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miss the chance to get to talk with him.
    “I try to run every day. It helps me clear my head. Plus, the view down by the water is beautiful, and I haven’t had a chance to run there in a while.”
    “Really? I’ll have to check it out sometime.” He was still smiling at her, and she took that as a good thing.
    “So anyway,” she looked down at her lap and fiddled with the hem of her shirt, “I was running and I lost my balance. I can usually stop myself before I get too hurt, but this time,” she paused, “the hill won.” Kate looked up at him and smiled when she noticed he looked slightly amused. “My left ankle is twisted and I’m fairly certain I have a mean cut somewhere on my stomach. I’m not sure how bad it is—couldn’t really get a good look. But it feels bad.” She scrunched her nose in discomfort.
    “And you figured it would be better to let a professional handle it.” It was a statement not a question.
    “Right. It has been a few months since I’ve seen Dr. Williams, and I didn’t want him to think I was ignoring him.”
    As soon as the words were out of Kate’s mouth, she was aware of how they must have sounded. “Oh! I mean, I … I …” She scrambled to come up with a better explanation. “Dr. Williams has treated my friend a few times. So I’ve gotten to know him. He’s really nice … reminds me a lot of my dad.”
    Ethan watched as she floundered through her explanation. Not bothering to repress his grin, he tucked Kate’s chart under his arm and leaned back against the counter. There was something about her that amused him. She was always doing or saying something he wasn’t expecting. He found it intriguing. “Dr. Williams is a great doctor. He’s actually taught me a lot. But he isn’t working today, so you’re kind of stuck with me, if that’s all right.”
    “Fine with me,” Kate said, holding back the desire to tell him it was more than fine. “As long as you know what you’re doing.” She looked at him skeptically.
    “I think I’ll be able to handle it,” he said with a smirk. “Let’s start with your cut. I want to get any bleeding under control. I’ll just step out while you put this on.” He walked toward her and handed her a paper gown, then turned and left the room.
    Kate took the moment alone to gather her thoughts and take a calming, deep breath. It’s okay, it’s no big deal. He’s a doctor—he sees this stuff all the time. Plus, I’ll be in my sports bra. She continued to give herself a pep talk and tugged the bottom of her filthy shirt over her head. Just as she slipped her arms into the paper gown, the door opened.
    “All right, let’s take a look.” Ethan pulled on a pair of gloves and sat down on a rolling chair, pulling up beside Kate. Without lowering her eyes, Kate pulled the front of the gown back and held her breath.
    “It does look pretty deep,” Ethan said, leaning in. “You really did a number on yourself.”
    Kate nodded still not looking down. “I’ll take your word for it.” She tried to relax and stay calm, but having him this close made it hard. Her heart was pounding so fast she knew he could hear it.
    “Just relax and take some deep breaths. That always helps.” Kate’s eyes were closed but she could hear the smile in his voice. She let out a long sigh and tried to ignore the fact that his hands were touching her bare skin.
    “It looks like you will need a few stitches, but it’s not too deep.” Ethan stood from his chair and began gathering everything he’d need. Kate watched him out of the corner of her eye. His white lab coat stretched taut across his broad shoulders and she couldn’t help but fantasize about how they would look bare. Her thoughts were interrupted when he turned around.
    “Okay, are you ready to get started?” he asked.
    “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Kate mumbled, trying to clear her mind.
    “I’ll be careful, don’t worry. You probably won’t even end up with a scar.” His