Page 7 of Dr. Alaska
“We already met over Bruce.” Lee chuckled.
Mav opened and closed his mouth. “Doctor?”
Deirdre crossed her arms and pursed her lips. “What? You’ve never seen one of them, Mav?”
“No. I have. Here. Of course. Lots of other places. It’s just… but out there, I didn’t—”
Hmm. Someone had gotten too big for his britches.
Lee turned a laugh into a polite cough. “I was incognito, and I didn’t give my credentials.” Mostly because he didn’t let her get a word in edgewise, but whatever. She had way bigger fish to fry today.
“Oof. My bad, Doc.” He grimaced, somehow making him appear handsome and approachable. “As Sis will tell you, it’s par for the course.”
“Maverick Steen.” Deirdre clapped. “Always tactful and calm under pressure.”
“Hey now, Dee. I was only doing my job.”
“A simplenice to meet you, Dr. Tiptonwill be the best way out of the hole you’ve dug.”
Lee chuckled as Deirdre skewered her brother with her eyes.Love to see it.
He nodded and stuck out his hand with a brief warm press of their palms that made her arm tingle and heart flutter. “Nice to meet you, Doctor. Enjoy the time you have in Yukon Valley.”
Lee pulled her chin back. He spoke like she couldn’t hack it here. As if he didn’t expect her to stick around.
In truth, she had no plans to do so. This temporary job was designed for emotional distance and a financial reset until she could carry on with her life and career.
“Hopefully, I don’t see you again,” Lee said.
“What?” Mav frowned, brow-furrowed suspicion mixed with hurt puppy.
Almost like he cared what she thought.
Swallowing the foreign sensation of a flutter in her throat, she added, “You know, because I have to cover the ER and hospital? If I don’t see you, that means you’re not bringing in sick patients for me to work on or transferring critically ill patients to Fairbanks.” When he didn’t move, she cleared her throat, her mouth suddenly dry. “I’m not above invoking good karma, Murphy’s Law, and every other superstition I can think of.”
“Uh. Yeah. Me, too, then. Hope not to see you. Around. I guess. Or not. Because of no patients.” With a whoosh of air, he turned toward the gurney his EMS partner, Louise, now stood behind with a bemused smile, then looked at the nursing station and then his sister. “Gotta go. Sis. Doc. Geez.” He rotated stiffly and pulled the gurney away.
Deirdre made a flourish. “My brother, folks.”
The ER nurse smiled. “At least he’s cute.” She winked at Lee. “And eligible.”
Lee’s heart rate did a tachycardic flutter then a bradycardic dip. Tempting, sure. But that particular delicious treat came with two scoops ofnopewith somewhen-hell-freezes-oversprinkles on top. She was still licking her wounds from the divorce. She’d trusted a good-looking guy once. See how that turned out? Clearly, her partner picker was broken.
Even if the awkwardly handsome man in question made her toes tingle.
The toe tingling was probably frostbite.
Deirdre rescued Lee from responding. “Let’s head to radiology, med-surg floor, OR, and then to labor and delivery. We’ll finish up in the clinic so you can meet everyone there. Dr. Burmeister is seeing that ER patient, so we’ll circle back when he’s free. Hope you’re ready to hit the ground running. Your first twenty-four-hour call starts tomorrow.”
Chapter Four
The frustrating Mondayshift finally over, Mav stomped through Three Bears Alaska a little after seven p.m., still gritting his teeth at that bystander not telling him she was a doctor and Deirdre picking on him. He enjoyed living in a small community, most of the time. In Yukon Valley, though, a rumor could make it across town faster than a snowmachine going full throttle on a groomed trail.
He mentally ran his list. Kibble to mix with fish and venison for his ravenous hordes, a new hammer for lodge repairs before the snowmachining guests arrived next month, a pair of wool socks to replace what Kenai had chewed through, and, of course, groceries.
Gotta love Three Bears. They stocked at least one item of everything.
Bonus, the deli was still open. He veered away from his shopping plan to see about thin sliced cold cuts for lunch this week. Mav had canned and dried plenty of salmon and venison for the winter, but he welcomed a change in meat from time to time.
