A Daughter's Perfect Secret by Kimberly Van Meter Read Free Book Online Page B

day.”
    A smile threatened and he ignored the tickle of attraction that fluttered to life. The smile that had flirted with her mouth appeared as she said, “Well, don’t go crazy with the praise just yet. I think I may have accidentally hung up on at least three patients.”
    He waved away her admission. “If it was important, they’d have called back or just marched into the office. I’m sure it’s fine. So, how about that bite?”
    “I don’t know,” she said. “It doesn’t seem right, you know? Small towns are notorious for gossip, and I don’t mean to start rumors myself, but I got the distinct impression a few of your patients were trying to play matchmaker.”
    “Oh?”
    “Yeah, they asked if I was single and when I said I was, they quickly mentioned that you were single, as well.”
    Rafe smothered a sigh. Samuel fancied himself a matchmaker and openly encouraged marriage and family ties. Samuel said it was because strong families were the backbone to any successful community. Rafe was a bit more cynical. He believed Samuel pushed the family angle because a single person had less to lose. If needed, loved ones provided excellent leverage.
    “Let me just say this now. I’m not looking for a date or a good time. My life is my work. I don’t have time for casual or serious romantic encounters. You can rest easy. I’m not trying to butter you up for anything other than friendship.”
    “I appreciate your candor,” she said, adding with a slight frown, “I think. But since I am new here and I certainly don’t want to color anyone’s opinion of me right from the start, I’m just going to go back to the hotel and order a pizza or something.”
    He made a sound, and she looked at him in question. “No take-out pizza places here. I think you can get a variation of a pizza at Cold Plains Italian, but I think it’s a bit pricey for what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a quick bite, there’s the Cold Plains Eatery with deli sandwiches and whatnot.”
    “No pizza?” she murmured, frowning. “They ought to put that on the brochure for this place. So, why no pizza places? Not wholesome enough?”
    He caught the subtle sarcasm. Most eager transplants to Cold Plains were delighted when they discovered how health conscious the town was and how dedicated to clean living everyone seemed. Darcy didn’t appear the average Cold Plains transplant in search of the utopia. But if she wasn’t looking for that, why would she move here? There was definitely more to the dark-haired beauty than met the eye, and in this place, that was dangerous.
    As if realizing she may have revealed more about herself than she intended, she shrugged and said, “Well, that’s probably a good thing. Pizza is my secret weakness. I’m better off without the temptation.” She drew a deep breath and smiled. “Well, tomorrow morning comes bright and early. Good night, Dr. Black.”
    “Good night, Darcy,” he returned, watching as she headed toward the hotel where she was staying. He didn’t care what she said, there wasn’t an ounce of extra fat on her body from too-much-pizza indulgence. Her tight waist flared to sweet hips, reminding him that he was a man with needs, even if he tried like hell to bury them. The last time he’d had sex was with Abby. It wasn’t like he was naturally celibate, but he hadn’t lied when he’d said his life was his work. Before Abby he’d concentrated on building his career. He’d been eyeing the chief of medicine position at the hospital he’d been with. After Abby had dropped her bombshell about the baby and then ended up dead, he’d been consumed with finding Devin. That left little time for personal interactions of the intimate sort. But damn, suppressing those urges would be difficult with Darcy around. There was something about her that twisted his head. Growling to himself for even thinking such thoughts, he went to his car, determined to push Darcy from his mind. She was