Marie Ferrarella - The Doctor's Forever Family

“You can save faster if you take me up on my offer to come work at the clinic,” Dan reminded her.

She’d been considering it—and leaning toward saying yes.

The fact that working with the handsome, sexy doctor—who appeared to be unaware of just what kind of signals he was setting off—was a good opportunity for other reasons was something she chose not to explore at the moment.

Placing her hand in his, she said, “Okay, Doc, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

She intended for it to be nothing more than two people shaking hands. Instead, she had the feeling she was opening the floodgates for something else.

She pulled her hand away as if she’d touched fire.

Because maybe she had.

Dear Reader,

Welcome back to Forever. It’s time for Tina’s story. You didn’t think I’d forget her, did you? Tina was the reason her sister even discovered the town—and what her heart was missing. When we first met Tina she was a very confused single mother whose baby’s father had just tried to kill both of them. The Tina who eventually emerged from that emotional train wreck became a stronger, more centered person, focused on her son rather than herself and her admittedly horrendous choice of a male companion. As we get back to her now, she is busy building up her life, getting an accounting degree and making plans for herself and her son. But the best-laid plans of mice, men and heroines are often led astray and the very handsome bump in Tina’s road is Dr. Dan Davenport, a man who comes with his own secret baggage to become Forever’s first doctor in thirty years. Is he just an obstacle, or something more? Come read and find out.

As ever, I thank you for reading (where would I be without you?) and from the bottom of my heart, I wish you someone to love who loves you back.

Best,

Marie Ferrarella

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USA TODAY bestselling and RITA ®Award-winning author Marie Ferrarella has written more than two hundred books for Silhouette and Harlequin Books, some under the name of Marie Nicole. Her romances are beloved by fans worldwide. Visit her website at www.marieferrarella.com.

To Patience and Sam.

May you have a lifetime plus a day of happiness.

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

So this is Forever.

The thought echoed like a not altogether quiet mantra in Dr. Daniel Davenport’s head. He stood on a ridge, staring down at the South Texas town with the somewhat ironically prophetic name of Forever.

Forever.

It sounded like a prison sentence.

Dan had pulled his newly purchased navy blue Mercedes sedan—a car he now realized was woefully out of step with the surrounding terrain—over to the side of the road for one last moment by himself. A last moment in which he still hadn’t put on the mantle of commitment, making himself one with the town that eagerly awaited his arrival.

Well, technically, they weren’t awaiting his arrival, he thought wryly. They were waiting for Warren’s. But that wasn’t about to happen. He would have given his own life to make Warren appear, but the man was now in a place where his presence could not be won by bartering and promising everlasting servitude. He knew that for a fact because he’d tried. Tried praying and pleading, promising to do whatever was needed of him if only Warren could be spared.

But Warren was gone.

Gone because, at the last moment, he’d managed to prevail upon his younger brother, managed to physically drag him away from packing up all his belongings in preparation for his journey to Forever. Instead, he’d gotten Warren to agree to go out for a night of celebration.

After all, they had both just finally graduated. Graduated everything: medical school, internships, residencies. Everything. They had done it, taken all the necessary steps that finally, finally brought them to this new threshold shimmering before them. They had jumped all the hurdles, completed all the tasks and marched proudly into the winners’ circle where they were both decorated with the well-earned and still, even in this day and age, enviable title of Doctor.

He and Warren had made the journey together despite the fact that he, Daniel, was a year older. It had taken him a year to figure out what he wanted to do with himself after he’d graduated from college, so he’d started medical school late, making it into those rarified waters by the skin of his teeth.

Dan sighed, shaking his head. It was all a blur now, but he’d been a carefree devil in that last lifetime. Brilliant but frivolous. So much so that of all the schools he’d applied to, he’d only gotten back one positive response. All the schools that Warren had applied to had come back with positive responses.

Everyone wanted Warren.

And why not? Warren was everything a future doctor should be. Smart, kind, dedicated. Selfless.

Warren was everything that he hadn’t been, Dan thought now with a sharp pang.

But he intended to be. He owed it to Warren to do the best job he could. Which was why his own plans, that of accepting NYU Hospital’s lucrative offer to be one of their in-house radiologists, had been placed on hold for the next nine months. Possibly longer, although hopefully not. Only until the town found a doctor to take Warren’s place.

Dan owed that much to Warren and this was one debt he intended to honor. Because, if not for him, Warren would be here right now, most likely staring down at the town that had happily greeted the news of his intentions of opening a practice here. No, Warren would be driving into the heart of this pint-size town, ready to roll up his sleeves and begin working right then and there.

And Forever would have been lucky to have him.

Warren was going to be the first doctor the town had had in decades. Currently, from what he’d managed to find out, if anyone became sick enough to need a doctor, he or she would have to drive to the next town, some fifty miles away.

He drew a deep breath as he continued to take in the surrounding terrain. It was one hell of a change from New York City. He was accustomed to having his choice of hospitals, to enjoying the company of an endless stream of physicians in all fields of expertise. Forever promised none of that. As far as he had determined, there was only one hospital in the region, and it was located in a place called Pine Ridge.

Which was why his brother had chosen Forever, Dan thought.

That was Warren. He never thought of himself or what he would miss out on by setting up a general practice in such an out-of-the-way place. All he ever thought about was how he could help. His brother had gone into medicine not for the money, not for the prestige but for the singular reason that he wanted to help his fellow human being, especially the ones who couldn’t afford to help themselves.