Page 19 of The Hunt
Which brought her to not wanting to do something stupid with Chadwick Leopold Fields.
Chad was the best “catch” at Barratt County General Hospital. She’d heard some nursing assistant airhead saying those very words just that morning.
At least, he was—until someone managed to seduce the COM, anyway. Women were always planning to seduce Caine Alvaro around Barratt County Gen.
It was almost a given she’d hear about a new seducing-Caine Alvaro plot every other week. Of course, about every other week, it was hiswifewho was planning to seduce Dr. Caine Alvaro, but plenty of nurses wanted that seriously hot man, too.
Nurses, doctors, technicians, admin, HR, custodial—poor Caine was the target of most of the barracudas at BCGH.
But since Genny didn’t think that was ever going to happen—Caine Alvaro was seriously, beautifully, head-over-heels in love with his wife, thank goodness—that left Chad and Guthrie as the top of the heap.
And that was justinsane.
Her brother was not at the top of any girl heap.Ick. The idea was stomach-curdling. And as for Chad—he’d dated a good ten of the women they worked with in the last three years. She’d observed how he operated.
She wanted no part of that. She wanted to be special to a man, not just ordinary and convenient. Or one name on a list.
But having Chad next door tonight was going to come in handy.
Very handy, indeed.
18
There weresix beautiful women waiting to greet his little sister when he pulled in. The Hiller brothers were behind him in two trucks.
“What’s going on in there?” Chad had to admire the gorgeous sight as those women crowded out to the porch and stared at him and the Hiller brothers like they were enemies invading. Beautiful, beautiful women—all of them. How fun.
“Greer said ‘slumber party’ and something about Aubrey needing cheered up after an evening gone horribly wrong. Genny’s trying to distract her,” Chantal said, waiting for him to park the truck. “We’re going to slumber party old school tonight.”
He recognized the Aubrey in question, of course. The coolly gorgeous woman was the kind that could terrify men with one cutting word from her lips. He’d heard she’d done just that with no less than six other doctors in the system, just in the last year. “I’m surprised they’re friends.”
As warm and bubbly as Genny was—it was surprising they’d be friendly at all. Yet Genny and Aubrey Fisher were almost always together at the hospital. Inseparable. Aubrey wasofficially the head of the ED, as well as Caine Alvaro’s assistant, and Genny was exclusive to the ED. Those two stuck together like glue.
There were other rumors going around about Aubrey, too. They’d even trickled upstairs to the different departments. Not good ones—about her and the son of the man who owned the hospital now.
“Why?” Chantal said, a bite in her tone that told him Aubrey was probably her friend, too. And he might just have stepped into it here. “I know what they say about Aubrey at the hospital. Those rumors are not true at all, and it hurts her a great deal. She just doesn’t know how to make it stop. I’ve known her for almost two years now, and she’s really, really sweet, Chad. Genuine. And very, very introverted and reserved, in case you’ve missed it; so you be extra nice to her. And if you hear something at the hospital, you reeducate fast, got me? She’s had an extremely tough time in the last ten years, Genny said. Genny feels protective. And Aubrey is a good friend—to both of us.”
Chad had gotten the message. And he’d freely admit it—he didn’t know the woman well at all. She’d always seemed to avoid him when their paths crossed, mostly because she’d made avoiding Guthrie practically an Olympic sport. And probably saw Chad as an extension of his closest friend. “And what they say about her?”
“Strictly rumors—started by Mandy Kirby when the head of the hospital chose Aubrey to work as his assistant instead of her. But Mandy was trying to seduce him at the time, so why would he pick her? She’s been trying to sabotage Aubrey’s career behind Aub’s back ever since. Viciously. Aubrey and Genny are trying to stay one step ahead of that wicked witch of Texas, but it’s hard. Giavonna threatened to punch Mandy again over what she did to Aubrey last month.”
Mandy Kirby was a viper. A nurse practitioner who should never have gotten licensed. He only referred patients in her direction when he absolutely had to. But that she would be so backstabbing with other women—well, maybe it shouldn’t surprise him. Hospital politics always angered him—he tried to ignore them as much as he could. But if Genny was involved—he wanted to know about it. Help if he could.
Hell, even if it was just Aubrey he was helping. He hated seeing people being bullied. Period.
“Chad! We’re glad you’re here.” Genny met him on the steps after he’d parked and climbed out of his truck. “We need someone with your skills.”
His heart practically leapt when she singled him out. “What do you need, sweetheart?”
Her eyes narrowed at the endearment. She darted a quick glance at her four brothers who’d been helping with the Fields’s ranch. Like she was making certain they hadn’t caught what he’d said.
They probably hadn’t. They could be a bit clueless sometimes, he’d noticed. Especially where their sisters were concerned.
He was going to enjoy pursuing their little sister right under their noses. They were his friends, but he was going to enjoy the challenge.
Besides, Gene deserved it—Chad hadn’t missed the way that jerk had looked at Chantal a few times tonight. Or how nervous his sister had suddenly become in the other man’s presence.
Something was going on between them—Chad was determined to figure out what it was.