The Doctor's Choice (17 page)

He
. drew the Jaguar to a stop in front of a huge and elaborate structure. “Welcome to Buckingham Palace.”

Cami couldn’t help but stare up at the façade. She couldn’t imagine a home less suitable to be built
on the Texas Plaines. She turned to him, trying to find something to say.

“This is my dad’s idea of home, not mine. I think your little Victorian house looks
a lot more homey.” He held out his hand.

“Thanks
.” She hadn’t thought of Aunt Silky’s rambling house as being “little” but, she reasoned, everything was relative. Compared to her tiny Houston apartment, she now lived in a mansion but, in E.J.’s frame of reference it was tiny.

He took her hand and led
her inside. The glossy marble floor in the entry reflected the glow of crystal chandeliers. Soaring ceilings were grounded by mahogany paneling. The walls were lined with the decapitated heads of dead animals and photographs of Eldon Kincaid with various celebrities, governors and a couple of U.S. Presidents.

Cami glanced at E.J.
He wore a shuttered expression on his face. She raised her brows in question.

“I feel you judging me,” he said.

“Sorry. It’s hard to separate you from all this.”

“Please try to see me, Cami. I’m not my dad.”
He gave her hand a squeeze.

She
allowed him to lead her through a series of equally impressive rooms, including a dining room with a banquet table that might accommodate thirty.

The next room was a huge den, of sorts.
A home theater dominated the near wall and a granite counter top defined the work area where Eldon Kincaid manned an indoor grill. He was basting something under a vent hood.

“There you are. I was getting ready to send out the posse.” He removed an oven mitt and came from behind the counter, grinning broadly. “Welcome to our home, young lady. And don’t you look lovely
tonight.” He clasped her hand warmly.

“Th
ank you, Mr. Kincaid.”

“Now, now, I’ll have none of that. We’re all family here so you better call me Eldon.”

“Eldon,” Cami said. He led her to the bar and seated her on a high leather stool. “E. J., get the lovely lady a drink.”

“I’ll just have a soda,” she said.

“Nonsense,” Eldon said. “Make Cami something special, E.J., so she can relax and enjoy herself.

She caught E.J.’s eye and he gave her a one-sided smile before turning to the vast array of bottles lining the mirrored wall behind the bar. As Eldon rattled on about the food he’d prepared for them, E.J. came to stand close beside her. He set a tall glass adorned with a slice of lime in front of her. She looked at it and drew a
breath before reaching for it.

He
leaned over and brushed a kiss against her temple, whispering into her hair, “Virgin.”

She grinned up at him and his fingers lightly brushed the skin on
her neck. She took a sip of her soda, grateful that he’d supported her choice without a hassle. Maybe he truly was not his father’s tool.

As E.J. joined
Eldon behind the grill, she took the opportunity to examine him. Objectively, she could say he was the handsomest man she’d ever laid eyes on. Although he was tall and broad shouldered like Eldon, his features were more refined. Chiseled, where Eldon’s were hawk-like. She presumed that he must look like his deceased mother. She liked that he was easy-going and listened to her.

Breck’s face
sprang into her thoughts, Breck who thought he knew more about her needs than she did. Her lips tightened as she continued to peruse the maleness in the room. E.J. kept up a light banter with his dad, teasing him about serving up a burnt offering.

“You get out of here, boy,” Eldon ordered. “Go entertain your lady friend and leave the cooking to me.”

E.J. pulled up a barstool beside Cami and sat down. “Hello, Lady Friend.”

“Does that mak
e you my man friend?”

“I could be your boy friend,” he said softly.

“That could be a little inconvenient, because I have a fiancé.”

He
raised his brows and tilted his head to one side. “Speaking of which, why haven’t I seen him around? If I was engaged to such a hottie, I’d be stuck on you like crazy glue.”

She
laughed. “I can’t believe you called me a hottie.”

“Cami,” he said seriously. “I can’t believe you’re not staring at yourself in the mirror all the time like the constant stream of
Dallas debutants my mother paraded before me. She thought the next Kincaid bride had to have blood as blue as hers.”

“I guess you didn’t find the right one,” she said.

“Not in Dallas.” He stroked the back of her hand.

She reflected that Breck’s slightest touch sent
goose flesh creeping down her spine. She determinedly pushed all thoughts of the darkly disturbing rancher from her brain. “I’m sure you’ll marry the love of your life and make lots of little Kincaids to inherit all this.” She gestured to her surroundings.

“That sounds like a wonderful plan,” he said under his breath.

Cami sipped her soda and tried to ignore the way E.J. stared at her.

Eldon served t
he delicious meal in the den and he demonstrated his media equipment by showing a first run film. She leaned back in a leather recliner and felt E.J.’s eyes on her in the darkened room.

When
she was ready to leave, Eldon escorted her to the front of the house.

“What do you think of my trophies?” Eldon waved a hand to indicate
the heads mounted to his wall.

“Very impressive,” she said. “But I’m on the animal’s side.”

Eldon grinned and looked down at his expensive ostrich boots. “I’m sure that a lovely young lady such as yourself could never fathom the pleasure of the hunt, the thrill of firing a gun and bringing down a big animal.”

“On the contrary, Eldon. My Aunt Silky taught me to fire a rifle when I was twelve and we used to shoot rattle snakes
. I hate snakes of all kinds.” There was a moment when they stared into each other’s eyes intently. She knew he fathomed the kind of snake she was talking about.

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly.
“Alrighty then,” he said. “You take care, now.” He folded her hand in his and shook it with a firm grip.

“Thank you for a great meal and interesting company.”

E.J. walked her to his car and headed to her home. He reached over and took her hand, threading his fingers with hers. “Cami, this has been the best evening I’ve had since I came here.”

“I had a good time, too.”
She cast a glance at E.J. and noted that he was grinning as he drove. “Your dad is a real charmer. I hope I didn’t upset him with my comments on the trophies he’s so proud of.”

“He’ll get over it,” he said. “It’s not like he hasn’
t heard it all before. My mother hated his trophies. When she was alive he kept them at his office. Now he has them here.”

“
What about your previous home?”

“It’s still there. Dallas is my home. All my friends
are there…except for you.” He shot her a glance under his obscenely long lashes, blue eyes twinkling.

She
grinned back at him. “Yes, we’re friends.”

He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers before
releasing her hand to grind into a higher gear.

She
heard the high-pitched whine as the Jag went through its paces, tearing up the lonely highway under the big Texas night sky.

#

Cami woke up feeling rested. She stretched and looked around her new room. It was much more comfortable and spacious than the guest room. Sunlight slanted through the windows because she hadn’t the heart to put the heavy yellow drapes back up.

After her date with E.J.
, she’d slipped out of her jeans and climbed underneath the covers of the high bed.

She could smell
his cologne on her sweater. He’d asked her if he could kiss her before they got out of the Jaguar and she’d said yes. It was a nice first kiss, not pushy, not grabby.

“Slut!” Cami threw back her new
double wedding ring quilt and set her feet on the floor. Shadow cocked his head at her as she made a beeline for the bathroom. “I am an engaged woman.”

She
filled the tub with warm water and added a squirt of lavender-scented bubble bath. She stepped out of the rest of her clothes and sank into the warm, fragrant water, sighing as she inhaled.

The bath wasn’t as relaxing as she’d wished because a few minutes later
the doorbell rang and Shadow barked. She climbed out and rubbed herself with a towel before wrapping herself in her old terry robe. She ran down the carpeted stairs and saw Breck standing on the porch.

“Breck,” she said, opening the door. The cold, crisp air provided a
n instant freeze for her face and toes. “Come in quick.” She closed the door behind him.

“Are you naked under there?” He frowned down at her as he tossed his hat on the peg and followed with his lambskin lined jacket.

Cami pulled the collar of her robe higher around her neck. “I usually bathe in the nude. Don’t you?” She planted her feet in a wide stance and glared up at him.

“Yes, but I
don’t open the door that way.”

“Well, I should have just left you standing out there on the porch.”
She felt her lower jaw jut out and her fists clench.

Breck narrowed his eyes and took a step toward her
, grabbing her wrists. He pulled her against his chest and kissed her. It began hard and melted into tender. He embraced her and lifted her off her feet.

Cami’s arms encircled
his neck as his kisses tormented her, teased her, roiling a storm of passion from deep within her.

Hi
s hands roamed over her damp, terry clad form, as his lips devoured hers.

She
couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. “Stop. Stop right now…” She gasped for air and pushed back from the dark vortex drawing her in.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. You make me crazy, Cami.” Breck set her on her feet and stepped away.
“I promised myself that I wouldn’t do that.”

She tried to control her breathing as she arranged her robe. “Did you just come by to molest me or is there something you want?”

Breck grinned at her. “You always have something smart to say, don’t you?”

“You just affect me that w
ay.”

He skewered her with a look.
“I feel compelled to grab you and kiss you for the same reason.”

She
took a deep breath, stepping away from his disturbing presence.

“I came over to see if you’d like to spend the day with me. I thought we could drive over to the Palo Duro Canyon and see the sights.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s the second longest canyon in the U
nited States. It’s called the Grande Canyon of Texas. It’s especially beautiful in the spring. Wanna come?”

“Don’t you have work to do? You know, lawyer work, ranch work?”

“I’m all caught up for the moment. Go on and get dressed.”

Cami
noted Breck’s eager expression; his eyes alight with mischief. Turning to the stairs, she pointed her finger to the loveseat. “Sit.”

“Yes, Miss Scarlett.”

She dressed hurriedly and pulled on her warm socks and boots. When she descended the stairs she saw Breck’s admiring glance.

“I’m glad to see I’ve taught you how to dress.”

“I don’t know how I stayed decent without your expert opinion, Mr. Ryan,” she drawled.

He
held her jacket, the one she’d inherited from Aunt Silky. When she slipped her arms into it, he embraced her from behind and kissed her temple.

Cami started to protest
, but his touch filled some empty place deep inside her, quenched an undefined longing. Leaning back against him, she relished the luxury of being cared for.

Hi
s lips brushed the side of her neck, sending her pulse into a crazy staccato. “We better go,” she said, alarmed that her voice sounded low and husky.

Don’t give it all away, girl.

#

Cami gasped in pleasure at the beauty of the canyon, gouged deep in the Texas earth. The crisp breeze bit her cheeks, bringing
her a higher color and blowing tendrils of hair across her face. “This…This is beautiful! I didn’t know anything like this existed here.”

Breck grinned down at her. “It’s been here for the past few millennia, at least. The
y put on a passion play here at Easter. It’s pretty inspiring.” He laid a hand on her shoulder.

The edge of the canyon was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
The morning sun cast deep shadows into the crevices making them appear sinister and threatening.