Almost Twilight by Teresa McCarthy

if she
had been dunked into an icy pool.
    “Feeling
better?” 
    The
familiar baritone voice flitted through her head like a Mozart Concerto. She
thought she was dreaming. But when she felt a warm hand on her forehead, she
opened her eyes, surprised to find Dr. Rafe Clearbrook sitting beside her, his intense
gray eyes probing her face for an answer to his question.
    She
nodded yes, not feeling better at all.
    “You
had food poisoning,” he said softly, stroking her forehead.
    Food
poisoning? Head poisoning, if you asked her. He looked truly concerned for her.
When his fingers fell across her eyes, her heart began to soften in ways she
never wanted it to ever again.
    Maybe
he wasn’t as hard as he appeared to be. Maybe he was arrogant and proud because
it was a front. Maybe he needed to act tough to get through the pain of seeing
patients dying on him.
    She
closed her eyes and sighed, feeling his gaze burning into her blood. The
insight was all too revealing for this man who seemed to guard himself with an
iron-like shield of cool reserve.
    “I
don’t think it was anything fatal, but you’ll be out of commission for a few
more days.”
    Candy
groaned. Wonderful. She would be stuck here, with her life spinning out of
control, because she was falling for the infamous Dr. Clearbrook.
    “Everything
else seems to be fine.”
    Candy
stared at him and wondered how much of her he had checked. He seemed to read
her mind.
    He
gave her that devastating dimpled smile and shrugged. “Hey, I’m a doctor.”
    Her
brows narrowed. “I know that,” she snapped. “Just what kind of doctor goes
kissing his patients?”
    Rafe
rubbed a hand over his chin. “If I recollect, you weren’t my patient
yesterday.”
    “For
your information, I’m not your patient now.” She tried to sit up and instantly
regretted the decision. Everything turned upside down and sideways, including
that boyish grin pasted on Rafe’s face.
    He
eased her back down and put a cool rag to her face. “I’m afraid you have no
choice. I’m your doctor, and you will stay in bed and follow my orders. You’re
obviously dehydrated. We’ll push the fluids. Soon, you’ll be feeling much
better.”
    Candy
turned her head to her side, wishing she could escape his disturbing presence. This
entire vacation was a nightmare.
    Why
had she let Fritz talk her into this mess in the first place? She had refused
to accept money from him when he had wanted to help her out with her down
payment, so why hadn’t she enough nerve to refuse him about this? 
    But
down deep she knew why. After buying the house, she would be so strapped for
cash, a vacation to anywhere beyond fifty miles of Clearbrook Valley would be
impossible for a very long, long time. It was an impulse move, and she wasn’t
an impulse sort of girl. She usually planned out everything.
    Her
brother Alex had asked to help with the house, but she had refused his money.
She wanted to do everything by herself. How stupid was that, she thought. Perhaps
this vacation would make her rethink her brother’s help. Her pride seemed to be
getting her into a lot of trouble lately.
    “You’ll
be fine, little lady. Selena will take good care of you.”
    Candy
jerked her eyes open at the sound of the female voice whispering beside her. She
almost laughed out loud when Rafe was pushed aside by a robust woman with a
purple turban on her head. So this was Selena.
    Rafe
complained, but Selena waved her hand in the air. “Okay pretty boy, time to
leave.”
    “I’m
not leaving until I’m good and ready.”
    Selena
rested her hand on Candy’s forehead. “Your lady is going to be all right.”
    Rafe
stiffened. “If I told you once, I’ve told you twice, she’s not my lady.”
    Candy’s
heart squeezed with pain. He had teased her last night with that kiss. Now, he
was discarding her as if she were a flea in his armpit.
    Selena
shouted something to Rafe in with what Candy though was some kind of French
dialect, but she