“Obviously, the quarters are not what you’re used to,” Bryan told him. “But unfortunately—”

Jameson held up his hand and smiled at the man.

“Bryan, you don’t need to be embarrassed. I’ve been in active combat. This is luxury to me, being surrounded by all this green. Believe me, I don’t even need this hut to sleep in.”

Bryan smiled.

“That is all fine and well, Dr. Landry, until you are bitten by a venomous spider.”

Jameson grinned at him.

“Maybe I’ll sleep inside then,” he agreed, setting his bag down. “Thank you, Bryan.”

He looked around as Bryan hovered near the door of the small cottage and Jameson could feel the villager’s nervousness.

“Is something wrong, Bryan?”

“No, no, Dr. Landry. I…is there anything else I can get for you? The others will be arriving soon and I should see to them also.”

“I’m good, Bryan. Gracias.”

Bryan ducked out of the hut, leaving Jameson alone to consider his new surroundings.

A small burst of excitement sizzled through him as he thought about the prospects to come.

Tonya had seemed surprised by his decision to come.

“You really don’t know what’s waiting for you in Central America, Jameson,” she told him worriedly. “Isn’t this all a little suspicious? I mean, this guy pops up out of nowhere and offers you a job…”

“Obviously I did my due diligence on the matter, Tonya. Dr. Bennet was the chief of pediatrics at Seattle Pres until last year when he began doing his own work in third world countries, setting up hospitals and staffing them before moving on to others. So far, he’s managed to find funding for three hospitals in different countries.”

“Don’t you think that’s odd?” Tonya insisted. “He’s finding money to build hospitals? Just like that?”

“I think that the man is a very talented magician,” Jameson retorted. He checked himself, knowing that Tonya was speaking out of desperation. It would be the first time they’d been apart in their co-dependant relationship.

“I don’t feel right about this,” she muttered and Jameson stifled a sigh.

“Tonya, I know it will be weird but you’ll still have a job while I’m gone. I’ll only be gone for about a year while I train the new doctors.”

She didn’t reply.

“I’ll need you to stay as my secretary and book speaking gigs for when I return,” he continued, wishing her face would lighten some but there was no indication of that happening.

“You really need to think about this before you agree to it, Jameson,” she told him flatly. “I have a bad feeling.”

“I did think about it, Tonya and I’m going. I’ve already signed the paperwork. I leave next week.”

Oddly enough, shortly after that conversation, Tonya had changed her tune dramatically and supported his decision whole-heartedly. In fact, she almost seemed to push him out the door, so to speak.

Women, he had thought to himself, I’ll never understand how their minds work.

And now I’m here.

Jameson had to admit, he’d felt a strange peace from the moment the small plane had landed in San Antonio, as if he was home finally.

This is just what the doctor ordered, he thought ironically. Getting away from civilization, getting back in touch with nature and helping those who have never had the benefit of the things I’ve had. This is where I belong.

As he thought it, a spider scurried past and it was almost the size of Jameson’s hand.

“I guess I’m not going to be sleeping too easily inside either, huh?” he commented as the monster moved past him.

There was a tentative knock at the door and he spun to call out.

“Come in.”

Dr. Bennet popped his head through and grinned disarmingly at Jameson.

“Oh, wonderful. You’re here,” he said, smiling. “I was hoping that you’d settled in.”

His eyes fell on the spider who was looking for cover and he winced.

“I know they shouldn’t shock me,” he muttered. “But I cannot get used to them, no matter how much time I spend in the wilderness.”

Jameson laughed.

“We all have our fears, I imagine.”

“Indeed,” Bennet sighed. The smile reappeared on his face.

“If you need some time, I understand but there is a doctor here already that I would like you to meet. She’s a neuropsychiatrist, one of the best in the field.”

“Oh?” The information surprised him. “You brought another psychiatrist here?”

Dr. Bennet’s eyebrows rose and he stared at Jameson curiously.

“Is that going to be an issue?” he asked, sounding surprised.

“An issue?” Jameson repeated, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “No, of course not. I’m just…”

He trailed off, struggling for the words to say without offending his new employer.

“Ah. You’re thinking it’s unnecessary to have two psychiatrists in an impoverished children’s hospital.”

Relief and chagrin colored Jameson’s face simultaneously.

“Something like that,” he muttered sheepishly.

“It’s a good observation,” Bennet told him. “But I assure you, all my hospitals put just as much emphasis on mental health as we do physical. You have to understand that most of these children are orphans or have lost at least one parent. They are victims of violence, natural disasters, hunger, illness, poverty—the list is endless and devastating. I know people in the first world don’t consider it much but I assure you that depression, anxiety and PTSD are alive and well here.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Jameson said quickly. “I imagine it’s likely worse here than in the States.”

“Well, as you know, it’s not a competition.” Bennet grinned again to take the sting from his words. “But that’s why I am happy to take all the help I can get.”

“Well, I look forward to meeting my co-worker,” Jameson told him magnanimously. “I’m ready to go now.”

“Excellent. I can show you around the hospital. It’s not huge but it’s something,” Bennet continued, leading the way. “I’m sure you got a glimpse of it when you came through on the caravan.”

“I did but it’s hidden through all the brush.”

“I purposely had it hidden. I wanted the children to feel a certain sense of security when they came, given their tumultuous histories.”

“Makes sense. I find it very peaceful myself.”

They continued through a beaten path and through a throng of trees before the single-floored building appeared. It stretched out quite far to Jameson’s eye.

“If we’d made a second floor,” Bennet told him, “It would have meant bigger machines. We disrupted the wildlife enough with this.”

“I’m sure it will do wonderfully,” Jameson assured him. “What does it have?”

“There are five ORs, two wings and a small emergency room but given the location, I imagine the clinic will be used more than the ER. The area I have set aside for mental health is shared with physiotherapy.”

“You’ve thought of everything,” Jameson thought admiringly but on the tip of his tongue was the question he really wanted to know.

“This way, Dr. Landry.”

They moved into the small entranceway and Jameson was taken aback by the pristine condition of the hospital.

It’s brand new but it’s also…modern.

“Who is your benefactor for this hospital?” he asked subtly. Bennet cast him a sidelong look.

“Does it matter to you?”

“No,” Jameson assured him. “I was just wondering why he didn’t put his name on the building like the two others did.”

Bennet snorted.

“Between you and me, Dr. Landry, some people only give to charity because it makes them feel better. Putting their name on the hospital was their way of patting themselves on the back, even though they would recoup most of what they put out come income tax time.”

“Not this benefactor though,” Jameson commented, raising a brow. “Very noble.”

“He donated anonymously. I couldn’t tell you who it was if I wanted to.”

“You’re kidding!”

“I am not asking questions,” Bennet replied. “I’m grateful but if he doesn’t want me to know who he is—”

“Or she?” A woman asked. The hairs on the back of Jameson’s neck rose and he found himself turning to face exactly who he knew would be standing there.

“Or she,” Dr. Bennet chuckled. “Forgive the pronoun, Dr. McMahon. May I introduce Dr. Jameson Landry?”

“We’ve met,” Audrey said warmly, gliding toward them to extend her hand toward Jameson. “Good to see you again, Doctor.”

Jameson looked at Bennet in disbelief.

You brought a witch doctor to a third world country to help the kids? He yelled silently at the chief of staff. You may as well have called a shaman in from San Antonio!

Reluctantly, he turned back toward Audrey and accepted her warm hand — her frozen expression suddenly far from what one would call warm. Her eyes glittered like ice drawing him in even more than they usually did. What had caused her chilly reaction to him?

“Nice to see you too,” he managed to say, his eyes trailing down her lovely face toward the swell of her full breasts against a white tank top. Her peaches and cream complexion was tanner than usual and Jameson realized that she must have been there much longer than him.

“Did you just get here too?” he asked innocently and she shook her head, not losing the aloof expression which had fallen over her face.

“I’ve been here two weeks.”

“She came with me to prepare,” Bennet offered, casting Audrey a look that Jameson couldn’t decipher.

She met the chief’s gaze and lowered her eyes.

What’s going on here?

A shocking bolt of hot jealousy reverberated through his veins.

Are they together? Is that why she’s here?

Audrey turned away suddenly.

“I should get back,” she muttered and moved away before either man could speak.

“Is there some history between you two?” Bennet asked, sensing the discord.

“History? No,” Jameson snorted. “You have nothing to worry about there.”

“Why would I be worried?”

Jameson cast him a wary look.

“We don’t really see eye to eye on our methods,” he explained. “It’s nothing personal.”

“I know,” Bennet laughed. “That’s why I asked you both here. It’s good to have two ways of looking at the same problem.”

The chief wandered away, gesturing for Jameson to follow with a wave of his hand.

Jameson hurried to catch up but he couldn’t stop the feeling of upset that lurched in his gut as he tried to figure out the relationship between Bennet and Audrey.

It’s nothing. There’s nothing between them. Not that you would (or should) care if there is or isn’t.

He almost chuckled at the lie he told himself.

Of course you care. If Bennet and McMahon aren’t hooking up ... If she’s single and you’re both alone out here in the middle of nowhere, you know full well that you’re going after that.

His determination to let his personal impressions of her push aside his professional opinions of her work, loomed to the forefront.

He’d be a fool not to explore this further.