glanced at her wristwatch, then back at him. âI have a meeting with a colleague before my shift starts, which means I need to go.â
Honesty was always her policy, so even little white lies never sat easy with her. But she couldnât think of another excuse to leave.
âIâll see you tomorrow,â he said, as if her visits had become a ritual they both could count onâand look forward to.
She wanted to remind him that it wasnât a done deal, but sheâd already tossed out Docâs offer for him to stay on the ranch. And John had agreed.
So she stepped away from his bed. âHave a good evening.â
âYou, too.â
As she turned and walked out of his room, she picked up her pace as though she could outrun all sheâd been feeling back there, but reality dogged her down the corridor and into the elevator.
John had only touched herâand just briefly at that. But the fact that sheâd reacted so strongly to something so minor left her unbalanced and skittish.
She did her best to regain control of her senses, but it wasnât easy.
When the elevator doors opened on the second floor and she stepped into the corridor that led to the cafeteria, she tried another tack.
Okay, so she was sexually attracted to John Doe. What was wrong with that? Itâs not as though she had to actually act upon that attraction.
And there was probably a very good reason for it, tooâone that went beyond the manâs looks and the intoxicating sound of his voice.
Sheâd sworn off men and sex ever since sheâd told Doug to pack his things and move out of the house theyâd shared when theyâd been together. Sheâd been determined to focus on her career, on her patients. And she wouldnât let a relationship get in the way of that again.
But she was only human, with sexual needs and desires that had been dormant for too long. So it was just her hormones at play. Her body was merely reacting to its basic need for sex and zooming in on a possible candidate.
Thatâs all it was.
She just needed a sexual release. But where did she find a potential partner, especially in Brighton Valley? And what about the hours she kept?
It was going to be tough. Especially when John Doe was the first sexual interest sheâd had since she and Doug had split.
But there was no way sheâd sleep with a patient. Especially one who had no idea where heâd come from or where he was going next.
Of course, with John Doe living only a couple of yards away from her house, she feared she was fighting a losing battle.
Chapter Four
A fter her shift ended the next morning, Betsy once again took the elevator up to the third floor. But this time she was going to stop by Johnâs room for practical reasons.
When she reached his doorway, she found him standing at the window, looking toward a copse of trees and scanning the hills that surrounded the medical center.
He was wearing a hospital gown, which was tied in back, and she couldnât help but smile. Those ugly, frumpy garments werenât the least bit flattering on patients, but the one he had on looked pretty darn good on him.
She had to admit that that was because his loose-fitting gown gaped open a bit, revealing a stretch of skin at the shoulderâand another near his butt.
As if sensing her presence, he turned and met her gaze.
âGood morning,â she said. âItâs nice to see you up and around.â
He shot her a smile that nearly took her breath away. âI was just checking out the view.â
Sheâd been doing the same thing, only not on the rolling hills and the stark bushes that had been full of colorful blooms a few months earlier.
He made his way back toward the bed, but instead of throwing back the blanket and climbing between the sheets, he took a seat in the chair next to it. âIâm really looking forward to getting out of here. I keep sensing that I have