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gulp before standing when his superior did.
    Michael walked the men to the door and politely held it open for them. “Good night, gentlemen.”
    â€œBy the way, Doc, you forgot to set your security alarm.” The thug smiled before stepping outside.
    Michael nodded once in response. In truth, he never armed the device. He had very little in the house to steal.
    After locking the door, he returned to the living room and picked up his brandy glass. It occurred to him that the goons had no doubt searched every inch of his house.
    They probably had a wax impression of his front door key or the code to his garage door opener or whatever means the Mafia used nowadays to enter a person’s house unbidden.
    He laughed at the absurdity of the situation. SusanWainwright and Carmine Mercado. His life was definitely getting interesting.
    Â 
    Susan paced restlessly in front of the hangar. She wouldn’t be here at all except for the constant worry she saw in her mother’s eyes. So she would let the arrogant Dr. Michael O’Day do a few tests, conclude that her heart was doing just fine and that would be the end of it.
    A niggle of fear belied that conclusion.
    â€œWell, hello,” a surprised male voice said.
    Every nerve in her body twitched at the sound of the indecently sexy tone. “Hi,” she said grumpily. “It should be a crime to sound so cheerful this early in the morning.”
    Michael glanced at his watch as he opened the hangar door. “The sun was up hours ago.”
    His light-blue gaze swept over her, making her heart speed up. She willed it to a normal beat.
    â€œNo luggage?” he asked.
    â€œNo. My apartment is in Houston, along with my city clothes. I keep my ranch duds here.”
    â€œGood thinking. Come inside. It’ll take me a few minutes to run through the checklist.”
    She observed him as he went through the routine of the preflight check, his attention totally focused on the job.
    He wore light-blue slacks and a white polo shirt with blue edging on the collar and sleeves this morning. A bit of silver gleamed among the strands of black hair as sunlight shone briefly on him when he moved around the front of the plane.
    â€œYo, Doc,” another man called and came over to them.
    Susan exchanged greetings with the handsome black man dressed in baggy shorts and a leather vest when Michael introduced them.
    â€œChuck is the best airplane mechanic in these parts,” Michael explained. “He manages the airstrip, too.”
    Chuck accepted the praise as his due. “I checked the engines over on this baby. She’s cool, man.”
    â€œThanks.” Michael put the checklist in the plane. He glanced her way. “You can board, if you like, then I’ll push the plane out.”
    â€œI’ll help,” she volunteered.
    His grin was quick, charming and easy. “Okay.”
    She was relieved he didn’t argue or make a fuss about her heart. Her father and brothers would hardly let her lift a finger when she was at the ranch.
    The three of them pushed the plane into position. She and Michael climbed aboard. She waved at Chuck, who gave her a thumbs-up sign and an approving smile. She wondered if he thought there was more to her being with Michael than a doctor-patient relationship.
    Stealing a glance at her companion as he completed the checklist then taxied to the runway, shewondered the same. Those fleeting kisses, hardly more than the lightest glissade across her lips, had left her sleepless last night.
    As the plane rose, she watched the landscape fall away. “There’s our ranch,” she said.
    â€œShall we buzz it?”
    â€œIs it legal?”
    â€œAs long as we don’t get caught.”
    With a chuckle, he swooped down on the ranch house. Susan waved to the ranch hands as they walked toward the stable. “Oh,” she said, seeing someone else.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œNothing.”
    Michael dipped