Passion Under the Microscope

By Christine Miles

A single biology teacher who's sworn off men can keep it friendly with a hot doctor...or can she?

It's been six months since Tanith Kerrigan decided to embrace singlehood for one reason-to be nothing like the woman she calls Deandra. Also known as her mother. When Tanith badly sprains her ankle while trying to photograph b

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sealed With a Swoon Books, LLC
• Release date: Mar 19, 2024
• ISBN: 9781962092203

Christine Miles

Christine Miles is a full-time writer living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.An avid reader and writer since elementary school, her passion for literature inspired her to pursue a BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing. She writes YA and Adult Contemporary Romances with sassy, independent heroines and swoony heroes who love them for their strength.When not writing romances, she loves traveling, binge-watching shows on streaming apps, reading mysteries and thrillers, listening to music, and spending quality time with her family, friends, and dog.

Book preview

Chapter One

For the first time in her adult life, Tanith Kerrigan needed serious help.

She stared at her tender, puffy right ankle propped up on a stack of couch throw pillows, then at her living and dining rooms.

Just yesterday evening she had determinedly moved the furniture from both rooms toward the middle of the open space. Before returning from her hike moments earlier, the couch had also been part of the cluster.

Her good friend Morgan McCann emerged from the kitchen located at the back of her cozy bungalow she had planned on painting this weekend. At least she had planned on starting the huge painting project in the living and dining rooms this weekend.

Morgan gently placed the icepack on Tanith’s swollen ankle getting more sore by the minute.

She released an exasperated sigh.

Damn. Damn. Dammit! How the hell could this have happened?

Morgan eased onto the coffee table, the only convenient place to sit due to the mess of furniture Tanith would have to live with until…when?

Her friend removed her Brigid’s Vista High School—where they were both teachers—baseball hat and ran her fingers through her shoulder-length brown hair. What are you going to do now? Morgan gestured at their surroundings.

Tanith looked around once more and said, Have a good cry, then drink heavily.

But what would she do now?

She had chosen this weekend to begin painting since the last six or so weeks of the school year were filled with grading final units and projects, as well as attending meetings and numerous end-of-year activities. She also hadn’t wanted to sacrifice weeks of her summer break on repainting her house.

I’m still not quite certain what you planned on doing with a picture of two birds fornicating on a tree branch.

Tanith narrowed her eyes. Fornicating? Really? She shook her head. Morgs, you’re thirty-three, not ninety-three. And it happened to be two Lark Bunting’s getting it on in that tree.

Morgan stared at her.

The Colorado State Bird?

Her face brightened and she nodded.

Do you know how rare that is? She also couldn’t believe she had spotted them while she and Morgan had been taking a long water break near the tree.

Unfortunately, in her haste to get a closer picture of the birds, she had taken a bad step, tumbled down the slight embankment, and nearly face-planted the ground still cold and wet from the recent, early spring snowfall. The birds, startled by her fall, had then flown away, probably to a better and more quiet location.

Okay, Morgan slowly began. You’re a biology teacher. I kind of get your enthusiasm at seeing such a thing. But what were you planning on doing with a picture like that?

Tanith rested her head on the cushion keeping her propped upright. I’m starting the reproductive unit on Monday. She frowned at her injured ankle. "Make that, I hope I’m starting the unit on Monday. Considering how her ankle felt and looked, she couldn’t be sure at this moment in time. As a bio teacher, I did want the rare pic. But I also thought it might be a lighthearted way to start the unit that you know can be incredibly awkward for the kids."

After teaching biology to teenagers for ten years, Tanith no longer dreaded the massive reproductive unit. Her first year teaching it, and even the second, she had been blushing as much as her students. And trembling as if facing a firing squad. Teaching teenagers could sometimes feel like facing such a thing without adding sex ed—or the wildly more acceptable reproductive unit—to the curriculum.

You were going to show a classroom of teenagers a picture you took of birds mating on a tree branch?

As a way to alleviate the tension, Tanith challenged. "You know. Birds do it. Bees do it. However else that song goes? Though the song was really about falling in love. She closed her eyes. That’s what I was envisioning. It probably would have received lots of laughs. Now all she had to show for her effort happened to be a swollen ankle and her house in somewhat organized chaos due to a painting project that most likely wouldn’t be started or finished anytime soon. She groaned and added, Just kill me."

Her doorbell punctuated her pitiful request.

Tanith’s eyes flew open and landed on Morgan giving her a goofy smile.

Who the hell did you call?

Morgan stood. I texted the doctor. She headed for the door.

Tanith sat up. What doctor? Because Dr. Gale doesn’t text, is nowhere to be found around here on the weekends, and doesn’t make house calls. He was also pushing seventy years old and should have long since retired by now.

But it could be extremely difficult to lure people, especially those in a profession like medicine, to move and settle into a small mountain town like Brigid’s Vista, Colorado.

The woman who had given Tanith life still voiced unapologetic disdain over her move to the town five years earlier and had yet to visit. At the same time, Tanith considered that an enormous win.

She loudly asked again, What doctor?

Her friend opened the door and Hey, Morgan. How’s the patient? reached Tanith.

She knew that deep, smooth voice; the same voice as his older brother’s.

Getting cranky. Morgan stood aside.

Dr. Luke Caldwell walked inside Tanith’s chaotic house prepared for painting, not house guests…especially him.

Luke turned and faced Tanith, then smiled.

All she could manage was a stare while her mouth inched open.

Being a former football player turned successful sports medicine doctor, the man could never be considered a normal house guest. Tall. Somewhat dark. Broad and imposing, but in an utterly magnetic way. Startling blue eyes that were also like his brother’s, another former football player and the high school’s head football coach.

Luke pointed at her ankle. Already elevating and icing. Fantastic. Do you mind if I take a look at it?

She glanced at Morgan staring at Luke and still wearing her goofy smile.

Tanith cleared her throat. Of course not.

She also couldn’t help but wonder if her friend had called Luke for Tanith’s benefit or her own. Morgan had been in lust with Luke since meeting him at the homecoming football game back in the fall. Many of Brigid’s Vista women were, in fact, in lust with him as they had been with his brother, Reece. The attention had turned to Luke not too long after Reece and their close friend and fellow BVHS teacher, Stacey, became the town’s newest favorite couple.

Luke lifted the icepack from Tanith’s ankle and leaned down for a closer look.

Though the youngest Caldwell lived and worked in Denver, about two hours east of Brigid’s Vista, he had spent many weekends here over the last several months helping Reece work on his house.

Tanith’s eyes strayed to Luke’s jeans hugging what had to be the tightest ass this side of the Continental Divide. Everything about the man exuded confidence, masculinity, and undeniable magnetism.

He gently touched the puffy part of her ankle which made her flinch and gasp.

Morgan joined him at his side and cringed. It’s starting to look pretty bad.

Yeah. Luke replaced the icepack and straightened. I recommend getting an X-ray as soon as possible. He focused on Tanith. How did this happen?

Her face warmed as if teaching the reproductive unit for the first time in her life to a class full of hormonal teenagers.

Morgan smiled. Should I tell him or would you like that honor?

Luke glanced at Morgan and back at Tanith.

She lifted her chin. I was simply trying to take a picture and took a bad step. She glared at her friend. That’s. It.

He nodded. Must have been a pretty important pic. Did you at least get the shot?

No, Morgan answered. Her fall interrupted the fornicating birds and they flew away.

Luke angled his head back.

Morgan would pay dearly for all this once Tanith returned to one-hundred percent.

Why do you keep using that word? she asked her friend who laughed.

Taking a picture of two birds in a decidedly private moment, Luke added, seems a little…I don’t know…voyeuristic? He started to fight a smile.

Tanith held up her hands. We’re not talking about this anymore. She concentrated on Luke. We don’t have an urgent care, and I am absolutely not going to the hospital for a sprained ankle. She relaxed into the couch cushions. I’ll stay off of it today, keep it elevated and iced, and—God willing—it’ll be much better tomorrow. For her sanity, it had to go that way.

You’re getting an X-ray. Today. Luke retrieved his phone from his back jeans pocket. I promise it won’t involve taking you to the hospital. I just need to make a quick call. He shot her a grin. Don’t go anywhere.

He headed in the direction of Tanith’s kitchen while sidestepping the furniture.

She unleashed the most vicious stare she possessed on her friend watching Luke disappear from view. Why did you text him? she whispered. And how is it you have his number? A question that caused a highly unexpected and ridiculous smidge of jealousy to shoot through her bloodstream considering she had sworn off men six months earlier.

We exchanged numbers that day I went snowmobiling with him, Stacey, and Reece, Morgan whispered back. To which you were also invited?

Tanith gave her a curt nod, clearly remembering the invite from back in February. Having never been a fan of winter extracurricular activities, she had declined the invite.

She had also declined to avoid being around the youngest Caldwell who she considered the definition of the word tempting.

He’s in town this weekend and this is his area of medical expertise. Morgan gestured toward Tanith’s ankle.

He works with injured athletes, Tanith shot back. Not people with silly sprained ankles. That’s all this injury could possibly be in her opinion.

It’s not like she didn’t know a thing or two about human physiology.

Morgan crossed her arms. Tanith, it won’t kill you to get an X-ray just to make sure it’s nothing worse than a sprain.

Of course it wouldn’t. What might kill her, though, was being around Dr. Luke Caldwell.

She had never watched the popular show Grey’s Anatomy, but had heard enough about it to understand a hot doctor being nicknamed McDreamy. Dr. Feelgood could be yet another nickname for Luke, but she couldn’t and wouldn’t think of him that way. About the time Stacey and Reece had officially become a couple in early October was when she, Tanith Kerrigan, had decided to take an indefinite and necessary break from the male species.

Luke headed toward them now wearing a victorious smile. We’re all set. He paused beside where Tanith had moved her furniture. Are you in the middle of redecorating?

She expelled a deep sigh. Painting. She eyed the chaos. I had planned to start this weekend. Between the growing discomfort coming from her ankle and the state of her house, tears blurred her vision.

A foul swear word quietly escaped while she blinked her eyes clear.

Crying would not make any of this better, especially in front of a man she didn’t know that well; no more than the basics because that’s all she had ever wanted to know about Luke, despite being around him here and there during his many weekend visits.

It would have been foolish to intentionally place herself in temptation’s path while on a break from men that had proved to be quite blissful and much-needed.

Luke appeared beside the couch. We’re taking a quick trip to Salida to get that X-ray. Where are your house keys?

Salida? House keys?

Tanith vehemently shook her head. "I don’t need an X-ray. It’ll be fine."

Morgan picked up Tanith’s purse from the coffee table. I saw her put the keys in here.

Dammit, why aren’t you two listening to me?

Luke lifted his broad shoulders that looked incredibly good in a dark blue, fleece pullover. Okay. Here’s the deal. If you can walk on your ankle without help or flinching, we’ll leave you alone without another word about it. He looked at Morgan. Agreed?

Her friend hesitated before nodding.

They focused on Tanith.

She remained still for a few seconds, then removed the icepack from her ankle. She next carefully slid her legs from the pillows, lowered them to the floor, started to stand—and gasped.

Damn. She truly did need serious help.

Before she could even comprehend what that would mean in her fiercely independent world, Luke picked her up and held her like he had morphed into the hero of a romance novel.

I’m not helpless, Tanith stated. This isn’t necessary. The fact the man smelled of men’s soap mixed with hard labor—and in an inviting way—did little to ease her racing heart.

Maybe not, Luke replied, but it’ll be a whole hell of a lot faster.

Within seconds, they were beside his enormous, dual-cab black truck.

Morgan handed Tanith her purse once she, with Luke’s help, had become settled in the plush second cab.

I’ll call Stacey to let her know what’s going on, Morgan said while Luke climbed into the driver’s seat. She just texted me.

And I promise to take excellent care of our cranky, stubborn patient, he offered before closing his door.

He started the engine and caught Tanith’s eyes in the rearview mirror. You comfortable enough back there?

She zipped up her sweatshirt. Yes. She leaned forward. But I still think all of this is completely unnecessary.

He grinned. Your opinion has been duly noted. What kind of music do you like?

The fact he had asked that as if they were about to go on a cross-country road trip caused Tanith to lean into the seat and quietly sigh.

She didn’t need or want a sprained ankle. Or to have her painting plans totally upended. Or to be on her way to another town to get a damn X-ray. Or, most importantly, to be in this huge vehicle belonging to the driver. A man she would have unabashedly pursued and, quite possibly, had all to herself by now if not for a particular moment in the not-too-distant past when she had been accused of turning into a person she didn’t like or respect.

Tanith burrowed deeper into her sweatshirt.

That person being her mother who had long ago become the epitome of a helpless woman who always had a man in her life and on her arm…and in her bed.

Chapter Two

Why are we going to Salida for an X-ray?

Tanith’s question reached Luke in the front seat and above the country music he hadn’t changed since the lady had never answered his music question.

His eyes found hers—a perfect shade of crystal clear blue ocean—in the rearview mirror.

A friend and colleague from medical school is a PCP in Salida. A Primary Care Physician? He smiled. "No hospital and no waiting so we should be in and out."

She looked away without returning his smile.

Luke focused on the road and wondered for the umpteenth time what the hell he had ever done to Miss Tanith Kerrigan who clearly didn’t like him. At the same time, he couldn’t be certain it truly mattered. It’s not like he lived in Brigid’s Vista and saw her daily. As his gaze settled on the spectacular view surrounding them, specifically several fourteeners covered with snow in the distance, he did like the possibility of living in this area someday. The small town of Brigid’s Vista, nestled in the Upper Arkansas Valley of Colorado, had it all.

Mountains.

The Arkansas River.

Beauty and quiet.

A plethora of outdoor activities.

And a much more idyllic, laid-back lifestyle.

Though Luke genuinely enjoyed spending time with his older brother, Reece, and working on his house together, the call of the quietude and mountains had been another, even more powerful reason behind his frequent weekend visits.

He rested his head against the headrest.

Frequent weekend visits where it had become harder and harder to leave. Getting harder and harder to return to the noise, congestion, and busyness of living in the Denver metro area. Thinking about his daily commute from where he lived downtown to where his practice was located in Greenwood Village, a suburb of the city, made him frown at the near-empty road before him. On a good traffic day, his drive to and from work took him close to thirty minutes each way, and those days were rare.

I’m sure you had way more important things to do than take me to Salida for an X-ray.

Tanith’s statement broke through his thoughts.

Morgan shouldn’t have texted you, the lady added.

Luke kept a sigh in check. It’s no trouble. Their eyes met once more in the mirror. And I’m glad she texted me. He lifted his shoulders. It gave me something to do while Reece and Stacey shop for his new kitchen appliances.

Tanith cracked a smile. You mean, Stacey tells him what to buy based on all of the research that she’s done?

He laughed. Yeah. Exactly.

She again looked away.

Tanith Kerrigan, the tall, cool woman with short, white blonde hair and eyes a man could willingly stare into until time itself came to a standstill.

If not for the fact she disliked Luke for some reason and his brother commanding him months ago to stay away from Stacey’s friends, he probably would have asked her out. They did have something pretty significant in common.

Their mutual love of science, specifically biology and many of its subdisciplines.

Regardless, she made it clear how she felt about him with her continued aloofness. And it’s not like Luke needed or wanted his older brother on his ass about dating any of Stacey’s friends who, according to Reece, deserved better than a self-confirmed bachelor. Though Stacey’s friends were seriously hot and smart. His top two favorite qualities in a woman, among a list of others.

Luke casually eyed Tanith via the mirror.

She appeared to be focused on something in her lap, probably her phone.

The lady being a damn fine biology teacher made her even more appealing.

She suddenly lifted her head, and he went back to watching the road where his eyes