Renee Ryan - The Doctor's Christmas Wish

“Something smells good.”

Now that they were back to polite small talk, a surge of complicated emotions spread through her. The sense of relief was easy enough to understand. The agitation, not nearly so much.

“I made chicken à l’Orange and baked sweet potatoes. And a healthy salad.” Don’t ask him to stay for dinner. Do. Not. Ask. “You’re welcome to eat with Felicity and me. There’s plenty.”

He looked about to turn down her offer. But suddenly, inexplicably, Keely very much wanted him to stay.

“Consider it payment for not teasing me over how I overreacted last night.”

“You didn’t overreact.”

She frowned. “I thought Felicity had appendicitis.”

“Given her symptoms, it was a logical concern.”

For the second time in so many days, Keely stared at Ethan as if he were a stranger. In many ways, he was. She felt as if they were meeting for the first time. She decided to pretend the change in their relationship didn’t matter. But it did.

And that scared her far more than she was willing to admit. The man had too many secrets, none of which he seemed willing to share with her. Been there, done that, have the remnants of a broken heart to prove it.

“While we’re on the subject of Flicka.” He pointed a finger at Keely. “I noticed you didn’t make the appointment yet.”

She blinked at him in shock. Ethan was arrogant, and the big, bad, frustrating bane of her existence, but he wasn’t a micromanager. His office staff handled scheduling. “How can you possibly know whether or not I made an appointment for her?”

“I checked.”

Of course he did.

“It’s important, Keely. Flicka needs a primary care physician. Make the appointment.”

“Felicity really took to Baloo tonight. What do you think? Should I get her a dog for Christmas? Would it help ease the transition for her?”

“Changing the subject, are we?”

“You better believe it.”

He laughed. Despite her irritation at his bossy manner, the deep rumble made her smile in return.

Knowing he was right, again, Keely stopped resisting. “I’ll make the appointment tomorrow.”

“I’m going to hold you to it.”

As if she didn’t know that. “You never answered my question. Are you staying for dinner?”

His hesitation returned. But this time it lasted only a few heartbeats. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

He looked mildly surprised by his acceptance.

That made two of them.

Felicity’s laughter rang out. Keely’s throat constricted at the happy sound, so different from the groans of pain last night. In that moment, Keely knew she was in over her head. How was she supposed to parent a child she barely knew?

All the fears she’d held at bay since she’d begun taking over legal guardianship shot to the surface. A gasp of utter panic leaked out of her.

Misinterpreting the sound, Ethan’s gaze narrowed over her face. “I don’t have to stay for dinner. You can take back the invitation and I won’t hold it against you.”

“It’s not that.”

Concern etched across her face. “Then what?”

“I... Oh, Ethan, I want to take good care of Felicity, but what do I know about kids? I spent the last decade working in a world of fashion models.”

“Keely, listen to me.” The epitome of calm confidence, Ethan took hold of her shoulders and gently turned her to face him. “You’re doing a great job so far.”

Instead of calming her fears, his unexpected words of praise had the opposite effect. “What if I fail her?”

Hands still on her shoulders, he tweaked her nose in a big brother sort of way. “You’re exhausted from last night. Once you get some sleep, everything will look better in the morning.”

“You’re probably right.”

“Of course I’m right. I’m always right.”

The arrogant comment did what no kind words could have done. She bristled. Prepared for a fight, she snapped her gaze to his, felt her anger melt at his compassionate smile.

That look had her abandoning her pride and admitting, “I’m really scared.”

“It’s okay to feel scared. It means you care.”

Two nights in a row the man had shown her unspeakable kindness. Defeat settled on her shoulders. Because if history had taught Keely anything, it had taught her that a truce between her and Ethan never lasted.

Chapter Four

Now that the emotion of the moment was over, Keely told herself to step back, take a breath, and put some distance between her and Ethan. Things were changing between them, their relationship morphing into something different.

Step . Back .

Instead of heeding the internal warning, she held her ground, drawing strength from the man’s solid presence.

She should probably feel embarrassed for admitting her fears to him, knowing he could use them against her one day. Though he’d never been that small and petty. Argumentative, yes, but never unkind. And so she stayed rooted in the moment.

It felt good, she silently admitted, allowing Ethan’s confidence in her abilities to chase away her worry. A sob of gratitude slipped past her lips.

He tugged her into a friendly hug. “That’s it. Let it out, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart . The endearment spread warmth through her chilled limbs.

“Flicka seems to adore you. That’s half the battle in these types of situations.”

Drawing on his assurance, Keely stepped out of his embrace. To her horror, a rogue tear escaped. Tenderly, almost affectionately, he wiped her wet cheek with the pad of his thumb.

She could hardly stand his casual show of kindness. Any moment she was going to break down in sobs.

Taking another step back, she searched for another topic. Think, Keely, think. “I’m determined to make this Christmas special for Felicity. I plan to pull out all the stops, whatever it takes to make her feel comfortable in her new home.”

“Tell me what I can do to help.”

His immediate offer of assistance didn’t mesh with the Ethan Scott she knew, the man who’d turned avoiding her into an art form. So much had changed in two short days.

As she stared into Ethan’s blue eyes, she saw the secrets he kept inside him, remembered the way he kept everyone but his closest family and friends at arm’s length.

A timely reminder. Never again would she weave dreams around a man who couldn’t be completely open with her. And now that Felicity was in her life, she had to think of her, as well.

Bottom line, falling for Ethan Scott was far too risky. Even a friendship between them carried complexities she didn’t want to explore.

And yet she found herself asking, “You truly want to help me give Felicity a memorable Christmas?”

“Isn’t that what I just said?” He sounded more than a little insulted.

And they were back to familiar territory, just as she’d feared their tenuous truce a thing of the past. “Somehow I can’t see you trimming a tree, stringing popcorn or pinning up stockings to the mantel.”

Instead of his rising to her provocation, a look of sorrow came and went in his eyes. It was the same expression she’d seen right before he stepped into Felicity’s room last night. Had he lost someone he cared about, someone he’d done all those things with in the past?

“I was thinking of something more manly,” he said, not quite smiling. “You know, like hanging your outdoor lights.”

Her twin brother usually did that, but with the Slippery Slope’s extended hours during the holidays, Beau’s free time was limited. “That would be lovely, Ethan. Thank you for offering.”

She’d text Beau the good news later tonight.

“No problem, happy to do it.”

As they stared at each other, something quite wonderful passed between them. Keely opened her mouth to say something, but Ethan spoke first. “How does Sunday sound?”