Marrying the Playboy Doctor - By Laura Iding Page 0,42
of glass windows. The minute he gave his name, the maître d’ whisked them to a small, private corner table overlooking the lake, giving her a sense of being totally isolated from the rest of the diners.
The seats were positioned side by side on the corner of the table, rather than directly across from each other. And it seemed as if Seth touched her constantly. The intimacy of their surroundings along with his heated glances warned her he might have seduction on his mind.
An idea that both scared her to death and thrilled her at the same time.
“What would you like to drink?” he asked.
Since drinking around a man you were head-over-heels attracted to was hardly smart, she figured she would stick with water for the moment. “I’m fine right now, thanks. Although a glass of wine with dinner might be nice.”
“I’ll bring a wine list,” the waiter said before he hurried off.
There were no prices on the menu, a fact that made her gulp nervously, but Seth didn’t seem to care as they placed their order. No wonder she’d never heard of the restaurant. Any place that didn’t list their prices on the menu was more than her pocketbook could handle.
Just more proof that Seth was out of her league.
Her mouth went dry as he took her hand. But he surprised her with his topic of conversation. “I read my mother’s letters to my biological father last night.”
“You did?” She was stunned he’d confided in her.
He nodded. “You were right. The letters showed my mother loved Shane Andre, but at the same time I could tell by reading them how much she missed him and hated being forced to live apart from him. And the last letter she sent was about me, and how much she wanted him to come home to meet his new son.”
“Oh, Seth.” She squeezed his hand, hurting for him. “I’m sorry. That must have been hard.”
“Well, to be honest I suspected as much, considering he died just a few weeks after I was born. And besides, from what I read he hadn’t been home much to see my brother Caleb or my sister Tess, either.”
How difficult for his mother. From the article she’d found on the internet, Shane Andre had been missing in action for several weeks, too. Weeks in which Seth’s mother hadn’t known if Shane was alive or dead.
“Are you all right?” she asked softly.
He smiled. “Yeah. I think so. Anyway, I just thought you should know you were right. Reading the letters—well, they gave me some insight into my mother’s decision. I think in her mind Gregory Taylor really did become our dad. Far more than Shane Andre had been. I’m at peace with what she did.”
“I’m glad.”
“So what about you?” he asked, sliding his thumb over the back of her hand in a caress she felt all the way up her arm. “I’m curious to know everything about you.”
“Everything?” She couldn’t imagine why he’d be interested.
“Maybe not everything. How about if you start with what brought you to Cedar Bluff?”
“Well, I could say it was the warm and friendly atmosphere of the town, especially one with such a fantastic view.” She gestured to the window, displaying the white-tipped waves lapping rhythmically over the rocky shore. “But if you want to know the truth, my reasons for moving here were more pragmatic than that. I needed the job.”
“Pragmatic?” He looked confused. “Aren’t paramedics in high demand everywhere?”
She lifted her shoulder in a tiny shrug. “Sure, but not paramedic education coordinator positions. As a single mother, I really needed higher pay with less variable hours. But, even more, I needed to get out of the big city.” The memory of the close call she and Ben had faced made her shiver. She’d gone the past week without having the nightmare once—a new record. She forced a smile. “Cedar Bluff was an answer to my prayers.”
Seth didn’t smile, and his fingers tightened on hers. “Kylie, what happened in Chicago?”
His observation skills were too sharp. She hadn’t told anyone about what had happened in Chicago, mostly because there hadn’t been anyone to tell. She was an only child, and her parents had been gone for a long time—the year after she’d graduated from high school, in fact. “There was a lot of crime in our area,” she said, striving to keep her tone matter-of-fact. “I really didn’t like exposing Ben to that environment.”
He stared at her for a long moment, before slowly shaking his