Free The Doctor's In Love (Pathway Series) by CJ Butcher

Chapter 1
     
    Even after all these
years he still looked the same.  Yes, he had gotten older and there was some
grey in his hair, but he had changed for the better.  He had the same twinkly
brown eyes that he had always had.  Marisol Matthews looked at him from under
her lowered lashes.  He was simply a beautiful person inside and out and always
had been.  It had been 5 years since she had seen him and the years had
definitely been better to him than to her.  She, on the other hand had never
considered herself a beautiful or even pretty woman.  She weighed too much to
be considered beautiful.  She had green eyes, reddish brown hair with highlights
that weren’t natural by any means and a great complexion, thanks to the help of
cosmetics.  The cosmetic counter at her local department store was definitely
her friend.  Even though she was rocking and rolling towards thirty-five she
didn’t really look a day over thirty.  She was blessed on that account.  Josh,
on the other hand or Dr. Maddox as he was known was nearing forty-four by now
and he didn’t look a day over thirty-five.  Some men had it so easy.  He was a
very handsome man and in Marisol’s opinion he was the one that not only got
away, but the one that she had never really had. 
    They had worked
together for 5 years before he had left and took a position as a hospitalist at
a local hospital.  To say Marisol’s heart had been broken was an
understatement.  However, it had been for the best.  Even though, they had been
the best of friends he had been married and no matter what, Marisol had never
considered crossing that line.  Well, that wasn’t exactly true and she knew it.
  She had considered it and right when she was going to do something about it,
he had decided to leave.  Marisol guessed that was God’s way of nipping that in
the bud.  They had been so close that if he had stayed - there would have been
no doubt that something would have happened.  Marisol would have made a fool of
herself, because as beautiful as his wife was, Marisol was the complete
opposite.  She had been frumpy, overweight and had worn glasses.  She hadn’t
really had that much going for her.  She would have wound up making a play for
him and then when she had been rejected, she would have felt even worse for the
fact that their friendship was over.  He had always spoken highly of her to her
family and they had been his patients.  Marisol had worked for the 4 physician
practice from the time she was twenty-one until she had been thirty-three.  He
had practically watched her grow up. 
    Dr. Maddox had told her
mother that Marisol should have been a doctor.  That she’d had the potential to
be a great physician and Marisol had secretly fallen in love with him after
hearing how he talked about her to her family.  He had always talked her up and
made her sound like she was the most awesome person in the world.  That’s when
her parents had started to realize that she had some talent for the medical
field.  She had went on to major in Health Information Technology at the local
college and had gotten her Associates online and taken a job at another
practice almost a year ago.  Marisol knew that Dr. Maddox worked at the
hospitalist program, but she knew she wouldn’t see him since he never came in
the office.
    Now looking at him, she
couldn’t keep her eyes off of him.  He was handsome and not just because Marisol
was hard up, but because he looked really good.  She smiled to herself and
thought about what a goofball she was being.  Josh was still lean and athletic
looking and he still had that lopsided grin that she’d always loved.  Marisol
just stared at him with wide-eyed fascination until he suddenly looked up and
stared straight at her.   They both broke into smiles at the same time and he
walked towards her with a strong, confident stride.  Marisol took a deep breath
and tried to hold it in, but then felt herself getting a little