Page 28 of A Mommy for His Daughter

“I know. I agree. I wouldn’t want her to get hurt. I just want us to work together without it being weird.”

Derek sighed. “Me too.”

“Good. I’ll see you in there, then?”

“Yeah.” He started to walk back to Sally’s and then stopped. “Look, don’t drink that horrible stuff from the apartment. I’ll get you a coffee.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she said. Even though she was secretly pleased that he was offering to buy her a coffee. It was a sweet thing to do. What colleagues did.

“Hey, it’s what coworkers do. You can get the next round.” He turned back around and then headed down the alley toward Sally’s.

Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad they were going to try and work together, but there was a part of her that was kind of sad that that was all it could ever be.

Why do you want more? You never want more.

Which was true.

She never wanted more out of a relationship. Her relationships never lasted because she wasn’t sure that she ever wanted to settle down or have kids. She loved kids, but she knew what it was like to lose both parents. To be taken away from everyone and everything you’d ever known and be sent to the other side of the country.

She knew that pain and she was sure that she never wanted to put a child through that—because there were no guarantees in life and that wasn’t a risk she was willing to take.

It was better this way, and she was glad that Derek was on board with it. That they could be professional about their almost-kiss.

The non-kiss.

Just thinking about the almost-kiss caused her heart to kick up a notch, her blood to heat and her body to react as she thought about his arms around her. His lips brushing over hers. All she could think about was him, and she couldn’t remember the last time a man had made her feel this way.

Certainly not Nathan.

There had been an attraction with Nathan, but nothing like this mooning, consuming desire that she seemed to be having for Derek.

Get a grip, Evelyn. Seriously.

This was going to be a long, long day if she didn’t get her mind off Derek and focused on something else. Anything else.

She unlocked the clinic and flicked on the lights, setting her travel coffee mug on the counter in order to pick up the first file in the small stack that was waiting for her.

Jennifer Yazzie was coming in for the first appointment today, after having to miss yesterday’s due to the excitement Christina had caused.

The bell over the door jingled and Janet came in.

“Good morning, Dr. Saunders.”

“Good morning, Janet. When did your flight get in from Sitka?”

“Late last night.”

“Shouldn’t you be home, resting?” Evelyn asked. “I can’t begrudge you that after your amazing work with Christina yesterday and flying to Sitka.”

Janet beamed. “Thank you, Dr. Saunders, but I’m fine really. It’s only an hour flight, gate to gate, and I’m a bit of a night hawk anyways.”

Evelyn grinned. “How is Christina?”

“Stable when I left her last night. They named the baby Evie, by the way. Not Evelyn, but Evie. Close to your name.”

She blushed and felt very honored. “That’s very sweet of them, but Christina did all the work.”

Janet handed her an envelope. “Her post-op notes and information from the surgeon in Sitka for Christina’s file. Do you need anything particular prepped for this morning, Dr. Saunders?”

“The ultrasound would be great. I’m having Jennifer Yazzie in and I want to check her measurements.”

Janet nodded. “Of course, Dr. Saunders. I’ll prime the machine now.”

Evelyn turned back to Jennifer’s chart, reading over all the notes and information about her pregnancy. She wanted to formulate a plan now, since Jennifer was so far along. She didn’t want this baby or Jennifer to die because of lack of healthcare.

Besides, Jennifer was sort of family, even though Evelyn didn’t know her particularly well. She would hate for something to happen to the next generation of Yazzies. She wasn’t going to lose anyone on her watch during her stay in Wolf’s Harbor. She was here to save lives, just like her father had.

She smiled to herself, and when the bell jingled at the front door she didn’t look up. It was probably Derek with the coffee.

“I hope you didn’t let Sally overload it with sugar. Yesterday she added so much to my coffee my back teeth got a sugar rush.”

“I don’t have coffee,” a frail voice responded, barely a whisper.

The hair on the back of Evelyn’s neck stood on end and her hand shook as she turned around slowly.

The woman before her was someone she’d thought she’d never see again. She had osteoporosis, and the once-ebony hair was white, with a few strands of black woven through. Her face was wrinkled, and she still wore the traditional abalone earrings that had always fascinated her as a child when she was in her arms.

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