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Grace sighed as she started her car and backed out of the parking space at the hospital. After the cowboy had come in that morning, muttering about her being young, incompetent, and impertinent, then practically ripped his shirt from her hands and left in a huff, the day had gone from bad to worse.
One patient had lost his cool and nearly socked her in the jaw with a wild right hook when she’d had to give him a shot. Thank goodness growing up with three ornery brothers had given her fast reflexes. She’d dealt with a violently vomiting patient after that and one with a sore oozing putrid pus. And then there was the patient who …
Grace refused to think about what that last one had done in the exam room. At least she didn’t have to clean up the messes, but she felt pity for the staff who did. Anxious to get home, shower, change, and block the day from her mind, she should never have mentioned to Cindy about seeing the cowboy that morning.
Sergeant Levi Gibson, a burn victim who was missing part of his hand, was an incredibly healthy and virile male specimen despite his injuries. From what Grace had observed, he hated to feel weak or vulnerable. She should have known better than to try to help with his shirt. Her brothers would have reacted no differently if it had been one of them.
Despite his thick blond hair that waved in the front, gorgeous blue eyes, handsome face, and muscular physique, she’d been downright affronted and agitated with him for what he’d said under his breath. Surely, he had to know she could hear the insults.
Grace had graduated at the top of her nursing class. She’d worked hard at her job and gave so much of herself to her patients. To have someone accuse her of being too young to do her job, someone she knew for a fact was only a year older than she, had made her bite her tongue to keep from setting the former soldier on his ear.
Something about him had gotten to her, though. There was nothing unusual about seeing a half-clad patient, but the moment Levi Gibson had removed his shirt, her mouth had gone dry, and she’d fought an internal battle to reach out and touch his tanned, muscled bicep.
Instead of surrendering to it, she’d slapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm and gotten so distracted by studying his thick eyelashes that she’d pumped the cuff longer than she should have, but she sure wasn’t going to admit that to him. Not when he’d come off as peevish and prideful.
Heaven help any woman dealing with a man’s wounded ego or pride.
Despite her first impression of Sergeant Gibson, Dr. O’Brien had clearly thought well of him. Charles O’Brien was one of the few doctors who worked at the VA Hospital who didn’t treat Grace like she had feathers for brains. She found him to be jolly, kind, skilled, and patient.
When she’d asked him in passing about Levi, the doctor had grinned at her and said, “He’s a nice-looking young man, isn’t he? If I had any single daughters left to marry off, I might introduce one of them to him.” Then he’d walked off to the next exam room after tossing her a knowing look, as though he could tell the man had piqued Grace’s curiosity.
“Grace! Tell me again about the cowboy,” Cindy demanded, bringing Grace’s thoughts back to the moment as she drove away from the hospital and headed toward their apartment. She would have driven by the grocery store so they wouldn’t have to go tomorrow, but she hated the thought of being seen in her current state with smelly, stained attire.
“There isn’t much to tell. He came in for a checkup, called me young, incompetent, and impertinent, and then when I tried to help him put his shirt back on, he flipped his lid. He didn’t even finish dressing before he marched out. Just grabbed his hat and left. Hmph! From reading his chart, I know he’s only a year older than I am. How dare he insinuate I’m too young and unskilled to do my job properly?”
“Yes. How dare he?” Cindy gave her a long, studying look. “What did he look like? Homely? Dirty? Smelled like horses and cows?”
Grace shook her head, but her mouth engaged before her brain could tell it to stop. “No. He was a real cutie. Blond hair. Blue eyes. Six full feet of muscle and tanned skin. Broad shoulders.”
“I see. A real dog, huh?” Cindy waggled her eyebrows in an exaggerated fashion, making Grace laugh.
“You nut. Okay, maybe he was good-looking. Maybe he was strong and fit. And maybe, if he weren’t such a jerk, he would be someone I might consider dating.”
“And there it is. The real reason you are miffed.” Cindy pointed an accusing finger at Grace as she pulled into the apartment’s parking lot.
Grace scowled at her. “What are you talking about? I’m upset because he said things about me that aren’t true and acted like a genuine dope.”
“It’s not because he’s a hunky cowboy who caught your eye but insulted you in the process?”
A disdainful scoff burst out of Grace as she parked the car. “You’ve lost your mind, my friend. Come on. I just want to take a shower, eat dinner, and forget about work until Monday.”
“Fine by me. How long do you think it will take Jared to get your box?” Cindy asked as they got out and headed into the building.
Grace cast her friend a narrowed look over her shoulder as she checked for mail. “What’s going on between you and my brother?”
“Nothing!” Cindy’s face turned a deep shade of red, but she feigned innocence as she retrieved her mail. She squealed and clasped a letter to her chest, then raced for the stairs with Grace hot on her heels.
“If that’s from Jared, you have to at least let me know he’s okay.”
“Of course,” Cindy said, beaming as they jogged up the stairs and down the hall to their apartment.
By the time Monday morning had rolled around, Grace was even more upset with Sergeant Levi Gibson. How dare he assume that because she was young, she didn’t know what she was doing? Even crabby, hard-to-please Dr. Robinson had given her a glowing evaluation last month.
The next time Levi came in for an appointment, she’d make sure Nurse Wells was the one assigned to him. Doubtless, he wouldn’t appreciate the pinch-faced older woman’s brash commentary or her less-than-gentle touch. Typically, the doctors sicced her on uncooperative patients who’d exceeded the limits of patience with the rest of the nursing staff.
Indignant, and justifiably so, Grace felt the gray clouds overhead matched her attitude as she and Cindy walked out of the apartment building and over to her car.
“Wasn’t it a lovely weekend?” Cindy asked, setting her purse and the brown bag holding her lunch on the floor by her feet.
