Renegade Millionaire Read Free Page A

hurt.
    But she had to ignore it. Mrs. Gonzales’s well-being should be first and foremost in her mind, not Rio Madrid. At least the doctor seemed genuinely concerned for the woman. He spoke in perfect Spanish, his voice gentle and compassionate as he performed the ultrasound.
    While he worked, Joanna took the opportunity to study him. He looked much the same as he had that night—darkly handsome, but his suit had been replaced by a blue scrub top that covered faded jeans, and the diamond stud in his earlobe exchanged for a small gold loop. His slick dark hair was still pulled back and secured at his neck, allowing Joanna to look her fill at his face in the glare of fluorescent lights—a chiseled face with a finely honed nose, high cheekbones and a granite jaw. And oh, that mouth. She recalled his soft lips, how gentle and breathtaking that kiss had been.
    Her gaze dropped to his strong hands that had pressed against her back, held her close, made her melt. He might not look like a conventional doctor, but he was one fine masterpiece of a man. Even his name sounded striking. Rio Madrid…
    â€œOkay, that does it.”
    The doctor-in-question’s declaration forced Joanna back into the situation at hand, and her thoughts back onto her patient. The fear in Mr. and Mrs. Gonzales’s faces had lessened until Dr. Madrid began to explain the findings from the ultrasound. Placenta previa, as Joanna had suspected, and now the baby would more than likely have to be delivered by cesarean.
    After the doctor was done, he stood and signaled Joanna to follow him into the hallway. Once they wereout of the patient’s earshot, he said, “Since she’s at term, I’ll go ahead and do a C-section.”
    â€œBed rest—”
    â€œIs not an option. She’s bleeding too much—”
    â€œDr. Madrid—”
    â€œWe need to get that baby out of there. This is the best course—”
    â€œBut—”
    â€œâ€”of treatment.”
    Joanna waited for a few moments to make certain he was finished with his tirade before speaking again. “Just for the record, I’m in total agreement with you.”
    He frowned. “You are?”
    â€œYes, I am.” She was caught between wanting to shake him and kiss him. Ridiculous, at least the kissing part. “If you’d let me get a word in edgewise, then you might have realized that.”
    At least he looked contrite, and much too cute. “Sorry. I’m pretty damn tired at the moment.”
    â€œThat will make one a little cranky.”
    He sent her a crooked smile. “So you think I’m cranky?”
    Cranky, and gorgeous. “Maybe just a little bit.”
    â€œCould we settle for mildly out of sorts?”
    Joanna couldn’t help but smile back. “I suppose we could compromise with out of sorts. As long as we drop the mildly.”
    His grin deepened and he opened his mouth to speak but before he could, a harried middle-aged woman approached him. “Dr. Madrid, the Gonzaleses have no insurance. I need to make payment arrangements with them. If they can’t pay, we need to transfer—”
    â€œShe’s not going anywhere.” His voice brimmed with barely contained anger. “I’m going to do an emergencycesarean in about ten minutes, and her husband’s going to be with her. End of conversation.”
    â€œBut hospital policy states—”
    â€œI don’t give a damn about policy.” He lowered his voice, his jaw clenched tight. “I know you’re just doing your job, but I don’t have time to argue. Have your supervisor call me after the surgery if there’s a problem. I’ll handle it.”
    The woman walked away, shaking her head.
    Joanna smiled. “Bravo, Doctor. I’m impressed.”
    His grin came slowly and unexpectedly, but Joanna’s reaction was fast and hard to ignore. “The bureaucracy around here