The Doctor's Accidental Family

Each time, her traitorous brain had reacted with a snap of admiration for his tousled good looks. It would be a relief when he or she, or both, found a better place to live.

Orlando, who’d been fussing softly, quit beating around the bush and let out a wail. Instantly, nursing supervisor Betsy Raditch appeared. “I’ll take him,” she volunteered, holding out her arms.

Since grandmotherly Betsy doted on babies, Zady relinquished her nephew without a qualm. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” Beaming, the older woman carried off her tiny charge.

In breezed Tiffany and Amber to refill their trays from an array of hors d’oeuvres on the table. With Orlando gone, Zady wished for a task to focus on, but the girls already had the serving job covered.

As if on cue—or perhaps due to the often-rumored psychic link between twins, which had never been much in evidence until now—Zora popped in. “Let’s open presents!”

“I love watching people open presents,” Amber enthused. The deaths of her mother and stepfather in a car crash last fall had left a mark, but she and her sister were adapting well to sharing a home with their father and his new wife.

“Your parents should go first.” Zora assumed the pile of wrapped packages in the living room was mostly for the newlyweds.

“Oh, they requested no more gifts. They already received a ton of stuff.” A grin lit Zora’s face. As usual these days, she radiated happiness. “Enjoy, sis! Those are for us.”

“Those are for us?” Zady asked simultaneously, unintentionally matching her twin’s phrasing.

“You guys are cute.” Tiffany gazed from Zady to Zora. “You’re like reflections in a mirror.”

“I’m chubbier these days,” Zora said cheerily. “Breastfeeding and all.”

“And you have more freckles,” Zady teased. That had been the subject of arguments between them during their teen years.

“She smiles more, too,” Amber noted.

“She deserves to.” Zady draped an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “Okay, let’s—” She flinched as the doorbell rang.

That must be Marshall. With an unpleasant jolt, she realized that telling him about the plot might spoil everyone’s mood. Best to get it over with quickly, like ripping off an adhesive bandage. “I’ll answer that.”

“Why you?” Zora inquired.

“Because I’m faster,” she retorted, and took off for the front of the house.

No one else had responded, probably because the front door stood partly open and most guests just walked in. But Marshall had a more formal personality. No wonder he remained on the porch, an appealing figure with his dark, brooding air.

Zady stopped short. She’d done it again. This wasn’t Marshall, it was Nick.

What was he doing here? And why did she experience a rush of warmth when his startled gaze met hers?

He cleared his throat when he saw her. “I didn’t realize you’d be here.”

“I had no idea you were coming, either.” Despite the many reasons why he was bad news, Zady nearly added, “I’m glad you came.”

She was saved—or thrown under the bus—by Jack’s sudden appearance at her side. “She knows about our plans,” he told Nick. “And she intends to spill it to Marshall, so don’t trust her.”

“That’s the last time I ever hide in a pantry,” Zady blurted, and marched off, leaving Jack to show Nick around. Not even the sight of her sister gesturing toward a pile of presents could restore her high spirits.

Well, not quite.

Chapter Four (#ulink_644c74b8-663f-5f05-aefc-886514d1bfcc)

At the sight of Zady, a thrill skittered along Nick’s nervous system, and he didn’t miss the welcoming glint in her eyes, either. As his fellow MD prattled on about the committee and Zady’s alleged spying, he experienced a surge of annoyance, not at her but at Jack for inserting a wedge between them.

Although not crazy about Zady’s allegiance to Marshall, Nick rather admired her initiative in hiding in the pantry. He disliked doing what people expected, possibly because while he was growing up people had often expected the worst of him. So he appreciated the same irreverent trait in others.

Still, the situation emphasized the gap between him and the lively nurse. He’d never intended for his lifelong one-upmanship with Marshall to turn into a Hatfields versus McCoys feud, even though it was unfair to deny Nick’s colleagues their share of office space.

“As to your committee, I haven’t agreed to anything until I learn more,” he reminded Jack when the man paused for breath.

“I figured I should warn you.”

“Consider me warned.” It was counterproductive to snap at the guy who’d invited him today, but because of Jack, Nick had lost his chance at a private conversation with Zady. She’d joined her sister in the center of a dozen or so well-wishers, beneath a banner reading, Happy 30th Birthday!

“Speaking of warnings,” Nick added, “you told me the party was for your uncle.”

“It is, among others. Does it matter?”

More than you can imagine. “Never mind.” Nick tried to smile, achieved a grimace and cleared his throat. “I can’t wait to meet your wife.”

“Anya’s right over here.”

While shaking hands with a charming woman who struck him as a sensible counterweight to her husband’s enthusiasms, Nick made a quick survey of the living room. The striped sofa, gleaming curio cabinet and formal raised dining room reinforced his impression of elegance. As he drove up, he’d admired the ocean view and the blue-trimmed white house that dominated the block.

Impulsively, he muttered, “Beautiful place. Must be nice to be rich.”

“Karen?” Anya said. “She’s not. She inherited the house in bad shape. To pay for refurbishing, she had to take in renters.”

Kicking himself for being judgmental, Nick said, “I shouldn’t leap to conclusions. But now that she’s married an anesthesiologist, surely they can afford to keep the place to themselves.”

“Rod’s practically broke.” Jack shrugged. “He spent years fighting for custody of his daughters, whom he lost to their billionaire stepfather. That would be the late Vince Adams, who endowed the Porvamm to the hospital.”

“And now, here we are.” A red-haired girl in her early teens presented a tray filled with stuffed mushrooms. “Is this the cute new doctor Zora’s been talking about? Hi, I’m Tiffany Adams.”

“I’m Nick Davis, and thanks for the compliment.” He’d have extended his hand, but hers were already occupied. Instead, he selected an hors d’oeuvre.

“Sorry for gossiping,” Jack said.

“I forgive you. Don’t do it again, cuz.” After a mock attempt to kick his ankle, the girl moved on.

What an interesting group, Nick mused. He’d heard that Tiffany and her younger sister, who must be the flame-haired kid also passing out treats, had inherited a fortune, but they didn’t act snobbish. There was nothing wrong with money as long as you didn’t let it inflate your ego or corrupt your values, as it seemed to have with Marshall and his parents.

A shout of laughter erupted around the gift table. Zady and Zora were performing an impromptu baton-twirling routine with a pair of canes, no doubt a gag gift implying they’d become decrepit with age. Karen, watching beside her husband, gazed anxiously at a nearby lamp.

The twins halted amid giggles. “You’d better keep these.” Zora handed both canes to Rod. “As you can see, we’re a menace.”

“Sorry, Karen,” Zady added.