Caro Carson - Following the Doctor's Orders

Brooke came in and shut the door.

“I was looking for you.”

“You were?” His surprise was genuine. For eight months he’d been bringing patients into West Central. For eight months she’d been ignoring him.

“I wanted to tell you that your decision to underdose the morphine increased the odds in Harold’s favor. Thank you. And thank you for sticking around after the handoff. I think the way you kept him calm also kept him out of severe shock.”

She’d never spoken two complete sentences to him. Zach wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“Not a lot of people would have held a patient’s hand like that. Especially not a … well, I was going to say especially not a man, but that would be gender stereotyping, wouldn’t it?”

Gender stereotyping—did she have to speak like a sexy schoolteacher as well as look like one?

“Forget I said that. Job well done, whether you’re male or female.” Apparently done for the day, she started unbuttoning her white lab coat, starting with the button at her chest.

Damn, damn, damn. He was male, all right.

Texas Rescue:Rescuing hearts … one Texan at a time!

Following the Doctor’s Orders

Caro Carson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Despite a no-nonsense background as a West Point graduate and US Army officer, CARO CARSONhas always treasured the happily-ever-after of a good romance novel. Now Caro is delighted to be living her own happily-ever-after with her husband and two children in the great state of Florida, a location that has saved the coaster-loving theme-park fanatic a fortune on plane tickets.

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For Katie, who was precious when she was four years old, and is even more precious now

Contents

Cover

Introduction Brooke came in and shut the door. “I was looking for you.” “You were?” His surprise was genuine. For eight months he’d been bringing patients into West Central. For eight months she’d been ignoring him. “I wanted to tell you that your decision to underdose the morphine increased the odds in Harold’s favor. Thank you. And thank you for sticking around after the handoff. I think the way you kept him calm also kept him out of severe shock.” She’d never spoken two complete sentences to him. Zach wasn’t sure what to make of it. “Not a lot of people would have held a patient’s hand like that. Especially not a … well, I was going to say especially not a man, but that would be gender stereotyping, wouldn’t it?” Gender stereotyping—did she have to speak like a sexy schoolteacher as well as look like one? “Forget I said that. Job well done, whether you’re male or female.” Apparently done for the day, she started unbuttoning her white lab coat, starting with the button at her chest. Damn, damn, damn. He was male, all right. Texas Rescue: Rescuing hearts … one Texan at a time!

Title Page Following the Doctor’s Orders Caro Carson www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author Despite a no-nonsense background as a West Point graduate and US Army officer, CARO CARSON has always treasured the happily-ever-after of a good romance novel. Now Caro is delighted to be living her own happily-ever-after with her husband and two children in the great state of Florida, a location that has saved the coaster-loving theme-park fanatic a fortune on plane tickets.

Dedication For Katie, who was precious when she was four years old, and is even more precious now

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

She heard his voice before she saw him.

Through the constant hum of voices that formed the background noise of the emergency department at West Central Texas Hospital, his deep bass carried. Although he was a fireman by profession, his voice always made her think of cowboys. With its mild Texas drawl and the hint of a wink in the tone, his voice brought to mind a cowboy who’d come to town looking for beer and girls and a good time. He wasn’t a serious man.

She was a serious woman. Dr. Brooke Brown, emergency physician, could hardly be anything else. The buck stopped here—right here, at the pen in her hand. When she wrote a medical order, it was followed, and the results sat squarely on her shoulders. Whether the patient lived or died was her responsibility—medically, legally, morally.

It stood to reason, then, that she was the one female employee in the emergency department that didn’t get giggly-excited when the radio announced that the firefighters from Engine Thirty-Seven were bringing in another patient. Brooke had weightier things to think on than which team of Austin’s firefighters and paramedics had the most bachelors—or which had the bachelor with the sexiest voice.

But Engine Thirty-Seven did.

Brooke would never acknowledge such a thing out loud, but the two women standing at the nurses’ station weren’t so reserved.

“It’s gonna be a great shift,” one woman said. “The studs of Thirty-Seven are here to kick it off right.”

“It’s Eye Candy Wednesday.”

“Yesterday, you said it was Eye Candy Tuesday.”

“Every day that Thirty-Seven comes here is an eye candy day.”

Ignoring their light banter, Brooke continued to listen to the distinctive rumbling bass of one member of the Eye Candy Engine . Firefighter Zach Bishop was rattling off the patient’s basic information to the triage nurse, his voice coming from just behind Brooke and to her right—room three, she was sure— compound fracture of the tibia spoken in the same tone of voice as Mary Ellen, don’t break my heart and tell me that diamond means you’re engaged, darlin’ .

Zach Bishop always conveyed the impression there was nothing to worry about. Nothing was unfixable or alarming. The patient could have confidence his injury was treatable. The nurse could flirt safely as she showed off her new engagement ring, knowing the firefighter with the movie-star looks didn’t truly expect her to betray her fiancé.

Dr. Brown, however, knew there was always something to worry about. Specifically, Brooke worried about the people of Austin who came to the emergency room of West Central with their complaints, big and small. She had confidence that she could handle the medical complaints—a professional confidence. Zach’s kind of confidence was personal—and masculine—and a distraction to the smooth operation of her department.

Was it any wonder that they’d spent nearly a year as something close to adversaries?

Adversaries wasn’t the right word. They worked together smoothly. He was a good paramedic, and his shameless appreciation of the female attention that was showered upon him always came second after the patient’s care. But as the handsome Mr. Bishop returned all the smiles that came his way, Brooke frowned in annoyance.