Goats solve their differences head-on. They don’t give the silent treatment or yell, they butt heads then it’s over.
Cowboy Marvin has learned humans resolve issues differently especially those romantically involved. His curiosity sparked, he has invited authors to stop by on Fridays and share the first fight out of their latest book.
Cowboy Marvin has learned humans resolve issues differently especially those romantically involved. His curiosity sparked, he has invited authors to stop by on Fridays and share the first fight out of their latest book.
First Fight Friday
with a scene from
The Summer We Loved
Dr Peter Florin is the sexy bad boy of St Steven’s hospital. Despite his love ‘em and leave ‘em attitude, every woman still wants him
–and nurse Jenny White is no exception.
Pete is haunted by a dark childhood and tragic loss. As she watches
him spiral down into despair, Jenny realises she might be
the only one who can drag him back.
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Pete wiggled his foot. It wasn’t quite as swollen as before, but it still hurt to move. His throat was a little better, not half so painful now, but to his disgust, he still felt incredibly weak. One more night, he thought. Tomorrow he would get himself off home and face the music, alone.
Jenny returned after lunch and came straight up to see him. “How is the wounded warrior, then?” she asked.
“Bored,” he said.
“Obviously getting better, then. How about the ankle?”
“Hurting.”
“Your throat?”
He felt his neck and screwed up his face. “So-so.”
“Am I going to get anything more than one-word answers today?” she asked and his body responded. He let his gaze travel down the length of her and then slowly back up. His forbidden fruit he had lusted after for so long. She was stronger now. Could he dare to try it? Maybe, if he could shut her up for long enough. He beckoned her in closer with his hand. And she sat down on the side of the bed. Should he be doing this? His brain wasn’t happy, so he turned it to mute. He took hold of her hand and started stroking the back with the pad of his thumb. She looked into his eyes, a world of uncertainty watching him.
“Thank you… for finding me,” he murmured and he let his fingertips play gently with the soft delicate skin of her forearm and hand. He could see fire in her eyes, as they widened before him. Her breathing quickened and her cheeks flushed. He hadn’t lost it. He leaned in, pulling her gently to him and-
“I talked to Anna from occy health today,” she blurted out, pulling back out of his reach and standing up, away.
Damn! Disappointment and sudden relief swept over him. Then it dawned on him. Wait a minute. What had she said? Pete couldn’t believe it. Bloody meddling woman! “What did you go and do that for?” he snapped. “I’ll ring the hospital when I’m God-damn good and ready! I don’t need you apologising for me.” He tried to stand up, but his weakened response was not having the dominating effect he had reached for and he crumpled back down, swearing. He let out a loud huff of discontent. The tension eased, but he wasn’t happy. “Go on, then. What did you tell them?”
“I just asked if ‘hypothetically’ I had a person in my care who had been missing for a while from work, how I should go about helping them back? ‘Hypothetically’.” She was looking straight at him now, cautious, but daring him to disapprove.
He sighed. “Just that?”
“No. We discussed things, but it was all ‘hypothetical’. I didn’t mention your name once.”
Like she’d actually have to. Pete doubted there were many other people who worked at St Steven’s who had gone AWOL from work in the past few weeks.
So the game was up. Half the hospital would know by morning. He rested back against the pillows. “So… What did they say?”
“You have to ring them, Pete. And you have to be back in work on Monday. It’s been more than two weeks. Any longer and you’ll be out on your ear.”
He considered this. “Might not be such a bad thing.”
Jenny’s brow creased. “You are kidding me? After all the work and years you’ve put in? You have to get back in there and finish it, Pete. You have to get this exam done and complete the course. For heaven’s sake, you’re nearly there. You can’t throw it all away over… What the hell is this over, Pete? Because, for the life of me, I still don’t know. You won’t speak to me. You won’t share. You won’t tell me anything. You’ve been given so much in this life. Why do you have to be so ungrateful?”
Been given so much? What had he been given? He had had to fight for everything he had. Fight and work, and damn hard too. “You may have had a wonderful childhood and cruised on through till now, Jen, but I’m damn sure I didn’t. What do you want from me? Do you want me to spill my guts to you so you can feel like you’ve done your bit? So you can tick me off your list of lost causes? I’ve got nothing and no one and that’s all there’s ever been!” He took a deep breath and stared at the wall, wishing to God she’d just walk away. Just walk off and complain to her friends about the miserable excuse for a man taking root in her bedroom. But she didn’t. She just stood there and looked at him.
He could see her frame was tense. It might even be shaking. Her eyes were so unreadable; he never knew what was going on inside her head. As for having a crack at her? Hadn’t that just been a peach of an idea? He swore again, under his breath, and looked back at her.
His gaze sunk to the bed. She should run away, far, far away from him. He didn’t deserve her care, or affection. She should kick him out on his ear for being inexcusably ungrateful, but instead, she quietly walked over and sat down next to him and took hold of his hand. It was a simple, innocent connection, but in that moment, Pete held his breath and felt her warm, loving touch mending him.
Copyright © Wendy Lou Jones
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The Summer We Loved by Wendy Lou Jones
Dr Peter Florin is the sexy bad boy of St Steven’s hospital. Despite his love ‘em and leave ‘em attitude, every woman still wants him
–and nurse Jenny White is no exception.
For one night she thought she saw the real Pete, but ever since then he’s kept his distance
and so she has kept hers…
Only Pete is a man haunted by a dark childhood and a tragic loss, and as she watches him spiral
Only Pete is a man haunted by a dark childhood and a tragic loss, and as she watches him spiral
down into despair, Jenny realises she might
be the only one who can drag him back.
So she does – at the risk of her own, already bruised and battered heart. For no matter what she tells herself, such a man is surely impossible to change – and even more impossible to resist.
Check out Wendy's other books
My name is Wendy Lou Jones. I was born and raised in West Sussex, England and moved to Birmingham to study Medicine at University, where I was lucky enough to meet my husband. We now live in a little village in Herefordshire with our two grubby boys. I discovered a love of writing not long after my youngest son started school. And if you were to ask me what it was that made me make the switch, I’d tell you quite simply, that it started with a dream.
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