When Liam saw the woman step from the woods, he thought he was hallucinating. Leaning forward in his chair on the porch, he stared in astonishment at the approaching figure. His shock lasted only a few seconds before he was on his feet, shouting, "Stay where you are!" The woman froze at the sound of his voice. He waited for her to respond, but she stayed silent. "Are you sick?" he demanded. "There ain't any help for you h...

Luke sat in his office at the clinic, studying a patient's chart. His eyes were tired, and he longed to put his head down on the desk for just a few minutes, but he knew the mid-morning lull wouldn't last. Already, he'd seen several patients since the clinic opened at eight. Minor ailments, mostly, and easily treatable. Only one required referral to the city hospital. Before he could succumb to the temptation of a brief d...

Luke and Vanessa hurried back to the clinic, their feet swift on the sidewalk. There was still plenty of daylight left, but the mountains had begun to darken as the sun prepared to sink behind them. Luke's hair was damp from his quick shower, and Vanessa carried her large bag, which now contained a Thermos filled with soup. "Celeste might be hungry," the nurse said, "and chicken soup will be easy on her stomach. Since you...

Since Celeste had only socks on her feet, Luke decided to carry her the short distance to his car in the back lot. The young woman thought this was amusing but unnecessary. Still, she allowed him to gather her in his arms, and she held onto him as they made their way through the darkness. Inside the vehicle, Celeste seemed fascinated by the dashboard's glowing lights. Furtively studying her reactions, Luke decided that if...

Luke made one last attempt, halfhearted as it was, to stop what he and Celeste had set in motion. Turning away from her, he took a step toward the door, but she was before him in an instant. He froze, torn between lust and shame. Celeste dropped her stare to his obvious erection. When she again extended a hand to touch him, he did nothing to dissuade her. Eagerly, she worked to unbuckle his belt. "Celeste." Her name was s...

On the way back to the Hall place, Liam had to remind himself to keep his eyes on the road and stop glancing over at Celeste every few seconds. It was as if he suspected she'd vanish if he turned his attention away for too long. And truth be told, he'd been afraid he would never see her again. After Dr. Luke forced him to leave Celeste behind at the clinic, Liam feared her condition would worsen. It terrified him to think...

After seeing the last patient of the day, Luke said a quick goodbye to Graham and then retreated to his office. It had been a little over a week since he'd sent Celeste home with Liam, and since he'd confessed to Vanessa what he'd done. Now, he made every effort to avoid the nurse when they weren't working together to treat a patient. Sinking into the chair behind his desk, Luke removed his respirator and glanced around t...

As Luke sped out of town and toward the Hall place, he feared he'd made a mistake by allowing Vanessa to come with him. The situation with Celeste had reached a crisis point, now rapidly spiraling out of control. He was willing to accept the potential risk to himself, but he had no idea how much danger Vanessa might face simply because she was at his side. Yet when he'd told her she should stay at the clinic, she wouldn't...