“So you just handed the baby to Jason?” someone asked after the second—or was it the th
ird?—recounting. “All messy and squirmy and everything?”
“He had a towel to wrap the baby in.”
Several of the women listening from surrounding bus seats looked intrigued. Madison suspected they were picturing handsome Jason D’Alessandro holding a newborn infant. She had to admit she had found his competent, gentle handling of the tiny baby attractive—but that was hardly a surprise, since she’d been charmed by pretty much everything else she’d observed about Jason so far that weekend.
“Well, he is a family practice physician,” Hannah pointed out logically. “I’m sure he’s used to holding infants.”
“He’s always liked kids,” Corinna added. “He has three younger siblings, two young nephews, and too many cousins to count, and all the little ones love Jason.”
“So, did Tommy pass out?” BiBi asked quickly, either to distract her sister from thoughts of Jason with children or to distract everyone else from noticing Corinna’s besotted tone. Maybe both. “He looked pretty pale when you all rushed him and Lila into the ranch house.”
“No, he held up great. He was a little nervous at first, but J— But he calmed down fairly quickly.” She had almost praised Jason’s skillful soothing of Tommy’s anxiety but had changed her words at the last moment. Saint Jason had received enough credit this evening, she decided. Seriously, the guy had to have some flaws. Corinna’s crush aside, and discounting the few minor imperfections BiBi had listed, no one could be as perfect as Jason D’Alessandro was beginning to sound.
Madison had never been particularly interested in too-perfect people—another reason she had chosen psychiatry as a specialty. Maybe that was the solution to her problematic fascination with Jason. The more she learned about how upstanding and responsible he was, the more she realized how different he was from the rebel she’d fantasized him to be after last night’s masquerade, the less intrigued she would be by him.
A few people wandered toward the bar when the buses deposited them back at the hotel. Madison headed straight for the elevators. It had been a long, exhausting day and she was ready for some downtime. BiBi had another busy day scheduled for tomorrow, followed by the wedding and the flight back home on Sunday, followed by work early Monday morning, so Madison figured she’d better rest while she had the chance.
Stripping out of her clothes, she took a quick shower, letting the hot water soothe her weary muscles. She would probably be reminded of that long trail ride tomorrow, she thought with a slight grimace.
Slipping into her favorite thigh-length, black sheath nightgown decorated with touches of lace and red embroidery, she dried her honey-blond hair and left it loose around her shoulders, automatically examining the roots to see if it were time for a touch-up. Both she and her sister were in the habit of lightening the mousy-brown hair they had inherited from their father.
Turning her head from side to side and studying the reflection in the mirror, Madison wondered if she should go a little lighter next time. Or maybe she should add some red to the mix. Something completely different. She had rather enjoyed being in costume last night, changing up her appearance from the fashionable, yet maybe too predictable style she’d fallen into during the past couple of years.
As her fourth year of her demanding residency drew closer to an end, maybe it was time to shake up her routines a little. Let herself get a little reckless again, closer to the footloose, impulsive fun-lover she’d once been. Oh, she wasn’t going to go wild or anything, she assured herself, reaching for her rose-scented body lotion. She was still a physician, and she would perform her duties with the same conscientious dedication as always—but she had to remember that it was important for her to have a life away from work, too. Maybe if she spent a little more time having fun, she’d be less susceptible to a pair of gleaming dark eyes and a roguish smile, more able to put that sexy grin out of her mind when it became clear that it was time to move on.
A soft tap on her door derailed her musings and made her turn quickly on the vanity chair. She certainly wasn’t expecting company at this hour.
BiBi, she thought with shake of her head, reaching for the short robe that matched her gown. Who else could it be?
If her friend was here to chew her out again for getting too friendly with Jason, Madison was going to have a harder time keeping her temper. Leaving the belt of her robe untied, she stalked barefoot toward the door. What was she supposed to have done, refused to help deliver Lila’s baby because Jason’s assistance was also required? It just so happened that both Madison and Jason were doctors. If BiBi refused to accept that as the simple coincidence it was, then she…
Madison’s breath caught in her throat when she glanced automatically through the security peephole in the door. Her caller wasn’t BiBi.
After only a momentary hesitation, she turned the locks and opened the door a crack.
“Have you wandered onto the wrong floor, Dr. Jones?” she asked, the sudden huskiness of her voice making the lame quip even less effective.
Jason’s smile did not reach his intense, dark eyes. “I hope not.”
Pausing only a few heartbeats longer, Madison made her decision. She stepped back in silent invitation.
Jason slipped inside the room, closing the door behind him with a quiet, firm click.
Chapter Six
“Before you say anything,” Jason said as soon as he was in the room, “there’s something you should know about my connection to BiBi and Corinna.”
“Your families have a longtime connection and wouldn’t mind seeing that bond formalized with a match between their offspring. They’ve decided you and Corinna make a nice couple. Corinna tends to agree, but you don’t think of her in that way.”
“Oh.” Jason blinked a couple of times as if trying to think of something to say now that she had summarized the speech she assumed he’d been prepared to make. “Well, yeah. Something like that.”
She shrugged. “I picked up clues from things said during the past couple of days.”
“Either a lot was said or you’re very perceptive. You summed it up almost perfectly.”
“I do like to think I’m perceptive. That’s part of my job, after all.”