Only Her Christmas Miracle - Cami Checketts

Prologue

Ashley Casey shifted uncomfortably on the tissue-covered fake leather bed in the dermatologist’s office. An ugly rash marred her torso, arms, and legs. She not only itched like a dog with fleas, but she looked awful too. She was coordinating a wedding tomorrow night. A wedding she’d been working on for six months. She couldn’t go to the elite event covered with hives—or whatever these nasty bumps were.

She pulled the flimsy robe tighter around her legs, tucking it under her thighs to try to minimize the exposure of her backside. The nurse had allowed her to keep her bra and underwear on, but that was it, so the doctor could see how severe the rash was. She’d been to this dermatologist before and the doctor was a classy, fifty-something lady who exuded kindness and knowledge. At least it wasn’t some hot young doctor coming in to examine Ashley in her underwear. How awkward would that be?

There was a rap at the door, and she called, “Come in.”

The door swung wide and her heart faltered. A dark-haired man in a white medical coat holding a laptop paused in the doorway. His blue eyes swept over her, coming to rest on her face, and the most incredible smile split his too-handsome face. A well-trimmed beard highlighted lips that were full and ultra-appealing.

“Dr. Hamilton?” a female voice questioned behind him.

“Oh, excuse me, Mary.” He strode confidently into the room with a nurse, apparently Mary, following. Extending a hand to Ashley, he said, “Dr. Chase Hamilton. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Casey.”

Ashley registered the pressure of his warm, firm, manly hand surrounding hers, but she couldn’t register that this was Dr. Hamilton. He released her, still giving her that incredible smile as he waited for her to respond.

“Uh … wait … who are you?” she stuttered in disbelief.

“Dr. Hamilton.” His smile didn’t falter, but his gaze went to her neck and then her arms. “Hmm. That is a nasty rash. And it’s all over your body?” He stepped in closer as if he’d take her robe off and check all her body parts covered in angry red bumps.

Ashley gasped, pushed her hands down on the robe barely covering the top of her thighs and said, “You’re not my Dr. Hamilton.”

He paused and met her gaze again. Dang, his eyes were a fabulous shade of true blue. Why couldn’t she have met this guy at one of her events? She’d be all dolled up in a fancy dress and in her element. He’d be impressed and interested in her. They’d talk. They’d flirt. As the event ended, she’d walk out to her Atlas and he’d follow her.

No! She needed a mental face slap. No way could she fall for another man. Seven fiancés was plenty on her record.

“Oh.” He chuckled and she loved the melodious sound. “You’re one of my mom’s patients.”

“Yes, I am. I would like to see my Dr. Hamilton, please.” She looked past his handsome face and—dang, he was tall and nicely-formed as well—to the nurse who was giving her a bored look. “Where is the female Dr. Hamilton?”

“Let me think,” Dr. Hamilton, the wrong one, answered before the nurse could, setting the laptop on the counter. “I think Costa Rica at the moment. As soon as I finished my active-duty commitments with the Army in October and agreed to take over her practice, she got it in her head to travel the world. She left a couple weeks ago and I don’t know when she’s coming back.” He winked at her.

Ashley recognized the wink was friendly, not flirtatious, but dang if it didn’t give her heart palpitations. What kind of doctor looked like a movie star and casually winked at his patients? This man was comfortable in his own skin and off-the-charts appealing to her. It made her even more aware that, at the moment, she was in this thin hospital gown and her skin was a horrific mess.

“Now…” Dr. Hamilton gave her another heart-stopping smile and moved in again. She caught a whiff of a manly, musky cologne that messed with her brain waves. “Are you comfortable with me seeing your rash and recommending treatment?”

“No!” she said much too sharply.

“No?” He drew back. His smile disappeared and a furrow appeared between his brows. “I apologize, Miss Casey, but my mother is currently out of the country. The receptionist should have informed you of the switch.”

“She didn’t.”

He nodded and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Again, I apologize. But I can