Free Seducing the Doctor (At First Sight #4) by Janet Lane-Walters Page B

Cassie hadn’t. Once again he’d driven her away.
    What now?
    Patience and a plan. He had to give her time to reconsider.
     
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
    Cassie scurried around the apartment removing all traces of Matt’s stay. Sheets and towels went into the washer. New linens were on the beds and hung on towel racks in both bathrooms. Dishes were loaded in the washer. Remnants of breakfast and the past night’s dinner went into the garbage.
    Keeping busy kept her tears at bay but all too soon everything was in order. She turned on the television and waited for her mother’s and step-father’s arrival.
    Stray thoughts of Matt intruded. She fought to reject them. Tears blurred her eyes. Her chest tightened. How could she have allowed past fantasies and sexual attraction to a man…to Matt…to turn her life on end? Day one, a broken engagement. Day two, the appearance of a man from the past bringing hot sex and a plunge into love. Day three, a second betrayal.
    All Matt had wanted was that house. She realized the glow in his eyes and the passion in his voice when he’d spoken of his plans to change the house. Her thoughts had filled with fantasies of living there with him. Then the call and the information her mother had provided had slashed her dreams to tatters.
    The buzzer sounded. “You have a guest.”
    For a moment she hesitated. She had expected two. Had Matt returned but why?
    She released her held breath. “Who?”
    “Your mother.”
    “Send her up.” Where was Ben? Had something happened to him? Had her mother’s second honeymoon ended in disaster? But earlier when they’d talked there’d been no hint of trouble.
    The moment her mother stepped inside Cassie burst into tears. Her emotions tumbled to the first time her life had tangled with Matt. She pressed her fingers against her tear ducts to stop the flow. “Where’s Ben?”
    "Making dinner reservations and visiting the bookstore. Do you mind having guests until Tuesday morning? We see the attorney Monday afternoon. You need to be there.”
    Cassie shook her head. “Can’t. I have patients scheduled.”
    “The meeting is for four o’clock in the village. See if you can rearrange your schedule.”
    “I’ll try.”
    Mrs. Moore sat on the couch. “Let’s talk about Tim first. How could he do such a thing?”
    Cassie sat on the other end. “I’m glad it happened before the wedding. If he saw her often enough for her to become pregnant he wouldn’t have allowed marriage to halt the affair. I doubt he loved me. Just wanted me to do most of his work.”
    “Why do you think that? Maybe he made a single mistake.”
    Matt’s comment rose. She batted them away. “Tim talked a good line but he used me. Since we started here I’ve done most of his work.” She drew a deep breath. “I liked Tim but I didn’t love him. I think I loved the idea of being married so I settled for him.”
    “Then why were you crying.” Mrs. Moore clasped Cassie’s hand. “You saw that Blakefield boy. Is this his fault?”
    Cassie stared at the floor. If her mother knew how much of Matt she’d seen the older woman would be angry. Not that she would tell. Matt was definitely no boy. She nodded. “We’ve had several dates.” No need to mention the wreck and the rescue.
    “How could you bear to be around him after what he did? Honey, remember how ashamed and hurt you were about the things he said that day.”
    Cassie looked away. Her mother held grudges longer than anyone she knew. “He explained and I believed him.”
    “Then you learned his true nature. That blasted house.” She released a long sigh. “History repeats.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “She thought Bradley Smiton was hers.”
    “Who?”
    “Anne Torrey. He broke off with her and dated me. We fell in love. When my pregnancy was discovered his parents sent him to school in Europe. He never returned. He refused to acknowledge you. She lied and said I’d been with four other boys.”
    Cassie