Cindy Kirk - The Doctor's Not-So-Little Secret

“Kate.”

She turned to find Joel staring. Somehow, without her quite realizing how it had happened, she’d moved closer to him—or maybe he’d moved closer to her—while they’d been singing.

Her gaze met his. For a moment he didn’t speak and time seemed to stretch and extend.

“Thank you,” she stammered. “That was beautiful.”

“ You’re beautiful,” he said in a husky voice that made her blood flow like warm honey through her veins.

His fingers weren’t quite steady as they touched the curve of her cheek, then trailed along the side of her jaw as he leaned toward her.

He’s going to kiss me. He’s going to kiss me. He’s going to kiss me .

Dear Reader,

In every book an author has opportunities to incorporate bits and pieces from their life. In The Doctor’s Not-So-Little Secret , Kate had a sister who was the family’s “golden child.” I don’t have a sister, but I had a friend who was in the same situation as Kate. She still struggles with feeling second best.

Then there’s Chloe’s Cabbage Patch Kid. I vividly remember standing outside the local JCPenney store waiting for the doors to open, hoping for a chance to snag one of those coveted dolls.

I wish I could say I’m fabulous on the ice. The truth is I’m closer to Joel’s talent level than Kate’s. I consider it a good ice skating session if I spend more time standing up than falling down.

And as far as what goes on when a couple is alone in the dark on an observation tower … no comment.

Cindy Kirk

CINDY KIRKhas loved to read for as long as she can remember. In first grade she received an award for reading one hundred books. Growing up, summers were her favorite time of year. Nothing beat going to the library, then coming home and curling up in front of the window air conditioner with a good book. Often the novels she read would spur ideas, and she’d make up her own story (always with a happy ending). When she’d go to bed at night, instead of counting sheep, she’d make up more stories in her head. Since selling her first story, Cindy has been forced to juggle her love of reading with her passion for creating stories of her own … but she doesn’t mind. Writing for Mills & Boon ®Cherish™ is a dream come true. She only hopes you have as much fun reading her books as she has writing them!

Cindy invites you to visit her website at www.cindykirk.com.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Patience Bloom—You’re the best editor around,

and I’m thankful you’re mine!

Dr. Kate McNeal sat back in her seat by the front window of Jackson Hole’s newest coffee shop, enjoying her cappuccino. It was Saturday and, thanks to a very generous on-call rotation schedule at the pediatrics clinic, she had the whole weekend off.

All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go could be her motto. Kate sighed and took another sip. Although she’d been in Jackson Hole for almost two years, she had no close friends. Oh, she had tons of social buddies, men and women who invited her to their parties and other events. But no one she felt comfortable calling up on a Saturday morning and asking, “Hey, do you want to grab a scone and then do some shopping?”

Part of the problem was that most of the women she knew had husbands and children. Once she’d reached her early thirties, Kate had discovered there weren’t many women left in the single, never-married category. But she couldn’t blame her current loneliness all on her marital status.

As a child, Kate had been painfully shy. While in her professional life she did fine, shyness was still a struggle in social settings. Worse yet, her reticence often led to her being labeled “aloof” or “standoffish” by those who didn’t know her well.

She smoothed the skirt of the buttercup-yellow dress she’d purchased last week. Even though most of the coffee shop patrons were wearing jeans or shorts with a casual shirt, Kate liked to dress up. Wearing pretty things made her feel pretty, a feeling that had been in short supply during her growing-up years. Unlike her sister, Andrea, who everyone still raved over, it had taken years for Kate’s lanky body to develop a few curves and for her teeth to not look too large for her face.

Back in her early twenties, when she was finally reaching out and becoming the woman she was meant to be, her world had fallen apart. Her grandmother had died. Her boyfriend had deserted her. And she’d had to make a decision no woman should ever have to make … alone. A decision she now lived with every day of her life.

Kate choked down the last bite of lemon-curd scone and gazed out the window, wondering if some shopping therapy would help get her out of this funk.

She was ready to give it a try when she saw Joel Dennes heading toward Hill of Beans, his nine-year-old daughter, Chloe, in tow. Even though she told herself to look away, Kate couldn’t take her eyes off them.

Thankfully Joel didn’t see her staring. Dressed in jeans and a striped cotton shirt that brought out the green in his hazel eyes, the handsome contractor’s entire focus was on his young daughter. Joel was tall—at least six foot two—with a rugged outdoorsy build. His child was petite and slender as a reed with delicate features. From the bag Chloe held, it appeared they’d just come from the dance studio down the street.

So far, on this sunny June morning, Kate had seen at least six little girls walk by with their mothers. All carried the same type of “dancer” bag she’d once owned.

The normally reserved Chloe let out a peal of laughter at something her father said, and his eyes crinkled with good humor as he settled his hand on her shoulder.

From everything she’d heard and seen, Joel had been doing his best to be both mother and father to Chloe since the death of her mom two years ago.

As far as Kate was concerned, such actions spoke volumes about a man’s character. She admired him for stepping up to the plate, admired him a lot.

She shifted in her seat so that her back was to the window, ensuring if they looked her way, she’d simply be a dark-haired woman in a yellow dress.

“Is Joel why you told Ryan you didn’t want to see him anymore?”

Kate shifted her gaze to find Lexi Delacourt standing beside her table, latte in hand, wearing a stylish green-and-brown dress with a short green sweater. Lexi’s dark hair hung loose to her shoulders in a sleek bob. The social worker’s amber-colored eyes held a knowing look as her gaze shifted from Kate to the front door. If the bells jingling were any indication, Joel and his daughter had just entered the coffee shop.

“C’mon, Kate, spill.” Without waiting for an invitation, Lexi took a seat at Kate’s tiny table. “Did you break it off with Ryan because you’ve got a thing for Joel?”

Lexi and her husband were part of the large ensemble of young professionals that Kate considered “social” friends. They held frequent parties and embraced any opportunity to get together.

Kate’s ex-boyfriend, Ryan Harcourt, was part of this group. A former championship bull rider, he had gone on to law school, then returned to his hometown of Jackson to practice. He and Kate had dated until recently when she’d told him she thought it best if they didn’t see each other anymore.

In truth, she’d have been content to continue dating him. He was smart, fun and helped fill those lonely hours when she wasn’t working. But Ryan had begun to push for a physical and emotional closeness that was more than Kate could give.