It Started At Christmas...

CHAPTER THREE

“GIVE IT A REST, McKenzie. I’m seeing you inside your place.” Lance maneuvered his car into the street McKenzie had indicated he should turn at. He’d wanted to punch her address into his GPS, but she’d refused to do more than say she’d tell him where he could go.

Yeah, he had no doubt she’d do exactly that and exactly in what direction she’d point him. He suspected it would be hellish hot there, too.

She crossed her arms. “Just because I passed out, it doesn’t give you permission to run roughshod over me.”

“Is that what I’m doing?” He glanced toward her. Finally, her color had returned and her cheeks blushed with a rosiness that belied that she’d been as white as a ghost less than an hour before.

Her lips twisted. “Maybe.”

“You have had a lot happen tonight, including losing consciousness. Of course I’m concerned and going to make sure you get inside your place, okay?”

“I think you’re overreacting.”

“I think you’re wasting your breath trying to convince me to drop you at the curb and drive away.”

“That’s not what I said for you to do.”

“No, but the thought of inviting me into your place scares you.”

“I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“You’re imagining things. I came to your Christmas show.”

“You brought a friend.” As long as they were bantering she’d stay distracted, wouldn’t think about having passed out.

“You were part of the show. It wasn’t as if you were going to sit beside me and carry on conversation.”

He shot a quick glance toward where she sat in the passenger seat with her arms crossed defensively over her chest.

“Is that what you wanted?” he asked. “For me to be at the dinner table beside you?”

“If I’d been on a date with you, that’s exactly what I would have expected. Since I was just there watching your show as a friend and someone who wanted to help support a great cause, it’s not a big deal.”

“I could take you to a Christmas show in Atlanta, McKenzie. We could go to dinner, or to a dinner show.”

“Why would you do that?”

“So I could sit beside you and carry on conversation.”

“I don’t want you to sit beside me and carry on conversation.” She sounded like a petulant child and they both knew it. She was also as cute as all get-out and he couldn’t help but smile.

“Isn’t that what we’re doing right now?”

“Right now you are bringing me home, where you can walk me to my front door, and then you can leave.”

“What if I want to come inside?” He couldn’t help but push, just to see what she’d say. He had no intention of going inside McKenzie’s place, unless it was to be sure she really did make it safely inside.

Her eyes widened. “We’ve not even been on a date. What makes you think I’d let you stay?”

“You’re jumping to conclusions, McKenzie. Just because I said I wanted to come inside, it didn’t mean I planned to stay.”

“Right,” she huffed. She turned to stare out the window.

“Then again, I guess it’s a given that I want to stay. I think you and I would have a good time.”

She sighed. “Maybe.”

“You don’t sound enthused about the prospect.”

“There is no prospect. You and I are coworkers, nothing more.”

“You came to my show tonight.”

“Coworkers can support one another outside work without it meaning anything.”

“I see how you look at me, McKenzie.”

* * *

McKenzie blinked at the man driving her home. More like driving her crazy.

How she looked at him?

“What are you talking about? You’re the one who looks at me as if you’ve not seen a woman in years.”

“I’m sure I do, but we’re not talking about how I look at you. We’re talking about how you look at me.”

“I don’t look at you.”

“Yes, you do.”

“How do I look at you, Lance?”

“As if you’ve not seen a man in years.”

“That’s ridiculous.” She motioned for him to make a right turn.

“But nonetheless true. And now that I’ve had to do mouth-to-mouth to revive you, you know you’re dying for another go at these lips.” Eyes twinkling, he puckered up and kissed the air.

“You have such an inflated ego,” she accused, glad to see him pull into her street. A few more minutes and she’d be able to escape him and this conversation she really didn’t want to be having. “Besides, you did not do mouth-to-mouth. I passed out. I didn’t go into respiratory arrest.”

“Where you are concerned, I didn’t want to take any chances, thus the mouth-to-mouth.” His tone was teasing. “You were unconscious, so you probably don’t recall it. George offered to help out, but I assured him I had things under control.”

“Right.” She rolled her eyes. She knew 100 percent he’d not taken advantage of her blacking out to perform mouth-to-mouth, even though when she’d come to he’d been leaning over her. She also knew the phlebotomist had offered to do no such thing. “Guess that’s something we really do have in common, because I don’t want to take any chances either. Not with the likes of you, so you’ll understand that there will be no invitations into my house. Not now and not ever.”

“Not ever?”

“Probably not.”

* * *

McKenzie really didn’t want Lance walking her to her doorway. Since she’d passed out at the hospital, she supposed she shouldn’t argue as it made logical sense that he’d want to see her safely into her home. That was just a common courtesy really and didn’t mean a thing if she let him. Yet the last thing she wanted was to have him on her door stoop or, even worse, inside her house.

“You have a nice place,” he praised as he drove his car up into her driveway.

“It’s dark. You can’t really see much,” she countered.

“Not so dark that I can’t tell you have a well-kept yard and a nice home.” As he parked the car and turned off the ignition, he chuckled. “I’ve never met a more prickly, stubborn woman than you, McKenzie.”

She wanted to tell him to not be ridiculous, but the fact of the matter was that he was way too observant.

“I didn’t ask you to be here,” she reminded him defensively. She was sure she wasn’t anything like the yes-women he usually spent time with. “I appreciate your concern, but I didn’t ask you to drive me to the hospital or to stay with me while I had my blood drawn or to threaten me with mouth-to-mouth.”

He let out an exaggerated sigh. “I’m aware you’d rather have faced George again than for me to have driven you home.”

That one had her backtracking a little. “That might be taking things too far.”

“Riding home with me is preferable to needles? Good to know.”

He was teasing her again, but the thought she was alone with him, sitting in his car parked in her driveway, truly did make her nervous.

He made her nervous.

Memories of his lips on her hand made her nervous.

Because she’d liked the warm pressure of his mouth.

Had registered the tingly pleasure despite the way her blood had pounded from terror over what George had been up to.

At the time, she’d known Lance had kissed her as a distraction from George more than from real desire. She might have been prickly, might still be prickly, but tonight’s blood draw had been one of the best she could recall, other than the whole passing-out thing. “Thank you for what you did at the emergency room.”

“My pleasure.”

“I didn’t mean that.”

“That?”

“You know.”

“Do I?” He looked innocent, but they both knew he was far, far from it.

“Quit teasing me.”

“But you’re so much fun to tease, McKenzie.” Neither of them made a move to get out of the car. “For the record, I was telling the truth.”

That kissing her hand had been his pleasure?

Her face heated.

His kissing her hand had been her pleasure. She hadn’t been so lost in Terrorville that she’d missed the fact that Lance had kissed her hand and it had felt good.

“I’m sorry tonight didn’t go as planned for your Christmas show.”

“A friend texted to let me know that they finished the show and although several left following the mayor’s incident, tonight’s our biggest fund-raiser yet.”

“That’s great.”

“It is. Keeping kids off the roads on graduation night is important.”

“Celebrate Graduation is a really good cause.” The program was something Lance had helped get started locally after he’d moved to Coopersville four years ago. McKenzie had been away doing her residency, but she’d heard many sing his praises. “Did your school have a similar program? Is that why you’re so involved?”

He shook his head. “No. My school didn’t. I wish they had.”

Something in his voice was off and had McKenzie turning to fully face him. Rather than give her time to ask anything further, he opened his car door and got out.

Which meant it was time for her to get out too.

Which meant she’d be going into her house.

Alone.

It wasn’t a good idea to invite Lance inside her place.

She dug her keys out of her purse and unlocked her front door, then turned to him to issue words that caused an internal tug-of-war of common courtesy and survival instincts.

“Do you want to come inside?”

His gaze searched hers then, to her surprise, he shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m going to head back to the community theater to help clean up.”

“Oh.”

“If I didn’t know better I’d think you were disappointed by my answer.”

Was she?

That wasn’t disappointment moving through her chest. Probably just indigestion from the stress of having to get blood drawn. Or something like that.

She lifted her chin and looked him square in the eyes. “I’m sorry I kept you from things you needed to be doing.”

“I’m sure the crew has things under control, but I usually help straighten things up. Afterward, we celebrate another successful show, which I’m calling tonight despite everything that happened, because you were there and I got to spend time with you.”

She glanced at her watch. “You’re going out?”

“To an after-show party at Lanette and Roger Anderson’s place. Lanette is one of the female singers and who I asked to take over emceeing for me.” He mentioned a couple of the songs she’d done that night and a pretty brunette with an amazing set of pipes came to mind.

“She will have their place all decked out with Christmas decorations and will have made lots of food,” he continued. “You want to come with me?”

She immediately shook her head. “No, thanks. I ate at the dinner show.”

He laughed. “I thought you’d say no.”

“You should have said you had somewhere you needed to be.”

“And keep you from sweating over whether or not you were going to invite me in? Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re a decent human being?”

“I am a decent human being. I have references, remember?”

“Mothers don’t count.”

“Mothers count the most,” he corrected.

When had he moved so close? Why wasn’t she backing away from him? Any moment now she expected him to close the distance between their mouths. He was that close. So close that if she stretched up on her tippy-toes her lips would collide with his.

She didn’t stretch.

Neither did he close the distance between their mouths. Instead, he cupped her jaw and traced over her chin with his thumb. “You could easily convince me to change my plans.”

His breath was warm against her face.

“Why would I want to do that?” But her gaze was on his mouth, so maybe her question was a rhetorical one.

He laughed and again she felt the pull of his body.

“You should give me a chance to make this up to you by taking you to the hospital Christmas party next weekend.”

“I can take myself.”

“You can, but you shouldn’t have to.”

“To think I need a man to do things for me would be a mistake. I started wearing my big-girl panties a long time ago.”

His eyes twinkled. “Prove it.”

“You wish.”

“Without a doubt.”

Yet he hadn’t attempted to kiss her, hadn’t taken up her offer to come inside her place where he could have attempted to persuade her into something physical. Instead, he’d said she could convince him to change his plans. He’d given her control, left the power in her hands about what happened next.

“I’ll see you bright and early Monday morning, McKenzie.”

“Have fun at your party.”

“You could go with me and have fun, too.”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t want to cramp your style.”

His brows made a V. “My style?”

“What if you met someone you wanted to take home with you?”

“I already have met someone I want to take home with me. She keeps telling me no.”

“I’m not talking about me.”

“I am talking about you.”

Exasperation filled her. She wasn’t sure if it was from his insistence that he wanted her or the fact that he hadn’t kissed her. Maybe both. “Would you please be serious?”

His thumb slid across her cheek in a slow caress. “Make no mistake, McKenzie. I am serious when I say that I’d like to explore the chemistry between us.”

Shivers that had nothing to do with the December weather goose-pimpled her body.

“Why should I take you seriously?” she challenged. “We’ve been standing on my porch for five minutes and you haven’t threatened mouth-to-mouth again. Much less actually made a move. I don’t know what to think where you’re concerned.”

That’s when he did what she’d thought he would do all along. It had taken her throwing down a gauntlet of challenge to prompt him into action. Lance bent just enough to close the gap between their mouths.

The pressure of his lips was gentle, warm, electric and made time stand still.

Her breath caught and yet he made her pant with want for more. She went to deepen the kiss, to search his lips for answers as to why he made her nervous, why he made her feel so alive, why he made her want to run and stay put at the same time. She closed her eyes and relaxed against the hard length of his body. He felt good. Her hands went to his shoulders, his broad shoulders that her fingers wanted to dig into.

“Good night, McKenzie,” he whispered against her lips, making her eyes pop open.

“Unless you text or call saying you want to see me before then, I’ll see you bright and early Monday morning. Good luck with your run tomorrow.” With that he stepped back, stared into her eyes for a few brief seconds then headed toward his car.

“I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you,” she called from where she stood on the porch.

He just laughed. “Thank you for my mouth-to-mouth, McKenzie. I’ve never felt more alive. Sweet dreams.”

“You’re not welcome,” she muttered under her breath while he got into his car, then had the audacity to wave goodbye before pulling out of her driveway. Blasted man.

McKenzie’s dreams weren’t sweet.

They were filled with hot, sweaty, passionate kisses.

So much so that when she woke, glanced at her phone and saw that it was only a little after midnight, she wanted to scream in protest. She’d been asleep for less than an hour. Ugh.

She should text him to tell him to get out of her dreams and to stay out. She didn’t want him there.

Wouldn’t he get a kick out of that?

Instead, she closed her eyes and prayed.

Please go back to sleep.

Please don’t dream of Lance.

Please no more visions of Lance kissing me and me begging for so much more instead of watching him drive away.

Please don’t let me beg a man for anything. I don’t want to be like my mother.

I won’t be like my mother.

CHAPTER FOUR

EDITH WINTERS CAME into the clinic at least once a month, always with a new chief complaint. Although she had all the usual aging complaints that were all too real, most of the time McKenzie thought the eighty-year-old was lonely and came in to be around other humans who cared about her.

The woman lived alone, had no local family, and her only relative as far as McKenzie knew was a son who lived in Florida and rarely came home to visit.

“How long have these symptoms been bothering you, Mrs. Winters?”

“Since last week.”

Last week. Because when you had severe abdominal pain and no bowel movements for four days it was normal to wait a week to seek care. Not.

“I didn’t want to bother anyone.”

“Any time a symptom is severe and persistent, you need to be checked further.”

“I would have come sooner if I’d gotten worse.”

Seriously, she’d seen Edith less than a month ago and it had only been two weeks prior to that she’d been in the clinic for medication refills. Severe abdominal pain and no bowel movement was a lot more than what usually prompted her to come to the clinic. “What made you decide you needed to be seen?”

The woman had called and, although McKenzie’s schedule had been full, she’d agreed for the woman to be checked. She’d grown quite fond of the little lady and figured she’d be prescribing a hug and reassurance that everything was fine.

“There was blood when I spit up this morning.”

McKenzie’s gaze lifted from her laptop. “What do you mean, when you spat up?”

Her nurse had said nothing about spitting up blood.

“It wasn’t really a throw-up, but I heaved and there was bright red blood mixed in with the stuff that came up.”

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