Need You Now (Love in Unknown) - By Taylor M. Lunsford Page 0,51
for very long.”
“Too much info, man.” Gage winced then frowned, catching the ball and tossing it up in the air in front of him before catching it again. “Best way to handle Mel? Be more stubborn than she is.”
Caine let out a deep belly laugh. “That’s a pretty tall order, little brother. She might be the most pig-headed woman I’ve ever met.”
“Definitely. But one of the only ways to get through to her is to dig your heels in and refuse to blink.”
“You’re saying I should play chicken with her?” They’d played that game so many times as kids on their bikes, racing at each other at a dead spring until one of them swerved.
Gage grinned. “Exactly.”
Play chicken with Mel. Show her he’d fight for them when no one else had. The idea swirled around his head for the next few days, not quite taking hold long enough to come up with a real plan. All he could come up with was to have a literal face-off with Mel. Dig his heels in and not give up until she agreed to go on a date with him.
A week after he kidnapped her, Caine took the Mayor Mobile and parked it in front of the practice. Step one: let the town know where he was. Check. He’d heard rumors that there was a Facebook page dedicated to keeping track of where he was spotted in the damned cart. If he had the town on his side, he stood an even better chance of winning. No more hiding, no more pretending they’d never dated. He meant business.
He knew things at the clinic would be pretty slow today. Fridays in Unknown meant a lull everywhere as people geared up for the whirl of activity that came with the weekend, with the games and recitals and all of the tourists milling around. He also knew that Sandra left early on Fridays, which meant there would be no audience aside from Anna, who hated gossip. While he wanted to declare his intentions to the town, he still didn’t want every detail of his public life retold and distorted at will for the next week.
Anna sat at the front desk, a battered romance novel in her hands. She smiled as he walked in. “Don’t tell me our handsome mayor is sick.”
“Not sick. Is the lovely new doctor in? I have some business to hash out with her,” he said, turning on the charm as he leaned against the desk. He needed Anna on his side for this one.
She gave him an appraising look. At fifty-five, there were few things that got past her. “She’s in with Teddy Allen right now, checking up on his arm. She should be done soon.”
“Would it be all right if I wait for her in her office? I have a few items I need to discuss with her.”
“Go on up.” The nurse narrowed her eyes. “Just try not to kidnap her again. She’s been in a snit all week since Sandra and I didn’t stop you.”
Caine laughed. “Understood. Oh, and could you not tell her I’m here? I need every advantage I can get with this one.”
Anna chuckled, shaking her head. “Never thought I’d see the day when a Maddox was the underdog.”
Caine went up the stairs as quietly as possible and settled himself in Mel’s desk chair, one of those fancy ergonomic numbers that supported the back. Not a bad place to stage a sit-in. Gage told him that Friday afternoons were when Mel dedicated most of her time to paperwork and research. She couldn’t really do that if he occupied her chair. Grabbing one of the medical textbooks on her desk, he settled in to wait.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Mel’s outraged voice put a smile on his face even before he saw her. Let the battle begin.
He casually looked up from the book. Hair pulled back in a low ponytail, Mel wore capris pants and a nice blouse in a pretty blue color. Damn, but she was pretty. The sight of her always made his heart skip a beat. “Hello to you, too, sunshine. Miss me?”
“No, in fact, I didn’t.” Mel yanked off her lab coat and threw it over the sofa. She didn’t look at him. Classic Mel Fib-Face. “Now, get out of my chair and let me get back to work.”
He rubbed his chin, as if considering the order, then shook his head. “Sorry. Don’t think I will.”