TUESDAY AFTERNOON, SIMON stood in the center of his hotel room, not sure what to do. He didn’t usually allow himself to be indecisive. In his line of work, decisions had to be made quickly. He’d learned to trust his instincts, to believe that his training and his ability would guide him. But this wasn’t surgery. This was regular life and he’d never done very well there.
He fully expected Montana to have given her mother some reason why he couldn’t show up. After what had happened yesterday, there was no way she would be waiting for him in the hotel lobby. He hadn’t just kissed her, he’d claimed her. Once again he’d been unable to resist, and this time she’d felt the proof of what she did to him. His inability to restrain himself humiliated him, yet he knew if given the chance he would do it again.
He glanced at his watch. It was nearly four. He’d gone to all the trouble of arranging to leave the hospital early. Either he went through with the damn meal or he went back to work. Compelled by a force he couldn’t explain, he made his way downstairs. Even if she didn’t show up, he owed it to her to be waiting. It would be his penance.
But when he stepped into the lobby, she was all he saw. Her long golden-blond hair, tumbling across her shoulders. The pale blue sundress that left her arms and legs bare. She was beautiful and sexy and he wanted her with a desperation that robbed him of speech.
He saw other men glancing at her and wanted to step between them and her. He wanted to announce to all the world that she was his and no one else could have her. The primitive need shocked him. He wasn’t that man. He was always in control.
Except with her.
She saw him and smiled, then walked toward him. Her hips swayed, enticing him. Every movement was sensual, a siren’s call to pleasure.
“Look at you, wearing jeans again. You’re doing it to mess with my head, aren’t you? We both know you’re much more the suit type.”
Because that was how she saw him. What was it she had said? That he had a stick up his ass?
“About yesterday,” he began.
She shook her head. “Don’t you dare apologize. You can’t kiss like that and then say you’re sorry. Because if you really are sorry, I’ll have to punch you hard in the stomach. I’ve accepted that you’re a hit-and-run kisser. Luckily for you, you’re the best one around.”
“There are others?”
She laughed. “No. Just you.”
He could see she wasn’t angry. If anything, she was teasing him. He’d hoped she enjoyed kissing him. She’d kissed him back—he’d felt her response. But he didn’t know if he’d taken it too far. While that wasn’t an excuse for his behavior, her acceptance made him feel a little better.
She placed her hand on his chest. He supposed it was casual, or at least intended to be. But he felt the heat of her touch burning down to his soul.
“You should do that more often,” she said, staring up at him.
“Kiss you?”
She laughed. “That’s not what I meant, but maybe. I was talking about you smiling. You don’t smile very much. I suppose that comes from being a very serious man.”
In her world, was being serious good or bad? He had a feeling it would fall on the bad side and wanted to tell her he could be as much fun as the next guy. But he knew he was wrong. All the fun had been burned out of him a long time ago.
She dropped her hand to her side. For a moment he wanted to protest, telling her that he needed the physical contact between them. Instead he said nothing.
“Come on,” she said. “Everyone in my family is waiting to treat you like the hero you are.”
“I’m not a hero,” he said, following her out of the hotel lobby. Far from it.
Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, he wanted things to be different. He saw the world around him and wanted what other people had. Connection. What was that old saying? No point in howling for the moon.
“You’re a hero to us,” she told him.
They stepped out into the warm afternoon. The sidewalk was surprisingly crowded with families and couples talking as they walked. From the little he’d seen of the town, it was an open, friendly place. Like something out of a movie or a sitcom. Not that it tempted him. When his time here was finished, he would be moving on.
Montana made her way to a beat-up Subaru wagon. A few dings scarred the doors and the paint wasn’t very shiny, but what caught his attention was the large dog in the back. He recognized the big eyes, the slobbery grin and the sweeping tail with nearly magical powers of wreaking havoc.
He stopped beside the car. “It’s that dog.”
“You don’t have to say it like she has a disease. Yes, this is Fluffy. You probably remember her from that little incident at the hospital.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Little incident?”
“What would you call it?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Montana sighed. “I have already admitted I overestimated Fluffy’s ability to change. She’s a happy, exuberant dog and most of the time that’s a good thing. Just not so much for therapy. I’m taking her with us because I want her to meet Kent and Reese. Kent has been thinking about getting them a dog. Fluffy would make a great pet.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Don’t you dare say anything.”
“I’m sure Fluffy would make a great pet.” As long as the dog never got onto his ward again, he would be happy.
“Oh.” She unlocked the doors.
He slid into the passenger seat. Fluffy lunged toward him, but Montana told her to stay in the back.
“Kent and Reese have been going through a bad time. Reese’s mom took off about a year ago.” Montana started the engine, then glanced at him. “She just left. What kind of mother does that? She rarely sees Reese. Kent said she barely calls, but when she suddenly gets an itch to play mom, she expects Kent to drop everything and bring Reese to her. I don’t think that dog can take the place of his mother, but sometimes unconditional love can really help.”
Simon thought of his own mother. Compared to her actions, leaving would have almost been kind. But Montana wouldn’t know much about the monsters in life. She’d been spared, and he found he was pleased by that. He didn’t want her to know what life could really be like.
“I didn’t tell Cece that Fluffy was coming with us,” she said with a grin. “I didn’t want them fighting.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “She really has a thing for you. It’s so cute.”
He thought about the small poodle. She wasn’t a bad dog and seemed to do well with Kalinda, which he appreciated. “I think you’re giving her too much credit.”
“You only say that because you don’t know her. Just wait. Cece is going to win you over.”
Before he could respond, she began pointing out the various sites in Fool’s Gold. They drove by the park and through the small downtown before turning into a residential neighborhood.
From what he could tell, the houses were older but well maintained. Large trees and green lawns gave the neighborhood an idyllic air. A few bicycles leaned against porches. He supposed this was normal for a lot of people. Middle America. The kind of place where most kids grew up, or at least imagined growing up. He’d never experienced anything like it. His life with his mother had been spent in a series of small apartments in grim neighborhoods. He’d spent his teen years in hospitals.
No doubt many of his patients lived in houses like this, but he never visited them there. He made it a point to keep his work separate. He didn’t want to know them more personally than necessary. In fact, he had never accepted an invitation to someone’s home. This was a first. And it wasn’t because he wanted to get to know the Hendrix family. It was all about Montana.
She parked in front of one of the houses. It looked freshly painted and the roof was new. The yard well cared for. There were already several cars in the driveway. As he got out of the car, he braced himself to once again deal with people he didn’t know. Not his strong suit, he thought grimly.
Montana let Fluffy out of the back and quickly clicked the leash onto her collar. Even so, the large dog practically dragged her toward the porch. Before they got there, the front door burst open and people spilled out.
“Welcome,” Denise said, hurrying toward them. She held her arms open.
He wanted to take a step back, to turn away, to make his excuses. But everything happened too fast. Denise embraced him, holding on as if she would never let go.
“He came home this morning,” she said as she hugged him tight. “Just like you said. He’s going to be fine and it’s because of you.” Still holding on to both his upper arms, she stepped back and looked at him. “I want to spend the next several hours thanking you, but that might make you uncomfortable. So I’m going to say it now and try to let it go. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound as awkward as he felt.
She linked arms with him and led him toward the waiting family.
He remembered Kent from the previous day. After they shook hands, he was introduced to Ethan, the oldest of the six children, and Ethan’s wife, Liz. Next up were the remaining triplets, Dakota and Nevada.
Dakota was holding a toddler. Hovering close by was Finn, Dakota’s fiancé.
“The kids are in the backyard,” Denise told him. “You know Reese, of course. Then there are Ethan and Liz’s three. My youngest son, Ford, is overseas in the military.”
As she spoke, she led Simon through the house. The large, bright rooms and comfortable furniture were welcoming. He found himself relaxing almost against his will.
Once they went outside, everyone drifted to the tables set up in the shade under the trees. He heard the other two sisters teasing their mother about eating outside. Montana moved next to him.
“You doing okay?” she asked.
He glanced at her. “Fine.”
“I’m only asking because I know this isn’t your thing.” She smiled. “Families. Groups.”
He wondered if it was that obvious. “I appreciate the invitation,” he began.
She cut him off with a laugh and a shake of her head. “Oh, please. You can say that to them, but we both know the truth. You would rather have a root canal than be here today. Which makes me really appreciate you agreeing to come.”
He had never considered himself the kind of man who had a preference for a physical type. The women in his life were temporary, a convenience. But now, staring into Montana’s brown eyes, he wondered if he would ever be able to look at another woman without thinking of her.
They settled in chairs next to each other. Nevada joined them, sitting across the table and leaning toward him.
“I won’t get into the whole ‘we really appreciate what you did’ thing,” she said. “Mom will thank you for all of us. I would guess at some point the thanks get tedious.”
“Not tedious,” he corrected. “Uncomfortable.”
She smiled. “Not into the gushing thing?”
“No.”
The curve of her mouth, the flash of teeth, was nearly identical to Montana’s. Yet his reaction could not have been more different. He wasn’t the least bit interested in Nevada. She was nice enough and pretty enough, but nothing like her sister. Quite the trick, considering they were identical triplets.
“Montana tells me you’re in town for a temporary assignment. You go from place to place doing surgery and then leave?”
He nodded. “I don’t usually go to large cities unless there is a special case. Every couple of years I spend a few months in other countries. I’m going to Peru as soon as I’m done here.”
“Doctors Without Borders?” Montana asked.
“I’ve worked with them and with other organizations. There is a massive need for surgeons in the Third World.”
“But you mostly work with burn patients, right?” Nevada asked. “Don’t they require long-term care?”
“Yes. I do the preliminary surgeries and their local doctors follow up with long-term care. Sometimes I go back a few years later.” If the case was difficult enough.
“Aren’t you kind of young to be doing what you do?” Nevada asked. “You’re what? In your early thirties?”
“I started college early and got through quickly. I knew what I wanted to do and was motivated.”
Montana enjoyed listening to the exchange. She didn’t know very much about Simon and having her sister grill him would make it easier for her to make some headway with Mayor Marsha’s request.
Although from what she could tell all he did was move around. While that sounded exciting, didn’t he eventually want a home?
As he and Nevada discussed the rigors of his education, Montana studied his face. She wasn’t surprised that he had seated her on his “good” side. But when he turned to her sister, she could see some of the scars. They were thick and angry, tugging at his skin. They went down the side of his neck. She wasn’t sure where they ended. At his shoulder? Did they go all the way down his back, his chest?
What had happened to him, all those years ago? How had he been hurt and how had he recovered? “Who was Simon Bradley?” she asked herself somewhat dramatically.
Before she could figure out how to ask, Kent and Reese walked up, Fluffy bounding beside the boy. There were bandages on the side of her nephew’s face and he had a couple of bruises. He was still kind of foggy from the accident and the surgery. At both his father’s and grandmother’s insistence, he was spending the afternoon in a lounge chair, while his cousins played around him. She had a feeling that come tomorrow he would be running around with the rest of them.
“How are you feeling?” Simon asked the boy.
“Okay. My face hurts a little. I’m kind of tired. Dad says you’re the doctor who operated on me.”
Simon nodded. “You were my easiest case of the day.”
Reese leaned against the table. He had the same dark hair that all the Hendrix men possessed. Montana could see a lot of her brother in his son.
“Doesn’t all that blood bother you?” Reese asked.
“I’m used to it.”
“It’s pretty sweet, the way you help people and all. But I’d worry about throwing up with all that blood.”
Kent looked surprised. “Are you thinking you want to be a doctor?”
Reese grinned. “Dad, I’m ten. I kind of want to be everything. But I think what Dr. Bradley can do is special. You know, fixing people.”
Montana watched her brother struggle. She knew him well enough to guess that he wanted to point out his profession was interesting, too, although she wasn’t sure how many ten-year-olds dreamed of being a math teacher.
“A doctor would be good,” Kent said. “You have to go to school a lot.”
“He has plenty of time to decide,” Simon said easily, then smiled at Reese. “You won’t be so tired tomorrow. And your face will stop hurting.”
“Sweet.”
Kent excused them both and went back to the house. Fluffy trailed along with them.
“I should go help Mom,” Nevada said, rising.
Montana started to stand but her sister waved her into place.
“Entertain our company,” Nevada said with a knowing smile. “I’ll take care of setting out the food.”
Montana sighed, then glanced at Simon to see if he’d noticed the not very subtle “pay attention to the cute guy” reference. Fortunately, he seemed intent on watching Fluffy.
Through the open sliding door, they could see Reese had plopped down on the sectional sofa. Instead of staying outside with the other kids, Fluffy settled at his feet.
“She’s protecting him,” Montana pointed out. “She didn’t have the personality to be a therapy dog, but she had the heart.”
“Disappointed it wasn’t enough?”
She studied her nephew. “I think a dog will be good for him, so no. Still, it would have been nice to add Fluffy to the team. Big dogs work well in a lot of situations.”
“Such as?”
“If we’re visiting a large group, like a nursing home. The bigger dogs can easily go around and be patted. They’re also easier for residents with walkers and wheelchairs. No little paws getting underfoot. The bigger dogs seem better suited for the reading program, too. You’d think a large dog would scare a little kid, but they don’t. Plus they can lean on them or cuddle, which takes away some of the stress. Not to dismiss the work of the small dogs. You saw what Cece did for Kalinda. It’s hard to get an eighty-pound Lab onto a bed with a sick kid.”
She shook her head. “Sorry. I can get carried away.”
“I like hearing about your work.”
“It’s nothing when compared with what you do.”
His gray-green gaze was steady. “I disagree. The ability to read is just as important for a child as fitting into our societal norms, physically speaking.”
He had a point, but still. “You save lives.”
“When you bring a dog to visit someone who is lonely, aren’t you saving their life, too?”
“In the moment.”
“Isn’t life about moments?”
This was a side of him she hadn’t expected to see. “I thought all surgeons had huge egos.”
“I have my moments, too.” One corner of his mouth twitched. “Plus, that stick up my butt takes a lot of room.”
She winced. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I can be too focused. I need that skill for my work, but after a while I forget to turn it off.”
He flashed her a smile and she felt her stomach clench. There was something about this man, she thought. She wanted to ask about his scars—how he’d gotten them and why he hadn’t entirely fixed them. Maybe they couldn’t be fixed. And while she was wondering things, what about his personal life? From what he’d said, he went from place to place, with no real roots. Didn’t that get lonely?
Usually conversation was easy for her, but with Simon she felt she had to tread more carefully. Strange, considering the man had had his tongue in her mouth. After that intimacy, he shouldn’t be so intimidating. But it wasn’t that she was nervous around him. Rather, she didn’t want to scare him off. Talk about confusing.
“I’m guessing that means you didn’t have a dog when you were growing up,” she said, wondering if she could get him to talk about his past.
“No.” The humor left his eyes as he spoke and his mouth straightened. “No dog. It was just me and my mother. Until I went into the hospital.”
With the burns, she thought, eager to find out what had happened. But before she could figure out what to ask, he spoke.
“You and your sisters are the youngest?”
“Yes. Mom wanted one girl and instead got three. That can’t have been easy. The multiple birth thing. My friend Pia is pregnant with twins. She’s due any minute. I can’t imagine what that’s like—especially since they’re not hers. Not biologically.”
“Someone donated the eggs?”
“Our mutual friend Crystal had frozen embryos. Crystal died and left them to Pia, who freaked out.” Montana smiled at the memory. “She wasn’t exactly prepared to be a mother. But she couldn’t say no and then she met Raoul and now they’re a family.” She sighed. “It’s wonderful. Don’t you love a happy ending?”
“You believe in that?”
“Of course. Fool’s Gold is the Land of Happy Endings. Don’t you believe in them?”
“Sometimes.”
The air was warm and the scent of her mother’s flowers drifted by. She could hear the sound of the kids playing, talking and laughter coming from the house. Still, all that faded until there was only Simon.
“Only sometimes? Because other times they don’t make it,” she whispered, understanding that for him, not saving someone, even if he knew there wasn’t a way to make that happen, must be terrible.
“I’ve accepted it.”
“You don’t mean that.”
He stared at her. “I don’t mean it,” he admitted. “I’m supposed to be able to save them all.” He put his hands on the table. “It’s here. In these, and in my head. I’m good at what I do—one of the best. I always knew that I had a special talent, and that if I dedicated everything to becoming the best, I could save lives.”
That wasn’t ego, she thought, although she wasn’t sure how she knew. It was something else. Something more profound and integral to who he was.
“You’re complicated,” she told him.
“No. I’m fairly simple. You’re the complicated one.”
She laughed. “I don’t think so. My life is very normal. Boring, even.”
“Not boring.”
She wished he was telling the truth. “I always wanted to be exotic. Different. Instead I’m one of six kids with parents who loved each other. I guess being a triplet was unusual, but in a way it only added to the sameness. It’s hard to be an individual when you’re one of three.” She shook her head. “I’m not making sense, am I? The thing is, I love my family and my sisters so much. But they always knew what they wanted and, until recently, I didn’t.”
“Hence your concern about Fluffy’s destiny?”
She laughed. “There’s that word again. Hence. You and your fancy education.”
“That’s me. Fancy.”
“I’m glad you came today,” she said impulsively, touching her hand to his.
His skin was warm and made her remember being in his arms. Talk about a place that felt good.
Simon studied her intensely. “I am, too. I don’t spend a lot of time with families.”
By choice, she thought suddenly, thinking of his travels. He could have chosen to settle in one place, to raise money and have the patients come to him. But he hadn’t. He’d done this deliberately, which left the question of why.
Ethan strolled over. “All right, Simon, I’ve come to give you a break. Kent and I are going to grab a beer and watch the game. Want to join us?”
Montana would have preferred to keep him to herself, but wasn’t sure what he wanted to do.
“Go ahead,” she told him. “I’ll help Mom in the kitchen.”
They went into the house. Ethan grabbed them each a beer, then the guys settled in front of the big TV in the family room. The space was large, with comfortable sofas. Although it opened onto the kitchen, the guys were so far away that the sound from the TV barely made it to the kitchen.
The kids were out back, playing. Nevada and Dakota were with Denise, finishing up the last prep work for dinner. Baby Hannah sat in her playpen, happily digging into a quilted bag filled with fabric animals.
“Let me guess,” her mother said as Montana entered. “They’re going to watch the game.”
“Of course.”
“Men and sports. I’ll never understand it.” Denise leaned against the counter. “How your father loved baseball.”
“And football,” Nevada added. “Remember that Thanksgiving when the game went into overtime and the turkey was done?”
Dad had been desperate to see the end of the game, but had taken one look at his wife’s face and turned off the TV. Denise had been so impressed, she’d had Ethan and Ford drag the TV into the dining room while Ralph was carving the turkey in the kitchen.
“He would have missed the end of that game for you,” Montana reminded her mother. “He loved you so much.”
“He did. He was a good man.” Denise looked at her, then at Nevada. “I want you two to find a man like him.”
“I’m not opposed to it,” Montana said, doing her best not to look toward the family room or even think about Simon. First of all, she barely knew the man. Fabulous kissing did not a relationship make. Second, he wasn’t the kind who stayed, and she wasn’t the kind who left.
“I’m not convinced what you and Dad had still exists,” Nevada grumbled. “There aren’t that many good guys around.”
“Sure there are,” Dakota told her.
“Thanks. Rub in the fact you found the last one.”
“Maybe not,” Denise said, eyeing Simon. “Any sparks?”
“Mom!” Montana waved her hands. “Shh. What if he hears you?”
“They’re at the other end of the room with the TV on. He can’t hear me.” Still she lowered her voice. “I saw you two talking outside. Anything?”
Montana didn’t know what to say. Simon was smart and good-looking and kissed in a way that left her breathless. But…
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “We don’t have that much in common.”
“How much do you need?” Nevada asked.
“I’m not sure. He’s very solitary. I can’t figure out how much of that is by circumstance and how much is by design.”
“You mean, is he mysterious, or is there something wrong with him?” Dakota asked.
Montana grinned. “Exactly.”
“You could find out,” her mother reminded her.
“I could.”