An Unexpected Kiss (3 page)

Three
days
later, Lucy woke up to a headache, fever and a sore throat. It felt like
overnight she’d swallowed a bunch of razor blades. She was going to kill Lance.
He’d called Monday morning to tell her his culture was positive for strep
throat.

Someone
pounded on her door. “Luce, Mom said if you don’t get up you’re gonna miss out
on breakfast.”

“I’m not
hungry,” she moaned. “You can have my share.”

“Thanks,
sis!”

Landon
was fifteen and had a bottomless stomach. The kid was already six feet and
probably would grow a few more inches if he followed in his older brother’s
footsteps. At seventeen, Logan had surpassed their father’s height of six two. Both
boys were as handsome as their father, inheriting his dark hair.

Although
she didn’t feel like getting out of bed, Lucy needed to get up and make an
appointment with Doc Taggart. The sooner she got on antibiotics, the sooner she
could get better. Tomorrow the Polar Express came to town. She and her family
always went on the train ride, and she wasn’t going to miss it, especially
since the huge snowstorm on Saturday had dumped twelve inches of fresh snow. The
scenery would be just as magical as the train ride.

Rolling
over, she climbed out of bed. She swallowed, and yelped in pain. Last night,
she and her family attended the reading of The Night Before Christmas in Town
Square, followed by hot chocolate. She’d noticed then that her throat was a
little sore, but kept thinking it was only due to the cold weather.

Lance
hadn’t come to the reading last night since some of the cattle on the ranch had
been attacked by a wolf. He and the other ranch hands had been out hunting down
the rogue animal before it killed any more of the stock.

Lucy felt
like hunting him down. She still couldn’t believe he’d kissed her when he was
sick.

Making it
into the bathroom, Lucy washed her face and brushed her teeth. She felt a tiny
bit guilty for kissing a total stranger. Just because he looked nice didn’t
mean he wasn’t carrying some nasty disease. That had been a really stupid move
on her part.

Except,
last night she’d had several dreams about Cole and his gorgeous blue eyes. They’d
been kissing, and it was just as good in her dreams as it had been in real
life.

When Lance
called last night, he’d asked if Lucy had heard from the guy at the airport.
Lucy could honestly answer no. She’d have to come up with an excuse, like Cole
had to fly home for a family emergency, or Lance would ask more and more
questions about him. Lucy would probably need to think of a last name for the
guy so it sounded more legit.

Another
knock sounded on her door. “Lucy, honey. Can I come in?”

Her
mother might drive her crazy, but she was the best kind of mom to have when you
were sick.

“Yeah,
Mom.”

Lila
Phillips swept into the room, looking beautiful and put together, her blonde
hair brushing her shoulders. At forty-seven, her mother had often been mistaken
for Lucy’s older sister.

“Landon
said you aren’t hungry.” She studied Lucy and frowned. “Oh dear, you look
awful. Are you coming down with something?”

“Yes, I
was…um, exposed to strep throat a few days ago. I need to get in to see Doc
Taggart.”

Her
mother came over and placed the back of her hand to Lucy’s forehead. “You
definitely have a fever.”

Lucy
swallowed and winced. “My throat is killing me.”

“You get
dressed, and I’ll call and make an appointment for you. William should be able
to squeeze you in, especially since I’m helping with the bake sale benefitting
the hospital this evening.”

“Thanks,
Mom.”

Her mom
leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “Come to the kitchen as soon as
you’re ready and I’ll have a nice cup of peppermint tea waiting for you. It’ll
soothe your sore throat. I’ve also got the liquid ibuprofen Landon had after
his tonsillectomy last year which will help reduce your fever.”

Lucy
nodded her head. It hurt to talk.

A couple
of hours later, Lucy dressed in a black tunic sweater, paired with her reindeer-printed, black and white wool leggings. After sipping the peppermint tea and
taking the ibuprofen, she felt marginally better. Enough so that she pulled her
hair into a messy ponytail, and actually put on a little makeup so she didn’t
look too horrible.

She
glanced at the clock and realized if she didn’t hurry, she’d be late for her
appointment. Doc Taggart worked her in right before his lunch break. With her
dad at his office, Logan at school, and her mother attending a meeting
about tonight’s charity event, Lucy was driving herself over to the doctor’s
office.

Her
mother had suggested she call Lance to drive her, but Lucy wasn’t dying, and
the roads were all clear. Plus, Lance was the reason she was sick in the first
place. At least her mother hadn’t protested too hard when Lucy reminded her how
contagious she was until she got on antibiotics.

Grabbing
her purse, Lucy slipped her cell phone in the front pocket and stepped into the
garage. She shivered, and snuggled into the wool coat her mother let her
borrow. After chiding Lucy for not remembering her coat, she let her choose one
from her closet. At least her mother had good taste when it came to clothing.
Similar in height and size, they’d often share clothes.

Dad’s
white Camry sat in the third stall. An insurance broker, her father liked
driving the sedan when he had to take clients out to dinner. When Lucy visited
home, her father took his SUV to work and let her use the Camry. Lucy was the
only child her dad let drive the car. Logan had already wrecked his truck
twice, and Dad didn’t trust him behind the wheel of the other vehicles in the
family.

On her
way to the doctor, Lucy drove past the high school. The marquee out front had
the information for the city sponsored upcoming Christmas dance. She groaned,
knowing Lance expected an answer soon. She couldn’t afford to be sick. She had
to find Lance a girlfriend.

The
doctor’s office didn’t look too busy. Lucy parked, and went inside. She loved
Doc Taggart. He’d been her doctor for as long as she could remember. At least
being sick would let her see him sooner than later.

The
waiting area was empty. Melanie Archer, the receptionist, knew Lucy, and
grinned widely. “Lucy Phillips. It’s so nice to see you again. Although, I’m
sorry you’re sick, hon.”

“It’s
good to see you too,” Lucy said, signing in. “How are your girls?”

“Good.
They’re both in high school now, and going to the Christmas Ball. We’ve been
shopping for dresses for two weeks now, and haven’t found a thing.” She shook
her head. “The price of one of those dresses cost more than my wedding dress.”

Lucy used
to babysit Melanie’s girls. The dance would be a fun place to see many of her old
friends. She didn’t want to be paired with Lance, making people believe they
were a couple. She really needed to find him another date.

“Have a
seat, sweetie and the nurse will come and get you in a minute.”

“Okay.
Thank you.”

She sat
down and thumbed through a magazine full of fun Christmas ideas. Lucy loved
anything and everything about Christmas. As soon as she felt better, she’d make
up a batch of sugar cookie dough and get her little brothers to make Christmas
cookies with her.

A few
minutes later, a nurse Lucy didn’t recognize called her back. She stopped in
front of the digital scales. “We need to get a current weight.”

Usually
Lucy liked to strip down before stepping on a scale. At the very least, she
never left her shoes on, but she was too tired for any of that. Leaving her UGG
boots on, she stepped on the platform and closed her eyes. Lucy wasn’t
overweight, but there is something unsettling about watching the numbers rise
at an accelerated rate.

“Okay,
let’s put you in room three.”

Lucy
followed her into the room, and sat on the exam table. Her throat started to
sting again as the older woman took her blood pressure, and checked her pulse
rate and oxygen levels, which were all normal.

“You’ve
got a slight fever,” she said, after taking Lucy’s temperature. “Have you had
any medication?”

“Yes. My
mom gave me some ibuprofen a couple of hours ago.”

“Can you
tell me what your symptoms are?”

“My
throat is killing me. I think I might have strep throat.”

The nurse
clicked her tongue against her teeth. “We’ve seen a lot of that going around.
Sit tight, and Doc Taggart will see you in a few minutes.”

“Thank
you.”

As soon
as the nurse left, Lucy realized she didn’t feel very good. Getting ready and
then coming to the doctor’s office had worn her out. She felt a little dizzy
and decided to lie down on the exam table.

The
bright lights hurt her eyes, even with them closed, so she draped her mother’s
scarf over her eyes. Soon after, she heard the door open and Doc Taggart’s
friendly voice.

“Lucy
Phillips. Are you still causing trouble?”

“Always,”
she said, and started to sit up.

Doc
Taggart placed his hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to get up, honey. I
can ask my questions while you’re lying down.”

“Thank
you. I can’t believe how yucky I feel.”

She
thought she heard the door open again, but then Doc Taggart spoke. “The nurse
said your throat hurts, and you’ve got a fever. Anything else?”

“My head
really hurts.”

“Hmm, it
could be a nasty virus that’s going around town.”

“I think
I have strep throat.”

“That’s
been going around too. Have you been exposed to anyone with strep?”

Lucy
laughed, and then wished she hadn’t. It really hurt to laugh. “You could say
that.”

“Stop
being cryptic. Who coughed all over you,” Doc Taggart joked.

Lucy
should leave it at that, but Dr. Taggart had always had such a good sense of
humor, and she liked making him laugh. “This stays between you and me, but when
I was at the airport on Saturday some stupid guy kissed me.” Since Lance was
also one of Doc Taggart’s patients, she decided to leave out his name.

The
doctor snorted a laugh. “Yep, you’re still causing trouble.” He took her hand
and tugged. “Sit up and let’s take a look.”

Lucy
pulled the scarf off, and sat up. She squinted against the light. Doc Taggart
stood in front of her grinning. It was the man standing behind him that made
Lucy gasp, “What are you doing here?”

Cole
wanted
to ask Lucy the same thing, but he was still reeling from her comment about a
stupid guy kissing her. Did he need to remind her that she’d asked him to kiss
her?

His uncle
looked between Cole and Lucy, confusion clearly written all over his face. “You
two know each other?”

“You
could say that.” Cole smirked a little when Lucy looked slightly panicked.

“Hey,”
she said, nervously. “Just so you know, you’re not the stupid guy that kissed
me.”

Cole
lifted a brow.

“I mean,
you kissed me, but you’re not stupid. At least I don’t think you are.”

That was
debatable. Right now, however, it was plain dumb luck to find the girl that had
plagued his dreams since Saturday sitting in front of him.

His uncle
guffawed loudly. “I can attest he’s not stupid.” He patted Cole affectionately
on the back. “This boy scored in the ninetieth percentile on his medical
boards.”

Her eyes
widened. “You’re a doctor?”

Uncle
Will snickered again. “Darlin’, you’re looking at my replacement.” He winked at
Lucy. “But don’t worry. Even though I’m retiring at the end of the year, you’ll
still get to see Dr. Taggart.”

Silence
followed his uncle’s announcement. Finally, Uncle Will turned and handed Cole
Lucy’s chart. “Since you already know Lucy, I’ll leave her in your capable
hands.”

“You’re
leaving?” Lucy asked, sounding a little alarmed.

“Cole is
a fantastic doctor, and I’ve got another appointment I can’t miss.” He walked
toward the door. “Good to see you again, Lucy. Cole will have you feeling
better in no time.”

Uncle
Will slipped out the door, closing it firmly behind him. His next appointment
was his lunch date with Beverly.

Cole
glanced down at the chart he held. “Lucy Phillips. Age twenty-five.”

“If you
read my weight out loud I’ll throw something at you.”

Fighting
a smile, Cole lifted his face and met her silvery blue eyes. “So, after
you
ordered me to kiss you and then I left, who else got snared by you?”

“For the
record, I only ordered you to give me one little kiss.
You
were the one
who kissed me a second time.”

Cole felt
his neck flush. Yeah, he had kissed her twice. Probably would’ve done it again
if not for the multi-car pileup.

“I was
just trying to make your boyfriend back off. That’s what you wanted, right?”

“He isn’t
my boyfriend. At least he hasn’t been for more than seven years. He just
doesn’t want to accept that.”

“So you
roped another man into kissing you?”

“No! It’s
not like I make a habit out of kissing strange men.”

Cole
narrowed his gaze. Was that an intentional pun?

The
corner of her mouth twitched slightly. “Lance wasn’t too threatened by you,
especially after you ran off and left me stranded at the terminal.”

“Excuse
me?” How was this his fault?

“He was
suspicious we weren’t all that serious.”

“We’re
not.”

She
rolled her eyes. “I know that, but he didn’t. After you left, he wanted to
prove something and kissed me.”

For some
reason a twinge of something that felt like jealousy tightened Cole’s gut. “Did
he prove something to you?”

She
stared at Cole, her cheeks growing pink. Quickly she dropped her gaze, and
lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Not really.”

She was
hiding something. Cole wished he could dig a little deeper, but this
conversation was so far from a professional doctor-patient relationship that he
needed to get things back on track.

“Okay, so
you kissed Lance.”

Her head
shot up. “He kissed me, but I didn’t kiss him back.”

She had
certainly kissed Cole back which could only mean…she’d liked his kiss. A surge
of satisfaction coursed through his veins. He couldn’t hold back a smile.
“Thank you for clarifying that.”

The glare
she gave him made his smile widen. “Go on,” he said smugly.

“After he
kissed me, he announced he was sick, and probably had strep throat.”

Cole
couldn’t help it. He laughed out loud.

“Look,
Dr. Taggart, I’m glad you find this so funny, but contrary to popular belief,
laughter is not the best medicine. I need an antibiotic. Lance called yesterday
and told me his culture came back positive for strep.”

Stifling
the urge to laugh again, he stepped toward her. “I’ll need to take a look at
your throat.”

“Do you
need me to stick out my tongue? Because I’ll gladly do it.”

She was a
feisty little thing. He liked that. “Nope. Just open wide and say
aaahhh
.”

Plucking
a tongue depressor out of the jar, he examined Lucy’s throat. He felt guilty
for laughing. Her throat looked raw. “I don’t think we’ll need to get a culture,
especially since Lance’s test came back positive.”

Cole
tossed the tongue depressor in the garbage and brought both of his hands up to
palpitate the sides of Lucy’s neck with his fingers. The second he touched her,
she went completely still. Cole felt the swollen glands, and caught the scent
of her flowery perfume while he was at it. It was highly unprofessional to feel
attracted to a patient. After today, he’d suggest she find another doctor to
treat her.

“Do your
ears hurt?” he asked, trying to maintain a steady voice.

She shook
her head.

“I’m just
going to take a quick look.” He grabbed the otoscope and turned on the light.
Taking a gentle hold of her earlobe, he got close and peered inside her ear.
The ear looked normal. He looked at the other ear, telling himself not to
notice how good she smelled. “Both of them look good.”

She was
very quiet, and only nodded her head.

He
unwound the stethoscope from around his neck and approached her. “I’m just
going to listen to your heart and lungs.”

Never
before had something so routine felt like it bordered on inappropriate, but he needed
to be thorough. The bacteria that caused strep throat could sometimes result in
rheumatic fever and damage the valves of the heart.

Carefully,
Cole pulled down the neck of the sweater just enough to get his stethoscope in
the right place. Thankfully, he’d done so many exams he knew exactly where to
place it, which wasn’t anywhere near her womanly curves.

The
doctor part of him kicked in, and he determined her heart sounded healthy. He listened
to her breath sounds, and found them clear. “I’m going to give you a
prescription for an antibiotic. Do you have any medication allergies?”

“I’m
allergic to penicillin.”

Cole
pulled out the prescription pad and wrote out the prescription. While his handwriting
wasn’t too bad, he missed the computer setup from his office in California. A
few clicks of the mouse and he could print out the prescription.

“Be sure
and get started on this right away,” Cole said, detaching the prescription and
handing it to Lucy.

“Thank
you.” She scooted forward and got down from the exam table. “How long before
I’m not contagious anymore?”

“You
won’t be able to kiss anyone else for at least twenty-four hours.”

She cut
him a scathing look. “Ha ha. For your information, I don’t plan on kissing any
more men in the foreseeable future.” She slipped the strap of her purse over
her shoulder. “Tomorrow the Polar Express comes to town, and I don’t want to
miss going with my family.”

For the
first time, Cole noticed the reindeer print on her leggings. Not every woman
could get away with wearing tights, but Lucy looked pretty good. Forcing his
thoughts away from how attractive he found her, Cole picked up her chart.

“As long
as you feel up to it, you should be fine. In the meantime, drink plenty of
fluids and try to rest. If you don’t see any improvement after taking the
antibiotics for three days, call and we can put you on something else.”

“All
right.” She hesitated for a few seconds. “Look, I’m really sorry I made you
kiss me. It didn’t even work. Lance still won’t take no for an answer.”

Cole tried
not to be offended, and was tempted to tell her he would be willing to do a
more convincing job if she wanted. “Should I apologize?”

A small
smile curved her lips. “Not necessary.” She held up her prescription. “I better
go get this filled so I won’t miss out on anymore annual Christmas events. I’m
sad I won’t be able to help the kids out this evening with the Christmas cookie
decorating party.”

“There’s
always next year.”

“True.”
She turned and opened the door. Before leaving the exam room, she looked back
at him over her shoulder. “By the way, your kissing skills were never in
question. Lance hasn’t given up in seven years, and I doubt he ever will unless
I get married or I find him another girlfriend.”

With
that, she disappeared out the door. Cole stood there grinning like an idiot. So
he had kissing skills, did he?

Over the
years, he’d won awards both for his academics and athleticism. Right now,
however, praise for his kissing ability from Lucy Phillips was, by far, his
greatest achievement. Though he knew he should leave it at that, Cole wanted
another chance to demonstrate to Lucy just how talented he was.