Loving Bella by Renee Ryan

using his mildest tone in hopes of forestalling any argument on her part. “We’ll get you a pair of shoes that will be warmer and more comfortable and—”
    “Whatever you say.”
    “—better suited for trekking through ice and mud.”
    Whatever you say? He blinked.
    “Did you just agree with me, Miss O’Toole?”
    Tucking a loose strand of hair beneath the black ribbon, she lifted a careless shoulder. “You would know better than I what sort of shoes I should wear.”
    And just like that, she threw him off balance. Again. This time with her complete cooperation. Would this woman never stop surprising him?
    “Right, then.” He cleared the shock out of his voice and turned all business. “Let’s be off.”
    Feeling more hopeful than he had in months, Shane helped Miss O’Toole with her coat and then stepped back while she tugged on the matching hat and gloves.
    Once outside, Shane gripped her elbow carefully and assisted her into his small, but serviceable buggy.
    She wiggled and shifted and squirmed until she finally settled herself on the cushioned seat. Only then did she turn her head and smile down at him.
    Shane’s pulse kicked hard in his chest. The sight of all that beauty aimed solely at him was like a swift punch to his gut.
    He quickly broke eye contact and made his way to the other side of the carriage and climbed aboard. With mechanical movements, he snapped the reins and clicked his tongue.
    His horse set out at a slow, easy gait.
    Focused on the passing scenery, Miss O’Toole remained silent during the ride into town. Shane took the opportunity to slip covert glances in her direction. Her wool coat was the color of a Colorado pine and set off her creamy skin to perfection. With her honey, sun-kissed curls pouring past her shoulders she looked almost imaginary. A storybook princess brought to life.
    But she was real. Very real. Her scent gave her away. She smelled of sweet perfume, like fresh jasmine, all pleasant and inviting.
    Shane smiled.
    Without warning, she turned her head, and Shane found his lips slipping into a frown. Imprisoned in those remarkable tawny eyes the dark, wistful longing he’d experienced in the parlor returned, somehow stronger, and with enough force to yank the breath out of his lungs.
    He tightened his hands on the reins and forced his attention back to the road. It took every ounce of his will-power not to look at her again.
    You do not need this sort of trouble, he warned himself. It’s dangerous, imprudent and reckless. Very reckless.
    Then again…
    Perhaps Shane was thinking too hard, allowing a pretty face to complicate a simple matter. Perhaps all he needed was a little distance from the woman sitting entirely too close to him.
    With that in mind, he turned his thoughts to the day’s schedule and scrutinized the road with careful attention.
    The rhythmic turning of the wheels mingling with his horse’s steady gait hypnotized him until Shane had no idea how much time elapsed. Surely, no more than ten minutes.
    At last, he drew the carriage to a stop in the alleyway between Mattie’s brothel and the Smoking Horse Saloon.
    This was it, their first real test as doctor and temporary assistant.
    He let out a slow breath of tension, shoved his fingers through his hair and tugged at the ends.
    In a matter of minutes, Shane would discover what Miss O’Toole was actually made of. And for both their sakes, as well as his patients’, he prayed she was up for the tasks that lay ahead.

Chapter Six
    T ruly? Bella squinted into the muted, gray light. He’d truly brought her to a filthy, stinky, back alley in the heart of a derelict part of town?
    There had to be some mistake.
    Why would the man direct them straight to a dead end and simply sit there without speaking?
    Swallowing her confusion, Bella covered her nose against the stench of garbage and stale liquor. She shot her gaze in all directions. Unfortunately, the jagged rooftops swallowed the sunlight and blue sky