“You have terrific legs.”

“Thank you.” She stopped fussing. “Now, are you going to see Peter for me?”

Mitch’s easy smile didn’t falter, but his dark eyes ceased to dance and turned broody and gentle. “He was better last week,” he said shortly.

“Medically, he’s doing fine. Oh, chafing at the traction, but it’s his mother he’s frantic about. She’s his whole family…”

“Last week you said she’d been taken off the critical list.”

Rhoda nodded. “She has been, and in time she’ll be fine. But we can’t let him see her, Mitch. The bandages alone would scare him to bits…especially since he’s convinced something terrible has happened to her. Kay’s already in there, by the way, but never mind-that little boy can use all the company he can get.”

Mitch had already taken a determined stride toward the child’s room when he hesitated, one eyebrow raised curiously. “Who’s Kay?”

“Who’s Kay?” Rhoda echoed in surprise. “How could you not know Kay? You two have been coming here on alternate Saturdays for months. Actually, we figured you two had worked the schedule out between you.”

“Never heard of her.” He took another impatient step down the corridor.

“Hey. Where’s my kiss?” Rhoda hissed in an outraged whisper.

Mitch’s head swiveled back. “There you go again, completely spoiling your image as a tyrant. How do you expect to keep discipline around here when you’re such a sucker for a little kid and a good-looking man?”

“You? Good-looking?” Rhoda lifted her face for a peck on the cheek.

“You’ve still got that key to the back room?”

“You want it?”

“Believe me, I’d give you exactly what you deserve,” Mitch whispered, “except that then you’d have to go back to your husband knowing exactly what you’d missed in life.”

Rhoda chuckled. “Get out of here. And if you cause trouble on the ward today, I’ll hang you by the thumbs, Mitch Cochran.”