One Night With The Army Doc

“C’mon. It’s guaranteed to make you gain ten pounds.” He gave her a wink and placed his order but she passed.

She tried to eat healthily, even while traveling. If she ever let herself go physically her father would be the first to comment, so it was safer to not go down that road to begin with—no matter how tempting at times like this.

After collecting his food, she and Neal took a seat at one of the many wooden picnic tables to wait for Rob. The two guys had been a couple since before she’d joined the network, though they kept their personal relationship out of the office.

“Are you sure you don’t want a bite?” Neal asked.

Molly eyed the thick caribou steak patty between two slabs of grilled glazed doughnut, ketchup and mustard dripping down its sides, with trepidation. She could almost feel her arteries clogging. “Uh...no thanks.”

“It’s so scrumptious.” Neal wiped his face with his napkin, speaking to her around a mouthful of food. “At least try a corn fritter with honey butter dipping sauce. They’re delicious.”

“I’m still stuffed from breakfast, really.”

Molly pulled her phone from her pocket and zipped through her emails while Rob took a seat on the bench beside Neal and slid a plate in front of her.

“I got you a funnel cake, Mol. My treat.” Rob grinned. “Extra powdered sugar.”

Frowning, she stared down at the greasy confection. Its yeasty aroma was enticing, despite its odd look. She’d heard of these things, but never tried one herself. Tentatively she pulled off a tiny chunk and ate it. The treat melted in her mouth, releasing its sweet, rich goodness.

Eyes wide, Molly blinked at her smiling crew. “That’s amazing.”

“Told you.” Neal winked, then nudged Rob with his elbow.

She gobbled down more of the sweet deliciousness before answering her buzzing phone without checking the caller ID, assuming it would be the hospital. “Dr. Molly Flynn.”

“Hello, dear. Did you hear about Martha?”

“Yes, Mother.”

Neal raised a speculative brow and Molly swiveled on her bench to face in the opposite direction. She and her older sister Martha weren’t exactly close, but that hadn’t kept Molly from escaping the dreaded Baby Aboard! email blitz.

“I heard.”

“Then you’ll help me plan the shower?”

“She’s five months along.” Molly squinted into the hazy morning sunshine.

“Never too early to plan, dear. Not if you want the best.”

And of course Martha would have the best. She always got the best—from prom dresses to husbands.

“We need to reserve a room and order flowers. Pick a caterer and a cake maker too.”

“It’s a baby shower, Mother. Not a wedding.”

A cute little girl dressed to perform in one of the fair’s many shows waddled by and Molly smiled. She’d always loved children, but having her own someday seemed farther out of reach than ever. Mainly because of the belief her father had instilled within her every day of her childhood—that if people saw her true fallible self, her imperfections and quirks, they wouldn’t love her, couldn’t love her. So she hid behind her slick professionalism, her media persona, never letting anyone get too close to the truth.

“Speaking of weddings—how are things with Brian?” her mother asked.

The question hit Molly like a sucker punch. For a moment she considered lying about their separation, but her mother would find out soon enough—if she didn’t already know. “We’re taking a break.”

“Break?”

“Yes.” Molly reached behind her and grabbed the remaining huge chunk of funnel cake, shoving it in her mouth without thinking. “He’s busy with stocks and bonds and I’m swamped with shooting in Anchorage for the next few weeks, so it’s fine.”

“I see.” Her mother’s tone suggested that she’d seen straight through Molly’s crap. “You can’t keep doing this, dear.”

“Doing what?”

“Putting your personal life on hold. You’re not getting any younger.”

Exactly what she didn’t need today. A baby pep-talk from her mother. When she was a teen, Molly had often wished she had the kind of parents that showed up in her favorite sitcoms. The loving, supportive variety, who never pushed their kids to do things they didn’t want and loved them unconditionally for who they were. But real life wasn’t like TV, and usually you just had to do the best with what you’d got.

Her shoulders slumped as the scent of fresh kettle corn drifted on the breeze. Molly’s lifelong imposed restraint buckled under the pressure and she all but tripped over herself on her way to buy a bag. After all, she should experiment while she still had the chance, right?

Molly changed the subject while she waited in line. “What are my duties for the shower?”

“Decorations. And I’ll see if your father knows anyone.”

“For what?”

“For you. When will you be back home, dear?”

“I just got to Alaska.”

Not to mention the fact the last thing she wanted was a blind date with one of her father’s legion of devoted clones.

Molly paid and thanked the vendor then returned to the table with her popcorn. “I’m not ready to date anyone else yet. Besides, there’s a colleague here who’s giving me issues.”

“Really? Is he attractive?”

“No.”

Yes. All she had to do was picture Dr. Ryder’s stormy gray eyes, his chiseled jaw and toned muscles, and molten heat spread outward from her core to sizzle through her bloodstream. It seemed the gorgeous man caused her problems even when he wasn’t around.

If only he wasn’t her new colleague.

If only...what?

No. That line of thinking was completely unacceptable. They were working together. Molly was only here temporarily. Dr. Ryder treated her as if she harbored a deadly contagious disease. It was all so irritating and annoying and incredibly intriguing.

Scowling, she shoved another handful of popcorn in her mouth. “What difference does it make? He’s a nuisance. Challenging everything I do, every order I give.”

“Perhaps if you tried charm instead of your usual abruptness you might get further.”

Molly checked her watch. If they were going to fit another location in before she went to the hospital, they had to get a move on. “I need to go.”

“Thank you for proving my point, dear.”