Page 7 of The Beat of her Heart

“That’s normal,” Addie said, checking the chart. “I’ll adjust her meds. She should be more comfortable in a bit.”

The girl’s mother nodded gratefully. “Thank you, Dr. Wolfe.”

Addie smiled and patted the girl’s head, then stepped out into the hallway.

“How’s it going today?” a familiar voice asked.

“I’ve had worse days,” Addie said, looking up.

There wasn’t anyone around her, but she could hear two voices chatting through the window next to her. Madeline’s voice she recognized at once, but the second voice was a little harder to place.

“Had to cover quite a lot,” Madeline was saying. “Good thing we’re going to have an extra pair of hands around here.”

The second voice was equally as enthusiastic as Madeline’s. “You heard about the new surgeon already? Giselle Carlisle?”

A new doctor? Addie hadn’t heard about that at all.

Oh, well.

“Yeah, she’s a top cardiothoracic surgeon,” Madeline said. “But word is, she’s...intense.”

Addie shook her head.Intense? That was Cardio Gods for you. She paused, pretending to review a patient’s chart so she could keep eavesdropping.

“Pragmatic is a better word,” the second voice suggested. “All business, no warmth. But she’s good. Real good.”

She frowned. People always liked tomake judgments based on rumors. It wasn’t something she paid much attention to. She’d rather see for herself than let hearsay shape her opinion.

She’d hardly taken two steps past the window when she spotted two figures down the hallway. The first, she recognized all too well—Dr. Josephine Mars, the head of the hospital. The second caused her steps to falter.

The woman next to Josephine was striking. Her angular face was framed with dark hair pulled back into a sleek bun, her expression sharp and focused. She had broad shoulders and wore an immaculate white shirt tucked into well-tailored pants.

She’d seen plenty of masculine women in her life, but the aura in this one’s stride made her stop and stare. This woman knew she was gorgeous, didn’t care about it at all, and still exuded it.

Like her white coat, her brown shoes glinted in the lighting as she took in everything around her like she was analyzing the hospital. There was something about the way she carried herself—confident and distant—that was captivating.

Addie’s heart stuttered in her chest. She couldn’t help staring.

The woman was beautiful, but there was something more—something that made her want to stand straighter in her presence, maybe even avoid eye contact completely.

It looked like they were heading to the OR. Addie tried to look away when her eyes met the woman’s. They were an exotic, piercing shade of blue. Addie’s head rattled with thoughts as she stared.

She was so caught in her gaze that she forgot to smile. She just stood there and stared at the woman, who didn’t smile either.

Could this be the new doctor Madeline had talked about?

“Addie,” Dr. Mars called out, waving her over. She looked away, suddenly embarrassed. The heat in her cheeks felt like it could burn her skin. “Come along. We could use you.”

Addie blinked, trying to shake the awe that had settled over her. She took a breath and walked toward them, feeling the weight of the woman’s gaze as she approached.

“Dr. Wolfe,” Josephine said, turning tothe blue-eyed woman. “This is Dr. Giselle Carlisle, one of the best cardiothoracic surgeons in the country. She will be joining us here at Phoenix Ridge.”

Giselle. A fitting name.

Addie smiled, trying to settle the nerves inside her. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Carlisle.”

The woman’s eyes met Addie’s again, but she didn’t smile. Her expression remained unreadable, and her voice was calm as she said, “Likewise.”

Her tone threw Addie off. It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t warm either. Just...neutral. Most people she met at work were quick to either be overly friendly or, at the very least, polite.

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