Nurse to Forever Mom

They made their way inside to one of the bench seats. The engines rumbled as the ferry pulled away from the port. The sky was an orange pink over Maple Island, making it appear on fire. The best thing he’d ever done had been to move to the island. “So on-the-job training gave you those surgical skills.”

She yawned behind the back of her hand. “Yes, even in developing countries a general practitioner will do major surgery if it’s in the right place at the right time.” She gave him a pensive look. “I know the clinic is great and all, but to move all the way from California seems a little extreme.”

She’d deliberately changed the subject. Did she not want to talk about herself? He sure didn’t. “Yeah, but it was a necessary one.”

“How’s that?”

Now he was the one hesitant to answer. But she’d responded to his difficult question so it was only fair that he do the same. “I’d gone through an ugly divorce and the girls and I needed to start over. Have a change.” He leaned back, trying to get as comfortable as possible on the hard bench.

“Their mother didn’t care that you took them so far away?” She watched him with disconcerting intensity.

He shrugged, trying to appear as uncaring as possible. “It didn’t matter. She’s no longer in their lives.”

Stacey covered another yawn. “I see.”

Cody doubted that she did, but he wasn’t going into it any further.

“I don’t want to be rude but I’ve got to close my eyes for a few minutes.”

He stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankles. “Not rude at all. It was a long night.”

The ferry gently rocked. In minutes Stacey’s breathing turned even. When her head tipped forward Cody put his arm around her shoulder and brought her to him. Her head rested on his chest. It had been a long time since he’d held a sleeping woman. Unable to resist, he brushed his cheek against her hair. It was as soft as it looked and smelled faintly of the peaches he remembered.

She murmured, shifted toward him then settled.

Cody closed his eyes. It seemed only seconds later the push of hands on his chest woke him.

Stacey’s eyes were wide and her hair wild as she stared at him in alarm. She had such expressive eyes. Cody couldn’t imagine her telling a convincing lie.

“I’m sorry I went to sleep on you. I hope I didn’t drool on you.” She brushed at his chest, the tips of her fingers leaving hot spots through the fabric of his shirt.

He grinned. “I didn’t mind. Your head was bobbing, and I felt sorry for you. Especially after I’d already woke you once today...uh...yesterday. I didn’t want to do it again.”

“I wasn’t asleep on the deck. I was thinking. Enjoying the sunshine.” She stretched, showing a hint of skin at her waist before she tugged at her clothes, adjusting them.

His body reacted in ways that had been dormant for far too long. This was his nurse. He had no business ogling her. He couldn’t help himself, though. Something about Stacey made his blood warm. He grinned. “Looked like sleeping on the job to me.”

She stood over him, her hands on her hips. “I do not sleep on the job. Ever.”

He winked at her. Even after a long night Stacey looked amazing. She had a knack for making him smile. There was a brightness to her that somehow made life look sunnier. He wanted to capture that. Hold it close. He reached for her but stopped himself, letting his hand fall to his thigh. “I was just kidding.”

Kidding. He wasn’t a kidder. What was she doing to him?

CHAPTER THREE

STACEY CONTINUED DOWN the path leading to the harbor. The day was beautiful. The sun shone brightly, seagulls swooped and squawked. Sailboats and small fishing craft bobbed in the sparkling water. Had she found paradise?

She’d slept well past noon the day before, exhausted from her all-nighter with Cody. To her horror she had actually fallen asleep on him. Yet she had to admit it had been nice to wake up in a man’s strong arms. Especially his.

Cody was far better natured, more tender-hearted, than she’d assumed, given her initial assessment of his character. Just thinking about being so close to him raised goose-bumps on her arms. She liked him too much. What would it be like to have a few weeks of fun with him?

No, she couldn’t act on that idea, even if he wanted to. Cody and his daughters didn’t need someone flitting into their personal lives, disrupting them and then leaving. More than that, he was her boss. Mixing business and pleasure often didn’t turn out well.

He didn’t strike her as a fling kind of guy. He had two little girls he adored, and was incredibly protective of them. All Stacey knew about relationships was that when the going got difficult then people left and never looked back. Even her ex-fiancé had followed that philosophy. At least she’d found out about his affair before they had married. Now she did all the leaving. She didn’t wait around for it to happen to her.