregated from the general population, was more scary than I can tell you. I was grateful for early release and determined not to go back. Ever. I returned to college.”

“Coincidentally, that was about the time all the stories dried up.”

“Photographers still stalked me, waiting for a screwup to document and sell papers. But I was more determined to get an education and have a career. Accomplish something. Do more than be famous for being famous.”

“Good for you.”

Right. The words sounded supportive, but she knew better. Everyone wanted something.

“I really have to get to work,” she said.

“Me, too.” He straightened and looked down at her. “I’d like to see you later.”

“That’s not a good idea.” the door to her suite was right next to his and she headed for it now. Over her shoulder she said, “Have a wonderful day.”

In her room she leaned against the closed door and dragged in air. Since college the nice guys had shunned her. Classes, studying and getting exemplary grades were all she had. The loneliness and isolation hurt deeply, but she’d learned valuable lessons. She needed a solid, successful career because that would be all she had, all she could count on.

It was time to focus on that career. Making Blackwater Lake Lodge into a lucrative property in the family hotel chain was her ticket out of this town. It would get her away from the handsome, sexy doctor who was nothing more than another nice guy who wouldn’t want to bring her home to meet his family.

Chapter Three

Ben McKnight had never pictured himself as a Chamber of Commerce sort of guy, but here he was at the monthly Blackwater Lake meeting. He’d been interested in hearing Mayor Loretta Goodson’s plans for growing the community, expanding Mercy Medical Clinic and eventually building a hospital here in town. Being in on that project from the beginning was one of the reasons he’d come back. Blending the best and newest medicine with a small-town, hands-on approach was exciting and rewarding.

Apparently he wasn’t the only one interested in longterm planning. It was a standing-room-only crowd in the council chamber here at City Hall.

“I think we’ve thoroughly covered all the information about the architect hired to draw up the plans for the Mercy Medical Clinic expansion. The town council and I liked the work she showed us, but she also has the lowest fee. McKnight Construction will be doing the building. Is there any further business or questions?” The mayor, an attractive woman who looked thirty but was probably ten years older, glanced around the room. Her shoulder-length, layered brown hair caught the overhead light as she turned her head. She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her gray eyes. “All right, seeing no raised hands, that concludes the meeting. There are refreshments in the back. Thank you for coming, everyone.”

Almost instantly chair legs scraped and talking commenced as people stood and filed out of the room or to the table filled with coffee and dessert.

Ben had been at the clinic late setting a patient’s broken arm and barely made it to the meeting. With no time to eat, he was starving. After grabbing a couple cookies and a brownie, he looked around. Against the wall he noticed Cabot Dixon, an old high school friend, talking to the pretty redhead who owned the marina store on the lake and was engaged to Adam Stone, the family-practice doctor at the clinic. He moved toward them and Cabot grinned.

“I heard you were back in town, Ben.”

“Good to see you, Cab.” He set his coffee on the seat of a chair and shook the other man’s hand.

“Do you know Jill Beck?”

“I do. How’s that little guy of yours?” Ben had met them at the clinic when they visited Adam at work.

“C.J. is great.” Her blue eyes glowed with pride and pleasure. “Adam is keeping an eye on him tonight. Tyler’s there, too.”