Disclaimer – Don't own the characters. Just borrowing them briefly.

:

:

How had he ended up here?

It had started innocent enough. A celebration at the saloon, toasting the arrival of Colorado Spring's newest citizen, Kathrine Elizabeth Sully. The little girl's family wasn't in attendance, naturally. They were too preoccupied cooing over the baby and fussing over the new mother. Well, the mother wasn't exactly new to motherhood. It was complicated, the Sully/Quinn/Cooper family. But it was a family.

So, in the absence of any family members, the celebration had quickly morphed into a toast to the new town doctor, Andrew Cook, who would be taking over the medical clinic in Dr. Mike's absence. For the vast majority of those in attendance it was an immense relief. Oh, the men had become accustomed by now to having a woman doctor, and she was perfectly fine as far as setting broken bones and performing operations went, but some men still preferred having their wives tend to them for certain ailments or chose not to visit the lady doctor at all. But now, with Andrew in service, those ailments that some men had been putting off seeing the doctor for could now be attended to properly.

Andrew had basked in the attention. Had modestly protested it at first, of course, but soon found himself finishing his first beer and working on another. The clinic would be his for at least three months while Michaela tended to her new baby, and Elizabeth Quinn had hinted that the position could even become permanent if her daughter came to her senses and decided that a husband and baby and household was work enough to do.

As part of the celebration, the girls who entertained gentlemen had been circulating the room, bringing the drinks, joining the cheers, stroking egos and arms and backs in equal measure. One had draped an arm across Andrew's shoulders, and, in the spirit of the moment, Andrew hadn't protested. It was all in good fun, and he had discovered that the saloon was about the only fun there was to be had in this small town. There was no theater or music hall, and dances were held only intermittently. Andrew was also immensely relieved that the birth of Katie Sully was no longer imminent. He had become nervous at the thought of complications, but it was all a moot point now, with Sully ending up delivery his own child. Andrew was officially off the hook for that pressure-cooked responsibility, so why not relax and let down his guard for a while?

It was while he was nursing his second beer that it happened. The girl – Lacey – who had parked herself next to him began fingering the front of his shirt. Hank, always aware of his girls' actions, noticed just before Andrew did.

"Hey, Doc," Hank said in that smooth drawl of his, "you know you could go celebrate some in private."

Several encouraging catcalls sounded at this proposition, and Lacey's smile broadened.

Andrew, who had been relaxed up until this point, suddenly grew nervous. "I, uh… I couldn't possibly…"

"Turn down the offer?" Hank finished for him, and there were more whoops and laughter around the room. "Course you can't turn down a chance to have a little fun. Not when it's on the house."

"You like girls, don't ya?" Jake asked, goading him. Loren, Preston, Robert E., and the others were now all looking at him.

"C'mon, Doc," Lacey said encouragingly. She was familiar with all types of men and knew how to handle each kind. The arrogant, the horny, the shy. Putting her mouth to Andrew's ear, she enticed, "We can just talk if you want."

Between the liquid encouragement, the men all eyeing him, and the promise that nothing improper would happen, Andrew gave in. "Sure."

Lacey stood and held out her hand. Andrew took it, and together they headed for the back, smiles and laughter in their wake.

Once they were in Lacey's room, she closed the door and locked it, raising Andrew's anxiety again. "Just so we're not disturbed," Lacey explained.

"Oh," said Andrew, partially relieved. He quickly surveyed the room. It was a small, ordinary bedroom, the bed dominating the space as it would in any bedroom, except that this wasn't an ordinary bedroom. The only chair in the room was draped with ladies' undergarments, so Andrew remained standing.

Lacey sat on the edge of the bed. "Where you from?" she asked, making friendly conversation. She put her arms straight behind her and braced herself on her hands, pushing her chest out.

"Boston." If Andrew had had his wits about him, he would have reciprocated the question, but as it was, he was having trouble forming coherent thoughts. Whether that was from the alcohol or from Lacey's posture, or a combination thereof, he couldn't say.

"And you're a doctor. You must be very good with your hands."

He caught her meaning, as the inuendo was not foreign to medical students. "Oh, I, uh, don't…" He cleared his throat nervously.

"Can I see?" she interjected.

"What?" It came out as a squeak.

"Can I see your hands? I've never seen a doctor's hands before."

Andrew frowned. "Haven't you seen Michaela – Dr. Mike?"

"Oh, sure. But she's a lady. Her hands are like mine. Small." Lacey sat up and patted the bed. "Come let me see. Please?"

Andrew had been on the verge of resisting until he heard her ask politely. And realized, that in Michaela's absence, he would be Lacey's doctor. It was important to have trust between doctor and patient. So, he sat, and offered up his hands to her.

She took his right hand in both of hers, started caressing it. "Nice. Smooth." She turned it over, lightly stroking each finger individually. For a moment, Andrew wondered if she was going to tell his fortune, so intent she seemed on examining his hand, but she did not. Finally, she said, "We should kiss."

Andrew startled. "Wha… Why?"

"If you leave here without any lipstick, well, they might think you don't like girls. And we can't have that now, can we?"

Somehow, he couldn't fault her logic. Maybe didn't want to find fault with it. And kissing, well, he wasn't being unfaithful to anyone, because he didn't have anyone. So, he didn't pull back when she leaned in to kiss him. He closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss her.

And it felt good. Pressing their lips together, it undeniably felt good. Eyes closed, he detected when Lacey released his hand, and instinctively he reached for her waist, where he encountered her corset, bringing him back to reality. His eyes flew open and he stopped kissing, his breath fast and shallow.

"Why'd ya stop?" Lacey asked.

"Your corset," he said blankly, as if that explained everything, and realized his hand was still on it. He withdrew his hand.

Lacey was already unlacing the garment in question. "It's in the way, huh?"

"Oh, uh, no, that's not what I meant. Look, you've been really nice, but I should go now." Andrew started to get up, but she caught his hand to stop him.

"But it's too soon," she argued. "If you go out there now, they'll think there's something wrong with me."

"Wrong with you? There's nothing wrong with you." Great, now he was giving out pronouncements without an examination.

"But if you leave now, they'll think I didn't please you. You have to stay just a little bit longer. Won't you… stay?" And on the word stay, she placed Andrew's hand on her breast, which was now free of the corset.

Andrew's mouth went dry, and he swallowed. It wasn't direct skin to skin contact, as she still had her camisole on, but there was just something about the way her mound of flesh filled his hand that seemed to turn his brain to powder. He had never touched a woman like this before, as this was not proper clinical technique. And he found himself inexplicably torn between leaving and staying, divided between his honor and her honor, such as it was. If only he could think straight! "Just a few more minutes?" he asked uncertainly, wavering.

"Yes. Yes, just a few." Lacey's speech had become breathy, seductive. Her free hand had gone to his hair, brushing it behind his ear. "Go ahead. Squeeze. You know you want to."

God help him, he wanted to. When was he ever going to get another chance to feel a woman this way, to really know what it was like? His official duties would never allow it. This was it. He closed his eyes and squeezed.

Oh. So. Good.

Before he knew it, Lacey was kissing him again, and he was caressing her bare arm with his free hand, giving in to his primal urges. This went on a short while until she began to lean back onto the bed, and in order to continue kissing her Andrew had to follow her descent to the bed. And he was now half on top of her, grinding his hips into her as his body reflexively responded to the stimulation.

"Yes," Lacey whispered in approval, smiling. She was good at her job, there was no doubt about that. "Yes."

Had she known what was going to happen next, Lacey would have kept her mouth shut.

Abruptly Andrew stopped. Stopped kissing, stopped fondling, stopped grinding. A memory had been triggered at the word yes.

A recent memory.

"Yes! I'd love to go with you."

A mental image of the speaker appeared. The image of a girl. No longer a youngster though not yet a woman. A girl on the cusp. With flowing, auburn hair, a sweet smile, and friendly demeanor. But not this friendly. Absolutely not.

Oh, God. How had he ended up here? He had to stop this, now, or he'd never be able to face her again. His assistant. Sweet, innocent Colleen Cooper. The first person who had made him feel welcome in Colorado Springs. The first person who ever really cared about what he wanted. She had such faith in him. Possibly a crush. And even though they'd only known each other a few days, he already felt like he was betraying her trust, that he wasn't acting like the person she thought him to be.

Andrew scrambled off Lacey as fast as he could and looked down at his trousers. They were still dry, thank God, and in a few minutes the hard ridge would be gone, too. Much to his frustration, he couldn't go back out there until then.

Lacey sat up on the bed. "You got a sweetheart back in Boston to be faithful to?" she asked finally as it became clear he hadn't gotten up to drop his pants.

"No. There's no one. I…" Andrew looked away, embarrassed. How did one explain that they were giving up an intimate encounter to be faithful to a young friend that they'd known less than a week?

With a sigh, Lacey tied her corset back up. It was rare for a guy to get this far and not finish in some fashion, but it did happen. And if it wasn't because of a girl already in the picture, it was due to hopes of a future picture. "I get it. You want to save yourself for when the right girl comes along."

Andrew nodded. That much was true. Technically that wouldn't have changed even if he'd made a mess in his pants, but avoiding the mess felt more faithful somehow. More honorable to his future intended - whomever that might be.

Lacey stood, and Andrew took a step back as a precaution. "Hey, easy, Doc. Just let me fix my face." She went over to the chair with the clothes on it, sat on it anyway, and leaned into the mirror to check her makeup. "So, what about your family? Got any brothers or sisters?"

He was startled by the sudden change of topic. "What? Oh, no, I'm an only child. You?" What a time to remember his manners!

"Three brothers and two sisters. I didn't like being a second mother, so I left home," she explained, anticipating the question of how she ended up as one of Hank's girls.

Andrew didn't know what other conversation to make. He had next to nothing in common with her, except for having spent the last six or seven minutes in the same room, and really didn't want to be in here any longer than he had to. And he wondered now if that is what she had meant by staying longer, if she was supposed to entertain him for a full ten minutes, or until he'd spent himself, whichever came first. He shook his head at the absurdity of the thought. Had he'd stayed in Boston he would never have had thoughts like these!

"What's so funny?" she asked, coming up to him.

"Just a touch of culture shock. I came out here to see the wild west. I just didn't realize what I was getting myself into."

She gave him a coy smile. "Well, there are still some things you haven't gotten yourself into, despite my best efforts." As she expected, he blushed slightly at that. "But don't you worry, that's just between us. The details don't much matter to Hank, so long as you leave satisfied." She gave him the once over to verify he was presentable then went to unlock the door. "Time to go, Doc."

Andrew started to follow her out, then she addressed him one final time. "Whoever she turns out to be, she's a lucky girl."

Andrew offered a small smile and nod of acknowledgement. It was kind of her to say, and he wished he had a kind word to say in exchange, but before he could think of anything suitable, they were back in the main saloon area, with cat calls and slaps on the back greeting his return. Lacey gave him a smile in parting, then it was time for her to move on to find another customer.

"So, Doc, done celebratin' already?" Hank asked, a smirk on his face. The others looked at Andrew expectantly.

"Let's just say I didn't see anything I hadn't already seen before," replied Andrew, falling back on more medical innuendo, and with that, he left the saloon.

He went out into the early evening air and realized he hadn't had supper yet, so veered off towards Grace's Café. Of course, he saw the clinic first, and he stopped in the street, noting the spot where he had slipped and fell his very first day in town. The spot was still slightly moist but not as muddy as it had been that day. Then he looked to the porch, empty now, but filled in his mind's eye with the girl with the auburn hair. She had giving him a helping hand that day, and again with Horace's surgery, and again just a few minutes ago, serving as his conscience before he did something he would have regretted.

Thank you, Colleen, he thought. For he could not thank her for tonight in person. She would never know, the men having enough sense not to brag about what took place in the saloon. Or, in this case - known only to himself and Lacey - what had not taken place.

Thinking of Lacey, he recalled her parting words, and knew without a doubt that the same would be true for Colleen's future.

Whomever he turned out to be, he would be a lucky man.

:

THE END