Baby, Drive South Read online

She removed the ear tips of the stethoscope. “I think I’m not qualified to help this animal.”

  “Just do what you can. I don’t want to have to put her down.”

  He implored her with those intense blue eyes and she felt helpless to refuse. She nodded, then put her hand to her head to force herself to focus.

  The animal needed to be sedated—that she could do. The strength required to put an animal to sleep would be higher than for a human, but she could probably ensure the deer didn’t bolt for long enough for her to examine it more closely. She went to a locked cabinet, withdrew a vial and a syringe, and drew a dosage.

  “Hold it still,” she said, then injected the sedative into the deer’s hip muscle on the uninjured side.

  “I can feel her relaxing,” Porter said as the animal’s eyes slitted.

  Nikki pointed to a cabinet. “Hand me a few gauze pads. I need to see where this blood is coming from.”

  She retrieved antiseptic and began cleaning the blood from the deer’s fur. Luckily the cuts and abrasions were minor. But she couldn’t say the same for the broken leg. She booted up the hand-held X-ray machine and was alarmed by just how fine the leg bones were—they looked too delicate to even support the animal, much less bear the impact of running and jumping.

  “Can you set the bone?” Porter asked, looking over her shoulder at the image on the screen.

  Nikki lifted her shoulders in a slow shrug. “I don’t know. I can try, but that means the deer will have to be confined somehow while its leg heals and be handfed. It still might not make it, especially if an infection sets in.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” he said.

  “You’re not exactly one hundred percent mobile yourself.”

  “Just do your thing, Nikki.”

  It was the first time he’d called her by her given name, she realized. The casual intimacy was unsettling, as was the confidence in his voice that she could save this animal. And the way he looked at her…it made her believe, too.

  It was tedious work, setting the delicate bone and wrapping it with cotton strips to hold the bone in place while fiberglass for a cast warmed to liquid to apply the outer layer. Despite his own cast, Porter was an able assistant. He followed her lead and they worked well together, hands moving in tandem. Although Nikki was focused on the task before them, she was aware of him physically at every turn, every brush of their hands and shoulders.

  His concern for this animal tugged at her heartstrings. It revealed how connected he was to this land and everything on it. His intensity moved her. How did one develop that kind of bond with a place? With other people? What was missing in her that not only did she not possess that kind of connection, but she didn’t want to?

  A dark realization descended over her. Did she tell herself she didn’t want to have that kind of connection so she didn’t have to face the fact that she didn’t have the capacity for that kind of connection?

  Had Darren picked up on that aspect of her personality? Is that why he’d turned to someone else?

  Her hands kept moving even as she felt a chasm in her heart cracking open to expose an abyss. It was a terrifying moment of self-discovery.

  “It looks great,” Porter said, examining the narrow cast that encompassed most of the deer’s leg. He looked up, but his smile suddenly dropped. “Are you okay?”

  Nikki started to nod, then realized her cheeks were wet. Mortified, she turned away, her mind reeling. What must he think of her? She walked to the sink to strip off her gloves and wash her hands with more zeal than necessary.

  She felt him come up behind her, then his breath was on her neck. “Hey…talk to me.”

  Nikki glanced up and locked gazes with Porter in the mirror. She couldn’t identify all the emotions pinging around in her chest, much less vocalize them…especially not to Porter. She wiped at her cheeks and tried to smile. “I’m sorry, this is so unlike me. For some reason, a lot of things seem to be converging today.”

  “Don’t apologize,” he said, his deep voice caressing her.

  Then before she realized what was happening, he’d turned her around. At his closeness, desire flared and consumed her body, leaving her breathless.

  He leaned on one crutch and used his other hand to brush the tears from her cheek. “I know you came here to forget someone who betrayed you.”

  Nikki blinked. So word had gotten around.

  “And I know that Sweetness isn’t exactly what you expected,” he continued, his eyes burning into hers. “But you’re wanted here.”

  The sheer power of his words made Nikki’s throat convulse. His nearness was electrifying, his big frame made her feel scared and safe at the same time. His body pulled at hers as if there was a magnetic field between them. Nikki’s mouth opened to draw more air into her quaking lungs. Porter would not let her look away—his gaze held her captive, challenging her. He cupped his hand around the nape of her neck and lowered his mouth to hers so slowly she thought he might never get there.

  But he did, covering her lips with his so thoroughly and so tenderly, her eyes filled again. The kiss deepened as he explored her mouth with his tongue, rousing sensations buried in her womb. Her breasts grew heavy with need. When she pressed against him to satisfy the hardened tips, he groaned into her mouth and smoothed his hand down her back, pulling her to him awkwardly, but fervently. Nikki lifted her hands to his chest, reveling in the feel of hard muscle beneath the thin T-shirt.

  In a heartbeat, the kiss went from tender to passionate. Porter devoured her mouth, then dipped his head to kiss her neck.

  “Damn crutches,” he muttered, and backed her into the sink. Despite his injury, he lifted her onto the vanity and wedged his hips between her knees. Nikki’s body was on fire, her hands moving along his shoulders and arms. His eyes were hooded as he fumbled with the buttons on her shirt. His male scent filled her lungs and her heart pounded in her ears as she strained into him, whipped to a sensory height she’d never known before. She felt like a runaway car. She couldn’t stop, and she didn’t want to.

  “Hurry,” she murmured, afraid she was going to change her mind. Her words seemed to flip a switch in him. His mouth and hands became more insistent. He unclasped the front closure of her bra and uncovered her breasts. He moaned his appreciation and her nipples hardened in anticipation. He drew a tip into his mouth, sending shockwaves through her body.

  Nikki cried out, jamming her fingers into his hair, urging him on. He gave the other nipple equal time, hungrily suckling her in response to her whispered commands, pushing his hand between her thighs. Nikki grew weak, gasped with pleasure. When he lifted his head, he kissed her fiercely and guided her hand to the bulge at his zipper. Nikki stroked his erection, eliciting a sharp intake of breath. Emboldened, she wet her swollen lips and reached for his belt.

  A sharp knock on the door shattered the moment.

  “Nikki?” came Rachel’s voice from the other side. “Are you in there? I’m looking for Porter.”

  Nikki crashed back to earth. At the guilt in Porter’s eyes, she stiffened and pushed against his chest. He stepped back and dragged his hand down his face.

  Nikki refastened her bra and shirt with shaking hands, righting her clothes as she walked to the door.

  Another knock sounded. “Nikki?”

  She took a deep breath and opened the door. Tanned and leggy and carrying a picnic basket, Rachel looked every inch the country-girl pinup.

  “Hello,” Nikki said.

  Rachel craned to look in her office. “Have you seen Porter? Someone told me he came to see you and his tractor is still parked out front. We’re supposed to go on a picnic.”

  Nikki’s blood ran cold. Too bad the cad hadn’t mentioned his date with Rachel before he’d stuck his tongue down her throat. Beyond mortified, she opened the door wider to reveal Porter.

  “Oh, good, you’re here,” Rachel said with a flirtatious smile. Then she frowned at the sight of the animal lying on the bed. “What happened?”
r />   Porter looked everywhere but at Rachel, Nikki noticed. “Deer jumped into the side of the tractor, broke her leg. I brought her to the doc here to patch up.”

  “You take care of animals, too?” Rachel asked Nikki. “Wow, with you the town gets a two-fer. Nigel’s been having digestive problems—maybe you could examine him and figure out what’s wrong.”

  Nikki gave her a flat smile. “We’ll see.”

  Porter gave her what might have been an apologetic look, but Nikki averted her gaze. Her body was still warm and tingling from his insistent mouth and hands—an apparent warm-up session for his private lunch date with Rachel. How could she have been so stupid?

  “Are you ready?” Rachel asked him, lifting the basket.

  He looked contrite. “Sorry, I’m going to have to cancel to take care of my little buddy here.”

  “Oh, don’t do that,” Nikki said cheerfully. “I’ll keep the doe sedated until you get back. It probably shouldn’t be moved for a while anyway. You two go, have fun.” She waved them toward the door, Rachel beaming, Porter’s face unreadable.

  At the door, he turned back. His eyes searched her face, then he said, “It’s just lunch, we’ll be back soon.”

  “Oh, take your time.” Nikki smiled, then shut the door.

  Nikki closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. What had she been thinking? She’d almost had sex with Porter. She would have had sex with Porter if Rachel hadn’t interrupted. And now he was probably off to have sex with her.

  For men like Darren Rocha and Porter Armstrong, women were interchangeable. She had to leave this place…and she was seriously rethinking a move back to Broadway. Maybe she needed to start over in a big, anonymous city, like Atlanta.

  From the bed, the deer snorted softly. Nikki walked over and stroked the animal’s silky neck. The doe opened her big coal-black eyes briefly and looked at Nikki, as if she knew Nikki was helping her. Nikki softened.

  “Don’t worry,” she whispered on a sigh. “I’ll stay until you’re well.”

  The trick would be staying out of the reach of Porter Armstrong.

  22

  “I’m glad you didn’t mind Nigel coming along,” Rachel sang, nose to nose with her pug. She had the dog in a chest carrier, its legs spread-eagle, hanging out of four different holes.

  Porter gave her his best attempt at a smile. As if he’d been given a choice. “No offense, but he looks uncomfortable in that contraption.”

  “No, he wuvs it,” she said in a baby voice, still nuzzling her pooch. “He’s been having some tummy problems, so I didn’t want to leave him a-wone.”

  Porter decided not to suggest that a dog with digestive issues might be happier in a horizontal position. He led the way to the base of a shade tree next to Timber Creek and lowered himself to a rock, setting his crutches next to him. His mind was still on Nikki, whom he’d left reluctantly after they’d come so close to making whoopee right there in her office…in broad daylight. If Rachel hadn’t come looking for him, he and Nikki might still be going at each other. Instead, Nikki probably thought he was an ass—at best.

  And he would have to agree.

  If he were honest with himself, his attraction for her had been building since she’d arrived. Something about the tough little woman pulled at his heartstrings…and other parts of his body. He respected her independence and what she must’ve had to overcome in order to be a physician. While caring for the injured deer, his admiration for her had flared into passion, and to his surprise, she’d responded. And he’d been so diverted by Nikki’s eyes…and mouth…and hands, he’d completely forgotten about the time, and that he’d agreed to a date with Rachel.

  Porter hardened his jaw. Although Nikki had tried to hide her humiliation at the untimely interruption, the expression on her face when she told him to have fun was seared in his mind.

  Rachel set down the picnic basket, then pulled her dog out of the carrier and put him on the ground. After lifting the carrier from her shoulders, she stretched her arms high and arched her voluptuous figure. Porter averted his gaze. He so didn’t want to be here.

  “This is a great spot,” she said. “How did you find it?”

  “My brothers and I used to come here to swim,” he said, trying to shake his preoccupation and be in the moment. He owed Rachel that much for accepting her invitation. “Timber Creek is mostly wide and shallow, but this is one of the deepest pools.”

  “It’s a good thing I wore my suit,” she said, and before Porter could blink, she’d stripped off her T-shirt to reveal a pink-and-white polka-dot bikini top.

  Overflowing with tanned flesh.

  Porter cleared his throat, then gestured to the tree above them. “This oak used to be twice as tall. It got clipped by the twister.”

  “There’s still plenty of shade for a picnic,” she said, then bent over to retrieve a blanket out of the picnic basket, sending her shorts into unmentionable places.

  Porter pulled his hand down his face. Why did he have the gnawing feeling he was being disloyal to Nikki by simply being here? It wasn’t as if they had any kind of understanding or…anything. In fact, the woman had gone to great lengths to let him know she wasn’t impressed with him. What had happened back in her office was probably just her reaction to being lonely…and maybe a little revenge thrown in for her cheating fiancé. Maybe she wanted to sleep with someone else before she went back to him.

  Why did that thought bother him so much?

  “Earth to Porter.”

  He jerked his attention back to Rachel, who stood with her hands on her hips giving him a questioning look.

  “Am I boring you?”

  “Sorry,” he said, feeling contrite. He grabbed his crutches and pushed to his feet. “What can I do to help?”

  She gave him a coy smile. “Take a bite and tell me how good it is.”

  Porter stumbled, but caught himself on one of his crutches.

  Rachel laughed and held up a sandwich. “Of my chicken salad, silly.”

  Porter gave a little laugh of relief, feeling foolish as he lowered himself to the blanket. When he’d accepted Rachel’s invitation, hadn’t he been hoping they’d roll around on the ground most of the afternoon? But that had been before Nikki…before he’d known how quickly the little lady doc could go from cold to smoldering, like a piece of dry tinder. Before he’d known how her small, supple hands could send his body temperature soaring like the sun…that her mouth would leave him breathless.

  “You don’t like chicken salad?”

  He turned his head to see Rachel extending a sandwich. He gave himself a mental shake and smiled. “I like it fine,” he said, then took the sandwich. “Thank you. I’m happy to get a break from Molly’s cooking.”

  She made a face. “Things at the dining hall are improving. She agreed to let some of the women help her with the food preparation and make the place a little more attractive, more like a restaurant.”

  “Really? That’s good.” He accepted a chicken salad sandwich and took a bite. He smiled until a strange flavor hit his tongue, but maintained his expression until he swallowed. “Um, that’s…different. But good,” he added quickly.

  Rachel beamed. “I add cinnamon to the mayonnaise. I’m glad you like it.”

  He kept nodding and took a bigger bite. Best to get it eaten as quickly as possible. He noticed she wasn’t indulging in her “secret ingredient” chicken salad, instead picking at a fruit cup in deference to being vegetarian.

  Today, he wouldn’t have minded being vegetarian.

  In between bites, he asked, “So how’s the media room coming along? I saw the TV antenna going up.”

  Rachel nodded. “And the new computers are hooked up. A router is being installed. Hopefully, Sweetness will be fully wired within a few days. The women can’t wait to be connected with the outside world again.”

  It suddenly occurred to him that this woman, too, had left a life behind. “Do you miss Broadway?”

  “Not n
ow that I’ve decided to stay.”

  “Just like that?”

  She shrugged. “Why spend your life second-guessing decisions? It gets you nowhere. I’m here and I’m committed to helping you and your brothers turn Sweetness into the town you envision. I have all kinds of ideas.”

  Porter finished eating his odd-tasting sandwich and listened to the woman describe in detail how she could see the town’s retail environment grow—from groceries to hospitality. Porter’s mind started to wander when a wet tickle on his foot startled him. The pug was licking his exposed foot as if he might devour it. Porter squirmed and tried to shoo him away, hoping Rachel would notice. But the woman was immersed in her animated monologue. When she reached into the picnic basket, Porter expected her to pull out a binder of business plans. Instead she pulled out another sandwich and extended it to him.

  “A big guy like you, I know you have a big appetite to match.” She batted her lashes.

  Loath to eat more of the strange chicken salad—or acknowledge her innuendo—he held up his hand. “I couldn’t.”

  She looked hurt. “You didn’t like it?”

  “Of course I liked it,” he lied. But he felt like a heel for seeming unappreciative on top of not wanting to be there, so he smiled and took the sandwich. “I just didn’t want to seem greedy.”

  Rachel lit up and continued to talk about the plans she had for the town. Porter listened patiently and got rid of the sandwich by sneaking a few bites to her dog to divert the pug from his wet, itchy foot. Nigel wolfed down the food like a starved stray.

  When another hour passed and Rachel was still talking about building a gondola ride that would take tourists above the mountain views, Porter realized he’d underestimated her. She was more than just a pretty face. The woman had ambition—the kind of ambition the fledgling town needed.

  She was beautiful, she was driven and she was dedicated to making Sweetness her home. So why couldn’t he get excited about Rachel? Why was he instead tied in knots over the slip of a woman doctor who was here only because he’d sabotaged her van?

  Suddenly Rachel stopped. “I am boring you now. I’m sorry about going on and on.”