in fact. She had the kind of ethereal beauty that took your breath away—wide-set hazel eyes and shoulder-length blond hair that looked so soft to the touch his fingers tingled with the need to stroke it. She was average height, but next to his six-foot frame she seemed utterly petite, and she had a curvy, hourglass body that made his mouth go dry. He’d never understood why some men lusted over super-skinny women with their rib cages poking out. In Derek’s opinion, there was nothing sexier than a soft, womanly form you could fill your palms with, and Amelia had that in spades.
He knew from her job application that she was forty-one, but she certainly didn’t look it. She could easily pass for twenty-five, and he could only imagine the looks she got when she walked down the street. That smoking-hot body of hers probably stopped traffic.
That smoking-hot body belongs to your nurse, buddy.
Derek quickly snapped his brain out of the gutter. Yeah, he definitely needed to quit focusing on Amelia Phillips’s centerfold assets and concentrate on other things—like the fact that she worked for him.
“Oh, and both Stu Robertson and Maggie Carpenter canceled their appointments,” Amelia went on, oblivious to his wickedly improper thoughts, “so the rest of your afternoon is officially clear. Nancy left a note about it before she left for the day.”
“Sawyer will be disappointed,” Derek said wryly. “He was hoping to practice his doctoring today.”
“I’m here!”
Speak of the devil.
Derek’s mouth lifted in a smile as his little brother burst through the door and skidded across the small lobby area. The eleven-year-old’s head shot in the direction of the waiting room off to the left. When he found it empty, his expression collapsed.
“Am I too late?” Sawyer demanded. “I had detention, but it only lasted fifteen minutes. I ran all the way over here.” Which explained why his cheeks held a ruddy glow and his sandy-colored hair was sticking up in every direction.
Derek felt a rush of warmth when he glimpsed the disappointment in his brother’s eyes. Sawyer had been making a habit of coming to the clinic after school, shadowing his big brother and soaking up medical knowledge like a sponge. The kid kept going back and forth about what he wanted to be when he grew up—a doctor like Derek or a cop like their brother Tate—but lately medicine had been winning out, and Derek had to admit that he enjoyed having Sawyer around.
“Sorry, Squirt, our last two patients canceled,” he said, ruffling Sawyer’s hair. “But you could always keep me company while I do some paperwork.”
“Bo-ring.” Mr. Unobservant that he was, Sawyer suddenly noticed Amelia standing there. “Amelia, hi!”
The kid launched himself at her, wrapping his gangly arms around her waist.
Derek didn’t miss the way Amelia flinched when Sawyer hugged her or the way she didn’t return the embrace.
Again, that flicker of wariness tugged on his gut. Amelia seemed completely ill at ease around his little brother. Around all children, in fact. She handled the younger patients the same way she did the older ones—with extreme warmth and professionalism—but Derek had noticed on numerous occasions that she didn’t seem entirely comfortable with kids.
Sawyer, however, was more than comfortable with Amelia. For some reason, the kid had taken a real shining to the beautiful blonde. Adored her, actually.
Trying to ease her evident discomfort, Derek tugged on the collar of Sawyer’s striped T-shirt and pinned the kid with a deadly stare. “What was that I heard about detention?”
Sawyer raised his hands in a defensive gesture. “Don’t look at me. Danny Harris talked back to Ms. Bentley and we all got punished for it. Totally unfair if you ask me.”
Derek’s lips twitched. “I guess that was Ms. Bentley’s way of sending the rest of you a message. A warning of what happens when you sass her.”
“Doesn’t make it any less unfair,” Sawyer grumbled, before turning to Amelia in interest. “So what are you gonna do while Derek does his paperwork?”
She cast Derek a quizzical look. “Well, boss, what am I going to do?”
“You get to go home,” he answered. When she looked ready to protest, he held up his hand. “You deserve some time off. Now that you’re a permanent fixture in this practice, I plan on working you to the bone, so enjoy the break while it lasts.”
She laughed softly. “I guess I can use the time to assemble some furniture. I ordered a bunch of things online after I moved into my place but I haven’t gotten around to any of it yet.”
“Bo-ring,” Sawyer chimed again. He suddenly clapped a hand on his leg. “You should come to dinner tonight. We are making brownies for dessert.”
Amelia started to edge away, her hip bumping the desk. “Oh. That’s a nice offer, but I don’t know if I can.”
“You just said you don’t have anything to do,” Sawyer said in an accusatory tone. “So you can totally come.”
Derek sighed. “Sawyer—”
“Please?” his brother pleaded. “I want you to see the ranch and my horse, and did I tell you we’re making brownies?”
Amelia smiled indulgently. “Yes, I think you mentioned that.”
“So … please?”
She shifted awkwardly. “I guess I could.” She glanced at Derek. “If it’s okay with your brother, that is.”
“You’re welcome to join us,” he said gruffly.
After a beat, she nodded. “All right. What time?”
“Seven o’clock,” Sawyer piped up.
“Okay. Well. I guess I’ll be there.” She took a few steps toward the corridor behind them. “I should change out of these scrubs.”
As Amelia dashed off, Derek released a heavy breath and turned to his brother with a frown. “What did I tell you about putting people on the spot, Squirt?”
Sawyer had the decency to blush. “I know. I’m sorry. But I really want Amelia to come to dinner. You want her to come, too, right?”
“Sure,” he said noncommittally.
The kid tilted his head. “So I did good, right? It could be like a date.”
Derek faltered. “No, not like a date. Amelia and I work together, Squirt. That’s all there is to it.”
“Is it because of Aunt Tess?”
Now he froze. “What do you mean?”
“Piper says that you’re still mourning Aunt Tess,” Sawyer said frankly. “I told her that’s silly because Aunt Tess died a long time ago.”
Two years wasn’t a long time, he wanted to point out, but he supposed that for an eleven-year-old, two years was an eternity.
He
