I’ve got the perfect woman for you.”
A vision of Cam Halliday flashed into his mind. Specifically her expression when he’d eaten the sinfully good cake. He’d have sworn it was a look of pure lust, but that could just be wishful thinking.
“Are you paying attention?” Syd demanded.
“I’m all ears.”
She eyed him critically. “They are a little big. I wasn’t going to say anything…but you’re a doctor. Surely there’s something you can do to fix them.”
“Very funny. Now that I think about it, what woman would want to go out with Dumbo?”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve got a lot to offer.” She did that critical appraisal thing again. “Handsome, in spite of the ears. Funny, except to me. And you’re a doctor.”
Cam had said almost the same thing last night. “So?”
“A woman wants to be taken care of. Goes back to caveman days. Picking the biggest, strongest Neanderthal/ Cro-Magnon who can hunt, gather and beat the crap out of anyone who tries to take what’s his.”
“None of that pertains to me,” he protested.
“Sure it does. Modern man just pays people to do all of the above and you can pay better than most. I happen to know you got a couple of bucks when you sold your practice in Las Vegas.”
“You could say that.”
When he finished medical training, Ben had researched areas of the country for a place to practice medicine. Las Vegas was booming and there was a scarcity of doctors in his field. He set up an office, built a solid reputation all over the valley, hired more doctors to make the business end of it more lucrative, then sold it to the partners. The deal made him a millionaire and wise investments had more than doubled his net worth. He never had to work again if he didn’t want to.
Except he loved what he did. Long hours and hard work had earned him the freedom to use his knowledge to help people without having to practice cookie-cutter medicine. He could take his time and give patients the personal attention he wanted to.
“Ben, Emily Decatur is really nice.”
“I remember her from high school. She works at the Lodge.”
“Right. And you live there. It’s a sign. It’s convenient.”
Cam Halliday worked where he lived, too, and somehow that seemed more convenient to him. “I’m sure Emily is great, but there’s no spark.”
“Three strikes and you’re out. I just provided you with a list of perfectly lovely women and you found something wrong with every one.” Syd’s frustration was showing. “If you don’t want a woman, why did you come home?”
“I’m not sure those two statements actually go together.”
“They do in my mind. Las Vegas has a bigger dating pool than Blackwater Lake, so why are you here?”
“Believe it or not, dating isn’t my reason for coming back.”
“I get it.” She was angry and frustrated in equal parts. “You’re not looking at all. This is about Judy Coulter, isn’t it?”
“My main squeeze in high school and college.” After that not so much.
“Yeah. The same one who strung you along for years then married some ski bum she’d only known a month. And moved back East with.”
All of that was true and it hurt at the time. But he’d gotten over her a long time ago. “She did me a favor, Syd.”
“She broke your heart. How is that a good thing?”
“She didn’t break my heart. When I started med school there were no distractions. I put all my energy into school and becoming the best doctor possible.”
“You are pretty good,” she grudgingly admitted.
“I thank Judy for that.”
His sister frowned. “If you were really the best, you’d make my hand better right now.”
“Only time can do that,” he said gently.
“Speaking of time and healing, I just thought of someone else for the dating list—”
“Stop. I’ve barely unpacked.”
“Oh, pooh,” she scoffed. “It’s been a couple weeks. You have a duty to date someone.”
Now he was getting frustrated. “Right back at you, sis. Who are you going out with? Do I know the guy?”
“I’m taking a break from men.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
There was a story. Ben saw it in her eyes, but wouldn’t push. If he set a good example, maybe she’d back off, too. “Okay. So you understand where I’m coming from.”
“Not really. You’ve had a very long break,” she started.
He barely held back a groan. She was like a bulldog with a favorite bone. How long would it take before she decided to let this go? He wasn’t opposed to dating, just wanted to do it in his own time, his own way.
He would go out when he met someone who intrigued him as much as Camille Halliday.
With a four-inch heel in each hand, Cam walked out of the bedroom into her suite’s sitting area. All the bigger, more expensive lodge rooms were on the top floor and she liked living here a lot. It was big, a convenient distance to work and the mattress was soft and comfy. Love seats covered in earth-tone stripes faced each other in front of the fireplace. There was a small kitchen and a cherrywood table in the dining area.
She stopped in front of the mirror over a small table in the entryway for a last check on her appearance before starting the day.
“Hair?” She nodded with satisfaction. “Check.”
Something about the water here in Montana brought out the best in her shoulder-length layered style.
“Makeup? Check.” It was flawless. She had the money to buy good skin care products and cosmetics and had paid big bucks for a professional makeup artist to teach her the techniques for perfect application.
“Clothes? Dressed for success.” She loved this lavender suit with the pencil skirt and fitted matching jacket. The heels matched perfectly.
“It’s Tuesday,” she reminded herself. “Maybe today I’ll get staff cooperation. And maybe I’ll flap my arms and fly to the moon.”
All those power of positive thinking seminars had been a waste of time for this exile in Blackwater Lake. So far the information and methods hadn’t achieved any measurable real-life results.
She was about to slip
