Page 23 of Legacy of Danger
Huh. Okay, he'd bite. "How do I like it? Obviously, well enough to set up shop there." Damn, that came out too sharp.
She rolled her lips together and stared over at the empty tables.
Impulse and anger. Two things he needed to work on, pronto. While he was at it, he should also knock down his defensiveness a few notches.
Smiling at the waitress who filled her coffee cup, Mariah wrapped her fingers around the mug and sighed as she took a sip. What would it be like if he ever earned a sigh like that from Mariah, say, a few inches away from his ear? His groin had the answer. Hand up, so to speak.
She gave the waitress her order. "Pancakes, sausage, and hash browns. And an OJ."
"Impressive. Hungry?" He chuckled.
Ducking her head, she gave a sheepish smile. "Hey, I don't miss any chances to eat. Old habit from medical school and residency. 'Eat when you can, sleep when you can,' as they say."
"Not sure where all that food will go, but best of luck to you." He turned to the waitress. Damn it, this week sucked. "Two egg whites, scrambled, with veggies. And an apple if you have it."
A dark eyebrow quirked. "For a big guy, that's a pretty dainty meal."
"Maybe I'm on a diet."Shut up, he commanded his hollow stomach.
"Why would you need to diet?"
And just like that, without his conscious thought, his chest puffed out. "Naw, it's a joke," he mumbled. "Ate earlier this morning." Lie. He didn't want to get into the MMA stuff. Because then he'd have to go into thewhyof MMA and field more questions he wasn't ready to answer. Later. If there was a later.
For right now, he wanted to learn more about the woman in front of him, but she had some serious verbal judo skills deflecting conversation away from herself.
"So, how'd you end up in Copper River?"
A shrug of a small shoulder. "Loan repayment."
"I don't understand."
"I'm with the National Health Service Corps."
"What's that?"
"It's for poor medical students." That little nose scrunch nearly did him in. "As a student, if you commit to work in an underserved area, NHSC will pay off the medical school tuition. It's a good deal when you have to pay off school loans."
"That does sound like a good deal."
"Sure, until you figure I still have to pay off college. No one helps with that part. But yes, the program is good for medical school loans."
"How long will you stay here?"
"I'm obligated for four years, but, obviously, they hope physicians will stay longer. Put down roots." She chewed her lower lip.
And? Would she stay?
He had no business asking the question.
"So, tell me about the Taggart ranch," she said, too brightly.
* * *
Why did the question about her loan obligation bother Mariah so much?
She wasn't ashamed of needing help with her debt from medical school.
No, what bothered her most about Vaughn's innocent question was the "putting down roots" part of her answer that she blurted out.
