.

      “Please call me Anne, and this is Maggie.” Maggie’s mom stood and shook hands.

      Stephanie crouched down to Maggie’s eye level as the child sat in her bed. “How are you today, Maggie?”

      Maggie looked past Stephanie and stuffed her doll’s hand into her mouth.

      “I’m going to listen to your heart, okay?” She unwrapped her stethoscope from her lab coat pocket and hung it around her neck.

      At Sheffield Memorial it was policy that each doctor on a case would check vitals and make independent assessments. Attention to such details was one of the key factors that made Sheffield Memorial such a renowned teaching and research hospital, even if it was much smaller than most public institutions.

      Despite Stephanie’s cheerful tone and slow movements, Maggie whimpered and drew back.

      Anne spoke up. “She only lets Dr. Drake do that.”

      Jason frowned. He hadn’t realized. Maggie had no reason to like him or trust him. He hadn’t asked for that. He only wanted to assess her symptoms, identify the problem and fix it.

      Stephanie stepped back. “What if I listen to Mom’s heart first?”

      Maggie shook her head. An emphatic no.

      Anne stroked her daughter’s hair to calm her. “Could Dr. Montclair listen to Dr. Drake’s heart, then?”

      The child grinned around the doll in her mouth.

      He and Stephanie hadn’t touched, even to brush hands, since their break-up. The anticipation of her hands on him made his skin quiver.

      He took a step back. “If we need to forgo this I can debrief you with all Maggie’s vitals as well as her current condition before the diagnostics meeting, Dr. Montclair.”

      “I appreciate that. Now, let’s set a good example for Maggie and try the stethoscope.” Stephanie fitted the earpieces and waggled her finger at Jason to come closer. “Stand still and take a deep breath, Dr. Drake.”

      When she placed her hand on his chest, the single layer of material between them did nothing to stop a spark arcing between her hand and his heart. He concentrated on keeping his heart-rate steady but failed miserably. He could feel the pounding in his ears. What kind of example would he set for Maggie if he grabbed Stephanie and bolted from the room with her at her very proper touch?

      Stephanie was having no problem being steady, cool and in control.

      Using great discipline, he controlled his breathing, steadily in and out. His professional reputation was at stake.

      Stephanie gave him a worried look but said nothing.

      Finally, she dropped her hands and turned to Maggie. “Your turn?”

      Aside from a grimace, the girl didn’t protest this time.

      “Now let me take your pulse, Dr. Drake.” She held out her hand for his wrist.

      No sense in fighting the inevitable. When she asked, he could deny her nothing.

      Her warm, open palm held him as captive as a set of handcuffs. The pad of her fingers rocked back and forth until she found the throbbing in his wrist.

      Would she notice if his heart skipped a beat or two?

      “Thank you, Dr. Drake.” She turned back to Maggie, who appeared to be avidly looking to the left of their little charade. “Your turn, Maggie. May I hold your arm?”

      To Jason’s amazement, Maggie held out her wrist. This was the first response she’d made to anyone’s request since she’d been hospitalized. From the sudden alertness in her mother’s eyes, this was unexpected for Anne, too.

      Stephanie found the girl’s pulse and counted.

      “Thank you, Maggie.” The moment Stephanie released her arm Maggie put it under the covers.

      “Perfect,” she told the girl. “Now, let’s check ears and eyes. Dr. Drake, if you’ll sit, please?” She pointed to the visitor’s chair beside the bed.

      Maggie scrambled to turn herself onto her side and peer through the railings to watch. Observing and analyzing Maggie’s movements helped distract Jason from the intimacy of his own examination. If Maggie could so easily pull her legs under her and twist sideways, why couldn’t she walk? She had once been able to run around the house without hesitation. How did her late ambulatory development factor in?

      “Ears first.” Stephanie leaned over him, her breasts inches from his mouth. He swallowed hard to keep from drooling.

      Her featherlight touch tickled the rim of his ear.

      As Stephanie leaned close to look, her sweet breath warmed his neck.

      Every primal cell in his body screamed for him to pick her up, throw her over his shoulder and take her back to his lair. For Maggie’s sake he kept himself still and unresponsive, although his clenched palms had begun to sweat.

      “That didn’t bother you a bit, did it, Dr. Drake?”

      “No, not at all.” He forced the lie past his gritted teeth.

      “Now, let’s take a look at your eyes.”

      There was no way Jason could hide the dilation of his pupils—a physiological reaction to his desire. To distract himself, he silently listed the noble gasses from the periodic table while congratulating himself on his own noble restraint.

      Stephanie’s intense scrutiny made him want to wince away, but her hand on his shoulder held him still. Once she was satisfied with what she saw she released him. He sank back into the chair, so tense every nerve-ending twanged like over-tightened guitar strings.

      Stephanie showed no signs of being affected at all. As if they were nothing but colleagues and had never been lovers. As if he’d never made her scream his name into the night, or washed breakfast dishes beside her in the morning.

      What had he done besides miss a dinner date or two? Duty had called. She’d grown up in a doctors’ household. Surely she understood? It had to be something more.

      “Your turn, Maggie.” Stephanie moved from chair to bedside.

      Maggie began to protest by grunting, and waving the hand that didn’t hold her doll, but when Jason enfolded her fluttering hand in his she settled down and let Stephanie shine a light into her eyes as she stared at the wall past her mother.

      “All done.” Stephanie stuck the small light into her lab coat pocket. “You’re a very brave girl, Maggie.”

      At her name, Maggie slid her glance past Stephanie to rest slightly to the right. She held out her doll in an obvious invitation to be friends.

      Careful to avoid the doll’s wet chewed hand, Stephanie took the ratty-haired toy and cradled it in her arms, giving the honor proper tribute. She gave the doll a pat and reverently tucked it into bed beside Maggie. “Thank you, Maggie. I’ll come back and visit soon.”

      Stephanie would be a good mother. Jason’s thoughts startled him so much he stood abruptly. He’d never thought of motherhood and Stephanie Montclair in the same breath before.

      She had a demanding job and a busy social schedule. How could she add motherhood to the mix, even if she wanted to? And then there was the little issue of who would father her child.

      He had the strangest urge to volunteer.

      First his disturbing emotional reaction to his patients and now this? No, he was not cut out to be a family man, much as he might daydream about it. He had enough past history to prove he did more harm than good in that role. He really needed to make arrangements for a few days off soon …

      “Diagnostics meeting starts in five minutes.” He walked to the door to get Stephanie moving in that direction.

      “If there’s anything I or my staff