Chapter 4
Sutton
“So… what do you think?” Isla says, sidling up next to me at the dining table.
We’re halfway through our pizza competition, and with everyone else outside, it’s just me, Isla, Will, and Birdie inside the house right now.
I grab some chopped mushrooms and place them on top of some pepperoni. I’m testing out a peppery tomato sauce on the base too and plan to top it with three different types of cheese.
“What do I think about what?” I hedge, already knowing what she’s about to say.
Isla sighs. “Blair. She’s very pretty, don’t you think?” The word pretty pales in comparison to Blair.
“Mmm hmm,” I hum, focusing on the pizza masterpiece in the making in front of me.
She nudges my arm. “C’mon. You can tell us.”
I frown and meet her eyes. “Tell you what?”
“That you think she’s nice to look at.” Her voice has a ‘duh’ tone to it that gets my spider senses tingling.
I catch a sympathetic yet resigned look on Will’s face. “They’re not goin’ to let this go, brother. Might as well let them say their piece.”
I shrug, keeping my expression neutral and I turn toward my two future sisters-in-law. “Yes, she’s attractive.”
Birdie claps her hands together. “I knew it!”
Isla grins. “So, are you goin’ to make a move?” I hate being put on the spot, always have. Especially when I’m still reeling from the fact that Blair has suddenly reappeared in my life—not that anyone knows that.
“Firstly, she’s only just arrived. I’m not the type of man who’s goin’ to ask every new female resident of Timber Falls out on a date.” Both women go to open their mouths but I beat them to it. “And second, we don’t even know if she’s single.”
“She’s moved here for six months,” Birdie starts.
“And she’s come alone,” Isla finishes.
“Again, none of those prove she’s unattached,” I state, even though a huge part of me wants her to me.
“What about the underwear?” Birdie continues.
I jerk my head. “What about it?”
“You offered to replace it.”
“Yes…” I say slowly. “That’s what a good host does when one of their animals steals and slobbers all over it.”
Will chuckles. “Bright pink, I hear. Grumps must like the color.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ugh,” Birdie grumbles. “Because Blair’s panties aren’t the only pair of pink clothin’ Grumps has taken a shine to.”
“You too?” I ask, eyes wide. A donkey with a penchant for pink underwear. Who would’ve thought.
“Yep.” She shoots Isla a knowing look, one that spells trouble for me if I’m reading it right. “But that’s not the point. We just want you to keep an open mind, that’s all.”
Isla rubs my arm. “You never know when or how your One will come into your life. Look at me and Case. We had no idea that one night in Anchorage would lead us to where we are now.”
“And I’m so happy that you and my brother found each other. Both of you,” I add, nodding toward Will and Birdie too. “That doesn’t mean this is my time.”
“We’re just lookin’ out for you. Blair’s lovely. And she’s a doctor. She has a callin’ to help people, just like you do.” Yeah, and no one knows that it was Blair that unwittingly led me to change career paths all those years ago—let alone the woman herself.
“How about I promise that I’ll keep an open mind.”
“Yay!” Both women grin, looking very pleased for themselves.
“But,” I glance between them, “only if you stop tryin’ to play matchmaker. We already have a mountain spirit doin’ that and I don’t need my sisters tryin’ to be Cupid as well. If it’s meant to happen, it will. OK?”
Will wraps his arm around Birdie’s waist. “He’s got a point, Sunshine.”
She sighs. “I know. I promise, Sutt. We just want you to find what we have.”
“I know, and I appreciate it.” But there’s already a hell of a lot more to this than just girl meets boy.
I focus back on finishing my pizza, adding some olives, sundried tomatoes, basil, and then the cheese.
While Birdie, Will, and Isla chat about different toppings and flavor combinations, I step back and glance out the window. I find myself smiling as I catch Blair laughing with her uncle and Jessica.
My thoughts drift back to how different Blair seems now compared to the young, ambitious, light-up-a-room woman I watched across the quad.
She looks the same–better actually–but there’s a shadow to her features that I want to understand. She’s still vibrant, but anyone can see there’s a lot weighing on her. Or maybe she’s just tired.
I’m not surprised that she seems to have settled in effortlessly, and I’m glad she doesn’t seem to be holding the somewhat chaotic start to her stay here against me.
There’s also the undeniable tingle I felt when she slid her hand into mine. An innocent, non-meaningful gesture that has been distracting me all morning.
There’s also the cheeky glimpse into her personality she gave me before leaving the garden. It was a glimpse of what I’m guessing is her natural energy. It’s something that’s always drawn me to a woman.
Despite what I said to Birdie and Isla, I can admit that I’m just as intrigued by Blair now as I was back at college. Even if I’m a different man now to the boy I was then.
My focus is no longer on fitting in but finding a place in the world where I’m valued, respected, and seen. A place I’ve always had in my family, and one I’ve found at the hospital with my colleagues and even with the patients I treat.
What I don’t know is whether Blair is someone else I could add to that list.
That’s something only time and getting to know each other better will tell.
“Ready to go wow everyone with our creations, Sutt?” Birdie asks behind me.
I grin, feeling confident that my pizza creation will be one of the chosen few. “Absolutely. Time to show them what they’re up against.”
“Wow, those look unreal!” Jude says, leaning in to get a better look as we come to stop at the group. “I can’t wait to try them. Sutt’s looks even better than mine did.”
I pat his shoulder. “I’m glad you can admit I might be better at somethin’ than you, baby brother.”
He laughs. “Yeah, yeah. I know you use cookin’ as a form of therapy. It’s why you’re so good at it.”
“I can’t help it if it relaxes me. Give me good food and a nice glass of wine over fast food and soda any day.”
Case hands the big aluminum pizza paddle over to me. “Care to do the honors?”
I nod and slide my creation into the newly stoked oven, helping Birdie, Isla and Will do the same.
Standing back, I watch the flames dance around the pizzas as they slowly start cooking. The smell of the melting cheese and sizzling toppings fills the air, making my mouth water and my stomach rumble.
“I’ll man the oven if everyone wants to relax,” Will announces as Birdie snuggles into his side.
I somehow end up sitting next to Blair, who’s busy talking to Jessica across the table about her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis.
Pouring a glass of white wine, I cradle the glass and look around the group, thinking about how soon there’ll be a whole lot more people doing the same thing for the double wedding.
“Hey,” Blair says quietly after a while.
“Hey. Havin’ fun?”
“I am. Everyone’s so welcoming. To be honest, it’s a bit of a culture shock,” she says.
I tilt my head. “Not somethin’ you’re used to?”
She shakes her head. “Not so much. I guess I never expected to slot right into your little ranch family.”
The corner of my mouth quirks. “I’ll take that as a compliment. I hope you know that we don’t just let our donkey steal anyone’s underwear.”
Blair laughs. “I’m honored, then. Though if he does it again, I can’t promise I’ll be nice to him.”
“That’s a battle we all have to face when it comes to Grumps.”
“But seriously, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived. Small towns are notoriously close knit, so I didn’t know how hard I was going to have to work to be accepted.”
The fact she had doubts is unexpected. The person I imagined her to be back in the day was confident and secure. Someone who surrounded herself with people who cared about her and who had–or would have–a well-rounded, balanced life.
What she’s giving me a glimpse of now is surprising. It says a lot about judging a book by its cover, doesn’t it?
“Is that why you chose to stay at our cabin instead of the motel in town? Or even the staff accommodations at the hospital?” I ask.
“In all honesty, probably?”
My brows jump up. “You’re not sure?”
She scrunches her nose in a cute way that distracts me. “Now the therapist comes out,” she teases.
I hold one hand up in surrender. “Sorry. It’s a bad habit.”
“Believe me. I know all about that. It’s hard to turn off the doctor part of our brains, right?”
“I’ve always thought that was somethin’ they needed to teach in med school,” I say. “How not to be a doctor 24/7’.”
“Where did you study by the way?” she asks just as I take a sip of wine. Suddenly it’s like I’m transported back to twenty-two-year-old me stuck across the quad. My brain stutters to a halt and I start choking on my drink. “Shoot, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s… OK,” I squeak out, struggling to recover. Case comes up next to me and claps me on my back a few times, his brows furrowed with concern.
“You alright there, brother?”
I nod, my face burning hot as I feel all eyes on me. Great way to make a good second impression, Sutt.
Blair’s hand appears in front of me with a glass of ice water. My fingers accidentally brush hers as I take it from her. That tingle from the garden is back again, this time shooting right up my arm and setting every hair on my body on end. Damn nervous system.
Her eyes widen, a small gasp escaping. Feeling her eyes on mine, I nod and mumble a strangled, “thank you,” before sucking back the offered drink.
Sensing I’m OK–well, as much as I’m going to be–Case redirects everyone’s attention back to the pizza oven, walking over and working to pull out the now cooked pizzas.
“You OK?” Blair asks again, softer this time.
“Yeah,” I say scratchily, my throat still burning. “Sorry about that. Guess I forgot to swallow.”
A curious expression crosses her face before she quickly schools it. “We all have those moments. Believe me, I can be as clumsy as they come sometimes. If there’s a step to miss or a food to go down the wrong way, I’m your girl. Not that I’m saying you’re clumsy, obviously.”
Somehow, that puts me at ease. Maybe it’s that I’ve always held the golden-haired beautiful girl from Boston up on a pedestal.
Seeing her again has put me on edge, which is not an easy feat these days. Maybe she’s a miracle worker. I mean, just her existence led me to my true life path after all.
Not that I can tell her that, not right away. How creepy would that be?
I shoot her a grin. “I’ll keep that in mind and warn you of any upcomin’ hazards.”
She returns my smile. “Much appreciated. My own superhero.” We laugh at that. “I’m glad there’ll be a few friendly faces to see around the hospital tomorrow.”
I study her, not hiding my surprise. “You’re nervous?”
“Wouldn’t you be?” she shoots back.
“Considerin’ I only started at the hospital a few months ago, yeah. I’m just surprised you are. You seem so…”
A slow but small smile appears. “Good to know I’m not that transparent then,” she laughs. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ve just built it all up in my head, but it’s been a long time since I was working in a hospital ER. I’ve been working in private practice for a while now.”
"Where was that? If you don’t mind me askin’?”
“I’ve been in Rochester, Minnesota for the past few years.”
My eyes widen. “Workin’ at a certain big hospital there?”
“Yeah. It was a great opportunity that I jumped at when I was offered a fellowship…” I read between the lines when she doesn’t continue.
“I’m guessin’ it was time for a change?” She nods. “I totally get that. When we all decided to move here, we were all in the same situation. Ready for somethin’ different but not realizin’ it.”
Her brow arches “You’re not from here?”
“Alaska, yes. But all of us brothers were actually spread out across the country before our grandfather passed away. There was a stipulation in his Will that the ranch would become ours if we lived here together for two years,” I explain.
Blair leans back in her chair. “Wow. That’s kind of cool. How’s it been then? I’m guessing you’ve all been working on upgrading the ranch since then?”
“Yep. As you’ve probably noticed, it’s still a work in progress even after six months.”
Case calls for everyone to eat, and it hits me that in our quick conversation, only once did I feel a little uneasy. Then again, it’s not like I can tell her that I used to watch her at college, is it?
I also feel a tug of disappointment that our stolen snippet of time has been interrupted.
Blair stands, taking her glass of wine with her. “It’s been nice talking to you. We should definitely do it again,” she says just as her stomach grumbles. “But as you can tell, I really need to eat. Ready to wow me with your cooking prowess, Sutton?”
Plastering on a confident grin, I push my chair out to join her. “Sure am. Hope you like mushrooms.”
Her face falls and my heart hammers against my ribs. “Don’t tell me you’re allergic?”
She drags it out for as long as she can before her lips twitch. “Nope, but the look on your face was worth it.”
“You almost had me,” I muse.
Her smile so bright it’s almost blinding. “No almost about it, mister.”
Without thinking much of it, I playfully nudge her arm. Something I’d do with anyone else on the ranch. Except with anyone else, I don’t feel the jolt that has my eyes widening and Blair sucking in a breath.
“What was tha–” she goes to say just as Case appears next to us.
“C’mon, you two. There’ll be time for talkin’ later,” he says, ushering Blair ahead of us before slinging his shoulder over mine.
“What was that?” my twin whispers once Blair is out of earshot.
“What do you–” Then it hits me. “You felt that?”
“Uh huh,” he nods. “You didn’t when it was me?”
Now he’s lost me. “When what was you?”
Case’s eyes bug out. “Oh damn. This is not goin’ to be fun for me.”
“Brother, I love you, we shared a womb after all, but right now, you’re makin’ absolutely no sense.”
He frowns. “Sutt, that jolt on your arm, I felt it too.”
Then it hits me. “Wait…” I look over his shoulder to where Blair is laughing with Wyatt, Birdie, and her uncle while they all test the hot pizzas.
“Now he gets it.” There’s no way… “Yes, there is,” he answers as if I said my thoughts out loud.
There have been many times when we don’t have to speak to know what the other one is thinking. And this appears to be one of those moments.
“I can’t…” I shake my head, my chest tightening and my head suddenly feeling like it might burst. “I don’t believe it. There’s no way…”
He pulls me into his side again and starts moving me toward the food. “Funny that you think you have a say in this, brother. None of us did, and sorry to say, it seems like you’re goin’ to be no different.”