Convincing Cara (Wishing Well, Texas Book 2) by Melanie Shawn Page B

whatever Dr. Hall was telling her. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but I could hear the calm in his authoritative voice. As a patient, I’d always appreciated that quality in a doctor. Usually, the circumstances that caused you to seek medical advice were scary, and having a physician that wasn’t self-assured was a foolproof way to slide down the slippery slope of uncertainty into a pit of hysteria. On the flip side of that medical coin, having a doctor who came across as both confident, competent—even cocky—was practically a guaranteed one-way ticket to Hope Island, where possibility lived and a positive outlook reigned supreme.
    In all my interactions with various medical professionals, I’d never really stopped to think about how that same quality would transfer to coworkers. But it made sense that it would do just that. Every day, these people came to work and literally held life and death in their hands. They were in the mortality trenches. Having someone who could command with confidence had to be invaluable. Before I’d even seen him, just imagining that bachelor number two held that quality was enough to send my heart fluttering.
    “Okay, thanks, Dr. Hall.” The nurse smiled before tucking the chart under her arm and rushing down the hall.
    My heartbeat picked up speed as Dr. Hall turned, in what appeared to be slow motion, towards me. It was odd how everything else around me seemed to slow down yet my pulse was going a mile a minute. I was able to study his face—for what felt like a few minutes but I was sure was only seconds—before he noticed me sitting in the waiting room.
    He was strikingly handsome. The first thing that caught my attention was his strong jaw, which was clean-shaven. Normally, I liked a little scruff, but Dr. Hall could definitely pull off not having a five-o’clock shadow. The next thing that I was drawn to was his eyes. Even from a few yards away, I could see that they were gray, which was an unusual color. Dark lashes surrounded his unique irises, and his dark brown hair perfectly complimented his olive-toned skin. He was… hot .
    Harmony had been right. McSteamy and McDreamy who?
    My unnoticed observance was over when bachelor number two’s gaze met mine. I lifted my hand in greeting and stood. His lips split as a smile formed on his too-handsome face, and his steps turned more purposeful as he made his way towards me.
    “Cara?” he asked as he approached.
    “Yes,” I replied a little more breathlessly than I’d meant to.
    “Hi. I’m Brett.” He extended his hand.
    I held my breath as I placed my hand in his. I braced myself for a tingle, a shiver, a jolt—some kind of reaction to our first physical contact. But, when his fingers wrapped around me and we were palm to palm, I felt…nothing. Not a tremor, not goosebumps, not even a tickle of anything. My reaction—or lack of one—was both surprising and disappointing, but I pushed that to the back of my mind.
    Fun. This date was going to be all about fun.
    “Nice to meet you.” My voice was stronger now.
    “I’m so sorry to keep you waiting. There was an emergency, and I couldn’t get away,” he explained, still holding my hand in his.
    “No problem. Are you ready to go?” I was more than ready to get out of the hospital. In fact, if I never stepped foot in another hospital for the rest of my life, it would be just fine with me.
    “Yes. Let’s get out of here.” His smile grew wider, and I was once again struck with just how good-looking he was.
    He dropped my hand, and as we made our way out the sliding doors, his hand rested on my lower back. The weight of his touch was fine. It didn’t send me to giggly-school-girl status, but it also didn’t make me uncomfortable.
    “Did you want me to drive?” he asked when we reached the parking structure.
    “No, I’ll meet you there.” If I had learned anything from my first date, it was that I was relieved that I hadn’t had to share an