Page 9 of Texas Daze (Texas Montgomery Mavericks)

Monday morning, as she studied the two hospital auxiliary fundraiser tickets hung on her refrigerator, she realized the dinner slash dance was the coming Saturday evening, as in only five days away. Even though she’d walked past those tickets for past two months, she’d let the event slip up on her. She had no date, and to be honest, no one she wanted to ask. At two-hundred and fifty bucks a pop, she would go eat rubber chicken with or without an escort. Her grandmother had founded the auxiliary and the Jenkinses had always supported the auxiliary’s work. This year, she would the family’s sole representative, so not attending wasn’t anoption.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time she went solo. Last May, her fiancé had been too busy to attend, with what she’d never found out. He only said he had a thing to do with his friend Scott. It was only later that she discovered theirsecret.

The event was black tie and most of the guys in her dating pool would rather eat their cowboy hats than put on a tux for an evening of schmoozing and dancing. Too bad she had the perfect dress that would knock a date’s eyes out. Oh well. The Montgomerys were always there and the women were happy to share their guys on the dancefloor.

Tuesday evening, just as she was exiting the shower, her cellphone rang. As water trickled down her body onto the shower mat, she considered letting it go to voicemail. It’d been a rough day. She was tired and more than a little grumpy.Still…

“Hello?”

“Marti? It’s EliBoone.”

Stunned, she almost dropped the phone. She pulled the phone away and looked at the caller id. Riverside Ortho. “Well, surprise. I thought you’d dropped off the face of theearth.”

“I know, I know. After eight hours of surgery and spending the night in the hospital, I had just barely enough time to get home, grab my suitcase and make my plane.” He paused. “You did get the message about the emergencysurgery?”

“I did, but that was ten days ago. Hard to believe that emergency surgery lasted that long. Must be a new surgicalrecord.”

“Darn it. The nurse was supposed to tell you that I was leaving for Europe in the morning and wouldn’t be back until yesterday. I attended an international symposium on bone grafting inCopenhagen.”

“Can you hold on a minute?” Setting the phone on the lip of the sink, she whisked the towel over the water droplets and then wrapped it around her. “Sorry. I’m back. No, I didn’t get thatmessage.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry. You must think I’m horrible. First I ask for a favor and thennevercall.”

“I haven’t given it much thought,”shelied.

“Now I feel even worse because I need twofavors.”

“Really?” She sat on the edge ofherbed.

“I know it’s late notice, and you probably already have plans for Saturday, but I’ve got these two tickets for the hospital fundraiser for Saturday night. I was hoping you might go with me. It’s a worthy cause. The auxiliary is trying to raise funds for some badly neededequipment.”

She thought about the five-hundred-dollar tickets under the magnet on her fridge. “I am aware ofit,yes.”

“Would you be interested in going with metothat?”

Her breath caught as nerves quivered in her gut. As she was thinking, he added, as though it were an enticement—which it wasn’t—“It’ll give me a chance to talk about what I wanted to last week. Plus, I’m new in town. It’d be nice to have someone everyone knowswithme.”

He was asking her out because he could use her to introduce him around? Surprisingly, her house smoke alarms did not begin blaring from the smoke she was sure poured fromherears.

“I’m messing this all up, aren’t I?” he asked. “Let me be honest. I haven’t dated in years. I married the last girl I asked out, so…” His voicedriftedoff.

“You’re married?” she asked withagasp.

“What? Oh no. I’m not any longer.” He blew out a breath. “It’s a long story. Say you’ll go with me. I promise to explaineverything.”

Hadn’t she just been lamenting her lack of date just yesterday? And she really did hate to goalone.

“You realize it’s black tie, right?”shesaid.

“Tux is cleaned, pressed and readytogo.”

“And about this pesky issue of a doctor dating apatient?”

“Oh, you’re not my patient any longer. I’m discharging you from my care. Shoot, I didn’t even ask. How is your ankle? You said it wasdoingokay.”

“I’m fine. Ready to dance even,” she said. “I’d love to gowithyou.”

“Great. I haven’t been to your house yet so I’m not sure how much time to allow for thedrive.”

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