Priceless

Mack regarded her with what appeared to be real sympathy. “Like I said, you take it personally.”

She sighed at the assessment. “Yes, I suppose I do.”

“How long do you think you can keep it up, if you take every case to heart?”

“As long as I have to,” she insisted tightly. “I only see a few patients. Most of my time is spent in research. Our treatments are getting better and better all the time.” Sadly, Tony wasn’t responding well to any of them, which was why she’d taken such an intense interest in his case.

“But not with Tony,” Mack said.

Beth fought against the salty sting of unexpected tears. “Not with Tony, at least not yet,” she admitted softly. Then she set her jaw and regarded Mack defiantly, blinking back those tell-tale tears. “But we’re going to win this battle, too.”

He gave her an admiring look. “Yes, I think you will,” he said quietly. “Will my being here actually help Tony?”

“Hopefully it will improve his spirits,” Beth assured him. “He’s been a little down lately, and sometimes boosting a child’s morale is the most important thing we can do. We need to keep him from giving up on himself or on us.”

Mack nodded. “Okay, then. Let’s go in there and talk football.” He gave her an impudent grin. “I assume you won’t be saying much.”

Beth laughed despite herself, liking Mack far more than she’d ever expected to. She could forgive a lot in a person who had a sense of humor, whether about her foibles or his own. “Probably not.”

His expression sobered. “Good. What I do for a living may not be medicine or rocket science, but I’d hate to have you dismiss it in front of a kid who thinks it matters.”

Beth stared at him as his point struck home. Her opinion of football or of Mack Carlton didn’t matter right now. “Touché, Mr. Carlton. I’ll definitely refrain from comment. This is all about Tony.”

He winked. “Call me Mack. My fans do.”

“I’m not one of your fans.”

“Stick around,” he taunted lightly. “You might be, after this.”

Beth bit back a sigh. Yes, she could be, she admitted to herself. Not that Mighty Mack Carlton needed another conquest in his life. The gossip columns were littered with the names of women who thought they had the inside track in his life. She’d noticed that few of them ever got a second mention. She wasn’t the least bit inclined to test her luck in an already crowded field.

“Don’t hold your breath, Mr. Carlton. Besides, the only person whose adoration counts is Tony, and you’ve already got a lock on that.”

“I wouldn’t mind at least a hint of approval from you, too,” he said, his gaze capturing hers and holding it.

Despite the obvious attempt to disconcert her, Beth felt herself falling under his spell. She found it irritating. “Why? Do you have to win over every woman you meet?”

He hesitated then, and an odd look that might have been confusion flickered in his eyes. “How well do you know my aunt?” he asked.

The out-of-the-blue question caught her off guard. “Your aunt?”

“Destiny Carlton, the woman you contacted who made sure I came over here today.”

Beth shook her head. “I don’t believe we’ve met,” she said. “Though I recognize the name. I think she raises a lot of money for the hospital. I never spoke to her, though.”

Mack seemed surprised. “You really don’t know her?”

“No.”

“And you didn’t call her?”

“No. Why?”

He shook his head, obviously more puzzled than ever. “Doesn’t matter.”

Despite his denial, Beth got the distinct impression that it mattered a lot. She simply had no idea why.

2

Mack had been in his share of hospital rooms. He’d had enough football injuries to guarantee that—including one final blown-out knee that had ended his career on the field. Granted, his life had never been on the line, but even so, he hated the antiseptic smell, the too-perky nurses, the beeps and whirring of machines, the evasiveness of the doctors who never looked you in the eye when the news was bad. If he’d hated it, how much worse must it be for a kid, especially a kid who had to face the possibility that he might not come out alive?

During his football career, Mack had made it a habit to visit children in this hospital and others. The smiles on their faces, knowing that for a few minutes, at least, he’d taken them away from their problems, made his own discomfort seem like a small thing.

Now that his own playing days were over, he made fewer of these visits. Most kids wanted to meet the current players, and from his position in the team’s front office, he made sure it happened, even if it made some of the biggest, brawniest players in the league cry afterward. Men who took a lot for granted suddenly started counting their blessings after a hospital visit to cheer kids facing the toughest fights of their lives. Nothing he’d ever encountered had given him a better perspective on what mattered in life.

Outside Tony Vitale’s door, he braced himself for what he’d find inside—a pale kid, maybe bald, his eyes haunted. Mack had seen it too many times not to expect the worst. It never failed to make his chest tighten and his throat close up. Forcing himself not to react visibly had been one of the hardest lessons he’d ever had to learn.

“You okay?” Beth asked, regarding him worriedly. “You’re not going to walk in there and pass out on me, are you?”

Mack gave her a disbelieving look. “Hardly.”

“You wouldn’t be the first man who couldn’t take seeing a kid this sick,” she said.

“I’ve been here before.”

She gave him a look filled with understanding and commiseration. “It’s always hardest the first time. After that, it gets easier.”

“I doubt that,” Mack said.

Her gaze stayed on his face. “You ready?” she asked finally, as if she’d seen some minute change in his demeanor that had satisfied her.

“Let’s do it.”

Beth pushed open the door, a seemingly genuine smile on her face. “Hey, Tony,” she called out cheerfully. “Have I got a surprise for you!”

“Ice cream?” a weak voice called back hopefully.

“Better than that,” she said, then stood aside to allow Mack to enter.

Admiring her performance and determined not to let her or the boy down, Mack gave her a thumbs-up and strode into the room.

The boy lying amid a pile of pillows and stuffed animals was wearing a too-large football jersey with Mack’s old number on it. He clutched a football against his scrawny chest. When he spotted Mack, he struggled to sit up, and for just an instant there was a glimmer of childish delight in his dull eyes before he fell back against the pillows, obviously too weak to sit upright.

“Mighty Mack!” he whispered incredulously, his gaze avidly following Mack’s progress across the room. “You really came.”

“Hey, when I get a call from a pretty doctor telling me that my biggest fan is in the hospital, I always show up,” Mack said, swallowing the familiar tide of dismay that washed over him. The men who walked onto a football field every Sunday and allowed equally brawny men to tackle them and pound them into the dirt didn’t know half as much about real bravery as this kid.

Tony nodded enthusiastically. “I’m your biggest fan, all right. I’ve got tapes of every game you ever played.”

“That can’t be that many. I had a short career.”

“But you were awesome, the best ever.”

Mack chuckled. “Better than Johnny Unitas in Baltimore? Better than Denver’s John Elway? Better than Dan Marino in Miami?”

“Way better,” Tony said loyally.

Mack turned to the lady doc. “The kid knows his sports legends.”

She gave him a wry look. “Obviously, the two of you agree you’re in a class by yourself.”

“He is, Dr. Beth,” Tony asserted. “Ask anyone.”

“Why ask anyone else, when I can get it straight from the horse’s—” she deliberately hesitated, her gaze on Mack steady before she finally added “—mouth?”

Mack had the distinct impression she would have preferred to mention the opposite end of the horse. He had definitely not won her over. Not yet, anyway. That was a challenge for another time, though, one he was surprisingly eager to pursue. For now, his focus had to be on Tony.

“How about I sign your football for you?” he suggested to Tony.

The boy’s eyes lit up. “That’d be great! Wait till my mom comes tonight. She’ll be so excited. She’s watched all those tapes with me a million times. I’ll bet she’s the only mom around who knows all your stats.”

Mack read between the lines, but managed to keep his expression neutral at the hint that there was no father in this boy’s life. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a valuable football card from his rookie year that he’d brought along. “Want me to sign this for your mom or for you?”

“Oh, wow! I saw that card on the Internet. It was selling for way more than I could pay,” Tony said, obviously struggling to do the right thing. “Sign it for my mom, I guess. She can show it to all her friends at work. She’ll probably want to put it in a frame on her desk.”

Mack grinned at him. “Good choice. I’ll bring you your own on my next visit. I think I can come up with one from my MVP year that’s even more valuable, especially when it’s signed.”

“You’ll come back?” Tony asked, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Really? And we can talk about all the guys you drafted for this season? We really need that defensive lineman you got.”

“Tell me about it,” Mack said.

“Has he signed yet?”

Mack grinned at his enthusiasm and his up-to-date knowledge. “Not yet. We’re still bargaining.”

“He’ll sign,” Tony said confidently. “Who wouldn’t want to play for your team? What I don’t get is why you didn’t go after that punter at Ohio State.”

Mack laughed. “Maybe I’ll explain budgets and salary caps to you the next time I come.”

“I can’t believe you’ll really come back,” Tony said.

“I’ll be back so often you’ll get sick of me,” Mack promised. “Nothing I like more than talking to someone who remembers all my great plays.”

“And I do,” Tony said. “Every one of them. That game against the Eagles, when you threw for a team record was the best ever, but I liked the way you scrambled for a winning touchdown against the Packers, when everybody said you ought to be off the field because of a shoulder injury.”

Mack laughed. “That was a great one,” he agreed. “I still get a twinge in that shoulder every time I think about it. I had to scramble, because I couldn’t have thrown the ball if my life had depended on it.”

“I knew it!” Tony said, obviously delighted to have his impression confirmed. “I told my mom before you ran that there was no way you were going to try a pass. How come the Packers’ defense didn’t get that?”

“Pure, dumb luck,” Mack admitted. “And just so you know, I shouldn’t have stayed on the field. I could have cost us the game.”

“But you didn’t. You won it,” Tony said.

“That doesn’t mean it was the smartest play. It means I was showing off.”

“I don’t care. It was a great play,” Tony insisted.

Mack laughed at the kid’s stubborn defense. “Too bad you weren’t around to talk to the coach. He almost benched me for the next game because of that play.”

Tony’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Really? But that’s so unfair.”

Mack studied the boy’s face and thought he looked even paler than he had when Mack had first arrived, despite his obvious excitement. Mack glanced at Beth and saw the lines of worry creasing her forehead. He was pretty good at reading cues and he definitely got this one. It was time to go.

“Listen, Tony, I’ve got to head to a meeting. You get some rest. Maybe next time we can go down to the cafeteria for some hot chocolate. I hear it’s pretty decent.”

“Really?” Tony asked, his voice fading as if he were falling asleep but struggling to fight it.

“If the doc okays it,” Mack said, giving her a questioning look.

“No problem,” Beth said, but she didn’t seem too enthusiastic.

Mack took Tony’s frail hand and gave it a squeeze. “Take good care of yourself, son.”

By the time he released the boy’s hand, Tony was already asleep.

A few seconds later Mack and Beth Browning were back in the hall. She scowled at him with fire in her eyes.

“Why did you do that?” she demanded.

“Do what?” Mack asked, confused by the sudden return of overt hostility. He’d felt good about the way things had gone during the visit. He was sure he’d lifted Tony’s spirits and gotten his mind off of his illness for a few minutes at least. Wasn’t that the point of his being here?

“Why did you say you’d be back?” she asked.

Mack was annoyed by the implication that he’d made a promise he had no intention of keeping. “Because if I was reading the signals correctly, that boy doesn’t have a dad, and he needs someone around to support him,” he retorted. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“Tony’s not alone. You heard how he talks about his mom. She’s great with him.”

Mack regarded her with a steady look. “And I think that’s fantastic, but now he has me, too.”

Beth’s expression faltered as the sincerity of his intentions finally sank in. “You actually mean that, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I know what it’s like to grow up without a dad,” Mack said honestly. “That was bad enough. To grow up sick and terrified without a dad must be a thousand times worse. If I can help by coming to visit, then that’s what I intend to do. Any objections, Dr. Browning?”

She hesitated, her gaze locked with his, then finally she shook her head. “None, as long as you don’t let him down.”

“You concentrate on getting him well, Doc. I’ll concentrate on giving him a few extra reasons to live.”

That said, he turned and walked away, not sure whether he was more upset by Tony’s situation or by the doctor who doubted his own good intentions.

Not until he was on his way to his business meeting did Mack allow himself to consider Beth’s earlier claim that she had never spoken to Destiny. Was she telling him the truth? He couldn’t imagine any reason she’d have to lie.

Destiny, to the contrary, might well be inclined to lie if this was another of her matchmaking plots as he’d initially suspected. The instant he’d met the doctor—pretty, brainy, serious—his suspicions had been aroused all over again. The fact that Destiny had never mentioned Dr. Browning being a woman raised all sorts of red flags, as well.

As he drove across town, he voice activated his cell phone and called Destiny.

“Darling, I didn’t expect to hear from you again so soon,” she said. “How did things go at the hospital? Were you able to meet Tony?”

“Yes. He’s in rough shape.”

“Then I’m sure your visit meant a lot. I’m so proud of you for taking the time to stop by.”

“It’s the least I can do.” He hesitated, debating whether it was wise to ask his aunt any question at all about Beth Browning. She might make way too much of his curiosity. Still, he wanted to know what he was up against. Had she schemed to bring the two of them together? If so, she had to know that it was an unlikely match. The woman didn’t even like football, much less understand it, and the game was an integral part of his life. And she seemed to have formed some very negative opinions about the kind of man he was.

“By the way, your Dr. Browning is not exactly a huge fan of the game,” he said eventually.

“Really?” Destiny said.

He listened for a false note in her voice, but didn’t detect one. “You didn’t know?” he pressed.

“How would I know?”

“You did say you’d talked to her.”

“Did I say that? Actually your secretary passed along all those messages.”

Now she was getting her stories mixed up. Mack knew he was on to something. “Destiny, it’s not like you to forget what tale you’ve told. What’s the real scoop here?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I asked you to do a good deed. You did it. That’s the end of it, isn’t it?” Now she hesitated. “Or did you find Dr. Browning attractive?”

“In a quiet, no-frills sort of way,” he said, considering that to be a bit generous. She had nice, warm eyes, pale blond hair in a chin-length style and lovely skin, but she didn’t do much to accentuate her femininity, not like most of the women he knew. All of that made it much harder for him to understand the little frisson of attraction he’d felt toward her. Maybe it was nothing more than the obvious challenge she represented.

“Mack, didn’t I teach you that the packaging is not what counts with a woman?” Destiny chided.

He laughed at that. “You tried.”

“Perhaps you should reconsider the lesson. It was a good one.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Well, if that’s all, Mack, I’ve got to run. I have a million things to do before my dinner guest arrives.”

“Anyone I know?” Maybe if his aunt had a social life of her own, she’d stop messing with his.

“No. This is just someone with whom I’ve recently become acquainted.”

“A man?” he pressed.

“If you must know, no.”

“Too bad. I could introduce you to some eligible bachelors anytime you say the word,” he said, warming to the idea.

Destiny laughed. “Most of the men you know are half my age. As flattering as I might find that, I doubt it’s very wise. There’s nothing worse than a foolish old woman trying to be something she’s not.”

“I do know a lot of rich, powerful men who own their own companies,” Mack retorted. “Though, frankly, I think a guy my age might find you more fascinating and challenging than some of the women they’re currently dating.”

“Ah, there’s that silver tongue of yours again,” she said, chuckling. “Thank you, darling. I must run, though.”

Mack said goodbye, then went over the conversation a few more times in his head. Had Destiny actually admitted to knowing Beth or not? He had a hunch it was something he needed to know before he got sucked right smack into the middle of one of her schemes. Forewarned was forearmed with his aunt.

* * *

Beth studied the older woman seated across the elegant dinner table from her. So, this was Destiny Carlton.

Beth had been caught completely off guard when she’d returned to her office after Mack’s visit to find a message from his aunt inviting her to dinner. Curiosity had compelled her to accept. Maybe tonight she’d learn why Mack had seemed so sure that Beth and his aunt were already acquainted.

So far, though, the evening had been filled with idle chitchat. Beth was growing increasingly impatient. She put down her fork and met Destiny’s penetrating gaze.

“Pardon me for being direct, Ms. Carlton, but why am I here?”

Destiny’s blue eyes sparkled with merriment. “I was wondering when you were going to ask that. I’d heard you were direct.”

Beth wasn’t sure what to make of that. Surely there hadn’t been time for Mack to report back to his aunt. “Oh?”

“No need to look so worried,” Destiny said. “As I’m sure you know, I do a lot of fund-raising for the hospital. I tend to hear about the rising stars on the medical and research staff. Your name has come up rather frequently in recent months. When I heard about your messages for my nephew, I decided it was time we met.”

“I see.” Beth was still a bit confused. “Are you interested in funding some of the research at the hospital?”

“Always, but my interest here has more to do with Mack. What did you think of him?”

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking,” Beth responded cautiously.

“Come, dear,” Destiny said with a hint of amusement in her voice. “From all reports, you’re an exceedingly brilliant doctor. Surely you have some idea of what I’m asking.”

“Not really,” Beth insisted, not sure she wanted to go down the path Destiny seemed determined to explore.

“Women have a tendency to fall all over themselves when they first meet Mack,” Destiny said.

“I don’t doubt that,” Beth said, not that she intended to be one of them. She didn’t have time for a man who took so little seriously. Even as that thought entered her head, she recalled just how seriously Mack had taken Tony’s situation. Maybe he wasn’t as much of a lightweight as she’d assumed, but that still didn’t make him her type.

Not that she had a type, she amended. Not anymore. Not since she’d discovered that the kind of man she’d always been drawn to, men who loved medicine as much as she did, often had an ego that couldn’t stand the competition from a woman in the same field.

That was how she’d lost her fiancé. Her team had inadvertently applied for the same research grant Thomas had applied for, and she’d won it. He had not taken the news well. Not only had she lost him, but a month later the grant had been withdrawn because of a vicious rumor he’d deliberately spun about her research methodology. Beth had been crushed by the betrayal, but she’d learned a valuable lesson about not mixing her professional and personal life.

“But you weren’t impressed by Mack,” Destiny guessed.

Now there was a minefield, Beth thought. Insulting him to his face was bad enough. Insulting him to his doting aunt, who raised millions for the hospital, was something else. Beth wasn’t the most politically savvy creature on earth, but she knew better than to offend a major donor.

“Actually I didn’t spend that much time with him,” Beth said truthfully.

Destiny’s lips twitched as if she were fighting a smile. “Very diplomatic. I like that.”

“Are you trying to set me up with your nephew?” Beth asked bluntly.

Destiny’s eyes widened in a totally phony display of innocence. “How could I do that? You and Mack have already met. Either something clicked or it didn’t. I’m sure you know as much about chemistry as I do, perhaps more.”

Beth chuckled. “Some forms of chemistry, yes. The male-female thing is definitely not my area of expertise.”

“My nephew might make an excellent teacher,” Destiny suggested slyly.

“I don’t think so.” Beth grinned at the determined woman. “Does Mack know you’re sneaking around behind his back trying to fix him up?”

“As I said, how could I fix him up with you since you’ve met? You’re two consenting adults capable of making your own decisions,” Destiny said, as if the thought had never crossed her obviously devious mind.

“But a little nudge from you wouldn’t be out of the question, would it?” Beth suddenly recalled Mack’s earlier suspicion that she and his aunt knew each other. “He’s on to you, isn’t he? He thinks you deliberately got him over to the hospital today to meet me. Seeing Tony was simply a means to an end.”

“You called his office,” Destiny reminded her. “He came over there to meet Tony at your request.”

Beth couldn’t argue with that. “Would you have been as quick to intercede if the request had come from one of my male colleagues?”

“Of course,” Destiny claimed. “We’re talking about a sick child.”

Beth wasn’t entirely sure she believed her. Nor, she suspected, would Mack.

“Look, Ms. Carlton—”

“Please call me Destiny. I insist.”

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Destiny, or at least what I think you’re trying to do, but it’s a bad idea,” Beth said emphatically. “I’m not interested. Mack’s not interested. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Rather than the disappointment Beth had anticipated, Destiny’s expression brightened.

“Perfect,” Destiny said.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I said that was the perfect response. You’re going to be a challenge,” Destiny explained. “I love that. More important, it is exactly what my nephew needs in his life. Most women are all too eager to fall right into his bed.”

“I don’t have time to be the challenge your nephew needs,” Beth said, beginning to feel a little frantic. She had a hunch that Destiny Carlton was a force to be reckoned with once her mind was set on something. Besides that, the whole image of falling into Mack’s bed was a little too attractive. She needed to stay away from these two. They had money. They had power. And one of them at least had a plan for the rest of Beth’s life, a plan she wasn’t one bit happy about.