Free The Doctor's Choice by J. D. Faver

from the high vehicle. The wind had lessened and a light dusting of snow crunched underfoot. Breck followed her up onto the porch and stamped his feet.
    “Thanks fo r a lovely evening,” she said.
    “Open the door,” he said , gruffly. “I’m freezing my back-side off.”
    She laughed and opened the door. Shadow sat just inside, his ears on alert. “Were you waiting for me, Shadow?” She bent down to pat his head.
    He removed his jacket and hung it on the rack just inside. He crossed to the fireplace and placed logs and kindling.
    She watched him, knowing she should insist he leave, but not sure she wanted to be alone. She took off her outer wrappings and sank onto the Queen Anne loveseat. Shadow stretched out at her feet.
    “ Cami, you seem to have charmed all of the creatures here at the ranch.” Breck stepped over Shadow and settled beside her on the loveseat. The kindling had caught and slender tongues of flame licked hungrily at the logs.
    “I’m on my honeymoon here,” she said. “An unknown quantity. I feel like everyone has to try me on.”
    “You certainly got checked out tonight. I hardly got to dance with you at all.”
    An uncontrollable giggle bubbled out. “You were dancing to Jenna’s tune. I was glad Frank was there to keep me company.”
    “And E.J.,” he said. “Don’t forget about your other admirer.”
    “I couldn’t,” she said. “E.J. also did his best to keep me company while you were otherwise occupied.”
    “You’re having fun with this, aren’t you?”
    “Maybe.” She gave him the benefit of her wide grin, complete with dimples. “Okay, I’ll admit, I enjoyed dancing with three attractive men. That hasn’t happened to me before. I went to a few dances in college but, basically I was a bookworm. Then I went into the fierce competition of medical school, followed by a brutal internship. Other than long hours, my residency was a breeze compared to that. And I worked so hard to be awarded the fellowship. So you see, I haven’t had much time to dance the night away.”
    His brows drew together in a frown. “What kind of doctor are you, anyway?”
    “Internal Medicine.”
    “What does that mean, exactly?”
    “One step up from General Practice. I’ve spent more time studying internal disease processes. I’ve always been curious. I want to know why someone develops a particular illness, how diseases are transmitted and I hope that by going into immunology research I can be a part of the prevention and cure.”
    Breck leaned back on one elbow, his gray eyes assessing her. “You’re not what I expected.”
    “What did you expect me to be?”
    “A spoiled little rich girl.”
    She cleared her throat. “Silky provided for my education and upkeep after my parents died. It was a costly schooling, but it wasn’t like I was driving a sports car or jetting to Europe.”
    “No fril ls?” Breck raised his eyebrows.
    “All the necessities were provided , but I would have traded it in a heartbeat for one more of my mom’s hugs or to spend five minutes curled up in my dad’s recliner with him reading to me.”
    “It sounds like you were a lonely kid.”
    Cami nodded and b linked as tears stung her eyes.
    He picked up her hand and held it to his cheek. “I’m sorry, Cami. I wish I had known you then.”
    A rush of emotion swept over her, rendering her incapa ble of speech. She turned away.
    “Cami.” His voice held a rough, smoky quality.
    She turned back to face him and drew in a breath when she caught his expression.
    He gathered her into his arms and cradled her head against his shoulder.
    She swallowed hard, feeling like she was sinking in quicksand. A feathery feeling swirled through her chest as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her gently, his tongue exploring her mouth. A soft moan escaped her throat.
    He pulled back to gaze into her eyes. Something he saw there made him kiss her again. A deep, hungry kiss followed by another. “Cami,