Technically, Braden was a physician, one who was not on duty. The man had made an accurate assumption, then. Braden returned the man’s nod and followed him into the treatment area. He stopped at the centrally located wraparound desk. “Where can I find Dr. MacDowell?”
The nurse he’d addressed frowned at him slightly. “And you are...?”
From long practice, he smiled at her with just the right amount of professional friendliness. “Please tell Dr. MacDowell that Dr. MacDowell is here to see him.”
Her frown lifted into a smile. “I should have guessed from the resemblance. He’s just back from his honeymoon, but you must be one of the bachelor MacDowells.” She tilted her head at an attractive angle and winked at him.
Braden returned her smile with very little effort. The world was returning to normal. Women liked him. He liked women. It was only Lana Donnoli that made him feel irritated. Angry. Vaguely dissatisfied with his life.
“Is that you, Braden? Can’t be. That would make three times in one year that you’ve come to Texas.”
Braden turned at the sound of his brother’s voice. Jamie was the youngest son, Braden the eldest. They shook hands, which quickly morphed into a one-armed hug. More of a slap on the shoulders, really. They were exactly the same height, something that never failed to catch Braden by surprise. Jamie had only been in middle school when Braden had left for college. Somehow, Braden always expected him to still be the runt baby brother.
“What’s the occasion?” his six-foot-tall runt of a brother asked. “Is New York City finally wearing on you? Don’t tell me you missed me.”
Braden should have had a quick comeback for that one, the kind of jokingly derogatory comment brothers would exchange, but he was startled into a momentary silence by the realization that he had, in fact, missed Jamie. It had been good to see him at a charity event in the fall. Even better to see him for a few days in December, when he’d carved out some holiday time to get to know Jamie’s new wife and his baby. Jamie’s family.
Family. Braden hadn’t spent much time with his family after turning his back on practicing medicine. He’d avoided Texas for years after his broken engagement, if he was honest with himself, but that was about to change. Whether Lana would be here or not, it was time to come back home.
Braden would soon announce that PLI was investing millions in a new research center. It had taken all the business savvy he’d gained over the years to pull it off, and he’d cashed in every chip he’d been owed, but Braden had convinced PLI’s board to build the facilities in Austin. Just as his father had contributed this hospital to the community, Braden would contribute a major biotech research and development site to his hometown.
Look, Dad, I’m following in your footsteps.
The tension in his shoulders eased. Had he lived to see it, his father would have been unconditionally proud. Braden knew that. He expected his mother and brothers would feel the same way when they found out.
Braden couldn’t tell them yet. The Securities and Exchange Commission had strict rules against corporate presidents leaking that kind of information too soon. For now, he’d have to content himself with giving his baby brother a hard time.
“As if your ugly mug would be enough to drag me across the country,” he said, resisting the urge to throw a fake slo-mo punch at Jamie. Those childhood habits died hard. “But your wife’s pretty face, that’s another matter. Is Kendry working today?”
“She’s home, studying for an exam. Nursing school is no cakewalk. Better her than me.”
“Beautiful and smart. Driven. My kind of woman.”
“She’s all that and more, but since married women aren’t your thing, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?”
“This trip was strictly business,” Braden lied. He wasn’t about to confess his idiotic notion of visiting the chapel to formally end the promise he’d once made. “I was expecting to meet with Dr. Montgomery.”
“Montgomery? That old bastard is the reason you flew across the country? Now I am offended.”
“I wouldn’t have wasted the jet fuel if someone had bothered to inform me that Montgomery was no longer the head of research.”
“Until yesterday, I was basking in the sun under a coconut tree with Kendry. Good thing your company can afford the plane ticket.” To the nurse, Jamie gave orders for the patient whose cubicle he’d just left. “Nebulizer in four. Call me when the azithromycin IV is finished. I’ll be in the kitchen.”
Braden followed Jamie into the kitchenette that the staff used during their round-the-clock shifts.
“I could have done without the surprise,” Braden said, once they were alone. He still felt off balance after seeing Lana.
“What surprise?”
“Dr. Montgomery’s replacement. Lana Donnoli.”
“That’s your Lana? From med school?”
“You didn’t know?” Braden crossed his arms over his chest and eyed his brother skeptically.
“I told you, I was on a beach. On my honeymoon.”
“The decision wasn’t made yesterday.”
“I’m just a lowly E.R. doc. You want to get pissed off at a brother, go find Quinn. He joined the board.”
Braden shook off the offer of the cup of coffee Jamie had just poured, so Jamie drank it himself, settling against the counter. “It sucks being back on my feet after spending a week in bed.”
“Yeah, life’s rough.” Braden’s sarcastic answer was automatic, but he knew his younger brother deserved every bit of happiness that came his way. While serving the country as an army physician in a war zone, Jamie had lost the first woman he’d loved. He’d come a long way since that dark period, and Braden was glad to see it. Still, he didn’t want to hear about honeymoon bliss. “In all seriousness, I’m glad civilian life is treating you well.”
“Don’t get all mushy on me. The coffee’s decent. Have some.”
Braden poured a cup and sat down in a plastic chair that looked like a waiting-room reject. “Lana’s too young to be the department head at a hospital this size.”
Jamie had the nerve to grin. “We’re still on that topic? Like I said, Quinn’s on the board, not me. But I noticed this morning that her name’s been added to the E.R.’s coverage list. I wondered if it was your Lana.”
“She hasn’t been my anything for years. I sure as hell hope Quinn didn’t give her this position out of some misguided idea that he’d be helping out an old family friend.” He drank the coffee black. No cream, no sugar to hide the true flavor.
Jamie was watching him closely. As the youngest, he’d been away at college during Braden’s engagement. He probably knew very little about the whole affair.
Braden explained. “Lana’s the one who called it off. Mailed the ring to me at Harvard and never spoke to me again.”
“And then you walked into the boardroom today and there she was?”
Braden rejected the sympathy he heard in Jamie’s tone. “That wasn’t an issue. I just don’t want you or Quinn thinking she’s some kind of family friend who deserves special consideration.”
“I don’t see Quinn letting your love life influence decisions about this hospital. He treats this place like Dad did, like it’s some kind of gift to the community.”
Hearing Jamie voice his own earlier thought out loud was both discomforting and reassuring. As children, they’d all competed with the hospital for their father’s attention, Braden supposed, although he’d always felt pride in knowing the medical complex was a MacDowell legacy.
One