Page 6 of Hot Winter Nights (Bear Mountain Rescue 1)

Hunter stepped inside and got a good look at Allie Fairchild. From thirty feet away, she had been pretty, but now, she was gut-punchingly gorgeous.

She stood up and gave him a smile, and Hunter caught the signs of tension around her eyes.

“Dr. Gracin, please take a seat.”

“After you, ma’am. I might be a doctor, but I’m a gentleman first.”

Her smile brightened. “Thank you. I have to admit, you’re the only person who doesn’t seem to think my presence is a sign of the apocalypse.”

Hunter laughed, waiting until she was fully seated before he did the same.

“I’m sorry if they’re giving you a rough time. I think most of us were expecting someone a little more—”

“Male?” Her tone wasn’t bitter, simply matter-of-fact.

“Actually, I was going to say aged.”

She laughed, opening what he assumed was his file. “I assure you, Dr. Gracin, that although I may not be as ‘aged’ as you may have hoped, I am perfectly capable and qualified to take Bear Mountain to the next level.”

“I don’t doubt you one bit, Ms. Fairchild. And if anyone else gives you any trouble, I say to hell with them. We could use some new blood.” He gave her his best grin before adding, “Especially someone who brightens up the room.”

She looked up from the file, her head cocked to the side. “Are you flirting with me, Dr. Gracin?”

“No, ma’am, that would be unprofessional. But, seeing as how you’re new and in need of someone to show you around, I thought I’d offer myself up. I’d be happy to take you to dinner one of these nights, show you all the highlights of Bear Mountain.” Hunter leaned forward, lowering his tone and putting every bit of his southern drawl into his voice. “Of course, if we’re gonna be friends, I’d insist you call me Hunter.”

Hunter thought he caught a ghost of a smile before her expression went blank. “I appreciate the offer, but right now, I need to concentrate on the job and not on making friends.”

“But you’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” Maybe he was counting his chickens, but the brief flash of interest in her eyes couldn’t have been all in his head, could it?

“I tell you what, Dr. Gracin. If I survive this week, I’ll give your offer some thought.” Flipping through a page in his file, she asked, “Now, do you have any other questions or concerns?”

Despite her all-business facade, Hunter wasn’t deterred. In fact, he had a really good feeling that he and Ms. Fairchild were going to become very close.

Chapter 4

Hunter stood on the side of the OR table, searching for the bleeder in his patient’s abdomen. Peter York, thirty-nine, had come in with a rigid abdomen, a concussion, and scrapes and bruises along his body after a nasty fall. His buddy had told his intake nurse that they’d been hiking, and Peter had been startled by a bear on the trail. Based on the man’s camouflage duds from head to toe, Hunter suspected they were illegally hunting said bear, who had turned the tables on them. Not that it mattered; it wasn’t Hunter’s business what they were doing up on that mountain.

He just needed to make sure that Peter York made it off the table.

Finally, he found the source of the problem, and once he applied the clamps and suctioned, he could see exactly what needed to be done. As he removed Peter’s spleen, he started humming an old Garth Brooks song. Hunter’s cool demeanor and speedy hands were what had gotten him offers from several of the best trauma centers in the US, but Hunter had wanted to go where he was needed. And Bear Mountain had been in desperate need of an excellent trauma surgeon.

Sure, the equipment was outdated and some of the nurses were testier than a mama grizzly with cubs, but he saw more than his fair share of action.

Plus, living in the same town as his best friend, Dex Belmont, had its perks. They had met in the army and kept in touch long after they’d been discharged. With Hunter’s family back in Texas, things would have been a lot lonelier without Dex. And as much as he loved his parents, things were better when he and his three older brothers put some distance between them.

Finally, Hunter was able to close up. The clear, steady beeping on the monitors told him that Peter York had a good chance of pulling through. Maybe Peter would even give up bear hunting for good.

After Hunter exited the OR and cleaned up, he passed Allison Fairchild’s open office door and peeked in. She was bent over some paperwork, squinting, and even though she was chewing on a pencil like a beaver, he still thought she was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen.

And he was almost positive she was feeling him, too. He just needed to give her time to adjust to life in Bear Mountain.

Hunter found Peter’s wife in the waiting area. Noting the wife’s pallor, he insisted she stay seated as he sat down next to her.

“Mrs. York, I’m Dr. Gracin.”

“Is Pete all right?” Her voice wobbled, and Hunter took her hands in his, squeezing them gently.

“I had to remove his spleen, and he had some serious internal bleeding, but barring further complications, your husband should pull through just fine. He looks pretty beat up, though, so I want you to be prepared for that.”

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