blinked in irritation. The man always seemed to catch her off guard. “Trina already took me on a tour of the hospital,” Jill told him. Trina had also given her an earful on just about every person they’d encountered.
“That was Trina’s tour. Mine is different.”
“Trina was very thorough,” Jill said.
“I’m sure she was,” Tyler said with a dry chuckle. “You probably felt like you’d walked through scripts for three soap operas by the time she finished.”
“It was—” she paused and her lips twitched “—colorful.”
“I can tell you’re in PR. My tour is different,” he said. “I want you to meet some of my patients.”
Jill’s stomach tightened. “Oh, well, you don’t have to do that.”
He met her gaze. “Sure I do. People put more on the line when it’s personal. If you meet some of these kids, it will be personal.”
She nodded slowly. “You’re right, but we don’t have to do it today. I’m sure you’ve had a long day, and I’m digesting all the information I’ve gathered today and—”
“Why don’t you want to meet them?”
Her breath stopped somewhere between her lungs and her mouth. How could she tell him that she wasn’t prepared to face her demons in that way today? She couldn’t. She carefully inhaled and exhaled. “I didn’t say I don’t want to meet them. I just thought there might be a better day.”
“Nope,” he said with a shrug.
She bit her lip and nodded. “Okay,” she said, resignation sinking into her as she walked out of her office with him.
“We have three recovering from surgery and four either in for testing or preparing for surgery,” he said as he led her with his long-legged stride through the white-tile corridor to the elevator.
“What age?” she asked, telling herself she could handle this.
“Infant through teenage.”
Infant. Jill steeled herself against the poke at her secret wound. Focus on something else, she told herself. “What made you choose your specialty?”
He nodded for her to enter the elevator. “I think it chose me. If my father had chosen, he would’ve kept me on the ranch. Thank goodness my oldest brother is the rancher.”
“Sounds like your family is big on tradition.”
He shrugged. “You could say that. We’ve been around West Texas for several generations now, we have a long-standing feud with our neighbor, and some say there’s a curse on the Logan name.”
“A curse?” she echoed, intrigued at the prospect that the cocky, charming Dr. Logan could suffer from a curse.
He rolled his eyes. “I never believed it, but the Logans have not been particularly lucky in the romance department. Their women don’t seem to hang around.”
“They leave?”
He shrugged again. “Or die.”
Her eyes widened and she swallowed a chuckle. “Oh, my. Is that why you haven’t married?”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Nah, just haven’t met the right one.” He looked her over curiously. “What about you?”
“I thought I had, but I was wrong.”
“I thought someone would have tried to take you off the market. What did he do?”
“He left at the worst possible moment,” she said and smiled. “No fairy-tale ending, but I’m over it now.”
“Ready to go again?” he asked with a flicker of sexual challenge in his blue eyes.
“I like taking my time,” she returned, thinking he would be a tempting package for some other woman. She met his gaze. “I know it’s part of your style to flirt with women and to flatter. You don’t have to do that with me. My ego can handle the direct approach.”
He glanced at her mouth, then back to her eyes, and he gave a sensual grin. “What if I like flirting with you?”
“I think you should save it for the legions of women around here who want to—” she paused, then added Trina’s words “—lasso your heart.”
He roared with laughter. “You’ve been talking to Trina.”
“No. Trina’s been talking to me.”
“So you’re not gonna try to lasso me,” he said, rubbing his chin. “I wonder if my feelings should be hurt.”
“I’m sure you’ll survive,” she said in a dry voice. “No ropes, no chains. If I want your body or your face, it’ll be for a media photo op that will get you your new wing.”
“Some men might see that as a challenge,” he told her.
“I’m glad you’re too intelligent for that,” she said with far more assurance than she felt. Intelligence was one thing, the male ego another.
The elevator stopped. “We’ll see,” he said. “But right now you get to meet some of my kids. Hey, Betty,” he called to a nurse. “How’s TJ?”
“A little down. His mom might not be here until tomorrow morning.”
Tyler winced and swore under his breath. “TJ is seven and has six brothers and sisters. His family lives three hours away and his dad has a broken leg, so his mother is doing triple duty right now. He has surgery tomorrow to repair a hole in his heart. This is his room.”
“Hey, bud,” he said as he entered the room. “What’s up?”
TJ was thin, his face drawn and his eyes frightened. Jill’s heart immediately went out to him.
“My mom won’t be here until late tonight.”
“I heard,” Tyler said. “I’m sure she’ll be here as soon as she can. I need you to rest for surgery tomorrow.”
“Will I really be able to play baseball after the operation?”
“No reason from my end. Who knows? After you recover, the majors may be calling you.”
TJ smiled.
“Hey, I brought someone to meet you. Her name is Jill Hershey.”
“Hershey?” TJ repeated. “Like the candy?”
“Yeah, eye candy,” Tyler said and winked at her. “Like the kiss.”
“Is she your girlfriend?”
“No,” Jill quickly said. “I work at the hospital.”
TJ
