cleaned.”
Joanna thanked her lucky stars that she had met Cassie and her husband, neonatologist Dr. Brendan O’Connor, just after she’d taken the job. Cassie had visited the birthing center and sent several referrals her way through her social work at Memorial. Their friendship made the transition of sending Joseph to live with his grandmother somewhat easier.
Joanna sighed. “Guess I’m kind of out of it tonight.”
Cassie grinned again. “I don’t doubt that one bit. Midnight kisses can do that to a girl.”
Joanna couldn’t agree more. That kiss was still fresh on her mind—and on her lips. But she was determined to forget it, even though it was the most unforgettable kiss she had ever received.
A kiss delivered by a gorgeous stranger. A beautiful doctor. The very last thing she needed in her life.
Rio Madrid yanked the pager from his lab-coat pocket and pressed the button. Great. A call from the E.R.— just what he needed to end one helluva hectic day.
He tossed the tray filled with his untouched dinner onto the cafeteria conveyor belt and headed down to the emergency room. In the past eighteen hours, he’d delivered three babies, seen an office full of patients and had barely enough time to take a breather, much less eat. He was beginning to question whether he should have hired a partner after Anderson’s retirement. Too late to worry about that now. Besides, he’d always been a loner, and he liked it that way.
After he reached the nurses’ station, he used the counter for support. He was too tired for a man barely thirty-three years old. “What’s up, Carl?”
The burly nurse glanced up from his charting and hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward the board listings. “We have an OB admit brought in by a nurse from the birthing center.”
“Where is she?”
“The patient?”
No, the pope, Rio wanted to say but kept his frustration in check. “Yeah, the patient.”
“In Room 3 with the nurse.”
“The nurse?”
Carl shrugged. “She won’t leave until she knows what’s up. Common practice when midwives are involved.”
That didn’t surprise Rio at all. In fact, he was immediately reminded of his mother.
Forcing himself into action, Rio headed down the corridor and noticed a slight woman dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt standing outside his destination. She studied the toe of her sneaker, her arms folded across her chest.
Although he couldn’t make out her features, Rio was hit with a sense of familiarity. Strange, since he was certain they’d never met, but he couldn’t escape the belief that he knew her from somewhere.
His steps slowed. Something about her reminded him of another woman standing alone in one corner of a crowded ballroom, seeming as if she’d been trying to blend into the background. But Rio had noticed her immediately. When midnight rolled around, and no one had claimed her for the traditional kiss, he’d spontaneously stepped into the role.
Why he’d done it, he couldn’t exactly say. Maybe because she had seemed so lost and out of place among the medical icons and their wives. Maybe because she’d looked so beautiful yet lonely and he could relate to that. But the way she’d responded to his kiss had made him consider taking her to his bed to welcome in the new year—until she ran away. In truth, she’d been in his bed since that night, if only in his imagination.
He studied this particular woman as he continued forward, doubts creeping in with every step. No way this could be her. He couldn’t be that lucky twice. Besides, the woman he’d kissed had been dressed in blue satin, her hair pinned up into a fashionable style, her face carefully made up to suit the occasion, anything but nondescript.
Then the midwife looked up. Dark lashes outlined her vibrant blue eyes devoid of makeup, her fair skin a direct contrast to the dark spiraling curls framing her face. She looked as if she’d stepped right out of a soap commercial, all natural, attractive, appealing in an unpretentious way. Still, he couldn’t get past those expressive eyes that now studied him with only mild curiosity, not surprise or anything that would indicate she knew him. But he got the distinct feeling that he did, in fact, know her.
It didn’t matter, Rio decided. Tonight he had to play the professional. Tonight he was the obstetrician, and she the midwife. It sure as hell wasn’t a good time to get personal, even if it turned out that she happened to be his New Year’s temptress. Even if he did have something that belonged to her. Something he’d been carrying around for the past three days, futilely trying to find its owner. And now he was fairly sure he’d found her.
When she didn’t acknowledge him, he reached around her, slipped the metal chart from the holder and opened it to check the notes. “Are you with Mrs. Gonzales?”
“Yes, I am.”
Rio couldn’t help but react to her floral scent, her closeness, the stubborn memories of a kiss that wouldn’t get out of his head. He looked up from the chart and met her noncommittal expression. “And you are?”
“Joanna Blake. I’m with the birthing center.”
Rio took the hand she offered, noting the smooth texture and how fragile it felt in his palm. “I’m Dr. Madrid.” For some reason he was reluctant to let her go.
She pulled her hand from his grasp. “Nice to meet you.”
He studied the chart again but couldn’t quite focus. The more he looked at her, the more certain he was that this could be his unidentified angel. “Tell me about Mrs. Gonzales.”
“She came to the center and presented with excessive vaginal bleeding. She’s a gravida 2, para 1, abortus 1.”
Rio rubbed his chin. “Three pregnancies and one live birth and this one. What happened with the other pregnancy?”
“First trimester miscarriage about two years ago. This time, she’s had an uneventful gestation. No significant problems.”
“Well, it looks like she has some now.” He flipped the chart closed and held it against his chest. “Did you examine her cervix?”
She frowned. “Of course not. I think we both know that an internal examination could exacerbate her bleeding.”
Her adamant tone, the fire in her eyes, intrigued him. Excited him, even. “Just making sure.”
Frustration passed over her once-guarded expression. “Dr. Madrid, I’m trained to recognize problematic signs. That’s why I came here with her, to make sure my patient receives the best care.”
“I wasn’t questioning your judgment.”
“Yes, you were.”
Actually, he was. He’d seen his share of births go badly in nonhospital settings—one in particular. For that reason, he couldn’t seem to stop his concern over nontraditional methods, even though they were becoming readily accepted in the medical community. “Consider me overly cautious, okay? Now do we stand here in the hall and continue our conversation, or do we go see about our patient?”
