Chapter One
Sam Arquette paused momentarily to study the engraved brass nameplate on the office door. It read, Amanda Lucas, M.D. Turning the knob, he stepped inside and in one swift glance saw that the waiting room was full.
Full of pregnant women.
Well, he had been halfway expecting as much. Amanda Lucas’s reputation as one of the best OB-GYN specialists in Mason’s Grove, Oklahoma, was almost godlike. If he had learned anything at all about her in the past few hours, it was that she was considered the town’s baby doctor extraordinaire. But the truth of the matter was, he wasn’t here to see Amanda Lucas because the good folks in Mason’s Grove thought the world of her. He was here as a favor to a friend.
Once again, Sam made a quick scan around the small crowded room, only to discover that he had become the center of attention. That didn’t bother him. Over the years he had found there were times when his six-foot-two-inch frame made him an imposing presence to others. And as luck would have it, it seemed, this was going to be one of those times.
A moment passed. Then another. Eventually, Sam got the feeling that it was more than just his stature that had made him the center of regard. Apparently, he had stepped into a world that didn’t necessarily welcome strangers—particularly, he surmised, male strangers—and for just one fleeting moment, he wished that his two young daughters were with him, although he had no earthly idea what good they would have done him, except that their being female might have somehow helped to improve his image.
And who said it was a man’s world? he asked himself with a smirk.
But in spite of that wry observation, Sam felt a flush rise to his cheeks. As an ex-Navy SEABEE, he thought that he had been trained to handle any situation. But, apparently, not one where a roomful of pregnant women were scrutinizing him so warily. He felt like an alien. Like an invader of the worst kind.
Well, ex-c-u-s-e me, he thought to himself. But wasn’t this a free country?
Damned right, it was.
And, frankly, he had fought more than his share of battles on foreign soil to help keep it that way. He had as much right as anyone to go anywhere he pleased.
Right?
Without a doubt.
So how, then, had he gotten himself into this...this impregnable situation, anyway?
Better yet, how could he get himself out?
Thanks a bunch, Josie, he told himself a moment later, mentally chastising his good friend, Josie Wentworth. If it hadn’t been for the favor she’d asked of him, he would have been at home right this minute, doing chores around his small farm while enjoying the company of his two young children. It was his way of life these days, although sometimes the fact that it was still surprised him.
In truth, he really didn’t mind doing this favor for Josie. He wanted to help the Wentworths all he could. He and Jack Wentworth, Josie’s older brother, had been the best of friends. Now Jack was dead, killed only recently while on an undercover mission for the government. It seemed impossible that it could be true, but it was. And now the Wentworths were looking for a young woman whom they believed was involved with Jack right before his death. But, according to Josie, the woman had literally disappeared. Luckily, Josie had come across a doctor’s statement that suggested the woman might be living in Mason’s Grove. And since he now lived in the small Oklahoma town, Josie had asked him to look into the matter for her.
Clearing his throat, Sam pushed aside the sad thought that his good friend Jack was dead and, like the disciplined soldier he still was, in spite of his retirement, he focused his full attention on accomplishing his mission.
Answers. He wanted answers. For Josie and her family. For Jack. And for himself, too.
Once again, Sam cautiously surveyed the crowded waiting room. From the looks of things he figured he had made a mistake in coming to Amanda Lucas’s medical office without calling for an appointment first. But these days, when it came to matters of business, he was at the mercy of his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Cunningham, who was the only person in Mason’s Grove he had gotten to know well enough to have baby-sit for him. That was, when her back wasn’t giving her trouble. For the most part, he spent his time being a full-time daddy to his girls. His world revolved around them. It was as simple as that.
And as complicated.
The problem was that he had been ill-prepared to assume the responsibility of being a single parent. At the time of his wife’s death, he had known more about disarming a nuclear weapon than he had about the nutritional needs of his kids. He had come a long way in the past months. Suzy Homemaker, he was not. But he was getting there.
Still, despite the fact that he was settling down to a more normal way of life than he had ever dreamed possible for himself, all within a blink of an eye of Josie Wentworth’s phone call, he had felt the same old familiar stirrings of excitement that used to accompany him on every SEABEE mission he had ever gone on. Some things, it seemed, never changed. He was about as far away from that world as he could possibly get, and yet, deep down inside, he really wasn’t that far away at all. Nor would he ever be, he now realized. Once a soldier, always a soldier.
Not that he was expecting this favor he was doing for the Wentworths to be any kind of a challenge. Good grief, he had just come here to ask the good lady-doctor a few questions about one of her patients. Just how difficult could that be?
Squaring his shoulders, Sam started forward, his eyes fixed on the reception area located at the rear of the waiting room. It took him five long strides to reach the counter. In the meantime, he couldn’t help but notice that the decor in the room was leaning toward a very feminine influence. In fact, he was beginning to feel like a bull in a china cabinet. He was almost afraid to move, fearing he would disturb something. Sitting behind the receptionist’s desk was an attractive young brunette. She held a pen in her left hand and was jotting something down on a tablet. Settling back on his heels, Sam took a deep breath and waited for her to finish her task.
Finally, she glanced up and greeted him with a smile. “Hi. Can I help you?”
Sam grinned. It was just as he had hoped. He was going to be in and out of this place in no time at all. Simple. Uncomplicated. Not even a hint of a challenge. In some ways, that was too bad. He had been hoping for a slight adrenaline rush, at least. Oh, well, maybe next time, he told himself. “Yes, as a matter of fact, you most certainly can. I’m here to see the doctor.”
“Doc Lucas?” the receptionist replied, her eyes widening somewhat. “Uh...well...yes...Doc Lucas is in,” she finally stammered. “But she’s with a patient right now. Is this concerning your wife?”
“My wife?” Sam repeated, his eyebrows drawing together. It took him a moment to understand what she meant. Once he did, he deepened his frown. “No—actually, I’m here on business.”
“Oh, I see,” she replied hesitantly. Then she cocked. her head to one side. “You know, don’t you, that Doc Lucas is an OB-GYN physician? All of her patients are women.”
“I’m quite aware of that fact,” Sam replied. “But, like I said, I’m here on business, not for medical advice. Tell me, how long will it be before I can see her?”
“Well, I don’t know. That depends,” the young woman said, glancing down at the appointment book in front of her. She ran her finger down a list of patients who apparently were already scheduled for that day. “Did you call earlier for an appointment, Mar....?”
Sam’s grin dissolved into nothing. “No, I didn’t. But, look, I’ll only take a moment of her time,” he said.
The receptionist began shaking her head slowly. “I’m sorry. But unless it’s an emergency, Doc Lucas sees all her patients by appointment only. Perhaps you could come back on Thursday afternoon. I’ve just had a cancellation.”
“I need to see her today,” Sam argued impatiently.
“I’m sorry,” the receptionist replied. “But unless you have an emergency, Dr. Lucas won’t see you without an appointment. I can write your name down for three o’clock Thursday afternoon. That’s the best I can offer you.”
Already, Sam was shaking his head. “You don’t understand,” he said. “My business with Dr. Lucas is extremely important. I must see her now—today.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “In fact, I’m not leaving here until I do.”
After giving him a thoughtful frown, the young receptionist once again glanced down to study the list of patients she had scheduled for that day. Finally, she gazed up at him and said, “Okay, if it’s that urgent, I’ll see what I can do. What’s your name?”
“Sam Arquette,” he replied.
The young woman nodded. “Have a seat, Mr. Arquette. I’ll have to speak to Doc Lucas about you.” Then she turned and walked away.
Satisfied that he was finally getting somewhere—frankly, it was about time—Sam turned with the idea of taking a seat. But when he noticed that he was still the object of considerable attention—not to mention that since his arrival the delicate-looking chairs in the waiting room hadn’t grown any larger to accommodate his size—Sam decided to remain standing. Once again folding his arms across his chest, he waited for the young receptionist to return.
Within a couple of minutes, she was back. “This must be your lucky day, Mr. Arquette,” she announced. “Doc Lucas has agreed to see you. Follow me. I’ll take you to her office.”
Sam nodded and then fell right in step behind the young woman.
“Wait in here,” she said when they reached the end of a corridor. “Doc Lucas is still with a patient, but she’ll join you shortly.”
“Thanks,” he said.
“Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn’t thank me just yet,” the young receptionist replied.
“What do you mean?” Sam asked, a grin slipping up one side of his face.
The young woman gave him a slight smile. “Well, for one thing, Doc Lucas isn’t in the best of moods today. At first, she looked aggravated when I told her about you. But then, it was as if something suddenly clicked and she changed her mind.”
“What’s so strange about that?”
“You don’t know Doc Lucas, do you?”
Sam shook his head.
“Well, she seldom, if ever, changes her mind about anything,” the receptionist said. “She runs a pretty tight ship and, for the most part, stays right on course, if you know what I mean. She’s just that kind of person.” With that, the young woman turned on her heel and returned to the reception area.
Sam thought he knew exactly what the receptionist meant. He had known women like that in the navy. Dr. Lucas was probably driven—focused—and totally predictable. She probably hated men and treated them like something to be conquered and then done away with. And she probably never allowed herself—or anyone else, for that matter—room for error. A regular drill sergeant. He hadn’t even met her yet, but already he thought he knew her.
Alone in Amanda Lucas’s office, Sam sat down to wait for his meeting with her. Minutes passed. Long, endless minutes. Finally, he picked up the only magazine he saw lying around and began reading an article on breast feeding. He figured that he might as well learn something while he waited.
Suddenly, from somewhere just behind him, he heard someone say, “Mr. Arquette, I presume.”
The voice was definitely female, but it was deep and sultry and immediately sent goose bumps down his spine. There was no doubt in his mind that, under just the right circumstances, a voice like that could have easily enthralled a man—in fact, encompass his whole being. But, of course, Sam reminded himself, this wasn’t the right circumstance.
Thank goodness.
Besides, even if it was, he wasn’t interested. He already had his hands full, raising his two young daughters. Frankly, when the need to burn off that kind of energy hit him, he went for a long, tiring jog. And, so far, so good. It worked.
Shaking himself free of those errant thoughts, Sam sat up straight and then turned in his seat to see a woman with shoulder-length brown hair standing just a few feet inside the doorway. She had a stethoscope around her neck, and she wore a long white lab coat over her street clothes. Sam knew without a doubt that he was looking at Amanda Lucas—in fact, somehow, he had known all along that it was her voice he had heard—and in spite of himself, his heart skipped a very, very necessary beat. To add to his surprise, she didn’t look at all as he had expected. She was... well...good-looking—especially for someone whom he had just recently pictured as a drill sergeant. She had clear blue eyes and a full mouth that, for the moment, at least, lacked the semblance of a smile.
But her voice... It was deep and throaty and incredibly sexy. Not just any woman deserved to have a voice like that.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Sam stood up and quickly offered her his hand. “And you must be Dr. Lucas,” he said evenly, in spite of all the weird thoughts running wild through his head. Get a grip, he told himself. He hadn’t thought—nor wanted to think—of a woman in quite this way since... well, since forever, it seemed. And, truthfully, he was shaken to the core.
Amanda Lucas was shaken, too. The tall, muscular man standing before her was extremely good-looking, and for some reason that bothered her. She folded her arms across her chest and peered down at the hand he was offering her. He had strong, capable-looking hands. Still, Amanda was contemplating whether or not to shake hands. So far her impression of Sam Arquette was that he was impulsive and arrogant. Not only that, but she was almost certain he was the same person who had been going around town earlier in the day, asking questions about her. Several of her patients had told her about him. But, finally, she resigned herself to the inevitable and slipped her hand into his, only to discover his palm was surprisingly warm for a man who was a snoop. Ending the handshake as quickly as possible, she straightened her shoulders. “My receptionist tells me that you practically insisted on seeing me this afternoon. I’m a very busy person, Mr. Arquette. I have patients waiting who need my attention. What, may I ask, is so urgent that you had to see me about it today?”
Silence followed. Clearly the man hadn’t heard a word she’d uttered.
“Mr. Arquette,” she said rather impatiently, once again folding her arms across her chest. She was ready to get this man out of her office. Something about him was making it difficult for her to breathe normally. Perhaps, it was because she had concluded that he was single. The look in his eyes was too aware—too aggressive—for those of a married man.
In any case, for some strange reason, her blood was pulsing through her veins at an exaggerated speed. She knew it was necessary to be firm with someone that aggressive. But every time she tried looking into his brown eyes for any length of time, she was mesmerized by their intensity. They were the color of deep, dark chocolate. “Mr. Arquette,” she said again, adding a hint of frustration to her tone just to let him know she was growing impatient with him. “I’m waiting for your answer.”
“Look, I need to ask you some questions about one of your patients,” he finally said.
Amanda frowned. “Is that why you were snooping around town today, asking questions about me?” she demanded, her eyes never wavering from his.
“You know about that?” Sam asked, an incredulous look spreading across his face.
“Of course, I know,” she replied with a smirk. “Mason’s Grove is a small town, Mr. Arquette. News travels fast here.”
He frowned. “What gave me away?”
Amanda almost laughed out loud on that one. Almost, but not quite. “Your looks,” she replied. Not to mention your arrogance, she thought to herself . “Someone told me that a tall, dark-haired man was snooping around town asking questions regarding my practice, and then a couple of hours later you show up here.”
“I can explain,” Sam said, moving a step closer to her.
He looked menacing in a sort of nonthreatening way. If that was possible. Still, she couldn’t be sure. She was determined to hold her ground.
“Good,” she said, unconsciously inspecting him from head to toe and, unfortunately, finding herself enthralled with the man she saw. She chose to ignore the way something had pulled deep and hard inside of her as her eyes had traveled up and down his muscular body. “Because I feel I’m owed an explanation.” Then she watched as Sam drew in a slow, deep breath.
“First off,” he began, “allow me to clear up something. I’m not some weirdo, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Amanda lifted her eyebrows in a way that suggested that was exactly what she was thinking. “And I wasn’t snooping,” he added gruffly—almost forcefully. “I was just trying to find out some information about you.”
Amanda couldn’t help herself. She wasn’t about to let this man off the hook that easily. After all, he was the one who had pushed his way into her office. She was aggravated now. She wanted answers. “Then why go to my friends and neighbors? Why not come straight to me?”
“Good point,” he replied evenly. “I’ll remember that next time.”
“Indeed,” she said, giving him a hard glare. Still, her heart was beating wildly. Too wildly. She dropped her eyes from his as soon as she could. Then, drawing in a deep breath, she walked right past him to her desk. “Let me explain something to you, Mr. Arquette,” she said, turning around to face him. “Any information I have concerning my patients is strictly confidential between them and me.”
“I understand how you must feel about that, but—”
“When it comes to matters of this nature, Mr. Arquette, there are no buts,” Amanda said, interrupting him. Frankly, she wanted to put an end to this conversation as soon as possible. She needed oxygen and there simply wasn’t enough in her office right now for the two of them. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a busy schedule. I’ll have my receptionist show you out.” With that, she headed straight past him for the door.
“Now wait a minute,” he said, suddenly reaching out to stop her. In truth, he wanted to stop her for more reasons than he cared to think about. In fact, he would have liked nothing better in that moment than to chisel away her icy persona. So he had gotten off to a wrong start with the woman. Did she have to be such an iceberg about it? Where was the compassion that all doctors, male or female, were supposed to have? He was used to tangling with international spies and war criminals. Surely he could handle one small-town female doctor. Of course, the protocol in dealing with her as opposed to some war criminal was quite different. Right now, he was on his best behavior. While in the navy, not every situation required that of him.
“The least you can do is hear me out,” he said meaningfully.
Immediately, her eyes dropped to where he held her arm. “Obviously, you don’t understand, Mr. Arquette,” Amanda said. “It’s a matter of ethics. My patients trust me not to repeat our conversations.” She gazed up at him, her blue eyes sparkling with indignation. “Now, if you would be so kind as to let go of my arm.”
The sound of her voice swept through him like a warm, balmy breeze in springtime. Only it wasn’t springtime. It was November, and the winds outside were as chilly as the glare she was giving him. Frankly, he didn’t want to let her arm go. He wanted to pull her against him and kiss those pouty lips of hers. Then again, he was trying to be on his best behavior. Dammit.
“Sure thing, Doc,” he said, releasing her a moment later.
Taking a deep breath, Amanda turned immediately to leave the room.
“But you’re making a mistake,” Sam said in her wake, in a last-ditch effort to stop her without making a scene. He was experiencing an adrenaline rush, and he knew it had to do with her somehow. With the way she had turned her back on him. He wasn’t used to that kind of treatment. He was used to giving it. “It’s you, Doc, who doesn’t understand the seriousness of the situation. This could be a matter of life and death.”
A moment passed while Amanda paused in the doorway. Finally, she spun on her heels to face him, although her expression clearly stated that she was angry at herself for giving in. She gazed at him furiously. “Okay, Mr. Arquette. You’ve got my undivided attention. But this had better be damned good.”
Sam smirked. In spite of everything, he truly admired her spunk.
Not to mention the fact that he was in love with her voice.
He placed his hands on his hips. “Have you ever heard of the Wentworth family of Freemont Springs?” he asked.
Amanda Lucas narrowed her eyes. “Of course. Everyone in Oklahoma knows of them. Their contributions to local charities are legendary.”
“So, you’re aware of their reputation. Then you’re also aware that they’re good, honest people.”
“I know that they’re extremely generous with their money. But I don’t know any of them personally,” Amanda replied.
“Well, I do. They’re close friends of mine—in fact, I’m here on their behalf. They’re looking for someone. A woman by the name of Sabrina Jensen. They have reason to believe you know her. Do you?”
Of course, Amanda knew her. Sabrina Jensen was one of her OB patients. Only Sabrina had missed her last appointment and Amanda’s receptionist had been unable to reach the woman to reschedule. Amanda had thought that rather odd, and had even tried to follow up on it herself, but to no avail. Now, to have this stranger asking questions about her...
“Why are the Wentworths looking for her?” Amanda asked evenly. The last thing she wanted was to give away the fact that she knew Sabrina as a patient. To her way of thinking, she saw nothing in Sam Arquette that made that information any of his business.
“Look, all I need to know is her whereabouts.”
Amanda frowned. “Is she in some kind of trouble?”
“To be honest with you,” Sam said, running his fingers through his hair, “the Wentworths don’t know. That’s why they’re trying to find her.”
“But I don’t understand,” Amanda said. “Why are they having such a problem finding her in the first place?”
Sam frowned to himself. He wasn’t accustomed to being questioned like this. As a soldier, he had been the interrogator. Now, suddenly, he found himself at the other end of the spectrum, and, frankly, it wasn’t any fun. In fact, his patience with the good doctor was wearing awfully thin. “It seems,” he said, “she’s disappeared.”
“I see. What do they think happened to her?” Amanda asked warily.
He shrugged. “That’s just it. They don’t know. But I can tell you this much—the Wentworths are truly concerned about her.”
“Well, I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with this matter.”
“You can’t—or you won’t?” Sam replied, gazing at her intently.
Amanda had turned to leave the room, but she stopped short. She’d had about all she was going to take from this...this imposing man. Just who did he think he was? Wasn’t it enough that he had her guts all tied up in knots to the point where she doubted if they would ever relax again? “Look, Mr. Arquette,” she said, giving him another one of her hard glares. “Even if I knew where the woman was—which I don’t—but even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
“So, in essence,” Sam began cockily, “you would deliberately hide her whereabouts from me even if you knew them.”
Determined to keep her cool, Amanda breathed deeply. “In essence, yes. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Mr. Arquette, I have nothing more to say to you.”
Frustrated that he wasn’t getting anywhere with her, Sam felt his temper flare. More than anything in that moment he wanted to shake some sense into her. For heaven’s sake, couldn’t she see he was only trying to help out a friend?
Sexy voice or not, Amanda Lucas had pushed him just about as far as he wanted to go. Her icy manner was becoming nothing but a pain in the behind. Frankly, it stunk. She was an iceberg, all right, through and through. He had thought he could thaw her without much effort, but he had been wrong. No doubt, one glance from her could have sunk the Titanic. In fact, nothing in that moment—short of kissing her senseless—would have given him greater pleasure than to have found a way to melt her down to size. His size. And then maybe she wouldn’t have been so sassy.
Except for her voice. Heaven help him, but he didn’t want to change a thing about her voice. It was sexy and alluring and the only thing about her that sizzled hot. In many ways, it was more than enough. He was completely and utterly enthralled with it—with the woman he suspected was hiding somewhere in that deep freeze surrounding her. But, dammit, he hated having to admit it.
“Look,” he said. “The Wentworths are good people. I hope that once you think this over, you’ll reconsider giving me the information they need.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Arquette, but I won’t be changing my mind. Now if you’ll excuse me...”
Despite Amanda’s best intentions to just turn and march away, she found herself practically standing toe-to-toe with the source of her irritation. The audacity of the man. Just who did he think he was, anyway, coming into her office like this and disrupting her day? Making her feel breathless. She wasn’t obligated to help him, even though he seemed to think she was.
Actually, it didn’t surprise her at all that she was already at odds with him. From the moment her eyes had locked with his, she had known that he was going to be trouble. Big-time trouble. The kind of trouble she had purposely avoided for years now. Handsome. Intelligent. Cocky. He had the makings of a good old-fashioned heartbreaker. Thanks, but no thanks. Once in a lifetime was more than plenty for her. She had a purpose in life now...a reason for being. She had her patients and they needed her. And she needed them. They were her joy, her life. Perhaps, she would never totally come to terms with the way her life had turned out. Undoubtedly, she would never forget the hurt she had suffered at the hands of her ex-fiancé. But there were some things she simply had to accept.
Suddenly, Amanda realized what she was doing to herself and returned her attention to the present. “I have to get back to my patients now, Mr. Arquette. Good day.”
Then she made a mental note to look into the matter of Sabrina Jensen once again. If, indeed, Sabrina was hiding out, then she was probably alone and frightened. She might even be in need of food and medical attention. But no matter the difficulties Sabrina was having to endure, Amanda would have gladly traded places with her. It had to be a wonderful feeling to be carrying the baby of the man you loved. Unfortunately, she would never know.
Once again, Amanda turned to leave the room. Just as she did, she came face-to-face with her receptionist. The young woman looked frantic. “What is it, Kathy?” Amanda asked.
“Doc Lucas,” she said excitedly. “You’d better come quick. It’s Lucy Foreman. She says her baby is coming—and I think she’s right.”
“Is she on the phone?”
“No, she’s in the waiting room.”
Oh, good Lord, Amanda thought. Just what she needed right now. An emergency delivery—and at her office, no less.
She hurried down the hall toward the waiting room. “Is her husband with her?”
“No,” Kathy said, following alongside her. “She’s alone.”
“Great,” Amanda muttered.
Stopping short, Amanda spun around and glared at Sam Arquette who had been following behind at a distance. “Don’t leave just yet, Mr. Arquette,” she said. “I may be needing your assistance. More than likely, someone is going to have to help me move my patient to an examining room.”
“You’re joking, right?” he replied, halting in his tracks to gape at her.
“No,” Amanda said. “I’m afraid not.”
Sam frowned. “I presume I have a choice in this matter.”
“Of course,” she answered, squaring her shoulders as if to say, if that was how he felt, she didn’t really need him, after all.
But Sam figured it was costing her a lot to ask him for his help. If there was one thing he had already come to realize about Dr. Amanda Lucas, she wasn’t a woman who liked having to depend on a man for anything. Well, hey, that wasn’t his problem.
“Okay, Doc,” he said. “I’m in.”
In a heartbeat, Amanda turned and rushed down the hallway toward her patient.
As Sam followed at her heels, he couldn’t help but wonder what he was getting himself into.
