Only Yours. Сьюзен Мэллери

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      They would be grateful. The families always were. They would surround him and thank him and want to offer him something. The women would try to hug him and the men would shake his hand. He went through it hundreds of times and he never found it easy. He didn’t want their thanks. All he wanted was to slip away. To take on the next case, to lose himself in the work.

      This time would be especially awkward. According to the nurse, his patient was Montana’s nephew. He would be forced to see her again, to stare into her dark eyes and know that he couldn’t have the one thing he most wanted. Worse, he would have to do it in front of her family.

      He doubted she would say anything. She was too kind for that. But she would be thinking it. That he had kissed her, practically forced himself upon her. It had been so unlike him.

      Knowing he was putting off the inevitable, he walked to the waiting room. He saw them at once, the large family clustered together, talking, comforting one another. He’d been told that waiting was the worst and he believed it. At least he was always busy doing something.

      In the second before they noticed him, he saw Montana had sisters. No, more than that. He saw the identical bone structure, the shape of the eyes that was exactly the same. Minor differences caused more by time than DNA.

      A triplet. She hadn’t mentioned that. And brothers. She came from a large family, something he couldn’t relate to. How did people find quiet with that many family members around?

      Montana glanced up and saw him. “Dr. Bradley.”

      Everyone shifted, allowing one of the brothers and the petite, pretty woman in her fifties to move toward him. Montana’s mother, he realized, taking in more similarities.

      The brother, a tall man, held out his hand. “Kent Hendrix,” he said. “Montana tells us you’re the best. How is he? How is Reese?”

      They were all staring at him. All waiting to hear that their loved one was fine. He never knew what to say, even when the news was good, so he stumbled on as best he could. The boy was doing well, the scarring minimal. No surprises in surgery.

      Montana moved to his side and smiled. “I was so happy when I heard it was you.” She turned her attention to her brother. “I’ve seen his work. It’s very impressive.”

      Simon’s first thought was that she wasn’t angry. He felt as if he’d been given a reprieve, for whatever reason. His second thought was to realize the only work of his she’d seen was with Kalinda. No layperson could look beyond the bandages and raw skin to see the work he’d done.

      Concerns for another time, he told himself.

      Kent Hendrix continued to shake his hand. “I can’t thank you enough. When I saw him lying there, and all that blood …” He paused and glanced at his mother. “I didn’t know what to think.”

      “It’s difficult when a family member is injured,” Simon said stiffly.

      He managed to free his hand from Kent’s, only to be hugged by Denise.

      She straightened and stared into his eyes. “Please tell me he’s going to be all right. I know you said it, but I need you to say it again.”

      Love shone in her eyes. Love and concern and worry. She was everything a mother and grandmother should be. He had seen it time and time again in his practice. The mothers who didn’t love, the mothers who deliberately hurt their children, were rare. He’d always known that, but it still surprised him that so many parents were good.

      “He’s going to be fine.”

      “Very light scars,” Montana said, touching her arm. “It’ll make him a chick magnet.”

      Denise managed a strangled laugh. “Just what every grandmother wants to hear.” She drew in a slow breath, then let it out. “Dr. Bradley, we were supposed to have a family dinner today. I suspect that’s going to be postponed until tomorrow. Please join us.”

      Anything but that, he thought grimly. He didn’t want to have dinner with them. He didn’t want to socialize or spend time with them. He never knew what to do with himself, how to act with strangers. He knew the invitation was more about their need to thank him than anything else.

      Which was why he always refused. He kept things separate. He wasn’t the kind of doctor who got personally involved.

      The rest of the family echoed the invitation. Their words washed over him, easily ignored. Until Montana turned to him.

      “Please say you’ll join us,” she said. Her gaze was steady.

      Despite his reluctance, he found himself nodding. He couldn’t resist spending time in her company.

      Denise said something about the time and rattled off an address. He wasn’t listening. Instead he focused on the two sisters, the ones that were identical to Montana. If it was chemistry, if it was simply some quirk of genetics, shouldn’t he be equally attracted to them?

      He studied them, trying to imagine talking to them, touching them, kissing them. Instead of being interested, he felt uncomfortable and more than a little foolish. No, it was only Montana.

      “Let’s not make him find his way,” Montana said, still looking at him. “Simon, I’ll pick you up at your hotel around four. Does that work?”

      No, it didn’t work. He couldn’t spend time with her in front of other people. What if he did something ridiculous again? What if he kissed her?

      He reminded himself he had always been able to force his body to do more than anyone anticipated. He’d healed faster, gotten better range of motion, kept up his grades in school. He determined his own fate, within the confines of the rules. Of course he could have dinner with Montana and her family without embarrassing himself.

      “It’s Tuesday,” she added.

      He allowed himself a smile. “I do manage to keep track of the days of the week.”

      “As busy as you are, I thought they might blur.” Humor brightened her eyes. “I’ve always heard you genius types have trouble with ordinary details.”

      “I struggle through. Tomorrow at four. I’ll be waiting.”

      “I’m looking forward to it,” she admitted.

      For a second, it was as if the rest of the world disappeared. Only the two of them existed. Then one of the other sisters laughed and he was brought back to reality.

      After accepting another round of thanks, he excused himself. He still had patients to see and work to do. But as he stepped into the elevator he thought only of Montana and how being with her seemed to make everything better. Reality be damned.

      MONTANA STOOD IN THE HOSPITAL parking lot, the one reserved for doctors. She’d found Simon’s car easily enough. It was sleek and expensive, some kind of Mercedes convertible. Her brothers would probably know the make and model and be impressed. All she knew was she wasn’t comfortable leaning against it. She didn’t want to risk scratching it.

      The bag in her hand got heavier by the second. But what concerned her more than the temperature of the takeout was how stupid she was going to feel if she had to wait much longer.

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