The Doctor Wore Spurs (10 page)

She glanced at the clock again when her doorbell rang just after midnight. Her adrenaline started humming. Besides the pizza and Chinese restaurant delivery guys, only one person rang her doorbell in Fort Worth.

She was reluctant to go to the door, but she had conversely missed him terribly. Rolling her eyes at her ambivalence, she checked the peephole and opened the door to Tyler. He stood, slightly disheveled, wearing his jeans and an irritated expression and carrying a duffel bag.

The duffel bag caused her some anxiety.

"I'm moving in," he told her.

Jill felt her jaw drop. "You're
what?"

"Moving in," he said crisply as he strode past her.
"You
have made my life hell. My billboards might be bringing in the bucks for the hospital wing, but I'm not going to deal with the incessant calls from women. While you sat here in peace, my phone was ringing off the hook the entire evening. Dodging reporters' advances. I want protection," he told her, dumping his bag. "You are it."

His emotions swirled around her like a cyclone. "Protection? How can I be protection?"

"If I am living with you and appear to be involved with you, then I will be left alone," he told her.

Jill envisioned any chance for peace of mind slipping from her grasp. "But after I leave you'll have to deal with it."

"By then I'll be yesterday's news."

She felt a raging headache coming on. He would never be yesterday's news, but he had a point. She hated to admit it, but he had a point. "Don't you have a female friend or someone else who could help?"

"I haven't lived here that long," he told her. "Besides you got me into this. You can get me out of it."

"But, Tyler, given our—" She broke off, searching for a description that wasn't emotionally charged. Something other than
mind-blowing, consuming, unforgettable night of making love,
"—involvement," she said, "don't you think this would be difficult?"

"Oh," he said. "You mean because of the night you blew me away by making love with me and then the way you ran out on me the next morning?"

The hurt on his face was too difficult to bear. He made it seem as if she had been the callous one, when in her mind she had convinced herself her leaving wouldn't bother him. She remembered the tenderness he'd shown Sam and felt ashamed.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Very sorry."

His gaze searched hers. "Why did you do that? How could you do that after that incredible night? It wasn't just about sex. It was about a joining of you totally with me."

Her throat tightened and she swallowed hard. "I know it was more than sex, although the sex was amazing," she said, her cheeks heating at the scorching memories. "I was scared," she said. "I am scared."

"Of what?"

"Of how strongly I feel for you. It's new," she said.

"You didn't feel this way about your husband?"

She shook her head.

He moved closer, and she knew she was in trouble. "Then, you see," he said, lifting his hand to her cheek, "how rare this is. We can't let it pass by."

She resisted the urge to cradle her face in his palm. "But I'm not going to be here very long."

"All the more reason not to waste any time."

Craving his warmth, but still frightened, she closed her eyes. "I'm not sure I'm brave enough," she whispered.

"Jill, look at me," he said.

She warily met his gaze.

"I've watched you with Sam. You're the bravest woman I know."

"But Sam needs me."

"How do you know I don't need you?"

The room seemed to dip, and Jill was certain someone had moved the floor in her condo. "You are so strong, so self-sufficient—"

He covered her lips with his hand. "And so hungry for you. Don't waste the time we've got, Jill."

Jill felt herself sliding. She'd seen that expression of challenge and passion on his face before.

He slid his hand behind her nape and lowered his mouth to hers. "I dare you."

"I'm playing to win," Tyler told her, rubbing his lips across hers. He would use any means to persuade her. The past few days had convinced him he couldn't miss her even if she was only here for a while. "What are you going to do?"

"Go crazy," she said, and put her arms around his neck. "Maybe I already have."

Tyler felt a wave of relief at her surrender. He didn't like how important she'd become to him, but denying it didn't change the fact. He pulled her against him and took her mouth as though he wanted to take all of her, thoroughly. He tasted her fear, but he also tasted her passion. She wanted him. The mere idea of it aroused him unbearably.

She pushed her fingers through his hair and moved restlessly against him. He could feel the budding tips of her nipples against her thin nightshirt and robe.

He could feel his desire clamoring for control. He wanted their clothes gone. He wanted her wrapped around him, taking him into her, enveloping him.

He pulled back slightly. "You have no idea how badly I wanted to kiss you when I saw you with Sam today."

Her gaze hazy with desire, but surprised, she stared at him curiously. "Why?"

"You're so tender with him."

"I felt the same way about you when you let him pet your miniature bear," she said, shaking her head in wonder. "I keep thinking you're too good to be true. You can't be real."

Her words were a balm to his sore heart. He took her mouth again and lifted his palm to cup her small breast. Her little gasp was like a stroke across his loins. He fought the urgency pushing him. "Let's go to bed," he said, trying to slow down.

"Later," she said, pulling his shirt free from his jeans and skimming her hands over his hardness. "I've missed you."

They didn't make it to bed until an hour later, and Tyler joined her in bed with his arm around her. She amazed him, what she did to him emotionally, intellectually, sexually. He felt an edgy reminder of the Logan Curse, but chased it away. Her even breaths reassured him. His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was that if she panicked again she couldn't leave this time. He was in her domain, and she would have a helluva time getting him out.

Tyler and Jill came to a mutual understanding. Since they could act crazy for each other during the time that Jill would stay in Fort Worth, they may as well go whole hog.

Jill poked gentle fun at him. She sent him pink roses at the hospital. Although he had difficulty explaining the mysterious gift to his colleagues, he was touched and amused. He returned the favor by bringing home Blue Bell ice cream, which he fed her nude, and, during the process, he somehow learned what the combination of her warm tongue and ice cream felt like on his body.

They made love frequently, with abandon, because they knew time was short. He joined her for some of her visits to Sam and fell a little harder for her each time he saw her with him.

On the other hand Jill felt as if she were walking a tightrope and she strongly suspected there was no net. She knew that, as high as she could climb with Tyler, as happy as she could be with him, when she left, her fall from glory could be devastating. When she was with him, he made it easy to forget everything was temporary.

The calendar on her desk, however, didn't fail to remind her, she thought as she put it facedown on her desk one afternoon.

A knock sounded at her office door.

Jill glanced at the sound in surprise. She so rarely heard a knock. Usually everyone just burst in unannounced.

She walked to the door and opened it to Clarence Gilmore. She smiled. That explained the knock. "Mr. Gilmore, how are you? Come in."

He nodded, entering and closing the door behind him. "Ms. Hershey, how are you today?"

She wondered at his fidgety movements. "Fine, and you?"

"Very fine, thank you. We are delighted with the results of your consultation with the hospital. You have performed beyond our wildest dreams," he said. "The target for the pediatric wing has been met and exceeded, and donations continue to come in." He put his hands in his pockets and removed them. "We really couldn't be more pleased."

"Thank you," she said, feeling a small surge of pleasure. "I'm glad I could help make it happen. I think Dr. Logan's willingness to participate was a huge bonus."

Clarence nodded. "Yes," he said, laughing uneasily. "Better him than me." He cleared his throat. "Now that we've exceeded our goal, we're in the unique position of telling you that if you need to leave us early for your next assignment, we'll understand."

An awkward silence followed. Jill shrugged.

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure I understand what you're saying."

"We do have a contract with you and your company, based on the number of weeks you work here. Of course, if you had needed to go over that time, we would have extended your salary. It probably isn't typical, but since you've finished early, we might be able to save the hospital a little money by releasing you from the contract early and wishing you well on your future endeavors."

Her stomach fell. Jill stared at him in surprise, although she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Every time she had spoken with Clarence he had asked the question "How much?" She understood that was his job. Someone had to oversee the complicated financial matters of the hospital.

"It probably sounds as if I'm trying to kick you out, doesn't it?" Clarence asked, a miserable tone to his voice. "Ms. Hershey, if it were left to me, I would want you to stay on indefinitely. With your reputation, I was surprised we were able to get you in the first place. But we are not a huge facility, and we have to watch every penny. You are by no means obligated to leave before the end of your contract, but unfortunately I am obligated to offer you the option."

Clarence looked so downcast she felt sorry for him. Jill mustered a smile. "You're just doing what you're supposed to do. I'll think about what loose ends I need to tie up, and get back to you after the weekend."

"Yes," Clarence said, slightly relieved. "And, Ms. Hershey, you truly have worked magic for us."

Jill couldn't have felt less magical as she and Tyler prepared to make the trip to the Logan ranch for Brock and Felicity's wedding. She persuaded him to take her car instead of his motorcycle so they both could relax. On the way, she kept him busy with questions about every subject except the subject most on her mind—leaving Fort Worth.

"Do you miss the ranch when you're away?" Jill asked.

"I do. Even though I know I was meant to practice medicine, a big part of me hates the city and longs for life on the ranch."

"Maybe someday you could get a weekend place where you could escape."

Tyler shook his head. "My brother would kill me. He still wants me there at roundup and any other chance I can manage it."

"Do you resent it?"

"Are you kidding? After the way he went to bat for me with Dad, there's not much I wouldn't do for him. I think my dad had visions of all of us settling somewhere on the ranch and having tons of children and building some sort of Logan empire, but Brock's different, more practical. Don't get me wrong. He's got ranching in his blood, but—"

Jill felt the blood drain from her face. Hearing Tyler talk of having children was a cutting reminder that she could never bear his children. She felt his glance and prayed her face didn't show her feelings.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, and tried hard to smile. "I probably should have eaten more at lunch. Go ahead."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Go ahead."

Tyler looked unsettled, but he continued. "Brock is trying to take the best of the old ranching methods and the new ranching business views to keep the Logan ranch successful. He's got a tough job, and I admire him for his tenacity. I'm glad he's got Felicity."

"What happened to his first wife?"

"The Logan Curse," he said. His eye twitched, but he forced a laugh. "I'm joking. He just married the wrong girl. She wasn't cut out to live on a ranch. She had the kids, then left him for California."

Jill gasped. "But those kids are a treasure."

Tyler smiled at her outrage and lifted her hand to his mouth while he watched the road. "We think so."

"And Felicity?"

"As far as she's concerned, those kids are hers. She has wanted a family her whole life and she feels like she hit the jackpot."

"I would think with all that family," she began, "that you would want some of your own."

He shook his head. "I've already got plenty."

She searched his expression for clues. He looked thoughtful, almost brooding. She wondered if he was thinking about children or the Logan Curse. He dismissed it so easily, but every time he mentioned it, he seemed to grow tense.

Jill tugged on his hand. "Where are you?" she asked with a gentle smile.

"Right here," he said, but he still appeared distracted.

"Okay, then tell me what you were like when you were a teenager," she said.

"If I'd had the chance, I would have been wild as the March Hare, but my dad kept me busy to keep me out of trouble. I wanted a convertible." He shook his head at the memory. "No chance with my dad. It was a truck or nothing.

"I used to sneak out at night every now and then and drink beer with some friends. He caught me once and made me muck stalls for two months straight." He made a face. "Ruined my appreciation for beer.

"I wanted to sneak a girl into one of the barns and—"

"Something tells me you fulfilled this fantasy repeatedly," she said in a wry voice.

"There you go making assumptions again. I was shy with girls," he told her, and shot her a chiding look when she laughed. "I also got into a lot of fights with one of our neighbors—guy named Noah Coltrane. He just couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut about the Logans, and I just couldn't seem to resist punching him for it. We both were sent home from school too many times to count."

"This is the grudge neighbor," she said.

"Exactly. We share a stream with them and we can't fence that area, so that's been an ongoing source of conflict. Plus one of the Coltranes tried to steal one of the Logan brides a few generations back and was partially successful." Tyler nodded. "Yep, we've got a history of not getting along. At this point our best shot at peace is to pretend the other doesn't exist."

Jill shook her head. "You get along well with so many people. It's hard for me to imagine you carrying a grudge with anyone."

"Hate to admit it, but this one has been bred into me. There are people and things that can make me angry, though. A good example is the guy who got Martina pregnant. If Brock or I ever find out who isn't owning up to his responsibility, he'll wish the Texas Rangers were after him instead of the Logans."

"That must be why Martina won't tell you who the father is."

Tyler narrowed his eyes and frowned. "It makes me furious that someone took advantage of her. She may be a firecracker, but she's my little sister and I want to protect her."

"Even if she doesn't think she needs your protection," she said, recalling the fact that his little sister was over five foot eight.

"Damn right," he said.

Jill smiled. "I haven't seen this protective, almost chauvinistic side of you."

He tossed her a sideways glance. "Stick around. You might be surprised," he said in a seductive voice.

Her stomach fluttered in response to his tone, but his invitation was a sad reminder that she wouldn't be sticking around and she wouldn't be learning all the sides that made up Tyler Logan.

The wedding took place the following afternoon outside on the ranch. The weather cooperated by supplying plenty of sunshine, and bluebells bloomed in abundance. Brock looked just a tad nervous as he stood in front of the guests with the minister and Tyler. Tyler kept catching Jill's gaze and simply staring at her. He was so overt about it people sitting next to her began to make comments.

"How long have you known Tyler?" a woman asked.

"Just a couple of months," Jill said, fighting the heat in her cheeks.

"It looks like he sure is interested in you. Will there be more Logan wedding bells?"

"No," Jill quickly said. "No more bells or weddings or anything of that nature."