Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“I went to visit you and a ninety-two-year-old man waiting for a hip replacement was in your bed. I quickly deduced you’d been released.”
“You don’t have to keep checking up on me, Dr. Warren,” she rushed to assure him.
“Call me Hunter until you’re ready to use another name for me,” he said, before pointing at the picture. “How long were you and Darren married?”
“We got married right out of high school. We made it fourteen years together before he was killed. He was a great man.”
“I can’t imagine you choosing someone who wasn’t,” Hunter assured her. “How long have you been alone?”
CC checked the calendar on the wall before answering, “Almost two years—one year, eight months, and twenty-six days.”
“That’s very precise,” he observed.
“I used to count hours and minutes. I’m getting better.”
She shook her head and said, “You didn’t come here to talk about my husband. I’m doing better.” CC lifted her noticeably less swollen hand before absentmindedly reaching across to scratch at the adhesive stretched over the PICC line the doctors had inserted in her upper left arm before allowing her to leave the hospital.
“Stop that.”
His sharp tone made her freeze. “Sorry, it itches.”
“Let me get some ice.” Hunter disappeared and returned with a plastic glove filled with ice. “Hold this on it. It will help with the itching. Don’t scratch at it. That specially placed catheter is a direct line to your heart so the IV fluid is circulated efficiently. You don’t want to tear that barrier and risk an infection.”
Nodding, CC took the glove and held it against her upper arm. She sighed in relief as the annoying sensation eased. “Thanks, Doc.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Can I get you some coffee?” CC finally thought of asking as she kicked herself mentally for not being a better hostess. He’d come all this way to check on her.
She still wasn’t sure why he was here or why he’d stopped by her hospital room several times a day either. She was certain doctors didn’t check on their patients as often as this one did. She doubted he checked on any other patient so attentively either.
The thought that he might be interested in her made her all tingly and warm inside. It also made her nervous.
Was it too soon? Should she be ogling another man less than two years after her husband died?
Wyatt had politely encouraged her to find love several times in the past few months. He hadn’t pressured her, but he had pointed out that Darren would have wanted her to move on.
She knew he was right, but it was hard to take that first step. If she was going to go out with another man though, she sure wouldn’t mind it being this hunky doting doctor.
When he leaned his hands on her desk, bringing his face closer to hers, her breath hitched. He hadn’t answered her question, but she loved his voice and couldn’t wait to hear it again.
Yeah, it was probably time to stop counting the days since Darren had left her alone and start a new mental tally. How many days had she known Hunter?
Three. Just three? It seemed like longer.
His intense stare made her heart race and her mouth go dry.
Chapter Five
Hunter rested his palms on his Little girl’s desk and held her gaze. Yes. She was his Little girl. It was time to tell her. He knew he would need to take things slow because she was still grieving her husband, but he at least needed to ensure she was on the same page.
There was only one page. She was his. If he’d had even one single doubt, it had fled the moment he’d heard her talking to her husband—her Daddy.
His heart flipped over again now at the memory of the sound of her Little voice and the bravery she exhibited. Watching her lick her pretty lips made his chest clench.
“I don’t want any coffee this late in the day, Little girl, but I would like it if you allowed me to cook you dinner. I’ll probably have water, but I bet I have some apple juice in my house if you’d like with dinner.”
She sucked in a breath and flattened her good hand between her breasts. She blinked at him several times. He’d surprised her, though she should have realized by now that he was not just into her but would soon claim her as his Little girl.
“You want to make me dinner?” she asked softly.
He nodded. “What time does your shop close?”
“Three. Sunshine is probably urging the last customers to finish up now.”
“Do you have to do anything else here before you can leave?”
She glanced around at her desk, looking flustered and adorable. Her gaze darted from a pile of envelopes to a pile of folders. It was all tidy and organized, and considering the fact that he knew she’d only recently been released from the hospital, he doubted she’d had time to do much besides get the update from her staff.