Dr. Dad

“Wait a second, kiddo.” Starr knelt beside the child, holding the feline’s paws firmly in her hands.

“Careful, Becky,” Noah warned. “He’s a little upset right now, so be gentle.”

Becky leaned forward and gave Kitty a series of solid pats on his head. “O’tay,” she said. A loud purr rose from the cat and his eyes closed ecstatically.

“Now he purrs?” Starr muttered. “Swell. Why couldn’t he have done that while I was saving his life?”

“Take care of Becky for a moment,” Noah said to Mrs. Dinsdale. “I need to treat Mrs. Granger’s wounds.”

Starr handed the cat to the baby-sitter and followed him to the rear of the ambulance, an enigmatic smile on her generous mouth.

“Let’s take a look,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Uh-uh. I want him to do it.” Starr pointed to the emergency medical technician.

An exasperated sigh rose from Noah’s chest. “I’m a very good doctor.”

“I’m sure you are. But I still want him.”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake!”

Noah stepped back and let the EMT take over. The man efficiently dealt with the scratches, then pointed to the red stains on her shirt, visible beneath the jacket. “Is that blood from your hands?”

For the first time Starr seemed uncomfortable. “Er...no. Kitty got a little wild when I climbed out of the window. But it’s okay, I’ll take care of it myself.” She zipped the jacket to her throat as her gaze darted sideways, colliding with Noah’s. He instantly remembered the intimate contact between their bodies as they’d climbed down the ladder.

“We can step into the ambulance if you’d like,” the technician suggested.

“No, I’ll take care of it later.”

“Cat scratches get infected easily. Perhaps you’d feel more comfortable if Dr. Bradley examined you,” the EMT said smoothly.

“Uh...I don’t think so,” Starr murmured.

Noah lifted his hand in exasperation. Was she holding a grudge? Admittedly, he hadn’t been very accommodating when she’d called, asking to take Becky for a weekend. His niece was still adjusting to her parents’ deaths, and he didn’t want her daily routine upset for an absentee godmother, visiting on a whim. Maybe that explained Starr’s reluctance to accept his help.

“We need to talk. Sit down,” he growled, pointing to the convenient step on the vehicle.

The EMT grinned and said he’d check in with the fire chief. Neither of them watched as he slipped away.

“I’m not—”

“Down!” Noah put his hands on Starr’s shoulders and pushed. She winced at the pressure, drawing the left side of her body away from him. A worried frown creased his mouth. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Tell me another whopper, okay? One I might actually believe.”

Starr sighed. “It’s an old injury, and none of your business. Besides, I’m fine. I don’t need a doctor for a couple of scratches. It’s silly.”

“I don’t understand,” Noah said, attempting to sound reasonable. It was quite a struggle, because he felt anything but reasonable. “Think of me as a physician, not a man.”

Her enigmatic smile returned. “Let’s get one thing perfectly clear between us—I’m not your patient, and you’re not my doctor.”

“Do you have something against doctors?”

“Not particularly.”

Noah rubbed his forehead. Starr Granger was having an unfortunate effect on him—she made him insane. “Then what’s wrong, Miss...er...Ms. Granger?” he asked carefully.

She leaned toward him. “Make it easy. Call me Starr.” A complex mixture of emotion glimmered in her blue.-green eyes. “There’s a perfectly good reason I don’t want you to be my doctor.”

“Oh? What is it?”

The cool, unbandaged tips of her fingers stroked his jaw. “They say actions speak louder than words, so I’ll just have to show you.” Her lips brushed his mouth and the heat went clear to his toes.

“What was that supposed to prove?” he asked, his voice gritty with restraint. The last thing he’d expected from the rebellious Starr was a kiss.

“I thought it was obvious. I guess I’ll have to try one more time.” An instant later she flowed against him, filling his senses with warmth and the scent of honeysuckle.

Unable to resist, Noah slid his fingers into the soft silk of her hair and pulled her closer. She tasted like an exotic fruit, provocative and mysterious, with infinite layers of texture and passion.

He knew exactly what she was telling him. The American Medical Association disapproved of kisses between doctors and patients, but Starr hadn’t let him become her doctor. They were just a man and woman, kissing in front of half the Astoria fire department. Somehow that didn’t seem to matter.

After an endless moment she pulled away.

“See you later, Dr. Bradley,” she said, spinning on her heel and walking away.

Noah’s mouth dropped open as she disappeared. “I’ll be damned,” he muttered.

He shook his head, trying to clear her tantalizing fragrance from his senses. Starr Granger had all the physical equipment to make a man feel...restless. But he didn’t want to get involved with anyone, much less a globe-trotting journalist who took incredible chances to get her photographs.

Not that it mattered. Starr had probably just kissed him because of excess adrenaline. He didn’t consider himself boring, but he was hardly the type of man to attract a woman with her explosive life-style.

A reluctant smile curved Noah’s mouth when he realized he was just making excuses. His common sense told him to forget the sensual fire in Starr’s restless eyes and supple body—he just didn’t want to.

Chapter Two

Noah groaned as he stared at the newspaper from the previous day. Thoroughly annoyed, he slapped his cup down on the breakfast table.

On the front page was a picture of Mrs. Dinsdale’s old house, surrounded by firefighters. That wasn’t the bad news. The bad news was the back page, where the story continued. A second article augmented the sketchy information—all about one of Astoria’s more famous citizens, Starr Granger.

“Damned reporters,” he muttered, the paper crumpling between his fingers.

Next to a smiling publicity shot of Starr, was a picture of both Starr and Noah in front of the ambulance...kissing. The caption beneath read “Local doctor lures prize winning photographer back home.” He had his arm around Starr’s waist and she was arched against him.

Great, just great. That’s all he needed.

He didn’t remember putting his arms around Starr. But he remembered the softness of feminine curves pressed against him, the scent of honeysuckle...the provocative flavor of her mouth. He remembered the shifting shades of blue and green in her eyes, and the affectionate way she’d looked at Becky. Those memories had kept him awake the night before, aching with hunger.