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Books by Gina Wilkins
Chapter One “A unt Shannon, watch me!” “Aunt Shannon, catch!” “Aunt Shannon, I’m swimming. See?” “Aunt Shannon, Aunt Shannon!” The woman who was obviously “Aunt Shannon” laughed as she turned from one side to another in the hip-deep water of the lake, trying to respond to the half dozen children competing for her attention. From his lounge chair in a shady spot on the beach nearby, James Stillman watched her in fascination. Somewhere in her mid- to late-twenties, she wasn’t exactly beautiful, though he found the expressive face framed by a mop of red curls to be very intriguing. She looked a little familiar, but he couldn’t remember ever meeting her before—and he couldn’t imagine that he would have forgotten if he had. Her slender body was nicely displayed in a bright yellow bikini that bared just the right amount of fair skin to be neither too modest nor too brazen. He hoped she was wearing sun-screen. Though it was late afternoon and the most dangerous UV rays were beginning to fade,
Chapter One
Chapter Two I t was, to say the least, an interesting meal. The Gambill clan was as colorful as their hair. They talked a lot, and everyone at once, so it was sometimes hard to follow all the conversations going on around him. He tried to keep them all straight—the men talked about baseball, Karen and Stacy chatted about their kids, Virginia and Lois seemed determined to learn everything there was to know about James, Shannon kept up a running beneath-her-breath commentary, and the kids interrupted every few moments with requests, tattling and other bids for attention. “What type of medicine do you want to practice, James?” Virginia asked, cutting off a sports comment from her husband. “I’m considering pediatric infectious disease, though I find pulmonology intriguing, too.” He saw no need to mention that he had a younger cousin with cystic fibrosis, which perhaps explained his interest in pulmonology. Watching Kelly’s lifelong battle with the disease and hearing about the excellent ca
Chapter Two
Chapter Three I f James heard any suspicion in her question, it didn’t show in his easy smile. “I’m here to buy a gift for a friend’s daughter. Maybe you could help me choose something? To be honest, I’m clueless when it comes to that sort of thing.” She eyed him with a frown. Was he really here only to buy a gift? He had just happened to come to the store where she worked for the purchase? She was pretty sure he’d heard the name of the store at the picnic. Had he come here today because she might be here, or was that speculation just conceit on her part? The store manager, Bill Travis, walked by just in time to hear James’s comment. He smiled at the potential customer, then glanced at Shannon as if wondering what was taking her so long to reply. “She’ll be glad to help you, sir. Don’t hesitate to ask Shannon for any assistance you need.” James nodded at the passing manager. “Thanks.” Bill shot another look at Shannon, then continued on toward the back of the store where the offices an
Chapter Three
Chapter Four S hannon wasn’t known to be timid under any circumstances and rarely had difficulty speaking her mind. She freely admitted there were times when she was too quick to speak, blurting out whatever ran through her head, a tendency she had to fight on a daily basis. She’d always believed somewhat ruefully that she’d inherited the tendency from her mother’s side of the family. So, she didn’t know why she was having so much trouble trying to decide what to say to James. Maybe because her runaway mouth had made such a hash of things when she’d spoken with him in the toy store. Not that she could tell by looking at him that she had ruffled him in the least. His expression was distantly courteous, and his shuttered dark eyes held no particular emotion. The faint smile that could be charming and intriguing was merely polite now. “Yes?” he prompted when her hesitation lasted a bit too long. “I’m not sure I thanked you properly for recommending my services to your friend. At this stag
Chapter Four
Chapter Five P arents arrived to collect their daughters right on time and it didn’t take long to wrap up the kids’ party. As she began to gather her decorations and supplies, Shannon judged the event an unequivocal success. The girls all seemed to be smiling as they departed, carrying party favors in their lavishly decorated tote bags. “Let me help you haul some of that stuff to your car,” Connor offered, handing the camera he’d been snapping to Mia, who was helping Alexis take her gifts inside. “I’ll help, too.” Appearing suddenly at Shannon’s side, James relieved her of the lidded plastic container she’d been holding. “You guys don’t have to do this,” she protested, even as the men were already moving toward the front of the house with their loads. “Go back and join your friends. It will only take me a few minutes to—” But they had already rounded the corner of the house, leaving her talking to thin air. Sighing, she began to pack away the last of the supplies she’d brought with her
Chapter Five
Chapter Six J ames half expected the entire Gambill family to be gathered in the children’s hospital waiting room when he entered behind Shannon. He noted quickly that her many nieces and nephews were absent, which he privately considered a wise call. Other children whined and dashed recklessly through the large, open area filled with couches, chairs and magazine-littered tables, but he’d never considered a hospital lobby a healthy or appropriate environment for kids. He supposed there were times when parents couldn’t find other care for their offspring, but Shannon’s family seemed to have managed. At a glance, he identified her parents, Hollis and Virginia, her brother, Stu, her sister, Stacy—the distraught mother—and a uniformed man he’d never met before, whom he assumed to be Stacy’s police-officer husband. Only Stu’s wife, Karen, was missing—she must be on child-care duty. The names came easily to him and it was obvious they remembered him, too. Virginia reached out to him immediat
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven I t was after ten when James drove Shannon home from the dinner theater that night. She had suggested they meet at the theater, but he’d gently overridden her that time. It was much more efficient to share a car, he’d pointed out, deciding he’d have better luck with that argument than to voice concerns about her safety leaving the theater well after dark. She had conceded without argument, but he could tell she didn’t entirely buy his reasoning. He had to be at the hospital in less than eight hours, but he was in no hurry to leave her. He’d had a good time with her that evening—as he always did—even though she’d been pretty much railroaded by her family into accepting his company. It had occurred to him during the evening that his parents would have hated every minute of the outing. The food at the theater had been buffet-style, simple meats and veggies and casseroles aimed to please a variety of tastes, especially the middle-aged and senior citizens who seemed to make up
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight “Y our parties sound great,” James said as he helped Shannon clear away the dishes after the meal, coordinating their movements in the tight space to keep from stumbling into each other. She did a few quick sidesteps to keep from brushing against him as she loaded the dishwasher, her pulse racing a little more each time they accidentally made contact. “I have a feeling your business is going to be very successful once you get more fully established.” Trying to keep her thoughts focused on the conversation and the task at hand, she replied, “I hope you’re right. My family keeps warning me that it’s difficult to make a living in a small business venture like mine.” He shrugged. “Lots of people make a living running their own businesses. With enough passion and enough hustle, there’s no reason you can’t make a success of it. And you seem to have both.” She beamed at him. “Thank you. That’s exactly the way I feel about it. Passionate and willing to hustle.” “It shows,” he ass
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine “I could get used to being waited on like this,” Mia said with a laugh when only the women were left at the table. “Of course you know it could be a while before the men come back. Look at that group of guys gabbing by the goodies table. And they say we’re the talkative ones.” “Uh-oh, looks like Margo has cornered Liam,” Haley said to Anne, glancing meaningfully across the room. “Think we should go rescue him?” Anne shook her head. “Liam is used to people wanting to be his buddy because they’re impressed by his celebrity. He can handle it.” Mia focused on Shannon. “I’m glad you could join us tonight, Shannon. I’ve wanted to tell you again how much Alexis enjoyed her party. She’s looking forward to McKenzie’s karaoke party next month. I know you’ll do a great job with it.” “I’ve been working on a pop-star theme for that one. Like the TV show? They’ll be able to sing and everyone will get themed prizes like tiaras and glittery microphones and feather boas and splashy costume
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten “Y ou really were surprised, weren’t you?” “I really was surprised.” “And you had a good time?” “I had a great time. The best time of my life, perhaps.” Shannon smiled contentedly. James had assured her several times that he’d loved the surprise birthday party his friends had thrown for him, but she still liked hearing it. She would remember all her life the look on his face when he had realized the party was on his behalf. That the shiny decorations and the beautiful cake and the balloons and gifts had all been provided for him. That his friends and classmates cared enough about him to go to that much trouble to make sure his thirtieth birthday was celebrated in proper fashion. They had just walked into his place—the first time she’d actually seen the roomy, upscale condo. In the daylight, she knew he would have a lovely view of the red bluffs of the Arkansas River from the large balcony on the other side of spotless glass doors. Now, in darkness, the river looked like rip
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven S eattle was as beautiful as it had been billed, lush with the greenery that had earned it the nickname The Emerald City, surrounded by water and mountain ranges. The population was as diverse as the architecture and the many parks and public attractions tempted residents and visitors alike to spend a great deal of time outdoors. A center of research and technology, the city bustled with energy and activity, yet had a generally relaxed atmosphere that set it apart from some of the other large metropolitan areas James had visited. He could see himself living here if he decided to join the residency program at the highly respected children’s hospital. He liked the facility and the staff with whom he worked during his October rotation. When he wasn’t working, he explored the area, imagining himself making use of the jogging and biking trails, hiking and skiing in the towering Olympics and Cascades, sailing and kayaking on the many waterways. Yeah, he’d fit in fine here. Of
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
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