Free Hotblooded by Erin Nicholas

contractions were under control, her blood pressure was steady, if a bit high, and her other vitals were good. The weather had cleared enough that the helicopter could make the trip and Amanda and her still-unborn child were airlifted to Amarillo Memorial. They were both in good condition and Amanda was expected to go to full-term but remain on bed rest in the hospital. Which was perfect. There she could be waited on hand and foot much as she was everywhere else, but at least the hospital staff would get paid for it.
    Brooke felt bad about the thought almost before it was fully formed. Amanda was spoiled but she hadn’t always gotten her way. Brooke had seen to that. She had stolen the love of Amanda’s life. It had been his idea, but that didn’t change the fact that Amanda had been crushed.
    As raindrops began to fall, Brooke turned uphill and pumped her arms harder, pulling her already tired body up the last incline before home. Trying to escape the memories, the mistakes, the regrets. She had more immediate problems anyway. Like the fact that she’d been thrown out of her own clinic.
    That news was certain to get around.
    Thunder rumbled and she ran harder, pulling against the friction of the pavement. She had every right and reason to be in that examination room. Okay, being Amanda’s friend was out of the question, being voted Miss Congeniality or Ms. Honey Creek wasn’t going to happen. But if someone was bleeding from the head and needed someone to save their life? Then she was the one for the job. She knew more than anyone in town about what to do in medical situations, emergency and otherwise.
    Well, everyone except for Jack, she acknowledged with a frown.
    He couldn’t even just be a physician. He had to be an emergency physician. Wasn’t that just typical of how things went for her within these city limits?
    She heard a vehicle approaching and took a few steps closer to the sidewalk, out of the way, but the black truck slowed down beside her.
    “I’ve been looking for you.”
    She nearly groaned. The last person she wanted to see right now.
    “I’m busy.”
    “It’s starting to rain,” Jack pointed out.
    The drops were falling faster now, soaking her hair and clothes. “No kidding.”
    The truck continued to crawl along next to her.
    “We need to talk,” he said. “I’ve been trying to find you.”
    “I went for a run.”
    “Obviously.”
    “And I’m not done yet.” She picked up her pace.
    Of course, he was in a truck. He stayed right beside her.
    “I don’t want to wait.”
    “Too bad.” She was getting winded trying to talk while running. She decided to quit trying to talk.
    “I want to apologize. And finish the conversation we started in the hallway. Let me give you a ride home.”
    She said nothing and kept her pace steady.
    “Brooke—”
    Just then a loud clap of thunder boomed above them, followed by a blinding flash of lightning and the clouds split, dumping a cosmic bucket of water down on them. She was drenched within seconds.
    Of course.
    She stopped running, wiping water from her eyes as she turned her face upward. The rain was cool and refreshing…and a nice distraction.
    She didn’t want to hear Jack say he was sorry for how things went today. He couldn’t be sorry in the sense that he’d done something wrong. It was more that he felt sorry for her. And she hated that idea.
    Brooke could admit, if only to herself, that she was mortified he’d witnessed Honey Creek’s princess rejecting her help.
    She continued walking, letting the rain pour over her, trying her best to ignore the man in the truck beside her. He was stubborn, she knew too well. But he was getting way too close to things she didn’t like to think about, not to mention talking about with a man she didn’t know all that well. Or really at all. What she knew about Jack could be summarized in four words—great kisser, pushy, physician.
    “Brooke, get in the truck.”
    “No.”
    He swore and