The Most Eligible Doctor

“What makes you say that?” Brianne asked, wandering over to snitch a carrot from the growing stack of vegetables.

“He’s a loner,” Lily said solemnly. “I can tell. Did you know he practiced as a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles before he took that position in Alaska?”

“How do you know that?”

Lily gave her a mysterious smile. “I have my ways.”

Brianne laughed.

Glancing at her housemate over her shoulder, Lily confided, “I’m not really Sherlock Holmes. I got a glimpse of Jed Sawyer’s résumé. Dr. Olsen happened to have it in his hand yesterday when he was talking to me.”

“Jed said he was divorced. I wonder how long he was married?” Brianne mused.

Lily tilted her head and cocked a brow. “You’re working for the man, maybe you could ask him.”

“He doesn’t talk about himself much.” Brianne suddenly knew she was sounding too interested.

“Do you wish he would?” Lily asked more gently.

“No. It’s better this way…that we keep a strictly professional relationship. After all, he’s my boss.” Besides that Jed Sawyer was obviously experienced. She was inexperienced. That was her choice. She’d had a lot of losses in her life and because of them she tried to protect her heart.

She’d felt totally adrift when, at fourteen, she’d found a private investigator’s report in the attic. It had stated that her biological mother had taken her to a church pew in Madison and died a few months later from pneumonia because she’d been homeless and living on the streets.

Since Brianne’s parents hadn’t told her about any of it, she’d felt betrayed. Since her birth mother had left her in the church, she’d felt abandoned. Brianne had depended heavily on her childhood friend, Bobby Spivak, during that confusing time. He’d been her best friend since kindergarten. But in their senior year, they were discussing getting engaged and going to the same college when Bobby had been diagnosed with leukemia. She’d lost him eighteen months later.

And seven months ago, she’d lost her parents, too. Over and over again she’d learned that love hurt in so many ways. Yet…she also knew it was life-giving. Bobby’s doctors had said he had six months to live. He’d lived a year past that, and Brianne’s heart told her that love had kept him with them.

Still, she was afraid of loving…and losing once more. Giving her heart away wasn’t in her plans anytime soon, if ever.

When Brianne thought of Jed Sawyer, she realized her relationship with Bobby had been the epitome of safety. Their love had been born of friendship and hadn’t yet developed into burning passion. Jed, on the other hand, was so intense that all she thought about amid the tingles she felt around him was passion. That spelled trouble with a capital T. She wouldn’t let a few unruly hormones run away with her good sense.

Ending the conversation and putting a lid on her thoughts, she asked Lily, “So what can I do to help get ready for tomorrow?”

If she stayed busy, tomorrow and seeing Jed again in a relaxed setting wouldn’t make her so jittery.

Mingling.

Jed had once known how to do it like a pro. Back in L.A., he and his partners had been invited to cocktail parties with movie stars, investment bankers, models. He’d been able to talk to anyone about anything. But then his life had fallen apart and talking had become too much of an effort. The position in Alaska had been a godsend, but because of it, he’d grown rusty at socializing.

Lily Garrison crossed to him, a tray balanced on her hand. “Try the crab quiches. I found the recipe on the Internet.”

Jed took one, bit into it and grinned. “Maybe you should go into catering as a sideline.”

“I think I have my hands full with work and Megan. But I’ll keep that in mind.”

Suddenly Jed’s attention was drawn to Brianne as she entered the living room. She stood by the built-in bookshelves for a moment, looking uncertain. Her auburn, shoulder-length curls bobbed around her face with the slightest movement of her head. Her aquamarine eyes were the wonderful color of the sea. Ever since that night by the car, he’d wanted to talk to her again about more than work, but the clinical atmosphere at Beechwood hadn’t seemed right to delve into the subject of her parents. And the stirrings of desire he’d felt whenever they were around each other had deterred him from seeking her out privately.

When Brianne’s gaze passed over the room as if she was deciding which conversation to enter, her eyes met his. She quickly looked away, turned around and retreated to the kitchen.

Finishing the miniature quiche in a quick bite, Jed said to Lily, “Excuse me, will you? There’s someone I need to talk to.”

Lily’s eyes twinkled. “I’ll catch you later.” Then she moved along to another group with her tray.

Jed strode through the dining room into the kitchen, where he found Brianne scooping coffee into a filter.

“You and Lily went to a lot of trouble today.”

Startled, she looked up, and her cheeks became a little rosier. “It wasn’t that much trouble. Are you enjoying yourself?”

“The truth is, I’m having to readjust to a party mode. I haven’t been to one for a few years.”

“Since you took the job in Alaska?”

“Yes.”

There was an awkward silence, and Jed knew he had to be the one to fill it. “I didn’t mean to upset you on Monday night. I shouldn’t have pried into your life. Living alone in a cabin wore off my civilized veneer. I’m sorry about your parents.” After she’d mentioned losing her parents, Jed had remembered his dad filling him in on some of the things that had happened in Sawyer Springs the past couple of years. Skyler Barrington had been a lawyer, her husband Edward a cardiologist. They had both come from money and their name was well known in the town. Brianne had inherited all of their wealth and could be considered an heiress. Jed was a bit puzzled why she was working as a nurse at Beechwood when she could be traveling the world, living anywhere she pleased.

Her gaze was vulnerable as she looked up at him. “Thank you. It’s been less than a year since their accident, and I—”

Brianne never got to finish because Megan came running in and threw her arms around Brianne’s waist. Her hair was lighter blond than her mother’s, and Lily had attached a barrette over each of her daughter’s temples. In the crook of her arm, Megan carried a rag doll dressed in blue-and-pink gingham, with red yarn hair.

Looking at the beautiful child made Jed’s heart clench. He wondered if he’d ever be able to be comfortable around children again. Trisha had been almost three when she’d drowned, and being around kids always made his memories more of a burden.

Megan stood on her tiptoes and crooked her finger at Brianne, glancing shyly at Jed. “Can I have another cookie?” she almost whispered. “Mommy said I could. There aren’t any more on the tray. So she said I should ask you.”

When Brianne smiled, her face lit up, as did her eyes and everything about her. Jed could tell this child meant a lot to her.

“We’ll have to do something about an empty cookie tray,” Brianne agreed. “Sure, you can have another one.”

“Can I take the lid off the cookie jar?” Megan asked eagerly.

“Maybe Dr. Sawyer can lift you up. I’ll hold Penelope for you.”

Brianne looked at Jed as if she was making an everyday request. He realized she was, and he shouldn’t make a big deal of it. He tried to keep his expression blank. “Where’s the cookie jar?” he asked gruffly.

Pulling a gingerbread boy jar from behind the coffeepot, Brianne nudged it near the edge of the counter with her elbow as she tucked the rag doll under her arm and filled the coffee carafe with water.

Megan ran over to Jed and held her arms up to him. His chest was so tight he could hardly breathe. Clasping her around the waist, he lifted her until she could reach the jar, telling himself not to feel…not to think…not to remember.

But Brianne had turned off the water now and was looking at him curiously. He realized something showed—something he didn’t want her to see.

After Megan lifted off the gingerbread boy’s head, Brianne took out about a dozen cookies to replenish the empty tray. The little girl replaced the lid very carefully, and Brianne handed her a cookie. Megan glanced over her shoulder at Jed. “You can put me down now.”

He gently settled her on the floor again.

When she looked up at him, her smile was as sparkling as her blue eyes. “Thank you. Do you want one?”

“No. Not now.”

She nodded as if she understood. “You have to eat your vegetables before you can eat cookies.” After Brianne handed Megan her doll, the little girl ran out of the kitchen, leaving them alone again.

“Dr. Sawyer, are you all right?”

“It’s Jed,” he brusquely reminded her.

With her concerned expression, her beautifully curved lips, her pretty heart-shaped face, he knew staying away from Brianne was his best course of action. Besides the fact that he was much too old for her—Dr. Olsen had mentioned she was twenty-three—he knew her background was probably a carbon copy of his ex-wife’s. After all, Brianne was a Barrington. Getting to know her outside of their working relationship was not a good idea.

“I’m fine,” he assured her now. “But I have to be going.”

“So soon? Have you even had any cake?” She pointed to the table holding a frosted cake with Welcome written on it.

“No, I haven’t. But everyone here can enjoy it. I really do appreciate you and Lily welcoming me back to Sawyer Springs. If I don’t see Lily on my way out, please tell her how grateful I am.” He knew his voice was flat. He knew he didn’t have a decent excuse to give for leaving. Yet none of that mattered. He wasn’t ready to be around mothers and children…or a woman who seemed to be thawing his frozen libido.

As he left the kitchen, Brianne called, “I’ll see you in the morning.” He lifted his hand in acknowledgment that he’d heard her. Then he headed for the door, deciding he should have stayed in Alaska.

Chapter Two

As Brianne filed patient charts late Monday afternoon, she quickly glanced out the window. Snow had been falling heavily since midmorning. Everyone else had left, and she was waiting for Jed to finish with his last chart. He’d been distant today, and she wondered again what had gone through his mind yesterday afternoon at the party—and why he’d left so abruptly. The only personal conversation they’d had was “good morning.” Everything else had had to do with work.

Still…Brianne found the man intriguing, in spite of herself. Working around him minute by minute, hour by hour, she found thoughts taking shape in her head she’d never had before. Thoughts of a man and woman kissing, touching…

With a blast of mid-January wind, the door in the reception area burst open and a burly figure stomped in. Brianne was used to walk-ins by now, but she was also a bit worried about how long another appointment would take, and driving home in the deepening snow.

The elderly man tracked slush from his black galoshes through the waiting room as he came to the receptionist’s window. He wore an orange hunter’s cap, and he pushed it high on his brow now as he gazed at her from beneath bushy gray brows. His face was lined, his square jaw beard-stubbled. The loose, red-plaid wool jacket he was wearing made him look bigger and burlier than he actually was, she noted.

Closing the sliding metal door of the files, Brianne crossed to the glass window and opened it. “Can I help you?”

His green eyes passed over her appraisingly. “Just point me in the direction of Jed Sawyer.”

She would never let an unverified patient into the exam area. “Do you have an appointment with Dr. Sawyer?”

“I don’t need an appointment. I’m his father.”

Brianne smiled at once. She could see the resemblance now in the high cheekbones and the broad brow. “Dr. Sawyer is finishing patient notes. I’ll get him.”

But before Brianne could step back from the window, Jed entered the office and spotted his father. “Dad. What are you doing out in this?”

His father shrugged. “I needed rock salt for the sidewalk if this ices up. Since you walked here, I thought you might appreciate a ride. You’d better buy yourself a four-wheel-drive truck like I’ve got if you intend to stay here.”

Jed frowned at his father’s words. “I’m used to walking in the snow. I have a few more—”

The shrill tone of the phone ringing broke the tension between the two men. Relieved, Brianne answered it. “Beechwood Family Practice.”

“It’s Lily,” her friend said quickly. “Are you leaving soon?”

“I’d better if I don’t want to spend the night.”

“That’s why I’m calling. A report came over the radio that the power is out on our side of town. So Megan and I are going to stay with Mom tonight.”

Bea Brinkman, Lily’s mother, was also her child care provider. She watched Megan whenever Lily had to work.

“Will the power be out all night?” Brianne asked.

“They don’t know. Do you want to come here and stay with us? Mom says you’re more than welcome.”

“I don’t know if my car can make it to the farm. Are the roads plowed?”

“Not yet. I could try to come get you.”

“No! I don’t want you to take that chance. I can stay here.”

Jed’s father gruffly but adamantly broke into their conversation. “Young lady, that’s a bad idea. A young woman like you alone in a deserted building at night? Why don’t you come have supper with us, and then we’ll take you wherever you have to go. My truck can get through anything.”

“Who was that?” Lily asked, apparently hearing bits and pieces of the conversation.

“It’s Dr. Sawyer’s father. He, uh, suggested I have dinner with them and then he’ll bring me to the farm.” Brianne looked over at Jed.

He wasn’t exactly frowning, but he didn’t look happy about the turn of events, either. Not hesitating, though, he agreed with his father. “You can’t stay here alone. Come over to the house with us. We’ve got plenty of room. If the roads are too difficult, you can stay the night.”

“I don’t want to put you to any trouble.”

“It won’t be any trouble,” he said gruffly. “Dad’s right. If the power is out, we probably should be going before this gets any worse.”

Brianne certainly didn’t want Lily driving in this snowstorm, or for that matter, Jed’s dad taking a chance driving out to the farm. She knew she’d be perfectly safe with the two men. It was an instinctive knowing.

After only a few more seconds of hesitation, she said to Lily, “I’ll be at Dr. Sawyer’s if you need me. If the snow stops and the roads are plowed, I’ll join you later.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” Lily asked, concern in her voice.

Looking at Jed again, Brianne felt the stirring of excitement that always happened whenever she was around him. Reminding herself that going to the Sawyers’ house was a practical solution, she assured her friend, “Yes, that’s what I want to do. Tell your mom thanks for the offer. I’ll get back to you later.”

When she hung up the phone, she said brightly, “I guess that’s settled, then. But you have to let me help you with dinner.”

“We won’t turn down that offer.” Jed’s dad gave her a sly smile and extended his hand to her. “Al Sawyer. And you’re…”

“Brianne Barrington.”

“Edward Barrington’s daughter?” Al asked with a lift of his bushy brows.

“Yes. Did you know him?”

Nodding, he explained, “I went to see him once…for my heart. Some kind of rhythm problem. He gave me medicine that fixed it right up. I liked him. He wasn’t one of those docs who spend two minutes with you and they’re on their way.”

“Dad was a good listener.”

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard about the accident. It’s a shame you’re an only child. Brothers or sisters help at a time like that.”

Shifting from one booted foot to the other, Al suddenly looked uncomfortable, as if he didn’t know what to say next.

Jed stepped in. “Dad, why don’t you get the truck heated up? We’ll be right out.”

The older man seemed grateful that his son had cut off the conversation. “Sure thing. I’ll probably have to clean off the windshield again, so take your time.”

After Al went through the door, Brianne asked Jed, “Are you sure you want me to come?”

“You grew up in Sawyer Springs, didn’t you?” he asked, instead of answering.

“Yes, I did.”

“Then you know that neighbor helps neighbor here.”

“Yes, I know that, but…”

“It’s one of the reasons I came back here, Brianne. Dad was the main reason. But I lived in L.A. before I went to Alaska, and it’s much different out there. Families are mobile units. Neighbors come and go. It’s not at all like here.”

“You came back because you like Sawyer Springs?”

“I came back because it was time.” His gaze passed over her again, and it was as if he was studying every light freckle on her nose. “I don’t want you out in this storm any more than Dad does. And this building is no place for you to be on a night like this. I’ll warn you, though—Dad’s a little rough around the edges and pretty blunt sometimes.”

“Unlike you?” she asked with a smile.

He shook his head and chuckled. “You got me there. I guess what you’re saying is, if you can put up with me, you can put up with him.”

“I enjoy working with you, Jed,” she said sincerely. “It’s not a hardship.”

Tilting his head, he asked, “Are you always this honest?”

“I try to be. Tactful, too, I hope,” she added teasingly.

“I see.” With amusement in his eyes, he took a step closer. “There’s honest and blunt, and honest and tactful. I’ll try to remember that.”

They were standing less than a foot apart. She could almost feel his intensity, sense his heat, see his defenses. For a moment she’d made him laugh.

Now he became serious again, his voice low. “Get your coat. I’ll make sure everything’s locked up.”

Five minutes later he held the truck door for her as she climbed in beside his father. The truck seat was roomy, but once Jed shut his door, his down jacket touched the sleeve of her camel wool coat. His trousered leg brushed against hers and Brianne’s breath caught. What was it about this man that excited her so? Although she might be intrigued by him, this excursion to his house could be a colossal mistake. Being impulsive wasn’t in her nature. Yet around him, she almost felt reckless. That was dangerous territory for a virgin who didn’t want to lose her heart.

“Here we go,” Al said, windshield wipers clearing the snow away while heat poured from the vents.

When he pulled onto the street through the six-inch-deep snow, Brianne rocked against Jed. He didn’t move and neither did she, and the heat between them seemed a lot more intense than what was coming out of the vents.

Was it purely her imagination? Certainly, he wasn’t affected by her the way she was affected by him. Yet when she glanced at his profile, she saw the nerve in his jaw twitch.

There was no one on the roads, and a short time later, Al pulled up in front of a one-and-a-half story house. It was painted blue and accented by black shutters. The porch light was glowing, so apparently the power lines in this part of town hadn’t been damaged.

Jed opened his door and climbed out, waiting for Brianne. The snow was getting deeper, and when she jumped from the truck, she discovered it was over the top of her leather boots. She wrinkled her nose at the cold sensation, realizing that by the time she walked to the house, her feet would be wet.

Jed sized up the situation promptly and swung her into his arms.

“What are you doing?” she gasped. He’d moved so quickly, she felt as if she were floating in midair. She wrapped her arms around his neck for security’s sake.

“You need a pair of real boots.”

“These are real boots. I’ve worn them all winter.”

“Real boots don’t make a fashion statement. They’re snug around the calves and go to your knees.”

He had a point. Although it snowed quite a bit, she wasn’t out in it very much. She liked to look feminine and stylish. She did own a pair of tie boots with lamb’s wool inside, but they would have looked hideous with her skirt.

Thoughts of boots vanished as Jed carried her to the front stoop. He was as solid as a granite cliff. Held against him as she was, she could feel the breadth of his shoulders and the strength of his arms. Under the overhang of the porch, there was only about an inch of snow. He set her down lightly, as if she were fragile enough to break. She felt so small beside him. So slight. So feminine. The green depths of his eyes mesmerized her as they stood close together.

He fingered a stray curl along her cheek, and she thought she’d melt right there on his porch. “Hats are a good idea in this kind of weather, too,” he advised huskily.

“I’ll remember that the next time it snows,” she murmured, knowing that coming here with Jed was a very big mistake.

Al suddenly came up behind them. “Want my key?”

Quickly Jed dug into his jacket pocket. “Nope. I’ve got mine.” He opened the door and let Brianne enter before him.

As she took a quick look around, Jed shrugged out of his coat and switched on a light. “It’s like stepping back into the fifties, isn’t it?”

Glancing around the interior of the house, she saw what he meant. There was warm wood flooring, but it didn’t have the finish modern floors had. The brick fireplace was simple, without a hearth, but with an alcove to store wood next to it. A gold-and-green flowered sofa sat against one wall, near a comfortable-looking tweed recliner that had seen years’ worth of use. Beyond the living room she could see the kitchen, with its linoleum floor, and yellow and white ceramic tiles behind the appliances and sink. The counters were gold swirl and the cabinets birch.

“There wasn’t anything wrong with the fifties,” Al mumbled.

After Brianne removed her coat, Jed took it and hung it in the closet beside his. “I’ll get a fire started. The house has always been drafty.”

Brianne heard Al harumph as he went into the kitchen and hung his jacket on a rack there.

When she crossed to the fireplace, she studied the pictures on the TV console next to it. “You have a brother and a sister?” she asked, looking at a family portrait, the only one in the room from what she could see.

As Jed touched a long match to the kindling, he answered, “Yes.”

“Older or younger?” She knew she was pushing, but she wanted to know more about this man.

“They’re both older.”

“Do they live around here?”

Crouching down, Jed placed two logs on the fire. “No. None of us could wait to escape small-town life in Sawyer Springs. Ellie is out in California producing documentaries, and Chris is a colonel in the army now.”

“You’re all successful. I’ll bet that makes your parents proud.”

With a last look at the dancing flames, Jed closed the mesh screen, stood and faced her. “Mom instilled the idea in us that we could rise above anything, be whatever we wanted to be. She died during my residency, but she knew we were all on our way.”

So Jed knew how it felt to lose a parent. Thinking about it, Brianne felt she’d lost hers twice—once when she’d found out she was adopted, because nothing had been the same after that, and then again after the accident. “I’ll bet your dad’s proud of what you’ve accomplished.”

Jed turned away and gazed into the fire for a few moments. “I’m not sure what Dad feels. And my idea of success has changed over the past few years.” A haunted shadow crossed his face again.

Wanting to be honest with him, she admitted, “I know you were a plastic surgeon in L.A. before you went to Alaska. Did something happen to—”

Al returned to the living room then, unaware that he was interrupting. With a broad smile, he addressed Brianne. “We’ve got leftover rotisserie chicken from the deli and a bag of potatoes. Anything you can cook up with that?” Al Sawyer apparently was the kind of man who assumed that all women knew how to cook.