Karen Rose - The Most Eligible Doctor

Seconds that seemed like eons ticked by as she felt the space between them fairly crackle with…something tingly that made her terrifically aware of his very broad shoulders, his angular jaw, his imposing male presence. His demeanor showed he wouldn’t give an inch. This man didn’t back down once he took a stand.

Breaking eye contact, she murmured to Lily, “Could you put this in the office?” and handed her friend her purse. The two nurses shared an office, though each doctor had one of his own.

“No problem,” Lily said with a quick glance at Dr. Sawyer.

Then Brianne went into the exam room, checked the chart on the counter for the child’s name, and smiled at the little girl, who was sitting on the exam table with her thumb in her mouth. Tears were running down her cheeks.

Brianne greeted their small patient in a soft, friendly voice. “Hi, Cindy.”

Warily, the little girl watched her approach.

When Dr. Sawyer stepped into the room once more, Cindy took one look at him and burst into tears again.

“I’m so sorry,” the mother exclaimed, putting her arm around her daughter and giving her a tender squeeze. “The last time we were here Dr. Olsen gave her a shot. Your white coat and all reminds her—”

Cindy let out an ear-splitting wail, and Brianne knew she had to do something fast to help both the baby and the doctor. At the counter, she picked up a pen and drew faces on her thumb and forefinger.

Crossing to the child, she wiggled her fingers and said in a high, lilting voice, “We’re the doctor’s special helpers. We want to make you smile today.”

As she moved her fingers, making them look like puppets, Cindy stopped crying.

Dr. Sawyer slipped out of his lab coat, revealing a white shirt and navy tie with gray dress slacks. But something about him—maybe it was the rugged lines of his face, the over-the-collar length of his hair, and his muscular shoulders—gave Brianne the impression he’d be more comfortable in a flannel shirt and jeans.

As Brianne wiggled her fingers at Cindy, making them talk, the little girl smiled. Then Brianne introduced Dr. Jed. “He’s going to check your eyes and ears and throat.” At each mention of the body parts, her puppets floated and danced around Cindy’s eyes and ears and neck. Then Brianne explained, “Dr. Jed’s just going to look for now. I promise.”

When Jed Sawyer approached Cindy, she watched him suspiciously, but tears didn’t flow this time. Doing her part, Brianne distracted the little girl, and he managed a full examination.

Afterward he said to the mother, “She has an ear infection.” Crouching down to Cindy’s eye level, he told her in a gentle voice, “Your mommy is going to get you some medicine. It’s pink and it tastes sweet. If you take that, your ears will stop hurting and you’ll feel a whole lot better.”

“Done?” asked the toddler, only concerned about what might come next.

Jed Sawyer smiled wryly. “Yes, we’re all done.”

Crossing to the cupboard, Brianne took out a canister and offered it to Cindy. Inside were miniature rubber dogs and cats and ducks and birds. “You can pick whichever one you want and take it with you.”

Cindy looked over at her mother. The woman nodded encouragingly, “Go ahead, honey.”

Dr. Sawyer’s little patient chose a yellow cat and held it up to her mom with a grin.

With a last look at Cindy, Jed picked up his lab coat and tossed it over his arm. “Hopefully, the antibiotic will do the trick. But if she isn’t better in three days, call us.” He patted Cindy on the head. “I’ll try to make these visits as painless as possible.”

Before he turned away from the child, Brianne saw a flash of something in his eyes—something sad and tearing and deep. Then it vanished. He exited the room, leaving her questioning whether she’d seen anything at all.

After the mother and child left, Brianne picked up charts for the next three patients and went to the waiting room to fetch the first one.

Throughout the morning, she thought she and Dr. Sawyer worked with amazing efficiency, considering they’d never worked together before. Nevertheless, far too often she caught herself staring at him. Her whole body set off warning bells whenever she got near him, and her reaction to Jed Sawyer bothered her. She wasn’t in the market for a high-voltage involvement. Being kept in the dark until she was fourteen about the fact that she was adopted, as well as having the people she loved leave her, had left her cautious in more ways than one.

It was midafternoon when the receptionist, Janie Dutton, passed Brianne in the hall. Stopping, she asked, “Are you being asked as many questions about Dr. Sawyer as I am? One woman wanted to know if he was married or eligible before she made her appointment!”

Brianne didn’t know whether to be annoyed or to laugh. “I’m getting questions, but since I don’t know anything about him, I don’t have answers.”

“What kind of answers do you need?” Jed asked as he stepped out of his office.

Brianne glanced at Janie, who was obviously as embarrassed as she was.

“I hear the phone ringing,” Janie remarked, and hurried off.

“Brianne?” the new doctor asked in a deep voice that told her he wanted an honest answer.

“Dr. Sawyer, I…”

“It’s Jed.”

“Jed,” she murmured. “We’re getting questions about you from patients.”

“Like…?” he prodded.

Taking a deep breath, she plunged in. “Whether you’re married, where you held your last position, how old you are….”

“That’s it?” he asked, amusement evident in his tone.

“For starters.”

At that he laughed, and the deep richness of it seemed to ripple through Brianne. Shaking his head, he responded, “Since I’m from Sawyer Springs, I know the grapevine is several miles long. So here are the basics. I’m almost forty and worked in Deep River, Alaska, for the past three years.” More seriously, he added, “And I’m divorced. If anyone needs to know more than that, tell them to ask me directly. Now I think we have a patient waiting in exam room 3.” He nodded toward the door.

Flustered by her reaction to him, Brianne headed for the room at the same time he did. Their shoulders bumped, and his arm went around her to steady her.

Her breath whooshed from her chest. His arm was strong, his woodsy cologne intoxicating. When she gazed up at him, time once again seemed to stand still. There were sparks in his eyes that caused a crazy, wild sensation in her tummy.

As he released her, she tried to regain her composure, warning herself to deny the attraction she felt. He’s too experienced, too masculine, too confident…too everything, her common sense told her.

Neither of them said a word as Jed stepped into the exam room and she followed.

At the end of the day, Jed told Dr. Olsen he would take the last patient, who was a walk-in, if Brianne didn’t mind staying. She didn’t mind. Besides, she wanted to show her new boss that her tardiness this morning wasn’t a sign of lack of dedication to her profession.

Around six-thirty, they’d finally finished with the patient, who’d cut his arm and needed stitches. Switching off the computer printer, Brianne watched the man’s wife lead him outside.

When Jed stepped into the front office, he was wearing his suit coat and looked distinguished and handsome. Brianne felt her stomach skitter again, and decided she was simply hungry.

She lifted her coat from a hook on the wall. “This has been a long first day for you.”

“I was sometimes on duty forty-eight hours at a time in Deep River.”

“You were short on staff?”

With a wry smile, he took her coat from her. “Staff consisted of me and a nurse. There were only ninety-nine residents in the village.”