The Doctor's Husband (Colorado Blues) (3 page)

“Mom died when we were fairly young and Dad raised us alone.”

“The poor thing. Four boys must have been a bit of a handful. I don’t know what I’d do with one.”

“I doubt we were all that bad.”

Denver nodded her head, not sure whether to believe him or not. “So tell me what they all do. Will they be at the wedding?”

“Well, you know about Chance and Rory and me. Tyson has a ranch next door to Chance and he raises horses. I’m looking forward to a family reunion like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Something tells me it’s going to be a wedding to remember.”

Denver lay in bed, her mind going over the different scenarios, disregarding them as she went. It would be perfect to go and visit the town in the guise of being there for the wedding. She could check out the hospital and meet a few of the locals. Her only problem was finding a
local
husband so she could claim status that way and the top of her list after tonight was Evan.

He was a local, and someone who was knocked back for the job he’d set his sights on. Maybe he would be easy to convince to make the move with her. Her head ached with trying to figure things out. Denver turned over, punched her pillow, and looked at the bedside clock. There was less than four hours before the alarm would go off. She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep. Everything would fall together, it would.

The jarring of the alarm woke her barely minutes after she’d fallen asleep. She rolled over and groaned, the pulsing behind her eyes reminding her how much she hated not sleeping well. How she got through her internship she would never know. You survived on bad coffee and no sleep for the first few years until you became immune to both of them. Once you progressed along the food chain and got more regular hours, the body clock became soft again. Sleep became her savior, the state where all of her problems disappeared and she woke fresh and determined.

Denver threw back the blankets and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She couldn’t be late this morning. There was a procedure she needed to be on time for. A pregnant mother with complications had been admitted yesterday and required
Amniocentesis
testing—one of Denver’s specialties.

Her steady hands and coolness under pressure made her the perfect person to do the procedure. She plodded on leaden feet into the bathroom, flicking on the shower before lifting her nightgown over her head.

Last night Evan escorted her to the elevator door and that’s where she’d stopped him. “It really is rather late and I have a baby due in the morning.” She smiled at him to soften the disappointment on his face. “I would like to invite you up for a coffee, but I think we talked ourselves almost hoarse at the restaurant and I need to sleep.”

He’d played the perfect gentleman and agreed. “I’ll see you tomorrow then at the hospital.” Evan cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her. Tentatively at first, and when she didn’t protest, he deepened the kiss.

Her heart picked up the beats, surprising her in its reaction. Normally cool and unflappable, Denver found herself off kilter for the first time in a long time. There was a certain chemistry between them she couldn’t begin to understand. They were total opposites. Evan wanted calm and people, she wanted busy and administration. He came from a broken family in a small western cowboy town and she was a city socialite with a large trust fund.

They were worlds apart.

She stepped under the hot running water and let it soak her tense shoulders. She needed this new job, and without a husband to take along, she would have to turn it down. Evan fit the bill. Plain and simple. His kiss last night convinced her he would be perfect. They could live as husband and wife. She needed and enjoyed sex the same as any red-blooded woman did.

Convincing him to marry her and move back to his hometown was going to be the tricky part. Dating was one thing. Taking it to marriage and packing up home in a matter of weeks was another. She’d have to play the game for keeps starting right now.

***

Evan whistled as he poured kibble into the cat bowl and put it on the floor for Mr. Blue. The fat ginger cat rubbed against his legs and meowed long and hard. “Sorry buddy. We ran out of canned tuna. Promise to bring you some home tonight.” He leaned down and scratched the cat behind his ears before putting the box back in the pantry. Evan finished off the coffee, and grabbed his phone, keys, and wallet and let himself out of his townhouse.

He hurried down the stairs to the garage and flicked the key for his truck. When he slid into the seat and turned it on, his thoughts were with last night’s date. Who would have guessed that Denver would open up so much. Finally, he’d cracked through that hard shell she showed to the staff at the hospital. The impenetrable layer that kept her at arm’s length had finally shifted and he liked what he saw.

She wasn’t what he’d expected. She was warm and funny, as well as easy to get on with. They’d talked over dinner and long after their plates were cleared away. It was close to midnight when Evan walked her to the door and as much as he would have liked to continue the evening, he understood why she backed off.

Humming to himself, Evan walked into the triage room, past the nurses’ station toward the closet, and pulled on a clean coat. He smiled at the nurse filling in patients’ records and grabbed the list from the last shift. Once he’d scanned it and caught up with what was happening in his department, he started rounds. Within minutes, he became lost in the routine he loved.

A warm hand snaked around his waist as he poured himself a coffee later that morning. The lingering smell of Denver’s exotic perfume gave her away before she could speak. “Dr. Watson. If you’re pouring, then the answer is yes please.” She walked away and he heard the scrapping of a chair as she pulled it out.

“How did the procedure go?” Evan placed the coffee in front of her and sat opposite.

“I think it went well. Still waiting for the results from the lab, but I’m quietly confident the baby will be fine. Probably premi. I expected that anyway.” She picked up the cup and took a sip, sighing as she swallowed. “I needed that.”

“Thank you for last night. I really enjoyed myself.” He watched the subtle pink stain her cheeks.

She blinked and met his gaze. “So did I. I have to admit I didn’t expect to. I’ve avoided all dates with hospital staff because I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’m glad I let my guard down last night, Evan.” Denver smiled and Evan’s heart soared. Last night was the best date he’d been on in a long time. She was easy to talk to, regardless of their different backgrounds.

“Have you checked your schedule yet?” He could already imagine her as his date for the big day. Showing her around his hometown had been foremost in his mind when he fell asleep last night.

“Yes. I rearranged a couple of appointments, and I have time owing so if the offer is still open, I’d love to come with you.” She leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. “How long are you planning on staying?”

“How long have you got?”

“Hmm, I guess I could take five or six days at least. The country air might be a nice change from the city. It’d be nice to get some walking or riding in.” She looked down at the table. “I’ll understand if you have to cut the visit short and get back here.”

Evan swallowed his excitement. “No. I’m pretty much a free agent after this weekend. I haven’t signed a new contract yet. A week would be wonderful. We can drive up in my truck if you’re happy with that. It’s a long trip but I enjoy it. I can take Mr. Blue too, instead of putting him in the cattery.”

“Mr. Blue?”

“Yeah, my little buddy. He’s a cat. Ginger, hence the name, kind of like a play on words. Opposites and all that kind of thing. You’ll like him.” Hopefully. “He loves car trips and I always take him home if I’m going to be there for more than a day or two.”

“It’s so damned good to see you, Evan. It’s been too long.” Chance wrapped his arms around his shoulders and lifted him off the ground. Evan closed his eyes, knowing this was going to go the way it always did when he came home. A shout of joy followed by a head spinning turn and then he was unceremoniously dumped back on the ground. He took a second to stabilize himself before he opened his eyes.

“Wow. You don’t grow up, do you? Still the same big brother with the same lame tricks up your sleeve.” Secretly he was pleased nothing had changed since the last time he came home.

“Yeah well, if I changed, you’d only worry.” He nodded his head. “Who’s the gorgeous lady?”

“Denver. Dr. Denver Sinclair.” He turned and waved her forward. She’d offered to stay in the truck while he greeted his brother much to his amusement, and wouldn’t come out until they’d finished their backslapping, man-hugging greeting. She seemed afraid of getting in the way of his reunion. “We work together at the hospital. She’s something else, beautiful as well as brainy.”

She stepped forward and Evan wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Denver, this is my brother, Chance.”

She held out her hand and smiled. “It’s lovely to meet you, Chance. I’ve seen you on the circuit once or twice.”

“Really? Welcome to the ranch, Denver. It’s nice to see little brother bring someone home for a change. Usually we have to put up with his annoying habits. I can see this time we might actually have a bit of fun.” He looked down at the barn when a dog barked, a secretive smile on his face.

“That’s Sherbet. An Australian cattle dog. Reckon Mr. Blue will be all right with her? Not sure how she’s going to react to the old man.” The cat was still in his carrier on the back seat of the truck.

“I’ll put him inside if that’s okay. He knows his way around and can hide if he needs to until they get used to each other.” He let go of Denver and walked to his truck, grabbed the cage, and carried it inside the house. Once the door of the cage opened, the ginger cat casually strode out and stretched before sitting down. With a seemingly bored attitude, the cat proceeded to wash his paws.

Outside Chance and Denver were talking together. Evan hurried out to be with them. As he slipped his arm around Denver, he noticed the dog bounding around the legs of a denim-clad lady, her face shielded by her hat. Long legs encased in old dusty work boots strode the distance between the barn and the house with intent.

“Who’s that?”

“Callie. My wife.” Chance watched her walk toward them with a smile on his face.

“What? You never told me. Chance, what the heck is going on here?” Evan looked at his brother, Callie, and then Denver.
Why wasn’t I told about something this important?
Had he done something to annoy Chance? “How come you didn’t tell me that when you spilt the beans on Rory?”

Callie stepped into Chance’s arms and kissed him before glancing at the visitors. She smiled and held out her hand. “Hey, you must be Evan, the doctor of the family. I’m Callie, nice to meet you.” Her eyes sparkled with laughter and he liked her immediately.

“I did try to tell you. Seems you were in some God-awful hurry to an important meeting and didn’t listen. Not my fault, brother.” He nodded at Denver. “This is Denver, Evan’s date for the wedding.”

“Hey, nice to meet you. Welcome to the ranch.”

“Not from around here, are you?” Evan couldn’t pick the accent, but he could tell the sparks that flew between her and his brother were real love. He’d never seen Chance look this contented before. “Nice to meet you too, by the way. Regardless of my brother’s inability to make sure he repeated the news when I called back”—he glared at Chance and was rewarded with a head shake—“I have to offer my congratulations.”

“Thanks. He can be a bit of a tease at times, so I get the confusion. And yes, you’re right. I’m not from around here, I come from Australia.”

Denver held out her hand in greeting. “I just love that Australian drawl you have. What brought you to America, Callie?”

“This guy. He placed an advert I couldn’t refuse and here I am.” She smiled and looked between the two of them, lips twitching.

Evan swallowed his shock. “An advert. You placed an ad for what, a ranch hand, a worker, a cook, what exactly?” He reached for Denver’s hand and twisted his fingers through hers, craving the stability she gave him.

“None of the above. I wanted a wife.”

***

Denver grimaced when Evan squeezed her fingers. Not that she could blame him considering the shock he’d just received. Fancy the man who ruffled the feathers of every red-blooded female in America advertising for a wife. He never seemed short of a starlet or model on his arm so why get a mail order bride?

“Forgive me here; I know it’s none of my business...why?” She couldn’t help it, Denver had to ask.

“Let’s go inside and get a bit more comfortable shall we? You might want to see your room and freshen up after the trip.” Callie winked at her husband and led the way indoors. They had no choice but to follow.

Denver climbed the stairs after Callie and into the bedroom they’d prepared for her. “I hope this is okay. Evan’s room is next door and we weren’t sure if you wanted your own space or not. Don’t care either way; we’ll leave that up to you.” She walked over and opened a bathroom door. “Feel free to freshen up and come back down when you’re ready. Chance is probably lighting the fire in the lounge room.” She wiggled her fingers and left Denver standing alone.

“Um, where did you want your case?” Evan stood at the door, her luggage in his hand.

“Just on the bed is fine, thank you.” She licked her bottom lip and made a snap decision. “I thought we might be sharing and if you don’t want to, that’s fine, I’ll understand.” Her heart beat faster and she watched the expressions on his face go from unbelieving to
what the heck is she saying, hell yes
.

“Really? I mean, sure, whatever you like. I didn’t want to rush you or anything, Denver. I mean to say, you know I’ve wanted to date you for the last couple of years. I don’t expect you to sleep with me straight away.” His throat worked overtime and she almost smiled. “If you didn’t want to that is.”

“You’re a very sweet guy, Evan, and I really like you, otherwise I wouldn’t be here this week. I want to be with you, in every way. I made my mind up about that before I accepted your invitation.” She took a breath and spoke again. “How about we sleep together, just sleep and when I feel comfortable, we can progress to the sex side of the relationship? Does that work for you?”

“Sure. The last thing I want to do is make you feel uncomfortable.” He put the case on the floor and stepped over to her, cupping her face in his hands. “You’re so beautiful, Denver. You have no idea what you do to me.” Evan kissed her and she melted against him. It wasn’t going to be hard to have an affair with him because she was attracted to the man anyway and that’s the reason she’d made up her mind he was going to be great husband material.

Rather than feel guilty over what she planned, she would consider it an arranged marriage and do her best to make it work. The least she could do was go into this with the intent of making Evan as happy as he could be if it was a conventional marriage. And if it was good enough for his big brother to advertise for a wife, well...