“Manon!” Rafe Marshall leaped from the
examining table in time to catch her before she hit the floor. He cradled her
against his chest. “Didn’t mean to scare you,” he whispered. Why did she think
he was dead? He knew news of his accident had been kept quiet because the
police believed he’d been deliberately forced off the road. Who had told her?
Had the informant been the driver of the dark car his rescuer had seen speeding
from the scene?
The citrus aroma of her shampoo
brought memories of years ago when he had buried his face in her sunlit hair
before they made love. His body responded to her presence and the sensual
recollections. Thank heavens the gown was cloth. The urgent rise of his cock
would have punctured paper.
Carefully, he placed her on the table.
He stroked her face with his fingers and brushed his lips over hers. Any anger
remaining from the past vanished beneath the heat of desire.
Manon was beautiful and his. The
knowledge rang true. Even if she wouldn’t admit the strength of the bond, he knew.
How could he explain why he’d taken so long to find her? Would she believe that
any trace of her had vanished in Europe three
years after she’d begun touring with her father?
He stepped back from the table. He had
many things to tell her. Some of the revelations would cause anger, denial and
pain. At this moment, he didn’t know where to begin. She wasn’t the teenage
girl who had loved him. Had her love morphed into hate? He could handle that
but not indifference.
Why hadn’t she answered the letters
he’d written after the amnesia had cleared enough for him to remember her?
Those notes had been sent months after her eighteenth birthday. Had she
received the messages? That was one question he intended to ask. He needed to
clear the past so he could move forward.
He had to tell her about the accident,
the multiple injuries, the surgeries and the months of rehab. He wanted her to
know though he’d left on their prom night, he’d decided to come for her after
her eighteenth birthday.
Those days after the accident had been
filled with frustration, especially after he remembered who he was and why he’d
left Fern Lake. After discharge from rehab, he’d
stayed for several months in his step-grandmother’s house and then her vacation
cottage. No one had known he was in town. The suspicions surrounding the
accident had forced him and Gran to keep news of the accident a secret.
Besides, Manon had left for Europe. He
wondered how she had escaped her father’s plans for her life.
Manon opened her eyes. Blue-gray like
the waters of the lake on a cloudy day. As she sat up, a flush spread across
her face reminding him of a younger Manon.
Rafe watched her slide from the table.
Her dark blue skirt slid over her thighs. He held in a groan of regret. Shame to cover those incredible legs. A
moment of memory of her legs wrapped around his hips flared. He couldn’t
repress a groan.
“Did you hurt yourself catching me?”
“I’m fine. That wasn’t the way I
intended to greet you. I should have had your nurse warn you.”
Manon shrugged. “She must have had
reasons for keeping quiet. She didn’t put your name on the intake sheet. A
warning wouldn’t have helped.”
Rafe stared at the way her chest moved
when she took a deep breath. Was she reacting to his presence the way he
reacted to hers? There was no way to learn. Her lab coat acted as a barrier.
“Told her not to mention my name.” He
looked away. “Maybe next time.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She
reached for the chart. “She’ll hear from me.”
“Don’t blame her. Told her I was an
old friend you haven’t seen for years and wanted to surprise you.”
“You did that. Why are you here?”
He grinned. “After losing track of
your existence, I heard you were in town. I always though you’d found someone
in Europe and married. You disappeared.” He
met her gaze. “Where’s your father?”
“He died in January.” She turned away.
“I stayed on the concert tour for three years. Those were the most miserable of
my life.”
“How did you escape?”
“On my twenty-first birthday, I gained
control of the money my mother left me. I came back to the states and enrolled
in college using her maiden name.” She strode to the counter and opened the
folder. “Enough about me. I would like the nurse practitioner at Employee’s
Health to do your physical and for you to find another physician. I’ll give you
several names.”
“Why?”
“How can you ask that?”
Thoughts of her hands on his body sent
a rush of blood to his groin. “Wouldn’t embarrass me. You’ve seen me in the
raw.”
Her face flamed. Her shoulders
straightened. “That was in the past and will stay there.”
“We need to talk about that time.
There are facts you should know.”
She turned toward the door. “There’s
nothing you can tell me I don’t know.” She glared. “What job are you applying
for? Maintenance?”
Rafe laughed. “I start tomorrow as
CNO, better known as director of nursing. Actually, I’ll be working with Gran
Ruth, uh, Mrs. Patton until September.”
“What?”
Her reaction startled him. “Men can be
nurses just as women can be doctors.”
“I know that. What made you decide to
become a nurse?”
“An accident. Happened the night I
left.” Did she believe he had remained that teenager more in tune with
motorcycles than with people? “Gran plans to retire and she recommended me.
Since I was finishing my doctorate and a consulting job, I had a Skype
interview and was hired.”
Manon whirled. “Haven’t you heard?”
“About what?”
“This morning Mrs. Patton was admitted
with angina. We’re monitoring her condition and ordering tests.”
He slid from the table. “How is she?
Is this an emergency?”
“She’s stable.”
“Why wasn’t I notified? I’m her
emergency contact.” He had been since he’d come to live with her on the day his
mother had left.
Manon frowned. “I was busy stabilizing
her. I’m sure one of the nurses made the call. Emma said all her attempts to
reach you to change your appointment went to voice mail.”
He reached for his jeans and extracted
the phone. “Damn. Forgot to charge. Are you sure she’s stable?”
Manon leaned against the door. “I
wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t. She’ll be undergoing a few tests so we can
determine what’s going on. Why don’t I give you the list of doctors and notify
the nurse practitioner you’ll be in tomorrow for the physical. Get dressed and
I’ll handle matters.”
Though he wanted to see Gran Ruth, her
illness changed matters. Tomorrow he had to be ready to work. He returned to
the table. “I need to be cleared for tomorrow.”
“Check with the nurse practitioner. If
anything she’ll come back to do the exam.”
“Why bother her when I’m here? One
thing I remember is the physical must be completed before starting to work.”
Manon scowled. She closed the door and
walked to the counter. “I’ll do an EKG, the EENT exam, check your blood
pressure and your lungs. If I discover any problems I’ll have to refer you.”
“Whatever works.” Thoughts of having
her near stirred his cock. The flush on her face convinced him she had noticed.
Though she acted like an ice maiden, he believed with luck he could warm her.
Her gray-blue eyes flashed with anger.
“Why did you return?”
“For a job.”
“Is that the only reason or are you back
to show everyone you’ve become a responsible adult?”
“I’m here so Gran can retire and not
worry about what happens at the hospital.”
He had another goal. Until he and
Manon discussed the false reports of his death and his reasons for leaving so
abruptly, he couldn’t tell her why he’d returned. He wanted her in his life. He
wanted to know why she hadn’t answered his letters or if she had even received
them. Though he ached to kiss and pleasure her until she cried his name, he
would wait.
Manon stepped toward the table. “I’ll
make this quick since I think you should head to the hospital. I’m sure Mrs.
Patton is worried about your non-appearance.”
“After the exam I’ll visit Gran and
come back for you.” He smiled. “We’ll ride to Fern Lake
and recapture memories.”
“In your dreams.”
Her scent flowed toward him. He tamped
the urge to kiss her, this time with desire. He would show her his need to
possess her and find the future they deserved. Before that happened, she needed
to know why he’d left. The story might cause anger and denial but he had to
speak.
Manon approached. He braced not to
react to the sensations evoked by her scent of her hands on his skin.
