The warm, sweet kiss sent a shower of tingles raining all the way to the tips of her toes.
When it was over she brought two fingers to her lips and tried to remember how to breathe. âWhat was that for?â
Her voice sounded shaky, even to her own ears.
Gabe cast a pointed glance upward.
Michelle tilted her head back and followed his gaze. Directly over them were a few dark waxy leaves interspersed with white berries. âMistletoe?â
âI want this evening to be memorable.â
His hands rested on her arms and the heat from his body urged her closer. The scent of his cologne enveloped her and everythingâand everyoneâ around them disappeared until there was only her⦠and Gabe.
Gabe, the man with the thirteen-year-old daughter.
Dear Reader,
Whenever thereâs talk about what makes a man âheroâ material, lots of characteristics get bandied around. Handsome, strong, smart, kind, etc, are some of the more common ones. But sometimes we forget about the less obvious ones. What about a man who will step up to the plate and do what needs to be done, one who takes responsibility for his actions?
Gabe, the hero in The Doctor and Mr Right, is that kind of man. When he was little more than a boy himself, he made the sacrifices necessary to be a good father to his daughter. I donât know about you, but to me thereâs nothing more sexyâand endearingâthan a man who is a good dad to his child. If he happens to be handsomeâand single, of courseâheâs even harder to resist!
I really enjoyed writing this book and I hope you enjoy reading it.
Cindy Kirk
CINDY KIRK has loved to read for as long as she can remember. In first grade she received an award for reading one hundred books. As she grew up, summers were her favorite time of year. Nothing beat going to the library, then coming home and curling up in front of the window air conditioner with a good book. Often the novels she read would spur ideas, and sheâd make up her own story (always with a happy ending). When sheâd go to bed at night, instead of counting sheep, sheâd make up more stories in her head. Since selling her first story in 1999, Cindy has been forced to juggle her love of reading with her passion for creating stories of her ownâ¦but she doesnât mind. Writing for the Mills & Boon>® Cherish>⢠series is a dream come true. She only hopes you have as much fun reading her books as she has writing them!
Cindy invites you to visit her website, www.cindykirk.com.
To my wonderful editor, Patience Bloom.
Ours continues to be a fabulousâand funâpartnership.
âHe did not ask you to do that to him.â Lexi Delacourtâs voice brimmed with laughter.
âHe did.â Dr. Michelle Kerns had her fellow book club members in the palm of her hand. It hadnât a thing to do with the novel they were discussing in a local Jackson Hole coffee shop. When someone mentioned having a problem with the hero in the book using a whip on a horse, Michelle happened to mention Larryâs request.
Larry was a pharmaceutical sales rep from Idaho who sheâd been seeing. Until sheâd discovered he had a thing for whips. Or more specifically, being whipped.
âWhat did you say to him?â Mary Karen Fisher rested her arms on the table, her eyes wide. For having five children, the RN could be a bit naive about the kind of men out there.
âFirst, I picked my jaw up from the floor.â Before continuing, Michelle glanced around to make sure no one at any of the nearby tables was listening. âNext, I told him I wasnât into flailing men with whips. Then I made it clear that I wasnât interested in seeing him again.â
âYou have the worst luck.â Lexi sighed. âHave you ever just dated a normal guy?â
Even though Michelle had been in Jackson Hole almost two years this was her first book club meeting. She felt as if sheâd finally arrived when she received the invitation to join the group. More than a little nervous, Michelle had done a whole lot of talking.
Sheâd already shared about her high school boyfriend who turned out to prefer guys, the guy in college whoâd forgotten to mention he was married and the one back in Saint Louis whoâd stalked her. âThere were a few normal ones interspersed among the crazies. My ex-husband, Ed, was a normal guy.â
âI didnât know youâd been married before.â Mary Karen looked at Lexi. âDid you know?â
Lexi shook her head. The other women at the table appeared equally surprised.
âIt was when I was in residency in Saint Louis.â Although it had been over three years since her divorce was final, the failure of her marriage still stung. âDidnât even make it two years.â
âThat had to be tough.â Betsy Harcourt covered Michelleâs hand with hers and gave it a squeeze. âWhat happened? If you donât mind my asking, that is.â
âEd was a widower with two middle-school-aged daughters.â Michelle kept her tone matter-of-fact. âThe girls resented me. Ed sided with them. It was a difficult situation all the way around.â