Chapter Twenty
Trip was glad to be able to leave the hospital on time on Tuesday afternoon. It had been a busy day, but fortunately, he’d managed to get everything taken care of. He’d checked in with Dawn before he left, and she’d agreed that he could relax this evening—and probably for the next few days.
As he exited the front doors, he sucked in big breaths of fresh air. He was always glad to get out of there. Making his way to his SUV, he scanned the parking lot, wondering if he might spot Emmett again.
It didn’t surprise Trip that he hadn’t called to ask for his help getting Alana up to town for rehearsals for the play. He was a little surprised at himself, though. Normally, he would have followed up with his friend on his offer to help out with taxi duties.
He smiled when he saw Emmett’s truck parked at the far end of the lot. When he reached it, he hesitated at the sight of Emmett, sitting with his head leaned back, hat tipped down over his eyes. As a veterinarian and full-time single dad of two teenage daughters, the man worked hard. If he was catching a nap while he could, Trip didn’t want to disturb him.
Just as he started to turn away, Emmett sat up and pushed the brim of his hat up. When he spotted Trip, he gave him a rueful smile and put the window down.
“Tell me you weren’t watching me sleep. That’s too creepy. Even for a doctor.”
Trip laughed out loud. “If I was watching you sleep, it’s not my fault. I came over to say hi. I didn’t expect to find you catching forty winks.”
Emmett checked his watch. “Make that about fifteen winks. I was up and out early this morning.”
Trip cocked an eyebrow. “Early? What does that mean to you—something like four a.m.? Aren’t you always up and about early?”
“Four fifteen today.”
Trip shook his head. “I don’t know how you do it.” He frowned. “And what do the girls do about getting to school on days like that—when you’re not around?”
Emmett made a face. “They’re all right to get themselves up and ready. That’s not a problem. Tanya’s always been an early bird, and she takes great pleasure in annoying her sister to get her out of bed. Alana used to roll out at the last minute, grab an apple, and be ready to roll. These days… she needs at least half an hour in the bathroom to make herself beautiful.”
He scowled. “Though why she needs to be beautiful to go to school…”
Trip didn’t comment. He’d been about to say that Alana was now the same age that Libby had been when she and Mav first got together—but he figured that really wasn’t something Emmett would want to hear, let alone think about.
“I take it, since you’re here again, that you’re driving Alana up and down the valley yourself—on top of everything else?” he asked.
Emmett nodded. “She’s over the moon about getting the part.” He gave Trip a grim smile. “Of course, I’m happy about it too. It’s just…”
“Just nothing,” said Trip. “I told you—I’ll help with taxi duties. And when I can’t do it, we’ll rope the others in.”
Emmett met his gaze. “Seems to me you’ve got enough on your plate already these days. How are things working out for you and Shelley? And by the way, sorry I barged in like that the other night.”
“Not a problem. You could have stayed and eaten with us, you know.”
Emmett shook his head rapidly.
“You could have,” Trip insisted. “I know you leave the girls at home to fend for themselves when you’re working in the evening sometimes. Why couldn’t you have dinner with me? Why couldn’t you have dinner with us?”
Emmett shuddered. “It’s not the girls I’m thinking about. It’s that woman. She’s a bit…”
Trip chuckled. “You mean Harper? She’s a bit what?”
Emmett shuddered again. “I don’t know. She was just… all… all smiley and… I don’t know. She’s not like us, is she? Janey says she’s from New York City.”
Trip cocked an eyebrow. “You asked Janey about her?”
“No! I… it’s… I didn’t,” Emmett blustered. “Janey was saying how much she likes Shelley, and she said that she met her friend from New York City in the bakery last Friday. Sounded like Jim took a shine to her.”
“He did—in a big way. I hope you don’t have too much of a problem with Harper, because she’s decided that she’s going to be staying in the valley, too.”
Emmett’s eyes grew wide, but he didn’t comment, so Trip continued.
“Jim went and offered them his guest cottage to live in.”
“He did?” Emmett asked, looking incredulous.
Trip chuckled. “Yep. He and Harper hit it off right away. And he’s asked Shelley to help him with some estate planning.”
Emmett frowned. “He’s changing his will? You don’t think that woman—”
“I don’t,” Trip assured him. “And I want to be pissed at you for thinking that way about Shelley’s friend, but you’re not the only one. Deacon was ready to run her out of town the second he saw her and Jim walk into the bakery together.”
“It’s not about her. It’s about Jim. We all look out for him—you know that.”
“I do. I look out for him too, remember?”
Emmett gave him an apologetic smile. “Yeah, I know you do. Sorry. It’s just…” He shook his head. “That woman.”
Trip couldn’t help chuckling. “Are you trying to tell me that woman got to you?”
“What? Hell no. What are you even talking about? Don’t be stupid. Don’t talk crazy.” He shook his head. “And anyway, what do you mean Jim’s offered them the cottage? Is Shelley going to stay there, too? I thought you’d have her moved in with you by now.”
Trip shrugged. “I was working my way up to it, but then Harper came to stay and… we’ll get there. When the time’s right.”
Emmett made a face but didn’t comment.
“And if Shelley’s going to be working for Jim, does that mean she’s not working with you at the clinic anymore?”
Trip nodded. “That’s the plan. We’re going to draw up an ad this week. She says she’ll help me interview and hire a replacement for her.”
“But you don’t want to let her go,” said Emmett.
“Selfishly, no,” said Trip. “But even before Jim asked her to work for him, I knew she wasn’t going to stick around as my receptionist forever. She’s the kind of person who needs to do a job that means more to her.”
“I can understand that,” said Emmett. “And by all accounts, she got you set up and organized while she was there.”
Trip chuckled. “She has. She rescued me. But I’m not looking forward to finding a replacement. You remember all the horror stories from my failed attempts before.”
“Horror stories? They struck me as comedies—from what I heard. Then again, I wasn’t the one who had to live through it.” He paused. “But I reckon Shelley will help you find someone competent. Do they need any kind of special qualifications?”
“Not really. Why? I mean, obviously they need to know how to use a computer, be good on the phone, and good with people. But what are you thinking…”
“I was thinking about Brooke. I told you I’m not giving her as many hours as I used to. She used to take the girls to school and pick them up, but now that they’re that much older, I don’t mind them walking out to the bus stop by themselves. Brooke still comes over in the evenings and weekends sometimes, to do stuff with them and when I’m working late. But other than that, she could do with getting a real job.”
Trip nodded slowly. “You know, that might not be a bad idea—if she wants to do it. Doesn’t she have a bunch of other jobs, though?”
Emmett blew out a sigh. “Yeah. She’s still working at the gas station. Blane put his foot down about her working overnight, but she’s still there late into the evening. And I don’t like it. She was delivering pizzas at one point, too.” He shook his head. “If she could just get herself a decent full-time job…”
He smiled at Trip. “Maybe working as a doctor’s receptionist.”
“Let me talk to Shelley about it.”
Emmett’s eyebrows shot up. “You think she might be worried about you replacing her with some young chick?”
Trip threw his head back and laughed. “Hell no. She knows damn well that as far as I’m concerned, she’s irreplaceable. I meant that I’ll talk to her about Brooke—about what skills she’ll need for the job, and how hard it would be to train her up. To train someone who’s never done that kind of job before, I mean.”
“You’d do that? I mean, it might not work out, but if it does, it could be a good thing all around, don’t you think?”
“I do.”
Trip liked Brooke. She was a hard worker. And even if she didn’t already have the necessary computer and office skills, she was the kind of girl who’d pick them up quickly enough. She was good with people, and everyone in town knew and liked her.
He nodded. “You might be onto something there. Thanks, Emmett.”
~ ~ ~
Shelley was surprised when she noticed the time. She pushed her chair back from the desk and stared at the words on the computer. The ad read well—and it should; she'd been working on it for a while now.
With Trip at the hospital this afternoon, she should have gone home; she could have worked from there. She'd thought about it, but the house in town didn’t feel like a home. And it had felt a little presumptuous to take herself off to Trip's place, even though that was where she felt most at home these days.
She tucked her hair behind her ear as she read over the ad again. She was hoping that it wouldn't take too long to find and hire her replacement. Of course, she'd stick around to make sure that whoever came in was all trained up before she left. But she was looking forward to getting started with Jim.
Harper was excited about moving into the cottage. The place was adorable, and it had plenty of room for both of them. But Shelley didn't think she'd feel any more settled there. She was finally ready to admit to herself that she felt more at home with Trip than she had with anyone else in her life.
Of course, she loved his place, but it wasn't about the house—no matter how grand it might be. It was Trip himself who made her feel at home.
She started guiltily and turned when the front door opened. Ford MacFarland came in and stopped just inside, looking cautious.
She gave him a welcoming smile. She'd noticed that none of the big, tough cowboys around here ever looked at ease if they came in—although not many of them did.
"Hi, it's Ford, isn't it?" she greeted him. "How can I help? Do you need to make an appointment?"
He shook his head with a rueful smile as he approached the desk.
"No, I'm good, thanks. I'm not here about an appointment. I..." He reached inside his jacket and pulled a sheath of papers from his pocket. "Would you mind asking Trip to pass these on to Brody for me? I said I'd drop them off at the ranch, but I'm not going to have time to get over there before I have to head home. Would that be all right?"
"Of course." Shelley took the papers from him.
"It's just some reading material," he explained.
"Okay, I'll make sure he gets it."
She opened her mouth, about to mention seeing Cash on Sunday, but then she remembered that Cash had asked them not to say anything. He didn't want the family knowing that he'd been in town and not gone down to visit them.
“Thanks.” Ford smiled. "I'm glad to hear that you're sticking around. Word has it that you and your friend are moving into Jim's cottage."
She frowned, hoping that he wasn't concerned about Jim—or about her and Harper’s motives.
As if he'd read her mind, he went on, "I think it's great. It'll do Jim good to have someone around other than the cowpokes."
His smile faded. "He misses Kitty. We all do."
Shelley relaxed a little. "She sounds like a wonderful woman. I wish I could have met her."
"I think she'd be glad to know that you ladies are going to be in the cottage."
Shelley bit down on her bottom lip. She couldn't be more grateful to Jim for the offer, but in her heart, she'd much rather move in with Trip.
Ford gave her a knowing smile. "Even if it's only your friend who moves in there, I hear you're going to be working with him. So he'll still have both of you around, right?"
"Right." She felt as though Ford knew exactly what she'd been thinking—and he seemed to approve of that idea, too.
She didn't know what to say, though. It didn’t feel right to talk about the possibility of moving in with Trip with a man she hardly knew, especially when she and Trip hadn't discussed it in any detail themselves.
They both turned when the door opened, and Harper came bustling in.
She grinned at Ford. "Well, look at this. You're another MacFarland, aren't you? I can tell just by the look of you."
Ford chuckled. "I am. You got me. And you must be Shelley's friend."
Harper stepped forward. "That's me. I'm Harper. It's nice to meet you. Which one are you? No, let me guess..."
Shelley held her breath, hoping that Harper wouldn't mention Cash or his visit.
She had to smile, though, at the way Harper looked Ford up and down, and he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. His eyebrows drew together in a slight frown, and Harper laughed.
"Don't you scowl at me. I'm not checking you out—just trying to figure out which one you are. And by the look on your face, I'd say that you're Ford."
Ford let out a chuckle. "What does the look on my face have to do with it?" he asked.
Harper shrugged, grinning. "Harsh, rugged... happily broody. You're the dark and broody one, right?"
Shelley put her head in her hands, half smiling, half cringing as she waited for Ford to reply.
To her relief, he laughed again. "Apparently I am. Yeah, I've heard myself described that way a time or two."
"Well, I have to say, it suits you. And I'll also say that it's a pleasure to meet you." Harper’s smile dimmed a little. "And I hope I didn't offend you."
He chuckled as he held out his hand to shake with her. "It'd take a lot more than that to offend me. It's nice to meet you, too."
"It's a pleasure to meet you too," Harper returned.
Ford stood back. "I'd better be on my way. I need to get to the post office before it closes. If you ladies need any help getting moved into the cottage, I'd be happy to help—any of us would. And Trip knows how to get hold of me."
He turned to leave and tipped his hat at them when he reached the door.
After he'd gone, Harper fanned her hand in front of her face.
"Wow. They really do breed them like that out here, don’t they? I mean, you could say that there’s a whole herd of sexy cowboys around here.”
"I suppose you could say that," Shelley agreed.
Harper rolled her eyes. "You absolutely can. And it's true. Your only hesitation is because you only have eyes for one of them. Did he get caught up at the hospital? I thought he might have been back by now. Thought you guys might have gone home. I was planning to just drive by and make sure your cars had gone, but when I saw yours still here..."
"He said he'll call me when he's leaving the hospital. I just got finished drawing up the ad. I was thinking about going home. How was your afternoon?"
Harper grinned. "I've had a whale of a time. I told you that you should have come with me. I went down to the bakery. I really like that place. Spider and Rocket have done such a good job there. It's a great little business. And I really like those guys. They make me feel like it's possible to become a part of this place even when you start out as such an obvious outsider."
"Yeah, I suppose I haven't thought about it that way," Shelley said. "But I know the two of them came here from California. And between that and the fact that they look the way they do, I can see how they might have had trouble fitting in—or being accepted."
"Exactly," Harper agreed. "If those guys can fit in, I can do it too. And I got to hang out with Candy for a while. She was all done in the kitchen for the day. Apparently..." Harper laughed. "The boys—can you believe that? She calls those two giants her boys—apparently that's their ritual at the end of her working day. Since she's in there early in the morning to start baking, they make her finish work, sit down, and have a coffee and a pastry with them before she leaves for the day. Isn't that awesome?
"Oh, and Frankie came in too—Spider’s fiancée. I like that girl. She's a real firecracker. And she asked if I wanted to learn to ride a horse! She said that Laney’s going to teach you, and if I want, we can all get together, the four of us, and she'll teach me too."
Shelley raised her eyebrows. "You? You're going to learn to ride a horse?"
Harper gave her an indignant look. "Why not?"
Shelley had to laugh. "Because you're a New Yorker. You're the definition of a New Yorker."
"So? People ride horses in Central Park. Why shouldn't I learn? Now that I'm out here in the West, it's what people do; I want to assimilate."
"Hey, I wasn't knocking it," Shelley said. "You just surprised me, that's all. It'll be something fun that we can do together. And I do like Laney and Frankie a lot. I love that they've offered."
They both turned when the door opened again.
This time, a rush of warmth filled Shelley's chest when Trip came in and smiled at her.
"Is everything okay? I thought you would have left by now."
"Everything's fine. I was about ready to go, but Ford MacFarland popped in. And then Harper arrived."
Trip smiled at Harper. As he came behind the desk to kiss Shelley’s cheek.
"Do you ladies have plans for dinner?"
Shelley shook her head.
"I do," said Harper.
"You do?" Shelley asked.
She nodded enthusiastically. "I do. I have a date at the bistro."
"A date?" Trip asked, looking concerned.
Harper waved a hand at him. "Yes, Doctor Dreamy Pants. A date. But not the kind you're thinking of. Don't worry. I'm not trying to get my claws into one of your cowboy friends. This is more of a networking date."
"Who with?" Shelley asked.
"A young woman named Tara Davenport. She's a freelance editor. I was talking to one of my authors this morning, telling her my plans. I know that she self-publishes some of her books, and I wanted to pick her brain about the market for freelance editors. Apparently, she's worked with Tara for a few years and couldn't believe the coincidence that I've moved—or I’m moving—to the place where Tara now lives. She put the two of us in touch, and luckily, Tara’s free for dinner tonight."
She turned to Trip. "It sounds as though the Davenports are your neighbors. Did you know that?"
He laughed. "I did. The Davenports have been my neighbors my whole life. What you probably don't know yet is that I'm talking about the whole clan."
Shelley raised her eyebrows.
"Tara's married to Reid Davenport, the youngest son of Johnny and his wife, Jean. Then there's Seymour Davenport—and his daughter, Hope, is married to Chance."
He turned to Shelley. "Have you met Chance and Hope yet?"
She smiled. "Of course I have. Hope’s been in a few times with the children."
"Of course." Trip nodded.
Harper shook her head and turned to Shelley. "It sounds like this is the perfect place for you," she said. "With people like Seymour Davenport and his daughter Hope around—and I heard that Summer Breese, the country singer girl, lives around here somewhere too—you're going to have lots of potential clients."
"I imagine I will," Shelley said, "if they haven't already got their affairs in order."
"Once you start working with Jim," said Trip, "I have no doubt that word will get out—and anyone who's interested in working with you will know how to find you."
"Maybe so. But for the time being, I'm happy to just work with Jim." She smiled at Trip. "And you, of course."
She was relieved when he smiled back. She'd been a little concerned that he might feel like she was abandoning him.
"And you know how happy I am to work with you," he said. "But I know it can't last for much longer. Emmett made a suggestion for a replacement that might pan out."
"Emmett?" Harper piped up. "How's he?"
Trip chuckled. "He's fine—other than having more on his plate than he can handle at the moment."
Harper opened her mouth, no doubt to ask what he meant, but was interrupted when her phone rang. She took it out and frowned at it.
"Shoot. I need to take this. And then I need to get ready to go out to dinner."
She gave them a quick wave. "I don't expect I'll see you tonight, Shelley, so give me a call tomorrow." She shot Trip a sassy smile as she added, "If the boss doesn't mind me taking you out to lunch?"
Shelley and Trip smiled at each other as they watched her go.
When the door closed behind her, he pressed a kiss to Shelley's temple.
"Does that mean you're free this evening?"
She nodded. “It looks that way.”
"Want to have dinner with me?"
She turned to look up into his eyes. "I'd love to."
A small smile played on his lips as he rested his forehead against hers.
"I should warn you, if you have dinner with me, I'll try to get you into bed afterwards."
She chuckled. "I was hoping you might."
"Should we stop by your place first to get anything you need for tomorrow?"
She thought about it for a moment. "You know what? I don’t think I need to. I think I already have enough at your place."
His smile grew bigger. "I like that. I like that a lot."
She pressed a quick kiss to his lips, not wanting to tell him just how much she liked it, too.
Her heart felt like it melted in her chest when he added, "That's the way it should be."