Landon wanted to make the doctor happy, so he gave a nod and Dr. Adams did too. A smile broke the stern look on the doctor’s face. The man seemed relieved, like he’d been expecting Landon to put up a fight.
“As long as we’ve got that straight. I’ll leave you to it. Goodnight.”
Landon kept his gaze glued on the doctor until he left the room and disappeared from his view. He couldn’t have been more than a few feet down the hall when Holly sighed loudly. “He’s so dreamy.”
“Dreamy?” Landon teased, giving a genuine chuckle and an eye roll that turned to a wince. The ache in his ribs reminded him of the bruising there and the laugh became a non-committal grunt as he swallowed the pain.
“Yeah, that’s what we decided was the best way to describe him. He looks like Paul Walker. So ‘dreamy’ absolutely fits him. Now do what the doctor said and open up,” she ordered, advancing on him with two small paper cups.
“What is it?” Landon moved his head as far away from the offering as he could, which turned out to be nothing more than a few inches. He strained to see what she was trying to get him to take.
“Does it matter? The doctor prescribed it. Now stop being difficult. Open up.” She tipped the paper cup to his lips. Clearly, she was made of tough stuff with the way she rolled her eyes at his most fierce look. She stared him down. He finally gave, swallowing the two pills dry. She wasn’t having any of that either, she tipped the second cup with water to his lips. “There’s no reason to choke to death trying to prove your alpha status.”
“Why’s he here?” he asked when Holly wiped his chin.
“Don’t know, but that’s what everyone’s asking. I heard he got special permission and he’s been here a few weeks, maybe a month. Totally keeps to himself much to the entire nursing staff’s regret,” she said. The puzzle of Robert Adams grew more complex. “We’ve become a fashion show in fatigues around here.”
He’d sure bet Dr. Adams got that reaction everywhere he went. All those blond, sunny good looks. The first time Landon had ever seen him, he’d sucked in his already tight belly and puffed out his chest even as he’d done something as somber as stand guard over Vice President Avery Adams’s state funeral.
The doctor definitely fit in the “dreamy” category. For Landon, there was something more appealing about Dr. Adams than just looks, but there was no denying the doctor had hit the motherlode in the gene pool. “What’s the rumor… why’s he here?”
“The speculation is that he’s planning to run for office and getting military time under his belt, but I don’t think so. Usually people like that don’t come to places like this. He could volunteer at any VA hospital in the states.” She gave a noncommittal shrug. “He jogs around the hospital in the middle of the night. Usually about three in the morning we can see him out there, then he spends twelve to fourteen hours working. I don’t know when he sleeps, but we all love to watch him when he runs. He’s seriously sexy.”
Landon nodded. The mental image playing in his head of the doctor jogging in those little running shorts and a tight-fitting T-shirt stole his breath. He’d be all hot and sweaty… Damn.
“You should sleep good with what I just gave you.” She gave him a wink. He sure as hell hoped it was good enough to keep him from tenting the sheets while dreaming of the gorgeous doc. “I’ll be back later. I need to get Dr. Dreamy’s signature before shift change.”
Landon watched her leave as a very weird feeling washed over him. Why did he feel so territorial all of a sudden? He tried to shrug it off. What the hell did he care if Holly had the hots for Dr. Adams? He had zero claim on anyone in the Adams family. It didn’t matter how Avery Adams had inspired Landon on his life’s journey—that had been done from afar and was completely one-sided, personal only to him.
As his eyelids grew heavy, Landon remembered those fine lines of worry he’d seen on Dr. Adams’s face. He’d also noticed the hollowness lurking in the depths of those baby blues. The smile he’d offered hadn’t reached his eyes. Sadness floated around the man. If he could help Dr. Adams, he needed to try. Landon’s brain wasn’t quite fuzzy enough to agree with his heart, and it mocked him immediately. What in the world did his redneck ass have to offer such an accomplished man?
Chapter 2
With each pounding strike against the pavement, Robert’s anxiety slipped away. Who knew jogging in the middle of the night could be so freeing? He stared into the distance, listening to the rhythm of his steps as the lights of the hospital grew brighter with every stride. At this point in his run, his body flew on autopilot, permitting his mind to wander.