Read Mountain Mystic for Free Online Page A

fuse. She hadn’t done anything to disrupt his peace. Except call him once to confirm that he could ride with her on Tuesday.
    If she kept her word about not bothering him, why couldn’t he stop thinking about her? Because she needed to be kissed. Because he doubted very much that Victoria Bennett would agree to a hot, satisfying, walk-away-when-it’s-over affair. Because he didn’t want a friend, and he had a gut feeling that Victoria needed one.
    She’d moved in over the weekend, but she hadn’t imposed on him to carry more than a few boxes, and then only because he hung around on moving day and insisted. He shook his head as he remembered unloading the truck. It hadn’t taken long. The woman owned almost nothing.
    Except her dreams, Joshua reminded himself, thinking of the excitement in her eyes when she talked about the beginning of her career, about looking forward to the first year of private practice. Maybe her dreams were all she needed. He hoped so; he doubtedthere would be much money to go with them. She’d never get rich being a midwife in East Tennessee.
    As he walked through the woods and around the cabin, he could see her standing beside the old truck, intently studying a map spread out on the hood. She’d piled her hair on top of her head in what he assumed was an attempt to look more professional. Unfortunately, the closer he got, the less professional she looked.
    Wisps of dark hair had escaped from the topknot and fluttered gracefully in the mild breeze, which molded the red, cotton-knit dress to her curves. From top to bottom the supple creation sported tiny red buttons that he knew would torture him all day, teasing him, daring him to flick them open. In short, she looked soft and kissable, and off limits now that she was a neighbor in need of a friend. He groaned in frustration, and Victoria looked up, concern filling her gray eyes and her expression.
    “Are you all right?” she asked in a voice full of early-morning huskiness, but the sharpness in her eyes belied the sleepiness in her voice as her gaze ran over him.
    Joshua realized that his groan had triggered not only Victoria’s maternal instincts, but her medical training as well. He’d seen that look before as doctor after doctor tried to figure out what was wrong with him. When the doctors had finally and reluctantly given him a diagnosis, he hadn’t troubled himself long enough to argue. Instead, he paid the bill and came home to Tennessee.
    The constant headaches, the fatigue, and his inability to concentrate had all disappeared despite medical predictions to the contrary. Of course, he knew something they didn’t. His problem wasn’t a yuppie flu called chronic fatigue syndrome. His problem was the curse his mountain-bred grandmother called “the sight.”
    “I’m as right as I’m going to be,” he answered.
    Victoria narrowed her eyes at his evasive answer. The man didn’t look sick or hurt. He looked healthy enough to wrestle one of Tennessee’s black bears. His eyes were a cool, clear blue, and he had a way of looking at her that made her want to fuss with the fit of her clothes.
    Resisting the temptation to button another button on her dress, she said, “Well then, good morning and thanks for helping.”
    He grinned, noticing the way her hand had strayed toward a button and jerked back. “Good morning. What’s on the agenda?”
    “I’ve got a list of about six patients from Dr. Grenwald. He says they came in once and then never came back. They don’t live in town. They haven’t responded to his office’s phone follow-up, so … I’d like to track them down, make sure that they are in a regular prenatal care program of some kind.”
    “Sounds easy enough.” Joshua joined her by the hood of the truck and pulled the map toward him. “Let me have a look at the list.”
    Victoria handed the list over. “Assuming we find them at home, I figure we’ll need a half hour per visit,but I haven’t the foggiest idea