Winning the Neonatal Doc's Heart by Amy Ruttan

Author:Amy Ruttan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-01-05T19:31:01+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

“I THINK I’M in shock,” Atticus stated as he turned down the smaller gravel road toward Pine Lake.

Penny chuckled. “You’ve got to have a variety of skills to be a well-rounded person.”

He cocked his head to the side. “True.”

A lot of surgeons he’d known wouldn’t get their hands dirty outside of the operating room.

He’d meant what he said when he told her that he was impressed by her. The more he got to know her, the more he liked about her. It was no longer just an attraction to a gorgeous woman, though that was still there. It was something more.

He liked her as a person.

It just reaffirmed all his first thoughts about her.

When he had been helping her fix the alternator, he’d felt the heat of her body against him. Smelled the lilac scent of her shampoo, heard her breathing. He’d been so close to her, it had taken all of his strength not to reach out and kiss her, and thinking about her like that was not keeping it professional.

He wasn’t quite sure why Penny was affecting him so, and he still didn’t like it.

Liar.

He ignored that little voice in his head. The one that was challenging all the careful walls that he had put in place to protect his heart.

He was happy here in Fort Little Buffalo and happy with the way his life was turning out.

Are you?

“I love autumn in the forest.” She sighed.

He glanced over at her. Penny was gazing out the passenger window, and Horatio’s head rested on her shoulder over the back seat.

“It is beautiful,” he murmured, but he wasn’t talking about the leaves of yellow and orange.

It was her.

All her.

He parked and got out of the car, opening the back to undo Horatio’s seat belt. Horatio bounded out the back and waited for his leash to go on.

Atticus always made sure to leash him just in case there was a buffalo wandering down on the beach, or a bear.

That was the last thing they needed.

“What a beautiful spot,” Penny exclaimed.

“Yeah, it’s pretty hidden, but popular with those who know it’s here and when the heat gets to be too much. Which is not often.”

Horatio led the way down the narrow forested path, out into a little park that overlooked the sinkholes that formed Pine Lake.

Penny stumbled, but he reached back with his free hand and steadied her. Her hands were soft as they curled around his forearms.

“Thanks,” she said quietly.

“No problem. The path is uneven.”

Horatio was pulling on the leash. Penny let go of his arm, and they continued down the path. Once they broke through the brush, there was beautiful white sand beach. There was no breeze, making the water absolutely still. The blue sky and the bright sun made a perfect reflection of autumn trees and evergreens in the crystal-clear water.

It was quiet and calm.

It was one of his favorite places.

“Oh, wow,” Penny whispered as she walked out onto the beach. “I’ve never seen a place like this before.”

He smiled.

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