“Wait,” he rushed on. “That’s not what I meant. You are pretty. You’re just nottoo pretty. Or maybe you are. Maybe you’re, uh, just right.” His voice held a note of embarrassment—the justice he deserved for his insensitive remark. “I’m a loser, aren’t I? I’m sorry for saying I can’t believe you’re a nurse. You’re probably a great nurse. Fantastic. Even awesome.”
She wasn’t above letting men squirm for a few seconds, but she also wasn’t cruel. She paused and tossed him the smile that had come loose, hoping to put him out of his misery. “You’re fine. Just forget about it.”
He shrugged sheepishly. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to forget that I just shoved my foot into my mouth. Make that two feet.”
She swiveled and started forward but found herself crashing into someone who’d just ascended the stairs and was heading down the path. The momentum from the collision threw her backward.
Since she was still guiding her suitcases, the wheels on both flew off the ground, tipping the suitcases over and flipping her to her back. In the next instant, she found herself lying prostrate, the air knocked from her lungs, staring up at the cloudless blue sky…and a man’s face.
“Ma’am, I beg your pardon,” he was saying as he hovered above her, his brow creased. “You all right?”
Was she? Even as she struggled to draw a breath into her tight lungs, she did a quick mental scan of her body. She’d landed hard, but she hadn’t broken anything, probably would just have a bruised coccyx.
“I’m so sorry,” the man said again. “I was in a hurry, was on my phone, wasn’t paying attention….”
His dark-brown hair was disheveled and in need of a haircut, and his tanned face was covered in a thick layer of dark stubble, as if he’d neglected shaving recently. Or maybe he was going for a rugged cowboy look. Either way, he was good-looking, tall, and broad-shouldered, with an intensity that told her he was comfortable being in command.
He held a hand toward her to assist her up. His blue flannel shirt was rolled up at the sleeves, revealing muscular forearms that had a light layer of dark hair. The shirt stretched across hard abs and thick biceps. Faded jeans hugged equally muscular legs, and cowboy boots finished out the ensemble. All he needed was a Stetson and he’d be a true cowboy—the truest she’d ever met.
As she finally drew in a breath, she accepted his hand and found herself being hauled back to her feet in one easy swoop.
He steadied her before taking a step back and raking a gaze over her. “Did I hurt you?”
She winced at the twinge in her lower spine. “I’m just fine.”
“Good.” His attention didn’t linger. Instead, his gaze moved past her as he scanned the helicopter and scowled at the pilot, who was in the process of picking up her luggage. “It’s about time.”
The pilot shrugged one shoulder. “I’m right on time.”
“I asked you to hurry.”
“I went as fast as I could.”
“It wasn’t fast enough.”
“I’ve been in contact with Mom the whole time, and she said Dad is resting comfortably.”
Kinsey watched the exchange between the two men. Several things became clear right away. One was that the pilot and the cowboy were brothers, because they shared the same chiseled face with strong square jawlines, broad foreheads, and deep eyes. The second was that they were McQuaids, and their dad was her patient. Third, they were a close family, unlike hers.
“Where’s the nurse?” The cowboy glanced at the helicopter again.
A final thing became obvious. The cowboy was just as clueless as his brother when it came to nurses. He probably thought experienced RNs were perky middle-aged women with bobbed haircuts, wearing Reeboks and scrubs.
What was the best way to destroy his stereotypes?
She pressed her hand to her hip so that her sweatshirt hugged her torso and showed off her curves. She balled it up several inches so that he’d also get a good view of her backside and long legs, which always looked sleek and slender in this particular pair of leggings.
She only had to wait a heartbeat for the pilot to cock his head at her.
As the cowboy’s gaze swung quickly back to her, she was ready. She gave him her most alluring smile, the one that never failed to melt a man’s heart.
He took her in again, this time more carefully. If he was affected by her body or her smile, he didn’t give any indication. Instead, he met her eyes directly. “Kinsey Wingrove?”
“Yes, that’s me,” she said in a too-bubbly voice.
“I’m Tyler McQuaid.” The lines in his forehead deepened. “I’m afraid there’s been a mistake.”
“How so?” She flipped her hair back, shaking her head just enough to draw attention now to her long waves cascading over her shoulders and reaching midway down her chest and back.
