The Doctor's Not-So-Little Secret. Cindy Kirk

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СКАЧАТЬ shirt to settle on her friend’s feet.

      The last time she’d seen her friend they’d lunched at Koi, just off Melrose Avenue. That day Mitzi had worn a darling cap-sleeve dress with a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti peep-toe pumps.

      “Seriously, Mitzi, cowboy boots?”

      Her friend chuckled. “Hey, you know me. I bloom where I’m planted.”

      It was true, Kate realized as she pulled Mitzi close, enveloping her in a hug. Her friend had always been a master at fitting in, no matter where she found herself.

      “It’s good to see you.” Until this second, Kate hadn’t realized just how deeply she’d missed her friend and confidante.

      “I’m sorry to stop by so unexpectedly,” Mitzi began. “You know that isn’t my style—”

      “Yeah, right.” Kate hugged her for another second before releasing her. “You like keeping me on my toes.”

      Mitzi simply smiled and took a seat in one of the two leather wingbacks facing the desk. Kate slipped into the other.

      “I’m surprised you’re not in L.A. right now, taking care of the rich and famous.” Kate searched her memory. “Didn’t you tell me you’d accepted a position with Beverly Hills Orthopedics and Sports Medicine?”

      “I did, but they don’t need me to start until January.”

      “This is only June.” Kate raised a brow. “You can’t go six months without doing surgery.”

      Mitzi brushed a strand of shiny brown hair back from her face. “That’s why I’m here. I’m going to be a locum at Spring Gulch Orthopedic through the end of the year.”

      Kate squealed. If she’d have been standing, she’d have jumped up and down. “You’re staying with me,” she said in the no-nonsense tone she often used with recalcitrant patients. “I have plenty of room and I won’t take no for an answer.”

      “Thank you, Kate.” Mitzi reached over and squeezed her hand, appearing touched by the offer. “I was hoping you’d ask.”

      Thank You, God, Kate thought. This is just what I needed.

      She exhaled a happy breath. “Who are you filling in for?”

      “John Campbell,” Mitzi said, naming a prominent surgeon at the largest orthopedic practice in Jackson.

      Kate wasn’t surprised. According to the medical grapevine, the doctor had recently been diagnosed with advanced cancer.

      “I’m surprised they didn’t ask you to join them permanently.” Even before Campbell was diagnosed, one of the docs in that practice had told Kate they were hoping to add another physician to their busy group.

      “They asked.” Mitzi lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. “While it was a fair offer, there’s no comparison between that money and what I can earn in Beverly Hills.”

      “I’m thinking the fact that your best friend lives here should be worth at least half a mil.” Kate fought to keep a straight face.

      “Oh, if only I wasn’t so materialistic,” Mitzi said with an exaggerated sigh. “If it’s any consolation, your being here was the reason I chose to take this temporary assignment.”

      Even as her heart swelled with emotion, Kate shot her friend a saucy smile. “Gee, thanks, Mitz. Way to put the pressure on me to show you a good time.”

      Before Mitzi could fire a comeback, a light knock sounded and Lydia announced that Kate’s last appointment had arrived.

      “If you want to give me your address and a key,” Mitzi said, “I’ll head over to your place in my rental car and chill until you get off.”

      “You’ll also need a keycard for the gate.” Kate rounded the desk and pulled out the drawer that held her purse. When she straightened, she tossed Mitzi an extra key to her townhome while keeping the fob to her Subaru in her hand. “Walk with me to my car and I’ll give you my extra one. The townhome I rent is in a gated community just outside of town, so you’ll definitely need it.”

      Kate had considered purchasing a home, but she wasn’t certain how long she planned to stay in Jackson Hole. Being so close to her heart’s desire, yet needing to keep her distance had been harder than she’d imagined.

      “I’ve heard it all.” Mitzi chuckled as she followed Kate out the back door of her office to the employee parking lot. “A gated community in Wyoming. Why? You need protection from big bad elk and moose?”

      The two bantered back and forth all the way to the car. Kate retrieved the keycard from her glove compartment and pressed it into her friend’s hand. Unfortunately the good-luck train she’d been riding since Mitzi had walked through her door derailed when Kate saw Joel’s red four-wheel drive pull into a slanted parking stall in front of Rallis Orthodontics.

      For a second she considered grabbing Mitzi’s arm and making a U-turn straight back to the building. Then Chloe hopped out of the truck and Kate saw the child point in her direction.

      Her heart dropped when Joel waved and began walking toward them, his daughter skipping behind him.

      Mitzi’s eyes widened with pure female appreciation. “If the men in Jackson Hole are all like him, it’s going to be an enjoyable six months.”

      Kate had to admit that even dressed simply in jeans, boots and a blue polo, Joel looked good. And Chloe looked adorable in a black-and-white-checkered dress with red piping.

      “Who is he?” Mitzi whispered in a low tone as the man and child approached. “More important, is he available?”

      “Look, Daddy.” Chloe hopped out of the truck and pointed. “It’s Dr. Kate.”

      Joel shut his door before turning, knowing his little girl had to be mistaken. They’d just driven past the area where she was pointing and he hadn’t seen anyone who remotely resembled Kate McNeal.

      But when he gazed back in that direction he realized Chloe was right. He lifted his hand in greeting, feeling a little awkward about yesterday but surprisingly happy to see the pretty doctor.

      As always, Kate looked stunning. Her dark, shoulder-length hair caught the sunlight and she moved with elegance. Under her lab coat she wore a white dress with yellow-and-black bands of color around the waistline. She looked as if she should be walking down a runway rather than tending to sick children.

      There weren’t many women in Jackson Hole as lovely and intelligent as Dr. Kate. Not that it mattered to him. Like he’d told himself last night, he was a busy contractor with a daughter to raise and a company to run. Even if he had been interested in dating, Amy would always be number one in his heart. Kate McNeal didn’t seem like a woman who’d be satisfied with second place.

      “Hi, Joel. Chloe.” Even though she couldn’t have walked more than ten feet across the parking lot, Kate seemed oddly out of breath. It was probably those spiky heels she wore. While they were very sexy-looking, they had to be hell to walk in.

      “This is a pleasant surprise.” Joel knew her office was СКАЧАТЬ