Catch a Falling Star (39 page)

“According to the police report, the supplement is being investigated for possible traces of cocaine and digitalis, a drug used to treat certain heart diseases, but found naturally in the foxglove plant. We will keep you updated on this story. In other news—”

Griffin muted the TV and threw the remote on the couch, going to retrieve his phone off the counter. He dialed Kendall, not even taking time to think about what he was going to say to her.

She answered on the second ring. “Dr. Haynes here.”

“Kendall, it's Griffin.”

Silence.

“Are you all right?”

“In regards to what?”

“I've been out of town. I just turned on the TV and heard about some investigation—”

“Oh. That. That's old news, Griffin. Why are you calling?”

“I was concerned . . . I've thought about you a lot these past couple of weeks . . . thought about calling you, but I didn't—”

“I see. Thanks for that. And you're calling now because . . . ?”

Why was he calling now? Because he hadn't stopped to think. Not that he could tell Kendall that.

“Wouldn't you call a friend if you thought they were in trouble?”

“Don't play the ‘friend' card, Walker. The way you left it between us, there wasn't much of a friendship.”

“About that. Kendall—”

“Look, I really need to take Sully for a walk.”

Ouch. She might as well have told him she needed to wash her hair.

“I'll call you later then?”

“Sure, Griffin. Whatever.”

“So in about an hour?”

“What?”

“I'll call you back in about an hour.”

“Um, no, that's not good for me.”

Griffin paced the length of the living room. “So when is a good time to talk?”

“How about I call you back when it's a good time for me to talk to you?”

“Look, Kendall, I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. And that Ian's coming back and—”

“I've got to go, Griffin.”

“Okay. Call me?”

“Bye.”

M
aybe one day, Griffin would no longer think of a doctor's office as enemy territory.

“Dr. Haynes will be with you soon, Colonel Walker.” Liz stood in the doorway to the exam room, one hand resting on the doorknob, one hand holding a blood pressure cuff. “Are you certain you don't want me to check you in? Take your vitals?”

“I'm good. I just need to talk with Dr. Haynes.”

As the medical assistant abandoned him, Griffin could only hope Kendall would listen to him.

Instead of sitting down, he paced the tight confines of the room, skirting the exam table. On one wall hung a mountain scene, golden aspens dotting the landscape as if someone had tossed handfuls of gold coins across the slopes. On the opposite wall several framed certificates declared Kendall Haynes an outstanding resident three years in a row. The woman didn't lack for awards.

Griffin froze as the door opened behind him with a soft click.

Caught.

“We didn't have a chance to talk when you arrived, Colonel Walker—”

But not by Kendall. Her receptionist, Evie, entered the room.

“Please, call me Griffin.” Griffin twisted his neck left then right, trying to shift the invisible weight knotting his shoulders and neck.

The woman's smile lit up her dark brown eyes. “Griffin it is. I wanted to let you know that Kendall doesn't know you're here.”

“How did you pull that off?”

“I put a false name in the schedule. She thinks you're a new patient—that's why you have forty-five minutes. And why you're scheduled at the end of the day.” Her gaze seemed to weigh his character, estimating his ability to pull this off. “I hope you realize my job is riding on your conversation with my boss.”

“Your job. My future. There's a lot at stake.”

Was the room getting smaller? Maybe the medical assistant should check his blood pressure.

“I need to get back up front.” Evie gave him a thumbs-up and another grin. “I'm rooting for you.”

“Sure you are. You don't want to lose your job.”

“I want Dr. Kendall to be happy.” Evie paused as she left the room. “You are going to make her happy, right?”

“That's the plan. Here's hoping your boss goes along with it.”

Left alone again, Griffin sat in a cloth chair positioned across from the door. Stood and walked a slow, small semi-circle around the room, which took all of ten seconds. Sat again.

He'd waited three days for Kendall to call him—and realized she probably never would. Which meant going behind enemy lines to convince her that he was her friend—a friend who'd fallen in love with her.

Relax, Walker, relax. You're not here for a physical.

True, but doctors and flight surgeons wielded too much power over his future. Did he fly? Didn't he fly? Final answer, thanks to the medical board: He didn't. And today yet another physician would determine his future. He would lay his heart on the line for Dr. Kendall Haynes and let her decide what happened next.

Griffin wrapped his fingers around the gold chain hanging around his neck, his father's wedding band hidden against his heart beneath his blue polo shirt.

God, help me do this right. Help me tell Kendall how I feel. Don't let her kick me out of her office. Don't let her fire Evie . . .

He stopped mid-prayer as the door swung open halfway. Kendall spoke to someone standing outside.

“I'm going to see Mr. Smith—”

Mr. Smith? That's the best Evie could come up with?

“—but let me know if you get those lab reports back on Lily.”

Griffin stood as Kendall walked into the room, releasing the gold chain, prayer unfinished. Her usual white lab coat with the Rocky Mountain Family Practice logo covered a casual dark dress. She held out her hand to greet him.

“I'm Dr. Kendall . . .
Griffin?
”

He hadn't realized how much he missed her until only a few feet separated them. Her eyes widened, searching his face as if trying to make sure she wasn't seeing things. A thin band of dark purple ribbon adorned her short-cropped hair. He knew he needed to take things slow—talk first in the hopes of earning the right to kiss her later. But all Griffin wanted to do was bridge the space separating them and pull her into his arms.

“Kendall.”

Her name came out sounding husky, as if he had a cold. He cleared his throat, knowing he needed to talk fast or she would think he conned his way into an appointment so he could get a medical checkup.

“What are you doing here? Where's Mr. Smith?” Kendall peered around him as if expecting to find someone else lurking behind the exam table.

“I'm Mr. Smith.”

“No, you're not.” She looked at the clipboard that held the papers for Mr. Smith. Looked back at him. “What's going on?”

Griffin approached her, surprised when Kendall took a step back.

“You didn't call me back. And I needed to see you.” He took another step toward her.

“Why?” She stepped back again.

“To clear things up.” Step forward.

“Why?” Step back.

“Because I made a mistake.” Step forward.

“What?” Step back—right into the closed door.

Fine. Now they could stop the evasive maneuvers and talk things out. Griffin took another step toward Kendall and reached around her to lock the door.

“What are you doing?” Kendall grabbed his hand. “This is my office. And you aren't able to lock the door.”

So much for blocking her exit. “Fine. Evie knows you're in here. She also knows why I'm here. And I know I have a forty-five-minute appointment. Which gives us plenty of time to talk.”

Only now he talked to the top of Kendall's head because she refused to look at him. Instead, she stared straight ahead, right at mid-chest.

“I am going to dock her pay.”

They stood so close to each other, Kendall's words were muffled against him.

“She was afraid you were going to fire her.”

“I just might do that.” She pushed against his chest. “Back off, Walker, you're crowding me.”

Griffin took both her hands, holding them near his heart. “Kendall, hear me out.”

She refused to look at him. So close and yet so far away. He was going down fast.

When he knelt in front of her, a small gasp escaped Kendall's lips. “What are you doing?”

“I need to say some things, and I want to look you in the eye when I say them.”

Pulling her hands away from his, she tugged at his shoulders, “Stand up, Griffin. This is ridiculous.”

“Not until I say what I came here to say.” Griffin never imagined himself kneeling at this woman's feet, but he'd stay there all day if he had to. He gathered her hands in his again. “Kendall Haynes, the first time we met, you rescued my brother. I didn't know you were going to rescue me. I didn't know how much I need you in my life. Falling in love with you was so unexpected. I don't even like doctors.” That admission won him a small smile. “Until you. You challenge me with your strength. You heal me with your gentleness. You made me believe in me again . . . in the possibility of love again.”

Kendall's eyes searched his face. “Why are you saying all this now?”

“I realized how much I love you. How much I need you. Life without you is . . . wrong.”

He wasn't sure how Kendall would react to what he said next, but he had to finish what he started.

“Kendall, I know we have things to figure out. Ian's coming back to live with me. The fact that I can't have children hasn't changed—”

One minute he was talking, his words tumbling over one another in a rush to get past all the reasons Kendall shouldn't marry him. The next minute she leaned down, her fingers tightening against his, and whispered, “Stop talking.”

Why was Mr. Strong and Silent a talker all of a sudden?

Enough words already. The man was driving her crazy.

It didn't take a doctor to diagnose how Griffin's heart rate increased when she lowered her lips to his. Kissing Griffin Walker was a heady mixture of controlled passion and the comfort of finding safety after too many nights alone.

Kendall missed him even more than she realized. The way his strength steadied her as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against his chest. The way his love knocked her off balance even as it grounded her. This was where she was meant to be: loving Griffin Walker.

He ended the kiss only to press warm lips against the pulse beating just below her ear, then rested his head in the hollow of her neck. She stood in his embrace, eyes closed, overwhelmed by the reality that Griffin had come back. For her.

“Hey, Doc—” His voice rumbled against her ear. Low. Husky.

“Yes, Mr. Smith?” She couldn't keep the hint of laughter out of her voice.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Oh, the freedom to say those words.

“And I want to marry you.” He held her closer, if that was even possible.

“If that's a question, my answer is yes.”

He pulled away from her, just enough so that he could look at her. “Before you answer me, think about what you're agreeing to, Kendall. I can't have kids.”

“I know that.”

“It's not that I don't want kids. I do. We can—”

“You're ruining the mood here, Walker.” She placed her hands on either side of his face. “Focus. Proposal.”

“I just want to make sure you know what you're getting when you say yes.”

“I do know. I'm getting you. And Ian, of course. And whatever else God has planned for us. And he promises that his plans for us are good.”

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

“Dr. Kendall?”

Kendall buried her face in Griffin's shoulder with a groan. “That's Renee. It's probably about the labs . . .”