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  He pushed in next to Jay Cromwell, who glanced his way briefly before facing forward once more. Jay was a large man of few words, except when he got a couple of glasses of whisky in him. Then he wouldn’t shut up. Both of them had served in the armed forces, and it had been an instant bond with them and the other two doctors on staff.

  “Rough night?” Jay asked quietly.

  “Nah, just forgot to charge my phone, so my alarm didn’t go off.”

  “You’re lucky she’s not here yet.”

  Hunter paused as he shrugged into his lab coat, surprised. “Our new director is a woman?”

  “Apparently.”

  Hunter grinned, imagining the kind of woman that would come in and whip their asses into shape. Sadly, in his mind she looked a bit like his fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Harvel, who had sounded as if she smoked six packs a day and looked like she could bench-press a Buick. Hunter had to admit it would be nice to get a younger woman in town, though. The women they had were either married, too young, or about twenty years older than his thirty-four years. As fun as cougars were, he was ready to settle down. He wanted someone he could have kids and grow old with.

  “Holy shit,” Jay hissed.

  Hunter tried to follow his line of vision, but there were too many people in the way. And then, suddenly, a young blonde in a purple silky blouse and black slacks stepped up onto the stairs, smiling out at the crowd.

  “Good morning, everyone. My name is Allison Fairchild and I will be taking over as director of Bear Mountain Memorial Hospital.

  “What does that mean for you? Well, for starters, I want to assure you that there will be no layoffs; your jobs are safe. However, we will be working to update the equipment and computer system. My goal is to help Bear Mountain become one of the best trauma centers in the country, and to do that, I’m going to need all of your cooperation to make sure the changes I will be implementing are seamless. I will be conducting interviews with all of you, as a way to introduce myself to you and address any of your concerns. Again, I appreciate you all being here today and look forward to working with you. Thank you.”

  As she stepped down out of sight, Jay whistled. “Damn, she’s a lot more fun to look at than grizzled Bill, am I right?”

  Hunter couldn’t have agreed more, and as the crowd dispersed, a buzz of excitement continued sparking him as he went about his work, waiting for Allison Fairchild to call him into her office.

  Just after lunch, his pager went off and he made his way to the administration floor. When he reached the room that used to be Bill’s office, he knocked on the door.

  “Come in.”

  Hunter stepped inside and got a good look at Allie Fairchild. From thirty feet away, she had been pretty, but now, she was gut-punchingly gorgeous.

  She stood up and gave him a smile, and Hunter caught the signs of tension around her eyes.

  “Dr. Gracin, please take a seat.”

  “After you, ma’am. I might be a doctor, but I’m a gentleman first.”

  Her smile brightened. “Thank you. I have to admit, you’re the only person who doesn’t seem to think my presence is a sign of the apocalypse.”

  Hunter laughed, waiting until she was fully seated before he did the same.

  “I’m sorry if they’re giving you a rough time. I think most of us were expecting someone a little more—”

  “Male?” Her tone wasn’t bitter, simply matter-of-fact.

  “Actually, I was going to say aged.”

  She laughed, opening what he assumed was his file. “I assure you, Dr. Gracin, that although I may not be as ‘aged’ as you may have hoped, I am perfectly capable and qualified to take Bear Mountain to the next level.”

  “I don’t doubt you one bit, Ms. Fairchild. And if anyone else gives you any trouble, I say to hell with them. We could use some new blood.” He gave her his best grin before adding, “Especially someone who brightens up the room.”

  She looked up from the file, her head cocked to the side. “Are you flirting with me, Dr. Gracin?”

  “No, ma’am, that would be unprofessional. But, seeing as how you’re new and in need of someone to show you around, I thought I’d offer myself up. I’d be happy to take you to dinner one of these nights, show you all the highlights of Bear Mountain.” Hunter leaned forward, lowering his tone and putting every bit of his southern drawl into his voice. “Of course, if we’re gonna be friends, I’d insist you call me Hunter.”

  Hunter thought he caught a ghost of a smile before her expression went blank. “I appreciate the offer, but right now, I need to concentrate on the job and not on making friends.”

  “But you’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” Maybe he was counting his chickens, but the brief flash of interest in her eyes couldn’t have been all in his head, could it?

  “I tell you what, Dr. Gracin. If I survive this week, I’ll give your offer some thought.” Flipping through a page in his file, she asked, “Now, do you have any other questions or concerns?”

  Despite her all-business facade, Hunter wasn’t deterred. In fact, he had a really good feeling that he and Ms. Fairchild were going to become very close.

  Chapter 4

  Hunter stood on the side of the OR table, searching for the bleeder in his patient’s abdomen. Peter York, thirty-nine, had come in with a rigid abdomen, a concussion, and scrapes and bruises along his body after a nasty fall. His buddy had told his intake nurse that they’d been hiking, and Peter had been startled by a bear on the trail. Based on the man’s camouflage duds from head to toe, Hunter suspected they were illegally hunting said bear, who had turned the tables on them. Not that it mattered; it wasn’t Hunter’s business what they were doing up on that mountain.

  He just needed to make sure that Peter York made it off the table.

  Finally, he found the source of the problem, and once he applied the clamps and suctioned, he could see exactly what needed to be done. As he removed Peter’s spleen, he started humming an old Garth Brooks song. Hunter’s cool demeanor and speedy hands were what had gotten him offers from several of the best trauma centers in the US, but Hunter had wanted to go where he was needed. And Bear Mountain had been in desperate need of an excellent trauma surgeon.

  Sure, the equipment was outdated and some of the nurses were testier than a mama grizzly with cubs, but he saw more than his fair share of action.

  Plus, living in the same town as his best friend, Dex Belmont, had its perks. They had met in the army and kept in touch long after they’d been discharged. With Hunter’s family back in Texas, things would have been a lot lonelier without Dex. And as much as he loved his parents, things were better when he and his three older brothers put some distance between them.

  Finally, Hunter was able to close up. The clear, steady beeping on the monitors told him that Peter York had a good chance of pulling through. Maybe Peter would even give up bear hunting for good.

  After Hunter exited the OR and cleaned up, he passed Allison Fairchild’s open office door and peeked in. She was bent over some paperwork, squinting, and even though she was chewing on a pencil like a beaver, he still thought she was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen.

  And he was almost positive she was feeling him, too. He just needed to give her time to adjust to life in Bear Mountain.

  Hunter found Peter’s wife in the waiting area. Noting the wife’s pallor, he insisted she stay seated as he sat down next to her.

  “Mrs. York, I’m Dr. Gracin.”

  “Is Pete all right?” Her voice wobbled, and Hunter took her hands in his, squeezing them gently.

  “I had to remove his spleen, and he had some serious internal bleeding, but barring further complications, your husband should pull through just fine. He looks pretty beat up, though, so I want you to be prepared for that.”

  Mrs. York squeezed his hands hard, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Thank you so much, Dr. Gracin.”

  Then, to Hunter’s surprise, the trembling, mild-mannered Mrs. York turned t
o the man next to her and started raining blows across his head and shoulders. “You idiot! You almost got him killed!”

  Hunter tried to intervene, but her little fists were too fast for him to grab. “Mrs. York, this is not the time—”

  “Mary! I’m sorry. He wanted to come.”

  Hunter lowered his voice to a soothing tone. “It’s all right. You don’t need to do that to your husband’s friend.” Hunter didn’t have a lot of experience consoling women, but her sniffles seemed to subside. As he tried to comfort Mrs. York, Allison chose that moment to walk by the waiting room, pause in the doorway, and stare at him.

  Then, a smile stretched across her full lips, taking his breath away.

  When she disappeared, Hunter wished he could extract himself and go after her, but he had to do his job.

  What the hell did that smile mean?

  Dex ordered another round the minute his best friend walked through the door of the Grizzly. The local pub had hardwood floors, cedar walls, oak countertops, and stools at the bar. It had the feel of a log cabin, complete with a big fireplace on the east wall. Locals usually avoided peak hours during tourist season, but after ten, out-of-towners went looking for livelier haunts than the laid-back Grizzly.

  “Hey, buddy,” Hunter said, taking the stool next to Dex. “How did things go with that new tenant?”

  Dex’s mouth thinned just thinking about Allie Fairchild and her ultimatum. “She’s a pain in the ass. Told me she wasn’t going to pay me any rent until I fixed up the place, since I’d misled her about its condition.”

  Hunter whistled. “And you went for that?”

  “My first reaction was to tell her to hop back into her little Jetta and get the hell off my property, but to tell you the truth, she wasn’t wrong in her reasoning.”

  “So you’re really letting her squat in your cabin for weeks? Are you going to hire that contractor?”

  “Hell, no, I’m not paying for something I can do myself. Little Miss Thang can enjoy her stay, because as soon as I get the place up to snuff, I’m going to renegotiate with a three-hundred-dollar rent increase.”

  Penelope Davis set their beers down, smiling widely at Hunter. “Hey there. How was work?”

  “It was good, Penny, thanks.” Hunter gave her his million-watt grin, and Dex almost gagged as Penny blushed. Ever since Hunter had moved to town, all the local women had started falling over themselves trying to catch his eye.

  Not that there were very many. At least Penny was cute with her splash of freckles, bright blue eyes, and long dark-brown hair. Yet for some reason, Hunter didn’t seem interested in her.

  When Penny went down the bar to help another couple, Dex nudged Hunter with his shoulder. “She likes you.”

  “She’s a kid,” Hunter said.

  “What are you talking about? She’s got to be in her twenties.”

  “And I’m in my thirties, man. I’m looking for someone to settle down and have kids with, not a plaything.”

  Dex sat back on his stool, staring at Hunter in surprise. “When did this happen?”

  “When I turned thirty-four and realized that I wanted to do something more with my time than drink with you. I want to meet someone, get married and have a couple kids. You know, the whole ‘warm apple pie with a side of vanilla ice cream’ kind of life.”

  Just thinking about that scenario made Dex break out in a cold sweat. He wasn’t against marriage, but he had a lot more oats to sow before he took the plunge. And he was only a year younger than Hunter.

  “Anyone in particular you’ve got your eye on, then?” Dex asked.

  “As a matter of fact, I met our new director, Allison Fairchild, and she is stunning.”

  Dex choked on the swig of beer he’d just taken and barely managed to swallow before he had a loud coughing fit. Hunter slammed his hand between Dex’s shoulder blades. “You okay, man?”

  “Yeah, I’m good.” Dex wheezed.

  “Did you suck some down the wrong pipe or have you met her already?”

  “Allie’s my pain-in-the-ass tenant.”

  Hunter laughed. “Allie, huh? Small world.” Suddenly, he sobered. “You’re not interested, are you?”

  Dex spluttered, “Hell, no! What gave you that idea?”

  Throwing up his hand, Hunter said, “Whoa, I was just asking, man. Didn’t want to piss in your patch.”

  “Believe me, my friend, the last thing I’m interested in is a difficult city girl who won’t last the month here. You’re welcome to her.”

  Chapter 5

  Two days later, Allie was sitting at her desk staring down at the mountain of paperwork and invoices in front of her. The hospital needed so many updates, it seemed as if all she’d done since getting to Bear Mountain was sign checks.

  The only bright spot in all the mundane tasks were the few times Hunter Gracin would walk by her open door with a smile or a wave. Not that she was looking for a boyfriend, but she’d be pretty well off with a guy like Hunter. He was successful, grounded, handsome, and nice, and much better than any other candidates she’d met.

  Like Dex Belmont.

  No, Dex wasn’t even in the running. He was too cocky, he’d already proved he was a little shady, and he was totally the kind of guy who would love her and then leave her high and dry. She didn’t need another jerk to rock her world; she needed a partner with his shit together.

  It was why she needed to really think about every move she made here. Her past was filled with regrettable career choices, and a string of bad relationships. Her mother liked to throw them in her face whenever she mentioned Allie’s two older, happily married sisters. Both had married men with impeccable New York pedigrees and were loaded to boot.

  While Allie was happy her sisters had found love with men her parents approved of, Allie wanted more than what life had to offer in the city. She still wanted the right guy, which is why she started a checklist of all the qualities she was looking for in a man. Hunter matched it perfectly.

  Dex, not so much.

  Her desk phone rang, and she picked it up on the second ring. “Allison Fairchild.”

  “Hello, Ms. Fairchild,” her assistant, Rebecca Kirkland, said. “If you still want to lend a hand, they’re short a surgical nurse and have a family coming in with multiple injuries. Car accident.”

  Allie hesitated for a brief moment, taking in the mess she’d be leaving behind. But it would all be waiting when she got back in an hour or two.

  “I’ll be right down.” Allie quickly shrugged out of her business casual attire and changed into the purple scrubs she kept in her desk drawer. With her stethoscope in hand, she ran for the stairs. When she finally burst into the emergency area, gurneys were being wheeled in, one after another. Hunter was directing people and Allie made her way toward him without even thinking about it. Maybe it was because he seemed to be the only one besides Rebecca who hadn’t hated her on sight, or perhaps it was watching him with that patient’s wife, but she liked him.

  And it didn’t hurt to make friends.

  “Hey, I heard you needed some help down here,” she said, coming up alongside him.

  He glanced her way with a puzzled look. “I thought you were our administrator?”

  “Well, I’m also a trauma nurse, and a pretty decent one, actually.”

  Hunter gave her a wide grin, his blue eyes dancing with amusement. “Is that a fact?”

  “It is a fact, so if you can use me…”

  “I can use you. Dex should be coming with another critical case any minute.”

  “Dex?”

  Crap, please don’t let it be—

  The automatic doors opened and in rolled a gurney manned by two paramedics.…

  And her jerk of a landlord sitting astride the patient, administering chest compressions. Against her will, her gaze was drawn to those strong, corded arms as he pressed down hard with each compression, his face tight with concentration. Tiny beads of sweat gathered at his temples and she had the craziest u
rge to dab his forehead.

  “What do we have?” Hunter asked.

  Shaking herself, she slapped on her all-business face. Old habits die hard, but she was determined to focus on cute, reliable men like Hunter, and not dishonest, sneaky, hot, sexy men like…

  “Fifty-six-year-old male, suspected heart attack,” Dex said breathlessly. “He was unconscious in the field, and his pulse was weak and thready up until a minute ago—”

  “Are you a paramedic?” Allie asked abruptly.

  Dex paused in his compressions as he glanced her way, piercing her with those intense green eyes. “No.”

  “Then maybe you should get off our patient and let us take over.”

  Allie realized that she’d said the wrong thing the minute the air chilled around her. The two paramedics looked at her as if she were an insect, and even Hunter frowned at her.

  Dex climbed off, and let one of the paramedics climb up. “Whatever the boss wants.”

  Damn it, she’d let her emotions get the better of her and acted like an elitist bitch. She’d wanted him gone, but she hadn’t meant to sound so cutting.

  “All right, Trauma Two, let’s go,” Hunter said.

  As they rushed the man off, Allie hesitated, opening her mouth to apologize.

  “Shouldn’t you go with them? Make sure they’re doing their job right?”

  Allie’s cheeks burned. Of course he probably thought she was some kind of tyrant, but she really wasn’t. She had no idea what it was about Dex that made her want to prick him with every barb in her arsenal. She wasn’t usually like this.

  But she couldn’t tell Dex any of that, because he was already walking out the door.

  Pushing him from her mind, she hurried to Trauma Two and found the patient surrounded by Hunter and several nurses.

  “We’ve got it covered,” he called out, barely glancing at her while he charged the paddles. Then he yelled, “Clear.”