Page 2 of Doctoring Dolly

The name seemed to fit with the tall, dark, handsome man with the brooding countenance and aura of a man who was always in charge and Dolly began making mental notes. Murray would be a great name for an alpha male in a future book.

“He’s not? Why not?” Ignoring his hand, Dolly grabbed her carryall from the seat beside her and climbed out.

“He’s only seventeen, and knows he is too young to be allowed on Ranch property.”

Only after Daniel pulled her huge suitcase from the trunk and set it in the grass just off the road did she get a closer look at him.

Then she understood what Mr. Murray meant when he refused the young man entrance. The Ranch was an adults-only space, and her driver was clearly still a year or more from such status.

Daniel was red-faced when he met her gaze and shrugged. “Sorry, Miss.”

With a quick, almost fearful, glance in the guard’s direction, Daniel climbed back into his car. He backed away quickly and once he reached the main road, he drove away with a squeal of tires on the asphalt.

Taking a deep breath, Dolly turned to face the man beside her. “So, what now?”

“I’ll call and see if someone can come fetch you,” he said. “That is, unless you want to walk. It’s only about three-quarters of a mile.”

Afraid she would find a way to hurt herself if she tried, Dolly sighed. “No, thanks. You better call.”

“Yes, Miss?” His words came out as a question.

He was obviously trying to determine her identity to make sure she was actually a guest and not just trying to sneak onto the Ranch property in a move similar to her Uber driver.

“Carter. Dolly Carter.”

After stepping into the guardhouse and checking a clipboard, he picked up the phone. “Hey, Erika, it’s Tiago at the front gate. Miss Dolly Carter is here and needs a ride in. Thanks, hon.”

After hanging up, he turned to her with a conciliatory smile. “It’s going to be a few minutes. Erika isn’t sure where Moses is, and Sadie isn’t allowed to drive guests in the golf cart anymore. Follow me, please.”

Dolly nodded though she did not know any of the people Tiago mentioned. Trailing along behind her suitcase that Tiago was pulling through the gate, she only tripped once on an uneven spot. She moved off the driveway as another car slowed to a stop at the gatehouse.

She could not help but study the car. Was this a member of the staff or another guest arriving? The silver mid-size sedan appeared to be an airport rental. Must be a guest.

She did not hear what the guard said, but both men looked in her direction before the driver nodded and said something in return.

“Miss Carter, if you don’t want to wait for Moses, Mr. Nelson would be happy to give you a ride,” Tiago said.

Dolly debated the wisdom of riding with a stranger only a moment before mentally shrugging. “Okay, sure.”

After all, it was less than a mile to their final destination. What could this Mr. Nelson do in two or three minutes they would be in car together? Besides, how dangerous could it be if the guard didn’t seem to think it was a problem.

The driver pulled closer to where she was standing and parked. When he climbed out of the driver’s seat, Dolly forgot how to breathe for a moment. Mr. Nelson was gorgeous. Like book cover-model gorgeous. She wondered if he would be interested in adding modeling to whatever other career he had because she would love to put him on the cover of one of her books.

The midday sun glinted off dark ginger hair, causing it to glow like red fire. Though his hair was cut military short, his cheeks were covered with several days of ginger scruff, making her curious as to whether he was in the military or not. He was at least a half foot taller than her own five and a half feet with broad shoulders, long powerful legs, and a well-built body. He appeared unrumpled in his short-sleeved Henley shirt and tan cargo shorts with bright orange sneakers. How did men do that?

By comparison, she felt rumpled and travel-weary though she had only traveled twenty minutes from town that morning. But as usual, a night spent in a different bed meant she had only dozed throughout the night, managing just an hour or two of real sleep. She hoped tonight would be different but doubted it. After all, she would be in another new place. This was one of many reasons she did not do much traveling.

Since Tiago—and wasn’t that yet another fabulous name to add to her future alpha character list—still had a clipboard in his hands and was on the phone, she grabbed the telescoping handle of her suitcase and began dragging it toward the car, earning frowns from both men. When Mr. Nelson took her suitcase away from her, Dolly had to fight the urge to insist she deal with her own luggage.

“Go ahead and climb in the car. I’ll put your bag in the backseat,” he instructed with a deep voice that sent shivers through her.

“I can get it.”

“A lady doesn’t wrestle luggage while I’m around,” he said with just enough of a smile that his face turned from gorgeous to breathtaking.

Dolly drew in a breath, but her mind was blank. She could not find an argument to deny him. But she also could not seem to release the suitcase handle until he peeled her fingers off of it.

“Go on, Miss Carter. Climb in the front seat,” he said, this time with a thread of power in his tone that told Dolly he would not be denied.

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