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before I started thinking of myself by anything other than my maiden name.” She scribbled something on the chart, then came over to take Kristen’s blood pressure and pulse. “What seems to be the problem, Mrs. Warren?”

      Kristen finally opened her eyes. “I have a sinus infection and—”

      “She keeps fainting,” Chance explained, finishing for her. “She might be pregnant.”

      If looks could kill, Chance figured he’d be a dead man in three seconds flat. The sparks flashing in Kristen’s eyes left no doubt how furious she was with him.

      “Okay, I’ll make a note of that,” Mary-Ann said, taking Kristen’s temperature. The nurse wrote in the chart, then turned toward the door. “The doctor will be in shortly.”

      The hushed click of the door closing behind the nurse seemed to revive Kristen. “Get out,” she ordered, sitting up and pointing to the now-closed door.

      Chance stood his ground. “No.”

      She made a kind of growling sound in the back of her throat that sounded as if she might just tear his head off and show it to him. “You have to be the most exasperating man on the face of the earth. Why did you tell that woman I might be pregnant?”

      “It’s the truth,” he said reasonably. “And you wouldn’t have said anything about it.”

      “Yes, I would.” She glared at him. “But you make it sound like a certainty. How many times do I have to tell you, the possibility is so remote, it’s not really worth considering?”

      Before he could argue the point further, the door swung open and a tall gray-haired gentleman in a white lab coat walked into the room. He shook hands with Chance, then Kristen. “I’m Dr. Brayfield. I hear you aren’t feeling well, Mrs. Warren. What seems to be the problem?”

      “Before I left Dallas, I was diagnosed with a sinus infection,” Kristen said, her gaze warning Chance to keep quiet. “I’ve been taking medication for it.”

      “I see here you might be pregnant,” the doctor said, glancing at the metal chart he’d retrieved from the pocket on the door. “We’ll do a pregnancy test—”

      “No,” Kristen said. “It won’t be necessary.”

      “Yes, it is,” Chance said at the same time.

      Dr. Brayfield glanced up over the top of his half glasses, his look questioning.

      “We got married last night,” Chance explained. One look at Kristen told him he’d better sugarcoat the facts or he’d be in even bigger trouble than he already was. “We may want to start a family right away and I thought it best to make sure the medication is safe before she takes any more of it.” There, that should satisfy both her and the doctor.

      Smiling, Dr. Brayfield nodded. “I understand. If last night was the first relations you’ve had without using any type of preventive, there’s no need to do a pregnancy test. The results wouldn’t be as accurate as they will be in a week or two.” He wrote something in the chart. “Now, what did your physician prescribe for your sinus infection, Mrs. Warren?”

      Kristen gave Chance a warning look he was sure was meant to silence him, then told the doctor the name of the medication and her symptoms. “I’ve had this problem before,” she added. “Sometimes the infection settles in my inner ear and causes dizziness.”

      “Is this the first time you’ve taken this prescription?” When she nodded, the doctor continued, “How long have you been on it?”

      “Today will be the fourth day.” She looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked, “Would drinking wine with this cause any kind of side effects?”

      The doctor nodded. “Drinking any kind of alcohol with medication can cause side effects. Some serious, some less so. With this particular prescription there’s a possibility of memory lapses and uncharacteristic behavior.” He turned to Chance. “Have you noticed her acting differently than usual?”

      Before Chance could answer, Kristen spoke up. “Yes. I married him last night. That was completely out of character for me.”

      Apparently the doctor thought Kristen was joking because he chuckled and took an instrument from the wall. He shone the tiny light into her ears, then looked at her throat. “Mmm.” He jotted a note on the chart, then handed her some sample bottles of capsules. “I’m going to change the medication you’re on. This should clear up both the sinus and inner ear problems within a few days.”

      “Is this safe in case she’s pregnant?” Chance asked pointedly.

      Dr. Brayfield nodded. “This is much safer and has fewer side effects.” His grin wide, he winked. “No more accidental marriages.”

      “I’m glad I insisted on your seeing a doctor,” Chance said, pulling his truck from the clinic parking lot. “You might have passed out when I wasn’t around and hurt yourself or the baby.”

      Kristen glared at him. “Will you stop talking as if it’s a fait accompli? All we know for sure is that I have an ear infection. We don’t know if I’m pregnant.”

      “We don’t know that you aren’t, sweetheart,” he said, shrugging. He grinned, and his face went from handsome to drop-dead gorgeous. “If passion and desire have anything to do with it, I’d say we have a bun in the oven for sure.”

      She supposed she should be upset that he insisted on calling her “sweetheart.” But she wasn’t going to ask him to stop. She couldn’t explain it, but somehow when Chance used the endearment, it just felt…right.

      Trying to turn her attention to something other than the man beside her, she focused on his “bun” comment. Most of her friends would have considered it crude, a remark best left to the lower social circles. But coming from Chance, it made her want to put on a baker’s hat and…

      Shaking her head to dislodge the erotic thought before it took hold, she remembered he hadn’t listened to her objections over seeing a doctor. It appeared that Chance had a lot in common with Mike. He never listened to her, either.

      Kristen stared out the truck window at the barren landscape of the Las Vegas outskirts. What would Mike do when he found out she’d married Chance? Would she be disowned?

      The thought of his disapproval caused an instant sadness.

      She—Mike’s only child—had turned out to be a girl instead of the son he’d wanted. That had been the first time Kristen had disappointed him. Then, in the last twenty-seven years, she’d never seemed to measure up, never been able to do anything to win his acceptance and love.

      Now, with the mess she’d gotten herself into last night, she feared she’d never see an expression of approval on Mike’s face. Not for her, not for anything she accomplished. Unexpectedly, her breath caught on a soft sob.

      “What’s wrong, Kristen?”

      His big hand covered hers where it rested in her lap. “Don’t worry.” He twined their fingers and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “We’ll get through this together. I’m here for you, sweetheart.”

      Kristen swallowed hard. Why did her insides turn to melted butter every time he spoke in that soft, sexy drawl?

      “I guess I’m just a little tired,” she lied. She wasn’t about to try explaining something she didn’t understand herself. “I’ll be fine.”

      Chance turned her hand loose to reach down and release the catch on her seat belt. “Why don’t you move over here to the middle of the seat and rest your head on my shoulder? You look like you could use some sleep.”

      “I can’t do that.”

      “You aren’t feeling well, Kristen.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “We have a long way to go. Maybe if you take a nap you’ll feel better.”

      It

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