LITMIR.BIZ

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veer from the path she’d chosen for herself. She had responsibilities, to herself and to her mother.

      “You have to ask that after what you just said to me?” she replied flippantly, not liking it that her thoughts had turned to her past. “I’m not interested, Dr. Bradley. Go be God’s gift to women with someone else.”

      His smile slipped a little, and he sighed. “Am I coming on too strong? Is that the problem?”

      Taking a deep breath, she tried a different tactic. “We both work at the hospital. You shouldn’t be coming on at all.”

      “There aren’t any hospital rules against employees dating. I checked.”

      Why didn’t that surprise her? “I’m sure you did, several dates ago,” she bit out with a little more snarkiness than she’d intended.

      His brow arched. “Oh, really?”

      Heat flooding her face, Joni shrugged. “I just meant that I know you’ve gone out with a few hospital employees.”

      “You know that?” He looked intrigued by her response, which she found very irritating. Everything about the man irritated her.

      “I know.”

      His lips twisted with amusement, annoying her further. “Who is it I’m supposed to have gone out with?”

      Hot faced, Joni named the women who had been linked with him. She wanted nothing more than to race the rest of the way to the elevator and escape him.

      They took several steps in silence before he said, “You know I sponsored a team in the golf tournament, right?”

      No, she hadn’t known that. “What golf tournament?”

      “The one the Lions’ club is putting on next month.”

      She vaguely recalled hearing something about the event, just hadn’t paid much attention as she knew next to nothing about golf. “Oh.” Then she frowned. “What does a golf tournament have to do with our conversation?”

      “It’s a co-ed tournament.” His smile was lethal. “Do you know who my teammates are?” He punched the elevator down button.

      She shook her head, waited for the elevator doors to slide open, and stepped inside the car, wishing by some miracle he wouldn’t follow her.

      Along with the hospital’s medical director, he named the two women who she’d been told he was dating. The two women she’d just named.

      Was he saying he hadn’t dated either? Or that he’d just dated them due to the contact they shared with being teammates for the golf tournament?

      “You are the only woman I’ve asked out on a date since I’ve moved to Bean’s Creek.”

      Her heart spit and sputtered in her chest.

      “You don’t need to tell me any of this,” she began, not quite sure why they were having this conversation or why his response made her want to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him. “For that matter, why are you telling me? What you do outside the hospital is of no consequence to me.”

      “See,” he mused, pressing the door closed button and holding it in. His gaze held hers, refused to let her do anything more than stare back into the twinkling blue. “That’s the problem. I want what I do outside the hospital to be of consequence to you.”

      CHAPTER TWO

      SINCE when had Grant become so desperate that he had to corner a woman in an elevator to try to convince her to go on a date with him? Since when had he had to try to convince a woman to go out with him, period?

      Since Joni had said no to him and he’d realized the curvy, auburn-haired beauty wasn’t going to change her mind.

      He’d wanted to ask her out the moment he’d arrived in Bean’s Creek and met the always-smiling ICU nurse. Unfortunately, he’d learned a hard lesson about jumping into a relationship too fast. He’d wanted to be sure before he asked anyone out in Bean’s Creek. To make sure he wasn’t dealing with anyone mentally unstable or with addiction problems. He couldn’t deal with another Ashley in his life. He’d had too much unfinished baggage to settle prior to starting a new relationship.

      So he’d put his personal life on hold while he established his new practice, resolved the relationship issues he’d left behind the best he could under the circumstances, and now that he was ready to move forward, to embrace his new life, Joni had said no.

      Which left him wondering why.

      He’d have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to know that she was interested in him. As interested in him as he was in her. A volatile chemistry sparked between them that threatened combustion on contact. He wasn’t wrong about that. Which left what reason for her to say no?

      Not that he was all that, but women didn’t usually turn him down flat. Especially women who looked at him the way Joni looked at him. Had any woman ever looked at him that way? With such yearning in her eyes? He didn’t think so. Which still didn’t resolve the question of why she’d turned him down.

      “Have I done something to offend you?” He couldn’t think of anything specific, but maybe he’d inadvertently stepped on a toe or something. Maybe he should offer to rub her feet to make amends. He’d use any excuse to touch her.

      She arched a brow, but didn’t quite meet his eyes, more like stared at his ear or maybe a stray strand of hair. “Other than tell me you were hot in bed?”

      “That offended you?” She wasn’t a prude. He’d heard her laughing and cutting up with the other nurses and patients. Joni had a great sense of humor, even if she rarely gave him a direct glimpse of it. As a matter of fact, he was the only person she didn’t smile at.

      “Obviously, it didn’t bowl me over,” she pointed out, taking a step back and pressing firmly against the elevator handrail.

      “Obviously.” Grant regarded her long and hard and made a quick decision. “So tell me what would.”

      Her startled gaze shot to meet his head on. “What would what?”

      “Bowl you over.”

      Her gaze lowered, her long lashes shading the lovely dark green hue of her eyes. “I don’t want to be bowled over.”

      “Perhaps not, but humor me. What would it take for a man to win your interest? No, not a man, for me to win your interest and for you to go on a date with me?”

      Her cheeks flushed a bright shade of pink, splotching her creamy skin that was otherwise only marked by the spattering of faint freckles across her nose. “Let it go, Grant. I’m not going to date you.”

      His brow mimicked her earlier movement. “Because I’m not your type?”

      “I do recall mentioning that only minutes ago.” She shot visual daggers at him.

      Fine. He wasn’t so egotistical that he thought every woman wanted him. Only he knew Joni did. So why was she being so adamant that she didn’t?

      “What is your type?” he questioned, determined that if she wasn’t going to date him he at least wanted to know her reasoning. “No one seems to know.”

      Her lips pursed. “Have you been checking up on me?”

      He’d asked, put out feelers to make sure she wasn’t involved with someone, to make sure she was free for him to ask out, to make sure no one raised red flags about her as a person. “Yeah, I guess I have, because I did ask around at the hospital.”

      She exhaled with an annoyed huff. “Great. Now everyone will know.”

      “Will know what?”

      “That you asked about me.” Her expression screamed, Duh!

      His confidence was ebbing fast, as was his reassurance at her sanity. “Is

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