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Blair turned tiredly to the doctor. “That’s the lot of them. Anything else on the roster for me?”
    “Nope.” Dr. Hardy shook his head with a pleased grin. “Our new man put us way ahead of schedule.”
    Blair rose from her seat on the cot and stretched with a slight frown. “What do you think of him?” she asked.
    “I think I’m in love,” Dr. Hardy replied quickly with a rare quirk of humor. “They’ve finally sent me a man.”
    “But why?” Blair mused, tapping her chin reflectively with a forefinger.
    “I don’t really care,” he said bluntly. “He’s here, and he’s a goddamned work horse.” Patting Blair’s back, he added, “Be careful not to chase him away with your questions, huh? I’ve seen that devious gleam in those eyes, and you’re up to no good. Give the guy a break; he might be looking for a little privacy just like you are. I don’t let anyone give you the third degree; now, don’t you do it to him.”
    Her emerald eyes could appear very innocent when she wished. “I’m not going to chase away Hercules on you! He’s already offered to tell me why he was here.”
    “Well, then you’ll have your answer.”
    Still not satisfied, Blair murmured, “Why me?”
    The doctor chuckled as he began to clear up various medical paraphernalia. “If you don’t know the answer to that one, young lady, we have had you in the brush too long.”
    “You think he’s attracted to me?” Blair frowned.
    “I know he’s attracted to you, and”—with a friendly gesture he tugged on the neat knot of her hair—“so do you. And I think you’re attracted to him, otherwise you’d leave the poor fellow alone.”
    “He is attractive,” Blair allowed, taking no offense. “But don’t you see—he’s too attractive.”
    “Maybe that’s because you see too few strong healthy men your own age,” he suggested, scowling as he realized he had a stone in his boot.
    Blair shook her head with renewed exasperation and grasped his elbow to steady him as he pulled off his boot to remove the offending pebble. “I wasn’t born in the wilderness, Tom. This guy isn’t like other men. Not even like attractive other men. And I’m not saying that to pretend I don’t find him … arresting …”
    “Sexy,” the doctor interjected, refitting his boot.
    “All right, I’ll grant you the semantics.” Blair gave in with a slight twinge of pink reaching her cheeks. “But he’s more than sexy. He’s confident, powerful. A man like that knows where he’s going in life. This type of life could offer him no challenge.” The doctor wasn’t replying, and Blair finally grew frustrated trying to get her point across. There really weren’t words to describe what she felt. It wasn’t that she believed Craig Taylor incapable of giving. In fact, she believed he would give generously of his time, strength, and talent. But this just wasn’t what she thought would be his choice for an outlet.
    “Oh, never mind,” she sighed, releasing his arm as he regained his own balance. “I’m heading for the stream.”
    “Have a nice bath.” He waved her on, his mind already moving on to other subjects, if she had really ever had his attention in the first place.
    In her small private tent she collected her soap and a towel and rummaged through her clothing. The good doctor was right about one thing—she was extremely attracted to Craig, and she wasn’t sure whether she liked the feeling or not. In a way it was wonderfully exciting; it seemed like forever since her senses had been touched in the least by a man. It was also nerve-racking. She had made a sound point herself, which her friend had totally ignored. Craig Taylor was no ordinary man. In a field of thousands, he alone would stand out, exuding power, exuding vibrancy, exuding quick and perceptive intelligence with topaz eyes.
    Blair realized a little ruefully that she was rummaging through her clothing so thoroughly because she was determined to find her most