LITMIR.BIZ

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his usual naughty self this morning, leading her on a wild goose chase before she’d caught him. To make matters worse, he’d been naughty in front of her new partner, mortifying her in the process. It didn’t help at all that her new partner had never heard of her.

      Struggling for calm, she noticed again that Dr. Forbes was one darn good-looking man, even with that stunned I-didn’t-know-I-had-a-partner expression on his handsome face. His deep green eyes, disheveled, dark brown hair and tall, muscular body made him look like her male fantasy come to life. She even liked his glasses, which gave him a scholarly air, and his rumpled tan corduroy trousers and light blue button-down cotton shirt looked appealing on him.

      Then he’d opened his mouth. Choke collar! Ridiculous, New Age mumbo jumbo indeed!

      But she’d have to set aside her dislike for the sake of her career goals. Oak Valley was her fresh start, a new chance to make a go of it with her holistic therapy practice. She’d failed in San Francisco. A lot. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—fail again. Seeing the disappointment in her parents’ eyes—again—after their own wild success would be too much to bear.

      Besides, until she’d encountered the disagreeable doctor, she’d felt nothing but positive vibes from Oak Valley. This had to be the place. Her thirtieth birthday was coming up fast. And Robbie was already married. She needed an anchor, and she hoped she’d find one here in Oak Valley.

      The doctor finally spoke. “Look, I don’t know what kind of arrangement you made with my father, but I’m not in the market for a partner. Especially not one into holistic healing.” He rolled his eyes. “What was he thinking, anyway?”

      She clenched her jaw, her hopes sliding; then she shoved her chin in the air, refusing to let this man mess up her dream. “He was looking to add a fresh dimension to this practice, which it looks like you need.” She crossed her arms over her chest and drilled him with a hard look. “What have you got against what I do?”

      He pierced her with his gaze. “What I do is based on science, period. Anything else is of no use to me.”

      She stepped forward, annoyed by his negative, judgmental attitude. She pointed at him. “So let me get this straight. You think what I do is totally useless?”

      He nodded without hesitation. “Pretty much.”

      She told herself she shouldn’t be surprised. She’d known attitudes would be different outside of San Francisco. But she’d come here with Dr. Brady Forbes’s blessing and hadn’t expected to run into such opposition from his son.

      Even though she wanted to scream at the stubborn doctor, she tried to focus on the positive. She managed a tight little smile. “Well, then I guess I’ll just have to change your mind, won’t I?”

      He didn’t smile back. “I’m afraid that’s a waste of time, Ms. Williams,” he said, taking off his glasses. “I have no intention of having you, or anybody else, as my partner. I’m sorry you came all this way to find that out, but I’m the Dr. Forbes in charge now, not my father, and I wasn’t in on this deal. I don’t feel obligated to honor it.”

      Sunny stared at him, wishing he didn’t attract her so much on the outside when, on the inside, where it really mattered, he was a walking billboard for the uptight, repressed and uninformed.

      She switched gears to the really bad news. Her dream of starting over and finally succeeding in business in this wonderful little town was suddenly in jeopardy.

      This infuriating man was refusing to work with her. He probably didn’t have a clue about working with anyone but himself, about nurturing a relationship, business or otherwise.

      She remembered something his father had told her, and recalled the words she’d seen painted on the window of this office when she’d pulled Rufus off the glass. A thought occurred to her. She gazed speculatively at the doctor, grimly holding her frustration at bay in favor of finding a way to make this work. She needed this job, needed to live in this town and be married by her thirtieth birthday, needed to succeed. “So are you the new Mr. Commitment?”

      He rolled his eyes and nodded, then let out a disgusted sound. “Yeah.”

      She raised a brow, pretty sure she was now coming at this problem from the right angle. “You don’t sound too happy about that.”

      “I’m a medical doctor, not a relationship counselor.”

      “So you don’t think you’re qualified? Is that it?” she pressed, leaning closer, catching a vague whiff of his clean, soapy scent. Her breath caught in her throat.

      He scowled at her. “What’s with all the questions?”

      “Hear me out,” she said, holding out a hand. “You don’t think you’re qualified to be a relationship counselor, right?”

      He lifted a broad shoulder. “I guess you could say that. I’m the last person who should be helping people mend their relationships.” Turning away, he opened a fat file on the counter. “My track record stinks,” he muttered under his breath.

      Sunny assumed he was talking about his relationships. No surprise there. The man appeared to have the warmth of a rock and not a compassionate bone in his body. Luckily, she found that information about his past fascinating—and useful, exactly the ammunition she needed.

      Unable to corral her need to understand her adversary, she asked, “Why are you here if you’re so unqualified to be Mr. Commitment? Why not take a job somewhere else?”

      He swung his darkening gaze her way. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I agreed to come home and take over for my dad years ago, back when Mr. Commitment didn’t exist. I had no idea that I’d be required to hold my patients’ hands regarding their relationship issues. Believe me, if I’d had any idea, I never would have agreed.”

      “Then you need me.”

      He crossed his arms across his broad chest again. “Oh, really?” he said, his voice rife with amusement.

      She gave a quick nod, unwilling to let his bad attitude back her down. “Really. I have a knack for helping people with problems. Maybe we should make a deal—my relationship expertise in exchange for a partnership.”

      He let out a heavy breath and abruptly flipped the file on the counter closed. “No deal, Ms. Williams. I don’t need help with Mr. Commitment that badly.” He straightened and inclined his head. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a patient in a few minutes.” With that, he exited the waiting room through a door in back of the counter, leaving Sunny alone.

      And desperate. She’d been counting on this job to prove to herself, and to her parents, that she could make a success doing what she loved. Not to mention that she was dead broke. She needed this job for so many reasons, and she really wanted to stay in Oak Valley and settle down.

      The need for the commitment and stability she’d never had growing up still burned inside of her like a smoldering fire, impossible to put out or ignore.

      Besides, a pact was a pact.

      But one man had torn up her dreams with his highly questionable bedside manner—what a grump!—and my-way-or-the-highway beliefs about healing. Uptight Connor Forbes claimed he didn’t have any use for a partner.

      A tight knot formed in her chest. She had to think of a way to change his mind.

      Maybe a cup of herbal tea and a bagel were what she needed to maintain an even keel during this unexpected, upsetting crisis. It was a cool morning, even though the sun was shining. Rufus would be fine if she put him in the van for an hour or so, especially since she’d parked in the shade.

      With a sigh, she picked up her bag and headed out the door, hoping Oak Valley had a restaurant open for breakfast. She simply needed time to figure out how to deal with Doctor Disagreeable’s rejection.

      She laughed humorlessly under her breath, feeling the fool. Her reliable instincts told her there wasn’t enough herbal tea in the world to help her

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