The Doctor's Choice (22 page)

“Are you getting acquainted with folks in town?” Zachary asked. “I imagine people

are glad to have a young doc in the area.”

She
grinned. “My arrival has been met with mixed reactions. None of Breck’s girlfriends have been too thrilled to see me.”

Zachary hooted with laughter
but Breck just grinned and shook his head. He passed his hand over his face. “I should have known this was a mistake.”

“Young lady, you’re the first girl he’s brought home since high school. Don’t you be worried about any of those other
women.”

She
sipped her tea and looked around the room. Family photos on the mantle showed a younger Breck with both parents, and another of him wearing a football uniform. An older photo showed Zachery standing at the base of a drilling rig with his young son on his broad shoulders.

“You were in the oil business?” she asked.

“Back in the old days, everyone with a few acres had pump jacks working on their land. Landmen signed up every living breathing land owner and big oil companies were drilling pilot holes anyplace that looked promising.”

“Did you know Eldon Kincaid back then?”

“Who didn’t?” Zachery grimaced. “That rattlesnake got around. He bought up cheap land and properties close to foreclosure. One of my old buddies, Brody Atwater, had a little problem with drink. He lost his land to Kincaid. Danged shame. He and his wife Marie just pulled up stakes and disappeared right after that. They had a brand new baby boy, too. Don’t know where they went. Just vamoosed.”

“That’s too bad for your friends,” Cami said. “You never heard from them again?”

Zachery shook his head. “Did you see the picture of Breck in his scout uniform?”

Cami smiled to herself
.
All American male
. “Eagle Scout?” she asked.

“Breck always achieves whatever he sets out to do.” Zachery nodded at his son. “The scouting program was a great influence on him.”

“There’s still an active scouting program here,” Breck said. “In fact, Silky was going to let the local troop use the area around the mesa and the caves to do some camping and exploring. It was in the newspapers a little over a month ago. She was planning on organizing a big spelunking party for them in the spring when it warmed up. The caves haven’t been explored during my lifetime, but she said people used to go there years ago. Interesting formations, she said.”

Cami stared at him in disbelief. “
You’re telling me that my Great-Aunt Silky was going to go climbing around in caves?”

Breck gave her a mischievous look. “I said she was going to organize the party. I can’t see Silky going underground. She had a distinct aversion to snakes and other slimy critters.”

“Maybe we can still do it,” she mused. “If Aunt Silky was going to have a spelunking party for the local scouts I should make sure it happens just the way she wanted.”

“I’ll help,”
he said. “I’ll introduce you to the Scout Leader. Maybe we can have a camp out on the mesa for the younger boys.” His face reflected his enthusiasm.

She was filled with a sense of buoyancy whenever she looked at him. She didn’t ever recall anyone gazing at her with quite the same expression.
Breck is in love with me
. Accepting his emotions gave her a sense of security. In her limited experience, no one had ever loved her in such a way that it showed on his face.

“That sounds like fun,” she said. “We’ll do it.”
Goodbye fellowship. Goodbye Houston. Hello happily ever after.

“I have to take this beautiful lady for a
horseback ride, Dad.” He stood up and took her empty glass from her hand, returning it to the kitchen.

“I’m glad you came by, Cami,” Zachary said. “And I’m glad you got together with my boy. He seems to care a lot about you.”

She nodded, not sure of what to say to this man who was examining her with warm gray eyes, not unlike Breck’s.

“He’s a good man,” Zachary said.

“Yes he is.”

She sensed that he would have said more
, but Breck returned from the kitchen at that moment and held out his hand to her.

“We should get going while we still have the light.”

She bade his father goodbye and they left the Ryan house behind.

Breck unloaded Red and saddled him for
her before bringing his big black stallion, Cavalier, out of the stables.

The horses
nickered and whinnied to each other.

“Rein him in, Cami. These guys are competitors. They excite each other.”

When they rode out, both horses were eager to run. She thrilled to the big horse under her. Red was straining to run free. She pulled back on his rein, letting him know that she was in charge. “Easy, Red.” She felt him acquiesce to her directions.

Breck watched intently, giving her the impression
her horsemanship was on trial.

“Oh, come on,” she said. “We want to run.”

“You are so related to Silky Carmichael.” He prodded his horse into motion and took off ahead of her, looking back over his shoulder.

She could barely restrain
Red. He wanted to fly. They overtook Breck shortly and Red was content as long as he was in the lead.

They rode at a
full gallop for a while and then slowed to a walk to let the horses rest.

She
observed Breck’s face. He seemed to be in his element here. “I saw the photographs over the fireplace,” she said. “The ones with your mother. She was very pretty.”

“She died my freshman year in college. I didn’t even know she was sick.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “You’re dad is very proud of you.”

“And I of him.” His voice grew thick with emotion. “He’s a good man.”

“He said the same thing about you.”

“Yeah, well. We’ve been depending on each other for a while now.
” He pointed to the horizon. “See that mountain in the distance? Ryan land ends just a few miles this side of it.”

“It looks like a lot of land. What do you use it for?”

“Grazing. Pasture. Some will be under tillage when it warms up.”

“You raise beef cattle?”

“Just like you do,” he said.

She
sighed. “This seems almost surreal to me. A few weeks ago, I was running my little rat maze in Houston, going to the hospital and back to my apartment. My head was full of the patients I was attending and my co-workers and anticipating getting into the area of research I wanted.” She smiled when she caught the expression on Breck’s face. “What?”

“I notice you didn’t say anything about old what’s-his- name.”

“We didn’t spend much time together, actually.”

“And now?”

She stretched her back and looked up into the clear blue cloudless sky. “Now, I don’t have a maze. No boundaries. Just blue skies as far as the eye can see.”

“And me?”

She turned to Breck, smiling. “And you in my face every time I turn around.”

He stared at her intensely.
“Is that a bad thing?”

“I didn’t say that.”

He reached for her hand. “You didn’t say it was a good thing either.”

“It’s a good thing. I’m happy. The only thing I’ll miss is the opportunity to do research
…and the malls.”

“What do you have left in Houston?”

“My apartment. My little Jetta. I have to resign my position at the hospital and decline the fellowship.”

“Look, Cami,” he said. “I know this is hard for you. You’re giving up a lot and making big changes.”

She ducked her head to hide the tears that gathered. “I’ll get through it.”

He
dismounted and held his arms out. She leaned down and he pulled her to him. “How can I get this across to you? You’re so used to being a loner. It never occurs to you that you don’t have to go through everything by yourself anymore. I’m here, Cami. I’m right here with you and I want to be a part of everything that happens to you.”

She
felt tears backing up in her throat, blocking her breath, threatening her composure.

“Please don’t shut me out.”

She shook her head. “I’ll try not to.”

“Let me make it offic
ial.” Breck removed his Stetson. He took her hand and dropped to one knee. “Cami Carmichael, will you marry me?”

“Just like that? You want to get married?”

“No. Just like that, I want to marry you. Don’t say no. If you can’t say yes, say maybe.”

She
gazed into his eyes, seeing nothing but love there. She caught her breath. “I’m not a very spontaneous person, Breck, but I know that you love me. I can say maybe.” She took a breath. “But maybe I can say yes.”

He stared at her with a dawning awareness. “Did you just accept my proposal?”

“I did.”

Breck leapt to his feet and lifted her in his arms, swinging her around as he yelled and whooped. The horses
shied a few steps away and Red craned his neck to see what was going on.

He
set her on her feet and reached into his pocket. “Whenever you want to go into the city with me I’ll buy you the ring of your dreams but, in the meantime, will you wear this one?” He slid a sizable diamond solitaire in an old-fashioned platinum setting on her finger. “It was my mother’s.”

Cami swallowed, blinking back tears.
“Oh, Breck. This is beautiful. How long have you been carrying this around in your pocket?”

“Don’t give me a hard time, woman. Do
you mean you’ll wear this ring?”

“I can’t imagine a more beautiful ring, and, knowing that it was your mother’s makes it even more precious to me.”

“You’re precious to me.” The hug he gave her was almost painful in its ferocity.

Cami fel
t as though she was in a protective cocoon where nothing could harm her. There were dangerous things out there, but with Breck beside her, she could face anything. A shiver ran through her.

“Are you getting cold?
Do you want to go home now?” Breck’s face was all concern as he gazed down at her.

“No, I’m fine. Just a little shiver of excitement.”

“Let’s head in. We can spend a long lazy Sunday night beside the fireplace, or we can go out to dinner, catch a movie or just go to bed early.”

She
laughed. “I see how it is.”

“There’s a wedding band that goes with that ring.
”

“Oh, please,” she said. “Let’s take it one step at a time.”

“Baby steps.” He kissed her forehead.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

After a quick meal and an amorous night of energetic love-making, Cami awoke to find herself, once more, naked in Breck’s arms.
She was nested against him in the curve of his body and held tightly in his arms.

This is becoming addictive.
Can I become addicted to a person?

He
kissed the back of her shoulder.

Yes. The answer is yes.

“What are you doing today?” His voice was rough with sleep.

“I’m holding clinic for Doc again and then I thought I’d drive to Amarillo to see how he’s doing
first hand.”

“I’ll
drive you,” he said. “I’d like to see him, too.”

“I need to get up and get going.
”

He tightened his grip on her. “Are you sure you need to get up.”
His warm breath against her ear triggered little shivers down her spine.

“I don’t want you to think I’m just using you for sex.” She turned and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Please use me for sex,” he groaned. “Anytime you feel like it.”

“I’ll remember that.” She groped for her robe and slipped her arms into the sleeves. “There is something you
can do for me when you go into your office.”

“Who said I was going into my office?”

She pelted him with a pillow. “I want you to look up something for me. I want you to check out the transaction when Eldon Kincaid got the Atwater property. Something about it doesn’t sound right.”

He sat up and yawned. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m just curious. Can you Google Brody and Marie Atwater and see if you can get a phone number for them? I might like to ask them about the sale.”

“You think there’s something suspicious about the
transaction? My dad said Atwater was a likable young guy who liked to drink, but he wasn’t very responsible.”

“Just humor me, Okay? I’ve got a hunch.”

“Woman’s intuition?”

She
shrugged. “Call it that if you want. Kincaid has been anxious to get his hands on Silky’s property. I’ve been told there have been problems here. ‘Dirty tricks’ the men said. I want to know how far Kincaid will go to get what he wants.”