Two more weeks. That was all the time that remained before Melanie would finally get to leave her small hometown to start her new college life in the big city.
Melanie had just turned eighteen years old, but it felt like she had been waiting an entire lifetime for this day to come.
Her parents were both ranchers and had homeschooled Melanie for her whole life. They had always hoped she would follow in their footsteps and begin working on the ranch full time when she finished high school.
But, Melanie had no interest in continuing to live the small-town ranching life for a second longer than she had to.
For as long as she could remember, Melanie dreamed of going to school as far away from her parents, and her sheltered small-town life, as possible. She dreamed of making new friends and of maybe even finding a boyfriend.
As it was now, her conservative parents hardly let her look at boys, much less date any.
In two weeks, Melanie’s dream would finally be coming true, and she couldn’t wait. She had already registered for classes, purchased her textbooks, and finished all of her packing days ago.
Now, the only task that remained on her to-do list was to get the physical examination her new school required of all its new students.
Living in such a small, spread-out town of ranchers meant that there wasn’t a doctor’s office or hospital within an hour of driving.
Instead, Melanie’s family had always relied on a local physician, who made house calls, for all of their basic medical needs. Aside from a couple of brief trips to the hospital when she was younger, Dr. Taylor was the only doctor Melanie had ever seen.
Melanie enjoyed visits from Dr. Taylor when she was younger. He always managed to make her feel comfortable, and he usually came equipped with a supply of lollipops for her to suck on while he examined her.
But, it had been almost four years since she had last seen Dr. Taylor. Melanie was surprised to feel a tinge of nerves about her examination on the morning of her scheduled appointment.
Those nerves only increased when Dr. Taylor arrived. He was standing with his back to Melanie and talking to her parents as she walked down the stairs to meet him.
But when she reached the bottom of the stairs, and he turned to face her, Melanie’s jaw dropped.
The man standing in front of her was unmistakably the same Dr. Taylor that used to give Melanie lollipops when he treated her. Yet, he also seemed somehow different than Melanie had remembered. The Dr. Taylor she remembered was just another old man like her father or her uncles.
In fact, she remembered her mother saying once that he was just a year younger than her father, which would make him forty-one years old. And yet, the man standing before her now did not look like an old man at all.
He was tall and muscular, like the ranch hands employed by her parents, whom Melanie liked to spy on from behind a lilac bush as they swam naked in the pond at the end of their shift.
He wore a white polo shirt that hugged his buff biceps and revealed just the faintest outline of his chiseled chest and abs. Dr. Taylor was clearly a man in excellent shape.
“Melanie,” said Dr. Taylor when he spotted her entering the room. “Look at you. You’re all grown up!”
He held out his hand to shake hers, and Melanie took it. His grip was secure and warm, and his hand was so big it practically engulfed her tiny one. Melanie brought her eyes up to meet his, and she felt her face flush.
He had a strong square jaw covered in a short, scruffy beard that matched his shaggy blonde hair. Striking blue eyes stared back at Melanie from beneath a pair of sexy, black, wide-framed glasses.
“Hi, Dr. Taylor,” said Melanie nervously.
“Well,” said Melanie’s dad, “I’m afraid we’re going to have to leave you two to it.”
“What do you mean?” Melanie asked.
“Your mom and I have to make a supply run into the city,” he said to Melanie before turning to Dr. Taylor. “Although, I suppose one of us could stay if you think that will be necessary, Dr. Taylor?”
“Oh no,” said Dr. Taylor. “I think Melanie can handle this on her own. She is an adult now, after all. Isn’t that right, Melanie?”
Melanie did not answer right away. She was too distracted by the curved grin of Dr. Taylor’s alluring mouth.
“Melanie, dear,” said her mother. “Will you be okay on your own, or do you want me to stay?”
Melanie shook her head, pulling her attention away from the doctor’s mouth and directing it towards her mother.
“No, mom, I’ll be fine by myself.”
“Alright then,” said Melanie’s father. “Call us if you need anything, sweetheart. Otherwise, we’ll be back in a couple of hours. Dr. Taylor,” he said, turning to shake the doctor’s hand.
“Make sure you do a thorough examination of my little girl here. We want to make sure she’s as healthy as possible before we send her off to school.”
“Absolutely,” said Dr. Taylor. “Don’t worry, your daughter is in the very best of hands, I assure you.”