Private Partners (Doctors in Training 2)

“He wears a ball cap pulled low when he goes out in public. But, yes, as far as I know, you’re the only one who’s identified him.”

“I’ve seen his photo in a few magazines,” Haley confessed. “I’ve been intrigued by his career since I first discovered his cable program while flipping channels one night a couple years back. Everything about him just seems so…larger-than-life, I guess. On TV, anyway.”

Amused, Anne asked, “Not in person?”

“Oh, he’s still interesting in person. Still seriously good-looking. He was just, well, more normal than I expected him to be. I mean, married and living in your apartment and doing laundry and working in your office rather than tramping through some exotic location.”

Anne bit her lip. Was that part of what Liam had worried about? That being seen as a settled, married man would make him less interesting to his viewers, and as a result, to his sponsors?

“So, when are you going to tell your family the truth?” Haley asked curiously. “Have you decided on a particular occasion?”

“Not really. We keep waiting for the right time, but we haven’t actually defined what that time would be. The longer we wait…well, the harder it is, you know?”

“I can imagine. It would be tough enough to announce a new marriage to your disapproving family, but if they find out you’ve actually been married for more than a year…”

Anne gulped. “You see why it’s so complicated.”

“I guess. Liam’s okay with waiting? He isn’t pushing you to tell your family soon?”

“He’s in no more of a hurry than I am. He’s not looking forward to the mayhem, either. And he has his career to think of. He’s the footloose, bachelor adventurer, remember? He has to consider how this news would affect that image.”

“It would make headlines,” Haley conceded. “At least in certain venues. Some of the gossip columnists might be intrigued that the adventurer chose a quiet, brainy medical student from Arkansas as a mate. How will you feel about being photographed and interviewed with him, with people wondering about whether you’re a suitable match for him?”

Anne shuddered. “Gee, thanks, Haley. Just what I need to give me nightmares tonight.”

Haley looked instantly apologetic. “Sorry. I was just speculating. It’s not as if Liam’s a rock star or anything. You wouldn’t be surrounded by paparazzi or anything like that.”

But Haley was right that there would be some media attention given to Liam’s marriage, Anne reflected glumly. Especially when his book was published to add to his public image. And, being the private type she was, she wasn’t looking forward to that scrutiny.

She and Liam hadn’t even talked about that part of the future—like so much else that they’d avoided discussing or planning. How had she ever let herself get into this crazy situation? Was it really only because she hadn’t wanted to upset her parents during her mother’s health crisis? Because of her own stress over the first two difficult years of medical school? Or was there more to their hesitation to go public? Were they holding back because neither of them was really sure the marriage would survive if they tried to make it more authentic? More “normal?”

Haley being who she was—unafraid to broach the more difficult topics—asked carefully, “Um, you don’t suppose there’s any other reason Liam wants to keep the marriage secret, do you?”

Anne didn’t have to ask for clarification. “If you’re talking about other women, I trust Liam completely,” she said, trying to speak with total assurance.

After a moment, Haley smiled wryly. “That either makes you very confident in your man—or incredibly naive. I’m not sure I could be so trusting.”

But then, Haley probably wouldn’t have gotten into a situation like this to begin with, Anne thought glumly, making an excuse to be on her way. As she drove the short distance back to her apartment, she told herself that she did trust Liam as far as other women were concerned. But could their marriage survive the other obstacles between them—his antipathy toward her family, and theirs toward him, his constant traveling and her commitment to her career training, the parts of themselves they had never fully revealed to each other? Her answer to that nagging question didn’t come as easily to her.

She tried to push her worries aside and put a smile on her face when she entered her apartment. She had an entire evening to spend with Liam. Even if she would use part of that time for studying, there was no reason they couldn’t set aside an hour or so for…

She stopped short just inside her apartment door. “Um—what’s going on here?”

Liam was on his hands and knees in the middle of the living room floor. A squealing toddler straddled his back, somewhat sticky-looking hands clutching Liam’s hair.

Liam grinned ruefully up at her. “Hi, Annie.”

“Horsie!” Little Parker kicked his bare feet insistently into Liam’s sides, making Liam wince and then rear obligingly up on his knees, pawing the air with his hands and making whinnying noises. Parker shrieked in delight, the shrill sound driving itself into Anne’s eardrums like a shard of glass.

She raised her voice a bit to be heard above the tiny cowboy’s laughter. “Is Rose here?”

“Rose is at work. Her aunt had to cancel babysitting servi

ces at the last minute this evening, so Rose begged me to fill in. She promised it would be just this one time.”

The rather breathless explanation was punctuated with whinnies and more squeals, but Anne followed along easily enough. She could picture the scene—Rose had probably been desperate and tearful and Liam couldn’t say no. She suspected she might have done the same under the circumstances, despite her better judgment.

She crossed the room to set her books and computer bag on the table, pushing them to the center to make sure they were out of a toddler’s reach. “When will she be back?”