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The real reason I ignored him was because of what happened with Gareth. I knew Frank wasn’t Gareth. The two men were polar opposites. Not one thing in common. Yet, I couldn’t get my head to release the viselike grip it had on my heart.
Since Gareth, I closed everything off and concentrated on my work. I refused to let anything or anyone in. I couldn’t. I refused to go through that kind of pain again.
To let someone manipulate me, mold me into someone I wasn’t.
The fact was, I was scared to love again.
But God help me, I did love again.
I was in love with Franklin Steiner, and I just fucked it all up.
A soft knock at my door had me looking up when Jessica stuck her head in, grinning conspiratorially. “Hey, the new doctor is here. Want me to show him in?”
Nodding, I straightened up the papers on my desk when the man walked in. It was a good thing I was sitting down because I would have passed the hell out if I were standing.
Holy fuck!
The man was fucking gorgeous and bore a striking resemblance to Frank. Tall as all get out, broad shoulders, a wicked smile, and devilish eyes. This man was either going to cause trouble or have every woman pregnant within the week.
Getting to my feet, I extended my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Steiner. Thank you for coming so quick.”
The second I said his name, everything clicked. I knew why he looked familiar and who he was.
Shit.
“You’re Frank’s brother, right?”
The handsome man grinned. “You know little Frankie?”
“I wouldn’t call Frank little.” I smiled.
“Call me George.” The man smirked confidently as he scanned me from head to toe, shaking my outstretched hand. The second our skin connected I felt his warmth all the way down to my toes.
Oh yeah.
He was going to be trouble.
Quickly removing my hand, I took my seat, motioning for him to do the same. “So, tell me about yourself, George.”
“Well, I grew up in Nebraska. Graduated from Georgetown University before doing my residency at Johns Hopkins and I’m board certified in cosmetic and general surgery and obstetrics.”
Picking up his credentials, I noted, “Says here you owned your own practice in South Florida. Why the move?”
The man shifted in his seat, his face hardening. “Needed a change.”
“Gonna need more than that, George. Rosewood is a small town. Secrets don’t stay secret for long here. So, if there is something you’re running from, might as well tell me now, so I can head off the wolves at the pass.”
The man chuckled, shaking his head. “No. Nothing like that. Was in a relationship that ended badly. Let’s just say it was easier if I left.”
“Fair enough,” I said, placing his resume to the side of me. Leaning forward, I added, “Like I said, Rosewood is a small town. Everyone knows everyone here. Right now, my office is the only one that serves the surrounding county. There is Rosewood Memorial Hospital, but residents tend to come see me before heading there. Plus, the hospital is going through some changes that don’t sit well with me or the residents.”
“Got it. Politics has no place in a hospital.”
“It’s more than that. As the only OB-GYN in the area, I disagreed with the hospital administration, and as a consequence they’ve banned me from entering. I’ve lost my privileges for the time being, so if I agree to take you on, you will be on call for the foreseeable future. Is that going to be a problem?”
“Nope. Kind of need the distraction. May I ask what happened?”
“The hospital administration hired some bigwig to come in and revamp the place. The first thing they cut was my NICU funding and I may have said some things I shouldn’t. Let’s just say I’m passionate about what I do.”
