Her Hometown Hero (Page 19)

Either way, he’d eventually get tired of the game and it would end. At least if she shunned his advances, she’d have her pride when it was all over. Heaven forbid that she descend into the depths of obsession with that man again.

As she reached her room, she knew taking a nice long bath was out of the question. The second she climbed into the tub, she’d be out like a broken bulb and would probably drown beneath the water. As appealing as eternal rest sounded right then, she loved her life—for the most part—and had no desire to be found wrinkled, bloated, and blue in a bathtub.

After a quick shower, she dragged herself from the bathroom and practically fell into bed. In about five hours, the whole routine would start again. Work, eat, sleep. Ah, this was the life.

Wrapping her coat just a bit more tightly around her shoulders, Sage still shivered as she wandered through an outdoor mall in Billings. It was a day off and she’d made the insane decision to go Christmas shopping instead of staying in her pajamas all day long and alternating between taking naps and eating.

It seemed she never got enough food anymore. Yes, her job burned a lot of calories, but surely not enough to explain her constant hunger. And most of the foods she ate were empty calories, despite the lectures her grandmother had given her when she was young. As a doctor she knew what was healthy—she just chose to ignore all the good advice.

Stepping inside a store, not even bothering to look at the name, she shivered in the entry. This shopping wasn’t going to last much longer. She’d found her grandmother a beautiful glass Eeyore that was sure to thrill her—the woman adored Winnie the Pooh—and a new cross-stitch project that would keep her busy all year.

Now to find something for Grace and she’d be all set. Why was it the hardest to buy gifts for your best friend? Probably because you always wanted it to be perfect, but you felt like you’d failed every time. Grace would never complain, so she should just grab something and go—make the half-hour drive back home and spend the rest of the night in her jammies, which really seemed to be calling to her. No. Grace would know for sure that she hadn’t put forth any real effort. Dang it.

She could have at least gone to an indoor mall. Then she wouldn’t feel like she was about to lose her fingers and toes. But the store she’d just entered pleased her instantly. It looked like a country cottage boutique instead of a modern store, and it had a nice selection of unusual gift items. If she wasn’t able to find something for Grace in here, she might as well give up.

As she turned down an aisle, totally focused on the treasures in front of her, she bumped into another customer. Before she had a chance to apologize, the man spoke.

“Are you stalking me, Dr. Banks?”

That voice could melt butter on a below-freezing day. Spence was out shopping in the exact same place she was. What were the odds?

“After the flowers, I should be concerned that it’s you stalking me,” she replied, her heart beating a few paces faster than normal.

“I wish I were. We could have driven here together.”

“Well, you know what they say about wishes,” she said, causing a sparkle to light his eyes. “I’m sure you’re very busy, as am I, so I’ll see you tomorrow night at the hospital.” She turned and bolted in the opposite direction. Grace didn’t need a gift after all.

He caught up to her swiftly and followed her out of the store. “Since we’re both here, let’s have lunch together. I’m starving. Didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast.”

“I ate a late breakfast. Couldn’t possibly have another thing,” she lied. Good thing there was a lot of traffic outside or he’d hear the rumbling from her very empty stomach.

“I wanted to give you a performance evaluation. This is the perfect time,” he said, playing his trump card.

Though it was her time off, she was curious what he thought about her work. She could cry inappropriate behavior, but something like this wasn’t unusual in their community. Well, that he was chasing after her might be slightly unusual, but mixing business with pleasure—more specifically, eating—happened all the time.

“I suppose a cup of hot coffee wouldn’t hurt,” she said, and before she could change her mind, he had wound her arm through his and was leading her down the festively decorated sidewalk.

The tingling sensation of his fingers wrapping around her had nothing to do with hunger, well, not hunger for food, that was. No matter how much she tried to avoid this man who she knew was only playing a game with her, he seemed to always be there. And if the sparks she had felt for him while she was a teenager had been strong, the passion building inside her as a woman was out of this world.

As soon as he opened the door to the food pavilion, a loud growl broke the silence, and there could be no doubt that it came from her stomach. She was almost grateful, though, as it took her mind away from the fact that she was craving something much less proper.

“I thought you weren’t hungry,” he said with a quiet laugh.

“A gentleman wouldn’t call me on that.”

Suddenly, his face was only an inch from hers, and what was burning in his eyes had her feeling a whole new level of desire. “Don’t ever mistake me for a gentleman, Dr. Banks.”

Oooh, the man was lethal. Take-me-to-my-grave-with-a-big-smile-on-my-face lethal.

“My mistake,” she whispered, using the last of her strength to back away from him. Her fingers shook, so she clenched them together. But nothing was going to stop the wild beating of her heart.