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“Women don’t come to my place.” He started the truck.
Her heart flipped. She watched his profile as he backed out of the parking space. The man was starting to consume her life.
* * *
Kiefer twisted his coffee cup round and round on Ashley’s table as he waited, not entirely patiently, for her to finish getting ready to go to the block party. When they had arrived at her place she’d gone full throttle. She’d started making calls, writing a list and hunting out clothes to wear. He worried that she was overdoing things but nothing he said was going to make her slow down. Ashley was in the zone. The best he could do was be there when pain overtook her or she wore out. At least he’d had the forethought to pick up food for them to take so she wouldn’t be lifting pots and pans.
When he’d slid into bed beside her during the night he’d questioned the wisdom of doing so. The moment she’d snuggled up against him, all warm and sweet smelling, there had been no doubt he’d made a mistake. One that he would remember forever for both good and bad reasons. It had taken him too long to fall back to sleep with his body so painfully aware of hers. But he hadn’t been able to act on that. She was hurt, needed comfort.
He’d watched her slowly wake up and had savored the moment she’d realized she’d been cuddled against him. There had been an appalled expression on her face before her gaze had fixed on his chest. Women had admired him before but never had one looked like she’d wanted to eat him up. His damaged ego had received such a boost of adrenaline he’d had to work at not grabbing Ashley and pulling her to him. If he had, she probably would have slapped him. She was the type of woman who needed to be finessed, romanced, unlike what he’d done when they’d first met.
When was the last time he’d romanced a woman? That had been his ex-wife and that hadn’t turned out well. Romance wasn’t what it was trumped up to be. Why did he feel compelled to do so now? Because of Ashley. For some reason she brought out the side of him he’d long ago squashed. He wanted to make her happy. Feel important.
Still, the honeyed way Ashley had returned his morning kiss had told him all he needed to know. She wasn’t immune to his charms. She didn’t need his romancing. All she needed was to make time for herself and her needs while she was trying to change the world.
A moan more of disgust than pain came from the direction of her room. He walked that way. “Is there a problem?”
“Yeah.”
Kiefer stopped at her bedroom door. Ashley wore a light blue flowing dress with small straps. The color contrasted beautifully with her dark eyes and skin. She almost took his breath away.
“I hate this thing.” She struggled to get the sling into place over her shoulder.
Grinning, he walked toward her. “Let me help.” She turned her back to him. For once she didn’t complain about his offer of assistance. He started untwisting the back strap, his fingers brushing her skin as he worked. Positioning the widest area of the strap over her shoulder, he stepped around her and adjusted it in the ring clasps. This time his fingers were too close to her tempting breasts. He’d lost his perspective as a physician and was thinking only as a man attracted to an alluring woman. Capturing Ashley’s gaze, he asked, “How does that feel?”
She blinked at him a couple of times. Was he affecting her? Ashley was sure getting to him.
Stepping back, she said, “We need to get going. Did you get the folding chairs?”
“They’re in the back of the truck.”
“Good. The potato salad?”
How like her to deny what was happening between them. Keeping his face stoic, he answered, “I’ll get it now. Do not go outside until I’m with you.”
“Kiefer—”
“I mean it, Ashley.”
“I won’t. I’ll wait for you.”
Her ready agreement made him suspicious. She might not understand the danger, but he did. He hurried to get the potato salad from the refrigerator. Ashley stood by the front door. Together they exited, and all the while Kiefer kept scanning the area for anyone out of place.
“Do you really think someone would come after me in the middle of the day?”
“I don’t know but we’re not going to take any chances. It doesn’t hurt to be cautious.” He led the way down the stairs.
“I’m sure I’ve not sounded like it but I am grateful for your help.”
Kiefer glanced back, trying to gauge if she was being truthful. “Why the change of heart?”
“No change of heart. I was just thinking I might have been a little hard on you the last couple of days.”
He steadied her when she faltered on the last step. “After all, what’re friends for?”
She considered him a friend. That was unexpected and nice. Ashley would be a loyal friend, of that he had no doubt. Something that had been missing in his marriage.
CHAPTER SIX
WHEN THEY ARRIVED at a park area near the river, Kiefer could tell it had been cleaned and groomed recently. Even the shrubbery had been trimmed. The large beach oaks surrounding the area provided shade from the already warm sun.
A few men were busy setting up tables. As they finished, a couple of women came behind them, rolling out plastic tablecloths.
Kiefer carried a large salad bowl. Ashley had requested he transfer the potato salad into one of hers. He placed it on a table already laden with food. He leaned the folding chairs he’d carried over his shoulder against a tree before he and Ashley joined some others.
As they approached, a heavyset woman wearing a bright smile stopped what she was doing and hurried toward them. “Ashley, are you okay, dear?”
“I’m fine. It’s really just a scratch. The doctors...” she glanced at him “...just want me to be careful for a little while.”
“Honey, you need to be more careful not to fall.”
Kiefer looked at Ashley, who gave him a pleading look before she said, “I will. Mrs. Nasboom, I’d like you to meet the new doctor at the clinic, Dr. Bradford.”
Mrs. Nasboom smiled up at him. “Nice to meet you, young man. I’ve heard a number of good things about you.”
He smiled down at Mrs. Nasboom. “That’s always good to hear.”
“What do I need to do to help?” Ashley asked Mrs. Nasboom.
“I think we just need to set up the drinks table. We decided to put it over there.” Mrs. Nasboom pointed toward a spot under one of the trees. There were already a couple of tables leaning against a large oak.
“We’ll see to that,” Ashley said.
When Mrs. Nasboom was out of earshot Kiefer looked Ashley straight in the eyes. “Fall?”
“Hush,” she hissed, “or I’ll tell them you pushed me.” She walked away looking regal, like a queen.
Ashley was something.
As noon approached a crowd started gathering. Almost everyone made a point to come up and speak to Ashley. More than one had been a patient of his in the last few weeks. They often had something to say to him as well. Being an ER doctor, he rarely saw a patient twice. As the Southriver clinic doctor, he not only saw them more than once but had an opportunity to get to know something about his patients. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed that connection until now.
Taking the clinic job had been his way of escaping. He’d needed to get away from Atlanta, from his past, and start over. The plan had turned out to have other benefits as well.
By noon the park was crowded with people talking and laughing. The tables almost groaned from the weight on them. The block party was achieving what Ashley had hoped for, a community coming together.
“Oh, honey, what happened to you?”
Kiefer turned from a conversation he was having with one of the local business owners to see an older woman dressed in a simple shirt and slacks hugging Ashley. When she released her, Ki
efer could see Ashley favored her.
“Hi, Mom.” Ashley looked at the balding man who reminded Kiefer of a banker standing behind her mother and said, “Hey, Dad. I’m glad you both could come.”
“What’re you talking about? We wouldn’t have missed it,” Ashley’s mother said.
Her father gave her a hug and kissed her on the cheek. “Hi, sweetheart. What happened to you?”
Ashley seemed to hesitate. She didn’t want to lie to her parents.
Kiefer walked over to them and said, “She took a tumble over the last step at her house. She’ll be right as rain soon.”
Her father studied him.
“I’m Kiefer Bradford, the clinic physician.” He offered his hand to her father and they shook.
“You’re the one Ashley has told us so much about.” Ashley’s mother beamed at him as if she knew something he didn’t.
His attention went to Ashley, who was blushing. It was nice to see her a little less in control. “I hope it was good.”
Her mother looked from one to the other. “Very good. We’ve heard you’re a wonderful doctor, not only from Ashley but from others too.”
“Thank you for the compliment. I try to be.”
“We were long overdue for medical help around here,” Ashley’s father said gruffly.
Kiefer met his look. “That’s what I understand.”
“Jean, Robert,” someone called.
“We’ll see you later, honey,” her mother said to Ashley.
