Her Old-Fashioned Doctor Read Free

here. He wondered how often she saw the stars in all their glory where she came from. Or even the moon for that matter.
    Amy stared at him, as if assessing whether or not he posed a threat. Finally, she spoke, her eyes lighting up the darkness as she smiled at him. “Well, it has been a while since I’ve gone to dinner with a complete stranger right after I rammed my car into his, so sure, why not?” Her grin widened and she stepped forward, so close he felt the heat of her breath. “But only under two conditions.”
    “You name it, darlin’.”
    “One, we’re splitting a piece of that chocolate cream pie you mentioned. And two, I’m buying you dinner.”
    “You had me at chocolate cream pie.”
    Her laughter was a balm to his soul, and the stress of his day faded in her presence. He’d never been so happy to have had a fender bender in his life. Although she’d obviously just been through a rough experience, one he was determined to learn more about, he saw a light within her that shined brightly through the sorrow that haunted her eyes.
    Once they moved their cars into the parking lot of Amy Lou’s, he escorted her inside with a hand at her lower back, unable to resist touching her. She didn’t seem to mind, though she shivered when his fingers first brushed across her back. Her cheeks flushed too, and he realized it was the good kind of shiver. She liked his touch, or at least her body did.
    He led her to his usual booth and Amy Lou scampered over, wiping her hands on her apron before stopping in front of their table and piercing them with a curious stare. They both ordered sweet tea and open faced roast beef sandwiches and French fries, all smothered in gravy of course. Melissa looked at him suspiciously when he insisted everyone around here ate their fries covered in gravy, and finally she relented and said she’d try it. Amy Lou hurried back to the kitchen, calling out their order to the cook, before dropping off their drinks. Once they were alone again, he leaned forward over the table and studied his dinner date.
    “How old are you, Melissa?” It wasn’t the most polite question, but the need to know her age trumped good manners.
    “I’ll be twenty-two next month.”
    The air was knocked from his chest. Good Lord. She was indeed a young thing at twenty-one. He opened his mouth to ask her another question when she surprised him with a bold question of her own.
    “And how old are you, John?”
    He didn’t want to tell her. Even worse, he wanted to lie about his age and make it closer to hers. And yet, their age difference served to remind him of her probable lack of experience, her profound innocence, and his groin tightened with desire. “I’m thirty-six.”
    She sat back in her seat, an impish smile crossing her face. “My my. That’s quite old.” She paused and looked at the ceiling, her lips moving as she mouthed thirty-six in a whisper. Then she met his eyes with a smirk that was almost bratty. “Don’t folks your age typically go out for the early bird special?”
    John Holden wasn’t often stunned speechless, but he couldn’t think of a reply as he stared at the young lady who’d just made a joke and called him old all in one breath. She’d been afraid of him at first, right after the accident when she feared he’d be angry over the fender bender. But now that she’d begun to trust him, her sense of humor was coming out. He liked it. He liked her. She was rich and likely very spoiled, but she wasn’t so snobby that she couldn’t enjoy a conversation and have dinner with a stranger born and raised in the hills of West Virginia.
    Finally, a retort came to his mind.
    “Aren’t all good little girls your age supposed to be tucked into bed at this hour?”

Chapter Two
     
     
    Melissa had never flirted with a man so openly before, and an older man at that. Well, thirty-six wasn’t really that old, but she’d enjoyed his shocked expression when she’d joked about his age. Now