Badland Bride (Book 2 - Dakota Hearts) Read Online Free PDF

another way. One thing was for sure, he was more intrigued with Regis Simpson than he was when he’d arrived tonight. And that only made him want to see her more. And he would. He was sure of it.
    He slammed the truck door closed and turned the key in the ignition, whistling while the engine fired to life. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d whistled.
    # # #
     

Chapter Four
     
    Her leg was bleeding again. It wasn’t even noon and she’d already managed to get off schedule after brushing up against the fender of her car while taking pictures of a house with roof damage. It should have been a quick appointment, lasting no more than ten minutes to talk to the owner and take pictures. Instead, she needed mending. Again.
    Disgusted with herself, Regis pulled her sedan into the clinic parking lot. She killed the engine and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. She should have gone back to her hotel and just patched her leg up herself. But…
    But she was here at the clinic to see Dr. Keith McKinnon again. Yeah, the reason for that wasn’t too big of a mind stretch for her. She’d thought of nothing but him since he’d shown up at her motel room last night.
    What the hell was she doing? He’d asked her to dinner. And she’d emphatically said no. She never dated men while on the road. They’d get attached. She’d get attached. And then she’d move on to another town. That was the story of her childhood. She didn’t want to repeat it in her adult life.
    Besides, long distance relationships never worked. She’d learned that one the hard way when she’d held on too long.
    “And this is not a date,” she muttered, opening the car door. “I’m only here to have my leg wrapped again and then I’ll be back on the road.”
    Oh, why couldn’t Keith McKinnon be a crusty old doctor? Instead she couldn’t stop thinking about the drop-dead gorgeous country doctor with a heart of gold she’d only seen in heroes in movies.
    Ten minutes later she was sitting on the same examining table she’d sat on the day before, looking into those deep blue eyes that had haunted her all last night. He’d dispensed with wearing the white jacket he’d put on yesterday, making it hard to see him as the caring doctor he’d been. Instead, strong muscles were clearly visible beneath the fabric of his long sleeved gray shirt. The blue jeans he wore were faded and had stains that clearly had defied laundering.
    “Am I keeping you from something?” she asked.
    “You just caught me. I was heading over to the mill to help with some of the cleanup.”
    She nodded. “That’s another thing on my list that I’m going to have to reschedule. Again.”
    Regis fought the tears of frustration she’d been feeling since yesterday’s mishap. So many people were counting on her and she was failing.
    “Come on. It’s not that bad,” Keith said, lifting her chin with his finger. The sympathy she saw in his eyes was more than she could take. She lost the battle with her emotions as the tears she’d been holding back fell down her cheek.
    Reaching behind him, Keith grabbed a tissue box and held it out for her. She took two and nodded her thanks.
    “I’m so embarrassed,” she finally said when she got her emotions in check. “I don’t normally blubber like this.”
    “Why not? It looks like you were overdue.”
    She shook her head. “I can hear my father in my head tell me to buck up. ‘Soldiers don’t cry.’” She lowered her voice in that deep way she always did when she mimicked her father’s admonition. She hadn’t done that in a long time.
    “You were a soldier?”
    “No, my dad is.”
    “Oh.”
    His sudden silence had her looking up at Keith. “What?”
    He shrugged as he grabbed a fresh roll of gauze from the cabinet. “I don’t know your father, but I do know a lot of people in the military. Male or female, they do cry. How could they not? And plenty of people cry with them. There’s nothing wrong with some