Best Catch in Texas

"Did you get a glimpse of Dr. Garroway's backside? Oooee, what a treat it would be to see him in a pair of jeans." "Jeans? I'd like to see him without the jeans--without anything--except that smile of his!" The hushed prattle of the two nurses turned into low giggles just as Nicolette Saddler approached the work desk where stacks of medical charts were waiting to be dispensed to waiting doctors. "Ladies, do you think one of you might find the time to dig out Mr. Stanfield's chart?" she asked. Both women, who were several years younger than Nicolette's thirty-eight years, looked around with shocked, parted lips. Obviously, neither nurse had been aware of her presence as they'd gushed over the new cardiologist. "Oh!" Embarrassed, one of the nurses whirled toward the pile of manila folders and began to fumble through them. "Oh, sure, Dr. Saddler. Just a moment. It's right here." Technically, Nicolette wasn't a doctor. She was a P.A., a physician's assistant. But most of her patients and colleagues called her doctor, simply because it was easier. The second nurse smiled sheepishly. "Uh, we were just discussing the new heart doctor. lette thought, as she did her best to stifle a sigh. From the moment she'd walked into the clinic this morning, she'd heard nothing but praise and adoration for the new cardiolo-gist, who'd filled the empty spot left by Dr. Gray Walters's retirement. But as far as Nico-lette was concerned, no man could fill the elderly doctor's shoes. He'd worked tire-lessly to see that each and every patient had the best care. While other physicians enjoyed themselves on the golf course, or fishing down on the coast, Dr. Walters had been in the clinic or the hospital, giving of himself to his patients. She didn't expect the same sort of dedication from the new man. From what she'd heard, he was only twenty-nine and the biggest thing he had going for him was his looks. "Yes, I've heard," Nicolette said drearily. Today was her first day back at Coastal Health since she'd taken two weeks off to nurse her ailing mother. Though she hadn't expected to find Welcome banners for her return, she would have enjoyed having at least one person express their pleasure at seeing her. Instead, the new Dr. Garroway seemed to have turned the place on its ear. The young nurse looked at her with a puzzled frown. "You don't sound a bit excited. Haven't you met him yet?" "I'm not excited," Nicolette briskly informed her. "And I haven't met him yet. I have more important things on my agenda. Like sick patients." She took the chart from the other nurse's hand and left the work station. As she walked down the corridor to her office, she pretty much felt the two women staring after her, as though she was some sort of hardened matron. Maybe they were right, she thought dismally. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten excited about a member of the opposite sex. Since she and her ex-husband had parted, she hadn't looked twice at one. She'd had her turn with a good-looking, sweet-talking man and she wasn't interested in having another. Ten minutes later Nicolette was sitting at her desk, going over a battery of test results before she saw her first patient, when the nurse who worked as her personal assistant stepped through the open doorway. "There's someone in the waiting room to see you, Doctor," she said. Frowning, Nicolette glanced up at Jacki, a young woman with a mop of curly red hair and an effervescent smile that lasted through-out the day, even when everyone else was growling with fatigue. For the past three years, Jacki had been at Nicolette's side. She'd become a friend, and thankfully Nico-lette could talk to her as such. "Should be a room full of patients," Nico-lette replied dryly. "The patients are there, plus someone else. I told him I'd see if you had a minute or two." Nicolette's brows peaked. "Him?" Nodding,Bagwell, Stella is the author of 'Best Catch in Texas ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373280629 and ISBN 0373280629.