Harlequin Special Edition October 2013 - Bundle 1 of 2: Marrying Dr. Maverick\One Night with the Doctor\Flirting with Destiny by Karen Rose Smith

Author:Karen Rose Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2013-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Ben arrived home, or rather to the small five rooms he now called home, shortly before six. The moment he opened the door his senses were assailed by the scent of spiced meat. He found Poppy at the stove stirring what looked to be a pot of vegetables.

“Something smells good,” he said, collapsing into a chair in the living room.

“Beef stew.” Poppy turned to him. “Please tell me you’re not opposed to red meat.”

He grinned. “Eat it every chance I get.”

She looked so pretty standing at the stove with the red glasses perched on her nose, dressed in a pair of jeans and a bright blue long-sleeved cotton shirt. He had to resist the urge to sneak up and press a kiss on the back of her neck.

“I’ll set the table.” He glanced dubiously at the surface the size of a postage stamp.

“Thanks.” She gestured to a cabinet to her left. “There are soup bowls in there and plates. I’ve got biscuits in the oven.”

As he took the bowls from the cupboard, his stomach growled. “You didn’t have to expend all this effort. If you’d called, I could have picked up some takeout.”

Poppy’s smile remained pleasant. “I like to cook. After working all day, I enjoy puttering around the kitchen.”

“What else can I do?” he asked, dropping napkins next to the dishes.

“I cook. You clean.”

“Deal.”

Once the food was on the table and Ben had taken his first bite, he realized if he could eat like this every night, he’d never want to go out.

“This is amazing,” he said and was rewarded with a bright smile.

“I told Lexi I’m pregnant,” Poppy said in an offhand tone and nibbled on a biscuit.

He paused, the spoonful of stew paused in front of his mouth. “What did she say?”

“She...understood.” Poppy paused as if deciding how much to confide. “She told me she’d gotten pregnant during grad school and her longtime boyfriend wanted her to have an abortion. She refused.”

Ben chased the stew with milk. “Did she keep the baby?”

“It’s Addie,” Poppy told him. “You’ve seen her. She’s a young teen now and the spitting image of Lexi.”

When he lifted a biscuit and took a bite, Poppy took a breath and pressed ahead. “Be honest. When I told you I was pregnant, did you ever consider suggesting an abortion?”

“Not for one second.” Ben had been more concerned she might entertain the idea.

“Okay.” She expelled a breath and resumed eating. “I’ve been doing some thinking.”

“Thinking is usually good.”

She surprised him with a quick smile.

“I really want us to get to know each other,” she said. “Start over.”

Ben thought that was the reason he’d moved in. “Start over how?”

“By not only getting to know each other but focus on becoming friends.”

She looked so intense, so serious, he had to smile.

“I’d like that.” He extended his hand, and when she placed hers in his, he realized now they had a deal.

* * *

Becoming better friends was what Ben had in mind when he asked Poppy to attend a formal hospital function at the Spring Gulch Country Club the following weekend.

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