Love Chronicles
Love Chronicles
Lissa Manley
SHE GOT UNDER HIS SKIN…[And besides, Dr. Connor Forbes didn't want a r partner. Even if Sunny Williams was the most beautiful blonde he'd ever seen, the uptight physician knew Sunny's crazy New Age ideas–and her irresistible lips–would only wreak havoc on his practical, wellordered life.i But with her sweet smile and luxurious deep ^tissue massages, the spunky siren had made it impossible for him to turn her away without risking the wrath of the entire town of Oak Valley…and his traitorous heart.Maybe having Sunny as a partner was just what the doctor ordered…
“Look at that.
It’s beautiful, don’t you think?”
Connor looked up, but he couldn’t see the moon from where he was standing. He bent down and took a quick look. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Sunny stood and beckoned him closer. “Look from over here,” she said, moving toward the porch railing.
He hung back, not sure he should let himself get any closer. Any closer and his body would definitely be involved. “It’s just the moon,” he said, moving a little nearer. “No big deal.”
Sunny took two large steps and gripped his hand. Tugging gently, she said, “Boy do you need to loosen up.” When they reached the railing, she pointed up again, smiling. “There. Now look at that and tell me it’s not beautiful.”
“Beautiful,” he murmured.
“I was talking about the moon.”
“And I was talking about you.”
Dear Reader,
When you’re stuffing the stockings this year remember that Silhouette Romance’s December lineup is the perfect complement to candy canes and chocolate! Remind your loved ones—and yourself—of the power of love.
Open your heart to magic with the third installment of IN A FAIRY TALE WORLD…, the miniseries where matchmaking gets a little help from an enchanted princess. In Her Frog Prince (SR #1746) Shirley Jump provides a rollicking good read with the antics of two opposites who couldn’t be more attracted!
Then meet a couple of heartbreaking cowboys from authors Linda Goodnight and Roxann Delaney. In The Least Likely Groom (SR #1747) Linda Goodnight brings us a risk-taking rodeo man who finds himself the recipient of lots of tender loving care—from one very special nurse! And Roxann Delaney pairs a beauty disguised as an ugly duckling with the man most likely to make her smolder, in The Truth About Plain Jane (SR #1748).
Last but not least, discover the explosive potential of close proximity as a big-city physician works side by side with a small-town beauty. Is it her wacky ideas that drive him crazy—or his sudden desire to make her his? Find out in Love Chronicles (SR #1749) by Lissa Manley.
Watch for more heartwarming titles in the coming year. You don’t want to miss a single one!
Happy reading!
Mavis C. Allen
Associate Senior Editor
Love Chronicles
Lissa Manley
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
This book is dedicated to my fantastic editor,
Patience Smith. Your input and editorial advice have
made my books so much better. Thank you.
Books by Lissa Manley
Silhouette Romance
The Bachelor Chronicles #1665
The Bridal Chronicles #1689
The Baby Chronicles #1705
Love Chronicles #1749
LISSA MANLEY
has been an avid reader of romance since her teens and firmly believes that writing romances with happy endings is her dream job. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her college-sweetheart husband of nineteen years, Kevin, two children, Laura and Sean, and two feisty toy poodles named Lexi and Angel, who run the household and get away with it. She has a degree in business from the University of Oregon, having discovered the joys of writing well after her college years. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, crafting, attending her children’s sporting events and relaxing at the family vacation home on the Oregon coast.
Lissa loves to hear from her readers. She can be reached at P.O. Box 91336, Portland, OR 97291-0336, or at http://lissamanley.com (http://lissamanley.com).
Dear Mr. Commitment,
My husband forgot our anniversary this year. He spends more time in the garage with his precious lawn tools than with me. What can I do to spice up our love life?
Yours sincerely,
Out of it in Oregon
Dear Out of it,
To spice up your love life, put more cayenne in his chili. Not only will he notice you, but it will knock the stuffing out of him! Ha ha ha!
Mr. Commitment
Dear Out of it,
Forget what Mr. Commitment says! To spice up your love life, do one little romantic thing each day to show him how much you love him. In the meantime, sign up for a class, take tap lessons, audition for a town play—find your own “precious lawn tools.”
Best of luck!
Sunny Williams
Contents
Chapter One (#u807d07e3-692a-5b6a-a0eb-43bc8ad63f89)
Chapter Two (#u732b1294-1ae8-5bd9-bb78-36c056e23891)
Chapter Three (#u8c8f641d-5a6b-5763-b50a-d93fdc8e74d3)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
Connor Forbes glanced up from the medical journal he was reading at the receptionist’s counter and looked at the office window.
“What a crock,” he grumbled, staring at the words Mr. Commitment painted in gold letters below his father’s name, Brady Forbes, M.D. Unfortunately, Connor’s name would soon take the place of his father’s and the whole town of Oak Valley, Oregon, would be coming to him not only for their medical problems, which he was more than qualified to handle, but for their relationship problems, too.
He snorted and shook his head, then rubbed his eyes under his wire-rimmed reading glasses. A man who’d failed to keep a girlfriend for more than three months at a time was the last person who should be Mr. Commitment.
He dropped his hands from his eyes and his dire thoughts were cut off when a large, black-and-white blur ran by the office’s floor-to-ceiling window. Drawing his eyebrows together, Connor straightened just as a slender woman dressed in a flowing skirt ran by. She was waving one hand in the air while the other clutched a large tote bag, her sunshine-blond hair streaming out behind her.
Intrigued—nothing remotely exciting ever happened in Oak Valley, and certainly nothing involving lithe, feminine legs and long, silky blond hair—he moved out from behind the desk and headed closer to the window to get a better view.
The blur reappeared across the street. Connor’s eyebrows went up when he saw that the black-and-white thing was a giant dog running at breakneck speed down the boardwalk.
The runaway mutt took a sharp right and leaped off the boardwalk and into the street, his huge paws flopping, his whip-like tail held high in the air. Just about the time Connor thanked heaven traffic was nonexistent in Oak Valley, the dog headed straight toward his office. In one mighty leap, the crazy canine cleared the step up to the boardwalk. Tongue lolling, he took another step and then skidded to a halt just in time to plant his huge front paws on the window facing Connor. He let out a huge woof, his tail wagging, his mouth pressed into what Connor would swear was a doggy smile.
Before Connor could recover from the attack of the humongous smiling dog, the woman with the sunshine-blond hair ran up, her brows knitted together, her pink lips pressed into a frown. She had high cheekbones and what looked like a smattering of freckles on her perfect nose. She wore a long, flowing pink skirt and gauzy white top.
She dropped her bag, grabbed the dog’s collar and pulled him off the window. She bent over, shaking a scolding finger at the delinquent mutt. Didn’t seem to faze the animal in the least. He playfully jumped around, barking, trying to get loose.
After her “scolding,” she hooked the leash on the dog, then straightened. She reached up with a noticeable huff and flipped her sunglasses onto the top of her head, exposing a strip of firm flesh at her waist where her top fell short.
Connor took his glasses off and stared, his blood heating up. She was beautiful. His last relationship, clocking in at a bare three weeks, had ended five months ago. He was due.
She turned his way and saw him, almost giving him a heart attack when her gorgeous topaz-brown gaze hit his. She stared back, the attraction clearly mutual; then her eyes refocused and she gazed at the words on the window. She mouthed the words Mr. Commitment.
He swore the flush on her cheeks deepened as she took in his white lab coat, then gave him a feeble little wave, as if it weren’t okay to swap stares with a doctor. Shaking her head, she pulled the dog to one of the wooden benches that lined the boardwalk, tied him up and then, surprisingly, made her way back toward Connor’s office.
Okay, maybe it was okay to stare at a doctor.
He returned to his spot behind the reception counter. June, his nurse/receptionist who would normally greet visitors, was having a problem getting her grandson to preschool and hadn’t arrived yet.
As the mystery woman opened the door and stepped inside, he got hold of himself and knitted his brow. Who was she? Not a scheduled patient; he knew everyone who had appointments with him this morning. He didn’t recognize her as a local, either. Although he had been in Seattle for a long time. Still, he’d been back for a month and he wouldn’t forget a woman who looked like her. Not in a million years. Besides, if he did know her, he sure wouldn’t be feeling a sharp lack of female companionship in his life right now.
Miss Sunshine stood on the other side of the oak reception counter, smiling, exposing straight white teeth. This close, he could see a there was indeed a light dusting of freckles on her nose, visible even through the pink blush staining her cheeks. Her smile made his blood surge, but it was her big brown eyes, the color of dark topaz, that really knocked him for a loop all over again.
He said the first thing that popped into his head. “What’s up with your dog?”
Her blush deepened. “Oh, I am so sorry. He’s a little…wild.” She bit her lip and glanced toward the smudged window. “I’ll be sure and clean up his paw and nose marks.” Her voice was distinctive—melodious and sexy at the same time.
“Don’t worry about it. Maybe he needs some obedience training,” Connor offered. “A training collar might help.”
She widened her eyes. “You mean a choke collar?” she said, horror studding every syllable. “That would hurt him.”
“A car nailing him would hurt more. Luckily, there’s no traffic in Oak Valley, or he might have been hit.”
She pressed her lips into a fine line. “I have my own ways of training my dog—”
“Ways that work?”
She snapped her mouth closed and glared. “My dog isn’t the issue here.” She stepped forward and grudgingly offered her hand. “You must be Dr. Forbes.” She sounded as if she thought he’d morphed into Dr. Frankenstein.
He took the proffered hand and shook it, liking how smooth and warm and small it felt in his, how its heat spread instantly into his body. “Uh, yes. Yes I am.” He tilted his head sideways and reluctantly released her, noticing her light floral scent in the air, wishing he could lean in close and sniff. He really hoped she wasn’t a patient. It would be unethical to have the sorts of thoughts he was having if he was supposed to treat her. “And you are?”
“Sunny Williams.” She scanned the area, her tight look fading a bit. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve looked forward to coming here, Dr. Forbes. I fully believe my holistic approach to healing will add a wonderful new dimension to your practice.”
He pulled in his chin, surprised by not only how fitting her name was, but also that he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. “Holistic healing? You mean all of that ridiculous, New Age mumbo jumbo?”
She bristled again. “It’s not mumbo jumbo,” she replied, her eyes sparking. “I deal in massage therapy, yoga and aromatherapy.”
“And it will add a new dimension to my practice?” He laughed under his breath, shaking his head. “You’ve got the wrong guy.” He didn’t believe in that kind of garbage. Science was the backbone of his medical practice, not the touchy-feely theories that were making the rounds these days.
She pursed her glossy lips and frowned, creating appealing little lines between her dark blond eyebrows. “I don’t think so.” She put her tote bag on the floor and raised one brow. “You’re Connor Forbes, right?”
He widened his stance, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yes, I am, but I don’t know who you are.”
Mild panic rose in her eyes; then, her face cleared and she grinned. “Oh, that rascal.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Why, your father, of course.” She pushed her hair behind her ear and gave him a funny look. “Who else?”
Connor stared at her, the bottom falling out of his stomach. “My father?”
Nodding, she said, “He met my parents at a marriage counseling workshop, found out I was looking to make a new start, and he invited me to come here and set up shop next door.” She gestured to the empty storefront next to his. “I guess we got off on the wrong foot.” She extended her hand again. “I’m Sunny Williams, your new partner.”
His partner?
Connor stared at her hand, trying to ignore how much he wanted to touch her again. He shoved his glasses back on. Raw anger began to bubble inside of him, along with a burning question he was damn sure going to find the answer to.
What in the heck was his dad up to?
Sunny withdrew her hand when the doctor didn’t shake it. She took a little breath to calm her racing heart, attributing her breathlessness to the fact that Rufus had been his usual naughty self this morning, leading her on a wild goose chase before she’d caught him. To make matters worse, he’d been naughty in front of her new partner, mortifying her in the process. It didn’t help at all that her new partner had never heard of her.
Struggling for calm, she noticed again that Dr. Forbes was one darn good-looking man, even with that stunned I-didn’t-know-I-had-a-partner expression on his handsome face. His deep green eyes, disheveled, dark brown hair and tall, muscular body made him look like her male fantasy come to life. She even liked his glasses, which gave him a scholarly air, and his rumpled tan corduroy trousers and light blue button-down cotton shirt looked appealing on him.
Then he’d opened his mouth. Choke collar! Ridiculous, New Age mumbo jumbo indeed!
But she’d have to set aside her dislike for the sake of her career goals. Oak Valley was her fresh start, a new chance to make a go of it with her holistic therapy practice. She’d failed in San Francisco. A lot. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—fail again. Seeing the disappointment in her parents’ eyes—again—after their own wild success would be too much to bear.
Besides, until she’d encountered the disagreeable doctor, she’d felt nothing but positive vibes from Oak Valley. This had to be the place. Her thirtieth birthday was coming up fast. And Robbie was already married. She needed an anchor, and she hoped she’d find one here in Oak Valley.
The doctor finally spoke. “Look, I don’t know what kind of arrangement you made with my father, but I’m not in the market for a partner. Especially not one into holistic healing.” He rolled his eyes. “What was he thinking, anyway?”
She clenched her jaw, her hopes sliding; then she shoved her chin in the air, refusing to let this man mess up her dream. “He was looking to add a fresh dimension to this practice, which it looks like you need.” She crossed her arms over her chest and drilled him with a hard look. “What have you got against what I do?”
He pierced her with his gaze. “What I do is based on science, period. Anything else is of no use to me.”
She stepped forward, annoyed by his negative, judgmental attitude. She pointed at him. “So let me get this straight. You think what I do is totally useless?”
He nodded without hesitation. “Pretty much.”
She told herself she shouldn’t be surprised. She’d known attitudes would be different outside of San Francisco. But she’d come here with Dr. Brady Forbes’s blessing and hadn’t expected to run into such opposition from his son.
Even though she wanted to scream at the stubborn doctor, she tried to focus on the positive. She managed a tight little smile. “Well, then I guess I’ll just have to change your mind, won’t I?”
He didn’t smile back. “I’m afraid that’s a waste of time, Ms. Williams,” he said, taking off his glasses. “I have no intention of having you, or anybody else, as my partner. I’m sorry you came all this way to find that out, but I’m the Dr. Forbes in charge now, not my father, and I wasn’t in on this deal. I don’t feel obligated to honor it.”
Sunny stared at him, wishing he didn’t attract her so much on the outside when, on the inside, where it really mattered, he was a walking billboard for the uptight, repressed and uninformed.
She switched gears to the really bad news. Her dream of starting over and finally succeeding in business in this wonderful little town was suddenly in jeopardy.
This infuriating man was refusing to work with her. He probably didn’t have a clue about working with anyone but himself, about nurturing a relationship, business or otherwise.
She remembered something his father had told her, and recalled the words she’d seen painted on the window of this office when she’d pulled Rufus off the glass. A thought occurred to her. She gazed speculatively at the doctor, grimly holding her frustration at bay in favor of finding a way to make this work. She needed this job, needed to live in this town and be married by her thirtieth birthday, needed to succeed. “So are you the new Mr. Commitment?”
He rolled his eyes and nodded, then let out a disgusted sound. “Yeah.”
She raised a brow, pretty sure she was now coming at this problem from the right angle. “You don’t sound too happy about that.”
“I’m a medical doctor, not a relationship counselor.”
“So you don’t think you’re qualified? Is that it?” she pressed, leaning closer, catching a vague whiff of his clean, soapy scent. Her breath caught in her throat.
He scowled at her. “What’s with all the questions?”
“Hear me out,” she said, holding out a hand. “You don’t think you’re qualified to be a relationship counselor, right?”
He lifted a broad shoulder. “I guess you could say that. I’m the last person who should be helping people mend their relationships.” Turning away, he opened a fat file on the counter. “My track record stinks,” he muttered under his breath.
Sunny assumed he was talking about his relationships. No surprise there. The man appeared to have the warmth of a rock and not a compassionate bone in his body. Luckily, she found that information about his past fascinating—and useful, exactly the ammunition she needed.
Unable to corral her need to understand her adversary, she asked, “Why are you here if you’re so unqualified to be Mr. Commitment? Why not take a job somewhere else?”
He swung his darkening gaze her way. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I agreed to come home and take over for my dad years ago, back when Mr. Commitment didn’t exist. I had no idea that I’d be required to hold my patients’ hands regarding their relationship issues. Believe me, if I’d had any idea, I never would have agreed.”
“Then you need me.”
He crossed his arms across his broad chest again. “Oh, really?” he said, his voice rife with amusement.
She gave a quick nod, unwilling to let his bad attitude back her down. “Really. I have a knack for helping people with problems. Maybe we should make a deal—my relationship expertise in exchange for a partnership.”
He let out a heavy breath and abruptly flipped the file on the counter closed. “No deal, Ms. Williams. I don’t need help with Mr. Commitment that badly.” He straightened and inclined his head. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a patient in a few minutes.” With that, he exited the waiting room through a door in back of the counter, leaving Sunny alone.
And desperate. She’d been counting on this job to prove to herself, and to her parents, that she could make a success doing what she loved. Not to mention that she was dead broke. She needed this job for so many reasons, and she really wanted to stay in Oak Valley and settle down.
The need for the commitment and stability she’d never had growing up still burned inside of her like a smoldering fire, impossible to put out or ignore.
Besides, a pact was a pact.
But one man had torn up her dreams with his highly questionable bedside manner—what a grump!—and my-way-or-the-highway beliefs about healing. Uptight Connor Forbes claimed he didn’t have any use for a partner.
A tight knot formed in her chest. She had to think of a way to change his mind.
Maybe a cup of herbal tea and a bagel were what she needed to maintain an even keel during this unexpected, upsetting crisis. It was a cool morning, even though the sun was shining. Rufus would be fine if she put him in the van for an hour or so, especially since she’d parked in the shade.
With a sigh, she picked up her bag and headed out the door, hoping Oak Valley had a restaurant open for breakfast. She simply needed time to figure out how to deal with Doctor Disagreeable’s rejection.
She laughed humorlessly under her breath, feeling the fool. Her reliable instincts told her there wasn’t enough herbal tea in the world to help her change the stubborn, absolutely annoying man’s mind.
Talk about an awkward situation, Connor thought. Gorgeous female massage therapist/yoga instructor unexpectedly shows up at his father’s behest, expecting to be Connor’s partner, nosing her way into his business. He might want to be her partner in other things—she’d smelled, and looked, really good—and a little feminine companionship sounded great.
But his business partner? No way. Even though he wasn’t the type of guy who wanted to make a pretty girl sad, he’d find a way to live with that.
He shook his head and sat down behind his oak desk. Damn his father for arranging something so outrageous without his approval. It was bad enough Dad was demanding that Connor take the dubious title of Mr. Commitment. Now he was making business deals with medically unqualified people. What was the old guy thinking?
Connor shoved his reading glasses in his lab coat pocket and pushed his irritation with his dad aside in favor of the controlled, professional attitude he always strived for when he was with patients. He proceeded with his day and saw two patients, Margery Leventhal, who had vague stomach complaints that turned out to be simple gas, and Jeb Hornsby, whose gout was acting up.
Connor then took his usual morning break and strolled down the boardwalk to Luella’s Diner for a doughnut and coffee. On the way, he lifted a hand to Lester Parsons and Ozzie Peterson, two retirees who were sitting at their usual morning spot on a bench in front of Jeremiah’s Barber Shop across the street. He smiled at Abigail McNeil, out walking her basset hound, and greeted Frank Osbourne, the local contractor, who was loading his pickup with building supplies outside Truman’s Hardware Store.
Connor shook his head. A man couldn’t burp in Oak Valley without the whole town knowing it. After living in a big city like Seattle, he’d expected to feel stifled here, and that had proven true. He liked the people of Oak Valley well enough, but everyone had always bugged him to loosen up. If things worked out the way he’d planned, he wouldn’t have to stay here forever.
A few minutes later, Connor stepped into Luella’s, enjoying the usual aroma of sizzling bacon, fresh brewed coffee and fried doughnuts. Luella’s place had looked the same since Connor was a kid and his parents had brought him and his siblings here for Sunday breakfast. The quaint eatery boasted rustic tables and booths with high backs, white paper placemats, red-and-white checked curtains and a long counter with worn wooden stools.
As she did every day, Luella’s daughter, Mary-Jean, waved to him from the kitchen, visible through the cutout wall behind the counter. He smiled halfway and waved back. She was always so friendly to him. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why—he had said only a handful of words to her.
He noticed Steve McCarthy, an old high school classmate, sitting in a back booth, enjoying a cup of coffee with his sister, Julie, who’d married Bud Whitesell, the owner of the local garage. Connor waved at them and then went to sit in the third booth from the door, his usual spot. He looked forward to a cup of hot coffee and a sinfully fattening doughnut. He’d think about anything but Sunny Williams.
Just as that idea ran through his brain, he saw the subject of his thoughts sitting in his booth, a cup of tea and a half-eaten bagel in front of her, talking animatedly to, of all people, his own sister, Jennifer.
He raised his brows. Sunny had certainly made friends quickly. Obviously, she was the outgoing, friendly type. She would probably fit in with his sociable family perfectly. He gritted his teeth.
Despite the fact that he was irritated she was in his booth, he couldn’t help but appreciate her beautiful skin, delicate bone structure and flashing brown eyes all over again. And her shiny pink lips, pulled into a broad, appealing smile, exposing straight, white teeth, made his insides burn.
He didn’t want his insides burning, knew from experience what kind of failure that always brought about, despite his need to socialize with someone of the female persuasion who wasn’t his mother or his sister. He clenched his jaw tighter, ready to cut out.
Jenny noticed him, smiled and spoke up. “Hey, Connor, have you met Sunny?” She turned to Sunny and gestured to Connor. “This is my brother, Connor.”
Sunny looked up and her smile faded. “Oh, we’ve already met.”
He inclined his head. “Yes, we have, haven’t we?”
Jenny frowned and looked at Sunny. “Didn’t you say you just arrived in town?”
“I did.” Sunny took a sip of tea. “I stopped by your brother’s office first thing.” She put her tea down, smiled and drilled him with her amber-shaded gaze. “We had business, didn’t we, Dr. Forbes?”
He nodded, betting she was going to go into how he’d turned down her bid to be his partner to Jenny, whose mission in life was to take over.
Jennifer looked at him, one blond brow raised. “What kind of business, Connor?” She glanced back at Sunny. “You’re not sick, are you?”
Sunny shook her head. “No, I’m not.”
“Then what…?” Jenny asked, looking back and forth between them.
To her credit, Sunny remained silent, her gaze now on her teacup, when she could have busted him to his sister. He forced out a breath. He might as well come clean. Jenny would ferret out the truth eventually, and would definitely hear about it from their dad. Besides, he’d done the right thing. Sunny’s treatment methods had no place in his world. She was a temptation he wanted to avoid. No way was he changing his mind.
Connor sat down next to Jenny. “Dad brought Sunny here to be my partner. I vetoed the idea,” he said, dumping out the whole story in a few words. He braced himself, waiting for Jenny’s outrage.
She gasped and widened her eyes. “You did what?” she said, delivering the expected reaction right on cue. She was so predictable, even to someone like him, who, according to his second-to-last girlfriend, was horribly left-brained and didn’t clue into people’s personalities very well.
“I said no,” he reiterated, wanting this whole thing over. “End of story.”
“But why?” Jenny asked, her voice rife with amazed puzzlement. “Sunny’s just what you need, brother.”
He ignored the need Sunny could help him with and shook his head. “I know what I need, and she’s not it.” He gazed at Sunny. “It’s nothing personal. I just don’t want a partner.”
Sunny stared back, nodding. “Oh, so when you said that everything you do is based on science, and anything else is of no use to you, you didn’t mean for me to take it personally?” She lobbed him a sweet-edged smile. “I would hate to misunderstand you, Dr. Forbes.”
“Connor!” Jenny said, her hazel eyes full of sisterly horror. “Tell me you didn’t say that.”
Both women stared at him; if looks could kill, he’d be keeling over dead. What was the big deal? “Look, I based my decision on concrete, practical reasoning,” he said, explaining his rationale. “I simply meant that my practice is based on science, not massage or yoga, and that Sunny and I wouldn’t be compatible working partners. Dad arranged this without my knowledge and since I’m in charge now, I felt I had the right to make that decision.”
They were silent for a few moments, and then Jenny gave a long-suffering sigh and skewered him with a hard gaze. “You’re so full of it, Connor. The truth is, you’re a stick-in-the-mud from way back. The thought of doing something differently, of straying one millimeter from your moldy science textbooks and boring medical journals scares the pants off of you.”
He mentally rolled his eyes. His family had been trying to loosen him up for years, Jenny especially. She just didn’t understand that he was his own man and was nothing like her or anyone else in his family.
While he sat there wondering why he needed to explain something so simple, Sunny reached over and touched his forearm, sending sparks racing up his arm. She chimed in with, “Don’t worry, Dr. Forbes. I’m sure you look very, very good with no pants.”
Jenny and Sunny laughed and Connor raised his brows at Sunny. Wow. She was something, able to fling the horse manure right back at him. Oddly, he liked that.
So what? He might appreciate her spunk, but he wasn’t about to let her know it, or let it matter. She stared back, a becoming blush spreading across her cheeks. Then her eyes popped wide and she jerked her hand back, knocking Jenny’s orange juice over.
Right onto his lap.
He let out a colorful oath. Sunny jumped up and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, oh, I’m so sorry.” She picked up a napkin, obviously intending to blot up the mess.
She stopped, her hand holding the napkin hovering over his juice-saturated lap. “Uh, well…” She blushed and waved the napkin. “I…guess you better take care of that.” She shoved the napkin at him. “I’m so sorry. I’m not usually the clumsy sort.”
He took the napkin, her blush conjuring up all kinds of thoughts he shouldn’t be having, and dabbed at his lap. “Yeah, I’ll bet.” He heard a snorting sound and swung his gaze to Jenny, who was holding a hand over her mouth, trying to keep her laugh contained and doing a bad job of it.
Sunny sat down, her cheeks blazing pink, her pretty brown eyes reflecting her obvious embarrassment. Man, her gorgeous face would be tough to forget.
But he would. He didn’t need a partner and he certainly didn’t need to fail at another relationship, although a no-strings-attached date sounded good…
Before the conversation started up again, Julie approached the table, her first pregnancy just beginning to show. “Uh, Connor, could I talk to you for a moment?”
He nodded, hiding his wet lap with his napkin. “Sure, Julie, what’s up? The baby okay?”
“Yeah, he’s just fine,” she said, rubbing a hand over her burgeoning belly. “I was needing to talk to Mr. Commitment.”
Oh, man. Not that. “Uh, well, Julie—”
“The thing is, Bud works all day, sometimes late, and when he comes home, all he wants to do is crash in front of the TV, watching sports. I’m kind of lonely, Doc. What do you suggest?”
He sat and thought for a moment, and incredibly, the answer to her problem was easy to figure out. “That sounds like nothing a good book wouldn’t solve, Julie.”
She stared at him, her chin pulled in. “You think?”
“I’m sure of it,” he said, patting her hand. “Reading will keep you entertained for hours.” Maybe this Mr. Commitment stuff wouldn’t be so hard after all.
She wandered off, shaking her head.
When he looked at Jenny and Sunny, both were sporting dropped jaws and wide eyes. “What?” he asked.
Jenny gave him a long-suffering look and said, “You’re clueless and hopeless.” She then stood and gestured with a crook of her hand for Sunny to follow. “Come on, Sunny. My brother isn’t the only one with some say-so around here.” She gave him a saccharine smile. “Thanks for picking up the tab.”
Connor stood and Sunny slid out of the booth, smiling, though it seemed forced. “Thanks for everything, Dr. Forbes.”
Meaning, thanks for nothing. He had to give her credit. She obviously had a knack for holding her own. One more thing to like. One more reason to forget her.
Jenny called Sunny from the door of the diner. Sunny gave him a sheepish look, her plump bottom lip clamped between her teeth. “I gotta go.” She glanced down at his lap. “Do, uh, you have that taken care of?” She snapped her gaze back up, her face coloring again. “The juice spill, I mean.”
Seeing her so flustered forced a smile. “It’s fine, nothing that won’t dry.”
She nodded, moving away. “Oh, good.” She waved. “Bye.”
He was left standing next to the booth alone, Sunny’s floral scent belatedly washing over him after she’d walked by. Despite the coolness of the spilled juice, heat flared down low.
He was tempted to turn around and watch her walk away so he could enjoy the sight of her slim but curvy hips moving beneath her skirt and her toned calves flexing as she walked.
Instead, he sat and took a swig of strong, hot coffee, an irritating helplessness washing over him. Just his damn luck Sunny seemed like just the woman to put an end to his desire for some casual female companionship.
Just as bad, Sunny had met Jenny. His younger sister was as tenacious as a mule when she felt someone had been treated unfairly.
Who would have guessed that Sunny would be the type of gal who would meet a total stranger and strike up a sudden friendship, all in the space of an hour? More than likely, she would be able to help him with Mr. Commitment. She clearly had an outgoing, friendly, approachable personality, just like Jenny.
Bad combination, those two. Jenny, the fired-up defender of the innocent working with Sunny, her name the perfect description of her personality. Even when she’d slammed him, it had come out in a way that had amused everybody, even him. And no other woman had looked so good after spilling juice all over him.
Yeah, Sunny was appealing in so many ways, making her dangerous. And he had a sneaking suspicion that with Jenny and Sunny working together, the situation would more than likely do what he hated—spin out of his control and out of the realm of practicality.
And right into the realm of intense physical—and, more dangerously, emotional—attraction.
And that was the last place he would ever let himself go.
Chapter Two
Connor pushed his dark thoughts aside, ignored his wet, orange juice–saturated lap, chomped on his doughnut and drank his coffee. He reiterated to himself why he’d made the right decision, the practical one for his practice.
Just as he finished the doughnut, Steve approached his booth. “Hey, Doc. How you doing?”
Connor inclined his head. “All right.” He and Steve had gone through school together and had shared an interest in science. Steve had combined his interest in the scientific world with his love of animals and had become a veterinarian.
Steve smiled. “Saw your sister here a few minutes ago.”
Connor nodded and took a sip of coffee. “That was her.”
“Who was that gorgeous gal with her?” Steve asked, his brown eyes alight with interest. “Haven’t seen her around before.”
Connor gave Steve a hard glance. “Sunny Williams,” he said, not particularly hot on going into details. The whole town knew Steve was in the market for a wife.
Steve plunked down across from him. “Is she living in Oak Valley, or just visiting?”
“Just visiting.” Connor was pretty sure Sunny would leave now that she didn’t have a job. He had to admit, as an appreciative, red-blooded male, part of him was a bit disappointed a gorgeous woman like Sunny wasn’t going to be hanging around.
“Too bad,” Steve said, shaking his head. “Wouldn’t mind getting to know her.”
Surprisingly, the thought of Steve getting to know Sunny bothered Connor. Irritated that he was bothered at all, he finished his coffee, stood and reached for the tab. “Don’t think you’ll have the chance, bud. She won’t be here for long.”
He said goodbye, hiding his splotched pants as best he could, then paid the bill at the front counter and left. As he walked up the boardwalk, the late morning sun warm on his back, he told himself he’d done the right thing, even though his dad would probably come unglued. That couldn’t be helped. Despite his father’s inevitable anger and disappointment, Connor’s decision would stand.
Confident he’d done the right thing, he walked back to his office. When he arrived, his next patient, ten-year-old Danny Jones, was waiting. Connor quickly donned his lab coat to hide his damp clothes, then tended to Danny.
Danny had recently broken his arm playing baseball, and Connor wanted to make sure the healing process was on track. Danny’s parents had been killed in a car accident two years ago, and he’d come to Oak Valley to live with his widowed grandmother, Edith Largo, a long-time resident. Connor had spent a lot of time with Danny, trying to fill in here and there to give Edith a break and a guy for the kid to play ball with.
Pleased by Danny’s rate of recovery, Connor walked him to the waiting room, noting his dad, the elder Dr. Forbes, sat in the waiting room, shooting the breeze with June and Edith.
Damn. Obviously Jenny and Sunny had called in the cavalry. His dad looked at him expectantly. Connor clenched his hands.
Smiling to cover up the tension suddenly roiling around the room, Connor conferred with Edith. He then made an appointment in two weeks for Danny’s cast to be removed and walked him and Edith to the door.
When they were gone, his dad stood, his perennial red baseball cap in his hand. “I expected you’d have a special visitor by now.”
Connor paused, gathering his patience together, then crossed his arms over his chest. “So I suppose Sunny and Jenny came to see you.”
His dad looked puzzled. “No. But does that mean Sunny’s here? Have you had a chance to meet?”
Major surprise. So the threatening twosome hadn’t gone running to his dad as he’d assumed. Score one small point for Sunny. “Sunny came here, and then I saw her and Jenny at Luella’s half an hour ago, but I don’t know where they went after that.”
June piped in. “She and Jenny came by, got Sunny’s dog out of her van and took him for a walk.”
His dad stepped forward, his hazel eyes questioning. “I expected that she’d be next door getting organized. Is she coming back later?”
“No, because I have no intention of being her partner. The deal is off.” He stared at his dad, scowling. “Really, Dad, you should have consulted me before you brought her on. You know how I feel about alternative medicine.”
His dad’s eyes hardened. “Yes, I do, which is one of the reasons I asked her to come here.” His dad pointed at him. “You need an overhaul, my boy.”
He stared at his dad, minutely shaking his head. Connor had become a doctor to prove to his dad that they shared a unique connection. But catering to the desire to forge a bond with his father wasn’t going to happen this time. His dad had stepped over the line.
He gave his dad a stony look and said, “Is there anything else?”
His dad stepped up to the counter and pounded his fist on it. “Dammit, Connor, you’re not going to do your usual number and just walk away when things get sticky. I expect you to go along with this.”
Connor gritted his teeth, but before he could say “Forget it,” his dad continued. “And I’ll throw this out as bait. Your mother is driving me crazy at home now that I’m retired. I love her, but I’m going nuts with all of her honey-do’s. If you do this for me and allow Sunny to be your partner for say…a three-month trial period, I’ll reconsider full-time retirement after that.”
Connor raised his brows. He had to give the old man some credit. He’d thrown out a tempting deal, especially since what Connor really wanted to do—pursue a career in medical research and leave Oak Valley behind—would be that much easier to accomplish if his dad was around to help out.
Granted, he hadn’t figured out how he could be a medical researcher and still fulfill his long-ago promise to his parents to permanently take over for his dad in exchange for them putting him through med school. He hadn’t even told them about his dream of a different career.
He let out a heavy breath. Okay, he’d work on that and come up with something. Maybe he’d even be able to convince his dad to go back to being Mr. Commitment, too. One more reason to take him up on the deal.
True, Connor would have to put up with Sunny’s hokey massage business and yoga. He could take that for three months, couldn’t he?
Maybe as his working partner. But as a sexy, tempting woman he’d have to keep his hands off of? He swallowed. Suddenly, three months seemed like a lifetime.
He ignored that thought. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
His dad smiled. “I knew you’d see reason. I promise you won’t regret your decision. Sunny is a wonderful, charming woman who will be a terrific addition to this office.” He moved toward the door. “Junie tells me you don’t have another patient for over an hour. Instead of stuffing your nose in some medical journal, why don’t you go find Sunny and give her the good news?” He waved, plopped his hat on his head and walked out.
Connor stared at the door and then rubbed his neck, trying to relieve the perpetual crick there. Suddenly, a massage by the delectable Miss Sunshine sounded pretty good.
He swung around, tightening his jaw. She was getting to him already.
Too bad. He’d agreed to the deal. He’d just have to be sure to stick to his vow to keep his thoughts where they belonged—anywhere but on beautiful Sunny Williams. He wasn’t going to be tempted into certain romantic failure again.
Get real, Forbes. He had a bad feeling that keeping his mind off of brown-eyed Sunny wasn’t going to be easy. She turned him on in a major way and seemed pretty nice, too, even when she was spitting fire.
Damn, he hoped he wouldn’t regret agreeing to his dad’s harebrained deal.
Sunny sat on a quaint, wrought-iron bench in the park, waiting for Rufus to come back with the tennis ball she’d thrown. She was determined to chill out and enjoy the sunny, peaceful morning and picturesque, grassy little park, located on the edge of town, while she figured out what to do next. Jenny had left to pick up her daughter at her parents’ house with a promise not to talk to her dad, leaving Sunny alone with her thoughts.
Despite her efforts to calm down and simply enjoy her surroundings, frustratingly dire thoughts—centering around one stubborn, irritating doctor—swamped her.
After so many business and romantic flops, she’d been so excited about moving here, making a new start and proving to herself that she wasn’t a total failure. This might be her last chance to fulfill her pact with Robbie and secure the commitment they’d craved as footloose best friends being raised in a commune.
Commitment. Inevitably, her thoughts swung to her parents. Sunny had always felt vulnerable since her parents had never married, worried that they didn’t love each other enough to make it official, that they would split up. It hadn’t helped that they had separated three times during her childhood. Even though she’d never suspected her parents had been unfaithful, because of their upsetting separations, when she was ten, she swore that she would eventually find a good man, fall in love and commit, creating the rooted environment that had always been missing in her life.
That vow had been cemented in stone when she and Robbie had made their promise to marry each other, fueled by her need for security and stability, for a comforting anchor, a need that lived on inside of her to this day.
Consequently, she’d been thrilled when the elder Dr. Forbes had made her the offer to come to Oak Valley. Build a new business. Find the ideal, steadfast man to commit to, fulfill the pact and, hopefully, heal the wound Robbie had created by marrying someone else. Create a secure, small-town life. It all had seemed so wonderfully picture-perfect.
Until this morning. Until Connor Forbes had entered the picture and put an ugly blotch on what was to have been her perfect life.
Rufus brought the ball back, wagging his spotted tail. He dropped it and she threw it again. He ran off, chasing the thing down. The goofy dog would play this game forever if she let him.
Her thoughts careened back to her problems. So, she’d run into one big, handsome, annoying roadblock. How could she prove to him that what she did had worth—admittedly not as a total replacement for his brand of traditional medicine, but as a complement? She’d always subscribed to the notion, Heal the Heart, Heal the Body,” believing that maintaining and encouraging a peaceful inner self would help foster a healthy outer self, the body. How in the world was she going to convince Connor to reconsider, to give her methods a chance to fill in the blanks his methods often left?
Before she could answer her own question, a male voice spoke from behind her. “Your dog’s a horse.”
Her tummy flip-flopped. Taking a deep breath, she turned and saw Connor standing in back of her, his bulging arms folded across his broad chest. His dark hair glinted in the sun like warm chocolate and his green eyes looked like dark emeralds. A ripple of feminine awareness skated up her spine. Why did he look so darned good, his masculine appeal so blatantly obvious?
Cutting off her mental list of his positive traits, she forced herself to remember how he’d heartlessly cut her loose. Her hands clenched, she turned back and watched Rufus bound clumsily back with his beloved tennis ball in his mouth. “Great Dane. Definitely a dog.”
Rufus spotted Connor and immediately dropped the ball, woofed and ran over to him, his tail swinging back and forth like a giant whip.
Obviously unintimidated by Rufus’s size, Connor smiled and said, “Hey, big guy,” holding out his hand so Rufus could sniff it. Then Connor began to gently pet the big lug. Rufus whined, then proceeded to lie down and roll onto his back. Connor obliged him and squatted and rubbed the dog’s good-sized belly, grudgingly scoring major points in Sunny’s book.
Connor looked up and smiled. “He’s just a big baby, isn’t he?”
She nodded, chuckling despite her negative mood. “You’ve got that right. He’s huge, but doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. Right, Rufus?”
Rufus didn’t acknowledge her, just lay there, his legs splayed, soaking up his first tummy rub of the day. Connor undoubtedly had no idea that he’d made a friend for life. Rufus wasn’t nearly picky enough about whom he associated with.
A long silence stretched out, and Sunny’s curiosity got the best of her. “So, why are you here? You made it pretty clear you wanted nothing to do with me. Need another glass of juice spilled on you?”
Connor rose and ran a hand through his hair. He moved toward her, what looked like forced contrition showing in his eyes. “Sorry about what I said. I don’t always express myself very well.”
She hoisted up a brow. “Oh, I think you got your point across pretty well.”
He sat down next to her and his soapy, male scent washed over her, raising her awareness level a notch.
“My whole family tells me I’m tactless,” he said, seemingly without regret. “I prefer to call it being refreshingly direct.”
She pulled in her chin and said, “Refreshing?” She laughed under her breath and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. That’s a good one.”
“Why don’t you tell me how you really feel,” he said, sarcasm dripping from every word.
“Okay,” she said, taking him up on his offer even though she was sure he wasn’t really interested in her feelings. “Actually, I’d like to stomp on your head. You’ve ruined my plans.” She took the ball from Rufus and hurled it across the grass. “I was sitting here trying to figure out how to change such a stubborn, grouchy man’s mind.”
“Don’t hold back, now.”
She stared at him. “Trust me. I won’t.”
“I can see that,” he said dryly. “Actually, grumpiness aside, you have a good plan, trying to change my mind. Very practical.”
“And are you always practical, Dr. Forbes? You strike me as the type who tries to be sensible at all times.” Sensible and totally repressed: boy, did he need to loosen up.
“I try to be.” He angled his body toward her and rested his left elbow on the back of the bench, bringing himself slightly closer. He pierced her with his eyes. “Is that bad?”
She shifted on the hard bench again and fiddled with the ends of her hair, uneasy with his nearness and how aware she was of his heat and scent. What was wrong with her, letting his physical appeal get to her? She didn’t even like the man. “Uh, well, not always, although sometimes it’s better to go with your gut instincts rather than what’s practical. A person’s inner voice is important, don’t you think?”
He inclined his head. “I guess. It’s been proven that instincts have helped man survive for thousands of years.”
She wanted to snort. Of course, he’d twisted her beliefs around so that they reeked of scientific fact rather than what he simply knew, deep down inside. He was obviously so out of touch with himself.
Ignoring how much she’d like to help him with that particular problem—boy, would she like to get a hold of his broad, well-muscled shoulders and work all of his tense, uptightness right out of his body—she focused instead on the question that was still gnawing at her.
“So, why did you come find me?” she asked, trying to sound casual. “I figured our business was finished.”
Rufus ran up, flopped down next to Connor and gazed up adoringly at him. Connor obliged and patted his head. “I’ve reconsidered.” He turned and held out his hand, his eyes boring into hers. “How about you shake hands with your new partner?”
Sunny widened her eyes, taken totally off guard by his unexpected offer. She automatically put her hand in his warm grip, liking the way his large hand engulfed hers. “You’ve changed your mind?” she asked, doubt spilling over. She quickly pulled free of his compelling touch to stay in control.
He nodded and then quickly looked away, his gaze focused across the park. “I guess I have.”
His inability to meet her eyes set off alarms in her head. “Why?”
“Change of heart,” he said, casually—too casually—lifting one broad shoulder.
She stared at him, her reliable intuition kicking into gear. She frowned slightly. “Really? An hour ago you were very clear about what you thought about partnering with me, and it wasn’t good.” She narrowed her gaze. “What’s going on?”
He shook his head. “I guess I can’t fool you.” He inclined his head. “All right, I’ll come clean. My dad changed my mind.”
She gave a humorless laugh, doing a bad job of covering up the ache building inside of her. “Ah, I should have known your change of heart was really just your father forcing you to honor the deal.” She pressed her lips together and glared at him. “So what did he offer you to cooperate?”
“He offered to come out of retirement part-time.”
She pulled her brows together. “Okay. But how does that help you, except for cutting down on your work load?”
“I want to get into medical research. That’ll be easier to do if he’s helping me out. He also offered a trial period. Of three months.”
She glared at him. “The heart of the matter at last. You’re probably thinking you’ll just bide your time for three months, then get rid of me, right?”
His stony silence gave her the answer.
With anger building in her—she felt like stomping on his head again—she quickly rose and began pacing before he could reply. “So you’re only doing this because of your dad’s offer rather than because of some newfound respect for what I do, right?”
He shrugged. “Hey, I have an agenda, just like you do. This will help me achieve it.”
Well, she had to give him credit for being honest, but that was as generous as she’d be. His attitude cut deep. Her wounded pride reared up, along with a healthy dose of her usual idealism. Partnering with a man with no respect for her methods would be wrong—and counterproductive. She’d be working under a cloud of contempt that would surely overwhelm her eventually. No, she couldn’t—wouldn’t—work under those uncertain, pride-shredding circumstances, no matter how desperate she was to finally settle into a successful career.
She stared at him. “Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. You have no respect for what I do, no appreciation for any medical treatment not based in your kind of science. You only want to use me to help you further your own goals. I don’t think you’re the partner I’m looking for.” She picked up Rufus’s leash and hooked it to his collar, then gave a stunned-looking Connor a sweet, totally fake smile. “Goodbye.”
Connor stood and put a hand on her arm. “Sunny, wait—”
Rufus’s hysterical barking cut him off. Before Sunny could react, Rufus started running in circles while he barked at a squirrel running up the trunk of a nearby tree. His leash wrapped around Connor’s legs and then Sunny’s, round and round, pulling them closer and closer together.
“Rufus, stop!” she hollered. But it was too late to get the leash off her wrist and Rufus was too strong and too rambunctious. She and Connor were quickly bound together by the tangled leash, his big body pressed intimately up against hers.
Rufus quit barking and the leash went slack. The silly dog whined, looking everywhere for that darn squirrel.
Doing nothing to extricate himself, Connor looked down at Sunny, his darkening gaze zeroing in on her, and said, “Your dog needs a firmer hand.”
Sunny stared up at him, stunned into inaction, heat building inside, almost drowning in his gorgeous green eyes. She could only nod, wishing in some far, foolish corner of her brain that he would kiss her.
Oh, my stars! He must have had the same idea. A moment later, he lowered his head, bringing his hands to her shoulders and his lips to within inches of hers. “Although I guess there are some advantages to having a naughty dog, right?” He moved closer still, his breath washing over her, his male heat searing her. Her heart raced and her breath stalled in her throat. He dropped his head—
Rufus yanked on the leash, hard, barking frantically again. In an instant, she and Connor went from almost kissing to falling over like a giant, leash-wrapped felled tree. Sunny squealed and Connor let out a hearty “Whoa!”
Fortunately for Sunny, but not for Connor, he landed on the bottom with an oof, cushioning her fall. She came to rest on top of him, her legs entangled with his, her body plastered from head to toe against him. His masculine, spicy scent surrounded her, warming her from the inside out.
Bad reaction. She struggled to get free, wiggling and flailing, letting out a few unladylike grunts, one thought front and center in her mind:
He’d almost kissed her!
Worse yet, she’d been well past the brink of letting him. Luckily, Rufus’s antics had stopped that in the nick of time. Connor wasn’t the man she was looking for. She had no business kissing him.
She needed to get away. She tried to stand, but her lower legs were still tangled in the leash. Muttering dark thoughts, she rolled off Connor to the ground, her feet still bound to his.
“Rufus, you big, stupid mutt, come here!” she said, pulling on his leash. Rufus whined and meekly obeyed. Sunny quickly unhooked his leash from his collar, then unwrapped it from their legs, still holding him with one hand.
As soon as she could, she stood, brushing herself off with one hand, hoping her blush had faded. She re-hooked Rufus’s leash, took a deep breath and looked at Connor, who’d stood, too.
“I’ll be going now,” she said to Connor in as normal a voice as possible, unable to meet his probing gaze. “I’m sure you’ll be able to explain why I didn’t accept your little deal to your father.”
With that, she started walking, her head held high, Rufus trotting along at her side. She softened her earlier harsh words with a stroke to the dog’s big head. Connor didn’t stop her this time, and she was glad. He flustered and confused her and she hated that. She might be broke, but she still had her pride, despite their little near kiss.
And Connor Forbes was right where he wanted to be before his dad stepped in.
On his own.
His runaway heartbeat was thundering in his ears as Connor watched Sunny walk away, noting with lots of male appreciation how her blond hair looked like white gold glowing in the sun. He wished she’d come back here and tangle herself up with him again. He’d come so close to kissing her, to letting his desire run its course. He was sure he would never forget the feel of her soft, curvy body moving around on top of him…
He snorted, jerking his thoughts back to what mattered, forcing himself to focus on the cold, harsh, unexpected reality that had nothing to do with how much he’d enjoyed their leash-and-fall incident:
Damn, she’d actually turned him down!
He made himself stand still and not run after her, needing time to regroup and cool his blood. He couldn’t deny that he admired the hell out of her at this moment. Okay, so her pigheadedness was pretty irritating, but he had to appreciate the pride he’d seen burning like hot coals in her eyes. She had principles. He liked that.
But what he liked—and it was becoming clear he really liked a lot of things about Sunny Williams—didn’t matter. What mattered was that she was walking away.
He rubbed his chin, acknowledging that his priorities had changed in a big hurry. But he’d blown it and he had no idea how to fix things.
He’d always been more comfortable immersing himself in books than talking to people; even as a boy, he’d spent hours reading science books by himself, hoping to make a connection with his father by learning as much as he could about medicine. Personal relationships weren’t his forte.
He started walking back to his office, looking at his problem from a practical viewpoint. The truth was, he needed Sunny Williams in a way that went far beyond his desire to have her laying on top of him again. Now, he just had to figure out a way to talk her into changing her mind—for the sake of becoming a medical researcher and jettisoning Mr. Commitment back to his dad, of course.
Chapter Three
Sunny gave up all pretense of calm and stomped back to her van, absolutely infuriated that her hopes to make a new start in Oak Valley had completely faded. Not to mention that she’d almost caved in to her impetuous side, given into temptation and welcomed Connor’s kiss. Yes, her aura was probably glowing a fiery red right now.
It was impossible to ignore how irritating—yet knock-her-down attractive—Dr. Connor Forbes was proving to be. The man would test the patience and control of a saint.
As maddening as he was, there was something indescribable about him that she found really, really appealing. Darn the man! He was her total opposite and clearly had different values. But she simply couldn’t deny that she found him incredibly attractive. His smile was enough to inspire goose bumps and a glance from his gorgeous green eyes set fires all over her. What would it be like to actually kiss him? Or lie in his arms, whispering her hopes and dreams to him, wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and security that would last forever?
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Lissa Manley
SHE GOT UNDER HIS SKIN…[And besides, Dr. Connor Forbes didn't want a r partner. Even if Sunny Williams was the most beautiful blonde he'd ever seen, the uptight physician knew Sunny's crazy New Age ideas–and her irresistible lips–would only wreak havoc on his practical, wellordered life.i But with her sweet smile and luxurious deep ^tissue massages, the spunky siren had made it impossible for him to turn her away without risking the wrath of the entire town of Oak Valley…and his traitorous heart.Maybe having Sunny as a partner was just what the doctor ordered…
“Look at that.
It’s beautiful, don’t you think?”
Connor looked up, but he couldn’t see the moon from where he was standing. He bent down and took a quick look. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Sunny stood and beckoned him closer. “Look from over here,” she said, moving toward the porch railing.
He hung back, not sure he should let himself get any closer. Any closer and his body would definitely be involved. “It’s just the moon,” he said, moving a little nearer. “No big deal.”
Sunny took two large steps and gripped his hand. Tugging gently, she said, “Boy do you need to loosen up.” When they reached the railing, she pointed up again, smiling. “There. Now look at that and tell me it’s not beautiful.”
“Beautiful,” he murmured.
“I was talking about the moon.”
“And I was talking about you.”
Dear Reader,
When you’re stuffing the stockings this year remember that Silhouette Romance’s December lineup is the perfect complement to candy canes and chocolate! Remind your loved ones—and yourself—of the power of love.
Open your heart to magic with the third installment of IN A FAIRY TALE WORLD…, the miniseries where matchmaking gets a little help from an enchanted princess. In Her Frog Prince (SR #1746) Shirley Jump provides a rollicking good read with the antics of two opposites who couldn’t be more attracted!
Then meet a couple of heartbreaking cowboys from authors Linda Goodnight and Roxann Delaney. In The Least Likely Groom (SR #1747) Linda Goodnight brings us a risk-taking rodeo man who finds himself the recipient of lots of tender loving care—from one very special nurse! And Roxann Delaney pairs a beauty disguised as an ugly duckling with the man most likely to make her smolder, in The Truth About Plain Jane (SR #1748).
Last but not least, discover the explosive potential of close proximity as a big-city physician works side by side with a small-town beauty. Is it her wacky ideas that drive him crazy—or his sudden desire to make her his? Find out in Love Chronicles (SR #1749) by Lissa Manley.
Watch for more heartwarming titles in the coming year. You don’t want to miss a single one!
Happy reading!
Mavis C. Allen
Associate Senior Editor
Love Chronicles
Lissa Manley
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
This book is dedicated to my fantastic editor,
Patience Smith. Your input and editorial advice have
made my books so much better. Thank you.
Books by Lissa Manley
Silhouette Romance
The Bachelor Chronicles #1665
The Bridal Chronicles #1689
The Baby Chronicles #1705
Love Chronicles #1749
LISSA MANLEY
has been an avid reader of romance since her teens and firmly believes that writing romances with happy endings is her dream job. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her college-sweetheart husband of nineteen years, Kevin, two children, Laura and Sean, and two feisty toy poodles named Lexi and Angel, who run the household and get away with it. She has a degree in business from the University of Oregon, having discovered the joys of writing well after her college years. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, crafting, attending her children’s sporting events and relaxing at the family vacation home on the Oregon coast.
Lissa loves to hear from her readers. She can be reached at P.O. Box 91336, Portland, OR 97291-0336, or at http://lissamanley.com (http://lissamanley.com).
Dear Mr. Commitment,
My husband forgot our anniversary this year. He spends more time in the garage with his precious lawn tools than with me. What can I do to spice up our love life?
Yours sincerely,
Out of it in Oregon
Dear Out of it,
To spice up your love life, put more cayenne in his chili. Not only will he notice you, but it will knock the stuffing out of him! Ha ha ha!
Mr. Commitment
Dear Out of it,
Forget what Mr. Commitment says! To spice up your love life, do one little romantic thing each day to show him how much you love him. In the meantime, sign up for a class, take tap lessons, audition for a town play—find your own “precious lawn tools.”
Best of luck!
Sunny Williams
Contents
Chapter One (#u807d07e3-692a-5b6a-a0eb-43bc8ad63f89)
Chapter Two (#u732b1294-1ae8-5bd9-bb78-36c056e23891)
Chapter Three (#u8c8f641d-5a6b-5763-b50a-d93fdc8e74d3)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
Connor Forbes glanced up from the medical journal he was reading at the receptionist’s counter and looked at the office window.
“What a crock,” he grumbled, staring at the words Mr. Commitment painted in gold letters below his father’s name, Brady Forbes, M.D. Unfortunately, Connor’s name would soon take the place of his father’s and the whole town of Oak Valley, Oregon, would be coming to him not only for their medical problems, which he was more than qualified to handle, but for their relationship problems, too.
He snorted and shook his head, then rubbed his eyes under his wire-rimmed reading glasses. A man who’d failed to keep a girlfriend for more than three months at a time was the last person who should be Mr. Commitment.
He dropped his hands from his eyes and his dire thoughts were cut off when a large, black-and-white blur ran by the office’s floor-to-ceiling window. Drawing his eyebrows together, Connor straightened just as a slender woman dressed in a flowing skirt ran by. She was waving one hand in the air while the other clutched a large tote bag, her sunshine-blond hair streaming out behind her.
Intrigued—nothing remotely exciting ever happened in Oak Valley, and certainly nothing involving lithe, feminine legs and long, silky blond hair—he moved out from behind the desk and headed closer to the window to get a better view.
The blur reappeared across the street. Connor’s eyebrows went up when he saw that the black-and-white thing was a giant dog running at breakneck speed down the boardwalk.
The runaway mutt took a sharp right and leaped off the boardwalk and into the street, his huge paws flopping, his whip-like tail held high in the air. Just about the time Connor thanked heaven traffic was nonexistent in Oak Valley, the dog headed straight toward his office. In one mighty leap, the crazy canine cleared the step up to the boardwalk. Tongue lolling, he took another step and then skidded to a halt just in time to plant his huge front paws on the window facing Connor. He let out a huge woof, his tail wagging, his mouth pressed into what Connor would swear was a doggy smile.
Before Connor could recover from the attack of the humongous smiling dog, the woman with the sunshine-blond hair ran up, her brows knitted together, her pink lips pressed into a frown. She had high cheekbones and what looked like a smattering of freckles on her perfect nose. She wore a long, flowing pink skirt and gauzy white top.
She dropped her bag, grabbed the dog’s collar and pulled him off the window. She bent over, shaking a scolding finger at the delinquent mutt. Didn’t seem to faze the animal in the least. He playfully jumped around, barking, trying to get loose.
After her “scolding,” she hooked the leash on the dog, then straightened. She reached up with a noticeable huff and flipped her sunglasses onto the top of her head, exposing a strip of firm flesh at her waist where her top fell short.
Connor took his glasses off and stared, his blood heating up. She was beautiful. His last relationship, clocking in at a bare three weeks, had ended five months ago. He was due.
She turned his way and saw him, almost giving him a heart attack when her gorgeous topaz-brown gaze hit his. She stared back, the attraction clearly mutual; then her eyes refocused and she gazed at the words on the window. She mouthed the words Mr. Commitment.
He swore the flush on her cheeks deepened as she took in his white lab coat, then gave him a feeble little wave, as if it weren’t okay to swap stares with a doctor. Shaking her head, she pulled the dog to one of the wooden benches that lined the boardwalk, tied him up and then, surprisingly, made her way back toward Connor’s office.
Okay, maybe it was okay to stare at a doctor.
He returned to his spot behind the reception counter. June, his nurse/receptionist who would normally greet visitors, was having a problem getting her grandson to preschool and hadn’t arrived yet.
As the mystery woman opened the door and stepped inside, he got hold of himself and knitted his brow. Who was she? Not a scheduled patient; he knew everyone who had appointments with him this morning. He didn’t recognize her as a local, either. Although he had been in Seattle for a long time. Still, he’d been back for a month and he wouldn’t forget a woman who looked like her. Not in a million years. Besides, if he did know her, he sure wouldn’t be feeling a sharp lack of female companionship in his life right now.
Miss Sunshine stood on the other side of the oak reception counter, smiling, exposing straight white teeth. This close, he could see a there was indeed a light dusting of freckles on her nose, visible even through the pink blush staining her cheeks. Her smile made his blood surge, but it was her big brown eyes, the color of dark topaz, that really knocked him for a loop all over again.
He said the first thing that popped into his head. “What’s up with your dog?”
Her blush deepened. “Oh, I am so sorry. He’s a little…wild.” She bit her lip and glanced toward the smudged window. “I’ll be sure and clean up his paw and nose marks.” Her voice was distinctive—melodious and sexy at the same time.
“Don’t worry about it. Maybe he needs some obedience training,” Connor offered. “A training collar might help.”
She widened her eyes. “You mean a choke collar?” she said, horror studding every syllable. “That would hurt him.”
“A car nailing him would hurt more. Luckily, there’s no traffic in Oak Valley, or he might have been hit.”
She pressed her lips into a fine line. “I have my own ways of training my dog—”
“Ways that work?”
She snapped her mouth closed and glared. “My dog isn’t the issue here.” She stepped forward and grudgingly offered her hand. “You must be Dr. Forbes.” She sounded as if she thought he’d morphed into Dr. Frankenstein.
He took the proffered hand and shook it, liking how smooth and warm and small it felt in his, how its heat spread instantly into his body. “Uh, yes. Yes I am.” He tilted his head sideways and reluctantly released her, noticing her light floral scent in the air, wishing he could lean in close and sniff. He really hoped she wasn’t a patient. It would be unethical to have the sorts of thoughts he was having if he was supposed to treat her. “And you are?”
“Sunny Williams.” She scanned the area, her tight look fading a bit. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve looked forward to coming here, Dr. Forbes. I fully believe my holistic approach to healing will add a wonderful new dimension to your practice.”
He pulled in his chin, surprised by not only how fitting her name was, but also that he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. “Holistic healing? You mean all of that ridiculous, New Age mumbo jumbo?”
She bristled again. “It’s not mumbo jumbo,” she replied, her eyes sparking. “I deal in massage therapy, yoga and aromatherapy.”
“And it will add a new dimension to my practice?” He laughed under his breath, shaking his head. “You’ve got the wrong guy.” He didn’t believe in that kind of garbage. Science was the backbone of his medical practice, not the touchy-feely theories that were making the rounds these days.
She pursed her glossy lips and frowned, creating appealing little lines between her dark blond eyebrows. “I don’t think so.” She put her tote bag on the floor and raised one brow. “You’re Connor Forbes, right?”
He widened his stance, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yes, I am, but I don’t know who you are.”
Mild panic rose in her eyes; then, her face cleared and she grinned. “Oh, that rascal.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Why, your father, of course.” She pushed her hair behind her ear and gave him a funny look. “Who else?”
Connor stared at her, the bottom falling out of his stomach. “My father?”
Nodding, she said, “He met my parents at a marriage counseling workshop, found out I was looking to make a new start, and he invited me to come here and set up shop next door.” She gestured to the empty storefront next to his. “I guess we got off on the wrong foot.” She extended her hand again. “I’m Sunny Williams, your new partner.”
His partner?
Connor stared at her hand, trying to ignore how much he wanted to touch her again. He shoved his glasses back on. Raw anger began to bubble inside of him, along with a burning question he was damn sure going to find the answer to.
What in the heck was his dad up to?
Sunny withdrew her hand when the doctor didn’t shake it. She took a little breath to calm her racing heart, attributing her breathlessness to the fact that Rufus had been his usual naughty self this morning, leading her on a wild goose chase before she’d caught him. To make matters worse, he’d been naughty in front of her new partner, mortifying her in the process. It didn’t help at all that her new partner had never heard of her.
Struggling for calm, she noticed again that Dr. Forbes was one darn good-looking man, even with that stunned I-didn’t-know-I-had-a-partner expression on his handsome face. His deep green eyes, disheveled, dark brown hair and tall, muscular body made him look like her male fantasy come to life. She even liked his glasses, which gave him a scholarly air, and his rumpled tan corduroy trousers and light blue button-down cotton shirt looked appealing on him.
Then he’d opened his mouth. Choke collar! Ridiculous, New Age mumbo jumbo indeed!
But she’d have to set aside her dislike for the sake of her career goals. Oak Valley was her fresh start, a new chance to make a go of it with her holistic therapy practice. She’d failed in San Francisco. A lot. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—fail again. Seeing the disappointment in her parents’ eyes—again—after their own wild success would be too much to bear.
Besides, until she’d encountered the disagreeable doctor, she’d felt nothing but positive vibes from Oak Valley. This had to be the place. Her thirtieth birthday was coming up fast. And Robbie was already married. She needed an anchor, and she hoped she’d find one here in Oak Valley.
The doctor finally spoke. “Look, I don’t know what kind of arrangement you made with my father, but I’m not in the market for a partner. Especially not one into holistic healing.” He rolled his eyes. “What was he thinking, anyway?”
She clenched her jaw, her hopes sliding; then she shoved her chin in the air, refusing to let this man mess up her dream. “He was looking to add a fresh dimension to this practice, which it looks like you need.” She crossed her arms over her chest and drilled him with a hard look. “What have you got against what I do?”
He pierced her with his gaze. “What I do is based on science, period. Anything else is of no use to me.”
She stepped forward, annoyed by his negative, judgmental attitude. She pointed at him. “So let me get this straight. You think what I do is totally useless?”
He nodded without hesitation. “Pretty much.”
She told herself she shouldn’t be surprised. She’d known attitudes would be different outside of San Francisco. But she’d come here with Dr. Brady Forbes’s blessing and hadn’t expected to run into such opposition from his son.
Even though she wanted to scream at the stubborn doctor, she tried to focus on the positive. She managed a tight little smile. “Well, then I guess I’ll just have to change your mind, won’t I?”
He didn’t smile back. “I’m afraid that’s a waste of time, Ms. Williams,” he said, taking off his glasses. “I have no intention of having you, or anybody else, as my partner. I’m sorry you came all this way to find that out, but I’m the Dr. Forbes in charge now, not my father, and I wasn’t in on this deal. I don’t feel obligated to honor it.”
Sunny stared at him, wishing he didn’t attract her so much on the outside when, on the inside, where it really mattered, he was a walking billboard for the uptight, repressed and uninformed.
She switched gears to the really bad news. Her dream of starting over and finally succeeding in business in this wonderful little town was suddenly in jeopardy.
This infuriating man was refusing to work with her. He probably didn’t have a clue about working with anyone but himself, about nurturing a relationship, business or otherwise.
She remembered something his father had told her, and recalled the words she’d seen painted on the window of this office when she’d pulled Rufus off the glass. A thought occurred to her. She gazed speculatively at the doctor, grimly holding her frustration at bay in favor of finding a way to make this work. She needed this job, needed to live in this town and be married by her thirtieth birthday, needed to succeed. “So are you the new Mr. Commitment?”
He rolled his eyes and nodded, then let out a disgusted sound. “Yeah.”
She raised a brow, pretty sure she was now coming at this problem from the right angle. “You don’t sound too happy about that.”
“I’m a medical doctor, not a relationship counselor.”
“So you don’t think you’re qualified? Is that it?” she pressed, leaning closer, catching a vague whiff of his clean, soapy scent. Her breath caught in her throat.
He scowled at her. “What’s with all the questions?”
“Hear me out,” she said, holding out a hand. “You don’t think you’re qualified to be a relationship counselor, right?”
He lifted a broad shoulder. “I guess you could say that. I’m the last person who should be helping people mend their relationships.” Turning away, he opened a fat file on the counter. “My track record stinks,” he muttered under his breath.
Sunny assumed he was talking about his relationships. No surprise there. The man appeared to have the warmth of a rock and not a compassionate bone in his body. Luckily, she found that information about his past fascinating—and useful, exactly the ammunition she needed.
Unable to corral her need to understand her adversary, she asked, “Why are you here if you’re so unqualified to be Mr. Commitment? Why not take a job somewhere else?”
He swung his darkening gaze her way. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I agreed to come home and take over for my dad years ago, back when Mr. Commitment didn’t exist. I had no idea that I’d be required to hold my patients’ hands regarding their relationship issues. Believe me, if I’d had any idea, I never would have agreed.”
“Then you need me.”
He crossed his arms across his broad chest again. “Oh, really?” he said, his voice rife with amusement.
She gave a quick nod, unwilling to let his bad attitude back her down. “Really. I have a knack for helping people with problems. Maybe we should make a deal—my relationship expertise in exchange for a partnership.”
He let out a heavy breath and abruptly flipped the file on the counter closed. “No deal, Ms. Williams. I don’t need help with Mr. Commitment that badly.” He straightened and inclined his head. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a patient in a few minutes.” With that, he exited the waiting room through a door in back of the counter, leaving Sunny alone.
And desperate. She’d been counting on this job to prove to herself, and to her parents, that she could make a success doing what she loved. Not to mention that she was dead broke. She needed this job for so many reasons, and she really wanted to stay in Oak Valley and settle down.
The need for the commitment and stability she’d never had growing up still burned inside of her like a smoldering fire, impossible to put out or ignore.
Besides, a pact was a pact.
But one man had torn up her dreams with his highly questionable bedside manner—what a grump!—and my-way-or-the-highway beliefs about healing. Uptight Connor Forbes claimed he didn’t have any use for a partner.
A tight knot formed in her chest. She had to think of a way to change his mind.
Maybe a cup of herbal tea and a bagel were what she needed to maintain an even keel during this unexpected, upsetting crisis. It was a cool morning, even though the sun was shining. Rufus would be fine if she put him in the van for an hour or so, especially since she’d parked in the shade.
With a sigh, she picked up her bag and headed out the door, hoping Oak Valley had a restaurant open for breakfast. She simply needed time to figure out how to deal with Doctor Disagreeable’s rejection.
She laughed humorlessly under her breath, feeling the fool. Her reliable instincts told her there wasn’t enough herbal tea in the world to help her change the stubborn, absolutely annoying man’s mind.
Talk about an awkward situation, Connor thought. Gorgeous female massage therapist/yoga instructor unexpectedly shows up at his father’s behest, expecting to be Connor’s partner, nosing her way into his business. He might want to be her partner in other things—she’d smelled, and looked, really good—and a little feminine companionship sounded great.
But his business partner? No way. Even though he wasn’t the type of guy who wanted to make a pretty girl sad, he’d find a way to live with that.
He shook his head and sat down behind his oak desk. Damn his father for arranging something so outrageous without his approval. It was bad enough Dad was demanding that Connor take the dubious title of Mr. Commitment. Now he was making business deals with medically unqualified people. What was the old guy thinking?
Connor shoved his reading glasses in his lab coat pocket and pushed his irritation with his dad aside in favor of the controlled, professional attitude he always strived for when he was with patients. He proceeded with his day and saw two patients, Margery Leventhal, who had vague stomach complaints that turned out to be simple gas, and Jeb Hornsby, whose gout was acting up.
Connor then took his usual morning break and strolled down the boardwalk to Luella’s Diner for a doughnut and coffee. On the way, he lifted a hand to Lester Parsons and Ozzie Peterson, two retirees who were sitting at their usual morning spot on a bench in front of Jeremiah’s Barber Shop across the street. He smiled at Abigail McNeil, out walking her basset hound, and greeted Frank Osbourne, the local contractor, who was loading his pickup with building supplies outside Truman’s Hardware Store.
Connor shook his head. A man couldn’t burp in Oak Valley without the whole town knowing it. After living in a big city like Seattle, he’d expected to feel stifled here, and that had proven true. He liked the people of Oak Valley well enough, but everyone had always bugged him to loosen up. If things worked out the way he’d planned, he wouldn’t have to stay here forever.
A few minutes later, Connor stepped into Luella’s, enjoying the usual aroma of sizzling bacon, fresh brewed coffee and fried doughnuts. Luella’s place had looked the same since Connor was a kid and his parents had brought him and his siblings here for Sunday breakfast. The quaint eatery boasted rustic tables and booths with high backs, white paper placemats, red-and-white checked curtains and a long counter with worn wooden stools.
As she did every day, Luella’s daughter, Mary-Jean, waved to him from the kitchen, visible through the cutout wall behind the counter. He smiled halfway and waved back. She was always so friendly to him. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why—he had said only a handful of words to her.
He noticed Steve McCarthy, an old high school classmate, sitting in a back booth, enjoying a cup of coffee with his sister, Julie, who’d married Bud Whitesell, the owner of the local garage. Connor waved at them and then went to sit in the third booth from the door, his usual spot. He looked forward to a cup of hot coffee and a sinfully fattening doughnut. He’d think about anything but Sunny Williams.
Just as that idea ran through his brain, he saw the subject of his thoughts sitting in his booth, a cup of tea and a half-eaten bagel in front of her, talking animatedly to, of all people, his own sister, Jennifer.
He raised his brows. Sunny had certainly made friends quickly. Obviously, she was the outgoing, friendly type. She would probably fit in with his sociable family perfectly. He gritted his teeth.
Despite the fact that he was irritated she was in his booth, he couldn’t help but appreciate her beautiful skin, delicate bone structure and flashing brown eyes all over again. And her shiny pink lips, pulled into a broad, appealing smile, exposing straight, white teeth, made his insides burn.
He didn’t want his insides burning, knew from experience what kind of failure that always brought about, despite his need to socialize with someone of the female persuasion who wasn’t his mother or his sister. He clenched his jaw tighter, ready to cut out.
Jenny noticed him, smiled and spoke up. “Hey, Connor, have you met Sunny?” She turned to Sunny and gestured to Connor. “This is my brother, Connor.”
Sunny looked up and her smile faded. “Oh, we’ve already met.”
He inclined his head. “Yes, we have, haven’t we?”
Jenny frowned and looked at Sunny. “Didn’t you say you just arrived in town?”
“I did.” Sunny took a sip of tea. “I stopped by your brother’s office first thing.” She put her tea down, smiled and drilled him with her amber-shaded gaze. “We had business, didn’t we, Dr. Forbes?”
He nodded, betting she was going to go into how he’d turned down her bid to be his partner to Jenny, whose mission in life was to take over.
Jennifer looked at him, one blond brow raised. “What kind of business, Connor?” She glanced back at Sunny. “You’re not sick, are you?”
Sunny shook her head. “No, I’m not.”
“Then what…?” Jenny asked, looking back and forth between them.
To her credit, Sunny remained silent, her gaze now on her teacup, when she could have busted him to his sister. He forced out a breath. He might as well come clean. Jenny would ferret out the truth eventually, and would definitely hear about it from their dad. Besides, he’d done the right thing. Sunny’s treatment methods had no place in his world. She was a temptation he wanted to avoid. No way was he changing his mind.
Connor sat down next to Jenny. “Dad brought Sunny here to be my partner. I vetoed the idea,” he said, dumping out the whole story in a few words. He braced himself, waiting for Jenny’s outrage.
She gasped and widened her eyes. “You did what?” she said, delivering the expected reaction right on cue. She was so predictable, even to someone like him, who, according to his second-to-last girlfriend, was horribly left-brained and didn’t clue into people’s personalities very well.
“I said no,” he reiterated, wanting this whole thing over. “End of story.”
“But why?” Jenny asked, her voice rife with amazed puzzlement. “Sunny’s just what you need, brother.”
He ignored the need Sunny could help him with and shook his head. “I know what I need, and she’s not it.” He gazed at Sunny. “It’s nothing personal. I just don’t want a partner.”
Sunny stared back, nodding. “Oh, so when you said that everything you do is based on science, and anything else is of no use to you, you didn’t mean for me to take it personally?” She lobbed him a sweet-edged smile. “I would hate to misunderstand you, Dr. Forbes.”
“Connor!” Jenny said, her hazel eyes full of sisterly horror. “Tell me you didn’t say that.”
Both women stared at him; if looks could kill, he’d be keeling over dead. What was the big deal? “Look, I based my decision on concrete, practical reasoning,” he said, explaining his rationale. “I simply meant that my practice is based on science, not massage or yoga, and that Sunny and I wouldn’t be compatible working partners. Dad arranged this without my knowledge and since I’m in charge now, I felt I had the right to make that decision.”
They were silent for a few moments, and then Jenny gave a long-suffering sigh and skewered him with a hard gaze. “You’re so full of it, Connor. The truth is, you’re a stick-in-the-mud from way back. The thought of doing something differently, of straying one millimeter from your moldy science textbooks and boring medical journals scares the pants off of you.”
He mentally rolled his eyes. His family had been trying to loosen him up for years, Jenny especially. She just didn’t understand that he was his own man and was nothing like her or anyone else in his family.
While he sat there wondering why he needed to explain something so simple, Sunny reached over and touched his forearm, sending sparks racing up his arm. She chimed in with, “Don’t worry, Dr. Forbes. I’m sure you look very, very good with no pants.”
Jenny and Sunny laughed and Connor raised his brows at Sunny. Wow. She was something, able to fling the horse manure right back at him. Oddly, he liked that.
So what? He might appreciate her spunk, but he wasn’t about to let her know it, or let it matter. She stared back, a becoming blush spreading across her cheeks. Then her eyes popped wide and she jerked her hand back, knocking Jenny’s orange juice over.
Right onto his lap.
He let out a colorful oath. Sunny jumped up and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, oh, I’m so sorry.” She picked up a napkin, obviously intending to blot up the mess.
She stopped, her hand holding the napkin hovering over his juice-saturated lap. “Uh, well…” She blushed and waved the napkin. “I…guess you better take care of that.” She shoved the napkin at him. “I’m so sorry. I’m not usually the clumsy sort.”
He took the napkin, her blush conjuring up all kinds of thoughts he shouldn’t be having, and dabbed at his lap. “Yeah, I’ll bet.” He heard a snorting sound and swung his gaze to Jenny, who was holding a hand over her mouth, trying to keep her laugh contained and doing a bad job of it.
Sunny sat down, her cheeks blazing pink, her pretty brown eyes reflecting her obvious embarrassment. Man, her gorgeous face would be tough to forget.
But he would. He didn’t need a partner and he certainly didn’t need to fail at another relationship, although a no-strings-attached date sounded good…
Before the conversation started up again, Julie approached the table, her first pregnancy just beginning to show. “Uh, Connor, could I talk to you for a moment?”
He nodded, hiding his wet lap with his napkin. “Sure, Julie, what’s up? The baby okay?”
“Yeah, he’s just fine,” she said, rubbing a hand over her burgeoning belly. “I was needing to talk to Mr. Commitment.”
Oh, man. Not that. “Uh, well, Julie—”
“The thing is, Bud works all day, sometimes late, and when he comes home, all he wants to do is crash in front of the TV, watching sports. I’m kind of lonely, Doc. What do you suggest?”
He sat and thought for a moment, and incredibly, the answer to her problem was easy to figure out. “That sounds like nothing a good book wouldn’t solve, Julie.”
She stared at him, her chin pulled in. “You think?”
“I’m sure of it,” he said, patting her hand. “Reading will keep you entertained for hours.” Maybe this Mr. Commitment stuff wouldn’t be so hard after all.
She wandered off, shaking her head.
When he looked at Jenny and Sunny, both were sporting dropped jaws and wide eyes. “What?” he asked.
Jenny gave him a long-suffering look and said, “You’re clueless and hopeless.” She then stood and gestured with a crook of her hand for Sunny to follow. “Come on, Sunny. My brother isn’t the only one with some say-so around here.” She gave him a saccharine smile. “Thanks for picking up the tab.”
Connor stood and Sunny slid out of the booth, smiling, though it seemed forced. “Thanks for everything, Dr. Forbes.”
Meaning, thanks for nothing. He had to give her credit. She obviously had a knack for holding her own. One more thing to like. One more reason to forget her.
Jenny called Sunny from the door of the diner. Sunny gave him a sheepish look, her plump bottom lip clamped between her teeth. “I gotta go.” She glanced down at his lap. “Do, uh, you have that taken care of?” She snapped her gaze back up, her face coloring again. “The juice spill, I mean.”
Seeing her so flustered forced a smile. “It’s fine, nothing that won’t dry.”
She nodded, moving away. “Oh, good.” She waved. “Bye.”
He was left standing next to the booth alone, Sunny’s floral scent belatedly washing over him after she’d walked by. Despite the coolness of the spilled juice, heat flared down low.
He was tempted to turn around and watch her walk away so he could enjoy the sight of her slim but curvy hips moving beneath her skirt and her toned calves flexing as she walked.
Instead, he sat and took a swig of strong, hot coffee, an irritating helplessness washing over him. Just his damn luck Sunny seemed like just the woman to put an end to his desire for some casual female companionship.
Just as bad, Sunny had met Jenny. His younger sister was as tenacious as a mule when she felt someone had been treated unfairly.
Who would have guessed that Sunny would be the type of gal who would meet a total stranger and strike up a sudden friendship, all in the space of an hour? More than likely, she would be able to help him with Mr. Commitment. She clearly had an outgoing, friendly, approachable personality, just like Jenny.
Bad combination, those two. Jenny, the fired-up defender of the innocent working with Sunny, her name the perfect description of her personality. Even when she’d slammed him, it had come out in a way that had amused everybody, even him. And no other woman had looked so good after spilling juice all over him.
Yeah, Sunny was appealing in so many ways, making her dangerous. And he had a sneaking suspicion that with Jenny and Sunny working together, the situation would more than likely do what he hated—spin out of his control and out of the realm of practicality.
And right into the realm of intense physical—and, more dangerously, emotional—attraction.
And that was the last place he would ever let himself go.
Chapter Two
Connor pushed his dark thoughts aside, ignored his wet, orange juice–saturated lap, chomped on his doughnut and drank his coffee. He reiterated to himself why he’d made the right decision, the practical one for his practice.
Just as he finished the doughnut, Steve approached his booth. “Hey, Doc. How you doing?”
Connor inclined his head. “All right.” He and Steve had gone through school together and had shared an interest in science. Steve had combined his interest in the scientific world with his love of animals and had become a veterinarian.
Steve smiled. “Saw your sister here a few minutes ago.”
Connor nodded and took a sip of coffee. “That was her.”
“Who was that gorgeous gal with her?” Steve asked, his brown eyes alight with interest. “Haven’t seen her around before.”
Connor gave Steve a hard glance. “Sunny Williams,” he said, not particularly hot on going into details. The whole town knew Steve was in the market for a wife.
Steve plunked down across from him. “Is she living in Oak Valley, or just visiting?”
“Just visiting.” Connor was pretty sure Sunny would leave now that she didn’t have a job. He had to admit, as an appreciative, red-blooded male, part of him was a bit disappointed a gorgeous woman like Sunny wasn’t going to be hanging around.
“Too bad,” Steve said, shaking his head. “Wouldn’t mind getting to know her.”
Surprisingly, the thought of Steve getting to know Sunny bothered Connor. Irritated that he was bothered at all, he finished his coffee, stood and reached for the tab. “Don’t think you’ll have the chance, bud. She won’t be here for long.”
He said goodbye, hiding his splotched pants as best he could, then paid the bill at the front counter and left. As he walked up the boardwalk, the late morning sun warm on his back, he told himself he’d done the right thing, even though his dad would probably come unglued. That couldn’t be helped. Despite his father’s inevitable anger and disappointment, Connor’s decision would stand.
Confident he’d done the right thing, he walked back to his office. When he arrived, his next patient, ten-year-old Danny Jones, was waiting. Connor quickly donned his lab coat to hide his damp clothes, then tended to Danny.
Danny had recently broken his arm playing baseball, and Connor wanted to make sure the healing process was on track. Danny’s parents had been killed in a car accident two years ago, and he’d come to Oak Valley to live with his widowed grandmother, Edith Largo, a long-time resident. Connor had spent a lot of time with Danny, trying to fill in here and there to give Edith a break and a guy for the kid to play ball with.
Pleased by Danny’s rate of recovery, Connor walked him to the waiting room, noting his dad, the elder Dr. Forbes, sat in the waiting room, shooting the breeze with June and Edith.
Damn. Obviously Jenny and Sunny had called in the cavalry. His dad looked at him expectantly. Connor clenched his hands.
Smiling to cover up the tension suddenly roiling around the room, Connor conferred with Edith. He then made an appointment in two weeks for Danny’s cast to be removed and walked him and Edith to the door.
When they were gone, his dad stood, his perennial red baseball cap in his hand. “I expected you’d have a special visitor by now.”
Connor paused, gathering his patience together, then crossed his arms over his chest. “So I suppose Sunny and Jenny came to see you.”
His dad looked puzzled. “No. But does that mean Sunny’s here? Have you had a chance to meet?”
Major surprise. So the threatening twosome hadn’t gone running to his dad as he’d assumed. Score one small point for Sunny. “Sunny came here, and then I saw her and Jenny at Luella’s half an hour ago, but I don’t know where they went after that.”
June piped in. “She and Jenny came by, got Sunny’s dog out of her van and took him for a walk.”
His dad stepped forward, his hazel eyes questioning. “I expected that she’d be next door getting organized. Is she coming back later?”
“No, because I have no intention of being her partner. The deal is off.” He stared at his dad, scowling. “Really, Dad, you should have consulted me before you brought her on. You know how I feel about alternative medicine.”
His dad’s eyes hardened. “Yes, I do, which is one of the reasons I asked her to come here.” His dad pointed at him. “You need an overhaul, my boy.”
He stared at his dad, minutely shaking his head. Connor had become a doctor to prove to his dad that they shared a unique connection. But catering to the desire to forge a bond with his father wasn’t going to happen this time. His dad had stepped over the line.
He gave his dad a stony look and said, “Is there anything else?”
His dad stepped up to the counter and pounded his fist on it. “Dammit, Connor, you’re not going to do your usual number and just walk away when things get sticky. I expect you to go along with this.”
Connor gritted his teeth, but before he could say “Forget it,” his dad continued. “And I’ll throw this out as bait. Your mother is driving me crazy at home now that I’m retired. I love her, but I’m going nuts with all of her honey-do’s. If you do this for me and allow Sunny to be your partner for say…a three-month trial period, I’ll reconsider full-time retirement after that.”
Connor raised his brows. He had to give the old man some credit. He’d thrown out a tempting deal, especially since what Connor really wanted to do—pursue a career in medical research and leave Oak Valley behind—would be that much easier to accomplish if his dad was around to help out.
Granted, he hadn’t figured out how he could be a medical researcher and still fulfill his long-ago promise to his parents to permanently take over for his dad in exchange for them putting him through med school. He hadn’t even told them about his dream of a different career.
He let out a heavy breath. Okay, he’d work on that and come up with something. Maybe he’d even be able to convince his dad to go back to being Mr. Commitment, too. One more reason to take him up on the deal.
True, Connor would have to put up with Sunny’s hokey massage business and yoga. He could take that for three months, couldn’t he?
Maybe as his working partner. But as a sexy, tempting woman he’d have to keep his hands off of? He swallowed. Suddenly, three months seemed like a lifetime.
He ignored that thought. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
His dad smiled. “I knew you’d see reason. I promise you won’t regret your decision. Sunny is a wonderful, charming woman who will be a terrific addition to this office.” He moved toward the door. “Junie tells me you don’t have another patient for over an hour. Instead of stuffing your nose in some medical journal, why don’t you go find Sunny and give her the good news?” He waved, plopped his hat on his head and walked out.
Connor stared at the door and then rubbed his neck, trying to relieve the perpetual crick there. Suddenly, a massage by the delectable Miss Sunshine sounded pretty good.
He swung around, tightening his jaw. She was getting to him already.
Too bad. He’d agreed to the deal. He’d just have to be sure to stick to his vow to keep his thoughts where they belonged—anywhere but on beautiful Sunny Williams. He wasn’t going to be tempted into certain romantic failure again.
Get real, Forbes. He had a bad feeling that keeping his mind off of brown-eyed Sunny wasn’t going to be easy. She turned him on in a major way and seemed pretty nice, too, even when she was spitting fire.
Damn, he hoped he wouldn’t regret agreeing to his dad’s harebrained deal.
Sunny sat on a quaint, wrought-iron bench in the park, waiting for Rufus to come back with the tennis ball she’d thrown. She was determined to chill out and enjoy the sunny, peaceful morning and picturesque, grassy little park, located on the edge of town, while she figured out what to do next. Jenny had left to pick up her daughter at her parents’ house with a promise not to talk to her dad, leaving Sunny alone with her thoughts.
Despite her efforts to calm down and simply enjoy her surroundings, frustratingly dire thoughts—centering around one stubborn, irritating doctor—swamped her.
After so many business and romantic flops, she’d been so excited about moving here, making a new start and proving to herself that she wasn’t a total failure. This might be her last chance to fulfill her pact with Robbie and secure the commitment they’d craved as footloose best friends being raised in a commune.
Commitment. Inevitably, her thoughts swung to her parents. Sunny had always felt vulnerable since her parents had never married, worried that they didn’t love each other enough to make it official, that they would split up. It hadn’t helped that they had separated three times during her childhood. Even though she’d never suspected her parents had been unfaithful, because of their upsetting separations, when she was ten, she swore that she would eventually find a good man, fall in love and commit, creating the rooted environment that had always been missing in her life.
That vow had been cemented in stone when she and Robbie had made their promise to marry each other, fueled by her need for security and stability, for a comforting anchor, a need that lived on inside of her to this day.
Consequently, she’d been thrilled when the elder Dr. Forbes had made her the offer to come to Oak Valley. Build a new business. Find the ideal, steadfast man to commit to, fulfill the pact and, hopefully, heal the wound Robbie had created by marrying someone else. Create a secure, small-town life. It all had seemed so wonderfully picture-perfect.
Until this morning. Until Connor Forbes had entered the picture and put an ugly blotch on what was to have been her perfect life.
Rufus brought the ball back, wagging his spotted tail. He dropped it and she threw it again. He ran off, chasing the thing down. The goofy dog would play this game forever if she let him.
Her thoughts careened back to her problems. So, she’d run into one big, handsome, annoying roadblock. How could she prove to him that what she did had worth—admittedly not as a total replacement for his brand of traditional medicine, but as a complement? She’d always subscribed to the notion, Heal the Heart, Heal the Body,” believing that maintaining and encouraging a peaceful inner self would help foster a healthy outer self, the body. How in the world was she going to convince Connor to reconsider, to give her methods a chance to fill in the blanks his methods often left?
Before she could answer her own question, a male voice spoke from behind her. “Your dog’s a horse.”
Her tummy flip-flopped. Taking a deep breath, she turned and saw Connor standing in back of her, his bulging arms folded across his broad chest. His dark hair glinted in the sun like warm chocolate and his green eyes looked like dark emeralds. A ripple of feminine awareness skated up her spine. Why did he look so darned good, his masculine appeal so blatantly obvious?
Cutting off her mental list of his positive traits, she forced herself to remember how he’d heartlessly cut her loose. Her hands clenched, she turned back and watched Rufus bound clumsily back with his beloved tennis ball in his mouth. “Great Dane. Definitely a dog.”
Rufus spotted Connor and immediately dropped the ball, woofed and ran over to him, his tail swinging back and forth like a giant whip.
Obviously unintimidated by Rufus’s size, Connor smiled and said, “Hey, big guy,” holding out his hand so Rufus could sniff it. Then Connor began to gently pet the big lug. Rufus whined, then proceeded to lie down and roll onto his back. Connor obliged him and squatted and rubbed the dog’s good-sized belly, grudgingly scoring major points in Sunny’s book.
Connor looked up and smiled. “He’s just a big baby, isn’t he?”
She nodded, chuckling despite her negative mood. “You’ve got that right. He’s huge, but doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. Right, Rufus?”
Rufus didn’t acknowledge her, just lay there, his legs splayed, soaking up his first tummy rub of the day. Connor undoubtedly had no idea that he’d made a friend for life. Rufus wasn’t nearly picky enough about whom he associated with.
A long silence stretched out, and Sunny’s curiosity got the best of her. “So, why are you here? You made it pretty clear you wanted nothing to do with me. Need another glass of juice spilled on you?”
Connor rose and ran a hand through his hair. He moved toward her, what looked like forced contrition showing in his eyes. “Sorry about what I said. I don’t always express myself very well.”
She hoisted up a brow. “Oh, I think you got your point across pretty well.”
He sat down next to her and his soapy, male scent washed over her, raising her awareness level a notch.
“My whole family tells me I’m tactless,” he said, seemingly without regret. “I prefer to call it being refreshingly direct.”
She pulled in her chin and said, “Refreshing?” She laughed under her breath and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. That’s a good one.”
“Why don’t you tell me how you really feel,” he said, sarcasm dripping from every word.
“Okay,” she said, taking him up on his offer even though she was sure he wasn’t really interested in her feelings. “Actually, I’d like to stomp on your head. You’ve ruined my plans.” She took the ball from Rufus and hurled it across the grass. “I was sitting here trying to figure out how to change such a stubborn, grouchy man’s mind.”
“Don’t hold back, now.”
She stared at him. “Trust me. I won’t.”
“I can see that,” he said dryly. “Actually, grumpiness aside, you have a good plan, trying to change my mind. Very practical.”
“And are you always practical, Dr. Forbes? You strike me as the type who tries to be sensible at all times.” Sensible and totally repressed: boy, did he need to loosen up.
“I try to be.” He angled his body toward her and rested his left elbow on the back of the bench, bringing himself slightly closer. He pierced her with his eyes. “Is that bad?”
She shifted on the hard bench again and fiddled with the ends of her hair, uneasy with his nearness and how aware she was of his heat and scent. What was wrong with her, letting his physical appeal get to her? She didn’t even like the man. “Uh, well, not always, although sometimes it’s better to go with your gut instincts rather than what’s practical. A person’s inner voice is important, don’t you think?”
He inclined his head. “I guess. It’s been proven that instincts have helped man survive for thousands of years.”
She wanted to snort. Of course, he’d twisted her beliefs around so that they reeked of scientific fact rather than what he simply knew, deep down inside. He was obviously so out of touch with himself.
Ignoring how much she’d like to help him with that particular problem—boy, would she like to get a hold of his broad, well-muscled shoulders and work all of his tense, uptightness right out of his body—she focused instead on the question that was still gnawing at her.
“So, why did you come find me?” she asked, trying to sound casual. “I figured our business was finished.”
Rufus ran up, flopped down next to Connor and gazed up adoringly at him. Connor obliged and patted his head. “I’ve reconsidered.” He turned and held out his hand, his eyes boring into hers. “How about you shake hands with your new partner?”
Sunny widened her eyes, taken totally off guard by his unexpected offer. She automatically put her hand in his warm grip, liking the way his large hand engulfed hers. “You’ve changed your mind?” she asked, doubt spilling over. She quickly pulled free of his compelling touch to stay in control.
He nodded and then quickly looked away, his gaze focused across the park. “I guess I have.”
His inability to meet her eyes set off alarms in her head. “Why?”
“Change of heart,” he said, casually—too casually—lifting one broad shoulder.
She stared at him, her reliable intuition kicking into gear. She frowned slightly. “Really? An hour ago you were very clear about what you thought about partnering with me, and it wasn’t good.” She narrowed her gaze. “What’s going on?”
He shook his head. “I guess I can’t fool you.” He inclined his head. “All right, I’ll come clean. My dad changed my mind.”
She gave a humorless laugh, doing a bad job of covering up the ache building inside of her. “Ah, I should have known your change of heart was really just your father forcing you to honor the deal.” She pressed her lips together and glared at him. “So what did he offer you to cooperate?”
“He offered to come out of retirement part-time.”
She pulled her brows together. “Okay. But how does that help you, except for cutting down on your work load?”
“I want to get into medical research. That’ll be easier to do if he’s helping me out. He also offered a trial period. Of three months.”
She glared at him. “The heart of the matter at last. You’re probably thinking you’ll just bide your time for three months, then get rid of me, right?”
His stony silence gave her the answer.
With anger building in her—she felt like stomping on his head again—she quickly rose and began pacing before he could reply. “So you’re only doing this because of your dad’s offer rather than because of some newfound respect for what I do, right?”
He shrugged. “Hey, I have an agenda, just like you do. This will help me achieve it.”
Well, she had to give him credit for being honest, but that was as generous as she’d be. His attitude cut deep. Her wounded pride reared up, along with a healthy dose of her usual idealism. Partnering with a man with no respect for her methods would be wrong—and counterproductive. She’d be working under a cloud of contempt that would surely overwhelm her eventually. No, she couldn’t—wouldn’t—work under those uncertain, pride-shredding circumstances, no matter how desperate she was to finally settle into a successful career.
She stared at him. “Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. You have no respect for what I do, no appreciation for any medical treatment not based in your kind of science. You only want to use me to help you further your own goals. I don’t think you’re the partner I’m looking for.” She picked up Rufus’s leash and hooked it to his collar, then gave a stunned-looking Connor a sweet, totally fake smile. “Goodbye.”
Connor stood and put a hand on her arm. “Sunny, wait—”
Rufus’s hysterical barking cut him off. Before Sunny could react, Rufus started running in circles while he barked at a squirrel running up the trunk of a nearby tree. His leash wrapped around Connor’s legs and then Sunny’s, round and round, pulling them closer and closer together.
“Rufus, stop!” she hollered. But it was too late to get the leash off her wrist and Rufus was too strong and too rambunctious. She and Connor were quickly bound together by the tangled leash, his big body pressed intimately up against hers.
Rufus quit barking and the leash went slack. The silly dog whined, looking everywhere for that darn squirrel.
Doing nothing to extricate himself, Connor looked down at Sunny, his darkening gaze zeroing in on her, and said, “Your dog needs a firmer hand.”
Sunny stared up at him, stunned into inaction, heat building inside, almost drowning in his gorgeous green eyes. She could only nod, wishing in some far, foolish corner of her brain that he would kiss her.
Oh, my stars! He must have had the same idea. A moment later, he lowered his head, bringing his hands to her shoulders and his lips to within inches of hers. “Although I guess there are some advantages to having a naughty dog, right?” He moved closer still, his breath washing over her, his male heat searing her. Her heart raced and her breath stalled in her throat. He dropped his head—
Rufus yanked on the leash, hard, barking frantically again. In an instant, she and Connor went from almost kissing to falling over like a giant, leash-wrapped felled tree. Sunny squealed and Connor let out a hearty “Whoa!”
Fortunately for Sunny, but not for Connor, he landed on the bottom with an oof, cushioning her fall. She came to rest on top of him, her legs entangled with his, her body plastered from head to toe against him. His masculine, spicy scent surrounded her, warming her from the inside out.
Bad reaction. She struggled to get free, wiggling and flailing, letting out a few unladylike grunts, one thought front and center in her mind:
He’d almost kissed her!
Worse yet, she’d been well past the brink of letting him. Luckily, Rufus’s antics had stopped that in the nick of time. Connor wasn’t the man she was looking for. She had no business kissing him.
She needed to get away. She tried to stand, but her lower legs were still tangled in the leash. Muttering dark thoughts, she rolled off Connor to the ground, her feet still bound to his.
“Rufus, you big, stupid mutt, come here!” she said, pulling on his leash. Rufus whined and meekly obeyed. Sunny quickly unhooked his leash from his collar, then unwrapped it from their legs, still holding him with one hand.
As soon as she could, she stood, brushing herself off with one hand, hoping her blush had faded. She re-hooked Rufus’s leash, took a deep breath and looked at Connor, who’d stood, too.
“I’ll be going now,” she said to Connor in as normal a voice as possible, unable to meet his probing gaze. “I’m sure you’ll be able to explain why I didn’t accept your little deal to your father.”
With that, she started walking, her head held high, Rufus trotting along at her side. She softened her earlier harsh words with a stroke to the dog’s big head. Connor didn’t stop her this time, and she was glad. He flustered and confused her and she hated that. She might be broke, but she still had her pride, despite their little near kiss.
And Connor Forbes was right where he wanted to be before his dad stepped in.
On his own.
His runaway heartbeat was thundering in his ears as Connor watched Sunny walk away, noting with lots of male appreciation how her blond hair looked like white gold glowing in the sun. He wished she’d come back here and tangle herself up with him again. He’d come so close to kissing her, to letting his desire run its course. He was sure he would never forget the feel of her soft, curvy body moving around on top of him…
He snorted, jerking his thoughts back to what mattered, forcing himself to focus on the cold, harsh, unexpected reality that had nothing to do with how much he’d enjoyed their leash-and-fall incident:
Damn, she’d actually turned him down!
He made himself stand still and not run after her, needing time to regroup and cool his blood. He couldn’t deny that he admired the hell out of her at this moment. Okay, so her pigheadedness was pretty irritating, but he had to appreciate the pride he’d seen burning like hot coals in her eyes. She had principles. He liked that.
But what he liked—and it was becoming clear he really liked a lot of things about Sunny Williams—didn’t matter. What mattered was that she was walking away.
He rubbed his chin, acknowledging that his priorities had changed in a big hurry. But he’d blown it and he had no idea how to fix things.
He’d always been more comfortable immersing himself in books than talking to people; even as a boy, he’d spent hours reading science books by himself, hoping to make a connection with his father by learning as much as he could about medicine. Personal relationships weren’t his forte.
He started walking back to his office, looking at his problem from a practical viewpoint. The truth was, he needed Sunny Williams in a way that went far beyond his desire to have her laying on top of him again. Now, he just had to figure out a way to talk her into changing her mind—for the sake of becoming a medical researcher and jettisoning Mr. Commitment back to his dad, of course.
Chapter Three
Sunny gave up all pretense of calm and stomped back to her van, absolutely infuriated that her hopes to make a new start in Oak Valley had completely faded. Not to mention that she’d almost caved in to her impetuous side, given into temptation and welcomed Connor’s kiss. Yes, her aura was probably glowing a fiery red right now.
It was impossible to ignore how irritating—yet knock-her-down attractive—Dr. Connor Forbes was proving to be. The man would test the patience and control of a saint.
As maddening as he was, there was something indescribable about him that she found really, really appealing. Darn the man! He was her total opposite and clearly had different values. But she simply couldn’t deny that she found him incredibly attractive. His smile was enough to inspire goose bumps and a glance from his gorgeous green eyes set fires all over her. What would it be like to actually kiss him? Or lie in his arms, whispering her hopes and dreams to him, wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and security that would last forever?
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Lissa Manley
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
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О книге: SHE GOT UNDER HIS SKIN…[And besides, Dr. Connor Forbes didn′t want a r partner. Even if Sunny Williams was the most beautiful blonde he′d ever seen, the uptight physician knew Sunny′s crazy New Age ideas–and her irresistible lips–would only wreak havoc on his practical, wellordered life.i But with her sweet smile and luxurious deep ^tissue massages, the spunky siren had made it impossible for him to turn her away without risking the wrath of the entire town of Oak Valley…and his traitorous heart.Maybe having Sunny as a partner was just what the doctor ordered…