Big Sky Baby. Judy Duarte

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СКАЧАТЬ blamed that on her recent breakup with Cain, but just to be on the safe side, she’d scheduled an appointment at the Rumor Family Clinic on Monday afternoon.

      Chances were her weird complaints were nothing but residual stress caused by that lousy relationship she’d finally ended.

      When would she learn how to sort through men and choose one worth keeping?

      Jeff looked up from his meal. “This is really good, Jilly. You’ve become a great cook.”

      “Thanks.”

      When she glanced up and caught him looking at her with those big-sky eyes, something passed between them, and the air grew heavy, laden with unspoken words and thoughts.

      Jilly didn’t know what was tumbling around in Jeff’s mind, but she suspected it was some of the same confusion that plagued her. The friendship she’d come to depend upon had changed.

      She and Jeff had shared a lot of meals in the past—pizza, a burger and fries. But boy, oh, boy, things were different this time. Much different.

      Maybe they were both a little uneasy with their new…their new what?

      Awareness?

      Attraction?

      Darned if she knew what was happening, but this whole surreal evening reminded her of the movie, When Harry Met Sally.

      Was this what Harry meant when he said men and women couldn’t be friends because sex got in the way?

      Well, she wasn’t about to let awkwardness rain on their reunion. Friendships like the one they shared came along once in a lifetime, and she wasn’t going to risk losing the one-and-only stable element in her life.

      Jeff pushed his chair from the table and slowly stood, breaking the tension that hovered around them. “I’d better go. I’ve got an early day tomorrow.”

      Jilly nodded. “I understand.”

      “But I’ll help you with the dishes.”

      “Don’t bother,” Jilly said, fighting a grin. “Posey will help me clean up.”

      Jeff furrowed his brow and studied her as though he suspected she planned to let the dog lick the plates clean.

      The naughty side of her wanted to let him believe she was serious, but her conscience wouldn’t let her tease him tonight. Not when he had to fly out tomorrow morning and fight that fire. The danger of his job was never far from her mind.

      “I’m joking, flyboy. Posey just keeps me company.”

      He grabbed her by the hand and drew her to his side. “I can take a joke as well as the next guy, but I never know what you’ll come up with next.”

      She laughed. “Well, if you’re leaving, you’d better give me a hug.”

      “I’ve always got a hug for my best friend.” He pulled her close, sending her pulse racing and her imagination soaring. And when he brushed a goodbye kiss across her cheek, her breath caught and her heart spun like a little toy top with nowhere to move.

      The men in her life had always let her down, but not Jeff Forsythe, the best friend she’d ever had.

      Yet, in spite of herself, she had begun to look at Jeff in a new and sensual light.

      And it left her terribly uneasy.

      Especially when she knew her best friend had no intention of putting down roots in Rumor.

      Chapter Two

      Jilly sat in the waiting room at the Rumor Family Clinic, listening for her name to be called.

      The wind had shifted that afternoon, taking the scent of smoke and the haze of ash with it and giving the Rumor community another respite from the fire that continued to blaze and darken the southern sky. It seemed a waste of time to be indoors on a day like this.

      Afternoon sunlight poured into the room through two huge bay windows, casting a bright and cheerful glow on all who waited patiently, yet Jilly felt tense and fidgety.

      She glanced at her watch—4:08 p.m.

      Hopefully, they’d get her in and out so she could go back to work. She’d purposely scheduled the time so Blake Cameron, the teenager she’d hired as part-time help, could watch the florist shop for her.

      She glanced at her watch again—4:09 p.m. Maybe she should cancel the appointment and head back to work, but she was hoping Dr. Holmes could tell her those weird symptoms she’d been having and those strange sensations she’d been feeling were all in her head.

      The door to the back offices opened, and a dark-haired, matronly nurse held a file close to her chest and stood in the doorway. “Jilly Davis?”

      Too late to cancel now, she supposed. After placing the magazine she’d been reading on the table, she stood and followed the nurse down the hall that led to the examining rooms.

      “Will you step on the scale, please?”

      “Sure. Mind if I slip off my shoes first?” she asked. Maybe take off my watch and my ring, shave my legs?

      Sheesh. Jilly knew her weight was up. She couldn’t button her pants anymore and even her bras were snug. She’d tried to diet, but every time she turned around, she had the nervous munchies. She’d blamed her food cravings on stress, following her breakup with Cain.

      “Not too bad,” the heavyset nurse said. “Only five pounds up from last winter, when you came in for your yearly pap smear.”

      “Five pounds a year can add up,” Jilly said. “I’m not happy about the weight gain, since most of it’s in my torso. I’m feeling a lot like Humpty-Dumpty.”

      The nurse smiled. “I know what you mean.”

      Jilly supposed the plump woman did. As she was led to the small examining room, she did a little math.

      Wow. If she gained five pounds a year, by the time she was thirty-three, she’d be fifty pounds over-weight. This eating spree had to stop.

      When they reached exam room three, Jilly expected to have to strip down and put on the stupid gown that opened down the back. Fortunately, she wasn’t asked to undress.

      As she sat on the edge of the paper-lined examining table, the nurse took her blood pressure. At least that wasn’t up.

      While the woman made notes on the chart, Jilly unhooked the button on her pants and rubbed the reddened indenture the waistband had made. Gosh, she hoped it wasn’t a tumor or something like that. Maybe she was just getting fat and sassy and needed to take up jogging.

      “Dr. Holmes will be right with you,” the woman said, leaving Jilly to wait in the stark room and worry about her health.

      Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long. Dr. Holmes, a tall, pretty woman with golden-brown hair entered the exam room, holding Jilly’s chart. “Good afternoon. What seems to be the trouble?”

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