She glowed under his praise, her cheeks burning with instant heat.
He gave her a two-finger salute and then left the room. She turned back to the child and sent his mother a look of apology. But the mom just smiled and winked.
“He is a good-looking man, yes?”
Maren smiled. “Yes, he certainly is that.”
She patted the child’s arm and then ruffled his dark hair. “Okay, you’re all set,” she said in Spanish. “Keep the bandages on and let your mother apply ointment and rewrap it. We don’t want it to get infected, and whatever you do, don’t pick at it.”
Then to the mother she said, “Keep watch for signs of infection. If he starts running a fever or the wound gets red or starts looking infected, come back and I can give him an injection of antibiotics. Keep it clean and dry.”
The mother nodded and then thanked Maren. She smiled at both and then led them from the exam room back to the waiting area, where Steele was just locking up.
When he saw them, he opened the door to let the mom and child out. He ruffled the child’s hair and spoke to him in Spanish. The child beamed back and then followed his mother outside.
Steele closed the door and turned back to Maren. “I’ll wait out here until you finish and then let the last patient out. How long do you normally stay after your last patient? Do you have to do paperwork or catch up on other stuff? You’ve been working nonstop today seeing patients.”
Then he frowned. “You didn’t even take a break to eat lunch.”
“Neither did you,” she pointed out.
He shrugged. “I’ve gone a hell of a lot longer than that without eating. Skipping one meal doesn’t bother me.”
“Me either. I often work through lunch. It’s not fair to make them all wait so I can take an hour lunch. My clinic doesn’t have set hours. If there are patients to be seen, I see them and I eat afterward.”
“You got a grill?”
She blinked at the sudden change in topic. “Yeah, a small one. Nothing huge or anything.”
“Big enough to cook the steaks I saw in your freezer? Or at least I think that’s what they were.”
She smiled. “Yep. One of the locals gifted me with four steaks from a cow they butchered recently. I suck at grilling and I hate the idea of them going to waste, but I didn’t want to refuse and hurt the man’s feelings.”
“I’ll throw them on the grill once we get back to your place. You can relax, put your feet up, and drink a cup of your tea while I make us dinner.”
Her heart did a funny twist in her chest, and warmth invaded her veins. How they’d gotten from one night of never-to-be-repeated sex to acting like a couple was beyond her, but she’d hold on to the dream for as long as it lasted. There was plenty of time for reality to sink in later. Much, much later, if she had her way about it.
Carpe diem. It was fast becoming her motto.
“That’s a deal,” she said. “Let me run back and see what I’m dealing with and then we’ll get on out of here.”
Thirty minutes later, Steele waited as she locked the door behind them, and then he looped an arm around her shoulders as they began the walk back to her cottage.
Thanks to Steele’s help, what would normally have been a very long day, with the number of patients who’d come through her clinic, they’d finished before dark and the sun was only just starting its descent on the horizon. The sky was painted pink and gold with lavender shades blending. It was a perfect late afternoon, verging on dusk. Sipping a hot cup of tea while Steele manned the grill was about as perfect an evening she could ask for.
He pulled her closer still, until she was nestled against his side as he matched his stride to hers. She was in no hurry, savoring the usually tedious, routine path that she’d walked hundreds of times before. But with him it was a new experience. Companionship, intimacy. Things she hadn’t enjoyed until now.
Being with him brought home just how isolated her life was. Her schedule was fixed, rarely deviating from the norm. She woke, she worked, she came home. Wash, rinse and repeat. But today had been a wonderful change to her monotonous routine.
She slid her arm around his waist and leaned further into him, enjoying the feel of his muscled frame against her.
“Thanks again for today,” she said softly. “I liked having you there.”
She hoped she wasn’t saying too much or that he’d take it as a hint or invitation. She didn’t want to come across as demanding or expectant. But she wasn’t going to be so nonchalant about his presence today. She didn’t care if he knew just how much she’d liked having him around. The sex was great. No denying that. But his company was nice too. Just being together, even with her working. It had been nice to look up and see him there in her space. In her life.
He squeezed her shoulder, pressing her more firmly into his side. “I liked being there. I was impressed, Maren. I don’t think I could do what you do every day.”
“But you do. Sorta. You help people. I help people. We just do it differently.”
“I guess you’re right. But each mission is different. I never know going in what exactly I’m dealing with. You do the same thing day in, day out. And yet you don’t act like you’re fatigued with it. You had a smile for each patient and you looked genuinely interested in them. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it didn’t look to me like you ran through your patients robotically, working by rote. You personalized each exam. You treated them like real people. Not all doctors do that.”