A Nurse to Tame the ER Doc
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Janice Lynn
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15
CHAPTER ONE
YES! NURSE TAYLOR HALL mentally pumped her fist in the air as she looked across the Rockin’ Tyme music festival medical tent at the tall man wearing a “Medical Staff” T-shirt and navy shorts.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Her body had noticed a man.
Sure, the current tingles were just sparks of physical attraction, but as she’d thought good old-fashioned lust a thing of the past at the age of twenty-five, Taylor cherished the incoming zings.
She wasn’t dead inside after all.
Her ex hadn’t accomplished quite as much as she’d given him credit for this past year. Thank God.
Seeming to sense someone was watching him, the medical staff hottie glanced up from the clipboard he’d been studying and met Taylor’s gaze with eyes so brilliant she questioned if they were colored contacts. She was positive she’d never met him, but recognition flashed in his baby blues and a huge smile lit his face.
Wow. Just wow.
Awareness sparks burst into blistering red-hot flames.
Crazy that something as simple as physical attraction could make her feel so ecstatic, especially since she wasn’t interested in a relationship, but Taylor credited the heat as a sign she was healing. She truly had progressed from the beaten down woman she’d been at her divorce a year ago.
Of course she had. She was a strong, independent woman who didn’t need a man to hold her hand. She held her future. No one else.
The job interview she’d gone to earlier that day had been yet another sign of how far she’d come. She’d moved on from the past and was taking charge of her life in new and exciting ways.
Curious at the man who’d awakened her libido when she’d been so oblivious to the opposite sex for so long, she took in his features. He wasn’t the most handsome man she’d ever seen, not even close to her ex’s Hollywood perfect good looks. But there was something about this guy that had drawn her attention the moment she’d stepped into the Rockin’ Tyme music festival medical tent, which was abuzz with activity.
His shoulder-length, sun-kissed brown hair, pulled back with a rubber band, and skin told a story of someone who loved to be outdoors and spent a lot of time doing so. Someone who didn’t worry about his outward appearance, but who’d been blessed with natural good looks. Friendly face and eyes, great smile, nice body, and if he was who she thought he was, he was Amy’s friend.
Her bestie had never liked Taylor’s ex.
Amy had said she would know Dr. Jackson Morgan when she saw him. Everything inside her had “known” this man—or sure wanted to.
Taylor smiled at the hunk standing twenty or so feet away. Would he think her certifiable if she walked over to thank him?
He immediately put his clipboard down on the table in front of him and crossed the tent. Had he read her mind and was going to say, “You’re welcome.”?
Ha. She’d hug him for real.
She fought back another smile and told herself to get a grip. Just because her body suddenly remembered it was female, it didn’t mean she would dare act on those zings. After the raking over the coals Neil had put her through, she had planned to avoid men forever. Not all men were like Neil. She knew that. But no matter how many sparks and tingles, no matter how excited she was that her insides weren’t dead, when it came to men, her brain warned her to steer clear.
Men weren’t worth the trouble.
Once upon a time she’d thought she needed one. The last year had taught her she was just fine without one.
Better than fine.
“Taylor, right?” He grinned, causing happy lines to fan out from his eyes.
Great smile, she thought again as she nodded. Genuine, not calculated. A smile that radiated as much from his eyes as his mouth.
“I’m not a crazy stalker.” He chuckled. “Amy Sellars told me to be on the lookout for you.”
Another wave of disappointment that Amy wasn’t there hit Taylor. Not that Amy could help it that her grandmother had fallen and broken a hip two states away, but Taylor had really been looking forward to catching up with her best friend. Amy had come to Louisville last summer immediately following the finalization of Taylor’s divorce, but that seemed forever ago, and Taylor hadn’t done much more than cry.
Tears for lost dreams and tears of happiness that she’d escaped Neil’s controlling, abusive hands.
“Amy has a picture of the two of you on her fireplace mantel,” the medical staffer continued. “I recognized you immediately.”
Taylor knew the photo he spoke of. She had the same one displayed at the tiny apartment she’d leased following moving out of Neil’s sprawling showplace. The photo was a close-up following her and Amy’s nurse pinning ceremony. Their smiles had been huge, as had their dreams for the future.
Her university roommate had tried for years to get Taylor to work the infamous annual festival that took place in her hometown. Taylor finally had and now Amy wasn’t even in town.
Agreeing to work the music festival had been more about spending time with her friend than the generous sum she’d be paid for her three twelve-hour shifts. But the extra pay wasn’t a bad thing.
Still, if her job interview that morning had gone as well as she thought, they’d soon have lots of catch-up time.
If all went according to plan, she’d be living with her former roomie yet again. Amy had tried to get Taylor to relocate last summer, but Taylor had needed to put her life back together on her own. She’d needed to stand on her own two feet. It would have been too easy to let Amy take over and just have gone through the motions.
Which was what Taylor had done her whole life.
Gone with the flow. Done what had been expected. First with her parents and then with Neil. She’d never stepped outside the boundaries they’d set. Not until she’d left Neil and filed for divorce.
She was a work in progress but was happy with the woman emerging from the wreck she’d been. She was still peeling back the layers of years of toeing the line, but most mornings she liked the person staring back at her in the mirror.
“Amy was excited you’re working the festival.”
Taylor’s attention zoned back in on the man who was studying her. The man who’d been inside her friend’s apartment.
Was Amy dating him? She hadn’t said so, but her friend had been enthusiastic when talking about him. She’d gotten the impression Amy had been hinting at a possible romance between Taylor and the doctor during the music festival, hints Taylor had ignored because she’d not been interested in a man since long before her divorce. She had no plans for a relationship and, even if she had, she’d just as soon have her fingernails ripped out as to get involved with another doctor.
He held out his hand. “Jackson Morgan.”
He’d introduced himself without using his medical title, something her ex would never have done. Kudos for that.
“Nice to meet you, Jackson.” Taylor returned his smile, shook his hand, and marveled at the tingles of awareness that shot up her arm at the warmth of his hand.
Men sworn off or not, the guy was electric.
“My friends call me Jack,” he commented as she pulled her hand free from his.
“Jack.” Taylor let the name roll off her tongue. “You’re the hotshot traveling emergency medicine doctor Amy works with at Rockin’ Tyme each year.”
“My reputation has preceded me yet again.” His eyes danced with mischief.
Taylor tried to recall what her friend had said but couldn’t pull up much. She’d thought Amy matchmaking when she’d gone on and on about the doctor they’d be working with at the festival. Taylor had been excited about seeing her best friend, not about meeting a man. What had Amy said?
“Good looking, funny—can’t wait for you to meet him. Think you’ll really like him. He’s the best.”
“Nothing bad,” she admitted, smiling at Jack. If he and Amy were an item, then good for her friend and even better for this guy. Any man would be lucky to call Amy his own. If he was good to her friend then, doctor or not, Taylor would hug him for a totally different reason than the one that had hit her upon first seeing him.
“Good to know she’s not talking smack about me.” He glanced around the medical tent, his gaze skimming over the cots along a far side where a group of workers was chatting. “I’ll miss her being here. Hated to hear about her grandmother.”
“That makes two of us. She convinced me to sign on and now she’s not here.” Following his gaze out the open flaps of the tent, she took a deep breath. “I can’t help but wonder what she’s gotten me into.”
“No worries. She made me promise to take good care of you.”
Taylor’s gaze cut to his. “Oh?”
He grinned, and his eyes crinkled. Wow, such a great smile. “At least a dozen times—and that was just this morning.”
Taylor smiled. Her friend always had looked out for her.
If only Taylor had listened better.
Jack working as a traveling doctor must create relationship problems. “Do you get to see her often?”
“I see Amy several times a week,” he answered, looking a little surprised at her question. “I liked Warrenville so much I temporarily relocated here a couple of months ago to fill in for a doctor on an extended medical leave.”
“Oh.” Had her perky friend influenced that decision? Good for Amy. Taylor was happy for her but why hadn’t Amy told her? Maybe her friend had been afraid of jinxing whatever was happening. Still, that Amy hadn’t mentioned their relationship made Taylor sad as once upon a time they’d shared everything.
Then again, hadn’t she put on a face for her friend for years? Not wanting Amy to know the truth behind her miserable marriage?
“Have you met the rest of the crew?” Jack asked, drawing her focus back.
Taylor shook her head. “Do you already know each other?”
“Mostly,” he admitted. “There are always a few new people, but most of us come back each year. It’s a tradition. A lot of the staff are locals, but some do travel. It’s a good bunch who work the medical tent. You’ll enjoy hanging with us.”
Either way, it was just for a few days so she’d survive. She’d survived worse. Besides, wasn’t she all about new life experiences and stepping outside the box she’d lived in for so long?
“How did you get involved with the festival?” she asked, glancing out the front of the medical tent to the “oasis” that was located about a hundred yards away. Fake palm trees planted in a huge sand pit with splash pools for play and cooling down during the hot July heat.
This was definitely a new life experience.
“Music festivals are in my blood. My grandparents were hippies and actually met at Woodstock.” Grinning, he made a peace sign with his fingers. “I’ve been going to festivals since before I could walk. My parents thought I’d grow up to be a musician—or a gypsy,” he added, chuckling. “But medicine called me. Since I left med school, I’ve worked numerous festivals every year so it’s a balance of work and play. Makes me feel I’ve evolved from those days of driving across the country with a car load of buddies with nothing on our brains except good music and good times.”
“Sounds like fun.” Taylor couldn’t imagine the carefree trips he was describing. Her strict parents had barely gotten by and Taylor had had her first job at fifteen. She’d been working ever since. Even then, there’d never been money or time for cross-country road trips to soak up the sun and music. For a short while early in their relationship she’d felt happiness and a sense of peace with Neil. After their wedding, nothing had been carefree during those torturous two years.
“The best.” Jack grinned, but something was off in his smile as he looked back out over the festival. “Let me give you the low down on how things will run the next few days in the tent and introduce you to the others.”
Taylor was scheduled to work Thursday and Friday from four a.m. to four p.m. and on Sunday from four p.m. to four a.m. on Monday.
“We’re on the same work schedule,” she commented, spotting Jack’s name on the schedule near hers.
“It’s not a coincidence,” he admitted, grinning. “Amy and you are purposely on the same schedule as mine. Didn’t see a reason to change it when Amy cancelled at the last minute. How else can I keep my promise if you and I are on different schedules?”
“How indeed?” At least she was guaranteed a friendly face during her shifts because Jack seemed to always smile. He was the most laidback person she’d encountered in a long time. Maybe ever. “Do most of the crew sleep or participate in the festival activities during their down time?”
“A mixture. Most take in a few concerts. But some hang around the camping area or leave the farm to check out local attractions.”
“Is that how you fell in love with the area?”
He hesitated a minute, then said, “Amy had a lot to do with that.”
If she’d had any doubt, there was her confirmation that there was something between her friend and Jack. She fought back a fresh twinge of disappointment that he was taken, reminded herself he was a doctor and she wasn’t interested anyway. Plus, she truly was pleased for Amy. She’d just met Jack and she already liked him.
“I’m happy for you.”
He stared at her a moment, then his eyes lit with surprise. “Not sure what Amy told you...” he chuckled as he continued “...but we’re just friends. I’m sure she feels the same.”
Heat flooded her face. Just friends. “Oh.”
“You thought she and I were more?”
Oh, good grief. Her face burned. Her ears burned. Could the ground just please open and swallow her now?
“Well, you did mention you were at her apartment,” she reminded him, trying to explain why she’d thought what she had.
“At a party she threw for a co-worker.” His eyes danced with merriment. “Nothing nearly as exciting as what you were imagining.”
“Too bad for you. Amy is a great catch.” All true, but even as she said it she had to remind herself yet again that she was not interested in becoming involved, especially not with someone in the same profession as Neil. No way.
“I agree,” Jack assured her. “Amy has been talking with my best friend for the past couple of weeks. Nothing would make me happier than if the two of them continue to hit it off.”
Amy hadn’t mentioned the best friend either. Had Taylor and her bestie really grown that far apart over the past few years? She’d been so wrapped up in trying to make her marriage work and ashamed of the situation in which she’d found herself that she’d not invested time into their friendship. Yet Amy had always been there any time Taylor had called, like when she’d finally filed for divorce.
Guilt hit her. She’d do better. Lots better. It had taken her the past year to build a foundation of who she was, who she wanted to be.
“So, nothing between the two of you?” she double-checked, just to be sure she’d understood correctly.
“Friendship.”
“I’m sorry.” She really was. Amy was the best person she knew and deserved the best of everything. Maybe Jack’s friend would prove to be worthy.
“I’m not.”
“Why’s that?” Her gaze locked with his and her breath caught. His eyes sparkled like sunshine dancing across lake water.
“Let’s just say—” he was looking at her as if she were the sweetest soda pop he’d ever wanted to taste “—I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
Awareness filled Taylor. Awareness that had nothing to with anything except good old-fashioned girl meets boy. Good grief. Her body didn’t seem to care about his taboo medical credentials and her ban against men.
Eek. Maybe she shouldn’t have been quite so ecstatic about her libido’s revival.
When Taylor’s brow lifted, her expression cautious, Jack chided himself for his admission. If he wasn’t careful, she was going to think he really was a stalker.
Was it considered stalking if her best friend had talked about her so much Jack had been looking forward to meeting her for weeks?
Longer.
She’d caught his eye years ago the first time he’d seen her photo. Something in her eyes, her smile had called to him. He’d been sad to learn she was married. When Amy had mentioned her divorced best friend was coming to work Rockin’ Tyme, he’d been intrigued, wondering if the real deal would intrigue him as much as her photo.
She did.
Taylor Hall was a beautiful woman. Thick almost platinum blonde hair, golden brown eyes, pouty lips, and a body he had to force himself not to think about. She was easily one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, but it was something in her eyes that had snagged his attention years ago and refused to let go even now that he’d met her in person.
He suspected that although her outside packaging was beautiful, the real beauty was hidden away like a secret treasure.
Jack introduced her to the crew, all of whom were friendly but really brightened when he told them she was Amy’s friend.
“Shame Amy’s not going to be here this year,” one said, giving her hand a hearty shake.
“Sorry to hear about her grandmother,” another commented.
Robert, a paramedic from a couple of counties away, grinned, stuck his hand out to Taylor, and eyed her in much the way Jack probably had.
“Tell me I’m the luckiest guy on the planet and you’re single?”
Jack’s gaze immediately shifted to Taylor’s to see how she’d respond to the man’s blatant flirting.
Eyes wide with surprise, she eyed him, then laughed softly. “I’m single.”
Looking upwards, Robert made a thankful gesture.
“But not looking for a music festival hook-up, if that’s what you mean by lucky.”
“A pity,” Robert said, eyeing her with a huge grin. “You and I could have had a lot of fun.”
Jack liked the paramedic, but currently he wanted to throttle the guy. “Ignore Robert. The sun gets to him real quick and he talks out of his head.”
Taylor laughed. “That explains a lot.”
“Besides, certain staff interactions aren’t encouraged.”
Robert eyed Jack as if he’d grown an extra head, and no wonder. “Never heard of it being discouraged, not here.”
There had been romances pop up between staff. Jack himself had met a few interesting women over the years that he’d enjoyed getting to know. But he didn’t want Robert having the wrong idea about Taylor.
She was off limits.
Next thing you knew, Jack was going to be beating his chest and acting like a fool. Shaking his head, he chuckled. “Okay, Casanova, back off and let me introduce her to Duffy.”
He and Duffy had worked numerous events together and he genuinely liked the fifty-something travel nurse who craved adventure almost as much as Jack.
“Duffy Reynolds is who you need to see if you have questions and I’m not around.”
“Or you could ask me,” Robert volunteered, earning a glare from Jack. “I’d be happy to help with any questions. Or to give a tour of the grounds.”
Glancing toward Jack first, Taylor smiled at Duffy and ignored Robert’s comment. “Nice to meet you.”
Once he’d shown her their “twenty-bed” operation, he asked, “You checked out the stages?”
She shook her head. “When I arrived, I went straight to the main medical tent, registered, then came here.”
“You camping?”
She nodded. “Amy and I had planned to tent together with maybe a trip to her place for showers and refreshing ourselves if the shower lines were too long. I’m camping solo now.”
“Don’t let Robert hear you say that or he’ll offer to share his tent.”
Her gaze lifted. “He was just teasing.”
“Don’t you believe it,” Jack warned. “You so much as give him a smile and he’s going to be all over you in hopes of a festival fling. If that’s not what you want, steer clear.”
“Noted.”
Jack eyed her a moment, waiting for her to elaborate or say something further. “Is that what you want, Taylor?”
“A fling with Robert?” She shook her head. “I came to spend time with my best friend, not to have a fling.”
“That’ll make my job of keeping you safe easier.”
“He’s dangerous?”
Feeling guilty he’d given her that impression, Jack shook his head. “No. Just making sure I keep my promise to Amy to watch out for you. She wouldn’t be happy if I let someone break your heart while you’re here.”
“There is that,” she agreed, studying him. Smiling, Taylor’s eyes narrowed. “Why do I get the feeling you’re way more dangerous than Robert ever thought of being?”
He laughed. Yep, she was onto him.
“Come on, let’s walk around the grounds before it gets too crowded. People will be pouring in over the next twenty-four hours as this party gets started.”
Taylor had to admit she was impressed at the organization of the event. There were three main stages and several smaller ones. The five-night event offered everything from big-name pop stars to small-time local bands hoping to make it big someday. There were huge rows of food vendors and a shopping village made up of tents offering their wares. There was a comedy tent, a dance party tent, sponsored by a popular music television station, and a dozen more entertainment tents. Some tents were huge commercial numbers with electricity and some having generator-run air-conditioners even. And people. People were everywhere.
“It already looks crowded,” she mused, taking in the multitude checking out their surroundings prior to the first show kicking off. “How many more are expected?”
“They’re expecting about a hundred thousand attendees. By this time tomorrow night this place will be packed.”
Taylor nodded. She’d expected most of the festival-goers to be college-aged kids. Most were, but there was a huge variety of ages represented, even some young parents with two or three kids in tow and some who appeared to be older than Taylor’s parents.
“Most of what we’ll see in the medical tent will be dehydration and intoxication, but there’s always a mix of other things thrown in just to keep things interesting.”
Taylor knew security screened for drugs, but that where there was a will there was a way. Amy had told about some of the patients they’d seen over the years. Unfortunately, there had been a few overdose deaths.
“From what Amy’s told me, boredom shouldn’t be an issue.”
He laughed. “Boredom is what I hope for at these events.”
Taylor glanced his way. “Oh?”
“Boredom means everyone is having fun with no worries.”
“Ah.” Glancing out over the happy, energetic crowd, she nodded. “Then that’s what I’m going to hope for, too. Boredom.”
But glancing toward the man walking beside her, who was telling her about the different tents and upcoming acts as they made their way over to the main medical tent, Taylor suspected boredom was the last word she’d be using to describe the next few days.
