The Mountain Doctor: A Steamy Medical Romance Read online

  I tried to pay attention to the lectures on developing technology in the plastic surgery field. These were things I needed to hear, but I was far too distracted by the very woman I was so busy annoying earlier today.

  3

  Olivia

  I couldn’t believe the nerve of that guy. Demanding a different breakfast from what was provided was snobby and rude. Our kitchen was excellent and offered fine dining at its best. What was his problem?

  He was gorgeous. That was his problem. He was tall. Really tall. He had towered over my five feet, ten inches. When I looked him in the eyes, I’d had the hardest time looking away.

  He’d gotten under my skin from the moment I crashed into him and breathed in his scent of cedar and sandalwood with a hint of cinnamon. I’d wanted to lean in and get a closer whiff, but that would have been really out of line.

  Throughout the morning, I kept sneaking glances at him as I sipped coffee and pretended to oversee the food and drinks. I had sent the girls away to prep the other conference rooms, not wanting them to have to deal with discourtesy any longer than necessary. They were new, and I was their supervisor, so it was up to me to step in. I could handle any task that needed to be done, so it wasn’t a big deal for me to take over. But I was annoyed I had to do it.

  At least being in the conference room gave me a chance to listen to the speakers as they talked about the new equipment and drugs that would become standard in the near future. I found it fascinating.

  I was watching the presentation screen when I saw the face of the man I’d crashed into that morning flash across it as the presenter mentioned one clinic’s early adoption of new advancements.

  The presenter identified the breakfast tyrant as Dr. Adam Hampton, and his early-adopting clinic as the Transformations Reconstruction Clinic. I Googled it on my tablet and noted that it specialized in plastic surgery by Dr. Adam Hampton, a Dr. Diana Bricker, and a Dr. Reid Sommers. They had a location in LA, another in Dallas, and one right here in Aspen. I raised an eyebrow. I’d never heard of the place before and had no idea there was anything other than tourist support in town.

  The clinics looked posh and modern. Their website boasted state-of-the art outpatient medical equipment and cutting-edge procedures. I looked at the photo of the Aspen clinic again, surprised that it looked oddly at home with the mountain backdrop in spite of the quaint, rustic feel of the rest of the town.

  There was a complete page dedicated to privacy and security in their facilities. Hmm—interesting. Treating high profile patients must mean they need to pay extra attention to confidentiality. Simple HIPAA policies probably weren’t enough to get them to the level of discretion they needed.

  I had to admit I was impressed. This Dr. Adam Hampton must be good at what he did. It looked like he’d built an empire with his partners.

  And the mega-practice had a clinic in Aspen. I jotted down a note on my phone with the clinic’s information and started to think. The lodge had an amazing spa with highly qualified therapists. Our luxury spa services were one of the reasons for our success. It never hurt to make more connections to further everyone’s success, did it?

  The group took a break for lunch in the restaurant. I walked around to pick up the bits of trash and do some general clean up before the doctors came back to the room for their afternoon session. As I made my way to the table where Dr. Hampton had been sitting, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The good doctor had left his breakfast plate there. First, who didn’t go put their dirty dishes away in a meeting like this? There was a tray in the corner for that. And second, he didn’t even have the decency to finish it after all the trouble he’d caused. He’d barely eaten half of it.

  I glanced around as the girls came back in to help clean up. I took the plate to the restaurant, thanking the chef again for cooking the special breakfast on the fly for me. It wasn’t the norm with the five-star kitchen and we all knew that.

  “How about some lunch? You hungry?” Chris, the chef, smiled and raised an eyebrow.

  I glanced at the clock on the wall and shrugged knowing I had some time to sit. “I’m starved, and I’d love some lunch. I’ve only had coffee today.”

  “Well, then, what can I fix you?” he asked as he stepped closer. “It’s not good to go hungry.”

  I chuckled. “I know. You’ve mentioned that before. Could you make me a cheeseburger, please? And some fries?”

  “Boy, that’s a far cry from your normal grilled chicken and salad.”

  “It is. I’m going to the gym when I leave work. And it’s been a stressful morning. So I think it’s okay. I deserve it.” I wandered out the kitchen doors and to the bar, taking a seat at the end.

  “Want something to drink?” Marley rapped her knuckles on the wooden surface in front of me with her head tilted to the side. “The usual?”

  I smiled and nodded. In a matter of seconds, a glass of water with a lemon waited in front of me. I took a sip and felt the soothing coolness ease my dry throat.

  I checked my tablet for anything critical, still a bit worried about Dr. Hampton and what trouble he might cause next. I had a great reputation here, and I refused to let one cocky jerk ruin it.

  I knew I wouldn’t know if there was cause for concern now, but I’d keep my ears open. I looked up from the tablet and glanced around the restaurant with a slow breath. I noticed him sitting alone at a booth, sipping something from a tall glass as he tapped on his phone.

  I took a closer look at him, taking in his dark close-cropped hair and those brown eyes. He was wearing a white shirt with a tie and since the jacket was slung over the back of the seat, I could see how the white material clung to his muscles. The man was like a chiseled sculpture that I couldn’t imagine tiring of looking at. The idea made me blush. And it annoyed me, too.

  I didn’t date. I worked and I skied. That was about it. Before my injury, my life revolved around training and working out. My high school years weren’t about boys and fun with my friends. There was no room for that. The attitude and work ethic that had ruled my teen-aged years had continued into my professional life. My sport and my job were all I had. I didn’t know how to relax and enjoy life as it came.

  I looked away as he lifted his eyes, seeming to have felt me staring at him. I finished my burger quickly and headed back to my office. I sat down at my desk and glanced at my cell, scrolling through a few messages from Selena.

  She was determined to have me meet her new husband’s coworker. I sighed. Last time, it was one of her clients. I loved that Selena was married and happy and watching her marry Colton four months ago was one of the happiest days of my life. But that didn’t mean I wanted to go out with every man she thought I’d click with. I was fine working and hanging out with her and Colton on weekends. I didn’t feel like I needed a man in my life to complete me.

  She was the perfect friend, but we hadn’t become close until after I hurt my knee. We met in high school but traveled in different circles back then so finding her when I needed a friend was great timing. I’d always appreciate how she stepped up for me. She was lucky enough to not know too much about my parents and I hid most of that from her.

  I thought of a response and grinned as I sent it back to her. While I had my phone in my hand, I found my note with the number to Dr. Hampton’s clinic and made an appointment for the following week to meet with him. I wouldn’t accost him with my idea during the conference, but he owed it to me to hear me out about a partnership with the lodge after he’d been such a jackass to me. It was a perfect fit, anyway. With our clientele, plastic surgery was a common interest. Why not set up something we could both profit from?

  Yes, it was a bold idea, but that was the reason I was so good at my job. I had been hired when a new owner took over, and I’d helped build the resort to what it was today. I was I was proud of that, and I wouldn’t let some pompous doctor stand in the way of even more success.

  Selena sent a sarcastic message back, making me laugh. She had invited me over
for dinner the following night. She knew that gym nights were important to me—I was in nearly the same shape I was when I was trying to make it to the Olympics. After seeing my mother fade into frailty, I’d put my health and fitness first. Two years after my injury, my mother passed away. At least she saw that I’d been able to rebuild my life after the injury, after from losing the future I’d worked so hard for. I still fought and made my way in life.

  Before leaving work for the day, I swung by the kitchen to ask the staff to add some extra meat choices to their spread tomorrow to make Adam Hampton happy, in case he woke up cranky again. I scanned my emails and the logistical details for the second day of the conference, then logged out of my computer and headed to the locker rooms.

  I changed into workout clothes and tightened my ponytail and then entered the resort’s gym, beelining towards my favorite treadmill. I slipped in headphones, queued up a playlist of loud, aggressive music, and pushed myself through an hour of interval training, alternating between walking and jogging at different inclines. I loved the way my muscles burned after a good workout. It made me feel alive—especially when I remembered that I once thought I’d never be able to walk without a limp.

  After the treadmill, I did upper body weights for another half-hour before slipping my coat on to head home.

  I passed the cardio area on my way out and was surprised to see Adam Hampton on a treadmill. He was running but looking straight at me. He had earbuds in and I wondered what music he listened to while he worked out. Our eyes met and and he looked away, making the lump in my stomach twist.

  I had an appointment to see him next Wednesday. I’d pursue my idea with everything I had and be ready to present it to him in a way he’d never even think about refusing. If I was good at anything, it was building up the reputation of the resort. Adam Hampton would help me do it.

  4

  Adam

  I parked in the lot in my reserved space, listening to the last few minutes of the podcast I’d been catching up on while I drove. My brother’s black Porsche SUV was in his spot and I smirked at his habit of getting here so early. He was the CFO and not a doctor, so he didn’t need specific hours, but he was always an early riser. Such an over-achiever. Not unlike me.

  I reached for my coffee and drained it as I thought about the weekend. I couldn’t get the blonde from the resort out of my head. I blamed it on the fact that I’d run into her all over the resort. That and the way we’d met, which was mostly my fault. I’d been in a shitty mood and the idea of yet another conference didn’t make it any better. For a moment, I felt bad about the way I’d acted, but I couldn’t go back and change it, so I’d have to let it go.

  I got out of the car and made my way to the back door of the building. I let it close securely after me and headed down the wide halls towards my spacious corner office. I glanced around at the burgundy carpet and cream walls, knowing Eric and Nora were right about wanting to change a few things inside the clinic.

  It was one of the sleekest buildings in the city, but it needed a bit of updating on the inside. It looked okay to me, but then I’d been the one to choose the colors, and I’d always been partial to burgundy. Apparently, my tastes were in need of an update.

  Eric’s door was cracked open, and I heard some financial conversation spilling into the hallway. He was a numbers guy and quite brilliant. It just made sense for him to handle the financial side of the business while we focused on our patients.

  I paused and looked in as he tapped rapidly on his keyboard, his eyes bright behind his wire-framed glasses. He reached for the mug that was beside him, sipping from it as he glanced my way.

  “Good morning, Adam. How was your weekend?” Eric knew that I wasn’t the biggest fan of conferences, even when they did teach me something new.

  “Long as hell. Yours?” I knew he took Nora somewhere, but it slipped my mind as to where they went. I was bad with details that didn’t involve my work.

  “The bed-and-breakfast was gorgeous. The river ran right beside it and it was peaceful. We needed it.” He smiled with a warm expression on his face as he spoke about his fiancée. The wedding was in six months and it was stressful as his independent bride-to-be was handling many of the details on her own. “If we didn’t have a venue already, I’d consider that place.”

  “The hotel is perfect,” I agreed as he nodded slowly. It backed up to a lake and with the wedding in late spring, the weather would be great. It was an ideal location.

  “Nora is making great headway with everything. I wish she’d have hired someone to handle it all, but, well you know how she is,” Eric grinned, running a hand through his hard that was so much like mine. We were mistaken for twins a lot of the time, though he was three years younger. “So nothing good came from the conference?”

  “Usual stuff. The resort is nice, and I might go back over there some time.” Thinking about the blonde, I admitted to myself that I’d love to have a hot weekend with her. “I brought home some literature about some new technology coming up. I left it all in the car for now. I’ll share the info later. I think you’ll find it interesting.”

  “Sure. Sounds promising. What else?” Eric pushed as he stared at me. “I know there’s more.”

  “I got into it with the staff. It’s not that big of a deal. The food was shit, and I told them as much.” I shrugged as he raised an eyebrow at me.

  “You’re lucky that we’re successful. Your mouth is a little much sometimes,” he told me, shaking his head. I heard voices in the hallway and glanced back to see nurses and a couple of techs walking in, chatting amongst themselves.

  They smiled my way, and I raised a hand to wave. “Morning, guys. Welcome to another week.”

  My assistant waved back and headed my way. Lila was a no-nonsense woman with bobbed brown hair and sharp brown eyes. She handled the administrative duties for me and basically kept me in line. She was like a mom to me—and Eric, too—since our family lived in Montana.

  “Good morning, boys,” she told us as she paused at Eric’s door. “Good weekend?” I heard the curiosity in her voice and smirked at Eric.

  “It was wonderful,” he told her with a smile as she grinned back. “I took Nora out of town for a couple days.”

  “Good. That girl is working hard planning the wedding. She deserves to be spoiled.” Eric nodded at her in agreement before she turned her attention to me. “How was the conference?”

  “It was typical. I got some information for Eric to look over.” I frowned when she raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Did you stir things up while you were there? You know you can’t hide something like that. It’s written all over your face.” Lila shook her head as I shot her an innocent look.

  “Me? Never,” I assured her as she rolled her eyes. Her frown deepened. I wanted to laugh when I realized everyone was frowning over mere assumptions, but laughing was the wrong thing to do when Lila suspected an incident. I’d learned that the hard way.

  “I’ll take a look at your calendar and send you what you need to know.” Lila walked away to get situated at her desk next to my office.

  I followed her, made it to my door, and unlocked it just like I did every morning. Pushing it open, I glanced around the bright, airy room as I walked in to drop my keys in the desk. I had an excellent view of the mountains from this side of the clinic. I didn’t see it too much since I was in the operating room most of the time, but the view helped to slow things down for me on stressful days.

  I warmed up my computer before getting another cup of coffee. Making a detour to the front desk, I knocked on the counter and looked at Maggie, our office manager. “How’re things looking this morning? All set?”

  “We’re in good shape. A full morning of patients, but so far everything’s in order. The cherry on top is that your first two patients are on time.”

  I smiled. “Hmm. Odd. That’s a good start to the day, though.”

  “Yep, the sort you deal with think the world revolves aro
und them,” Maggie said, shaking her head.

  “Now, now. Those self-centered, powerful folks make sure your kids eat.” I wagged my finger at her, smiling at our familiar joke.

  The truth was that we catered specifically to the famous, wealthy, and vain cross-section of the population. Those who needed to look forever young. Those who depended on appearing well-rested at all times, even though stress ran rampant through their lives. While we made private jokes, we took our responsibilities seriously and treated our patients with respect and dignity.

  Not only was I a good doctor, I really did care about my patients. The fact that they could afford expensive treatments and were willing to go through what was necessary to get them was beside the point. I hadn’t started my career with this high-level practice, but my partners and I had worked our asses off to build our business up to where it was today. We always had our eyes on the future and growth. The business was worth billions.

  I had a great staff. I went back to my office and sat down to check emails and the calendar entries Lila had sent, scanning over everything quickly. There were the usual patients that I saw on a regular basis as well as a few new names. My eyes paused when a new name popped up for a Wednesday consultation.

  Olivia Sanders.

  The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place her. I checked for critical emails before I glanced at the clock on the monitor. I straightened my tie and stood, preparing myself mentally to meet people who wanted to change how they looked or repair damage that only they could see. Many surgeries were purely cosmetic. I could understand the feeling some days.