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Lexi’s amber eyes remained riveted on Kate, her expression watchful.
Kate swallowed hard. While she’d vowed to keep her distance, she could not, and would not, embarrass this fine man. Besides, it wasn’t as if this was a date. Lexi had said a whole group was going. It wasn’t as if she had to even sit by him.
She turned and met Joel’s gaze over her shoulder. “Breakfast sounds wonderful.”
Her heart tripped over itself as a smile spread across his face. Kate then focused on Chloe. “Everyone likes your father. He’s a great guy.”
“Including you?” the girl asked, surprising Kate with her boldness.
Kate didn’t even hesitate. “Including me.”
“Well, then.” Lexi’s smile broadened. Relief filled her eyes. “Sounds like we have a plan. July and David are already on their way to nab our usual table at the back. We’ll see you two at the café.”
As Kate walked down the aisle smiling and saying hello to patients and their families, she felt Joel’s hand on the small of her back. Of course, that was only because it was crowded and he was behind her. The gesture was oddly intimate and yet, she found she didn’t mind it at all.
When they reached the foyer, Chloe headed downstairs to her Sunday school classroom, leaving Kate alone with Joel. They walked in silence to the parking lot.
“May I give you a ride downtown?” he asked, obviously not wanting to take anything for granted. “Because of the limited parking, it makes sense to take one car. Unless you have somewhere you need to go right after breakfast.”
He’d graciously left her an out. All Kate had to do was say the word and she could drive separately. If things were different, she’d be thrilled at the thought of spending some one-on-one time with the handsome contractor. But before making the decision to move to Jackson Hole, Kate had promised herself that she’d keep her distance. From Joel. And from Chloe.
Yet in her deliberations, she’d never considered the possibility they might end up running in the same social circle or have mutual friends.
This is only breakfast, she reminded herself, nothing more.
“We might as well go together,” Kate said, stumbling a bit over the last word. “I hope your truck isn’t far because I’m starving.”
Joel noticed café patrons casting glances their way as he and Kate wove through the crowded dining room of The Coffeepot.
They weren’t looking at him. It was Kate. She turned heads wherever she went. She was so pretty. Today, her multicolored silky dress showed off her long slender legs to full advantage. She was wearing her trademark heels. Instead of the black ones she’d worn the other day, these were red with a little strap around her ankle.
Even though it wasn’t fair, Joel couldn’t help comparing her to his deceased wife. Fashionwise, Kate and Amy were as different as night and day. His wife had always preferred simple attire, dresses that showed very little skin and serviceable shoes with only a slight heel. Her taste in jewelry had been equally conservative. All she’d ever worn was her wedding band and tiny gold hoop earrings.
Amy would never have worn bright dangly ones that couldn’t help but draw a man’s attention to a woman’s slender neck and creamy skin.
Joel shoved the image of Kate aside and replaced it with a vision of Amy with her short curly blond hair and broad smile. His wife hadn’t needed jewelry; she’d had a natural glow that made everyone sit up and take notice.
His lips curved upward. Amy had loved people. Loved finding out what made them tick. It didn’t matter who: sales clerks, meter readers, the person standing in front of her in the grocery line. She’d start talking and by the end of the conversation, she had a new friend. Her innate gregariousness had sometimes made it hard for her to understand their daughter’s shyness and need for solitude. But she’d been a wonderful mother and had done a lot to make Chloe more at ease in social situations.
Unfortunately when Amy had passed away, Chloe had taken a giant leap backward….
Joel realized with a start that Kate had come to a dead stop. Puzzled, he cast a sideways glance in her direction. Didn’t she realize their destination was just a few feet ahead?
If he hadn’t been so in-tuned to his daughter’s reaction to similar situations, he might have missed the signs.
The hesitation on her face.
The slight furrow to her brow.
The uneven breaths.
Even though Kate projected a bold confidence, he realized that she wasn’t cool or aloof. She was … shy.
A protective urge rose inside him.
“Walking into a group that’s already gathered can be stressful.” Joel kept his tone conversational and low, for her ears only.
“I know everyone,” she said, but her sexy red heels remained firmly planted on the shiny hardwood.
“Yes, you do. And it’s not as if you’ll be talking to all of them at once,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. “It’ll be just the ones sitting by us.”
Us. The word flowed easily from his lips. After all those years of being married, he still thought of himself as part of a couple. Joel hoped Kate didn’t take offense.
She hadn’t seemed to notice. Her focus was on the battle-scarred table up ahead with its old-fashioned tin coffeepot centerpieces sprouting plastic sunflowers. Even though the table was large—holding twelve or even thirteen if someone took the end—there were only three seats left at the far end and a single open chair next to Lexi. Joel assumed that one was saved for Lexi’s husband, Nick.
A middle-aged waitress with a nose ring and orange lipstick had already begun taking orders.
“We better sit down.” Joel wrapped his hand around her elbow and gently urged her forward. He took a step away from her before they reached the table.
“Hello, everyone.” A smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes lifted Kate’s lips.
As the greetings flew back and forth, Joel positioned himself at the end with the three open chairs. He waited to see where Kate decided to sit so he could pull out her chair.
For a second her gaze appeared to linger on the chair next to Lexi. But if Kate was hoping to sit next to her friend, that option disappeared when Nick showed up, brushing a kiss against his wife’s cheek and slipping into the chair beside her.
Joel and Kate had barely gotten settled and picked up the menus when the waitress asked for their orders. The woman obviously knew they had only an hour before they needed to pick up the children and wanted to keep things moving.
Drinks were already on the table by the time Ryan Harcourt showed up. Unlike the other men at the table who’d come from church, the attorney wore a pair of jeans with holes and a faded navy T-shirt. His thick dark hair was still damp, as if he’d just hopped out of a shower.
Even though Joel tried to steer clear of the whole who-was-dating-who gossip, he’d heard Kate had recently ended a relationship with Ryan. Some speculated it wouldn’t be long before the two were back together. Even if they didn’t, Joel knew Kate wouldn’t be available for long.
The chorus of hellos and ribbing that greeted Ryan’s arrival told Joel that Kate’s former boyfriend was a regular at these gatherings. Not surprising because, like so many of those congregated around the table, Ryan was a Jackson Hole native.
The attorney glanced around, his gaze initially bypassing the empty seat next to Kate. Although Ryan’s cocky grin never wavered, Joel noticed his gaze made a second sweep as if seeking another option before commandeering the last open spot.
“Hello, Joel. Kate.” Ryan placed the paper napkin on his lap and gestured for the waitress to bring him some coffee.
“Decided to skip the sermon, eh, Ry?”
Kate’s light, almost-teasing greeting surprised Joel. Because the two had recently broken up, he’d expected to see some awkwardness. If Kate felt ill-at-ease, it didn’t show.
Ryan took a cup of steaming coffee from the waitress before turning his attention back to his ex-girlfriend, an answering gleam in his eyes.
“I wouldn’t be so cocky if I were you.” The attorney’s gaze settled his gaze on her dress. “At least I didn’t get up late and wear a slip to church.”
For a second she looked taken aback. Then Kate burst into laughter. “Touché.”
Something twisted in Joel’s gut at the playful banter. Something that felt an awful lot like jealousy, which didn’t make sense. He didn’t care if she got back together with Ryan. Didn’t care at all.
“I didn’t see your car outside, Kate,” Ryan said, shortly after the waitress brought the food. “Is the Subaru back in the shop?”
Kate swept a strand of hair back from her face. “Actually, I rode with Joel.”
Ryan’s eyes widened in surprise and when he spoke, his gaze was riveted on Joel. “What are you, a miracle worker? She would never come with me. No matter how many times I begged, er, invited her.”
“Eat your omelet, Harcourt,” Kate said mildly, then promptly changed the subject. “Did I mention to either of you that I agreed to help out at the Jackson Hole rodeo in August? They wanted a doctor available in case any of the kids in the peewee division are injured.”
Joel ate his “Hearty Man’s Breakfast” of eggs, hash browns, ham and toast and listened with half an ear to the ensuing rodeo talk all the while wondering why Kate had come today. More important, why had she agreed to ride with him? He hoped she didn’t have any, well, romantic interest in him.
While Kate seemed to be a fine person, she was nothing like Amy. When he did jump back into the dating scene, he would look for a woman more like his wife. A woman of substance.
Although Joel didn’t doubt Kate’s intelligence or competence as a doctor, he’d noticed that outside of work she rarely spoke of anything beyond the superficial. Personal details were kept to a minimum. Consequently he knew little of her. Even though it didn’t really matter, he was curious.
After Ryan had finished entertaining them with stories from his bull-riding days, Joel slathered some grape jam on his toast and decided this would be an opportunity to get to know more about his daughter’s doctor. “Where did you say you went to medical school?”
Kate took a sip of coffee before answering. “UC Irvine.”
“Did you like it there?” Joel asked.
“I did.”
He waited for her to elaborate, but she simply stirred some more cream into her coffee. Joel had never pulled teeth, but he had the feeling that would be easier than getting basic information from Kate McNeal.
Ryan doused his omelet with more Tabasco sauce before looking up. “Isn’t that in Orange County?”
“That’s right.” Kate took a sip of coffee, obviously not intending to say more.
Joel couldn’t help but smile remembering how excited he and Amy had been when they’d landed at the John Wayne Airport in Orange County on their first and only trip to the West Coast. “My daughter, Chloe, was born at the Women’s Hospital in Laguna Hills, which isn’t that far from Irvine.”
Kate didn’t look up, apparently more fascinated by the granola in her yogurt parfait than the conversation.
Ryan took a bite of his omelet, then quickly followed it with a shot of water. “I didn’t know you used to live in California.”
“Actually, Chloe is adopted. We went there to pick her up and complete the rest of the paperwork.” Joel smiled. “When all that was done, we took her home to Montana.”
“That’s wonderful,” Ryan said.
“It is,” Kate echoed.
“I remember how beautiful it was there. Are you from that area?” Joel asked Kate.
“I grew up in Pittsburgh.”
“Do you go home often?”
“Kate and her family aren’t close,” Ryan said. “Her parents are still married. She has one older sister, Andrea, who is the family’s golden child. Andrea is married with three kids, a boy and two girls.”
Kate’s brows slammed together and a warning that even Ryan couldn’t fail to recognize, flashed in her hazel eyes.
The attorney raised both hands. “Don’t glare at me, sweetheart. It took me six months of intense effort to ferret out the basics. I’m simply helping the new guy out. Getting him up to speed.”
“I’m not the—” Joel began.
“Thank you, Ryan.” The sarcasm in Kate’s tone came through loud and clear. “Is there anything else you’d like to share about my life?”
A thoughtful look crossed Ryan’s face. “Kate thinks she wants to settle down, but there’s something in her background, I never did discover what, that keeps her from—”
“Enough.” Her voice cut like a knife. “That’s quite enough.”
Even though her face was perfectly composed, Joel heard the anger and saw the tremble in the hands she clasped in her lap. Without thinking, he reached over and covered her hands with one of his.
Almost immediately, she pushed it away.
But in the second that his hand had closed over hers, he learned that her skin was soft as silk. Joel had a sudden image of his arms wrapped around her, those hands sliding down his bare chest …
Dear God, what was happening to him? He jerked to his feet, pulled out his wallet and tossed a couple bills on the table. “I need to get back to the church. I don’t want Chloe to wait on me.”
Only after the words left his mouth did Joel remember he hadn’t come alone. Not only had Kate barely made a dent in her yogurt parfait, but there was also plenty of time left to pick up Chloe.
“Go ahead.” Kate waved a spoon filled with yogurt in the air. If she seemed disturbed about his impending departure, it didn’t show. In fact she appeared almost … pleased.
“I can catch a ride with someone,” she continued when he made no move to leave. “Or I may walk. The church isn’t far.”
Joel knew he should feel relieved, but all he felt was irritated by her cavalier attitude. “I’ll wait.”
“Go ahead, Dennes.” Amusement danced in the attorney’s eyes. “I’ll take the lady wherever she wants to go.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Kate shifted her gaze from Ryan to Joel. “I’ll be fine.”
Ryan heaved a melodramatic sigh and placed a hand on his chest. “Ah, Kate, you’re breaking my heart.”
Kate rolled her eyes.
Joel experienced a sudden urge to shove a fist in the attorney’s smirking face, but that would accomplish nothing. He’d brought this on himself.
“Are you sure?” he asked Kate one last time. “I’ll be happy to wait.”
“Positive.” She held up her cup and took more coffee. “No worries. Go ahead.”
“Okay, well, I’ll be seeing you around.” As he walked away, Joel turned back one last time to look at Kate.
For a second their eyes met and he thought he saw a look of regret. Then she turned back to Ryan, leaving Joel with no choice but to head to his truck.
This time, alone.
Chapter Three
Kate leaned back in her office chair and stretched, grateful the hectic Monday was almost at an end. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. The incident in church and then at the café had consumed her thoughts.
Her feelings for Joel had taken her by surprise. In the quiet of her bedroom, staring up at the ceiling, she’d admitted to herself that she liked the guy. He was intelligent and hard-working and she respected how much he cared about Chloe. If he wasn’t Chloe’s father, she’d be hoping he’d ask her out.
But he was Chole’s dad and she had more important things to think about, like what was up with her last patient.
Emilie Hyland. Kate pulled her brows together. She’d seen the sixteen-year-old last fall for a sports physical. No health issues had been identified on that visit. The vivacious cheerleader had been the picture of good health.
I wonder why she’s coming in today?
Normally the receptionist indicated the reason for the visit next to the name, but the field had been left blank.
“Dr. McNeal.” Lydia Albrecht, one of the front-office staff, stuck her head inside the door. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but there’s a woman at the desk who says she’s an old friend of yours. She asked if you might have a few minutes to see her.”
An old friend? While Kate didn’t have many friends now, she had even fewer that she would categorize as “old.” “Did she give you a name?”
Lydia glanced down at the paper in her hand. “Mitzi Sanchez.”
Surprise of the most pleasant kind rippled through Kate. She and Mitzi had been roommates all through medical school. This would be the first time Kate had seen her friend since they’d met in L.A. for an afternoon of lunch and shopping right before Kate had moved to Jackson Hole.
Kate rose to her feet. “By all means, send her back.”
Less than a minute later, Mitzi stood in the doorway. Even though she’d once told Kate she didn’t speak a word of English until she began grade school, with her fair skin and blue eyes, she was far from the stereotypical exotic Latina. Her hair, which had once been down her back and dark brown, now barely brushed her shoulders and was definitely a shade lighter. One thing hadn’t changed … the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose that Mitzi loved to hate.
The most shocking change was her attire. As Kate crossed the room, her eyes skipped past the blue jeans and simple white cotton shirt to settle on her friend’s feet.
The last time she’d seen her friend they’d lunched at Koi, just off Melrose Avenue. That day Mitzi had worn a darling cap-sleeve dress with a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti peep-toe pumps.
“Seriously, Mitzi, cowboy boots?”
Her friend chuckled. “Hey, you know me. I bloom where I’m planted.”
It was true, Kate realized as she pulled Mitzi close, enveloping her in a hug. Her friend had always been a master at fitting in, no matter where she found herself.
“It’s good to see you.” Until this second, Kate hadn’t realized just how deeply she’d missed her friend and confidante.
“I’m sorry to stop by so unexpectedly,” Mitzi began. “You know that isn’t my style—”
“Yeah, right.” Kate hugged her for another second before releasing her. “You like keeping me on my toes.”
Mitzi simply smiled and took a seat in one of the two leather wingbacks facing the desk. Kate slipped into the other.
“I’m surprised you’re not in L.A. right now, taking care of the rich and famous.” Kate searched her memory. “Didn’t you tell me you’d accepted a position with Beverly Hills Orthopedics and Sports Medicine?”
“I did, but they don’t need me to start until January.”
“This is only June.” Kate raised a brow. “You can’t go six months without doing surgery.”
Mitzi brushed a strand of shiny brown hair back from her face. “That’s why I’m here. I’m going to be a locum at Spring Gulch Orthopedic through the end of the year.”
Kate squealed. If she’d have been standing, she’d have jumped up and down. “You’re staying with me,” she said in the no-nonsense tone she often used with recalcitrant patients. “I have plenty of room and I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Thank you, Kate.” Mitzi reached over and squeezed her hand, appearing touched by the offer. “I was hoping you’d ask.”
Thank You, God, Kate thought. This is just what I needed.
She exhaled a happy breath. “Who are you filling in for?”
“John Campbell,” Mitzi said, naming a prominent surgeon at the largest orthopedic practice in Jackson.
Kate wasn’t surprised. According to the medical grapevine, the doctor had recently been diagnosed with advanced cancer.
“I’m surprised they didn’t ask you to join them permanently.” Even before Campbell was diagnosed, one of the docs in that practice had told Kate they were hoping to add another physician to their busy group.
“They asked.” Mitzi lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. “While it was a fair offer, there’s no comparison between that money and what I can earn in Beverly Hills.”
“I’m thinking the fact that your best friend lives here should be worth at least half a mil.” Kate fought to keep a straight face.
“Oh, if only I wasn’t so materialistic,” Mitzi said with an exaggerated sigh. “If it’s any consolation, your being here was the reason I chose to take this temporary assignment.”
Even as her heart swelled with emotion, Kate shot her friend a saucy smile. “Gee, thanks, Mitz. Way to put the pressure on me to show you a good time.”
Before Mitzi could fire a comeback, a light knock sounded and Lydia announced that Kate’s last appointment had arrived.
“If you want to give me your address and a key,” Mitzi said, “I’ll head over to your place in my rental car and chill until you get off.”
“You’ll also need a keycard for the gate.” Kate rounded the desk and pulled out the drawer that held her purse. When she straightened, she tossed Mitzi an extra key to her townhome while keeping the fob to her Subaru in her hand. “Walk with me to my car and I’ll give you my extra one. The townhome I rent is in a gated community just outside of town, so you’ll definitely need it.”
Kate had considered purchasing a home, but she wasn’t certain how long she planned to stay in Jackson Hole. Being so close to her heart’s desire, yet needing to keep her distance had been harder than she’d imagined.
“I’ve heard it all.” Mitzi chuckled as she followed Kate out the back door of her office to the employee parking lot. “A gated community in Wyoming. Why? You need protection from big bad elk and moose?”
The two bantered back and forth all the way to the car. Kate retrieved the keycard from her glove compartment and pressed it into her friend’s hand. Unfortunately the good-luck train she’d been riding since Mitzi had walked through her door derailed when Kate saw Joel’s red four-wheel drive pull into a slanted parking stall in front of Rallis Orthodontics.
For a second she considered grabbing Mitzi’s arm and making a U-turn straight back to the building. Then Chloe hopped out of the truck and Kate saw the child point in her direction.
Her heart dropped when Joel waved and began walking toward them, his daughter skipping behind him.
Mitzi’s eyes widened with pure female appreciation. “If the men in Jackson Hole are all like him, it’s going to be an enjoyable six months.”
Kate had to admit that even dressed simply in jeans, boots and a blue polo, Joel looked good. And Chloe looked adorable in a black-and-white-checkered dress with red piping.
“Who is he?” Mitzi whispered in a low tone as the man and child approached. “More important, is he available?”
“Look, Daddy.” Chloe hopped out of the truck and pointed. “It’s Dr. Kate.”
Joel shut his door before turning, knowing his little girl had to be mistaken. They’d just driven past the area where she was pointing and he hadn’t seen anyone who remotely resembled Kate McNeal.
But when he gazed back in that direction he realized Chloe was right. He lifted his hand in greeting, feeling a little awkward about yesterday but surprisingly happy to see the pretty doctor.
As always, Kate looked stunning. Her dark, shoulder-length hair caught the sunlight and she moved with elegance. Under her lab coat she wore a white dress with yellow-and-black bands of color around the waistline. She looked as if she should be walking down a runway rather than tending to sick children.
There weren’t many women in Jackson Hole as lovely and intelligent as Dr. Kate. Not that it mattered to him. Like he’d told himself last night, he was a busy contractor with a daughter to raise and a company to run. Even if he had been interested in dating, Amy would always be number one in his heart. Kate McNeal didn’t seem like a woman who’d be satisfied with second place.
“Hi, Joel. Chloe.” Even though she couldn’t have walked more than ten feet across the parking lot, Kate seemed oddly out of breath. It was probably those spiky heels she wore. While they were very sexy-looking, they had to be hell to walk in.