THE LAST TEMPTATION OF DR. DALTON by Robin Gianna Page A

untreated.”
    She shuddered. “How do you get rid of the...whatever it was called...tetani toxin?”
    “I’ll have to open his foot to remove it and clean out the dead and devitalized tissue so it can heal. It’ll give the penicillin a chance to work. I’ll give him fluids and valium to keep him comfortable so he can rest. He’ll have to stay here several days, kept very quiet, to give his body time to process the toxin.”
    She nodded and her eyes smiled at him again, her soft hand wrapping around his forearm. “Thank you again for coming back, Trent. I bet our lying Dr. Smith would never have been able to figure out what was wrong with this boy. You’re...amazing.”
    He didn’t know about all that. What he did know was that she was amazing. In here, looking at this boy, concerned and worried but not at all freaked out by the bizarre presentation of tetanus, despite not being in medicine herself. He’d bet a whole lot of his fortune that the women he’d dated back in the days of his old, privileged life in the States would have run hysterically from the room. Or, even more likely, would never been in there to begin with.
    “I have to take care of his foot right now, which is going to take a little time. Promise you’ll stay here in the hospital until I’m done?” He found himself reaching to touch her face, to stroke his knuckles against her cheek. “I know you think you’re all tough and can handle any big, bad burglar that might be ransacking your house as you walk in the door. But, for my peace of mind, will you please wait for me?”
    “I’ll wait for you.” The beautiful green of her eyes, her small smile, her words, all seemed to settle inside his chest and expand it. “Since it’ll be past time for dinner to be served here, I’ll fix something for us when we get there.”
    “Sounds great.” He wanted to lean down and kiss her, the way he had in the rain the other day. And the reasons for not doing that began to seem less and less important. Charlotte definitely didn’t act like she’d be doing much pining after he was gone.
    That was good news he hoped was really true, and the smart part of him knew it was best to keep it that way, to keep their relationship “strictly professional,” and never mind that he’d be spending the night back in her house. The house in which, when the two of them weren’t just colleagues, they hadn’t gotten much sleep at all.
    * * *
    Despite the comfort of the double bed, with its wrought-iron headboard and soft, handmade quilt, Trent turned restlessly, finally flopping onto his back with his hands behind his head. The room was girly, with lace curtains, a pastel hooked rug and an odd mix of furniture. The femininity of it made him even more acutely aware that Charlotte was sleeping very close by.
    Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face: the woman who had fascinated him from the first second he’d walked into her office. That long, silky brown hair cascading down her back, her body with curves in all the right places on her petite frame and her full lips begging to be kissed were as ultra-feminine as the bedroom.
    But her willful, no-nonsense personality proved that a woman who oozed sexiness and femininity sure didn’t have to be quiet and docile.
    He’d guessed being here would be a challenge. How the hell was he going to get through the night keeping his word that their relationship would stay strictly professional? Get through the next few days?
    Focusing on work seemed like a good plan. He’d tell her he wanted to head into the field to do immunizations, or whatever else patients might need, keeping close proximity to Charlotte at a minimum. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, and so far it seemed their brief time together hadn’t negatively affected her at all. No point in risking it—not to mention that he didn’t want to stir up that strange discomfort he’d felt at the airport when he’d tried to get out of there the first