Read Online Knocking at Her Heart (Conover Circle #1) by Beverly Long - Free Book Online Page B

insulted his character.
Without cause.   
    She opened the door. “Good
morning,” she said.
    He looked up, a smile crossing
his face. He held the paper out to her. “Special delivery.”
    “Thanks,” she said, feeling just
a bit lightheaded. She saw why the nickname Dr. Gorgeous had stuck.
    “How do you feel?”
    She stepped back so that he could
come in. “The incision is a bit sore,” she admitted.
    “You want me to check it?” he
asked.
    Maddie felt the heat start at her
toes and rise rapidly through her body. She definitely did not want Sam looking
at her naked stomach again. “No. I’m sure it’s fine.”
    “Okay,” he said. “Let me know if
you change your mind.”
    Sure. “I see you haven’t changed
your mind about doing this C.R.A.Z.Y. thing.” She kept her voice light. “It’s
not too late to back out.”
    “Tell me what I should expect.”
    She poured him a cup of coffee
and refilled her own. “Expect the worst. You might be pleasantly surprised.”
    “You don’t really think that?”
    She shook her head. “They’re all
great. Every last one of them. Very active.” 
    “No problem. I can handle
active.”
    He looked a little smug. She
wondered how smug he’d look at six o’clock tonight with grape juice spots on
his shirt and chalk dust under his fingernails. “I’ve really got two separate
groups,” she said. “There are the preschoolers and then the kindergartners and
up. I don’t have any under two or over twelve.”
    “What happens when a twelve year
old has a birthday?”
    She laughed. “It’s horrible. I
fret about it for weeks on end. One of the greatest compliments I ever had came
from a boy who said that the worst thing about turning thirteen was that he
couldn’t come to Kids Are It anymore.”
    “High praise from a teenager,”
Sam said.
    “The highest. I’d probably let
them come forever, but if I did, there would be no room for the little kids.
And they’re the ones who really need a safe place to be.”
    “No babies?”
    “No. I don’t have the room. And
it would mean hiring another person. The laws are very specific about the ratio
of adults to children. For every four babies you have to have one adult.”
    “But if you had the room, you’d
take care of babies?”
    “Sure. I guess.”
    He nodded and looked sort of
satisfied. She wondered why he cared.
    “Does a bus stop here for the
school age kids?” he asked.
    “Yes,” she said, grateful for him
keeping her on course. “Some come early and get on the bus here. Some get on
the bus at their own house. But they all come here in the afternoons.” She got
up from the table, walked over to the bulletin board in the corner of the
kitchen and yanked down a sheet of paper. “Here’s how we keep track of it all.”
    He’d seen full day surgery
schedules that looked less complicated. Arrival times, departure times, food
allergies, medicine allergies, pediatrician names, parents’ home and work phone
numbers. Everything was in a grid, easy to read, easy to understand.
    “Very organized,” he said.
    She pointed to a square. “Today
the school kids get out early. It’s parent-teacher conference time. They will
be here by one.”
    “No problem,” Sam said.
    She had to admire his confidence.
    “We’ll see if you feel the same
way after the first kid throws up on you.”
    Maddie and Sam both jerked their
heads up. Carol stood in the doorway.
    Sam laughed. “And good morning to
you, Carol. Don’t worry. I’ve had all kinds of body fluids on me. It’s one of
the hazards of my other job.”
    Carol winked at him. Maddie
couldn’t move. The reminder hit her hard, almost taking her breath away. How
could she have forgotten?
    “How are you feeling?” Carol
asked as she dropped her heavy purse on the table. “Why are you up?” she asked
before Maddie could even answer the first question.
    “I’m fine. I had to let Sam in.”
    “Don’t you worry about Sam,”
Carol said. “I’ll take care of