The Iron Tiara

He lowered his voice. "You don't have to pretend with me, Doc. I'm not going to get you in trouble. I appreciate what you did for us guys out there."

Ignoring him she went back to stitching his hand and stifled a gasp when he added, "Even if Anthony didn't."

"How would you know what Anthony does or doesn't appreciate," she said in a whisper, still not meeting his eyes.

"I guess I don't know. What I do know is that you ain't come around for a while and I guess he hasn't noticed since he's shacking up with someone new."

Veronique’s head snapped up. He nodded. "Everybody knows you're his woman...or at least you were. Is that why you don't come to the camp anymore? Because he found someone new?"

She took a deep breath and tried to bite her lip to stop the next words from coming out, but they spilled out anyway. "What do you mean by shacking up? Because if you mean that he has someone else in his bed, I'm not surprised."

"She's not just in his bed," the man laughed. "She's living at his house. As in full-time, setting up house, living together. Heard he was going to marry her. Might already be married."

Dr. Dubois didn't say another word but made quick work of sewing up the man's hand. She secretly fumed and couldn't get him out of her ER quick enough. After he was gone and she washed up, she headed for the nurses’ station.

"I have a personal emergency," she told the head nurse. "You'll have to page whoever is on call for back up. I don't know when or if I'll be returning today." She started to head for the door when the woman called her.

"Aren't you going to wait until Dr. Patten arrives?" the stunned nurse asked. "What if we have someone come in before he gets here?"

"I'm sure you can handle it," she called out as she headed for the door.

Dr. Veronique Dubois seethed as she drove home. Anthony Bear had a woman living in his house? A woman that he was going to marry? Impossible, she convinced herself but knew she wouldn't be able to think of anything else until she confronted him. And she needed to do it in person.

She made it to her townhouse in record time. She took a shower, reapplied her makeup and blew her hair dry. She dressed in her favorite outfit. A professional number that somehow reeked of sensuality and showcased the green eyes that were enhanced by perfectly arched brows. She was ready to head out the door when something occurred to her. There was no way she would show up letting Anthony and his supposed fiancée think that she wasn't capable of having a man in her life. She went to her jewelry box and pulled out the diamond engagement ring that had been given to her by the man she was involved with before she'd met Anthony. He'd never asked for it back, and she’d never offered. She put it on and headed for Anthony's house.





Chapter Twenty-Eight





Naples, Florida 1978





Christy was washing up at the utility sink, rinsing out her brushes when she was positive she heard a car. Anthony told her he wouldn't be home before dark. Maybe he'd finished up early. She shut off the faucet and quickly made her way to the front of the house. She peeked through the open doorway of Anthony's office and saw through his huge window that an expensive sports car was pulling into the driveway. She couldn't see the driver and was getting ready to go lock herself in the hidden room when the car made its way around the circular drive, giving her a view of the license plate. It was a personalized one that read LADYDOC.

She knew she was supposed to go to the hidden room, but her curiosity got the best of her. Anthony had once mentioned the woman who not only provided aid to his men at the camp, but had sewn him up after he was stabbed. She wanted to see what the surgeon looked like. She wasn't sure what she expected, but she knew it wasn't the tall, beautiful creature that exited from the car. She moved with a gracefulness that exuded confidence, intelligence and raw sexuality. Christy's insides twisted.

She watched the woman pass the office window and knew she would be walking up to the front door. She closed her eyes and hoped that she didn't have her own key. If she did, she would know that this woman was more than just the doctor Anthony's had on call.

A soft knock broke through her thoughts. The doctor didn't have a key. Christy smiled.



Veronique stood at Anthony's front door and mentally rehearsed all the scenarios that she could think of. She had to emotionally prepare herself for a confrontation with him and possibly even the woman that her patient, Benjamin Diamond, had hinted was living here. She'd noticed a Volkswagen when she pulled in, but figured it belonged to Anthony's cleaning lady. She'd never met the woman but knew she was older. Was it possible Mr. Diamond had mistaken rumors about a woman who was supposedly living with Anthony for the cleaning lady who obviously spent time in Anthony's home? Of course he has, she thought. Anthony Bear would never allow a woman to share his home. Never.

She had to mask her surprise when a young, petite, and extremely attractive blonde opened the door and smiled kindly at her. Veronique had never taken an acting class in her life but knew she'd have to pretend to play the part of concerned doctor and friend to be believable and not have the blonde slam the door in her face.

"Hi," she said, giving Christy a warm smile. "I'm Dr. Veronique Dubois." She held out her hand, and Christy shook it. "Is Anthony here?"

Christy knew she wasn't supposed to answer the door, but couldn't see the threat in letting a female doctor know she was there alone. Doctors were in the lifesaving, not life taking business.

"Oh, I'm sorry. He's not," Christy told her. "Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked the smiling woman.

"Well, I guess so. First, I wanted to make sure he was still doing okay. I sewed him up a while back. Do you know if he's having any issues?" she asked. Her eyes showed real concern. Before Christy could reply she added, "I haven't made it out to the camp in a couple months, so I haven’t had the chance to ask him."

"Oh, I've not heard him complain, and I've seen the scar I think you're talking about. It looks fine." The admiration in Christy's voice was noticeable. "You're obviously good at what you do."

Veronique's optimism was instantly deflated. Somewhere deep inside she'd hoped that the young woman had replaced Anthony's older cleaning lady. But Veronique knew that a housekeeper would never have the opportunity to see Anthony's scar. Unless he showed it to her. This woman was Anthony's lover. She had to tamp down the storm that was brewing in her brain. With a dazzling smile, she added, "I'm so glad to hear that!"

Without allowing time for an awkward pause, she said, "I checked on him once or twice here and I realized that I may have left something."

Christy's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything.

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