The Doctor's Dating Bargain Read online

  FROM EXILED HEIRESS...TO DOCTOR’S FAKE FIANCÉE?

  Handsome doctor Ben McKnight is everything the marriageable women of Blackwater Lake, Montana, want in a man—except willing! What he needs is a decoy: someone sweet and sexy to play the role of bride-to-be. Someone like the gorgeous new girl in town....

  The last place Camille Halliday wants to be is Montana. But she won’t be going anywhere unless she wins over the mutinous staff and salvages the business at the local hotel. So when gorgeous Dr. Ben makes his proposal—pretend to be his girlfriend in exchange for his help with her staff—she jumps at the offer. It’s the answer to all her problems...until the fake hand-holding and kissing soon add up to much more than either of them bargained for!

  “You look beautiful.” And that was an understatement. She took his breath away. The more he’d thought about it in the past twenty-four hours, the more he really wanted her to say yes to his idea.

  Ben backed the SUV out of the space and headed for the exit that would take them to downtown Blackwater Lake.

  “Is there a reason we’re not going to Fireside here at the lodge?” she asked.

  He glanced over at her and smiled at her expression. “Yes. My criteria for tonight is a locals favorite because it’s always busy.”

  “I haven’t agreed to this insane charade yet.”

  “I’m aware of that. But I think I can win you over.”

  “Pretty confident, aren’t you?”

  “Power of positive thinking.” He grinned at her. “Plus whatever your decision, being seen together will keep everyone off balance and that can’t hurt.”

  “By ‘everyone’ you mean women.”

  “Men talk, too.” He parked and shut off the ignition, then got out and walked around to open the passenger door.

  Dear Reader,

  When Dr. Ben McKnight returns home to Blackwater Lake he has a problem most guys would love to have—women won’t leave him alone. They fake injuries to see him at the clinic, and others, including his own sister, try to fix him up. Apparently females think it’s his duty to date, but that’s no excuse for disrupting his medical practice. He’s desperate to make it stop and comes up with a plan to make everyone believe he’s off the dating market in order to be left alone. All he needs is a woman to go along with the idea.

  Hotel heiress Camille Halliday has been sent to prove herself by reversing financial losses at her family’s struggling property in remote Blackwater Lake. Though she’s grown up and responsible now the whole town believes the bad press from her teenage indiscretions and everyone thinks she’s too shallow, spoiled, short and blonde to be taken seriously. As if that’s not bad enough, Ben asks her to be his pretend girlfriend. Call her crazy, but she’s ready to try anything.

  In exchange for participating in the charade, Ben will be her bridge to town acceptance and her employees’ cooperation in making Blackwater Lake Lodge more profitable. He’ll get peace and she’ll have a pass to a better job in the big city of her choice. It’s a simple win/win, but neither of them counts on the doctor’s dating bargain turning into something as complicated as love.

  I hope you enjoy!

  Teresa Southwick

  Teresa Southwick

  The Doctor’s Dating Bargain

  Books by Teresa Southwick

  Harlequin Special Edition

  ‡‡To Have the Doctor’s Baby #2126

  ~~Her Montana Christmas Groom #2156

  ‡‡Holding Out for Doctor Perfect #2187

  ‡‡The Doctor and the Single Mom #2204

  ¤The Maverick’s Christmas Homecoming #2230

  ¶¶The Doctor’s Dating Bargain #2234

  Silhouette Special Edition

  The Summer House #1510: “Courting Cassandra”

  Midnight, Moonlight & Miracles #1517

  It Takes Three #1631

  ¶The Beauty Queen’s Makeover #1699

  At the Millionaire’s Request #1769

  §§Paging Dr. Daddy #1886

  ‡‡The Millionaire and the M.D. #1894

  ‡‡When a Hero Comes Along #1905

  ‡‡Expecting the Doctor’s Baby #1924

  ‡Marrying the Virgin Nanny #1960

  ‡‡The Doctor’s Secret Baby #1982

  ‡The Nanny and Me #2001

  ~Taming the Montana Millionaire #2059

  ‡‡The Surgeon’s Favorite Nurse #2067

  ‡‡Cindy’s Doctor Charming #2097

  Silhouette Books

  The Fortunes of Texas

  Shotgun Vows

  Silhouette Romance

  *And Then He Kissed Me #1405

  *With a Little T.L.C. #1421

  The Acquired Bride #1474

  *Secret Ingredient: Love #1495

  *The Last Marchetti Bachelor #1513

  **Crazy for Lovin’ You #1529

  **This Kiss #1541

  **If You Don’t Know by Now #1560

  **What If We Fall in Love? #1572

  Sky Full of Promise #1624

  †To Catch a Sheik #1674

  †To Kiss a Sheik #1686

  †To Wed a Sheik #1696

  ††Baby, Oh Baby #1704

  ††Flirting with the Boss #1708

  ††An Heiress on His Doorstep #1712

  §That Touch of Pink #1799

  §In Good Company #1807

  §Something’s Gotta Give #1815

  ‡‡Men of Mercy Medical

  ‡The Nanny Network

  §§The Wilder Family

  *The Marchetti Family

  **Destiny, Texas

  †Desert Brides

  ††If Wishes Were...

  §Buy-a-Guy

  ¶Most Likely To...

  ~Montana Mavericks: Thunder Canyon Cowboys

  ~~Montana Mavericks: The Texans are Coming!

  ¤Montana Mavericks: Back in the Saddle

  ¶¶Mercy Medical Montana

  Other books by Teresa Southwick available in ebook format.

  TERESA SOUTHWICK

  lives with her husband in Las Vegas, the city that reinvents itself every day. An avid fan of romance novels, she is delighted to be living out her dream of writing for Harlequin.

  To Maureen Child, Kate Carlisle, Christine Rimmer

  and Susan Mallery, the best plot group ever!

  Thanks for the friendship. And the fun. (Wine, too.)

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Excerpt

  Chapter One

  “I’m in so much trouble.”

  Ben McKnight sat in the twilight shadows on the rear second-story deck of Blackwater Lake Lodge. The angry blonde who’d just stomped up the wooden stairs from the lush grounds below obviously was too caught up in her snit to notice him. She continued to mumble to herself as she paced back and forth in front of the redwood railing.

  “Is it me?” she grumbled. “Do I attract trouble like black pants pick up pet hair? Or lint? Or fuzzballs? What is my problem?”

  Then she lashed out with her foot and connected with one of the sturdy, upright posts anchoring the railing. It was a solid kick and after a few seconds the message traveled to her brain. When it got there, she blurted out, “Damn it! Now my foot’s broken.”

  Beautiful, angry women who talked to themselves were not in Ben’s wheelhouse, but
broken bones he knew something about. He stood and walked out of the shadows into the circle of light cast by the property’s perimeter lights.

  “Maybe I can help.”

  She turned and gasped. “Good Lord, you startled me. Where the heck did you come from? I didn’t know anyone was here.”

  “I figured that. The talking to yourself sort of gave it away.”

  “That happens when you don’t want to talk to anyone else.” She limped closer. “Who are you?”

  “Ben McKnight. Doctor McKnight. I’m an orthopedic specialist at Mercy Medical Clinic.”

  “Call me crazy, but I didn’t think it was in a doctor’s job description to scare a person to death.”

  “True. Do no harm is the cornerstone of the Hippocratic Oath.”

  She pressed a hand to her chest and took a deep breath. “Then your bedside manner could use a little work, Doctor.”

  “Sorry.” He watched her put weight on the foot and wince. “For the record, I don’t recommend kicking things as a communication technique. Especially when you’re wearing four-inch heels. Next time I’d use my words if I were you.”

  “What am I? Five?” The tone was full of irritation that seemed completely self-directed. “Okay. That was childish.”

  “Would you like me to take a look at the foot?”

  “No. I’m fine. Completely over it. I’m calm and tranquil.”

  “I could tell,” he said dryly. “All the pacing, stomping and trash talk were a clear indication that you’re totally in your Zen place.”

  “I didn’t mean for anyone to see that. It’s been a bad day and when that happens, I come up here to decompress. Pretty much every night. My serenity spot isn’t normally occupied.”

  “Since I’m trespassing, the least I can do is listen.” It would give him a chance to look at her mouth.

  “Thanks, but I really have nothing to say.”

  “All evidence to the contrary. Look, whether or not you feel like talking, you should probably sit for a few minutes and elevate the foot. There could be swelling.”

  “Did you learn that in medical school?” She limped toward the two chairs nestled in the shadow of the lodge.

  Ben put his hand under her elbow, mostly to help take some of her weight, but partly to touch her. “Actually, that’s basic first aid. Every coach of every team I’ve been on since I was five has preached ice and heat for an injury.”

  “How many teams have you been on?”

  She lowered herself into the Adirondack chair and leaned back with a sigh. There was a matching natural-wood ottoman and he cupped her ankle in his hand, then lifted it, resting it on the flat surface before slipping off her high-heeled shoe.

  “A lot.” Ben sat on the ottoman beside hers.

  “What sports did you play?”

  “Soccer. Basketball. Football. My senior year I was on the Blackwater Lake High School team that won state about fifteen years ago.”

  “So you’re a local boy?”

  “Yes.”

  “How come I haven’t seen you around?” she asked.

  “I just got back.”

  “Do you have family in Blackwater Lake?”

  “Father. Older brother, younger sister.”

  “That qualifies.” She thought for a moment. “So, I can’t help being curious. You have family close by, which makes me wonder why you’re sitting in the shadows on the deck all by yourself. Did you have a dinner date here at the lodge and she left in a huff? Are you a guest here at the hotel? Or just stalking someone who is a guest?”

  He laughed. “I’m a guest. Staying here while I’m having a house built.”

  “Too old to live at home?”

  “Something like that,” he said.

  The clouds drifted away from the moon and the deck was bathed in silver light, giving Ben a better view of the blonde. She was prettier than he’d thought, with a small face and deep dimples. Her eyes looked blue, although he couldn’t tell the shade, and tilted up slightly at the corners. Her hair was straight, and cut in layers that framed her face and fell past her shoulders. Her arm through the light sweater she wore had felt delicate and small-boned. Although the heels gave the impression of height, she barely came up to his shoulder, which made her not so tall.

  Suddenly he wondered who he was talking to. He didn’t even know her name. On top of that, she was the one asking all the questions. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me why you’re so ticked off?”

  “There’s nothing to say.”

  “For starters you could define the mess you’re in.”

  “I was hoping you didn’t hear that,” she said.

  “Nope. Sorry. Every word. And let me quote here, ‘I’m in so much trouble.’ Should I be afraid to get too close? Are you at the top of an assassination list? On the run from law enforcement? A CIA spy doing covert surveillance?”

  “Right, because so much happens in Blackwater Lake that the government needs to surveil.” There was a suggestion of sarcasm and the barest hint of mockery in her tone.

  “You don’t like it here?”

  She met his gaze. “Let’s just say it’s not New York or L.A.”

  “So define trouble. You could be pregnant,” he pointed out.

  “You have quite the imagination.” Her lips turned up at the corners in a brief show of amusement. She had an awfully spectacular mouth when it wasn’t all pinched and tight. “And that would be a miracle since I haven’t had sex in—”

  “Yes?” He looked at her and waited.

  “That’s really none of your business.”

  “Maybe not, but now I’m awfully curious.”

  “Be that as it may,” she said, “you’re a stranger and I’m not in the habit of sharing personal information with someone I’ve barely met, Dr. McKnight.”

  “At least you know my name. That’s more than I can say about you.”

  “Camille Halliday.” She looked at him expectantly, as if waiting for recognition. Actually more like bracing for it, as if the information would be unpleasant.

  The name did sound familiar, but he couldn’t place it. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Halliday.”

  “Likewise, Dr. McKnight. Now, I really should be going.” She slid the punting foot off the ottoman and gingerly tested it on the deck.

  “How does it feel?”

  “Several of my toes hurt,” she admitted.

  “Can you walk on it?”

  “I have to. Work to do.”

  “At the hotel?”

  “Yes.”

  “In what capacity?” he wanted to know.

  “I run the place.”

  That’s when her last name clicked. Her family had made a fortune in the hotel and hospitality industry. “You’re one of the Halliday hotel chain family.”

  “Among other things,” she said a little mysteriously. After sliding her other leg off the ottoman, she moved forward in the chair and tested more weight on the foot. Drawing in a breath she said, “That smarts a little.”

  Ben realized he didn’t want her to leave yet. “I’d be happy to look at it for you. Sometimes taping a couple toes together helps.”

  “Thanks for the tip. Taping a toe I can handle.” Her words implied there was a whole lot more she couldn’t handle.

  “Okay. But if you don’t want me to examine it, at least sit for a few more minutes and take the pressure off.”

  She sighed, then nodded. “I can sit, but that won’t relieve any pressure.”

  “You’re not talking about the foot now, are you?”

  “No.” She caught the corner of her bottom lip between her top teeth as she stared out over the back grass and the thick evergreen trees beyond.

  “What’s wrong? Might help to get it off your chest.”

  “It might, but I can’t. One of the first things I learned getting a master’s degree in hotel management was never unburden yourself to a guest.”

  “I’m not really a guest,” he said. “It’s more like a l
ease until my house is ready.”

  “Why didn’t you do that?” she asked. “Rent a place, I mean?”

  “Oh, so you get to ask questions but I don’t? How about a quid pro quo?” He met her gaze. “You tell me about your trouble and I’ll spill about my living arrangements. What can it hurt?”

  She stared at him for several moments, then nodded. “It’s pretty common knowledge that this property in the hotel chain isn’t doing well financially. My father gave me six months to stop Blackwater Lake Lodge from hemorrhaging money or he’ll close it down.”

  “I see. So you have half a year.”

  “Not anymore.” She blew out a breath. “I’ve been here two and a half months. The employees are intractable and do their own thing. Personnel turnover is too high and we bleed money in training until a new hire is competent enough to pull their own weight. I think someone is skimming money from the books, but I’m so busy putting out fires that I can’t get to the bottom of it. And I’m running out of time.”

  “Do you have a personal attachment to this property?”

  “I’d never seen it until January.” She sighed. “But my father is testing me. If I can pull this off, I’ll get a choice assignment somewhere that’s not in the wilderness of Montana.”

  “Ah.” Making the lodge successful was her ticket out of here.

  Ben could understand. Once upon a time he couldn’t wait to shake the dirt, mud and mountain air off, but he didn’t feel that way now.

  “So, why are you back here?” she asked.

  “To build a house and put down roots. Blackwater Lake is a great place to live.” When she stood, he did, too. “Can’t see renting something, settling in, then moving again. I’m focused on expanding Mercy Medical Clinic and providing quality health care for the town and the tourists who come here to visit.”

  “It’s a really noble goal.” She touched his arm to steady herself while slipping her shoe back on, then limped toward the stairs. At the top she turned and said, “Good luck with that, Doctor. Now I really have to say good-night.”

  After she disappeared from sight, he heard her uneven step as she walked down the stairs.

  Ben found her intriguing and was sorry she’d had to leave. Still, the quid pro quo had put everything in perspective. He was staying and her objective was to get out of town as fast as possible.