Her Maverick M.d.

“What’s that?” Panic was back in Jamie’s eyes.

“It’s a very common infection that makes the rounds during flu season and presents with all the symptoms of the common cold. It isn’t a problem unless an infant is severely premature—which yours are not. Or if there’s a weakened immune system for some reason.”

“Should I be worried?” Jamie asked.

The baby closest to the doctor started to fuss and the pink elastic headband clued them in that it was Kate. Without hesitation Clifton picked her up and cuddled her close.

“It’s okay, kiddo. You and your brothers are just fine.”

At the sound of his smooth, deep voice the little girl stopped crying and just stared at him with big, wide blue eyes. Dawn wondered if all females were like that—putty in his hands. Susceptible to a handsome face that hid the heart of a self-indulgent, narcissistic snake.

He smiled reassuringly. “There’s nothing to worry about. Their lungs sound great, completely normal. New parents sometimes are critiqued for being overprotective but in your case that isn’t a bad thing. I always recommend taking steps to keep them as healthy as possible. It’s just basic common sense.” He leaned a hip against the exam table, apparently in no hurry to put the baby girl down. “Anyone who’s sick should keep their distance from the triplets. Stay away from places where people and germs tend to gather—churches, malls.”

That got another smile out of the single dad. “Not a problem there. Shopping isn’t high on my list.”

“Didn’t think so.” Clifton grinned but the amusement disappeared as quickly as it had come. “Day care centers, too.”

“Thanks to the baby chain I don’t need day care.”

“The what?” The doctor absently rubbed baby Kate’s back as he listened intently.

“It’s a group of volunteers. They’ve set up a schedule and folks come out to my place to take care of the triplets while I’m working the ranch.” He had a firm hand on each of his boys, preventing them from rolling away. His eyes had a faraway look before filling with shadows. “I always wanted a family, but I never thought it would happen like this.”

“Losing your wife must have been difficult.” When Jamie looked up he explained, “It was in the babies’ charts.” His eyes held a man-to-man expression of sympathy.

“It was hard. For a lot of reasons. And now there are three little lives depending on me. Hasn’t been an easy adjustment.” The grieving father shook his head and started to dress one of the boys. “The baby chain is a lifesaver. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without them.”

“You’ll never have to find out.” Dawn moved beside him and began dressing the other boy. “This is Rust Creek Falls and people here take care of each other.”

“It’s a lot of work now, but that will get better,” Clifton assured him. “Granted, there will be new challenges. When they’re mobile it will be like roping calves.”

“That’s something I have experience with.” Jamie secured the boys in the carrier, then looked up and grinned.

Dawn was shocked. She didn’t think she’d seen this guy ever smile and the new doctor had gotten three out of him, the last one practically a laugh, for goodness’ sake. Clifton was charming everyone around him and still holding that little girl. Kate seemed completely happy in his strong arms and Dawn felt herself melting. It was like déjà vu. She’d been taken in once by a handsome doctor, only to find out the hard way that he played fast and loose with the truth. She knew better than to go soft on Dr. Dreamboat.

The dreamboat in question handed Kate over to her father. “Right now the mission is to keep these three healthy. And I can’t stress enough the importance of hand washing. It’s a simple thing but very effective.”

“Got it, Doc.” Jamie dressed his daughter, then secured her in her carrier. “Appreciate it.”

From the desk beside him Clifton grabbed a scratch pad with a pharmaceutical logo at the top and scribbled something on it. Then he handed the paper to the other man. “This is my cell number. Call me anytime, day or night, about anything. About the babies. Or if you just want to talk.”

Jamie glanced at it, then stuck the paper in his pocket before shaking the doctor’s hand. “Thanks. See you next time.”

“I look forward to it.” He sounded very sincere.

Dawn went outside with Jamie and helped secure the triplets for the ride home. As she watched him drive out of the parking lot, she sighed. Raising three babies would be a challenge for a husband and wife together but he didn’t have a wife. What he had was the baby chain. And thank goodness for that.

Walking to the clinic door she braced herself to go inside. If only she could get the sight of the new doctor holding that sweet baby girl out of her mind. It was enough to make the average female heart beat a little too fast and Dawn’s was no exception.

She reminded herself that she had an immunity to his type, the kind of man who was shallow as a cookie sheet. Never again would she allow a man to use her. And now she was in a similar situation, but this time she knew what to do.

Be professional at work.

Ignore his charm.

And most important, never see him outside the clinic. That was nothing but trouble. But her free time was her own and keeping her distance from him away from the job should be easy.

Chapter Two

Dawn parked her hybrid compact car behind her mom’s in front of the house on South Main Street, not far from the elementary school. She’d bought the fuel-efficient vehicle for her long commute to the hospital but now her job was located two streets away. A tank of gas would last her months.

Unless she had to change jobs because of the new doctor.

She hated to be a whiner, but things had been going so well at her new job until he sashayed through the door.

But that was a problem for tomorrow. She grabbed her purse and headed up the walk that bisected the lush, neatly trimmed front grass lined with colorful flowers. Dawn didn’t know the names of the plants; her mom was the gardener.

She walked inside. “Mom?”

“In here.”

Dawn passed the unfurnished living and dining rooms on her way to the kitchen where the voice had come from. “Hey.”

Glory Laramie was sitting at the small, inexpensive dinette set in the breakfast nook. She was in her forties but looked at least ten years younger. Her strawberry blond hair was cut in a pixie style that highlighted her high cheekbones and pretty blue eyes. Folks said Dawn had her mom’s eyes and she hoped so. They were the window to the soul and Glory’s was honest, hardworking and loyal.

“There’s a plate for you in the fridge. I can microwave it.”

“I’ll do it in a little while. Right now I just want to get off my feet for a few minutes.” She sat across from her mother and noticed there were sample paint chips on the table. Glory always picked them up when she was frustrated about the length of time it was taking to accumulate enough money to do a fixer-upper project.

“You look tired. More than usual.”

Dawn chalked that up to the strain Clifton created, but she didn’t want to talk about it. “I have a rent check for you.”

Glory heaved a sigh. “It doesn’t seem right to take your money. I love having you here with me.”

“That’s what you say every month. And my response is always the same.”

“I know.” Her mom went into the shtick. “You’re a grown woman and should have your own place but there’s not a lot to choose from in this small town and the money will help me fix this place up.”

“That’s right.” Dawn glanced around the room at the new drywall that had yet to be painted. “The extra money will speed up your timetable.”

Glory nodded and smiled when she looked around. “I only feel a little guilty that someone’s misfortune made it possible for me to buy a home of my own.”

“You’re not responsible for that awful flood a couple years ago that damaged so much of the town.”

“I know.” Glory sighed. “But I hope the family who walked away from this house has a nice place to live again.”

“I’m sure they’re fine. And it’s not like this place was move-in ready when you bought it from the bank. You’ve already got a lot of sweat equity in it.”

“It had to be livable. Appliances, flooring, window coverings.”

“That you made yourself. And don’t forget the yard,” Dawn reminded her.

“You helped.”

“Oh, please. I fetched and carried while you worked magic. If I even look at a plant it threatens to shrivel up and die.”

Glory laughed, and then amusement faded. “There’s so much I want to do. But—”

“One step at a time. Right now we have a roof over our heads and walls around us. I know there’s a lot of work ahead, but it will happen. Your house-cleaning business is thriving, what with the new contract at the medical clinic. You’re a successful businesswoman.”

“Which no one thought would happen when I was eighteen, married and pregnant—not necessarily in that order.”

Dawn smiled for her mom’s benefit but she could remember her parents fighting and the night when Glory dragged Dawn and Marina, her older sister, into the local bar to confront Hank. He was drinking and flirting with a woman who worked there. After Glory divorced him he wasn’t around much but he hadn’t been even before that.

He’d stood the girls up for scheduled visitations, rarely paid child support and hardly ever showed up for holidays or birthdays. Her mom had nothing but a high school diploma and two little girls to support. She was the one who nursed them, helped with homework, taught them about being a family and encouraged them to have a career and not rely on a man for money.

Glory had no marketable skill except cleaning a house until it gleamed from top to bottom. But it was always someone else’s house. For years she’d dreamed of having a home of her own. Now she did.

Dawn reached across the table and squeezed her mother’s hand. “You should be incredibly proud of yourself and what you’ve accomplished.”

“I am.” Glory scooped her daughter’s hand into her own. “But more than that, I’m proud of my girls. Marina is a teacher. You’re a nurse. It’s so rewarding to see both of you successful.”

In her mother’s blue eyes Dawn could see maternal delight and pleasure. She never wanted to see disappointment take its place. And that’s what would happen if Glory knew the main reason she’d quit her job at the hospital and taken the one at the clinic was because of the scandal. It hadn’t been her fault but that didn’t matter. He was a doctor and she was just a nurse.

“Is everything okay, sweetie?”

“Hmm?” Dawn blinked away the painful memories and put a fake smile on her face. “Yeah. Why?”

“You look like something’s bothering you.”

“Busy day.”

“Anything exciting happen?”

Glory asked her this almost every day when she came home from work. Mostly Dawn gave a generic answer. Even if there had been something medically electrifying, privacy laws prevented her from discussing it.

But today something exciting had happened and not in a good way. It was the last thing she wanted to talk about but if she tried to dodge the question her mom would suspect something. She and Marina could never put anything over on this woman.

Dawn took a deep, cleansing breath. “The new doctor showed up today.”

“Didn’t you tell me he’s a pediatrician?”

“That’s right,” she confirmed. “Emmet seems really impressed with him.”

“What’s he like?”

Gorgeous. Cheerful. Gorgeous. Good-natured. Did she mention gorgeous? And empathetic. The babies seemed to like him, but Dawn wanted to hide in the break room. She didn’t particularly want to discuss any of that, though.

“It’s hard to know what he’s like yet.”

“What does he look like?” Glory persisted.

A movie star. A male model. He could play a doctor on TV. “He’s nice looking, I guess. Average. Probably wouldn’t have to walk down the street with a bag over his head.”

“There’s high praise.” Her mother laughed. “Is he single?”

A knot twisted in Dawn’s stomach. It was as if her mother could read her mind. She forced a nonchalance into her voice that she didn’t feel. “I don’t know. The subject didn’t come up.”

“It really must have been busy.” Glory’s tone was wry.

“Yeah.” Her mom was implying that the women of Rust Creek Falls Medical Clinic pried personal information out of people. That was probably true, but not today.

“Is something wrong, sweetie?”

Hopefully not; she wouldn’t let there be. “No. Like you said. I’m just tired.”

“It seems like more. As if something’s bothering you.”

She must look bad. That was the third time her mother mentioned it. “It was just a long day.” A change of subject would be good. “And an interesting first day for Dr. Clifton since Jamie Stockton came in with the triplets.”

And he’d handled it brilliantly, she thought.

“Those poor little motherless angels.” Glory smiled sadly. “The volunteers who help him out say that the babies are getting big and are totally adorable.”

“All true.” Dawn was relieved that her mom was distracted, as she’d intended. “Jamie is very grateful for the help.”

“It’s hard to imagine dealing with three needy infants at the same time.” Glory shook her head sympathetically. “I know how hard it is to be alone with one baby.”

“You said Hank wasn’t around much.” Dawn didn’t call him dad. He hadn’t earned it.

“That’s why I know about caring for a baby without help. But he and I were awfully young to be parents.” Suddenly her mother wouldn’t make eye contact.

“Mom?” Glory wasn’t any better at hiding things than Dawn.

“I heard from your father.”

“When?”

“I’m not sure exactly.”

“That means it’s been a while and you just didn’t say anything.” The knot in her stomach tightened. “Does Marina know?”

“Maybe.”

“Okay.” There was no need to get upset. “So based on his track record it will be months, maybe years until he surfaces again to bug you. So, no problem.”

Her mom looked up. “He’s got a handyman business in Kalispell. It’s doing really well.”

The town was about a twenty-five-minute drive south of Rust Creek Falls. That didn’t matter too much, but the building-a-business part was different. “Did he want something from you?”

“No. Only to help.” Glory tapped the paint chips on the table. “He dropped these off for me.”

“A prince of a guy.”

“I think he’s changed, Dawn.”

“Please tell me you’re not going to make the mistake of counting on him, Mom.”

“People make mistakes.”

For some men that mistake was humiliating a woman by using her to cheat on a fiancée. Dawn’s experiences with men had left an impression—a bad one. Dr. Jonathan Clifton probably had some good qualities, but she didn’t plan to take a chance on finding out for sure.

This time if she was forced to leave a job it wouldn’t mean commuting to another one. To find work in her field, she’d have to move away and leave behind everything and everyone she loved. And that was something she was not prepared to do.

* * *

Jon lowered himself into the chair behind his desk and let out a long sigh. It felt good to get off his feet. He loved being a doctor, couldn’t imagine doing anything else. But he was glad his second day was over. There’d barely been time to choke down a sandwich at lunch. How had the clinic staff managed to keep up with the patient load before he took over Pediatrics? Emmet, Callie and Dawn had been running all day, too.

Dawn.

Without her he couldn’t have done it today, but it was clear that she could do without him. And that was more than a little annoying. After his less than positive first impression, he’d made an effort to be nice to her, friendly, charming and that had made her even more standoffish.

Even though he had a bunch of sisters, no one would ever accuse him of understanding women. But this one baffled him. She’d been very friendly at first, right up until finding out he was the new doctor. Then she backed off as if he was radioactive and he didn’t know why. More often than not he got flirted with so it was possible this acute curiosity about Dawn was the result of a banged up ego. But he didn’t think so.

Maybe the time he’d worked at Thunder Canyon Resort had rusted out his ability to interact with coworkers. Although no one else at the clinic seemed to have a problem with him. It wasn’t as if he was looking for a life partner, just a work one. Friendly. Pleasant. Was that too much to ask?

He heaved another sigh and turned on his laptop, preparing to work. Before he could start there was a knock on his door.

“Come in.”

A moment later Dawn stood there. Since he’d been expecting to see anyone but her, he did a double take, closely followed by a hitch in his breathing. There was a wholesome prettiness about her that suddenly made him feel like a gawky teenager. Then the frosty expression on her face checked it. Courtesy dictated he should greet her, but all day she’d given him the “back off” vibe and he was irritated enough to let this move into the awkward zone and force her to initiate a conversation. That would be a first today.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she finally said. She had pieces of paper and a notepad in her hands.

“I haven’t started anything yet so technically you’re not interrupting.” He indicated the chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”

“That’s okay,” she answered. “I’ll stand.”

“Okay.” That ticked him off just a little more and he waited for her to state the purpose of this unexpected visit.

“I have to return phone calls from patients. All of them involve questions about new babies from first-time mothers and Emmet said since we have a pediatrician on staff now we should ask him—I mean you. It’s all ordinary stuff but Emmet says we—I—need to know where you stand on these issues.”

So, she’d tried to get her answers in a way that didn’t involve interacting with him. Okay, then. Battle lines drawn. “Right. Ready when you are.”

She looked at one of the notes. “Chloe Thornton’s baby has a runny nose. He’s four months old and she has questions about fever.”

New parents were understandably worried and overprotective. This wasn’t his first rodeo. “She wants facts because that will make her feel more in control. Tell her if his temp is ninety-nine degrees she can give him acetaminophen to keep it stable. A hundred and one or more, she should call me. Anytime of the day or night. The clinic has an answering service, right?”

“Yes.”

He met her gaze. “Next.”

“Chelsea Dolan has red bumps on her face. She’s barely four months old and her mom read on the internet that it should be gone by now.” Dawn met his gaze.

“Of course we know that if it’s on the internet it must be true,” he said wryly. “The pimples are perfectly normal and can last longer than three months, especially in breast-fed infants. She should baby the skin, no pun intended.”

For just an instant the tension in Dawn’s expression disappeared and her lips twitched, as if she wanted to smile. “Anything else?”

“She should keep it clean and dry. No cream or lotion. Next question.”

She continued writing then looked up. “Alice Weber says her friend’s baby is sleeping through the night and has been since he was born. Her Finn is still waking up every couple hours and she wants to know if there’s something wrong or maybe she’s doing something incorrectly.”

“She’s not. It’s hard enough being a new mother without comparing your baby to someone else’s.” He sighed and rested his forearms on the desk. “Some babies wake because they’re hungry. If she feeds the baby before she goes to bed everyone gets more uninterrupted sleep.”

“Okay.”

“There’s also the pacifier.” He gave her tips for using it more successfully and watched her taking notes, trying to keep up.

Dawn flipped the page on her tablet. “Anything else?”

He couldn’t resist giving her more information than necessary, only to mess with her a little because she refused to come any closer to him. “There are a lot of quirky fixes for restless babies from putting them in a swing all night to dad driving around the block or mom sitting on the dryer and cradling her infant.”

She stopped writing and looked up, a little startled. “My sister did that with Sydney, my niece—”

He held up a hand. “I’m not judging. Next question.”

“There aren’t any more.”

“Okay. It would be nice if all the questions were this easy to answer.”

“I probably should have known this but most of my experience is in acute care. And the volume of questions seems higher but that’s probably because your specialty is children.” Her tone had a tinge of grudging respect.

“Makes sense.” Maybe that was a break in the ice. Jon stood and walked around the desk, then rested his hip on the corner. “This place was rockin’ and rollin’ today. How did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Handle the patient load with one less person?”

She backed up a step into the open doorway. “We managed.”

“Obviously. But it can’t have been easy.”

“No.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I should go—”

“That kind of pace makes downtime even more important.” He wanted to talk to her. About something other than work. “What do people in Rust Creek Falls do for fun?”

“Fun?” Her eyes flashed just before the deep freeze set in again. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to return these phone calls, Dr. Clifton.”

“That’s so formal. Please call me Jon.”

“That’s all right. Formal works for me. Have a good evening, Dr. Clifton.”

One second she was standing there, the next she was gone. She hadn’t wanted to talk to him at all and wouldn’t have if the questions were about adults instead of kids. Apparently with her, friendly and pleasant was too much to ask. What was her deal?

Admittedly he’d always been more studious than social. He could talk to people; after all he had to communicate with his patients and their caregivers. But talking to a woman was different. Of course they were people, but there was often an undercurrent or subtext to the conversation that he didn’t get.

Jon wasn’t sure how long he’d been contemplating the mystery of Dawn Laramie but he snapped out of it when Emmet walked into his office.

Without invitation or conversation the other man sat in one of the chairs facing the desk. Why couldn’t a woman be more like a man?

“You’re just standing here, Jon. Something wrong?”

That’s what he’d been trying to figure out. “How long have you known Dawn?”

“Let me think.” The older man contemplated the question. “She lives with her mom and is a native of Rust Creek Falls so I’ve seen her from time to time. But I didn’t really get to know her until she came to work here.”

“After leaving Mountain’s Edge Hospital.”

Emmet nodded. “Like I said, the commute must have been bad because she took a cut in pay leaving that job.”

“Sometimes it’s not about the money.” If it was, Jon could have had his pick of lucrative career opportunities. Thunder Canyon Resort was what he’d needed at the time.

“Care to elaborate?”

“No. Guess my Zen just slipped out.” Jon straightened and moved behind the desk. “How well do you know her?”

Emmet thought for a moment. “We work closely together. She’s conscientious and good-natured. Her previous job was in the pediatric ICU at the hospital. Parents relate to her. Kids seem to love her. She’s efficient and knowledgeable. An invaluable asset to this place.”

“So if adults and children like her she must be pretty easygoing?”

“Real friendly. Callie and Brandy took to her right away.” Emmet studied him for a long moment. “Why?”

Jon started to say no reason but knew that wouldn’t fly, what with his interrogation. He wasn’t sure how to answer. It would sound like a complaint and that wasn’t the case. Her interaction with him had been completely professional, but all the friendliness had been surgically removed.