hospital and it will be a while before we get the report. But here are the films, Ben.” Ginny had known him since he was a kid and didn’t feel the need to address him as Doctor.
He liked that. Adding Doctor to his name didn’t make him a better medical practitioner. No polite protocols or assembly-line medicine, just solid personal care to, sometimes literally, get people back on their feet.
“Let’s take a look.” He put the films on the lighted view box. He wasn’t a radiologist, but in his expert opinion there was no break, although he took his time studying all the small bones, just to be sure.
“Don’t keep me in suspense,” Syd said.
“I have to look at the full range of densities. It can go from white to black and I need to evaluate the contrast ratio for a diagnosis.”
“Please don’t go all medical techno-speak on me,” Sydney begged.
“It’s not broken.”
“Good.” Ginny almost smiled, then looked sternly at the patient. “I don’t want to see you back in here, Sydney Marie.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’d salute, but this Pillsbury Doughboy hand would just punish me.”
“In so many ways. Take care,” Ginny said, just before slipping out the door.
“She scares me,” his sister said. “So I’ll ask you. Can I go back to work?”
“Really?” He folded his arms over his chest. “I’m the weak link? Do we need to get Ginny back in here to keep you in line, Sydney Marie?”
“I’m happy to stay in line if you’ll just tell me what I have to do so I can get back to work.”
“Take the rest of the day off. Use ice and over-the-counter pain meds. When the swelling goes down you can work.”
“That’s it? You’re not going to do anything? No quick fix? What kind of doctor are you?”
“The kind who replaces hips and fixes broken bones, sometimes with surgery. I have a piece of paper that says it’s okay for me to do that.”
“Just asking. I guess you’ll come in handy for water-and snow-skiing seasons.” She settled her injured hand on her thigh. “Speaking of that…how do you like living at Blackwater Lake Lodge?”
The mention of his living arrangement turned his thoughts to the lady who was in charge of the place where he lived. This wasn’t the first time she’d crossed his mind and every time it happened, the thought was followed by a vague regret that she wouldn’t be around very long.
“Did I say something wrong?” Syd’s eyes narrowed.
“What? No. Why?”
“You look funny.”
“Define funny,” he said.
“I don’t know. Sort of goofy. Sappy. Like you walked down the hall at Blackwater Lake High and saw the girl you had a crush on.”
“Interesting diagnosis, Doctor.”
“Am I right about a woman being involved?” she persisted.
“Yes.”
“I’d clap my hands in excitement, but…” She looked ruefully at the puffy extremity. “Who is she? Anyone I know?”
“Do you know Camille Halliday?”
“Everyone knows her.” Syd’s expression said it wasn’t in a good way. “She’s the hotel heiress.”
“I know. Met her Saturday.” And he’d seen her again at dinner last night. He wondered if she was having another bad day.
“Are you aware that she has a certain reputation?”
“What kind of rep?”
“Partying. Hanging with a wild crowd. Name always in the paper and not for sending mosquito nets to Africa to wipe out malaria. She even went to jail. Although they let her out early.”
“Good behavior?”
“Overcrowding,” Syd answered. “You didn’t know about this stuff?”
“No.”
“Have you been living under a rock?”
Sort of. “Las Vegas is surrounded by rocky mountains and rocks are frequently used for landscaping, what with water being scarce in the desert. But none of that qualifies as living under one.”
Unless you counted working too hard to think about anything else. Now he had time to wonder about Camille Halliday. What his sister just said didn’t fit the ambitious, hardworking woman he’d met. “Was this jail thing recent?”
“No. She was in her teens.”
Ah. “And where did you get all this unimpeachable information?”
“The tabloids.” Syd grinned shamelessly. “I love to read them. A guilty pleasure.”
“Then here’s a headline for you. Don’t believe everything you read.” He slid his fingers into the pockets of his white lab coat. “I found Cam to be bright, funny, focused and a serious businesswoman. Sexy, too.”
His sister’s eyes narrowed. “Do you have the hots for her?”
No. Maybe. Irrelevant. “She’s got her sights set on bigger and better things. Blackwater Lake Lodge is where she’s proving herself. She can’t wait to move up the career ladder, preferably to a city with a more impressive population.”
Syd’s dark eyes gleamed with plans he knew he wouldn’t like. “That’s a relief.”
“Why?”
“Here’s the thing. You’re not getting any younger, Ben.”
“Yeah. I think they taught us that in med school,” he said dryly.
“No. Seriously. You should think about settling down.”
“I’m building a house. Doesn’t that count?”
“Good start.” She shifted her tush on the table and the disposable paper rustled. “You should think about a woman to go along with it. And I just happen to have some suggestions.”
His sister and every other female in this town had ideas. There’d been matchmaking vibes since he’d touched down. Even Cam had noticed women giving him their phone numbers. “Why am I not surprised?”
Syd ignored his sarcasm. “Annie Higgins is pretty and fun.”
“Isn’t she divorced with three kids?”
“So?” His sister obviously saw the negative in his expression because she moved on. “Okay. Darlene Litsey has never been married. She
