Reunited With Her Army Doc. Dianne Drake

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ solutions. So, she’d stepped down, returned to what she loved best.

      Eric didn’t understand, though, because he craved leadership and authority. Consequently, they’d argued for days. He’d wanted her to keep the promotion. She hadn’t. Simple as that then, simple as that now. She hated being pushed by him, hated pushing just as much, and she wasn’t about to do that to Caleb. “Anyway, have a good time, Dad. Give Dora my love and tell her we’ll get together soon. I think I’m going to pull some late hours working tonight, so maybe we can figure out something for later this week.”

      Henry scooted across the porch, gave Leanne a quick kiss on the cheek, then practically ran down the steps and out to his truck, like a man in love who was bursting to see his woman. It was kind of cute, she thought, a little envious that no one had ever been that eager to see her. Except Caleb, when they’d been kids. And that didn’t count.

      Leanne spent the next hour in her dad’s home office, staring at a pile of folders, each one containing something she needed to read. Yes, her dad kept his records the old-fashioned way, even though the hospital had upgraded to a nice computer system, and she’d been urging him to do the same at home. “Just read them,” she told herself, as she picked up a particularly fat one, stared at it for a moment, then tossed it back into the pile.

      So, what was bugging her? Being home again? Missing Eric? Caleb’s aloof reaction to her? She didn’t know, didn’t particularly care because, true to her sentiments toward admin work, she wasn’t in the mood to get down to business. Which meant all the paperwork confronting her got shoved aside for the time being, and she went to fix herself a cup of hot tea instead.

      As the tea kettle whistled, Leanne glanced at her watch, saw that it was almost three o’clock, and decided it was time to refocus. Maybe text Eric. Right now, he would have finished up with his two-thirty appointment and be on his way to a half-hour break. Same routine every day. Never varied. In his office, lock the door, Do Not Disturb.

      But this afternoon she wanted to disturb, so she pulled out her phone and texted.

      Video chat coming up. Head to your computer.

      She waited a moment for his response, but it didn’t come, so she tried another text.

      Eric, where are you?

      This time she took a smiling selfie and attached it. But there was still no response. So...

      Eric? You there?

      Two minutes later came a reply.

      Give me ten, babe. Tied up now.

      She waited ten, wondering why he was tied up on what was supposed to be his break, then pulled out her personal laptop, since her dad’s computer had been around since the dinosaurs, and connected to Eric. Her first reaction when his face came on screen—he looked frazzled. Flushed. Hair mussed, a little sweaty. Her second, he worked too hard. “I miss you,” she started.

      “Miss you more,” he responded, looking past the computer camera to what would be the office door. “How’s Marrell?”

      “Small. Am I interrupting something?” she asked, noting how preoccupied he seemed.

      “No. Just wrapping up some work. Ready to give you my undivided attention now. Anyway, you’ll do fine there. Just start counting off the days until you come back to me.” And finally, he gave her that smile, the one she’d always counted on to make her feel better.

      “Easier said than done,” she said, relaxing back into her chair. For whatever reason, she’d been a little edgy going into this chat, but seeing Eric’s smile fixed all of that. “Especially when every day is going to be the same as the one before and the one after.”

      “Can’t be that bad.”

      “It would be better if you were here.” Even though he’d hate the place. Eric had no patience for small towns, small hospitals, small anything.

      “It would be better if you were here,” he countered. “So, tell me what’s happened that’s got you upset? And before you ask how I know, I can see it in your beautiful face. That little worry line between your eyes that pops up occasionally is popping, and it concerns me, Leanne. I don’t like seeing you that way.”

      “I’m fine, Eric. Just a little stressed-out. But dealing with it.” She reached up to feel for that worry line and, sure enough... “I met with an old friend today.”

      “Boyfriend?” Eric asked.

      “No, nothing like that. We were friends when we were younger, that’s all.” Good friends for a while. “When I was five.”

      Eric chuckled. “Let me guess. He’s seen what a beautiful woman you’ve grown into and he wants you back.”

      She shook her head. “Hardly. He’s not very...friendly.”

      “So, what did your unfriendly friend do that’s causing that wrinkle?”

      “Actually, I don’t know.” And she didn’t. It had been a strange meeting. “But I got the impression he wanted to get away from me as fast as he could.”

      “Why would any man in his right mind want to get away from you?”

      “Just preoccupied, I think. He’s heading up our family practice clinic here. He’s also a war vet and a single father. I just...just expected him to be a little more open, or friendly.”

      “Well, we all have our stories, don’t we?” He shifted in his chair, and glanced away from the monitor for a moment. Then back at her. “Our secrets, our excuses. So just allow the man his privacy, babe. I’m sure he needs it, for whatever reason.”

      Eric was right, of course. Whatever had caused Caleb to be the way he was, it was none of her business. In fact, the only thing that was her business was if he’d be suitable to head the hospital. “I asked him to take over here. Dad says he’s qualified, and that would certainly be a great solution for me.”

      He grinned knowingly, arching sexy eyebrows. “It would get you back here to me quicker. I don’t know how I’m going to go three months without you, even if we do get to meet in the middle from time to time, as we’d planned.”

      “Like next weekend?” Their first planned get-together. She’d made reservations at a quaint little bed-and-breakfast, and if things well...

      “Afraid I’ve got to change that. I’m going to cover for one of the doctors here who needs the time off.”

      “But you need the time off, too,” she protested.

      “I do. But this comes with the job.”

      “Well, then, darn the job,” she said, not even trying to hide her disappointment. “What about the weekend after?”

      “Not sure yet. I may have to represent the hospital at a conference, and if I can’t get someone to go in my place, I’ll be running down to Portland to do it myself. But maybe the second weekend of next month?”

      “That’s four weeks, Eric! I thought we were going to do better than that.”

      “Schedules happen, babe. You know that.”

      Yes, СКАЧАТЬ