Seducing the Doctor (At First Sight #4) Read Free Page A

ago can’t be changed.”
    “I could try.” The desire storming his body should have subsided following her chilling glare and the fountain of guilt. His younger sisters had told him of how the words and actions of teenage boys hurt girls. How badly had his ill-chosen words hurt Cassie? He sat beside her and rested an arm on the back of the couch. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?”
    “Absolutely sure.” She reached for the remote and turned the movie off.
    How could she be so sure? Hadn’t she experienced the urgency of his kiss? His body hummed with energy and need. He glanced at the champagne flute on the table. “Expecting company?” If some man arrived they would surely lock horns. For tonight this woman was his.
    “No one.”
    “Why are you here alone?”
    She looked away. “Needed time and a quiet place to think. What are you doing miles from nowhere?”
    “Escaping a wedding.”
    Her eyes narrowed. “Yours?”
    “Not in a million years.” What had happened to cause the bite in her voice? “My brother’s. Do you remember Mark?”
    “I do.” She folded her hands in her lap. “How are your sisters?”
    “Getting married in December. Double wedding. Dad recently married.” He shuddered. “Had to escape the celebration and all the schemes to make me the next victim.”
    “Victim?”
    He inched his hand toward her shoulders. “All the recently paired spend hours trying to match me with their single friends. I hate weddings.”
    “So do I.”
    He edged closer. A woman who shared his views. The possibilities of this chance meeting excited him. “I thought all women loved the fuss and bother.” Then he noticed her name engraved on the champagne flute. “I see. What happened?”
     
     
     
    Chapter Two
     
    Cassie avoided his question. He couldn’t dislike weddings any more than she did but she felt no need to speak about Tim and the aborted ceremony. Matt’s arrival coupled with her ex-fiancé’s actions had brought her past into the present. She curled her hands into fists.
    The voice message to her had turned her world into tatters . “I married Rhonda this morning. Could you cover my patients tomorrow?”
    The one to the partners had omitted the request for coverage and added he would be in on Monday to explain.
    She had fled to the cabin in upstate New York not far from the Vermont border.
    After sliding from the couch she glanced at her watch. Six thirty . She needed a way to divert Matt’s curiosity and to aid her resistance to his appeal.
    “Are you hungry?” The flare of interest in his eyes made her regret the question. “I mean for food.”
    He winked. “Among other things but I can eat.”
    She entered the kitchen area. “Won’t be fancy.”
    He followed. “Most of the time I eat out or order in.”
    She opened the chest freezer. “Chicken or fish?” She had brought them with her.
    He closed the distance and stood close enough for her to feel warmth radiating from his body. “What about the steaks?”
    “Belong to the owner. I’d rather not use them.”
    “We can replace them.”
    She removed a package of chicken strips. “This is healthier. The cardiologist speaks. I’ll do a stir fry.”
    At the refrigerator she removed an assortment of fresh vegetables. Tomorrow she would need to shop for more than clothes. She started a pot of wild rice, gathered herbs and spices, defrosted the chicken and chopped vegetables. Keeping busy held temptation at bay.
    “Am I allowed one of the beers in the fridge?”
    “Go ahead.” Dr. Evans had said she should feel free to use anything she found but she decided the gourmet steaks were too pricy.
    Cassie finished the vegetables and cut and seasoned the chicken. A bit of oil into a skillet and she was ready to cook. A wok would have been better but she could improvise. Before long the food was ready to serve. She carried the dishes to the table and discovered Matt had found plates and silverware.
    He served himself, tasted