The Doctor Who Made Her Love Again. Susan Carlisle

her eyes.

      “Hey, don’t go to sleep on me. I’ll have to take you to my house if you do.”

      Her eyes flipped open and she sat up straighter. “Make a right one block past the clinic.”

      “So I’m guessing you don’t want to go home with me.”

      China wasn’t going to comment on that statement. She wasn’t up to their usual conversation. He made the turn she’d indicated. “Go three blocks and turn left and the house is the second on the right.”

      Payton smoothly maneuvered through the tree-lined streets and pulled into her drive.

      China opened the car door. “Thanks for the ride.”

      “Hey, wait a minute. I’ll help you—”

      “I’ve got it. See you later.”

      She was out and gone before he could open his door. He watched in the illumination of the headlights as she bypassed the walk to the front entrance of the bungalow and continued toward the detached garage further down the drive. Her dress blew in the wind that was picking up. He caught a glimpse of trim thigh before she pushed the hem back into place. Reaching the stairs, she started to climb them.

      So China lived in the apartment above the garage. Flowerpots lined the steps. She really loved plants and seemed to have a green thumb. Maybe he’d been a little harsh with his comment about garden clubs. The plant care he was familiar with was done by someone who showed up in a van and brought new plants to replace the brown ones. Neither his mom nor Janice would ever damage their manicures by messing in dirt.

      China was nothing like the other women he knew. She was a dependable nurse, helpful beyond necessary, gardener, a darned good singer, and she had the prettiest brown eyes he’d ever seen. What more was there to discover about Little Miss I-can-hold-my-own-in-a-battle-of-wits?

      Payton waited until the light flickered on inside the area above the garage before putting the car in reverse and backing slowly out of the drive.

      China was the most interesting woman he’d met in a long time. Did he want to discover more?