Don’t think about that.
Nick stifled a groan and left the charting area and headed toward the doctors’ lounge to get a cup of coffee.
He didn’t have time to date and had no interest in it.
After all, he was too irresponsible for any kind of settled life.
At least, that’s what Marc had always said. And, frankly, Nick didn’t deserve to be happy. Solitude was his penance for what he’d done.
After the accident that had paralyzed his brother and left him unscathed, he’d finished his tour of duty with an honorable discharge. Though there was nothing honorable in his mind.
If he hadn’t tried to run out when the medic unit had been under fire to save his buddy, Marc never would’ve followed him.
And though he’d saved his friend and was deemed a hero, the IED had exploded, paralyzing Marc, leaving Nick without a brother.
Not that Marc had died, but he’d cut Nick out of his life. It was like Marc was dead. Nick was definitely dead to Marc.
He was a ghost.
So Nick had left him alone, like Marc wanted. He hadn’t returned home to Chicago. He’d settled in Nevada. In the place he’d last remembered being happy. With the vast, open desert plains and the mountains and foothills to the north, a man could get lost.
And he was lost. His parents didn’t speak with him and neither did his sister. Marc needed them more anyway.
Here in Las Vegas, a man could be forgotten and maybe he’d be able to shake the ghosts of his past.
He just hadn’t expected he’d run into one of them.
Jennifer had never told him she was a surgeon and he’d thought she was in Carson City, which was on the other side of the state, six hours away.
Then her name rang more bells.
Jennifer Mills.
She’d been at that state dinner thrown by Senator Mills. Was she his daughter? The one who’d been jilted? He didn’t know much about it because he didn’t really care about gossip columns. Heck, he didn’t even have cable. Jennifer had her own cross to bear and he wouldn’t pry.
Nick scrubbed his hand over his face. Dammit. She was off-limits for sure. Senator Mills had been the one to present him with his Medal of Honor for bravery. One that he kept hidden away under his socks because he didn’t deserve it; especially after what had happened to Marc.
He was no hero.
He was irresponsible. Always getting into scrapes, and Marc had always been there to bail him out.
Now Marc wasn’t there for him anymore.
Even though Nick’s wanderlust and sense of adventure still ate away at him, he didn’t feed the beast.
He just wanted to work. To be the best damn surgeon he could be. Maybe to show his brother he wasn’t reckless and irresponsible.
Jennifer’s appearance complicated things.
Nick poured himself a cup of coffee. The thought that she’d been involved with someone else made him feel a bit jealous.
Though he had no claim on her.
They’d only exchanged first names. They’d only shared a few passionate kisses under the stars.
He could work with her. Not that he had a choice, because in Las Vegas he was a nobody.
He wasn’t a hero, he wasn’t a soldier. He was just a face in the crowd and that’s the way he liked it.
Nick slouched down in a chair, leaning his head against the low back to close his eyes for just a moment.
The door slammed and he sat up. Jennifer had entered, and pink tinged her cheeks when she saw him sitting there. He liked the way she blushed; she’d blushed like that against the sand when he’d kissed her.
“Sorry, Dr. Rousseau. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“I wasn’t asleep, Dr. Mills. I thought you were with Dr. Ramsgate?”
“He had a quick cardio consult and he told me I could get a cup of coffee in here.” She nervously brushed at her hair, tucking the short strands behind her delicate ear, like she’d done when they’d first met. Only there were no more long strands.
She moved over to the coffeemaker and poured herself a cup, then proceeded to stand there, staring at the bulletin board, which was full of ads of stuff for sale and take-out menus. Just junk. She fidgeted with her hair again.
Nick could sense she felt uncomfortable. The tension was thick in the air. He knew the feeling of a standoff. The calm before the storm.
“You can have a seat. I don’t bite and you should know that.”
Jennifer spun around and frowned. “You do remember me, you dingbat.”
Nick couldn’t help but chuckle. “Dingbat?”
“I don’t curse much. I try not to …”
“Dingbat isn’t cursing. Now, the F word, that’s cursing.”
She winced. “Why did you act like you hadn’t met me?”
Nick cocked an eyebrow. “You did the same thing!”
“I thought you were a soldier.” She sat down in the chair across from him.
“I was. I was an army medic.”
“You never told me that.” A smile played around her kissable lips.
“Ah, we’re going to play that game, eh? Well, you never exactly told me that you were a surgeon, or a senator’s daughter, for that matter.”
She blushed again. “Fine. You have me, but I would really appreciate it if you wouldn’t spread around the fact I’m a senator’s daughter.”
“Is your father crooked?” he teased.
Jennifer’s eyes narrowed. “Hardly. I just don’t want the notoriety to follow me. I’m a damn good trauma surgeon. I don’t want that to cloud my team’s judgment of me. I earned my reputation.”
Nick nodded. “Of course.”
“Good.” She bit her bottom lip. “Well, I’d better see if Dr. Ramsgate is through. It’s good to see you again, Dr. Rousseau. I’m glad no harm came to you overseas.”
Nick didn’t respond as she got up and left the doctors’ lounge.
“I’m glad no harm came to you overseas.”
Even though she’d truly meant it, it still stung.
He
