The Royal Wager: Persuading the Playboy King / Unmasking the Maverick Prince / Daring the Dynamic Sheikh. KRISTI GOLD

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ that were the case, he would have to be more careful from this point forward. He could not allow anyone to believe that he had taken Kate Milner as his lover, even if he longed to do that very thing.

      Two

      An absurd assumption…

      Up to that point, Kate had allowed herself to imagine she was a real, live, honest-to-goodness princess greeting royal subjects with her prince, who’d kept touching her as if he wanted everyone to know she was his.

      King, she reminded herself. A man who was obviously the object of desire to women of all shapes and sizes. A man who could have his pick among any woman in this village, probably in the world. She would never be among them. This wasn’t a fairy tale, and this particular monarch wasn’t interested in common Kate Milner.

      But Dr. Renault had certainly seemed interested, and that consideration made Kate cringe. The guy gave her the creeps.

      None of that mattered. She was here on business, not to worry about some dubious doctor with “I want you” written all over his face. Not to get caught up in some overblown for-ever-after fantasy involving a king who thought the idea of being her lover was absurd.

      Forcing herself into professional mode, Kate followed behind Marc as they made their way to the hospital’s entrance where two guards remained posted. When they entered the building, she was pleasantly surprised by the modern interior. The practically deserted waiting room, filled with contemporary chairs and tables as well as a television suspended from a stand in the corner near the ceiling, was much larger than she’d expected.

      A sign positioned near the elevator written in French and Spanish indicated the location to various units. She knew some Latin, a few basic words in Spanish and only enough French to inquire about restaurants and rest rooms. She had brought along some books and tapes to study. But when treating patients, communication was a must. Maybe she would be making a mistake if she accepted the position, something she would definitely have to consider.

      Kate followed Marc to the reception desk, where he presented a polite smile to the pleasant-looking older woman seated behind a computer.

      A few moments later, an elderly, distinguished man with thinning gray hair pushed through the double doors to the right of the waiting area. He approached them with a wide smile. “Ah, Doctor Milner, I presume. I am Dr. Louis Martine, chief of medicine. We spoke briefly on the phone when you inquired about the position.”

      Kate extended her hand. “A pleasure to finally meet you, Dr. Martine.”

      He inclined his head and looked at her quizzically. “You truly have a unique accent.”

      Obviously her Deep South roots were still firmly wrapped around her tongue. “It’s southern United States.”

      Dr. Martine smiled. “Très charmant to suit a belle femme.”

      “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Kate said.

      “Very charming to suit a beautiful woman,” Marc supplied, followed by an appreciative look that made Kate shiver.

      She felt another blush spreading from her throat to her forehead and tried to will it away. Contacts instead of glasses, a new wardrobe and a good beautician might have changed her outward appearance, but it couldn’t mask the plain, unassuming girl that lived inside. At times she still saw herself as too skinny, too short, too awkward, too lacking in social skills. So what was she doing here, in the presence of royalty?

      Ludicrous. She was a doctor, and she’d worked too darned long to let insecurities derail her hard-earned self-confidence.

      Marc made a sweeping gesture toward the double doors. “Shall we take the tour now?”

      Kate followed Marc and Dr. Martine through a maze of hallways into a place resembling a clinic. This particular waiting room was full of mothers and fathers and children. When she detected the familiar sterile scents, she felt somewhat back in her element and relaxed.

      They strode through another door where an attractive brunette nurse with huge blue eyes and large breasts eyed Marc as if he were today’s special at Bennie’s Diner. Marc ignored her furtive glances and guided Kate inside a small office.

      “This would be your station should you decide to accept the position,” Marc said.

      Kate did a quick visual search and noticed the desk was cluttered with charts and coffee cups. “Whose office is this now?”

      “Jonathan Renault, our current family practitioner,” Dr. Martine said. “I’m afraid you will have to share the space with him until we can set up another office for you.”

      Oh, joy. Kate was not looking forward to that.

      “And I assume you will be seeing to a private office for Dr. Milner immediately, Louis?” Marc stated in a firm tone.

      “Of course, Your Highness,” Martine replied. “It shouldn’t take more than a day or two should she decide to join our staff.”

      That remained to be seen. Kate had already come upon two very important challenges—the language barrier and the beast named Renault. Three if she considered her attraction to Marc.

      Dr. Martine studied the stethoscope dangling from his neck. “Dr. Renault is a good médecin, but I am afraid he is not as interested in his practice and the patients as we would wish him to be.”

      Marc frowned. “I would say that is a grave understatement, Louis.” He gave Kate a cynical look. “Renault is much more interested in the female staff. I have put him on notice that if I receive one more complaint, he will have to return to Paris.”

      “Oh,” Kate said. “What hours does he work?” If luck prevailed, she could avoid him—if she decided to stay.

      “Since the clinic is only open during the day, you would be working together,” Martine said.

      No luck there, Kate thought.

      “If he becomes unmanageable, inform me,” Marc added. “I will take care of him.”

      “I’m sure I can take care of myself,” Kate insisted, mildly insulted that men tended to see women as the weaker sex. She might be small, but she knew where to thrust a knee on a strategic part of the male anatomy.

      A rap came at the door and Nurse Lustful entered. She exchanged a few words with Dr. Martine, who then turned to Marc. “You have a call from the palace, Your Majesty. Line one.”

      After he uncovered the debris from the desk phone, Marc picked up the receiver. He again spoke words Kate couldn’t begin to understand, but his distress was very apparent in his expression. Once he hung up, he turned to her and said, “We must return to the palace immediately. There’s been an incident.”

      A serious incident, Kate presumed. “Should I stay here? Dr. Martine could show me around.”

      “I could possibly need your medical expertise.”

      Kate’s concern increased. “Has someone been hurt?”

      “Not exactly. But it does involve a child.”

СКАЧАТЬ