LITMIR.BIZ

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He’d been in Washington, D.C., in meetings all week, which was why he hadn’t been able to attend the ribbon-cutting himself.

      “Daddy, aren’t you going to say good morning?” Brooke pouted, tucking her leg beneath her in her chair and turning more fully toward him.

      For once, the senator ignored Brooke and smiled—or as close as he got when a camera wasn’t present—at Eleanor. “I flew in late last night. You’ll bring him to my campaign fund-raiser next week, of course.”

      Him? Then she noticed what he carried. A copy of the same newspaper Brooke had shoved at her. The one with the picture of her and Ty. Her father was happy about that? Really? Then again, he was probably just amazed that some man had paid attention to his elder daughter.

      “He’s just a friend. Not even that, really. More of an acquaintance.” At the arch of his salt-and-pepper brow, Eleanor rushed on. “We work together at the hospital. He’s nobody, really.”

      “He’s somebody all right, and I want him with you at the fund-raiser.”

      Eleanor’s gaze met her sister’s. A still-pouting Brooke shrugged, obviously not having a clue what their father was talking about either.

      “His family owns about half the state of Texas. If I ever throw my hat in to run for president, he’ll be our ace in the hole.”

      She didn’t know which shocked her more. That her father already had her paired off with Ty, that Ty was wealthy or that her father thought he might someday run for president.

      That he’d plan her life choices around what best garnered votes didn’t shock her in the slightest. She’d dealt with that her entire life.

      “How do you know anything about Dr. Donaldson?” she asked slowly, knowing she wasn’t going to like his answer.

      Her father’s gaze narrowed slightly at her calling Ty by his proper name. “I figured the son of a gun was just after your inheritance so I called my attorney first thing this morning and had a background check run.”

      Because her father hadn’t believed any man would want her for herself, only for her cut of the Aston fortune. Great. Had he ever had any of Brooke’s many beaus checked out?

      Probably not, since her sister never seemed interested in the same man for more than a week or two. Then again, perhaps the senator did have each one thoroughly investigated and perhaps that’s why none of them lasted more than a week—because they weren’t worthy of his precious baby girl.

      “He checked out,” her father announced, sounding somewhere between smug and surprised.

      “You’ve already gotten a report on his whole life history? Wow. That was fast work.” Head spinning, she took a deep breath. “Well, you wasted your time and money, because Dr. Donaldson is a colleague from work.” Sure, they’d had a great time the night before, but it wasn’t as if she expected him to actually call and ask her out. They were friends. Sort of. “Nothing more.”

      Not liking being ignored, Brooke tapped the newspaper picture again. “This doesn’t look like just work.”

      Her father smiled in that way that didn’t convey happiness, just arrogance that he was right and that he would get his way because he was Senator Cole Aston. “I should have known you’d be contrary.”

      Shocked at his comment, Eleanor stared at her father. Because she was known for her contrariness? Hardly, unless he counted her going to university, getting a medical degree and actually working for a living. If he counted that then, yes, she was quite the contrary child.

      “No matter.” He waved his hand dismissively then took a sip of his black coffee. “I’ve already taken matters into my own hands.”

      That didn’t surprise her in the slightest. However, the implications of his comment terrified her.

      “What do you mean, you’ve taken matters into your own hands?”

      “I sent the car for Dr. Donaldson. He should be arriving …” he glanced at the slim gold watch on his wrist “… any moment.”

      Brooke squealed, her eyes widening. She jumped to her feet. “Daddy! You can’t invite people here when my face is all messed up.”

      The senator ignored his younger daughter, his gaze instead boring into Eleanor. “Perhaps you’d like to go freshen up before he arrives?”

      Heat rose to the tips of Eleanor’s ears. Her father had sent the car for Ty? How had her father even known she’d be here? Had he cared? If her father said that he would be arriving any moment, that meant Ty had gone along with her father’s request. Then again, Cole might not have requested anything. He’d probably demanded that Ty come.

      Great.

      She’d thought she was going to die of total mortification last night, but perhaps that honor had been saved for this morning.

      Ty had ridden in a limo a few times during his life, but none of the luxurious caliber of Senator Cole Aston’s. Although he definitely preferred Ole Bess, his affectionate nickname for the Ford pickup he’d driven since first getting his license, he couldn’t deny that he’d been impressed.

      But, then, he was pretty sure that had been Senator Aston’s intention.

      That and to perhaps intimidate him.

      Not that Ty was easily intimidated. Only his own father seemed capable of achieving that.

      Obviously, Eleanor’s old man had seen the picture of his daughter with him and wanted to know his intentions.

      He had no intentions.

      Not toward Eleanor. Not really.

      Yeah, she’d piqued his interest last night and once she’d gotten over her shyness she’d been funny and intelligent.

      He’d enjoyed the evening more than he would have believed possible.

      He’d found her incredibly intriguing and, yes, he’d admit it, he found her sexy as hell.

      But that didn’t mean he had any intention of seeing Eleanor outside the hospital. Something told him she wouldn’t be a love-’em-and-leave-’em-smiling kind of experience.

      He didn’t do any other. Which meant he should stay away from the good doctor. Which was why he hadn’t made any move on her at the end of the evening, despite the fact that he’d wanted to kiss her repeatedly. Hell, he’d wanted to do a lot more than kiss her.

      But he’d settled for a goodbye hug and he’d gone home alone.

      The senator had nothing to worry about.

      The elevator ride to the penthouse of one of Manhattan’s most prestigious apartment complexes overlooking Central Park was an experience in and of itself. Ty had to smile at the seat along one wall and wondered if he was wicked for thinking of all the fun ways that seat could be used by him and …

      He stopped, realizing that rather than some random hot babe popping into his head, the woman making use of that seat with him was Eleanor.

      Which shocked him. Hadn’t he just reminded himself that she wasn’t his type?

      Senator Cole Aston’s daughter.

      How had Eleanor ended up shy, sweet, compassionate and hardworking when she’d grown up in the lap of such luxury?

      Then again, thinking about what he knew of Cole Aston, perhaps Eleanor’s childhood had been more hellish than his own.

      Which wasn’t exactly fair, because his childhood hadn’t been bad. Not really. It hadn’t been until he’d gotten older, known his life was going in a different direction than his family envisioned that the problems had started with his father. The rest of his family was … things he wasn’t going to think about. Not right now when he was about to get his butt chewed for latching on to Eleanor the night before.

      The Aston penthouse

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