Chapter Eleven
After he was done with Connie Langston, his last patient of the day, Trip forced himself to stay at his desk and finish up his notes. He also needed to call Dawn at the hospital before he left, and he knew damn well that if he went out to see Shelley first, his working day would be over.
Waking up with her this morning had put a whole new spin on things for him. It wasn’t the first time that he’d opened his eyes to find her there in his bed with him, but it felt different on a weekday morning. He stared at his computer, not seeing the words on the screen, but instead seeing Shelley standing in the kitchen in his pajamas. He felt like they’d moved to another level today.
He brought himself back to the moment; just because he felt that way, it didn’t mean that she would. He didn’t need to go getting carried away. They’d agreed that they’d play things by ear. She didn’t even know if she wanted to stay in Montana—he’d be crazy to start thinking about moving her into his house!
He finished up his notes and called Dawn.
“Hey, Trip. Everything’s quiet over here,” she answered. “With a bit of luck, you should have a peaceful evening.”
“Thanks. Nothing at all that needs my attention?”
“Not a thing at the moment. Make the most of it. After the way things went last week, you deserve some down time.”
“True. So do you. I hope you have some days off coming up?”
Dawn laughed. “I do. But it’s okay, Nikki’s standing in for me, so you shouldn’t notice any difference.”
“Nikki’s great; but it’s not the same when you’re not working.” It was true. Dawn made his life a lot easier, and he made sure he let her know how much he appreciated her as often as possible.
“Well, I’m not going to lie, I’m glad to hear that. I have to go, and you should do the same. Shut up shop for the night and head home. Maybe have dinner with Brody and the hands—you know I worry about you spending all your down time in that big house all by yourself—it’s not healthy.”
“You worry too much. I’m fine. Talk to you tomorrow—unless I’m needed tonight.”
“Okay. See you.”
He ended the call and gathered his things together. He’d almost told Dawn that he wasn’t spending all of his down time alone in the house anymore, but he’d thought better of it. Not because she wouldn’t be happy to hear about Shelley, or because he thought she’d gossip—Dawn was the soul of discretion. But it had hit him that if things with Shelley didn’t work out, it was probably better if the people he worked with weren’t already hoping that they would.
When he opened the door and stepped out into the reception area, the sight of her sitting at the desk made his breath catch in his chest. It hit him full force just how much he hated the idea of things not working out between them.
She greeted him with a smile—and it struck him that she almost always did. He couldn’t help comparing that with Katrina, who mostly used to greet him with a complaint or an accusation about something he’d done—or hadn’t done.
He pushed all thoughts of Katrina from his head and went around the desk to join Shelley. She got to her feet, and without thinking he leaned in to kiss her. His heart sank when she dodged his lips.
“Aww, don’t look like that! It’s just …” She inclined her head toward the window.
Following her gaze, he saw two women walking by.
Shelley shrugged. “Before we start kissing in here, you need to decide if you’re prepared for people to start talking.”
He blew out a sigh. “I am. I told you—I don’t care what people think.” Although even as he said it, he was aware that it wasn’t entirely true—otherwise he would have told Dawn just a few minutes ago.
She nodded slowly, and he wondered if he’d sounded snappier than he intended.
He reached out to touch her arm. “Sorry, I’m just disappointed. But maybe it works out better this way.”
She raised her eyebrows. “How?”
“Well, if you won’t even give me a quick peck here, maybe you should come home with me—and stay—so that we have the time and space to do more than kiss.” He frowned when he realized how that sounded. “I mean so that we can have time together—dinner, a movie, hang out, maybe walk down by the creek?”
He stopped when he noticed the way she was watching him. “What?”
She covered his hand with her own. “You don’t need to justify it—I’d love to come home with you and stay the night again.”
“You would?”
“Yeah, Trip, I really would.”
Something about the way she said it made him relax. If he’d been trying to justify his request, it felt like she was trying to reassure him—and he liked that, a lot.
He locked the door behind them as they left and gestured toward his SUV. “Want to ride with me and leave your car here?”
She hesitated. “I’d love to, but I don’t think I should. If you’re called to any kind of emergency, I’d be stranded at your place.”
“You’re right.” She was; bringing her own car was the practical, logical thing to do, but he couldn’t help feeling disappointed as he pulled away from the clinic and could only watch her following in his rearview mirror, rather than have her sit beside him like he wanted.
He kept checking his mirror the whole way, and didn’t relax until he saw her car emerge from the line of cottonwood trees by the creek.
~ ~ ~
Shelley set her fork down and pushed her plate away. “That was wonderful, thank you.”
“You’re most welcome. I figured it was about time that I cooked for you myself—you know, prove that I’m not completely helpless.”
“I never thought you were—I just didn’t expect you to be such a great cook. It almost seems a shame that you have Anita and Maisie to take care of you.”
He cocked an eyebrow, and she laughed. “I mean, of course it’s wonderful that you have them, but your talents in the kitchen shouldn’t go unused.”
She loved the way he smiled as he said, “I’ll cook for you anytime you like.”
“Thank you—and you can’t take it back now that you’ve said it; I intend to hold you to that.”
“I hope you will.” Trip pushed his chair back. “I’ll just clean up the kitchen and –”
Shelley got to her feet. “Oh no, you won’t! You cooked; I’ll clean up.”
“There’s no need, I can –”
She gave him a stern look. “Am I a guest, or are we a team?”
“Well, since you put it that way …”
She started gathering the dishes. “Exactly.”
“Do you want me to go get us a bottle of wine?”
She turned back to him when she reached the sink. “You have a glass if you want to, but I don’t need any tonight. It wasn’t just that I didn’t want any with dinner, it’s that my system needs a night off. I only usually drink at the weekends, and last night …”
He chuckled. “That’s right, I forgot about that. The ladies know how to have a good time, don’t they?”
“They sure do. I’m going to have to watch myself when I go out with them. I don’t need to drink that much.”
A shiver ran down her spine when he winked at her. “You don’t have to go easy, either. You know I’m happy to be your chauffeur, and it’s fun for me—you’re way chattier when you’re tipsy.”
She frowned. “You think I need to be chattier?”
“No. I was only thinking the other day that one of the things I like about you is that you don’t need to talk all the time. But by the same token, I enjoy hearing your stream-of-consciousness kind of narrative when the wine kicks in.”
She made a face at him as he stalked across the kitchen toward her. “Thanks, I think.”
When he reached her, he closed his arms around her waist. “It was a compliment. I’m saying that I like who you are—in the everyday, and when you’ve had a drink.”
She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “In that case, thank you—and likewise.”
“Likewise?” He cocked an eyebrow.
“I’m saying that I like who you are, too. In the everyday and …” She tapped the side of his head. “Well, I can’t say when you’ve had a drink because I haven’t seen you tipsy yet. And now I need to.”
He laughed. “It doesn’t happen often.”
“Well, it’s going to happen soon. I’ll bet you we all end up more than slightly tipsy at least one night while Harper’s here.”
It was only when the words were out that she realized he didn’t know about her plans with her friend.
“I told you she was thinking about coming to visit, didn’t I? Well, she’s arriving on Tuesday.”
His smile seemed a little forced as he said, “That’s great. It’ll be nice for you to have her visit. You’ve known her since college, haven’t you?”
She sucked in a deep breath. “I have, but don’t shut down on me. I’m not going to drop you while she’s here.”
A small smile played on his lips. “I’m happy to hear it. She’s welcome to come over here anytime you want to bring her.”
“Thanks. I think I gave myself away by saying that we’ll all end up more than tipsy, but I hoped that you’d want to meet her, and we can all hang out. You might have to brace yourself, though—she’s a force of nature.”
“I’ll look forward to getting to know her.”
He stepped back and took her hand. “Want to leave the dishes and go for a walk?”
“I’d love to. I’d much rather get some fresh air tonight than sit in front of the TV. Just let me clean up before we go, though.”
It didn’t take long before they were heading out the back door, and Shelley bit down on her bottom lip when Trip took her hand as they walked. She hadn’t thought of him as the overly affectionate type, but the more time they spent together, the more she was seeing a different side to him.
They followed the driveway up toward the big barn, and Shelley stared at a long, low building she hadn’t been able to see before since it was out of sight from the house. “What’s that place?” she asked.
“The bunkhouse.”
She gave him an inquiring look.
“Where the hands live,” he explained.
“The hands?”
He chuckled. “The wranglers. The cowboys. The guys who work the herd.”
“Oh! You mean you have a herd of cattle?”
He threw his head back and laughed out loud. “That’s exactly what I mean—I thought you knew that.”
“I didn’t. I mean, I knew this was a ranch, but I thought that was just the name for a large spread of land. I didn’t think it necessarily meant a cattle ranch.”
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that, but in my case it does. When my dad was cast as a rancher in a Western movie, he decided that the best way to get into character was to live as a cowboy. He hired a foreman and bought a herd, and the rest, as they say, is history. I’m glad that I’m a doctor because I don’t feel like I’d ever claim to be a cowboy or a cattleman or even a rancher—but technically, I’m all of the above.”
She stopped walking and studied his face closely. “You’re not messing with me?”
He shook his head solemnly. “I’m being serious.”
“Wow, you’re a man of many talents. It looks like I still have a lot to learn about you, Dr. Harvey. Oh, and that reminds me—what did Jim mean when he called you young Jack? He said that in the message that he left this morning, and I didn’t understand; thought maybe he was getting confused. But then he said it to you as well—although you didn’t look too impressed. What’s that about?”
He rolled his eyes in much the same way as she’d seen him do earlier when Jim had called him young Jack. “That’s my name.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. I’m named after my dad, as he was named after his father before him. That makes me Jack Harvey the third.”
“Wow, so Trip is—what? Is it like your military nickname?”
He laughed. “No. Are you seriously telling me you don’t know where it comes from?”
“I am—I have no clue.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and carried on walking. “Then let me educate you. As I said, I’m Jack Harvey the third. As I’m sure you know, three is sometimes called a triple—and that’s where Trip comes from.”
She had to laugh. “Well, don’t I feel stupid? I’ve never heard that one before in all my life!”
He hugged her closer to his side. “Don’t feel stupid—you’re not. It’s just a little detail that you’ve never bumped into before.”
“No, but I honestly thought that Trip was your given name.”
“I think it’s used that way these days—as a first name in its own right.”
“It should be. It’s a cool name.”
He laughed. “Thanks.”
“While we’re on the subject of names and nicknames, do you know if Kitty was Jim’s wife’s real name?”
She felt bad when his eyes filled with sadness. “Kitty was short for Catherine.” He blew out a sigh. “She was a wonderful woman. Jim and Kitty Sheridan were like the heart of this valley.”
He nodded to himself, seemingly lost in his thoughts.
Shelley didn’t feel like she should intrude with questions, even though she was curious as hell about Jim’s late wife. There was one question that she had to ask. “Is he okay? I’m not asking you to tell me anything confidential. I just … I’m concerned. He didn’t seem quite right today.”
“He’s fine. He has some ongoing issues, but that’s to be expected at his age.”
She wanted to push—she’d felt like there was something off about the old guy today, but she couldn’t put her finger on anything concrete. If Trip said he was fine, he was fine.
When they passed the barn, she noticed a man standing outside watching them. It sent a shiver down her spine—and not the good kind.
Trip noticed and tightened his arm around her. “It’s okay, that’s Brody—the foreman.”
“Right.”
He chuckled. “He’s a good guy. In fact, you’ve met him before—you met him the first time you stayed over, when Travis and Retta and Bear were here.”
“Oh, I thought he was your friend.”
“He is—he’s my friend and also the man in charge of the herd.” He winked at her. “You know, the cattle.”
She pushed at his arm.
“I do know! I was surprised that you had cattle, that’s all. Although I probably shouldn’t act all indignant since I am almost totally clueless about how the cow business works.”
She laughed at the expression on his face.
“It’s okay—I do know it’s called the cattle business, but that’s about the total extent of my knowledge. I’m just your typical city kid.”
He frowned at that. “No, you’re not. You might be from the city, but you’ve picked up how things work around here. I bet you could even learn to run a cattle ranch if you had to—and that’s more than I’ve ever managed to do.”
“I don’t see me ever having to learn that,” she said with a laugh. It was a crazy idea! She might have been wondering if she’d be able to find work that held meaning and purpose for her, but she highly doubted that ranching would turn out to be her vocation in life.
When they reached a locked gate, Trip turned, and they walked back toward the barn.
It was a beautiful evening, and when he showed her to a bench set in the shade of the trees by the creek, Shelley was happy to sit and take in the sunset.
She loved that he wasn’t one of those guys who talked all the time, and they watched in silence as the sun went down, and the sky changed color.
The peace of the valley seemed to wrap itself around her and seep into her heart. It was a special moment, made even more special when Trip reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze—without saying a word.