Tammy and the Doctor. Judy Duarte
a lot of the doctoring ourselves, just so we didn’t have to drive twenty miles.”
Mike hadn’t planned to make house calls, as was the custom of the doctor before him. But he made an exception for a couple of patients, including Tex Byrd, who’d refused to be hospitalized in Granite Falls, a larger town about thirty miles away.
“Your grandfather is a stubborn man,” Mike said. “He wouldn’t have any medical care at all if I didn’t make the trip out here.”
Mike had also promised Stanley Reynolds that he’d look over his patients as if they were Mike’s own family members—an agreement he’d made as part of the debt repayment plan.
So here he was.
Tammy bit down on her bottom lip. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What’s he like?” Her eyes were an almost dazzling shade of blue. And the way she was looking at him right now, as if he held all the answers she’d ever need, was a little humbling.
Mike reminded himself that she’d never met the man and that her curiosity was to be expected. So he told her what he knew—or what he’d heard. “He’s a hard worker. And as honest as the day is long. He’s a bit testy, though. Rumor has it he’s been that way for years.”
Tex, who was in his late seventies, was actually one of the most ornery, cantankerous old men Mike had ever met. But he was also a real hoot at times, and Mike couldn’t help admiring him for a lot of reasons—his work ethic, his gumption and his desperate efforts to bring his family home before his death.
“He’s a good man,” Mike added. “One you can be proud of. He’s also well-respected in the community.”
“Thanks. I’m…” She bit down on her bottom lip again, then looked up at him with those amazing eyes. “Well, I guess you could say I’m a bit nervous.”
“That’s understandable.”
She straightened, drawing herself up to her full height, which couldn’t be much more than five feet. “I don’t usually admit stuff like that, but you being a doctor and all…” Her cheeks flushed a rosy shade of pink, which was at odds with the masculine clothing she wore and her tough-guy stance.
“Your secret’s safe with me,” Mike said. Then he gave her a little wink and placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s probably only fair to tell you that I think your grandpa is a little nervous about meeting you, too.”
She smiled and blinked—once, twice, a third time.
If Mike didn’t know better, he’d think she was giving him one of those flirty southern-belle eye flutters. But it couldn’t be that. Maybe she was blinking back tears.
She might have even gotten a speck of dust or something in her eye.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I…uh…” She swiped her hand across one eye, rubbing it. “I’m fine. It was just a stray lash. That’s all.”
At that moment, Tina returned to the living room carrying a mug and a blueberry muffin balanced on a small plate. “You’re not leaving, are you, Doc?”
“I have to get back to the office. I also have a couple more patients to see on the way, too.”
Tina handed the cup and plate to him. “Then why don’t you take this with you?”
“Thanks.” He took the coffee and muffin. “I’ll bring back the dishes when I return.”
“Are you coming back tomorrow?” the housekeeper asked.
“Yes, but probably not until the dinner hour. I hope that’ll be all right.”
“No problem whatsoever,” Tina said. “We’re just glad that you’re willing to drive out here to see Tex. I’ll let Barbara know to set an extra plate at the table.”
Mike thanked her, then turned to Tammy. “It was nice meeting you.”
“Same here.” Her gaze snared his, as if she’d set her sights on him and wasn’t about to let go.
He could be wrong about that, though. And he certainly hoped that he was. All he needed was for his patient’s granddaughter to start crushing on him.
Little Tammy Byrd might have the prettiest blue eyes he’d ever seen, but Mike wasn’t interested in romance—especially in a place like Buckshot Hills. And even if by some strange twist of Fate he got involved with one of the local women, it sure as hell wouldn’t be a cowgirl.
Chapter Two
As Dr. Sanchez left the house, Tammy watched him go.
Darn it! Clearly, her attempts at flirting had failed yet again. What was she doing wrong?
“Can I get you something to drink, Miss Byrd? Coffee’s fresh. We also have some lemonade or ice tea.”
Tammy turned to Tina, the housekeeper, who’d shown her to the guestroom in which she’d be staying and must have been waiting for her to settle in and then return to the main part of the house.
“Lemonade sounds great,” Tammy said. “Thank you.”
The woman nodded, then left Tammy alone in the spacious living room.
So now what? Should she sit down on the leather sofa again? Or would she be out of line if she wandered around the room, checking out the furnishings and trying to get a handle on the old man who called the Flying B home?
As Tina’s footsteps faded into silence, Tammy crossed the room to the bay window and peered outside, beyond the porch, to see if anyone else had arrived while she’d been putting away her things in the bedroom she’d been assigned.
The Dodge Ram was gone, of course, which was too bad. She would have liked spending some time with Doc and getting to know him a little better.
She’d expected to meet a bunch of new family members, each one bringing a unique personality and mindset to the mix. But she hadn’t been prepared to run in to the handsome doctor making a house call.
Boy howdy, was Doc Sanchez a sight for sore eyes.
When he’d finally introduced himself, a rush of hormones had slammed into her, taking her breath away. She’d never felt anything like it. Even if she let her thoughts roll all the way back to grade school, when the kids teased her and called her Tam-boy, she couldn’t come up with a single fellow who’d set her heart on end.
Yet in one brief moment, Mike Sanchez, also known as Doc, had swept her off her booted little feet.
At least, that’s what it felt like to a woman inexperienced in that sort of thing. And to be honest, it left her a little unbalanced.
Tammy didn’t get flustered too easily, since she usually kept to herself and didn’t pay any mind to mingling, or cultivating new relationships—male or female. And there was a good reason for it, too. Women didn’t seem to find her worth talking to, and men never took her seriously until she showed them her mettle.
But meeting Doc had her reevaluating a few things she’d once thought were carved in stone. It also had her doing things she’d never expected to do—like trying to let him know that she was sweet on him, although it hadn’t worked out too well.
Why in Sam Hill had she tried to flutter her lashes at him?
Talk about awkward and out-of-step.
When Doc had asked if she was okay, her cheeks had burned as hot as the asphalt at high noon in mid-August, and she hadn’t known quite what to say or how to recover her pride.
After that disappointing experience in high school, she’d quit trying to get a guy’s attention—well, not unless she was trying to outdo him at something. And meeting Doc,