LITMIR.BIZ

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who looked out for each other, which was the complete opposite of the phony, materialistic people she’d been surrounded with her entire life.

      When she’d sat in the little diner in the heart of downtown and flipped through the newspaper, the job ad she’d come across had been like a neon sign from a higher power. The clinic in town was in need of a nurse—and what do you know, Chloe had a nursing degree just waiting to be put to use again.

      This past month had been so utterly wonderful. She loved her job, adored her cozy one-bedroom apartment, respected the heck out of her boss.

      So why was she still battling the impulse to continually look over her shoulder?

      As Chloe entered the exam room, something cold touched her cheek. She jumped, then relaxed when she realized it was her own hand. She’d involuntarily begun to stroke the left side of her face, a nervous gesture she’d been trying to wean herself out of. She didn’t want to draw any undue attention to her face, and besides, the thin ridge of scar tissue marring her skin beneath the makeup simply served as another reminder of the life she’d left behind.

      Letting her hand drop, she crossed the room and quickly rolled a fresh sheet of exam paper over the table. Then she strode toward the cabinet against the far wall and removed a blue hospital johnny.

      As she placed the gown on the table, she squared her shoulders, forcing her brain into work mode. She couldn’t agonize over Felix anymore. She was free now. Safe.

      And happy. Damn it, for the first time in her life she was honest-to-God happy, and she refused to let Felix Moreno take that away. He’d already taken too much from her. He’d terrorized her, scarred her, humiliated her.

      But he hadn’t broken her.

      As a rush of pride welled up in her belly, Chloe left the exam room and headed for the waiting area, banishing all thoughts of Felix and her past from her mind. The only thing she needed to focus on right now was calling in the next patient and proving to Derek Colton that hiring her had been the best decision he’d ever made.

      Had he made the wrong decision in hiring Amelia?

      Derek puckered his brows as he watched his new nurse slip her arm through Rachel Danford’s. He couldn’t hear what Amelia was saying, but he made out the encouraging note in her soft voice.

      Rachel and her husband, Jacob, looked stricken as they listened to Amelia. Jacob was strong and stoic in his dark trousers, brown suspenders and white shirt, his work-hewn hands clutching a wide-brimmed straw hat. Rachel wore a modest black dress and lace-up boots, and beneath the white head covering indicating her married status, her light brown hair was pulled back in a tight bun. She was a pretty girl with a spattering of freckles on the bridge of her nose and the kindest brown eyes Derek had ever seen.

      Several of Derek’s patients hailed from the Amish village that bordered Eden Falls. As a physician, he appreciated the hardworking and serious nature of the Amish, and he offered his medical services to all the Amish folk of Paradise Ridge free of charge. Derek had never been one to play favorites, but he had to admit, he held a real soft spot for Rachel and Jacob, a newly married couple only a few years older than his sixteen-year-old sister.

      His heart had sunk to the pit of his stomach during Rachel’s examination. Informing a patient that he’d discovered a lump in her breast was pure agony, especially when the patient happened to be a sweet young woman only starting out in life. Rachel and Jacob had been shaken up by the news, but they’d put on brave faces as Derek wrote up the referral to an oncologist at Philly General.

      Now, discreetly loitering by his receptionist’s desk, Derek watched the exchange happening across the room, wondering why he couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling churning in his gut.

      Amelia had been unusually jumpy today. Scratch that—she was always jumpy, which was probably why he constantly found himself second-guessing his decision to hire her.

      He couldn’t deny her skill, though. The woman was damn good at her job, possessing a gentle bedside manner and the kind of swift efficiency he couldn’t help but admire. She’d displayed courage and grace under pressure when she’d helped him treat Violet Chastain, despite having been thrust into the task right in the middle of her job interview. She’d impressed the hell out of him then, and she continued to impress him now.

      But … something about the woman didn’t sit right with him. He got the feeling there was a lot more to Amelia Phillips than met the eye, but he’d yet to figure out if she was secretive by nature or just keeping secrets.

      “Derek?”

      Amelia’s soft voice jolted him from his thoughts. He looked up to find her standing directly in front of him. A glance at the door showed that the Danfords had taken their leave.

      “Sorry. I spaced out.” He cleared his throat. “What were you talking with Rachel and Jacob about?”

      She flushed. “I offered to be at the hospital with them when Rachel goes in for the biopsy.” She quickly hurried on. “I know that striking up a friendship with a patient might be construed as unprofessional, but I feel so badly for the girl. And she and Jacob are terrified of hospitals, so I thought seeing a familiar face when she gets the procedure done might be comforting.”

      Her words brought a pang of guilt to Derek’s stomach. Damn, and a second ago he’d actually been rethinking his decision to hire this woman. That Amelia would go out of her way to ease Rachel Danford’s anxiety told him far more about her than her tendency to get skittish. He’d never met a woman with a bigger heart, and as she fidgeted awkwardly, awaiting his response, Derek had to smile.

      “That’s a really nice thought,” he said gruffly.

      Her blush deepened, drawing his attention to those smooth, ivory cheeks of hers.

      It was probably inappropriate as hell, checking out his nurse, but could anyone really blame him? Amelia Phillips was one fine-looking woman. Heartbreakingly beautiful, in fact. She had the kind of ethereal beauty that took your breath away—wide-set hazel eyes and shoulder-length blond hair that looked so soft to the touch his fingers tingled with the need to stroke it. She was average height, but next to his six-foot frame she seemed utterly petite, and she had a curvy, hourglass body that made his mouth go dry. He’d never understood why some men lusted over super-skinny women with their rib cages poking out. In Derek’s opinion, there was nothing sexier than a soft, womanly form you could fill your palms with, and Amelia had that in spades.

      He knew from her job application that she was forty-one, but she certainly didn’t look it. She could easily pass for twenty-five, and he could only imagine the looks she got when she walked down the street. That smoking-hot body of hers probably stopped traffic.

      That smoking-hot body belongs to your nurse, buddy.

      Derek quickly snapped his brain out of the gutter. Yeah, he definitely needed to quit focusing on Amelia Phillips’s centerfold assets and concentrate on other things—like the fact that she worked for him.

      “Oh, and both Stu Robertson and Maggie Carpenter canceled their appointments,” Amelia went on, oblivious to his wickedly improper thoughts, “so the rest of your afternoon is officially clear. Nancy left a note about it before she left for the day.”

      “Sawyer will be disappointed,” Derek said wryly. “He was hoping to practice his doctoring today.”

      “I’m here!”

      Speak of the devil.

      Derek’s mouth lifted in a smile as his little brother burst through the door and skidded across the small lobby area. The eleven-year-old’s head shot in the direction of the waiting room off to the left. When he found it empty, his expression collapsed.

      “Am I too late?” Sawyer demanded. “I had detention, but it only lasted fifteen minutes. I ran all the way over here.” Which explained why his cheeks held a ruddy glow and his sandy-colored hair was sticking up in every direction.

      Derek felt a rush of warmth when he glimpsed

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