Free Healing Dr. Fortune by JUDY DUARTE Page A

Jeremy wouldn’t decide that dating her wouldn’t be worth the real-life complications she was sure to toss into the mix.

Chapter Five
    J eremy had never been so turned on by something as simple as a kiss before, especially one in which he and the woman had been fully clothed and seated at a kitchen table.
    As Kirsten went into the other room to get the crying baby, he watched the alluring sway of her denim-clad hips, the swish of her honey-brown hair across her shoulders.
    She had some kind of a hold on him, although he’d be damned if he knew what it was, and it only seemed to be growing stronger.
    He didn’t believe in love at first sight, so he knew it wasn’t that. Hell, he’d barely had a chance to get to know her, to talk about some of the meatier subjects in life. Sowhatever he was feeling had to be strictly biological—a mixture of lust, hormones and chemistry.
    Or was it more than that?
    Either way, there was no getting around the fact that Kirstin would be a dynamite lover. Two kisses had convinced him of that.
    So now what? His visit had clearly taken an unexpected turn, and he wasn’t sure whether he should stay or go.
    He’d clearly surprised her by showing up at her house this afternoon, and while she’d been elbow-deep in some domestic chore and not wearing any makeup to speak of, it hadn’t mattered one bit. He still found her beautiful, as well as intriguing. Maybe even more so now.
    When she returned to the kitchen with Anthony, he watched as she cuddled the hungry baby while preparing to feed him.
    â€œNeed some help?” he asked, even though she seemed to be juggling the infant, a bottle of water and a scoop of powdered formula as if it was all in a day’s work.
    â€œThanks, but I’ve got it. I have a system that seems to work, even when I’m home alone.” She laughed, the lilt of her voice a pleasant sound that played havoc with his senses. “But you should’ve seen me when Anthony first arrived. I was so inept with this little guy that it was almost funny.”
    Jeremy found that hard to believe. She certainly looked like a pro as she settled into the kitchen chair and placed the nipple in the baby’s mouth.
    Anthony quickly latched on and began sucking as though it might be the last bottle he’d ever get.
    â€œGoodness,” she said. “Would you look at him go?”
    Jeremy was looking all right, but at the whole picture of woman and child. Kirsten was a natural, and he couldn’t help picturing her holding his baby.
    And why would he do that?
    He’d never had visions of himself as a father before. Not that he didn’t want kids—his life had just been too busy, too complicated, too focused on his medical practice. For as long as he’d been in Sacramento, he hadn’t been able to think much beyond the next patient, the next X-ray or the next surgery.
    But for some crazy reason, when he was with Kirsten, his entire focus shifted to another level. There was just something about her, about being with her, that made him feel…different.
    In some ways, she reminded him of his mom, and he wondered if Kirsten had a playful side, too.
    Molly Fortune had adored her five sons, but she hadn’t been a pushover. She’d made them each toe the mark. Still, she’d known how to play with them, how to laugh and enjoy their company. And that had made for a happy childhood and a heart filled with memories.
    Would Kirsten, like Jeremy’s mom, be the playful kind of mother who would help her kids build a tree house in the backyard? Would she lead a Cub Scout troop? And on rainy days, would she help them build a fortress in the living room out of sheets and blankets?
    Not all mothers would.
    And why should it even matter?
    Hell if he knew. Although he suspected that it might be due to the fact that he’d been so studious in school, so driven to get a medical degree, so focused on his