Chapter 7
The next morning's rounds had Mariah up bright and early.
Well, at least early.
She cradled her cup of sanity like it was priceless crystal as she shuffled to the nurses' station. No one was going to deprive her of her drug of choice this morning. She rolled her shoulders. Thank God for low census in the hospital. She had only seven patients to round on, then she was off to brunch with a certain guy who made her uterus quiver.
A woman in flower-patterned scrubs strolled over.
With reluctance, Mariah set down the cup. "Good morning, Amber. Any changes with Ms. Taggart and Mr. Patterson?"
"Ms. Taggart woke up a little while ago."
"As in, awake-awake?" The unspoken question of mental status hung heavy in the air between them.
"Alert and oriented." The nurse looked at the floor then back up, triggering a sinking sensation in Mariah's stomach.
"But what?"
"Her vision is gone. Can't tell when the light is on. No sight at all."
"Oh, wow." Mariah racked her brain for stroke syndromes and head injury complications causing isolated blindness. Occipital lobe injury? Funny, the CT scan didn't show any abnormalities in the woman's brain. "Okay. I'll check on her. How about Mr. Patterson?"
"Still in a coma. No change."
"That's the damndest thing. I'll give the neuro guys in Casper another call to see if there's anything else we can do. Thanks." After a sip of the coffee, she trudged down to Shelby Taggart's room.
Before opening the door, she peeked through the narrow slit of glass. Sure enough, Shelby's eyes were open. Even though her patient's head was turned in the direction of her twin brother, Kerr, the unfocused gaze supported her nurse's assessment.
Mariah rested her hand on the door, but her muscles refused to work. The intense bond between brother and sister was obvious as he patted Shelby's shoulder and talked to her. A painful vice sensation developed around Mariah's ribcage.
Damn, she missed Kevin. Sure, Mariah and her brother chatted or texted a few times every week, but it didn't take the place of being near each other. They'd stuck together despite injury, struggles, and parents who had all but abandoned them. They had been each other's biggest cheerleader, the person each could call in their deepest funk. She and Kevin had escaped that awful situation together, years ago. Something no kid should ever have to deal with.
So, no question, Mariah knew all about the bond between brother and sister.
Sliding her hand off the door handle, she backed away.
She'd evaluate Mr. Patterson first. She brushed a hand over her eyelids.
Must be some pieces of lint irritating her eyes.
* * *
Copper River's famous Hungry Moose diner was nearly empty in the post-breakfast, pre-lunch lull on this cold weekday in December. After checking with Kerr to make sure Shelby was still awake and improving, Vaughn had decided that it would be okay keep his appointment with Mariah. Then he'd take a shift at the hospital, sitting with Shelby. His sister was awake. Thank God.
Vaughn took off his leather coat and adjusted his neatly tucked thermal shirt once more.
He checked the parking lot for the tenth time in the past three minutes. Not that he cared if Mariah showed or not. Might be better if she canceled.
As his growling stomach attested, having a meal date while trying to make weight was one of the more boneheaded decisions he'd ever made. The aroma of bacon and hash browns? Torture.
A prickling sensation at the back of his head signaled his weird radar awakening.
Ah, speaking of torture.
He gritted his teeth as he mentally unfurled the control he had over his ability, trying to ignore the headache that came with it. The compulsion to make sure Mariah was safe overrode all other instincts when he got close to her.
She pulled up in a black Mini Cooper, complete with little racing stripes. Seriously, who drove a car like that in this town? It looked like a toy parked next to his ranch truck. Then she hopped out of her car without any difficulty, and he understood why she had such a ridiculous ride. That tiny car fit her to a T.
He snorted, then froze in place.
A shadow flitted behind her car. A glint of ember red shone within the darkness of the shadow.
His headache spiked.
As she glanced up toward the diner, she pitched forward and her foot slid on the ice.
His power surged, and he jumped in her direction, nearly traveling through the glass storefront. At the last minute, he rested a fist on the window and sucked in air until the urge passed. She hung onto his truck handle but didn't hit the ground. He checked again. No shadow visible. Head aching, he vibrated in place but managed to stay put. What the actual hell was going on with his ability?
Entering the diner, she looked around and shot him a sheepish grin. "You didn't see that, right?"
"I saw nothing." He couldn't quite pull off the lie.
Damn it all if her reddening cheeks didn't made her green eyes sparkle.
Damn it all if her green eyes sparkling didn't make his stupid toes tingle.
Toes tingle? He must be hypoglycemic from the weight cut.
"So...?" she said.
"Yep. Let's." He caught the attention of a waitress, who waved them to an open booth.
Mariah paused to remove her wool coat, and he took it from her, hanging it on the hook next to their seats. The material gave off that minty scent he associated with Mariah, and he inhaled deeply, hoping she wouldn't notice.
He hung his coat as well and slid in across from her, wincing when his knee banged the center metal table post.
"Busy this morning?" he asked.
"Yes. Shelby's back to what I'm told is her snarky baseline."
The smile moved unused muscles on his face. "Good luck to us all, then. That's great."
Mariah nodded, then leaned back and stretched her shoulders; the knit fabric of her sweater briefly outlined her breasts. Christ, they were perfectly proportioned to her body. His tongue turned to sand. Time did a weird warp thing for a few seconds. Or was it minutes?
Finally, he figured out something to say. "Are you done with work now?"
"Barring natural disasters or other emergencies, I should be off for the rest of the day." Flicking a finger along the edge of the menu, she asked, "So, were you, uh, working on the ranch this morning?"
"Morning chores. You bet." And an hour's worth of sweating out some pounds before the chores. "So where are you from, Mariah?" Great intro, man. Way to dive right in there.
"Utah originally." Before he could ask another question, she said, "How about you? From Copper River?"
"Yeah. Born and raised here, along with my crazy brothers and sister."
A quick crease flitted across her forehead. "You've been gone for a while, right?"
"How did you know?"
She indicated in the general direction of the diner front door. "Small town."
Not good news. If she knew that he'd left, she might know why. "I've been gone for a little over a year. New York City."
"I've never been there. How do you like it?"
"It's a different world. Lots of suits, faster pace, folks climbing corporate ladders."
"You didn't answer the question."
Huh. Okay, he'd bite. "How do I like it? Obviously, well enough to set up shop there." Damn, that came out too sharp.
She rolled her lips together and stared over at the empty tables.
Impulse and anger. Two things he needed to work on, pronto. While he was at it, he should also knock down his defensiveness a few notches.
Smiling at the waitress who filled her coffee cup, Mariah wrapped her fingers around the mug and sighed as she took a sip. What would it be like if he ever earned a sigh like that from Mariah, say, a few inches away from his ear? His groin had the answer. Hand up, so to speak.
She gave the waitress her order. "Pancakes, sausage, and hash browns. And an OJ."
"Impressive. Hungry?" He chuckled.
Ducking her head, she gave a sheepish smile. "Hey, I don't miss any chances to eat. Old habit from medical school and residency. 'Eat when you can, sleep when you can,' as they say."
"Not sure where all that food will go, but best of luck to you." He turned to the waitress. Damn it, this week sucked. "Two egg whites, scrambled, with veggies. And an apple if you have it."
A dark eyebrow quirked. "For a big guy, that's a pretty dainty meal."
"Maybe I'm on a diet." Shut up, he commanded his hollow stomach.
"Why would you need to diet?"
And just like that, without his conscious thought, his chest puffed out. "Naw, it's a joke," he mumbled. "Ate earlier this morning." Lie. He didn't want to get into the MMA stuff. Because then he'd have to go into the why of MMA and field more questions he wasn't ready to answer. Later. If there was a later.
For right now, he wanted to learn more about the woman in front of him, but she had some serious verbal judo skills deflecting conversation away from herself.
"So, how'd you end up in Copper River?"
A shrug of a small shoulder. "Loan repayment."
"I don't understand."
"I'm with the National Health Service Corps."
"What's that?"
"It's for poor medical students." That little nose scrunch nearly did him in. "As a student, if you commit to work in an underserved area, NHSC will pay off the medical school tuition. It's a good deal when you have to pay off school loans."
"That does sound like a good deal."
"Sure, until you figure I still have to pay off college. No one helps with that part. But yes, the program is good for medical school loans."
"How long will you stay here?"
"I'm obligated for four years, but, obviously, they hope physicians will stay longer. Put down roots." She chewed her lower lip.
And? Would she stay?
He had no business asking the question.
"So, tell me about the Taggart ranch," she said, too brightly.
* * *
Why did the question about her loan obligation bother Mariah so much?
She wasn't ashamed of needing help with her debt from medical school.
No, what bothered her most about Vaughn's innocent question was the "putting down roots" part of her answer that she blurted out.
Most NHSC students served near their hometowns. If they were adventurous, they fulfilled their obligation elsewhere, but often returned to where they were from.
But Mariah didn't have a home, did she? Well, she did, technically, but no way would she ever go back there.
As she listened to Vaughn chat about his childhood, growing up on the ranch with loving parents and pesky siblings and getting into trouble in school here in Copper River, he painted a picture of what she had missed. A home base. A place where she fit. Even though Vaughn had moved to New York City, he still saw this place as home.
Even gone for a year, he was part of this town and the people in it.
Where did she belong, truly?
Not with her last boyfriend, whose view of a future wife's role didn't involve an independent, smart woman. And that future sure as heck didn't include a woman who moonlighted as an MMA ringside doctor. To him, nothing could be more lowbrow. In retrospect, forget him. She was better off alone than with that guy.
But the slice her ex made about her not fitting in with his big, wealthy family because of her past and her career? That comment cut deep. Too deep.
"Am I boring you?"
She startled, her cheeks warming. "Of course not." Vaughn, boring? It was a testament to how unsettled those thoughts made her that she couldn't concentrate on the intense guy sitting on the other side of the table.
"Good. Because... just good." His brown and gold gaze raked across her.
Her heart thumped under the intensity of the space between his words.
For some reason, she couldn't stop looking at the sensual slash of his mouth, oddly soft in his hard face.
The food arrived. Thank God for something to do other than gape at the guy. She dove right in, enjoying the pop of bacon and starchy fried goodness of the hash browns.
Vaughn finished his tiny meal in a few bites and then watched her in silence.
She paused, fork halfway to her mouth. "You want some of mine? That look you're giving my plate... it's like you want to telepathically eat the whole thing."
He leaned back, eyelids half-mast. Vinyl booth material creaked as his weight shifted. "Not what I was thinking at all." With a quick buff of the apple on his shirt, he bit into the fruit with a too-loud crack, all while keeping his focus on her. The way the muscles in his jaw moved as he chewed shouldn't have looked sexy.
But it did.
Oh.
Was it warm in here, or did she have too many layers on? She tugged at the neckline of her sweater.
Nope. No layers.
In for a penny. She set her utensil down. "Care to share what you were thinking, then?" Could he see her sweating? Man. This brunch was higher pressure than an interview.
He took another bite. "No." A bit of apple pulp clung to his firm lower lip.
"P-pardon?" If he didn't brush that piece off, she'd do it herself. With her mouth.
Stop it.
"No." Abruptly he sat forward, arms on the table, leaning close to her. He licked his lip. Apple piece gone. "No. As in, what I'm thinking as I watch you polish off a delectable breakfast should best wait for a second date. Or maybe a third."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, oh." He gestured with the apple and leaned back again, resting the same arm over his broad chest. "Don't let me interrupt your meal. The sooner you finish, the sooner I can ask you out again."
Hungry? Sure, she was hungry, but for something other than the food on the plate in front of her.
Her phone rang, making her jump. Sliding out of the booth, she fished the phone from a coat pocket. "Sorry," she said.
With another laconic crunch that made her jealous of the fruit, he waved for her to go ahead.
Ten seconds was all she needed for the nurse to give her the information. Time to head back to the hospital.
"I'm so sorry to cut this short, Vaughn."
"Natural disaster?" His brows drew together.
The guy had a great memory. "No, this falls in the category of 'other emergency.'"
"So you're bailing on me."
"No. Yes, but." She pointed at the phone. "The hospital."
The slash of his mouth hardened. "I see." Did he think she was blowing him off? Because, no way.
"Um, thank you for the meal. Can I pay for mine?" She glanced at the half-eaten feast.
"Of course not." He set the apple core down on his empty plate, tossed some bills on the table, and stood next to her while she shrugged into her coat. The scent of his shaving cream made all the blood rush out of her head.
"Thanks again." Why couldn't she catch her breath?
"Maybe we can do this again?" he asked. Why did it sound like a formality? Like he wanted nothing to do with a second date now.
"Sure. I can give you my number..."
"No need. I know where you work."