âHumble, arenât you?â
David glanced across the bed at Courtney. âHavenât you heard? Arrogance is a prerequisite for doctors.â
âI hadnât heard â nor had I seen it up close and personal.â
Despite the words coming out of her mouth, David couldnât help but stare. If she didnât have the sexiest lips heâd ever seen, heâd turn in his stethoscope and put himself out to pasture.
âYou work at the gift shop â not directly with doctors?â
âThatâs right, I donât.â
Heâd swear her pride had taken a hit. Something in her eyes dimmed, some inner spark that was struggling to burn all but sputtered and went out.
He wasnât sure what heâd said, but he wanted to fix it â even though he had tried fixing things for a woman once and it hadnât gone well.
The sooner he got out of Walnut River,the better.
Chapter One
She would beg, borrow, lie, cheat or steal for her child.
Courtney Albright knew what she had to do was one notch down from all of the above, but for her it was worse in some ways. She needed a favor from a man she had no reason to trust. Dr. David Wilder, genius plastic surgeon, lousy family guy. She supposed it made sense that a man empty and hollow enough to ignore and neglect the people who loved him would dedicate himself to enhancing outer beauty.
The problem was sheâd just had an accident with her daughter in the car. Janieâs face was broken and the doctors here in Walnut River were saying they didnât have the specialized skills she needed. David Wilder did and heâd agreed to a consult. It was a favor and Courtney didnât trust favors. Especially from men.
But her little girl was lying in a hospital bed with half her face covered in gauze bandages and fallout from a favor was a small price to pay for her little girlâs health. So where was he? What was taking so long? Maybe he wouldnât show up.
With every ounce of willpower she possessed, Courtney held back the sob that pushed up from deep inside and lodged in her throat. Tears wouldnât helpâthey never had and never would. Especially not now. To get through this crisis, her six-year-old needed strength, not a mother who ran away. Hysterics would be like running away, and she couldnât give in to that. Her own mother had just taken off without a word. Courtney had had her father, such as he was. But Janieâs father was dead. Janie only had her and sheâd do her best not to let her baby down.
At least not again.
The accident was bad enough. And if she could, she would trade places with Janie in a heartbeat. Courtney had a bump on the head and a broken wrist, but that was nothing compared to what her little girl was suffering. Courtney had refused to let them admit her as a patient. Sheâd insisted they let her be with Janie. Hospitals were scary. She worked here, but not in patient care.
âMrs. Albright?â
At the sound of the deep voice, Courtney glanced over her shoulder. It was himâDavid Wilder. He was really here and, if possible, more handsome than the one and only time sheâd seen him. She shuddered with relief although it shamed her. She hated needing something from him or anyone else. But sheâd have hated it more if heâd blown her off.
âYouâre here. I didnât think youâdâ¦â She pressed her lips together, cutting off what sheâd been about to say. âThank you for coming, Dr. Wilder.â
âYou know me?â he asked.
âI saw you at your fatherâs funeral.â
James Wilder had died of a heart attack not quite two months ago and Courtney still missed him. He was the only man sheâd ever known who had been kind to others without expecting anything in return.
âThere were a lot of people there.â David frowned as if he was thinking back.
He was a famous Beverly Hills plastic surgeon to the stars so there had been a lot of talk about him that day. About him in the tabloids, linked to A-list movie actresses. About him featured on TV gossip shows in regard to cosmetic procedures on models. Him dating a bevy of beautiful, high-profile women for about a minute until he moved on.
The Dr. David Wilder could be in the movies himself. Dark hair meticulously mussed, vivid blue eyes. Square jaw with some serious scruff which was how the âinâ celebrity males accessorized these days, though he wore it better than most. A battered leather jacket fitted his broad shoulders and gave him a bad-boy-biker look along with worn jeans that hugged his lean hips and muscular thighs. He looked like the guy next doorâthe good-looking guy next door.