Chapter 17

17

Their afternoon playing dress-up had just gotten worse after Dr. Hodges and his oily friend had found them. Now they had no choice but to hide out in Genny’s living room.

Genny was so angry she couldn’t think straight. “Dr. Michaels is a total jackass. Are you sure you don’t want to report this? We can call Sheriff Addy and he can come to our house, no problem.”

“I’m good. If I report it, it’ll get all over the hospital. And that is the last thing I want. I’m already the slut of the entire hospital, you know. Hard to miss that.” Aubrey gave a rueful grimace. “Mandy’s gearing up again. The rumors are getting worse. And with the new people from Carrington showing up all the time lately, I don’t want the trouble she can cause.”

“I know. I’ve heard. But if you are the slut of the ED, I don’t know what that says about me. I’ve dated twice as many guys there as you have.” Well, she’d only dated one, but wasn’t that twice Aubrey’s zero?

“Ah, but you aren’t working as Caine Alvaro’s assistant—the owner of the hospital’s far-too-hot husband.” Aubrey winced as the antiseptic hit. “Thanks for letting us stay here tonight. I’m not comfortable with Ayla there if he comes back.”

Genesis could understand that. “I get it. I have a baby sister of my own, too.”

There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do to protect Greer, even as sassy and fiery as her sister was. She could only imagine how intense that feeling would be if she had been responsible for raising that sister for years like Aubrey had Ayla. And add in that Ayla had so many mobility challenges—a man showing up drunk would be terrifying. Ayla wouldn’t be able to get away. She just wouldn’t. “I have those three really strong brother-cavemans with rifles who live here with me. No one will get to you here.”

“Thanks. I’m sure everything will feel a bit better in the light of day. Or after I go back to the hospital.”

That might be sooner than Aubrey wanted. Genny was trying, but… “I don’t think these bandages are going to work, Aub. I think you may need sutures. At least two or three, in a few places. He dug in hard. And he probably has troll cooties. Are you up to date with your immunizations?” Aubrey should be—the hospital strongly recommended it to protect the staff. But sometimes things got missed. “I’m serious. He did some damage. It’s going to sting tomorrow. It’s already bruising, as well.”

“Great. I was seriously trying to avoid this.” Aubrey sounded like she was about ready to cry. Genny looked at her friend’s beautiful face. There was so much going on in that complicated Aubrey head right now. Genny hadn’t missed that.

Nightmares. That was what it was—there were nightmares in her friend’s eyes. Memories. Genny knew a little of Aubrey and her younger sister’s history. It wasn’t good. At all. And it hurt to even think about.

“We could call someone? I know you and Guthrie don’t exactly get along, but I can call in sister-favors and blackmail him to keep his mouth shut?”

Aubrey’s eyes widened and panic hit her beautiful face. Just like Genny had expected. Because of Guthrie.

Her brother had been a total ass to Aubrey a few times—and Genny had seen it. She understood Aubrey’s reluctance now. All of Genny’s brothers needed serious reprogramming before they were fit to be good husbands and fathers to the appropriate women who could put up with them.

Or to at least be polite to Genny’s friends, even.

Well, most of them needed it.

There was always Gunn. The sweetest man on earth. That brother—he concerned her sometimes, though. No denying that. Gunn Kendrick Hiller was just too good at times.

Gunn was pretty sweet just as he was. He was just too shy to ever make a move on a woman without nudging. So Genny guessed Gunn did need his own brand of reprogramming, too.

Maybe she should make that her next goal? Gunn deserved a woman to love him and a good dozen kids to raise. He’d be really good at it, too.

George, their eldest brother, did just fine as a devoted family man. Of course, his wife Ronnie had had to do some serious reprogramming of him ten years ago when they’d gotten together. So—maybe it was just in male Hiller DNA?

Genny would make it a mission to reprogram all of them, if she could. She had four nieces and one nephew, and Ronnie was pregnant with another little “surprise”—Genny would like a few more soon. It was about time her brothers—and sisters, too—got down to business.

Later, though. Aubrey needed a bit of reprogramming right now, first.

“Well, then it’s going to have to be Dr. Chad.” Chad would probably come if she asked him. And—maybe—paid him with a kiss or two for his time.

Maybe she could do that.

If she was insane .

Greer came into the kitchen in time to hear her. “Hot Doctor Chad is already on his way over here, actually. He and Guthrie and Grady were at the Fields’s place all day. Chad is dropping Chantal off over here.”

“Great. Then we’ll just get it taken care of and then threaten him into silence, while the rest of the crew pops the popcorn—then we’ll get this party started. Giavonna called, she’s on her way, too. She’ll probably beat the boys.” She shot her friend a grin, just wanting to get that broken look out of Aubrey’s blue eyes. Aubrey was the most beautiful woman Genny knew—and she had the sweetest soul to go along with it. And the softest heart. It made Genny a bit overprotective sometimes. Maybe Aubrey would like a preacher-man named Gunn as a future husband? They’d make very pretty, very sweet babies, that was for sure. “We’re going to party old-school slumber style and forget jerk pervert doctors for one night.”

“I have never been to a slumber party. Ayla, either. I don’t think we’d even know where to begin.”

Genny thought that sounded so sad. But Aubrey had opened up to her in the two years they’d been friends. She knew some of what her friend had gone through as a kid. It was horrific and tragic, and Aubrey and Ayla had deserved far, far better. The foster system could be so broken.

She’d just deal with the idea that Chad was coming over again herself when she could. But for now—he had the skills they needed.

They’d just use that man tonight.

He’d promised to get her somehow.

Genny was about ready to run for the hills.

She had not been “gotten” in that way by a man in her entire life. Genny was never the woman men like Chad pursued. Not her.

She was too much the cute sidekick type for hot pursuits and seduction. She shivered, just thinking about it.

She’d had one experience with a hunter like Chad Fields. It had devastated her when it had ended. When he’d used her and tossed her aside, anyway. She knew what kind of women Chad preferred. She’d known him forever, after all.

She was definitely not on his list.

No, that was women like Aubrey and Giavonna and Greer. Tall, gorgeous, passionate, intense, dynamic women who just made things happen. Who were the kind for adventures in a way mousy little Genny Hiller never had been. And never really wanted to be, either.

One guy she’d dated had pointed out that he’d only asked her out because he’d thought Greer was too young for him at the time, and Genny had been his second choice.

Well, third.

Scott had had a thing for Giavonna, too, but the oldest Hiller sister had scared him too much for him to make a move. So he’d settled.

For Genny.

Third-fiddle Genny, always coming in behind her two gorgeous, beautiful, wonderful, genuinely awesome sisters.

Well, she’d dumped his ass fast after that.

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 his wife who 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 just insane.

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.