Marrying the Playboy Doctor Read Free

not-so-subtle charm.
    “I do have a man in my life,” she said, playing along with his assumption. The man was her six-year-old son, but Seth didn’t need to know that. “I’ll try to be as flexible as possible, though, in order to meet your needs.”
    “Great. You’re a beautiful woman, Kylie, and I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” Seth pulled out his PDA and scrolled the buttons on the tiny screen. “Okay, how does next Monday work for you? Say about twelve-thirty?”
    Beautiful? He’d actually called her beautiful? No man, not even Ben’s father, had ever used that word to describe her. Cute—pretty, maybe, in a girl-next-door type of way—but never beautiful.
    Seth Taylor was charming, and she was just beginning to realize how dangerous his smooth charm really was—especially when she was feeling at her most vulnerable. Living in a new town, with people she didn’t know, wasn’t easy. And she’d been so focused on helping her son adjust to his new day care that she hadn’t done anything for herself. Luckily she wasn’t interested in relationships, or she might have been tempted.
    She found her voice. “Monday at twelve-thirty is perfect. Thank you.”
    As she stood and moved to leave, he called out, “Kylie?”
    She turned. “Yes?”
    “I hope the man in your life realizes how lucky he is.”
    She doubted Ben would think so. At least not in the way Seth meant. But she nodded and quickly escaped before she blabbed the truth.
    If Seth knew she didn’t really have a man in her life outside her son, Ben, then he might just continue his charming assault on her defenses.
    And she wasn’t too certain she possessed the strength to withstand a second attack.

CHAPTER TWO

    S ETH finished the rest of his shift and then made his way to the cardiac cath labs located on the third floor, hoping he’d run into Michael. He wanted to know how their cardiac patient, Marilyn Warner, was doing.
    His colleague, dressed in scrubs, walked out of the cath lab door as Seth came in. “Hey, Seth.”
    “Michael.” Seth tucked his hands into the pockets of his lab coat as he turned to fall into step with Michael. “I’ve come to find out how Marilyn Warner is doing.”
    “You mean our patient from this morning?” When Seth nodded, Michael grimaced. “Not so good. She needed emergency surgery, so I had to send her off to Trinity Medical Center in Milwaukee via Air Flight.”
    Damn. Emergency surgery was not a good sign. Especially emergency open heart surgery, after a full arrest and resuscitation. Seth’s shoulders slumped and he scrubbed a hand over his face. “I see. I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything from the cardiothoracic team in Milwaukee yet?”
    Michael shook his head. “No, but I’ve been busy. I just finished my last case for the day.”
    Seth understood. He’d been busy, too. The hospital census had been jumping lately, and the ED in particular had been one nonstop revolving door.
    “Seth, she’s not your mother,” Michael said softly.
    “I know.” His sharp response caused Michael to raise his brows in surprise. Michael, along with many other hospital staff members, had attended the funeral. Seth had appreciated his colleague’s support through the difficult time. “My mother didn’t die of a heart attack. She had an aneurysm in her brain. But Marilyn is the same age, and I just wish we’d been quick enough to save her.”
    “You were.” Michael clapped his hand on Seth’s shoulder in a reassuring gesture. “We’ve given her a chance, Seth. Not just once, after you brought her back in the ED, but now again, in surgery. She could have died in the ambulance on the way over, or in the ED, or in the cath lab—but she didn’t.”
    “Yeah.” Yet with each setback her chances of survival grew slimmer. Seth knew his friend was right, but he couldn’t get over the feeling that their efforts hadn’t been good enough. Second-guessing yourself wasn’t always helpful, though, so