Only Yours

CHAPTER FOUR

SIMON WAS WAITING by the Starbucks, as instructed. Montana paused on the opposite corner, both admiring him from afar and not sure if she had the courage to approach. Telling herself she was doing this for the greater good wasn’t as helpful as it could have been. There was something about Dr. Simon Bradley. Something she couldn’t put her finger on.

It wasn’t just his patronizing attitude. She’d never met anyone quite like him—obviously intelligent, but an emotional puzzle. Plus, he was good-looking. Sure, he had those scars, but did they really matter? When a man like him looked at a woman, the rest of the world just seemed to disappear.

Not in a romantic way, she told herself quickly. She wasn’t attracted to him. After all, it wasn’t as if he was a nice guy. And wasn’t that what she was looking for? A nice guy. If he happened to have those smoky-green eyes, well that was a plus. Except, not Simon. She might not know many things, but she knew he wasn’t the one for her.

All of which was very interesting, but wasn’t getting the job done. She drew in a breath, squared her shoulders and purposefully started across the street. Unfortunately, she didn’t look even one way, let alone both, and had to jump back to avoid being hit by a Prius driven by a distracted tourist.

As she got closer to Simon, she realized he had traded in his white coat and dark trousers for jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. She hadn’t known him for long, but he didn’t strike her as a casual dresser. She would never have guessed he even owned jeans. Not that he didn’t look good in them.

“Hi,” she said as she approached. She was nervous and didn’t know what to do with her hands. Should she offer to shake, or give a little wave?

“Good afternoon.”

Simon’s voice was as steady as his gaze. He looked calm, cool and completely unimpressed with her. How fair was that? He was the new guy in town. Shouldn’t he be at least a little uncomfortable?

But he wasn’t, and there was no getting around it. And if she didn’t get out of her head pretty soon she was going to make herself crazy.

Purpose, she told herself. She had a purpose. She had been assigned a task by the mayor and she would see it through to the best of her abilities. Starting right now.

“I thought I’d show you the town,” she said, hoping she sounded cheerful and confident. She was a happy person, so the cheerful part was easy enough. As for the confidence, weren’t they always saying, “Fake it until you make it”? God knew she’d been faking it for years.

“That’s what you offered,” Simon said, watching her in that steady way of his. “A tour of the town.”

She blinked. “Right. That is what I said.” She tried to smile, found herself fighting nerves again, then went to a safer place. She’d been learning about the history of Fool’s Gold since the first grade. When in doubt, stick to the facts.

She cleared her throat.

“In the early thirteen hundreds a matriarchal tribe called the Máa-zib settled on the shores of our lake. Not much is known about them. Legend has it that they’re a branch of Maya Indians who came looking for a place where women and their children could live in harmony. Without men.”

Simon raised his eyebrows. “So they died out?”

She laughed. “Okay, men were allowed in the village for certain purposes. They say there is a curse that keeps the men out. Maybe that’s the reason Fool’s Gold has a man shortage. Or at least we used to. More men are moving here all the time.”

She thought about saying that he could move here, but didn’t think that was especially subtle. Although having him agree would get her job done very quickly.

She motioned toward the park and started walking. Simon fell into step beside her.

“In fifteen eighty-one an English crewman who served with Sir Francis Drake wrote about being injured in the mountains and cared for by a matriarchal tribe of natives. His account suggests he was here in Fool’s Gold and that the women were from the Máa-zib tribe.”

Simon glanced at her. “Let me guess. He had sex with several of the women but they didn’t let him stay.”

She grinned. “You have to respect their ability to get what they want.”

“Would you still respect their actions if the tribe in question had been men?”

“An unfair question. The women chose to get pregnant by him. I assume they wanted to refresh the gene pool, although they wouldn’t think of it that way. That’s completely different than a man getting a woman pregnant and walking away.”

“Except he lost his children. He wasn’t allowed to see them or raise them.”

“A good point,” she admitted. “But it’s kind of the town thing to respect the women.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

They walked down to the lake. As usual, children were feeding ducks, young couples picnicked on blankets in the shade of trees, and a few joggers made their way along the bike path.

Montana paused to take in the familiar scene. This had always been her home. She’d tried living somewhere else, briefly, and hated it. She knew some people left for the big city and she was sure any large urban area had its charms. But this was where she belonged.

She was aware of Simon standing next to her. He didn’t say much, which wasn’t a surprise. What she hadn’t expected was how much she didn’t mind his quietness. It was oddly relaxing. She was also aware of his height and his broad shoulders, but told herself not to be silly. Becoming interested in Simon as anything but a project for Mayor Marsha was just plain stupid.

If he kept glancing at her, it was probably because he was waiting for the next burst of factoids or wondering if there was going to be a town history quiz. There was no way he was … She frowned. If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn Simon was looking at her mouth. Not possible, she told herself. No way she could attract a man like Simon.

Not that she would mind, but if the other men in her life hadn’t found her to be attractive enough, she figured she would be woefully lacking in Simon’s eyes, too.

She motioned to the trucks parked along the side road by the lake. “They’re setting up for the Fourth of July celebration. Fool’s Gold is known for its festivals. I don’t know how many we have every year. A lot. There’s the Book Festival and the Waterskiing Festival. The Fall Festival, which is before the Halloween party.” She glanced at him. “It’s fun.”

“An active community.”

She couldn’t tell if he meant that in a good way or a bad way, and decided not to ask.

She led him back to the main street and started pointing out various businesses before continuing her discussion of the town. “Mayor Marsha is the longest serving mayor in the state of California. The festivals are run by my friend Pia. It’s a big job and, now that she’s pregnant, it’s even more difficult. Although she has a new assistant, which is helping.” She searched her mind for some other factoids. “My family was one of the founding families, on my dad’s side. Not counting the matriarchal tribe, of course. There’s Morgan’s Books.”

She led him to the store and showed him the window display of Liz Sutton, their resident mystery writer.

“Have you read her?” she asked.

Simon shook his head and shifted so he was on her other side. “Is she any good?”

“Of course. She’s fabulous. She’s married to my brother, Ethan. They have one son together and are raising her two nieces. It’s complicated.”

“Most family relationships are.”

“Tell me about it.” She started walking again and Simon fell into step beside her. “My dad passed away eleven years ago, so it’s not surprising my mom has started dating. It really would have been okay, only she seemed fine alone and now we have to get used to this and it’s strange. I want her to be happy, but it’s the whole parental thing. She talks about her dates and we want to be supportive, but then she talks about kissing with tongue and I just want to cover my ears and hum.”

She came to a stop. “You’re a medical professional. Why is hearing about parents having sex so creepy? Okay, not creepy exactly, but strange.”

“I don’t have an answer to that.”

“Didn’t you go to medical school? Don’t they have a class on this?”

And then it happened. Simon smiled at her. His lips curved, there was a flash of white teeth and a surprising dimple on his unscarred cheek.

Montana felt a sudden rush of sensation in her midsection. Not attraction exactly, but not disinterest either. The smile was unexpected and very appealing. It made her want to hear his laugh and maybe even make him smile again.

“I must’ve missed that day,” he told her. “Sorry.”

“You work at a hospital. You could ask around.”

“Is it really that important to you?”

“I don’t like feeling uncomfortable. Especially around my mother. I love her and we’re really close. And I feel like a really good daughter would be able to talk about her mother’s dating life.”

“Not even a good daughter is expected to discuss tongue.”

She laughed and saw he was smiling again. Suddenly the morning seemed a little brighter, the sky a little bluer.

They came to a stop at the corner. Montana walked over to push the Walk button, then returned to Simon’s side. “Where were you before you came to Fool’s Gold? I heard you travel around a lot.”

The pedestrian signal changed and she and Simon started across the street. As they reached the other side, he stepped around her.

“I was in India.”

“That counts as travel,” she admitted. “You go all around the world?”

“I go where I’m needed. I operate on whomever needs my help the most. Mostly children. But adults as well. After I leave here, I’m set to go to Peru.”

That sounded very altruistic. “So you’re a giver?”

“No.”

She waited, but he didn’t say anything else. There was no sign of the smile and she wondered if she’d annoyed him, or crossed some invisible line.

“Burns are my specialty,” he said.

“You must get lonely, always being in a different place. What about family?”

“I have my work. That’s enough.”

It couldn’t possibly be enough, she thought. He was a difficult man to understand. Obviously he was very gifted. His work was demanding and, from what she had seen, he was relentless when it came to taking care of his patients. But who took care of him?

No, no. Don’t go there, she told herself. No rescuing. Simon was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He’d been all over the world, doing amazing things. He didn’t need her and she didn’t need to make this assignment more than it was.

She’d had three serious boyfriends in her life. A guy back in high school, one in college and one shortly after. All three of them had ended things after making it clear she wasn’t good enough. She hadn’t been pretty enough or smart enough or ambitious enough. Was she really looking for an instant replay on emotional pain?

“Do you have a home base anywhere?” she asked.

“Los Angeles.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I lived there for a while.” With guy number three.

Simon glanced at her. “You don’t sound as if you liked it very much.”

“I didn’t. I couldn’t fit in—my boyfriend was a disaster.” She stopped in front of the Fox and Hound restaurant and faced Simon. “He was a doctor, too. Or he was going to be. He was still in medical school.”

“What happened?”

A reasonable question. She’d set it up herself, so she had no one to blame. Thinking before speaking was an excellent characteristic, she reminded herself. One she was going to have to take up.

“We didn’t want the same things.”

Which was sort of true. The more important issue, which she wouldn’t talk about, was that he’d destroyed what little self-confidence she’d had left. She believed no one could take that away without her permission, so she knew she was also at fault.

“His loss.”

The words surprised her.

“Thank you.” She tilted her head. “You’re different from how you were before.”

“Less stick-up-the-ass?”

She winced. “I’m sorry I said that. It was mean. You weren’t out of line. Fluffy really could have done some damage.”

“But she didn’t. Sometimes I get a little intense.”

Montana bit the inside of her mouth to keep from smiling. “I hadn’t noticed. Thank you for understanding about Fluffy. It wasn’t her fault, it was mine. Max warned me. He said she wouldn’t make it as a therapy dog, but I was determined.”

“To fulfill her therapy-dog destiny?”

Humor sparkled in Simon’s eyes. She felt herself getting a little breathless. The man could be devastating when he tried.

“I can’t save the world, so my passion is a little smaller than yours.”

“Not smaller. Different.”

There was something about the way he stared at her. As if he was hungry. She shook her head. Talk about delusions of grandeur. Simon hungry for her? On what planet? He wasn’t looking at her mouth. She must have a smudge or something.

As casually as she could, she rubbed her chin.

“Max is kind of an intriguing guy,” she said. Because her boss seemed a safer topic. “A little mysterious. No one knows where he’s from. He obviously has money. You’ve seen the facility—that doesn’t come cheap. And it’s not like the therapy-dog business pays very much. And there’s a weird coincidence with my mother. She has a tattoo on her hip. Max. My sisters and I don’t think it’s the same Max, though. That would be too strange.”

She sighed. “Too much information, right?”

“Perhaps.”

She started walking. He fell into step beside her.

“It was the tattoo. I shouldn’t have mentioned my mother has a tattoo.” She wasn’t asking a question.

But instead of answering, Simon shifted to her other side. And then it clicked.

He always made sure he kept his good side to her. However they turned or moved, she was on his right.

Her throat got tight. She willed herself not to show any emotion at all. He wouldn’t want that. She would guess he didn’t even know he was doing it. That keeping his good side to people had started when he was much younger and was now unconscious.

Once again she wondered what had happened to him. How had he been hurt and why hadn’t he taken steps to repair the damage? She didn’t know that much about reconstructive surgery, but she couldn’t help wondering if the scars could be made less noticeable.

Not that she was going to ask. Their time together today had gone well enough. She had done her duty and could now return to her regularly scheduled life. Only she didn’t want to. She’d enjoyed her afternoon with Simon much more than she’d expected. Of course, she’d done most of the talking. The only new thing she’d learned was that he had a home base in Los Angeles.

Well, crap. She’d gone on and on about an assortment of topics that had probably bored him. She wasn’t interesting enough for someone like him. No doubt he was used to women who—

They’d reached the park again. She came to a stop on the grass, close to a grove of trees, and mentally stomped her foot. No! She wasn’t going to put herself down. She wasn’t going to assume she was boring. There was nothing wrong with her, not physically or mentally or emotionally.

“Are you all right?”

She sighed. “Sorry. I was having a little discussion with myself. I’m done now.”

“Did you win the argument?”

“I wasn’t arguing.”

“You looked serious about something.”

Only her lack of self-confidence. Why were her sisters so much more secure than her? They were supposed to be identical. She should have the same genes, the same attitudes. But she didn’t.

None of which was Simon’s problem.

“I’ve kept you long enough,” she said. “You probably have a ton of things you would rather be doing this afternoon.”

He faced her, his gaze locked with hers. “Is that what you think?”

Before she could answer, before she could form words or draw breath, she found herself moving toward him. But she wasn’t making it happen. Strong hands had settled on her waist, pulling her forward.

She was caught completely off guard, barely able to process what was happening. Which was why she didn’t stop it. There wasn’t time. One second she was at a safe, socially correct distance and the next she was touching him everywhere.

Her breasts nestled against his surprisingly well-muscled chest. Her thighs brushed his. Heat surrounded her, which was also unexpected, but nothing when compared to his mouth lowering to hers.

Shock immobilized her. Kissing? Simon was kissing her?

But it had to be happening, because she had proof. The feel of his lips on hers. The hard pressure of his mouth as he claimed her in a kiss that was forceful and demanding, yet not in the least bit scary.

He moved his mouth against hers as if discovering her. As if … desperate. Starving for whatever she offered. One of his hands tangled in her hair, his fingers warm against her scalp. The other moved up and down her back, stroking her as if she were a cat.

Shock faded and she told herself to push him away. She barely knew him. Only she didn’t want any more distance between them. Not when liquid warmth poured through her, making her feel alive and sexy and feminine.

She lightly rested her fingers on his broad shoulders, then gave herself over to the kiss. He must have sensed her surrender, as he shifted even closer and brushed his tongue against her bottom lip.

She parted her lips, wanting to know what his intimate kiss would be like. He plunged inside immediately, tasting and teasing. Shivers raced up and down her spine, following the path of his fingers. Her breasts began to ache and she felt that telltale swelling between her legs.

She kissed him back, liking the way he responded. His body tensed and his arms tightened around her. His kiss grew more hungry, more intense. His reaction fed her own. The heat intensified until she wondered if it was possible for them to get so lost in the moment they would never be found. She’d never been the type to have sex with a stranger, but for the first time in her life she was thinking it might not be the worst idea in the world.

But before she could decide if she wanted to make the offer, Simon abruptly stepped back.

They stood a couple of feet from each other, both breathing hard. She had a feeling her eyes were just as bright with passion as his were. Her lips felt well kissed and slightly swollen. She touched her fingertips to her sensitive skin.

“Did I hurt you?” he demanded, his expression hardening.

“What? No.”

He half turned away, then faced her again. He didn’t look happy.

“I’m sorry.” The words were abrupt. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

She thought about asking why not, but thought that might send them down a road she didn’t want to travel.

“I don’t usually …” He cleared his throat. “I’m generally in control. You’ll have to take my word on that.”

“Not to worry. I believe you.” She was pleased she could speak without her voice shaking.

“There’s something about you. An attraction I can’t shake. I—” He sounded frustrated and embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”

Sure she must have heard him wrong, she held her hands up in the shape of a T. “At the risk of having you break out in hysterical laughter, are you saying you were overcome by passion and had to kiss me?”

She braced herself for mockery. Instead Simon nodded.

“I can’t explain it,” he admitted. “It’s one of those chemical things.” He looked away. “I don’t usually have this kind of reaction to a woman.”

She wanted to bask in the moment. No one had ever admitted unbridled passion for her before. Part of the reason could be that no one used the word unbridled anymore, but still.

“Why don’t you usually feel this way about a woman? Please tell me you’re not gay?”

A muscle twitched in his jaw. “No, I’m not. However, I can generally control myself sexually.”

The tone was practically ice, but the words were hot enough to make her thighs tremble.

“Not around me?”

He sighed. “No.”

Montana had no idea what to say to that. Part of her wanted to invite him back to her place. If a guy felt that strongly, she thought she should at least say thank you. Although her mother would probably tell her that a card was plenty. Part of her wondered if this was just a game. Except Simon was proud, and she doubted he would be willing to humiliate himself just to score points.

He took the decision out of her hands. “I’ve taken up enough of your time,” he said. “Thank you for showing me the town. As for the kiss, it won’t happen again. You have my word.”

With that disappointing last statement, he turned and walked away.

SIMON FOUND REFUGE in his work at the hospital. As always, dealing with his patients, planning surgery, examining healing burns kept him occupied, both physically and mentally. But every now and then, and more often than he wanted, he remembered how he’d acted with Montana.

Now, sitting in the small office he’d been given for his three-month stay, he found himself thinking about the scent of her and the feel of her in his arms. He was distracted by the remembrance of her silky hair in his hands, the sound of her laughter and the way she looked when she smiled.

Heat and need threatened to overwhelm him. Dammit all to hell, he thought grimly. Why now? Why her?

There wouldn’t be an answer. Fate was nothing if not mysterious. He simply had to accept that when he was around Montana he was going to act like an idiot. If he didn’t watch himself, he would slide past idiot status and into something more dangerous.

Now, as he stared at the chart but saw her face instead, he knew he had to find a solution. Bad enough to be stupid, but worse to be pathetic. He’d made the mistake of telling her why he’d kissed her. No doubt she felt sorry for him and was eager to stay away from him.

Normally he didn’t care what people thought of him, but for some reason, Montana’s opinion mattered. He wanted to impress her. Between his reaction to Fluffy exploding onto the ward and the kiss, he couldn’t be further off the mark.

His cell phone rang.

Simon glanced at the screen before answering, then pushed the button. “What trouble are you in now?” he asked, smiling.

“The usual,” the caller said. “Be impressed. I have cell service in Nepal.”

“I am. How’s it going, Alistair?”

“Good, and you?”

“The same.”

“Where are you?” Alistair asked. “America somewhere?”

“Fool’s Gold.” Simon explained the location and a little about his cases.

“Sounds like work,” his friend commented. “The same here. Burns. More primitive conditions in the outlying areas.”

Simon had known Alistair since the year he’d spent studying in London. A Brit to his bones, Alistair had been his roommate and shown him much of his country. They’d become friends and, given that they did the same kind of work, stayed close.

“You’re keeping busy,” Simon said.

“Always.” There was a pause and the sound of voices. “I’m sorry, Simon. I phoned to catch up but they’re calling me down to emergency surgery. We’ll talk soon.”

With that, Alistair hung up. Simon sighed and tucked his phone back into his coat. He, of all people, knew how hard it was to maintain friendships in their field.

“Dr. Bradley?”

He glanced up and saw one of the nurses standing in the doorway. She was young and cheerful—something he was sure the patients appreciated but he personally found annoying. His gaze drifted to her name tag.

“Yes, Nora?”

She smiled. “Kalinda’s resting. She keeps talking about that poodle who came to see her. What a great idea—bringing in a therapy dog. Especially one that small. I guess that’s why you’re the expert.”

“I’ve never used a therapy dog before. It was an experiment. Sometimes I get lucky.”

Her hair was blond. Her mouth widened slightly at his words. Humor and interest sparkled in her blue eyes. She was pretty and appealing.

“Which makes it a good day,” she told him. “How are you enjoying Fool’s Gold?”

“The town seems nice enough.”

“We like to think we’re a friendly sort. Can I prove that by asking if you’d like to come over for dinner? I’m sure you’re getting tired of restaurant food. I have my grandmother’s recipe for fried chicken, and I make a mean berry pie.”

Long-term relationships were out of the question. Not only was he always moving from place to place, but he didn’t see the point. He wasn’t the sort of man who did forever. Still, when a woman indicated she was intrigued, he paid attention.

A companion for dinner and someone in his bed every now and then was all he wanted. All he required. Under other circumstances, he would accept Nora’s invitation to dinner. But he couldn’t.

Despite her easy smile and the hint there was more on the menu than dinner, he couldn’t say yes. When he looked at her all he saw was a woman who wasn’t Montana. Short hair instead of long. Blue eyes instead of brown. Until today he had considered women interchangeable. He might like one more than the other, but the difference wasn’t measurable or important.

“Thank you,” he said. “But I’m going to have to decline.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Really?” She hesitated for a second. “Are you sure?”

Simon stood. “Very.”

Perhaps he should have said more. Offered some kind of explanation. But what was there to say? That he was obsessed with another woman? One he barely knew?

He stepped into the hallway and was relieved to see Kalinda’s mother walking toward him.

“She’s sleeping,” Fay said. “She’s resting more comfortably. That’s good, right?”

“She’s healing.” Simon hoped Fay wouldn’t notice he hadn’t answered the question. At this point in Kalinda’s recovery, staying alive was good. Everything else was negotiable. Kalinda could turn with no notice, no warning. That was the hell of what he did—there was never a sure thing. Alistair always said they did their best and that was enough. Simon didn’t agree.

“That little dog helped,” Fay continued. “Cece. Montana said she would bring her back whenever we wanted. Is it all right if I call her?”

Simon rarely had to choose between what he wanted and what a patient needed. Not that there was a choice. Kalinda would come first. “Of course,” he said with an ease he didn’t feel. “As long as your daughter is holding her own, the dog can visit. Whatever we can do to help her.”

Fay squeezed his arm. “Thank you,” she breathed. “I’ll call Montana right now.”

He watched her hurry away, already pulling her cell phone from her jeans pocket. In a few seconds she would hear Montana’s voice. Simon knew things were bad when he felt jealous of that.

He had to get a grip. He barely knew the woman. Maybe he needed vitamins.

Before he got any further in his self-diagnosis, one of the nurses came running toward him.

“We just got a call about an accident,” she said urgently. “A boy. He’s twelve. Fireworks. That’s all I know.”

Simon ran to the stairs and started down. The other woman was still talking but he wasn’t listening and soon he was out of earshot. His mind cleared.

He’d seen the damage fireworks could do to the human body. A familiar, cold rage returned. Other people might enjoy the Fourth of July, but he loathed the holiday. Parents who let children play with fireworks should all be shot. Or set on fire themselves.

He let himself experience the anger until he stepped out of the stairwell and onto the ground floor. As he ran toward the emergency room, he let all the feelings go. He allowed himself only concern and the knowledge he would do everything in his power to fix what had been broken.

“I KNOW WE’RE SUPPOSED to eat outside,” Montana’s mother said. “It’s tradition and all. But I feel like I’ve paid my dues. We ate in the backyard all the time when you were little. I dealt with the bugs and ants enough to last a lifetime. Besides, we’re all grown-ups.”

Montana did her best to keep her mother from seeing her amusement. They went through this every summer. For a woman who loved to garden, Denise was oddly reluctant to eat outdoors. Snacks were fine, but something about a meal eaten on the grass made her mother crazy.

“We’re not all adults,” she said just to tease. “Reese is only ten and Tyler just turned eleven. I won’t even mention Melissa, Abby and Hannah.”

Her mother sighed. “So you’re saying that if I was a good grandmother, I’d serve dinner outside?”

Montana laughed, then walked over to her mother and hugged her. “You’re an excellent grandmother. Nobody cares if we eat inside or outside. We’ll go out later.”

“If you’re sure.” Denise shook her head. “I don’t know why I’m so frantic. I guess it’s because nearly everyone will be here and that hasn’t happened in a long time.”

It was true, Montana thought. Only Ford would be missing. Her youngest brother was currently on a Navy ship in the Indian Ocean. Kent, the middle Hendrix brother, and his son Reese would be joining them. They hadn’t made it for Christmas, something Denise had been unable to let go. Montana didn’t know all the details. Kent and his ex-wife had been finalizing their divorce.

Unlike many women, Kent’s ex didn’t want custody of their son, although she expected to see Reese whenever it suited her. Montana’s understanding of family law was that a parent had to pay child support or take custody so that the responsibility of having a child wasn’t reduced to mere convenience.

Not her problem, she reminded herself as she set the table. It would be good to see her brother and her nephew. Reese was always fun, even if he did kick her butt at computer games.

She finished putting out the glasses. Most of the food had been prepared. The ribs were ready to go on the barbecue. Four kinds of salad were in bowls in the fridge, and frosted brownies tempted her from the counter.

“Your sister should be here soon,” her mother said, glancing at the clock on the wall.

She meant Nevada. The single sisters arrived early to help. Until a couple of months ago, Dakota would have been with them. She had Finn now, not to mention her daughter, Hannah. And she was pregnant.

Montana wondered what that must feel like. To know you had a baby inside you. As far as she knew, her sister hadn’t felt any movement in her growing tummy. Still, the realization that a life was inside her must be powerful stuff.

Fierce longing swept through her, startling her with its intensity. She wanted to fall in love and get married and have kids. She’d never been that passionate about the subject before. Maybe because she hadn’t figured out what she wanted to do with her life. But now she was settled in her job and ready for the next step. Unfortunately, no guy lurked on the horizon.

Without wanting to, she remembered Simon’s kiss. But he’d made it clear that he didn’t plan to kiss her again. While technically kissing wasn’t required for pregnancy, she had a feeling it helped. Besides, she didn’t want just a baby, she wanted a husband. Simon didn’t strike her as the sort of man who’d settle down.

“Are you all right?” her mother asked.

“Fine. Just thinking about Dakota’s baby.”

“Hannah is going to enjoy having a baby brother or sister.”

Montana thought of her sister’s adopted daughter. She’d only been a part of the family for a couple of months, but already no one could remember what it had been like without her. She had spent the first few months of her life in an orphanage in Kazakhstan yet she’d adjusted to the family as if she was blood.

“Maybe she’ll have twins,” Montana said with a grin.

“Don’t let your sister hear you say that,” her mother warned.

Montana laughed. “More grandchildren for you.”

“I wouldn’t say no. But she might want to go more slowly. So … are you seeing anyone?”

The question was asked casually enough, but Montana wasn’t fooled. Her mother would want details. Not that she had any to share. She hadn’t been on a date in months. And her tour of town with Simon didn’t count, even with the kiss.

“No, are you?”

Her mother leaned against the counter and sighed. “I’ve been on a few dates, but nothing special.” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t understand it. There are so many younger men asking me out. Why? Where are all the good men in their fifties and sixties?”

Montana looked at her mother. Denise was as pretty as she had been twenty years ago. She could also fit in the same clothes. Her blond hair was short and stylish. She understood why younger men were interested in her mother, even though she didn’t want to hear about it.

For a second, she thought about mentioning Max. Her boss was about the right age and in the year Montana had known him, he’d never been out with anyone. At least she didn’t think he’d been on a date. They didn’t exactly talk about their personal lives. So, he was a possibility. Except for the issue of the name Max tattooed on her mother’s hip. Whoever that Max was, their relationship had been very intense. There might be name associations her mother wouldn’t appreciate.

“Your sister told me about your conversation with Mayor Marsha,” her mother said.

“We really don’t have to talk about that.” She glanced at the clock, wishing someone would show up. Anyone would be a distraction.

“It’s nice of you to help the town. What’s he like?”

“Quiet.” A great kisser. But that was a factoid she was not going to share with her mother.

“Do you think you’ll be seeing him again?”

Before Montana could figure out how to answer, the phone rang.

Saved by the bell, she thought humorously.

Her mother reached for the receiver. “Hello?”

Montana turned toward the refrigerator to get herself something to drink. But a sixth sense made her turn around.

“Are you sure?” Denise asked, her face going white. “I’m sorry. Of course you’re sure. Yes. We’ll be right there.”

She hung up the phone, then pressed her hand against her midsection. Tears filled Denise’s eyes.

Montana was at her side in an instant. “What is it? What happened?” She could feel her mother shaking.

“There’s been a car accident. Kent and Reese. They’re on their way to the hospital.”

Montana was already grabbing her purse. “We’ll meet them there.”